Week 1 Bullpen Usage Report for Fantasy Baseball

One of the biggest questions in baseball this season will be how managers approach bullpen usage. That was already arguably the manager's heaviest workload in a normal season, apart from immeasurable impacts on team mood and cohesion. However, this year the bullpen will be in even clearer focus. Every blown save counts 2.7 times more... Read More

Historically Fast Starters to Target

The 2020 fantasy baseball season will be unlike any that has existed before. A 60-game sprint to the finish will offer all kinds of unexpected twists and turns. One consequence that seems obvious, though, is that players will not have a chance to round into shape. Guys will need to be on top of their... Read More

Universal DH Beneficiaries - RBI

With the advent of the designated hitter in the National League for 2020, NL lineup production will go up; it's inevitable. Pitchers will have a harder time of things in the NL, and hitters will produce more. It's what happens when a near-zero at the plate is replaced by a Major League hitter. Where that... Read More

Historically Slow Starters to Avoid on Draft Day?

There is no telling how this 60-game jumble of a 2020 season will affect each MLB player individually. Some may relish the opportunity to have an outsized impact on the season. Others may feel uncomfortable playing at all, let alone be at full game speed in time for Opening Day. Regardless of the unknowns, however,... Read More

Universal DH Beneficiaries - Runs Scored

For the first time in baseball history, the National League will employ the position of designated hitter. Besides making NL games more exciting to watch, this change should have two main effects. First, NL pitchers will see some level of decline in their ratios. It is inevitable when facing superior opposing lineups. The second change will... Read More

Mike Zunino (C, TB) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~500s CURRENT ADP: ~629 overall ANALYSIS: There is no hidden meaning to find in his .165/.232/.312 slash line; Mike Zunino was very bad at the plate last year. However, two things are working heavily in his favor in 2020, with the first being that 2019 seemed more like an aberration for the... Read More

Deeper Draft Sleepers - Shortstop

In shallow or even standard fantasy baseball leagues, there is a common tenet that the end of drafts is for taking chances. Since there is normally not much difference between a player that gets selected at the end of a draft and a player who is left for waivers, taking a large, figurative swing on... Read More

Deeper Draft Sleepers - Catcher

When we do analysis here for deeper leagues there is some semblance of universal acceptance on the parameters. While there is no definitive rule on what constitutes a "deep league", that isn't really the point. This series aims to highlight players not normally drafted but can offer value in leagues where more than roughly 300... Read More

Deeper Draft Sleepers - NL Starting Pitchers

There are two main styles of player for fantasy owners in deep leagues as it pertains to starting pitching. One style leans cautious. These owners want starting pitchers who own spots in their team's rotation, thus accumulating counting stats for the long haul even if the peripherals aren't stupendous. The other style is for risk-takers.... Read More

Deeper Draft Sleepers - Third Base

Entering the 2020 MLB season, third base is arguably the deepest fantasy position on the diamond. 16 of the top 100 players are 3B-eligible, according to NFBC ADP. Compare that to a normally deep hitting position like first base, where just 11 guys make the cut. What that early depth does, specifically for standard leagues,... Read More

Late-Round Strikeout Sleepers for 2020

The strikeout is on the rise. Even more so than home runs, nothing has taken off in this age of baseball quite like the strikeout. It used to be that no one this century reached 300 Ks in a season. Now, five players have in the past five seasons alone, including two in 2019. Averaging... Read More

Auction Draft Pitching Targets Under $10

The strategy necessary to participate in an auction draft dwarfs that needed for a standard snake draft. While the difficulty level is ramped up, so too are the options and flexibility available to each owner. If someone wants to break the bank for the top three players in baseball, go crazy. No matter someone's plan... Read More

Breakout Infielders Who Will Keep Improving in 2020

Fantasy owners are always searching for a leg up on the competition. They are trying to find the down player who is due to bounce back or the breakout to avoid, who is due to regress. But the opposite is equally as valuable. Finding 2019 breakouts who will continue to improve brings an unexpected aspect... Read More

Corey Seager (SS, LAD) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~120-130 CURRENT ADP: ~149 overall ANALYSIS: Corey Seager has entered his full, post-hype faze. Seager used to be the belle of the ball as the young SS primed to take off. He lost most of 2018 due to injury, and his 2019 suffered because of it. With few remaining believers, Seager's ADP is... Read More

Auction Draft Dollar Day Targets

There are multiple strategies available to drafters in auctions. It is one of the reasons auctions are so much more interesting and fun than snake drafts. They award owners the ability to maneuver their roster the way they see fit. One of the most popular strategies is a stars-and-scrubs alignment, meaning owners pay up for... Read More

ADP Cost Analysis - Gleyber Torres vs. Corey Seager

Fantasy baseball players acquire draft position through osmosis. The more drafts that take place, the larger sample we gain of how owners of all experience levels feel about someone. Granted, inexperienced players often rely on rankings from experts, which goes to form ADP into something resembling common rankings, but the outcome is unimpeachable, collected data... Read More