There are just four weeks left in the 2024 MLB and fantasy baseball seasons. It’s officially crunch time. With fantasy baseball playoff season here, it’s a good idea to start loading up on help and luckily, there should be a fair amount of it. Here’s a look at five hitters to consider targeting for Week 22 of the 2024 fantasy baseball season.
Best hitters to target for Week 22 of 2024 Fantasy Baseball
Here’s a look at the best pickup targets for Week 22 of the 2024 fantasy baseball season, based on availability (>= 50% availability in Yahoo! leagues):
- Dylan Crews (OF)
- Tommy Edman (2B/SS/OF)
- Jose Tena (3B/SS)
- Spencer Torkelson (1B/OF)
- Jordan Walker (OF)
What a year it’s been for both Spencer Torkelson and Jordan Walker. The two former first-round picks were demoted to Triple-A after sluggish starts but both have returned to become viable fantasy options over the final month.
We’ll start with Torkelson, who’s been much improved at the plate in terms of swing-and-misses. The Tigers’ first baseman sported a 16.7% Whiff rate against fastballs and a 36.1% Whiff% rate against breaking balls in April. The numbers went south from there before his demotion. Now? Try a 12.7% Whiff% rate against fastballs and 28.2% Whiff% rate against breaking balls in August.
That’s an improvement, no matter how one looks at it. And, the numbers that matter from a fantasy perspective have been better, as well. From August 15-31, Torkelson batted .308 (16-52) with three home runs, seven extra-base hits, and eight RBI.
As for Walker, the young outfielder came up a few days ago and the Cardinals are committed to giving him regular at-bats. He earned himself more rope after his performance on September 1. Walker netted himself five hits, including a home run, along with three RBI and four runs scored. His chase and whiff rates are still a concern but Walker’s got the bat to be a future star.
Next up is Tommy Edman, owned in 36% of Yahoo! leagues. Edman came into play on the 1st with 40 at-bats in the 2024 season, as the Dodgers infielder/outfielder missed most of the year thanks to injury. But in recent days, Edman’s been a reliable bat yet again. The 29-year-old picked up three multi-hit games over his last four and hits in six of his last seven. Edman also has three stolen bases in 2024.
The Dodgers have been batting Edman at the bottom of the lineup for most of the time since acquiring him. That’s not a shock, as he doesn’t walk a lot and gets on base primarily by hitting his way there. But, his speed is an X-factor in fantasy. And if Edman can get on base often over the final month, he stands a good chance of scoring runs with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts atop the LA lineup.
We’ll finish up with two Nationals: Dylan Crews and Jose Tena. Crews came up to the Majors last week with much fanfare and delivered. He had a positive first week with Washington, as he belted two home runs and stole a base for the Nats. He’s a five-tool player and can be quite helpful over the final month.
The last name on our list, Jose Tena, is one likely not as known as Crews Tena was acquired by the Nationals for Lane Thomas at the Trade Deadline in a move that’s yielded instant results for Washington. From August 15-31, Tena recorded 19 hits (.359), tied for eighth in the Majors over that span. He also hit two home runs during that run.
Tena was a big name at one point in the Guardians’ system; he ranked ninth-best among prospects in 2022. His stock has fallen since then; he struck out a lot in the Minors. However, his past few weeks have been eye-popping. And, his batted ball metrics (16.7% Barrel%, 54.2% Hard Hit%) are ridiculous at the MLB level, even though it’s a small sample size.