Tigers Sign Julio Teheran

The Detroit Tigers have signed pitcher Julio Teheran and he has been invited to join the team for spring training. If he makes the team, he will earn a base salary of $3 million with incentives. Teheran spent the 2020 season with the Los Angeles Angels and had a dreadful year, making nine starts and […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: HR/FB

Using BABIP to predict a player's batting average is great. Batting average is a category in many league formats, and every hit is an opportunity to steal a base or score a run. But most fantasy managers find the long ball sexier. Every HR comes with a guaranteed run scored and at least one RBI. […]

Andrew Benintendi and Franchy Cordero Trade - Fantasy Impacts

We've seen a few blockbuster trades so far this offseason. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco went to the Mets, while Yu Darvish and Blake Snell went to the Padres. These trades have significant fantasy implications, but it's important to also consider the impact of a minor trade that went down about a week ago, where […]

Elias Diaz Could Be Rockies Starting Catcher

Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz has a great chance to begin the year as the Rockies starting catcher in 2021. Thomas Harding of MLB.com stated that Diaz will get the "first shot to become a regular" and that "the Rockies are projected to partner Diaz with rookie Dom Nunez" this season. Colorado didn't bring back […]

Prioritizing Steals in Drafts - Hoard or Punt?

Steals are projected to be the hardest stat to rack up in fantasy baseball in 2021, and ATC projects only 24 hitters to eclipse the 20 stolen base mark this season. As a result, hitters who can produce on the basepaths have earned expensive ADPs, with two-thirds of the 24 hitters projected to steal at […]

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 2)

Welcome back RotoBallers to Part 2 of my dynasty prospects list, breaking down the 51-150 ranked prospects. You can also read Part 1 and Part 3 from a few days ago, looking at the 1-50 and 151-250 ranked prospects. RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has […]

Yankees Re-Sign Brett Gardner

New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner signed what is likely to be a one-year contract with the team on Friday. Gardner had played with the Yankees for his entire 13-year MLB career coming into 2021 and had always expressed a desire to return to the club for his 14th season, but the team's payroll and […]

Pirates Talking To Todd Frazier

The Pittsburgh Pirates are talking to free-agent third baseman Todd Frazier about a minor league deal, but nothing is finalized yet. Frazier hit .236/.302/.382 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 45 games with the Rangers and Mets during the shortened 2020 season. In his last full season in 2019 with the Mets, the […]

Ian Happ Wins Arbitration Case

Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ won his arbitration case against the team and will be paid $4.1 million this upcoming season. The Cubs had filed for $3.25 million, but after a strong season in 2020, Happ came out on top. The outfielder hit .258 with 12 home runs and 28 RBI this past season and […]

Don't Sleep On Adrian Morejon

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Adrian Morejon may not even have a roster spot right away in 2021 given the team's starting rotation and bullpen depth, but the 21-year-old left-hander has overpowering stuff. Morejon has an average fastball velocity of 96.6 mph and posted a 57 percent whiff rate on his knuckle-change in 2020. He […]

A Breakout Coming For Kyle Wright?

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kyle Wright is one of the team's most heralded pitching prospects, which is saying something considering the team also has Max Fried and Mike Soroka in their starting rotation. The fifth overall pick in 2017 had a 1.80 ERA over his final three regular season starts and Game 3 of the […]

Zach Eflin Overshadowed In Phillies Rotation

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zach Eflin has been overshadowed by Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler in the team's rotation, and he hasn't been that great with a 4.63 ERA and 7.3 K/9 in his five-year career. But the right-hander struck out 70 in 59 innings (28.6 percent strikeout rate) while posting a 6.1 percent walk […]

Spencer Howard Has A Devastating Slider

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Spencer Howard didn't live up to expectations as the team's top prospect last year, but he showed flashes of his potential. The 24-year-old right-hander sat at 94 mph with his fastball and touched 97 mph and displayed a devastating slider that held opponents to a .217 average while generating whiffs on […]

Trevor Rogers Could Become Fantasy Relevant In 2021

Miami Marlins left-handed starting pitcher Trevor Rogers made his MLB debut in 2020 and had an ugly 6.11 ERA, but he touched 96 mph in his debut with an easy delivery. His slider and changeup missed plenty of bats as well, helping him to a 30 percent strikeout rate. When you combine that kind of […]

Nate Pearson's Secondary Pitches Make Him Intriguing

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Nate Pearson debuted last July to much fanfare, but he had a sky-high 16 percent walk rate and was among the worst starters in baseball at locating his pitches in 2020. The right-hander can hit triple digits on the radar gun and has a slider with good depth, a big […]

Griffin Canning's Curveball Could Take Him To Next Level

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Griffin Canning had a slow start last season but posted a 3.14 ERA in his last five starts of 2020, capped by a career-high 10-strikeout performance against a potent Padres lineup while holding them to one run and two hits over six innings. The 24-year-old had a 47 percent whiff […]

Tarik Skubal Has Electric Stuff

Detroit Tigers left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal skyrocketed up prospect lists in 2019 after racking up 179 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings (13.1 K/9) in the minors, and he showed some of his electric stuff (94.4 average mph, 2,422 rpm average spin rate on his heater) in 2020. But the 24-year-old finished with a 5.63 ERA […]

Jesus Luzardo Poised For A Breakout?

Oakland Athletics left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo made his first nine career starts in 2020 and had a 4.12 ERA (101 ERA+), but he had a 45 percent whiff rate on curveballs and changeups. The 23-year-old would've also had a 2.93 ERA on the year if two of his poor starts, in which he allowed four […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Healthy Heading Into 2021 Season

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (heart), who missed all of the 2020 season after being diagnosed with myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) related to COVID-19, is feeling normal and is ready to take his spot in the team's starting rotation. The 27-year-old left-hander had a career-best season in 2019 with a 3.81 ERA, […]

Tigers Considering Signing Rick Porcello

The Detroit Tigers are looking for another pitcher to bolster their starting rotation. They are currently considering a reunion with Rick Porcello, who pitched for the team from 2009 to 2014. The Tigers and Porcello are reportedly still not in agreement on the terms of the deal. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has hinted that the […]

Edward Cabrera Dealing With An Inflamed Nerve

Miami Marlins pitching prospect Edward Cabrera is reportedly dealing with an inflamed nerve in his right (throwing) biceps. He is with the team in spring camp, but has been shut down from throwing for now. For now, it doesn't seem like the team is particularly worried about the injury, but Cabrera missed time with arm […]

Mike Soroka Still A Question Mark For Opening Day

Atlanta Braves starter Mike Soroka (Achilles) is making excellent progress in his recovery from Achilles surgery, but it is unclear whether he will be ready for Opening Day. The Canadian right-hander tore his Achilles tendon after just three starts in 2020, derailing the momentum from his phenomenal 2019 campaign. Soroka still needs to pass some […]

Kenley Jansen Expected To Close To Start 2021

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen is expected to serve as the team's closer to start the 2021 season, according to manager Dave Roberts. Jansen struggled during the 2020 postseason and recorded an ERA over 3.00 in the regular season for the third straight year. The 33-year-old is no longer the dominant ninth-inning option he […]

Failure to Launch: Hitters With Falling Launch Angles

Launch angle is important. There is a sweet spot for launch angles and the hitters that hit the highest shares of their batted balls in those angles will have more success than the rest of the league. The reverse is also true. If you are consistently hitting the ball straight in the air or directly into […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook - February 19th

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. Well, things are at least a little more […]

Mets Sign Taijuan Walker

The New York Mets have signed right-handed starting pitcher Taijuan Walker to a deal. The terms of the contract have not yet been disclosed. In 2020, over 11 starts and 53 1/3 innings pitched between the Mariners and Blue Jays, Walker posted a 2.70 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and a 50:19 K:BB. For his career, […]

Playing For Keeps: Making Keeper Decisions for 2021

Spring training is officially underway, and with that comes the start of fantasy baseball draft season. While the majority of people participate in redraft leagues, keeper formats are also popular, and fantasy managers in those leagues are already weighing their decisions on which players to retain and which to toss back into the pool for […]

Fantasy Baseball Outfield Draft Values - The King and Pocket Aces Ep. 2

In this episode of The King and Pockets Aces, RotoBaller's Scott "The King" Engel and Anthony "Pocket Aces" Aniano share their highly charged Fantasy insights. They look at the latest and upcoming NFL player moves, the Hot Stove headlines, provide Fantasy Basketball player breakdowns, and ready you for the DFS NASCAR season with strategy tips. […]

Matt Harvey May Not Start For Orioles

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Thursday that he will keep his options open with newly signed pitcher Matt Harvey. In terms of whether Harvey would be considered as a starter or a bullpen option, Hyde said: "Nothing is set in stone and we're just going to give him an opportunity to make the team." […]

Trey Mancini Reports Early To Camp Thursday

Baltimore Orioles first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini "looked really good" during Thursday's training sessions, per manager Brandon Hyde. Mancini fielded ground balls and hit as well. The 28-year-old missed the entirety of the 2020 season receiving treatment for colon cancer, so it is great news to see him back on the field. Mancini posted career numbers […]