Prospect Starters that Could be Impact Relievers

Last year around this time I wrote some words about Dakota Hudson and how he could be a stud in 2018 — but as a reliever, not a starter, which had been his role in the minors to that point. From last March at Rotographs: “And for me, Dakota Hudson has immense potential as a high-leverage reliever. He […]

Sean Doolittle Gets Wakeup Call

Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle had a rough day Saturday, allowing four hits, five earned runs, a walk and a home run to the Cardinals. Doolittle, who considered the performance to be a "wakeup call," only has a 9.64 ERA this spring. Despite that, Doolittle is a top ten closer and should be drafted as […]

RotoBaller Radio's Weekend Warrior Show: Starting Pitching Preview Part 1

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. This radio show is sponsored by our good friends over at RT Sports. Be sure to check out their Best Ball leagues, drafting every day, and their awesome contest the RealTime Fantasy Sports Baseball Championship with a […]

Pierre Camus' 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." If only that were the case in fantasy sports... Other than tampering with the fabric of time-space, which is a bad idea (ask Marty McFly), we just don't know what the future really holds. We can predict whatever we want, but that doesn't mean […]

A.J. Minter Optimistic About Opening Day

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher A.J. Minter (shoulder) has felt fine while playing catch each of the last three days and remains hopeful he'll be ready for Opening Day. Still, Minter hasn't pitched in a game since he made his spring debut on March 1 after he was shut down with left shoulder tightness. Minter was […]

Ryan Brasier Makes Spring Debut

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Ryan Brasier (toe) made his spring debut on Saturday and allowed two hits and a run after being slowed by an infection in his right pinkie toe that he suffered early in spring training. “Now he’s going to be pitching on the program every two days and he should be […]

Hunter Strickland Fully Recovered From Back Issues

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Hunter Strickland stated Saturday from Tokyo that his back is "100 percent." Strickland hasn't seen game action since March 3 but will throw in an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants on Sunday. The M's begin their season on March 20 against the Oakland Athletics, and all signs point to Strickland getting […]

Top 690: Updated H2H Points League Rankings

Welcome back RotoBallers. Spring training is in full swing, and we couldn't be more excited for fantasy baseball drafts and the approaching MLB season. Below you will find our staff's updated fantasy baseball points league rankings (top 690) for head-to-head points formats. Be sure to also check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard and bookmark that page. It's loaded […]

David Marcillo's Bold Predictions for Closers

Fantasy sports can be just as frustrating as they can be fun, and few positions encompass that more than a fantasy baseball relief pitcher. A reliever can go from a fantasy darling to a completely meaningless name in your lineup overnight. And that's without an injury causing the issue. With the recent trend of not […]

Tyler Clippard to Miss Time With a Pectoral Strain

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Tyler Clippard will miss the next three to four weeks due to a mild pectoral strain. Clippard was removed from a March 9 appearance and felt continued discomfort when attempting to restart his throwing program this week. Clippard is competing for a spot in the Cleveland bullpen, but he will now […]

Tony Cingrani To Miss Beginning Of The Season

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Tony Cingrani is dealing with soreness in his left shoulder and he has been shut down. He will not be ready for Opening Day and will begin the season on the 10-day injured list. The southpaw will leave just Scott Alexander as the only left-handed specialist in the bullpen for […]

Breakout Relievers Who'll Keep Succeeding in 2019

"Don't pay for saves." That has always been the advice repeated ad nauseum by veteran fantasy baseball players and while that sentiment is true on the surface, dealing with bullpens in fantasy baseball is a lot murkier in 2019 than it was in 2009. With specialized pitching roles leading to starters being left in the game […]

Pedro Strop Confident He'll Be Ready

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop is confident that his right hamstring issue won't keep him from being ready on Opening Day. Manager Joe Maddon said that Strop can continue his throwing program this week after tweaking his hamstring last Saturday against the Angels. "The trainers are very optimistic," Maddon said. "He's still able to […]

Pedro Strop Has Hamstring Strain

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon announced on Tuesday that closer Pedro Strop is dealing with a mild right hamstring strain. He is able to play catch, but the Cubs will keep him off a mound and out of game-related drills for the next week. Chicago is being especially cautious because of the fact that relief […]

Cardinals Not Expected To Name Closer Soon

The St. Louis Cardinals aren't expected to name a closer anytime soon, even if reliever Jordan Hicks is likely to get the bulk of the ninth-inning opportunities. Lefty Andrew Miller will also factor into the ninth inning. Alex Reyes and Carlos Martinez are wild cards if they find fits in the bullpen as well. Hicks […]

Nick Mariano's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

2018 was a banner season for baseball's Marianos, as Mariano Rivera was headed full steam ahead towards a unanimous Hall of Fame entry and yours truly was cruising with the most accurate fantasy baseball ranks of the season per FantasyPros, unbeknownst to me until recently. I'm still riding high off of that and you're all […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 12 - Spin Rate

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 conveying what spin rate really means. The result has been a ton of owners who know that spin rate exists, but […]

Carlos Martinez Expected to Start the Season on the Injured List

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (shoulder) is expected to begin the season on the injured list. There isn't much clarity on how the Cardinals will use Martinez this season, but given his injury, he's likely to at least begin in the bullpen before perhaps working his way back into the rotation in the […]

Hunter Strickland On Track For Japan Series

The top closing option for the Seattle Mariners, Hunter Strickland, threw a successful bullpen session on Tuesday and appears to be on track for the team’s two-game series in Japan on March 20. Strickland was experiencing tightness in his lower back last week and hasn't appeared in game action in ten days. The 30-year-old will […]

Could Craig Kimbrel Hold Out Until Midseason?

There is a possibility that free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel and his agent, David Meter, consider holding out until after the MLB draft in June. Kimbrel would then shed the draft-pick compensation attached to him after he rejected the Red Sox's one-year, $17.9 million qualifying offer last fall. Contenders might be more interested in giving Kimbrel […]

Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

2018 was a season to forget for yours truly, both in terms of fantasy performance and hit rate on bold predictions. In the first three years as a participant in this feature, I connected on three per article, with a few others in the realm of respectable. Last year? An 0-fer, and most of them […]

Matt Strahm's Growing Sleeper Appeal

San Diego Padres reliever Matt Strahm continued his dominant spring training on Sunday, fanning eight batters in four frames. Through three appearances and nine innings, Strahm holds a 0.67 WHIP and has not allowed a run. After returning from major knee surgery in 2017, Strahm worked almost exclusively as a reliever in 2018 with an […]

After Hours With RotoBaller Radio: Outfield Preview Show

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. This radio show is sponsored by our good friends over at RT Sports. Be sure to check out their Best Ball leagues, drafting every day, and their awesome contest the RealTime Fantasy Sports Baseball Championship with a […]

The King's Insider Report - New York Mets

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller, with an in-depth look at the New York Mets from the perspective of a former player and current broadcaster who works for a major media outlet in the area, On the condition of anonymity, he […]

Gavin Lux Headlines Cuts By Dodgers On Sunday

The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned pitchers Yadier Alvarez, Donnie Hart and Josh Sborz to the minor-league camp on Sunday, and they also reassigned infielders Omar Estevez and Gavin Lux, as well as pitcher Mitchell White. Lux was the headliner of the group, as he had an adventure in the infield during Cactus League spring play, […]

Gerson Bautista Appears To Injure Shoulder

Seattle Mariners prospect pitcher Gerson Bautista (shoulder) suffered an apparent right shoulder injury in his Cactus League spring appearance against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Bautista delivered a pitch, and immediately crumpled to the ground in a crouch, shaking off his glove and grabbing the area around his arm pit with his non-pitching arm. […]

Breakout Relievers Due for Regression In 2019

One of the hardest positions to pinpoint fantasy value for each season is a relief pitcher. You have your handful of dominant closers who are fantasy staples, but the remainder of fantasy value usually comes from surprise players who step into the closer role or are starters with reliever eligibility. With the progressing shift towards […]

Miguel Castro Continues Strikeout Binge

Miguel Castro is one of the Orioles most valuable young arms, and he's been their best pitcher in spring training. In fact, Castro has eight strikeouts in five scoreless innings, and he's allowed three hits and zero walks. While he may not be in consideration to close for this club early on, there's a chance […]

More Later-Round Closer Candidates - Targets and Avoids

Once you reach the later rounds of drafts, you start thinking about upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. These are the rounds to take risks on more unknown commodities like prospects, forgotten-about veterans, players returning from injuries or players that have previously showed promise but haven't put it all together yet. […]

RotoBaller's Weekend Warrior Show: National League Central Preview

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discusses the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. This radio show is sponsored by our good friends over at RT Sports. Be sure to check out their Best Ball leagues, drafting every day, and their awesome contest the RealTime Fantasy Sports Baseball Championship with a […]