We’re back to help you crush your fantasy baseball competition by highlighting some hot players to snag off the waiver wire. For a player to qualify for this article, they’ll need to be available in at least 50% of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues. For deep league players, one of these outfielders sits on the wire in 90% of fantasy baseball leagues.
Keon Broxton, Milwaukee (45% owned)
Broxton had a good amount of sleeper buzz coming into the season but failed to realize that promise early on, which caused a mass ownership deflation. The Brewers outfielder cut his strikeout rate from an unsustainably high 50% in April to 25% so far in May. His ridiculous .615 BABIP in May artificially inflates his average up to .476. To be fair, though, if you expect that .476 to continue all year, you need to rethink how you evaluate players. While he won’t have a 50% HR/FB rate all year like he has in May, his 36.5% opposite field hits and 30.8% hard hit rate mean his power will stick around. Add that moderate power to a man who swiped eight bags through 29 games (a 45 SB pace). He’s a hot pickup, so get him before he’s gone.
Aaron Altherr, Philadelphia (37% owned)
There isn’t a hotter player in all of baseball than Altherr. He has four home runs in his last three games, including a game he didn’t even start. Even before the last two dingers, he was ranked as the #25 overall outfielder (AKA startable in all ten-team and deeper leagues). He seems to be cruising to an 80/80 R/RBI and has a shot at 20/20. He’s doing all this with a .343 average. The average won’t hold up, but the last time he had decent plate appearances was 2015. That year he was on a 20/20 pace with a crazy 100/100 R/RBI split pace, as well. Altherr could be the next big thing, or he could just be on a hot streak. Either way, he’s available in nearly two-thirds of Yahoo! leagues, which makes him a hot pickup.
Michael A. Taylor, Washington (4% owned)
Taylor benefitted from Adam Eaton’s season-ending injury, starting every game since April 29, and took advantage of the opportunity. In that timeframe, he has a home run, six RBI, 5 runs and two stolen bases in just 11 games. He might not keep it up, but he’s worth snagging for his speed potential alone.