ADP Champ or Chump - C.J. Cron and Robbie Ray

No matter how much you prepare for a draft, what you do in the heat of the moment can reveal who you like and who you don't. I recently completed two Rotoballer Challenge drafts (there's still time to sign up if you haven't yet) and decided that any player I took in both of them […]

Where Do Elite Starters Come From?

Among expert drafts, starting pitchers are coming off the board earlier and more rapidly than in previous years. For instance, the LABR mixed league saw nine starters drafted in the first two rounds in comparison to just six in 2018 and five in 2017. Pitcher selection in expert drafts has been somewhat more aggressive than […]

Breakout Relievers Who'll Keep Succeeding in 2019

"Don't pay for saves." That has always been the advice repeated ad nauseum by veteran fantasy baseball players and while that sentiment is true on the surface, dealing with bullpens in fantasy baseball is a lot murkier in 2019 than it was in 2009. With specialized pitching roles leading to starters being left in the game […]

Cesar Hernandez Is the Bargain 20/20 Player You're Looking For

The Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez has produced solid fantasy results in his last few seasons and it’s time to start taking him seriously in drafts. Second base can be a tricky position to get good value after the first few rounds; Hernandez can help owners later in the draft with a quality option […]

RotoBaller Presents The King and Pocket Aces

Check out the newest podcast team here at RotoBaller HQ, featuring two of the best in the industry. We are thrilled to introduce the awesome duo of Scott "The King" Engel and Anthony "Pocket Aces" Aniano of RotoBaller Radio - tune in below as they discuss the fantasy baseball preseason and get you prepped for your upcoming drafts. […]

Nick Mariano's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

2018 was a banner season for baseball's Marianos, as Mariano Rivera was headed full steam ahead towards a unanimous Hall of Fame entry and yours truly was cruising with the most accurate fantasy baseball ranks of the season per FantasyPros, unbeknownst to me until recently. I'm still riding high off of that and you're all […]

Five Hitters Whose Barrels Rate Makes Them Undervalued

Baseball is back! The nostalgic diamond traditions of cracker jacks, oat sodas and intricately-designed grass patterns have finally returned. Most importantly, the boys of summer are once again fine-tuning their five tools for the upcoming season. In 2016, Major League Baseball expanded its research on exit velocity and launch angle by introducing Barrels. Barrels not […]

Hitter Prospect Risers for 2019

We are thrilled to announce that Marc Hulet has recently joined the RotoBaller team! Marc is also the longest-serving, active writer at FanGraphs. For 10+ years he has been focused on MLB prospects and their fantasy baseball impacts. Follow along all season! I’m kicking off my tenure at Rotoballer with a two-part series looking at the […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 12 - Spin Rate

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 conveying what spin rate really means. The result has been a ton of owners who know that spin rate exists, but […]

Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

2018 was a season to forget for yours truly, both in terms of fantasy performance and hit rate on bold predictions. In the first three years as a participant in this feature, I connected on three per article, with a few others in the realm of respectable. Last year? An 0-fer, and most of them […]

Outfielder Breakouts Due for Regression in 2019

It’s inevitable that we see players breakout in baseball every season. In these scenarios, certain athletes may have a total blindsided outburst that no one anticipated coming, or perhaps it’s a savvy veteran who finally took that next step in their professional development. In either circumstance, we pay up for it in the following season […]

After Hours With RotoBaller Radio: Outfield Preview Show

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. This radio show is sponsored by our good friends over at RT Sports. Be sure to check out their Best Ball leagues, drafting every day, and their awesome contest the RealTime Fantasy Sports Baseball Championship with a […]

The King's Insider Report - New York Mets

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller, with an in-depth look at the New York Mets from the perspective of a former player and current broadcaster who works for a major media outlet in the area, On the condition of anonymity, he […]

Under-the-Radar Pitching Prospects for 2019

We are thrilled to announce that Marc Hulet has recently joined the RotoBaller team! Marc is also the longest-serving, active writer at FanGraphs. For 10+ years he has been focused on MLB prospects and their fantasy baseball impacts. Follow along all season! This week I’ve kicked off my tenure at RotoBaller with a two-part series […]

JB's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

It is such an honor to have been selected to hit lead-off for the 2019 RotoBaller staff Bold Predictions. Sure, I asked for it due to time constraints but that's not how I will tell my story to the grand-kids. Bold predictions are everyone's favorite articles. They are fun, not always entirely plausible, while still […]

Breakout Relievers Due for Regression In 2019

One of the hardest positions to pinpoint fantasy value for each season is a relief pitcher. You have your handful of dominant closers who are fantasy staples, but the remainder of fantasy value usually comes from surprise players who step into the closer role or are starters with reliever eligibility. With the progressing shift towards […]

More Later-Round Closer Candidates - Targets and Avoids

Once you reach the later rounds of drafts, you start thinking about upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. These are the rounds to take risks on more unknown commodities like prospects, forgotten-about veterans, players returning from injuries or players that have previously showed promise but haven't put it all together yet. […]

More Later-Round Starting Pitchers - Targets and Avoids

Once you reach the later rounds of drafts, you start thinking about upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. These are the rounds to take risks on more unknown commodities like prospects, forgotten-about veterans, players returning from injuries or players that have previously showed promise but haven't put it all together yet. […]

One Dollar Bids - Auction Draft Targets

Auction drafts are an interesting animal. This especially comes through at the end of drafts. In a snake draft, that sleeper you really wanted may get picked just before your turn, but if he does get to your spot, he's yours. In an auction draft, someone you had tabbed as a $1 sleeper can be […]

When and How Do You Target Sleepers on Draft Day?

If you're the type of fantasy baseball enthusiast who enjoys the preparation as much as the draft itself, chances are you've been filing away names as potential under-the-radar breakout candidates. Maybe you've got your eye on a young utility player who is one injury away from regular playing time (not that anyone should be rooting […]

Predicting the Top 10 Home Run Hitters of 2019

Last year 14 players hit over 35 or more home runs; the year before that it was 18. The point is, narrowing such an impressive pool of players down to 10 is challenging. The list is realistic but I wanted to be slightly bold as well. It wouldn’t be much of a prediction if we […]

RotoBaller's Weekend Warrior Show: National League Central Preview

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discusses the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. This radio show is sponsored by our good friends over at RT Sports. Be sure to check out their Best Ball leagues, drafting every day, and their awesome contest the RealTime Fantasy Sports Baseball Championship with a […]

2018 Breakout Infielders Due for Regression in 2019

Nothing sinks a fantasy season quite like a bust, and the last thing we want to do as fantasy owners is deal with one of those headaches all season. Last year players like Brian Dozier, Marcell Ozuna, and Jonathan Schoop drove us mad, The goal of this article is to identify an infielder at every […]

Nick Mariano's Early-Round Avoids in H2H Points Leagues (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) are almost all about finding the next superstar and unearthing talent late, but we can't forget that surrendering value by over-drafting can be just as crucial. There's insight out there for most anything, but coverage of points leagues […]

Nick Mariano's Players to Target in H2H Points Leagues (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) usually cater to the biggest stars or the deepest sleepers, but there are very few articles that simply discuss the mid-round targets that deserve a boost in points league formats (even if points veterans will laugh at some […]

How to Avoid Cognitive Bias on Draft Day

Cognitive bias: whether or not we fully understand what it means or how it operates, we have all seen it at one time or another on draft day, regardless of the sport in question. It can take the form of a co-worker who insists on drafting a full roster of players from their favorite hometown […]

2018 Outfielder Busts Who’ll Keep Junking It Up In 2019

The term “bust” in fantasy baseball can have a few different definitions. The distinct meaning is a player who does nothing more than stink up the place. Whether it’s not stealing bases, failure to find the bleachers with home runs, or just flat out not being able to hit the ball anymore, they are a […]

RotoBaller's Nick Mariano Wins Fantasy Baseball Accuracy Competition

So far, 2019 has been a very good year for guys named Mariano. Legendary New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous Major League Baseball Hall of Famer in January. In March, Nick Mariano of RotoBaller, originally of Sleepy Hollow, New York, was announced as the No. 1 Most Accurate Ranker for Fantasy […]

Aaron Hicks Is a Cheaper Version of Tommy Pham

Tommy Pham and Aaron Hicks have a lot in common. Both didn't truly break out until their late 20s. Neither has ever logged 600 plate appearances in a season, thanks to checkered injury histories. They also produced remarkably similar numbers last season. With all that in mind, it's a bit surprising to see such a […]