Can Oakland Surprise The League Again?

Teams usually perform close to the expectations they are given at the start of the season. The Oakland Athletics had few expectations coming into the 2012 season. With a projected 79-win season and third place in the American League West, fans expected another rebuilding year. Even at the All-Star Break, the A’s sat at a […]

All Fear (and Draft) the Nationals Rotation

Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, and Gio Gonzalez. That's scary. If only one could draft all five studs and call it a day. Which pitchers will live up to the hype and whom should you draft for your fantasy squad? For some reason, it is widely believed that Fister will occupy the fourth spot […]

Rounds 10-15 Are Starting Pitcher Gold: Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy

Ah starting pitchers. The draft picks that can win you championships come September or be off your team a week after the draft. Despite injuries such as Tommy John surgery being widely unpredictable and break out seasons like the one from Jake Arrieta being few and far between, it's vitally important to prepare a plan as for when […]

David Ortiz: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Bust?

  Buy At Your Own Risk The Boston Red Sox did their damage before December rolled around this offseason, securing Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval to long-term deals to solidify their infield. Combined with full seasons from Mookie Betts and Rusney Castillo, expectations are high in Beantown to become a juggernaut offense. On that note, […]

MLB Closer Breakdown: AL West Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball

  Los Angeles Angels The Angels received Huston Street in a six-player trade in July of last year, and they were not disappointed. He converted 23 of his 24 save chances with the Padres, and would go on to save 17 more games for the Halos in an All-Star caliber season. The 41 saves were […]

MLB Podcast on RotoBaller Radio: Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Draft Strategy

Preseason Fantasy Baseball Analysis: Starting Pitcher Draft Strategy RotoBaller is very excited about the launch of our very own radio station. You can now find our new shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, and on iTunes under podcasts. Every Wednesday night at 9:30 PM EST, RotoBaller co-founder Real Talk Raph and co-host Anthony Aniano of DraftSmashers Radio […]

J.D. Martinez (OF, DET) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

ADP: 114 RANKING STATUS: Overvalued ANALYSIS: Before the season started, the Detroit Tigers took a chance on J.D. Martinez with a minor league contract. They called him up in late April and he rewarded them with a slash line of .315/.358/.553 with 23 home runs, 76 RBI, and 57 R scored. With the departure of Torii […]

Five Players Whose New 2015 Team Will Impact Their Performance (NL Edition)

  The Newbies Spring Training is finally underway, and while some players are still looking for new homes, the dust has mostly settled from the offseason. Odds are that your favorite team is probably not a contender, even with whatever moves they made over the winter, but what about your fantasy team?     Here […]

Three Starting Pitchers Who Will Outperform Their 2015 ADP

  Pitching Gold Mine In football they say defense wins championships. Well in fantasy baseball, pitching wins championships. Cheap pitching, to be specific. Each year I take joy in uncovering hidden gems come draft day, sniping the quality young names that haven’t commanded a heavy price tag yet. In this article I will share three […]

Austin Jackson: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Bounce Back Candidate

  Bounce-Back Candidate in 2015 Once a prospect in the Yankees' system, Austin Jackson was dealt to Detroit prior to the 2010 season as part of a three-team swap that also included names like Curtis Granderson and Max Scherzer. He made an immediate impact that year, posting a .293/.345/.400 triple slash line while scoring 103 […]

Daniel Murphy (2B, NYM) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

CURRENT ADP: 140 RANKINGS STATUS: Undervalued ANALYSIS: New York Met’s second basemen Daniel Murphy is not your typical fantasy stud. His lack of power numbers triggers a red flag to most fantasy owners who know how valuable a power bat can be in their lineup. Murphy’s other attributes like his constant knack for getting base hits and […]

Three First Basemen Who Will Underperform Their 2015 ADP

  The First Base Busts List There are few things that can derail a season faster than drafting a big name bust. You know that guy who took Albert Pujols during his first year with the Angels? No one wants to be that guy. Hopefully this article will help steer you in the right direction. […]

MLB Podcast: Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings & Analysis

Preseason Fantasy Baseball Analysis: The Outfielders RotoBaller is proud to present a unique new take on fantasy sports. With his tongue firmly placed in his cheek your host, the “Living Legend” Joe Gallina, provides you with a great blend of baseball talk featuring sabermetrics and fantasy analysis. Editor’s Note: Be sure to check out all […]

Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta, One-Two Punch

When you sign a $155 million contract over the next 6 years, you are expected to have an immediate impact for your ball club. In a completely expected move, new Chicago Cubs manager Joe Madden announced on March 2nd that the wealthy Jon Lester would be the opening day pitching starter on April 5th. Immediate […]

Top Five Starting Pitchers Due for Regression: Fantasy Baseball Predictions

  The Regression Monster Cometh While it isn’t an end-all, be-all stat – because those don’t exist – FIP is a much better tool for analyzing pitchers and predicting future performance than raw ERA. Case in point: In the past three seasons, the 10 pitchers who outperformed the FIP by the highest margins saw their […]

Save Prospecting: Top Five Non-Closing NL Relief Pitchers

  Every year in fantasy baseball leagues about one third of all the opening day closers lose their jobs due to injury or poor performance. It's just the nature of the game. Below are five NL relievers to watch closely in 2015 who could have significant fantasy baseball value if the closer on their team were to […]

RotoBaller is Obsessed with Baseball and Fantasy Baseball

The passionate writers at RotoBaller have been hard at work all preseason churning out 5-6 articles a day, giving you the relevant MLB news and the best fantasy baseball analysis and advice for your 2015 drafts. And they will continue churning milk into sweet cream for the rest of the MLB preseason. But on this Monday morning, […]

2015 Dynasty / Keeper Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Relief Pitchers

The Final Chapter I considered skipping out on this article because of how volatile the closer position is in fantasy baseball. At the end of the day though, every fantasy team needs closers, dynasty and redraft leagues. Closers are the only relief pitchers we really value in the fantasy baseball community unless you play in a […]

Three Second Basemen Who Will Underperform Their 2015 ADP

  God Help Us All The fantasy outlook at second base is...well, pretty dire. That's a nice way of saying that it stinks. There isn't a single one worth drafting in the first round in all but the largest and deepest leagues, and there really aren't any players at this position I can say I […]

Billy Hamilton: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Sleeper

The Flash, Sometimes While Billy Hamilton didn't steal 100 bases last year, his 56 still were good for the second-mostin the league (Dee Gordon, 64). However, Hamilton left more to be desired last year, with only 72 runs scored and a mediocre .250 batting average. Understandably, Hamilton owners were driven crazy by his inconsistency. It was […]

MLB Closer Breakdown: AL Central Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball

Detroit Tigers The Tigers closer situation is fairly settled, though not exactly awe-inspiring. Joe Nathan is currently set to lock down the ninth inning, with Joakim Soria and Al Alburquerque backing him up. The 40-year-old Nathan is a far cry from the perennial All Star that used to close for the Twins in the 2000s, and […]

Josh Hamilton: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Bust

Stay, Stay Away Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers is an awesome example of a player who can begin to age, fight through injury, and still provide great fantasy value. Miggy had injury issues for the majority of the second half of 2013, but he still returned some great value for those owners who invested with […]

Hitters Advanced Statistics: Keys to Analyzing Fantasy Trends

Advanced statistics are not new. Though as recently as 10 years ago they were the subject of much derision among sportswriters and broadcasters, all but the most hidebound and dusty now acknowledge their existence, with most embracing them at least to some extent. Even Hawk Harrelson-- he of "The Will to Win"-- accepts and uses […]

Taijuan Walker: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Sleeper

Taijuan Walker does not fit the term “sleeper” very well. He was a highly regarded prospect coming into 2014, and his name continued to pop up in trade rumors this offseason including for Justin Upton but the front office held onto their ace. Yet for some reason, there is minimal interest for Walker as a […]

Jimmy Nelson (SP, MIL) – 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

CURRENT ADP: Not Drafted RANKINGS STATUS: Undervalued ANALYSIS: After being a trendy midseason pickup last year, Milwaukee SP Jimmy Nelson struggled with a 4.93 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He  subsequently dropped out of favor with fantasy owners. However, his peripherals suggest he was actually better than he pitched as he posted a 3.78 and 3.92 FIP and xFIP, respectively. […]

MLB Closer Breakdown: AL East Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball

  New York Yankees This is going to be one of the most closely monitored closer competitions in the spring of 2015. The Yankees are currently examining two gigantic (literally) options for the closer spot, in the forms of lefty Andrew Miller and righty Dellin Betances, both of whom throw absolute smoke. Both did plenty […]

Jon Lester (SP, CHC) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

CURRENT ADP: 48 RANKINGS STATUS: Undervalued  Analysis: When a dominant, veteran left handed pitcher makes the jump from American League to National League it is always an intriguing endeavor. That is the case this year for the new ace of the Chicago Cubs Jon Lester. Lester has been masterful in the American League throughout his career […]

Tony Cingrani (SP, CIN) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

CURRENT ADP: 325 RANKINGS STATUS: Undervalued ANALYSIS: An injury to the shoulder and a breakout campaign by Alfredo Simon limited the production of Tony Cingrani in 2014. He was unable to match his rookie season success in which he logged 104.2 innings with a 2.94 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and 120 strikeouts (an incredible 10.4 K/9) […]

Video: Analyzing the Top 3 Closers (RP) That Will Outperform Their ADP

The 2015 fantasy baseball season is fast approaching RotoBallers. We are here to provide you with the most current and in-depth analysis every single day leading up to the busy draft season, and the start of the 2015 MLB season. Several times per week, RotoBaller co-founder Real Talk Raph will review the key player news and […]

Three Outfielders Who Will Underperform Their 2015 ADP

  I'll Take A Pass Personally, I'm not a fan of a “Do Not Draft” list. Given a deep enough league and the right value, there's a point where even J.P. Arencibia can find a loving home. That said, every player comes with a price. Regardless of whether you measure that price in terms of draft […]