As we get deeper and deeper into the 2023 MLB season, “it’s still early!” is becoming a less and less convincing crutch for fantasy managers wondering whether to stick with a draft pick or start scouring the waiver wire. This is especially true at the corner infield spots, where injuries have hit big names like Pete Alonso recently. That’s why we’re here to help, with four targets likely available in your league showing signs that they’re in for a big year.
Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 12 corner infield pickups
Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
Roster percentage: 17.7%
To your stations, everyone: the Ke’Bryan Hayes breakout is finally here. Pirates fans and fantasy managers alike have been waiting for the first-round pick to realize his full potential ever since he burst onto the scene late in 2020, but his next two years were marred by injuries and an egregiously high ground ball rate that sapped his power. It seemed like 2023 would be much of the same, but something appears to have clicked recently, as Hayes has a blistering .936 over the last two weeks — with a career-high launch angle and fly ball rate to boot. Hayes’ tools have never been in question, with elite exit velocities throughout his career, and if more of those hard-hit balls are in the air, the sky is the limit.
Nick Pratto, 1B/OF, Kansas City Royals
Roster percentage: 3.1%
Vinnie Pasquantino gets all the buzz, but he’s not the only former top prospect putting up solid numbers in a corner spot for the Royals. Pratto hit just .184 in his first stint in the Majors last season, but it’s been a totally different story this year, with a healthy .299/.395/.465 slash line and four homers in 37 games. His strikeout rate (and his home park) will likely keep him from putting up huge power numbers, but elite walk and line drive rates show how much better his approach at the plate has gotten since 2022. Especially if you’re in an OBP league, he could be a very helpful player while hitting atop K.C.’s lineup.
Luken Baker, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
Roster percentage: 0.5%
Who knows how long he’ll be up and how much playing time he’ll get while he is, as the Cardinals continue to juggle position players in and out of the lineup. But St. Louis has a long track record of producing under-the-radar contributors from the farm, and Baker could be next. Yes, he’s already 26, but he was absolutely raking in Triple-A, with 18 homers in 198 at-bats to go with a .313 average and .434 OBP. He’s looked good in his limited starts, and the Cardinals sending Juan Yepez down to Triple-A means they’re a believer in his staying power — at least against lefties. In leagues with daily moves, he could provide some sneaky pop.
Ryan Noda, 1B, Oakland Athletics
Roster percentage: 1.7%
Noda has a bit of Max Muncy in him: a ton of walks, a ton of strikeouts and a ton of barrels when he does manage to make contact. After a slow start, the A’s first baseman has his slash line up to .255/.415/.473, walking almost a fifth of the time with a 93rd-percentile barrel rate. He’s got four multi-hit games already this month, and Oakland has even experimented with batting him leadoff against right-handed pitchers recently.
