Projecting Power in 2021: Late ADP Options

Like a sitcom catchphrase from a bygone era, we all want more power. We'll take it early and we'll take it late but it always feels extra sweet when one of your final picks suddenly becomes one of the mayors of dong city. Looking at a player's exit velocities can tell us a lot about […]

Red Sox Sign Matt Andriese

The Boston Red Sox agreed to a one-year deal with right-handed pitcher Matt Andriese on Wednesday. The deal includes a team option for the 2022 season. In addition, Boston claimed catcher Deivy Grullon off waivers from the Reds. Andriese made 16 appearances (one start) for the Angels in 2020 and had a 4.50 ERA, 1.00 […]

Matt Barnes Penciled In As Red Sox Closer

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that relief pitcher Matt Barnes is currently penciled in as the team's closer for the 2021 season. The 30-year-old right-hander had nine saves in 13 tries last year, with most of them coming after the club traded Brandon Workman to the Phillies. "If the season started tomorrow and […]

Red Sox Expect A Better J.D. Martinez In 2021

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora thinks outfielder/designated hitter J.D. Martinez will have a much better season in 2021. Martinez was fourth in the American League MVP voting in 2018 after he hit 43 home runs and led the league with 130 RBI while helping the Red Sox to a franchise-record 108 wins and a […]

Strike Zone Rate Analysis - Starting Pitchers

There are hundreds of metrics out there that describe pitchers. The richness of the available data is rivaled by no other sport. This can at times lead to information overload, leading us too far away from the core tenants of what success looks like. One group of statistics that are very simple and very helpful […]

Year-In-Review: Diego Castillo and Nick Anderson

As I created my early 2021 Relief Pitcher rankings, I realized how wide open so many bullpens are right now due to free agency. But there is at least one team that can sleep well knowing the back end of their bullpen is solid as bedrock and that's the Tampa Bay Rays. Diego Castillo and […]

Early-Round Fades and Overvalued Studs

Entering 2021, there is a bit of recency bias in the early ADP as well as an overall sense of unknown entering 2021 as a whole in terms of what rules are in place, where players are going to hit in the lineup or even where many players will play and how that could affect […]

Hunter Renfroe Signs With Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have signed outfielder Hunter Renfroe to a one-year, $3.1 million contract on Monday. Renfroe joined the Rays ahead of the shortened 2020 season but struggled to repeat the form he displayed throughout the 2019 season, when he launched a career-best 33 home runs to go along with 64 RBI, five stolen […]

Year-In-Review: Framber Valdez

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez has been one of the team's many intriguing prospects over the past several seasons. He first got consistent playing time (mostly in relief) in 2019 and put forth poor results with a 4-7 record, 5.86 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, and 20.7% strikeout rate over 70 2/3 inning pitched. He also pitched […]

Chris Sale To Throw Off Mound In January

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (elbow), who is almost nine months removed from Tommy John surgery, is long tossing and plans to start throwing off a mound in January. "The recovery is going great," said B.B. Abbott, Sale's agent. "If anything, they'll be holding him back. From a work ethic standpoint, he's not […]

Red Sox Interested In Jake Odorizzi, Rich Hill

The Boston Red Sox have made it no secret that they are looking for starting rotation help this winter after a cumulative 5.34 ERA from their starters in 2020, which ranked 25th in baseball. There's little chance that they will pursue the top free-agent arm on the market in Trevor Bauer. Boston is expected to […]

MLB's Best Pitches by the Numbers

One of the most-often used algorithms in the data science world is called clustering. Clustering is defined, by Wikipedia, as: grouping a set of objects in such a way that objects in the same group (called a cluster) are more similar (in some sense) to each other than to those in other groups (clusters) In baseball […]

Biggest Fallers of 2020 – Relief Pitchers

In an abbreviated 60-game season, a large number of relievers previously considered to be lockdown closers or dominant set-up men struggled consistently, ultimately resulting in a negative impact on their fantasy value. As we previously did with RP risers, we will now look at the biggest fallers of the 2020 season as we gear up […]

Raisel Iglesias To Angels - Fantasy Impact

The 2020 Winter Meetings may be taking place virtually, but that didn't stop the Los Angeles Angels from addressing one of their biggest needs before some participants could even log on. The Angels acquired former Reds closer Raisel Iglesias who should immediately slot into the ninth-inning that has been a sore spot for the Halos for […]

Statcast Review - Hard Hit/Exit Velocity Pitching Leaders

Pitcher contact quality can be a tricky attribute for fantasy managers to incorporate into their analysis. On one hand, pitchers are more at the whim of hitters when it comes to contact quality than the other way around. On the other hand, it certainly seems as though pitchers can exert meaningful control over their contact […]

Projecting Power in 2021: Early ADP Air% Exit Velocity

Looking at average exit velocity to project future power is not very useful compared to looking only at balls hit in the air. Because who cares how hard ground balls are hit? However, it can be even more useful to parse out those velocities into more refined bins and cast a more critical eye to […]

Jon Lester Not On Red Sox's Radar

Free-agent starting pitcher Jon Lester said he'd be open to a return to the Boston Red Sox in early May, but at the moment it doesn't look like the Red Sox are interested in that scenario becoming a reality, according to a major league source. Lester became a free agent when the Cubs didn't pick […]

Jackie Bradley Jr. Could Return To Red Sox

Boston Red Sox general manager Brian O'Halloran said on Monday that "Jackie Bradley Jr. is still on our radar." Bradley has proven himself as one of the best defensive center fielders in the league and has spent his entire eight-year career in Boston. The 30-year-old was an All-Star in 2016 and won a Gold Glove […]

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects for 2021

The 2020 baseball season was unlike any year we’ve ever seen with its shortened season and schedule that can perhaps be best described as organized chaos. The absence of a minor league season played havoc with prospect prognosticators. The 2021 season — and perhaps beyond — will continue to present unique challenges as the pandemic […]

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects for 2021

The abbreviated, wild-ride known as the 2020 MLB season has come to an end and the playoffs are in full swing. Sadly, that means fantasy baseball seasons are finished. And prospects watchers have turned their attention towards the 2021 season. The 2020 season saw a significant number of key contributions from rookies and, had you […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings

The 2021 MLB season isn't guaranteed to be normal but I have hope that next spring will be much healthier. As such, I will approach ranks as if a traditional 162-game season is coming. Join me for my position-by-position ranking series for the 2021 fantasy baseball season. How much weight do we give 2020? How […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings

The upcoming 2021 season may not be normal -- going from 2020 to 2021 doesn't wave a magic wand -- but there's still comfort in baseball. As such, I will approach ranks as if a traditional 162-game season is coming. Join me for my position-by-position ranking series for the 2021 fantasy baseball season. How much […]

Red Sox Showing Interest In Eddie Rosario

The Boston Red Sox have some interest in free-agent outfielder Eddie Rosario after he was non-tendered by the Twins on Wednesday, according to sources. Rosario would likely have to play right field in Fenway Park, but manager Alex Cora selected Rosario to play for Team Puerto Rico during the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Andrew Benintendi […]

Red Sox Acquire Minor-Leaguer Christian Koss

The Boston Red Sox acquired minor league infielder Christian Koss from the Colorado Rockies on Thursday in exchange for minor league left-handed pitcher Yoan Aybar. The 22-year-old Koss was a 12th-round pick in 2019 and was an All-Star in the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 2019. He hit .332 (63-for-190) with 11 home runs, 51 RBI, […]

Red Sox Showing Interest In Corey Kluber

The Boston Red Sox are showing interest in free-agent starting pitcher Corey Kluber, who makes his home in the greater Boston, according to a source. The 34-year-old right-hander is progressing nicely from the teres major muscle strain that cut his 2020 season short (just one inning pitched), and he is expected to resume throwing bullpen […]

Year-In-Review: Jesse Winker

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker had a 2020 season that, in many ways, reflected the arc of his career. His excellent approach allows him to get on base while also hitting for average and power. However, he also experiences stretches of unproductivity and has battled injuries and inconsistent playing time. This makes him a difficult player […]

Red Sox Agree With Eduardo Rodriguez

The Boston Red Sox agreed to an $8.3 million deal with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez for the 2021 season on Tuesday, according to a source. Rodriguez would've been in the fourth and final year of arbitration eligibility before becoming a free agent next offseason. The 27-year-old southpaw was set to be the team's Opening Day starter […]

Projecting Power in 2021: Elite Levels of Air% Exit Velocity

Everyone wants more power, even more so when it comes relatively cheap. But even when pricey, you're going to need to draft a bomber or two. One of the best ways to see how a player's power is trending is to sift through their exit-velocities to see what they're saying. Most know by now that […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings

I think most of us would agree that looking forward to 2021 is a good idea. For me, that means immersing myself in the upcoming baseball season. While there's no guarantee COVID-19 won't affect the '21 season, I will approach ranks as if a traditional 162-game season is coming. Join me for my position-by-position ranking […]

Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft - ADP Surprises

Of course, there are many changes to be made throughout the offseason. It feels as if the dust is still settling on the 2020 World Series yet baseball fans are more ready for the upcoming season than ever. We have no idea whether a full schedule can be played, what games will look like, and […]