Statcast Hitter Risers/Fallers - xSLG

We're all familiar with slugging percentage and how it values extra base hits over singles. Expected slugging percentage is a newer stat that attempts to identify a player's skill more so than regular slugging percentage, as xSLG removes defense from the equation. Since batters have control over their exit velocity and launch angle, but not […]

Week 12 Start/Sit Matchups - Starting Pitchers

You know what it is--it's my updated starts/sits column for Week 12! Your friendly neighborhood @Roto_Dubs is back again this year with his weekly starting pitcher matchups. This is our fifth year now writing this weekly column, helping fantasy baseball managers pick the best pitchers weekly. Below are the projected starting pitching matchups for Week 12, which […]

Eric Thames (1B/OF, MIL) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 43% of Leagues ANALYSIS: After missing seven weeks from left thumb surgery, Eric Thames had a quiet return to the Milwaukee Brewers, going 1-for-10 with six strikeouts. He came alive on Sunday, bombing two home runs, collecting four RBI and a steal. The big day brought his […]

Week 12 Waiver Wire - Second Base (2B) and Shortstop (SS)

Rejoice Rotoballers! It’s Week 12, and they’ve given control of Rotoballer’s 2B/SS Waiver Wire column to me for safe keeping while Kyle vacations. Considering how amazing my work has been on the Outfield Waiver Wire, I’m frankly not surprised that they begged me to provide my incredible, awe-inspiring insight for Rotoballers needing help in the […]

Amed Rosario (SS, NYM) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: New York Mets shortstop Amed Rosario has been pretty bad in 2018. The former top prospect has lost almost all of his shine between the last two seasons, as the hit tool has not translated yet and the expected pop has yet […]

The Cut List (Week 12): Time to Let Go?

Welcome to Week 12 of the Cut List. This week I take a look at Jed Lowrie, Justin Smoak, Yoan Moncada, and Mitch Moreland. What’s the common denominator here? They’re barely standard league viable and they were all super hot at one point or another this season. Lowrie was arguably the fantasy MVP in April, […]

Mitch Moreland Batting .096 Over Past Eight Games

Boston Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland has come crashing back down to earth. Moreland endured a sizzling hot streak after Hanley Ramirez was released by the Red Sox, but the past week has been a struggle for the 32-year-old. Moreland is just 3-for-31 in his last eight games with only a single RBI. Moreland […]

Andrew Benintendi Resting Friday

Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi is out of the lineup for Friday night's game against the Mariners. It is just a routine day of rest for him and nothing to worry about. Benintendi has been red hot in the last month batting .343 with a 1.140 OPS, nine home runs and four steals and […]

Week 12 Waiver Wire: H2H Category Streamers

I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago completely ignoring saves and just stacking up the starts each week. While streaming is undoubtedly more directly associated with pitching, there's plenty of value in streaming for offense as well. Maybe you have a stacked roster […]

Xander Bogaerts Matches Last Year's Home Run Total

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts had a moderately disappointing 2017 campaign, but he is currently on the path to fantasy redemption in 2018. On Thursday night against the Seattle Mariners, Bogaerts hit his 10th home run of the season in just his 209th at-bat. To put that into perspective, he did not hit his […]

David Price Tremendous Against Mariners on Thursday

Boston Red Sox starter David Price arguably had his best performance of the season on Thursday against the Seattle Mariners. Price went seven one-run innings and struck out seven in the 2-1 victory. Price now has a solid 8-4 record on the season to go with his 3.76 ERA, but the lefty has become increasingly […]

Sam Travis Picks Up A Hit Wednesday

After being demoted back to Triple-A Pawtucket earlier in the week, Boston Red Sox first base prospect Sam Travis went 1-for-3 in his first game back on the farm. Travis is struggling for the first time in his professional career with a .222 batting average and 45 strikeouts. Travis hit both Triple-A and Major League […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (6/14/18): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

We have a split slate of games, with five in the early window and only four on the night slate. There are some solid options regardless of what slate you are trying to play, so I'll try and hit on a few players from each slate. In this article, I will be providing you with […]

Statcast Pitcher Risers/Fallers - Full Count Inefficiency (Week 11)

Welcome back to RotoBaller's series using Statcast to extrapolate, dig into, and commiserate over data to examine pitching performances. The weekly series will be dynamic as we fine-tune our findings and enlighten ourselves on the information and tools at our disposal. As a pro-pitcher fantasy enthusiast and dedicated streamer, I regularly tune into starts hoping […]

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 11)

The Tampa Bay Rays decided to call up their entire minor league system this past week. Well, not their entire team, but three notable prospects all got the call this past week and if they sell off the rest of their team, which seems not unlikely, we could see more minor leaguers come up in […]

Power Risers/Fallers for Week 11: Buy or Sell?

Welcome to Week 11 of the 2018 MLB season and a new week of our investigation into the steepest power trenders in baseball, whether those trends are positive or negative. As the season steamrolls through June, the window of opportunity to snag a surging slugger or to deal a down-and-out disappointment grows shorter with every […]

Making Moves: Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice for Week 11

We are halfway through June and the time to be making moves to improve your fantasy team is now. Today we are going to dig into the trade values of a couple of pitchers off to terrific starts that carry red flags: Patrick Corbin and Sean Doolittle. I will also answer a few "Rapid Fire" […]

Chris Sale Shuts Down Orioles

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale went six-plus innings Wednesday against the Orioles and allowed just one earned run. Sale came out for the seventh inning and walked the first two batters before being pulled. On his way out, Sale had some words for the home plate umpire and got ejected despite being taken […]

Mookie Betts Hits First Home Run Since May 25

Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts with 1-for-4 with a walk, home run, and two runs scored in a 5-1 win against the Orioles. Betts spent two weeks on the disabled list and had not homered since May 25, but it appears he is fully healthy. Betts has always mashed at Camden Yards and owns […]

J.D. Martinez Smacks Home Run No. 22

Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Martinez homered and walked in the team's 5-1 victory over the Orioles. Martinez walked and came around to score in the fifth, then hit an opposite-field solo shot in the seventh. He has been everything the Red Sox could have hoped for this season. He is second in home runs […]

Carson Smith Undergoes Surgery on Right Shoulder, Out for 2018

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Carson Smith (shoulder) underwent successful surgery on his right shoulder and is officially out for the 2018 season. Smith injured his throwing shoulder by throwing his glove at the bench in anger. After receiving three opinions on his shoulder, it was deemed surgery was necessary. Smith has thrown just 23 2/3 […]

Drew Pomeranz Dealing With Neck Stiffness

Boston Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz (biceps, neck) was originally put on the disabled list due to biceps tendinitis. Pomeranz has said that his arm feels great, but he is now battling stiffness in his neck that has prevented him from resuming throwing. The lefty projects to still be a few weeks away from a return […]

Mookie Betts Returns To Lineup

After a day off, Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts will return to the lineup Wednesday, batting first and playing right field against the Baltimore Orioles. Betts had the day off Tuesday in the second game since he returned from the 10-day disabled list. The slugger was 1-for-5 in his first game since returning. Betts […]

Andrew Benintendi’s Hot Streak Continues; Buy Low Opportunity Gone

Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi continued to mash in a 6–4 win over the Orioles Tuesday evening. He hit his 12th homer of the season in the third inning off David Hess. In the last 30 days, Benintendi is batting .356 with 10 homers, seven doubles, two triples, and 26 RBI. Any opportunity to […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Improves To 8-1

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez had a solid outing in Tuesday night’s 6-4 win against the Orioles. Rodriguez was not as efficient as he would have liked, throwing 109 pitches to get through 5 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs on eight hits while striking out four batters and walking two. Rodriguez has […]

2018 Prospects: Top 30 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Leagues (Week 11)

Hello everyone, and welcome to my weekly Top-30 Fantasy Rankings for Impact Rookies! In this series, I will be going over the top prospects in baseball and discussing which ones figure to have an impact for the rest of this fantasy baseball season. I don’t know about you all, but it was a rough weekend. […]

Trading Up - Nick Pivetta

When the Phillies called up Nick Pivetta last season, he had made five starts at AAA and put up a 1.41 ERA while averaging a 30% K-rate. Many fantasy owners salivated over the numbers when he arrived. He pitched well enough in his debut (2 Rs, 5 IP, 5 Ks) that many folks were patting […]

Dustin Pedroia Has Not Started Baseball Activities

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is still sidelined from the knee inflammation that put him on the disabled list back on June 2. Pedroia, who says he is feeling better every day, has still not participated in any baseball-related activities. He is traveling with the team, which suggests that the injury is non-severe. […]

Carson Smith Will Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Carson Smith (shoulder) will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery on Wednesday. Smith was injured while throwing his glove in frustration. Manager Alex Cora said Smith is likely done for the season. Smith was not really worth owning in fantasy leagues anyway, but should be dropped in all leagues now.

Mookie Betts Fine But Sitting On Tuesday

Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts will sit against the Orioles on Tuesday night, according to Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston. There is nothing wrong with Betts, as manager Alex Cora had previously planned to give him a day off after his first game back, a game in which he went 1-for-5. On the season, […]