Angels' Nick Tropeano Worth a Look

Angel starter Nick Tropeano will make his second start of the season Sunday in Minnesota against the struggling Twins. The 25 year-old right-hander entered the rotation last week after Andrew Heaney hit the disabled list. With Heaney and C.J. Wilson each expected to miss at least a few more weeks, Tropeano will stake a claim […]

Late Round Gems: Starting Pitcher Sleepers

In general, starting pitchers are more volatile than hitters. Pitchers are more injury prone, and Tommy John surgery is seemingly more common than ever. Furthermore, one or two bad outings can bloat a starting pitcher’s statistics beyond repair for that season. In some cases, starters suddenly lose fastball velocity and subsequently become shells of their former selves. […]

Three Young Hitters To Breakout Earlier Than Prime

It’s often the young players with breakout potential who derail fantasy seasons. Owners are seduced by the allure of drafting the ‘next big thing’ and foolishly overpay at the draft. While these three rising stars come with a degree of uncertainty, they all offer value at their current ADPs and are great bets to breakout […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: Overvalued Starting Pitchers

Fantasy baseball success has a lot to do with drafting undervalued players. An equally important but less heralded draft tactic is avoiding overvalued players. While these guys may put up decent numbers, their current average draft positions do not offer substantial value: ADP (Average Draft Position) is among starting pitchers and taken from FantasyPros.com.   […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Three Post-Hype Starting Pitchers

With the start of each baseball season, fans and the media relentlessly hype promising young prospects. Inevitably, most of the young players come up short of the lofty expectations. In fits of anger, fantasy owners vow to never again draft the players who ruined their shot at glory. Although these three players have disappointed owners […]

Rick Porcello (SP, BOS) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~280 CURRENT ADP: 291 ANALYSIS: The Red Sox raised a lot of eyebrows when they signed Rick Porcello to a four-year, $82.5 million extension, and the doubters were vindicated last year when the right-hander had his worst season since 2010. His unsightly 4.92 ERA and 1.36 WHIP certainly left a bad taste […]

Michael Pineda (SP, NYY) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~140 CURRENT ADP: 147.3 ANALYSIS: Debuting with the Mariners in 2011, Michael Pineda posted a 3.74 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 173 strikeouts over 171 innings. However, after being traded to the Yankees before the 2012 season, Pineda suffered a shoulder injury and missed two full seasons. Making his return to the […]

Erasmo Ramirez (SP, TB) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~275 CURRENT ADP: 285.5 ANALYSIS: Erasmo Ramirez is coming off a breakout 2015 season in which he posted a 3.75 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 163.1 innings. Maintaining a 2.20 BB/9 and a .272 BABIP, Ramirez significantly improved on his performances in 2013 and 2014, when he compiled a composite 5.12 ERA […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Three WHIP Sleepers

In 2015, every qualified starting pitcher who ranked in the top 30 of WHIP (Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched) had a BB/9 under 3.00. 15 of those pitchers had a BB/9 under 2.00. There is a clear correlation between limiting walks and posting a low WHIP. When looking for WHIP sleepers, it’s ideal to […]

Tony Watson Looks to Continue Dominance

Pirates relief pitcher Tony Watson will once again serve as the set-up man for Mark Melancon in 2016. The southpaw has excelled in the role, leading the league with 75 holds over the past two seasons. Pat Neshek finished a distant second during that time with 53 holds. To further illustrate Watson’s dominance, the hurler […]

Does Ryan Vogelsong Have Anything Left?

Starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong is expected to open 2016 in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ rotation. How long he stays there is a mystery. Breaking out in 2011 as a 34-year old, Vogelsong spent the last five seasons in San Francisco, where he benefitted from one of the best pitchers’ parks in baseball. Over 135 innings in […]

Can Jon Niese Bounce Back?

After putting together the weakest season of his career in 2015, starting pitcher Jon Niese was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Neil Walker. Pittsburgh’s newly acquired left-hander, who will be 29 this year, posted a 4.13 ERA and 1.40 WHIP along with 113 Ks in 176.2 innings last season. Sustaining a partially […]

Francisco Liriano Hopes To Keep Rolling In 2016

Since signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to the 2013 season, starting pitcher Francisco Liriano has strung together three straight seasons of posting a 3.38 ERA or better. The left-hander has done so by featuring a dominant slider and improving his command. The slider, which in 2015 ranked fourth in the majors according to Fangraphs.com valuations, […]

Gregory Polanco A Break-Out Candidate

Pirates leadoff hitter Gregory Polanco slashed a .256/.320/.381 line last year during his first full big league season, improving on the .235/.307/.343 line he posted in his 89 game rookie campaign. Belting nine HRs and accumulating 27 SBs during 2015, Polanco also demonstrated the plate discipline of a seasoned veteran. Maintaining an excellent 8.4 BB% […]

Tyler Glasnow To Debut In 2016?

Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neil Huntington recently said it’s “extremely doubtful” top pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow begins 2016 in the big leagues. Having dominated the minor league competition since being drafted in 2012, the right-handed starter has posted a 2.15 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 402.2 innings of work. His 11.8 K/9 is supported by a […]

Josh Harrison Looks To Rebound In 2016

Josh Harrison had a career year in 2014 but failed to replicate that success in 2015. Missing six weeks of action in 2015 due to a thumb injury, the Pirates utility man saw his HRs drop from 13 to four. Going 18/25 in SB attempts in 2014, Harrison went a meager 10/18 on the base […]

Mark Melancon 2016 Outlook

Mark Melancon, who recently signed a one-year $9.65 million dollar contract with the Pirates, nailed down a league-leading 51 saves for Pittsburgh in 2015. Melancon’s 51 saves were buoyed by a 2.23 ERA and .93 WHIP. Unfortunately, Melancon’s ability to strike batters out diminished from 9.0 K/9 in 2014 to last year’s unimpressive 7.28 K/9. […]

Jung Ho Kang: Value Pick In 2016

Jung Ho Kang only accumulated 421 ABs in 2016, but he produced enough to warrant a third place finish in the NL ROY voting. Turning 29 in April, Kang will look to build on the .287/.355/.461 slash line and 15 HRs he posted last year. No easy task, Kang has momentum on his side. Though […]

Starling Marte HRs To Dip In 2016?

Coming off a 2015 campaign that produced a career-high 19 HRs, Starling Marte will find it difficult to match that output in 2016. Marte’s HR per fly ball (HR/FB) rate in 2015 was 18.6%, meaning for every 100 fly balls he hit, 18 left the yard. This efficiency was a significant increase from Marte’s 12.2% […]

Gerrit Cole Looks To Build On 2015 Campaign

Gerrit Cole took a huge step forward in 2015, arriving as an elite starting pitcher and NL Cy Young candidate. Posting a 19-8 record to go along with a 2.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 202 strikeouts, Cole showed why he was the number one overall draft pick in 2011. Perhaps the largest reason for the […]

Andrew McCutchen: A 2016 First-Rounder

In 2015, Andrew McCutchen stole the fewest bases of his career and hit under .300 for the first time since 2011. But that’s about the only bad thing one can write about the man. McCutchen appeared in 157 games and hit to a tune of .292/.401/.488 last year. His 23 HR, 91 R, and 96 […]