Spin Rate: Using Sabermetrics For 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Spin rate has become one of the most recognizable Statcast metrics, with supporters of a given pitcher highlighting his spin rates to make their case. Unfortunately, the baseball world has done a lousy job of conveying what spin rate really means. The result has been a ton of fantasy managers who know spin rate exists,... Read More

Camilo Doval Efficient In First Outing This Spring

San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval was very efficient during Monday's Spring Training game against the Los Angeles Angels. He pitched one full inning but required just eight pitches, all of which were strikes. He surrendered one hit and struck out two batters along the way. Doval has emerged as a very effective relief arm,... Read More

Pablo Lopez, Jhoan Duran Beat Up Wednesday

Minnesota Twins Opening Day starter Pablo Lopez and closer Jhoan Duran were beat up in the team's 12-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. In total, Twins pitchers allowed 17 hits. Lopez, who struck out two and gave up three hits in his two innings of work, surrendered a two-run homer to... Read More

A's To Ease Mason Miller Into Closer's Role?

Oakland Athletics right-hander Mason Miller, along with Dany Jimenez and Trevor Gott, could get an opportunity to close out games this season. However, when asked about the possibility of Miller seeing save chances, manager Mark Kotsay indicated he'd like to see Miller succeed in high-leverage spots and gradually move up the ladder rather than anoint... Read More

Trevor Stephan Shut Down For Three Weeks

Cleveland Guardians right-hander Trevor Stephan (elbow) has a deep bone bruise in his throwing elbow and will be shut down for three weeks. There won't be enough time for Stephan to recover in time to be ready for Opening Day at the end of March, so he'll be forced to open the 2024 season on... Read More

Angels Confirm That Carlos Estevez Is The Closer

Los Angeles Angels skipper Ron Washington confirmed that right-hander Carlos Estevez is the team's closer to open the season. "Right now, we've got him as a closer," Washington said. "So we don't need to talk about that." The 31-year-old is coming off a season that saw him register a 3.90 ERA with 78 strikeouts in... Read More

Robert Stephenson Dealing With Shoulder Soreness

Los Angeles Angels right-hander Robert Stephenson (shoulder) is dealing with some right-shoulder soreness in camp but is playing catch on Wednesday. It's the reason why Stephenson hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game yet, although it's a good sign that he's playing catch in Wednesday, and he still has enough time to get ready for... Read More

Matt Brash Could Miss Significant Time

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Matt Brash (elbow) could be sidelined for a significant amount of time with a serious right-elbow injury. Brash and the Mariners are in the process of trying to determine exactly what is wrong with his elbow, but there's the possibility that he could have to sit out the entire 2024 season.... Read More

Top 300 Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: AL-Only Leagues (February 2024 Update)

Welcome back to more fantasy baseball rankings! It's an exciting time for baseball fans as spring training begins and Opening Day is around the corner. For fantasy managers who still play in old-school leagues such as AL-Only or NL-Only formats, we've got you covered. Today, we will look at our 2024 AL-Only fantasy baseball roto rankings.... Read More

Jesse Scholtens Done For Season With Torn UCL

Chicago White Sox right-hander Jesse Scholtens (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list on Tuesday and is scheduled to have surgery to fix a torn UCL in his right elbow on Friday. The 29-year-old will in turn miss all of the 2024 season. The move to place Scholtens on the 60-day IL was made... Read More

Tristan Beck Dealing With Hand Discomfort

The San Francisco Giants said that right-hander Tristan Beck (hand) went back to San Francisco to see doctors because of right-hand discomfort. Beck and Keaton Winn (elbow) were the favorites to round out San Fran's starting rotation to begin the year with Alex Cobb (hip) and Robbie Ray (elbow) not ready, but now both Beck... Read More

Craig Kimbrel Expects To Make Spring Debut Thursday

Baltimore Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel (quadriceps) threw a live batting practice session on Monday at camp and said he felt great. Kimbrel expects to make his Grapefruit League debut on Thursday. Kimbrel dealt with quadriceps soreness over the weekend and was shut down for a few days as a precaution. The 35-year-old veteran reliever is... Read More

Five Breakout Outfielders For Fantasy Baseball Drafts - NL Edition (2024)

The term "breakout" always gets the juices flowing, so to speak, in our fantasy baseball world. Everyone loves a good breakout. So much in fact, that we decided to do two whole articles on breakout outfielders here on RotoBaller. Today I'll be discussing five National League outfielders that I'm expecting to break out offensively this... Read More

Top 100 FYPD Prospects for Fantasy Baseball First-Year Player Drafts (February 2024)

The final update of the First-Year Player Draft rankings is just in time for peak FYPD draft season. This update adds in a half-dozen signees from the January 15 international class along with updating the teams for a few former Japanese players who signed this offseason with an MLB club and a player who was... Read More

Liam Hendriks Throws On Flat Ground Monday

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks (elbow) threw on flat grass from about 60 feet on Monday, per the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham. He was throwing to a catcher standing up and "threw with a pretty decent amount of zip". The 35-year-old is recovering from Tommy John surgery and hopes to make his season... Read More

Shawn Dubin Dealing With Shoulder Inflammation

Houston Astros right-hander Shawn Dubin (shoulder) is dealing with right-shoulder inflammation in camp and will be shut down from throwing for three days. The injury, although it may not be very serious, is going to make it more difficult for Dubin to win a spot in the team's Opening Day bullpen out of spring training.... Read More

Sam Bachman, Jose Quijada Continue Their Throwing Programs

Los Angeles Angels pitchers Sam Bachman (shoulder) and Jose Quijada (elbow) have continued their throwing programs in spring training. Bachman is recovering from right-shoulder surgery last September and was planning to throw from 75 to 90 feet on Monday. Quijada, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his left elbow last May, was planning... Read More

John McMillon Throws Live Batting Practice

Kansas City Royals right-hander John McMillon (forearm) was scheduled to throw a live batting practice session in camp on Monday. Barring a setback, McMillon could soon make his Cactus League debut. The 26-year-old made his major-league debut in 2023 for the Royals and allowed just one earned run on a solo home run while walking... Read More

Mason Thompson To Be Re-Evaluated This Week

Washington Nationals right-hander Mason Thompson (elbow) is set to be re-examined by team doctors this week after being shut down the last two weeks of camp with a sore elbow. Thompson had Tommy John surgery nine years ago as a junior in high school. He's avoided major injuries since then, but he did miss three... Read More

Gregory Santos To Begin Throwing Program Tuesday

Seattle Mariners right-hander Gregory Santos (lat) will begin his throwing program on Tuesday. The 24-year-old was acquired this offseason in a trade with the Chicago White Sox after he impressed in 60 appearances on the south side in his rookie campaign in 2023. Santos worked to a 3.39 ERA in his 66 1/3 innings of... Read More

Matt Barnes Linked To Nationals

Free-agent reliever Matt Barnes' market is heating up, as the Washington Nationals are one club that is linked to him. The right-hander underwent offseason surgery on his hip but threw for interested clubs in late January and appears ready to join a big-league spring training camp soon. It was a tough 2023 season for the... Read More

Yuki Matsui Day-To-Day With Back Inflammation

San Diego Padres left-hander Yuki Matsui's (back) MRI exam showed inflammation but no structural damage in his back, according to manager Mike Shildt. Matsui is considered day-to-day. Matsui was scratched from spring training action over the weekend due to tightness in his back, but it appears the injury isn't very serious. It's unclear when the... Read More

Pitcher Statcast: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Statcast metrics such as Barrels and Brls/BBE are great ways to evaluate a fantasy baseball batter's performance, so it is only natural to assume that the metrics would be predictive for pitchers as well. As much as batters want to hit a Barrel every time, pitchers want to avoid them at all costs. Yet, there... Read More

Craig Kimbrel Dealing With Quadriceps Tightness

Baltimore Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel (quadriceps) said he cut his live batting practice session in camp on Saturday shorty by around five pitches because he felt some tightness in his lower body. However, Kimbrel isn't concerned after getting treatment from trainers. He's scheduled to throw again on Monday. Manager Brandon Hyde later said Kimbrel was... Read More

Josh Taylor Tosses Scoreless Inning In Return

Kansas City Royals reliever Josh Taylor (back) was listed among the team's available pitchers prior to Saturday's Spring Training game. He ultimately entered the game and pitched one inning, allowing two hits but escaping after just five total pitches. All of this is a good sign for the Royals and their left-handed hurler after he... Read More

Forrest Whitley To Undergo Additional Testing

Houston Astros relief pitcher Forrest Whitley (finger) experienced middle finger soreness while warming up for a live bullpen session on Saturday, manager Joe Espada told members of the media, including The Athletic's Chandler Rome. Whitley ultimately skipped his bullpen session and is set to undergo additional evaluation with team doctors. Injuries have put a damper... Read More

Dylan Floro Sidelined With Shoulder Tightness

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Dylan Floro is experiencing shoulder tightness and will be sidelined for a little while, manager Dave Martinez told Andrew Golden of the Washington Post. Martinez noted that Floro typically deals with some soreness in Spring Training, so he's not too concerned. The 33-year-old inked a major league deal with Washington this... Read More

Ian Gibaut To Rest A Few Days

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Ian Gibaut will be shut down from throwing for 3-5 days because of a pronator strain. Manager David Bell stated it is "nothing serious." If that is the case for Gibaut, he shouldn't fall behind in the spring. The 30-year-old is a decent play in save+hold leagues after making 74 appearances... Read More

Barrels and Brls/BBE: Using Sabermetrics For 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Previously, we looked at how exit velocity is only one piece of the fantasy baseball analysis puzzle. Baseball broadcasts commonly cite Launch Angle (LA) to complement their EV figures, but it is given in terms of degrees. Are we trying to find the hypotenuse of an isosceles triangle? Launch angle is basically a fancy way... Read More

Top 150 Relief Pitcher and Closer Fantasy Baseball Rankings (February Updates)

Hey, RotoBallers! It's an exciting time for fantasy baseball, with spring training starting soon and Opening Day approaching. We are back with more fantasy baseball rankings. Saves are one of the most volatile categories in fantasy baseball. We are here to help you sort it all out and make those crucial draft decisions with our... Read More