March ADP Musings - Overvalued / Undervalued Relief Pitchers

If you've played fantasy baseball long enough, you've heard some variation of the phrase "don't pay for saves" before. If you're new to the fantasy baseball community, you'll get used to it soon enough. The long-form version, for those of you who are indeed trying out fantasy baseball for the first time, is this: bullpen […]

H2H Points Leagues Outfielders - Overvalued & Undervalued

For those fantasy enthusiasts that love the head-to-head competition and being able to trash talk their friends every week, the points league is the ideal setup. For the casual player in this format, it’s common to unknowingly draft using a standard top-300 list from a magazine or website. These lists base themselves on roto formats, […]

Bill Dubiel's 10 Bold Predictions

Oh yeah. You knew @Roto_Dubs was closing this bad boy. After all that soft cheddar you gotta bring that Jordan Hicks FIRE in the ninth! I kid, my colleagues are MOSTLY terrific (*sideways glance at Kyle*). Love doing these every year, no matter how tragic the final results are. This series is a chance to take our […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As we get set for the 2019 MLB season, it's time for our crack staff to reveal their favorite preseason sleepers. We recently polled some of our fantasy baseball writers to get their take on which hitters and pitchers they are targeting the most in the mid-to-late rounds of fantasy drafts. While you've likely heard […]

Intro: Finding Undervalued Players Using Expected Draft Values

At RotoBaller, we are all about bringing you the best analysis in the fantasy sports universe. We’re proud to unveil a draft-season project that looks at the past 10 years of draft data to find undervalued and overvalued players based on Expected Draft Values.  This series introduction will briefly break down our methodology and then […]

Max Scherzer Looks Good In Final Tune-Up

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer allowed three runs in seven innings against the Marlins in his final Grapefruit League start before the regular season on Friday, striking out 12 and walking none. No pitcher had recorded as many strikeouts in a spring training game in nearly four years, when Tyson Ross had 12 K's […]

Neil Walker Homers Off Max Scherzer

Miami Marlins third baseman Neil Walker hit a home run off Nationals starter Max Scherzer on Friday, bringing his on-base percentage in March to .344 and his slugging percentage to .633. That makes four home runs this spring for the veteran, who is slotted to regularly bat third against righties and can also play first base. […]

Howie Kendrick Sees Live Pitching Thursday

Washington Nationals second baseman Howie Kendrick (hamstring) saw live pitching from reliever Tony Sipp on Thursday for the first time since he strained his left hamstring earlier this spring. Manager Dave Martinez is optimistic that both Kendrick and Sipp could be ready for Opening Day, but both players still have hurdles to clear. Kendrick is […]

Garrett Cooper Making Powerful Case To Make Team

Miami Marlins outfielder Garrett Cooper is doing everything he can to crack the Marlins 25-man roster. The 28-year-old went 2-for-3 on Friday, bringing his spring training OPS to .991 with a week to go. The Marlins already have Curtis Granderson, Lewis Brinson locked up to start the season, with only Pete O'Brien as Cooper's main […]

Jorge Alfaro Will Be Marlins Opening Day Catcher

Miami Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro (knee) has been named the team's Opening Day catcher by Don Mattingly. Alfaro has not played in almost three weeks, but will be catching on Saturday when the team faces the Astros. Acquired over the offseason in the J.T. Realmuto trade with the Phillies, Alfaro has been dealing with knee […]

Dexter Fowler Hitting The Ball Harder

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler, who could hit anywhere from second to seventh this year, hit two home runs in the spring game on Thursday against the Yankees and has been making consistent hard contact in camp. He entered Thursday with one extra-base hit in his first 40 spring at-bats, but Fowler has put […]

Matt Carpenter To Play In One More Spring Game

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter, who dealt with back tightness last weekend, plans to play in just one more Grapefruit League game before getting the rest of his at-bats in a minor league setting next week. He plans on being ready for Opening Day next Thursday against Milwaukee. Carpenter had five hits, including three […]

Good News For Greg Bird

New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird was relieved to find out that X-rays and a CT scan on his right elbow came back clean on Friday. Bird was hit by a pitch on his right elbow in a spring game on Wednesday. He did not swing or take ground balls on Friday, but he […]

Clint Frazier Optioned Friday

New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday. The 24-year-old played in just 69 games last year (15 in the majors) due to the effects of a concussion, and he hit just .130 over 46 at-bats with two doubles, one triple, five RBI and three stolen bases in 17 Grapefruit […]

Yu Darvish, Pedro Strop On Track For Opener

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Yu Darvish (finger) and relief pitcher Pedro Strop (hamstring) both threw successful bullpen sessions on Friday and should be ready for the season opener next Thursday. Strop will return to game action either Monday or Tuesday against Boston, which will mark his first outing since March 9. Darvish's next test will […]

Justin Upton, Zack Cozart Should Be Ready

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Justin Upton (knee) and third baseman Zack Cozart (calf) will continue to get extra playing time over the next few days in camp so that they are ready for the season opener next Thursday against the A's. Manager Brad Ausmus thinks both players will avoid the injured list, but the team […]

Shohei Ohtani Completes Final Spring Workout

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (elbow) took part in his final spring workout on Friday and will head to Anaheim on Saturday to continue his rehab from Tommy John surgery. The Japanese two-way star threw 55 times on flat ground, including 35 throws from 50 feet, and he also took 10 swings […]

Joey Gallo Homers In Minor League Game

Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo (groin) homered, grounded out and walked twice as the designated hitter in a Triple-A game on Friday after being sidelined since March 14 with a strained right groin. The left-handed slugger said he was pain-free and ran at about 80 percent. Gallo will continue to receive at-bats in minor league […]

Willie Calhoun Yet To Report To Triple-A

Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun was disappointed to learn he was optioned to Triple-A Nashville and has yet to report to the team. A player has 72 hours to report to a team, according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Calhoun still has a lot of potential at the major league level, but he's going to […]

Brewers, Braves In Mix For Craig Kimbrel

The Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves seem to be the two teams in the mix for free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel with Opening Day next Thursday. The Brewers make even more sense with both relievers Corey Knebel (elbow) and Jeremy Jeffress (shoulder) injured and questionable for the start of the season. Atlanta's bullpen is inexperienced and […]

Bradley Zimmer To Start Season On Injured List

Cleveland Indians outfielder Bradley Zimmer continues to advance in his rehab from right shoulder surgery last July, but he will begin the regular season on the injured list. “[Zimmer] has done a terrific job of rehabbing and things,” manager Terry Francona said. “He’s light years ahead of where we thought he’d be at this time. […]

Jason Kipnis Out 7-10 Days With Calf Strain

Cleveland Indians second baseman/outfielder Jason Kipnis won't do any baseball activities for seven to 10 days after an MRI exam showed a low-grade right calf strain. He has battled tightness in his right calf for the last week and was taken out of Wednesday's spring game after the pain continued. Eric Stamets had some tightness […]

Francisco Lindor To Start On Injured List

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf) will start the season on the injured list. The All-Star has been out since Feb. 6 with a moderate right calf strain but has checked off almost every box in order to get back into major league games. The earliest he can return to the lineup is now April […]

Justin Verlander Seeking Extension Before Season Starts

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said on Friday that both the Astros and starting pitcher Justin Verlander are talking about a contract, and an extension would likely have to be completed before the club breaks camp for the regular season on Sunday. A two-year deal "for more than $60 million" is possible, according to MLB […]

Can Cody Bellinger Take The Next Step?

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger is quietly having a solid spring, slugging .535 through 43 spring at-bats. After a breakout rookie season, Bellinger saw his home runs dip from 39 in 2017 to only 25 last season. He also saw a regression hitting with runners in scoring position, hitting only .245 last season […]

A.J. Pollock's Health Key To '19 Success

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder A.J. Pollock is enjoying a solid spring training with his new team, slashing .289/.389/.556 with three doubles and three home runs in 16 exhibition games. Pollock signed with the Dodgers over the winter and figures to be the team's table-setter at the top of the lineup. There is little denying Pollock's […]

Justin Turner White-Hot At The Dish

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner is absolutely locked in at the plate right now heading towards Opening Day. Turner is a scorching 16-of-35 (.457) in 15 spring games with eight extra-base hits. Turner is a fantastically skilled hitter but staying on the field has been an issue for the 34-year-old. Turner is hitting […]

Andrelton Simmons Suffering Through Dismal Spring

Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons will try and shake off a horrible spring training at the plate when the season begins next weekend. After a fantastic season in 2017, Simmons is only 4-for-34 (.121) this spring with zero extra-base hits. Simmons hit a career-high .292 last season while also posting a .306 batting average […]

Peter Bourjos Having Stellar Spring

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Peter Bourjos is earning a spot on the Opening Day roster, slashing .304/.347/.609 with one triple, three doubles, three home runs and 10 runs batted in through 46 exhibition at-bats. The formerly highly-touted speedster has bounced around the league the past several seasons and is looking to earn a role in […]