Five Starting Pitchers Due for Regression in 2015

Each year, starters emerge from out of the woodwork to put together a phenomenal season. Pitchers like Jake Arrieta and Jacob deGrom who, from out of nowhere, become both the ace of an MLB pitching staff and turned out to be fantasy waiver wire gold. It is not that rare for a pitcher to have a breakout year, […]

Clay Buchholz (SP, BOS) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~290 Overall ANALYSIS: A season after posting a ludicrous 1.78 ERA that sat a full run below his FIP, the pendulum swung all the way back for Clay Buchholz. His E-F was the highest among all qualified starters. As you might imagine, it’s fairly uncommon to see a pitcher’s ERA triple from […]

Top Five ERA Surgers for 2015: Fantasy Baseball Predictions

Scour the Pitching Peripherals It’s not a category in your typical fantasy league, but Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) is a useful metric to uncover undervalued assets on draft day. FIP attempts to isolate the factors under a pitcher’s direct control to determine whether he was a victim of poor defense or rotten luck. Intuitively and […]

Five Rookies / Prospects You Should Draft in 2015

MLB Rookies & Prospects to Make Fantasy Impacts Whether you are a 5 year old opening your presents on your birthday or a 40 year old getting a new fancy car during your mid-life crisis, everybody loves new toys. Rookies and prospects are the new cars of the MLB and untapped potential is their fuel. […]

Cuban Defectors That Will Have Most Fantasy Impact In 2015

Cuba lost some of its top players as they signed blockbuster deals to come over and play in the MLB. Each team hopes their guy follows in the footsteps of last year’s Cuban defector Jose Abreu, who hit 36 home runs, 107 RBI and a .317 batting average, winning the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2014. There […]

5 AL Players Whose New Teams Will Impact Their Performance

Who Will Be Helped or Hurt by a Change of Scenery? J.A. Happ, Seattle Mariners Let’s be honest: Happ did not post Cy Young-caliber numbers in his most recent campaign. A 4.22 ERA and lackluster 7.6 K/9 IP made Happ one of many problems for the Blue Jays in 2014. That’s exactly why a transition […]

Mookie Betts (OF / 2B, BOS) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

CURRENT ADP: 121 RANKINGS STATUS: Undervalued ANALYSIS: It is becoming increasingly obvious that Mookie Betts will be the Boston Red Sox Opening Day center fielder and leadoff man. He entered spring training expecting to compete with Cuban sensation Rusney Castillo for the center field job, but Castillo suffered an oblique injury which has prevented him […]

Fantasy Baseball Spring Stock Watch: Semien, Norris, Betts, Davis

  Welcome to the Stock Watch First of all, welcome to the RotoBaller fantasy baseball “Stock Watch”. This will be a recurring weekly column which attempts to gauge the value of certain hitters and pitchers who are trending in the right and wrong direction. The goal is to help you make more informed decisions with […]

MLB Closer Breakdown: AL East Edition - 2015 Fantasy Baseball

  New York Yankees This is going to be one of the most closely monitored closer competitions in the spring of 2015. The Yankees are currently examining two gigantic (literally) options for the closer spot, in the forms of lefty Andrew Miller and righty Dellin Betances, both of whom throw absolute smoke. Both did plenty […]

Terms of Moncada's Monster Deal with the Red Sox

Boston reached an agreement with Yoan Moncada early Monday morning. The Cuban infielder has agreed to a $31.5 million deal. Due to Major League Baseball's international signing guidelines, Boston with have to pay the league an additional fee-- equal to Moncada's contract value-- by the end of the year. The signing guideline brings Boston's total investment to […]

Boston Red Sox To Sign Yoan Moncada

According to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, infielder Yoan Moncada has agreed to sign with the Boston Red Sox. BREAKING - Source: Cuban INF prospect Yoan Moncada agrees with Red Sox on a deal in $30 million range. Check http://t.co/mkcBseoZWQ. — Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) February 23, 2015 The highly-touted 19-year-old Cuban infielder agreed to a signing […]

Xander Bogaerts (3B/SS, BOS) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target in Rounds 12-16 ANALYSIS: Expectations were high for young standout Xander Bogaerts in 2014. Fantasy owners hoped his toolsy skill-set could help him become a fantasy monster. Unfortunately, Bogaerts endured growing pains as a 21-year-old. He finished with a .240 BA, 12 HR and 46 RBI. He has since decided to up his offseason training routine. […]

Xander Bogaerts: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Sleeper

A Work In Progress As a major contributor to the Boston Red Sox’s championship run in 2013, many fantasy baseball owners targeted Xander Bogaerts in their 2014 drafts. They hoped his toolsy skill set could help him to become a fantasy monster Expectations were high for the young standout. His minor league statistics had Boston fans wondering […]

Boston Red Sox, Wade Miley, Agree to Three-Year Deal

  O'Connell Sports Management, the agency that represents starting pitcher Wade Miley, announced that Miley and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a three-year deal worth $19.25 million and takes care of him for his remaining three years of arbitration. This contract will not delay his free agency though.   Wade Miley (@wademiley20) and […]

MLB Rules Changed, Cuban Prospect Yoan Moncada Becomes Free Agent

  According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, highly touted Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada is now a free agent eligible to sign with a team. Breaking: Yoan Moncada is a free agent after MLB changes its rules regarding Cuban players. Story with details soon on Yahoo Sports. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2015   […]

Shane Victorino (OF, BOS) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target Late in Very Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Considering he missed all but 30 games in 2014, Shane Victorino is a big risk for fantasy owners in terms of health. Throw in his declining production and the deep outfield competition he’ll face in Boston, and you have the recipe for a player who should go […]

Red Sox, Rangers Swap Anthony Ranaudo, Robbie Ross

In a straight-up one-for-one trade of young pitchers, the Rangers have acquired Anthony Ranaudo from the Red Sox for Robbie Ross. While it doesn’t look like any sort of major deal at first glance, it could ultimately serve as a beneficial one for both sides, seeking to fill critical needs with their newest additions. Ranaudo […]

Putting the "I" in R.O.I.D.S. to Find Late Round Draft Sleepers

  An International Flair Welcome to the third installment of my fantasy draft sleeper series, hilariously known as R.O.I.D.S. In the last two installments we looked at deep sleepers with unique opportunities and rankings anomalies. Today, we are  focusing on the letter "I" for International prospects. Over the last several years, Cuban defectors Jose Abreu, Yasiel Puig, Yoenis […]

Mookie Betts (2B/OF, BOS) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target in Late Rounds ANALYSIS: Mookie Betts thrived in his rookie campaign, posting a .291/.368/.444 triple-slash line, shuffling between second base and the outfield. But heading into 2015, there are concerns about playing time. Even after shipping Yoenis Cespedes out of town, the Red Sox have a serious case of roster crunch. However, manager […]

Mookie Betts: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Second Base / Outfield Sleeper

  20/20 Potential Makes Mookie a Player Worth Betting On I voiced my qualms with the sleeper designation in my first article for RotoBaller. Moving into 2015, few players prove my point more than Mookie Betts. While highly-touted teammate Xander Bogaerts labored through a disappointing rookie season, Betts thrived in his debut, posting a .291/.368/.444 […]

Allen Craig: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Bust

Allen Craig: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Bust What are we to make of Allen Craig? The former MVP candidate posted career lows last season, slashing .215/.279/.315 while hitting eight home runs through 505 plate appearances with the Cardinals and Red Sox. Despite the free fall, Craig has steadfastly denied his decline in production is injury related. Granted, […]

MLB Hot Stove 12/13/2014: Red Sox Shuffle Up Starting Rotation

  Red Sox Add Porcello, Miley and Masterson to Form a Rotation with Question Marks Over the past few days of this year’s Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, the Boston Red Sox have made an array of moves to shore up their starting pitching rotation for the upcoming 2015 MLB season. First, there was the somewhat […]

Edward Mujica (RP, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues (if you need saves) ANALYSIS: With the Red Sox out of contention, Koji Uehara was shut down for the remainder of the season. Edward Mujica has stepped into the closer's role, making him the latest edition to our waiver wire sleepers list for saves. Tonight he nailed down his 4th save […]

Rusney Castillo (OF, BOS) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Add in AL-Only Leagues / Keeper & Dynasty Leagues / Continue Scouting in Standard Leagues ANALYSIS: With the recent news that the Red Sox are expected to call up international super-prospect Rusney Castillo for Tuesday's game, he becomes the most recent addition to our waiver wire sleepers list. It's still not really known how much […]

Mookie Betts (OF / 2B / SS, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues Owned in 14% of Fleaflicker, 48% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Mookie Betts is playing every day for the Red Sox, has been hitting very well since being recalled from the minors, and is eligible at the thin shortstop and second base positions in many fantasy baseball formats. All of these factors add […]

5 Sleeper Hitters That Will Help You Win Your League

  IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON!!....but there’s a pesky little fantasy baseball league or two or three that you still need to keep an eye on. Don’t lose focus on the task at hand. Your fantasy football draft is done and you might be patting yourself on the back or maybe you’re down in the dumps because […]

5 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 23

This weeks' outfield waiver wire list focuses on speed. Here are five outfield sleepers that can get on base, steal bags, and score runs. Four of these sleeper outfielders are leadoff hitters, granting them every opportunity to produce offensively. Regardless of the format, these five players are bound to aid fantasy owners over the last […]

Mookie Betts (OF/2B/SS, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues / All AL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: Since being recalled from the minors in mid-August, Mookie Betts has been playing much better and has made his way onto our waiver wire sleepers list for fantasy baseball. One thing I like a lot about Mookie, aside from his name, is that he's SS or […]

Rusney Castillo: MLB Rookies, Prospects & Recent Call-Ups Analysis

Can Someone Please Call Me Up Already? Is he a prospect? No. Is he a rookie? Technically, but not really. Regardless, Rusney Castillo is the latest international player creating a buzz around the league. Last week, Castillo signed a seven-year, $72.5 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, the largest contract ever given to an […]

5 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 22

Here are five outfield sleepers to consider adding off of the waiver wire in fantasy baseball leagues. This week's list features two sleeper outfielders in each league, as well as the race to add Rusney Castillo. I believe these players are undervalued and capable of providing a valuable boost as the season winds down.   […]