Michael Pineda: Inconsistent Brilliance in 2016

It would be nice if every Yankees pitcher didn’t have some type of concern attached to their name. Michael Pineda is certainly one of them, as he’s been plagued by injuries year after year. Big Mike pitched well in April and May of 2015, posting a 6-2 record and a 3.37 ERA, and although struggled […]

Hector Santiago Looks to Rebound After Inconsistent Season

It was a tale of two seasons for Hector Santiago in 2015. After allowing just 28 earned runs in 108.1 innings prior to the All-Star break, the 28-year-old went on to post an unsightly 5.47 ERA in the second half. Those watching Santiago's stock can find encouragement in the fact that his strikeout rate (21%) […]

Will Kris Bryant Live Up To The Hype Again?

Kris Bryant had some debut season in the Windy City. First, the Cubs stirred up controversy by keeping him in the minors for the first 12 days of the season so they could retain him an extra year. Then he had a tremendous rookie season, smashing 26 HR to go with 99 RBI, while slashing […]

Mitch Moreland Could Bring Power and RBI at Cheap Price

Mitch Moreland was something of an underrated contributor in the power department last season, slugging 23 home runs and notching a .204 ISO while totaling 85 RBI over 132 games. While his high strikeout rate (21.7%) and low walk rate (6.2%) can make him look like a one-note player, he isn't a complete liability when […]

Cole Hamels Should Translate Well to American League

Cole Hamels put an exclamation point on his time in Philadelphia by throwing a no-hitter in his final start before being traded to the Texas Rangers at the end of July. While no similar theatrics followed the 32-year-old to Arlington, he was largely able to hold on to his consistency, notching an ERA just 0.02 […]

Rougned Odor Will Need to Sustain Power to Justify Price Tag

Rougned Odor was sent back to Triple-A after opening the 2015 season with just 13 hits in his first 27 games, but set Round Rock ablaze over 108 at-bats with a .352/.426/.639 slash line, prompting his recall to the big club in June. Odor continued his impressive display of power in the major leagues, finishing […]

Clayton Kershaw Unanimously #1, Obviously.

It doesn’t get much better than Clayton Kershaw. In 2015 he posted 232.2 IP, 2.13 ERA, 301 SO, and my personal favorite--a 1.99 FIP (which points to his level of dominance and disregards possible defensive issues). Kershaw is the best there is, arguably the best there was, and possibly the best there ever will be; […]

Can Sonny Gray Build on His 2015 Success?

After finishing third in AL Cy Young voting last season, Sonny Gray is starting to look like the weapon the A’s hoped for when drafting him in 2011. With a 2.73 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and a 169/59 K/BB ration spread across 208 innings in the 2015 season, some fantasy owners are in agreement. Others […]

Huston Street Could Provide Reliability in 2016

Huston Street has been worth every bit of the price the Los Angeles Angels paid when they acquired him from the San Diego Padres for two top prospects in 2014, as the 32-year-old has notched 57 saves while allowing just 27 runs in 88.2 innings since joining the squad. Street tallied a 3.18 ERA last […]

Robinson Cano Still Elite Fantasy 2B For 2016

Robinson Cano did not have an MVP-like season in 2015, but he still proved he was one of the top fantasy second basemen in the game. His batting average dipped to .287, which was his worst in seven seasons. The 33-year-old was fourth in homers at the position (21), which was seven more than he […]

C.J. Wilson May Struggle to Produce After Elbow Surgery

C.J. Wilson made just 21 starts for the Angels last season before having season-ending elbow surgery in August, and while it may be tempting to chalk his struggles after the month of May up to pitching through injury, it is worth noting that his strikeout rate (20%) HR/9 rate (0.9) and ERA (3.89) all fell […]

Ryan Howard May Take A Seat Against LHP In 2016

Phillies 1B Ryan Howard may be platooned against LHP in 2016. That’s the word from Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, who indicates that while no final decision has been made, a decision will be forthcoming this spring. The veteran slugger managed only three HRs and a .418 OPS against southpaws last season, a precipitous drop from […]

Can A.J. Pollock Duplicate His 2015 Performance?

In 2015 A.J. Pollock was drafted after players like Jayson Werth, and he vastly outperformed them. The two-hole hitter for the Diamondbacks batted .315 with 20 long balls, 76 RBI, and 39 steals. He has improved every season so far and looks to do the same in 2016. This year Pollock is projected to be […]

Prince Fielder Shows Flaws in Comeback Season

Prince Fielder's .305/.378/.463 slash line may seem like a rebound year after he played just 42 games in 2014 due to injury, but it wasn't all wine and roses for the soon-to-be 32-year-old. He logged the lowest home run total (23) of his career over a full season, while his walk rate (9.2%) reached its […]

Ryan Braun Still A Top Fantasy Baseball Outfielder

Ryan Braun is still owed $106 million through 2021, and it's unlikely that any team will take on that contract. Therefore, the 32-year-old slugger will remain in Milwaukee for another season. Braun finished with another All-Star season in 205, pumping out a .285 BA, 25 HR, 84 RBI and 25 SB. He’s still one of the […]

Paul Goldschmidt a Gold Standard Pick in 2016

After missing the final two months of the 2014 season, many fantasy players got Paul Goldschmidt at a discount in their drafts. "Goldy" quickly put those injury concerns to bed in 2015, and was the number one fantasy hitter for a large portion of the season. For those fortunate enough to get first pick in […]

Jimmy Nelson Has Big Upside Heading Into 2016

Jimmy Nelson did improve overall during his first full season in the big leagues, but it had its ups and downs. The Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher burst onto the 2015 scene with three great starts in a row, allowing just four runs in 20 IP. He continued to roll until June, in which he racked up a 5.56 […]

Kole Calhoun Could Return Nice Power at Cheap Price

Kole Calhoun was touted as a sleeper option after logging 17 home runs over 127 games in 2014 and was able to pay dividends for those who saw the prediction through, as the 26 homers he launched last season put him in a three-way tie for the seventh-best mark in the league among right fielders. […]

Andrew Heaney Could be Worth Shot as Late-Round Flyer

The ninth-overall selection by the Miami Marlins in the 2012 Amateur draft, Andrew Heaney had to fight to win a rotation spot with the Angels in 2015, and was able to string together a solid season, posting a 3.49 ERA in 18 starts. Heaney was touted in the minor leagues as a strikeout artist, as […]

Strong Second Half Bodes Well for Justin Verlander in 2016

There was a time when Justin Verlander was untouchable. After being one of the most dominant SPs in the American League from 2009-2012, things took an unfortunate turn. He saw a drop in velocity in both 2013 and 2014, and battled health issues for a good part of both seasons. Many detractors thought Verlander's best […]

Don't Overpay For Zack Greinke in 2016

Zack Greinke cashed in big time on his impressive 2015 campaign. After posting the lowest regular season ERA since Greg Maddux in '95, Greinke signed a six-year, $206.5 million dollar deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The question now becomes, will he perform at a level that justifies the deal? More importantly, is he worth burning […]

Can Jeurys Familia Repeat in 2016?

When Jenrry Mejia went down in April the Mets turned to Familia to close out their games. They never looked back. Familia's nickname should be the Family Stone, because he was solid as a rock. He introduced a splitter into his arsenal to compliment his high octane fastball, and the combination was just devastating for […]

Homer Bailey Will Return With a Vengeance

With the departure of Jonny Cueto to San Francisco for greener pastures, the Cincinnati Reds view Homer Bailey as their ace. Many would view this as a tough spot, considering that his 2015 season was a complete nightmare; he began the season on the DL, started two games, and proceeded to go under the knife […]

Please Leave Carlos Santana in the Middle of the Lineup, Terry Francona

Indians manager Terry Francona admits to contemplating using Carlos Santana in the leadoff spot reports Nick Camino on Twitter, presumably to take advantage of baseball's best walk percentage over the past two seasons rather than his two straight years of .231 batting averages. Santana would make a strange leadoff hitter as his mix of power […]

Josh Tomlin Signs 2 Year Extension, Inside Job on 5th Starter Job

Cleveland.com's Zack Meisel is reporting that the newly extended Josh Tomlin is currently expected to be a part of the Tribe's rotation. Indians GM Mike Chernoff said, “he is going to play a meaningful role on this team and he'll have every opportunity to be in the starting rotation.” Tomlin and the Indians are banking […]

Cleveland's Top Prospect Bradley Zimmer to Debut in 2016?

On MLB Network's MLB Tonight, Peter Gammons predicted that Indians' prospect Bradley Zimmer will be roaming the Cleveland outfield sometime this year. Outside of injured left fielder Michael Brantley, the Tribe's outfield picture is murky for this season--let alone into the future--so Gammons might not be as far off as that apparently overambitious statement suggests. […]

Francisco Lindor Looks to Avoid Sophomore Slump After Successful Rookie Campaign

Lindor exceeded everyone's expectations last year as he slashed .313/.353/.482 over 390 at-bats as a rookie. His 12 home runs were a professional high and his OPS grew each of the four months he was in the majors. A consensus top 10 prospect coming into 2015, the Indians took their time in waiting for Lindor […]

Which Jason Kipnis is Going to Show Up in 2016?

In a year where he was an All-Star for the second time and hit a career best of .303, Kipnis disappointed fantasy owners by seeing his home run and stolen base totals continue to trend downward. After hitting 31 home runs and stealing 61 bases from 2012-2013, he has hit only 15 home runs and […]

Does Mike Napoli Have Anymore Bread in the Oven?

The Indians signed Mike Napoli to a 1 year deal as their starting first baseman after his overall disappointing 2015. His difficulties with right-handed pitchers caused him to become a liability as a full-time starter while he slashed .191/.283/.320 against them. Power is about the only useful stat Napoli cooks up for fantasy owners anymore […]

Can Corey Kluber regain his Cy Young Award winning form in 2016?

After winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2014, Corey Kluber failed to maintain an award-winning pace as he finished with an above average line of 9-16 with a 3.49 ERA and 245 strikeouts in 222 innings. This pales in comparison to his Cy Young winning line of 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA and 269 […]