Each week, we’ll look at a handful of different hitters who fantasy managers should consider picking up in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. Many of these players will have the most value in larger leagues where waiver wire options aren’t as plentiful. Still, they could also occasionally be useful additions in other, more standard-sized leagues, depending on your options at their position.
All roster percentages mentioned in this column are via FantasyPros as of Wednesday afternoon.
Austin Hays – 26%
Austin Hays hasn’t hit much against left-handed pitching so far this season. Entering play Wednesday, just five of his 38 plate appearances came against left-handed pitchers.
And while a full-time role in Cincinnati would certainly help Hays’ fantasy ceiling, if he keeps making this kind of contact, even continuing in a part-time role could result in impact performances for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.
Hays is hitting .371 with a .421 on-base percentage, three home runs and a stolen base in 38 plate appearances for the Reds this season.
That batting average, and the on-base percentage likely with it, seem all but likely to taper off and generally decrease to a degree, it being a small sample size and all.
But the power production, including a pair of home runs in Cincinnati, could very well persist for Hays – something that’d do wonders for his fantasy production and overall ceiling.
The veteran outfielder has turned in solid power-hitting seasons in the past. He slugged 22 home runs in 529 plate appearances in 2021 and followed that up with consecutive seasons with exactly 16 home runs in 2022 (in 582 plate appearances) and 2023 (in 566 plate appearances).
All of that production came in the pitcher-friendly Camden Yards.
Hays’ new home ballpark in Cincinnati might be the polar opposite in terms of being extremely hitter-friendly. It’s also a ballpark that should help boost Hays’ fantasy numbers considerably, particularly in the home run department.
Per Statcast data, the outfielder’s expected home run number in Cincinnati for the 2021 season would’ve been 26. In 2022 and 2023, respectively? 17 and 28.
For his career, the outfielder has 71 home runs, but his expected home run number for Great American Ballpark is 88, 10 higher than any other Major League stadium.
Gavin Lux – 11%
Staying in Cincinnati with the Reds, we return to Gavin Lux, who was mentioned in this column a few weeks back. At the time, Lux began the year hitting cleanup on a fairly regular basis for the National League Central club.
That trend hasn’t exactly continued; the infielder and outfielder has settled into batting fifth for Cincinnati for much of the last week, but he’s done nothing but hit since then.
From April 10 onwards, Lux is batting .438 with a .561 on-base percentage, a 216 wRC+, a home run, a stolen base, eight runs scored and six RBI. His barrel rate and hard-hit rate during that stretch sit at 12.5% and 45.8%, respectively.
The hot streak has helped push the 27-year-old former Dodger’s season-long numbers to a .316 average, a .422 on-base percentage, a home run and a stolen base in 90 plate appearances.
He’s still sporting just the one home run and a 7.8% barrel rate so far, so it seems unlikely that Lux will suddenly start connecting on a bunch of home runs. However, as long as he’s producing like this in one of the league’s most fantasy-friendly (and hitter-friendly) parts, he should provide plenty of quality fantasy production.
Even without above-average power production, Lux is still rostered in far too few leagues. If he’s still available via waivers or free agency in your league, now’s the time to add him to your roster.
Miguel Andujar – 1%
Andujar is more of a potential short-term addition for fantasy managers in deeper leagues, but he could make an instant impact.
For one, the veteran outfielder is batting .319 with a .360 on-base percentage in 75 plate appearances to start the year, with two home runs and just a 13.3% strikeout rate so far.
He’s been particularly effective at the plate as of late, batting .348 with a .367 on-base percentage and both of his home runs in 49 plate appearances since April 6, adding seven runs scored and eight RBI in the process.
Andujar is sporting just a .309 xwOBA so far, a number that ranks in the 38th percentile league-wide, so there might be some statistical regression coming at some point, but it might not be any time in the next few weeks.
After wrapping up a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Thursday, the A’s will play six of their next 10 games against the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins. There’s a four-game series against the Rangers again sandwiched between those two series, but showdowns with the White Sox and Marlins should provide plenty of chances for fantasy production for Andujar.
Among all 30 teams, only the Colorado Rockies have a higher FIP as a pitching staff than the White Sox’s collective 4.86 number. The Marlins, at 4.50, aren’t tremendously far behind. Both teams are also in the bottom five in the sport in walks allowed per nine innings.
