Chase Headley (1B/3B, NYY) - Waiver Wire Pickup

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep / AL-Only Leagues OWNED IN: 40% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: When the New York Yankees traded for Chase Headley in 2014, they saw an immediate solution to the gap left by Alex Rodriguez at 3B. Even with the return of Rodriguez, Headley made clear in his 58 game stint with the […]

Alex Rodriguez (3B/1B/DH, NYY) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Late Rounds / Waiver Wire Pickup OWNED IN: 59% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: While folks everywhere were stoked about Lebron’s return to Cleveland, few were talking about the return of one of the greatest hitters of our era. Fresh off reinstatement due to his PED suspension, Alex Rodriguez is ready to take pitchers […]

Five Undervalued Corner Infielders for 2015

The term sleeper is overused and commonly confused in fantasy sports. Too many people confuse the concept of a player being undervalued (i.e. a player getting drafted in the seventh round that is going to return fifth round value) versus a player being a true sleeper.   In a 12 team, 5x5 league that is […]

Holds Leagues: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds for Week 1

While the holds statistic is even harder to predict than saves for closers, the players we highlight today feature some elite setup men. The more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these following relief pitchers will be eligible to earn the holds that could be the difference between winning or losing in your […]

Michael Pineda (SP, NYY) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~205 Overall ANALYSIS: In between his suspension for the “pine tar incident” and a long DL stint, Michael Pineda did show flashes of brilliance last season. His first-strike and swinging-strike percentages were well above average. Not only did Pineda do a good job of getting ahead of batters, but once batters were behind in […]

Dynasty / Keeper Deeper Dive: Greg Bird

The Yankees Future? First base is one of the deepest positions for dynasty purposes. However, the average age of my top 20 at the position is 29 years old. Additionally, only four of my top ten are under the age of 30. While it's easy to remain fantasy relevant into your mid-30's at first base, […]

Fantasy Baseball Spring Stock Watch: Deep League Waiver Adds

Deep leagues don’t get enough attention. I hear you. It’s also true that your definition of a deep league might be a shallow league to someone else. It's considerably more difficult to write about deeper formats, which is why most fantasy writers stay away. With all of the roster moves taking place around the league, […]

Nathan Eovaldi (SP, NYY) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Later Rounds / Waiver Wire Stash ANALYSIS: A name to keep in mind going forward is Nathan Eovaldi. Right now Eovaldi is in the fourth slot of the Yankees rotation, opening up plenty of opportunity to thrive. Owned in just 17% of leagues, Eovaldi is being criminally undervalued in relation to his potential […]

Adam Warren (SP, NYY) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues / AL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: Adam Warren has now been named the New York Yankee's 5th starter. If he is available in your deeper league / AL-Only league, and you've already drafted, go ahead and grab him him off the waiver wire. As a relief pitcher in 2014, with a 2.97 ERA and a […]

Mark Teixeira (1B/DH, NYY) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Late Round Draft Target or Waiver Wire Stash ANALYSIS: Mark Teixeira is not the player that he once was, but his power still holds some value in the middle of the Yankees order. After all, power is at an all time low, and a late round draft pick that can provide some cheap […]

AL Only Deeper Draft Sleepers: Winter Hibernation Ends

The term sleeper is overused and commonly confused in fantasy sports. Too many people confuse the concept of a player being undervalued (i.e. a player getting drafted in the seventh round that is going to return fifth round value) versus a player being a true sleeper. When I think sleeper, I think Rip Van Winkle. […]

Michael Pineda (NYY, SP) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Mid-to-Late Rounds of All Leagues ANALYSIS: Allow me to begin by saying that Michael Pineda is not just a fantasy baseball sleeper; he may be the starting pitcher sleeper of this year’s fantasy season. Currently he has an extremely low ADP at around 209, which is likely due to his injury […]

Fantasy Baseball Draft Plans: The Lessons Of Starting Pitcher Injuries

The Plague of Failing Elbows Since the beginning of spring training, we have seen starting pitchers Yu Darvish, Marcus Stroman, Cliff Lee, and Zack Wheeler all go down with with injuries. This, along with the outbreak of Tommy John surgeries in baseball the past few seasons, has left fantasy owners searching for "safe" starting pitching. How do we weed […]

Four Best Draft Strategies for Points Leagues

  Winning Points Leagues on Draft Day Most of the analysis you'll find in the fantasy community tends to be geared towards roto or 5x5 formats. This is done for two main reasons. First, category formats are easily the more popular of the two options. Analysts write to be read, so it makes sense to […]

Brett Gardner (OF, NYY) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

CURRENT ADP: 144 RANKINGS STATUS: Undervalued ANALYSIS: Now the longest tenured homegrown player on the Yankees roster, Brett Gardner's numbers have been rather predictable over the course of his seven year career. That was not the case in 2014. Gardner, 31, saw his home run total jump to 17 last season, which is more than […]

Three Relief Pitchers Who Will Outperform Their 2015 ADP: Rankings Analysis

Reliever Hijinks Last season was my best year of fantasy baseball in the dozen years I've played, as I managed to secure championships in all three of my leagues. This was in spite of the fact that I endured what I'll lightly term as the season from hell as far as closers are concerned. Most […]

Top Five ERA Surgers for 2015: Fantasy Baseball Predictions

Scour the Pitching Peripherals It’s not a category in your typical fantasy league, but Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) is a useful metric to uncover undervalued assets on draft day. FIP attempts to isolate the factors under a pitcher’s direct control to determine whether he was a victim of poor defense or rotten luck. Intuitively and […]

Masahiro Tanaka (SP, NYY) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

  CURRENT ADP: 89   RANKINGS STATUS: Undervalued ANALYSIS: After a sensational start to his major league career, there is a lot of speculation surrounding Masahrio Tanaka and his slightly torn UCL. Tanaka burst onto the scene last year but was shut down in the second half of the season so that his arm could heal and […]

Three Home Run & Power Hitter Surgers for 2015

Home run power is a trait that has become increasingly rare in baseball over the past few years. 2014 showcased the lowest power numbers of the last 20 years, and a further decline is expected in 2015. As flashy home run numbers continue to diminish, those who can truly hit the long ball are becoming […]

Save Prospecting: Top Five Non-Closing AL Relief Pitchers

Last week I looked at the top five non-closer NL relief pitcher options. Today we take a look at the top AL relief pitchers currently not occupying closer roles.   Top Five Non-Closing AL Relievers Wade Davis - RHP, Kansas City Royals If we are talking about American League bullpens, you have to start the […]

MLB Closer Breakdown: AL East Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball

  New York Yankees This is going to be one of the most closely monitored closer competitions in the spring of 2015. The Yankees are currently examining two gigantic (literally) options for the closer spot, in the forms of lefty Andrew Miller and righty Dellin Betances, both of whom throw absolute smoke. Both did plenty […]

A-Rod: Will He Help or Hurt?

With spring training in full bloom the main interest circus at the Yankees camp in Tampa is none other than Alex Rodriguez. Even coming off his year-long suspension for violating MLB’s PED policy, Rodriguez is really the only box-office draw the Yankees have right now with the retirement of Derek Jeter last season. Other than […]

Orioles Ink Cabrera; Find Value in Implicated PED Users

After being non-tendered by the San Diego Padres earlier in the offseason, Everth Cabrera has finally found a new home with the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles signed Cabrera, who was given a 50 game suspension last season due to PED use, to a low risk one year deal worth $2.4MM guaranteed with another $600K in […]

Jacoby Ellsbury: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Star

2011 - It Was A Very Good Year When the New York Yankees signed Jacoby Ellsbury as a free agent before the 2014 season they hoped they would be getting the same player who tore up the world of fantasy baseball in 2011. That season Ellsbury batted .321 with 32 HR, 39 SB, 105 RBI and […]

Chase Headley (3B, NYY) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target in 10th to 12th Rounds ANALYSIS: Everyone tried to pry Chase Headley away from the Padres after his breakout season in 2012 in which he posted 31 HR, 115 RBI and 17 SB. Headley struggled over the next two years, his average fly-ball distance dropping from 34.47 feet to 286.83 feet. His […]

Chase Headley: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Target

2012 Was A Very Good Year The New York Yankees signing of Chase Headley to a four-year, $52 million contract speaks volumes about what they think Alex Rodriguez can bring to the table this coming season. Headley has more in common with Scott Brosius than Rodriguez in his prime. Although Headley is the kind of positive […]

MLB Rules Changed, Cuban Prospect Yoan Moncada Becomes Free Agent

  According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, highly touted Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada is now a free agent eligible to sign with a team. Breaking: Yoan Moncada is a free agent after MLB changes its rules regarding Cuban players. Story with details soon on Yahoo Sports. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2015   […]

New York Yankees Interested in Johan Santana

The New York Yankees interest in the two-time Cy Young award winner is back. According to the New York Post, the Yankees were in attendance for Johan Santana's first appearance on a mound, pitching two scoreless innings in the Venezuelan Winter League on Tuesday night. He is looking to make a comeback from a torn […]

Alex Rodriguez: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Bust

  Farewell Derek Jeter and Hellooooo A-Rod!!! Can there be any worse scenario for Yankee fans? Sadly for Bronx Bomber die hards, Derek Jeter won’t be the opening day Yankee shortstop for the first time since 1996. If that's not bad enough,  Alex Rodriguez and all of his extra baggage will be back in pinstripes […]

Top 5 Hitter Streamers: Waiver Wire Targets For Week 24

It's hard to believe that baseball season is almost over. Between the start of the NFL season and the home stretch of the MLB season, I know that we've all got a lot on our plates right now, so I'll keep this introduction short and sweet. Just like always, I've presented five sleepers of varying […]