Michael Soroka Plays Catch Saturday

Atlanta Braves right-hander Michael Soroka (hamstring) played catch on Saturday, according to manager Brian Snitker. The Braves are being very cautious with Soroka in spring training. The 25-year-old was becoming a borderline ace for the Braves before tearing his Achilles in each of the last two seasons. A sore elbow also sidelined him at the […]

John Means To Throw Off Half Mound Next Week

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that left-hander John Means (elbow) will throw off a half mound sometime next week, but it won't be on Monday. Means had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow last April and is slowly building things back up ahead of the 2023 season. The 29-year-old southpaw could possibly return […]

Chris Sale To Face Hitters Next Week

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (wrist) threw his second bullpen session of spring training on Saturday and seemed happy with the outing. He is scheduled to face hitters for the first time next week and remains in play to be ready to go for Opening Day, barring any setbacks with his surgically repaired […]

No Limitations For Byron Buxton At Camp

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (knee) is in good shape and isn't limited at all in spring training, according to the team. Buxton had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee five months ago. It's great news that he's not facing any limitations this spring, but the Twins plan to be conservative with him in the […]

Jordan Balazovic Suffers Broken Jaw

Minnesota Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey announced on Saturday that top-100 pitching prospect Jordan Balazovic (jaw) will miss the start of spring training for the second straight year after he suffered a broken jaw in "an altercation away from the field." He had surgery to wire his jaw shut last Sunday and is […]

Jacob deGrom Improving

Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young said that right-hander Jacob deGrom (side) has been improving and wanted to throw on Saturday, but the team is being extra cautious. If all goes well, deGrom will play catch on Sunday. The 34-year-old is being brought along very slowly given all of his injuries in recent seasons, and […]

Jose Ramirez Feeling Great After Hand Surgery

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (hand) said he's feeling great following offseason hand surgery. Cleveland's first full-squad spring training workout will be on Tuesday. Ramirez actually had surgery on his thumb after he injured it in the middle of June, but he played through the issue. He wasn't nearly as dangerous with the bat […]

MiLB Stats: Using Sabermetrics for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Once you've grown accustomed to having advanced tools to help make fantasy decisions, it can feel disorientating to be without them. Prospects are increasingly becoming a focal point in both real and fantasy baseball, but the minors simply don't have all of the data available for MLB players. For example, advanced plate discipline stats, Pitch […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (xSLG) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

After diving into the xBA leaderboard last week, I'm continuing my look at Statcast metrics by turning our eye to the xSLG leaderboard. We'll go through some of the leaders in the hopes of not just giving you Statcast numbers but explaining how I believe those numbers impact the projections I have for the given […]

MLB Pitcher Prospect Graduates - Sophomore Fantasy Baseball Outlooks (AL East)

In the first installment of a 6-part series focused on pitchers who exhausted rookie eligibility during the '22 MLB season, I review how the pitching fundamentals of select '22 American League East pitchers have evolved over time and use that information to forecast their MLB futures. Fundamentals will be quantified using my Fielding- and Ballpark-Independent […]

How To Play Fantasy Baseball (Roto) Rotisserie Leagues (Overview)

With the NFL blowing the season's final whistle this weekend with Super Bowl Sunday, the fantasy world is going to turn its attention to fantasy baseball. Have you ever wondered what a roto league is and how to play in it? If you've never played before, it can be very intimidating to just jump in. […]

Walker Buehler On Track For Throwing Program

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler (elbow) is on track to begin his throwing program later this month. The 28-year-old has already been placed on the 60-day injured list. He continues to recover from his second career Tommy John surgery. It's a good sign to see Buehler getting back to throwing roughly six months […]

Hunter Renfroe Wins Arbitration Hearing

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe has won his arbitration hearing against the organization. The right-handed slugger will make $11.9 million for next season, which is a significant boost from his $11.2 million salary from last season. The 31-year-old hit .255/.315/.492 with 29 home runs and 72 RBI in 125 games with the Milwaukee Brewers. […]

Teoscar Hernandez Loses Arbitration Hearing

Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has lost his arbitration hearing against the organization on Saturday. The two sides were $2 million apart when they exchanged figures last month. Hernandez will still take home the largest arbitration salary in league history at $14 million for the 2023 season. The 30-year-old slugger tops Gerrit Cole and Max […]

Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assad, Adrian Sampson In Mix For Rotation Spot

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) is expected to begin the season on the injured list. Also, the team announced that right-hander Keegan Thompson will open the season in a multi-inning relief role. That means, the Cubs currently have a vacant spot in the starting rotation. Currently, Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assad, and Adrian Sampson […]

Keegan Thompson To Serve In Multi-Inning Role

Chicago Cubs pitcher Keegan Thompson will open the season in a multi-inning relief role, according to manager David Ross. The right-hander was excellent in a versatile swingman-type role last season. He finished the season with a 3.76 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 108/43 K/BB ratio across 115 innings (29 appearances, 17 starts). The fact he's going […]

Liam Hendriks Throws Bullpen Session

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks was able to throw a bullpen session on Friday, according to pitching coach Ethan Katz. This is good news for the right-hander who is expected to miss significant time. Hendriks continues to undergo treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There is currently no timetable for his return, but the team […]

Justin Wilson Signs With Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers have signed left-hander Justin Wilson to a one-year deal. The 35-year-old is expected to miss a significant chunk of the 2023 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. However, this deal includes a 2024 club option, so this could end up being a good deal for the Brewers. The southpaw only […]

Enrique Hernandez, Alex Verdugo Could Run More

The Boston Red Sox have finished among the bottom five teams in baseball in stolen bases the past two seasons, and manager Alex Cora would like to change that. The 2023 makeover of Boston's lineup will put more of an emphasis on contact, getting on base and baserunning. Last year, infielder Trevor Story led the […]

Nestor Cortes Feels Good After Bullpen

New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes (hamstring) said he made "good strides and felt better" after throwing his first bullpen session on Friday since being diagnosed with a low-grade 2 hamstring strain that forced him to pull out of this year's World Baseball Classic. Cortes also said he was progressing faster than he initially thought […]

Kyle Hendricks To Throw Next Friday

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) said he will throw a touch-and-feel bullpen session next Friday, which will be his first time off a mound since his injury. He said he will likely need three to four of those bullpens and estimates he's roughly a month behind his normal schedule. It's why the Cubs […]

James Paxton Back To Full Health

After being shut down last August with a lat strain, Boston Red Sox left-hander James Paxton (lat) is back to full strength. He threw eight bullpen sessions this winter and had his first bullpen session of spring training on Thursday. Boston turned down a two-year, $26 million club option this winter, but Paxton exercised a […]

Corey Kluber Throws First Bullpen Session

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Corey Kluber threw his first bullpen session of spring training on Friday. The veteran right-hander made 31 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays last season and posted a 4.34 ERA in his first healthy season since 2018. "In that regard, just the mental side of knowing I'm still capable of […]

Garrett Whitlock, Joely Rodriguez Throw On Friday

Boston Red Sox right-hander Garrett Whitlock (hip) and left-hander Joely Rodriguez (shoulder) threw for the first time in spring training on Friday. Whitlock is coming off a hip injury that required surgery and is expected to be a full-time starter for the BoSox in 2023. The 26-year-old finished his second MLB season in 2022 with […]

Reds Re-Sign Hunter Strickland To Minor-League Deal

The Cincinnati Reds re-signed relief pitcher Hunter Strickland to a minor-league deal on Saturday. Strickland had seven saves for the Reds last year to go along with a 4.91 ERA (4.78 FIP), 1.51 WHIP, 33 walks and 60 strikeouts in 62 1/3 relief innings. He lost his handle on the closing gig in August due […]

Felix Bautista Hopes To Be Ready For Opening Day

Baltimore Orioles closer Felix Bautista (knee, shoulder) is feeling good and hopes to be ready for Opening Day. He has thrown four bullpen sessions in spring training and went at 70 percent effort on Friday. Bautista thinks he can start getting into spring games on March 15 or 16. Since he's a reliever, he will […]

5 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers Who Broke Out in 2022

Sometimes you can smell it coming and other times it's out of nowhere. Breakouts can happen at any time at any age, and when they do happen, they become a fantasy manager's best friend. With young, developing players who display continued improvement over a few seasons, breakouts can be seen with relative ease. However, it's […]

Analyzing Pitcher Fly Ball Data for Fantasy Baseball 2023

Pitchers don't have much of a say about what happens after a pitch they throw is put into play. There is a ton of randomness that occurs after a hitter makes contact with a ball, and that makes a lot of pitching statistics hard to trust. Getting ahead of this gives us an advantage. We […]

Who Is The Tigers' Closer? Fantasy Baseball Saves Outlooks

With the departure of Gregory Soto, who did most of the heavy lifting as the Detroit Tigers closer, the organization will have a few internal options to look towards. Soto reached a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, who were targeting a high-leverage arm to capitalize on their bullpen depth. Soto's departure changes […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (xBA) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

While the fantasy baseball prep work has been ongoing for months for some, many fantasy managers are turning their attention over in more earnest as the calendar flips to February and the NFL season winds down. While there will be many prep strategy articles, the most basic starting place is to familiarize yourself with the […]