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David Emerick - RotoBaller has written 19 articles so far, you can find them below.
Recent seasons have shown how a great relief corps can sometimes be a cheap and effective way to bolster a team. Moreover, the move to convert semi-viable starters to relief pitchers has increased the number of legitimately good relievers rather than hoping to luck into the good Joel Hanrahan (excellent for two years, unusable otherwise).... Read More
Over the years, I’ve done hundreds of mock drafts, maybe even thousands. However, as someone relatively new to formal writing about fantasy baseball, I’ve never been part of an organization that ran a slow mock draft. I recently took part in RotoBaller’s Dynasty Mock Draft, and boy was it ever SLOW. We started this thing... Read More
After the third tier of outfielders, fantasy owners have a few options before they find themselves left with only OF3-type candidates. Former teammates, Nicholas Castellanos and Justin Upton are the 24th and 25th outfielders going in drafts. They’re separated by 10 picks in ADP, at 87 and 97 respectively. Upton has the advantage in history... Read More
In the past two years, baseball has seen an explosion in the number of shortstops with legitimate home run power. Everyone from Francisco Lindor to Tim Anderson seems capable of belting 20 dingers on an annual basis. Most of those players are being drafted in the first 10 rounds or so, but both of our... Read More
At some point in the last year, Bryce Harper went from perennial first-rounder to being described as an “overvalued” and “losing player.” He was recently voted as “the most overrated player in the game.” The perception is a predictable outcome for a player who was hailed as baseball’s new phenom when he was still in... Read More
This article is the fourth in our series on trade and acquisition targets for the second half of the season. Part 1: Top-50 Players to Target Part 2: Mid-Tier and Bargain Targets on Offense Part 3: Mid-Tier and Bargain Pitchers Part 4: Offensive Category Targets Part 5: Pitching Category Targets Each section focuses on players... Read More
This article is the fourth in our series on trade and acquisition targets for the second half of the season. Part 1: Top-50 Players to Target Part 2: Mid-Tier and Bargain Targets on Offense Part 3: Mid-Tier and Bargain Pitchers Part 4: Offensive Category Targets Part 5: Pitching Category Targets Tweaking an offense to strengthen... Read More
This article is the third in our series on trade targets for the second half of the season. Part 1 focused on players generally ranked in the top 50. Part 2 focused on mid-tier and bargain targets for offense. This installment focuses on pitchers ranked outside the top 50. Part four will focus on players... Read More
This article is the second in our series on trade targets for the second half of the season. Part 1 focused on players generally ranked in the top 50. This installment focuses on offensive players ranked outside the top 50. Part three will focus on pitchers. After that, we'll focus on players to target for... Read More
As we approach fantasy-baseball trade deadlines, many owners find themselves needing to improve their team in one way or another. Owners buying a player or making a trade to get their team across the finish line are best off targeting reliable, high-ability players because of the relatively short window remaining in the season. You don't... Read More
The Houston Astros called up outfielder Kyle Tucker, the team’s top prospect. Tucker will bat seventh and play left field in his first game for the Astros. Astros manager A.J. Hinch reported that the team intends “to play him” and Tucker has “earned the right to get the at-bats.” At Triple-A this season, Tucker has... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson will start against right-hander Jake Arrieta on July 7. Rookie Austin Meadows has struggled against righties while Dickerson owns an .857 OPS against right-handed pitchers. Dickerson has had particular success against Philadelphia starter Jake Arrieta. In nine career at-bats, Dickerson has put a 1.222 OPS against the Phillies starter. Hot... Read More
Before the season, Chicago Cubs manager, Joe “Hates Your Fantasy Baseball Team” Maddon challenged Javier Baez to make himself so productive that Maddon would be forced to start Baez every day. Many fantasy owners are well aware of Maddon’s tendency to split playing time between several strong players, thereby decreasing their volume and consequently their... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco has hit .320 since June 6th when he moved off the plate. Polanco has seen a notable improvement on inside pitches and against lefties. He has enjoyed his best three weeks of the season and has put up a 1.024 OPS and 175 wRC+ during that stretch. Polanco had been... Read More
Houston Astros starter Gerrit Cole took the loss on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Cole pitched well, giving up only one earned run and striking out five. However, a pair of errors allowed another two unearned runs to score, and Cole was saddled with the loss. The game actually improved Cole’s ERA to 2.50... Read More
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun will not start on June 30 due to back pain. Milwaukee GM David Stearn said that Braun had dealt with the issue in the previous game. The Brewers are struggling with injuries around the field, and Stearn indicated the team was ill-equipped to deal with another day-to-day injury. Stearns seemed... Read More
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Keon Broxton hit two home runs while driving in four runs on June 29 against the Reds. Broxton went 3-for-5 with a walk, lifting his batting average to .444. The Brewers recalled Broxton on June 26 after Lorenzo Cain went on the DL. The two HRs are Broxton’s first of the season.... Read More
It is universally understood among fantasy managers that Mike Trout is the best player in baseball. There was some speculation about Trout versus Mookie Betts earlier this year, and a few articles before the 2017 season about Betts or Jose Altuve as alternative number one picks. Many analysts offer the guidance that you never want... Read More
Houston Astros catcher Evan Gattis was named MLB's Player of the Week after going 10-for-24 with two doubles, four home runs and 15 RBI. He's rebounded nicely after a miserable April when he hit just .200 with one HR. He is now batting .254 with 14 HRs, 29 runs and 47 RBIs, making him the... Read More
If you've read this column before, you know my standard guidance is to sell rather than buy closers. Today we take a look at the number one closer I'd actively target in a trade. I’m working on another article right now titled: “If You Only Buy One.” The idea behind it is that if you... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte hit his third double in three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. After hitting a double and home run the night before, Marte may be starting to heat back up and regain his early-season form. Marte had hit only .230 since returning to play from the disabled list after straining his... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates starter Jameson Taillon tossed another quality start against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Taillon struggled in the first two innings but settled down to record seven innings pitched while only allowing two earned runs on six hits and two walks. In Taillon's last nine starts, he has allowed more than three runs just... Read More
When the Phillies called up Nick Pivetta last season, he had made five starts at AAA and put up a 1.41 ERA while averaging a 30% K-rate. Many fantasy owners salivated over the numbers when he arrived. He pitched well enough in his debut (2 Rs, 5 IP, 5 Ks) that many folks were patting... Read More
Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (oblique) was removed from Wednesday's game after being in visible discomfort. In his final at-bat, Correa grabbed his right side near the oblique and was then replaced by Marwin Gonzalez for the final inning. After the game, Correa looked anxious talking to reporters and said that he was "obviously concerned." The... Read More
The Houston Astros optioned outfielder J.D. Davis to Triple-A Fresno so that the team could reactivate Josh Reddick (leg) from the disabled list. Davis has a 195 wRC+ in the Pacific Coast League this year but has struggled in the majors, hitting only .200 over 17 MLB games this season. The Astros have cycled a number... Read More
Since 2013, Paul Goldschmidt has helped fantasy baseball owners win leagues in every format. This season I’ve been seeing posts for a month declaring Goldschmidt as “old-s**t.” It’s a steep fall. At the start of the season, Goldschmidt was a no-doubt first-round pick. Owners could take him number 3, and someone might grumble about Nolan... Read More
The legend of the Lizard King begins in 2011 when a young Miles Mikolas, a self-described picky eater, accepted a teammate’s bet to eat a live lizard in exchange for paying Mikolas’ Arizona Fall League dues. Mikolas agreed, coated the lizard in Moutain Dew, tasted it quickly, and paced for a moment. Then he crammed... Read More
Houston Astros pitching prospect Forrest Whitley is eligible to return from his suspension on May 29. Whitley was suspended for the use of a banned stimulant during the offseason and received a 50-game suspension. However, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow reports that Whitley will not immediately report to Double-A Corpus Christi. Whitley suffered a lat... Read More
The Houston Astros placed outfielder Derek Fisher (stomach) on the 10-day disabled list with gastrointestinal discomfort. According to manager AJ Hinch, Fisher had not been able to eat properly and was losing weight. The move is retroactive to May 19. Over 36 games, Fisher has hit just .176 with a .419 slugging percentage. In the interim,... Read More
In this column, I'll dive into the profile of a player who could be considered a valuable trade asset and give recommendations of how to approach a potential deal in fantasy baseball leagues. After a strong first quarter of the season, Andrelton Simmons’ stock has skyrocketed as owners try to judge his value after articles... Read More
