Zach Wheeler (SP, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: New York Mets starting pitcher Zach Wheeler continues to pick up momentum ahead of the Trade Deadline, with his latest effort resulting in 6 ⅓ innings of two-run ball, allowing three hits with three walks and five strikeouts against Toronto. The 78.3 […]

Matt Harvey (SP, CIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 18% of leagues ANALYSIS: Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Matt Harvey benefits from having a very recognizable brand and has allowed three combined runs over three consecutive victories, with his latest start seeing him hit 97 mph against Milwaukee. It was not just the fastball that did […]

Brad Keller (SP/RP, KC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: Over the last six weeks, Kansas City Royals pitcher Brad Keller appears on the xwOBA leaderboard at No. 16 with a .329 mark, good for a tie with Luis Severino and right ahead of Miles Mikolas and Blake Snell. Sufficing to say, this fact alone makes […]

Max Fried (SP, ATL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of leagues ANALYSIS: Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried was on fire this weekend, setting down 11 Cardinals via strikeout over 6 2/3 innings and now has 24 punchouts over 17 2/3 big-league frames this year. Another young Braves pitcher with strikeout potential? Sign us […]

Steven Wright (SP, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Steven Wright received a PRP injection in his injured left knee on Monday and could rejoin the Red Sox rotation after the All-Star break. Wright could be very useful, especially with Drew Pomeranz’s own rehab adventures going poorly. […]

Joey Lucchesi (SP, SD) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of leagues ANALYSIS: San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi has seen his ownership continue to slowly decline despite a solid start against the Rangers on Monday. It was just his second start back from the DL as he spun four scoreless frames despite spotty […]

Marco Estrada (SP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 22% of leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marco Estrada continued his renaissance of his 2018 season, keeping it going against the Los Angeles Mike Trouts of Anaheim. Now with four consecutive quality starts under his belt, the soon-to-be 35-year-old righty looks like the arm who […]

Mike Minor (SP/RP, TEX) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: Minor had some preseason buzz going if he could keep his bullpen gains from 2017 going in Texas’ rotation. It hasn’t been that simple, but the 2009 seventh-overall pick has built up momentum with quality starts against Houston, Colorado and Minnesota in […]

Dereck Rodriguez (SF, SP/RP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: Rodriguez’s first appearance in the bigs was an iffy relief spot at Coors Field, but since then he’s posted three quality starts in five outings with a solid 24-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. I’d be remiss not to say how he’s faced San Diego […]

Wilmer Font (SP, TB) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash named pitcher Wilmer Font as his starter on Thursday against the Astros and he has a spot in Tampa Bay’s fluid rotation. While this is a rough start for Font, it is a good sign that […]

Jonathan Loaisiga (SP, NYY) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: Rare is the pitcher who shows immunity to real volatility, and rarer still is the rookie pitcher who can make such a claim. New York Yankees starting pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga was likely cast aside in several leagues after failing to go four […]

Ivan Nova (SP, PIT) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova was battered over five May starts before hitting the DL, allowing 20 earned runs over just 23 ⅔ innings, but has risen from the ashes in June. Across 19 ⅔ IP, the 31-year-old righty has allowed […]

Week 13 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers

Holy guacamole, Batman, we’re almost halfway through the season! I hope those of you that could scoop Freddy Peralta and Shane Bieber after last week’s notes didn’t hesitate. We're back to name names, 10 in fact, and I hope we can satisfy those in shallower formats as well as the multitude who make me feel […]

Jeremy Hellickson (SP, WSH) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson may not be on the Braves and, he might be on the DL, but he still pitches in the NL East and has already shown a form capable of an ERA in the low threes and […]

Kyle Gibson (SP, MIN) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kyle Gibson has shown us an intriguing ceiling ever since the end of August 2017, but some command issues and inconsistencies have held him out of the circle of trust in ‘18. However, the bottom line is that […]

Domingo German (SP, NYY) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German has been dynamic over the last few outings and, if you are going to pick up just one guy, then this is it. German entered Tuesday’s start with an incredible 15.6% swinging-strike rate that ranked […]

Mike Montgomery (SP/RP, CHC) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: Chicago Cubs pitcher Mike Montgomery has been very effective for the Cubbies this season, carving out a role for the 2016 World Champions. It is unfortunate for Montgomery that Tyler Chatwood once again skirted huge damage despite walking everyone on the planet because we […]

Jonathan Loaisiga (SP, NYY) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: New York Yankees starting pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga appears to be the next of a wave of young power pitchers in the Bronx. Hopefully, you were in on Loaisiga before he delivered five scoreless frames for the win in his MLB debut. Still, […]

Freddy Peralta (SP, MIL) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 22% of leagues ANALYSIS: Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta got the call for a spot start on Tuesday night against the Pirates and was devastating once again. Yes, the electric 21-year-old continued his MLB career the same way he started it, with a freakin’ gem. […]

Marco Estrada (SP, TOR) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 18% of leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marco Estrada had a truly awful start to the season. While we realize that watching Estrada suck through April and May could have given some owners a sense of vindication after years of defying his sabermetrics, Estrada is […]

Shane Bieber (SP, CLE) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber should get some extended looks in Cleveland’s rotation for as long as Carlos Carrasco is out, and may very well push for playing time down the line. While neither of his first two starts (both against the Twins) will inspire […]

Jose Urena (SP, MIA) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Urena has come out of nowhere to actually be a decent fantasy option. While it is surprising to say the least, the man has a 3.48 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over the last month of play. He […]

Matt Strahm (SP/RP, SD) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: While San Diego deals with a myriad of arm injuries, San Diego Padres starting pitcher Matt Strahm has gotten the chance to act as their “opener” in three bullpen games now. In these three games, he has allowed one run and three […]

Week 12 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers

Welcome to this week's dive into the starting pitcher waiver wire waters! Before we begin, I'd just like everyone to know that I'm trying to craft a better system for teasing out players that are more likely to be available (beyond raw ownership rate) as the season wears on. The further into the season we […]

Jonathan Loasigia (SP, NYY) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 0% of leagues ANALYSIS:  New York Yankees starting pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga is so much of an outlier that we are not sure if his name is even spelled correctly in our database (it is, don't worry). The Yankees are in need of a starter with Masahiro Tanaka on […]

Dylan Covey (SP/RP, CHW) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: If you remember anything about Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Covey from 2017 then you probably want nothing to do with him. No one can blame you either: the man had a 7.71 ERA and 5.64 SIERA with a poor 13.3% […]

Paul Blackburn (SP, OAK) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn allowed just one run on three hits over six strong innings in his 2018 debut, but he has his fantasy fleas. Namely, the three strikeouts in those six frames gives him a higher strikeout rate (15%) […]

Mike Montgomery (SP, CHC) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Mike Montgomery only has 25 strikeouts in 43 innings thus far, which may leave you looking elsewhere for SP options. However, a 3.56 ERA and 1.16 WHIP are very solid, particularly on a team like the Cubs that […]

Mike Leake (SP, SEA) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS: Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Mike Leake only made one mistake on Tuesday night, which was spotting a great pitch on the outer corner at the knees of Mike Trout. Outside of Trout’s solo homer, Leake was effective against the Halos and has now […]

Lance Lynn (SP, MIN) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Lance Lynn has turned things around with four consecutive quality starts after forgetting that he was supposed to get batters out to open 2018. That being the case, you still cannot buy that his command woes are truly […]