Odubel Herrera (OF, PHI) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 31% of leagues ANALYSIS: He's back, he's starting every day in center field, he's batting leadoff. Yes, after missing almost two calendar years due to a domestic violence incident, Odubel Herrera is back and contributing for fantasy managers. He's not the most popular player in the […]

James Kaprielian (SP, OAK) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 41% of leagues ANALYSIS: Not everyone is considered a top-tier prospect since the day they joined a little league squad: some guys have to prove their metal through the NCAA and minor league ranks to even be ranked among top organizational prospects. It's those prospects who […]

Pete Fairbanks (RP, TB) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: Pete Fairbanks was an instrumental component of the Rays' ingenious 2020 bullpen that helped bring another pennant back to Tampa Bay, and at the age of 27, the 6'6, 225-lb. Mizzou alumnus is getting better in all of the right ways. While […]

Bobby Bradley (1B, CLE) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Bobby Bradley's 2019 MLB debut didn't end up to anyone's liking, and that clearly made folks forget that Bradley had properly earned a top-100 prospect distinction off of his robust bat in the minors. Injuries and statistical necessity left Cleveland hurting at […]

Joey Votto (1B, CIN) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: Much like the old gray mare, Joey Votto ain't what he used to be. But the 37-year-old doesn't have to reach his prior lofty heights to be of value to your fantasy roster. Since returning from the injured list on June 9, Votto has […]

Max Stassi (C, LAA) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 37% of leagues ANALYSIS: Max Stassi hasn't just been the top catcher in 5x5 over the past two weeks - he's in the top 10 overall during that time. He won't continue to hit over .300 or send close to 40 percent of his fly balls into the […]

Logan Gilbert (SP, SEA) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 43% of leagues ANALYSIS: Trouble with the long ball marred Logan Gilbert's start on Saturday night, but given that the Rays are a top-five offensive club this year, it's not something to condemn him for - especially since he'd allowed just six runs in his previous four outings. The […]

Nick Gordon (2B/SS, MIN) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Nick Gordon made his MLB debut this year after being a highly-touted prospect up to 2018, and while his career ups and downs have kept his MLB ceiling at a moving target, the skills he has already demonstrated warrant blue chip consideration. […]

Sammy Long (RP, SF) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: Sammy Long isn't the typical reliever to qualify for the weekly ranks of worthwhile additions, but the numbers suggest he packs much more promise than you would initially think. The 25-year-old lefty out of Sacramento State has started his MLB career with […]

Catchers to Stream - Week 12 Waiver Wire

It's your resident catcher advocate here, with my weekly defense for baseball's most maligned position. Instead of giving into easy narratives about the lack of talent at the catcher position and how they're the kickers of fantasy baseball, I'm here to create a place where catchers are celebrated for how they can help our teams. […]

Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Week 12

Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 12 of the MLB season (6/14 through 6/20). This weekly piece should be helpful for anyone looking to gain an edge in their league. If you need a fill-in for an injured player or want to exploit some plus matchups in order to gain an edge […]

Max Stassi (C, LAA) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 12% of leagues ANALYSIS: It took years of limited opportunity with mixed success for Max Stassi hanging around the majors, but full seasons for the Angels seem to be doing him wonders. Last season was his breakout campaign at the age of 29, hitting for seven […]

Jake Fraley (OF, SEA) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: Maybe it's the playing time or the Seattle youth movement, but Jake Fraley finally looks like a complete major league product in 2021. He had struggled mightily in his previous 66 AB in 2019 and 2020 for the M's, but in 40 […]

Daniel Bard (RP, COL) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 46% of leagues ANALYSIS: Just pick up Daniel Bard. Seriously, I get the stigma around "RP-COL" in fantasy, but it's getting ridiculous to see Bard on waivers. Bard hasn't allowed an earned run since May 12. In that span, he's picked up five saves and struck out […]

Hunter Renfroe (OF, BOS) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 28% of leagues ANALYSIS: Hunter Renfroe is largely known as a power-only, defense-first outfielder.  That isn't terribly inaccurate, as Renfroe has a career .232/.291/.480 slash line with 104 home runs.  In his first year in Boston, Renfroe's slash line is largely in line with his career numbers […]

Christian Arroyo (2B, 3B, BOS) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS:  Christian Arroyo returned from the injured list on May 25, and since that time he has been very hot, batting .303 with a .954 OPS in 11 games with two home runs and three doubles.  He's scored five runs and driven in nine […]

Jarren Duran (OF, BOS) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS:  Jarren Duran is widely regarded to be one of Boston's top prospects, a player who has significantly raised his profile among both fans and experts alike since the 2021 minor-league season began.  In 21 games and 85 at-bats at Triple-A Worcester this season, […]

Cesar Hernandez (2B, CLE) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS:  Cesar Hernandez leads off every night in Cleveland, and he's managed a mediocre .220/.299/.388 slash line in 58 games and 227 at-bats for the season as of Friday afternoon.  To call that line pedestrian would be generous.  However, Statcast data indicates that Hernandez […]

Robbie Grossman (OF, DET) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 42% of leagues ANALYSIS:  Robbie Grossman appeared on the scene in 2013, and is now on his fourth major-league club.  He's never had more than 420 at-bats, 11 homers, or nine steals in a year.  At first glance, he wouldn't seem relevant for fantasy, but Grossman has […]

Willy Adames (SS, MIL) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: Most of you drafted, and gave up on, Adames already this season. It's understandable. At the time of his trade to Milwaukee for relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen, Adames was slashing an atrocious .197/.254/.371, by far the lowest marks of his […]

Adam Wainwright (SP, STL) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 41% of leagues ANALYSIS: Adam Wainwright will turn 40 in August, but he continues to find ways to get major-league hitters out on a consistent basis. In 12 starts covering 73.2 innings, the veteran has a respectable 4.03 ERA and 1.14 WHIP along with 67 strikeouts. 21 of […]

Miguel Andujar (3B/OF, NYY) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 33% of leagues ANALYSIS: Miguel Andujar burst onto the scene in 2018 with a terrific season as a 23-year-old, slashing .297/.328/.537 with 27 home runs, 83 runs, and 92 RBI. In most years that would've been enough to capture Rookie of the Year honors, but most years don't […]

Lucas Sims (RP, CIN) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: It took a couple months, but there appears to be a clear #1 option for saves in Cincinnati. Lucas Sims has locked down each of the Reds' last five opportunities, and while his full-season ratios (5.01 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) aren't great, he also has 36 […]

Jonathan India (2B/3B, CIN) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 33% of leagues ANALYSIS: There has been a wave of exciting young talent starting to make their mark for the teetering Cincinnati Reds, and the organization has to be especially pleased with the play of blue chip rookie Jonathan India. The former top-50 prospect and fifth […]

Paul Fry (RP, BAL) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: At 28, Paul Fry has already been a seasoned resident for the Baltimore Orioles over the last four seasons, and since his hiccup year in 2019 he has steadily improved over time, and he has started 2021 looking flat-out dominant. The alumnus […]

Austin Gomber (SP, COL) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS: It's not easy for anyone to adjust to pitching in the Rockies, and the pressure of being acquired in a blockbuster trade doesn't make the transition any easier, but Austin Gomber has looked rock-solid of late, avoiding the blow-up outings that come […]

Cody Poteet (SP, MIA) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: Cody Poteet has been largely unheralded since being drafted from UCLA, and while he's had his ups and downs throughout the Miami minors system, he looks mighty comfortable five starts into his rookie MLB campaign at the age of 26. Over the […]

Ryan Jeffers (C, MIN) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Two-Catcher Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: Ryan Jeffers is new to the prospect rankings, and his rise through the minor league ranks has landed him in the majors unusually soon for an ascending catcher. In 55 MLB AB last season, Jeffers hit for three home runs and a .273/.355/.436 […]

Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Week 11

Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 11 of the MLB season (6/7 through 6/13). This weekly piece should be helpful for anyone looking to gain an edge in their league. If you need a fill-in for an injured player or want to exploit some plus matchups to gain an edge on your […]