Ryan Zimmerman May Not Play In 2020

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman is still debating whether to play this season. Among several other issues, he cited the risk the novel coronavirus would pose to his mother, who has multiple sclerosis, and a three-week-old child. From a fantasy perspective, Zimmerman was already a fringe player due to his age, an 89 wRC+ […]

Patrick Corbin Sharp in Final Start of Spring

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin got one more spring start in Thursday just before the coronavirus shutdown, throwing four shutout innings with just one hit and no walks allowed. He struck out three and winds up with a 4.00 ERA in nine innings over three spring starts. Corbin's 2018 breakout continued in '19, as […]

Yan Gomes, Kurt Suzuki to Split Time

Although Washington Nationals catcher Yan Gomes will be the team's primary option again this season, fellow catcher Kurt Suzuki will get a large chunk of the playing time. Suzuki is looking to catch starters Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez, with Gomes catching the rest of the staff. Suzuki has been the superior hitter for years […]

Starlin Castro May Hit Third

Washington Nationals second baseman Starlin Castro is likely to be the team's No. 3 hitter this season, hitting between lefty outfielders Adam Eaton and Juan Soto. It would certainly be a prime situation for Castro and would give a bump to his fantasy value. Castro's 97 career wRC+ doesn't make him a prototypical No. 3 […]

Max Scherzer Has Right Side "Discomfort"

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer said Tuesday that he is dealing with some discomfort on his right side, but blames it on lacking endurance in the early going. He threw long toss and plans to make his scheduled start on Sunday. Scherzer may not be concerned, but his health issues last year make any […]

Adam Eaton (OF, WAS) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~180s CURRENT ADP: ~204 overall ANALYSIS: In 2019, a healthy Adam Eaton hit .279/.365/.428 with 15 home runs, 15 steals, 103 runs scored and 49 driven in—nothing spectacular, but useful in four categories. He played in 151 games after combining for just 118 in his first two years in Washington. That […]

Batters on a Diet: Sweet-Spot% Fallers

Last week, we talked about players who increased their proclivity to hit the ball between eight and 32 degrees in a stat known as sweet spot percentage. This week, we focus on some players whose sweet spot percentage decreased. But not all decreases in a stat are made equal. The players below all saw their […]

Asdrubal Cabrera Could Start At Third Base

Washington Nationals infielder Asdrubal Cabrera has "embraced" a role as a mentor to fellow infielder Carter Kieboom. Cabrera is likely also the backup plan to start at third if Kieboom isn't ready at the beginning of the season. Certainly Cabrera would be more valuable as a primary starter than mostly coming off the bench. He […]

Luke Voit (1B, NYY) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~170 CURRENT ADP: ~193 overall ANALYSIS: Voit was never going to sustain his .322/.398/.671 small-sample slash line from 2018, but he remained productive when healthy in 2019. Prior to suffering a sports hernia in late July, he hit 19 homers in 94 games with a .278/.392/.493 line. After returning, he hit […]

Victor Robles Remains Day-to-Day

Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles is still day-to-day as of Thursday with an oblique injury. He had an MRI about a week ago now and is doing some hitting and throwing despite the day-to-day designation. The injury may be lingering a little bit but it doesn't seem to be a big deal yet. Still, if […]

Stephen Strasburg Throws Bullpen To Stay On Schedule

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg threw a bullpen session roughly equivalent to three innings on Thursday. He's simply putting in the work to get into a routine this spring. He doesn't seem to be resting on his laurels--and by laurels, we mean his big pile of money--after signing a $245-million contract this offseason to […]

Eric Thames Dealing With Tight Calf

Washington Nationals first baseman Eric Thames has been dealing with a tight left calf this spring, but is expected to play this weekend. This season, Thames will split time at first base with Ryan Zimmerman and Howie Kendrick at first base. At 33 years old, Thames is actually the youngest of the three. Right now […]

Adam Eaton Leaves With Tight Hamstring

Washington Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton left Tuesday's spring training game with a tight left hamstring. Manager Davey Martinez said that Eaton would like have stayed in a regular season game, but the team is playing things cautiously. Thus, this injury is unlikely to turn into anything major. Eaton should hit near the top of the […]

Juan Soto Showing Off Plate Discipline in Early Spring

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto walked two more times Monday, bringing his spring total to six against only three strikeouts. That has meant a .533 OBP despite a .222 batting average. It's just confirmation that the youngster continues to have a precocious batter's eye for his age--he is still just 21 as he enters his […]

Daniel Hudson Makes Spring Debut

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Daniel Hudson made his 2020 spring training debut on Monday, one day after team closer Sean Doolittle. Hudson allowed three runs. The team is now waiting on Will Harris to complete the spring debuts of their main bullpen trio; Harris, who has a minor abdominal injury, should throw a bullpen session […]

Ryan Zimmerman to Have Active Spring

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman will hit about 40 times this spring training if Davey Martinez has his way. It would be Zimmerman's most in spring since 2017. The Nationals will also target about 110 games for Zimmerman this year, according to Martinez. With Howie Kendrick and Eric Thames also slated to spend time […]

Sean Doolittle Makes Spring Debut

Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle made his spring debut against the New York Mets on Sunday, pitching a scoreless fourth inning. He said after that he feels "like I'm in a better tempo and a better position mechanically," compared to what was a rough 2019. He set a career high with a 4.05 ERA with […]

Victor Robles Gets MRI on Oblique

Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles had an MRI on his left oblique some time in late February. The results were negative and he is day-to-day as of Saturday. Nationals manager Davey Martinez alluded to it still being very early in the baseball year, hence the caution. Unless there is news of an aggravation or setback, […]

Kings of Candy: Sweet-Spot Risers

Sweet spot percentage (SwSp%) is not the best-known Statcast measurement. It doesn't care how hard you hit the ball, just at what trajectory. Well, it doesn't care about that either, it's just a statistic, it has no capacity to care about anything. But what it measures is the number of times a hitter's contact is between […]

Will Harris Dealing With Abdominal Issue

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Will Harris will be re-evaluated in three to four days after tweaking his abdomen recently. Harris was slated to make his spring debut before the injury popped up. For now, it appears to be a minor issue. Harris will be a relief ace for the Nationals this year, but Sean Doolittle […]

Victor Robles Being Considered for Leadoff Role

Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles is entering his second full season of play in 2020 with an opportunity to be the team's leadoff hitter. Robles is a speedster, which traditionally fits the role, but his .327 career OBP doesn't lend itself quite as well to the #1 spot in the order. But if he gets […]

Carter Kieboom Looking Like Opening Day Third Baseman

With no trade in sight, Washington Nationals infielder Carter Kieboom is looking a lot like the team's Opening Day third baseman. Kieboom only hit .128/.209/.282 in a 43-PA cup of coffee in 2019, but his .287/.378/.469 career minor league better demonstrates the hype that has long surrounded him. If he busts in spring training, he […]

Miguel Cabrera Returns Wednesday

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera is back in the lineup Wednesday after having not played since Friday due to knee soreness. It's been a pretty tough year for Cabrera, who in 132 games is hitting .285/.350/.391 with 10 home runs for an awful Detroit squad. The good news is Detroit has six games left, […]

Jake Elmore Making Rare Start

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jake Elmore is starting his fourth game of the year on Wednesday, playing right field and batting seventh against the Chicago Cubs. Outfielder Kevin Kramer is out for the first time since Friday. Elmore hadn't played since 2016 before his Sept. 17 call-up, which makes for a nice story, but he's not […]

Marwin Gonzalez Still Out

Minnesota Twins outfielder/infielder Marwin Gonzalez is not in the lineup Wednesday, a day after being scratched with oblique tightness. It's the kind of injury with only a few days left that could end his season, and he's borderline as a fantasy asset anyway, so look for better as the season concludes. Gonzalez has mostly played […]

Josh VanMeter Returns to Lineup

Cincinnati Reds outfielder/infielder Josh VanMeter is in the lineup for the first time since Friday after missing time with an illness. He is back in the leadoff spot against Milwaukee starting pitcher Jordan Lyles. The game starts at 6:40 but even if it is in your DFS slate, VanMeter is not the best target. In […]

Power Hitting Risers & Fallers for Week 26 - Buy or Sell?

With under a week to go, streaming is the name of the game if you need power. The more available a player has been, the more likely they are to be a riser in this edition, and fallers are more likely to be rostered since you have drops to go with your pickups. Additionally, the […]

The Cut List (Week 26) - Time to Let Go?

Here it is, the final week. With 96% of the season in the books, anyone can be considered droppable under the correct circumstances. Most obvious would be a situation where you have already hit a playing time cap and thus have no use for anyone who plays that position. Or if you are 15 home […]

Franmil Reyes Back in Lineup

Cleveland Indians designated hitter Franmil Reyes is back in the lineup Thursday after missing two games due to what the team only called a family issue. Reyes is only hitting .200/.293/.340 with one home run in 14 games in September but does have 11 RBI thanks to Cleveland's lineup ahead of him. He's nonetheless a […]

Jack Flaherty Draws Tough Cubs Matchup

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty is drawing his toughest matchup in some time on Thursday as St. Louis faces the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley. It may be Flaherty's hardest start since an August 7 bout against the Dodgers, but he handled that one with ease: seven innings, no runs, and 10 strikeouts. He […]