Five Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 4

Hard to believe we're coming up on the end of April, right? Hopefully your teams have come flying out of the gate. If not, though, there's no need to fret. As we discussed last week, there's a happy medium between making hasty moves and taking swift, decisive action. Be patient without being passive. Need help […]

Drew Smyly (SP, TBR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All leagues OWNED IN: 71% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Drew Smyly was one of my sleepers going into 2015, but a shoulder injury has kept him out until this point. He made his first start at Toronto and lasted 4 2/3 innings with two earned runs and five strikeouts. Smyly was […]

The Cut List: Time to Let These Players Go?

Welcome to The Cut List, the place where everyone comes to cut the cheese. This week, we will be talking about Mozzarella, Muenster and my personal favorite old cheese, LaTroy Hawkins. If you were unfortunate/dumb enough to draft him, you deserved it. But if you are getting naked for saves like a stripper for dollar bills, […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups and Analysis: Week 4 (Smyly, Santiago, Chavez)

Week 4 Waiver Wire Starting Pitchers As we move further along into the season, the pickings for useful SP become slimmer and slimmer. In turn, that means the options for shallower leagues become dicey when looking for players that can serve as more than a streaming option. In this week’s edition, I’ll present a few […]

Alex Cobb To Throw First Bullpen Session Friday Since DL Stint

Alex Cobb will throw a bullpen session Friday for the first time since he was placed on the disabled list right before the start of the 2015 MLB season, according to the Tampa Bay Times. This is big news for a Tampa Bay Rays team that has dropped four games in a row before Wednesday’s […]

Week 3 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups

What’s up RotoBallers. Hopefully the start of the MLB and fantasy baseball season is treating you well, and your teams are off to a roaring start. Either way, we are here to help as always. Below are all of the starting pitching matchups for Week 3. For every week of the fantasy baseball season, we look to […]

Holds Leagues: Waiver Wire Pickups For Week Three

While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men. The more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these pitchers will be eligible to earn the holds that could be the difference between winning or losing in your fantasy league. Based on […]

Kevin Kiermaier (OF, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep AL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: Kevin Kiermaier joined the Rays' in 2014 as a rookie meant to provide depth and defense in the outfield, but found his way into the starting lineup by June. In 2015, his defense will still keep him in the lineup everyday, but his presence at the plate […]

Kevin Kiermaier (OF, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickup

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues. OWNED IN: 35% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: In any sport there always seems to be those types of players who do all of the little things that go unnoticed. Even though it may not show up on the stat sheet their presence is invaluable to any team. In the […]

MLB Closers And Saves Waiver Wire Watch For Week 2

The first full week of baseball is in the books and it appears that the Detroit Tigers are the greatest team of all time. While we probably shouldn’t jump to those types of conclusions, the first week provided some nice fantasy insight. We’ll take a look at some relief pitching performances from the past week […]

Top Hitter Streamers for Week 2: Head-to-Head or Weekly Leagues

Below are my top MLB hitter streamer options for Week 2 of fantasy baseball. All eight players listed here are under 50% owned in Yahoo leagues and play seven games this week. Streaming hitters is a great way to increase production and fantasy stats off the waiver wire for your head-to-head matchups, or if you're […]

John Jaso (C / DH, TAM) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Roster immediately as DL slot OWNED IN: 5% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Everyone’s favorite platoon catcher was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list after sliding in to second base head first. His injury surely caused most owners or prospective owners to drop him. Rather than outright drop him however, the smartest move is […]

Asdrubal Cabrera (2B/SS, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in AL-Only or Deep Mixed Leagues OWNED IN: 40% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Asdrubal Cabrera is not going to be the Asdrubal Cabrera we saw put up 25 and 17 in 2011, but that doesn't mean he can't help your fantasy team. Now a member of the Rays, Cabrera will have 76 […]

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 […]

Top 10 Projected WHIP Finishers For Starters

In case you missed it last week we covered Daniel Okrent, IPRAT and our projections for which relievers will finish in the top ten in WHIP for this season. Today we will purchase a flux capacitor, install it into the RotoBaller DeLorean, and drive into the future to share with you who will finish in […]

Four Starting Pitcher Breakout Candidates for 2015

In order to stay relevant and competitive in MLB baseball, a team must have a constant flow of rising young pitching. Without this key element a team might as well yell over their PA system to their fans, "Expect fireworks before, during and after tonight's game. Direct your eyes upwards at all costs."   The […]

Alex Cobb: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Undervalued Starting Pitcher

Ace? Pseudo Ace? Damaged Goods? Alex Cobb of the Tampa Bay Rays has tendinitis in his forearm and is slated to miss his Opening Day start, which for some reason has resulted in his draft stock falling fairly significantly. His average draft pick was 70.3 prior to the news of this minor injury, and is now at […]

Drew Smyly (SP, TB) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~175 Overall ANALYSIS: Mostly overlooked last season in a star-studded Tigers rotation, Drew Smyly was sent in the David Price deal to Tampe Bay, where he immediately thrived. Prior to being shut down at the end of 2014, Smyly made seven starts for the Rays, striking out nearly a batter per inning and flashing […]

Desmond Jennings (TB, OF) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft in Late rounds of All leagues as a OF4/UTIL. ANALYSIS: There are some premium positions in fantasy baseball that have a so-called "inner circle" of elite talent. These are the guys worth reaching for to maximize value in your draft. However, the OF position is loaded with talent ranging from speed demons […]

Jake Odorizzi (SP, TB) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft in Middle Rounds of All Leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays middle-of-the-rotation starter Jake Odorizzi had a pretty solid season in 2014, compiling an 11-13 record, a 4.13 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 168 innings of work. The former first round draft pick has never dazzled at the minor league level, but […]

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 […]

Brad Boxberger (TB, RP) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Late Rounds of All Leagues ANALYSIS: A guy you’ll want to keep on your radar this year during your fantasy drafts is Brad Boxberger. Boxberger was the setup man last year for the Rays and more than excelled in his role. He posted a 2.37 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 104 strikeouts, 20 […]

Top 5 Starting Pitcher Breakouts - 2015 MLB Fantasy Draft Prep

  Hunting for Treasure Most of us in the industry say this every year: starting pitching is the easiest asset to add during the season. There are several reasons for this, not least of which is the number of starters who break out from nowhere on an annual basis.   Among last season’s top fantasy arms were […]

Jake Odorizzi (SP, TB) - Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target Late in Mixed Leagues ANALYSIS: Jake Odorizzi started and finished his rookie season poorly, and consequently, his overall surface numbers (4.13 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) weren’t eye-popping. He had issues his second and third times through the batting order, and his release point was inconsistent. His OPS against was 345 points higher on the […]

Drew Smyly Sidelined Indefinitely, Shoulder Issue

Tampa Bay Rays southpaw Drew Smyly has been sidelined indefinitely with shoulder tendinitis according to The Tampa Bay Times. Smyly pitched exceptionally well for Tampa down the stretch of last season to a 1.70 ERA in seven starts after being dealt to the Rays in the deal that sent David Price to Detroit. Smyly is coming off […]

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 […]

Steven Souza (OF, TB) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target as Low-End OF3 ANALYSIS: Steven Souza can be described as late-bloomer, mainly due to his off-the-field problems, which included a 50-game suspension for a banned stimulant in 2010. Since that time, he has destroyed minor league pitching. He won the International League MVP in 2014 with a .345/.427/.577 line, 18 HR, 77 RBI and […]

Steven Souza: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Sleeper

  Quad-A or Stud? Quad-A. The one distinction no baseball player wants to ever see on their scouting report. It is typically designated for older prospects who mash in the minors but can never put it together on the big stage. Steven Souza, 25, is at the age when questions begin surfacing about a player's potential. […]

Drew Smyly (SP, TBR) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Add in Early Teen Rounds ANALYSIS: Drew Smyly's size, pitch velocity and strikeout totals get fantasy GMs excited, but his platoon split issues have made Smyly a part-time fantasy baseball contributor. Smyly is absolutely deadly against left-handed hitters, with a .238 wOBA against lefties for his career. Lefties hit just .136 against his curve and […]