Josh Phegley (C, OAK) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: Josh Phegley has struggled to throw together a complete season of adequate work on offense in the MLB, even going so far as to earn the nearly cruel nickname "PTBNL". However, this season, Phegley has been strumming a different tune on offense with the […]

Felix Pena (SP/RP, LAA) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: 29-year old Felix Pena appears to have found his home as a member of an MLB squad, though it hasn't exactly been as a member of the rotation or the bullpen. In 43.2 IP across nine games this season, Pena has made four starts […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 9

Like last week, this weeks story-line was plastered with news about prospect call-ups (and some of them weren't even middle infielders). Some guys have arrived with plenty of fanfare (and a HOF last name), some guys have quietly received the call of duty to fill in a gap in their club's starting lineup, and others […]

Clint Frazier (OF, NYY) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 33% of leagues ANALYSIS: Things never seem to go as expected with the New York Yankees lineup (as there would be no story lines to be had), and due to some ongoing complications such as Giancarlo Stanton's injury setbacks, Clint Frazier's spot in the outfield appears to be safe […]

Cavan Biggio (2B/SS, TOR) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Blue Jays have had some well-documented issues at second base this season whether it be from injury or lack of performance, and they have recently decided to give the call to high-performing prospect (and son of HOFer Craig Biggio) Cavan Biggio. The 24-year […]

Scott Oberg (RP, COL) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of leagues ANALYSIS: With Wade Davis hitting the IL recently with an oblique injury, it was announced that Scott Oberg would take over closer duties for the Colorado Rockies. While there is varying weight to such declarations, Oberg seems like a logical choice with his 1.69 ERA […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 8

In the blink of an eye we find ourselves well into the latter-half of May, and as always, we are still trying to find answers and long-term truths. While it wasn't necessarily a week of attention-grabbing headlines, you may have noticed that I have continuously remarked about the surprising starts for the season, so let's […]

Hansel Robles (RP, LAA) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 35% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Los Angeles Angels had a rough start to the 2019 season at the back end of the bullpen, demoting veteran closer Cody Allen for a head-clearing and soon looking to 28-year old Hansel Robles in high-leverage situations. While there is a surprisingly stocked cast […]

Alex Verdugo (OF, LAD) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: The lineup for the Los Angeles Dodgers is never truly complete and could always use its yearly dash of young and explosive, here in the case of highly-touted prospect Alex Verdugo. Filling in for a slew of injured Dodgers including the transfer of A.J. Pollock […]

Jason Castro (C, MIN) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Two-Catcher Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Minnesota Twins have hit the proverbial jackpot at backstop in 2019. Manifested first through the emergence of Mitch Garver and, once Garver recently made a trip to the IL, through veteran catcher Jason Castro. The 31-year old former All-Star and Stanford Cardinal is on […]

Pablo Sandoval (1B/3B, SF) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: Pablo Sandoval has long been a fixture for San Francisco Giants squads that made triumphant postseason runs, and if his stint in Boston proved anything, it's that he doesn't appear to be comfortable batting outside the Bay. This season, the 32-year old two-time All-Star […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 7

It has been a particularly interesting week in terms of attention-grabbing storylines, to say the least. Addison Russell made a controversial return to the Cubs lineup to a crowd of mixed feelings, Mike Fiers embarrassed the Cincinnati Reds with his second-career no-hitter, and another MLB game was curiously delayed due to a massive swarm of […]

Luke Jackson (RP, ATL) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: It has been a tumultuous start to the 2019 season for the Atlanta Braves bullpen. Arodys Vizcaino broke many a heart by landing on the 60-day IL after having surgery on his elbow, A.J. Minter was recently demoted for Jonny Venters as he failed […]

Tyler Mahle (SP, CIN) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Cincinnati Reds were definitely depending on a few pleasant surprises if they wanted to have a go at it in 2019, and Tyler Mahle has certainly qualified through hard work to improve some strongly lacking areas in his game. Last season in 23 […]

James McCann (C, CHW) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: After a 2017 season that seemed to pack plenty of promise for the future, James McCann took a massive step back last year in his fifth season as a Detroit Tiger. Maybe he just needed a change in scenery though, as he has already […]

Griffin Canning (SP, LAA) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: First and foremost, happy 23rd birthday to highly-touted prospect and current Los Angeles Angels starter Griffin Canning. The UCLA alumni got the call from the Angels in part due to a fantastic stint at Triple-A Salt Lake this year in which he produced a stifling […]

Brian Goodwin (OF, LAA) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 14% of leagues ANALYSIS: It's not that Brian Goodwin hasn't flashed this skill set before, he painted a nice portrait of his potential performance back in 2017 when he hit 13 HR, stole six bases, and produced an .811 OPS in just 251 AB for the Nationals. He […]

Raimel Tapia (OF, COL) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: 25-year old Raimel Tapia was once a highly ranked prospect, and for good reason. He accumulated 13 home runs, 39 stolen bases (in 47 attempts), and an OPS of .872 in 801 AB across three seasons at Triple-A Albuquerque. Now, after a string of […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 6

Baseball is neither fair nor consistent, this much we all know. It is however, predictable. Not in the sense that we know what will happen with each player taking each individual AB, but in the sense that based on the complete picture of performance formed by a player's peripheral figures, we can typically feel a […]

Tyler Beede (SP, SF) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: It isn't lost on me that Tyler Beede just gave up seven ER in a startling 2.1 IP against the Cincinnati Reds in GABP (though the Giants would go on to win 12-11), and this may cause you to raise your eyebrows at this […]

Eric Thames (1B/OF, MIL) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: Eric Thames has consistently demonstrated that he is in short, a beast, over the course of the last three seasons. The tide definitely seemed to turn once he joined the Milwaukee Brewers, as he has produced 52 HR, 11 SB, and a slash of […]

Carter Kieboom (SS, WAS) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: With an injury still barring the return of Trea Turner, the opportunity opened up for the Nationals to call up highly-touted prospect Carter Kieboom at shortstop. While the results have been mixed, they (along with his minor league track record) warrant just as much […]

Jose Iglesias (SS, CIN) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% of leagues ANALYSIS: Jose Iglesias started the 2019 season on a minor-league contract with the Cincinnati Reds looking at manning the backup middle infield slots alongside Derek Dietrich. Now, with Scooter Gennett transferring to the 60-day IL and the Reds frequently experimenting with the lineup, he has […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 5

It was a good week to watch baseball if you were keeping your eyes peeled for assets of interest out of the middle infield. Some guys capitalized off of their hot starts and kept the ball rolling with another handful of games that support the surrounding hype, while others turned the tables and started getting […]

Mike Soroka (SP, ATL) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: 21-year old Mike Soroka is one of the many current and former highly-touted prospects that grace the Atlanta Braves roster, and he came into this season with plenty of hype from glimpses he gave in 2018. Last year he finished with a 3.51 ERA […]

Mitch Garver (C, MIN) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Two-Catcher Leagues OWNED IN: 33% of leagues ANALYSIS: Coming into the 2019 season, many expected veteran backstop Jason Castro to take a majority share of the starts and AB for the Twins at catcher, but so far it has been 28-year old New Mexico alumni Mitch Garver who has seized the helm. In […]

Taylor Rogers (RP, MIN) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 35% of leagues ANALYSIS: There are plenty of contenders coming out of the back end of the Minnesota Twins bullpen, and 28-year old fellow former Kentucky Wildcat Taylor Rogers is one of them. In a relief core featuring a slew of competitors for high leverage situations such as […]

Amir Garrett (RP, CIN) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: There are plenty of factors that make Amir Garrett appealing. There's his 6-5, 228 lbs. frame, his fantastic athleticism as demonstrated by his basketball history at St.Johns, and his aggressive and entertaining approach to baseball braggadocio. He has also gotten off to a Cincinnati […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 4

The 2019 MLB campaign has reached Week 4, and there has been no shortage of friction and shake-ups among middle infielders on major league rosters. With many players still dealing with injuries, splitting time with their fellow teammates in hybrid platoon situations, straight-up ugly starts to the year, and the threat of prospect call-ups to […]

Jeff Samardzija (SP, SF) - Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: A veteran of the MLB since 2008, no one has ever questioned Jeff Samardzija's athleticism or physical makeup. At 6-5, 240 lbs and a former wide receiver for the Notre Dame football team, no one has ever accused Samardzija of being a less-than-imposing presence […]