Cal Raleigh Hits First Home Run Of Spring Wednesday

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh blasted his first home run of the spring on Wednesday in a 9-7 Cactus League loss to the Kansas City Royals. It was a three-run shot off Royals relief pitcher Chris Stratton, and it was also his first hit of the spring. The switch-hitting backstop is now 1-for-3 with a […]

Cole Ragans Tosses Three Innings Of Scoreless Ball On Friday

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans made his second start of the spring on Friday, pitching well in a 5-4 Cactus League win over the Oakland Athletics. The southpaw went three innings, allowing just one hit while walking one and striking out three. Ragans struck out the first two batters he faced on three […]

Josh Naylor Goes 1-for-3 On Wednesday

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor went 1-for-3 on Wednesday in an 8-6 Cactus League loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's now 3-for-7 in three spring games, with all three hits being singles. Although he's been caught stealing once as well, it's good to see he's still running in 2024, as his 10 stolen bases […]

Red Sox Add C.J. Cron On Minor-League Deal

The Boston Red Sox have signed veteran first baseman C.J. Cron to a minor-league contract, and he's expected to compete for a roster spot. Cron is a former All-Star (2022) known more for his power, hitting 28 and 29 home runs in his last two full seasons in Colorado. Last season, Cron missed time due […]

Slow Start For Ozzie Albies Continues Thursday

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies went 0-for-3 on Thursday in a 5-0 Grapefruit League win over the Minnesota Twins. Albies is now 0-for-7 in three spring games with two strikeouts. Hopefully the 3x All-Star is just shaking off the rust. As the No. 1 second baseman coming off draft boards, managers would like to […]

Andres Munoz Strikes Out Two In Spring Debut

Seattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz made his spring debut on Thursday in a 6-5 Cactus League loss to the Chicago White Sox. The righty pitched one inning, needing just eight pitches to get through it. He got Peyton Burdick to pop out on the first pitch he saw and struck out both Brett Phillips and […]

Andres Gimenez Records First Spring Hit On Wednesday

Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez picked up his first hit of the spring on Wednesday in an 8-6 Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks. The hit was a single in the bottom of the sixth inning and he later came around to score. The 2022 All-Star is now 1-for-8 in the spring with one […]

Ketel Marte Stays Hot, Collects Two More Hits Tuesday

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte went 2-for-3 with a single, a triple, and a run scored in Tuesday's 10-3 Cactus League loss to the Texas Rangers. That makes it three straight spring games with a hit for Marte, going 5-for-7 (.714) with a walk and he's also been hit by a pitch (.778 OBP). […]

Tarik Skubal Tosses Two Scoreless Innings In Spring Debut

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal threw two innings of scoreless ball in Wednesday's 5-3 Grapefruit League win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The southpaw did not allow a hit in the appearance while walking one and striking out a pair of batters. It was an encouraging start for a pitcher with some high expectations coming […]

Yoshinobu Yamamoto Pounds Zone, Displays Arsenal In Spring Debut

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his much-anticipated spring debut on Wednesday in a 6-4 Cactus League loss to the Texas Rangers. The loss was not in any way attributable to Yamamoto's performance, however, as he tossed two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out three. In all, […]

Bryan Reynolds Homers In Second Spring Game

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds made his spring debut on Sunday in a 2-0 Grapefruit League loss to the Orioles. The switch hitter did nothing of note, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout. The former All-Star's second game on Tuesday, a 13-4 win over the Braves, got things headed in the right direction by going 1-for-3 […]

Nico Hoerner Hitless Through Two Spring Appearances

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner is 0-for-5 through two Cactus League games. He was 0-for-3 in his debut, a 7-0 loss to the Padres on Sunday, and 0-for-2 on Tuesday in a tie versus the Reds. He batted in his typical leadoff spot on Sunday, but on Tuesday he was uncharacteristically batting cleanup. That […]

Logan Webb Allows Three Hits, Two Earned Runs In Spring Debut

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb made his spring debut on Saturday in an 8-4 Cactus League loss to the Chicago Cubs. Last year's NL Cy Young award runner-up threw two innings, allowing three hits, two earned runs, and striking out two while walking none. The former fourth-round MLB draft pick had the highest […]

Kevin Gausman To Make Spring Debut Next Week

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said on Monday that starting pitcher Kevin Gausman would make his Grapefruit League debut next week. The veteran starter would like to throw a few more live batting practice sessions before officially taking the mound. The Jays' ace is coming off a season in which he finished third in […]

Nolan Jones Gets Off To A Slow Spring Start

Through three Cactus League appearances, Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones has gone 0-for-7 with three strikeouts. No need to panic, but managers who have invested in his services will be hoping he shakes off the rust sooner rather than later. After a breakout campaign in 2023 where he finished with a .297-20-62-60-20 line in just […]

J.T. Realmuto To Make Spring Debut Wednesday

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that both catcher J.T. Realmuto and first baseman Bryce Harper will make their Grapefruit League debuts on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves. After coming off of a 2022 season in which the backstop won a Silver Slugger award, Realmuto had somewhat of a disappointing 2023. The 3x All-Star tallied […]

Marcus Semien Getting On Base Through Two Spring Appearances

Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien made his Cactus League debut in Friday's 5-4 win over the Royals, going 0-for-1 with a walk. He followed that up with a 1-for-2 outing that included a hit by pitch on Sunday in a 0-0 tie with the Giants, bringing his spring OBP to .600. Although he should […]

Trea Turner Goes Hitless, Draws A Walk In Spring Debut

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner saw his first game action of the spring on Sunday in a 4-0 Grapefruit League win over the New York Yankees. The 2x All-Star went 0-for-2 with a walk but did not steal a bag or come around to score after getting on base. Last season, Turner got off to […]

SIERA vs. ERA: Starting Pitcher Risers and Fallers for Fantasy Baseball (2024)

So far this offseason, we've taken a look at pitchers who attacked the strike zone the most, who improved their Stuff+ the most, and who saw the biggest increases in K-BB%, amongst others. This article will take yet another slice of the data to see what there is to see. In this case, we'll take […]

Corbin Carroll Makes Spring Training Debut Saturday

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll made his spring debut on Saturday during a 6-2 Cactus League win over the Colorado Rockies. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year was not a factor, however, going hitless in two at-bats and drawing a walk in his third plate appearance. He was then taken out for a pinch […]

Matt Olson Walks, Picks Up A Hit In Spring Debut

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson made his spring debut on Sunday in a 5-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Boston Red Sox. Last year's MLB home run leader drew a walk on four pitches in his first at-bat, then took a swing at the first pitch he saw in the next at-bat which resulted […]

Austin Riley Homers In Spring Training Debut

After flying out to right in his first at-bat in Sunday's 5-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley hit a Joe Jacques pitch off the pavilion in right field for his first hit and home run of the spring. It was a solo shot for the 2x […]

Ronald Acuna Jr. Hitless In Spring Debut

Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. made his spring debut in Sunday's 5-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Boston Red Sox. Batting in his typical leadoff spot, the reigning NL MVP didn't wait to get his spring season underway, swinging at the first pitch he saw from Boston righty Brayan Bello and grounding out […]

25 Favorite Sports Trading Cards From The Junk Wax Era (1987-1994)

If you are on RotoBaller then you are probably into fantasy sports. And if you are into fantasy sports and sports in general, you may also be into collecting trading cards. So let's take a break from all of the analysis for a few moments and, as the saying goes, take a walk down memory […]

Freddie Freeman Homers, Collects Two RBI In Spring Training Debut

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman went 1-for-2 with a homer, sacrifice fly, two RBI and a run scored in Friday's 4-1 Cactus League win over the Padres. Freeman was batting in his usual second spot in the order and picking right where he left off last season. He ambushed the first pitch he […]

Kings Of Candy: Biggest Sweet Spot Risers for Fantasy Baseball Year-Over-Year (Swt-Spt%)

We recently looked at hitters who increased their BB% the most year-over-year, but now we want to look at hitters whose sweet spot percentage increased the most. Why this metric? Well, by looking at who has increased their sweet spot percentage, you might find hitters who may be hitting the ball at a better angle, […]

Biggest Year-Over-Year BB% Risers for Fantasy Baseball Drafts (2024)

In this article, we'll look at players' BB% from 2022 to 2023 to see who had the biggest increases. For this exercise, I first took out any hitter who did not collect at least 400 PA in 2023. Next, I eliminated anyone who did not rise to at least above league average BB% (8.6%). Finally, […]

Strike Zone Rate Analysis: Starting Pitchers Who Attack The Zone (2024)

So what's this article all about? Well, we want to take a look at pitchers who attack the zone (Zone% > 45%), have swing-and-miss stuff (SwStr% > 13%), and have a better-than-league-average zone contact (Z-Contact% < 85.4%) to see if their approach is working for them. For context, the league average Zone% in 2023 was […]

The Biggest Starting Pitcher Risers for Fantasy Baseball: K-BB%

How can you uncover a potential hidden gem late in a draft or determine which players warrant drafting them ahead of their ADP? You analyze the data, of course. OR, you let us do that for you! In this article, we'll look at pitchers that had the most dramatic increases in K-BB% from 2022 to […]

The Biggest Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Fallers of 2023: K-BB%

Uncovering trends and identifying a potential hidden gem late in a draft or identifying a player you should draft ahead of their ADP will help you be prepared when it comes time to make your selections. Of course with better preparation, the better chance you have to win. So, conversely, knowing which players to shy […]