2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Jonathan Schoop

In recent years, the Baltimore Orioles have done a great job of balancing their lineup out with a mix of young talent and veteran presence. The veterans, namely Adam Jones, Chris Davis, and now Mark Trumbo, are spread throughout the outfield. The youth is mainly concentrated in the infield. The rise of Manny Machado has […]

2016 Outfield Prospects and Dynasty Rankings - NL East Edition

It's been awhile since I offered up the top catching prospects for dynasty leagues (also first base, second base, shortstop, and third base). With the fantasy season fast approaching, we'll spend the next few weeks blitzing through outfielders and pitchers. There is a daunting quantity of outfield prospects. Anytime you're feeling overwhelmed by a task, […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 8: Batted Ball Distribution for Pitchers

The league average batted ball distribution in 2015 was 20.9% liners, 45.3% grounders and 33.8% flies. Last time, we took a brief look at how pitchers may specialize in either grounders or fly balls. Fly ball pitchers have a BABIP advantage over their ground ball-inducing counterparts, since fly balls (.129 BABIP in 2015) consistently have […]

Miami Marlins Top MLB Prospects for 2016 Dynasty Leagues

Another year, another Marlins team that just cannot do anything right. They signed a bunch of free agents to big deals one year, trade them all away the next. In spite of having bats like Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich in the middle of their lineup and pitchers like Jose Fernandez leading the rotation, the Marlins […]

Glen Perkins' Stock Trending Downwards

Glen Perkins was once an elite relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, having posted an earned run average below 2.60 in 2011, 2012 and 2013. However, he has fallen off a bit since that time, with an ERA above 3.30 in each of the last two seasons. Perkins, now 32, is still a serviceable closer […]

Despite 20/20 Potential, Steven Souza Comes with Risks

Steven Souza displayed strong power and speed in his first year with the Tampa Bay Rays. In 373 at-bats, he posted 16 home runs and 12 stolen bases, but struggled to get on base consistently. He finished the season with a .225/.318/.399 slash line and an outrageous 33.8% strikeout rate, the third highest among players […]

Job Security Guarantees Fantasy Value for Brad Boxberger

Brad Boxberger spent the 2015 season as the closer for the Tampa Bay Rays, and nailed down a league-high 41 saves. His 3.71 earned run average and 1.37 walks plus hits per inning pitched are far from sensational, but those numbers were much more impressive before an ugly, four-run outing in mid-September. Eleven of his […]

Byung Ho Park Worth the Risk on Draft Day

It's never easy to evaluate a player who has never played in the United States, but it's hard not to be enticed by the 105 home runs Byung-ho Park smashed over the last two seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization. He knocked in 270 runs over that span, and hit over .300 in each season. […]

Corey Dickerson's Value Suffers from Move to Tampa Bay

Corey Dickerson, 26, was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays in January after a 2015 campaign plagued by injury. In 224 at-bats, he hit 10 home runs and slashed .304/.333/.536. He had a breakout 2014 season in which he hit 24 HR to go with a .312/.364/.567 slash line. However, having played half of his […]

Can Jason Hammel Bounce Back From Second-Half Slide?

33-year-old Jason Hammel is coming off a roller coaster 2015 campaign that saw him start strong before spiraling downhill in the final three months of the season. Now entering his 11th year in the majors, he finds himself at a crossroads. With possible free agency awaiting him next offseason, does he have what it takes to […]

Can Logan Forsythe build on his 2015 success?

Logan Forsythe had a surprise breakout year in 2015 at age 28. He hit 17 home runs, stole nine bases and posted a .281/.359/.444 slash line in his first season with at least 350 at-bats. Over the first four years of his career, Forsythe smacked a total of 18 HR, so it's easy to question […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: David Wright

David Wright spent the majority of his 2015 season on the disabled list with spinal stenosis. Sure, that sounds bad, but Wright was able to return in August and played right through the postseason run and into the World Series. In September, his only full regular season month, he posted solid numbers. Playing in 23 […]

Atlanta Braves Top MLB Prospects for 2016 Dynasty Leagues

More than any other team in baseball, the Atlanta Braves have committed to an absolute complete rebuild. The Braves have dealt both Justin Upton and Melvin Upton, Shelby Miller, Andrelton Simmons, Craig Kimbrel, and many more in exchange for young talent. Since taking over the general manager position, John Hart has done an excellent job […]

Saves and Holds: AL West Bullpen Depth Chart

With the 2016 fantasy baseball season approaching, bullpen depth charts can be tricky to decipher when entering your fantasy drafts. Projections of who will be vital to their respective team and to your fantasy team will be analyzed over the course of the next two months. Below I've identified the projected AL West closers, setup men, and […]

Top 10 Dynasty Catchers For 2016

Lets face it, very few catchers are capable of the elite offensive production to be considered legit dynasty league keepsakes. Owning the cream of the crop catcher can provide a nice boost at fantasy baseball’s scarcest position, but it’s not necessary to win your league. A popular strategy for many fantasy baseball enthusiasts is to […]

Alexei Ramirez Offers Little Upside at Shortstop

After an eight-year run with the Chicago White Sox, veteran Alexei Ramirez signed a one-year, $3 million deal in the offseason to become the San Diego Padres' every-day shortstop. The move does little to help the durable Ramirez's fantasy stock, though. The power that Ramirez flashed early in his career has largely diminished over the […]

Hunter Pence is Ideal Buy-Low Outfielder Option

Last season was a lost year for San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence. He suffered a fractured left forearm in spring training that derailed his entire campaign, limiting the previously ironman-like Pence to a career season-low 52 games. It's easy to overlook that Pence's numbers, if projected over a full season, would have looked […]

Drew Smyly is a breakout candidate for 2016

Drew Smyly came up with the Detroit Tigers in 2012, and the biggest issue he has faced in developing into a top-of-the-rotation starter is staying healthy. He won the fifth starter job in Detroit in 2014, but was shipped off to play with the Tampa Bay Rays at the deadline as part of the David […]

James Shields' Production Won't Match Reputation

James Shields has been one of fantasy's more reliable starting pitchers over the last five seasons, offering 200-strikeout and 15-win potential with the Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres. But the man known as "Big Game James" threw up some red flags in his 2015 debut season in Southern California that […]

Johnny Cueto Offers Top-20 Pitcher Upside

It's a small sample size, granted, but Johnny Cueto sure seems to be a better fit in the National League than the American League. In 19 starts with the Cincinnati Reds last season, Cueto went 7-6 with a 2.62 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. After a July trade to the Kansas City Royals, those numbers ballooned […]

Fantasy Sleepers: Patrick Corbin

When searching for sleepers in the fantasy universe, it is important to remember that players recovering from injury often make the best candidates. The reason for this is prospective owners are sometimes hesitant to believe a player coming back from an extended absence will be able to replicate their past success. While this is a […]

Carson Smith Could Be Invaluable Part of Bridge to Craig Kimbrel for Boston

Carson Smith looked like he could be the closer in Seattle in 2015 after Fernando Rodney faltered. Instead, he was part of the Wade Miley deal in the off-season and he's now behind another uber-closer: Craig Kimbrel. All is not lost, though. Bullpens are constructed to lock down the later innings before turning the ball […]

J.T. Realmuto Will Be a Bargain Catcher For Fantasy Owners This Year

J.T. Realmuto had a solid rookie season for the Miami Marlins in 2015 where he finished with a .259 average, 10 HR and a .290 OBP. Like most of the Miami Marlins last year, Realmuto was inconsistent for most of the season, though he did have a couple of months where he looked like a […]

Wei-Yin Chen Looks To Continue Success With Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins received a much-needed boost to their starting rotation after they landed lefty Wei-Yin Chen from the Baltimore Orioles. Chen was a solid complement to Ubaldo Jimenez in Baltimore and should fare just as well alongside Jose Fernandez. Chen’s 3.34 ERA was tops for the Orioles in 2015 and seventh-lowest in the American […]

Justin Bour Should be Considered a Top-15 First Baseman

Justin Bour only played in 123 games last season, but he made the most of his opportunity. Lost in the fanfare of Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Fernandez and Dee Gordon, Bour is a powerful, left-handed slugger playing first base in Miami. But don’t let the lack of name recognition fool you. He finished 2015 with a […]

Maurice Harkless (SF, POR) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of Yahoo! Leagues ANALYSIS: Maurice Harkless joined the depleted Portland Trailblazers via trade this past offseason, and has had trouble seeing consistent action on the court. He has played at least 20 minutes in 22 different games this season, but 10 or fewer minutes in 14 […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Looks to Have Strong Sophomore Season

There was a time during the 2015 season that the Red Sox brass was concerned that rookie southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez was tipping pitches. Pitching to a lineup like Toronto's, with Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion is terrifying enough - but if they have an idea of what's coming? It might as […]

Christian Yelich Looks to Build Off Strong 2015 Campaign

Miami Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich put together a solid 2015 despite a pair of mid-season DL stints. In 2015, Yelich finished with a .300 average and 143 hits in just 126 games after a lower back strain caused him to miss time in April and May, while a knee contusion kept him out of the […]

Jeremy Lamb (SG/SF, CHA) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues OWNED IN: 11% of Yahoo! Leagues ANALYSIS: Jeremy Lamb was playing more than 20 minutes per game for the Charlotte Hornets throughout November, December and early January before injuring his toe. He was averaging 11.2 points at the time of the injury. Upon his return, Nicolas Batum had already come […]

Can Jon Niese Bounce Back?

After putting together the weakest season of his career in 2015, starting pitcher Jon Niese was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Neil Walker. Pittsburgh’s newly acquired left-hander, who will be 29 this year, posted a 4.13 ERA and 1.40 WHIP along with 113 Ks in 176.2 innings last season. Sustaining a partially […]