MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/9) - Meadows Returning To Form

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. Thankfully, we have real, live baseball being played every day again, and while it doesn't count for anything, these exhibition games gives us the smallest glimmer into players and teams heading into the new season. We're officially through the first week of spring training games […]

Willie Calhoun Has Groin Tightness

Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun will miss some time in Spring Training with groin tightness. Off to a 1-for-11 start in the Cactus League, Calhoun's role in Arlington this year is anything but secure, so even a small setback like this could be bad news for his regular-season outlook. The 26-year-old hit just .190 in […]

Shane McClanahan Strikes Out the Side

Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Shane McClanahan struck out the side in his lone inning of work on Tuesday afternoon against the Boston Red Sox. The hard-throwing right-hander spent the 2020 season at the Rays' alternate training site but made his MLB debut in the playoffs and appeared in two games in relief. With just […]

Jonathan Hernandez Has UCL Tear

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jonathan Hernandez has a small tear in his UCL and has been shut down for the next four weeks. The team remains hopeful Hernandez can avoid surgery, but it sounds like the best-case scenario would be for Hernandez to return in late May. The 24-year-old righty had a 2.90 ERA last […]

Clint Frazier Collides With Outfield Wall

New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier collided with an outfield wall while attempting to make a play during Tuesday's game against the Tigers, prompting manager Aaron Boone and trainers to check on the 26-year-old. Encouragingly, Frazier remained in the game, but he has an unfortunately long history with concussions, and another concussion could put his […]

Steven Matz Throws Three Shutout Innings

Toronto Blue Jays hurler Steven Matz completed three shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday afternoon. The lefty threw all of his pitches for strikes and was up to 95 mph with his fastball. Matz allowed just one hit and struck out three batters. In two starts spanning five innings this spring, he has […]

Julian Merryweather Out With Back Tightness

Oft-injured Toronto Blue Jays hurler Julian Merryweather is once again on the sidelines after suffering from back tightness. The hard-throwing right-hander was originally acquired from Cleveland for third baseman Josh Donaldson but was recovering from Tommy John surgery at that time. He spent the majority of 2020 at the Jays' alternate training site but he […]

George Springer Scratched with Abdominal Tightness

The Toronto Blue Jays scratched outfielder George Springer on Tuesday due to a mild abdominal tightness. The move was described as precautionary and he was still able to complete a full workout. After seven seasons with the Houston Astros, Springer signed a six-year, $150-million contract with the Blue Jays during the offseason. He's expected to […]

Starting Pitching Landscape with @SPStreamer - The Operating Room Ep. 23

Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) and Michael Simione (@SPStreamer) break down the starting pitching landscape for the 2021 MLB season from a fantasy perspective. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning between 6-7 AM ET, and Saturdays from 8-10 AM ET. You can also find new weekly shows on YouTube, Spreaker, Spotify, iTunes and […]

Carter Kieboom (3B, WAS) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 395 CURRENT ADP: ~412 overall ANALYSIS: Just shy of being what I would consider a deep dart throw, Kieboom is currently in line to be the starting third baseman for the Nationals. The reason the confidence is lacking is in part due to the fact that according to reports, the […]

Zach Britton Gets An MRI

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zach Britton got an MRI on Tuesday after experiencing soreness following a bullpen session. It's too early to say exactly what Britton's injury is, but fantasy managers should place him on "do not draft" lists until more details are revealed. An elite reliever for fantasy managers who value holds, Britton […]

Justin Turner Goes 1-for-2 Monday

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Monday's 8-0 win against the Chicago White Sox. It was nice to see Turner get a hit in this one as he is now just 2-for-10 through his first five Cactus League games. Turner was also batting third, […]

Jonathan India Gets on Base Three Times

Cincinnati Reds infield prospect Jonathan India walked twice, singled, and stole home plate on Monday against the Colorado Rockies. He's now 3-for-9 with a BB-K of 3-4 through seven games this spring. Also of note, the former first-round pick as a third baseman started the game at second base. India has actually spent more time […]

Mark Vientos Flashes Raw Power for Mets

New York Mets infield prospect Mark Vientos went 2-for-2 and slugged two doubles on Monday against the Washington Nationals. The young player is now 3-for-4 with a promising BB-K of 4-1 on the spring. The 21-year-old former second-round pick is known mostly for his power but has also shown a rudimentary approach at the plate […]

Tommy Edman Goes 1-for-2 Monday

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Tommy Edman went 1-for-2 with a run scored in Monday's 7-7 tie with the Miami Marlins. Edman is now 4-for-13 with three runs scored and one stolen base in spring action. Edman struggled a bit in 2020 as he slashed .250/.317/.368 with five home runs and two stolen bases. This was […]

Jordyn Adams Goes Deep for Angels

Los Angeles Angels outfield prospect Jordyn Adams broke out of his 0-for-5 start to the spring with a three-run home run on Monday. The 21-year-old's dinger came against veteran MLB reliever Brad Boxberger. Adams, the 17th overall pick from the 2018 draft, has yet to play above A-ball. He's mostly known for having blazing speed […]

Spring Training Lineup Takeaways: Recapping Week 1 - Bases Loaded Podcast

It is never too early to dive into lineups, news and notes from Spring Training. Join us as we dive right into the action! Subscribe to the Bases Loaded podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and […]

Mike Yastrzemski goes 1-for-3 Monday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski went 1-for-3 in Cactus League action on Monday. Yastrzemski is now 2-for-8 with a run scored through his first four spring games. Yastrzemski broke out in the shortened 2020 season by slashing .297/.400/.568 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI. He also showed a great ability to get on […]

Zach Plesac Solid Monday

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Zach Plesac was solid in Monday's 10-0 rout of the Seattle Mariners as he pitched three innings of scoreless baseball while allowing two hits and two walks as well as striking out four. Plesac was roughed up a bit in his first spring start against Arizona on Wednesday, but seemed to […]

Starling Marte Goes 1-for-3 Monday

Miami Marlins outfielder Starling Marte went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Monday's 7-7 tie with the St. Louis Cardinals. Marte is now 5-for-12 with three runs scored, one RBI, and one stolen base this spring. Marte had a solid 2020 by slashing .281/.340/.430 with six home runs and 10 stolen bases. He is more […]

Dylan Carlson Solid On Monday

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson had a solid game on Monday going 1-for-3 with two RBI in a 7-7 tie with the Miami Marlins. Carlson is now 3-for-12 with two runs scored and three RBI in spring action. He is coming off a 2020 in which he struggled to the tune of slashing .200/.252/.364 […]

Jeff Hoffman Strikes Out Four In Outing

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Jeff Hoffman looked good in a Cactus League outing against the Colorado Rockies on Monday. Hoffman tossed three scoreless innings, striking out four and scattering three hits in the appearance against his former team. Hoffman is trying to beat out Michael Lorenzen, Tejay Antone, and Jose De Leon for the fifth spot […]

Tejay Antone Throws Three Scoreless Innings

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Tejay Antone threw three scoreless innings in a 6-4 Cactus League win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday. Antone struck out three while allowing just two hits in the outing. The 27-year-old is one of the Reds pitchers fighting for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, battling with Michael Lorenzen, Jose […]

Luis Castillo Faces Live Hitters Monday

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Castillo faced live hitters for the first time this spring when he threw batting practice to teammates on Monday. He wound up throwing 34 pitches in the session. Castillo arrived at camp late after running into travel issues getting to the United States from the Dominican Republic. Castillo told reporters, "I […]

Daily MLB Injury Roundup for March 9th, 2021

RotoBaller has assembled a list of daily MLB injury updates to help you prepare both your seasonal and daily fantasy baseball (DFS) lineups, every day of the MLB season. Below is our updated list of injured MLB players for March 9th, 2021. Only players on teams that are scheduled to play today will appear below […]

Tag Team Draft with Matty Wood - Draft Champions Podcast

In today's episode, Zack (@zackroto) brings on Matty (@_mattywood_) as a guest to his Draft Champions podcast (@draftchampagne). They discuss all things related to their recent tag team draft and more. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning between 6-7 AM ET, and Saturdays from […]

JB's Bullpen Method Redux - Building FrankenAces

Last year, I finally published an article breaking down my favorite fantasy baseball strategy I have been using for years. It's really less of a strategy and more a state of mind. No, the Bullpen Method is a lifestyle. I always speak about the importance of balance on a fantasy team. For your pitching staff, I […]

Finding Over/Undervalued Shortstops Using Expected Draft Values

Welcome to the FSWA-nominated Expected Draft Values series, where we look at historical data to identify both overvalued and undervalued players of all types. Whether you're targeting power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, we've got you covered. We'll start at first base and make our way around the diamond to begin the 2021 […]

Top 10 Third Basemen - Dynasty Prospect Rankings

Third base is traditionally a place to find offense. It can be a goldmine for fantasy managers in need of some power. Third basemen are also known for providing strong on-base numbers and, in some cases, batting average. The 2019 season met the offensive expectations with 28 hitters managing a 100 wRC+ or better (350 […]