Wilson Ramos (CA, WAS) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~280 CURRENT ADP: 295 ANALYSIS: Wilson Ramos was able to stay relatively healthy last season, setting a new career-high in at-bats (475) and RBI (68). His power stayed roughly the same, but his batting average fell 28 points from 2014. Additionally, his strikeout rate went up and his walk rate down for […]

Welington Castillo (CA, ARI) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~210 CURRENT ADP: 231 ANALYSIS: After showing some promise as a starter with the Cubs the previous two years, Welington Castillo struggled out of the gate last season as the backup to Miguel Montero. He was hitting a minuscule .163 to go along with two home runs at the time of his mid-season […]

Francisco Cervelli (CA, PIT) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target~ 210 CURRENT ADP: 232 ANALYSIS: Francisco Cervelli has long been appealing to AL-only owners, as his high batting average and part-time role made him a consistently undervalued asset. Receiving a starting catcher gig for the first time in his MLB career last season, Cervelli rewarded the Pirates, and fantasy owners, with the same […]

Derek Norris (CA, SD) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: ~200 CURRENT ADP: 226 ANALYSIS: In his first year with the Padres, Derek Norris failed to put up an OPS+ of at least 110 (it stood at 99) for the first time since his rookie season in 2012. His career-high 515 at-bats may give the impression that he was overexposed, but it was […]

Cano Looking Healthy Post-Surgery, Brantley Returning Early, Jackson Signs With Team, Park Hits First MLB Homer

Fantasy Baseball Spring Training News and Notes for 3/7/16 Cano Showing No Ill Effects From Off-Season Surgery Robinson Cano's 2015 Spring Training stats gave no indication that he was going to struggle for the first three months of the regular season. But that is exactly what happened when he hit .251 with six home runs […]

Five Deeper Options At First Base For 2016

There are some positions in fantasy baseball where one should avoid getting cute and creative as much as possible. First base is one of them. But drafts are a funny thing: one rarely knows how they will play out. That's before one mentions leagues with flex positions, such as UTIL or MI. Personally, I have made that mistake […]

Anderson and Dyson Injured, Capps Visits TJ Doctor, Thornton Signs With Padres

Fantasy Baseball Spring Training News and Notes for 3/4/16 The Depth of the Dodgers Rotation Already Being Tested Starter Brett Anderson continues to be well-deserving of the injury-prone label as the Dodgers announced yesterday that he would undergo surgery immediately to remedy a bulging disk in his back. This is the same type of injury that […]

Catchers: Five Draft Day Sleepers and ADP Values

Catcher is a position that can leave fantasy owners in a panic the longer they wait in a draft to pick one. If you find yourself holding out on the position late into your draft, here are five names to keep in mind that are likely to still be hanging around. They might not be […]

Trade to Cardinals Sinks Jedd Gyorko's Value

Going into the off-season, Jedd Gyorko's fantasy relevance was like his status as the Padres' starting second baseman: on thin ice. That ice gave way when he was acquired during the off-season by the Cardinals to be their new utility infielder. Even after rebounding slightly from a dreadful 2014 that saw Gyorko's batting average and […]

Jordan Walden On Schedule For Spring Training

Jordan Walden is on schedule to join his fellow pitchers for the start of Spring Training. A right shoulder strain last May prematurely brought his season to an end. Before that injury, Walden was sporting a pristine 0.87 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 10.45 K/9, along with eight holds, over 10.1 innings. He is expected to […]

Yadier Molina's Thumb Out Of Cast

The cast on Yadier Molina's surgically-repaired thumb has fully been removed. He and the Cardinals continue to be cautiously optimistic that he'll be ready for Opening Day. Molina says he knows where he needs to be in his recovery to be ready for the rigors of the regular season, and it is just a matter […]

Brandon Moss Hard to Recommend for 2016

Brandon Moss and his frustrated fantasy owners may have had little to be proud of in 2015 as he scuffled mightily, but a late season trade to the Red Birds gave his fortunes a slight turnaround. If you are wondering how this story may play out in 2016--that of an aging slugger falling on hard times--you need look […]

Don't Overpay in 2016 for Randal Grichuk's 2015

After holding his own in a 2014 audition, rookie Randal Grichuk found himself starting full-time in the majors for the first time last year after the Cardinals lost Matt Holliday to the DL. He filled in admirably, hitting .276 with 17 home runs in only 350 at-bats. Already up to 46th in our outfield ranking after […]

Stephen Piscotty Should Help Ease the Sting of Heyward's Departure

Stephen Piscotty had a spectacular 2015 that saw him hit .305 with seven home runs and 39 RBI over 256 at-bats, earning him the 43rd spot in our outfield ranking. Currently atop the right field depth chart, Piscotty hopes that he and Randal Grichuk can help prove that the Cardinals were smart in letting star outfielder Jason Heyward leave for the rival Cubs this off-season. […]

Indians Comfortable Opening Season With Giovanny Urshela at Third

During a recent radio stop on 92.3 The Fan radio, Indians manager Terry Francona said that the team would be okay with Giovanny Urshela opening the season as the team's starting third baseman despite “knowing that his offense [hasn't] quite caught up” to his defense. As a 23-year-old rookie last season, Urshela hit .225 with […]

Trevor Rosenthal Wants More Saves

After saving 45 games for the Cardinals in 2014, Trevor Rosenthal set a Cardinals record by locking down 48 more in 2015. He already has his sights set higher, saying "you always want to beat your own record." The life of a young closer on a perennially-contending team is good, as can be seen in Rosenthal's gaudy […]

Matt Carpenter Has Career 2015, But Can He Repeat?

The breakout season the baseball world waited for from Matt Carpenter in 2014 appears to have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque and showed up last season instead. He finished 2015 hitting .272 with 28 home runs, 84 RBI and 102 runs. The power that went missing came back in a big way as he […]

Doubts of Yadier Molina's Opening Day Availability Grow

Still sporting a hard cast on his surgically-repaired left thumb, doubts about Yadier Molina's recovery wrapping up by the end of Spring Training are getting louder and louder. Thumb surgeries are tricky for any player to recover quickly and properly from, but two consecutively on the same thumb for a catcher is a tall task […]

All Signs Point to Adam Wainwright Returning to Form in 2016

Adam Wainwright is looking to make up for a lost 2015 where he was limited to only 28 innings after rupturing his Achilles tendon in April. When on the field, he was able to compile a pristine 2-1 record, 1.61 ERA and 20 strikeouts. As important as legs are to pitchers, the arm is the essential […]

Indians' Clint Frazier Named Seventh-Best Outfield Prospect by MLB Network

MLB Network released their rankings of the top 10 outfield prospects in baseball, naming the Indians' Clint Frazier as the seventh-best, right behind another Indian, Bradley Zimmer. The reasons why Cleveland has made only one outfield upgrade this offseason--a one year deal for Rajai Davis--would appear to be clear with these rankings. They have no intent […]

MLB Network Names Bradley Zimmer Sixth-Best Outfield Prospect

MLB Network recently released their rankings of the top 10 outfield prospects in baseball, and the Indians' Bradley Zimmer was named the sixth-best, right ahead of another Tribesman, Clint Frazier. Zimmer has some fans at MLB Network as Cleveland's number one prospect was once again discussed on TV. The team's center fielder of the future is […]

Alex Reyes Takes 13th Spot in MLB Network's Top 100 Prospects

During the Top 100 Prospects special on MLB Network, Cardinals top prospect Alex Reyes was named as MLB's 13th-best prospect. Between three levels of the minors last year, he compiled a 2.49 ERA, 1.174 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in only 101.1 innings. Reyes finished last season at Double-A, where he went 3-2 with a 3.12 […]

Buried on Depth Chart, Matt Adams Looks to Regain More Than Form

In the two years prior to 2015, Matt Adams hit righties so well he was able to hide his struggles against southpaws. During an injury-ravaged 2015, he hit no one well, prompting St. Louis to replace him with Brandon Moss. Like Garfield and lasagna, like Mulder and Scully, Adams and righties enjoy a timeless love. His […]

MLB Network Names Michael Brantley MLB's Top Left Fielder

MLB Network ranked the top left fielders in all of baseball on Monday and came to the conclusion that the Indians' Michael Brantley is the current king of the hill. This is not entirely surprising, even with him slated to start the season on the disabled list. Brantley has been an offensive juggernaut since coming […]

Indians Happy to Have Rajai Davis on Their Side

After watching him on their division rival Tigers the past two years, Indians manager Terry Francona has to be pleased about having outfielder Rajai Davis hitting for him in 2016. Considering Davis hit .381 with three stolen bases, three triples and 13 runs against them last year, one can't blame Francona. Batting average and speed have long been Rajai's […]

Carlos Martinez Updates Status for Spring Training

After being shut down last September with a strained shoulder, Carlos Martinez is reporting that he is 90% healthy and will be ready for Spring Training. He's looking to build upon a wildly successful full season in the Cardinals' rotation, which saw him go 14-7 with a 3.01 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 184 strikeouts. This […]

Jhonny Peralta Looks for Consistency in 2016

After two Jekyll and Hyde-like seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Jhonny Peralta is looking to swing an impactful bat through an entire season in 2016. After hitting .298 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI before the All-Star Break, he slumped to .243, four home runs and 25 RBI in the second half. In his […]

Cardinals Manager Expects Matt Holliday to Return With a Vengeance

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny is predicting a "ridiculous" season from Matt Holliday as the slugger looks to put an injury-shortened 2015 behind him. He finished 2015 hitting .279 with four home runs and 35 RBI. When he was on the field last year, Holliday was mostly himself. He started the season reaching base in 45 consecutive […]

Kolten Wong Hoping to Keep Gyorko On the Bench

One of the reasons that Jedd Gyorko is a member of the Cardinals is the second-half drop-off of Kolten Wong. Wong's fantastic first-half of 2015 was derailed by a second half that saw him hit .238 with zero home runs post-July. In his best cumulative professional season, Kolten Wong again showed the inconsistency that has frustrated fantasy […]

Third Time is the Charm For Danny Salazar

Things clicked for Danny Salazar during his third season in the majors as he broke out in a huge way. He finished 2014 with a 14-10 record, 3.45 ERA, and averaged over a strikeout per inning. Salazar's above-average strikeout rate played out beautifully over a full season as he fanned 195 across 185 innings. There were […]