Fantasy Baseball Hitter Waiver Wire: Last call for red-hot Jeff McNeil
Jeff McNeil - 2B/OF, New York Mets (52% rostered)
The Mets continue to make moves as they creep up the National League standings, and part of their resurgence should be attributed to McNeil's play. McNeil has been among the best hitters in baseball over the past 10 games, collecting 12 hits over his last 10 games and producing a .343/.351/.800 triple slash with a 1.151 OPS.
His four home runs in that span almost matched his entire output in the first half of the season (4). He's cooking, and hopefully, we'll see an uptick in steals as well.
Michael Toglia - 1B/OF, Colorado Rockies (32% rostered)
I'm going back to the well because Toglia's still under-rostered. The 25-year-old's power is reaching the upper echelon of hitters, ranking over the 90th percentile in exit velocity, barrel and hard-hit rate this season. Toglia has had 14 homers since June 1 (tied for fourth in the MLB), and in 10 games after the All-Star break, he's sporting a .306/.375/.556 triple-slash with a .931 OPS.
The batting average isn't sustainable, but he's one of the hottest hitters on the wire and plays in one of the most hitter-friendly parks.
Josh Bell - 1B, Miami Marlins (32% rostered)
It's been mostly a down year for the nine-year veteran, producing only fantasy-relevant numbers in May. However, he turned things around in July — specifically after the break, batting .342 with five dingers, 10 RBI and six runs across the last 10 games.
Those five homers were all within the previous seven games, so he's clearly locked in at the dish. With the Marlins placing him on outright waivers on Sunday, Bell could move to a better situation that isn't trending toward a complete teardown.
Miguel Andújar - OF, Oakland Athletics (14% rostered)
The A's have offered plenty of fantasy value throughout their roster and the next player up is Andújar. He's been hitting the ball consistently all year, boasting a solid .286 batting average, but recently, he's been adding more counting stats. He's collected 13 RBI in July after posting just 14 across May and June combined.
Andújar's power is limited, especially playing in the O Coliseum for half of his games. Still, the recent A's call-ups are making noise and generating runs. With Andújar firmly at the two slot, he's worth considering in mixed leagues if you need a player making good contact to boost your batting average.
Austin Wells - C, New York Yankees (18% rostered)
Catcher has been a crapshoot this season, but Wells is emerging as a reliable option in mixed leagues. Wells became the everyday catcher for the Yankees once Jose Trevino went on the DL with a quad strain that could cost him weeks. All the better for Wells, the more highly regarded prospect who just needed more reps behind the plate.
The 25-year-old and former first-round pick out of Arizona moved up to the fourth spot last week, and the results speak for themselves. He's batting .393 with 11 hits, two homers, five RBI and five runs over the past eight games. Holding his own in the heart of a dangerous Yankees lineup is money for fantasy managers.
