Geraldo Perdomo Edges Out Nick Kurtz To Win The Waiver Wire Hitter Of The Year Award

The Arizona Diamondbacks' slugger hit 20 home runs and 100 RBIs in 2025.

Apr 8, 2025; Phoenix, Ariz., U.S.; Arizona Diamondbacks Geraldo Perdomo attempts to lay down a bunt against the Baltimore Orioles at Chase Field. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Each year in fantasy baseball, there are a couple of hitters that flash over the first week of the season and end up being difference makers in the free agent pool.  

In 2024, Jurickson Profar hit .308 over his first 13 games with four runs, one home run, and seven RBIs over 39 at-bats, setting up the best season of his career (.280/94/24/85/10 over 564 at-bats) and making him a great waiver wire addition. He finished as the 26th hitter in my FPGscore (3.43), making Profar the best free agent hitter pickup in 12- and 15-team leagues with 30-man rosters.

This season, Nick Kurtz has turned into a beast and a fantasy god. He opened the year at AAA (.321 over 84 at-bats with 18 runs, seven home runs, and 24 RBIs), earning him a ticket to the majors. Kurtz looked overmatched at the plate with the A’s over his first 108 plate appearances (.245/11/1/5) while striking out 36 times (33.3%).

After 15 days on the injured list with a hip injury and four more dull games (2-for-17 with an RBI and six strikeouts), Kurtz wrecked pitchers over the next three and a half months (.314 with 79 runs, 31 home runs, 70 RBIs, and two stolen bases over 309 at-bats). On the downside, he continued to have a higher strikeout rate (30.0%) than expected (22.4% in his minor league career).

Also, Geraldo Perdomo is the best player in baseball no one is talking about. pic.twitter.com/mMGU5DvXrT

— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) September 16, 2025

In mid-February, the Arizona Diamondbacks locked up Geraldo Perdomo for four seasons ($45 million), which was a surprise considering his underwhelming 2024 stats (.273/61/3/37/9 over 337 at-bats). He opened up that season on the injured list with a torn meniscus that required surgery.

Perdomo’s new contract was a light bulb moment for someone reading between the lines. It showed the Diamondbacks' confidence in him, which maybe should have led to him drawing more attention in the fantasy market after his early success. His bat was on point over his first eight games (11-for-29 with five runs, one home run, 11 RBIs, and two steals), leading to Perdomo being added to many fantasy leagues.

By the end of the season, Perdomo played in 161 games, leading to a .290 batting average over 597 at-bats with 98 runs, 20 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases. He also had an excellent development of his approach (94 walks – 13.1% and 83 strikeouts – 11.5%).

The length of Perdomo's stats and five-category outcome gave him more overall fantasy value in 2025 than Kurtz, making him Fantasy On SI’s Waiver Wire Hitter of the Year.

Based on 2024 category targets, Perdomo would have ranked 13th in FPGscore (6.45), compared to 33rd for Nick Kurtz (3.93).

Fantasy Baseball Pickup of the Year Honorable Mentions

• Hunter Goodman (.278/73/31/91/1 over 540 at-bats) went undrafted in most 12-team formats, while drawing bench value in some deep formats. He was a different-maker while gaining extra points for his catcher qualification.

• Jordan Beck (.268/62/16/53/19 over 539 at-bats) offered a balanced skill set over the waiver wire. He struck out 174 times (29.6%).