Trey Mancini Receives Standing Ovation Sunday

Baltimore Orioles first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini received a standing ovation in his first Spring Training at-bat Sunday against the Pirates in what was his first since March 2020. Mancini spent the entirety of the 2020 season receiving treatment for colon cancer, so this at-bat was an emotional one. Mancini finished the at-bat by singling to […]

JJ Bleday Hits A Home Run On Sunday

Miami Marlins top prospect outfielder JJ Bleday started as the designated hitter in Sunday's Grapefruit League game and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run. Bleday was the Marlins first round pick (fourth overall) in the 2019 draft and fared decently in 38 games at the High-A level that season. He did not play in […]

Gregory Polanco Homers in Spring Training Debut

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in a 6-4 Pirates' victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon. Coming off the worst season of his career in 2020, Polanco showing off some power early this spring will be a welcome sight for managers who hope to see […]

Adam Haseley Homers In First Grapefruit League Game

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Adam Haseley homered in his first at-bat of Spring Training to make the first move in the battle for the job in center field. With most of the Phillies regulars out of the lineup, Haseley batted leadoff and lined an opposite-field home run on the second pitch of the game. The 24-year-old […]

Jon Berti Opens Up The Spring With Two Hits

Miami Marlins utility player Jon Berti got off to a good start, going 2-for-2 with a run scored in the first Marlins Grapefruit League game of the spring. Berti is turning into a Ben Zobrist-type super utility player for the Marlins and has been an excellent part of the team. While he may not "win" […]

Breakout Hitters and Late-Round Draft Targets: WPC+

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut identify hitters who could break out in 2021. Target these batters late in fantasy baseball drafts! Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius […]

DraftKings MLB DFS Cheat Sheet for 2/28/21 (Premium Content)

  MLB DFS Premium Cheatsheet for 2/28 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Today is the start of Spring Training games and we couldn't be more excited! We will be putting out Premium MLB DFS Cheat Sheets for DraftKings all throughout the Spring Training schedule, and our MLB DFS Lineup […]

Jake Fraley In Contention to Start In Left Field

Seattle Mariners outfielder Jake Fraley is going to be given every opportunity to be the starting left fielder in 2021, at least until Jarred Kelenic is called up. After struggling in limited action in 2020, Fraley focused on his mindset in the offseason, specifically leaning on his faith to stay focused and block out external […]

Mike Tauchman Had A Shoulder Injury Last Season

New York Yankees outfielder Mike Tauchman dealt with shoulder issues for much of last season. Tauchman struggled in 2020 with a paltry .648 OPS over 43 games, and diminished power (23.4% hard-hit rate, .334 xwOBAcon) was a significant driver of his poor overall performance. It's certainly possible that Tauchman's shoulder issues were the root cause […]

Joc Pederson Looks Forward To Everyday Job

Chicago Cubs outfielder Joc Pederson is looking forward to having an everyday role with his new club this upcoming season. Pederson spoke on Friday and mentioned how he turned down multi-year offers from other organizations, but settled with the Cubs due to their vacant spot in left field with Kyle Schwarber being non-tendered and eventually […]

Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano Candidates To Lead Off For A's

Oakland Athletics outfielders Mark Canha and Ramon Laureano were mentioned by manager Bob Melvin as candidates to lead off this season, according to MLB.com's Martin Gallegos. Marcus Semien has been entrenched as Oakland's leadoff hitter for three straight years and scored 240 runs in that span, tied for 11th in baseball. Semien's replacement, Elvis Andrus […]

Dylan Moore Poised To Build On 2020 Improvements

Seattle Mariners utility man Dylan Moore made a change in his approach at the plate before the 2020 season in order to be more direct to the ball, and it yielded huge results. Moore's line-drive percent jumped almost nine percentage points over his rookie season to a solid 24.7%, and his 13.8% barrel rate placed […]

Brian Snitker Signs Extension Through 2023 Season

The Atlanta Braves signed manager Brian Snitker to a contract extension on Friday that will take him through the 2023 season. The deal includes a club option for the 2024 season. It's well-deserved, as Snitker has managed the team to three straight National League East division titles after they won just on division crown from […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Plate Discipline

No matter how high a particular player's BABIP may be, his average will be mediocre at best if he strikes out too much. This is why fantasy managers have known for years that players like Chris Davis are potential drains on a fantasy team's batting average. Furthermore, players that whiff a lot tend to continue […]

Julio Rodriguez Could Appear In The Majors This Year

Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Julio Rodriguez is only 20 years old, and yet it's possible that he could make his big-league debut for the Mariners in 2021. The right-handed outfielder has been in the news recently for the most unfortunate of reasons, having been unfairly criticized for his English skills by the now-ousted Mariners CEO […]

Jarred Kelenic Putting On A Show At Camp

Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic has been putting on a show with towering home runs early in spring camp this week. Kelenic has been compared to former left-handed sluggers Chase Utley and Steve Finley and current Nationals star Juan Soto for his left-handed swing. He's MLB Pipeline's No. 4 overall prospect heading into the […]

Alex Kirilloff Getting Reps At First Base

Minnesota Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff has been getting repetitions at first base during camp. Kirilloff played at first growing up and seemingly would increase his chances of making the Opening Day roster with added positional versatility, as he can also play both corner outfield spots. The 23-year-old made his major league debut in the playoffs […]

Mickey Moniak A Possibility For Job In Center Field

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Mickey Moniak shouldn't be ruled out for the starting job in center field with manager Joe Girardi saying, "I think if you're in camp, you're in the mix," according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The starting center field job in Philadelphia is wide open with Adam Haseley, Roman Quinn, Scott Kingery, and even […]

Kevin Cash Raving About Austin Meadows

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash continues to rave about outfielder Austin Meadows and how he looks really good after dropping weight in the offseason. Meadows played in only 36 games last year while dealing with COVID-19 and a Grade 2 oblique strain, but the 25-year-old broke out in his last full season in 2019 […]

Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez Get On The Field Thursday

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (hamstring) took batting practice on the field on Thursday but remained out of infield drills. Outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (knees) stretched and did some running with the team but remained out of batting practice. Bregman tweaked the same hamstring that caused him to miss some time last year, but […]

Kris Bryant Open To An Extension

Chicago Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant is open to negotiating a contract to remain with the team. Bryant will be eligible to be a free agent for the first time after this season and with Scott Boras as his agent, Bryant is likely to command a large contract either with the Cubs or another suitor. […]

Nick Senzel Will Be Everyday Center Fielder

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell confirmed on Thursday that Nick Senzel will be the team's everyday center fielder heading into the 2021 season. Bell later added, "At one point, everyday may have meant 162 games, but that's not what I mean. We have four outfielders who need to play." With Senzel slated to see regular […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook - February 25th

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We've at least made it through the first […]

Andrew McCutchen Feeling Normal Again

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen said he finally feels normal this spring after tearing the ACL in his left knee in June of 2019. Manager Joe Girardi no longer notices a limp, and coaches see improved quickness in McCutchen. The 34-year-old isn't being stretched out by trainers for 30 minutes before each practice this spring, […]

Luis Robert To Hit Down In Lineup

Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert, who was the runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2020, is expected to hit lower in the lineup when the 2021 season begins, with manager Tony La Russa wanting Robert to earn his way up to the top of the order. Frank Thomas described […]

Cody Bellinger Ahead Of Schedule Following Shoulder Surgery

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger (shoulder) underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right (non-throwing) shoulder after dislocating it in Game 7 of the NLCS while celebrating a home run. Bellinger said he's ahead of schedule in his recovery. He took dry swings and hit off a curveball machine on Tuesday and stood in during batting […]

Randy Arozarena's Legal Issues Behind Him

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, who was arrested in Mexico last November following a dispute with the mother of his daughter, was released with no charges filed, and general manager Erik Neander said it's the team's understanding that Arozarena would not be disciplined by the league. The soon-to-be 26-year-old had a historic tear in […]

Byron Buxton Packed On Muscle During Offseason

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton bulked up during his offseason training. Buxton, who played at 200-205 pounds last year, showed up to camp at 212 pounds. The added bulk could aid the 27-year-old in his quest to duplicate last year's power numbers, in which he put up career-best marks in home run to fly ball […]

Brennen Davis Gets Non-Roster Invite

Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Brennen Davis has been added to the Cubs Major League Spring Training roster as a non-roster invitee. Davis, 21, is a universal top 100 prospect and was part of the Cubs 60-man player pool this past season, but did not see any big league action. Davis has yet to play above […]

Brandon Lowe Will See Time At 3B

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that infielder Brandon Lowe will see time at third base during spring training, while Mike Brosseau will see work at shortstop. It will allow the Rays even more flexibility with in-game moves during the regular season. Tampa Bay likes most of their infielders to be flexible around the […]