Orioles Monitoring Ian Kinsler

The Baltimore Orioles are monitoring the market for free-agent second baseman Ian Kinsler, according to sources. However, the front office has more pressing needs at the moment, including hiring a manager. Kinsler is still a fine defensive second baseman, but his offensive prowess is clearly on the decline. The 36-year-old hit .240/.301/.380 with 14 home […]

Statcast Review - 2018 Pitching Leaders (Exit Velocity)

Frost has layered baseball diamonds across the country. The holidays are the darkest times for baseball junkies, with the World Series miles in the rearview mirror and Spring Training too far away. Luckily at RotoBaller, we try to match the flurry of real front office activity with ample offseason fantasy content of our own. Exit […]

James Paxton to The Yankees - Fantasy Impact

The first major move of the 2018 MLB offseason was made on Monday night, as the Seattle Mariners sent James Paxton to the New York Yankees for Justus Sheffield, Erik Swanson, and Dom Thompson-Williams. By trading Paxton, the Mariners got a top-50 prospect in the lefty Sheffield, a controllable arm in the righty Swanson, and an […]

2018 Pitching Leaders: Hard Hit Rate

What's up all you fellow sad Fantasy Baseball fans? Now that the 2018 MLB season is behind us, and we were blessed to witness the greatest baseball team to ever play on a diamond (yes I am a Sox, fight me), we are left to reflect on an incredible season with some incredible players. For […]

Busts and Disappointments - 2018 Year-in-Review

Love ‘em or hate ‘em (and you probably hate ‘em), busts are a huge part of fantasy baseball. While it’s fun to gush over all the new breakout stars of 2018, we also need to reflect on the players that made us want to pull our hair out last season. Highly-drafted busts can be season […]

Statcast Review - 2018 Hitting Leaders (Exit Velocity)

After a full fantasy season of using Statcast measures to predicting risers and fallers each week, it’s time to take a step back and view the big picture. One of the most straightforward Statcast measurements we relied on was exit velocity or the speed the ball comes off the bat immediately after being hit. It […]

Mookie Betts Wins AL MVP

Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts was named the 2018 American League Most Valuable Player on Thursday. He helped the Red Sox win a franchise-record 108 regular season games and the World Series title by beating out Angels outfielder Mike Trout and Indians infielder Jose Ramirez. Betts led the majors with a .346 batting average, […]

Alex Cora Receives One-Year Extension

The Boston Red Sox signed manager Alex Cora to a one-year contract extension through the 2021 season. The deal includes a team option for the 2022 season. Cora more than deserved it after leading the team to 108 wins in the regular season and a World Series title in his first year at the helm. […]

Steven Wright Undergoes Another Knee Operation

Boston Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright (knee) underwent left knee arthroscopy and debridement on Monday, and his timetable for a return is unclear. "Wright will continue to rehab and prepare for a return to pitching in the 2019 season," the team said in a press release. The knuckleballer had an operation on the same knee […]

Prospects Who Shined - 2018 Season Recap

Prospects are one of my favorite aspects of fantasy sports. You get to cheer for young men who are striving to be the best they can in all facets of their chosen occupation. It is fun to track their progress and to prophesize over which prospect will be the next great player. Often times minor […]

Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez Likely To Test Free Agency

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts and outfielder J.D. Martinez are likely to test free agency after the 2019 season if they don't sign long-term deals before then. Both are Scott Boras clients. Martinez has opt-outs in his current deal, which could go as long as five years. Both Bogaerts and Martinez had fantastic seasons […]

Is it Legit? Tyler Skaggs' Breakout Season

We continue with our next edition of "Is It Legit?" to discuss another surprising breakout performer from the 2018 MLB season in order to assess his value heading into 2019. With so many players seemingly becoming fantasy baseball darlings overnight, it can be challenging to sift through the multiple hype trains and determine which players […]

Phillies Interested In Craig Kimbrel

The Philadelphia Phillies are interested in free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel, according to a source. The Braves and Cardinals are two other teams among the possible suitors for Kimbrel. Kimbrel will turn 31 next May, but he remains one of the most dominant closers in the game, posting a 2.74 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 13.9 K/9 […]

Batting Average Fallers - 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! One of the main stats for measuring batters’ success is batting average. Surprisingly, Jose Altuve is the only player that was a holdover in the top 10 of batting average from […]

Save Fallers: 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! A tough statistic to find trends on is saves, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these […]

Batting Average Risers - 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! One of the main stats for measuring batters’ success is batting average. Surprisingly, Jose Altuve is the only player that was a holdover in the top 10 of batting average from […]

R+RBI Fallers: 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! Run production, that is R+RBI, is a key trend to monitor, as there are tight correlations to both slugging percentage and on base percentage with the respective numbers. Let's start with […]

Save Risers: 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! A tough statistic to find trends on is saves, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these […]

R+RBI Risers: 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! Run production, that is R+RBI, is a key trend to monitor, as there are tight correlations to both slugging percentage and on base percentage with the respective numbers. Let's start with […]

Post-Playoff Fantasy Stock Watch - Hitters

The 2018 MLB postseason kept baseball fans on the edge of their seats, and also gave fantasy owners a new window into players as they begin to prepare for 2019. While the playoffs are a small sample, any chance to see players facing top talent from other teams, over and over, still has value for […]

Dustin Pedroia Could Hit Leadoff Next Year

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) had a second knee procedure in July and missed basically the entire 2018 season, but he thinks he will be ready for spring training. Manager Alex Cora has told Pedroia that if he's healthy, he would bat leadoff on Opening Day on March 28 against the Mariners. […]

Chris Sale Doesn't Need Surgery

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (shoulder) will not need offseason surgery and is expected to be 100 percent by spring training, according to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. “We think everything that will take care of it is just rest,” Dombrowski said. “So that’s really where we are. We don’t anticipate anything […]

Eduardo Nunez Opts To Stay In Boston

Boston Red Sox infielder Eduardo Nunez exercised his $5 million player option for the 2019 season on Thursday. Nunez was a postseason hero for a big three-run homer in Game 1 of the World Series against the Dodgers, but he was somewhat of a disappointment during the regular season, mainly due to nagging lower-body issues. […]

David Price Won't Opt Out Of Contract

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price said he will not opt out of the final four years and $127 million of his deal. Why would he after just winning the World Series? Price exorcised some of his playoff demons with fantastic outings in the ALCS and World Series en route to a title with […]

Red Sox Exercise Chris Sale's Option

The Boston Red Sox predictably exercised starting pitcher Chris Sale's $13.5 million option for the 2019 season on Tuesday. Sale was once again one of the best pitchers in all of baseball in 2018, although left shoulder issues slowed him considerably at the end of the year. The southpaw went 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA, […]

Rafael Devers Back At Third Base For Game 5

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is starting at third base over Eduardo Nunez in Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers on Sunday. Devers is hitting seventh against left-handed starter Clayton Kershaw. Outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. will start on the bench for the second straight game against a left-handed pitcher. Devers […]

David Price Starting Over Chris Sale In Game 5

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price will start Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers on Sunday instead of Chris Sale on normal rest. Price tossed 88 pitches in Game 2 on Wednesday in Boston, 13 pitches in Game 3 on Friday and warmed up in Game 4 on Saturday. Manager Alex […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (10/28/18): MLB DFS Lineups

It's a big game five of the World Series today, and a battle of aces on the mound between Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale. DraftKings is running another showdown game type tonight, where owners draft six players regardless of position. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (10/27/18): MLB DFS Lineups

We're on to Game 4 of the World Series after this morning's insane 18 inning marathon finally came to an end. Tonight we've got a Showdown slate on DraftKings, with Eduardo Rodriguez of the Red Sox taking on Rich Hill of the Dodgers. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Gets Game 4 Nod

Boston Red Sox left-handed starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez will start in Game 4 of the World Series against the Dodgers on Saturday. Nathan Eovaldi, who was originally schedule to start in Game 4, pitched six innings of relief in the 18-inning Game 3 loss in Los Angeles on Friday. E-Rod was solid this year, going […]