Aaron Judge Dealing With An Illness

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (illness) has been feeling unwell and went through coronavirus protocols as a result. Thankfully, Judge tested negative for the virus and was cleared to rejoin the team, and there is no doubt about his readiness for Opening Day. Fantasy managers should expect Judge to once again be an elite […]

George Springer Remains Day-To-Day With Oblique Strain

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer (oblique) received another MRI on Monday and remains day-to-day with an oblique strain, according to Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic. Springer was diagnosed last week with a Grade 2 strain, which had come as a surprise as he reportedly had not been feeling any pain or severe symptoms. McGrath […]

Mike Yastrzemski Exits Monday's Game After Hit By Pitch

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (arm) exited Monday's game in the second inning after being hit by a pitch on a swinging third strike, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Slusser said that the trainer came out immediately and Yastrzemski quickly exited the game. It's unclear at this time whether he […]

Kyle Schwarber Wraps Up Strong Spring

Washington Nationals outfielder Kyle Schwarber ended his spring hitting .250/.390/.583, his best spring by OPS since 2018. Although it's just a spring stat line, it does represent the kind of hitter Schwarber is: He will take his walks and whack homers, but the batting average isn't great. The newly-acquired Schwarber will be Washington's everyday left […]

Kole Calhoun Could Return For Arizona's Home Opener

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Kole Calhoun (knee) could be back in the lineup by the Diamondbacks' home opener on April 9, according to Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. Calhoun has been out since the beginning of Spring Training after undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in his right knee, and now Buchanan reports that […]

Trent Grisham, Austin Nola To Open Year On IL

San Diego Padres outfielder Trent Grisham (hamstring) and catcher Austin Nola (finger) will start the 2021 season on the injured list, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune. There had previously been some optimism that Grisham would be ready by Opening Day, but as it's gotten closer to Opening Day it has […]

Taylor Ward Wrapping Up Excellent Spring

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward has done all he can this spring to prove that he can be a contributor this season. In 25 exhibition at-bats, Ward has three home runs with an OPS of 1.364. The 27-year-old has failed to find that kind of success at the big league level when the games […]

Advanced MLB DFS Strategy: Targeting Pitchers Due For Regression

Spring is in the air and MLB regular season is only a few weeks away! Hopefully, you're using our RotoBaller rankings and preseason content to crush your season-long drafts and build some winners in your season-long leagues. If you haven't already read it, check out Jon Anderson's article about stacking hitters for GPPs and some great […]

Randal Grichuk Could Be In Line For More At-Bats

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk could see more action than expected early this season due to the injury to center-fielder George Springer (oblique). Originally, Grichuk looked like the odd man out with the starting outfield expected to be Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, and Springer. While the Jays have not announced a plan for […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Statcast xStats

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. First, a disclaimer: This article is about the "Expected […]

Hitters Primed for Comebacks After Injury-Plagued Seasons

Injuries can be tough to manage for fantasy managers, especially coming off of a 2020 season that saw coronavirus have a significant effect. Additionally, injuries can sometimes be freak accidents, and it can be difficult to separate concerning injuries from noise. Still, there are general truths about injuries that can help fantasy managers properly value […]

Pierre Camus' Bold Predictions for 2021

Can any prediction really be considered bold after 2020? We hope for a return to normalcy but we also have to remember that the very definition of normal is constantly changing. I've never shied away from pushing the envelope when it comes to this bold predictions column, so this year will be no exception. I […]

National League Outfield Draft Sleepers

The outfield position is deep in fantasy baseball. However, if you play in an NL-only league, or draft a team in a league where you need to start five outfielders the position can thin out rather quickly in the later rounds of deep league drafts. Traditionally, some of baseball’s best all-time sluggers have been outfielders. […]

Which Batters Are Being Overlooked in 2021?

Pre-season analysis has achieved peak velocity, and at this point, we've started to hear certain names mentioned again and again: Jarred Kelenic, Andrew Vaughn, Randy Arozarena. Those three examples follow the expected pattern: young, exciting players whose potential outstrips the established knowledge. Put more simply, there are interesting things to say about Kelenic, Vaughn, and Arozarena. But […]

Finding Breakout Power Hitters Using Barrel Rates

In part one of this article, I explained how important Statcast is to determining surface stats and the usefulness of barrel rates. Before continuing, I would recommend checking out that article if you're interested in learning how Statcast metrics affect surface stats and player outcomes, and which Statcast metrics are the best predictors of success (hint: […]

Mallex Smith Optioned To Minor League Camp

New York Mets outfielder Mallex Smith was optioned to the team's minor league camp after being advised that he did not make the Opening Day roster on Sunday. Smith hit just .176 with three RBI and three stolen bases in 17 at-bats in Grapefruit League action. In 2020, Smith hit a paltry .133/.170/.178 in 45 […]

Kevin Pillar Closing Out A Solid Spring

New York Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar has posted a .333/.395/.515 slash line, with three doubles, two triples, and two stolen bases across 39 Grapefruit League at-bats. It has been a very solid spring for Pillar who will likely serve in a fourth outfielder/defensive replacement role for the Mets in 2021. Pillar is also coming off […]

Jordan Luplow Goes 0-for-3 Sunday

Cleveland Indians outfielder Jordan Luplow went 0-for-3 in Sunday's 3-3 tie with the San Diego Padres. Luplow has had a slow start to the spring since returning from an ankle injury as he is yet to record a hit through his first 12 at-bats. He was leading off in this one, but will likely see […]

Jason Heyward Has Yet To Hit A Home Run This Spring

Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward has yet to hit a home run this spring. Heyward is hitting just .250 with one RBI and one stolen base thus far. The outfielder is one of the better defenders at his position and that will keep him in the everyday lineup. Heyward has a solid 2020 campaign with […]

Aristides Aquino Is Out Of Options

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Aristides Aquino is hitting .263 with one homer, three runs, four RBI, and a steal across 38 at-bats this spring. Aquino is out of options, meaning that other teams would have a shot at grabbing him on waivers if Cincinnati wanted to attempt to reassign him to the minors. That issue could […]

Kris Bryant Not Expected To Play Too Much Outfield In 2021

Chicago Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant isn't expected to play much outfield in 2021 according to manager David Ross. Bryant is traditionally a third baseman, but has seen time at the corner outfield positions throughout his career. With Jason Heyward and Joc Pederson set to be everyday starters in right and left field, Bryant will […]

Joc Pederson Continues Strong Spring

Chicago Cubs outfielder Joc Pederson continued his hot performance in the Cactus League by going 1-for-2 with two RBI and hitting his eighth home run of the spring on Sunday. The Cubs having an everyday opening in left field played a big part of Pederson coming over from the Dodgers and he has not disappointed […]

Updated Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects for 2021

Opening day is just around the corner. So what better way to celebrate the occasion than to refresh the Top 50 prospects list for 2021 redraft leagues. If you're a habitual prospect watcher then you could have a leg up on your fantasy competition in 2021. Managers around baseball will heavily rely on rookies like […]

Magneuris Sierra Expected To Make The Opening Day Roster

Miami Marlins outfielder Magneuris Sierra is expected to make the Opening Day roster according to several Marlins beat writers. Sierra has struggled this spring, hitting just .129 with a .335 OPS, but he's out of minor league options so the Marlins would be forced to expose him to waivers if they tried to send him […]

Tyler O'Neill Keeps Raking Through The Spring

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neill is absolutely raking this spring and could quietly be a solid fantasy asset in the 2021 season. O'Neill is hitting .372 with a .981 OPS in 43 Grapefruit League at bats. He's always had tons of pop but has struggled with putting the bat on the ball. His 13 […]

Anthony Santander Could Return To Lineup Monday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander (oblique) had a full workout on Sunday, and could be back in the lineup on Monday, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports. Santander had missed the last four games while he was dealing with a "minor oblique issue," but he appears to be feeling fine now. He is coming off […]

Adam Duvall Hits A Home Run On Sunday

Miami Marlins outfielder Adam Duvall hit a home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets. He ended up going 2-for-3 with the blast and a single, scoring one run and driving in two. He wraps up spring training with a .227 batting average and an .825 OPS. The Marlins signed him […]

Max Kepler In The Midst Of A Slump

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler has been slumping for much of the spring. Kepler has just three hits in 39 plate appearances, along with 10 strikeouts compared to zero walks in 13 Grapefruit League games. For what it's worth, manager Rocco Baldelli isn't worried about his 28-year-old outfielder, citing how Kepler has looked and what […]

Jake Fraley Continues To Contribute

Seattle Mariners outfielder Jake Fraley got off to a dismal start this spring, beginning his Cactus League season on an 0-for-15 skid. He has picked it up of late, and continued his improved play on Saturday, going 1-for-1 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored. The steal was his fourth of the […]

Taylor Trammell Drives In Four

Seattle Mariners outfielder Taylor Trammell was told he would make the major league club early on Saturday, and later that day continued to show why. Trammell went 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI. The home run came off fellow lefty Scott Kazmir. Trammell has had a breakout spring, slashing .302/.388/.628 with three home […]