Is J.T. Realmuto Worth the Draft Cost?

Every year, there seems to be one catcher who stands above all others when it comes to fantasy value and consequently draft price. In 2017, it was Gary Sanchez. In 2018, Salvador Perez. After the 2019 and 2020 seasons, J.T. Realmuto has clearly emerged as the top backstop in fantasy. Catcher is one of the […]

Julio Rodriguez Could Appear In The Majors This Year

Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Julio Rodriguez is only 20 years old, and yet it's possible that he could make his big-league debut for the Mariners in 2021. The right-handed outfielder has been in the news recently for the most unfortunate of reasons, having been unfairly criticized for his English skills by the now-ousted Mariners CEO […]

Yoan Moncada Could Play Sunday Or Monday

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa was told on Thursday that third baseman Yoan Moncada (arm) could play third base on Sunday or Monday in a Cactus League game. Moncada is dealing with some arm soreness in the early days of spring camp, but the White Sox will be careful not to push him […]

Jake Cronenworth To See Some Work In Outfield

San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth will get some looks in the outfield in spring training over the next month. Cronenworth broke out for the Friars last year by hitting .285/.354/.477 to finish second in National League Rookie of the Year voting. He figures to share time at the keystone with Ha-Seong Kim, who […]

Ryan Weathers Building Up As Starter

San Diego Padres left-handed pitching prospect Ryan Weathers, who made his debut in the postseason against the Dodgers with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, is building toward a starter's workload in spring training and was the first pitcher to work multiple innings in a simulated game on Thursday. He used three pitches -- a […]

Padres Won't Get In Yu Darvish's Way

The San Diego Padres don't plan on trying to change starting pitcher Yu Darvish in his first season with the team. He threw a 20-pitch bullpen session on Thursday for the first time this spring and said he felt good. "Had very good control, all in all feeling really good," Darvish said through a team […]

Jarred Kelenic Putting On A Show At Camp

Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic has been putting on a show with towering home runs early in spring camp this week. Kelenic has been compared to former left-handed sluggers Chase Utley and Steve Finley and current Nationals star Juan Soto for his left-handed swing. He's MLB Pipeline's No. 4 overall prospect heading into the […]

Miguel Sano Could See Time At Both Corner Infield Spots

Minnesota Twins first baseman Miguel Sano could also see some time at the hot corner this year. Sano was originally a third baseman by trade, though the team shifted him to first when they signed Josh Donaldson last offseason. The 27-year-old could get some starts at third with the team planning to rest Donaldson more […]

Alex Kirilloff Getting Reps At First Base

Minnesota Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff has been getting repetitions at first base during camp. Kirilloff played at first growing up and seemingly would increase his chances of making the Opening Day roster with added positional versatility, as he can also play both corner outfield spots. The 23-year-old made his major league debut in the playoffs […]

Luke Voit Looking To Walk More In 2021

New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit said that he's focusing on increasing his walk rate for the 2021 season on Thursday. Voit's 7.3% walk rate from last season was one of the only (relative) holes in his game as he led the league in home runs and posted a .948 OPS, and his suppressed […]

Mickey Moniak A Possibility For Job In Center Field

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Mickey Moniak shouldn't be ruled out for the starting job in center field with manager Joe Girardi saying, "I think if you're in camp, you're in the mix," according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The starting center field job in Philadelphia is wide open with Adam Haseley, Roman Quinn, Scott Kingery, and even […]

Blue Jays Add Pitching Depth With Tommy Milone

Left-hander Tommy Milone signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday that included an invitation to spring training. The move gives Toronto some veteran starting depth or a possible long-man for the bullpen. The club also recently signed fellow southpaw Francisco Liriano. Milone hasn't been fantasy relevant for some time although […]

Aaron Nola Aiming For 200 Innings This Season

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola expects to pitch on normal rest this season and wants to make 33-plus starts. Nola said he's preparing his body for a typical workload which he defined as, "Get past the 200-inning mark and 30 starts," according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. That's a lofty goal coming off the pandemic-shortened […]

Zack Wheeler Feels Good After Fingernail Surgery

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler said he feels 100 percent healthy after throwing bullpen sessions in Spring Training. Wheeler ripped a fingernail on his pitching hand last September that caused him to miss a start. This is the second time in his career Wheeler had this surgery and said it is not affecting him […]

Matthew Allan Working With Jacob deGrom

New York Mets right-handed pitching prospect Matthew Allan has been working with Jacob deGrom during the early part of spring training. The Mets have paired Allan with deGrom in nearly all of their drills. They are hoping the 19-year old prospect, who is currently the Mets' fourth-ranked MLB Pipeline prospect, can learn a bit of […]

Kevin Cash Raving About Austin Meadows

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash continues to rave about outfielder Austin Meadows and how he looks really good after dropping weight in the offseason. Meadows played in only 36 games last year while dealing with COVID-19 and a Grade 2 oblique strain, but the 25-year-old broke out in his last full season in 2019 […]

Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez Get On The Field Thursday

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (hamstring) took batting practice on the field on Thursday but remained out of infield drills. Outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (knees) stretched and did some running with the team but remained out of batting practice. Bregman tweaked the same hamstring that caused him to miss some time last year, but […]

Kris Bryant Open To An Extension

Chicago Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant is open to negotiating a contract to remain with the team. Bryant will be eligible to be a free agent for the first time after this season and with Scott Boras as his agent, Bryant is likely to command a large contract either with the Cubs or another suitor. […]

Nick Senzel Will Be Everyday Center Fielder

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell confirmed on Thursday that Nick Senzel will be the team's everyday center fielder heading into the 2021 season. Bell later added, "At one point, everyday may have meant 162 games, but that's not what I mean. We have four outfielders who need to play." With Senzel slated to see regular […]

Didi Gregorius Expected In Camp On Friday

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius is expected to report to camp on Friday, according to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Gregorius has been out due to visa issues, but manager Joe Girardi said this shouldn't affect his ability to be ready for the season. Gregorius had a solid first year in Philadelphia slashing .284/.339/.488 […]

Framber Valdez Could Become Mainstay In Rotation

Houston Astros left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez, who led the team in innings pitched and strikeouts in 2020, posted a 3.57 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 70 2/3 innings while making four stellar starts over 24 frames in the postseason. His 94 2/3 total innings led all of baseball last year, and he had a nice […]

Spencer Torkelson Cuts Finger, Will Miss Spring Games

Detroit Tigers top prospect Spencer Torkelson (finger) cut his finger and is now expected to miss the first set of games of spring training. According to Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, Torkelson suffered the injury while opening a can. Hinch said that Torkelson got his finger stitched up and that the injury is "very mild." The […]

Marco Gonzales Named Opening Day Starter For Mariners

Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais announced on Sunday that lefty Marco Gonzales would be the Mariners Opening Day starter for 2021, the third consecutive year in which Gonzales has received the honor. After yet another steady, under-the-radar season in 2020 in which he posted a 3.10 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, the consistent Gonzales should be […]

Jack Flaherty Named Opening Day Starter

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt announced that right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty will get the Opening Day start against the Cincinnati Reds. Flaherty had a bit of a down season in the abbreviated 2020 campaign, posting a 4.91 ERA, but he was excellent in 2019, with a 2.75 ERA to go with 11 wins. The […]

Edwin Rios Expected To See More Playing Time In 2021

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Edwin Rios will not be an everyday player in 2021 with the newly re-signed Justin Turner back in the fold. Nevertheless, Rios has serious sleeper upside, as the Dodgers will try to preserve the health of the 36-year-old Turner. Rios slashed .250/.301/.645 with eight homers and 17 RBI across 76 at-bats […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook - February 25th

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We've at least made it through the first […]

Emmanuel Clase (RP, CLE) - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers

The Cleveland Indians finished the shortened 2020 season 10 games above .500 and earned a Wild Card spot out of the A.L. Central. They had this success despite key players like Francisco Lindor and Oscar Mercado not performing up to expectations. They also had success despite losing one of their key bullpen arms in Emmanuel […]

Bubba and Bat Flip 72: 2021 Fantasy Starting Pitcher Review PT1- Benched with Bubba (Episode 344)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy) to continue recapping their positional previews with the starting pitcher part 1 review. They will discuss some tough ADP debates, some offseason moves that may have changed the ADP, and more. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like […]

Shohei Ohtani Hits 97 During Live Batting Practice

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (elbow) topped out at 97 mph during live batting practice on Wednesday. The two-way player hasn't pitched regularly since the start of the 2018 season, but he said his right elbow feels "much better compared to last year." The 26-year-old made just two starts in 2020 before straining […]