NL-Only Deep League Draft Targets

Objectively, deep-league AL or NL-only fantasy baseball is the best format to play this summer. For one, NL-only leagues were the original formats of fantasy baseball. With both an expanded and limited player pool, the unique challenges of balancing depth with team need come to the fore. While this writer might be in the minority, I […]

Brian Dozier to Nationals - Fantasy Impact

In mid-January, the Nationals inked Brian Dozier to a one-year, $9M contract. Following a disappointing season in which he was hobbled by a knee injury, the veteran second baseman will try to re-establish himself in the pursuit of a long-term contract next off-season as he heads into his age-32 season. It is worth noting that […]

Rangers Agree With Asdrubal Cabrera

The Texas Rangers agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent infielder Asdrubal Cabrera on Tuesday, according to sources. The deal will be for less than $5 million and he will be the team's third baseman. With Adrian Beltre a free agent, the Rangers needed to find a third baseman, so Cabrera will fill in at […]

2019 Points League Draft Strategy - Fantasy Baseball

When discussing fantasy baseball. An often neglected-but-entertaining format is the points league. These exist in both cumulative season-long and weekly head-to-head formats. While existential debates about scoring categories and their true depiction of player worth are endless, points leagues arguably get closest to the objective of sabermetrics. Points leagues attempt to define a player’s contribution […]

Ketel Marte To Play Center Field

Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said second baseman Ketel Marte will play center field and other positions this year. It was the expected course of action with A.J. Pollock to depart in free agency and after the acquisition of infielder Wilmer Flores, who will play the keystone. The position versatility will be nice, but […]

Reds Acquire Sonny Gray

The Cincinnati Reds officially acquired starting pitcher Sonny Gray from the New York Yankees on Monday in exchange for second base prospect Shed Long, according to league sources. The deal could also include the Reds sending a draft pick to the Yankees, and Cincy could be finalizing an extension for Gray as part of the […]

Top 420: Points Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers. Today we are here to start looking at points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) formats. In this column, you will find our staff's preliminary 2019 fantasy baseball points league rankings for January and the top 420 players. Over the next few days, we will also be publishing individual tiered rankings analysis columns for each […]

Nick Mariano's 2019 Early-Round Overvalued List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) are almost all about finding the next superstar and unearthing talent late, but we can't forget that surrendering value by over-drafting can be just as crucial. In order to evaluate overvalued players here, we're going to utilize Average […]

Dustin Pedroia Begins Running Program

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) is "doing great" as he begins his running program this week, according to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Pedroia's left knee has been an issue since the start of the 2017 season, and he played in just three games in 2018. The veteran believes he'll be […]

Brian Dozier - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Washington Nationals second baseman Brian Dozier entered the 2018 season bolted in as a top-five 2B in fantasy baseball after posting four consecutive seasons with 100 or more runs scored, 20 or more homers, and at least 12 stolen bases. While there was a bit of a step back in the power department for Dozier […]

Lourdes Gurriel - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

There are a multitude of reasons to like what Lourdes Gurriel has to offer at his currently very low draft price. The 25-year-old shortstop from Cuba is entering just his second MLB season after spending 2017 and about half of 2018 accelerating through Toronto’s minor league system. He definitely impressed in his brief taste of […]

Diamondbacks Sign Wilmer Flores

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed free-agent infielder Wilmer Flores to a one-year, $4.25 million deal on Wednesday, according to league sources. He will make a base salary of $3.7 million with a $500,000 buyout on a 2020 club option worth $6 million. Flores was mostly a part-time player with the Mets in 2018, hitting .267/.319/.417 with […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Peter Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Prospecting can be an excellent way to find value on draft day and beyond, but every year a couple are hyped to the point that you need them to reach their full upside just to break even on your investment. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. seems to be that guy in 2019, as he is currently being […]

AL Rookies to Target in 2019 Mixed Redraft Leagues

As the New Year has finally come, and fantasy football is over, at last, fantasy baseball draft season is right around the corner. With that comes mock drafts, draft previews, ADP analysis, and of course, player recommendations. This article will help owners get ready by looking to the American League All-Star team of rookies to […]

NL Rookies to Target in 2019 Mixed Redraft Leagues

As the New Year has finally come, and fantasy football is over, at last, fantasy baseball draft season is right around the corner. With that comes mock drafts, draft previews, ADP analysis, and of course, player recommendations. This article will help owners get ready by looking to the National League All-Star team of rookies to […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 3 - Statcast for Hitters

If you've watched a baseball broadcast in the so-called Statcast Era, you have undoubtedly noticed the broadcasters commenting on a batted ball's exit velocity, or EV. Many have taken to using stats like Hard% and Soft% to forecast how a player should be performing, expecting larger Hard% rates to produce larger BABIP and HR/FB figures. […]

DJ LeMahieu to Yankees - Fantasy Impact

The Yankees needed to fill a void in their infield with Didi Gregorius likely to miss the first four months of the season and Troy Tulowitzki being unreliable to say the least. New York was (and still is?) heavily linked to superstar Manny Machado, but it was another former All-Star that the Yankees inked on Jan. […]

Dustin Pedroia To Start Running This Week

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) is scheduled to start running and testing his surgically-repaired left knee this week. The veteran second baseman had microfracture surgery in November of 2017 and played in just three games before being shut down in 2018. He underwent a second arthroscopic procedure in August. The team and […]

Luis Urias Believes He'll Be Ready For Spring Training

San Diego Padres second base prospect Luis Urias (hamstring), who has been slowed by a lingering hamstring injury that cut his 2018 season short, believes he'll be ready when spring training begins next month. He is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the team's system, but he played in just 12 major league games […]

AL-Only Deeper League Draft Targets

Objectively, deep-league AL or NL-only fantasy baseball is the best format to play this summer. For one, NL-only leagues are the original formats of fantasy baseball. If readers are not into history, the strategy should also convince them to jump in. With both an expanded and limited player pool, the unique challenges of balancing depth […]

Phillies Settle With Cesar Hernandez, Others

The Philadelphia Phillies avoided salary arbitration with second baseman Cesar Hernandez on Friday by signing him to a one-year, $7.75 million deal. The team also avoided arbitration with outfielder Aaron Altherr ($1.35 million), reliever Jose Alvarez ($1.925 million), pitcher Jerad Eickhoff ($975,000), third baseman Maikel Franco ($5.2 million), pitcher Adam Morgan ($1.1 million), reliever Hector […]

Javier Baez Earns Raise For 2019

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $5.2 million deal. The 26-year-old superstar broke out in 2018 with a .290/.326/.554 slash line and career highs across the board in home runs (34), RBI (111), runs (101) and stolen bases (21) on his way to finishing second in […]

O's Avoid Arbitration With Three Players

The Baltimore Orioles avoided salary arbitration on Friday with starting pitcher Dylan Bundy, relief pitcher Mychal Givens and infielder Jonathan Villar by signing them to undisclosed one-year deals. Villar was proving to be a bust in 2018 with the Brewers before he was traded to the Orioles, where he flourished in 54 games by hitting […]

Brewers Avoid Arbitration With Travis Shaw

The Milwaukee Brewers avoided salary arbitration with infielder Travis Shaw on Friday by signing him to an undisclosed one-year deal. While Shaw can play either third or second base, he'll likely be ticketed for the everyday job at the hot corner in 2019 with Mike Moustakas likely leaving in free agency. The dual-eligibility makes Shaw […]

A's Avoid Arbitration With Four Players

The Oakland Athletics avoided salary arbitration on Friday with outfielder Mark Canha, starting pitcher Sean Manaea, infielder Jurickson Profar and shortstop Marcus Semien by signing them to undisclosed deals. Profar is the biggest name from a fantasy perspective. He was acquired from the Rangers in the offseason and figures to be the team's regular second […]

Scooter Gennett Avoids Arbitration

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $9.775 million deal. Gennett proved his 2017 breakout was no fluke by slashing .310/.357/.490 with 23 home runs, 92 RBI, 86 runs scored and four stolen bases in 2018. He may never reach the 30-homer mark, but Gennett is […]

Yankees Closing In On DJ LeMahieu

The New York Yankees are closing in on a two-year deal with free-agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu. This could signal the end of the Yankees pursuit of free-agent shortstop Manny Machado, as Gleyber Torres would presumably move to the 6 until Didi Gregorius is recovered from Tommy John surgery. LeMahieu, 31 in July, hit .276/.321/.428 […]

Mets Plan To Use Jeff McNeil In The Outfield

With the acquisition of second baseman Jed Lowrie on Thursday, the New York Mets plan to play infielder Jeff McNeil more in the outfield in 2019 than previously thought. McNeil was a pleasant surprise in his rookie season, hitting .329/.381/.471 with three home runs, 19 RBI, 35 runs scored and seven steals in his first […]

Jed Lowrie Agrees With Mets

The New York Mets agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with free-agent second baseman Jed Lowrie on Thursday, according to league sources. The 34-year-old had a career year in Oakland in 2018, setting career highs in homers (23), RBI (99) and walks (78) for a surprising A's team that made the playoffs. It's a […]

Brian Dozier Agrees With Nationals

The Washington Nationals agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal with free-agent second baseman Brian Dozier on Thursday, according to league sources. Dozier had a down year in 2018, hitting .215/.305/.391 in 553 at-bats between the Twins and Dodgers, but he still managed 21 home runs, 72 RBI, 81 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. […]