Hunter Dozier Tests Positive For COVID-19

Kansas City Royals outfielder/third baseman Hunter Dozier has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be placed on the injured list as he heads into self-isolation. This will be a sizeable loss to the Royals lineup going into the season, as Dozier slashed .279/.348/.522 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI over 139 games last year. The […]

Francisco Mejia, Austin Hedges To Split Time Evenly

San Diego Padres manager Jayce Tingler confirmed catchers Francisco Mejia and Austin Hedges will play equally this season. The even timeshare negatively impacts fantasy prospects for both players, especially Mejia as the more attractive signal-caller. The 24-year-old has notched a .714 OPS in 320 plate appearances across three seasons. A former top prospect with hitting […]

James Karinchak (RP, CLE) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: It is truly a relief to once again be talking about players warranting a waiver wire selection, and in the spirit of the scale of this relief, let's kick off the 2020 MLB season by discussing one of the most promising young relievers in […]

Austin Hays (OF, BAL) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: 25-year-old Austin Hays is a former highly touted prospect, and given the downtrodden nature of the Baltimore Orioles roster, is ready to take the reigns in the outfield at Camden Yards for the abbreviated 2020 MLB season. Whether or not you would slate the […]

The King's Fantasy Football One-Man Mock Draft

This is my latest one-man mock exercise of 2020 as the new season inches closer. I put myself in the draft chairs and minds of every owner in an advance look at the 2020 season. The four rounds of this early one-man mock are based on a 12-team, full PPR format. I have considered roster […]

Jesse Ronson Looking To Start Off Second UFC Stint With A Bang

Jesse Ronson (21-10) will look to re-enter the UFC after his departure in 2014. Seventeen of Ronson's 21 career victories have come by finish. Most recently, Ronson lost both of his PFL bouts before winning on the Canadian regional scene in February before the call-up to the UFC. A lot has changed since 2014 for […]

Ryan McBroom Will Open Season As Royals Starting First Baseman

Kansas City Royals first baseman Ryan McBroom will be the team's primary first baseman to start the 2020 season. The team is currently without Ryan O'Hearn, who has been in self-isolation after a positive COVID-19 test. The 28-year-old McBroom had his first stint in the majors last year and went on to slash .293/.361/.360 with […]

Closer Conundrum: What Does Managing Like It's The Playoffs Mean?

"In a 60-game season, managers will approach every game like it's the playoffs." We've heard that refrain over and over again as we prepare for the 2020 fantasy baseball season. In fact, I think I've written that sentence, or something similar, close to ten times already. But that statement brings up a natural follow-up question: How […]

Wilson Ramos Returns To Camp

New York Mets catcher Wilson Ramos returned to Mets' camp on Tuesday after a three-day absence to deal with personal matters. Mets manager Luis Rojas was noncommittal when asked about whether Ramos would be ready by Opening Day. The Mets signed catcher Rene Rivera to their 40-man roster on Sunday as insurance in the event […]

Bobby Witt Jr. Reaches Base Four Times On Tuesday

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had a remarkable game on Tuesday against the Astros, going 2-for-3 with two walks, one RBI and two runs. He hit seventh in the lineup and played third base in the game. Witt, who was selected second overall by the team in the 2019 MLB draft, appears unlikely […]

SP Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues

It still doesn’t feel real, but starting on July 23rd the MLB will embark on a 60 -game sprint to the Playoffs. Then in the blink of an eye, October baseball will be here, culminating in one team lifting the most strangely won pennant in history. With the baseball season taking shape in such an […]

Jakob Junis Placed On 10-Day Injured List

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jakob Junis will miss at least his first start this season. He was placed on the 10-Day injured list as he continues to make his way back to form following a positive COVID-19 test earlier in the summer. Fellow Royals starter Brad Keller is in a similar position, leaving the Royals with […]

Blue Jays Will Play Home Games At PNC Park

According to a report, the Toronto Blue Jays will play their home games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh for the 2020 season. The players wanted to play in a big league stadium instead of their spring complex in Dunedin, Florida, or their Triple-A park in Buffalo, New York, and it looks like they got their […]

Brad Keller Won't Be Ready For Opening Day

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller will not be part of the Royals roster for Opening Day and will remain on the injured list as the season begins. Keller resumed baseball activities late last week after being sidelined from testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the summer. Fellow starter Jakob Junis is also going to begin […]

Sauceda's Slants: More POWA to your Outfield

We recently introduced our new hitter metric, POWA (which stands for Prediction of wOBA Attempt), to more appropriately align and weight new Statcast metrics to better predict future performance. You can read the introductory piece for the full details and a 2019 POWA leaderboard, but the gist of it is: POWA is nearly 10% more […]

Fantasy Baseball: Category Deflation - Pitchers

Calling all roto players! As you all prepare for the shortened season, I'm sure you are wondering how your strategies may change and how to approach certain categories, particularly for pitching staffs. Well, I have been thinking about the same things as you and will lay out some of my thoughts on how you can […]

Next Dak Prescott Contract May Be Better Than Mahomes'

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott signed a franchise tag last week that will pay him just over $30 million for his services in 2020. However, according to former NFL executive Andrew Brandt, the 26-year-old could see a contract better than that of Chiefs' Signal-caller Patrick Mahomes when he finally lands a new deal. Prescott threw […]

Lamar Jackson Could Garner Mahomes' Money

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson could benefit immensely from the recent record-breaking deal for Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes. Currently in the midst of his rookie deal, early projections point to an average salary of around $42.5 million over four years for the former Louisville Cardinal, with that number increasing if he can lead […]

George Kittle May Need To Be Paid Like A Receiver

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle will need to be paid "as a wide receiver," according to former quarterback Steve Young. The 26-year-old is still awaiting a new deal, with recent reports suggesting that he could command around $13 million per year. Kittle has been one of the most dominant players at his position […]

Joe Mixon's Price Could Be Higher

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon could see his asking price increase, primarily after the new deal for Derrick Henry, who recently signed a four-year, $50 million contract to remain with the Titans. The 23-year-old is entering what could be his final year with the team and is coming off a solid 2019 that included […]

Michael Thomas Snubbed In Ranking List

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was ranked as the No. 2 overall wideout in the league, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Though Fowler has Julio Jones ahead of the former Buckeye, Thomas will still likely remain to be one of the first players off the board in fantasy drafts for the 2020 campaign. […]

Saquon Barkley Appears Bigger Than Ever

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who has been posting workout videos via social media during the offseason, appears to have bulked up even more heading into the season. Though Christian McCaffrey remains the consensus No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts for the upcoming 2020 campaign, the case could be made for Barkley […]

Trevor Williams Hopes To Use Curveball More

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Trevor Williams threw six curveballs during the exhibition game against the Indians on Monday. The right-hander used the pitch just six times in 2018 and 21 times last year, but he's hoping to use it more often and more effectively in 2020. Williams was charged with one run over 2 2/3 […]

Ke'Bryan Hayes Unlikely To Make Opening Day Roster

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, the team's No. 2 prospect, took part in a light workout on Monday after missing all of the summer camp workouts after testing positive for COVID-19. He tested negative twice and was cleared by doctors, but he likely missed too much time in camp to have a shot at […]

Cole Tucker Makes Outfield Debut

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Cole Tucker made his outfield debut in an exhibition game against the Indians on Monday and made a highlight-reel catch in center field. The former first-round pick figures he last played in the outfield when he was 14 or 15 years old. The Pirates told Tucker that shortstop remains his primary position, […]

John Ryan Murphy To Be Backup Catcher

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher John Ryan Murphy, who was added to the 40-man roster on Sunday, is primed to be the backup to Jacob Stallings after Luke Maile underwent season-ending surgery to fix a fractured right index finger last Friday. Murphy was a non-roster invitee at spring training on a minor league deal. The 29-year-old is […]

Kevin Cron With Team In L.A.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Kevin Cron (hamstring), who is dealing with a sore left hamstring, traveled with the team to Los Angeles for their exhibition game. It doesn't sound like a very serious injury, so Cron should be on the club's Opening Day roster, barring a setback. The 27-year-old right-handed power hitter hit just .211 […]

Diamondbacks Hopeful On Christian Walker

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said the team is hopeful that first baseman Christian Walker (groin) will be ready for Opening Day on Friday. Walker is dealing with a strained right groin and worked out at Chase Field on Sunday. The 29-year-old was officially diagnosed with a Grade 1 right groin strain but is confident […]

NFL Won't Have Any Preseason Games In 2020

The NFL Players Association told its players on Tuesday that there will be zero preseason games in 2020, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport. The league wanted to play two preseason games this year, while the NFLPA was set on zero games amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The NFLPA is also […]

59 Players Have Tested Positive For COVID-19

The NFL Players Association said that 59 players have tested positive at some point during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the NFLPA posted that 95 players had tested positive, but they updated the list to include only players. Eight of 24 teams have also approved the infectious disease emergency response plans for the 2020 season. "Our […]