2021 Fantasy Value First Looks: Shortstop

The baseball offseason may officially begin with the end of the World Series but the projections offseason began last Thursday night with the release of the first Steamer projections for 2021. Created and maintained by mathematics teacher Jared Cross and his former students, Steamer remains the industry standard for non-aggregated projection systems, as well as […]

Red Sox Bring Back Alex Cora As Manager

The Boston Red Sox rehired former manager Alex Cora on Friday, according to a source. Cora helped lead the team to a World Series title in 2018 but mutually agreed to part ways before the 2020 season due to his involvement in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. He was suspended for one season for his role […]

Jose Abreu Leads Way For White Sox Silver Slugger Winners

Three Chicago White Sox hitters were awarded Silver Sluggers on Thursday in the American League, including first baseman Jose Abreu, shortstop Tim Anderson and left fielder Eloy Jimenez. Abreu won the award for the third time after he hit .317 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI in the shortened 2020 season. Anderson and Jimenez […]

Ronald Acuna Jr., Freddie Freeman Win Silver Sluggers

Atlanta Braves outfielders Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna, first baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher Travis d'Arnaud all won Silver Slugger Awards on Thursday. The rest of the National League Silver Sluggers included San Francisco Giants second baseman Donovan Solano, San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres third baseman Manny Machado, Washington Nationals outfielder […]

Indians Intend To Trade Francisco Lindor Before Opening Day

The Cleveland Indians intend to trade shortstop Francisco Lindor by Opening Day, several rival teams have been informed. Lindor made $17.5 million last season and is projected to make around $21 million in salary arbitration in his final year before free agency. The 2021 season is the final year of Lindor's contract and the Indians […]

Red Sox Meet With Alex Cora

The Boston Red Sox met with former manager Alex Cora in Puerto Rico last week as they continue to search for their next manager, according to a source. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and general manager Brian O'Halloran met with Cora, who mutually parted ways with Boston in January due to his involvement in the […]

Nolan Arenado Headlines NL Gold Glove Winners

Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado was awarded his eighth Gold Glove award on Tuesday in as many seasons. His 15 defensive runs saved this year were three more than any player at the hot corner. Arenado's streak is the second-longest to start a career in MLB history, behind Ichiro Suzuki's 10. It's the third-longest […]

Alex Gordon Wins Eighth Gold Glove In Final Season

Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon, who announced his retirement at the end of the 2020 season, won his eighth and final Gold Glove award on Tuesday. The 36-year-old finished off his career by winning a Gold Glove in four straight seasons. The other American League winners included Seattle Mariners first baseman Evan White, Cleveland […]

Mets Could Go After Yu Darvish, Francisco Lindor, Others

After new owner Steve Cohen purchased the New York Mets for a record price this year, the Mets are expected to be extremely active in the free-agent and trade markets this winter. Cohen is the richest owner in baseball during a pandemic at a time in which most teams could be looking to move contracts […]

Red Sox Talking With Alex Cora

The Boston Red Sox are expected to interview former manager Alex Cora in the coming days, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. Boston parted ways with Cora last January due to his part in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal during 2017, and Cora was suspended for all of 2020. According to The Boston Globe's Alex […]

Tigers Officially Hire A.J. Hinch

The Detroit Tigers officially hired former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch as their new manager on Friday. Hinch was a backup catcher for the 2003 Tigers. The hiring comes one year after he was fired by Houston for his part in the sign-stealing scandal, and he was suspended for all of the 2020 season. Hinch […]

Tigers Finalizing Deal To Make A.J. Hinch Their Manager

The Detroit Tigers have made progress in finalizing a deal to make former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch their next manager, according to sources. Hinch lost his job with Houston before the start of the 2020 season for his role in the team's sign-stealing scandal. Former Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire retired on Sept. 19 with […]

Fantasy Baseball Applications of zxwOBAcon Analysis

In part one of this series, I established that zxwOBAcon is the primary driver of season-to-season changes in xwOBAcon and that the biggest risers in zxwOBAcon each season tend to be rebound candidates. Furthermore, rebound candidates recover all of their zxwOBAcon losses more often than not and frequently outperform their season x zxwOBAcon in season […]

Randy Arozarena's 2021 Fantasy Value: WPC+ Videocast

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut look back at the amazing rookie season and postseason run by Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena in order to project his fantasy baseball value and ADP for 2021. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and […]

White Sox Name Tony La Russa Their New Manager

The Chicago White Sox named Tony La Russa, a three-time World Series champion, as their new manager on Thursday. The 76-year-old hasn't served as a big league manager since ending his 16-year run with the Cardinals in 2011, a season that ended in his third championship. La Russa has a 2,728-2,365 managerial record and began […]

White Sox Close To Hiring Tony La Russa?

The Chicago White Sox could officially name Tony La Russa as their new manager as early as Thursday. La Russa got his start in the big leagues in 1979 with the White Sox, and rumors have been swirling for more than a week that he'd land there. The 76-year-old won three straight American League pennants […]

Yankees Unlikely To Reunite With Didi Gregorius

Philadelphia Phillies impending free-agent shortstop Didi Gregorius said that he doesn't foresee the Yankees wanting to sign him this offseason. Current Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres battling injuries and defensive issues in 2020, hitting only .243 with three home runs and nine errors in 42 games. Gregorius hit .284 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI […]

Corey Seager Named World Series MVP

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was named the World Series Most Valuable Player after earning the same honor in the National League Championship Series. Seager hit .400 with two home runs, five RBI and six walks in six games in the World Series against the Rays. He hit .310 with five home runs and […]

Mets Claim Robel Garcia Off Of Waivers From Reds

The New York Mets claimed infielder Robel Garcia off of waivers from the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. Garcia last appeared in the majors in 2019 for the Chicago Cubs hitting .208 with five home runs and 11 RBI in just 80 plate appearances. The move by the Mets was strictly for depth purposes. Even assuming […]

2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values Based On Contact Quality

In part one of this series, I established that zxwOBAcon is the primary driver of season-to-season changes in xwOBAcon and that the biggest risers in zxwOBAcon each season tend to be rebound candidates. Furthermore, rebound candidates recover all of their zxwOBAcon losses more often than not and frequently outperform their season x zxwOBAcon in season […]

Warning Signals in Shift Increases: Part One

Shifts work. Not all the time and not against everyone but eventually there is a sufficient amount of data on a player to be able to draw some pretty strong conclusions about what advantages can be gained by shifting. There are good reasons that Joey Gallo was shifted against 98.5% of the time in 2020. Not everyone […]

Dissecting Contact Quality In Search Of Fantasy Bargains

Of the 1,015 hitters sampled(1) between 2015 and 2019, there were only 14 instances of hitters making more productive contact against pitches outside of the strike zone than against pitches inside of the strike zone based on xwOBAcon. Based on the same sample, the average hitter was a whopping .116 points better against pitches inside […]

Nationals Re-Sign Josh Harrison

The Washington Nationals re-signed utilityman Josh Harrison to a one-year, $1 million deal on Thursday. Harrison was released by the Phillies in July and latched on with the Nats, hitting .278 with two doubles, three home runs, 14 RBI, six walks and 11 runs scored for Washington. The 33-year-old can make an extra $250,000 in […]

Lineup Order Risers and Fallers: AL West 2020 Review

It’s the offseason and there are about to be a bunch of moving parts. This allows for speculation in terms of players gaining or losing playing time, moving up or down a batting order and much more. The idea here is to highlight some lineup situations for each team and some potential winners or losers […]

Tigers Interview George Lombard, Marcus Thames

The Detroit Tigers have interviewed Dodgers first base coach George Lombard and Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames, who both previously played for the Tigers, for their managerial opening, according to sources. The two join long-time Tigers coach Lloyd McClendon as candidates who have interviewed for the job. McLendon served as the interim manager following Ron […]

White Sox Interview Tony La Russa

The Chicago White Sox have interviewed Tony La Russa for their managerial opening, and he remains a top candidate in their search, according to two sources. General manager Rick Hahn and executive vice president Kenny Williams each spoke with the 76-year-old. La Russa managed the White Sox from 1979-86 before moving to the Athletics and […]

Wander Franco Unlikely To Debut In World Series

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, the No. 1 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, is unlikely to make his debut in the World Series against the Dodgers. Franco shared a photo on Instagram of his jersey with a World Series 2020 patch on the sleeve on Monday, fueling speculation that he could be added […]

Daily MLB DFS Value Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - October 17, 2020

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Below you will find our Premium DFS value plays for 10/17/2020. These picks will target low-priced players in the main slate. Today is our last official day of having a two-game slate, with either Tampa Bay or Houston earning their entry into the World Series […]

Daily Fantasy Baseball (DFS) Cheat Sheet and Lineup Picks for October 17, 2020

MLB DFS Premium Cheatsheet for 10/17 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. With only two games on the slate, we'll be breaking down each game with pitchers and hitters to target from each. I would recommend using some caution here and responsible bankroll management as this is our final two-game […]

MLB DFS Cheat Sheet and Lineup Picks for 10/16/20 (Premium Content)

MLB DFS Premium Cheatsheet for 10/16 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. With only two games on the slate, I'll be breaking down each game with my favorite pitchers and hitters from each. I would recommend using some caution here and responsible bankroll management as we have nothing but two-game […]