Exit Velocity Risers/Fallers - Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds (Week 13)

There's no need to explain exit velocity here, as you are likely well aware of its function and description by now. Followers of this weekly column will remember the Week 7 iteration where we first examined exit velocity leaders. We know that hitters who make hard contact are more apt to collect extra-base hits and it […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 13

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for (hopefully) lucky Week 13! 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 […]

The Cut List (Week 13) - Time to Let Go?

At this point in the season, nearly half over, you should pretty much know what you have on your fantasy team. (Unless you have Jose Ramirez.) Chances are, if you still have a certain frustrating player on your roster -- especially one you drafted -- you've had plenty of chances to remove them but have […]

Buy or Sell: Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 13

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, […]

Champ or Chump: Max Kepler and Josh Bell

If you're in the top third or so of your league's standings, you've probably had more than a couple sleeper picks work out well. Good for you! Of course, sorting through all of those 2019 breakouts represents something of a first-world problem: who's for real, and who's extended hot streak is about to end in […]

Statcast Changeup Movement Profiles for Week 12

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 will be my second installment using Statcast's new pitch movement tab to look at pitchers' […]

xwOBA Leaders - Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds (Week 12)

Today, we will revisit xwOBA to find out who is putting together strong at-bats though Statcast's idea of contact quality as well as plate discipline. I will highlight players who are either vastly outperforming or underachieving on their wOBA compared to expected stats. As a reminder, xwOBA utilizes exit velocity, launch angle and, on certain […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 12

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 12! 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 12) - Time to Let Go?

June is more than half over, meaning the season is nearly half over. And, as usual, some players' tenures on your fantasy team should be all over. One thing we're adding this week is a brief overview of the forcefulness of each cut suggestion. A "strong" endorsement means the player can be cut in pretty […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 12

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, […]

Champ or Chump: Dallas Keuchel and Yordan Alvarez

If you've been following baseball news at all, you probably know that free agents Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel have finally signed with teams (the Braves and Cubs, respectively). You may have read a variety of conspiracy theories about how MLB owners were "cheap" or otherwise unscrupulous in dealing with each pitcher. In truth, teams […]

Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds - Exit Velocity for Week 11

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. This stat is one that we used earlier in the season (see Week 4) but is particularly useful for […]

Hit Distance Leaders - Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds (Week 11)

We're taking another deep dive into the Statcast data this week to find hidden power and to determine whether certain power hitters are legit. In this edition of Statcast Hitter Analysis, we will examine the leaderboard for average hit distance. In this case, the data will interpret the distance of all batted ball events, not […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 11

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 11! 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 11) - Time to Let Go?

It's June 9, an exciting date to some, because it means another Cut List. (Were you thinking some other reason?) Last week's changeup, which involved cut suggestions in three different league sizes--10, 12, and 14/15 teams--continues. Stats are through Friday, June 7. New weekly reminders: Recommendations in one league size obviously apply to smaller leagues. […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 11

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, […]

Sauceda's Slants: Folding Aces

There are very few Fantasy experiences more pleasing than hitting on a late-round sleeper or sneaky waiver acquisition — not unlike the experience of finding a twenty-dollar bill in your pocket that you had completely forgotten. When landing these types of players, common refrain tends to be, “sell high!” But for anyone who’s played in […]

Champ or Chump: Zach Plesac and Mallex Smith

The calendar has officially flipped to June, which means that your league's standings page now contains useful information. No, it's not time to give up on your sixth-place team. Instead, it's time to pinpoint your unique areas of need and then make trade proposals and waiver wire acquisitions accordingly. For example, maybe the league-wide dearth […]

Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds - wOBA-xwOBA Difference for Week 10

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers 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. My first article in this series involved expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) against and I hinted that we could […]

Hard-Hit Leaders - Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds (Week 10)

In the latest edition of Statcast Studs and Duds for offense, we're going to shorten the range of outcomes. I will look at leaders in hard-hit balls over the past month only. Also, rather than simply isolating Hard% as a metric, I am looking at the total leaders in batted ball events that qualify as […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 10

Welcome back to the pitching strikeout rate risers and fallers article series! 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 holds […]

The Cut List (Week 10) - Time to Let Go?

Welcome to June, and to something a little different this week, although it may end up a one-week affair. Today we suggest a couple cuts each at varying league sizes: 10, 12, and 14-15 teams. Recommendations in one league size obviously apply to smaller leagues. You can also feel free to drop a shallower suggestion […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 10

May is coming to an end, but luckily, buy and sell windows are still open on a certain set of players discussed in today's piece. There is nothing worse than seeing one of your guys underperform, but if that is the case, eight times out-of-ten it is most prudent to hold on until they at […]

The King's Insider Report - Meet the Mets' Buy Low Candidates

Last week at Citi Field, a member of the press overheard me mentioning that I was assigned a story about who to “buy low” in fantasy baseball from the New York Mets roster. Since he was a colleague of the person I was speaking with, he easily jumped in and told me to advise that […]

Champ or Chump: Bryan Reynolds and Cavan Biggio

Prospects continue to be called up faster than we can look at them, so we have two more on the docket this week. Bryan Reynolds was a second-round pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2016, but nobody seems to have noticed him raking for the Pirates. Cavan Biggio has big league bloodlines, and his […]

Statcast Curveball Movement Profiles for Week 9

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. For this week we will use Statcast's new pitch movement tab to look at pitchers' curveball […]

xSLG Leaders - Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds (Week 9)

For this week's iteration of Statcast Studs and Duds, it's back to the expected stats. This time, we'll look at slugging percentage by comparing players' Expected Slugging (xSLG) to their actual Slugging (SLG) rates. For those unfamiliar with this metric, Expected Slugging Percentage (xSLG) is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle and, on certain types of […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 9

Welcome back to the pitching strikeout rate risers and fallers article series! 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 holds […]

The Cut List (Week 9) - Time to Let Go?

Happy Memorial Day Weekend. This the already last Cut List of May. Time flies, and so too can a player's fantasy value. Stats are through Friday, May 24. As we say every week: Remember that these recommendations are for standard leagues up to 12 teams, which of course means the players can be dropped in […]