Top 75 Second Base (2B) Fantasy Baseball Rankings - March Updates

Howdy RotoBallers! The Seoul Series between the Dodgers versus the Padres starts soon, and Opening Day is less than two weeks away. Here at RotoBall HQ, we have been providing updated fantasy baseball rankings and articles on a daily basis up until the start of the season. Today, we will review our MLB team's updated... Read More

Oneil Cruz Blasts Fifth Homer

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz continued his power display during Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The young slugger belted his fifth home run of the spring during Wednesday's blowout loss. This spring, Cruz is hitting .292 with five dingers and eight RBI in 24 at-bats. The Pirates could have a breakout star on... Read More

ATC Projections: Overview and How to Use Them for Fantasy Baseball

As someone who played fantasy football for a lengthier period, the roster size, league depth, and categorical balance remained challenging in fantasy baseball. The player pool becomes difficult to master and understand, especially as the league and roster size grows. Thankfully, projection systems help give us a baseline of numbers of what to expect before... Read More

Key Early-Round Draft Targets - Expert Fantasy Baseball Picks Using EDV

Spring Training is underway, which means we're back with another year of the FSWA-award-nominated Expected Draft Values (EDV) series, where we look at historical data to identify overvalued and undervalued players of all types. Whether you're targeting power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, we've got you covered. Let's start at the beginning with... Read More

Notable Starting Pitcher Improvements in K%, BB% and GB% for Fantasy Baseball

We constantly try to find the right statistics to examine when evaluating pitchers' performances. And while there are many rabbit holes you can head down with spin rates, Stuff +, and any number of ERA indicators, it all usually comes back to strikeouts, walks, and the quality of contact that hitters are making off a... Read More

Closers and Saves Bullpen Report for Fantasy Baseball - NL Edition

With a little more spring training behind us, we're back with the National League version of Closers and Saves Bullpen Report! Make sure to look over the American League edition that was published last week. There's still plenty of time until Opening Day, so as usual we can expect changes to come, but for now? Looks... Read More

4 Impact Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball Drafts (2024)

As fantasy players, we love to use the term "breakout" to define players who will outperform their projections. Finding these values that others miss can be the key to a successful season for our teams. One such place where we need not only acumen but also luck finding helpful players is in the bullpen. Bullpens... Read More

David Bednar Improving From Lat Tightness

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton reported on Sunday that everything went well after closer David Bednar (lat) played catch for a second straight day. Bednar continues to deal with lat tightness after Pittsburgh shut the right-hander down from throwing last Monday, but the Pirates just seem to be taking a cautious route with their All-Star... Read More

Oneil Cruz Enjoys Massive Day Sunday

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz had a big day at the plate on Sunday in a Grapefruit League game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 25-year-old went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI, continuing what has been a big spring for the young infielder. Cruz is now hitting .278 with three homers,... Read More

Breakout Hitters and Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball Drafts - NL Edition (2024)

"Breakout" is a common term used around the fantasy community during the draft season.   These players are usually fairly young and have just begun to scratch the surface of their professional careers.  They have also had a relatively high prospect pedigree, further raising their potential ceiling. The most important note about a "breakout" is that... Read More

MLB Stadium Power Rankings – Top 10 Ballparks

Traveling across the United States to visit all MLB stadiums is a bucket list item for many avid baseball fans. Each city, team, and ballpark have its heritage and mystique, making this journey all the more special and fun. But what makes a great ballpark? A great view of the game itself is a must,... Read More

Henry Davis Blasts Fourth Spring Homer

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/catcher Henry Davis went 1-for-3 with a home run in Saturday's 8-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers. He hit his fourth homer of spring training on Saturday, a solo shot in the top of the third inning against Matt Manning. Davis is hitting .333 with four homers and nine RBI with a 1.280 OPS in... Read More

Five Overvalued Starting Pitchers For 2024 Fantasy Baseball Drafts

Sometimes in fantasy baseball, it's just as important who you don't draft as who you do. This is yet another pitching article from yours truly this preseason where I attempt to evaluate which pitchers are being overvalued in drafts so far. If you're looking for another list of pitchers I am avoiding, check out this... Read More

Henry Davis Scorching-Hot In Grapefruit League Action

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfielder Henry Davis is off to a big start this spring as he enters his sophomore season. The 24-year-old is 6-for-18 (.333) with three home runs, eight RBI, and two walks across 21 trips to the plate in seven spring games, good for a 1.214 OPS in that time. It's certainly an encouraging... Read More

Eric Lauer Joins Pirates On Minors Pact

Free-agent left-hander Eric Lauer has signed a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates and will report to big-league spring training. The veteran elected free agency in October and has lingered on the open market weeks after pitchers and catchers reported for spring duty. Lauer spent the 2023 season with the Brewers where he worked to... Read More

Hitters Spring Training News and Notes For Fantasy Baseball

The spring season has begun and now that we're several games in, it's worth taking a look around the leagues (Cactus and Grapefruit) to see which batters have started off this preseason hot and who has started off cold. Make sure you check out the version of this article that looks at pitchers who have... Read More

Average Draft Position: Making Sense of ADP for Fantasy Baseball

ADP, or Average Draft Position, is one of the most commonly cited statistics in fantasy baseball discourse. It allows owners to look at a single number and quickly determine a player's market value, making it easier to identify potential value picks in a draft. Furthermore, fantasy analysts can use it to determine how a particular... Read More

Jack Suwinski Hitless Wednesday

A day after hitting his first home run of the spring, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout in Wednesday's 6-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Orioles. The lefty hitter is now 3-for-15 (.200) in spring action with a home run and a double. More concerningly, he's also struck... Read More

Jared Jones In Competition For Rotation Spot

Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Jared Jones is in a competition for a rotation spot, according to skipper Derek Shelton. The 22-year-old was the club's second-round pick in the 2020 draft and turned a corner in the 2023 season. The right-hander worked to a tidy 2.23 ERA across 10 starts at Double-A before posting a 4.72... Read More

Fantasy Baseball Fades: Ep. 141 of The Operating Room

CBS Sports' Frank Stampfl (@Roto_Frank) joins Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) to discuss baseball players they are avoiding throughout the top 200 of fantasy drafts in 2024 along with recent injury news on Ronald Acuna Jr, Kevin Gausman, David Bednar, and Cedric Mullins. https://www.patreon.com/RotoSurgeon Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel SiriusXM 87) every... Read More

Quinn Priester Trying To Break Camp

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Quinn Priester allowed one run on two hits with one walk and one strikeout against the Toronto Blue Jays in Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest. The 23-year-old came on in relief in this contest but will remain in a starting role, either for the Pirates or in Triple-A. Priester entered last season... Read More

Third Base Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Tiers, Analysis - Roto Leagues (2024)

Spring training is underway, which means fantasy baseball draft season is going to reach a fever pitch very soon. In my last article, I walked you through RotoBaller's first base rankings. This time around, we will take a look at who is available at the hot corner in 2024. The elite talent is concentrated on... Read More

Starting Pitchers Spring Training News and Notes For Fantasy Baseball

Baseball is back and spring training is here! Every player is reportedly in the best shape of their lives or has worked on their weaknesses in their game. Hitters have fixed their launch angles, while pitchers have changed arm slots or added a new pitch to their arsenal. How do we know how much of... Read More

Paul Skenes To Start In The Minors

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that the team has told top pitching prospect Paul Skenes that he will start the 2024 season in the minors leagues. Cherington added that there are boxes Skenes must still check, but he will remain in major-league camp in spring training to get his work in. In three... Read More

Andrew McCutchen Making Spring Debut Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (Achilles) said that he is making his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday. "Got a uniform in here. Might as well wear it," McCutchen said. The 37-year-old said his modified, back-field program this spring has kept his health/body in a great spot entering the 2024 season. McCutchen suffered a partial... Read More

Andrew McCutchen Could See Game Action In Coming Week

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen (Achilles) could see Grapefruit League action the week of March 4. The 37-year-old signed a one-year, $5 million deal this off-season to return to the Pirates after slashing .256/.378/.397 with 12 home runs, 55 runs scored, 43 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 473 plate appearances. He was forced to... Read More

Henry Davis Homers In Third Straight Spring Game

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis, the team's former first overall pick in 2021, homered for the third straight game on Monday in the team's Grapefruit League contest versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Davis' work this offseason to have his swing reassessed at Driveline has been paying off in spring training. He's now hitting .400 with... Read More

David Bednar Hopes To Be Back Soon

The Pittsburgh Pirates and closer David Bednar (lat) are playing it safe in spring training and he's currently not throwing, but the good news is he doesn't seem too worried about the severity of his injury. "Hopefully will be back soon," Bednar said. Manager Derek Shelton said on Sunday that Bednar is dealing with right-lat... Read More

Ke'Bryan Hayes Off To Nice Start In Spring Training

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes went 2-for-3 with a run scored against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. Hayes is now hitting .357 with two homers and six RBI over his first 14 Grapefruit League at-bats. It seems like Hayes has been around forever, but he is still just 27. Always highly touted in the... Read More

Dauri Moreta Exits Early On Sunday

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dauri Moreta (elbow) was unable to finish his outing against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. The right-hander saw a significant drop in velocity before a visit from the training staff. The 27-year-old was pulled out of the contest due to right elbow discomfort. Moreta was a key piece to the Pirates... Read More