MLB Optimistic That Games Will Be Played In 2020

Executive director of the MLB Players Association Tony Clark is optimistic that games will be played at some point in 2020, but how and when that comes about is still up in the air. "We don’t have the answers," Clark said, "and we don’t expect those to come anytime soon." Players would be willing to […]

Aaron Hicks Begins Swinging

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks (elbow) reportedly began swinging last week as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery. That Hicks has begun swinging a bat indicates that he is still on track for the June or July return date that he originally hoped for, so the outfielder could be ready for Opening […]

Alex Verdugo Has Progressed Slowly Due To Shutdown

Boston Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said that outfielder Alex Verdugo (back) hasn't progressed as quickly as the team had hoped because of the coronavirus shutdown. Verdugo has been swinging, but it has been difficult for him to get in other baseball activities with baseball at a standstill. Despite the slow progression, Verdugo has plenty […]

Steve Pearce Officially Retires From Baseball

First baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce announced his retirement from baseball on Monday night, while appearing as a guest on WEEI's broadcast of the 2018 Red Sox World Series run. The 37-year-old was named World Series MVP in 2018 after totaling three home runs, eight RBI, five runs scored and a .333 batting average through 16 plate […]

Trey Mancini In "Good Spot" To Make Full Post-Surgery Recovery

Baltimore Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said Monday that outfielder/first baseman Trey Mancini is in a "really good spot to make a 100% recovery" a month after surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon, per BaltimoreSun.com's Jon Meoli. Elias also stated that Mancini's recovery will be months, not weeks […]

ADP Champ or Chump Spotlight: Eloy Jimenez

Considering that the Coronavirus has delayed the season indefinitely, it's a great opportunity to try changing up the formatting of this column. We're going to take a deep look into one player, spending time on his MiLB numbers in addition to MLB peripheral stats in order to paint a truly complete picture of his prospects […]

WPC+ Videocast: Danny Santana Ranking Debate

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut debate Danny Santana's ranking for the 2020 fantasy baseball season. Is the Texas Rangers outfielder and utility man a breakout candidate or potential bust at his current ADP? Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as […]

The King's Insider Report: Negative Effects Of Opening Day Delay?

The award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller, this time with a look at how the Coronavirus pandemic has delayed the opening of the 2020 season, and if there will be any adverse effects. Every year during fantasy baseball draft season, Scott Engel talks to prime MLB sources to get exclusive nuggets of information. […]

Finding Value in Points Leagues: Outfield Edition

Welcome back RotoBallers to my Finding Value in Points League Series! Points leagues have become more and more popular in recent years, but there is still an emphasis placed on roto leagues. That leads towards analysis and often player values skewed by something I have dubbed roto bias. Due to that, I decided to start […]

Second-Year Hitters Ready To Break Out

We fantasy baseball players were treated to a large influx of talented rookie batters last season. Some like Peter Alonso and Eloy Jimenez enjoyed breakout seasons. Phenom prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. also made his big league debut last season and based on his lofty ADP, he's considered a no brainer to have a huge second […]

No Restrictions For Willie Calhoun

Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun (jaw), who suffered a fractured jaw in spring training, has no restrictions in his workouts, and general manager Jon Daniels said that Calhoun is focused on regaining is strength and is getting back into his conditioning program. We've had several recent updates on Calhoun since he had surgery on his […]

Points Leagues All-Value Team - Bases Loaded Pod

What's up RotoBallers! Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) and Jorge Montanez (@Roto_Nino) are back. We are coming to you with our 'All-Value' team for fantasy baseball points leagues today. Subscribe to the Bases Loaded podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on […]

Break the League: Fantrax Points League Ranker

I never thought I'd ever say this but it looks like I'm going vegetarian for this article because there's no real beef here. Those that have been reading along with this series know that I've had some harsh words for ESPN, Yahoo, and CBS, as I think they often do a disservice to their points […]

Brandon Nimmo Won't Be Held Back By Mets

Despite having undergone precautionary cardio screening tests early in spring training, New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo won't be held back by the Mets when the season eventually begins. The issue that caused Nimmo to miss time in spring training is nothing new and is something that he has been dealing with for years. Before […]

Yoenis Cespedes Likely To Make Mets Opening Day Roster

The delayed start to the 2020 season makes it likely that New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (heel, ankle) will make the Mets' Opening Day roster. Before spring training was suspended, Cespedes had progressed to running to first base at full speed and hitting regularly in simulated games. Cespedes was in the midst of progressing […]

WPC+ Videocast: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Ranking Debate

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut debate Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s ranking for the 2020 fantasy baseball season. Is the Toronto Blue Jays third baseman a breakout candidate or potential bust at his current ADP? Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as […]

Andrew McCutchen Will Be Ready When Baseball Resumes

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen (knee) confirmed he will be ready to play when MLB can resume after the season was delayed due to the coronavirus. The veteran outfielder has been out since last June with a torn ACL and would have missed the start of the regular season if it started on March 26. McCutchen […]

WPC+ Videocast: Miguel Sano Ranking Debate

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut debate Miguel Sano's ranking for the 2020 fantasy baseball season. Is the Minnesota Twins third baseman a breakout candidate or potential bust at his current ADP? Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! […]

Mid-Round Outfielders - Targets and Avoids in 2020

Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, it would be smart to consider drafting some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have […]

A.J. Hinch, Jeff Luhnow Suspensions Won't Leak Into 2021

Former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow will fulfill their one-season suspensions for the team's sign-stealing scandal even if no baseball is played in 2020 due to the coronavirus, according to sources. Hinch and Luhnow were banned for a year and fired in January after MLB investigated the Astros using cameras […]

Stock Your Dynasty Farm: NL Central Top Prospect Sleepers

Continuing down the line, we've already explored the NL West and AL Central. Today, we’re covering the NL Central, home of maybe the most "blah" collection of farm systems and expected outcomes in baseball. That said, the group of prospects that I've pulled might be my favorite overall collection, despite there being two catchers. The systems […]

The King's Fantasy Baseball Insider Report: Dodgers, Rockies, Giants

The award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller, this time with a look at the NL West. Every year during fantasy baseball draft season, Scott Engel talks to prime MLB sources to get exclusive nuggets of information. On the condition of anonymity, former and current players, executives, scouts and media members provide their unfiltered […]

September Speed Demons: Who Can Keep Up The Pace?

Earlier this preseason, I took a look at the hitters who experienced a power spike in the final month of the 2019 season in hopes of identifying adjustments that might lead to a 2020 breakout. Next, it's time to look at the players whose September stolen base numbers stood out from the rest of their […]

Mitch Haniger Rehabbing At Home

Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger (back, core) has been doing core exercises for strength and mobility at home after having back and core surgeries in January. Haniger has been the walking wounded the past year, as his 2019 season was ruined by injuries. He played in just 63 games for the Mariners and had a […]

Willie Calhoun Takes Swings Monday

Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun (jaw) took swings on Monday for the first time since fracturing his jaw in spring training three weeks ago. Calhoun got lucky with the season being delayed due to the coronavirus. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have been ready for the start of the regular season. With the season not starting […]

September Batting Average Risers

After looking at September breakouts for both power and speed, it's time to finish our series by looking at a few guys who saw real batting average spikes during the season's final month. Now, batting averages are often most impacted by hot streaks and lucky stretches, but by looking under the surface and picking apart […]

Alex Verdugo (OF, BOS) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~180 CURRENT ADP: ~230 overall ANALYSIS: Verdugo primarily spent the 2018 season in the minor leagues, so we’ll only look at his 2019 numbers. This is a terrific contact hitter who has the ability to contend for the BA title, as evidenced by his low 13.0 K% and high 91.2 Z-Contact%. […]

David Dahl (OF, COL) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~120 CURRENT ADP: ~147 overall ANALYSIS: Dahl hit the ball harder in 2019, with a 1% increase in Brl% and .023 improvement in xwOBAcon. Dahl was also able to find his sweet spot more often, with a 6% increase.  If Dahl could maintain these improvements, it bodes well for his chances […]

Byron Buxton (OF, MIN) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~130 CURRENT ADP: ~157 overall ANALYSIS: Since Buxton only had 94 plate appearances in 2018, we’ll compare his 2017 and 2019 seasons. As you can see in the chart, Buxton began to hit the ball much harder, with a 2.7% increase in Brl%. He also began to hit the ball in […]

Break the League: CBS Points League Ranker

Much like their milquetoast television lineup, CBS points leagues are like a warm bath of mediocrity. Are they great? No-oooo, but are they awful? Also, no. I mean, you're never really going to want to watch a Chuck Lorre sitcom or the latest chapter in naval policing, but they can still serve a purpose. Because sometimes […]