Hitter Profiles: Bats Gaining Ground

By the middle of the fantasy baseball season, the easy pickings are gone. The breakout stars are rostered, the hot starts have either flamed out or solidified into season-long assets, and the waiver wire has thinned to a collection of stat lines that look more like roster filler than game-changers. At this point in the year, value doesn’t scream, it whispers. This week in our hitter profiles, we’ll spotlight a few bats that have flown under the radar due to quiet or unremarkable starts to the season—players whose early stat lines kept them off the hype train, but who in recent weeks have started to show real signs of life. Whether it’s a swing adjustment, a lineup promotion, or just better luck on balls in play, these hitters are turning the corner and offering sneaky value for those paying attention. If you’re willing to dig a little deeper, these could be the difference-makers down the stretch.

Cam Smith

Touted as the next breakout star in Houston, Cam Smith entered 2025 with big expectations and a clear path to everyday at-bats. But like many rookies, the transition to major league pitching proved rocky. Through the end of April, he slashed just .213/.271/.360 with three home runs and minimal run production, struggling to adjust to the consistent velocity and pitch sequencing of big-league arms. Since then, Smith’s season has been a rollercoaster of streaky performances. He’s shown glimpses of the power and plate coverage that made him a top prospect, but cold stretches, including an 0-for-19 slump to start June, have muted the excitement. Still, his season line sits at a reasonable .279/.342/.412 with five homers, 27 RBI, and 28 runs scored, amounting to 1.2 WAR. Not a star turn, but certainly not a flop.

What’s reignited intrigue around Smith is his recent surge. Over the last two weeks, he’s looked like a different hitter with more confidence and a more selective approach, resulting in a more dangerous hitter. In that span, he’s hit .354 with two homers, nine RBI, and nine runs scored, good for a .975 OP,S which ranks in the top 35 in MLB during that stretch. Perhaps most importantly, he’s cut his strikeout rate nearly in half, dropping from 29.5% pre-June 8 to just 17.6%, showing a real adjustment in approach. Dig deeper, and the quality of contact tells an even more compelling story. His average exit velocity during this stretch is hovering around 93 mph, putting him alongside names like Matt Olson and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. While some of the recent production may be buoyed by favorable batted ball luck, the underlying profile suggests a hitter who is starting to figure things out. The early-season hype has mostly faded, which makes Smith a sneaky buy target in fantasy formats. If the improved plate discipline and hard contact stick, it’s only a matter of time before more home runs start landing in the Crawford Boxes.

Matt Wallner

Matt Wallner played spoiler on Friday night, launching a no-doubt blast to break up Jacob Misiorowski’s no-hit bid in emphatic fashion. It wasn’t just a hit; it was a message. That kind of raw power is exactly why he’s on the radar this week.

After missing nearly six weeks earlier this season with a hamstring injury, Wallner’s counting stats remain modest. He’s hitting .209 with six home runs, 10 RBI, and 14 runs scored. That quiet production has left him on the waiver wire in plenty of leagues. But since returning, he’s been making some serious noise under the surface.

Since June 1, Wallner leads all hitters in hard-hit rate at a staggering 62.9 percent, a mark that shows how consistently he’s squaring the ball up. He also ranks top 10 in pull rate and top 30 in fly ball rate during that stretch, which is an ideal formula for home run production. And the results are starting to show. He has hit four home runs in 16 games, even though his batting average sits at just .148, largely due to the lowest BABIP in the league by over 40 points. This is a classic buy-low opportunity. The underlying metrics point toward a breakout, and once his batted-ball luck improves, that loud contact should start turning into real fantasy value. Wallner is a power bat worth stashing before the box scores catch up.

TJ Friedl

TJ Friedl remains one of the most quietly productive bats in fantasy baseball, contributing across the board without generating much buzz. Now in his age-29 season, Friedl has logged more than 100 games in a single MLB campaign. But if he can stay on the field, he’s trending toward a sneaky 20/20 season that no one seems to be talking about. Since May 18, Friedl has caught fire with a .333 batting average, .429 OBP, 23 runs, five home runs, and a 169 wRC+. He’s doing all this while leading off for a Reds offense that ranks top 10 in MLB scoring, surging his run production, and giving him plenty of at-bats to work with.

What makes Friedl’s breakout stretch even more curious is how little it aligns with his Statcast profile. He ranks in the bottom 10% of the league in average exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard-hit rate. His sprint speed, surprisingly, sits below the 40th percentile—unusual for a player on a 20-steal pace. He doesn’t hit the ball hard, he doesn’t run particularly fast, and yet he continues to produce.

So how does he do it? Plate discipline and efficiency. Friedl takes walks, makes a lot of contact, and simply squeezes every ounce of value from his tools. His profile is more Jeff McNeil than Wyatt Langford.  It is less sexy, but fantasy-useful all the same. If you’re willing to overlook what’s “under the hood,” Friedl may be the perfect buy for managers looking to quietly collect five-category value without paying a premium.