Steven Kwan Leads Week 16’s Hottest Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

Steven Kwan has been absolute lights out recently and is Week 16’s top fantasy baseball waiver-wire pickup.

We’re now mid-way through the Summer and there aren’t a ton of decent options available on the waiver wire. However, if you take a deeper dive into the analytics, you will be surprised by the statistics next to names of players you’ve never even heard of before. If you are in desperation mode as you attempt to win your league, there are some good emergency options for fantasy owners looking to fill a hole at a certain position. Let’s take a look.

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Week 16 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

1B Luke Voit, San Diego Padres (34.10% Owned)

Luke Voit has held his own in his first 76 games with the Padres this season. He’s recorded 62 hits, 12 home runs, and 40 RBIs. Over his last seven games, he’s recorded two home runs and four RBIs with an OBP of .310. Voit certainly isn’t the most impressive first baseman in fantasy baseball but he could absolutely help a power-hungry fantasy owner. At the moment, Voit is available in more than 65% of leagues. He’s a powerful guy, so when he makes contact, the ball often skyrockets into the bleachers. The fact that he has driven in 40 runs on just 62 hits is a testament to his strength. More than a quarter of Voit’s hits this season have been doubles (16). That means 28 of his 62 hits this season have been extra-base hits. While his .223 batting average is unappealing, his abilities as a major league slugger allow him to generate more RBIs per hit than the average player. In 2020, Voit only played in 56 games yet he recorded 22 home runs and 22 doubles. As the Padres make a push towards the postseason, Voit could easily heat up and start hitting like he did for the Yanks a couple years back. 

2B/SS Santiago Espinal, Toronto Blue Jays (49.78% Owned)

Blue Jays’ second baseman Santiago Espinal is in his third season and has already recorded a career-high 91 hits in 94 games. Last season, Espinal played a total of 92 games in which he recorded 69 hits. Espinal is seeing more at-bats per start in 2022 and more opportunities to hit the ball than he did last year. He’s currently sporting a respectable .269 batting average and has produced 39 RBIs and 21 doubles. On July 22 against the Red Sox, Espinal recorded two hits, one RBI, and four runs in six plate appearances. Despite hitting at the bottom of Toronto’s batting order, Espinal is getting tons of opportunities to drive in runs due to the Blue Jays’ potent offense. This guy is going to be a stud one day so it’s surprising to see that he’s available in approximately half of fantasy baseball leagues. Espinal is a fairly reliable option and he’s eligible at both the middle infielder positions. 

SP Jake Odorizzi, Houston Astros (42% Owned)

After a slow start to the season in which he produced negative fantasy points in two of his first three starts, Astros starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi is pitching much more efficiently. Prior to last night’s awful outing, he was improving each time he took the mound and had reduced his ERA to 3.25 on July 10. After last night’s rocky start, Odorizzi’s ERA spiked back up to 4.25. While earned runs continue to negatively impact his FPTS per start, Odorizzi has produced at least 19 FPTS in four of his last eight starts. While consistency will continue to be a concern for fantasy owners, Odorizzi is an important arm in Houston’s pitching staff. He’s already pitched four times this month. Before that, his last start for the Astros was May 16. Though he’s missed a solid chunk of the season, Odorizzi is back in Houston and is certainly pitching better than he did when the season began. Just ignore last night’s blunder against Oakland, especially now that we know that he was forced to pitch with a blister on his throwing hand. This is the perfect time to add Odorizzi as most fantasy owners are reluctant to add a pitcher to their team who just allowed six runs in five innings in a losing effort. Despite last night’s atrocious performance, he still has a 1.23 WHIP and a decent strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

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OF Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians (45.62% Owned)

Over the last seven games, 24 year-old rookie outfielder Steven Kwan has hit the ball superbly. In 31 at-bats over this stretch, Kwan has recorded 12 hits, including one home run and four RBIs along with a .387 BA and .424 OBP. His .292 BA and .369 OBP for the season is more than solid but Kwan has clearly found his zone in July. As we gear up for the second half of the season, Kwan is heating up. In fact, Kwan’s numbers over the last 15 games are only slightly below (.369 BA, .414 OBP) his averages over the last seven games, demonstrating consistency at the plate at least in recent weeks. Kwan is available on the waiver wire in just about 50% of fantasy baseball leagues at the moment. 

C Gary Sanchez, Minnesota Twins (49.55% Owned)

Gary Sanchez continues to have a decent season. Just a few weeks ago, we highlighted him as the pickup of the week. He remains available as a free agent in just about half of fantasy baseball leagues. 

In his first season with the Twins, Sanchez has batted .215 with 56 hits and 39 RBIs. While his batting average is nothing to write home about, he is hitting the ball more than he has over the last two seasons. He’s also now reached 10 home runs on the season. Over the last two or three weeks, however, Sanchez has played below his regular-season averages, which is certainly driving fantasy owners crazy, especially since catcher is the most shallow position in terms of talent. Over the last 15 games, Sanchez has batted .160 and has only had eight hits in 50 at-bats. Through this stretch, he’s also struck out 14 times. Expect him to regain some pace as the second half of the season is in full swing. 

SS Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs (63.89% Owned)

In his fourth major league season, Chicago Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner continues to improve. He’s already played a career-high 80 games and has a very respectable .303 BA and .343 OBP. He’s recorded 88 hits (including 12 doubles and three triples) and he’s driven in 30 runs. He also has 32 runs for the Cubs, a testament to how much he gets on base. Hoerner is even swiping bags. The young shortstop has 10 stolen bases this season and we all know how hard it is to find steals in fantasy baseball. His one area of weakness is his lack of power. If you are in desperate need of homers, Hoerner isn’t the best option. However, if you are in need of just about any other stat, Hoerner has you covered. His ability to navigate the bases effectively makes him a uniquely valuable shortstop to claim off the waiver wire this week. He’s not going to be available in the majority of leagues because he deserves to be rostered in all but the shallowest leagues.

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