Javier Baez (2B/3B/SS, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 43% of Fleaflicker Leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: High expectations have been part of Javier Baez's story since coming up to the big leagues. A top prospect who tore through the minor league system, Baez put up 37 HR in 2013 between A and AA ball, then hit 23 the next... Read More

Martin Prado (2B/3B, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 48% of Fleaflicker Leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: It's no secret by now that Martin Prado can flat-out hit. Prado owns a .324 AVG and .370 OBP this season for Miami and has driven in a respectable 50 RBI so far this year. Prado doesn't offer much in the way of power... Read More

Anthony Gose Provides Bottom-Of-The-Order Speed

Anthony Gose will split time with Cameron Maybin manning center field in Detroit this season, and will likely bat ninth when he is in the lineup. Gose hit primarily in the lead-off slot last season, but appeared in the ninth slot 36 times, especially after manager Brad Ausmus began inserting Ian Kinsler into the lead-off... Read More

Cameron Maybin's Speed Makes Him A Depth Option

Cameron Maybin is rated in the seventh tier of outfielders according to our RotoBaller staff, and is listed as the 61st outfielder overall. It might not seem like there's much value to be had there considering Maybin's career numbers--.251/.313/.366 with very little power and a 21.9% K rate that isn't exactly low--but Maybin's speed makes... Read More

Jose Iglesias Provides Value and Depth

In his short MLB tenure, Jose Iglesias has dazzled baseball fans with his defensive prowess. Unfortunately, fancy glove-work doesn't exactly translate to fantasy value, so Iglesias is often overlooked as a viable option in most leagues--he was owned in just 11% of Yahoo! leagues last season. Still, as an option providing depth at the shortstop... Read More

Don't Pounce Early On Anibal Sanchez

Just two seasons ago, Detroit's Anibal Sanchez was one of the more dominant pitchers in the American League. He put together a stellar 2013 campaign, logging a career-high 202 strikeouts and allowing a minuscule 0.4 HR/9 IP. He somehow improved upon his HR/9 numbers in 2014, allowing just 0.3/9 that season. While 2013 and 2014... Read More

Nick Castellanos May Provide Late Round Value

Nick Castellanos enters his third full season in the big leagues as a once highly-touted prospect who has yet to fully reach his potential. Known in the minors for his bat, Castellanos has hit just .257/.304/.402 with 26 HR in 1192 plate appearances. But despite lackluster career numbers thus far, Castellanos remains a high-upside player... Read More

Francisco Rodriguez Is A Risky Relief Pick

Francisco Rodriguez has been known for some time as one of the better closers in the game. After a few shaky years from 2010 to 2013, K-Rod returned to form in 2014 while racking up 44 saves for the Brewers. Last year was another decent year for Rodriguez, who recorded 38 saves while striking out 9.79... Read More

Jordan Zimmermann Is A Mid-Round Steal

Jordan Zimmermann will transition from the NL to the AL this season as he joins the Detroit Tiger rotation. If conventional wisdom holds true, that means that he will see a slight dip in productivity this season, with the most affected area being K/9 IP. But setting aside the adjustment period, Jordan Zimmermann should continue... Read More

Victor Martinez Is A Bounce Back Candidate For 2016

There are plenty of reasons to balk at drafting Victor Martinez in 2016. The Tigers' slugger had a career year in 2014, putting up lifetime bests in HR, AVG, and OBP while striking out only 6.6% of the time. Heading into last season, he was a clear regression candidate, especially after having off-season knee surgery.... Read More

J.D. Martinez Is A Premier Power Bat For 2016

Heading into the 2015 season, there were some skeptics around the league who thought J.D. Martinez's 2014 power surge was a fluke. After turning in a career-best 38 HR last season, Martinez has proven that his long-ball strength is for real. To go along with is 38 bombs, Martinez also turned in 102 RBI and... Read More

Justin Upton Will Thrive in Detroit

The Detroit Tigers once again made a splash in free agency, signing Justin Upton to a six-year deal worth over $130 million this winter. He will provide yet another power bat to an already potent lineup. Upton brings solid career numbers to a favorable situation in Detroit, and is poised for another solid season in... Read More

Kinsler's Consistency Makes Him A Safe 2B Pick

Here are some numbers on Ian Kinsler from 2012-2015. Home runs: 19, 13, 17, 11. Runs batted in: 72, 72, 92, 73. Runs scored: 105, 85, 100, 94. When it comes to second basemen these days, its hard to find one who is more reliable than Kinsler. He has averaged 152 G per year over... Read More

Strong Second Half Bodes Well for Justin Verlander in 2016

There was a time when Justin Verlander was untouchable. After being one of the most dominant SPs in the American League from 2009-2012, things took an unfortunate turn. He saw a drop in velocity in both 2013 and 2014, and battled health issues for a good part of both seasons. Many detractors thought Verlander's best... Read More

Miguel Cabrera Looks To Regain MVP Form in 2016

It is rare that a player can have a "down year" while still claiming the AL batting title, but that's exactly what Miguel Cabrera did in 2015, as he quietly turned in a .338/.440/.534 line for the Detroit Tigers. Despite his favorable triple-slash numbers, 2015 wasn't a typical year for Cabrera, particularly in terms of... Read More

Eugenio Suarez (SS, CIN) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target Late in Deep, NL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: Last season, Eugenio Suarez broke into the big leagues with the Tigers in June, who struggled to find a consistent shortstop after losing Jose Iglesias in Spring Training. Suarez spent five seasons in the minors before getting the call last year. He showed the ability to get... Read More

Eugenio Suarez: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Deep Sleeper

  Suarez Can Help Fantasy Owners Now and in the Future Last season, Eugenio Suarez broke into the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers, who struggled to find a consistent presence at shortstop after losing Jose Iglesias in Spring Training to stress fractures in both shins. When the season started, Alex Gonzalez filled that role,... Read More

Austin Jackson (OF, SEA) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target as OF5 ANALYSIS: Austin Jackson was dealt to Detroit prior to the 2010 season, and made an immediate impact, posting a .293/.345/.400 triple slash line while scoring 103 runs and stealing 27 bases en route to a second-place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. However, Jackson never fully developed into... Read More

Austin Jackson: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Bounce Back Candidate

  Bounce-Back Candidate in 2015 Once a prospect in the Yankees' system, Austin Jackson was dealt to Detroit prior to the 2010 season as part of a three-team swap that also included names like Curtis Granderson and Max Scherzer. He made an immediate impact that year, posting a .293/.345/.400 triple slash line while scoring 103... Read More

Jay Bruce (OF, CIN) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target in Rounds 7-9 ANALYSIS: Jay Bruce smacked 34 HR in 2013, driving in 109 runs and finishing tenth in MVP voting. But in 2014, his numbers fell significantly, as he hit just .217 with only 18 HR, marking the first time in his seven-year career that he didn't reach 20 HR. Following knee surgery... Read More

Using Ace Composite Rating (ACR) in Your 2015 MLB Fantasy Baseball Draft

ACR is a Useful Tool for Evaluating Pitchers in Fantasy Baseball Last season I introduced a new statistic I had been working on called Ace Composite Rating (ACR). When I created ACR, what I really wanted was a statistic that could be used to evaluate starting pitchers that was both accessible to average baseball fans and useful to... Read More

Jay Bruce: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Undervalued Outfielder

Jay Bruce is a Bounce-Back Candidate for 2015 With the exception of 2014, Cincinnati's Jay Bruce has tallied 20+ HR in each of his 7 MLB seasons. His highest totals came during the 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons, in which he hit 32, 34, and 30, respectively. In 2013 he also drove in 109 RBI... Read More

Zack Wheeler (SP, NYM) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target in Middle Rounds ANALYSIS: Zack Wheeler’s rookie campaign in 2013 was quietly solid: 100 IP, 3.42 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 7.6 K/9. Still, there was room for improvement. Wheeler’s FIP was a mediocre 4.17, and he walked just over 4 batters per nine innings. On top of that, when opposing batters put the bat... Read More

Zack Wheeler: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Breakout Candidate

  Wheeler's Improvements in 2014 Point to Promise in 2015 Pitching depth is always a luxury for fantasy owners who have it. The problem is, sometimes it's pretty hard to come by -- especially in the draft. By the time your league draft has made its way into the late rounds, most of the remaining pitchers are... Read More

Michael Morse (1B / OF, SF) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Michael Morse is having a solid year at the dish, and his power numbers should be enticing for fantasy owners in deeper leagues, especially given the flexibility offered by Morse's multi-position eligibility. Playing 1B and OF for the Giants this year, Morse is slashing .286/.341/.487 with 16 HR and... Read More

Mike Leake (SP, CIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Mike Leake didn't get off to the start that some analysts thought he might this season, and as a result he's currently owned in only 48% of Yahoo Leagues. But his recent performance suggests you might want to snag him for your late season push. In his last... Read More

Zach Wheeler (SP, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Leagues ANALYSIS: Zach Wheeler is in his first full season as a starter with the Mets, and he's performing quite nicely. He owns a very respectable 8.7 K/9 rate and has pitched his way to 7 victories thus far. His 3.53 ERA is solid, aided by the fact that he allows... Read More

Brandon McCarthy (SP, NYY) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: A lot of times when pitchers switch from the NL to the AL, they're greeted with the harsh reality that, well, offenses are more potent in the AL. This has not been the case for Brandon McCarthy, who has been fantastic since joining the Yankees at the beginning... Read More

Ace Composite Rating: The Best Starting Pitchers in the 1st Half

  What Does ACR Tell Us About MLB Aces? In recent weeks I've been dabbling with a new statistic that I created to evaluate starting pitchers. This statistic is called Ace Composite Rating (ACR). Up to this point, I've only used ACR to evaluate the starting pitchers for the Detroit Tigers. The calculations I arrived at using... Read More

Austin Jackson (OF, DET) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Continue Scouting / Stash in Deeper Leagues ANALYSIS: Austin Jackson has had a disappointing first half in 2014, hitting just .244 with only 3 HR thus far. Coming off two seasons in which he hit .300 and .272, many fantasy owners had him on their list of pre-season sleepers, and expected him to produce nicely... Read More