Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Week 8

Memorial Day is around the corner, and the kids will be finishing up school very soon. Summer weather is ahead and a lot of fantasy managers will start to lose focus. Yes, it happens every year. Keep churning your roster while many aren’t focused on the prize.

In weekly FAAB leagues, your waiver wire claims have likely already been processed. Our FAAB Insights articles are excellent sources for finding targets ahead of weekly waiver deadlines. This weekly article targets leagues that utilize daily waivers.

Here are some enticing players available in 40% or more Yahoo leagues that managers should consider acquiring this week.

 

Catcher

 

Shea Langeliers (C – OAK) 40% Rostered

Given the fact that the catcher position rarely lends itself to speed, the main focus should be on power. This pushes our quest into a pursuit of someone who’s racking up runs and RBI via the long ball. Well, look no further than Shea Langeliers.

For starters, Oakland’s primary backstop has been a mainstay in the lineup as he’s playing in 42 of the team’s 49 games. Furthermore, this helps prop him up as a categorical leader in many of our fantasy stats (among catchers):

• HR – 10 (tied for 1st)
• RBI – 26 (tied for 6th)
• Runs – 11 (tied for 10th)

Additionally, when we circle back to solely power indicators, Langeliers rises to the top (among catchers):

• Brl% – 17.8% (1st overall)
• FB Exit Velocity – 92.8 mph (4th overall)
• xwOBACON – .461 (tied for 5th)

In conclusion, he’s cut his strikeouts WAY back to 22%, nearly 7 points lower than in 2023. This could be his breakout season, and it wouldn’t shock anyone to see him wind up as a top-10 catcher when the season completes.

 

Honorable Mention: Luis Campusano(57% rostered), Keibert Ruiz (28% rostered ), Connor Wong (32% rostered)

 

Middle Infield

 

Luis Garcia Jr. (2B – WSH) 33% Rostered

We are seeing a slightly newer approach as Garcia is swinging less than 48%, nearly 5 points lower than in his previous two seasons. However, the contact rates remain healthy (78.2% Cont% and 88.4% Zone-Con%). And when you pair a better approach at the plate with a player who’s only 24 years old, perhaps we can say he’s figuring out pitching at the MLB level.

I mean, the underlying metrics point to a player who’s ready to take off:

• 11.1% Brl% (82nd percentile)
• 44.4% ICR (81st percentile)
• 32.1% IPA% (89th percentile)

Lastly, the available MIs in Week 8 are pretty flavorless. Grabbing Garcia now could help bolster the position for several weeks to come.

 

Honorable Mention: Edouard Julien (53% rostered), Abraham Toro (59% rostered), Tyler Freeman (11% rostered)

 

Corner Infield

 

Joey Ortiz (2B/3B – MIL) 33% Rostered

Quietly, Ortiz is climbing the Milwaukee Brewers batting order. And, why not? Since May 1, Ortiz is slashing .342/.405/.789 with a 230 wRC+. Heck, even outside of this two-week outburst, he’s rocking 165 wRC+. But how is the former Orioles prospect making such waves?

Well, one of the easier-to-spot aspects is the lack of strikeouts. In fact, he’s only struck out 20 times while walking 16. Sitting Joey down on strike three just hasn’t been happening very much. Additionally, he’s making an abundance of contact, specifically in the zone (89.9%), and the ball is finding holes.

My only warning is that this is likely not a power bat. Rather, a high batting average compiler to get you from week to week. Given the recent options, it’s a player that shouldn’t have issues sitting on your roster.

 

Honorable Mention: Josh H. Smith (38% rostered), Ty France (10% rostered), Matt Chapman (52% rostered)

 

Outfield

 

Luis Matos (OF – SFG) 16% rostered

Kinda funny, I expected Matos to be rostered in quite a few more leagues. Every league has a few managers who simply look at a player’s last seven days of success and just ride the hot hand. And practically no one has been hotter than Matos (22 PA: 2 HR, 16 RBI, and batting .455).

However, Matos is WAAAAAAY more than a one-week flash in the pan. Especially when you consider, he’s only 22 years old.

Now, Matos had a taste of the MLB and performed fine. But this looks like it could be the start of something…

For a young player, he showcases an excellent ability to put the bat to the ball and even chips in stolen bases. The Giants are looking for ways to improve this offense that sits in the bottom half in many offensive categories. Given the rash of injuries, we should expect loads of playing time for Matos this week (and beyond).

 

Honorable Mention: Jo Adell (54% rostered), Jonny DeLuca (10% rostered), Kerry Carpenter (55% rostered)

 

Starting Pitcher

 

Reese Olson (SP – DET) 40% rostered

I get it… Olson doesn’t have a W yet. But is that why he’s only on 40% of fantasy squads???

Well, in Week 8, Olson gets two bites at the apple since he’ll get a two-start week (@KCR and vs. TOR)—both very winnable games for the promising Detroit hurler.

He’s a five-pitch mix SP with three pitches rating over 5.0, according to PLV.

• Four-seamer – 5.07 PLV
• Slider – 5.28 PLV
• Changeup – 4.98 PLV
• Sinker – 5.49 PLV
• Curveball – 4.43 PLV

On top of a robust pitch mix, Olson can keep the batter off-balance and induce a ton of ground balls (57.5%-93rd percentile). Furthermore, he’s only giving up solid hits at a 1.6% clip. That’s just crazy low.

Finally, he showcases a 12.9% SwStr% and 29.3% CSW%, so there is plenty of potential for more Ks. Don’t sleep on this one and make him a priority pickup.

 

Honorable Mention: Taj Bradley(44% rostered), Robert Gasser (19% rostered), Casey Mize(20% rostered)

 

Relief Pitcher

 

Trevor Megill (RP – MIL) 48% rostered

Two weeks ago, I wrestled with the suggestion of Jason Adam or Trevor Megill… and chose Adam since Fairbanks was at least another week out from injury. Fast-forward to now, Fairbanks is back and we need a new closer. Well, it’s Megill time!

Devin Williams is still on the mend with an injury, and won’t return for quite some time. In his absence, we’ve seen a few options come and go for saves in Milwaukee. After the dust settles, Megill is clearly “the guy”.

He locked down the last two save opportunities and touts a tiny 1.54 ERA with nearly a 29% K-rate. Don’t overthink it, grab Megill if you need a closer for a while.

 

Honorable Mention: Michael Kopech (32% rostered), Daniel Hudson (31% rostered), Yennier Cano (37% rostered)