Marcus Semien (2B/3B/SS, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues OWNED IN: 18% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Marcus Semien, 24, shortstop, is hoping that there’s no place like home. Not only is the Oakland Athletics giving him a chance to play the position he’s played since tee-ball, but he’s getting the chance to do it in his hometown. In two seasons […]
Five Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2
The first week of the season is in the books. There likely hasn't been too much roster upheaval in your league unless you play with some Chicken Little owners. Remember, folks: It's a long season. Resist the urge to mash the panic button. But by all means, tinker on the margins. That's what we're here to […]
Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week Two
Just Starting Out The wait is over; the 2015 fantasy baseball season has officially begun. How did Week One go? Not exactly confident in the catcher you drafted? Looking for a reliable backup? RotoBaller has got you covered with analysis on three catchers who may be free agents in your league who you can target off the […]
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds: Week 2
The first week of baseball has come and gone. Hopefully you haven’t blown up your team already, but if you have you’re going to love this article! In all seriousness, the beginning of the fantasy season is a key time frame for wise owners, as now is the time to strike on those free agent gems. […]
Billy Butler (1B/DH, OAK) - Waiver Wire Analysis
BALLER MOVE: Target for 12+ Team Leagues / FAAB Bid: $5-8 OWNED IN: 56% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Billy Butler already has a strong ownership level at this point but there’s room for growth. Yes, his numbers have tailed off across the board since his monster 2012 campaign (.313/72/29/107), but there’s still value to be found off […]
Brett Lawrie (3B/2B, OAK) - Waiver Wire Analysis
BALLE MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues OWNED IN: ESPN: 30.1% owned, Yahoo: 99% owned, Fleaflicker: 26% owned ANALYSIS: Sorry Yahoo owners, Brett Lawrie is an ESPN only play it seems. To be perfect honest, I don’t understand how Lawrie’s ownership numbers can be as low as they are, considering the upside he offers. Health has obviously been the […]
Stephen Vogt (1B/OF/C, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues / All Two-Catcher Leagues OWNED IN: ESPN: 5.6% owned, Yahoo: 41% owned, Fleaflicker: 21% owned ANALYSIS: The difference in Stephen Vogt’s ownership numbers between ESPN, Yahoo and Fleaflicker leagues is likely due to the fact that he’s already catcher eligible in the latter two. Assuming continued health and playing time, he’ll […]
Marcus Semien (2B/3B/SS, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ team leagues OWNED IN: 17% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Semien was a trendy sleeper last season after posting a .284/.401/.489 line with 19 HR and 24 SB across two levels in 2013. He began the year as the White Sox starting second baseman, but struggled and was demoted in May. […]
Drew Pomeranz (SP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in AL Only Leagues. OWNED IN: 2.6% of ESPN leagues; 30% of yahoo leagues; 28% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Drew Pomeranz found a new home last season in the spacious Oakland Coliseum and his success soared as a result. Pomeranz has the pedigree of a major league ace. He was drafted 5th overall in the 2010 […]
MLB Closers and Saves Waiver Wire Watch for 4/6/15
Most fantasy owners focus all their attention on the big time stars of the league. Lesser known relief pitchers are often overlooked by casual fantasy players, except when they're blowing a big save perhaps. That's why twice a week throughout the entire 2015 MLB Season RotoBaller will bring you the latest fantasy info, breaking news and advice […]
Jesse Hahn (SP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Later Rounds / Waiver Wire Pickup in All Leagues OWNED IN: 36% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Projections for Jesse Hahn are all over the place, and some fantasy leagues are leaving him undrafted altogether. Hahn was traded from the Padres to the Athletics this off-season; normally leaving the friendly confines of San Diego is […]
Top 10 Redraft Pitching Prospects for 2015: Eye on the Minors
The Magical Top 10 Today we bring you the ten pitching prospects most likely to make a fantasy impact this season. Previously we covered 50-41, 41-30, 30-21, and 20-11. Keep in mind that there are plenty of stud future MLBers in the lower levels of the minors that won’t crack even the top 50 – […]
Mark Canha (1B/OF, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Leagues / Draft Target Late OWNED IN: 0% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: A Rule 5 selection this offseason, Mark Canha will platoon with Ike Davis at first base in Oakland. While it’s not ideal, being on the short-side of the platoon where he will get fewer at-bats, it gives fantasy owners, […]
Kendall Graveman (SP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues / Draft Target Late OWNED IN: 8% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Sometimes you just get a good vibe about a pitcher. If you’ve paid attention to the sound bytes coming out of A’s camp, they are extremely high on Graveman, who they acquired from Toronto in the controversial Josh Donaldson trade […]
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, […]
Jesse Hahn (SP, OAK) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target ~240 Overall ANALYSIS: It’s not often that minor league statistics can be used to predict the performance of a future major leaguer, but when it comes to Jesse Hahn, it’s safe to say the writing has been on the wall all along. Hahn has just 73.1 innings of major league experience, but in […]
Scott Kazmir (SP, OAK) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Mid-to-Late Rounds ANALYSIS: With a current ADP of around 195 Scott Kazmir finds himself on our list of ADP draft sleepers for starting pitchers, and is in a position to return a healthy return on his draft day investment. Kazmir had practically fallen off the face of the baseball earth before joining on […]
Top Five Second Base Sleepers for 2015: Hitters Who Will Outperform Their ADP
Five Undervalued Second Basemen for 2015 You've got the strongest pitching staff in your league. Your outfield is stacked. You make sure to pick up a catcher early, pick up a hard-hitting first baseman, and - oh no - all of the decent second basemen are gone. It's common knowledge that one must focus […]
5 AL Players Whose New Teams Will Impact Their Performance
Who Will Be Helped or Hurt by a Change of Scenery? J.A. Happ, Seattle Mariners Let’s be honest: Happ did not post Cy Young-caliber numbers in his most recent campaign. A 4.22 ERA and lackluster 7.6 K/9 IP made Happ one of many problems for the Blue Jays in 2014. That’s exactly why a transition […]
Fantasy Baseball Spring Stock Watch: Semien, Norris, Betts, Davis
Welcome to the Stock Watch First of all, welcome to the RotoBaller fantasy baseball “Stock Watch”. This will be a recurring weekly column which attempts to gauge the value of certain hitters and pitchers who are trending in the right and wrong direction. The goal is to help you make more informed decisions with […]
Evaluating the A's Outfield After Josh Reddick's Injury: Fantasy Analysis
On March 7th it was announced that A's Outfielder Josh Reddick will miss 4 to 6 weeks with a strained oblique. Reddick was poised to be a main run producer for a lineup already missing 3 of last years opening day starters: Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Moss, and Josh Donaldson. With these stars out of the […]
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 […]
Marcus Semien (2B/3B, OAK) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target as MI in late rounds ANALYSIS: Marcus Semien should see consistent playing time in Oakland (unlike during his tenure with the White Sox), not only due to his position versatility, but also because of Oakland’s glaring need for middle infield help. Semien’s major league stolen base numbers don’t jump off the page, but in 2013 […]
Marcus Semien: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Middle Infield Sleeper
With 85 games under his MLB belt and still just 24 years old, newly acquired right-handed-hitting Marcus Semien could provide a lot of value to the Oakland Athletics and fantasy owners alike this season. The former White Sox second baseman should see an ample amount of playing time in Oakland, while possibly maintaining eligibility at […]
MLB Closer Breakdown: AL West Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball
Los Angeles Angels The Angels received Huston Street in a six-player trade in July of last year, and they were not disappointed. He converted 23 of his 24 save chances with the Padres, and would go on to save 17 more games for the Halos in an All-Star caliber season. The 41 saves were […]
A Look Ahead: The Top 5 Free Agents of 2016 by WAR
Poet Alexander Pope once wrote "hope springs eternal," but had he ever gotten the chance to attend Spring Training he may have shuffled those words around and come out with something along the lines of "spring brings eternal hope." Spring Training is finally in full swing and with those familiar sounds of bat on ball […]
Pitchers Advanced Statistics: Keys to Analyzing Fantasy Trends
Advanced Pitcher Stats for Fantasy Baseball One of the most misunderstood books in the last decade or so was Moneyball, the Michael Lewis novel about the Oakland A's that really brought advanced statistical analysis into the mainstream. A lot of people thought it was just about valuing On-Base Percentage looking at college players, but those were just […]
Barry Zito, Oakland Athletics Sign Minor-League Deal
After taking a year off from baseball, Barry Zito will return where it all started. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland Athletics and Barry Zito agreed to a minor-league deal on Monday and it includes an invite to Spring Training. Blast from the past: Barry Zito is going to […]
Stephen Vogt (C, OAK) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target in Late Rounds as Backup Catcher ANALYSIS: Stephen Vogt had a modest fantasy year in 2014, with only nine HR, 35 RBI and a .279 AVG. With only one other catcher, Josh Phegley, on the A’s 40-man roster, expect Vogt to see a healthy increase in PA from the 287 he had last […]
Oakland's Catcher Platoon: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Catcher Sleepers
Stephen Vogt and Josh Phegley Both Figure to be Sleepers in 2015 The magical world of Billy Beane and platooning every position on the diamond does not seem to be fading anytime soon. One of the more interesting platoons last year was the catcher platoon of Derek Norris, John Jaso, and Stephen Vogt. The […]