Collin McHugh Hopes To Put Awful Spring Behind Him

For Houston Astros starter Collin McHugh, Opening Day cannot come soon enough. The 31-year-old will return to the Astros rotation in 2019 after pitching out of the bullpen last season. McHugh won 43 games from 2014-16 but an elbow injury briefly derailed a promising career. Now with teammate Lance McCullers Jr. out for the season, […]

Framber Valdez Ready To Take Step Forward

Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez has enjoyed a solid spring training as he prepares to be a part of the rotation in 2019. Valdez was called up mid-season last year and performed admirably, going 4-1 with a 2.19 in eight games, five of those appearances being starts. The 25-year-old allowed only 22 hits in 37 […]

Derek Holland Lacks Fantasy Appeal

San Francisco Giants starter Derek Holland has endured a shaky spring, but fantasy owners should pay no attention to that for the beginning of the season. The left-hander enjoyed a bounce back season in 2018, posting a 3.57 ERA over 30 starts. The veteran knows how to pitch and should be in line to eat […]

Jeff Samardzija's Health Bolsters Giants Rotation

San Francisco Giants starter Jeff Samardzija is in line to begin the season healthy and should help solidify the Giants rotation. Samardzija made only 10 starts last season and underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason. Known for taking the ball every fifth day, Samardzija certainly is entering unchartered territory this season. The right-hander posted his […]

Madison Bumgarner Finishes Up Bumpy Spring

San Francisco Giants starter Madison Bumgarner did little to quiet the critics during the spring, allowing 35 hits in only 20 2/3 innings with a 8.27 ERA. Of course, reading too deeply into exhibition numbers for a veteran like Bumgarner could be a fatal fantasy mistake. But the 29-year-old southpaw has made only 38 starts […]

Brandon Crawford Looking To Bounce Back In '19

San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford is hitting .205 during exhibition play as spring training winds to a close. The veteran shortstop is coming off a down season in 2018, posting his lowest slugging percentage (.394) since 2014. Crawford 's season capsized in the second half of last season, hitting only .194 while his power […]

Brandon Belt Enjoying A Strong Spring

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is ready to come out of the gate swinging, leading the team in spring training with four home runs while posting a slash line of .405/.479/.738 through 42 at-bats. Buyer beware, however, for fantasy owners. Belt has consistently thrived during spring training, slashing .343/.412/.613 in 10 springs with […]

Can Evan Longoria Return To Form?

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria will begin the 12th season of his career with plenty to prove. Longoria battled injuries in 2018 during a season he would like to forget. The 33-year-old drove in only five runs combined in the months of June and July and posted only a .388 slugging percentage in […]

Frank Schwindel Shows Off In Spring Finale

Kansas City Royals first baseman/catcher Frank Schwindel finally got the chance to show some of his versatility on Sunday as he caught two innings in the team's spring training finale. Schwindel was a catcher throughout college, but he hasn't caught in the minors in years. He looked solid in his debut though, even throwing out […]

Brian Goodwin Waived By Royals

The Kansas City Royals have waived outfielder Brian Goodwin after deciding to use a roster spot on Lucas Duda instead. The 28-year-old struggled mightily last season after showing some potential in Washington the year before, and it looks like this flyer by general manager Dayton Moore won't pan out. Kansas City has taken an approach […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 14 - Statcast Expected Stats

Statcast is a valuable tool for fantasy 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. Our series on how to make sabermetrics more accessible […]

Lucas Duda Wins Roster Spot

The Kansas City Royals have selected the contract for first baseman Lucas Duda. Duda is expected to return to the team as a hybrid first base/designated hitter role and also serve as a left-handed bat off the bench. The 33-year-old filled a similar spot for the team last year when he racked up 14 home […]

Kyle Zimmer Healthy And Effective

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kyle Zimmer may finally see the big leagues in 2019. Zimmer was Kansas City's first-round pick in 2012, taken at No. 5 overall, and he has been a massive bust up to this point. Zimmer's limitation has always been his health, as he's usually been pretty effective when he's actually […]

Dan Straily Released By Marlins

The Miami Marlins have released starter Dan Straily and will be going with their younger arms to start the season. Straily gave up 11 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings this spring, while striking out 14 and walking five. Young fireballer Sandy Alcantara was a surprise choice to start the year and likely took Straily's […]

Pablo Lopez, Trevor Richards Both Make Marlins Rotation

Miami Marlins starter Pablo Lopez has been tabbed to open the season in the rotation, along with Trevor Richards. Both pitchers had impressive springs and will join Jose Urena, Caleb Smith and surprise opener Sandy Alcantara to face a formidable NL East division. Lopez immediately turned heads this spring with a noticeable uptick in his […]

Sandy Alcantara Will Open In Marlins Rotation

Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara will be a part of the Marlins rotation, a surprising development given his struggles to find the plate this spring. He beat out Dan Straily for a spot despite walking 11 batters in 15 spring innings to go with 21 strikeouts. He still pumps a fastball in the upper 90s […]

Sophomores Who Have Fallen Between the Cracks?

Baseball prospects and rookies get covered extensively around baseball, whether we’re referring to just fantasy baseball or the sport in general. What we don’t do overly well, is cover the players that fall between the cracks. What I mean by that is the players that play long enough to lose their rookie eligibility but not […]

Marco Gonzales To Start Home Opener

The Seattle Mariners announced that Marco Gonzales will take the hill in the team's home opener on Thursday versus the Boston Red Sox. Gonzales also got the nod for the M's in the season opener in Japan, giving up three runs over six innings on his way to his first victory of the season. He'll […]

Jeff McNeil Looks Set For Third Base

After bursting onto the scene in 2018, New York Mets utility man Jeff McNeil has settled at third base due to injuries and appears set to be the starter for Opening Day. The 26-year-old began taking reps at third earlier this month and is poised to start there in the absence of both Todd Frazier […]

Aaron Judge Primed For Monster Season

If New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge wouldn't have gotten hurt last season, the American League East pennant race might have ended differently for the Yankees. After all, Judge was enjoying a strong sophomore campaign before missing a month and a half with a broken right wrist. This Spring, the 26-year-old has looked as strong as […]

Zach Britton Flashes Old Form As Spring Concludes

The New York Yankees signed reliever Zach Britton to a three-year contract this offseason after acquiring him via trade from the Orioles last July. While he posted a 2.88 ERA in 25 games for the club, he was still a far cry from his best years in Baltimore, before an Achilles injury. This Spring, however, […]

JaCoby Jones Sprains Shoulder, Tigers Look For Help

Detroit Tigers center fielder JaCoby Jones (shoulder) injured his non-throwing shoulder over the weekend, suffering from what manager Ron Gardenhire called "a little separation in the AC joint." Jones has been atop the center field depth chart all spring, but the Tigers will now have to find a replacement, at least for the short term. […]

Jordan Zimmermann Will Start On Opening Day

The Detroit Tigers announced that veteran pitcher Jordan Zimmermann will be tabbed as the Opening Day starter, giving him the honors for the second straight year. Zimmermann's time in Detroit has been relatively lackluster, and he turned in a 7-8 record in 2018 while posting a 4.52 ERA and just 111 strikeouts in 131 and […]

Yankees See Progress From Gary Sanchez

After a disappointing 2018 campaign, New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez arrived at spring training having slimmed down. Now heading into his fourth season, the 26-year-old began his Spring later than most as the Yankees allowed him some extra time to heal his left shoulder, which underwent surgery in the offseason. While his hitting this […]

Mike Tauchman Earns Final Yankees Roster Spot

Just a day after being acquired from the Colorado Rockies, outfielder Mike Tauchman earned the final roster spot on the New York Yankees for Opening Day. The club made the move for the outfielder as Aaron Hicks will begin the season on the injured list, with Tauchman beating out Tyler Wade for the spot. The 28-year-old […]

Patrick Corbin Goes Six Innings In Last Spring Start

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin threw six innings in his final start of spring training in a split-squad game against the Houston Astros on Sunday, allowing three runs on 10 hits while striking out seven with one walk. Corbin only posted a 4.88 ERA in 24 innings this spring, with three walks and 19 […]

Kike Hernandez To Man Keystone In L.A.

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman/outfielder Kike Hernandez has nailed down the starting second baseman job for manager Dave Roberts. He started at the keystone in Sunday's Freeway Series exhibition against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and handled six chances without incident. Last season he had a career-high 43.9 percent fly-ball ratio which was great […]

Corey Seager Readies For Opening Day As Starter

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was recently named the starting shortstop, and he has picked up the pace in the latter part of spring training in terms of workload. He started Sunday's Freeway Series exhibition game, posting six assists without an error. Seager was slowed in the early part of spring training as a […]

Kenley Jansen Expected To Be Fine After Scare

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (leg) was hit in the right leg by a comebacker during his eighth-inning appearance against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a Freeway Series exhibition game. After the game he said he felt fine, and added that he was removed due to his pitch count, as he is expected […]

Justin Upton Now Dealing With Sprained Toe

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Justin Upton (toe) suffered a sprained left big toe in the first inning of Sunday's Freeway Series exhibition game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was injured in the first inning and he left the game. He said he was injured when he collided with the outfield wall while […]