Pedro Strop Has Hamstring Strain

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon announced on Tuesday that closer Pedro Strop is dealing with a mild right hamstring strain. He is able to play catch, but the Cubs will keep him off a mound and out of game-related drills for the next week. Chicago is being especially cautious because of the fact that relief […]

Will Joey Votto's Power Return?

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto had a disappointing 2018 season by his standards, hitting .284 with a .417 on-base percentage, .419 slugging percentage, 125 OPS+ and 131 wRC+. The 34-year-old didn't have his typical second-half resurgence and he lacked a lot of power. Votto actually had a better average exit velocity (88.1 mph) last […]

Cardinals Not Expected To Name Closer Soon

The St. Louis Cardinals aren't expected to name a closer anytime soon, even if reliever Jordan Hicks is likely to get the bulk of the ninth-inning opportunities. Lefty Andrew Miller will also factor into the ninth inning. Alex Reyes and Carlos Martinez are wild cards if they find fits in the bullpen as well. Hicks […]

Carter Kieboom Homers Twice Off Astros Ace

Washington Nationals shortstop prospect Carter Kieboom, ranked No. 25 overall by MLB Pipeline, homered twice off Astros ace Justin Verlander in spring training on Tuesday night. Kieboom started with High-A Potomac last year and made it to Double-A Harrisburg by season's end, hitting .262 with five home runs in 273 plate appearances. Kieboom is currently […]

Francisco Lindor Will Play in a Controlled Game on Wednesday

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf) will play in a "controlled" game in minor league camp on Wednesday. He is expected to get three at bats and will only jog if he puts the ball in play. He will also play what is being called "controlled" defense. Lindor hurt his calf in February and may […]

Jacoby Ellsbury To Report To Camp Sunday

New York Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury (foot) is expected to report to camp on Sunday, and the team will re-introduce him to baseball activities. He's dealing with plantar fasciitis and hasn't appeared in a major league game since October of 2017 due to various injuries. Even if the oft-injured outfielder is healthy this year, he […]

Didi Gregorius Cleared For Non-Contact Swings

New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius (elbow) has been cleared to take dry non-contact swings with his regular bat. He thinks that after a week or two he could resume hitting balls off a tee and in soft toss. Gregorius underwent Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss around half of the season. For […]

CC Sabathia Throws BP

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (heart) faced hitters in live batting practice on Tuesday for the first time since his December angioplasty, tossing 20 pitches. The 38-year-old southpaw will throw a simulated game on Saturday and could pitch in a spring game after that. Sabathia also had right knee surgery in October and […]

Aaron Judge Working On Two-Strike Approach

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who hit his fourth spring homer on Tuesday, has been working on his two-strike approach in recent games to try and reduce his number of strikeouts. "For me, if there's any way I can simplify my already pretty simple swing, I feel like it's going to raise my contact […]

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 […]

Trevor Richards Pushing to Make Marlins Starting Rotation

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Richards has been lights-out so far, and it might just be enough to earn him a spot in the starting rotation. Richards, who struggled last year with a 4-9 record and a 4.42 ERA, has looked completely different this Spring. In 13 innings thus far, Richards has an exceptional 0.90 […]

Miles Mikolas Allows Five Runs on Tuesday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas allowed five runs in five innings of work on Tuesday. Mikolas struggled in Grapefruit League play last season before starring in the regular season, so his slow spring isn't much of a concern. He may have a hard time repeating last season's numbers, but he will still be […]

Corey Kluber Coughs Up Three Runs in First Cactus League Action

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber made his Cactus League debut on Monday and allowed three runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings of work. Kluber had been working in simulated games before Monday's almost-real game debut. It's not the usual dominance expected from Kluber, but it's still early and he'll be ready to […]

Monte Harrison Among Latest Round of Cuts

Miami Marlins outfielder Monte Harrison was part of the latest round of spring training cuts for the Marlins. Harrison, rated as the club's No. 3 prospect, slashed .240/.316/.399 with 19 home runs and 48 RBI in the minor leagues last year. Marlins' skipper Don Mattingly was encouraged by what he saw from Harrison this Spring, […]

Carlos Martinez Expected to Start the Season on the Injured List

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (shoulder) is expected to begin the season on the injured list. There isn't much clarity on how the Cardinals will use Martinez this season, but given his injury, he's likely to at least begin in the bullpen before perhaps working his way back into the rotation in the […]

Francisco Mejia Raking Through 10 Spring Contests

San Diego Padres catcher Francisco Mejia has wasted no time staking his worth during spring training, cracking three homers with a 1.275 OPS through 10 games. As MLB’s No. 26 prospect, the 23-year-old Mejia hopes to get meaningful big league experience in 2019. While his offensive capabilities are highly regarded, Mejia’s registered a sub-.200 average […]

Hunter Renfroe, Franmil Reyes Destined To Split Playing Time

Two San Diego Padres outfielders with uncertain roles in 2019 are Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes. With Manuel Margot and Franchy Cordero competing in center field and Wil Myers manning a corner spot, the outlook for Renfroe and Reyes remains cloudy. With both being right-handed power hitters, their skill sets appear redundant. Renfroe ended 2018 […]

Hunter Strickland On Track For Japan Series

The top closing option for the Seattle Mariners, Hunter Strickland, threw a successful bullpen session on Tuesday and appears to be on track for the team’s two-game series in Japan on March 20. Strickland was experiencing tightness in his lower back last week and hasn't appeared in game action in ten days. The 30-year-old will […]

Mallex Smith Ruled Out For Japan Series

Seattle Mariners center fielder Mallex Smith has officially been ruled out for the team’s two-game trip overseas starting on March 20. He’ll stay back with the minor league club to get in more at-bats as he’s recovering from an elbow injury that he suffered early in the Spring. Smith still has time to get ready […]

Alex Reyes In Contention For Bullpen Role

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes is being considered as either a member of the Opening Day bullpen or as a starter at Triple-A Memphis to begin the season, according to manager Mike Shildt. Reyes didn't appear in a Grapefruit League game until March 5 and has made two one-inning relief outings since. Reyes beginning […]

Max Scherzer To Start On Opening Day

Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer has been named the club's Opening Day starter against the New York Mets. It will be his fourth Opening Day start with the Nationals, and he will face the man who beat him for last year's NL Cy Young Award, Jacob deGrom. Scherzer remains one of fantasy baseball's top one […]

Juan Soto Working on Defense

Jamal Collier of MLB.com wrote about Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto, saying "even if the advanced metrics did not grade Soto's defense favorably, the Nationals were happy with the strides he made last season." Third-base coach Bob Henley said that Soto "doesn’t want to be a one-dimensional guy, he wants to be a great baseball […]

Could Craig Kimbrel Hold Out Until Midseason?

There is a possibility that free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel and his agent, David Meter, consider holding out until after the MLB draft in June. Kimbrel would then shed the draft-pick compensation attached to him after he rejected the Red Sox's one-year, $17.9 million qualifying offer last fall. Contenders might be more interested in giving Kimbrel […]

Kyle Wright Continues To Shine For Braves

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kyle Wright posted another strong effort in his third spring training start. Wright threw three innings, striking out five while walking just one. In his three starts, Wright has now struck out 11, allowing one walk and eight hits across eight innings. Wright averaged 93.9 mph with his fastball in 2018 […]

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 […]

Peter O'Brien Looks to Become Starting Outfielder This Year

With a paper-thin roster full of prospects and short-term players, Miami Marlins outfielder Peter O'Brien could find his way into the Marlins starting lineup when the regular season begins. O'Brien, who smacked four homers and 10 RBI in the final month of the 2018 season, is lighting it up in Spring Training so far. O'Brien […]