Statcast Hitter Leaderboard - xHR Underachievers/Overachievers

We're not far removed from the Home Run Derby so it seems like an appropriate time to examine the Statcast side of home run production for some big-name players. As with most counting statistics, there is an expected version of home runs, appropriately labeled xHR. By comparing xHR to HR totals, we can identify the... Read More

The Bigger Picture - Post-Trade Deadline Pickups Are Key

The MLB trade deadline is one week away as of this writing and the first big deal has already gone down. Baseball's version of the Highlander, Nelson Cruz, has moved to Tampa Bay. It comes as no shock that the Twins are sellers this year; they are currently 17.5 games behind first place in the... Read More

Draft Busts and Avoids: 2021 RotoBaller Staff Picks

With fantasy football draft season on the horizon, the RotoBaller NFL staff is ready to share their thoughts on the biggest potential busts and draft landmines for 2021 fantasy football. Some of our top analysts have summarized their thoughts on the top players to fade in drafts based on inflated ADP, playing time concerns, or... Read More

Cheap Best-Ball Stacks: QB/WR Duos to Draft Late

Best ball is a different beast than traditional season-long fantasy football leagues. No waivers or trades mean hitting the right draft picks from beginning to end is the sole determinant of success. This is quantified by win rates, or how often a player was rostered on league-winning teams. The results are often unexpected because it's... Read More

Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - xBACON Leaderboard

Who doesn't love xBACON? Rather than the extra crispy version of your favorite breakfast meat, it's actually an expected statistic that measures Batting Average on CONtact, but you already knew that. The purpose of using xBACON is to get a better sense of whether a player's BABIP is truly "deserved" or not based on the... Read More

RotoBaller Staff Mock Draft - Values, Reaches and Trends

As fantasy football draft season approaches, the RotoBaller staff couldn't wait to get things started. In what has become an annual tradition, we gathered 12 analysts to take part in a mock draft in order to see where they value players and go about roster construction. This draft was conducted as a full PPR league... Read More

Statcast Leaderboard - Exit Velocity Midseason Review

It's All-Star time, sadly. I say that because there is precious little baseball to watch this week. This presents the opportunity for reflection, so we will once again look back on the first half leaderboard for Statcast. This time, we will review the top players in average exit velocity, hard hit rate, and barrels. As... Read More

Dynasty Tiered Rankings and Analysis - Quarterback

In dynasty leagues, hitching your wagon to the right gunslinger is crucial. Unlike the turbulence at running back and unpredictability at wide receiver or tight end, quarterbacks can be consistent point-getters for years to come without the need for turnover. The biggest question is how to weigh youth versus experience. That's what we aim to... Read More

The Bigger Picture - Searching for Second-Half Splits

We must mentally brace ourselves for the darkest period of the calendar year - three days without a Major League Baseball game and one day without a regular-season game from any of the major professional sports. As fans, we hate the break. The players understandably love it and have been looking forward to the time... Read More

Statcast Leaderboard - Expected Statistics Midseason Review

Although the All-Star break is still a week away, Major League baseball has crossed into the second half of the schedule. Rather than focusing on one metric, it might be useful to examine leaderboards for all expected statistics in the Statcast realm. In this iteration of Statcast hitter analysis, I will review the top players... Read More

The Bigger Picture - Where We've Gone Wrong This Year

Expectations are a dangerous thing. They can dictate our decision-making processes well into the future and prevent us from seeing things as they truly are. The baseball season is the longest of any professional team sport, spanning eight full months including spring training. That means a lot will change throughout the course of the season... Read More

Dynasty Tiered Rankings and Analysis - Wide Receivers

Wide receivers are the staple of any good dynasty team. Attrition keeps attacking the running back position more and more each year. Those in non-Superflex leagues can get by with one good quarterback. At wide receiver, you'll need at least three solid players to form the core of your squad for years to come. Below... Read More

Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - xBA Analysis for Week 14

It's been a while since we delved into xBA. We're now halfway through the season so it's a good time to see whose batting average is due for course correction, whether it be positive or negative. Often, although not always, players with sizeable discrepancies in BA-xBA are due for regression. Identifying these outliers can be... Read More

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14

The dog days of summer are here. Fewer prospects are being called up these days and the trade deadline is still far off. That doesn't mean there aren't interesting names on the waiver wire, though. You simply have to know where to look. In this column, we will evaluate corner infielders (1B/3B) who are rostered... Read More

Quarterback Best Ball Tiered Rankings and Analysis

On the field, quarterbacks are the most crucial position of all. In fantasy football, not so much. This may be especially true in best-ball leagues where the highest win rates don't usually associate with the best passers. This seems counterintuitive since there is no possibility to stream QB or pick up an injury replacement off... Read More

The Bigger Picture - It Isn't Really a Marathon

"It's a marathon, not a sprint." This axiom is one of the most tired expressions in all of baseball and is often used to prevent us from ascribing significance to a slump. The baseball season is the longest among all professional sports, spanning 162 games and six months, not including spring training and postseason action.... Read More

Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - Fastball Run Values (Week 13)

The news regarding MLB's unexpected crackdown on foreign substances has been well-documented by now. It will surely have a negative impact on pitchers, but the effect on hitters may largely depend on their batted-ball profile. The pitch that has seen the biggest discrepancy for the top aces due to increased spin rates is the good... Read More

The Bigger Picture - Substance Ban Makes Things Worse (For Now)

It only took 118 years, but Major League Baseball is finally taking a hard stance on the illegal use of foreign substances by pitchers. Better late than never! The ethical issues surrounding both sides of the debate will be left for another space. The intention here is to get into the logistics of the on-field... Read More

Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - xSLG Analysis for Week 12

Slugging is a fairly simple metric by baseball standards but once Statcast gets into the mix, it's a bit more complicated. According to MLB.com, "Expected Slugging Percentage (xSLG) is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed." Base hits are still weighted with home runs being four times... Read More

The Bigger Picture - Sizing Up 60 Games

We did it. We got through 60 games of the Major League season and yet, it isn't nearly over. Of all the trials and tribulations the abbreviated 2020 season brought, one of the greatest difficulties is having to invoke the caveat of the shortened season when conducting statistical analysis. Although we could take the current... Read More

Tight End Best Ball Tiered Rankings and Analysis

Tight end isn't everyone's favorite position in fantasy football. Beyond the top tier, we encounter uncertainty, frustration, and the need to stream. There is no such option in best-ball leagues, though. Securing a high-end TE, especially in an FFPC format that uses TE-Premium scoring, is very appealing but not everyone can have Travis Kelce, nor... Read More

Dynasty Baseball Risers and Fallers - Pitchers

Now that we are about one-third of the way into the 2021 MLB season, it would be prudent to revisit the dynasty rankings and identify the biggest risers and fallers. I previously went through every offensive position to find hitters on the rise and fall. This time, we'll focus on starting pitchers. To determine this... Read More

Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - Barrel Rate Analysis for Week 11

Believe it or not, this will be our first foray into barrels this season. Certain statistics take longer to become significant, so it made sense to accumulate more data before digging into barrels. Those familiar with this series already know that the obvious names like Aaron Judge, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Nelson Cruz won't be... Read More

The Bigger Picture - Glittery Prospects Aren't Always Fantasy Gold

Jarred Kelenic, welcome to The Show. The next über-prospect that had fantasy managers chomping at the bit for a call-up got his first taste of the majors at age 21. It was fantastic... for about two days. Now, he is on the bench and/or chopping block in redraft leagues while many GMs wish they would... Read More

Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - xBA Analysis for Week 10

Death, taxes, regression. These are inevitable. Eschewing the first two topics, fantasy baseball managers may be interested in identifying batters who are experiencing regerssion, both positive and negative. Once summer hits, we have enough data that season-long stats can be deceptive on the surface. That said, let's dive back into expected statistics with a look... Read More

Take Advantage of Preseason Panic! FFPC Best-Ball Value Picks

With several weeks to go before NFL training camps are underway, all we have is speculation as to how things will shake out in the 2021 season. That said, we have plenty of drama because of a couple of high-profile players making headlines off the field. Then there are the smaller stories that also impact... Read More

The Bigger Picture - Late-Age Breakouts Taking Center Stage

As astute fantasy managers, we are always scouting the next player ready to break out as he approaches his prime. Some phenoms like Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Rafael Devers don't bother waiting until they are of legal drinking age before they announce their arrival as a Major League star but they are clearly... Read More

Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - Sweet Spot Analysis for Week 9

Barrel rate is one of the best measures of a hitter's power. In order to earn a barrel, a player needs to have enough exit velocity, which we measured last week, and the proper launch angle. Specifically, a ball can travel anywhere between 8-50 degrees depending on how high an exit velocity was produced. Although... Read More

Video: xwOBA Risers & Fallers (wPC+)

Pierre Camus and Nick Gaut review Statcast underachievers and overachievers for xwOBA. Which hitters are worthy waiver wire adds and who should fantasy baseball managers be concerned about? Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to... Read More

Video: Waiver Wire Must-Adds (wPC+)

Pierre Camus and Nick Gaut evaluate players they consider must-adds on the waiver wire in many leagues. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) -... Read More