We’re heading into the 19th week of the 2024 fantasy baseball season, and there are just a few weeks before the end of the year. Thus, it’s time to take advantage of some bats who’ve been hot of late. Here’s our list of fantasy hitters to target on the waiver wire for Week 19 of the 2024 fantasy baseball season.
Michael Conforto
We’ll start our Week 19 fantasy baseball hitters target list with a red-hot Michael Conforto. Conforto didn’t record a hit on the 9th or 10th but did rack up 10 from August 3-8, as well as a pair of home runs in that stretch. The veteran outfielder’s bat has been key for the Giants, a team that’s sat just a game and a half out of the third NL Wild Card spot as of August 10.
Conforto likely won’t post numbers in San Francisco like he did between 2017-19 with the Mets. However, he does continue to make solid contact, as indicated by his above-average 45.7% Hard Hit% rate. Should he keep doing that, he stands a good chance of putting up numbers, especially since he’s been slotted in three hole behind two great 2024 stories in Tyler Fitzgerald and Heliot Ramos.
TJ Friedl
The 2024 campaign has been tough for TJ Friedl. Friedl entered the year as a borderline top-100 player after the 28-year-old launched 18 home runs and stole 27 bases for the Reds last season. Then came a right wrist fracture in March, followed by a thumb fracture in May. He hasn’t put up great numbers this season but still owned a respectable .707 OPS heading into August 10. That’s thanks to a good stretch in late July and early August.
Friedl notched hits in six of his last seven games, including two home runs. The Reds outfielder is available in plenty of Yahoo! leagues; over 60% per their numbers. The left-handed hitting outfielder has power and could be beneficial over the last few weeks of the season.
Geraldo Perdomo
Like the Giants, the Diamondbacks are amidst a hot stretch. Several players have contributed to Arizona’s success, including Geraldo Perdomo. From July 29 through August 9, Perdomo’s 15 hits (.417 AVG) during that stretch ranked among the top 20 of the league. Perdomo also provided value in other areas, as he scored eight runs, drove in nine runs, and stole two bases.
As we noted in 2023 when Perdomo went through a hot streak, don’t expect too much, if any, pop from him. His batted ball metrics are incredibly low and Perdomo’s career ISO is .103. Still, the contact, speed, and versatility can come in handy.
Victor Robles
The Mariners’ offense this season has not been strong as a whole. Mitch Garver has an OPS barely above .600, while J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodriguez — both of whom have struggled to replicate their 2023 success — are on the IL. That’s given an opportunity to former Nationals outfielder Victor Robles, who’s thrived in Seattle. Robles batted .310 with three home runs and 10 stolen bases over his first 40 games in Seattle.
Robles doesn’t have high-end fantasy value; despite his .749 OPS and 1.5 bWAR in 2024, those numbers are outliers. The four seasons after he finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2019, Robles batted .225/.302/.313 with 11 home runs and 35 stolen bases from 2020-23. While one shouldn’t expect Robles to be an impact bat, his speed can still be a factor.
Austin Wells
It took a bit but Yankees catcher Austin Wells has begun to form into a key bat in the team’s lineup. Wells had a six-game hitting streak broken up on August 10. However, the 25-year-old notched 10 hits in that stretch and six RBI. Since the All-Star break, Wells hit .344/.436/.516 with two home runs, six extra-base hits, and 13 RBI over 79 plate appearances.
It also helps that Wells will be the Yankees’ starting catcher for the foreseeable future. Manager Aaron Boone stated earlier this week that when Jose Trevino returns from the IL, Wells will be the team’s regular behind the plate. Throughout most of 2024, the two have platooned behind the plate. Trevino is a very good defender but Wells does have the advantage with the bat.