Neil Walker (1B/2B, NYY) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: We’ll dig a bit deeper here to speak on Walker, who was mercifully plucked from the free-agent pool already by the Yankees. When a guy gets into the Yankees starting lineup, then you probably want to pluck them from the FA pool as well. […]

Cesar Hernandez (2B, PHI) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues OWNED IN: 46% of leagues ANALYSIS: Everyone’s over here freaking out about Scott Kingery (which I get) and yet, Hernandez’s moderate yet dependable output is being overlooked in too many leagues. Maybe you feel like he’s been around for too long and just isn’t exciting, but he’s only 27! He’s hit exactly […]

Chris Iannetta (C, COL) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues OWNED IN: 33% owned ANALYSIS: Most of you expect nothing from your catcher slot, but that doesn’t have to be the case! The 35-year-old Iannetta quietly enjoyed 2017’s homer party with 17 dingers in just 316 PAs for Arizona, and he now leaves the humidor-stricken Chase Field behind him as he […]

Austin Barnes (C/2B, LAD) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues OWNED IN: 36% owned ANALYSIS: Barnes pushed aside Yasmani Grandal for starts down the stretch last year by rocking an .895 OPS with eight homers and four steals in 262 plate appearances, which led to his also starting over Grandal through much of the postseason. Grandal is no slouch, especially defensively, […]

Evan Gattis (C, HOU) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~135 CURRENT ADP: 148 ANALYSIS: Houston Astros catcher/designated hitter Evan Gattis became a vital piece in the Astros 2017 championship run. He has, however, seen a steep decrease in playing time over the past few seasons, from 153 games in 2015 to only 84 appearances last season. This can be attributed, not to injuries, […]

Yasmani Grandal (C, LAD) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~230 CURRENT ADP: 269 ANALYSIS: Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal had such a terrible season at the plate that he was replaced by Austin Barnes in the postseason. A popular sleeper pick at this time last year, Grandal saw his stock drop by doing all the wrong things that terrible batters do. He sliced into […]

David Peralta (OF, ARI) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~215 CURRENT ADP: 249 ANALYSIS: Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta had a better 2017 than 2016 and it started with his health. He was able to stay on the field for 577 plate appearances. Peralta’s last successful season was in 2015 and he did his best impersonation of those stats during 2017. He had […]

Yonder Alonso (1B, CLE) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~240 CURRENT ADP: 296 ANALYSIS: Yonder Alonso raked in Oakland, which only has a 0.88 HR park factor for left-handed batters per Swish Analytics, and he now gets to play in Cleveland, which holds a 1.24 HR park factor for LHB. Regression is a logical reason that his stock is so low, but […]

Tim Beckham (SS, BAL) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~230 CURRENT ADP: 261 ANALYSIS: Baltimore Orioles infielder  Tim Beckham may have just needed a change of scenery, being traded from the Rays to the Orioles. He went from being seen as a bust of a high Draft pick to all but sealing J.J. Hardy's fate as an ex-Oriole in the span of months. Beckham […]

Archie Bradley (RP, ARI) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~165 CURRENT ADP:  190 ANALYSIS: Does anyone really expect Brad Boxberger to take the closer role away from Bradley? In Bradley, we’re talking about a guy who, after a move to pitching full-time in 2017, posted a 1.73 ERA, 1.041 WHIP, and a 9.7 K/9. His ERA was better than all but seven relief pitchers […]

Ian Kinsler (2B, LAA) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~135 CURRENT ADP: 169 ANALYSIS: Over the past two seasons, Ian Kinsler has averaged 25 HR, 14 SB, and 104 R, but it feels like he’s being heavily penalized in fantasy drafts for last season’s .236 batting average. That was the first time he hit below .275 since 2012, and it was […]

Shin-Soo Choo (OF, TEX) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~205 CURRENT ADP: 254 ANALYSIS: Texas Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was a pleasant surprise to owners who took a chance on him in 2017. Rebounding from an injury shortened 2016, the 35-year old collected 22 home runs, 12 steals, and 96 runs on a triple-slash of .261/.357/.423. Choo is a model of consistency and […]

Bradley Zimmer (OF, CLE) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~175 CURRENT ADP:  203 ANALYSIS: Bradley Zimmer made his Major League debut in 2017 and made an immediate splash. Over his first 36 at-bats, Zimmer hit .306 with a pair of homers and three steals. He settled into the everyday center field job and looked to be on track for a successful rookie […]

Hunter Renfroe (OF, SD) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~265 CURRENT ADP: 292 ANALYSIS: San Diego Padres outfielder Hunter Renfroe debuted in 2016 by crushing four HR and posting a 1.189 OPS in 11 games. The power numbers persisted for Renfroe in 2017 (26 dingers) but a weak supporting offense, poor .231 average and 29.2% Strikeout rate led to a forgettable season. Despite […]

Carlos Gomez (OF, TB) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~310 CURRENT ADP: 351 ANALYSIS: After back-to-back seasons of declining numbers, Gomez quietly had somewhat of a bounce-back season in 2017 with the Rangers — putting up numbers close to those from his 2014 All-Star season. In 105 games last season, 17 home runs, 13 stolen bases and an .802 on-base plus […]

Blake Snell (SP, TB) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~190 CURRENT ADP: 218 By just glancing at his overall 2017 numbers, you probably wouldn’t be interested in drafting Snell this year. From 2016 to 2017, Snell’s ERA jumped from 3.54 to 4.04, while his K% dropped from 24.4% to 21.8%. While these numbers look bad, if we use the second half […]

Adrian Beltre (3B, TEX) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~85 CURRENT ADP: 124 ANALYSIS: Adrian Beltre should not be going this late in drafts; this is something that everyone should agree on. His 124 ADP is not outrageously low considering his old age, but this is a guy who hit .312 last year with a 138 wRC+ and .384 wOBA, both […]

Delino Deshields (OF, TEX) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~200 CURRENT ADP: 219 ANALYSIS: Texas Rangers outfielder Delino DeShields enters 2018 as an intriguing sleeper. Hype on the speedster reached a fever pitch in 2016, but offensive ineptitude forced the Rangers to demote him. However, he rebounded in 2017 and the diminutive DeShields was one of the best part-time players in the bigs, collecting 29 […]

Eduardo Rodriguez (SP, BOS) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~ 310 CURRENT ADP: 330 ANALYSIS: It seems like Eduardo Rodriguez has been talked about forever, but the power lefty only turns 25 in April; this is shocking to say the least. Rodriguez has had trouble staying on the field the past few seasons due to right knee injuries, but when healthy […]

Cesar Hernandez (2B, PHI) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~255 CURRENT ADP: 282 ANALYSIS: Everyone is (rightfully) buzzing about hot prospect Scott Kingery, but no one is talking about the guy who is making Philadelphia try out Kingery in the outfield to boost his versatility. Cesar Hernandez has hit exactly .294 alongside a 10.6 percent walk rate in each of his last […]

Dellin Betances (RP, NYY) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~230 CURRENT ADP: 278 ANALYSIS: At his current ADP, Dellin Betances is going undrafted in many standard leagues. While not currently a closer, Betances contributes meaningfully in strikeouts, ERA and WHIP. Since 2014, he ranks fourth with a 14.44 K/9 amongst all pitchers. He's been flat-out dominant out of the bullpen with […]

Dinelson Lamet (SP, SD) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~170 CURRENT ADP:  211 ANALYSIS: The San Diego Padres pitching staff was one that could be largely ignored and/or avoided in 2017, but that all changed when Dinelson Lamet was recalled from Triple-A El Paso in May. Lamet was solid initially, but proceeded to give up seven earned runs in consecutive starts. It […]

German Marquez (SP, COL) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~315 CURRENT ADP: 334 ANALYSIS: Colorado Rockies starting German Marquez looked pretty amazing for a 22-year-old rookie who had to pitch in Coors for half of his games. That does not mean his overall numbers are very good, but that’s quite a rough hand to be dealt at the ripe old age of 22. […]

Alex Avila (C, ARI) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~350 CURRENT ADP: 398 ANALYSIS: Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Alex Avila was great last year with a .264/.387/.447 line and 14 bombs in 376 PA. Avila has two elite skills (plate discipline and contact quality) and is a disaster everywhere else. OBP and power are more than most fantasy catchers bring to the table though. […]

Yuli Gurriel (1B, HOU) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~160 CURRENT ADP: 208 ANALYSIS: Houston Astros first basemen Yuli Gurriel really came into his own in his second year in the major leagues, hitting .299 with 18 home runs and 75 runs batted in. The 32-year old became an integral cog in last year's dangerous Houston lineup but can he take his game […]

Evan Longoria (3B, SF) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~125 CURRENT ADP: 198 ANALYSIS: After nearly a decade in the majors with the Rays, 32-year-old Evan Longoria was dealt to the Giants this offseason. The landing spot is not ideal for fantasy owners, as Longo will remain in a pitcher’s park, but he does have an improved lineup around him with the addition of […]

Devon Travis (2B, TOR) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~ 375 CURRENT ADP: 413 ANALYSIS: Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: Devon Travis is injury-prone. That may actually be a huge understatement, as the Blue Jays second baseman has not had a single healthy major league season in three tries. Knee and shoulder ailments have forced Travis to […]

Brad Ziegler (RP, Mia) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target end of your draft or ~275, whichever comes first CURRENT ADP: 344 ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins closer Brad Ziegler is not a flashy pickup. He is not going to overwhelm anyone with strikeouts like Craig Kimbrel, induce a ridiculous amount of ground balls like Zach Britton, or blow teams away with a triple-digit fastball like Aroldis […]

Matt Olson (1B/OF, OAK) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~95 CURRENT ADP:  123 ANALYSIS: Prior to Matt Olson’s 2017 debut, Fangraphs slapped a 40 hit tool and a 45 game power tool (with 50 potential) on Olson. He proceeded to make them and just about every other prospect ranking site look absolutely silly. In only 216 PA, Olson triple-slashed .259/.352/.651 with 24 HR! […]