Fantasy Baseball Week 9 Waiver Wire Adds: Luis Garcia Jr., Kevin Pillar, Connor Wong and More

Discussing the most-added fantasy baseball players heading into week 9 of the fantasy baseball season.

A new fantasy baseball week is here, so it’s time to go over some of the top waiver wire options.

As we’ve been doing recently, we’ll stick to hitters only, as FantasySP’s Daniel Hepner covers most of the top-added pitchers in streaming stories.

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Luis Garcia Jr. Fantasy Outlook

I think Garcia is a fantasy player that flies under the radar a little bit.

This season in 38 games played, Garcia has a solid .275 average and .326 on-base percentage. He’s got 13 extra-base hits (three home runs) among his 36 total hits. Garcia also has 20 RBIs, seven stolen bases, nine runs, 10 walks and 30 strikeouts.

Garcia is a career .266 hitter, and has a career .298 OBP. So he’s playing a bit better this season, but it makes sense that he’s improving after being in the MLB for five seasons and is just 24 years old.

He’s probably only eligible to play second base for your fantasy team, but his average is solid enough to at least roster him. He doesn’t provide a ton of homers, but has enough doubles and RBIs that Garcia isn’t totally reliant on hits. And then the stolen bases are also a nice bonus.

Garcia has actually cooled off a bit of late at the plate, with just one hit over the past six games. He’s owned in about 31% of fantasy leagues and is trending up instead of down. 

Another thing to note with Garcia is that he appears locked into a platoon. Being a left-handed hitter, Garcia is on the strong side of the platoon, but it also means he might not start a time or two during a given week. 

With all that being said, I like Garcia as a backup fantasy option at second base. In deeper leagues, he should be in starting lineups, but in standard ones, I like him best on my fantasy bench. When he starts hitting again, Garcia could start in an infield or utility spot, depending on what other options you have available.

Luis Matos Fantasy Outlook

Matos had a monster weekend at the plate, and I was actually surprised that he wasn’t the most-added waiver wire player as a result.

San Francisco’s Matos had six hits, 11 RBIs and two runs scored between Friday and Saturday’s games. He had three extra-base hits, including a homer.

Matos recently got called back up and has appeared in only eight games this season. He’s at 84 career games and played in parts of the past two seasons. He’s got a .260 average and .320 OBP, but obviously not much of a sample size yet.

Every fantasy owner wants to find the next fantasy breakout star. Of course, he got called up to replace some injured players on the team, so it’s possible he goes right back down when they are healthy. Then again, if Matos continues to deliver like he did over the weekend, the Giants will be forced to keep him in the big leagues and in the starting lineup.

Matos is currently owned in 38% of leagues, and I’m sure that number will continue to rise as fantasy owners check out his numbers from over the weekend. I wouldn’t purposely drop a player just to add Matos, but if I had a roster spot open, that’s when I’d take the chance on the Giants’ outfielder. 

Kevin Pillar Fantasy Outlook

Pillar has already played for two teams this season, and if he keeps playing like he is with the Angels right now, he might join a third team by the trade deadline.

Across 29 combined games with Los Angeles and the Chicago White Sox, Pillar has a .333 average and .394 OBP. In 12 games with LA, Pillar is hitting .447, with a .475 OBP.

Those numbers are definitely not sustainable, but they are also hard to ignore. He’s got eight extra-base hits, half of which are homers. Pillar has driven in 20 runs, scored 11 times, posted 21 total hits, stolen six bases, struck out 16 times and walked on five occasions.

The hot-hitting outfielder is owned in 26% of leagues now, and might only be a short-term fantasy option (as long as he’s hitting). I have no issues picking him up off the waiver wire, but much like Matos, I wouldn’t force him onto my roster. So, if you have an open roster spot, or specifically need outfield help, then give Pillar a try for a little while.

Jake Meyers Fantasy Outlook

Meyers had a nice weekend, and is hot over his past four games, so it makes sense why he’s a popular waiver wire add as the week begins. 

In the past four games, Meyers has nine total hits, including two homers and two doubles. He’s driven in six runs over that span, along with scoring four runs.

In 39 games overall, Meyers has a .302 average and .368 on-base percentage, so I’m a bit surprised he wasn’t already getting some run in fantasy leagues. He has 12 extra-base hits (five home runs), 18 RBIs, 12 runs scored, two stolen bases, seven walks and 21 strikeouts across 96 plate appearances.

His recent hot streak should keep him in the lineup for the next couple days at least, but we’re also talking about a career .244 hitter. Meyers is another player in this waiver wire story who needs to be viewed as a short-term option, and one who should be added only if you have a roster spot available. 

Don’t drop someone just to add Meyers, because this hot streak won’t last forever, and then you have a below-average fantasy player on your team. But by all means, enjoy his hot streak while you can.

Connor Wong  Fantasy Outlook

Wong has been another severely undervalued fantasy player so far this season. After collecting eight hits over the past five games, Wong is up to a .354 average and .385 on-base percentage for the season.

Wong has played in 32 games overall and has 122 plate appearances total. He’s got 10 extra-base hits (five home runs) among his 40 total knocks. Wong also has 16 RBIs, 14 runs scored, four walks and 23 strikeouts.

Wong only has one full MLB season under his belt (2023) and that year he had a .235 average and .288 OBP across 126 games. I don’t expect him to keep up the numbers he’s posted so far, but at a pretty weak catcher position, he’s also one of the top fantasy options.

The weak catcher position reference is shown by Wong’s 34% own mark. He’s a better option in deeper leagues, or ones where you need to start a couple catchers. But, he’s also become a pretty good option in standard leagues, especially after his recent hot streak.

Of all the players mentioned in this story, I think I would prioritize Wong first if I was simply looking for the best long-term option, and didn’t need a specific position. He’s a decent backup catching option for the whole season, and could start in a lot of leagues until he cools off a bit. 

If none of the players in this story appeal to you, be sure to check out the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups page, which can be broken down by position.

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