Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds: Hard-Hit Rate for Week 23

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers Statcast studs and duds article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two risers and two fallers, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. I wrote about this stat in week 18 and it is one that can help indicate overall pitcher performance; that […]

Champ or Chump: Kevin Cron and Gavin Lux

While September callups are typically associated with Quad-A guys that fantasy owners are never going to hear from again, there were quite a few interesting names summoned this year. Kevin Cron of the Arizona Diamondbacks (and younger brother of C.J. Cron) could produce big power numbers if he gets a chance to play, making him […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 23

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 23! Each week we will take a look at two K% risers and two fallers, analyze what is behind those changes, and then decide if they are actionable. A pitcher can best control their fate by generating swings and misses, so this exercise […]

The Cut List (Week 23) - Time to Let Go?

September. That time of year where non-contending teams will end a player's season over a generally minor injury, or otherwise cut into the playing time of regulars with expanded rosters. While actionable consequences won't really show until next week, it's something to start considering. Fortunately, next season rosters will jump from 26 to 28 instead […]

Buy or Sell: Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 23

Today's piece covers a set of players who either should not be available on waivers or will return back there soon. Most of the earlier editions of this recurring buy or sell article have included several universally owned players whose values have been manipulated enough by early-season performances. Unfortunately, as we get deeper into the year, the […]

Champ or Chump: Ryan McMahon and Victor Robles

Every draft season, it seems like somebody who had a hot September the previous season ends up overdrafted and ruining their fantasy owner's chances. One of the hallmarks of a successful fantasy season is avoiding these pitfalls, but it can be tough to distinguish legitimate breakouts from flashes in the pan. It's still early, but […]

Pitcher Studs and Duds - BABIP for Week 22

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers risers and fallers article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two risers and two fallers, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. I have written about this stat several times in various capacities this season, but it is worth revisiting now that […]

Buy or Sell: Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 22

Today's piece covers a set of players who either should not be available on waivers or will return back there soon. Most of the earlier editions of this recurring buy or sell article have included several universally owned players whose values have been manipulated enough by early-season performances. Unfortunately, as we get deeper into the year, the […]

Exit Velocity Risers/Fallers - Statcast Hitter Analysis (Week 22)

Exit velocity isn't everything. For example, even though we are looking strictly at data from the past month to identify late-season risers or fallers, Aristides Aquino comes in ranked 250th out of 393 batters on this list with an 87.2 MPH exit velocity. He's done OK for himself despite that shortcoming. As always, this is […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 22

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 22! Each week we will take a look at two K% risers and two fallers, analyze what is behind those changes, and then decide if they are actionable. A pitcher can best control their fate by generating swings and misses, so this exercise […]

The Cut List (Week 22) - Time to Let Go?

Welcome to the last Cut List of August. Wait, the last Cut List of August already? Yup, next Sunday is September 1. Most trade deadlines are past, so that option is out the window for big names. At this point, if you want to offload them, it's a cut. The 10-team list has three of […]

Champ or Chump: Will Smith and Rafael Devers

The end of August is always something of a turning point for this column. Many roto leagues are basically over, while owners in H2H formats are either waiting for their playoffs to start or looking ahead to next season. Waiver wires tend to be fairly barren even if your league is still competitive, and your […]

Buy or Sell: Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 21

Today's piece covers a set of players who either should not be available on waivers or will return back there soon. Most of the earlier editions of this recurring buy or sell article have included several universally owned players whose values have been manipulated enough by early-season performances. Unfortunately, as we get deeper into the year, the […]

The Cut List (Week 21) - Time to Let Go?

Thank you to Austyn Varney for filling in at the Cut List last week. Crunch time is approaching. If you're like me, you have multiple leads that are evaporating before your eyes, because fantasy baseball is never easy. Moments that require quick action can strike at any time. If your trade deadline has passed, the […]

Champ or Chump: Josh Rojas and Aristides Aquino

While the top prospects likely to debut in 2019 have largely dried up, players coming up from the minors are probably still the best way to add a new dimension to your roster. The Arizona Diamondbacks have summoned Josh Rojas from the minors to play a utility role, and he has a chance to be […]

Statcast Slider Usage Studs and Duds for Week 20

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers advanced stats and StatCast studs and duds article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two studs and two duds, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. Last week I used Statcast's pitch arsenal tab to look at starters' four-seam fastball usage and […]

Rolling xwOBA Risers/Fallers - Statcast Hitter Analysis (Week 20)

Statcast just keeps getting better. Rather than having to manually run searches with advanced filtering, a new feature has been added to display a rolling xwOBA leaderboard for both pitchers and hitters. In this series, we'll naturally focus on the hitters to see who is rising and falling over their past 50 plate appearances. We […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 20

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 20! Each week we will take a look at two K% risers and two fallers, analyze what is behind those changes, and then decide if they are actionable. A pitcher can best control their fate by generating swings and misses, so this exercise […]

The Cut List (Week 20) - Time to Let Go?

It's now really getting to that point in the fantasy season where cuts are going to be highly based on statistical needs, which are much more obvious now than they were in April and May. This is more true of hitters, whose production in each statistic can vary more widely than for pitchers. Additionally, with the […]

Buy or Sell: Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 20

Today's piece covers a set of players who either should not be available on waivers or will return back there soon. Most of the earlier editions of this recurring buy or sell article have included several universally owned players whose values have been manipulated enough by early-season performances. Unfortunately, as we get deeper into the year, the […]

Statcast Fastball Usage Studs and Duds for Week 19

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers advanced stats and StatCast studs and duds article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two studs and two duds, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. This week I will be using Statcast's pitch arsenal tab to look at starters' four-seam fastball […]

Champ or Chump: Trent Grisham and Anthony Santander

With NFL training camps getting started, it can be easy to abandon an underperforming fantasy baseball roster and start looking toward different sports. Your rivals might also fall into this trap, giving you an opportunity to charge up the standings and salvage your fantasy baseball season. Owners who stopped paying attention are unlikely to have […]

Mets Muddle the Trade Deadline

Thought to be sellers, the New York Mets were 52 -55 at the MLB trade deadline, putting them 11 games back in NL East, and 4.5 games back in the Wild Card race. But the Mets continued to confound their fan base by not only failing to sell the valuable assets that everyone assumed that […]

Identifying Burnout for Starting Pitchers (Before It's Too Late!)

We live in the era of data. There are numbers everywhere, and more than in any other place (in the context of sports), in baseball. Statistics have been a fundamental part of the batted-ball rounds for decades now. And as couldn't be otherwise, more and more franchises are at the cutting edge, putting analysis to […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 19

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 19! Each week we will take a look at two K% risers and two fallers, analyze what is behind those changes, and then decide if they are actionable. A pitcher can best control their fate by generating swings and misses, so this exercise […]

The Cut List (Week 19) - Time to Let Go?

The trade deadline has come and gone. Arguably only one widely-rostered player, Luke Jackson, became unusable thanks to a trade at the deadline. So not much has changed around here. It's now really getting to that point in the fantasy season where cuts are going to be highly based on statistical needs, which are much […]

Buy or Sell: Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 19

Today's piece covers a set of players who either should not be available on waivers or will return back there soon. Most of the earlier editions of this recurring buy or sell article have included several universally owned players whose values have been manipulated enough by early-season performances. Unfortunately, as we get deeper into the year, the […]

Jesús Aguilar Heads to Rays - Fantasy Implications

In what can be considered an overlooked trade by the standards of a deadline day (Greinke to Houston, Stroman to Mets, etc), both Tampa and Milwaukee engaged into discussions and finished the day with a deal. The operation ended being a one-for-one trade with a hitter going in one direction and a relief pitcher the […]

Under-the-Radar Hitters On the Move

As it came, it went. We've just flipped our calendars to August and, opposite to what has been the norm forever, there will be no more impact trades this season as the MLB opted to install a hard deadline on July 31st. Everything that had to move, moved. Everything that had to stay put, stayed. […]