When searching for viable options on the outfield waiver wire, it's in one's best interest to get a little creative. While all of your leaguemates may be looking at who has been hitting the most home runs or stealing the most bases recently, you can snag a consistent hitter who is poised to return from the DL. Everybody in your league may be scrambling to pick up players on the Cubs and Nationals, you can find the solid contributors from the Braves and Padres. That's why RotoBaller is here to scour the obscure corners of the waiver wire and save you the trouble of blindly adding bait players who will be dropped in a matter of days.
For the record, many of the players featured in this piece in weeks past are still widely available in most leagues. Carlos Beltran, Jarrod Dyson and melvin Upton Jr. are still lurking in the shadows, waiting for owners to trust the production and add them to their active fantasy rosters.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple & Android Stores.
Week 4 Outfield Targets
Cameron Maybin, Detroit Tigers
Owned in 41% of Fleaflicker Leagues
Quick--People are starting to remember that Cameron Maybin is soon to return from the DL for his first at bats of the season. The 29 year-old outfielder is coming off arguably the strongest season of his career in 2015 with the Braves, racking up 10 home runs and 23 stolen bases with a .327 OBP. Maybin hasn't exactly been the league's most consistent player over his nine years in the MLB. He's played over 100 games just three times. His career .251/.313/.366 slash line leaves much to be desired. However, he does have speed and enough power to make him one of the most valuable guys on the waiver wire.
Unfortunately, Maybin suffered a slight setback during a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo. In the final stages of recovery from wrist and shoulder injuries, the North Carolina native aggravated his shoulder making a diving catch on Sunday. On the bright side, the MRI came back negative and the timetable should be pushed back just slightly. If you have space on your roster, stash this guy and see how he swings when he gets called up later this week, or early next week at the latest.
Michael Conforto, New York Mets
Owned in 31% of Fleaflicker Leagues
Michael Conforto is now an everyday starter for the New York Mets. He's also been one of the club's strongest hitters over the first few weeks of the season. In fact, he's been one of the best outfielders in the MLB, sporting a stellar .333/.435/.614 line with three home runs and 11 RBI. To put things in perspective, his 1.049 OPS ranks eighth in the league, one spot above reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson. Still just 23 years-old, Conforto is one of the most promising young sluggers in the game. Perhaps the most surprising part is his slightly above average strikeout percentage, which right now rests at 18.8%. Usually rookie longballers have the tendency to strikeout at a much higher rate. Conforto seems to have no real drawbacks to his game.
It really is a mystery as to why Conforto is so thinly owned. One more piece of advice--if you were smart enough to pick up Conforto earlier, or draft him initially, don't sell him for cheap. Many savvy owners will try to push some replacement level waiver wire talent on you. Don't bite on it.
Yasmany Tomás, Arizona Diamondbacks
Owned in 29% of Fleaflicker Leagues
The main beneficiary of a gruesome injury to A.J. Pollock has been Yasmany Tomás. After a somewhat slow first week of 2016, Tomás has been one of the hottest hitters in the league over the past 15 days. In that span, Tomás has been swinging to the tune of a .315/.373/.611 line with four home runs and a league-high 14 runs scored over his past 11 games. While the production has not been coming at the same consistency as with Conforto, Tomás (who is also in his second year in the Majors) now finds himself among the top-30 with a .611 slugging percentage. With Socrates Brito optioned to Triple-A Reno, Tomás should see regular playing time in the Diamondbacks outfield.
The young Cuban outfielder should only improve from here. Although his ceiling is certainly below the stratosphere at this point in time, he must be added in all leagues immediately solely on the basis of being a powerful outfielder with regular playing time. Consistently batting behind Paul Goldschmidt doesn't hurt either.
Odubel Herrera, Philadelphia Phillies
Owned in 27% of Fleaflicker Leagues
There is a batter in the MLB with a .432 OBP through 19 games (with 81 plate appearances) on the waiver wire in 73% of leagues. That man's name is Odubel Herrera and he is sandwiched between Goldschmidt and Ryan Braun on the 2016 OBP rankings. His 17 walks is third best in the league, just after Jose Bautista. When he gets on base, he can usually get one more, as shown by his four stolen bases thus far. Plus, for what it's worth, Herrera has smacked two home runs already with nine RBI to boot.
There's not much talent to be gleaned from a perpetually depleted Phillies roster. However, there are some young pieces on this club who are started to show glimpses of a bright future in Philadelphia. Along with the likes of Maikel Franco, Herrera highlights an undervalued lineup. Like the previous two hitters featured here, Herrera is in his second year of Big League play. For such a young player, especially one with such limited experience in the American system, Herrera displays unusually strong plate discipline. However, his strikeout rate has been a problem in the past. Across 147 games in 2015, the Cuban outfielder whiffed a poor 24% of the time. So far, he's been improving on that figure in 2016 with a much-refined 19.8% rate.
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