Michael Brantley's Recovery Continues To Progress Well, Targeting June Return

Indians' President Chris Antonetti shared on MLB Network's High Heat with Christopher Russo that outfielder Michael Brantley continues to be on track to miss the first couple months of the regular season as he recovers from off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. After having speaking with him minutes before the […]

Billy Butler Fading From Fantasy Relevance

“Country Breakfast,” better known as Billy Butler, has surely seen better days. In six of his eight seasons with the Kansas City Royals, Billy Butler was as reliable as it gets. He could split the gaps, he could hit for power, and he could get on base when he needed to. This all culminated in […]

Shawn Tolleson Emerges as Solid Closer Option

Shawn Tolleson was handed the reins in the ninth inning for the first time in his career last season as a result of the struggles of Neftali Feliz, and didn't disappoint, notching 35 saves in 37 opportunities. Tolleson's 2.99 ERA represents a slight rise from the 2.76 he posted in 2014, but the 28-year-old may […]

Brett Gardner Outlook for 2016

Gardner has all the tools to be a solid leadoff hitter. What he lacks is consistency when using them. He is undoubtedly one of the fastest players in baseball, yet always appears to be hesitant to take off from first, which resulted in only 20 stolen bases in 2015. Gardner hasn't stolen more than 25 […]

John Lackey's National League Renaissance

Following a subpar 2014 season that saw him get traded from the Boston Red Sox to the St. Louis Cardinals, 37-year-old John Lackey had a terrific 2015, although the numbers won’t immediately show you that. His record barely changed, going from 14-10 to 13-10, but his ERA was over a run lower, going from 3.82 to 2.77. […]

Noah Syndergaard Ascending the Pitcher Rankings

The young fireballer known as Thor was absolutely electric in 2015. On a rotation that featured Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard was actually able to one-up them in terms of his K/9 rate. Thor struck out 10 batters per nine innings, while deGrom and Harvey struck out 9.7 and 8.9 batters per nine […]

Gerardo Parra: Now a Full Time Player in Coors

Well, well, now it's starting to make sense! Corey Dickerson is off to Tampa Bay and Colorado did not get an outfielder in return, so Gerardo Parra now gets to step into a clear starting role with the Rockies. Parra's 2015 was a tale of two halves, as the first one, in Milwaukee, saw him […]

2016 Will Bring Continued Decline For Jay Bruce

When Jay Bruce hit 30+ home runs in three straight seasons (32 in 2011, 34 in 2012, and 30 in 2013), other teams took notice. In those three years, Jay Bruce’s average was .257; not spectacular, but also not horrendous, especially considering his RBI production. Since 2013, Bruce’s has production dropped substantially. His slash line […]

No More Coors for Corey Dickerson

Okay folks, Corey Dickerson is now a Tampa Bay Ray and there are plenty of questions surrounding the fallout. What does this mean for Dickerson? How valuable is he? Which is a nice way of putting “how much of a hit does his stock take leaving Coors”? Well, outside of copping out with a “no […]

Delino DeShields Jr Provides Value With Legs

Delino DeShields Jr. hit just two home runs with a .261 batting average in 121 games last season, but he is worth taking a look at ahead of the 2016 campaign because of what he does well. DeShields has a chance to be an elite stolen base threat over a full slate, as he swiped […]

Starlin Castro: More Risk Than Reward at 2B

Some may worry about Castro moving to second base permanently since his natural position is shortstop. However, playing for the Cubs last year, his offensive numbers jumped after making the switch to second. Castro batted .353 and hit six home runs over the last six weeks of the season. There shouldn't be any doubt about whether […]

Anthony Rizzo Readies for Prime Years

Anthony Rizzo will be 26 years old for the majority of this season, right at the beginning of what can be considered his “prime years”, when a player posts the best numbers he’ll ever have. Although this is usually the norm, Rizzo might be an exception, as he's already been a two-time all-star. With the […]

Xander Bogaerts Looking To Add More Power In 2016

Boston is still very high on Xander Bogaerts... and with very good reason. He won a Silver Slugger award in 2015, hitting .320 and driving in 81 runs. The thing that was missing was homers - he hit all of seven, below his target of 10. The Red Sox brain trust thinks he'll get more […]

The Curious Case of Billy Hamilton

Billy Hamilton has been a polarizing figure in fantasy baseball in the last two seasons. In 2015, he fell one stolen base short of Dee Gordon for the league lead (58). This type of speed can be an asset to any fantasy lineup. But in order to have fantasy value, Billy Hamilton needs to steal bases. […]

Felix Hernandez Should Achieve Elite SP Status In 2016

2015 might have been a down year for Felix Hernandez, but the Seattle Mariners’ ace pitcher still delivered an 18-9 record with a 3.53 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 195 SO over 31 starts. The right-hander dropped from second to 32nd overall in ERA from 2014 to 2015--his worst season-long ERA since 2007. This past season was the […]

David Ortiz's Quest For Final Ring Could Help Draftees

David Ortiz has three rings. He really, really wants to get a fourth one before he retires after the 2016 season. He could help the Red Sox and by proxy those who draft him in leagues that use the designated hitter. Whoever drafts him might get a really big steal... he has a lot of […]

Gerrit Cole Looks To Build On 2015 Campaign

Gerrit Cole took a huge step forward in 2015, arriving as an elite starting pitcher and NL Cy Young candidate. Posting a 19-8 record to go along with a 2.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 202 strikeouts, Cole showed why he was the number one overall draft pick in 2011. Perhaps the largest reason for the […]

Andrew McCutchen: A 2016 First-Rounder

In 2015, Andrew McCutchen stole the fewest bases of his career and hit under .300 for the first time since 2011. But that’s about the only bad thing one can write about the man. McCutchen appeared in 157 games and hit to a tune of .292/.401/.488 last year. His 23 HR, 91 R, and 96 […]

Andrew Miller: A Triple Threat RP

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has already made it clear that ninth inning duties belong to Aroldis Chapman. However, that doesn't mean Andrew Miller won't get his fair share of save opportunities. As is the case for Dellin Betances, Miller will not be as overworked this year. On the nights all three relievers' appearance are not required, […]

Alex Rodriguez: Still a Top Five DH

Say what you want about Alex Rodriguez and his villainous presence in the MLB. The dude hit 33 home runs in the same year that he turned 40, after, might I add, not playing baseball for an entire season. A-Rod has been tied to baseball for over two decades, and now despite forever being tied […]

Is Mark Teixeira Capable of Playing a Full Season?

The calendar flipped to August, and Mark Teixeira was on pace to play his first full season since 2011. His numbers, MVP-considerable; 28 home runs and 73 RBI's, flirting with production similar to his first two seasons as a Yankee and his early Texas Rangers years. Halfway through August, the 2015 All-Star fractured a bone […]

Jorge Soler's Tricky Potential

Jorge Soler, the 23-year-old Cuban right fielder, will be playing his third season with the Cubs in 2016. Last year, in his first full season, he was only able to play 101 games, having suffered an ankle injury midway through the season. As of now, Soler would have a difficult time cracking the top five […]

Is There a Track Record for Jake Arrieta's Future?

Last year, Jake Arrieta had the best season of his career (22 W, 1.77 ERA, 236 K, 0.86 WHIP) en route to the Cy Young Award. Now the question of what will he do in 2016 beckons for fantasy baseball owners. Arrieta will be 30 years old when the season starts, and a track record […]

Will Matt Harvey Continue his Dominance as The Dark Knight?

Despite all the talk of innings limits and restrictions in 2015, Matt Harvey powered through and looked strong considering his absence due to Tommy John surgery two seasons ago. He wasn't quite as dominant as he was in 2013, but that would be asking a lot of a pitcher coming back from such a long […]

Can Yoenis Cespedes Remain the King of Queens?

Yoenis Cespedes was one of the centerpieces for the magical run the Mets went on last season. After being acquired at the trade deadline, Cespedes was a godsend for the Mets and essentially took their offense from worst to first. He would finish the season with a .291/35 HR/105 RBI/7 SB/.870 OPS/101 R line, which […]

Mookie Betts Looks To Bowl Over People Who Draft Him

Mookie Betts is only 23, but people are already anticipating big things from him in his second full season in the big leagues. He'll look to expand on the 174 hits and 42 doubles as he continues learning the pitchers and the ballparks. Where he may really be primed for a breakout is in his […]

David Price Aiming To Give Red Sox, Fantasy Owners A Championship

David Price was the largest piece of a potential championship puzzle that Boston gathered this off-season. They figured both he and closer Craig Kimbrel were what they needed to give David Ortiz a final ring before he retired. The front office is obviously unconcerned about his postseason struggles, since they lavished that seven-year, $217 million […]

Miguel Cabrera Looks To Regain MVP Form in 2016

It is rare that a player can have a "down year" while still claiming the AL batting title, but that's exactly what Miguel Cabrera did in 2015, as he quietly turned in a .338/.440/.534 line for the Detroit Tigers. Despite his favorable triple-slash numbers, 2015 wasn't a typical year for Cabrera, particularly in terms of […]

Adrian Beltre Losing Ground as Power Declines

It wasn't long ago that Adrian Beltre was considered a top option at the third base position, but 2015 marked his second consecutive season with under 20 home runs, and the fourth in which his isolated power declined. The soon-to-be 37-year-old played with a torn ligament in his thumb through much of the second half […]

Hisashi Iwakuma Pitching For New Contract In 2016

Hisashi Iwakuma will be entering his fifth MLB season this year as he tries to re-establish himself as one of the game's premier starters. The 34-year-old delivered a 9-5 record with a 3.54 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in fourth season with the Seattle Mariners, but his last two seasons haven’t been as successful as his first two. […]