Matt Shoemaker Has Solid First Outing for Twins

Minnesota Twins veteran hurler Matt Shoemaker had a promising first outing of the spring with his new team. A free agent well into the offseason, he did not allow a hit or a walk over 2.1 innings of work. Shoemaker isn't flashy but the 34-year-old hurler could provide some stability to the bottom half of... Read More

Hyun-Jin Ryu Makes First Start for Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays ace Hyun-Jin Ryu made his first start of the spring on Friday with mixed results. The veteran hurler threw a nine-pitch first inning but was touched up for a solo home run and issued a walk in the second inning when he threw another 21 pitches. In total, the control artist threw... Read More

Eduardo Rodriguez Solid in Return from COVID-19

Boston Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez threw 2.2 innings of one-run ball on Friday. The only blemish was a solo home run. It was his first game back after missing the 2020 season due to heart inflammation which was a complication from contracting COVID-19. A healthy Rodriguez would provide a huge boost to Boston's starting... Read More

Josh Palacios Impresses Blue Jays With Early Play

Toronto Blue Jays outfield prospect Josh Palacios is off to a fast start to the spring. He entered Friday's game against the Baltimore Orioles as a replacement for Randal Grichuk and went 3-for-3 with a double, triple, and a home run. The 25-year-old is now 5-for-7 this spring with four extra-base hits. Known more for... Read More

Jarren Duran Shows off Power Stroke

On the same day that the Boston Red Sox learned Jackie Bradley Jr. would be playing elsewhere in 2021, outfield prospect Jarren Duran had a strong spring performance. He doubled and hit a home run against promising young hurler Dean Kremer. The show of power was a good sign for Duran, who is better known... Read More

Jackson Rutledge Flashes High Upside

Washington Nationals pitching prospect Jackson Rutledge made his spring debut on Thursday with a scoreless inning of work. The 17th-overall selection from the 2019 draft allowed a hit to Brandon Nimmo but promptly picked him off first base. Rutledge then struck out both Jeff McNeil and Dominic Smith, the former on a fastball and the... Read More

Mackenzie Gore Struggles With Control in Spring Debut

The San Diego Padres' top pitching prospect, MacKenzie Gore, struggled with his control on Thursday against the Texas Rangers. He walked three batters in two innings of work but also held the Rangers lineup hitless and he struck out two batters. Most of his trouble came in the first inning and he fought back in... Read More

Tanner Houck Struggles to Find Strike Zone

Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Tanner Houck struggled with his control on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles. The former first-round pick walked five batters and allowed two hits in two-thirds of an inning. Houck had an uneven 2019 season in the upper minors but redeemed himself with three outstanding big league starts in 2020 by... Read More

Josiah Gray Has Uneven Performance

Los Angeles Dodgers pitching prospect Josiah Gray didn't have the strongest start to the spring on Thursday. He was unable to record an out during his second inning of work. Facing mostly minor league hitters, the young pitcher struck out two batters in his first inning but was then chased from the game after opening... Read More

Nate Pearson Dealing With Groin Strain

The Toronto Blue Jays' top pitching prospect Nate Pearson (groin) suffered a Grade 1 groin strain in his last outing, according to general manager Ross Atkins. The injury news is a tough blow for the Jays rotation, which was already considered the weakest area on the team. Pearson missed time last year due to a flexor... Read More

Matt Manning Strong in Spring Debut, Could Help Tigers in 2021

Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Matt Manning provided two innings of shutout baseball against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Along with striking out one batter, the right-hander induced three ground-ball outs. He succeeded against multiple big-league hitters, including Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura. Manning spent 2019 in double-A but was injured with a strained forearm for... Read More

Alek Manoah's Timetable Accelerating?

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Alek Manoah struck out four Yankees batters in Wednesday's 4-1 loss. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 260 pounds, the right-hander was up to 97 mph and whiffed numerous big-league hitters including Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres. The former first-round pick from 2019 hasn't officially pitched above A-ball due to the pandemic... Read More

Top 10 First Basemen - Dynasty Prospect Rankings

If you’re hunting for an impact bat for your fantasy baseball team, first base is often a good place to find a strong offensive contributor. In 2019, the last full season, 25 out of 37 first basemen with a minimum of 350 plate appearances had a 100 wRC+ or better. Of those, 13 players topped... Read More

George Springer Likely To Lead Off For Blue Jays

Newly signed outfielder George Springer will likely hit in the leadoff spot for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. The news doesn't come as a huge shock, but Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo hinted at the decision on Tuesday. Montoyo stated that it was the spot where Springer was most comfortable. The rest of the lineup... Read More

Top 10 Catchers - Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Catchers perform a mostly thankless job as one of the hardest-working players on the baseball diamond day in and day out. The catcher is also one of the least sought-after players in a fantasy baseball draft although there have been catchers who, in their prime, were worthy of a significant investment such as Mike Piazza,... Read More

Anthony Kay Strong In First Spring Appearance

The Toronto Blue Jays' Anthony Kay blanked the New York Yankees for two innings during the first spring training game of the year for the two clubs. He touched 97 mph in the first inning of the 6-4 win after averaging 93.7 mph with the heater last season. Traditionally a starter in the minors, the... Read More

Blue Jays Add Pitching Depth With Tommy Milone

Left-hander Tommy Milone signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday that included an invitation to spring training. The move gives Toronto some veteran starting depth or a possible long-man for the bullpen. The club also recently signed fellow southpaw Francisco Liriano. Milone hasn't been fantasy relevant for some time although... Read More

Bo Bichette Motivated To Be Better In 2021

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette watched the offseason news, which saw the club finish as a runner-up in the Francisco Lindor sweepstakes. And while he understood the interest in the veteran shortstop, he sees himself as a full-time shortstop and spent the winter working out and rededicating himself to that end. Both the players... Read More

Alek Manoah's Improved Changeup Could Pay Off

The Blue Jays' first-round selection from the 2019 draft, Alek Manoah, didn't sit around sulking when the 2020 minor league season was canceled. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound hurler spent a lot of time pitching against more advanced hitters and realized he couldn't always blow them away with his power offerings as he could with lower-level pro... Read More

Teoscar Hernandez Eager to Continue 2020 Approach

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez teased fans with flashes of brilliance prior to 2020, but he could never put together a full season of above-average production. That changed last year when he produced a 143 wRC+ during the pandemic-shortened season. Hernandez credited a new mindset and a better understanding of how pitchers were attacking... Read More

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 3)

Welcome back RotoBallers to Part 3 of my dynasty prospects list, breaking down the 1-50 ranked prospects. You can also read Part 1 and Part 2 from a few days ago, looking at the 51-150 and 151-250 ranked prospects. RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has... Read More

Robbie Ray Eyes 200-Strikeout Campaign After Adjustments

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired starting pitcher Robbie Ray midway through the 2020 season, and he pitched significantly better as a Blue Jay than as a Diamondback. He credits Toronto's pitching coaches with helping him improve his delivery, and he spent the winter working on repeating that new delivery while also re-examining the approach he took... Read More

Blue Jays Stretching Out Julian Merryweather

After seeing only modest returns from the free-agent pitching market, the Blue Jays organization is stretching out a number of pitchers in an effort to cover valuable innings. Of those arms, Julian Merryweather arguably has the highest ceiling due to his four-pitch mix which includes a fastball that can hit triple digits. Originally acquired from... Read More

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 2)

Welcome back RotoBallers to Part 2 of my dynasty prospects list, breaking down the 51-150 ranked prospects. You can also read Part 1 and Part 3 from a few days ago, looking at the 1-50 and 151-250 ranked prospects. RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has... Read More

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Working Out at 1B, 3B, OF

The Blue Jays organization is looking to increase Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s versatility this spring by having him work out at first base, third base, and in the outfield. A shortstop when he signed, the Cuba native has played a number of positions already in his career but was kept mostly to the outfield in 2020.... Read More

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 1)

RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has undergone a lot of change over the past 12 months due to the pandemic and no area of the game has been more heavily impacted than the minor leagues. Since this time last year, Minor League Baseball has... Read More

Jays DFA Shun Yamaguchi, Open Up Spot For Young Arms

With the Toronto Blue Jays recent waiver claim of right-handed pitcher Joel Payamps from the Boston Red Sox, another move was required to make room on the 40-man roster. Toronto made that move by designating Shun Yamaguchi for assignment. The veteran Japanese hurler struggled in his first year in North America with an ERA of... Read More

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects for 2021 (Part 2)

Spring Training 2021 is almost here, which means it’s time to start thinking about prospects again. A strong pop-up performance from a rookie or two can have a massive impact on a fantasy manager’s season. If we look back to the truncated 2020 season, we can easily locate a healthy dose of players that had... Read More

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects for 2021 (Part 1)

Spring Training 2021 is almost here, which means it’s time to start thinking about prospects again. A strong pop-up performance from a rookie or two can have a massive impact on a fantasy manager’s season. If we look back to the truncated 2020 season, we can easily locate a healthy dose of players that had... Read More

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects for 2021

The 2020 baseball season was unlike any year we’ve ever seen with its shortened season and schedule that can perhaps be best described as organized chaos. The absence of a minor league season played havoc with prospect prognosticators. The 2021 season — and perhaps beyond — will continue to present unique challenges as the pandemic... Read More