Nationals Encouraging Trea Turner To Run More

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez has told shortstop Trea Turner that he wants him to attempt more stolen bases this year. Martinez thinks if Turner "attempts 75-80, we'll be in great shape." Only nine players have attempted at least 75 stolen bases in a season over the last decade and only four (Juan Pierre, Dee […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Jesus Aguilar and David Dahl

Sometimes, it can be tough to turn away from the waiver wire guys who helped your team the previous year. Jesus Aguilar likely won some leagues with his 35-homer campaign out of nowhere last season. Likewise, David Dahl provided juice in all categories when he saw the field in 2018. Unfortunately, adding somebody for free […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 8 - FIP and xFIP

The first advanced pitching stat most fantasy owners encounter is FIP. FIP stands for Fielding Independent Pitching, and attempts to measure a pitcher's actual skill instead of the effects of luck or his supporting cast. According to the DIPS theory that the metric is based upon, pitchers control only Ks, BBs (and HBP) and home […]

Top 10 Second Base Prospects - 2019 Redraft Rankings

Continuing our 2019 prospect preview series, the stop today is at the keystone - second base. As noted in the other pieces so far on the position, second base offers a ton of variety in terms of the player profiles, future roles, and proximity to the Majors. In general, though, the players on this list […]

Dodgers Slow-Playing Walker Buehler

The Los Angeles Dodgers are slow-playing starting pitcher Walker Buehler in spring training after his spike in innings last season. As a result, he's about a week behind the other starters in camp who are already throwing live batting practice in preparation for games that start this weekend. Buehler expects to throw one or two […]

Troy Tulowitzki Expected To Make Spring Debut Early Next Week

New York Yankees shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut at home on Monday or Tuesday, according to manager Aaron Boone. The Yankees are easing Tulo in this spring because he has played in just 66 games the last two seasons due to injuries. The 34-year-old was one of the better […]

Greg Bird Packs On Weight

New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird added around 20 pounds this offseason, mostly by making changes to his diet. Manager Aaron Boone said there is a "noticeable difference" in Bird's swing quality and believes the first baseman will benefit from the added weight. Bird has yet to capitalize on his potential and hit just […]

Miguel Andujar Working To Reduce Errors

New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar focused on his pre-pitch setup at third base in the offseason with infield coach Carlos Mendoza and manager Aaron Boone in order to reduce the 15 errors he committed in his rookie season. "The plan on defense since the offseason has been to improve my ready position, improve […]

Nationals Have No Plans To Give Bryce Harper A Mega-Deal

The Washington Nationals have no plans to give free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper a mega-deal comparable to Manny Machado's 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres, according to sources. Washington offered Harper a contract for 10 years and $300 million before the end of last season and he rejected the deal. Two sources said that around […]

Buster Posey Unlikely To Catch In Early Spring Games

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (hip) is unlikely to catch in any spring training games until early March, according to manager Bruce Bochy. Posey had surgery last August to address a hip impingement and repair a torn labrum, but he has been catching side sessions in camp. Bochy said that Posey could play first […]

Brandon Nimmo Has Right Shoulder Pain

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo is dealing with pain in his right shoulder and did not throw during defensive drills on Wednesday. Nimmo called it "just some early-season soreness." "We don’t want it to escalate,” Nimmo said. "Every year, it seems like if it’s not something it’s something else. When you get back into […]

Tigers Agree With Josh Harrison

The Detroit Tigers agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal with free-agent infielder Josh Harrison on Wednesday, according to a source. The 31-year-old two-time All-Star had his $10.5 million option declined by the Pirates. He gives fantasy owners position flexibility, but his stock is way down after he hit just .250/.293/.363 with eight home runs and […]

Robbie Grossman Could Be Leadoff Hitter

Oakland Athletics outfielder Robbie Grossman could be the team's leadoff hitter on a regular basis in 2019. He's scheduled to hit first in the Cactus League opener against Seattle on Thursday. Grossman, a 29-year-old switch-hitter, has a career .355 on-base percentage and batted .273/.367/.384 with five home runs and 48 RBI in 129 games with […]

Bryce Harper Has Turned Down Multiple $300 Million Offers

Free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper is believed to have turned down multiple offers over $300 million in recent weeks. At least five teams are believed to be in contact, although the Phillies, Giants and maybe even Nationals appear to have more of a chance than the Padres and White Sox. The Padres just dished out $300 […]

Odubel Herrera Injured Wednesday

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera left the team's spring complex on Wednesday with his left leg wrapped after appearing to tweak something while rounding second base. It's something to keep an eye on in the coming days. Herrera hit a career-high 22 home runs and drive in a career-high 71 runs last year, but he […]

Tyler Clippard Signs With Indians

The Cleveland Indians signed free-agent relief pitcher Tyler Clippard on Wednesday. It's a minor league deal, but Clippard can make $1.75 million if he's on the major league roster with an additional $1 million in incentives. The 34-year-old journeyman reliever had a 3.67 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 85 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings with seven […]

Jesse Winker Could Be Leading Candidate To Hit Leadoff

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker could be the leading candidate to hit leadoff this season, with first baseman Joey Votto hitting second, third baseman Eugenio Suarez third and second baseman Scooter Gennett in the cleanup spot. Winker, 25, hit .299/.405/.431 with seven home runs and 43 RBI in 89 games before an injury derailed his […]

Jed Lowrie Dealing With Left Knee Soreness

New York Mets third baseman Jed Lowrie is dealing with left knee soreness in camp and the team is limiting his activity. The injury isn't believed to be serious, but it's not something you want to see from a player that will turn 35 in April. Lowrie set career highs in home runs (23) and […]

Brandon Morrow To Play Catch Wednesday

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Brandon Morrow (elbow) is scheduled to build up to 105 feet while playing catch on Wednesday. He is hoping to be cleared to resume a regular daily throwing program after that. Morrow will not be ready for the start of the regular season after having right elbow surgery last November. He […]

Ian Happ Wants To See Time At Second Base

Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ made it clear to manager Joe Maddon in the offseason that he wants to be considered an option for second base in 2019. Maddon plans to rotate Happ around again this season in an effort to keep him in the lineup consistently. He'll be an option in the outfield and […]

Miles Mikolas Plans To Use Changeup More

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas, who will start the team's first Grapefruit League game this Saturday, plans to use his changeup more this year. "That's something I obviously want to work on, a pitch I want to have," said Mikolas, who threw his changeup 4.4 percent of the time, according to Statcast. "This […]

Manny Machado to Padres - Fantasy Impact

After months of waiting, one big fish has landed in an unexpected place. Infielder Manny Machado inked a ten-year, $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres, the largest deal ever given in free agency. Machado had experience in the NL West in his 66 games with the Dodgers last season (posting an .825 OPS), […]

Alex Reyes Throws To Live Hitters

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Alex Reyes (shoulder) faced live hitters in camp on Tuesday for the first time since May 30 of last season. Reyes said the session went well. He is on track to be ready to pitch in Grapefruit League games and possibly put himself in consideration for the Opening Day rotation, […]

Alex Bregman To Face Live Pitching Wednesday

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (elbow) is scheduled to face live pitching in camp on Wednesday. Bregman is progressing nicely and should be fine for Opening Day after having surgery in January to remove bone chips from his throwing elbow. He broke out last year with a .286/.394/.532 slash line, 31 home runs, 105 […]

Giants Still Have Shot At Bryce Harper

It's unclear how big of a contract the San Francisco Giants will/have offered free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, but the belief is that they have a shot at him and the Phillies have a tough road to get something done. The Giants are believed to want more of a short-term deal, but Harper is trying to […]

Nick Senzel - Breakout Season, Take Two

Nick Senzel’s breakout in the Major League setting seems inevitable, but the question is, when? You might think you’re experiencing deja vu because you were probably reading a similar article like this one a year ago, but it's not the case. Baseball experts predicted 2018 to be the year for the Cincinnati Reds' top prospect […]

RotoBaller's Industry Experts Mock Draft - The King's Perspective

At RotoBaller, we recently assembled a group of fantasy baseball experts to take part in the RotoBaller Friends and Family Expert Mock Draft. Our participants came from all over the industry, representing a host of various sites such as: CBS Sports (Heath Cummings) The Athletic (Nando Di Fino) Fantasy Alarm (Howard Bender) Fangraphs (Alex Chamberlain) […]

Bryce Harper Reluctant To Sign With Phillies?

Free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper is believed to be reluctant to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to sources. However, if the Phils can get to $326 million for Harper -- which would beat Giancarlo Stanton's deal -- it could overrule his doubts. The Phillies are thought to be the favorites to land Harper, especially now […]

Jeff Samardzija Throws Live Batting Practice Tuesday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (shoulder) got through his live batting practice session on Tuesday and said he felt good while throwing all of his pitches. Samardzija is coming off season-ending shoulder surgery and will see some action when the team kicks off their spring schedule this weekend. The Giants anticipate him being […]

Cardinals Not Happy With Carlos Martinez's Training Regimen

St. Louis Cardinals executive John Mozeliak voiced his displeasure with starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (shoulder) after already being injured in camp after he dealt with arm issues for most of the 2018 season. "Obviously, there’s a history with Carlos’ shoulder and it would be probably in everybody’s best interest if he maintained a constant or […]