Gary Sanchez Homers On Monday

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez had an excellent game on Monday, crushing a 429-foot home run in his only plate appearance while receiving positive feedback on his defense from starting pitcher Gerrit Cole. An ugly 36% strikeout rate fueled a down year for Sanchez in 2020, and his poor offensive production combined with his […]

Gerrit Cole Struggles On Monday

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole labored through a 28-pitch inning during which he allowed one run on three hits with no strikeouts on Monday. Monday's performance shouldn't change the way fantasy managers value Cole heading into 2021; he showed no signs of injury (not that any were reported) and hit 99.5 mph on […]

MacKenzie Gore Cleaning Up Mechanical Issues

San Diego Padres pitching prospect MacKenzie Gore fanned three in a simulated game over the weekend, taking a positive step towards his impending big league debut. His first spring training start comes Thursday against the Texas Rangers. Despite myriad injuries to the rotation in 2020, the Friars top prospect arm did not receive a call-up. […]

Matt Chapman Returns To Lineup As DH

Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman (shoulder) was the team's designated hitter in a spring training game versus the Reds on Monday. Chapman went 1-for-3, which included roping a double to the gap, before being lifted from the game. Chapman had offseason shoulder surgery and the A's are slowly working him back into shape, with […]

Jorge Polanco Feeling Healthy And Ready To Play Second Base

Minnesota Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco (ankle) is feeling healthy after having offseason ankle surgery for a second straight year. Polanco played through pain for much of the 2019 and 2020 campaigns, noting that his right ankle injury limited him when batting from the left side of the plate, a sentiment that the numbers support. Polanco […]

Brent Rooker Homers In Spring Debut

Minnesota Twins outfielder Brent Rooker went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in his Grapefruit League debut on Monday in a win over the Rays. In his very first at-bat of the spring, Rooker sent a 98-MPH Tyler Glasnow offering over the fence in right field to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. The 26-year-old […]

Outfielder Busts Due to Bounce Back in 2021

MLB's 60-game regular season in 2020 was weird for a lot of reasons, but at the core of it, we experienced a baseball season that was more of a sprint than a marathon. Throw in the uncertainty of COVID-19 potentially wreaking havoc on the schedule at any moment in time, and making any kind of […]

Christian Arroyo Could Win Final Roster Spot

Boston Red Sox second baseman Christian Arroyo, who impressed the team at the end of last year, is out of minor league options and will receive a long look in spring training for the final roster spot. Arroyo has also seen time at third base, and manager Alex Cora mentioned that he can play some […]

Matt Barnes, Adam Ottavino The Top Closing Candidates

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora admitted that his thoughts on closing out games has shifted to a more traditional approach from what it was a few years ago. Relievers Matt Barnes and Adam Ottavino are the top candidates to serve as the closer, and Cora would like to have a set closer by Opening […]

Jesus Aguilar Goes Yard On Monday

Miami Marlins first baseman Jesus Aguilar hit a home run in Monday's 2-0 seven-inning win over the New York Mets in Grapefruit League play. Aguilar ended up 1-for-2 with two RBI, batting third and starting at first base. Aguilar and Garrett Cooper will presumably split time at first base this season. The two (when Cooper […]

Anthony Bass Throws A Scoreless Inning On Monday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bass contributed a scoreless inning to the Marlins seven-inning shutout win on Monday. Bass pitched the third inning of the game, allowing a hit and a walk in the process. Bass has not yet been officially named the closer, but manager Don Mattingly has shown an inability to figure out […]

Sandy Alcantara Goes Two Scoreless Innings On Monday

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara got the start in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets and pitched the first two innings, allowing no runs on two hits and a walk. Alcantara is projected to be the Marlins ace in what could be a surprisingly good starting rotation. He's a better "real life" pitcher […]

Franmil Reyes Will Serve As Designated Hitter And Bat Cleanup

Cleveland Indians outfielder Franmil Reyes (ankle) will serve as Cleveland's designated hitter and will bat cleanup in Monday's Cactus League game against the Royals. The sprained right ankle Reyes picked up shortly before reporting to spring training still may be limited him from a mobility standpoint, but that's not a major component of the slugger's […]

Anthony Rendon Out Monday With Soreness

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon is being held out of the team's spring game on Monday due to "soreness," according to manager Joe Maddon. There's no reason for the Angels to rush their star third baseman early in spring training. Fantasy managers that have already drafted the 30-year-old should have nothing to worry […]

Keston Hiura Homers In First Spring Game

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Keston Hiura played first base and went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Sunday's spring opener. Hiura wasted no time socking his first homer of the spring, going deep in the first exhibition at-bat. His punchout problems persisted, though, as he was rung up in his next two at-bats. The Brewers […]

Tyrone Taylor Smacks Homer In First Spring Game

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Tyrone Taylor went 2-for-3 with a home run in Sunday's spring opener. Taylor held his own last year in his first extended look at the big-league level, and he got his 2021 spring off to a good start. The Brewers' starting outfield is set as long as everyone is healthy, but a […]

Shane Bieber Will Make Spring Debut Against Royals

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher and ace Shane Bieber will make his spring debut Monday. Cleveland manager Terry Francona said Bieber would start Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Royals and pitch around two innings, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports. Bieber was briefly delayed at the start of spring training while recovering from a […]

Xander Bogaerts Has A Sore Shoulder

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) is dealing with a sore shoulder in camp, but manager Alex Cora doesn't think the issue will keep Bogaerts from being ready by Opening Day. The Red Sox are taking a cautious approach with their star shortstop, and he hopes to resume throwing in a few days. Bogaerts […]

Juan Soto Out For Precautionary Reasons Monday

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto fouled a ball off his foot Sunday, thus postponing his planned spring debut Monday. There's no reason to push it, so even though Soto told manager Davey Martinez he feels fine, the team is waiting a couple days to send him out there. This incident is just a reminder of […]

Michael Conforto To Be A Focus Of Spring Extension Talks

New York Mets team president Sandy Alderson stated on Monday that outfielder Michael Conforto, along with shortstop Francisco Lindor and pitcher Noah Syndergaard, will be the focus of extension talks this spring. Conforto is due to become a free agent after the 2021 season. As a result, the Mets are looking to get the home-grown, […]

Justus Sheffield Will Make Spring Debut Thursday

Seattle Mariners left-hander Justus Sheffield will make his first appearance of spring training as the starter in Thursday's matchup against the Colorado Rockies. Sheffield is looking to build off of what was by far his most successful season in the major leagues in 2020. Sporting a 3.58 ERA, a nearly two-run improvement over 2019, Sheffield's […]

Outfield Preview: Part 2 - Bases Loaded Podcast

We are diving into the rest of the outfield pool but not like you might expect. 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 BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune […]

NL Outfielders - Draft Avoids for 2021

MLB players have reported for Spring Training and plenty of big offseason moves have taken place; it's beginning to feel a lot like baseball season! Big-league players are not the only ones getting ready for the start of the season at this time, though. Fantasy players are now putting the work in to prepare for […]

Mitch Haniger Returns To Game Action

Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger (back, groin) made his long-awaited return to the baseball diamond on Sunday, picking up one hit in two at-bats. It's been a difficult road back for Haniger, who fouled off a Justin Verlander pitch into his groin in June of 2019, resulting in a ruptured testicle. That injury was just the […]

Jeter Downs Impresses In Spring Debut

Boston Red Sox shortstop prospect Jeter Downs showcased his massive potential in his spring debut on Sunday against the Twins, going 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI. Downs is MLB.com's 49th-best prospect, and he grades out at least average in all of the five major tools. Given that Downs has only 13 career […]

Bobby Dalbec Starts Off Hot

Boston Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec picked up right where he left off last year, homering in his first at-bat of the spring on Sunday against the Twins. Dalbec was fantastic in his rookie season, hitting a home run every 10 at-bats and slugging .600. It looks like Dalbec will win the Red Sox […]

Alec Bohm Goes Hitless In Spring Debut

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm went 0-for-3 in his first Grapefruit League action on Sunday against the Tigers. The former top-prospect batted an impressive .338 last season with a .400 on-base percentage. The average was aided by a .410 BABIP, but Bohm displayed impressive batted-ball skill posting a 10.3 percent barrel rate and a […]

Mets Extension Talks With Francisco Lindor To Begin Soon

New York Mets team president Sandy Alderson indicated on Monday that extension talks between the team and shortstop Francisco Lindor should begin soon. Lindor is due to be a free agent at the end of the 2021 campaign, so it would be in the Mets' best interest to lock the four-time All-Star to a long-term […]

Top 10 Catchers - Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Catchers perform a mostly thankless job as one of the hardest-working players on the baseball diamond day in and day out. The catcher is also one of the least sought-after players in a fantasy baseball draft although there have been catchers who, in their prime, were worthy of a significant investment such as Mike Piazza, […]

Austin Gomber Fires Two Scoreless Innings In Rockies Debut

Colorado Rockies pitcher Austin Gomber pitched two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring training start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Gomber was making his Rockies debut after coming over from St. Louis in the Nolan Arenado trade earlier this offseason. He was solid over his two frames, allowing one hit with a strikeout. The 27-year-old left-hander pitched […]