Melancon Wins NL Reliever Of The Year Award

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Mark Melancon was awarded the 2015 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year during Wednesday’s Game 2 of the World Series. The 30-year-old right-hander led all of MLB in saves, converting 51-of-53 chances during the 2015 season. Melancon supported his save total with a 2.23 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 62/14 K/BB […]

Pirates Acquire Trevor Williams From Marlins

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired RHP Trevor Williams from the Miami Marlins for RHP Richard Mitchell. This is a minor deal of teams simply swapping young pitchers. Williams, 23, is inching his way closer to the Major League level as a starter while Mitchell, 20, still needs to work his way through the minors before ever […]

Future Tense: Arizona Fall League, Part II - Glendale Desert Dogs

The Desert Dogs benefit nicely from being fed by organizations that are either rebuilding, are coming out of rebuilding, or, in the case of the Pirates, are always restocking thanks to being in a smaller market. As a result, this is a very good team with some interesting names to watch.   Top Prospects Of […]

Week 26 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups

What’s up RotoBallers. Welcome to the final week of this column, as we approach the home stretch of the fantasy baseball season. Thank you all for RotoBalling with us all season long, and I hope that this column (along with the rest of our MLB content) has helped you win some leagues. Now let's get […]

Recent Prospect Call-Ups and Their Fantasy Values (Kepler, Broxton)

Welcome to the final edition of the MLB prospect call-up watch. Miraculously, I have a couple more prospects for the final week of the season. These two guys could possibly save your week. Editor’s Note: to read about even more MLB prospects, rookies and potential call-ups, be sure to check out our MLB prospects for fantasy baseball homepage which […]

Pirates Call Up Keon Broxton Monday To Come Off Bench

Keon Broxton has been called up and will join the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday as they begin a four-game series against the Rockies in Colorado. The 25-year-old outfielder had a .273/.357/.438 batting line with 10 HR and 39 SB in 133 games this season between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. Broxton will have the opportunity […]

Week 25 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups

What’s up RotoBallers. Below are all of the projected starting pitching matchups for Week 25, including our recommendation on whether to start or sit them for your fantasy baseball teams. Next to each matchup below, we also have a link to our Premium Starting Pitcher Daily Matchups, Streamers & DFS Tool. For those who aren't aware, our in-house […]

Cole Strikes Out 9 Dodgers For Victory

Gerrit Cole pitched a gem on Sunday when he hurled seven innings of three-run ball while striking out nine Los Angeles Dodgers batters. Sunday marked the third time that Cole struck out nine in a game this season. The right-hander is now 17-8 with a 2.64 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 2015. The Pirates ace […]

Week 24 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups

What’s up RotoBallers. My apologies for not being able to post the Week 23 start/sit column last week, things were extra hectic with Memorial Day. I hope everyone had a great one, and here we are back in action. Below are all of the projected starting pitching matchups for Week 24, including our recommendation on whether to […]

Holds Leagues: Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 24

While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire for Week 24 of the fantasy baseball season. The more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these pitchers will be eligible to earn the holds that […]

Burnett (Elbow) Returns, Starts Thursday

A.J. Burnett has been activated from the DL and will start Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers as the Pittsburgh Pirates go for their third straight win. Burnett, 38, missed five weeks thanks to inflammation in his throwing elbow. Despite losing a 2015 All-Star, the Pirates still hold the first Wild Card spot while also trailing […]

Minor League Spotlight: Top Fantasy Pitching Prospects from Week 22

This is quite the pickle that the Mets have found themselves in regarding Matt Harvey. They don’t want to push him past that 180 IP mark a season following Tommy John surgery, but they also need him in the rotation in the postseason to help them go all the way. If they are wise, they […]

MLB Prospect Rankings for Fantasy: Top 10 to Monitor in September

Welcome to the new format of the MLB Ready Prospects Power Rankings list. It's late in the season, so I'll be ranking prospects who are most worthy of picking up off the waiver wire for the September stretch. As you guessed it, this will be a bit more like a waiver wire article. A prospect will not […]

J.A. Happ (PIT, SP) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues / Matchup Streamer OWNED IN: 18% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: It's always interesting to see how players react after joining a playoff contender. In J.A. Happ's case, he's found a groove that's padding the Pirates lead as the top Wild Card. Since joining the Pirates from Seattle, Happ has started four games […]

Week 22 Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire: Ross, Iglesias, Eovaldi, Happ

Welcome to Week 22. If you've been following along with this series all season, you know the drill. If not, this article is to help you uncover starting pitcher options that may have been overlooked in your league. As always, included are options for both shallow and deeper leagues. I also add my list of pitchers discussed previously at […]

Holds Leagues: Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 22

While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire for Week 22 of the fantasy baseball season. The more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these pitchers will be eligible to earn the holds that […]

Burnett (Elbow) To Throw Bullpen Session Tuesday: Eyeing September Return

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher A.J. Burnett is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. An elbow injury has kept Burnett out since July 30. It’s going to take over a month for the right-hander to return from a flexor strain in his right elbow. The 38-year-old received a platelet-rich […]

Charlie Morton (SP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues / Matchup Streamer OWNED IN: 19% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Despite having an up and down season, Charlie Morton has hit quite a high the past few starts. After striking out nine Mets, he followed up with another eight over a combined 13 innings while only giving up two earned runs in […]

Week 21 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups

What’s up RotoBallers. Below are all of the projected starting pitching matchups for Week 21, including our recommendation on whether to start or sit them for your fantasy baseball teams. Next to each matchup below, we also have a link to our Premium Starting Pitcher Daily Matchups, Streamers & DFS Tool. For those who aren't aware, our in-house […]

Top Hitters to Stream in Week 21: Head to Head and Weekly Leagues

What's up readers. Below are my top MLB hitter streamer options for Week 21 of fantasy baseball. All players listed here are 50% owned or less in Fleaflicker leagues and play seven games this week. Streaming hitters is a great way to increase production and fantasy stats off the waiver wire for your head-to-head matchups. It can […]

Jung Ho Kang (SS / 3B, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 45% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: What more does Kang have to do to get your attention? While his rate stats are down this month, he’s still providing plenty of juice in the counting numbers. Since the break, the Pirates‘ Korean import boasts a .959 OPS with a half-dozen homers and […]

Five Corner Infield Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds for Week 21

As we've discussed previously, players who can be plugged in at multiple positions take on more value as we barrel toward the end of the season. With just a few weeks left before the fantasy baseball playoffs begin in many head-to-head leagues, and time growing short in roto formats, today's corner infield spotlight will shine […]

Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds: Week 21

Underwhelming catchers can begin to show life while overachieving catchers can come crashing down to earth. It is the reality of every fantasy position but for the position of catcher it can be an even steeper hill to climb. The consistent days off every week to go along with owners simply not in the market […]

Charlie Morton (SP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Even on the most successful pitching staffs there always resides players that just get the job done. It doesn't make the big headlines and they are not talked about with great frequency. But Charlie Morton seems to thrive in being just […]

Week 20 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups

What’s up RotoBallers. Below are all of the projected starting pitching matchups for Week 20, including our recommendation on whether to start or sit them for your fantasy baseball teams. Next to each matchup below, we also have a link to our Premium Starting Pitcher Daily Matchups, Streamers & DFS Tool. For those who aren't aware, our in-house […]

Five Corner Infield Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds for Week 20

Save for one, each of the players we’ll cover today enjoys eligibility at multiple positions – either the middle infield or catcher. Especially in extreme formats (both deep leagues and leagues with small  benches), these types offer excellent flexibility to owners looking to squeeze every bit of blood from the stone of their roster. No […]

Marte Leaves Pirates Game With Hand Injury

Starling Marte left Wednesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals with discomfort in his hand. Marte has been dealing with the same issue for a few weeks now, and apparently it was enough for the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder to leave the game. The Pirates will further evaluate the 26-year-old star before a possible DL stint. […]

Francisco Cervelli (C, PIT) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 22% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Francisco Cervelli was quite a pick-up for the Pirates this off-season when they lost Russell Martin. Cervelli has made the transition much more bearable for the team and fans, especially with his consistency. He’s got a slash line of .301/.371/.409 which perfectly illustrates the type of fantasy player […]

Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds: Week 18

July is now over, and we’re creeping closer to the playoffs of the MLB fantasy season. Where does your team stand? Need to replace an injured catcher? Looking for a reliable backup? RotoBaller has you covered with analysis on three catchers who may be free agents in your league, who you can target off the waiver wire in Week […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Streamers for Week 18 (Part 1)

The Sunday night baseball game this weekend featured two divisional rivals in a battle for first. After taking the first two, the Mets needed to win Sunday’s game to enter a virtual tie for first place with the Nats and secure the three-game sweep. With playoff implications on the line, yours truly attended the marquee […]