Digging Deeper into Pujols: Is Albert Pujols Really Back?

The Real Deal with Albert Pujols Albert Pujols had a fantastic April, finishing with a triple slash line of .279 / .346 / .586 with a .927 OPS.  It was quite news-worthy considering the injury plagued 2013 he had. One of the great players of the past decade and generally well-liked, many people were quick […]

Mike Olt (3B, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues if You're Power Starved  ANALYSIS: Mike Olt is similar to Juan Francisco in that he has crushed minor league pitching (28 HR and an OPS over .880 in back-to-back years) to go along with high strikeout rates that have been cause for concern. Olt has less of a sample-size at the […]

Gordon Beckham (2B, CWS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues & AL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: After spending the first month of the season on the disabled list, Gordon Beckham has returned to his role of starting second basemen for the Chicago White Sox. Beckham is hitting .378 with 6 R, 3 HR & 6 RBI over his past 9 games. […]

MLB Fantasy Baseball DFS Fanduel Lineup Picks for 5/16

Editor's Note: for a little extra something today, check out some more of RotoBaller's DFS lineup picks and value plays for today's MLB games, featured right on FanDuel's insider blog courtesy of our very own Real Talk Raph.    Daily Fantasy Leagues - FanDuel Lineup Picks (5/16) Please check the posted lineups and weather forecasts for each game […]

Eye on the Minors: May Call-Ups & More

  MLB Prospects Who Got The Call-Up We are getting to the point of the season where teams are calling up MLB prospects from the minors faster than I can include them in my weekly reports.  I’ll start this week with two prospects that are already seeing major league action now.   Kevin Gausman, (SP, […]

Alcides Escobar (SS, KC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues or Shallow Leagues for SB ANALYSIS: Alcides Escobar was a pretty promising fantasy SS going into the 2013 season. He had recorded career highs in just about every category in 2012 (he fell one run short of all categories), but in 2013 he took a step back in every way and […]

George Springer (OF, HOU) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: When George Springer was first called up he was added in tons of leagues...and then subsequently dropped after a brutal start with an average dipping into the .170's. Of late Springer is hitting more like we expected him to. In particular, in nine games since May 6th he is […]

Buy & Sell Hitter Targets for Fantasy Baseball

Hitter Trade Targets for Your Fantasy Baseball Team Finally, some of the usual stars are making their way to the top of the fantasy totem pole.   The Jose Reyes’s and Troy Tulowitzki’s are really starting to hit stride and pay off for fantasy owners who chose those valuable top picks.  Even Adrian Beltre hit his […]

Starting Pitcher Streamers For Week 7 (Part 2)

1. Jonathon Niese (New York Mets) Next scheduled start: Friday at Washington Considering that Niese is pitching for New York and has arguably been the team's most consistent pitcher, it's odd that he's owned in only 41% of Yahoo! and 44% of ESPN leagues.  Nevertheless, he is available and he's an excellent streamer on Friday. […]

Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups: First Base (1B) & Third Base (3B)

There is a blend of youth and experience in this week's list of potential waiver wire pickups and sleepers at the corner infield spots, as both rookies and veterans that are widely available have been producing solid numbers so far in 2014. One of the beauties of fantasy baseball is that the player pool is […]

Rougned Odor (2B, TEX) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Left handed hitting second baseman Rougned Odor is certainly no Hall of Famer, but there have been more than a few Wally Pipp and Lou Gherig comparisons drawn between him and the injured Jurickson Profar. Although it's anticipated that Profar should come off the DL in mid or late […]

Dallas Keuchel (SP, HOU) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately (If not sooner!) ANALYSIS: Ladies and Gentlemen, Houston has a starting pitcher worthy of owning in all leagues. You read that right. It's been a long time since Houston had a rosterable starting pitcher, so it's ok if this shocks you a little bit. Let it sink in for a minute.  Now here […]

Deep League Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 7

My weekly look at the fantasy baseball diamonds in the rough is here! This week we have a prospect, some potential daily league players, and some waiver wire fillers that might get you through a tough stretch with your teams. Take a look and see if there is a good fit, some of these players […]

7 Biggest Surprises in MLB Season So Far

The early going in the MLB season is always filled with some shocking surprises, some jaw dropping and welcoming, and others depressing and difficult to digest.  We'll take a look at the 7 Biggest surprises in the early going of the 2014 MLB season.   The Positive Surprises Miami’s Young Pitching Staff The Marlins currently […]

Phil Hughes (SP, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: We had a hunch that moving from homer haven Yankee Stadium to homer graveyard Target Field would really help Phil Hughes. He is a heavy fly ball pitcher, and Target field is where fly balls go to die. Not only has Hughes slashed his HR/FB rate from ~12% over the […]

Danny Duffy (SP, KC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Danny Duffy was a well-regarded prospect in the not too distant past. Tommy John surgery and some struggles since have put him well off the radar. Now, following a successful stint as a reliever in the first month of 2014, Duffy has been promoted to the rotation and made […]

Juan Francisco (1B / 3B, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Juan Francisco has always tantalized fantasy owners by putting up big numbers at AAA (.901 career OPS) and then failing to deliver at the Major League level (.731 OPS heading into the year). Last year he did hit 18 HR but it came at the price of a .227 batting […]

Jason Hammel (SP, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Jason Hammel has had a nice start to his 2014, going 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 37 Ks in 47.2 innings. Considering he’s on the Cubs in the bottom of the ever competitive NL Central, it’s an immediate handicap in terms of fantasy relevance. However, […]

MLB Power Rankings: The Top and Bottom

The MLB season is really heating up and some teams have emerged as legit title contenders. The top part of NL West has really taken off with two teams getting involved in the latest power rankings.  Other teams are not looking as good, and find themselves towards the bottom of the barrel. These MLB rankings […]

Top Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 7

  Using Sabermetrics to Find Waiver Wire Pickups This weekly column will examine some good starting pitchers you should look to add over the next month. The quality of the pitchers will range between thin and deep leagues in order to reach the largest spectrum of fantasy owners. Each pitcher will be examined from a […]

MLB Closers and Saves Update for May 13th

Your Latest News from the Back End of the Bullpen We keep a close eye on all the bullpen news and analysis twice a week so you can focus on the rest of your fantasy baseball team.  Find all the information you need on the back end of bullpens right here at Rotoballer.com, and be […]

MLB Fantasy Baseball DFS Fanduel Lineup Picks for 5/13

Editor's Note: For those of you hardcore fantasy baseball gamers, FanDuel has an exclusive offer for RotoBaller members. Register through this link and you will be given a free 100% bonus on your first deposit up to $5,000 AND a free month of our exclusive In-House DFS Lineup Picks! You'll also be invited to free contests with cash prizes and can enter FREE MLB Contests where you […]

Texas Rangers Mid-May Fantasy Update

  Fantasy News and Analysis for the Texas Rangers Mid-May is typically the time of year when division races start to take shape. Some teams establish themselves as contenders that are clearly better than the rest (such as Detroit), while others appear to be in for a long season (I'm looking at you, Houston). But, […]

Michael Saunders (OF, SEA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Continue Scouting ANALYSIS: In 2012 Michael Saunders hit 19 HR and stole 21 bases making him at the very least, roster-worthy. Last year his numbers declined across the board and he was not relevant in just about any league. Saunders does not have extreme R/L splits either, meaning he has been relatively mediocre no matter […]

Tyler Lyons (SP, STL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Leagues ANALYSIS: The Cardinals seem to churn out good pitchers at an alarmingly high rate. Tyler Lyons appears to be another example. Lyons made 8 starts in the majors last year and while the ERA was a not-so-pretty 4.75, his peripheral numbers were much better as his 3.73 FIP indicates. This year […]

Buy Low and Sell High: Starting Pitchers for Week 7

Knowing when to pull the trigger on a trade is tough. You might get agitated when you offer a trade and it gets rejected. On the opposite part of the spectrum you question yourself when an offer you’ve made gets accepted too quickly. Have you given up too much? In order to help you make […]

Week 7 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups

There are less MLB games than normal for Week 7, but there are still some solid two start pitchers and plenty of starting pitcher sleepers and streamers to consider. It's important to analyze the weekly SP matchups to determine who to start/sit, and hopefully even uncover some diamonds in the rough off the waiver wire. […]

Deep League Waiver Wire Pickups (NL Edition): Week 7

We've already passed Mother's Day Weekend, and the baseball season is rapidly approaching the warm weather and summer days. If you've been keeping an eye on your waiver wire, you've probably noticed some interesting trends, and surprising starts to the season. This week the majority of my waiver picks are guys who will see increased […]

Top Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Streamers For Week 7

1. Mike Leake (Cincinnati Reds) Tuesday vs. San Diego Until the Padres start showing signs of being able to hit consistently, there's a strong possibility that a pitcher they face will be making these lists.  It just so happens that the pitcher they face Tuesday is also pretty good.  Leake, owned in 31% of Yahoo! […]