MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/9) - Meadows Returning To Form

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. Thankfully, we have real, live baseball being played every day again, and while it doesn't count for anything, these exhibition games gives us the smallest glimmer into players and teams heading into the new season. We're officially through the first week of spring training games […]

JB's Bullpen Method Redux - Building FrankenAces

Last year, I finally published an article breaking down my favorite fantasy baseball strategy I have been using for years. It's really less of a strategy and more a state of mind. No, the Bullpen Method is a lifestyle. I always speak about the importance of balance on a fantasy team. For your pitching staff, I […]

Tout Wars 12-Team Mixed Draft Recap

The 2021 Tout Wars season kicked off this week with the 15-team Draft and Hold starting on Monday and then the NEW 12-team Mixed draft on Tuesday. The Draft and Hold is a slow draft, while the 12 team Mixed was live and rocking. I was fortunate enough to take part in the 12-team draft.  […]

Value Based Drafting Primer: WPC+

Learn how to take the next step in fantasy baseball draft strategy by creating custom values for your player rankings. Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut explain how with examples from their TGFBI (The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational) drafts. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch […]

Caleb Smith Throws Three Hitless Innings Against Giants

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Caleb Smith threw three scoreless innings on Monday, allowing just one walk while striking out three against the Giants. It was a marked improvement from his first start of the spring in which he was rocked for six runs over two innings against the Padres, as Smith looks to bounce back […]

Nick Ahmed Scratched From Lineup with Sore Knee

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed was taken out of the lineup Monday due to right knee soreness according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Gilbert reports that it is not believed to be serious and the team does not have plans to run tests at the moment, as they consider Ahmed day-to-day. With Ahmed out, Josh […]

Relievers Set to Break Out in 2021

As the calendar flips to February and more leagues start drafting, it's time to dive into everybody's favorite topic: breakouts. For now, we'll ignore the increasingly common facial breakouts from pandemic-related stress and focus on relief. Relief pitching, that is. When looking for draft targets at relief pitcher, almost everybody just turns their eyes to […]

Joakim Soria Makes Diamondbacks Debut with Scoreless Inning of Work Sunday

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Joakim Soria made his debut with the team on Sunday, allowing one walk with no strikeouts while pitching a scoreless fourth inning in the 5-4 victory over the Cubs. Soria allowed a five-pitch walk to start off the inning, but he kept the Cubs off the board with a flyout and […]

Merrill Kelly Struggles Sunday Against Cubs

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly allowed three runs on four hits — including two home runs — and a walk over three innings while striking out two in a 5-4 victory over the Cubs. Kelly has now allowed five runs and surrendered three home runs over five innings this spring while also striking out […]

Lineup Takeaways - Week 1 Spring Training Lineups

Well, after a recent article highlighting the idea of what I was wanting to do with this Spring Training series, here is a first look at my Lineup Takeaway series I will be bringing you the rest of the 2021 season. We are focusing 100% on lineups, news and quotes - strictly about lineups and […]

Jon Anderson's Outfield Tiered Rankings and Projections

I continue to press forward on my own personal rankings series. Today we tackle the beast that is the outfield. Check out the rest of the series at the links below if you haven't already! First Base Second Base Shortstop Third Base Starting at the top, here's that juicy tier one full of first-round talent.Be […]

2021 Relief Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We continue to move past the chaos of 2020 and onto a new baseball season full of promise. For fantasy baseball managers, draft season is already upon us. RotoBaller's rankers, Pierre Camus, Big Pick Nick Mariano, Ariel Cohen and I have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings as we now move on to evaluate the […]

Zac Gallen Tosses Three Scoreless Innings in Second Start of Spring

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen pitched three scoreless innings against the Rangers but did not factor into the decision on Saturday afternoon. Gallen allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three as he has not allowed a run over his first five innings of the spring. He looked sharper on the mound […]

Stefan Crichton Strikes Out Two in Scoreless Inning of Work

Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Stefan Crichton made his spring debut on Friday night, tossing a scoreless seventh inning in which he allowed two hits and one walk while striking out two. A two-out infield single loaded the bases for the Reds, but Crichton was able to get a fly out to retire the side and strand […]

Pavin Smith Goes 3-for-3 in Diamondbacks' Win Friday

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Pavin Smith went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and two runs scored in the win against the Reds on Friday. After starting the spring going 0-for-5 at the plate, Smith is now 4-for-5 over his last two games with two doubles and three runs scored. The seventh overall […]

Josh Rojas Homers Twice in Diamondbacks' Win

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Josh Rojas clobbered two home run on Friday night in the Diamondbacks' 5-3 win over the Reds. Rojas ended the game 2-for-4 at the plate, driving in all five of Arizona's runs in the game. He has heated up over the last two games as he now has three homers and six […]

Nick Mariano's 2021 Late-Round Fliers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Howdy, RotoBallers! I hope you're ready to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy. We’re here to dig a little deeper into the draft room and look for players that would be wise to take a flier on in the late rounds. 2021 might […]

Nick Mariano's 2021 Early-Round Overvalued List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) are almost all about finding the next superstar and unearthing talent late, but we can't forget that surrendering value by over-drafting can be just as crucial. In order to evaluate overvalued players here, we're going to utilize Average […]

Nick Mariano's 2021 Draft Sleepers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Sleeper has started to lose its meaning in fantasy sports, becoming an SEO must for articles despite no real consensus on what it means. So let's get my definition out of the way first. Sleepers are not necessarily meant to be names that no one […]

2021 Dynasty Leagues: Top Trade Targets (Premium Content)

While redraft owners prepare for draft day, dynasty owners are scouring the trade market. The weeks preceding spring training are optimal to take a chance on young players who have yet to peak or may have question marks surrounding them. Not all buy-low scenarios will pan out as expected, but when playing the long game, […]

Starting Pitcher Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

As the 2021 MLB season approaches, it's a good time to take stock of the dynasty landscape. We've examined hitters at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and outfield. Now it's time to dive into the player pool for starting pitchers. Starters are increasingly difficult to project long-term with the steadily-increasing limitations being placed on […]

2021 Dynasty Leagues: Players to Trade Away (Premium Content)

The wide range of projections for the 2021 Major League season leaves dynasty managers with more questions than ever. How do you value prospects who didn't get the benefit of a minor league season? How much stock do you put into 2020 stats? Is this the time to be aggressive in the trade market or […]

Nick Mariano's Auction Draft Strategies and Tips (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. We applaud you and your league for playing in the more entertaining format that is auction-based fantasy baseball. This is not a 101-level "how-to" guide, you'll need to know how to click "Bid" and whatnot. But I want to help you go from the […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/5) - Buehler Building Up For Big Season

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games. […]

Zac Gallen To Make Spring Debut On Saturday

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen is scheduled to make his spring debut on Saturday. He was originally slated to pitch on Friday, but the team has opted to push him back a day and start Seth Frankoff on Friday instead. Gallen is coming off a strong 2020 with Arizona. He made 12 starts and […]

Madison Bumgarner Nearly Perfect in Spring Debut

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner dominated the Angels on Thursday afternoon, allowing only one hit while striking out six in two innings to earn the win. Of the six strikeouts, four were swinging strikeouts as he threw 20 of 33 pitches for strikes. Another positive sign from this outing was his increased velocity, as […]

Kole Calhoun Optimistic for Quick Recovery from Knee Surgery

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Kole Calhoun is optimistic that he will be able to return to the team from knee surgery shortly after Opening Day reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Calhoun underwent surgery on his right knee on Wednesday morning to repair a torn meniscus, which Gilbert writes has an average recovery time of four to six […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/4) - Realmuto Nearing Return

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games. […]

Ketel Marte Goes 2-for-3 in Diamondbacks' Win Thursday

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Ketel Marte went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in a 9-2 victory over the Angels on Thursday. It was Marte's first multi-hit performance of the spring as he is now 4-for-7 at the plate through his first three games. Marte's numbers took a slight hit last year […]

Heath Fillmyer Added On Minor League Deal

The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a minor league deal with free-agent right-hander Heath Fillmyer on Wednesday, according to sources. The 26-year-old last pitched for the Kansas City Royals in 2019 and will give the Snakes some pitching depth as they enter the 2021 regular season. Fillmyer allowed 20 earned runs in 22 1/3 innings over […]