Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers - Shortstop (SS)

Oneil Cruz (SS, PIT): Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: Oneil Cruz was a consensus top-25 prospect entering 2022, though that hype might have cooled a bit based on his lackluster .591 OPS for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians this year. Even still, his pedigree warrants strong consideration from those, at least, in […]

Brandon Crawford (SS, SF) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 105 CURRENT ADP: ~121 overall ANALYSIS: Brandon Crawford has always been a wizard with the glove up the middle, but last season he really stepped things up with the bat for the NL West champion Giants. During the 2021 season, the veteran middle infielder was named to his third career […]

Carlos Correa (SS, MIN) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 85 CURRENT ADP: ~100 overall ANALYSIS: It seems like Correa has been around forever, so it may come as a bit of a surprise that he's only 27-years-old and entering the prime of his career. With six years of Major League Baseball experience heading into last season, it's clear that […]

Leury Garcia (2B/3B/SS/OF, CHW) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 14+ teams ROSTERED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: It's all about volume next week and Garcia will see plenty of at-bats as the White Sox play eight games. They begin the week with a three-game series against the Tigers in Detroit before heading to Cleveland for a five-game set, […]

Luis Urias (2B/3B/SS, MIL) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams ROSTERED IN: 39% of leagues ANALYSIS: The week sets up nicely for Luis Urias and the Brewers. The 24-year-old infielder is putting together the best year of his career for the Brew Crew and should continue to put up even more production over the final full week […]

Luis Urias (2B/3B/SS, MIL) - Week 25 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 40% of leagues ANALYSIS: Milwaukee Brewers infielder Luis Urias is off to a hot start to the month of September. Over his first 11 games of the month, he's slashing .317/.404/.537 with two home runs, three doubles, six RBI and seven runs. Urias is in the midst […]

Alcides Escobar (2B/SS, WSN) - Week 25 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 14+ teams ROSTERED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Escobar has actually been a solid contributor for the Nationals this season after not playing in the MLB in 2019 and 2020. He signed a minor-league contract with Kansas City in May but didn't record an at-bat with the club before […]

Carter Kieboom (3B/SS, WSN) - Week 25 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 14+ teams ROSTERED IN: 6% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kieboom struggled in limited action over his first two stints with the Nationals back in 2019 and 2020. He slashed a meager .181/.309/.232 with two home runs and 11 RBI over his first 165 plate appearances at the major league level, […]

Nicky Lopez (2B/SS, KCR) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams ROSTERED IN: 47% of leagues ANALYSIS: We're going back to the well with Lopez, who's been an excellent streamer for us this season. The speedy 26-year-old has been on fire over his last 15 contests, going 23-for-59 (.390/.463/.475) with one home run, six RBI, five stolen bases, […]

Jonathan Villar (2B/3B/SS, NYM) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams ROSTERED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS:  Next week, Villar checks two of the most important boxes when it comes to streaming. He's been raking at the plate for the better part of the month, so he's hot, and the Mets are also playing seven games, so he'll […]

Garrett Hampson (2B/SS/OF, COL) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 31% of leagues ANALYSIS: It's mostly been another disappointing season for the speedy 26-year-old, who struggled to capitalize on the playing time opportunities he saw earlier this season. He was starting every game at either center field or second base to begin the year, and […]

Luis Urias (2B/3B/SS, MIL) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: Urias has quietly put together a strong season for the Brewers. He's slashing .248/.339/.442 with 17 home runs, 57 RBI, five stolen bases, and 63 runs scored over 387 at-bats. His rate stats are nothing special and they're right in line […]

Brendan Rodgers (2B/SS, COL) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Rodgers' career got off to a rocky start, which took a lot of wind out of his top prospect sails. He slashed .196/.235/.227 over his first 102 plate appearances, which is such a tiny sample size that it probably should be […]

Josh Rojas (2B/SS/OF, ARI) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams ROSTERED IN: 46% of leagues ANALYSIS: Rojas hit the injured list on July 24 after dislocating his pinkie finger while sliding into second on a stolen base attempt. It was an unfortunate injury at the time considering that he was raking at the dish in the month […]

Nicky Lopez (2B/SS, KCR) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 14+ teams ROSTERED IN: 6% of leagues ANALYSIS: Lopez has put together a solid season at the dish but due to his lack of power--he hit his first home run of the season on Thursday--he's drawn little attention. The 26-year-old infielder is slashing .277/.347/.354 with 12 doubles, five triples, […]

Josh Rojas (2B/SS/OF, ARI) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 48% of leagues ANALYSIS: Time passes, seasons change, and nothing signals the change from fantasy baseball season to fantasy football season more than Josh Rojas being available in over half of fantasy baseball leagues. Rojas is one of the hottest hitters on the planet right now, but […]

Joey Wendle (2B/3B/SS, TBR) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams ROSTERED IN: 49% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Rays are playing seven games at home next week between the Orioles (four) and the White Sox (three). They're slated to face five right-handed starters, which bodes well for Joey Wendle. The 31-year-old utility man is slashing .311/.359/.496 with 21 […]

Brendan Rodgers (2B/SS, COL) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: Rodgers was building a lot of hype during spring training before going down with an unfortunate hamstring injury that kept him out for the first month and a half of the season. His momentum slowed down due to his extended absence […]

Donovan Solano (2B/3B/SS, SFG) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: Solano has been raking since the All-Star break, slashing .333/.385/.333 with a pair of runs and a stolen base across 24 at-bats (six games). The veteran infielder now has a .270/.324/.358 batting line with three home runs, 21 RBI, two stolen […]

Jose Iglesias (SS, LAA) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: Iglesias has quietly been raking over the last 17 games, slashing .369/.406/.538 with five doubles, a triple, two home runs, eight RBI, and nine runs scored over 65 at-bats. For the year, he's got a .284/.313/.408 batting line with 15 doubles, […]

Kike Hernandez (2B/SS/OF, BOS) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 44% of leagues ANALYSIS: When we last saw Kike Hernandez (pronounced KEE-KAY), he was mashing lefties for the Dodgers for the last few years. That limited his chances. His career high in at-bats is 414, set in 2019 when the Dodgers had a lot of […]

Enrique Hernandez (2B/SS/OF, BOS) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 35% of leagues ANALYSIS: When we last saw Kike Hernandez (pronounced KEE-KAY), he was mashing lefties for the Dodgers for the last few years. That limited his chances. His career high in at-bats is 414, set in 2019 when the Dodgers had a lot of […]

Josh Rojas (2B/SS/OF, ARI) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 40% of leagues ANALYSIS: Rojas has been a streaky hitter throughout the season for the D-Backs. He started the year as the primary leadoff man but got off to a brutal start, hitting just .146 with a .520 OPS over the first 17 games of the year. He […]

Leury Garcia (2B/3B/SS/OF, CWS) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: Garcia has been logging more regular playing time than expected due to all of the injuries the White Sox have had this season. He's battled shoulder and knee issues himself but he's been putting up solid numbers over the last month. Across the last […]

Enrique Hernandez (2B/SS/OF, BOS) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 38% of leagues ANALYSIS: When we last saw Kike Hernandez (pronounced KEE-KAY), he was mashing lefties for the Dodgers for the last few years. That limited his chances. His career high in at-bats is 414, set in 2019 when the Dodgers had a lot of […]

Leury Garcia (2B/SS/3B/OF, CWS) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: The multi-position eligibility, especially in leagues with shallow benches, is intoxicating isn't it? If you have been playing fantasy baseball in any capacity over the last several years, you know the book on Leury Garcia by heart by now. In 2017, […]

Luis Urias (2B/SS/3B, MIL) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: The multi-position eligibility, especially in leagues with shallow benches, is intoxicating, isn't it? The .279 BABIP in the first half is a touch low, so there is hope that the .237 average can increase a little. Still, who can't use 14 […]

Luis Urias (2B/SS/3B, MIL) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 31% of leagues ANALYSIS: The multi-position eligibility, especially in leagues with shallow benches, is intoxicating, isn't it? The .282 BABIP is a touch low, so there is hope that the .239 average can increase a little. Still, who can't use 14 doubles and 12 homers […]

Luis Urias (2B/SS/3B, MIL) - Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: The multi-position eligibility, especially in leagues with shallow benches, is intoxicating, isn't it? The .281 BABIP is a touch low, so there is hope that the .233 average can increase a little. Still, who can't use 14 doubles and ten homers […]

J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 28% of leagues ANALYSIS: Crawford's 12-game hitting streak came to an end on Sunday, but he still got on base. That means Crawford has been on base at least once in every game since June 10. He has raised his average 31 points in the month […]

Willy Adames (SS, MIL) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Most of you drafted, and gave up on, Adames already this season. It's understandable. At the time of his trade to Milwaukee for relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen, Adames was slashing an atrocious .197/.254/.371, by far the lowest marks of his […]

Jon Berti (2B/3B/SS/OF, MIA) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 11% of leagues ANALYSIS: Jon Berti is one of the top names that comes to mind in the category of wide-spanning utility players with potential for voluminous stolen bases, but with just three home runs, four stolen bases in eight tries, and a slash of .210/.316/.318 […]

Luis Urias (2B/SS/3B, MIL) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 18% of leagues ANALYSIS: The multi-position eligibility, especially in leagues with shallow benches, is intoxicating, isn't it? The .238/.416/.756 triple slash line suggests that Urias may be getting a little unlucky with his average. Is also suggests that he is hitting for quite a bit […]

J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Crawford extended his hitting streak to 10 games today. In that span, he is hitting .340 with two homers, eight RBI, and seven runs scored. He is sitting atop a lineup that is starting to hit its stride right now. Crawford has […]

Willy Adames (SS, MIL) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: Most of you drafted, and gave up on, Adames already this season. It's understandable. At the time of his trade to Milwaukee for relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen, Adames was slashing an atrocious .197/.254/.371, by far the lowest marks of his […]

Nick Gordon (2B/SS, MIN) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Nick Gordon made his MLB debut this year after being a highly-touted prospect up to 2018, and while his career ups and downs have kept his MLB ceiling at a moving target, the skills he has already demonstrated warrant blue chip consideration. […]

Willy Adames (SS, MIL) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: Most of you drafted, and gave up on, Adames already this season. It's understandable. At the time of his trade to Milwaukee for relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen, Adames was slashing an atrocious .197/.254/.371, by far the lowest marks of his […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 11

We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 11

Injuries have been a plague upon Major League Baseball from the jump this year; middle infielders haven't been spared, so things are looking a bit thin out there on the ol' waiver wire. You can still find help, though, and that's the goal of this exercise. Most of the players who will be written up […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 10

We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the […]

Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Week 10

Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 10 of the MLB season (5/31 through 6/6). This weekly piece should be helpful for anyone looking to gain an edge in their league. If you need a fill-in for an injured player or want to exploit some plus matchups to gain an edge on your […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 10

Injuries have been a plague upon Major League Baseball from the jump this year; middle infielders haven't been spared, so things are looking a bit thin out there on the ol' waiver wire. You can still find help, though, and that's the goal of this exercise. Most of the players who will be written up […]

Amed Rosario (SS/OF, CLE) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: Amed Rosario was one of the premier pieces that enticed Cleveland to send Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the Mets, and rumors swirled of potential future locations, but he's finding his groove for the Tribe and should soon be making an […]

Danny Santana (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, BOS) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: Since Danny Santana was called up to the majors for the Boston Red Sox, manager Alex Cora has not stopped talking about the new dimension Santana offers the lineup with his speed.  When a manager sees that kind of value, the playing time […]

Brendan Rodgers (2B/SS, COL) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: Brendan Rodgers has recently been called up by the Colorado Rockies, and though his previous MLB runs have ended in disappointment, this might be the extended opportunity he needs to finally break through. The five-year top-rated prospect has already collected two hits […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 9

We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 9

Injuries have been up around the league, and middle infielders haven't been spared, so things are looking a bit thin out there on the ol' waiver wire. You can still find help, though, and that's the goal of this exercise. Most of the players who will be written up in this feature won't be the […]

Kike Hernandez (2B/SS/OF, BOS) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 40% of leagues ANALYSIS: Boston Red Sox infielder/outfielder Kike Hernandez returned from the injured list this past week and was reinserted right back into the top of the team's lineup right away. He led off each of his first three games back upon his return and went […]

Jonathan Villar (2B/3B/SS, NYM) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: Who's going to be the last man standing for the Mets? It's been a brutal month of injuries for the franchise and as a result, infielder Jonathan Villar has become a mainstay in the lineup. Villar has consistently delivered strong all-around fantasy play […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 8

We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the […]