Jonah Heim Is Hitting the Ball Hard and Often — Add Him Now

Jonah Heim just posted a .350 wOBA over the last seven days with a 95.2 mph average exit velocity, and he's rostered in only 6% of leagues. That disconnect won't last. The catcher position is a wasteland in most formats, and Heim is flashing the kind of numbers that demand action, not deliberation.

The Signal Is Strengthening

WaiverScout has been tracking Heim since late March, when he was sitting at 0.3% ownership and classified as a deprioritize. We flagged him as a watch candidate multiple times — on April 22nd, June 14th, July 1st, and again on July 31st at 5% ownership. Each time, the signal wasn't quite there. Now it is. The algorithm has upgraded him to Add Now, and the data backs it up.

Look at the rolling windows and you'll see a hitter who has transformed his approach:

  • wOBA: .350 over 7 days, up from .307 over 14 days, up from .263 over 30 days
  • K%: 13.3% over 7 days, down from 20.5% over 30 days
  • BB%: 6.7% over 7 days, up from 2.3% over 30 days
  • Hard Hit%: 50.0% over 7 days, up from 33.3% over 30 days
  • Exit Velocity: 95.2 mph over 7 days, up from 90.0 mph over 30 days

This isn't a guy who got lucky on a few bloopers. He's cutting his strikeouts nearly in half, tripling his walk rate, and hitting the ball significantly harder. That's a real mechanical or approach change showing up across multiple indicators simultaneously.

The Statcast Data Says This Is Real

A 95.2 mph average exit velocity over the last seven days is elite territory for any hitter, let alone a catcher. Pair that with a 50.0% hard-hit rate and you're looking at quality contact, not noise. Heim has 2 home runs in his last 30 plate appearances, and the exit velocity trend from 86.8 mph (14-day) to 95.2 mph (7-day) suggests the power isn't going away anytime soon.

His recent game log tells the story: a 3-for-5 performance with a homer on July 29th — a game that FantasyPros noted in their coverage — followed by a 2-for-4 and a 1-for-3 with a walk. The 0-for-5 on August 1st is the kind of single-game noise that scares off the wrong managers and opens the window for the right ones.

The Ownership Window Is Closing

Heim's roster percentage has jumped from 2% to 6% in recent weeks, with a +4% change in the last seven days alone. The velocity is classified as rising fast. At the catcher position, where viable options are scarce, a player putting up a .350 wOBA with this kind of batted-ball data doesn't stay at 6% for long. There are trade rumors swirling around Heim as well, with Yahoo Sports reporting that the Dodgers may be looking to add a catcher — a move to a better lineup would only amplify his fantasy value.

If you're currently running out a struggling catcher, compare Heim's 7-day line — .250 AVG, 2 HR, .350 wOBA, 13.3% K%, 50.0% hard-hit rate — against what Hunter Goodman or Drake Baldwin are giving you. The answer should be obvious.

The Verdict: Add Now

Jonah Heim is an Add Now. The strikeout rate is plummeting, the walk rate is climbing, the exit velocity is surging, and he's getting consistent at-bats with 30 PA in the last seven days. WaiverScout identified this player months ago when nobody was paying attention. The signal has only strengthened. At 6% rostered, this is your window. It won't be open much longer.