Starter Prospects that Could be Impact Relievers in 2021

In many ways, Major League Baseball is getting back to normal in 2021. Most importantly for sports fans and fantasy baseball fanatics, this means that the season will be 162 games after experiencing a stunted 2020 season. However, the sudden spike back to 162 games from 60 contests creates headaches for MLB managers. Lance Lynn […]

2020 Breakout Infielders Who'll Keep Improving

In a recent article, I outlined a methodology to determine which breakout 2020 seasons from hitters would be built off of into 2021. Upon further reflection, however, I’m unconvinced that that methodology the best way to spot breakouts that will continue to improve, in large part because of its reliance on evaluating the stickiness of […]

2021 Keeper Value Rankings - Third Base

Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing. There […]

Starlin Castro Strong In Spring Return

Washington Nationals second baseman Starlin Castro, whose 2020 season ended in August with a broken wrist, is hitting .348/.400/.609 in spring training. Castro is already penciled in as the team's starter at the keystone and performed decently well in just 63 PA last season, hitting .267/.302/.450. His .299 xwOBA was not great but that figure […]

Anthony Alford Returns To Lineup Wednesday

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Anthony Alford (wrist) is back in the lineup on Wednesday against the Rays, where he will be playing in center field and batting sixth. Alford had exited Saturday's game early after being hit by a pitch, but he appeared to be swinging the bat well in practice over the past few days. […]

Danny Santana Will Miss At Least Two More Weeks

Boston Red Sox utility man Danny Santana (foot) was hospitalized earlier in the week due to a foot infection, an ailment which has now been cleared up. Santana was allowed to leave the hospital Wednesday after receiving stitches, but his timeline for a return to game action has been pushed back. Santana appeared in just […]

New York Scratches Dominic Smith From Wednesday’s Lineup

New York Mets outfielder Dominic Smith (wrist) was removed from Wednesday's starting nine in Grapefruit League play due to what Mets manager Luis Rojas described as "general wrist soreness." Mallex Smith entered the lineup in his place. Smith is expected to serve as New York's primary left fielder to begin the season, having socked two home runs […]

Pete Alonso Remains On Fire This Spring

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso went 3-for-3 with a home run and double on Tuesday against the Houston Astros in Grapefruit League action. Alonso remains on fire this spring, slashing .417/.533/.958, with three home runs and 10 RBI in 24 at-bats. This is a far cry from last spring when he failed to […]

Dellin Betances' Velocity Down Again

New York Mets right-handed reliever Dellin Betances showed a decline in velocity on Tuesday in Grapefruit League action, an issue that has plagued him since spring training in 2020. Betances' four-seam fastball only averaged 90.6 mph on Tuesday, which was down a couple of mph from earlier this spring. Betances fastball unimpressively sat between 89-92 […]

Franchy Cordero Could Miss Opening Day

Boston Red Sox outfielder Franchy Cordero has been working his way back from a bout with COVID-19, shifting his timeline for his regular-season availability. Manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that there was "a chance" that Cordero would be cleared in time for April 1 against Baltimore, although the team's glut of reserve outfielders could help […]

Charlie Montoyo's 2022 Option Picked Up By Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays picked up manager Charlie Montoyo's 2022 option on Wednesday. The move gives the club some stability for at least the next two years. The decision should be welcomed by fantasy managers as Montoyo has pushed versatility among his players which has increased the fantasy value of players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. […]

Francisco Lindor Homers On Tuesday

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor went 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored in Grapefruit League action on Tuesday against Houston. For Lindor, who was off to a slow spring start, the HR was his first of the spring and he is now hitting .227 in 22 spring at-bats. Lindor had a […]

Tampa Bay Tabs Tyler Glasnow For Opening Day Start

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow will get the ball for the team's Opening Day contest on April 1 versus Miami, marking his first career Opening Day start. Glasnow piled up an elite 38.3 percent strikeout rate last year, buoyed by his 96.9 mph average fastball velocity. He'll be an enormously appealing season-long fantasy asset […]

Alec Bohm Off To A Hot Start In Spring Training

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm went 1-for-3 with a run scored in a Grapefruit League contest against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. Bohm is now slashing a cool .318/.423/.591 through 26 plate appearances this spring. Bohm is a former first-round pick and was the top prospect in the Phillies farm system. He had success […]

Kyle Higashioka Working Toward A Return

New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka (side) is set to get back behind the plate Saturday as he continues to rehab side soreness, which has limited him to eight Grapefruit League games this season. With Robinson Chirinos (wrist) down, Higashioka has been expected to serve as the primary backup for Gary Sanchez. Across 16 games […]

Spencer Torkelson's Struggles Continue

Detroit Tigers infield prospect Spencer Torkelson's struggles continued on Tuesday when he grounded out in his lone at-bat. The first-overall selection in the 2020 draft, he's been splitting his time between first base and third base this spring. He was considered to be a near-MLB-ready talent by many but he's just 1-for-19 with 11 strikeouts […]

Aaron Nola Hammered In Spring Start Versus Blue Jays

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola allowed six runs in 2 2/3 innings in a Spring Training start versus the Blue Jays on Tuesday. That was a rough outing for the Phillies ace, but there's not too much to worry about with Nola who has been a consensus top-25 pick in fantasy. The 27-year-old ranked […]

Matt Andriese Throws Four Scoreless Innings Of Relief

Boston Red Sox reliever Matt Andriese continued to throw the ball well this spring, throwing four scoreless innings in a long-relief appearance against the Braves. Andriese originally came up as a starter with the Rays but has been effective since switching to the bullpen, posting a 3.00 K/BB ratio and a sub-4.00 FIP over the […]

Josh Palacios Continues Strong Play

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Josh Palacios went 2-for-2 on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies and raised his spring batting average to .400. The prospect is 8-for-20 with four extra-base hits. Capable of playing all three outfield spots, Palacios likely won't open the season on the big league roster but his emergence, along with Jonathan Davis, […]

Red Sox Will Open Season With Five-Man Rotation

After experimenting with an opener and a six-man rotation in 2020, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced on Monday that the Red Sox will be returning to the five-man rotation. This is promising fantasy news for each of the Red Sox starters, who will now have free reign to eat up innings, but none […]

Akil Baddoo Slugs Third Spring Home Run

Detroit Tigers outfield prospect Akil Baddoo continued his torrid spring on Tuesday with his third home run. Through 12 games, he's 9-for-23 (.391) with five extra-base hits. He has also shown excellent patience with a BB-K of 8-7. Just 22, Baddoo was a Rule 5 draft pick out of the Minnesota Twins organization over the […]

Alex Verdugo Continues To Struggle

Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo went 0-for-3 on Tuesday, dropping his already low spring training average to an anemic .111. Verdugo was one of the few bright spots for the Red Sox last year, hitting .308 with a 126 OPS+ while placing 12th in the American League MVP race. Verdugo has hit at every […]

Tanner Houck Gets Roughed Up Again

Boston Red Sox starter Tanner Houck allowed three runs in 2 2/3 innings of work on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves. In three spring appearances, his ERA is now at 8.53 and he has an underwhelming K:BB of 4:10. Houck entered camp with an opportunity to secure one of the starting slots for the Red […]

MacKenzie Gore Throws Two Shutout Innings

Young San Diego Padres starter MacKenzie Gore pitched two scoreless innings on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. Despite the success, the lefty continued to struggle with his control and walked two batters. Gore has now allowed six free passes in 6.0 innings this spring. On the positive side, he has yet to allow a […]

Julio Rodriguez Homers, Doubles On Tuesday

Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a double and his first spring home run on Tuesday. The 20-year-old rookie is now 7-for-22 (.318) with three extra-base hits and two stolen bases through 12 games. His appearance on Tuesday broke a string of six straight games with at least one strikeout. Overall, Rodriguez has […]

Matt Olson Continues Hot Spring

Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson went 1-for-3 in Tuesday's 12-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Olson is now 8-for-22 with three home runs, nine RBI, and six runs scored so far this spring. Olson struggled with his average in 2020 as he hit just .195, but his power numbers were superb as he smacked […]

Trevor Rogers Has Nice Outing On Tuesday

Miami Marlins hurler Trevor Rogers had his best start of the spring on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals. He threw four innings and allowed just one run on four hits with a K-BB of 5-1. He also induced five ground-ball outs. In three starts combined, Rogers' has a 4.32 ERA with nine hits and three […]

Jacob deGrom Dominates Once Again

New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom stuck out six, allowed only two hits and one run in four innings of Grapefruit League action on Tuesday against Houston. In nine innings of work this spring, deGrom has now stuck out a ridiculous 16 and allowed only three hits, one run, and one walk while routinely […]

Jonathan India Hoping To Make Opening Day Roster

Cincinnati Reds infielder Jonathan India has turned heads in Cactus League action this spring. The former No. 5 overall selection by the Reds in 2018 has hit the ball well, batting .348 with one homer, five runs, three RBI, and a steal in 23 at-bats. Cincinnati is toying with the idea of moving Eugenio Suarez […]