Who is The First Pick for Fantasy Baseball Drafts in 2024?

We all love the conundrum that comes inherently with having the first pick in a fantasy draft. The first stage is joy. The second stage is thinking about that shiny star being the centerpiece of your burgeoning team. The third stage is unadulterated fear; what happens if your pick fails to live up to the... Read More

2024 Fantasy Baseball Closers and Saves: Bullpen Draft Strategies and Late-Round Targets

As we prepare to navigate another busy fantasy baseball season of drafting, which is the best season we have all year, we need to contemplate how we will tackle the stickiest wicket in fantasy baseball: saves. How we value relief pitchers has changed throughout the last few seasons. We know that relief pitchers are throwing... Read More

Pitcher BABIP: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

While FIP is a useful tool to predict a pitcher's future ERA performance, fantasy managers should remember that ERA, not FIP, is what matters in most formats. This means that we are interested in the "luck" that separates the two statistics. While some of this luck is unpredictable, we can and should predict some of... Read More

FIP/xFIP: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

While we've only examined how to evaluate hitters using advanced stats thus far, sabermetrics are just as useful for pitchers. The first advanced pitching stat most fantasy managers encounter is Fielding Independent Pitching or FIP. FIP measures a pitcher's actual skill instead of the effects of luck or his supporting cast. According to DIPS (Defense... Read More

Plate Discipline: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

No matter how high a particular player's BABIP may be, his average will be mediocre at best if he strikes out too much. This is why fantasy managers have known for years that players like Joey Gallo are potential drains on a fantasy team's batting average. Furthermore, players who whiff a lot tend to continue... Read More

Hitter Batted Ball Distribution: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Fly balls can turn into home runs. Ground balls never do. It would seem as though fantasy baseball managers want their batters to hit nothing but flies, yet this is not always the case. Why would this be? The answer, of course, comes down to batted ball distribution. The league average batted ball distribution in... Read More

HR/FB: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

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. Most fantasy managers find the long ball sexier, though. Every HR comes with a guaranteed run scored and at least one RBI.... Read More

Batter BABIP: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

The most accessible of the fantasy-relevant advanced stats is BABIP, or Batting Average on Balls In Play. It simply measures a player's batting average on balls in play, with outcomes such as strikeouts and home runs removed from consideration. In general, the league average hovers around .300, a nice round number to remember. However, it... Read More

Introduction: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball 2024

Hello fellow RotoBallers! Sabermetrics have become an integral tool for fantasy baseball draft prep, but a concise resource for understanding the basics can be difficult to find. This series will attempt to define and explain all of the metrics fantasy managers may find useful, citing examples of how to use them in the process. Multiple... Read More

Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Strategy - Nailing The Draft

Every year, many fantasy baseball players take on their first dynasty league. As is the case with any format of fantasy baseball, dynasty baseball brings its own unique aspects that no other type of fantasy baseball format brings. This will be the first post of a series to come over the summer discussing dynasty fantasy... Read More

RotoBaller Premium MLB Content Guide and Site Tutorial

Hello, MLB fans, and thanks for joining us here at RotoBaller. Since our inception, we have provided industry-leading MLB rankings and advice from our arsenal of FSWA award-winning writers and analysts. Whether you play in only a family league for fun, are a DFS aficionado, or are a hardcore dynasty league player, we have articles... Read More

RotoBaller's Updated Risers/Fallers Draft Prep Tool

RotoBaller has offered several sets of interactive cheat sheets and draft tools in the past to help fantasy baseball managers prepare for their drafts and the upcoming season. Just in time for the regular season, we have an updated Risers/Fallers Draft Prep Tool!  A special shout out to Connelly Doan for building out this Draft... Read More

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

For the first time in four years, Yahoo's standard point scoring has remained the same in back-to-back seasons - It's a celebration, pitches! That's right, folks; the scoring system on Yahoo in 2023 looks to be the exact same as in 2022. Huge if true. And it is true! Well, at least it is as... Read More

Custom League Rankings Service - Our Experts Create Your Personal Rankings!

The amounts of fantasy players who are participating in Head-to-Head leagues continues to grow, while Rotisserie scoring remains the most enduring and traditional way to play. While the roots of Fantasy Baseball are in the Rotisserie Game, the popularity of Head-to-Head leagues in other sports, especially football, has led to many fantasy types gravitating to... Read More

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

Oh. My. Goodness. After railing and railing about ESPN H2H point leagues over the past few years, the worldwide leader has finally brought change! Perhaps realizing that far more players play head-to-head leagues, ESPN has started leaning into doing better...Well, maybe. Last season, that change came in the form of improved rankings that more accurately... Read More

Custom Draft Rankings for Fantasy Baseball Leagues in 2023

Our fantasy baseball Custom Rankings Service has been expanded for 2023 and now accommodates Points Leagues, Head-To-Head Leagues, Roto Leagues and Category 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 ATC Projections. Playing... Read More

2023 Fantasy Baseball AL Tout Wars Draft Recap

This past Saturday, I was honored to be participating in my first-ever AL Tout Wars draft. The long-standing industry league was kind enough to find my writing and analysis worthy of inclusion into their prestigious league and despite never having participated in an AL-only (or NL-only) league before, I was thrilled to accept. The draft... Read More

Free Fantasy Baseball Draft Cheat Sheets

Hello, fantasy baseball fans, and thanks for joining us here at RotoBaller! Since our inception, we have provided industry-leading MLB rankings, projections, tools, and advice from our arsenal of FSWA award-winning writers and analysts. As we approach the 2023 fantasy baseball season, it is our goal to help our readers prepare for their league's draft... Read More

How To Use RotoBaller’s Free Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Simulator and Draft Assistant Tool

Whether you are learning the rules of a new league, experimenting with new strategies, or just gearing up for the regular season, participating in mock drafts is an essential process of fantasy sports. However, it can be time-consuming to sit through multiple mock drafts, which may not have the exact configurations you want. Fortunately, there... Read More

JB's Bullpen Method Redux 2023: Making FrankenAces Out of Relief Pitchers

Three years ago, I finally published an article breaking down my favorite fantasy baseball strategy I have been using for over a decade. It's really less of a strategy and more of a state of mind. No, the Bullpen Method is a lifestyle. I always speak about the importance of balance on a fantasy team.... Read More

What Should You Do With The First Pick In 2023 Fantasy Baseball Drafts?

Fantasy baseball is back! And with a new draft season comes the usual focus on what to do in the early rounds and then lots of mid-to-late-round sleepers, breakout candidates to draft, and busts to avoid. And if you consume any fantasy baseball – or really any fantasy sports content – you have likely heard... Read More

Third Basemen to Target or Avoid at ADP - Fantasy Baseball Draft Analysis

We continue our ADP positional series with the always interesting hot corner. This position has long been known for power and elite, top-end talent. That's still the case in 2023, but the problem is this position dries up more quickly than it used to. Let's begin by taking a look at third base ADP since... Read More

RotoBaller MLB Content Guide and Site Tutorial

Hello, MLB fans, and thanks for joining us here at RotoBaller. Since our inception, we have provided industry-leading MLB rankings and advice from our arsenal of FSWA award-winning writers and analysts. Whether you play in only a family league for fun, are a DFS aficionado, or are a hardcore dynasty league player, we have articles... Read More

Statcast xStats: Using Sabermetrics for 2023 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 moving forward. Of course, proper use of these metrics is a little bit more nuanced than that. First, a disclaimer: This article is about the... Read More

The Do’s and Don’ts of Fantasy Baseball Draft Preparation

Good draft preparation is one of the most important factors in winning a fantasy baseball league. With so many great resources and advanced stats out there, it’s difficult to know what to do. I’ve put together a list of do’s and don’ts for fantasy baseball draft prep to help you prepare for the 2023 draft... Read More

Nick Mariano's Auction Draft Strategies and Tips for Fantasy Baseball (Premium Content)

This premium article is part of our 2023 Draft Kit. All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Open up those checkbooks, RotoBallers, and welcome to the entertaining format that is auction-based fantasy baseball. This is not a 101-level "how-to" guide, you'll need to know how to click "Bid" and not close... Read More

Statcast Pitch Tracking: Using Sabermetrics for 2023 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... Read More

Spin Rate: Using Sabermetrics for 2023 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. It has also become controversial due to allegations of pitchers using foreign substances to increase their spin. Unfortunately, the baseball world has done a lousy job of conveying what spin... Read More

Pitcher Statcast: Using Sabermetrics for 2023 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... Read More