2025 Fantasy Baseball Closers and Saves: Bullpen Draft Strategies and Later-Round Targets

You will hear lots of discussion in the offseason on draft strategy for fantasy baseball. It seems it changes annually; for example, people will say things like "shortstop is deep this year" while suggesting "get your corner infielders early." The one position we struggle to define strategy for, year after year, is drafting closers and […]

Custom Rankings User Guide for Head-to-Head Point Leagues (Premium Content)

Whether you used our custom ranks the past four seasons or are brand new, welcome to RotoBaller's Custom Rankings Service! I'm RotoBaller's resident points lothario, Nicklaus Gaut, and I truly believe, both practically and mathematically speaking, that applying the information within these spreadsheets will give you the biggest advantages a points player can have. And […]

ESPN H2H Points League Primer - Strategy, Bargains and Busts for Fantasy Baseball Drafts

With February right around the corner, we're getting into the full swing of the fantasy baseball draft season. ESPN has recently opened up its 2025 draft rooms, and the worldwide leader in platform size also leads the league in leaning into their points format being the default option. Playing on ESPN successfully means properly accounting […]

What is HR/FB Rate? Sabermetrics Glossary for Fantasy Baseball (2025)

Welcome Rotoballers to our overview of HR/FB (home run to fly ball ratio). This article is a deeper dive into HR/FB, and is part of our ongoing series "Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball." In this article, we'll explain why HR/FB is important and how short-term spikes generally aren't predictive of power breakouts in layman's terms […]

Fantasy Baseball Best Ball Draft Strategy Overview (2025) - How To Win Your Best Ball Leagues

Do you want to draft in more fantasy baseball leagues but don’t want more in-season management? Best ball formats may be an excellent option for you! As the best ball format has grown in popularity, so have the options to play on various sites. The most popular place to play best ball is still Fantrax, […]

What is BABIP (for Hitters)? Sabermetrics Glossary for Fantasy Baseball (2025)

Welcome RotoBallers to our overview of BABIP (batting average on balls in play) for hitters. This article is a deeper dive into BABIP for batters, and is part of our ongoing series "Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball". In this article we'll explain what BABIP is, specifically for hitters, and provide a definition that is hopefully […]

How To Play Fantasy Baseball? Rules, Formats, Scoring, Roster Management and More

The 2024 Major League Baseball season is almost here. Technically, it’s already underway with the Dodgers and Padres having played the two-game “Seoul Series.” It’s not too late to join a fantasy baseball league, though. If you are new to fantasy baseball, or trying to figure out if it’s your cup of tea, this is […]

ESPN H2H Fantasy Baseball Points League Primer: Bargains and Busts

Many different kinds of fantasy baseball leagues are calling to the wide variety of fantasy baseball players in the world. Analysis is done frequently for those playing in high-stakes leagues, and not for those playing in smaller, perhaps less competitive, leagues. While many fantasy players flock to snake drafts, many folks still play in points […]

Determining Draft Strategy in Fantasy Baseball Rotisserie vs. Points Leagues Using "Teams in a Vacuum" Concept

What do the experts know? When it comes to rotisserie vs. points leagues, all the fantasy baseball podcasters discuss “drafting Player A in roto but Player B in points.” Are rotisserie and points leagues really that different? Should you draft players in a different order depending on the scoring type? To answer these questions, calculations […]

Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Analysis for Round One Picks (2024)

The first round of fantasy baseball drafts is always the best part. Whoever fantasy managers select with their first pick is who they will rely on the most for the entire season. No matter where you pick in the first round, though, you will be selecting an elite player. All fantasy drafts are stressful, and […]

Fantasy Baseball Auction Draft Strategies and Tips by Nick Mariano (2024)

This premium article is part of our 2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit and a free sample of the expert analysis loaded up in RotoBaller's Draft Kit. Enjoy this premium article for free for a limited time. All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. We salute those of you who sign up […]

JB's Bullpen Method Strategy for 2024: Making FrankenAces Out of Relief Pitchers

Four years ago, our esteemed JB Branson published an article breaking down his favorite fantasy baseball strategy that he’s deployed for over a decade. In his words, the Bullpen Method is a lifestyle that reflects the importance of balance on a fantasy team. Since then he's published this yearly Bullpen Method article, which most recently […]

ESPN H2H Points League Primer - Fantasy Baseball Tips, Draft Targets, and Fades (2024)

Do you need some last-minute advice on attacking your H2H fantasy baseball points league on ESPN? You've come to the right place. While many may think that rotisserie and points rankings are interchangeable and could be used in both settings, they are actually putting themselves at a massive disadvantage. Instead, in order to prepare for […]

How To Prep for Fantasy Baseball Drafts - The Do's and Don'ts

We are nearing the end of winter here in the Midwest. This morning, the sun is shining, the coffee is hot and flavorful, and people are preparing their chore lists for the day. But not us. We are continuing the preparations for the coming fantasy baseball season. Draft season is in full swing for many […]

Fact or Fiction? Determining Whether Starting Pitchers Equal Quarterbacks In Fantasy Using "Teams In A Vacuum" Concept

Do starting pitchers equal quarterbacks when it comes to fantasy sports? In the days of Peyton Manning, there was always a single quarterback in the first-round rankings just like Spencer Strider today. The second-round rankings had Drew Brees and Tony Romo represented in this year’s baseball rankings by Gerrit Cole and Corbin Burnes. But in […]

ATC Projections: Overview and How to Use Them for Fantasy Baseball

As someone who played fantasy football for a lengthier period, the roster size, league depth, and categorical balance remained challenging in fantasy baseball. The player pool becomes difficult to master and understand, especially as the league and roster size grows. Thankfully, projection systems help give us a baseline of numbers of what to expect before […]

Statcast xStats: Using Sabermetrics For 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Statcast is a valuable tool for fantasy baseball analysis, and it can be easy to look at a stat called "Expected Batting Average" and blindly use it as your projection. Of course, proper use of these metrics is a little more nuanced than that. First, a disclaimer: This article is about the "Expected Stats" found […]

Average Draft Position: Making Sense of ADP for Fantasy Baseball

ADP, or Average Draft Position, is one of the most commonly cited statistics in fantasy baseball discourse. It allows owners to look at a single number and quickly determine a player's market value, making it easier to identify potential value picks in a draft. Furthermore, fantasy analysts can use it to determine how a particular […]

Statcast Pitch Tracking: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

When you're evaluating a pitcher by Pitch Info on FanGraphs, sometimes you see pitches that don't seem to accomplish anything. If Pitch X is seldom a strike, rarely chased outside of the zone, and not generating whiffs or a favorable batted line against, why doesn't the pitcher scrap it entirely? Some pitchers could improve by […]

How To Use MLB Prospect Rankings Lists to Win Fantasy Baseball Leagues

There are many excellent sources to get prospect information for MLB fantasy leagues. Some, like Baseball America, have been putting together prospect lists for 30+ years. Others are fairly new to the game but have excellent writers and evaluators to offer plenty of insight. What does all of that mean for your fantasy league, though? […]

Spin Rate: Using Sabermetrics For 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Spin rate has become one of the most recognizable Statcast metrics, with supporters of a given pitcher highlighting his spin rates to make their case. Unfortunately, the baseball world has done a lousy job of conveying what spin rate really means. The result has been a ton of fantasy managers who know spin rate exists, […]

Custom Draft Rankings for Best Ball Leagues in 2024

Our fantasy baseball Custom Rankings Service has been expanded for 2024 and now accommodates Points Leagues, Head-To-Head Leagues, Roto Leagues, Category Leagues, and Best Ball Leagues. Your leagues have their own custom rules and scoring settings. Let us know those details, and we'll generate custom rankings and projections for your specific settings, all powered by […]

RotoBaller Staff Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft - Favorite Picks and Roster Strategies

Mock drafts are an excellent draft-prep tool that simulate the feeling of being in the draft room. In a fantasy baseball mock draft, you can test different strategies and experience the ebbs and flows of a fantasy draft. You can put your rankings to the test and see where your must-have players are being drafted.  […]

Ten Tips: How To Win Fantasy Baseball Snake Drafts

As we prepare to head into the bulk of drafting season, it’s time to lug out the spreadsheets with all of our projections, dive into whichever periodicals you prefer, and come up with this year’s sleepers and top picks. On top of this preparation, however, it’s easy to lose sight of the focus needed to […]

Pitcher Statcast: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Statcast metrics such as Barrels and Brls/BBE are great ways to evaluate a fantasy baseball batter's performance, so it is only natural to assume that the metrics would be predictive for pitchers as well. As much as batters want to hit a Barrel every time, pitchers want to avoid them at all costs. Yet, there […]

Barrels and Brls/BBE: Using Sabermetrics For 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Previously, we looked at how exit velocity is only one piece of the fantasy baseball analysis puzzle. Baseball broadcasts commonly cite Launch Angle (LA) to complement their EV figures, but it is given in terms of degrees. Are we trying to find the hypotenuse of an isosceles triangle? Launch angle is basically a fancy way […]

Exit Velocity (EV): Using Sabermetrics For 2024 Fantasy Baseball

If you've watched a baseball broadcast in the Statcast era, you have undoubtedly noticed the broadcasters commenting on a batted ball's exit velocity or EV. Many have taken to using stats like Hard% and Soft% to forecast how a player should be performing, expecting larger Hard% rates to produce larger BABIP and HR/FB figures. There […]

How To Attack Hitters In The First Three Rounds Of Fantasy Baseball Drafts

We're in the middle of preparing for the most fun thing we will do all year: drafting our fantasy baseball teams. You have probably often heard the idea that you can't win your league with your first picks, but you can sure lose it by starting with bad picks. That being said, let's take a […]

Park Factors: Using Sabermetrics For 2024 Fantasy Baseball

If you have ever selected a streamable pitcher based on a home park or benched an otherwise must-start arm at Coors Field, you already know how much a stadium can impact a player's bottom line. Ballpark factors quantify the influence each stadium has, allowing you to make the most of your fantasy team's real-life schedule. […]