2018 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Columns (Archive)

Below is a list of RotoBaller's 2018 fantasy baseball rankings articles and analysis. Categories include tiered staff rankings for mixed leagues and points leagues. Also included are impact prospect rankings, dynasty prospect rankings, keeper value rankings, dynasty league rankings and team prospect rankings.   Updated Mixed League Rankings Analysis - May Updated Catcher Rankings (May)... Read More

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 22)

Same report, new management this week, as I will take over the Rookie Report for Max for the remainder of the season. I've been writing about the hot prospects dynasty owners should be keeping an eye on this year, and now I'll also be diving into the best rookies for fantasy owners to pay attention... Read More

2018 Prospects: Top 30 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Leagues (Week 22)

Hello everyone, and welcome to my weekly Top-30 Fantasy Rankings for Impact Rookies! In this series, I will be going over the top prospects in baseball and discussing which ones figure to have an impact for the rest of this fantasy baseball season. The San Diego Padres made the biggest prospect splash over the past... Read More

Hot Prospects to Watch Week 22: Franco, Ashby, Duran

Can you believe that the minor league season is almost over? Just one more week left before playoffs begin. We've taken a look at a lot of prospects this year — some who are nearly household names by now and others who are flying under the radar. This week's list doesn't feature a "big-name" prospect... Read More

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 21)

With the fantasy playoffs looming around the corner (or, in some instances, in full swing), rookie impact becomes less and less important due to the fact that there simply aren't any great stashes remaining. A top prospect being promoted for a cup of coffee can make a huge impact, but there does not profile to... Read More

2018 Prospects: Top 30 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Leagues (Week 21)

Hello everyone, and welcome to my weekly Top-30 Fantasy Rankings for Impact Rookies! In this series, I will be going over the top prospects in baseball and discussing which ones figure to have an impact for the rest of this fantasy baseball season. It just doesn’t seem right. The rain comes in and ends Michael... Read More

Hot Prospects to Watch Week 21: Kopech, Santana, Urias

Arguably the most exciting pitching prospect in baseball gets the call today, as Michael Kopech will start for the Chicago White Sox tonight against the Minnesota Twins. Kopech appeared in last week's column, where we looked at his long term value going forward. We're going to take a look at him again this week, but... Read More

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 20)

A handful of intriguing rookies made their MLB debuts this past week, with two of the top 100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline joining The Show. Save for Jansen, I do not really foresee any of the recently promoted prospects being impact players, at least for fantasy, down the stretch, so it still remained a... Read More

2018 Prospects: Top 30 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Leagues (Week 20)

Hello everyone, and welcome to my weekly Top-30 Fantasy Rankings for Impact Rookies! In this series, I will be going over the top prospects in baseball and discussing which ones figure to have an impact for the rest of this fantasy baseball season. Ronald Acuna cannot be stopped when leading off a ball game. He... Read More

Hot Prospects to Watch Week 20: Guerrero, Chavis, Kopech

Over the past few weeks on this column, we have been taking a look at hot prospects that were either not as well known or were still some ways away from reaching the majors. This week however, we're looking at some of the big name prospects out there that have been on fire over the... Read More

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 19)

This week was a particularly slow week in the world of prospects; just eight rookies have debuted since the publishing of last week's column. With that being said, there are still a handful of newcomers worth highlighting and a bunch of returners still cooking with gas. As we come up on the end of the... Read More

Eloy Jimenez - How Hyped Should We Be?

It is difficult to not get excited about a player of Eloy Jimenez’s caliber, especially when there are rumblings that he may get the call up to the bigs soon. During an interview with 670TheScore in Chicago, White Sox Player Development Director Chris Getz stated that Jimenez is close to joining the big-league club. Getz... Read More

2018 Prospects: Top 30 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Leagues (Week 19)

Hello everyone, and welcome to my weekly Top-30 Fantasy Rankings for Impact Rookies! In this series, I will be going over the top prospects in baseball and discussing which ones figure to have an impact for the rest of this fantasy baseball season. The season is really starting to wind down. There are only going... Read More

Hot Prospects to Watch Week 19: Lewis, Gorman, Gore, Graterol

There's a lot of good young talent coming up through the minor leagues right now, so this week we're going to take a look at four prospects under the age of 20 who have been on a hot streak. The four players on this week's list are still a couple years away from making an... Read More

New Faces in Baltimore - ETAs on Fantasy Prospects

The trade deadline has finally passed, but the real work is just beginning for fantasy owners. Sifting through the prospects dealt is hard to do, as most fantasy players do not have the time or opportunity to see these players, and instead have to look and project from stats to date. That is where we... Read More

Brian Dozier To Dodgers - Fantasy Impact

Brian Dozier spent the first six-and-a-half years of his career with the Minnesota Twins. There, he became a fan favorite while hitting more than 25 home runs three times and anchoring the second base position next to another Twins hero in first baseman Joe Mauer. All that came to an end though, at the 2018... Read More

Tommy Pham To Rays - Fantasy Implications

In what has to be classified as one of the more confusing trades during this year's crazy trade deadline, The St. Louis Cardinals shipped outfielder Tommy Pham to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for left-handed pitcher Genesis Cabrera, outfielder Justin Williams, and right-handed pitcher Roel Ramirez. The Rays, in addition to Pham, receive $500,000... Read More

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 18)

The calendar has turned to August and we still have yet to see some of the big-name prospects that were expected to come up this season. Yes, Kyle Tucker, Willie Calhoun, Juan Soto, and Willy Adames have all made their debuts this season but I seriously doubt that we will see any more of the... Read More

MLB Trade Deadline: Analysis and Fantasy Implications

The 2018 version of the MLB Trade Deadline was one of the most memorable in recent years. With players being dealt left and right, multiple teams around the league have changed the identity of their franchise for the present and future. With so much movement going on, the fantasy baseball landscape has taken a major... Read More

2018 Prospects - Top 30 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Leagues (Week 18)

Hello everyone, and welcome to my weekly Top-30 Fantasy Rankings for Impact Rookies! In this series, I will be going over the top prospects in baseball and discussing which ones figure to have an impact for the rest of this fantasy baseball season. What a crazy week it has been! The trade deadline passed with... Read More

Hot Prospects to Watch Week 18: Beeks, Phillips, Spanberger

Today is the trade deadline and it seems safe to assume we'll be seeing more prospects landing on new teams by the end of the day. Last week we took a look at some top prospects that could potentially have a path to the majors open up by trade or that could themselves be traded... Read More

Surplus to Requirements - Minor Trades and Fantasy Implications

For fantasy baseball owners the trading deadline is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the hope is that players move into better spots on better teams, or at the very least, do not move to worse spots. On the other hand, trades lead to changes, and changes are not always good... Read More

Nathan Eovaldi to the Red Sox - Fantasy Implications

As if the Boston Red Sox didn't already have one of the top rotations in baseball this year, they managed to improve upon it by acquiring Nathan Eovaldi from the Rays on Wednesday. Eovaldi has been working his way back from his second Tommy John surgery, and in his first action in over a year... Read More

Cole Hamels to Chicago Cubs - Fantasy Implications

It did not feel like we would ever get here, but  Cole Hamels was finally traded by the Texas Rangers. Very little in baseball has been more up and down than Hamels' performances this season, but the Rangers finally found a trade partner in the Chicago Cubs, who were willing to give them the return they... Read More

J.A. Happ in Pinstripes - Fantasy Implications

Deadline season might be the most exciting of the baseball campaign, with every team making moves and deciding whether to sell or buy. In this particular trade - Toronto sending J.A. Happ to the Yankees - the teams are moving in opposite directions with one team hoping to win the East, and the other, to... Read More

Hot Prospects to Watch Week 17: Gonsolin, Ray, Rutherford

It's getting closer to the trade deadline and we're starting to see prospects finding new teams as star players go on the move. Francisco Mejia is the biggest name prospect to have been traded already, heading to San Diego in the deal that netted Cleveland Brad Hand and Adam Cimber. The Dodgers sent a package... Read More

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 17)

Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed your all-star break. I certainly enjoyed mine; it gave me a chance to think about how to approach rookies and prospects for the rest of the season and get an extended look at some top-tier MiLB talent in the futures game. Particularly, Seuly Matias and Taylor Trammell caught my... Read More

2018 Prospects: Top 30 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Leagues (Week 17)

Hello everyone, and welcome to my weekly Top-30 Fantasy Rankings for Impact Rookies! In this series, I will be going over the top prospects in baseball and discussing which ones figure to have an impact for the rest of this fantasy baseball season. Several of the top trade chips have already been moved so far... Read More

Orioles Prospects Analysis - The Manny Machado Trade

Welp, it happened. After months and months and months and months, Baltimore finally traded their franchise shortstop to the Dodgers for a cache of prospects. He’ll be a huge upgrade for a club that has struggled to replace Corey Seager’s production, and an already strong squad gets stronger. In a lot of ways, L.A. lucked... Read More

Prospects Stat Scouting - Deep-League Hitters to Target at the Deadline

Imagine this scenario: you are an owner who plays in a dynasty league, but all the known prospects have been already taken.  No Francisco Mejia, no Brendan Rodgers, and no Bo Bichette.  Your team sits in the rebuild section of the standings and now is an excellent time to start flipping those assets for the... Read More