Statcast Hitter Analysis - xSLG Risers/Fallers (Week 20)

We've looked at expected slugging numbers in comparison to actual slugging percentage before, so I'll spare you the full explanation. In this edition, we'll look at the last month's worth of data only to find risers and fallers for possible buy, sell, add or drop possibilities. Many fantasy baseball owners are starting to see the […]

Champ or Chump: Ken Giles and Roberto Osuna

This column doesn't usually venture into relievers, as I generally believe that their small sample sizes and dependence on saves (a stat that basically measures how much a manager trusts a given guy for whatever reason) make a quantitative analysis moot. However, I (and many others) have struggled with Houston's decision to give up real […]

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

Welcome to Week 20 of the Cut List. This week I’m taking a look at Starlin Castro, Jon Lester, Jed Lowrie, and Eric Thames. I explain why each player should be dropped in most standard shallow leagues. Last week’s cut candidates (Cesar Hernandez, Matt Kemp, Asdrubal Cabrera, Tim Anderson) went a combined 16-for-66 with seven […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 20

If your league doesn't have a trade deadline before September (or at all), you still have plenty of time to wheel and deal for the playoff stretch. Most of us, however, are up against Father Time and his ceaseless battle to rob us of our most precious commodity. If you're in the market to make […]

Power Risers/Fallers for Week 19: Buy or Sell?

Welcome to Week 19 of the 2018 MLB season and a new week of our investigation into the steepest power trenders in baseball, whether those trends are positive or negative. As the season has blown by into August and the MLB trade deadline has passed, the window of opportunity to snag a surging slugger or […]

Champ or Chump: Francisco Cervelli and J.A. Happ

We've reached a point of the year where choosing players for this column becomes more difficult. There's still plenty of season left, so it's too early to shift gears to 2019. Yet fantasy trade deadlines are rapidly approaching, making it impossible to acquire any player not currently on your roster or on a waiver wire […]

Champ or Chump: Asdrubal Cabrera and Nathan Eovaldi

We're back to cover a few more guys who moved at the Trade Deadline. I didn't mention Lance Lynn before, but his acquisition by the Yankees was strange. The ball flies out of Yankee Bandbox, and Lynn had a severe case of gopheritis in Minnesota. He's not an option in any competitive format. This column […]

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

Welcome to Week 19 of the Cut List. Special thanks to Kyle Bishop for filling in for me last week while I was out of town on vacation in northern Minnesota. His cut suggestions were pretty much fantastic. This week I’m taking a look at Cesar Hernandez, Matt Kemp, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Tim Anderson. All […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 19

The deals are finally done, or at least most of the ones that matter. You've probably read our MLB Trade Deadline breakdown by now, but it's time to get deeper by looking at some of the names that weren't making headline news over the past week. Scouting players who may be undervalued and re-assessing players who […]

Brian Dozier To Dodgers - Fantasy Impact

Brian Dozier spent the first six-and-a-half years of his career with the Minnesota Twins. There, he became a fan favorite while hitting more than 25 home runs three times and anchoring the second base position next to another Twins hero in first baseman Joe Mauer. All that came to an end though, at the 2018 […]

Champ or Chump: Tommy Pham and Brian Dozier

The Trade Deadline has passed, but the dust is yet to settle for fantasy purposes. The Brewers acquired Jonathan Schoop to apparently share two positions with Travis Shaw and Mike Moustakas. You probably don't want to count on anybody in the timeshare until it's clear how often everyone will play. Jonathan Villar figures to get […]

Power Risers/Fallers for Week 18: Buy or Sell?

Welcome to Week 18 of the 2018 MLB season and a new week of our investigation into the steepest power trenders in baseball, whether those trends are positive or negative. As the season has blown by into August and the MLB trade deadline has passed, the window of opportunity to snag a surging slugger or […]

Statcast Hitter Analysis - Left-Handed xwOBA Splits (Week 18)

A left-handed pitcher takes the mound, a left-handed batter hits the bench. We see it all too often, especially in the later innings when managers love to play the same-handed split matchups in the bullpen. Your star players (does Bryce Harper still count?) won't be affected, but many others will. Not all left-handed batters suffer […]

Potential Risers/Fallers After the MLB Trade Deadline

The MLB Trade Deadline is one of the most exciting parts of the baseball season. Contenders get to bolster their rosters for the playoff push while rebuilding clubs get to add potential studs to their growing farm system. With players such Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Mike Moustakas and many others already moved, teams around the […]

Champ or Chump: Cole Hamels and Mike Moustakas

The moves just keep on coming. Joakim Soria no longer has an obvious path to saves, so he can be dropped in most formats. Luke Voit, Chasen Shreve, Jonny Venters, and Ryan Pressly are not fantasy-relevant in most formats regardless of their home park. Eduardo Escobar is heading to the desert, where a superior lineup […]

The Cut List (Week 18): Time to Let Go?

Welcome to Week 18 of the Cut List. I'm your guest host this time around, filling in for usual steward Conor McElheney. Longtime RotoBallers may recall that I covered this beat last season. Hopefully your remembrances aren't rooted in anger after I gave you bad advice!  The format this year is a bit different, but […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 18

In a relatively active week on the MLB trade market, we now have several impactful moves to digest from a fantasy standpoint. While real-life GMs always assume trades will work in their team's benefit, the reality is that not all players are able to adapt to their new team in a positive way. With more […]

Power Risers/Fallers for Week 17: Buy or Sell?

Welcome to Week 17 of the 2018 MLB season and a new week of our investigation into the steepest power trenders in baseball, whether those trends are positive or negative. As the season is already nearing the beginning of August, the window of opportunity to snag a surging slugger or to deal a down-and-out disappointment […]

Champ or Chump: Dereck Rodriguez and Willie Calhoun

The moves continue to trickle in. Zach Britton is heading to the Bronx, where he figures to have zero fantasy value as the team's sixth-best reliever (if he proves he's healthy). Brad Brach got the first save opportunity in Baltimore after Britton left, but the team has a bunch of arms who could receive ninth […]

Champ or Chump: Zach Eflin and Manny Machado

The Trade Deadline moves started early, with Manny Machado heading to Hollywood. Elite players are likely to remain elite regardless of where they play, but Machado's fantasy value is probably due for a slight hit. Brad Hand and Jeurys Familia are the other notable fantasy options on the move, and both figure to see a […]

Statcast Hitter Risers/Fallers - BA vs Defensive Shifts (Week 17)

Defensive shifts have become a controversial topic, believe it or not, as some people actually contend it is "ruining the game." Recently fired skipper Mike Matheny was in that camp and may have been given the axe in part due to his unwillingness to embrace analytics or any of the changes in modern baseball. Given that […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers for Week 17: Buy or Sell?

Due to a combination of harder throwers and hitters focusing on hitting for power, strikeouts are at an all-time high in baseball. For pitchers, this is an ideal trend. The ability to generate swings and misses is the most important skill to possess, as it's the only true way to control what happens after the […]

The Cut List (Week 17): Time to Let Go?

Welcome to Week 17 of the Cut List. This week I took a peek at Ender Inciarte, Jake Lamb, Carlos Santana, and Jurickson Profar. All four players should be cut in all shallow standard leagues. Each player listed in the “better options” section will serve you better in the long run, so don’t gloss over […]

The Shift is a Problem for Bryce Harper, But Not the Only Problem

Going into the break one of the hottest topics in baseball was the struggles of Bryce Harper. From a real baseball perspective Harper has still been above average at the plate with a 119 wRC+ and .351 wOBA, but he hasn’t been the first-round caliber player that we expected going into the season. This is […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 17

We've been wheeling and dealing all season (at least hypothetically), but now's the time when the real moves are made. One of the biggest risk-reward propositions a fantasy owner can undertake is to buy or sell a player based purely on speculation of a real-life trade. We know many of the higher profile names who […]

Midseason Review: Kyle Bishop's Bold Predictions

In my first three seasons of writing this piece, I did well enough. Always a few clunkers, but generally nailing a couple and being in general vicinity on a couple more. 2018 has not been so kind. The spirit of the exercise is lighthearted even though it’s tilted toward failure if you’re being truly bold. […]

Power Risers/Fallers for Week 16: Buy or Sell?

Welcome to Week 16 of the 2018 MLB season and a new week of our investigation into the steepest power trenders in baseball, whether those trends are positive or negative. As the season has already hit the All-Star Break, the window of opportunity to snag a surging slugger or to deal a down-and-out disappointment grows […]

Champ or Chump: Nick Markakis and Matt Kemp

It's officially the All-Star Break, a time when it's always fun to take a closer look at who was on the rosters. You have surefire studs like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. You have guys who came out of nowhere such as Blake Snell and Jesus Aguilar. Finally, you have elder statesmen like Nick Markakis […]

Champ or Chump: Enyel De Los Santos and Jake Bauers

Several rookie pitchers have been sent down to the minors in recent days, including a few that we've previously examined in this column (Walker Buehler, Freddy Peralta). Teams are just manipulating their rosters in light of the upcoming All Star break though, so there's no need to panic if you've invested in them. Speaking of […]