Brandon Crawford Hits Go-Ahead Homer Thursday

San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford stayed hot at the plate in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Cubs, going 2-for-3 with a single, a three-run home run, four RBI, and a walk. Crawford smashed a fifth-inning Rex Brothers fastball over the center-field wall to put the Giants ahead for good. The veteran has had a […]

Mark Melancon Escapes Shaky Outing For Another Save

San Diego Padres closer Mark Melancon navigated his way around two baserunners to gather his 18th save Thursday against the New York Mets. The wily veteran allowed a hit and walk to start the ninth inning before managing two grounders to end the threat, including a game-ending double play. After appearing invincible to start the […]

Anthony DeSclafani Solid Again In Thursday Win

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani was back to his winning ways in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Cubs. DeSclafani pitched six innings, allowing two runs on four hits (including a two-run home run) and no walks with four strikeouts. DeSclafani has been solid this season with the Giants, going 5-2 with a 3.51 […]

Yu Darvish Collects Sixth Victory

San Diego Padres starter Yu Darvish tossed 5 ⅓ innings of two-run ball Thursday against the New York Mets to collect his sixth win. Darvish carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before faltering down the stretch, serving up a two-run homer in the sixth before being lifted after 90 pitches. He yielded four knocks […]

Adam Wainwright Crafts A Quality Start On Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright put together a quality start despite taking a loss in Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Wainwright pitched seven innings, allowing three runs while scattering eight hits and striking out four. He did not allow a walk in the game. With the Cardinals only able to score two […]

Dylan Floro Blows The Game On Thursday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Dylan Floro blew the game on Thursday, taking the loss and a blown save. Floro came in to protect a 3-2 lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth inning, but allowed three runs on two hits and two walks while only recording two outs. It was an ugly outing for […]

Vidal Brujan (2B, TB) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: One of the next big, impactful prospect call-ups may be soon to occur in the form of Vidal Brujan to the Rays. Brujan has been a top-100 prospect for the last few seasons, and he has earned that distinction through success at […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Pops Wall-Scrapping Homer

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the New York Mets. Most of Tatis' dingers are no-doubters, but his two-run blast in the third inning required an assist off the glove of Mets center fielder Mason Williams before bouncing over the […]

Brendan Rodgers Drives In Three Runs On Thursday

Colorado Rockies' second baseman Brendan Rodgers went 1-for-5 with a double, three RBI, and one strikeout in an 11-6 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday. The 24-year-old infielder put Colorado on the board in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI groundout. He would then add a two-run double in the bottom […]

Garrett Hampson Reaches Four Times On Thursday

Colorado Rockies outfielder Garrett Hampson went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI in an 11-6 win over the Rangers on Thursday. This was Hampson's first four-hit game of the year, in fact, this was the first time he's knocked more than two hits in a game all season. He's notched back-to-back […]

Charlie Blackmon Goes Deep In Big Win Over Texas

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon had a big day at the plate on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored in an 11-6 win over the Rangers. It was a hit party for the Rockies as they jumped all over Rangers' starter Mike Foltynewicz over the first […]

Austin Gomber Notches A Quality Start On Thursday

Colorado Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber earned the win on Thursday when he allowed three hits, no runs, and struck out six over six innings in an 11-6 win over the Rangers. Gomber looked great in his start against Texas, limiting them to just three hits, all singles, over his six innings of work. Most importantly, […]

2021 NFL Draft Review - AFC West

Hello and welcome to the seventh 2021 installment of my annual NFL Draft Review. Here are the links to the reviews for the NFC North, AFC North, NFC East, AFC East, AFC South, and NFC South. Every year after the draft, I write a way-too-long review of each team’s draft. The purpose of this draft review is to give predictions for the […]

Jorge Polanco Collects Three Hits Thursday

Minnesota Twins second baseman/shortstop Jorge Polanco went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Polanco sandwiched a pair of singles around nan RBI double in the fifth inning for his 10th multi-hit effort of the season. He has an extra-base hit in two straight games […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 11 Waiver Wire

Sometimes, it's nice to take a break, kick your feet up, and just have a relatively quiet bullpen week. This was one of those weeks, and only the second one this season that didn't have some kind of huge news from at least one team's bullpen. There were still blown saves, confusing committees, and injuries […]

The Bigger Picture - Glittery Prospects Aren't Always Fantasy Gold

Jarred Kelenic, welcome to The Show. The next über-prospect that had fantasy managers chomping at the bit for a call-up got his first taste of the majors at age 21. It was fantastic... for about two days. Now, he is on the bench and/or chopping block in redraft leagues while many GMs wish they would […]

The Outsiders: Deeper Pitching Prospects to Know for Dynasty Leagues

Welcome the debut of a new recurring piece where I will highlight prospects that should be on your radar in deep dynasty leagues. For "standard" dynasty leagues, we have RotoBaller's Premium Top 250 Dynasty Prospect Rankings, updated and maintained by our prospect guru Marc Hulet. But for you degenerates who participate in the deepest of […]

Fantasy Baseball Trade Targets for Week 10

Sometimes fantasy baseball can resemble the stock market. You want the best portfolio of players without having to pay too much for them. Sometimes to achieve the optimal team, you need to make trades. The best way to gain added value is to trade away an over-performing player for one in a rut. This way, […]

A Tale of Two Months: First Base

With two months now in the books, and many players having played nearly as many games as they did in 2020, it's time to take stock on the truth behind various hot starts and slumps. However, we shouldn't do so just for our own edification, as there is good instruction to be had. Knowing who […]

The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Starting Pitcher Rankings

Congratulations, we've made it to June! Injuries are slamming us all, and while being lucky with health goes a long way, this is also a great time to attack the trade market. Put the squeeze on desperate teams and try to climb up the latest version of my weekly Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks, where we […]

Hansel Robles Takes Loss Thursday

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Hansel Robles took his second loss of the season in Thursday's defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Royals. Robles entered the game in the seventh inning and surrendered a walk followed by a stolen base before a throwing error brought a run in for the Royals. The 30-year-old has […]

A Tale of Two Months: Second Base

With two months now in the books, and many players having played nearly as many games as they did in 2020, it's time to take stock on the truth behind various hot starts and slumps. However, we shouldn't do so just for our own edification, as there is good instruction to be had. Knowing who […]

Nolan Arenado Goes Hitless In Thursday's Loss

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado has been in a bit of a cold stretch lately. He went 0-for-4 in Thursday's loss to the Cincinnati Reds and has now failed to record a hit in four of his last five games. He's hit 1-for-18 with no walks and four strikeouts over that five-game stretch. […]

Casey Mize Tagged With Loss Despite Quality Start

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize had a strong outing against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Unfortunately, he was out-dueled by Chicago's starter, Lance Lynn, and wound up with his fourth loss of the year. Mize pitched seven innings and allowed five hits, no walks and three earned runs while striking out six. The […]

J.A. Happ Shaky In No-Decision

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher J.A. Happ struggled in Thursday's no-decision against the Kansas City Royals. Happ managed to go five innings, though he allowed five runs on nine hits while fanning two batters with no walks. The veteran hurler served up a season-high three homers and didn't limit hard contact very well, particularly with his […]

Kris Bubic Struggles Against Twins On Thursday

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic made his second consecutive start against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. This one didn't go nearly as smoothly as the first one. Bubic pitched 4 1/3 innings on Thursday and allowed eight hits, two walks and four runs (three earned) while striking out six. Bubic had been on […]

Taijuan Walker Lasts Just Five Innings On Thursday

New York Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker went just five innings on Thursday against the Padres in the Mets 4-3 loss on the road in San Diego. In just his second start from his return from the injured list due to tightness on his side, Walker allowed seven hits and four walks, along with three […]

Salvador Perez Homers Twice In Win Over Twins

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez helped lead the team to a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Perez went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in the game. It was his second game in a row with two home runs. He now has 14 home runs on the season. Perez's […]

James McCann Belts Another Homer On Thursday

New York Mets catcher James McCann remained red hot on Thursday going 1-for-4 with a two-run home run against the San Diego Padres. It was the second home run in as many games for the backstop. McCann is now slashing .400/.423/.880 over his last seven games (25 at-bats), with three HR, nine RBI, and five […]