The Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Watch List by Blake Meyer
A few guys to keep an eye on ahead of week 8 of the fantasy baseball season
Jon’s Intro
Something new here for you guys! I have a ton going on during the week, and I do my best to let the weekend be the weekend with the three kids and all, especially since it’s summer now.
So I’ve reached out someone else for help. His name is Blake Meyer and he has his own Substack called Fake Baseball. I noticed his work a few weeks back, and thought ths Waiver Wire piece he writes over there was quite good. So I’m bringing him in to share some of his waiver wire expertise with all of us here at MLB Data Warehouse.
I wasn’t able to pull him away from his own Substack, so he’ll continue to do things as usual over there. I recommend you subscribe to him, there’s a lot more over there than just weekly waiver articles.
We’re putting out a little taste of it today. I wanted to give him a good intro and let everybody know what’s ahead. The weekend waiver wire articles won’t be from me, at least not usually, moving forward. I will chime in when I feel the desire, but Blake will be providing some names and analysis every weekend on Sundays.
Here’s his debut! A handful of hitter names to consider on waivers.
Corner Infielders
Josh Smith - 3B/SS/OF - Texas Rangers
ESPN: 10% | Yahoo: 22% | CBS: 61% | Fantrax: 68%
If you’re looking for a dinger hittin’ slugger at the corner infield position right now, this really isn’t your week. Guys like Josh Smith are your best bet for production and shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s not great at anything, but he’s good at everything, and we love him for that. He’s lowered his K% below 20%, getting on base almost 40% of the time, and making the same consistent contact he always has. In 2024, he broke out with 13 home runs and 11 stolen bases, and his numbers show he may improve on that. His barrel rate (6.7%), hard hit rate (37.3%), and Damage/BBE (20%) are all higher than they were last season. The Rangers are committed to getting his bat in their lineup every day, and you should be too.
Middle Infield
JP Crawford - SS - Seattle Mariners
ESPN: 14% | Yahoo: 21% | CBS: 37% | Fantrax: 61%
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but Edgar Martinez can certainly teach an old veteran shortstop how to hit a baseball. Crawford has now managed a hit in 15 straight games, and in 21 of his last 23. He’s improved so much as of late that the Mariners have let him reclaim the title of leadoff hitter, and he has yet to disappoint. Although we’ll likely never see the 19 home run version of JP again, this new version is pretty cool in and of itself. He’s seen improvements to his barrel rate (7.8%), contact rate (84.1%), and is hitting line drives at a career best 26.1%. He’s a great option for teams needing batting average, runs, and RBI, which makes him pretty useful in just about every league if you ask me.