David Peralta (OF, LAD) - 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 475 CURRENT ADP: ~550 overall ANALYSIS: David Peralta signing with the Dodgers was one of the more under-the-radar moves of the offseason. Now, with the injury to Gavin Lux forcing Chris Taylor to spend more time in the infield, it seems like Peralta may have a bit of a longer leash in the outfield […]

Trey Mancini (1B/OF, CHC) - 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 240 CURRENT ADP: ~260 overall ANALYSIS: While it was a tale of two seasons for Trey Mancini before and after his trade to Houston, the pull rate numbers showed growth throughout 2022. While Statcast has him for a 40.9% pull rate, FanGraphs has a 45% mark, both of which are […]

Lorenzo Cain To Retire This Summer

Free-agent outfielder Lorenzo Cain will officially retire this summer as a member of the Kansas City Royals, the team he spent seven years with from 2011-17. The two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner finished his career with the Milwaukee Brewers, a team that he spent six of his seasons with. He hit just .179/.231/.234 with […]

Astros Working On Extension For Kyle Tucker

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said he's giving contract talks "48 hours" in their attempt to lock up star outfielder Kyle Tucker to a long-term deal. "We're communicating. It looks like we're further away with Tucker, but we'll see," Brown said. Some sources suggest Tucker is looking for a longer deal. He's slated to […]

Yordan Alvarez Hopes To Start Swinging Next Week

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) said that he hopes to start swinging a bat next week at spring training. General manager Dana Brown recently said that he was hoping Alvarez would be swinging by this weekend, so it appears the 25-year-old left-handed slugger is getting close. He's been held back in camp due […]

Keep It Simple, Stupid - Finding Homers and Strikeouts Throughout the Draft

Rotisserie fantasy baseball is a complex game. The best players give equal attention to each category, build balanced teams, and then prune their teams effectively throughout the year. Not everybody has the time for that though - and it's a lot easier said than done. Sometimes we can do just fine focusing in on the […]

Garrett Mitchell Hits Third Homer Of Spring Tuesday

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell continued to flash surprising power this spring in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the White Sox. The 24-year-old went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, his third of the spring. He has gotten off to a strong start this spring, batting .353 in 17 at-bats. Mitchell is set to serve as […]

Mookie Betts To See Time At Second In World Baseball Classic

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said Tuesday that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts will play some second base for Team USA during this year's World Baseball Classic. Team USA's only true second baseman on the roster is Mets Jeff McNeil, but Betts began his career as a second baseman and has sporadically played it […]

Oscar Colas Could Make An Impact For White Sox

Chicago White Sox outfield prospect Oscar Colas continued his hot start in Spring Training with a 2-for-3 performance in a victory on Tuesday versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Both his hits were singles and he also drew a walk. The Cuban has now hit safely in nine of his 21 at-bats with one RBI and a […]

Jordan Walker Continues To Hit This Spring

St.Louis Cardinals third base prospect Jordan Walker started in right field and went 1-for-3 with a single on Tuesday versus the Detroit Tigers. Walker, 20, is one of the games top prospects and his hot start to the spring is evidence of that. In his first 24 at-bats, he has hit .417 with five runs, […]

Marcell Ozuna The Favorite For DH Job

Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna remains the favorite for primary designated hitter duties for the team in 2023. Ozuna is playing often in the Grapefruit League in spring training and is strictly being used as a DH, despite saying before arriving to camp that his throwing arm was stronger after rehab work in the winter. […]

Juan Soto Says He's 100 Percent Healthy

San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto (calf) ran on Tuesday morning to test his injured calf and said that he is 100 percent healthy. "They don't want to take any risk," Soto said. If things continue to go well, the expectation is that Soto will join Team Dominican Republic in Florida by Friday for the […]

Tyler Naquin Back In Cactus League Lineup

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Tyler Naquin (shoulder) is back in the Cactus League lineup on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox and right-handed starter Lance Lynn, starting in right field and batting fifth in the order. Naquin has missed a couple of games while dealing with minor shoulder discomfort, but he'll be back in the fold […]

Andrew McCutchen Playing Against Blue Jays

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen (hand) is back in the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, and he's serving as the designated hitter and batting third in the lineup. McCutchen left Sunday's game early against the Minnesota Twins due to hand soreness, but it was merely […]

Aaron Judge Hits First Homer Of Spring Monday

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his first long ball of the season in Monday's 9-2 Grapefruit League win over the Pirates. The 30-year-old hit an impressive opposite-field, three-run shot in the sixth inning and is now batting .500 this spring. The 2022 American League Most Valuable Player obviously did a great job of […]

Ian Happ "Would Love To Stay" With Cubs In 2024

Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said Monday that he "would love to stay" with the Cubs following the 2023 season. The 28-year-old agreed to a one-year, $10.85 million deal entering his final year of arbitration. Happ has had an up-and-down career with his bat but had a solid 2022 season, slashing .271/.342/.440 with 17 home […]

Juan Soto Expected To Be Fine For World Baseball Classic

San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto (calf) is expected to be fine and able to play in this year's World Baseball Classic for Team Dominican Republic. Soto has dealt with some minor left calf tightness recently in spring training, but he has returned to the Cactus League lineup and is expected to report for the […]

Yordan Alvarez Could Swing By The Weekend

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said on the team's radio broadcast on Sunday that outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) will take some swings "maybe by next weekend." Soreness in Alvarez's left hand, which is also something he dealt with last year, has prevented him from swinging the bat in spring training to this point. […]

Andrew McCutchen Is Fine

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen (hand) is fine after he was hit by a pitch in Grapefruit League action on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins, and his removal from the contest was purely precautionary. McCutchen is no longer in his prime, but he's expected to be Pittsburgh's starting right fielder to open the 2023 season […]

Andrew Velazquez Starting In Center Field Monday

Los Angeles Angels infielder Andrew Velazquez is starting in center field and batting ninth in the team's Cactus League contest on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians. Most of Velazquez's major-league experience has come on the infield, but the 28-year-old needs to become more versatile if he wants to stick on the major-league roster. In a […]

Leody Taveras Has Low-Grade Oblique Strain

Texas Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras (oblique) has a "low-grade" left oblique strain, according to general manager Chris Young. It sounds like Taveras will be ready in a couple of weeks and he isn't being ruled out for the Opening Day roster. Young spoke highly of Bubba Thompson's ability to contribute, even if his defense is […]

Dylan Carlson Serving As DH On Monday

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson (arm) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting second in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros and right-handed starter Hunter Brown. Carlson is on a no-throw program through at least Monday after suffering from arm fatigue in spring training recently. The 24-year-old switch-hitter could be […]

Three Picks At Each Position - Expensive, Value and Cheap Players for Fantasy Baseball

If I had the time and approval, I could come here every single day and give you hard-hitting data analysis. We could learn all kinds of stuff and do all kinds of speculating and projecting, getting very into the granular data. I do that from time to time on here, but I'm not so egg-headed […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (Pull%) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

After diving into the xBA and xSLG leaderboards last week, I'm continuing my look at Statcast metrics by turning our eye to the Pull% leaderboard. We'll go through some of the leaders in the hopes of not just giving you Statcast numbers but explaining how I believe those numbers impact the projections I have for […]

Leody Taveras Scratched Sunday With Side Tightness

Texas Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras (side) was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Los Angeles Angels due to left-side tightness. It doesn't seem to be a serious issue, and he should return to the lineup over the next few days. Taveras is entering his third year in the pros and is slotted to be the […]

Luis Gonzalez Preparing For Opening Day

San Francisco Giants outfielder Luis Gonzalez (back) hopes to be ready by Opening Day. Gonzalez was diagnosed with a lower back strain, with a 4-6 week timeline. He expects to be available by Opening Day, assuming he recovers well. Gonzalez spent his first full season in left and right field but has yet to have a starting […]

Michael Brantley To Hit Second In Houston's Lineup

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley (shoulder, personal) will hit second in the lineup, according to manager Dusty Baker. The 35-year-old underwent an arthroscopic labral repair on his right shoulder last August and should be ready for Opening Day. The Astros brought Brantley back on a one-year, $12 million deal. Brantley made just 277 plate appearances before suffering […]

Andrew McCutchen Removed From Sunday's Game

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen (hand) was forced to exit early during Sunday's Spring Training matchup with the Minnesota Twins. The veteran outfielder was hit by a pitch in the left hand, which forced the team to remove him from the game due to discomfort. It seems like the Pirates pulled McCutchen as a precaution, […]

Wilyer Abreu Likely To Miss Time

Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu (hamstring) is expected to miss some time after suffering an injury during Sunday's Spring Training contest. The 23-year-old left early due to a left hamstring strain, but the severity of the injury is unknown right now. Manager Alex Cora mentioned he believes Abreu is going to be sidelined for […]

Whit Merrifield Dealing With Quad Tightness

Toronto Blue Jays infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield (quadriceps) has been out of Grapefruit League games since Friday due to right quadriceps tightness. His injury is considered minor, but the Blue Jays are just being extra cautious with him. Merrifield went through a full workout on Saturday and has more than enough time left in camp to […]