Rafael Devers Batting Sixth, Sam Travis Playing First

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is hitting sixth, while first baseman Sam Travis is starting at first base and batting in the seven spot against southpaw Yusei Kikuchi on Friday night. Facing a lefty on the mound, Devers shifts down from the three spot where he hit on Opening Day, while Travis is […]

Nathan Eovaldi Hopes For Healthy Start To Season

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi makes his first start of the 2019 season on Friday against the Seattle Mariners. The 29-year-old has dealt with injuries and only has one season in his career where he's thrown more than 154 innings. Still, the Sox saw fit to award him with a four year, $68 […]

Opening Day Observations

When are we going to finally get around to making MLB Opening Day a national holiday? I can tell you the only thing that kept me from calling in sick was the fact that technology allows me to stream live games in HD on my cell phone while I sit at my desk waiting until […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (3/29/19): MLB DFS Lineups

After a full day of baseball, we have an eight-game slate to start our weekend and a solid amount of options at each position. For player stats, we'll be looking at last season until we have a solid sample size this season for pitchers and hitters. In this article, I will be providing you with […]

MLB DFS Prop Picks for 3/29/19 - Monkey Knife Fight

With Opening Day done, baseball is still in full swing on Monkey Knife Fight. There’s an eight-game schedule on Friday and this is a good opportunity to cover point categories that can be used in some MKF baseball props. There are standard overs and unders for one or two categories, but there are also overs […]

Mookie Betts Has Three Base Knocks In Opening Tilt

Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts opened the season with a 3-for-5 performance while also scoring a run in the 12-4 loss to the Mariners on Thursday. Betts got the action started in the first for Boston, recording the team's first base knock and then coming around to score on a J.D. Martinez single. […]

Chris Sale Gets Shelled In Season Opener

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale made it just three innings in the Opening Day 12-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners. He allowed seven earned runs, six hits, including three home runs, while striking out four and walking two. This wasn't an ideal start for one of the premier arms in baseball as Sale's […]

Sandy Leon Accepts Assignment To Triple-A

Boston Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday after clearing waivers on Tuesday. The team may still look to trade Leon, as his $2.475 million contract is included in the Sox's Opening Day payroll. However, it may be tough to find suitors, as the defensive-minded catcher slashed .177/.232/.279 […]

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers in Stolen Bases in 2019

Predicting the leaders in steals for the upcoming season may sound like a straightforward task, but it’s not as easy as it seems. There is quite a bit of variance involved, and the league as a whole has seen a sharp decline in stolen base attempts since the 2012 season (about 700 fewer attempts). Past […]

Red Sox Not Naming Closer Before Opening Day

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he won't name a closer with Opening Day on Thursday. However, Cora said he's known since November how he'd approach the ninth inning, he's just not tipping his hand. Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier will likely be used in situations with the highest leverage at the end of […]

Rafael Devers To Hit Third On Opening Day

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers will hit third on Opening Day on Thursday against Mariners left-hander Marco Gonzales. However, first baseman Steve Pearce (calf), who is starting on the injured list, will typically hit third against left-handers when he's healthy. Devers swings from the left side, so his matchup on Opening Day isn't […]

What's In Your Wallet? My Most-Owned Players in 2019

After a difficult 2018 season, I took stock of what had gone wrong and identified one potential source of trouble: Too many leagues across too many platforms. So, naturally, this is how I responded to that revelation this year: Me in January: Remember not to do too many leagues on too many different sites again, […]

Sleeper Prospects to Target Late in Deep Redrafts

As fantasy season approaches, and drafts are in full swing, owners are looking for any unturned rock that might add some late round value. As the Rotoballer team releases an updated prospect list, now is the time to see what players are on the cusp of making the majors, but would be worth the stash […]

Updated Relief Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We're back up on the bump for this edition of our mixed rankings analysis, and not a moment too soon. The 2019 baseball season is already here! RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel want to make sure you are prepared for last-minute drafts, so they have given their […]

Updated Catcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

As we enter the final stretch for drafting it is time to take a look at the latest iteration of points leagues rankings from our amazing hard working rankings staff. Few things in fantasy baseball are more miserable for many than discussing catchers, with perhaps just injuries and suspensions taking the crown. However, getting the […]

Updated First Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

The RotoBaller Head-to-Head rankings review series winds down with a view of first base through the lens of our three-man expert panel of fantasy accuracy champ Nick Mariano and premier staffers JB Branson and Bill Dubiel. The top tier could conceivably have a new kingpin at any point, and not all of our experts believe […]

Mookie Betts Primed To Defend MVP Award

Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts cleaned up at the end of last season, winning a World Series, American League MVP, Silver Slugger, the AL batting title, and a Gold Glove. At age 26, Betts is in the heart of his prime and is one of the premier players MLB has to offer. In […]

David Price To Open As Fifth Starter

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price will open the season as the team's fifth starter because of an illness that he dealt with this spring. He will be available to pitch in relief in earlier games, according to manager Alex Cora. The left-hander finally put his postseason demons to rest last October in helping […]

Steve Pearce Hopes To Return Soon

Boston Red Sox first baseman Steve Pearce (calf) is hoping to return for the series against the Diamondbacks that starts on April 5. He can hit fine but still can't run the bases. Sam Travis will platoon at first base against left-handers until Pearce is ready to return. Pearce was the World Series MVP but […]

Updated Shortstop Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

The RotoBaller Head-to-Head rankings review series continues with a view of shortstop through the lens of our three-man expert panel of fantasy accuracy champ Nick Mariano and premier staffers JB Branson and Bill Dubiel. The position is well-stocked with useful starters, but as you get deeper, the H2H negatives will get exposed more. Near the […]

Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

We are continuing our updated analysis of points league tiered rankings with a final look at starting pitchers. In H2H points leagues, starting pitchers are the lifeblood of a fantasy team. The more innings and strikeouts a starter can rack up, the further it carries your team toward a championship. There is a solid core […]

Why You Should Target Injury-Prone Pitchers (Sometimes)

To some fantasy owners, there’s nothing more frustrating than the good but oft-injured starting pitcher. It makes owners just want to wash their hands entirely of pitchers like Rich Hill, James Paxton, and Stephen Strasburg in favor of sub-par innings-eaters and often pushes these fragile hurlers down draft boards. However, in certain league formats, targeting these […]

Where Are The Elite Starters? Looking for 2019’s deGrom

Researching elite starters has taught me a number of things about pitcher development. One of the most valuable has been the reminder that progress is never linear. Blake Snell and Justin Verlander present recent examples of that. Verlander has been in “obvious decline” on two occasions now, and both times he’s bounced back. 2016 Blake […]

Steve Pearce To Start Year On Injured List

Boston Red Sox first baseman Steve Pearce (calf) will start the season on the injured list. Sam Travis will start the season in Pearce's place and could platoon at first with Mitch Moreland against left-handers. Pearce shouldn't be on the shelf for too long to begin the season. He'll turn 36 on April 13 after […]

Rick Porcello Hit In Head During Start, Remains In Game

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello was struck in the head with a Willson Contreras line drive on Monday but was able to get up immediately and remained in the game. It was reported that all concussion tests came back negative. He finished four complete innings, allowing two earned runs, while striking out three, […]

Andrew Benintendi Ready For Leadoff Role

Boston Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi has gone six for his last 12, including two home runs over his last three games. With Opening Day around the corner, the 24-year-old is shifting into the leadoff role for the Sox this year. In 2018, Benintendi had a slash line of .322/.381/.598 from the leadoff spot, […]

Dustin Pedroia Set To Play On Tuesday

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) will appear in the team's final spring training game against the Cubs on Tuesday. Pedroia will start the year on the IL to get back to full strength at extended Spring Training. However, the 35-year-old has played in six Grapefruit League games so far. He's tallied five […]

David Price Eyeing Opening Weekend Start

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price will toe the rubber for one more spring appearance on Tuesday against the Cubs. Price hasn't pitched in a spring training game since March 12 after coming down with a norovirus; however, he has thrown bullpens on the side. How Price feels on Tuesday will determine if and […]

Steve Pearce's Opening Day Status Up In The Air

Boston Red Sox first baseman Steve Pearce (calf) may or may not be with the team come Opening Day on Thursday. When asked if the veteran would be ready for the season's opener, manager Alex Cora said "hoping so." The 35-year-old has two home runs in 17 at-bats this spring but hasn't appeared in a […]

Updated Third Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

We are continuing our updated analysis of points league tiered rankings with the hot corner. Third base has a treasure trove of fantasy stars in the making, if things break right of course. If you are relatively new to points leagues, you need to pay close attention to the difference between these rankings and that […]