Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 3 - Statcast for Batters

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. […]

Champ or Chump - Jesse Hahn and Lewis Brinson

The Kansas City Royals and Oakland A's recently completed a trade that boils down to intriguing arm (Jesse Hahn) for slugging first baseman (Brandon Moss) for our purposes. Hahn is discussed below, while Moss will receive a closer look in a future column. Speaking of trades, much has been made of Miami's inability to get […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 2 - HR/FB for Hitters

Using BABIP to predict a player's batting average is great. Average is a category in many league formats, and every hit is an opportunity to steal a base or score a run. But most owners find the long ball sexier. Every HR comes with a guaranteed run scored and at least one RBI. Many owners […]

Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez To Rotate At DH

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he plans to rotate the designated hitter position between outfielders Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and catcher Gary Sanchez in 2018. Judge and Stanton are also expected to play left field this spring, although neither has played the position in the majors. All three big-time sluggers will hit somewhere […]

Michael Martinez Undergoes Surgery to Repair a Ruptured Achilles Tendon

Cleveland Indians utility player Michael Martinez underwent surgery this week to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon. He was performing agility exercises in his native Dominican Republic when he was injured. Rehabilitation for a ruptured Achilles usually takes at least six months, so Martinez's entire 2018 season is in jeopardy right now. He had signed a […]

Cubs Sign Peter Bourjos To Minor League Deal

Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Chicago Cubs have signed free-agent outfielder Peter Bourjos to a minor league deal. Bourjos spent last season with the Rays, where he hit .223. The Cubs seem to be set with their position players, but Bourjos should operate as organizational depth and will give the Cubs a speed […]

Champ or Chump - Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich

Milwaukee's outfield has improved significantly with the additions of Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich, but it muddies the waters a little from a fantasy perspective. Domingo Santana should beat out Ryan Braun for the last OF slot, but Eric Thames also offers owners more upside at first base. One report suggests that Braun might play […]

Delino DeShields to Compete for Starting Job

Texas Rangers outfielder Delino DeShields has worked hard in the offseason to improve his defense in center field, and Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram believes that he is likely to win the starting job in spring training. With the Rangers missing out on outfielder Lorenzo Cain, who ultimately signed a five-year, $80 million deal with […]

2018 Home Run Risers and Fallers - What We Learned

Drafting sluggers is absolutely imperative in fantasy baseball. With homers on the rise, fantasy owners must be sure to prioritize the long ball this season. It seemed like every other fantasy-viable batter hit over 25 HR last year, didn’t it? At the same time, however, sluggers like Mark Trumbo (23 HR), Miguel Cabrera (16 HR), […]

NL Rookies Ready to Leap into Starting Lineups in 2018

Drafting rookies is always a tricky proposition. There are usually several first-year players who make a huge impact on fantasy teams, but they aren't always the ones we expect. Last year's NL rookie class featured studs like Cody Bellinger and Rhys Hoskins, as well as solid producers such as Josh Bell and Ian Happ. On […]

Curtis Granderson (OF, TOR) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~455 CURRENT ADP: 547 ANALYSIS: Curtis Granderson had a .212 batting average last season, which was low enough to sink your average category last year, but his .323 OBP and 26 long balls still provided some value. It would be hard to expect another BABIP as low as Granderson's .228  last year, but nothing […]

Denard Span (OF, TB) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~400 CURRENT ADP: 442 ANALYSIS: Denard Span did a little of everything without excelling at anything in 2017, slashing .272/.329/.427 with 12 homers and 12 swipes (seven CS). That makes him a boring fantasy selection, but he's useful roster glue in short bursts or deeper formats. Span's home park really seemed to hurt him last year, […]

Magneuris Sierra (OF, MIA) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~400 CURRENT ADP: 577 ANALYSIS: Magneuris Sierra was one of the prospects Miami received in the Marcell Ozuna deal, and he profiles as a better fantasy player than MLB one. His most notable fantasy skill is his speed, which grades as a 70 on the 20-80 scale. He only went 2-for-4 in SB attempts over […]

Gregor Blanco Returns To Giants

Free-agent outfielder Gregor Blanco has agreed to a contract to return to the San Francisco Giants. The 34-year-old spent 2017 with the Arizona Diamondbacks after winning two World Series with the Giants from 2012-2016. Blanco announced the news on his Instagram account and it is likely a minor league deal. The career .257 hitter will […]

T.J. Rivera Hopes To Return By May

New York Mets infielder T.J. Rivera (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery on his injured right elbow in September, but he has been progressing nicely and hopes to return in May. Rivera has had a solid couple of years for the Mets, slashing .290/.330/.430 with five home runs and 13 doubles in 73 games in 2017 prior […]

Austin Hays (OF, BAL) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~350 CURRENT ADP:  361 ANALYSIS: Austin Hays was selected in the third round in 2016 and the Orioles fast-tracked him to the big leagues. They placed him in Single-A to end 2016 where he hit a robust .336/.386/.514 in 38 games. He started 2017, his first full professional season, in Double-A, and ended it with […]

Randal Grichuk (OF, TOR) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~280 CURRENT ADP: 380 ANALYSIS: Randal Grichuk had a .238/.285/.473 triple slash line with 22 HR and six swipes in 442 PA in 2017; this is not quite enough to move the needle in fantasy, but prorating it to 600 PAs gets you to 30 HR. That's a pretty good start. That gives Grichuk a […]

Stephen Piscotty (OF, OAK) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~280 CURRENT ADP: 302 ANALYSIS: Stephen Piscotty had a .235/.342/.367 triple slash line with nine homers in 401 PA last season, which felt like a massive disappointment after the .273/.343/.457 with 22 long balls he compiled in 2016, but factors outside of anyone's control are likely responsible. Piscotty strained a hamstring in May […]

AL Rookies Ready to Leap into Starting Lineups in 2018

Conventional wisdom dictates that you can't win your league at the draft. You definitely can't, but good drafting of under-the-radar guys and youngsters can put you streets ahead of your competition. Last season gave us rookies in the American League such as Aaron Judge, Matt Olson and his teammate Matt Chapman, Mitch Haniger (until he […]

Matt Kemp Not In Dodgers Plans

It's become obvious that the Los Angeles Dodgers have no intention of keeping outfielder Matt Kemp on their active roster to begin the regular season, and they will instead continue to look for a trade partner. The Dodgers have targeted "three or four" potential landing spots for Kemp, according to someone closer to the situation. […]

Boston Red Sox Top MLB Prospects for 2018 Dynasty Leagues

This is a farm system that a year ago looked loaded and now looks depleted. But that was expected. The top three prospects last offseason were Yoan Moncada, Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers. Most figured that all three would graduate in 2017, and even if not Devers, at least Benintendi and Moncada looked like locks […]

Baltimore Orioles Top MLB Prospects for 2018 Dynasty Leagues

Howdy fellow RotoBallers! Fresh off the release of the final dynasty positional rankings list, I am publishing my rankings for each individual team in baseball, starting with the American League East. Instead of giving full briefs of each prospect, I will just give the prospects' superlatives and then issue smaller descriptions for each player in the […]

Champ or Chump - Joe Musgrove and Randal Grichuk

Baseball's offseason continues to trickle in moves as opposed to flooding us with them, but the latest batch seem interesting from a fantasy perspective. Joe Musgrove's 4.77 ERA last year may be a big reason prognosticators don't love Pittsburgh's side of the Gerrit Cole trade, but he may have the talent to replace Cole himself. […]

Carlos Gomez Interested In Re-Signing

Free-agent outfielder Carlos Gomez is interested in re-signing with the Texas Rangers, and he rode a helicopter Tuesday across the island of the Dominican Republic to meet with general manager Jon Daniels. The 32-year-old Gomez hit only .255 with a .340 on-base percentage and .802 OPS in 105 games with the Rangers in 2017 and […]

2018 Dynasty Baseball Strategy - Basic Asset Valuation

Dynasty baseball is a beautiful thing. In a redraft league, everybody is trying to win now. You all have the same goal. Dynasty formats allow for long-term planning. If your team is competitive, you'll value players differently than a rebuilding owner. This discrepancy makes it much easier to find mutually beneficial trades. Unfortunately, this same […]

Jose Martinez One To Watch In 2018

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jose Martinez hit .309/.379/.518 in 307 plate appearances in 2017, and although he doesn't have a clear path to playing time this season, there are reasons to believe his performance last year can be repeated. Despite the fact that he'll turn 30 this summer, Martinez had elite plate command in 2017. […]

Brewers Make Trade Offer For Christian Yelich

The Milwaukee Brewers have shown "strong interest" in Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich and have made a trade offer, according to a source. The Brewers are one of at least 15 teams to be interested in Yelich, and talks between Milwaukee and Miami aren't believed to have gotten very far Tuesday. Yelich is one of the […]

Jose Bautista Working Out Hard In Offseason

Free-agent outfielder Jose Bautista has been working out diligently this offseason in hopes of bouncing back after posting a .203/.308/.366 slash line in 157 games in 2017 with the Blue Jays, according to his agent, Jay Alou. Joey Bats' OPS numbers have been on a drastic decline each of the last three years, and fantasy […]

Champ or Chump - Curtis Granderson and Andrew McCutchen

Five-tool players are among the most sought after commodities in all of fantasy baseball. This is a great thing if they are performing the way you expected them to, but most owners give ex-five tool guys a much longer leash than anyone else on their roster. They end up dropping points in the standings as […]

Randal Grichuk Likely To See Bulk Of Playing Time In Right Field

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk, who was traded over from the Cardinals on Friday, is the leading candidate to see most of the playing time in right field in 2018, according to general manager Ross Atkins. Toronto likes his defense, so he could play all three outfield positions. It makes perfect sense with the […]