Yordano Ventura: What Will His 2016 Look Like?

Yordano Ventura averaged the second fastest fastball in the league last year (just a tick behind Garrett Richards), but he still can be guilty of being a thrower rather than a pitcher for streaks. We’ve seen him lose command and rack up walks on his way to a blow up game, and we’ve seen him […]

Edinson Volquez Looks to Lead KC Rotation in 2016

Edinson Volquez came over to the Royals and has taken over as the de facto number one pitcher. Volquez doesn’t have #1 stuff, but he pitches for a team that can produce runs, has a good catcher in Salvador Perez, and has a great defense behind him. This is not to say that Volquez is […]

Can Kendrys Morales Repeat His Strong Year in 2016?

The Kendrys Morales renaissance was real in 2015 after a horrible 2014. Morales enjoyed hitting in the heart of the order for Kansas City to the tune of 81 runs, 22 homers, 106 RBIs and a .290 average. He should hit out of the five hole again for the Royals, perched around that sweet spot […]

Jarrod Dyson: Cheap Daily Speed for 2016

As of now Jarrod Dyson is penciled in as the Royals’ third outfielder, though he should mix in with Paulo Orlando as of now. In the past he has been the speed demon who could come in and pinch run for a guy like Kendrys Morales. Dyson’s speed totals are impressive when you consider how […]

Lorenzo Cain Looks to Build on the Breakout in 2016

Lorenzo Cain took some monstrous steps forward in 2015, becoming a strong five category contributor for Kansas City on their way to glory. His batted ball profile improved in almost every way, and while it might end up being a “career year” for Cain, there is little evidence that points to regression coming for all […]

How Strong Will Alex Gordon's 2016 Be?

Alex Gordon was putting together another solid year until he lunged for a fly ball and suffered a Grade 2 groin strain (ow) that took him out of play for a couple of months. He was able to return late in the season (but was given more rest than usual) and be a part of […]

Mike Moustakas 2.0 Is Ready To Be A Top 12 3B In 2016

Mike Moustakas threw together a pretty good 2015 when all was said and done, though it appeared he was really taking things to another level through the first half of the season. He was finally using all parts of the field and not trying to hulk smash everything down the first base line. This more […]

Alcides Escobar: How Strong Of A SS Option Is He?

Alcides Escobar is one of those shortstops that is going to feel like more of a “plug in player” than a producer, but the fact of the matter is that he hits atop a strong Kansas City lineup and does have some wheels. Escobar let his owners down in 2015, taking steps back in the […]

Eric Hosmer's Balanced Approach Makes Him A Top 10 1B In 2016

Eric Hosmer’s 2014 was a disappointment for many, but his 2015 saw him return to form with his best 5x5 year yet as he went 98-18-93-7-.297. Hosmer might take a few more modest steps forward in his career as he enters his age-26 season, but this is likely what he’s capable of. That makes it […]

Salvador Perez Is A Top Ten Catcher In 2016

Salvador Perez’s 2015 was rather impressive, as he ended the year with a line that had identical RBIs (70), SBs (1), and batting averages (.260) as his 2014. He upped his homers to 21, a career best, in 553 plate appearances (he logged 606 in 2014), so the power stroke was out to play. Ever […]

Early Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: Maneuvering the Middle Rounds

Here are the usual suspects (in draft order): Jacob Bogardus, Brad Johnson, Alex Brock, Harris Yudin, Max Petrie, Josh Leonard, Ross Williamson, Andrew Miller (from The Fantasy Fix), Nick Mariano (myself), Tom Bellucco, Brian Dunshee (also from The Fantasy Fix), and Edward Suletan. Reminder - this was a traditional 5x5 redraft 23 round mock with […]

Arodys Vizcaino: Cheap Closer Comes With Skills

While no one actively roots for injury, when Jason Grilli went torn with a torn Achilles as he shot off to cover first base it meant that there was a void to be filled in the Braves’ ninth inning. This was initially filled by Jim Johnson, whose trade value was built up enough to then […]

Julio Teheran Is A Risky Buy in 2016

Julio Teheran took a few sizeable steps back in 2015 after an impressive first two full years in the majors for the Braves. Many people could see that the regression police was hot on Teheran’s trail after last year. It’s one thing to have your surface stats catch up to your peripherals, but his peripherals […]

Nick Markakis: A Deep League OF Option In 2016

Nick Markakis’ 2015 was his first season not in an Orioles jersey, and his first year for the Braves saw him barely able to hit a home run. In every season of his career Markakis had hit double digit home runs, and last year for Atlanta he hit a grand total of three. He had […]

Ender Inciarte Is Set To Leadoff For The Braves In 2016

An exciting addition for the Braves, Ender Inciarte comes over from the Diamondbacks after he hit six homers and stole 21 bases while hitting .303 in 561 plate appearances in 2015. Inciarte put the ball in play more last year, bringing his strikeout rate down from a healthy 11.9% to an improved 10.3% while also […]

Erick Aybar: Cheap MI Option in 2016

Erick Aybar has really settled into a role, seemingly unflinching in his quest to hit a few home runs every year alongside 15 steals and a .270s average. Of course he now comes to the Braves instead of playing for the Angels, so his counting stats may take a step back, but for now he […]

Adonis Garcia: Sneaky CI Power Bat For 2016?

If you scoured the web for 2016 Braves’ projections and saw Adonis Garcia slotted in at third base and batting fifth behind Freeman, your reaction may have been one of shock and dismay. From a “real life” baseball perspective, plenty might agree with you as his glove at third is subpar. What is keeping him […]

Hector Olivera Looks To Grow In 2016

The Braves traded for Hector Olivera from the Dodgers at the deadline last year, and after Olivera recovered from a wrist injury he was called up for the month of September in Atlanta. In a minuscule 24 game, 87 plate appearance sample, he hit two homers with 11 RBIs with a .253 average. While it […]

Jace Peterson: A Buried 2016 Deep League MI Option

Jace Peterson is slated to be the Braves’ second baseman again in 2016, but he doesn’t look to have much relevance outside of deep leagues that require a MI slot. He goes on streaks, but he’ll never be a guy who hits double digit homers and it doesn’t seem like his speed has translated to […]

Freddie Freeman: Top 10 First Baseman in 2016

Freddie Freeman’s first three years in the league (2011-2013) saw him seemingly establish a safe 20 home run floor, with 2013 looking like a huge growth year as he also posted a .319 average to go with 23 bombs and a career high 109 RBIs. Now that average isn’t likely to come again (he had […]

Early Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: Points of Contention from Rounds 5-7

Here are the usual suspects (in draft order): Jacob Bogardus, Brad Johnson, Alex Brock, Harris Yudin, Max Petrie, Josh Leonard, Ross Williamson, Andrew Miller (from The Fantasy Fix), Nick Mariano (myself), Tom Bellucco, Brian Dunshee (also from The Fantasy Fix), and Edward Suletan. Reminder: This is a traditional 5x5 redraft 23 round mock with 2 […]

Gerardo Parra: Now a Full Time Player in Coors

Well, well, now it's starting to make sense! Corey Dickerson is off to Tampa Bay and Colorado did not get an outfielder in return, so Gerardo Parra now gets to step into a clear starting role with the Rockies. Parra's 2015 was a tale of two halves, as the first one, in Milwaukee, saw him […]

No More Coors for Corey Dickerson

Okay folks, Corey Dickerson is now a Tampa Bay Ray and there are plenty of questions surrounding the fallout. What does this mean for Dickerson? How valuable is he? Which is a nice way of putting “how much of a hit does his stock take leaving Coors”? Well, outside of copping out with a “no […]

David Robertson is a Top Ten RP for 2016

David Robertson has been rock solid for many years now. He doesn’t elicit any injury concerns and is coming off his first year with the White Sox where he anchored the bullpen with 34 saves. He had the eighth best K/9 in the league amongst qualified relief pitchers last year, and he doesn’t have to […]

Erik Johnson is a Deep League SP to Watch

Erik Johnson is an intriguing back-end rotation guy who has been in the White Sox system for a few years now. The General Manager of the White Sox spoke as though Johnson has the inside track heading into Spring Training for the #5 slot in Chicago’s rotation. With Jeff Samardzija gone, Johnson can pop in […]

Carlos Rodon Poised for a Top 30 SP Finish in 2016

Carlos Rodon joined the major leagues quickly in 2015 after only two starts at AAA. He then pitched 139 innings, going 9-6 and striking out a batter per inning with a 3.75 ERA. The 1.44 WHIP left something to be desired, but his stuff is undeniably real. Most important to note is how clustered his […]

Jose Quintana is Still Underappreciated in 2016

Jose Quintana has quietly posted three good years in a row with the White Sox, breaking 200 innings in each of them. In 2014 he struck out 178 with a 3.32 ERA (with a 2.81 FIP) and 1.24 WHIP, and went 9-11. 2015 saw him strike out 177 batters with a 3.36 ERA (backed by […]

Chris Sale Will Be Your Team's Ace in 2016

Chris Sale came into 2015 with a bit of a foot injury that scared his draft stock down a little, and boy he paid off for those that got him. He only got 13 wins with the struggling White Sox backing him, but he struck out 274(!) in 208.2 innings with a 3.41 ERA and […]

Avisail Garcia: Deep League Fifth OF for 2016

Avisail Garcia is only turning 25 this June, and only played his first full season last year. His 601 plate appearances in 2015 wasn’t all that impressive, tallying a 66-13-59-7-.257 line in all. It doesn’t help his case that his defense is also quite lousy. The White Sox and fantasy owners alike are hoping that […]

Adam Eaton Poised for a Top 25 OF Spot in 2016

Adam Eaton’s 2015 was an unmitigated disaster in April, as he hit .192 with zero RBIs and one stolen base to open the season. He then had a good rest of the season, ending the year with 98 runs scored, 14 home runs, 56 RBIs, 18 steals, and a .287 average. Hello five category production, […]