Jesse Winker (OF, CIN) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: It has been an interesting season for Jesse Winker, to say the least. From two-hand waving at salty Mets fans, to the ugly recent turn of events at the plate, and even leading the majors in home runs to opposite field for a brief […]

JaCoby Jones (OF, DET) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: 27-year old JaCoby Jones has profiled as a power/speed guy with ground to make up in his plate approach for much of his professional career. In 2019, he has lived up to that profile on the dot with six home runs, six stolen bases […]

Dallas Keuchel - A Brave New World

Once a certain point was reached, we all knew that it could happen at any given second. Once draft compensation was no longer tied to the two biggest remaining free agents in the MLB, the bidding war began, and it didn't take long for the results to shake out (and that's even with a few […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 10

We have finally steamrolled into June, and I hope everyone had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend, because the start of this month is jam-packed with important baseball information. The College World Series is underway and showcasing many of the next young professionals of the sport, many organizations will decide their club's course of action for […]

Luis Urias (2B, SD) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: In 72 AB at the MLB level, consensus top-30 prospect Luis Urias has been slow to accelerate with just two home runs and a steal to go with a less-than pedestrian .167/.256/.278 slash. That would definitely be a bummer, that is if he wasn't […]

Bryan Reynolds (OF, PIT) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Thanks in part to a ridiculous amount of injuries to players for the Pittsburgh Pirates, 24-year old rookie Bryan Reynolds has gotten an extremely healthy 116 AB. In that time, he has put up a fantastic statistical line that closely mirrors his minor league pedigree […]

Hunter Strickland (RP, SEA) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 18% of leagues ANALYSIS: Veteran reliever Hunter Strickland didn't have a good time in his incredibly brief stint on the mound for 2019 before being moved to the 60-day IL with a right lat strain, and you would think that would make him an unappealing option out of […]

Jimmy Nelson (SP, MIL) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: The last time we saw Jimmy Nelson in the majors for the Milwaukee Brewers, he turned in a career year and finished ninth in the NL Cy Young voting with a 3.49 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, and 10.2 K/9 in 175.1 IP across […]

Jorge Alfaro (C, MIA) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of leagues ANALYSIS: Last year, the Phillies cashed in on a great season by backstop Jorge Alfaro with a line of ten home runs, three stolen bases (in three tries), and a slash of .262/.324/.407. Fast-forward a year, Alfaro was shipped to Miami for fellow unique catcher […]

Kyle Tucker (OF, HOU) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kyle Tucker is one of the most eagerly anticipated outfielders in all of baseball, which feels a bit unfair coming within an organization with an extremely recent World Series title. The consensus top-15 prospect did not have a nice go at it during his […]

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 […]