Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Three hitters to add power to your infield

The proliferation of all the newfangled data is certainly exciting, but when it comes to successful waiver wire pickups, it can be information overload. Take a step back and understand that sometimes simple minds -- as in, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" -- are more effective than launch angles and Barrel rates. The top fantasy baseball pickups in Week 10 seemingly fell off the radar but are potentially more productive than players with much higher ESPN rosterships.

Matt Shaw, 2B/3B/SS, Chicago Cubs (available in 74% of ESPN leagues): Shaw isn't the first heralded prospect to struggle initially in the majors and then settle down after a minor league reset. The 23-year-old broke camp with the club, but after putting up a .172/.294/.241 line over 18 games, Shaw was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. After batting .286/.409/.560 with five steals in five tries over 24 games on the farm, Shaw returned to the bigs. In six games since returning, he is hitting .360/.385/.560 with two swipes. Most telling is that Shaw struck out at a 26.5% clip in his initial foray in the majors, but he has only four punchouts in 26 plate appearances (16.5%) since his return. He's earmarked to be the Cubs' regular third baseman, but based on his 2024 positions played in the minors, he's also eligible at second base and third base in ESPN leagues.

Zach Neto, SS, Los Angeles Angels (available in 70%): Neto enjoyed a breakthrough sophomore season, but he injured his right shoulder sliding during the final week last September and required offseason surgery. Rehab extended through the spring and into the early portion of this season. Since power is often slow to return following a shoulder injury, Neto's draft stock tumbled heading into the 2025 campaign. But in 34 games since debuting in mid-April, Neto is batting .284/.326/.537 with eight steals. He's striking out at a higher rate, with the tradeoff being that he's hitting the ball with much more authority. Neto has gained 5.0 mph of average exit velocity, fueling a leap from a 38.2% HardHit% last season to 50% so far this year. While Neto's current level might not be sustainable for the final four months, it's apparent that he's experiencing no ill effects from the shoulder surgery. Additionally, the fact he was injured while running hasn't curbed his aggressiveness on the basepaths.