Eric Hosmer's Balanced Approach Makes Him A Top 10 1B In 2016

Eric Hosmer’s 2014 was a disappointment for many, but his 2015 saw him return to form with his best 5x5 year yet as he went 98-18-93-7-.297. Hosmer might take a few more modest steps forward in his career as he enters his age-26 season, but this is likely what he’s capable of. That makes it […]

Jose Bautista Flips Himself Into Top Five of Fantasy Outfielders

Over the past six seasons, Bautista’s proclivity for monstrous long-balls and his knack for driving in a bulk of runs put him on the map. Now, after ‘the bat-flip heard around the world’ during last season’s ALDS, Bautista is one of the most must-watch players in the game, on the field, and in the fantasy […]

Salvador Perez Is A Top Ten Catcher In 2016

Salvador Perez’s 2015 was rather impressive, as he ended the year with a line that had identical RBIs (70), SBs (1), and batting averages (.260) as his 2014. He upped his homers to 21, a career best, in 553 plate appearances (he logged 606 in 2014), so the power stroke was out to play. Ever […]

Will Chris Archer Crack the Top 10 for Starting Pitchers?

Chris Archer had his best season in 2015, finishing 11th among starting pitchers in fantasy points in Fleaflicker leagues, but it's hard to really call it a breakout season. His 3.23 ERA and 1.14 WHIP were actually on par with what he had posted in 2013 and 2014. The biggest change was his strikeouts totals-- […]

Cardinals Manager Expects Matt Holliday to Return With a Vengeance

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny is predicting a "ridiculous" season from Matt Holliday as the slugger looks to put an injury-shortened 2015 behind him. He finished 2015 hitting .279 with four home runs and 35 RBI. When he was on the field last year, Holliday was mostly himself. He started the season reaching base in 45 consecutive […]

Kolten Wong Hoping to Keep Gyorko On the Bench

One of the reasons that Jedd Gyorko is a member of the Cardinals is the second-half drop-off of Kolten Wong. Wong's fantastic first-half of 2015 was derailed by a second half that saw him hit .238 with zero home runs post-July. In his best cumulative professional season, Kolten Wong again showed the inconsistency that has frustrated fantasy […]

Third Time is the Charm For Danny Salazar

Things clicked for Danny Salazar during his third season in the majors as he broke out in a huge way. He finished 2014 with a 14-10 record, 3.45 ERA, and averaged over a strikeout per inning. Salazar's above-average strikeout rate played out beautifully over a full season as he fanned 195 across 185 innings. There were […]

Nick Castellanos May Provide Late Round Value

Nick Castellanos enters his third full season in the big leagues as a once highly-touted prospect who has yet to fully reach his potential. Known in the minors for his bat, Castellanos has hit just .257/.304/.402 with 26 HR in 1192 plate appearances. But despite lackluster career numbers thus far, Castellanos remains a high-upside player […]

The Sky's The Limit For Michael Conforto In 2016

Michael Conforto went from starting the year in single-A to the MLB World Series last season. He'll only be 23 by the time the season starts, but he already looks like one of the more polished young hitters in the game. The return of Cespedes may hurt Conforto a tad in terms of where he […]

Elvis Andrus may Struggle to Return Value as Stolen Base Totals Fall

Elvis Andrus' value has come on the basepaths throughout his career, but the 27-year-old is no longer an elite stolen base threat, as he swiped just 25 bags last season. He has stolen less than 30 in three of the last four campaigns. It wasn't all bad news for Andrus in 2015, as he hit […]

Ben Zobrist Fights Age And Lineup Position

When Ben Zobrist signed a four-year deal with the Chicago Cubs this offseason, he knew he’d be entering an already-stacked lineup. From second to sixth, all spots are taken, which will force him to break new ground. Zobrist has spent the majority of his career hitting between second and fifth in the order, so he’ll have […]

Run Support Will Be The Key For Jon Lester

When Jon Lester signed with the Cubs for six years and $155 million in December of 2014, he was widely expected to be the ace of the pitching staff. Then a funny thing happened along the way, as Jake Arrieta enjoyed a Cy Young-winning campaign while Lester never really got going. His first month of […]

Francisco Rodriguez Is A Risky Relief Pick

Francisco Rodriguez has been known for some time as one of the better closers in the game. After a few shaky years from 2010 to 2013, K-Rod returned to form in 2014 while racking up 44 saves for the Brewers. Last year was another decent year for Rodriguez, who recorded 38 saves while striking out 9.79 […]

Josh Donaldson: First Round No-Brainer

Even though the Toronto Blue Jays have been recently blind to Donaldson's worth, fantasy owners should never be. Two weeks ago, the Jays decided to go to arbitration with last year's 2015 American League Most Valuable Player, and will negotiate with their third baseman over a small, baseball-sum, of $450,000. Despite the complications, Donaldson is […]

Mark Melancon 2016 Outlook

Mark Melancon, who recently signed a one-year $9.65 million dollar contract with the Pirates, nailed down a league-leading 51 saves for Pittsburgh in 2015. Melancon’s 51 saves were buoyed by a 2.23 ERA and .93 WHIP. Unfortunately, Melancon’s ability to strike batters out diminished from 9.0 K/9 in 2014 to last year’s unimpressive 7.28 K/9. […]

Cardinals Counting on Jaime Garcia in 2016, Fantasy Owners Should Too

Like a knight in shining armor, Jamie Garcia picked the perfect time to pitch more than nine starts in a season since 2012, as he took the hill 20 times for an injury-ravaged Cardinals' rotation. He is currently penciled in as the Cardinals' second starter. 2015 was the reaffirmation that Jamie Garcia is capable of top-tier […]

Cody Allen Looking to Achieve Elite Closer Status in 2016

With the AL completely stacked with elite relief arms, Cody Allen has been quietly building up the resume of an top-flight closer. His 2015 ERA was up nearly a run from last year's 2.07 mark, but his FIP of 1.82 was tops in all of baseball. Allen has blossomed into a commanding presence in the back […]

New Team, Same Old Mike Leake

Mike Leake chose a new home after a late-season trade from the Reds to the Giants last year, signing with the St. Louis Cardinals for a five year, $80 million contract this off-season. He's projected to be their fourth starter. Mike Leake is one of those players who is better appreciated in the real world […]

Trevor Bauer Hoping For Happier Home Outings in 2016

Trevor Bauer's home-road splits were the most concerning aspect of the young right-hander's inconsistent 2015. Opponents had an OPS nearly 200 points higher when facing him at Progressive Field (.797 versus .608). There were some bright sides to Bauer's 2015. He continues to establish himself as a strikeout artist, with his 2015 K/9 rate of 8.69 sitting between Gerrit […]

What to Make of Stephen Vogt in 2016

Catchers are always a tricky draft selection, and one name that will come up a lot in this year’s draft preparation is Stephen Vogt. From the 2014 season to the 2015 season, nearly all of Vogt’s counting stats doubled. His RBI total increased from 35 to 71, his runs scored total went from 26 to 58, […]

Brandon Phillips Ain't (Totally) Dead Yet

While Brandon Phillips is a hometown hero in Cincinnati, his popularity hasn't matched his production at the plate. Unfortunately, the days of 20+ home runs in a season are over. He did hit 18 home runs in four straight seasons from 2010 to 2013, but the power has essentially disappeared since then. Thankfully, Phillips’ production in […]

Health Will Determine Jesse Hahn's 2016 Performance

Since Jesse Hahn's MLB debut, he has shown the ability to dominate even the most powerful lineups. However, he has never been able to stay healthy long enough to maximize his full potential. Hahn’s 2015 season came to a screeching halt when he was officially shut down towards the end of the summer with elbow […]

Joey Votto Will Keep Rolling in 2016

When Joey Votto blasted three home runs out of Great American Ballpark in June of 2015, we all knew he was back. After a dismal, injury-filled 2014 in which he only played 62 games, 2015 was a different story. With an incredible 1.000 OPS, Joey Votto was able to match his second-highest career total in […]

Expect Continued Improvement From Josh Reddick in 2016

Josh Reddick is an intriguing player from a fantasy perspective. When The Oakland Athletics brought in Reddick through a somewhat lopsided trade with the Boston Red Sox, Billy Beane and company were not too sure of what they had. After all, he had only played 143 games in three seasons with the Red Sox and […]

Jordan Zimmermann Is A Mid-Round Steal

Jordan Zimmermann will transition from the NL to the AL this season as he joins the Detroit Tiger rotation. If conventional wisdom holds true, that means that he will see a slight dip in productivity this season, with the most affected area being K/9 IP. But setting aside the adjustment period, Jordan Zimmermann should continue […]

Anthony DeSclafani Will Make the Leap in 2016

It is safe to say that the Cincinnati Reds’ rotation has some question marks, the biggest most likely being Homer Bailey. However another big question mark for the Reds is slated right behind Bailey in the rotation. Anthony DeSclafani, the sixth-round draft choice out of Florida back in 2011, has been somewhat frustrating when on […]

Victor Martinez Is A Bounce Back Candidate For 2016

There are plenty of reasons to balk at drafting Victor Martinez in 2016. The Tigers' slugger had a career year in 2014, putting up lifetime bests in HR, AVG, and OBP while striking out only 6.6% of the time. Heading into last season, he was a clear regression candidate, especially after having off-season knee surgery. […]

Dustin Pedroia Wants Laser Show To Last All of 2016

Like several of his teammates, Dustin Pedroia had a truncated 2015 season. Injuries limited him to 425 plate appearances, his lowest since '10. Predictably, Boston saw its season end way earlier than anticipated. Pedroia's determined not to let that happen. Don't bet on a 213-hit, 54-double season like '08, but if he's healthy, he's still […]

Will Hector Rondon Lose The Closer Role Again?

Last year, Hector Rondon had some struggles as closer of the Chicago Cubs. He led the team with 30 saves, but was shaky right from the start, eventually getting downgraded to setup man. Ultimately, six other pitchers recorded saves for the Cubs, as Joe Maddon implemented a closer by committee policy. Rondon did eventually get […]

J.D. Martinez Is A Premier Power Bat For 2016

Heading into the 2015 season, there were some skeptics around the league who thought J.D. Martinez's 2014 power surge was a fluke. After turning in a career-best 38 HR last season, Martinez has proven that his long-ball strength is for real. To go along with is 38 bombs, Martinez also turned in 102 RBI and […]