Jorge Soler (OF, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Leagues, Keeper Leagues ANALYSIS: Between the stack of other young Cubs to get the call lately and the wave of emerging Cuban-born stars in Major League Baseball, Jorge Soler has a lot to live up to. Perhaps we shouldn't make a big deal about yet another highly-touted young prospect to […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups: Los Angeles Edition

  Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups For The Home Stretch With the non-waiver trade deadline passed and the waiver trade deadline looming, teams are being shaken up, rosters are changing and players are getting new opportunities in new cities. Specifically in Los Angeles, starting rotations have been altered dramatically due to injuries or trades. In […]

Brock Holt (OF / SS / 3B, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues ANALYSIS: Despite his impressive play through 94 games, the Red Sox have struggled to find Holt a steady position. He has played all over the outfield, as well as both spots on the left side of the infield, filling in for injuries and basic days off. In 395 […]

Avisail Garcia (OF, CHW) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Mixed Leagues ANALYSIS: Garcia's return this year came as a bit of a surprise, just five months after tearing the labrum in his left shoulder diving for a ball in the outfield. The White Sox may be a longshot for the postseason, but that doesn't take anything away from […]

Travis d'Arnaud (C, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in NL-Only Leagues / Deeper Leagues / Two-Catcher Leagues ANALYSIS: When the Mets traded reigning Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey before the 2013 season, they expected a little more from top propsect Travis d'Arnaud than they have gotten thus far. In 385 at-bats over the past two seasons, d'Arnaud owns just a […]

Alex Avila (C, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in AL-Only Leagues, Mixed Leagues With Two Catcher Slots ANALYSIS: Perhaps Alex Avila has been overlooked as a result of the strength of the team around him, but he has been a consistently solid contributor for the Tigers over the past five years. When healthy, he has good power for a catcher, […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 21

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Options As you make your push towards the fantasy playoffs, you’re going to want all the help you can get. Pitchers who win are very valuable, and in many leagues, a win can make up for a mediocre outing. In this week’s column, I will be discussing three undervalued starting pitchers who will continue to […]

Hector Rondon (RP, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Mixed Leagues ANALYSIS: With 16 saves in 20 opportunities, Hector Rondon has emerged as a legitimate major league closer. The 26-year-old righty has  a 3.30 ERA over 46.1 innings pitched, striking out 49 in the process. He draws a remarkable 49.6% ground ball percentage and as a result, has only given […]

Dustin Ackley (2B / OF, SEA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In Very Deep Mixed and AL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: Since his rookie season in 2011, Dustin Ackley has done nothing but disappoint Mariners fans and fantasy owners. In 2012, he had still-standing career-highs in home runs, stolen bases and runs, but only managed a .294 OBP. For a guy with a .397 OBP […]

Robinson Chirinos (C, TEX) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep AL-Only Leagues or Leagues with Two Catcher Slots ANALYSIS: Heading into the 2014 season, Robinson Chirinos had one career home run and seven RBI with a .189 batting average. Which begs the question: How did this 30-year-old lifelong minor leaguer become the starting catcher for a team that has two […]

Drew Stubbs (OF, COL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In NL-Only Leagues, Deep Mixed Leagues ANALYSIS: Drew Stubbs will likely never again be the 20-30 guy he was with Cincinnati back in 2010. He has, however, reestablished himself as a legitimate outfielder, both in fantasy and in real baseball, after he seemed destined to disappear from the realm of major league […]

Starting Pitcher Rookie Sleepers: Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Yordano Ventura and Jesse Hahn are the only rookie starting pitchers with at least 10 starts that are owned in more than 50% of Yahoo! leagues, but they aren't the only rookies performing at a high level in 2014. Five other pitchers currently sit with an ERA below 4.00 in their […]

Caleb Joseph (C, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues / All Two-Catcher Leagues ANALYSIS: Caleb Joseph may be baseball's hottest hitter, with a home run in five straight games now after Saturday night's game against the Cardinals, making him the most recent add to our waiver wire sleepers list. The 28-year-old rookie is a career .268 hitter in […]

Vance Worley (SP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Leagues ANALYSIS: Vance Worley has made quite a resurgence with the Bucs this year after getting rocked on a consistent basis to the tune of a 7.21 ERA in 2013 with the Twins. Now back in the National League, he has regained his form, with a 2.43 ERA in 55.2 […]

Jason Castro (C, HOU) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In AL-Only Leagues, Mixed Leagues With Two Catcher Slots ANALYSIS: The 27-year-old catcher Jason Castro has taken a major step back this year after a breakout season in 2013. In 339 at-bats, he has posted just a .230 batting average with 11 home runs and 43 RBI. He is struggling equally against righties and […]

Mark Reynolds (1B / 3B, MIL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In Very Deep Leagues For Power Boost ANALYSIS: This isn't the same Mark Reynolds who hit 44 bombs back in 2009, but he can still drive the ball out of the park. However, that's about where his fantasy appeal ends. He hasn't posted a batting average over .240 since his breakout 2009 […]

Javier Baez (SS, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately In Most Leagues ANALYSIS: Javier Baez is one of many top prospects currently in the Cub's farm system, along with Kris Bryant and Addison Russell. Second baseman Arismendy Alcantara was the first to get the call in early July, and now Baez is right behind him. Baez, a shortstop at the […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups: Boston Red Sox Edition

There Is A Casting Call For Young Live Arms In Boston Prior to the July 31 trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox held a complete fire sale of their starting pitchers, dealing away four out of five of their opening day rotation. Jon Lester, Jake Peavy, John Lackey and Felix Doubront were all shipped out […]

Ike Davis (1B, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Ignore In All But Deepest Mixed and NL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: The Ike Davis that hit 32 round-trippers in 2012 has ceased to exist ever since. With only 16 homers in 580 at-bats since his breakout 2012 campaign, Davis has cemented himself as a platoon hitter with no real fantasy value in all but […]

Mike Moustakas (3B, KC) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Ignore in Most Leagues, Consider Adding in Very Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Once one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and on many popular sleepers lists, Mike Moustakas has been one of the biggest fantasy baseball busts in the last few years. In 2010, his final full season in the minors, he blasted […]

John Jaso (C / DH, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in AL-Only Leagues, Most Mixed Leagues ANALYSIS: The 30-year-old Jaso has found his place in baseball within Billy Beane's platoon system. He has been playing half his time at DH, the other half behind the dish. Now, with Yoenis Cespedes out of Oakland, things should open up for Jaso to play everyday, […]

Anthony Gose (OF, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in AL-Only / Deep / Deep Keeper Leagues ANALYSIS: Gose seems destined to accumulate his most single-season at-bats this year, and for good reason. In 152 at-bats to date, he has posted a .347 on-base percentage, exponentially higher than that of his first two partial seasons. Gose is known mostly for his […]

Yasmani Grandal (C / 1B, SD) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in NL-Only Leagues, Mixed Leagues with Two Catcher Spots ANALYSIS: After a promising rookie campaign in 2012 in which he belted eight home runs and posted a stellar .394 OBP over 192 at-bats, the once-highly-touted prospect Yasmani Grandal has struggled, not only at the plate, but to stay in baseball, as well. […]

Nick Kingham (SP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep NL-Only Leagues Upon Call-Up / Continue Scouting ANALYSIS: Kingham was promoted to Triple-A by the Pirates in June with the intention of getting him to the majors sooner than later. Despite a shaky performance in his most recent outing, he owns a 3.04 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP with 91 […]

Starting Pitcher Sleepers: Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

The average major league pitcher is just over 6'2'', but you'd be surprised at how many of the top pitchers are between 6'4" and 6'7". Being unusually tall seems almost imperative for a pitcher in today's game. The league average, however, is brought down a bit by a handful of pitchers who are well undersized […]

Jon Niese (SP, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues ANALYSIS: Upon being placed on the disabled list with a shoulder injury in early July, Niese's ERA stood at 2.96 (the latest in an MLB season he had ever had a sub-3.00 ERA). The 27-year-old has improved dramatically since coming into the big leagues, and is on pace for his […]

Danny Santana (SS, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Throughout his time in the minor leagues Danny Santana went from organizational depth, destined to never reach the big leagues, to one of the better pure hitters in the Twins' farm system. He has just about no power, but he has proven in 147 at-bats so far that he can […]

Lucas Duda (1B, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Lucas Duda, the Mets' first baseman, is enjoying by far the best season of his career. With the 16 home runs, he has already surpassed his previous career high of 15. His 51 RBIs is just shy of his career-high 57 set in 2012, and he needs just two more runs […]

Jarred Cosart (SP, HOU) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Super Deep Leagues; Continue Scouting in Most ANALYSIS: Jarred Cosart is one of my favorite up-and-coming young pitchers in the game. The high school righty was drafted in the 38th round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Phillies, and after a solid start to his minor league career, he wasshipped […]

Starting Pitcher Sleepers: Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

  Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Sleepers As the second half of the season gets into full swing, you might consider giving up on those pitchers who failed to live up to your expectations in the first half. When doing so, it is important to find someone who won't destroy your staff numbers. Chances are you aren't going […]