Kevin Newman (2B/SS, PIT) - Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: An afterthought in almost any fantasy league at the start of the year, Kevin Newman has forced owners to, in the immortal words of Birdman, put some respect on his name. The rookie is hitting .321/.376/.469 with five home runs and five stolen bases […]

Danny Jansen (C, TOR) - Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: A popular target in drafts this spring, Danny Jansen's performance over the first two months of the season can only be described as horrific, or with words that are impolite to use in mixed company. The rookie didn't homer until May 17, and […]

Midseason Mea Culpas

Anyone who has read my work already knows this, but I've never been fully comfortable with the term "expert." Why? The universe is chaos, especially when it comes to the weighted random number generators that we call sports. The few who are able to make a living as sports bettors still typically aren't much more […]

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14

We've entered the second half of the 2019 season, even though the unofficial demarcation point doesn't come until next week. June and July tend to be the leanest months on the waiver wire, as most teams are still trying to win and fantasy football has yet to lure away any of the also-rans. Rest assured, […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14

We have officially passed the halfway mark of the 2019 regular season. Sad, but true. Being right in the thick of things as we are, this is possibly the most challenging time of year to be seeking help on the waiver wire. Fortunately, you've come to the right place for assistance. A reminder before we […]

Liam Hendriks (SP/RP, OAK) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 48% of leagues ANALYSIS: While Blake Treinen is expected to be activated from the injured list when first eligible on Wednesday, it's fair to wonder if he will immediately reclaim the ninth inning in Oakland. The best reliever of 2018 hasn't come anywhere close to recapturing that magic this […]

Emilio Pagan (RP, TB) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Rays haven't had too many save situations crop up lately. They nearly did on Sunday, but plated two runs in the eighth inning to increase their lead to four. Emilio Pagan was the choice to get the final three outs, though, and that could […]

Willie Calhoun (OF, TEX) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 12% of leagues ANALYSIS: We've become so used to seeing top prospects immediately dominate in recent years that it can be especially difficult to see them struggle. Willie Calhoun did just that despite considerable hype, hitting a putrid .233/.283/.338 with just eight extra-base hits in his first 145 […]

Leury Garcia (MI/OF, CHW) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: Leury Garcia has had a quietly useful 2019 season so far. The 28-year-old entered Sunday's action hitting .294 with five home runs, eight stolen bases, and 56 runs scored. The latter ranks 17th in all of baseball, a consequence of Garcia remaining entrenched as […]

Luis Urias (2B, SD) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 14% of leagues ANALYSIS: Luis Urias has nothing left to prove at Triple-A. The 22-year struggled in a brief taste of MLB action at the beginning of the year, and was quickly demoted. All he's done since is hit .322/.406/.616 with 17 home runs and 101 R+BI in […]

On Vetoes

One of the most enjoyable aspects of fantasy baseball is making trades. It's certainly true that this is not the case in some leagues, because anytime you're dealing with people there's overwhelming potential for people to ruin things. But in the platonic ideal of a league, owners are both active and rational in their negotiations. Here in […]

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 13

This week marks the halfway point of the 2019 baseball season. Hopefully this column has been a help to you so far, and continues to be down the stretch. The middle portion of the year is arguably the toughest stretch in which to seek reinforcements via the waiver wire. With most teams still going for […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 13

We're just about at the halfway point of the 2019 regular season. Feels like just yesterday we were touting the rebound potential of Yu Darvish and mocking any poor suckers willing to run it back with Lucas Giolito again, doesn't it? Being right in the thick of things as we are, this is possibly the […]

Keston Hiura (2B, MIL) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS: Are you in any of the three-quarters of leagues across the Yahoo universe where Keston Hiura isn't rostered? If so, congratulations and also I am jealous. The Brewers' top prospect hit .281/.333/.531 in a very nice 69 plate appearances with the big club, but […]

Kevin Newman (2B/SS, PIT) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kevin Newman has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games. He's logged multiple hits in six of those contests, and the only game where he didn't get a knock he was 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter. The rookie has taken command of […]

Ian Kennedy (SP/RP, KC) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Royals spent most of the season's first half cycling through ninth-inning options. (Kyle Zimmer and Richard Lovelady, we hardly knew ye. Wily Peralta and Brad Boxberger, we only wish we hadn't.) Erstwhile starter Ian Kennedy has seized the role, yet remains unowned in over […]

Kevin Kiermaier (OF, TB) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kevin Kiermaier is known primarily for two things: His great glove, and his inability to stay healthy. The latter has frustrated fantasy owners for years, as the 29-year-old has showcased an enticing blend of pop and speed when on the field. So far this season, […]

The Thrill and Agony of Going All-In

While more than half of the MLB regular season remains to be played, the time has already arrived for many fantasy owners to decide whether they should continue making improvements at the margins or gamble with a major trade. I'm not talking about the one-for-one swaps of solid players, though those can exert quite an […]

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 12

This point of the season is a rough one for reinforcements on the waiver wire. Pretty much everyone is still trying to win, and with early breakouts long since snapped up and injuries taking their toll as usual, it can be tough to find help that doesn't require a trade partner. Tough - but not […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 12

Hard as it may be to believe, we're nearly halfway through the 2019 regular season. At this time of year, the waiver wire is arguably at its thinnest. Most teams are still angling to win and actively participating, and between injuries and finally cutting the cord on early-season disappointments, it can be difficult to find […]

How To Resuscitate Your Season

We're bearing down on the halfway mark of the 2019 season. While there remains plenty of baseball to be played, now is as good a time as any to take stock of your situation. If you're currently languishing in the standings, or feel like you need to squint really hard to see your roster as […]

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 11

This point of the season is a rough one for reinforcements on the waiver wire. Pretty much everyone is still trying to win, and with early breakouts long since snapped up and injuries taking their toll as usual, it can be tough to find help that doesn't require a trade partner. Tough - but not […]

Hunter Strickland (RP, SEA) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Mariners' bullpen remains a mess, so there should be no doubt that Hunter Strickland will resume his duties as the primary closer once healthy. Good news for fantasy owners desperate for save: The veteran, who has been out since March 29 with a […]

Kolten Wong (2B, STL) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: After Kolten Wong's torrid start predictably subsided, fantasy owners largely hopped off the train as quickly as they'd hopped onto it. While he's hitting just .234/.323/.373 overall, he also has six home runs and is a perfect 1o-for-1o on stolen base attempts. He has […]

Kole Calhoun (OF, LAA) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 22% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kole Calhoun was abysmal for the majority of last season. Taking into consideration the fact that he was never a flashy fantasy asset even in his four prior productive seasons, perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that he remains unowned in nearly 80% […]

Ramon Laureano (OF, OAK) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: Many fantasy owners - yours truly included - entered 2019 with high hopes for Ramon Laureano. His blend of pop, speed, and plate discipline made him easy to dream on, while his defensive ability in center field assured him of everyday at-bats. A slow […]

Kevin Kiermaier (OF, TB) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 18% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kevin Kiermaier is known primarily for two things: His excellent defensive work in center field, and his inability to remain healthy. Neither endears him to fantasy owners, whom he's teased over the years with flashes of the ability to provide both pop and speed. […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 11

Before we dive into this week's recommendation, kudos to my colleague David Emerick for filling in admirably in this space the last two weeks while I was catching up with family and friends back east. As we move deeper into the first half of the season, the waiver wire usually thins out a good bit. […]

On Throwing In The Towel

It happens to the best of us. No matter how much preparation you do or how many angles you consider, sometimes it just ain't your year. A lost season isn't always your fault - luck often plays a larger role in the proceedings than most of us care to admit. That may be cold comfort, […]

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 10

This point of the season is a rough one for reinforcements on the waiver wire. Pretty much everyone is still trying to win, and with early breakouts long since snapped up and injuries taking their toll as usual, it can be tough to find help that doesn't require a trade partner. Tough - but not […]