RotoBaller Mock Draft Review - Biggest Reaches and Regrets

As we steamroll into fantasy baseball draft season, the team here at RotoBaller continues to practice what we preach by partaking in mock drafts. It's the best way to test out plans, gather information to have a better idea of what to expect for the real thing and try out new ideas you've been working […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Hitter Batted Ball Distribution

Fly balls can turn into home runs. Ground balls never do. It would seem as though fantasy owners want their batters to hit nothing but flies, yet this is not always the case. Why would this be? The answer, of course, comes down to batted ball distribution and how batters make contact. The league average […]

Ian Desmond Opting Out Of 2021 Season

Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond posted a story on his personal Instagram account, saying: "For now, I've decided to opt out of the 2021 season." The 35-year-old went on to say that his "desire to be with my family is greater than my desire to go back and play baseball under these circumstances." He did […]

First Base Preview: Fantasy Baseball 2021 ADP Analysis

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller discusses 2021 fantasy baseball first base rankings and 1B draft sleepers who can be sneaky later-round picks. He breaks down and compares the ADPs of three different MLB players at the first base position. Fantasy players should consider picking up these players for their drafts this MLB Season. Be sure to […]

Austin Riley Made Some Gains Last Season

Atlanta Braves third baseman/outfielder Austin Riley had an OPS+ of exactly 86 in each of his first two seasons in the majors, but he chased less and made more contact during the shortened 2020 season. Riley's walk rate also improved, and his strikeout rate as a rookie (36.4 percent) dropped 12.6 percentage points -- the […]

Jo Adell Can Bounce Back From Rough 2020 Debut

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell had a really bad debut in 2020 (.161/.212/.266 in 132 plate appearances), but he isn't the first young prospect (21 years old) to struggle in their first taste of major league action. Despite his disappointing debut, Adell had a 115.5 mph maximum exit velocity last year, which was one […]

Franchy Cordero Has Impressive Raw Power

Boston Red Sox outfielder Franchy Cordero has missed time with multiple injuries in his four-year big league career and has just 315 plate appearances in that time, but he has shown impressive raw power nonetheless. Nine of his 12 career home runs have gone 420 feet or more, including a 489-foot dinger in 2018 that […]

Luis Robert Capable Of Breaking Out In 2021

Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert struck out in roughly one-third of his plate appearances last September, but he's extremely talented and had nine batted balls with an exit velocity of 110-plus mph in 2020. That metric put him in company with superstars like Marcell Ozuna, Corey Seager, Giancarlo Stanton and Ronald Acuna Jr. last […]

Alex Kirilloff With Great Opportunity This Spring

Minnesota Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff has an opportunity to win the starting left field job this spring. Minnesota's 15th pick in the 2016 draft and ranked as the No. 26 prospect on MLB.com, Kirilloff made his major-league debut in the wild-card round last year against the Astros. The 24-year-old recorded a .356 BABIP in three […]

Bryce Harper Expected To Be Healthy This Spring

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper (back) should be healthy and ready to roll for the team's first full-squad workout on Monday at spring training after he finished last season with a balky back. But manager Joe Girardi also said "we'll pace ourselves a little bit with Bryce to make sure he clears every hurdle." Harper […]

Cameron Maybin Returns To Cubs On Minor League Deal

The Chicago Cubs and veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin have agreed to terms on a minor league contract on Friday. The deal includes an invitation to spring training. The speedy outfielder hit .247 and stole three bases between the Detroit Tigers and Cubs this past season. Maybin will be competing for a backup job for the […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: HR/FB

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

Andrew Benintendi and Franchy Cordero Trade - Fantasy Impacts

We've seen a few blockbuster trades so far this offseason. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco went to the Mets, while Yu Darvish and Blake Snell went to the Padres. These trades have significant fantasy implications, but it's important to also consider the impact of a minor trade that went down about a week ago, where […]

Prioritizing Steals in Drafts - Hoard or Punt?

Steals are projected to be the hardest stat to rack up in fantasy baseball in 2021, and ATC projects only 24 hitters to eclipse the 20 stolen base mark this season. As a result, hitters who can produce on the basepaths have earned expensive ADPs, with two-thirds of the 24 hitters projected to steal at […]

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 2)

Welcome back RotoBallers to Part 2 of my dynasty prospects list, breaking down the 51-150 ranked prospects. You can also read Part 1 and Part 3 from a few days ago, looking at the 1-50 and 151-250 ranked prospects. RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has […]

Yankees Re-Sign Brett Gardner

New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner signed what is likely to be a one-year contract with the team on Friday. Gardner had played with the Yankees for his entire 13-year MLB career coming into 2021 and had always expressed a desire to return to the club for his 14th season, but the team's payroll and […]

Ian Happ Wins Arbitration Case

Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ won his arbitration case against the team and will be paid $4.1 million this upcoming season. The Cubs had filed for $3.25 million, but after a strong season in 2020, Happ came out on top. The outfielder hit .258 with 12 home runs and 28 RBI this past season and […]

Failure to Launch: Hitters With Falling Launch Angles

Launch angle is important. There is a sweet spot for launch angles and the hitters that hit the highest shares of their batted balls in those angles will have more success than the rest of the league. The reverse is also true. If you are consistently hitting the ball straight in the air or directly into […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook - February 19th

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. Well, things are at least a little more […]

Playing For Keeps: Making Keeper Decisions for 2021

Spring training is officially underway, and with that comes the start of fantasy baseball draft season. While the majority of people participate in redraft leagues, keeper formats are also popular, and fantasy managers in those leagues are already weighing their decisions on which players to retain and which to toss back into the pool for […]

Trey Mancini Reports Early To Camp Thursday

Baltimore Orioles first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini "looked really good" during Thursday's training sessions, per manager Brandon Hyde. Mancini fielded ground balls and hit as well. The 28-year-old missed the entirety of the 2020 season receiving treatment for colon cancer, so it is great news to see him back on the field. Mancini posted career numbers […]

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Working Out at 1B, 3B, OF

The Blue Jays organization is looking to increase Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s versatility this spring by having him work out at first base, third base, and in the outfield. A shortstop when he signed, the Cuba native has played a number of positions already in his career but was kept mostly to the outfield in 2020. […]

Juan Soto Due For A Contract Extension?

Washington Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto could be in line for a big contract extension after the Padres signed 22-year-old shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to a 14-year, $340 million deal on Wednesday night. Soto is also 22 years old. He will make $8.5 million in 2021 and has four years remaining before he can reach […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook - February 18th

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. Well, things are at least a little more […]

Mets Unlikely To Sign Jackie Bradley Jr.

On Thursday, SNY reported that the New York Mets' chances of signing free-agent outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. are now virtually non-existent. While the Mets previously engaged Bradley's agent, Scott Boras, the two sides never got remotely close to an agreement. With the Mets' recent additions of outfielders Albert Almora Jr. and Kevin Pillar, their outfield […]

Yankees Interested In Signing Brett Gardner

Free-agent outfielder Brett Garnder still has a shot at returning to the Yankees in 2021, and the team reportedly continues to express interest in the 37-year-old. Gardner's fantasy value isn't great if he rejoins the Yankees as he'd be the team's fourth outfielder with the possibility of getting overtaken on the depth chart by Mike […]

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 1)

RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has undergone a lot of change over the past 12 months due to the pandemic and no area of the game has been more heavily impacted than the minor leagues. Since this time last year, Minor League Baseball has […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Batter BABIP

The most accessible of the fantasy-relevant advanced stats is BABIP, or Batting Average on Balls In Play. It simply measures a player's batting average on balls in play, with outcomes such as strikeouts and home runs removed from consideration. In general, the league average hovers around .300, a nice round number to remember. Many know […]

Blue Jays To Play First Two Homestands In Florida

The Toronto Blue Jays will play the first two homestands of the regular season at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, because of Canadian government restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blue Jays start off with a three-game series at the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers before a homestand with four games against […]

Brad Miller Agrees With Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with free-agent infielder Brad Miller on Wednesday. The 31-year-old left-handed bat will bring versatility around the infield at second base, shortstop and first base. He spent the shortened 2020 season with the Cardinals and hit .232/.357/.451 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in 142 […]