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... Read More

Identifying Potential Pitcher Breakouts - Biggest Changes in Fastball Usage

Every year, we are looking at different ways to find fantasy baseball breakouts. This is particularly true on the pitching side of things. Pitchers tend to be more volatile in terms of their year-to-year performance than hitters, paving the way for under-the-radar talents to emerge as frontline starters. When that happens, you'll want them on... Read More

Exit Velocity Leaders - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

As we wait for MLB and the MLB Player's Association to work through the lockout issues and move forward with the 2022 baseball season, we've been digging into a few players that stand out as good fantasy investments based on their 2021 Statcast numbers. As with evaluations of any metric, these should be taken as... Read More

Pitch Count Analysis for Fantasy Baseball - Analyzing Last Year's Starting Pitchers

A few things that have been rising rapidly in the last 20 years of Major League Baseball: revenues, player salaries, and the use of data analytics. These three things working in conjunction have led most Major League teams to be very careful with their starting pitchers, especially their best ones. We have seen both total... Read More

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

Welcome back RotoBallers to my ongoing series about NFBC late-round targets - today we take a look at second base. We have entered January, 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... Read More

Using Launch Data to Search for Power Breakouts in Fantasy Baseball

Statcast data is such a beautiful thing. I start a ton of posts like this, but I want to say again - the quantity and richness of this data gives guys like me endless opportunities for statistical analysis. Today, we're going to dive into the hitting pool and focus on launch profiles, with the aim... Read More

Predicting Minor League Hitting Stats for the Majors: Searching for Stickiness in Fantasy Baseball

Of all the fantasy sports, baseball probably allows for the most amount of speculation. Given the nature of the game where players spend at least a couple of years in the minor leagues before getting to the highest level, there is a lot of analysis done on these minor leaguers with the hopes of figuring... Read More

Under-The-Radar MLB Free Agent Sleepers for 2022 Fantasy Baseball

Despite the free agent frenzy that happened before the lockout, there are still a number of significant free agents left on the board, both in real life and fantasy. Hitters like Carlos Correa, Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, and Kyle Schwarber will draw the headlines, as will pitchers like Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw, and rightfully so.... Read More

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

Welcome RotoBallers to my new series about NFBC late-round targets - today we kick things off and take a look at first base. We have entered January, 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... Read More

A Year To Forget: Pitchers Who Will Rebound In 2022

When you draft a pitcher onto your fantasy baseball team, you are hoping they can be a stable source of production. Unfortunately, for these five pitchers, that was not the case. All of them struggled mightily, with four of the five even being either demoted to the minor leagues or the bullpen at one point... Read More

Fantasy Baseball Risers Post-Free Agency

With all the free-agent signings and trades that happened prior to the lockout, plenty has changed ahead of the 2022 season where the fantasy landscape is concerned. The impact of new acquisitions will certainly be felt in fantasy drafts next spring. Corey Knebel, for instance, could see a significant number of save opportunities in Philadelphia next... Read More

2022 Fantasy Breakout Candidates - NL West

We have already broken down the top breakout candidates from the National League Central, National League East, American League West, American League East, and American League Central. In this column, we'll run down players from the National League West, one from each team, who could fit the bill and have breakout campaigns next season. One... Read More

Projecting Power in 2022: Increases in Air% Exit Velocities

Balls come and balls go but regardless of the current offensive environment in baseball, what hasn't changed is our fantasy love of power. But after the happy fun ball days of 2019 and 2020, the MLB went back to the lab in an attempt to deaden some of the bouncy ball hijinks. And deaden they... Read More

A Seam-Sifted Ranger Suárez Looks to Quantum Leap

He was a starter throughout his minor league career but Philadelphia's Ranger Suárez had only seen action from the bullpen in the big leagues before 2021 and again started this past year as a reliever. Suárez dominated from the jump, posting a 1.12 ERA (3.32 FIP) over 40.1 IP, starting as a multi-inning fireman role and... Read More

2022 Fantasy Breakout Candidates - NL Central 

Identifying potential fantasy breakout players in drafts each Spring can be crucial in building a championship-winning roster for fantasy managers. Often times the breakout players, if they do in fact break out, will significantly outperform their draft position and help you find success. It may be a late-round pick performing like a quality contributor who... Read More

2022 Fantasy Breakout Candidates - NL East

One of the keys to a successful fantasy baseball draft, and a subsequently successful season, is finding players who outperform their draft position. By and large, you’re more likely to find those types of players later in drafts. Sure, you’ll find those relatively early-round players who perform at an elite level – think Max Muncy or... Read More

2022 Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates - AL West

Even with the offseason now in full swing with players receiving qualifying offers, it’s never too early to start identifying the players who’ll help your team take the title next season. Of course, impact fantasy players taken near the top of drafts are crucial for fantasy contenders. But, finding breakout candidates late in the draft... Read More

Tyler Stephenson - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

Welcome back RotoBallers! We had the first action of the MLB hot stove period yesterday when Tucker Barnhardt was traded from Cincinnati to the Detroit Tigers. This trade should pave the way for more playing time for Cincinnati’s young backstop Tyler Stephenson. Stephenson is now bound to be a trendy late round pick at the... Read More

2022 Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates - AL East

As Major League Baseball’s postseason starts to move towards a conclusion, the greater fantasy baseball-playing world is probably either still basking in the glow of a fantasy championship or lamenting losses or missteps in coming up short. Either way, it’s never too early to start compiling a list of players who could help you win... Read More

2022 Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates - AL Central

It’s never too early to start laying the groundwork for a fantasy championship run next fall, whether you’re looking to repeat or not. Maybe you found success with 2021 breakout fantasy stars Tyler O’Neill or Cedric Mullins. Maybe you were a big believer in Austin Riley, Jordan Romano, or Jonathan India. Identifying and drafting or adding... Read More

Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - End of Season Review

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s Statcast pitcher Studs and Duds article series! Every week I have selected an advanced stat, chosen two top performers and two under-performers, and analyzed what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. I have covered both Statcast and Fangraphs metrics to help identify hidden value as well as sell-high candidates. With... Read More

Are You For Real? Surprising Pitcher Starts from Week 26

Welcome to Are You For Real?, a weekly column where we look at pitchers who turned in surprisingly good starts and try to determine whether they are the real deal. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, as we go to battle one more time in search of fantasy titles. This week we're... Read More

Are You For Real? Surprising Pitcher Starts from Week 25

Welcome to Are You For Real?, a weekly column where we look at pitchers who turned in surprisingly good starts and try to determine whether they are the real deal. We're already on Week 25, meaning it's the fantasy playoffs in head-to-head leagues, or crunch-time in Roto leagues. Every start, every win, and every strikeout... Read More

Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - SIERA For Week 26

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s Statcast pitcher Studs and Duds article series! Each week I have selected an advanced stat, chosen two top performers and two under-performers, and analyzed what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. As the season winds down, I'll revisit one of my favorite metrics: SIERA.  SIERA is a great metric... Read More

Are You For Real? Surprising Pitcher Starts from Week 24

Welcome to Are You For Real?, a weekly column where we look at pitchers who turned in surprisingly good starts and try to determine whether they are the real deal. This week we're looking at a trio of pitchers who have been around the block for a while, but have come alive recently with some... Read More

Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - Pitch Run Values For Week 25

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s Statcast pitcher Studs and Duds article series! Each week I have selected an advanced stat, chosen two top performers and two under-performers, and analyzed what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. This week I will focus on a stat that describes how particular pitches have performed overall: run value. Run value... Read More

Are You For Real? Surprising Pitcher Starts from Week 23

Welcome to Are You For Real?, a weekly column where we look at pitchers who turned in surprisingly good starts and try to determine whether they are the real deal. This week we're looking at some of the young arms that non-contending teams are using to fill out their rotation for the end of the... Read More

Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - wOBA For Week 24

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s Statcast pitcher Studs and Duds article series! To those of you who have advanced to the fantasy playoffs or have locked up a spot, congratulations! Each week I have selected an advanced stat, chosen two top performers and two under-performers, and analyzed what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. This... Read More

Catcher's Corner Exam Room: Edward Cabrera

Eric Samulski of RotoBaller does a deep dive on Edward Cabrera, analyzing the Miami Marlins starting pitcher and explaining why fantasy baseball managers should be adding him as an upside stash for the end of the season. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning between... Read More