2019 Season in Review: Sonny Gray

2019 was a pivotal season for starting pitcher Sonny Gray, both from a real-game and fantasy perspective. The 2018 season turned out to be a complete dud for Gray, who, in his first full season with the Yankees, posted a poor 4.90 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 130 ⅓ innings pitched. With a move to... Read More

Madison Bumgarner to Diamondbacks - Fantasy Impact

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed three-time World Series champion Madison Bumgarner to a five-year, $85 million contract in the middle of December. This will be the first time in 11 seasons that Bumgarner will not take the hill for the San Francisco Giants, but instead will head the rotation of their division rivals. The Diamondbacks finished the... Read More

Dwight Smith Plates Three Tuesday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Dwight Smith went 3-for-4 with two singles, a solo home run, three RBI and a strikeout in Tuesday's 11-4 win over the Blue Jays. The 26-year-old seems to be finding his stroke as the season winds down, having batted .368 in his last seven games. Smith could be a sneaky cheap DFS play... Read More

Trey Mancini Collects Five Hits Tuesday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder/first baseman Trey Mancini went 5-for-5 with three singles, two doubles, and an RBI in Tuesday's 11-4 win over the Blue Jays. The 27-year-old has been one of the O's best hitters all season and has been on fire lately, hitting .531 in his last seven games. Mancini is a solid DFS option... Read More

Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds - wOBA-xwOBA Difference for Week 26

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers Statcast studs and duds article series for the final week of fantasy baseball! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two studs and two duds, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. We have sadly reached the end of the season, so I thought... Read More

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 26

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 26! Each week we will take a look at two K% risers and two fallers, analyze what is behind those changes, and then decide if they are actionable. A pitcher can best control their fate by generating swings and misses, so this exercise... Read More

John Means Pitches Deep In Win Sunday

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means improved to 11-11 in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Mariners. Means pitched seven innings, allowing a single run on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts. The 26-year-old rookie has been a huge value for fantasy players this season, posting a 3.54 ERA with 116 strikeouts and 36... Read More

Starters WAR Studs and Duds: Week 25

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers advanced stats and StatCast studs and duds article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two studs and two duds, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. At this point in the season, I will focus on an all-encompassing stat for starting pitchers;... Read More

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 25

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 25! Each week we will take a look at two K% risers and two fallers, analyze what is behind those changes, and then decide if they are actionable. A pitcher can best control their fate by generating swings and misses, so this exercise... Read More

Trey Mancini Hits 31st Home Run Of Season Friday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder/first baseman Trey Mancini went 2-for-5 with a single, a three-run home run, and a strikeout in Friday's 6-2 win over the Tigers. Mancini is putting together a career season and now has a .277/.349/.515 slash line with 80 RBI in 607 plate appearances. He has been the O's top offensive performer and... Read More

Jonathan Villar Hits Three-Run Home Run Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles second baseman/shortstop Jonathan Villar made his lone hit count in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Dodgers, going 1-for-4 with a three-run home run. Villar took Caleb Ferguson deep in the seventh inning for his 21st long ball of the season. Villar has provided everything fantasy owners could have hoped for, posting a .277/.343/.456... Read More

Austin Hays Collects Three Hits Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays continued to make a good first impression in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Dodgers, going 3-for-4 with two singles and a double. The 24-year-old is one of the O's top prospects and is now hitting .300 in 11 plate appearances. The sample size is obviously small, but the end of... Read More

John Means Takes Tough No-Decision Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means turned in a nice start in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Dodgers. Means pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits (including a two-run home run) and a walk with six strikeouts. The 26-year-old has been one of the few bright spots for the O's this season,... Read More

Stephen Vogt Plates Four Tuesday

San Francisco Giants catcher Stephen Vogt had a big day at the plate in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Pirates. Vogt went 2-for-4 with a single, a two-run home run, four RBI, and two strikeouts. The veteran took Mitch Keller deep in the fifth inning for his ninth HR of the season. Vogt has been... Read More

Johnny Cueto Earns Win In Debut Tuesday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto pitched quite well in his season debut, picking up the win in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Pirates. Cueto pitched five innings, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk with four strikeouts on 69 pitches. Cueto has been out the entire season recovering from Tommy John... Read More

Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds: WHIP for Week 24

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers Statcast and advanced metrics studs and duds article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two risers and two fallers, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. With the fantasy playoffs upon us, I will write about a broader stat that can influence... Read More

Madison Bumgarner Takes Tough No-Decision Monday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner missed out on a win in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Pirates. Bumgarner pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits (including a solo home run) and two walks with five strikeouts. He left the game with his team up 4-2 but the Giants bullpen collapsed, allowing... Read More

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 24

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 24! Each week we will take a look at two K% risers and two fallers, analyze what is behind those changes, and then decide if they are actionable. A pitcher can best control their fate by generating swings and misses, so this exercise... Read More

Alex Dickerson To Receive Cortisone Shot In Oblique

San Francisco Giants outfielder Alex Dickerson (oblique) is being sent back to San Francisco to receive a cortisone shot in his right oblique, per NBC Sports' Alex Pavlovic. Dickerson has not played in the last four games. The 29-year-old has been quite useful for the Giants this season and for fantasy players, posting a .289/.349/.526... Read More

Johnny Cueto To Make Season Debut Tuesday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto is slated to make his first start of the season this upcoming Tuesday against the Pirates, per NBC Sports' Ali Thanawalla. Cueto has spent the season recovering from Tommy John surgery and had his return delayed by a few days due to back tightness. The 33-year-old has been... Read More

Jandel Gustave Earns Save Saturday; Will Smith Unavailable

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jandel Gustave earned his first career save in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Dodgers. Gustave allowed no runs on no hits and a walk with no strikeouts in the ninth inning. While he has pitched well this season, the more relevant fantasy news was that Giants closer Will Smith was... Read More

Anthony Santander Hits 18th Home Run Of Season Friday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander continued to contribute offensively in Friday's 7-6 loss to the Rangers, going 1-for-5 with a two-run home run. Santander took Brock Burke deep in the fifth inning for his 18th HR of the season. The 24-year-old has hit well all season for the O's and has been on fire lately,... Read More

Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds: Hard-Hit Rate for Week 23

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers Statcast studs and duds article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two risers and two fallers, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. I wrote about this stat in week 18 and it is one that can help indicate overall pitcher performance; that... Read More

Buster Posey Reaches Base Five Times Wednesday

San Francisco Giants catcher/first baseman Buster Posey had a solid night at the plate in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Cardinals, going 3-for-4 with three singles and two walks. Age seems to have caught up to the veteran this season, as his .257/.323/.373 slash line is 399 plate appearances is one of the lowest of... Read More

Mike Yastrzemski Hits 19th Home Run Of Season Wednesday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski went 2-for-5 with a double, a solo home run, a walk, and two strikeouts in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Cardinals. Yastrzemski mashed a third-inning Tyler Webb fastball over the bullpen in right-center field for his 19th HR of the season. He is now hitting .333 with two HR... Read More

Kevin Pillar Plates Three Runs On Four Hits Wednesday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Kevin Pillar had a big night at the plate in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Cardinals. Pillar went 4-for-5 with three singles, a two-run home run (his 21st of the season), and three RBI. Pillar has been a useful fantasy asset this season, particularly in the power department and is heating... Read More

Will Smith Earns Multi-Inning Save Wednesday

San Francisco Giants closer Will Smith did his job in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Cardinals, picking up his 31st save of the season. Smith entered the game in the eighth inning with two outs, a runner on third, and a one-run lead. He was able to strike out Paul Goldschmidt to strand the runner... Read More

Madison Bumgarner Gets Hit Hard Wednesday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner did not have his best stuff in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Cardinals. Bumgarner allowed six runs on nine hits (including a solo home run) and a walk with two strikeouts in five innings pitched. While the poor start came at an inopportune time given the fantasy playoffs,... Read More

Dereck Rodriguez Takes Tough Loss Tuesday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Dereck Rodriguez turned in one of his best starts of the season but received no offensive support in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Cardinals. Rodriguez pitched seven innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits (including a solo home run) and a walk with seven strikeouts. The 27-year-old has not lived... Read More

Mike Yastrzemski Picks Up Two Hits Tuesday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski provided all of his team's hits in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Cardinals, going 2-for-4 with two singles and a strikeout. The 28-year-old has been a surprise contributor for the Giants this season but has cooled off a bit lately, hitting .263 with one extra-base hit in his last... Read More