Auction Draft Strategy: How to Manage Your Budget

We previous looked at Part 1 (How to Prepare for Auction Drafts) and Part 2 (Five  Key Mistakes to Avoid Making) of our Auction Draft Strategy series. Today we look at how to budget your team's salary. The most important strategy for auction drafts is how to budget your allowance. Keeping track of how your dollars are... Read More

Drew Storen (RP, WSH) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft in Middle Rounds of All Leagues. ANALYSIS: The Washington Nationals have an imposing team top to bottom. They have the power, the speed and the glory to set the baseball world on fire on offense. The pitching staff has tremendous depth that would rank high on many teams. In their bullpen, Drew Storen is... Read More

Zach Britton (RP, BAL) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target Mid-to-Late Rounds in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Big time talent Zach Britton transitioned from elite starting pitching prospect to full time closer last season, and boy did that work out for the Orioles. Britton finished his first season in that role with 37 saves and a 1.65 ERA. The only thing holding Britton back... Read More

Fantasy Baseball Spring Training Stock Watch: Veterans On The Rise

Earlier in the week here in the RotoBaller Stock Watch, we took a look at some fantasy prospects on the rise, who have a legitimate shot to break camp with a starting gig in-hand. A pair of prospects who we didn’t mention in that space, who went out and dominated on Wednesday night were Carlos... Read More

Predicting the Top Ten Finishers for Saves in 2015

  Saves can be one of the most volatile categories for fantasy owners. Often, a pitcher will have the closer’s role seemingly locked up only to be ousted after a slow start to the season. Many believe that the only key to racking up a lot of saves is to pick a closer for a winning team.... Read More

10 Bold Predictions for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball Season

  For the last few years, the staff over at RotoGraphs has been publishing their "10 Bold Predictions" series. These are typically among my favorite reads in the realm of fantasy baseball - and considering how much content I devour, that's saying something.   Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all, I'm... Read More

2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 300

Back in February, seven of the RotoBaller writers put together their consensus fantasy baseball rankings. Today, I'm branching out on my own to bring you RotoBaller's Top 300 for the 2015 fantasy baseball season. There's a number of players whom I like or dislike more than the expert consensus, so I'll add in a little bit of my... Read More

Brad Boxberger (TB, RP) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Late Rounds of All Leagues ANALYSIS: A guy you’ll want to keep on your radar this year during your fantasy drafts is Brad Boxberger. Boxberger was the setup man last year for the Rays and more than excelled in his role. He posted a 2.37 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 104 strikeouts, 20... Read More

Santiago Casilla (RP, SF) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft in mid-to late rounds in all leagues. ANALYSIS: How is it that the closer on the 2014 World Series Champions is considered a sleeper for 2015? The San Francisco Giants are the San Antonio Spurs of Major League Baseball. That means a sub-par year is to be expected, right? Santiago Casilla is... Read More

Top 10 Projected WHIP Finishers for Relievers: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

In 1979 New York Times writer and inventor of rotisserie baseball Daniel Okrent created a statistic then-known as IPRAT, or “innings pitched ratio.” At a time when ERA and wins were all the rave, Okrent created a simple formula that would form the foundation of sabermetrics and eventually work its way into regular fantasy baseball... Read More

MLB Closer Breakdown: NL Central Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball

  We previously looked at the closer and bullpen situations in the AL East, AL Central, AL West, and NL East. Today we chck out the NL Central. Make sure to also bookmark our MLB Closer Depth Charts, which are updated every day for your viewing pleasure.   Chicago Cubs Head Honcho – Hector Rondon; Next in line –... Read More

Francisco Rodriguez (RP, MIL) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target Mid-to-Late Rounds in All Leagues ANALYSIS: I just did a fantasy baseball draft, and let's just say that Francisco Rodriguez was taken much later than he should have been. Maybe it's the fact the he signed late this offseason, or maybe people just don't believe in his skill set. Well at his current ADP... Read More

Brett Cecil (RP, TOR) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target Late in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Brett Cecil looks like a very attractive third closer for your fantasy team with an average ADP of 280. Cecil put up an elite 12.8 K/9 in 2014, which is up there with the best closers in the MLB. While Cecil wasn't closing in 2014, he's lined up to... Read More

MLB Closer Breakdown: NL East Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball

We previously looked at the closer and bullpen situations in the AL East, AL Central, AL West. Today we chck out the NL East. Make sure to also bookmark our MLB Closer Depth Charts, which are updated every day for your viewing pleasure. Atlanta Braves Head Honcho: Craig Kimbrel, Next in line: Jason Grilli Craig Kimbrel still finds himself among... Read More

Three Relief Pitchers Who Will Outperform Their 2015 ADP: Rankings Analysis

Reliever Hijinks Last season was my best year of fantasy baseball in the dozen years I've played, as I managed to secure championships in all three of my leagues. This was in spite of the fact that I endured what I'll lightly term as the season from hell as far as closers are concerned. Most... Read More

Auction Draft Strategy Part One: How to Prepare for Auction Drafts

Going Once, Going Twice... An auction is the most exciting way to draft in fantasy baseball, but it can also be the most difficult. For this article and the three to follow, I will be using the assumption that your league’s standard settings give you a $260 allowance. For those unfamiliar with the process, that is... Read More

MLB Podcast on RotoBaller Radio: Top Minor League Prospects For 2015

Preseason Analysis: Impact Dynasty League Targets RotoBaller is very excited about the launch of our very own radio station. You can now find our new shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, and on iTunes under podcasts. Every Wednesday night at 9:30 PM EST, RotoBaller co-founder Real Talk Raph and co-host Anthony Aniano of DraftSmashers Radio will... Read More

Five MLB Trade Candidates to Monitor

The Landscape Trades: they're the worst nightmare of AL and NL-Only League owners. But even in standard leagues, a player’s value can drastically change depending on his location. Often, players are traded from a bad team to a good situation. Other times, productive players are put into less important roles – a fantasy killer! Let’s take... Read More

MLB Podcast on RotoBaller Radio: Breakout Players Coming Out Of Spring Training

Potential Breakout Pitchers & Hitters For 2015 RotoBaller is very excited about the launch of our very own radio station. You can now find our new shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, and on iTunes under podcasts. Every Wednesday night at 9:30 PM EST, RotoBaller co-founder Real Talk Raph and co-host Anthony Aniano of DraftSmashers Radio will... Read More

Cuban Defectors That Will Have Most Fantasy Impact In 2015

Cuba lost some of its top players as they signed blockbuster deals to come over and play in the MLB. Each team hopes their guy follows in the footsteps of last year’s Cuban defector Jose Abreu, who hit 36 home runs, 107 RBI and a .317 batting average, winning the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2014. There... Read More

Pitch Framing Metrics: Impact On Fantasy Baseball Pitchers

I’m obsessed with Chuck Shaw wine from Trader Joe's. It’s a $3 bottle of hooch that smells like paint thinner mixed with alcohol. It stings the nostrils. But after a glass or two, it’s the best damn bottle of wine you can get for under $5. I happened to be drinking some of this wine... Read More

MLB Podcast on RotoBaller Radio: Closers & Catchers To Target Late

Preseason Analysis: Closer & Catcher Draft Strategy RotoBaller is very excited about the launch of our very own radio station. You can now find our new shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, and on iTunes under podcasts. Every Wednesday night at 9:30 PM EST, RotoBaller co-founder Real Talk Raph and co-host Anthony Aniano of DraftSmashers Radio will be... Read More

Craig Kimbrel (RP, ATL) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

CURRENT ADP: 50 RANKINGS STATUS: Fairly Valued ANALYSS: Craig Kimbrel has been the king of the fantasy closers since his first full season in the role in 2011, but somehow he has lost that distinction to Cincinnati's Aroldis Chapman heading into 2015. Nothing against Chapman, but Kimbrel should still be the first closer off the board on draft... Read More

Save Prospecting: Top Five Non-Closing AL Relief Pitchers

Last week I looked at the top five non-closer NL relief pitcher options. Today we take a look at the top AL relief pitchers currently not occupying closer roles.   Top Five Non-Closing AL Relievers Wade Davis - RHP, Kansas City Royals If we are talking about American League bullpens, you have to start the... Read More

Three Closers (RPs) Who Will Underperform Their 2015 ADP

Don't Pay For These Saves You hear it every year: Don't pay for saves. A simple, effective strategy if you're an active and intelligent owner. Which, if you're reading this, you are. And handsome to boot! Have you lost weight? Sometimes, though, that strategy can be a bit of a boondoggle. I changed closers more... Read More

MLB Closer Breakdown: AL West Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball

  Los Angeles Angels The Angels received Huston Street in a six-player trade in July of last year, and they were not disappointed. He converted 23 of his 24 save chances with the Padres, and would go on to save 17 more games for the Halos in an All-Star caliber season. The 41 saves were... Read More

Save Prospecting: Top Five Non-Closing NL Relief Pitchers

  Every year in fantasy baseball leagues about one third of all the opening day closers lose their jobs due to injury or poor performance. It's just the nature of the game. Below are five NL relievers to watch closely in 2015 who could have significant fantasy baseball value if the closer on their team were to... Read More

2015 Dynasty / Keeper Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Relief Pitchers

The Final Chapter I considered skipping out on this article because of how volatile the closer position is in fantasy baseball. At the end of the day though, every fantasy team needs closers, dynasty and redraft leagues. Closers are the only relief pitchers we really value in the fantasy baseball community unless you play in a... Read More

MLB Closer Breakdown: AL Central Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball

Detroit Tigers The Tigers closer situation is fairly settled, though not exactly awe-inspiring. Joe Nathan is currently set to lock down the ninth inning, with Joakim Soria and Al Alburquerque backing him up. The 40-year-old Nathan is a far cry from the perennial All Star that used to close for the Twins in the 2000s, and... Read More

MLB Closer Breakdown: AL East Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball

  New York Yankees This is going to be one of the most closely monitored closer competitions in the spring of 2015. The Yankees are currently examining two gigantic (literally) options for the closer spot, in the forms of lefty Andrew Miller and righty Dellin Betances, both of whom throw absolute smoke. Both did plenty... Read More