Waiver Wire Targets - May 18
Jon and Blake bring you some waiver wire targets at each position ahead of week nine in the fantasy baseball season!
If you like Blake’s work, you’ve gotta become a subscriber at Fake Baseball for more of his work. I very much appreciate him chipping in here. His work is very clean.
Before we get to his section, I’m adding in some guys who have been standing out to me.
First Base
Kyle Manzardo (28%): .496 SLG on the year with a 14.1% Brl%. The batting average is a problem (.223 actual, .211 expected), but he’s hitting .247 with a .224 expected over the last 30 days - so things are improving a bit.
Rhys Hoskins (36%): He’s 160 PAs in and he’s slugging .4445 with a strong 23% K%, a 12.5% BB%, and an 11.9% Brl%. He is getting on base at an elite clip (.381), so I’d target him more in OBP / points leagues.
Second Base
Hyeseong Kim (20%): The slash line is .452/.485/.581 with a homer and an elite 15% K% in his 33 PAs in the Majors so far. It was a bit concerning that he couldn’t break camp with the big league team, and with Tommy Edman returning there are some playing time questions - but Kim has given the Dodgers no reason to not play him so far.
Daniel Schneemann (23%): Everybody is seemingly ready for this collapse, but he’s still at a .266/.340/.511 slash line in 106 PAs for Cleveland. The barrel rate is (16%) is way up there, and the strikeouts are mostly under control (26%).
Brett Baty (8%): We forget that Baty was a big-time prospect when coming up. The raw power he has is pretty great (107.1 EV90 this year). But big league pitching has had his number so far in his career. Lately, though, he’s found a bit of a groove with four homers in 24 PAs since being recalled. He starts exclusively against righties, but that can work as long as he keeps pounding homers in that Mets lineup when he’s in there.
Third Base
Max Muncy (33%): He looks a lot more like Max Muncy of late. He has a .258/.390/.470 slash line since April 26th (82 PA) with three homers and an 80.3% Contact%. He’s putting the bat on the ball a lot more frequently and that OBP is back in the territory we’ve gotten used to over Muncy’s long career.
Josh Jung (55%): Jung has been solid all year, but particularly lately. He’s slashing .306/.346/.633 with a 12.8% Brl% and a 19.2% K% over the last 15 days.
Yoan Moncada (3%): For super deep leagues, Moncada is getting on base a ton this year (.348 OBP), and over the last two weeks, he’s slugging as well (.595 SLG in 42 PA). The barrel rate is 31% over those last two weeks, with a non-awful 26% K%. So he’s taking walks and swinging for the fences.
Shortstop
Trey Sweeney (10%): The slash line is respectable for the year (.257/.321/.375), and he’s surging in May (.358/.364/.547). Sweeney has bat and foot speed, as I’ve said many times this year!
Outfield
Ceddanne Rafaela (50%): He hasn’t had my anticipated big game this week since I started pumping him up in the daily notes, but the indicators still look fantastic for him. A 22.6% K% with a 15.4% Brl% and a .382 xwOBA this year. He’s making better swing decisions, and eventually that’s going to turn into some big-time production.
Austin Hays (24%): He’s now a .316/.360/.608 hitter in his Reds career. He’s healthy and in the lineup most days for the Reds, and he hit his seventh homer of the year on Friday to get him to an elite 13 PA/HR.
Addison Barger (5%): 14.5% Brl% with an 80.2% Z-Contact% and a K% under 20%. That clears! He hasn’t hit many fly balls (16%), but if he can start lifting the ball a bit more - that exit velocity (110.1 EV90 - one of the highest in the whole league) will carry him to some power production.
Trevor Larnach (14%): He is a platoon bat, but he’s up to a .470 SLG with seven dingers in 154 PAs against those righties.
Starting Pitchers
Ronel Blanco (53%): The walks are still an issue (10.1% BB%), but the strikeout rate is up a bit (24.1%) and he’s been generating a ton of swing-and-miss (15.2% SwStr%) while showing elite hard contact suppression (.283 xwOBA).
Shane Smith (27%): Another guy with nasty stuff (14.2% SwStr%, 1.73 WHIP+), but not the most consistent production or command. But things look good for Smith. His four-seamer and changeup have both worked well together, so I think he’s an own in deeper leagues.
Matthew Boyd (52%): The K-BB% is now nearly 19% for the year.
Andrew Abbott (55%): I’m waiting for the K% to come down, I just don’t think he’s anything near a 31.7% K% guy. But rules are rules - and we don’t leave pitchers with 20% K-BB% over 5+ starts on waivers. It’s the law.
Will Warren (15%): Another guy with a K% out-pacing his SwStr%. Warren now has a 27.9% K% on the year, but a below-average 10.7% SwStr%. It doesn’t make much sense, but the 18.4% K-BB% is strong enough to add, and he has struck out 24 hitters over his last three starts. That’s tough to ignore even if we think he’ll cool off a bit here.
Hayden Birdsong (8%): He’ll enter the Giants rotation this week. I don’t expect much. I don’t see him as a guy with the command or depth of pitch mix to get it done in the rotation. But I cannot deny the strikeout ability, and maybe he’ll make some key adjustments to unlock some of that potential.
That’s what I’ve got for you, onto the work from Blake!
Catcher
Drake Baldwin - Atlanta Braves
ESPN: 4% | Yahoo: 9% | CBS: 24% | Fantrax: 47%
When Baldwin started the year in the bigs, everyone had high hopes. He was a very productive bat in the minors who followed that up with a nice spring. He fell a bit flat at the beginning of the season, but has really come on as of late. In the month of May, he has more multi-hit games (4) than he has strikeouts (3). He’s also managed five XBH and driven in eight. His bat has really started to heat up, and he’s worth an add in any league that needs a catcher.
First Base
Jake Burger - Texas Rangers
ESPN: 26% | Yahoo: 45% | CBS: 56% | Fantrax: 73%
This one is dedicated to that one dude on Reddit who still responds to my old week three waiver wire article, asking if he can drop Burger yet. There was a point in time when you could (when he got sent down), but now that he’s back, he looks locked in and ready to produce. Since being called back up, he’s got a hit in every game, including two doubles and a home run. The Rangers have moved him down the lineup which isn’t necessarily ideal, but as long as Burger is producing he needs to be rostered.
Ryan O’Hearn - Baltimore Orioles
ESPN: 11% | Yahoo: 23% | CBS: 49% | Fantrax: 75%
This week I’m trying to work in some projections from the MLB Data Warehouse and they love Ryan O’Hearn right now. For the upcoming week they have him projected to slash .272/.343/.432 with 11.5 total bases. That makes him one of the most appealing first base options in the league. He’s become a mainstay in the Orioles lineup and has two multi-hit games in his last three appearances. Baltimore’s offense is coming alive, and O’hearn should produce right along with it. Grab him if he’s available.
Second Base
Connor Norby - Miami Marlins
ESPN: 6% | Yahoo: 12% | CBS: 36% | Fantrax: 66%
A once top prospect for the Orioles is finally flourishing into a serviceable infield option in Miami. This is good for you, the reader. He’s one of the rare players with both second and third base eligibility, making him a middle and corner infield option as well. On top of the enticing eligibility, his bat is coming alive as well. In his last 10 games, he’s hitting .324 with an OPS of .900 on the dot. He’s had five extra base hits, driven in six, and even stolen a couple of bases. He’s got an 18% barrel rate and a 53.6% hard hit rate he can thank for that. I don’t know what’s in the water in Miami, but it’s causing spikes in barrel rate which I love and you should too.
Chase Meidroth - Chicago White Sox
ESPN: 1% | Yahoo: 2% | CBS: 13% | Fantrax: 31%
I featured Meidroth when he was first called up, but I think it’s time he made his second appearance on the weekly waiver wire. I mentioned previously that he’s likely going to be void of power, which he has been. The home run he hit on Saturday doesn’t change that much. The reason he’s here is the fact that he’s now producing at a high level in every other facet. He has multiple hits in three of his last five, has scored 10 runs in his last 14 games, has driven in four in that same timeframe, and also stole five bases. The White Sox are an atrocious team, but that shouldn’t stop you from being intrigued by the upside.
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Third Base
Brooks Lee - Minnesota Twins
ESPN: 2% | Yahoo: 5% | CBS: 23% | Fantrax: 48%
It feels like Lee came into 2025 on a mission to prove he actually had some power in his bat. His barrel rate has jumped to 11.5%, hard hit rate increased to 41% (24.5% in 2024), and the results have followed. The Twins now have him hitting in the heart of the order and it’s paying dividends with a pair of home runs and seven RBI to match since it happened. He’s flying under the radar despite the Twins winning 13 games and a row and having the spotlight on him. He also has that same multi-position eligibility that Norby has. He’s got a good upcoming week of matchups and is going to likely be “the one that got away” if you don’t act fast.
Miguel Andujar - Athletics
ESPN: 2% | Yahoo: 4% | CBS: 13% | Fantrax: 27%
Andujar is the prime example of boring but productive. Remember, it’s not always the flashiest person who makes the biggest impact. One thing we’ve learned about the Athletics team this season is that they can score runs in bunches. As of late, Andujar has been a big part of that. He’s currently hitting .426 with runners on base and .467 with RISP. He’s driven in nine runs in his last 11 games and is getting the majority of starts at third right now for the Athletics. His “boring” demeanor means he’s likely to be more readily available on waivers, and you need to take advantage while you can.
Shortstop
JP Crawford - Seattle Mariners
ESPN: 9% | Yahoo: 13% | CBS: 34% | Fantrax: 60%
Another veteran of this article makes yet another appearance. Why aren’t you guys rostering him yet?! The pop in his bat is back, he’s making better contact, and he’s projected to have one of the best weeks of any waiver wire shortstop this upcoming week. MLB Data Warehouse projections have him at 11.14 projected total bases with a .780 OPS. Seattle starts next week on the road against the lowly White Sox and ends it on the road against a very hittable Houston team. If you were hesitant on adding Crawford before, you shouldn’t be anymore.
Meidroth and Brooks Lee are my second and third favorite shortstop options as well. If you missed on Crawford, target one of those guys as the next best option.
Outfield
Jordan Beck - Colorado Rockies
ESPN: 7% | Yahoo: 19% | CBS: 43% | Fantrax: 61%
So, he was on my list of guys set to be written about in this article. I was not expecting him to then go ahead and hit two home runs on Saturday against the Dbacks. That puts a lot more eyes on him than I’d like for someone I’m considering a waiver wire pickup, but as of right now, the roster rates still put him in that category. He’s a good blend of both power and speed, and the MLB Data Warehouse projections agree. The batting average projection for next week isn’t great, but he’s projected over one home run and over one stolen base to go along with 12+ total bases. Only a few hitters fall into that category and most of them are guys like PCA and Corbin Carroll.
Alexander Canario - Pittsburgh Pirates
ESPN: 0% | Yahoo: 0% | CBS: 2% | Fantrax: 12%
A multi-hit game, followed by a multi-hit game, followed by a multi-hit game. That’s what you’ll see if you look up Canario’s game log. What you won’t see is the fact that he has one of the best bat speeds in all of baseball paired with a 21.3% barrel rate, .379 xwOBA, and 106.7 MPH 90th EV. All elite numbers. He has serious contact concerns, but he falls into the category of players whose power allows them to go on hot streaks where they put up tremendous numbers. This is seemingly the start of one of those hot streaks and is available damn near everywhere. Add him in five-outfielder leagues or leagues larger than 12 teams.
Early Week Pitcher Streaming Options
Gunnar Hoglund - Athletics
Nick Martinez - Cincinnati Reds
Will Warren - New York Yankees
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