Javier Baez Goes Deep Twice On Opening Day

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four RBI on Thursday versus the Texas Rangers. Baez finished second to outfielder Christian Yelich for the National League MVP last season and has started strong in 2019. Baez remains one of the better power hitting options at shortstop and is […]

Mike Moustakas Homers In Win Thursday

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Mike Moustakas went 1-for-3 with a homer against the Cardinals on Thursday. Moustakas had a rough time in Milwaukee at the end of last season and is looking to rebound back to the 2017 numbers he put up with the Royals. One game is obviously too small of a sample size, […]

Dee Gordon Batting Ninth In Home Opener

After batting leadoff during the first two games of the major league season last week in Tokyo, Seattle Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon will bat ninth on Thursday as the Mariners host the Boston Red Sox. The 30-year-old recorded three hits in Tokyo last week, driving in a run and scoring two himself. Mariners manager Scott […]

Kolten Wong Hits Two Home Runs on Opening Day

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong drove in three runs on Opening Day, hitting two home runs and finishing 2-for-3 before being replaced by a pinch hitter. Wong came out of the gates scorching hot, but fantasy players shouldn't look too deep into one game. Wong is a solid fantasy second baseman, but not […]

Robinson Cano Delivers On Opening Day

The New York Mets and Washington Nationals delivered as they engaged in a classic pitcher's duel on Opening Day. Second baseman Robinson Cano, making his debut with the Mets, drove in the only two runs of the game in a winning effort. His first hit came in the very first inning of the season, as he […]

Ildemaro Vargas Makes Diamondbacks Roster

After suffering an unfortunate injury, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. (knee) will miss the entire 2019 season following reconstructive knee surgery. In his place, the club has named infielder Ildemaro Vargas to the Opening Day roster. The 27-year-old has played in 26 major league games over the past two seasons, hitting .250 with eight […]

Niko Goodrum Batting Fifth On Opening Day

Detroit Tigers infielder/outfielder Niko Goodrum is the designated hitter on Thursday and will bat fifth against Marcus Stroman and the Toronto Blue Jays. Josh Harrison takes Goodrum's usual second base spot. Goodrum, who started games at six different positions in a 16-homer, 12-steal season last year, also hit .321/.373/.509 this spring. Goodrum's positional eligibility, especially […]

Chad Pinder Playing Second Base, Batting Sixth Thursday

Oakland Athletics infielder/outfielder Chad Pinder is playing second base on Thursday and bats sixth. Pinder started in left field twice during the Japan series, but now moves to second base as Jurickson Profar (batting fifth) takes the injured Matt Olson's place at first. Pinder posted strong Statcast numbers last year and could provide solid power […]

David Bote Starting At Second Base

Chicago Cubs infielder David Bote is starting at second base and hitting sixth on Opening Day on Thursday against Rangers starting pitcher Mike Minor. With Addison Russell suspended and the Cubs facing a lefty, Bote gets the call instead of lefty outfielder Kyle Schwarber. The 25-year-old hit .275/.381/.490 with two homers and seven RBI in […]

Ryan McMahon Hitting Seventh For Rockies

Colorado Rockies second baseman Ryan McMahon is starting at second base and batting seventh on Opening Day on Thursday against Marlins starter Jose Urena. McMahon swung the bat really well in spring training and won the starting job at the keystone over Garrett Hampson, but he'll have to perform to continue seeing regular playing time. […]

Yoan Moncada Batting In The Two Hole On Opening Day

Chicago White Sox infielder Yoan Moncada will start at third base and bat second on Opening Day against the Kansas City Royals. Moncada has been a frustrating fantasy asset over his young career. He posted solid counting stats in 2018 with 17 home runs, 61 RBI, and 12 stolen bases, but his dismal plate discipline […]

Jonathan Villar Batting Third Against Yanks

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Villar is hitting third against Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka on Opening Day on Thursday. Villar is useful to fantasy owners in all leagues because of his speed, mostly, but he'll also have a chance to drive in runs in the middle of the O's lineup. He's hitting .333 but has […]

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers in Stolen Bases in 2019

Predicting the leaders in steals for the upcoming season may sound like a straightforward task, but it’s not as easy as it seems. There is quite a bit of variance involved, and the league as a whole has seen a sharp decline in stolen base attempts since the 2012 season (about 700 fewer attempts). Past […]

Austin Meadows Leading Off, Brandon Lowe Batting Cleanup

The Tampa Bay Rays have released their Opening Day lineup for the game Thursday against Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros. Outfielder Austin Meadows will hit in the leadoff spot. After a blistering spring campaign and a new contract, second baseman Brandon Lowe earns the cleanup spot and will serve as the designated hitter. This is […]

Michael A. Taylor, Howie Kendrick Begin On Injured List

The Washington Nationals placed outfielder Michael A. Taylor (hip, knee), second baseman Howie Kendrick (hamstring) and relief pitcher Koda Glover (forearm) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday. All three players likely won't be ready until at least mid-April, with Taylor's injuries likely to keep him out possibly until May. Taylor has an intriguing mix […]

Jake Noll Makes Nationals Roster

Washington Nationals infielder Jake Noll has made the team's Opening Day 25-man roster out of nowhere. He'll be part of a five-man bench that includes Kurt Suzuki, Andrew Stevenson, Wilmer Difo and Matt Adams. Noll is a 25-year-old that hasn't had a single at-bat above Double-A ball, but he'll provide the Nats with infield flexibility […]

After Hours With RotoBaller Radio: MLB Opening Day 2019 Preview

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. This radio show is sponsored by our good friends over at RT Sports. Be sure to check out their Best Ball leagues, drafting every day, and their awesome contest the RealTime Fantasy Sports Baseball Championship with a […]

What's In Your Wallet? My Most-Owned Players in 2019

After a difficult 2018 season, I took stock of what had gone wrong and identified one potential source of trouble: Too many leagues across too many platforms. So, naturally, this is how I responded to that revelation this year: Me in January: Remember not to do too many leagues on too many different sites again, […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (3/28/19): MLB DFS Lineups

Opening Day is finally here! The baseball season officially got underway last week in Japan but for all intents and purposes this is Opening Day for most fans. Of course that also means the return of daily fantasy baseball. The Opening Day main slate kicks off at 3pm ET with the Houston @ Tampa Bay […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (3/28/19): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

The 2019 MLB season is finally upon us as opening day is Thurday. Luckily, FanDuel kept this one full slate, and we have 14 games. The games start between 1 and 4 PM EST, and we should have the majority of lineups out by the time the first game begins. With this being such a […]

Luis Urias To Start In Minors

San Diego Padres middle infielder Luis Urias will start the year at Triple-A after the team announced that shortstop prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. had made the Opening Day roster, according to a source. The Friars just didn't have enough room for Urias with Tatis set to start at short and veteran Ian Kinsler at second […]

After Hours With RotoBaller Radio: MLB 2019 Bold Predictions

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. This radio show is sponsored by our good friends over at RT Sports. Be sure to check out their Best Ball leagues, drafting every day, and their awesome contest the RealTime Fantasy Sports Baseball Championship with a […]

Ryan McMahon's Hot Spring Earns Him Starting Job?

Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon has been one of the many Rockies prospects that has languished while veterans continued to hold them down, but the departure of DJ LeMahieu opened the door for him this spring. McMahon took full advantage. Posting a ridiculous 1.266 OPS while drilling three home runs and batting .439, McMahon took […]

Dustin Pedroia Set To Play On Tuesday

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) will appear in the team's final spring training game against the Cubs on Tuesday. Pedroia will start the year on the IL to get back to full strength at extended Spring Training. However, the 35-year-old has played in six Grapefruit League games so far. He's tallied five […]

Adalberto Mondesi Provides Tantalizing Spring

Kansas City Royals shortstop/second baseman Adalberto Mondesi gave fantasy owners a taste of his sky-high potential last season, but his spring training is making even more people drool. His basic counting stats weren't phenomenal with just two home runs and four stolen bases over the course of 48 at-bats, but his underlying numbers are the […]

David Fletcher Sits Over The Weekend

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim infielder David Fletcher (hamstring) was scratched from the lineup Saturday and he did not play in Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers due to tightness in his hamstring. However, manager Brad Ausmus didn't sounds terribly worried about Fletcher's status for the opener. "He's fine," Ausmus said. "It's still spring […]

Daniel Descalso Expected To Be Fine For Opening Day

Chicago Cubs utility man Daniel Descalso (shoulder) had a handful of at-bats and played multiple positions on the infield in a minor league game on Sunday. He'll likely play in one of the two upcoming games against the Red Sox and is expected to be fine for Opening Day. The 32-year-old veteran has proved to […]

Devon Travis Begins On 60-Day Injured List

The Toronto Blue Jays placed second baseman Devon Travis (knee) on the 60-day injured list on Monday, making room on the 40-man roster for newcomer Daniel Hudson, who will work out of the bullpen. Travis has been sidelined since early March due to inflammation in his left knee and he is reportedly sidelined indefinitely. While […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 14 - Statcast Expected Stats

Statcast is a valuable tool for fantasy analysis, and it can be easy to look at a stat called "Expected Batting Average" and blindly use it as your projection moving forward. Of course, proper use of these metrics is a little bit more nuanced than that. Our series on how to make sabermetrics more accessible […]

Kike Hernandez To Man Keystone In L.A.

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman/outfielder Kike Hernandez has nailed down the starting second baseman job for manager Dave Roberts. He started at the keystone in Sunday's Freeway Series exhibition against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and handled six chances without incident. Last season he had a career-high 43.9 percent fly-ball ratio which was great […]