Several Young Hitters Among Friday's Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Options

It's Friday, which means it's time for the final fantasy baseball waiver wire article of the week.

We won't cover anyone who appeared in stories on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Check back soon for the waiver story on pitchers, and also be sure to check out the streaming article for Friday.

Check out the top fantasy baseball waiver wire options everyday on FantasySP. 

Should You Add Cam Smith?

Smith has been added in 2.12% of leagues at the time this article was published. He's rostered in 24.93% of leagues overall.

Smith is on a seven-game hitting streak, with 11 knocks over that span. He has four doubles and RBIs, three runs scored, a stolen base and walk and five strikeouts over that span.

For the month of May, Smith has a .324 average and .385 on-base percentage. He's got seven doubles among his 23 total hits. Smith also has posted seven RBIs, nine runs scored, a stolen base, seven walks and 21 strikeouts.

His overall season numbers look a lot different from where they did at the start of the month. He had a .205 average and .303 OBP when May began, but now sits with a .267 average and .344 OBP for the season. Smith has eight doubles, a triple and three home runs among his 39 total hits, along with 17 RBIs, two stolen bases, 18 runs scored, 15 strikeouts and 46 strikeouts.

Smith is trending up right now, and any doubts fantasy/dynasty owners had about the 22-year-old are fading away. The right fielder has been hitting seventh or eighth for the Astros every game, but he's showing he can still be a fantasy asset from those lower spots in the lineup.

Smith is still most valuable in dynasty/keeper leagues, but he's gaining traction in redraft leagues again. I'm a bit surprised his own percentage is as low as it is right now given how hot he's been at the plate.

I think Smith is worth adding in most deeper redraft leagues right now. As long as he doesn't go hitless between now and Monday, I bet his own percentage is way higher to start the next week of fantasy play.

Fantasy outfielders can be found all over the place, but Smith has been one of the better fantasy hitters overall of late. He's trending up, and given he was a highly-regarded prospect coming into this season, I think he's worth adding and at least stashing right now in deeper redraft leagues.

It might only be a few days before Smith gets standard league attention too, so don't ignore him too long.

Should You Add Chandler Simpson?

Update: Simpson was demoted to Triple-A on Friday morning.

Simpson was added in 1.86% of leagues, bringing his overall mark to 53.32%.

Simpson has a hit in seven of his past eight games, and has eight total knocks over that span. All the hits are singles, but he's added eight stolen bases, two runs scored, walks and RBIs and has just two strikeouts over that span.

Across 35 games and 133 plate appearances this season, Simpson has a .285 average and .315 OBP. He has four doubles among his 35 total hits, with the other knocks all being singles. Simpson has 11 RBIs, 17 runs scored, 19 stolen bases, six walks and 14 strikeouts.

Simpson typically hits sixth for the Rays, but did bat leadoff one time over the past five games. Simpson can deliver his fantasy totals from any spot in the order, and he's showing that of late.

He's not going to be a big power threat, or drive in many runs, but his stolen base totals mixed with a low number of strikeouts makes up for the lack of power. As his own percentage shows, Simpson can still be rostered in most leagues with speed being his best tool.

I don't love the idea of adding Simpson in a standard redraft league. There's tons of fantasy outfielders to choose from, and his lack of power means there's better fantasy assets out there, even if they aren't owned in more leagues.

I do think Simpson should be rostered in all deeper redraft leagues. He's most valuable in dynasty/keeper leagues as just a 24-year-old.

Use FantasySP's improved AI Waiver Advice inside the Fantasy Assistant to see which waiver wire targets might fit your team best. 

Should You Add Agustin Ramirez?

Ramirez is rostered in 47% of fantasy leagues right now. That's up from under 40% on May 18.

Ramirez had a four-hit game on Wednesday. He scored twice, homered once and drove in four runs for the Marlins. 

Ramirez's overall season numbers are pretty solid. Across 31 games and 132 plate appearances, he's hitting .262 and getting on base at a .318 clip. Ramirez has seven home runs and 11 doubles among his 32 total knocks, along with 17 RBIs, a stolen base, 17 runs scored, 10 walks and 22 strikeouts.

Ramirez plays pretty much every game for Miami. He is the team's designated hitter when he's not catching. Ramirez typically bats second in the lineup, but hit leadoff on Wednesday, so that's something to watch going forward.

Ramirez is just a couple spots outside the top 10 in fantasy points leagues so far, which is notable because he hasn't been up in the big leagues all season. On ESPN, he's also eligible to play at first base, so if that's true in your league, Ramirez has even more fantasy value.

I think Ramirez is undervalued and not owned in enough leagues right now. He should be rostered in all deeper redraft leagues, and probably in a few standard redraft leagues as well. Don't overlook him just because he's on a bad team.

Should You Add Nolan Schanuel?

Schanuel is owned in just 18% of leagues, but he's been among the league leaders in getting on base over the past two or so weeks.

Across 53 games and 214 plate appearances, Schanuel has a .273 average and .368 OBP. He's got nine doubles, a triple and three home runs among his 50 total knocks. Schanuel also has 14 RBIs, 28 runs scored, a stolen base, 26 walks and 28 strikeouts to his name.

The Angels' everyday first baseman has been hitting second, which is a favorable fantasy spot for a hitter to be in. The Angels aren't a good lineup to be a part of, but getting Mike Trout back today will boost Schanuel's fantasy value a bit going forward.

Schanuel is very underrated as a fantasy asset. I think he deserves to be rostered in most deeper redraft leagues, yet he's sitting under 20% rostered overall. Pick him up and utilize him for a couple weeks and you'll probably end up wanting to roster him the rest of the season.

Should You Add Ivan Herrera?

Herrera is rostered in 78% of leagues now. He returned from the injured list on May 9, and was owned in 50% of leagues that day.

For the season across 26 games and 96 plate appearances, Herrera has a .258 average and .438 OBP. He's got seven doubles and five home runs among his 29 total hits, along with 26 RBIs, a stolen base, 17 runs scored, 11 walks and 16 strikeouts.

He's a top-10 fantasy catcher in points leagues, which is amazing considering he's missed 30 of his team's games. Like Ramirez, he's in the lineup just about every game, serving as the team's designated hitter when he's not catching. Herrera has batted between third-fifth over the past five games - he's started all five of those contests. 

Herrera should be rostered and kept all season (unless he's injured) in deeper redraft leagues. I think Herrera deserves to be rostered in just about every standard redraft league right now as well. That could change as his stats drop off a bit, but for now, Herrera is worth utilizing in all fantasy leagues.