Starting Pitchers Home Run Luck Analysis for Fantasy Baseball

The three best predictors of earned run average turn out to be strikeouts, walk, and home runs allowed. These are the three components of most advanced ERA metrics (like FIP, xFIP, SIERA, etc.). Adding on stats into these ERA prediction models can help accuracy a bit more, but most of the heavy lifting is done […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (Chase Rates) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

As the MLB and MLBPA keep working towards ending the lockout and getting baseball back into our lives, we've been keeping the offseason content going by digging into some 2021 stats. While we all obviously want the lockout to end, this is a useful time to do your research and have a better understanding of […]

Best Fantasy Baseball Fits for Oakland's Trade Chips

The Oakland A’s might be rebuilding. Or at least something that resembles it to a degree. Of course, that’s purely speculative but Bob Melvin, Mark Canha, and Starling Marte have all departed this winter, and more could follow once the lockout ends. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweeted the following on November 9: GM David Forst of the cash-strapped A’s […]

Rookies to Target for Fantasy Baseball: The Operating Room Ep. 73

Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) and RotoWire's lead prospect analyst James Anderson (@RealJRAnderson) discuss their expectations for the top rookies in fantasy baseball this season. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning between 6-7 AM ET, Saturdays from 3-5 PM, and Sundays from 3-5 PM. You […]

A Year to Remember: Pitchers Coming Off Career Seasons

Each year in baseball, there are those pitchers who somehow sneak their way into Cy Young contention. Just one or two little tweaks could make all the difference and lead to a breakout year. From the aging veterans to the developing youngsters, there’s always a handful of breakthrough stories on the mound. We saw that yet […]

Four Hitters Who Changed Scenes - What Will That Mean?

In case you have been living under a rock, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are currently in the midst of a lockout. As a result, there can be no MLB transactions until the lockout is concluded, while the start of the regular season is now in doubt. I think I speak for everyone […]

Top MLB Prospects Rankings: #101-175 - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

RotoBaller’s fantasy baseball prospects coverage is back. The 2022 season is quickly approaching and while the MLB season still hangs in the balance due to the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement, the minor league season will be unaffected (for players not on the 40-man roster). We’re continuing our 2022 prospect coverage with the comprehensive […]

Pitch Info: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

One of the most fundamental questions in fantasy sports is if a player's current performance is sustainable. More than any other sport, baseball has a slew of statistical measures that can be dissected in numerous ways to analyze player performance. Pitch Info is a publicly-available pitch tracking system that provides a lot of different data to […]

Pitcher Predictability Analysis for Fantasy Baseball

There are different ways to have success as a pitcher. You can have wipe-out stuff, pinpoint command, superior deception, or an arsenal of different pitch types that make it tough for a hitter to see what is coming next. The best pitchers will have all of those things going for them. For this fantasy baseball […]

Late-Round Fantasy Baseball Third Base Targets - NFBC Draft and Hold Leagues

Lockout or not, fantasy baseball drafts have been taking place on several platforms. Sure, we do not know if or when the MLB season will start, but that will not stop us die-hard fantasy players. Some players have been researching for a few months, while some players are just now getting their first looks at […]

Batting Order: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

You may be wondering why there aren't any advanced stats aimed at predicting a player's counting stats like runs and RBI. The answer is simple: modern sabermetrics reject the idea of a "clutch RBI guy" and therefore do not bother inventing predictive metrics for it. Runs and RBI are team-dependent stats and are unhelpful in ascertaining […]

NFBC Cutline with Curtis Jones - Benched with Bubba EP 435

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by NFBC veteran Curtis Jones (@CurtisJonesW). The guys will discuss Curtis's history in the NFBC, his success in the Cutline format, tips and tricks for cutline leagues, and much more. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (Pull Rate) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

As the MLB and MLBPA keep working towards ending the lockout and getting baseball back into our lives, we've been keeping the offseason content going by digging into some 2021 stats. While we all obviously want the lockout to end, this is a useful time to do your research and have a better understanding of […]

Early 2022 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto Mixed Leagues

The 2022 MLB season will hopefully be here before we know it, and similar to previous years we are ready to start releasing our first-cut rankings! Below in this article you'll see our MLB team's early 2022 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings and tiers for 5x5 mixed roto leagues. This time of year is always […]

Early 2022 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings - 5x5 Roto Mixed Leagues

It's still early in the 2022 MLB preseason, but we are ready to rock! In this article you'll find our team's early 2022 fantasy baseball shortstop rankings and tiers for 5x5 mixed roto leagues. This time of year is always exciting for baseball fans and fantasy baseball players, and we are more excited than ever. […]

Failure to Launch: Decreasing Launch Angles and Home Runs for Fantasy Baseball

Once the toast of advanced stats in the baseball universe, average launch angle’s prominence as a performance predictor has taken a step back to other power-focused metrics such as barrel rate and max exit velocity. Perhaps this is because the “launch angle revolution” from a few years ago turned out to be more of a […]

Early 2022 Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto Mixed Leagues

The 2022 MLB season will hopefully arrive before we know it, and questions will need to be answered. Who will be the closer on each MLB team, and how wild will the closer carousel be this year? Which relief pitchers will hold the most value for holds leagues? Below you'll find our early 2022 fantasy […]

AL Outfielders Set to Bust for Fantasy Baseball

In previous seasons, the outfield position has been one of the deepest positions to find top-end talent as well as deeper talent. In 2022, this appears to be the case again as the top-250 players based on ADP are littered with talent at the position. That being said, there are several land mines sprinkled throughout […]

Bubba and Bat Flip 111 - 2022 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Preview - Benched with Bubba (Episode 434)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy). In tonight's episode, the guys continue their positional previews with the second base position. They go over the top 10 in the current ADP, discuss some later targets, some ADP debates, listener questions, and more. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller […]

Pull%: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

We have previously determined that fantasy managers generally prefer batters to hit the ball into the air to have a chance at a home run. Yet, all fly balls are not equal for this purpose. A player can maximize his power production by pulling the ball in the air. One way to illustrate this is […]

Top MLB Prospects Rankings: #176-250 - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

RotoBaller’s fantasy baseball prospects coverage is back. The 2022 season is quickly approaching and while the MLB season hangs in the balance due to the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement, the minor league season will be unaffected (for players not on the 40-man roster). We’re beginning our 2022 prospect coverage with the comprehensive Top […]

Prime-Age Outfielders Set to Break Out for Fantasy Baseball

In modern baseball, we expect players to perform the instant they hit the majors, or shortly afterward. If the player hasn't broken out by age 25, we assume he will never break out. That wasn't always the case, however, as we used to view a player's mid-to-late-20s as the crucial time for a step forward. […]

Late-Round Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Targets - NFBC Draft and Hold Leagues

Welcome back RotoBallers to my ongoing series about NFBC late-round targets - today we take a look at shortstops. We are entering February and that means Fantasy Baseball draft season is ramping up. Sure, we do not know if or when the MLB season will start, but that will not stop us die-hard fantasy players! […]

Injury Risks to Avoid/Target in Fantasy Baseball: Ep. 71 of The Operating Room

Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) and host of the RotoSaurus: High Stakes Heat podcast Dave McDonald (@RunDMcD) discuss players in fantasy baseball who are either injured coming into the 2022 season or have increased risk factors based on prior injuries. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday […]

Pitchers' and Catchers' Report: Volume 2 - Catcher's Corner Episode 23

Eric (@SamskiNYC) and Sami (@Believe_Sami) continue their preseason breakdown of pitchers and catchers being drafted in the same ADP range. They discuss if they'd take Willson Contreras over either Yasmani Grandal or Daulton Varsho and then break down the second tier of starting pitchers to explain why they love Shane Bieber, are back in on […]

Making the Case for Dylan Bundy

Earlier this week, I started writing an article about my favorite late-round starting pitchers for draft-and-hold formats and found myself digging into Dylan Bundy. I wasn't really expecting to find much that would make me want to draft him anywhere, but I was intrigued enough by the projection systems giving him consistent innings in Minnesota […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (xSLG) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

There are stats for everything now. It's great, but it can also be overwhelming at times. Depending on where we look, we can tell ourselves all different types of narratives about a player. As a result, I've always been a proponent of identifying the stats that you find to be most useful/beneficial and focusing on […]

2022's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Robbie Ray: Ep. 72 of The Operating Room

Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) is joined by RotoWire's Senior Editor and host of RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today on SiriusXM, Jeff Erickson (@Jeff_Erickson) to discuss their breakout (or bust) picks for this year that mimic 2021. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning between 6-7 AM ET, […]

HR/FB: Using Sabermetrics for 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. Every HR comes with a guaranteed run scored and at least one RBI. Many […]