It is difficult, on April 13th, to emphasize just how early it is in the baseball season. But skippers in deep leagues who wait don’t usually win, and everyone who occasionally imagines themselves as Billy Beane plays in a league deep enough for ill-informed April moves to count for a lot. So, without further ado, while it’s almost certainly still too early, here are 13 players shining on Baseball Savant that are all widely available on waivers and could be poised for big seasons.
A Baker’s Dozen Worth of Early Sabermetric Heroes To Watch on Waivers
American League
Easton Lucas, SP, TOR
Easton Lucas has only made two starts, and it’s not exactly reassuring to know the man he’s replacing in Toronto’s starting rotation is an injured Max Scherzer, who is owed $15M and 3408 career Ks might give him an edge in the Jays hierarchy. The limited fastball velocity (92.9) and the fact that Lucas is a 28-year-old rookie with only 28.2 IP of big league exposure are also understandably discouraging.
But wow. Lucas has dominated for Toronto in two starts (5.0 IP, 3 K, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 ER vs. Nationals, 5.1 IP, 8 K, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 ER @ Red Sox) all while on a pitch count. Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez called him an easy ‘0-for’ in his last start at Fenway, and with incredible control making up for limited raw stuff, it’s easy to see why. His Savant page is screaming prime add (1.84 xERA, .149 WOBA, 25.0% LA sweet-spot), which is on top of a 0.00 ERA against two good teams and a sparkling 0.68 WHIP. It’s probably too early, and his next start is against a baffling Atlanta team, but Lucas is someone to add in AL-only leagues and could be applicable in mixed leagues for enterprising skippers.
MLB Current xWOBA leaders:
1. Paul Skenes – .171
2. Drew Rasmussen – .215
3. Cole Ragans – .219
4. EASTON LUCAS – .225
— rupert (@elatedbiggiofan) April 10, 2025
Kameron Misner, OF, & Jonathan Aranda, 1B, TB
Johnny DeLuca was hitting .435 with 4 SBs in nine games as the Rays’ starting center fielder before the club placed him on the IL with a shoulder injury earlier this week. No problem. Skippers can simply look to the next promising, untapped Rays hitter with a solid power-average combination born in 1998. Jake Mangum is an option and is definitely worth a look (5 SBs in 11 games), but Kameron Misner (who also has speed) and first-baseman Jonathan Aranda appear more sustainable.Â
Misner is hitting to the tune of a .361/.400/.611 slash line with 1 homer, 6 RBI and a steal over 13 games with a bright-red Savant page that puts him in the 94th percentile in xBA (.330) – good for 25th in baseball – and in the 90th for average exit velocity (93.4 MPH). That’s on par with Jonathan Aranda, who is slashing .378/.455/.703 with 2 homers and 7 RBI with a 98th percentile average exit velocity (95.7), a 92nd percentile hard-hit rate (57.7%) and a 89th percentile xSLG (.593).
Although the two lefties entered this year with uncertain roles, Aranda and Misner have been consistently penciled in for the Rays at No.4 and No.6 in their lineup against northpaws, respectively.
Jonathan Aranda is one of the best hitters in the sport right now
He reached base all 5 times today pic.twitter.com/lZcvEyBy1f
— Jake (@TBRaysCentral) April 12, 2025
Dillon Dingler, C, DET
Earlier this week, Jake Rogers was diagnosed with an oblique injury and he’s expected to be out at least a month. 26-year-old Dillon Dingler, who has been splitting time behind the plate with Rogers, is slashing .387/.406/.677 with 2 homers and 8 RBI. Add him now!
And if you have a second to glance at his Savant page or you’re in a one-catcher league, he’s finding his launch angle sweet-spot 47.6% of the time and is whiffing at a 17.2% clip, good for baseball’s 93rd and 86th-percentiles. His xBA (.308) is also the fourth-best among catchers, trailing only Luis Torrens, Carson Kelly, and JT Realmuto. By the looks of it, Dingler is a catcher capable of hitting on a playoff contender that is looking at the lion’s share of playing time. It might be too early, but he’s not going to be on the wire much longer.
Dillon Dingler's third hit of the night ties the game for the @Tigers! pic.twitter.com/TydaLw7EYP
— MLB (@MLB) April 12, 2025
Edouard Julien, 2B, MIN
Edouard Julien impressed in his rookie campaign back in 2023 with 16 HRs and a .263/.381/459 slash over 109 games down the stretch, quickly becoming a fixture in the Twins’ leadoff spot and rewarding skippers who took a chance on him. He followed that up with a disappointing .199/.292/.323 line and just 8 homers in over 94 games in 2024.
But the infielder is quietly riding a respectable start for Minnesota (.273/.333/.364, albeit with no homers and 3 RBI), he’s playing everyday and his early Savant numbers are even better than his rookie marks, contributing a 92nd-percentile xSLG, 89th-percentile xwOBA and an 83rd-percentile xBA in addition to already elite hard-hit and launch-angle clips. The Twins sit with an underwhelming 4-11 record and though Julien, for his part, hasn’t lit up his stat page, skippers need to at least monitor the 25-year-old.
National League
Mike Yastrzemski, OF, SF
After a dominant sophomore campaign in 2020 (.297/.400/.568, 10 HR over 54 games) that followed a very encouraging rookie campaign in 2019 (.272/.334/.518, 21 HR over 107 games) over the last four seasons Yastrzemski has been a low-upside power hitter sitting right around league-average (.225/.311/.431, 75 HR, 228 RBI over 533 games).
This year might be different, though. Despite Yaz playing at age 34, he’s off to an awfully impressive .343/.465/.600 start with a pair of homers and steals on an equally impressive Giants club, keeping pace with the Dodgers. And as far as Savant goes, the outfielder, who has always had a knack for keeping a high barrel and launch angle rate, has seen his xBA (.318), xwOBA (.413) and his BB% (18.6) skyrocket to the 90th percentile and beyond.
It’s early, but last season, when Yastrzemski still managed to post 18 homers with a .739 OPS, he placed in the 10th, 29th and 51st percentiles for each metric, respectively.
Pavin Smith, OF, 1B, AZ
Since 2020 Pavin Smith has been a part-time player for the D-backs, slotting in for 60-75 games in each of the last three seasons at a league-average clip. However, this year the outfielder/first-baseman is slashing .364/.447/.606 with 1 homer and is hitting the ball just as well as Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. That’s right – Smith is in the 99th percentile for barrel rate (27.8% – 5th) and launch angle (55.6% – tied-4th) while he places in the 97th for hard-hit rate (61.1% – 12th) and 93rd for average exit velocity (94.3 MPH).
Don’t add him at your own risk.
Alex Call, OF, WSH
Alex Call isn’t an overly exciting outfielder, and despite slashing .385/.514/.538 in the early going, playing time for the 30-year-old is questionable. But for managers (especially in OBP leagues that have yet to balk at his early success), it’s worth noting that his chase rate (8.3%), whiff rate (5.0%), and K% (3.1) are all good for a 100th-percentile placement. That helps make the prospect of Call’s early .514 OBP more sustainable down the stretch this season.
Right now, the outfielder is virtually unclaimed, and if he can keep getting on base, the playing time should come.
Edmundo Sosa, UTIL, PHI
Hesitancy should probably follow Sosa because he’s been labelled as the Phillies’ ‘10th man’ and hasn’t appeared in Rob Thomson’s starting lineup since April 8. But it’s difficult to ignore the super utility man.
That’s because, though he doesn’t qualify in any category other than sprint speed (97th-percentile & tied-11th), he would be tied-23rd in xBA, 3rd in LA sweet-spot% and 5th in hard-hit% if he had enough plate appearances. Sosa has a tendency to chase and obviously he’s not playing consistently enough to assure any fantasy manager, but certainly, he has his appeal in the right league.
EDMUNDO SOSA JUST ROBBED OZUNA OF A HOME RUN
THIS IS HIS FIRST *EVER* PROFESSIONAL INNING IN LEFT FIELD
INSANE pic.twitter.com/wgnMro5k2N
— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) April 8, 2025
Mickey Moniak, OF, COL
In Mickey Moniak, albeit an outfielder slashing a modest .200/.310/.480 with 1 homer in a sample as small as 18 plate appearances, the Rox have a dynamic player who might be on the rebound.
Like Sosa, Moniak doesn’t properly qualify for a Savant page because he doesn’t have enough plate appearances. Still in 12 games, he’s finding decent success sabermetrically, including solid placements in barrel rate (t-23rd) and whiff rate (12th).
Again, it’s too early. But Moniak proved he had enough talent to post a .280/.307/.495, 14 HR, 6 SB line for the Angels back in 2023 over 85 games. If he could find a way to double the counting stats and rebound back to his No. 1 overall pick potential, he’s a worthwhile venture for any skipper.
Drake Baldwin, C, ATL
Both Atlanta and No.1 prospect Drake Baldwin have failed to meet the perhaps overly lofty expectations placed upon them heading into the season. With a line of .167/.242/.233 and no counting stats, Baldwin’s stock is certainly going down, especially now that veteran Braves backstop Sean Murphy has come back from the IL and happens to be raking.
But despite all that, the kid has a 99th-percentile hard-hit rate, a 94th-percentile exit velocity, and a 91st-percentile score in bat speed. As a result, he might, for aggressive skippers with room to spare on their rosters, be worth stashing a while longer.
Also Worth Considering
Jack Suwinski, OF, PIT & Oswaldo Cabrera, 3B, NYY
Though not Savant darlings, Suwinski – who is slashing a dreadful .107/.265/.143 so far – finds himself in the 100th percentile in launch angle, the 96th for barrel rate, and also tracks well in bat speed and BB%, indicators he could soon be on the upswing.
Meanwhile, Cabrera, who doesn’t offer skippers very much, is leading baseball in launch angle sweet-spot percentage (57.9%), which has solely brought his average to .300 despite poor quality of contact metrics and little power. For skippers looking at options for average and OBP specifically, Cabrera could fit the bill.
