MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/12) - Severino Beginning Build Up

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 […]

2021 Outfielder Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We now move on to the outfielder position in our mixed-league rankings analysis series. If you missed them, here is our review of Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base and Shortstop. RotoBaller's rankers, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Nick Mariano, and Ariel Cohen have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings once more based on early spring training action. […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/11) - Hiura Endures Spring Struggles

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 […]

MLB DFS Advice: Picking Pitchers on DraftKings and FanDuel

Welcome back to RotoBaller, where we are taking you through some advanced DFS strategy and advice to prepare you for a full-length MLB season in 2021. Last spring, while baseball was not being played and I did not know what to do with myself, I wrote a big old script to go back and collect […]

Marwin Gonzalez Homers Twice

Boston Red Sox utility man Marwin Gonzalez homered from each side of the plate on Wednesday, knocking in four in the Red Sox's 5-4 win over the Twins. Gonzalez, along with Kike Hernandez, Michael Chavis and Danny Santana, is one of the many utility players fighting for playing time in a crowded Red Sox lineup. Gonzalez […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Throws Four Strong Innings

Boston Red Sox ace Eduardo Rodriguez appeared to be in midseason form in his second outing of the spring, throwing four innings of one-run ball, striking out six and walking none. After missing all of last season with myocarditis stemming from a bout with COVID-19, it appears to be all systems go for Rodriguez this […]

Xander Bogaerts Set To Serve As DH For Friday’s Game

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) has been given the green light to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against Tampa Bay, serving as the designated hitter. The Red Sox do not yet appear comfortable having Bogaerts make throws from short, but placing him among the starting nine is an indication that they expect […]

Michael Chavis Will Not Play In The Outfield

Boston Red Sox first baseman Michael Chavis will not get a shot at playing in the outfield if Franchy Cordero is not ready for Opening Day, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. Cordero had missed most of camp due to testing positive for COVID-19, and Browne reports that manager Alex Cora says Chavis will not […]

Bobby Dalbec Hits Grand Slam

Boston Red Sox infield prospect Bobby Dalbec slugged his fourth home run of the spring on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves. The big fly came in the sixth inning with the bases loaded against former big-league reliever Victor Arano. Dalbec is looking to win the starting first base job and he's off to a promising […]

Tanner Houck Showcases Increased Velocity

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher prospect Tanner Houck continued to show an increase in velocity from last year, as he sat in the 94-97 mph range with his fastball during Wednesday's spring outing, touching 98 mph twice. This is a dramatic increase from last year, when he only averaged 92.8 mph on his fastball. Houck impressed […]

Adam Ottavino Has Strong Red Sox Debut

Boston Red Sox reliever Adam Ottavino had a strong debut on Wednesday against the Twins in spring training, striking out two in a scoreless inning of relief. Ottavino, who was acquired from the Yankees this offseason, had a disappointing 2020, but it was not as bad as the surface numbers suggest. Even though his ERA […]

Michael Chavis Aware He Has Uphill Battle To Make Roster

Boston Red Sox infielder Michael Chavis knows he has something to prove this spring. In a recent interview, he stated, "I'm not even sure I have a place on the team." The Red Sox have a lot of multi-positional utility players on this year's roster, making Chavis's versatility less valuable. The Red Sox added Marwin […]

Franchy Cordero To Return From COVID-19 List Thursday

Boston Red Sox outfielder Franchy Cordero has been cleared to rejoin the team for workouts Thursday after missing 17 days on the COVID-19 injured list, according to The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham. Cordero has shown potential to be a threat for double-digit home runs and steals, but he has yet to get enough playing time […]

Xander Bogaerts Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) said on a WEEI radio show that he expects to be ready for Opening Day, claiming that he feels "pretty close to 100 percent." Bogaerts has not played so far this spring due to a shoulder injury, but he is expected to take batting practice on Wednesday and be […]

Michael Chavis Continues Strong Spring

Boston Red Sox first baseman Michael Chavis continued his strong spring with two more hits on Tuesday, raising his spring average and OPS to .429 and 1.429, respectively. There was a lot of buzz around Chavis upon his call-up, but most of that excitement has since been tempered due to an injury plagued, up-and-down 2019 […]

Nick Pivetta Impresses In Tuesday Start

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta had another strong outing on Tuesday, allowing just one run over three innings while striking out three. This follows up his promising debut last week, where his average fastball velocity was two and a half mph higher than it was last year. Pivetta looks to be the front-runner […]

Franchy Cordero Remains Unavailable Under COVID-19 Protocol

Boston Red Sox outfielder Franchy Cordero has still not been cleared to participate in Grapefruit League contests as he works through COVID-19 protocol. Acquired by the Red Sox in a three-team swap during February, Cordero figures to be a regular in the Boston outfield, provided that he is able to ramp up adequately by Opening […]

Rafael Devers Continues Spring Struggles

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers went 0-for-3 in Tuesday's 11-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Devers has struggled a bit in early spring action as he is now just 2-for-15 with a home run and two RBI across his first six games. He had a breakout 2019 campaign when he hit .311 […]

Danny Santana Builds Up Arm Strength In Camp

Boston Red Sox utilityman Danny Santana (arm) has not yet appeared in Grapefruit League action as he continues to build up his arm strength. Santana was able to work out with the club Tuesday, but there has been little update provided as to when he could appear in game action. With the flexibility of his […]

Spring Training Lineup Takeaways: Recapping Week 1 - Bases Loaded Podcast

It is never too early to dive into lineups, news and notes from Spring Training. Join us as we dive right into the action! Subscribe to the Bases Loaded podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and […]

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 […]

Finding Over/Undervalued Shortstops Using Expected Draft Values

Welcome to the FSWA-nominated Expected Draft Values series, where we look at historical data to identify both overvalued and undervalued players of all types. Whether you're targeting power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, we've got you covered. We'll start at first base and make our way around the diamond to begin the 2021 […]

Top 10 Third Basemen - Dynasty Prospect Rankings

Third base is traditionally a place to find offense. It can be a goldmine for fantasy managers in need of some power. Third basemen are also known for providing strong on-base numbers and, in some cases, batting average. The 2019 season met the offensive expectations with 28 hitters managing a 100 wRC+ or better (350 […]

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.  […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/8) - Darvish Deals, Gallo Still Mashing

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 […]

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 […]

Xander Bogaerts To Take Batting Practice Soon

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is expected to start taking batting practice this week. Bogaerts was taking swings off a tee after injuring his right shoulder throwing, with the team hoping to get him into the lineup for spring action as a designated hitter later this coming week. The 28-year-old shortstop slashed .300/.364/.502 with […]

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 […]

Top 10 Second Basemen - Dynasty Prospect Rankings

Finding a quality second baseman in fantasy baseball is no easy task. In 2019, 16 second basemen posted a 100 wRC+ or better. However, only six managed at least a 120 wRC+ (one of whom got caught for illegal substances). The numbers were fairly similar in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The position has seen some […]

Kings of Candy: Sweet-Spot% Risers

While the 2020 season may not have given us much of a sample to evaluate outcomes (home runs, doubles, flyouts, etc.), the core events of exit velocity and launch angle stabilize more quickly and can be stickier than combination statistics like ISO or BB%. Two of our FSWA Writer-of-the-Year Finalists, Eric Samulski and Nicklaus Gaut, […]