Fantasy Baseball Week 17 Waiver Wire Adds: Rece Hinds, Lawrence Butler, Eugenio Suarez and More

It may be the MLB All-Star break, but most fantasy baseball leagues allow transactions right now.

With that in mind, let’s go over some of the most-added players in fantasy leagues. We will focus on hitters with an own increase of at least 2% from the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups page.

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Rece Hinds Fantasy Outlook

Hinds was a player we discussed in our last waiver wire article. He’s continued to rake at the plate and has an own percentage over 70% now, so he’s worth revisiting.

Hinds has played seven MLB games this season. In 28 plate appearances, he has 11 hits, including five home runs, three doubles and a triple. Hinds also has 11 RBIs, seven runs scored, two stolen bases, one walk and seven strikeouts.

In the last waiver wire article, I suggested he be added in all deeper leagues and dynasties, but to be avoided in standard leagues because I didn’t think his hot streak would continue all that much longer. I’m still under that same mindset, but at the same time, his numbers over his first week of play are far too impressive to ignore.

If you have a roster spot to play with in a standard league and are looking to add a hot fantasy hitter to your squad, Hinds is a great option. I think MLB pitching will adjust after the break and Hinds will see his production fall off, but until it happens, he’s worth rostering and starting in all league types.

Lawrence Butler Fantasy Outlook

Butler has a .211 average on the season, but has been extremely hot at the plate recently, which explains his own percentage going up. He was barely owned in any leagues just five days ago, and now is sitting at 14%.

Butler started hitting better on July 7, and he has nine hits, including five home runs and a double, since that date. He’s drove in 13 runs, scored six times, walked once and struck out seven times in that timeframe. On July 14, Hinds hit three homers and drove in six runs.

For the season, Butler has a .211 average and .280 on-base percentage. He’s got nine homers and seven doubles among his 37 total hits, along with 25 RBIs, 20 runs scored, six stolen bases, 17 walks and 57 strikeouts.

He’s one of the hotter fantasy hitters right now, but that one big game is really boosting his numbers. A deeper fantasy baseball league (or deeper dynasty) is where fantasy owners should be considering him, and he’s worth consideration at least until he cools off - the hot streak won’t last forever, so add him now if you are thinking about it.

Colt Keith Fantasy Outlook

Keith has had a couple strong weeks in a row at the plate, and fantasy owners are definitely taking notice. He was owned in about 15% of leagues on July 5 and now sits with a 63% mark.

In 86 games overall this season, Keith has a .253 average and .309 OBP. He has 10 doubles, nine homers and two triples among his 74 total knocks. Keith also has 37 RBIs, 36 runs scored, five stolen bases, 22 walks and 61 strikeouts.

Since the start of July, Keith has a .370 average and .463 OBP. He’s posted five homers, two triples and a double among his 17 total hits, along with 13 RBIs, 14 runs scored, eight walks, a stolen base and 14 strikeouts.

Keith was one of the top prospects in the game at the start of the season and appears to be settled in completely now. His overall season numbers are OK, but looking at what he’s done in July, Keith deserves consideration in all league types now.

He’s a great waiver wire option, especially if you need help at second base or an infield fantasy spot. Keith plays most days, but is sometimes out of the starting lineup or pulled from games when lefties are on the hill. 

Keith has still done enough in his plate appearances to consider, but determining whether or not to add him comes down to what all is available in your league.

Eugenio Suarez Fantasy Outlook

Suarez is a well-known fantasy player (at least to those of you who have been playing for several years), but he’s caught fire at the plate of late. He’s been owned in under 20% of leagues for about the last month, but is up to 26% now.

In 93 games overall, Suarez has a .216 average and .302 OBP. He’s got 14 doubles, 10 home runs and two triples among his 69 total hits, along with 48 RBIs, 39 runs scored, two stolen bases, 35 walks and 106 strikeouts.

In July, Suarez has a .341 average and .442 OBP. He’s doubled and homered four times among his 15 total knocks, drove in 16 runs, scored 10 times, drawn eight walks and struck out on 14 occasions.

Suarez has been a deep league option for most of the season, but really has been a depth option instead of a locked-in starter. He’s hitting well enough to start in most deeper leagues.

If he keeps things rolling at the plate, Suarez might also become an option in standard leagues, so keep a close eye on him. He wouldn’t be a bad short-term option in standard leagues, but I’d guess there are better options available than him.

Michael Busch Fantasy Outlook

Busch was also part of the last waiver wire story. He had just three hits (all in one game) over the weekend, but has continued to see his own percentage rise. Busch is sitting at 61% owned right now.

Instead of going over his stats again, I’ll just say that he’s hitting well enough to add and start in standard leagues right now. He should already be playing in all deeper leagues, but he’s a standard league option for the time being now.

Brent Rooker Fantasy Outlook

If you are a frequent visitor here at FantasySP, you know I am a huge fan of Rooker as a fantasy player. He continued to rake over the weekend and is now being added by a few fantasy owners. Rooker is up to 82% owned now.

In 83 games overall, Rooker has a .291 average and .369 OBP. He’s also got 21 homers, 18 doubles, two triples, 62 RBIs, 44 runs scored, five stolen bases, 36 walks and 112 strikeouts.

Had he played a full season of games and kept up these kinds of numbers, Rooker would be among the best fantasy hitters in the game. As is, we have him as a top-15 option on the FantasySP Trade Value Chart. He should be owned in every fantasy league and started everyday - I’ll keep saying it until it happens.

Rooker is a better fantasy option than you think, even with some high strikeout numbers. He’s outperforming a lot of the players some fantasy owners are starting regularly, and it’s just not smart to not be rostering and starting Rooker every day. Make the move while Rooker is red hot at the plate and before he possibly gets traded and then becomes recognized for his top-end fantasy season.

Michael Toglia Fantasy Outlook

It’s not often a sub-.200 hitter makes this story, but Toglia is exactly that. He’s owned in 15% of leagues now.

In 51 games overall, Toglia has a .197 average and .260 OBP. He’s popped 16 homers among his 34 total hits, along with one double and triple (those numbers look made up, but I promise they aren’t). Toglia also has 34 RBIs, 27 runs scored, three stolen bases, 15 walks and 60 strikeouts this season.

He’s hit five home runs in his past five games, including three on July 14. Toglia doesn’t do much else than hit homers, and his strikeouts aren’t great, but if you are all about capitalizing on hot fantasy hitters, Toglia is an option right now.

Only consider him in deeper leagues, and don’t go out of your way to add him. But for a short time, Toglia might be worth rostering and starting, so give it a go if you can.