First Base Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

It's not quite draft season for fantasy baseball but that matters little in dynasty. Cut/hold decisions are being made in the following weeks leading up to the annual redraft or auction so it's important to assess the relative value of each player on your roster. As it turns out, I've recently updated my dynasty fantasy […]

Who's #1? Early Look at Picking First Overall

With the off-season fully underway and early drafts already taking place, it’s time to start looking at those players being selected first in drafts. This year offers a very different set of players than we’ve seen in recent memory. Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Ronald Acuna Jr. have all fallen out of contention for first […]

Hitter Batted-Ball Distribution: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

Fly balls can turn into home runs. Ground balls never do. It would seem as though fantasy owners want their batters to hit nothing but flies, yet this is not always the case. Why would this be? The answer, of course, comes down to batted ball distribution and how batters make contact. The league average […]

Projecting Power in 2022: Increases in Air% Exit Velocities

Balls come and balls go but regardless of the current offensive environment in baseball, what hasn't changed is our fantasy love of power. But after the happy fun ball days of 2019 and 2020, the MLB went back to the lab in an attempt to deaden some of the bouncy ball hijinks. And deaden they […]

Valuing Injured Players Returning In 2022

Last year's season-ending injury list is an All-Star team. It holds three of the best players in the game and plenty of other superstar adjacent players. Now, heading into the 2022 fantasy baseball season, we have to evaluate the value of these injured players. Should we be concerned about Ronald Acuna Jr? Is Jacob deGrom […]

Joey Votto 2021 Year-In-Review

"I want to get back to being dangerous." This is a real quote from Joey Votto prior to the 2021 season. Although never seen as a prodigious slugger, the 38-year-old Votto was still bankable for 25+ home runs in his prime. Thus, when he combined for just 27 home runs between 2018 and 2019, the […]

K-BB% Fallers for Fantasy Baseball - Starting Pitchers to Watch in 2022

We opened up this two-part series in this post, where we went over the K-BB gainers in 2021. Now, it's time to look at the other side of the coin and some of the most notable fallers. In the first part, I reviewed why I believe this statistic to be the most important metric to […]

2022 Fantasy Breakout Candidates - NL Central 

Identifying potential fantasy breakout players in drafts each Spring can be crucial in building a championship-winning roster for fantasy managers. Often times the breakout players, if they do in fact break out, will significantly outperform their draft position and help you find success. It may be a late-round pick performing like a quality contributor who […]

Early One-Man Mock (Rounds 2-5) - 2022 Fantasy Baseball

I've already run through the first round of my one-man mock, which you can check out right here. Now, let's move on to the next few rounds with a look at how early drafts might shake out. I took roster construction into consideration so that a team didn't select three outfielders in the first three […]

Angels Discussing Luis Castillo Deal

The Los Angeles Angels have shown interest in a trade with Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. They have engaged in "preliminary" talks, but the two clubs are far from a deal as the Reds have set a high price tag. Castillo got off to a poor start on […]

Orioles Claim Cionel Perez Off Waivers

The Baltimore Orioles have claimed pitcher Cionel Perez off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. The Orioles announced the move in a press release on Wednesday. Perez pitched to a 6.38 ERA, a 6.30 FIP, 25 strikeouts, and 20 walks in 24 innings for the Reds last season. He's logged a 6.04 ERA and a 6.02 […]

Reds Open To Trading Sonny Gray

The Cincinnati Reds are once again believed to be open to trading right-hander Sonny Gray this offseason, but they've indicated to rival executives that starters Tyler Mahle and Luis Castillo are off limits. Mahle and Castillo are both controllable through the 2023 season. Gray has a $10 million base salary next season and can be […]

Hunter Greene Among Five Added To Reds 40-Man Roster

The Cincinnati Reds have made several roster moves ahead of Friday's deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft, adding top prospect Hunter Greene and four others to the 40-man roster. Greene, the top pitching prospect in the Cincinnati system, was originally selected as a two-way player at shortstop and pitcher with the second […]

Jonathan India Wins NL Rookie Of The Year

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India won the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year award on Monday. India received 29 of the 30 first-place votes and becomes the eighth Reds player to win the award. Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers received the only other first-place vote. India had an excellent season for the Reds by […]

Jonathan India 2021 Year-in-Review

The Cincinnati Reds and their fans are probably more disappointed than happy with the team's 2021 performance, as the team finished with a winning record of 83-79. However, a very final month left pushed them out of the playoffs. They are left with a solid core of players, which gives the team hopes for a […]

Mariners Reportedly Interested in Luis Castillo

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Seattle Mariners "are among the teams to check in with the #Reds on right-hander Luis Castillo." Seattle, coming off a 90-win season, could use the rotation reinforcements to bolster a group that struggled, at times, outside of Chris Flexen and Logan Gilbert. Adding a pitcher like Castillo would […]

End of Season Report Card - Starting Pitchers

Back in late April, I published the early season report card. It was a look at how the top drafted starting pitchers began their seasons and what we could expect from them moving forward. At the All-Star break in July, we revisited them and updated their grades with a midseason report card. We also provided […]

Reds Make Nick Castellanos A Qualifying Offer

The Cincinnati Reds have extended outfielder Nick Castellanos a qualifying offer, as expected. Castellanos is all but certain to reject the one-year, $18.4 million dollar contract so he can test the free agent market. With the Reds cutting payroll, Castellanos will most likely play for another team in 2022. After slashing .309/.362/.576 with 34 homers […]

Wade Miley Claimed Off Waivers By Cubs

The Chicago Cubs claimed left-hander Wade Miley off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, adding the southpaw to their starting rotation mix. The Reds appear intent on cutting payroll, as they had a reasonable $10 million dollar team option on Miley, who was worth six WAR and went 12-7 with a 3.37 ERA, 1.33 […]

Nick Castellanos Opts Out Of Contract, Becomes Free Agent

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos opted out of his contract, as expected, and will become a free agent after slashing .309/.362/.576 with a career-high 34 home runs, 38 doubles and 100 RBI in 2021 to become a first-time All-Star. He had $34 million and two years left on his deal with Cincinnati. The 29-year-old had […]

Tyler Stephenson - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

Welcome back RotoBallers! We had the first action of the MLB hot stove period yesterday when Tucker Barnhardt was traded from Cincinnati to the Detroit Tigers. This trade should pave the way for more playing time for Cincinnati’s young backstop Tyler Stephenson. Stephenson is now bound to be a trendy late round pick at the […]

Tucker Barnhart Traded To The Tigers

The Detroit Tigers acquired catcher Tucker Barnhart from the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday in exchange for infield prospect Nick Quintana, according to sources. The Gold Glove catcher will fill a key area of need for the Tigers in 2022. Jake Rogers (elbow) is expected to miss most of next year following Tommy John surgery, and […]

2021 MLB Strength of Schedule - In Depth Analysis

Strength of schedule analysis is a common thing you'll see in fantasy football analysis. With just 16 (17 now, I guess) games on the schedule every year, the list of teams on your schedule can make a big difference in your final year metrics. If you get to face the league's worst offense twice while […]

2021 Fantasy Baseball Pitching Awards

The World Series is underway, promising us a new champion this year. It will be followed soon thereafter by the announcement of the 2021 MLB Awards. Among those are MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and the usual annual hardware that is doled out to those most deserving. For fantasy baseball purposes, we view […]

Nick Castellanos Expected To Opt Out Of Contract

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos is expected to opt out of his deal with $34 million and two years left. He's still only 29 years old and had a .939 OPS for the Reds in 2021, and Cincinnati retains interest in keeping the All-Star around. Castellanos has a $16 million player option for the 2022 […]

Delino DeShields To Become A Free Agent

Outfielder Delino DeShields was sent on a minor league assignment by the Cincinnati Reds. However, he refused the assignment and elected to become a free agent instead. The 29-year-old split the 2021 season between three organizations. He began the year with the Texas Rangers, then spent time with the Boston Red Sox before joining the […]

Michael Lorenzen Hoping To Earn Starting Role In 2022

Veteran pitcher Michael Lorenzen is entering free agency this offseason. According to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Lorenzen is seeking an opportunity with a team where he can compete for a starting role. He is reportedly eager to bet on himself and take a low-cost deal that's infused with incentives. The 29-year-old has spent […]

2022 Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates - AL Central

It’s never too early to start laying the groundwork for a fantasy championship run next fall, whether you’re looking to repeat or not. Maybe you found success with 2021 breakout fantasy stars Tyler O’Neill or Cedric Mullins. Maybe you were a big believer in Austin Riley, Jordan Romano, or Jonathan India. Identifying and drafting or adding […]

Aristides Aquino Hits Homer In Season Finale

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Aristides Aquino went 2-for-3 with a homer, two runs, and two RBI in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. Aquino was not in the original starting lineup but he replaced Nick Castellanos in the game and went on to blast a solo homer in the sixth inning. The veteran […]

Reiver Sanmartin Solid In Win Over Pirates

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Reiver Sanmartin turned in an excellent start in his team's final game of the 2021 season. Sanmartin tossed six innings of one-run ball while striking out six in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The 25-year-old wound up making two starts for the Reds in the final week of […]