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Adeiny Hechavarria Scratched With Oblique Tightness
Atlanta Braves shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria was scratched from Thursday's Grapefruit League lineup with left oblique tightness. There has been no word yet on the severity of the ailment, but the veteran infielder may not be ready for Opening Day. The 30-year-old signed with the Braves midway through last season, slashing .328/.400/.693 with four home runs […]
Engel's Angles: ADP Insights, Perspectives on Aaron Judge and Ketel Marte (Premium Content)
Spring training exhibition play has just opened and expert draft season is here. The trends are being firmly established on how to draft, and where to draft certain players. We all know pure ace top starters are going to be taken very early, and there will be a high emphasis on garnering top speed merchants. […]
RotoBaller Friends & Family Industry Mock Draft: What the Experts Were Thinking
The RotoBaller Friends & Family Mock Draft has become an annual tradition where we gather some of the biggest names from the fantasy baseball world and put together a mock draft just as spring training has commenced. Thanks to RT Sports for once again hosting and providing a custom draft site where readers could follow […]
2020 Catcher Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues
Spring Training is upon us! Pitchers and catchers have reported and we finally have some box scores to desperately over-analyze. The catcher position can really be a headache for dynasty owners trying to plan for the future. Needless to say, it is not a position that many MLB teams count on for offense, leaving fantasy players […]
Questionable Closers: An Early Look at Some Unsettled Bullpens
As anyone who has played fantasy baseball for even five minutes knows, bullpens around the league are always in flux. There are fewer and fewer closers who are no doubt, always in for the ninth inning, always healthy, never slumping, and always celebrating wins for their team. We're seeing more and more teams go with […]
Mike Soroka Scheduled To Make Spring Debut On Friday
Atlanta Braves starter Mike Soroka (groin) is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut on Friday against the New York Yankees. The 22-year-old irritated his groin during live batting practice last week. If Soroka can avoid any further setbacks, he is safely on track to be ready for the start of the regular season. He […]
Freddie Freeman Expected To Rejoin Lineup Next Week
Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (elbow) is expected to return to Grapefruit League action next week, according to general manager Alex Anthopoulos. Freeman was absent from Tuesday's lineup due to inflammation in his surgically-repaired elbow, but Anthopoulos reiterated that the injury is not a long-term concern. The Braves are taking a cautious approach to […]
2020 Keeper Value Rankings - Shortstop
If you're keeping up with the Keeper Value Rankings, you know we've already covered First Base, Second Base, and Third Base. Today, we will address Shortstop. These rankings are intended for Keeper Leagues in which a fantasy owner must forfeit a designated draft pick in order to keep a player into the upcoming season. These rankings are based […]
Freddie Freeman Scratched With Elbow Inflammation
Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was scratched from Tuesday's Grapefruit League lineup due to elbow inflammation. It is the same elbow that Freeman had surgery on back in October. Thankfully, this type of irritation is commonplace during the recovery process, so the Braves do not seem overly worried about their All-Star first baseman. The […]
Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Expected Stats
Statcast is a valuable tool for fantasy analysis, and it can be easy to look at a stat called "Expected Batting Average" and blindly use it as your projection moving forward. Of course, proper use of these metrics is a little bit more nuanced than that. First, a disclaimer: This article is about the "Expected […]
Mike Soroka Feeling Good After Live Batting Practice
Atlanta Braves starter Mike Soroka (groin) tossed an inning of live batting practice on Monday afternoon. The 22-year-old Canadian was dealing with a sore groin, but he said he felt good after Monday's session. Soroka will likely make his Grapefruit League debut in the coming days. He is the ace of the Braves' rotation, and […]
2020 Outfield Rankings - H2H Points Leagues
We've been breaking down rankings for points leagues over the last couple of weeks in order to prepare fantasy owners for draft day. To check out previous analysis articles by position, click the following links: first base, second base, third base, shortstop, catcher, starting pitcher, relief pitcher. Outfield is obviously the deepest of all positions […]
Four More Sleeper Prospects for 2020 Redraft Leagues
MLB Spring Training is here. The sights and sounds of baseball are everywhere. That also means fantasy baseball season is just around the corner. And with that comes hundreds of minor league players with dreams of breaking into the major leagues during the coming season. Many will. But others will not. Last week, we took […]
Mike Soroka Dealing With Sore Groin
Atlanta Braves starter Mike Soroka will have his first Grapefruit League start pushed back a few days after hurting his groin during live batting practice. The team is just being cautious with their young ace, as it is a minor injury. The 22-year-old was a stellar fantasy asset last season, posting a 13-4 record to […]
Felix Hernandez Looks Sharp In Spring Debut
Atlanta Braves starter Felix Hernandez tossed two scoreless innings without allowing a hit during Saturday's Grapefruit League win over the Baltimore Orioles. He walked one batter while striking out two. The 33-year-old is currently fighting for the last spot in the Braves starting rotation, and appearances like this will help his case. Nevertheless, Hernandez compiled […]
Cole Hamels Still Two Weeks Away From Throwing
Atlanta Braves starter Cole Hamels (shoulder) showed up to Spring Training on Saturday, but the veteran pitcher is still a few weeks away from being cleared to throw. Hamels irritated his shoulder while working out in the offseason, and the 36-year-old will not be ready for Opening Day. When healthy, the four-time All-Star is still […]
Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Pitcher Statcast
Statcast metrics such as Barrels and Brls/BBE are great ways to evaluate a 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 is evidence […]
Finding Combo-Player Values Using Z-Scores and ATC Projections
Towards the end of last season, I asked the question – “Draft Speed or Pound the Power?” Loaded in this seemingly simple query are two contradictory approaches – one for power and one for speed. Power Approach 1: Home run totals are dramatically up in baseball these days. Therefore, there are many power bats available […]
2020 Dynasty Leagues: Players to Sell (Premium Content)
As draft day approaches in dynasty leagues, the window to sell-high on a big name has never been better. The first days of spring training are a chance to cash in on players who may have hit their peak value before the 2020 season begins. Bartering is a matter of risk vs reward. You hate […]
Second Year Pitcher Preview: Fantasy Baseball 2020 ADP Analysis
Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2020 fantasy baseball season and keeps you updated with all the latest news and analysis Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning between 6-7 AM ET, every weekday afternoon from 1-2 PM ET, Saturday nights from 9-11 PM ET […]
Relief Pitchers to Target for Holds
Hold on... there are fantasy leagues that reward middle relievers, not just starters and closers? Yes, there are, and leagues that reward holds are one of the fastest-growing segments of fantasy baseball as real baseball continues to diminish the role of the starter in favor of building deep bullpens with multiple relievers that throw 95+ […]
2020 Second Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues
Points leagues may seem like a slight variation from traditional 5x5 category scoring leagues but you must approach draft day with a different strategy if you wish to truly compete. Rankings themselves are a different beast altogether, as category specialists like Mallex Smith and Dee Gordon (stolen bases), Kyle Schwarber and Franmil Reyes (home runs), […]
2020 Second Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues
As the season draws near, we realize more and more that it's draft season. There is a large portion of fantasy baseball busy with mock drafts, rankings, sleepers, and more mock drafts. The Dynasty community, on the other hand, is looking to continue their dominance, rebuild, or in a worst-case scenario, stick their hands up […]
Nine AL Rookies Ready to Leap Into Starting Lineups
Every year, there are those rookies who we expect to make a splash right away. Think Kris Bryant, Ronald Acuna, Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge--those guys. Once we make it through all the service time manipulation shenanigans, there are always youngsters ready to snatch roster spots immediately, and 2020 is no exception. Below are nine of […]
Brian Snitker, Alex Anthopoulos Receive Extensions
The Atlanta Braves extended the contracts of manager Brian Snitker and general manager Alex Anthopoulos on Monday. Anthopoulos will be promoted to the team's president of baseball operations, and his contract is extended through 2024. Snitker and his coaching staff are now extended through the 2021 season. Snitker, 64, is 318-292 in three full seasons […]
2020 Keeper Value Rankings - Second Base
Keeper Value Rankings are intended for Keeper Leagues in which a fantasy owner must forfeit a designated draft pick in order to keep a player into the upcoming season. These rankings are based on Keeper "Values". In the marketing world, Value can be defined as "the extent to which a good or service (player) is […]
2020 Starting Pitcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues
Points leagues may seem like a slight variation from traditional 5x5 category scoring leagues but you must approach draft day with a very different strategy if you wish to truly compete. All preseason long, RotoBaller has you covered with the latest rankings for all fantasy baseball league types. Here we present our points league rankings […]
Second-Half Improvements: Buy Into These Starting Pitchers
The second half of the season is always put under a microscope for starting pitchers. Fantasy players have a love for the second half of the season, as the belief is that pitchers who take a step forward could carry over that success the next season and perhaps even build upon it. But, as we […]
Dansby Swanson (SS, ATL) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
BALLER MOVE: Target ~210 CURRENT ADP: ~230 overall ANALYSIS: Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson was terrific throughout the first half of 2019, but then a July 23 heel injury sunk it all. He would miss a month, only to return with a 32% strikeout rate compared to 20.4% prior to the injury. He hit 17 […]
2020 Relief Pitcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues
Often regarded as an inferior fantasy baseball format, points leagues offer a different style of boasting over your friends or coworkers similar to that of fantasy football. These setups are typically head-to-head formats for a one-week stretch where the player with the most points gets a win. Easy right? While it's true that roster construction […]
