It’s time for a fresh look at some new hitters to target on the waiver wire. For Week 8, our list highlights a bounce-back hitter from the Reds who’s taken his game to a new level this season, plus two rookies who have made impacts in recent weeks in the Majors.

Best Week 8 hitters to target

• 2B/3B/OF Sam Antonacci (White Sox)
• OF JJ Bleday (Reds)
• 2B/OF A.J. Ewing (Mets)
• 1B/OF Luke Raley (Mariners)
• 1B/OF Spencer Steer (Reds)

This week’s list has a Cincinnati flair to it, as JJ Bleday and Spencer Steer are both on it. And why not?

We’ll start with Bleday, one of baseball’s hottest hitters over the last two weeks. During that stretch, Bleday hit four home runs and posted an OPS over 1.000.

Bleday’s glaring weakness was with how much trouble he had with offspeed and breaking stuff. This season, not only is the swing-and-miss down on both types but also the chase. Last season, he hacked outside on those pitches 25% of the time. This year, it’s down to 23%. A small difference on paper — but an important one, especially since, as of May 17, only 37% of the pitches he saw were fastballs.

As for Steer, he’s picked up 18 hits in the past two weeks. Steer had at least two hits in four of his most recent five contests.

Sam Antonacci moved into the leadoff role full-time this month, as the rookie has batted first in every game he’s played in aside from one (May 5) since May 4. Given how the White Sox’s lineup has ticked since then, it’s a good spot to be in. Antonacci scored nine runs since the 4th of May.

Luke Raley continued a stellar run this past week, as the Mariners outfielder hit .333 with two home runs as of this writing. And, he is playing every day.

Lastly, A.J. Ewing came up this past week. Ewing was known as a plus speedster in the Minors, which means stolen bases. He picked up two this past week and pitched in with his first big-league home run.

Overview of Week 7

Brandon Marsh has cooled somewhat, as the Phillies outfielder batted 5-25 over the last seven days. But that doesn’t mean one should give up on him.

Samuel Basallo had five hits, one of which was a home run, another fine week. For those who need catching help, he should be a priority.

Brooks Lee & Trent Grisham didn’t have great weeks but remain worthwhile holds in fantasy.

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