Minor League Roundup - Who's Hot and Who's Not? (Week 5)

In last week’s edition of “Who’s Hot, Who’s Not”, I mentioned Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Soroka. After dominating Triple-A to start the season, Soroka was promoted to the Major Leagues on Tuesday, and made his big league debut. Soroka promptly dazzled with six innings of one-run ball. Dane Dunning was also mentioned in last week’s piece,... Read More

Minor League Round-Up - Who's Hot and Who's Not? (Week 4)

With so many prospects to keep track of across the multiple levels of the minor leagues, it often becomes very difficult to sift through those levels and get an idea of who is performing well and who is performing not so well. Don't worry fantasy ballers, RotoBaller has you covered with the weekly "Who's Hot... Read More

Checking In: Top MLB Prospects to Make Fantasy Impacts

It's hard to believe that the Major League Baseball season is almost a month old. And while it's still very early, and sample sizes are still extremely small, certain trends are starting to develop. In addition, minor leaguers are starting to establish themselves as players worthy​ of call-ups. Last season, I regularly took a look... Read More

Masahiro Tanaka's Spring Should Have Him Shooting Up Draft Boards

Spring training performances should be taken with a grain of salt, but for many players, they're very important. Masahiro Tanaka's (potential) elbow issues are always going to be attached to his name, so when he performs amazingly out of the gate, then it's important to take notice. Tanaka dazzled again on Saturday, tossing four perfect... Read More

Jorge Mateo Hits First Home Run

Jorge Mateo hit his first round-tripper of the spring on Sunday. The 21-year-old will assuredly start the season in the minor leagues, as he requires some more seasoning before getting a shot at the big leagues. Mateo took a hit on the Yankees' organizational depth chart with the team's acquisition of Gleyber Torres. If Mateo... Read More

CC Sabathia Gets Lit Up In Spring Training Start

CC Sabathia got bludgeoned in two-thirds of an inning on Sunday. CC gave up six hits and six runs (four earned) on a walk and a strikeout. Sabathia was good in his first outing, tossing a couple of scoreless innings. Sabathia is no longer the dominant Cy Young winner that he once was, but his... Read More

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for Saves

Over the past couple of years, there's been a bit of a shift in how relievers are typically used. At times, managers will bring their closers in to pitch in "high leverage" situations, that might surface before the ninth inning. That type of reasoning is very sound and makes sense. Why save a closer for... Read More

Masahiro Tanaka Poised For A Big Year

Masahiro Tanaka is off to a terrific start in spring training. After tossing three shutout innings with four strikeouts on Sunday, Tanaka is yet to allow a run in five innings. He's given up just three hits and has a 6/0 K/BB ratio. As long as Tanaka remains healthy, he's a premier option as a... Read More

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for Batting Average

With the importance of advanced statistics in baseball, one of the traditional stats still carries a lot of weight. You can't watch a baseball telecast, or go to a baseball game without seeing a batting average attached to a player's name. In addition, the number .300 still remains sacred in baseball lore. When it comes... Read More

Matt Holliday's Spring Could Be A Sign Of Things To Come

Matt Holliday is off to a 5-for-11 start, with a home run and a double this spring. The early success could be a sign of things to come for the veteran slugger, as he could be in line for a .280-20-80 type of season. That would make him a very valuable fantasy asset that can... Read More

Aroldis Chapman Electric In His First Appearance

Aroldis Chapman apparently doesn't need much time getting loose and ready for the season. Chapman pitched a clean inning on Thursday night, his first this spring. He struck out two in the process. Chapman is one of the most dominant relievers in the history of the game, and that won't change this season. Chapman has... Read More

Greg Bird Is Back

Greg Bird turned heads in 2015, when he hit .261/.343/.529 with 11 home runs in 157 at-bats. His season was over before it began in 2016, when he tore his labrum in the offseason. Bird is back now, and he is poised to establish himself as the next great Yankee first baseman. Bird was hitless... Read More

Gary Sanchez Is Hitting Early On

Gary Sanchez has amassed back-to-back big-time games in spring training action. After an 0-for-6 start, Sanchez has spent the last two games producing a 4-for-6 stat line, with a home run and a double. Sanchez took the baseball world by storm last year, hitting home runs at a historic pace. While Sanchez might not end... Read More

Luis Severino Struggles In His Second Go Around

For the second time this spring, Luis Severino went up against the Toronto Blue Jays. This time, he didn't get the results he got in the first start. Severino pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, two runs, a walk and four strikeouts. That comes after the youngster pitched two hitless innings his first time... Read More

Chris Carter Is Already Piling Up The Strikeouts

Chris Carter has been doing Chris Carter things this spring. In 11 at-bats, the slugger has two hits (one of them a home run), and he has five strikeouts in those at-bats. Carter has always been and will always be an all-or-nothing player. In the past, the lore of 30 home runs and some RBI... Read More

Aaron Judge Showing Good Signs

Aaron Judge is showing some good signs early this spring. He's had only 16 plate appearances, but he has a .429/.500/.786 slash line with a home run, triple and a couple of walks. More importantly, he's struck out just twice. Judge has huge power potential and will be entrusted with the starting right field gig... Read More

Keon Broxton Continues To Hit

Keon Broxton is off to a very good start in spring training, building on a breakout rookie campaign from 2016. That season was cut short with a wrist injury, but Broxton is looking to put that behind him, as well as a dust up with the law in the offseason. Broxton will likely start the... Read More

Jorge Lopez's Stock Is Quickly Falling

Jorge Lopez was once one of the top pitchers in the Brewers' farm system, but the right-hander has pitched his way out of that status fairly quickly. Lopez had a cup of coffee in 2016 and struggled in 10 innings of work that year. Last year, he was 3-for-11 with a 5.78 ERA and 1.74... Read More

Josh Hader Has Another Scoreless Outing

Josh Hader is getting his first taste of big league action (albeit fake action), but the left-handed pitcher has been unfazed after back-to-back scoreless games. Hader has pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing two hits and two walks in the process. Hader is the top-ranked pitcher in the Brewers' system. His struggles in... Read More

Scooter Gennett Is On Fire Early On

Scooter Gennett has come out of the gates firing, starting Spring Training at a 5-for-9 clip, despite an 0-for-1 game on Thursday. The second baseman has two doubles and two walks as well. While he may never be a top-10 player at his position, Gennett is a solid option in deeper leagues and for owners... Read More

Orlando Arcia Looking To Produce In 2017

Orlando Arcia went 1-for-3 in spring training action on Thursday, and the shortstop will look to make the leap from prospect to contributor in 2017. Arcia struggled in his 201 at-bats last year, hitting just .219/.273/.358. While he may never enter the offensive echelon of Carlos Correa, Kyle Seager or Francisco Lindor, he definitely has an... Read More

Lewis Brinson Is Making A Name For Himself

Lewis Brinson went 0-for-3 in spring training action on Thursday, but the top-rated prospect is 4-for-8 with a double, stolen base, a walk and no strikeouts in exhibition play. The 22-year-old center fielder will likely start the season in Triple-A, where he hit .382/.387/.618 in 89 at-bats last year after coming to the Brewers in... Read More

2017 MLB Prospect Risers and Fallers: Torres, Bellinger, Fulmer & More

Prospects are like the stock market. One day something looks great, but a day later, that can all change. While there aren't day-to-day fluctuations that might make your outlook on a prospect change so heavily, there are always guys whose stock rises and falls considerably year-to-year and month-to-month. Today I'm here to take a look... Read More

New York Yankees One Of The Teams Interested In Jose Quintana

According to Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago, the New York Yankees are one of a handful of teams expected to make a play for Jose Quintana. The White Sox have been trying to trade the left-hander this offseason, but his price tag has scared a lot of teams away. The Yankees' biggest weakness heading into... Read More

Brewers Expecting Eric Thames To Produce

Eric Thames signed a three-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason after laying an assault on Korean-league pitchers. Thames launched 124 home runs in three years in the hitter-friendly league, but the Brewers seem convinced that the first baseman will be a valuable commodity in 2017. Brewers general manager David Stearns said "we expect... Read More

Jonathon Niese Inks a Minor League Deal With the Yankees

The New York Yankees have inked Jonathon Niese to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to spring training. Niese spent parts of last season with both the Mets and Pirates, compiling an 8-7 record in 121 innings of work. His 5.50 ERA is not going to impress anybody, but the 30-year-old has proven... Read More

Dellin Betances' Arbitration Case Comes To An Ugly End

Dellin Betances' arbitration case came to an ugly end. Not only did Betances lose the case (he was asking for $5 million and the Yankees won their request of $3 million), but he experienced first-hand how ugly an arbitration case can get. Betances' agent, Jim Murray, and Yankees president Randy Levine got into a public... Read More

Fantasy Implications of the Tyler Thornburg Trade

Tyler Thornburg established himself as one of the most reliable closers in baseball in 2016. The then-Brewer took advantage of injuries and trades to eventually earn a closer role and he took full advantage. Thornburg's final stats read: 13 SV, 2.15 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, .162 OPP AVG, and 90 K in 67 IP. The 28-year-old used... Read More

Three Up, Three Down: 2017 MLB Prospect Risers and Fallers

Prospects are always fun to follow for fantasy baseball enthusiasts. When the next big thing makes his mark on baseball’s biggest stage, fantasy geeks take pride in saying “I knew about him when he was riding the bus in Biloxi!” This season I’ll once again help you navigate through the murky prospect waters on a... Read More

Rookie Guards to Target in Fantasy Basketball

The annual NBA Draft is one of the most exciting times for  hoops enthusiasts. It's a great time to get fired up about our team's future and to try to peg the next big star in the league. For fantasy purposes, guys aren't necessarily must-owns based on talent, but a lot of times the situations those... Read More