Is Punting Steals a Viable Draft Strategy in 2019?

For readers who tune in to watch MLB games regularly, the phrase “small ball is dead” is becoming more and more the cliche. Managers do not feel the need to run as much, there is a decreasing rate of sacrifice bunts, and above all, no more hit-and-run as a primary offensive tactic. While many factors […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Danny Jansen and Ozzie Albies

With fewer data points to go off of, younger players have always been more challenging to project than their more veteran counterparts. Unfortunately, the game is getting younger. Fantasy owners need to roster at least a few young studs if they hope to compete. Danny Jansen may not have impressed in his brief MLB debut […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - National League West

The East and Central have already been covered, so let's head out west. It's time to see what's going on in the bullpens of the National League West division. There are still too many significant relief pitchers on the free agent market to believe that any bullpen is "set" for Opening Day, but there are […]

RotoBaller MLB Radio - Fantasy Baseball Rankings and News with Brian Kenny

RotoBaller fantasy baseball experts Mike the Roto Cop, Anthony Aniano, and Danny Baseball take a look at the at latest fantasy baseball free agent news, and dig deep into second and third base rankings with MLB's Brian Kenny. In this podcast you will hear about: Manny Machado, Jose Altuve Adam Ottavino, Whit Merrifield Javier Baez, Matt […]

Brian Dozier to Nationals - Fantasy Impact

In mid-January, the Nationals inked Brian Dozier to a one-year, $9M contract. Following a disappointing season in which he was hobbled by a knee injury, the veteran second baseman will try to re-establish himself in the pursuit of a long-term contract next off-season as he heads into his age-32 season. It is worth noting that […]

2019 Points League Draft Strategy - Fantasy Baseball

When discussing fantasy baseball. An often neglected-but-entertaining format is the points league. These exist in both cumulative season-long and weekly head-to-head formats. While existential debates about scoring categories and their true depiction of player worth are endless, points leagues arguably get closest to the objective of sabermetrics. Points leagues attempt to define a player’s contribution […]

Sonny Gray Signs Extension With Reds

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Sonny Gray, who was traded from the New York Yankees on Monday in exchange for second base prospect Shed Long and a competitive-balance draft pick, agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep him under contract through the 2022 season. He will be paid $30.5 million over three years with […]

Reds Acquire Sonny Gray

The Cincinnati Reds officially acquired starting pitcher Sonny Gray from the New York Yankees on Monday in exchange for second base prospect Shed Long, according to league sources. The deal could also include the Reds sending a draft pick to the Yankees, and Cincy could be finalizing an extension for Gray as part of the […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 4 - Batted Ball Distribution (Hitters)

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 the case. Why would this be? The answer, of course, comes down to batted ball distribution and the manner in which batters make contact. In […]

Top 420: Points Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers. Today we are here to start looking at points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) formats. In this column, you will find our staff's preliminary 2019 fantasy baseball points league rankings for January and the top 420 players. Over the next few days, we will also be publishing individual tiered rankings analysis columns for each […]

Reds Finalizing Deal For Sonny Gray

The Cincinnati Reds are finalizing a deal for New York Yankees starting pitcher Sonny Gray on Sunday. Infield prospect Shed Long and a draft pick are expected to be sent to the Yankees, with a possible third piece also involved. Gray struggled mightily in his two seasons with the Yankees and was demoted to the […]

Reds Making Progress In Sonny Gray Talks

The Cincinnati Reds are making progress in trade talks for New York Yankees starting pitcher Sonny Gray, according to insider Jon Heyman. The Reds are considering dealing two prospects and a draft pick to acquire Gray. The Braves, Brewers and Giants are also thought to be considering a trade for Gray. If Gray were to […]

Jorge Soler - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

You’ve probably heard this one before, but for the umpteenth time, Kansas City Royals outfielder Jorge Soler is officially on sleeper watch. The 26-year-old has been flirting with a breakthrough ever since he made the move to the American League in 2016. Amid their World Series run, the Cubs were happy to part ways with […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - National League Central

Now that the National League East and all their moves have been covered, it's time to look at the NL Central and discuss the lack of movement in that division. Several teams in the NL Central could benefit from strengthening their relief corps, yet only one team has made any noise in free agency or […]

NL Rookies to Target in 2019 Mixed Redraft Leagues

As the New Year has finally come, and fantasy football is over, at last, fantasy baseball draft season is right around the corner. With that comes mock drafts, draft previews, ADP analysis, and of course, player recommendations. This article will help owners get ready by looking to the National League All-Star team of rookies to […]

2019 Outfielders - Early Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Outfield is a unique position in the fantasy world. The best of the best reside in the outfield, with our consensus top two picks and nine of the top 25 overall players making this list. On the other hand, it is by far the deepest and easiest to gain late-round value if you choose to […]

2019 Relief Pitchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

A tough position to evaluate is that of relief pitchers, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these days, further stifling the value of closers. That being said, only four of the pitchers that ranked in the top-10 in saves in […]

2019 Third Basemen - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the third base position. Even though it is only January, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these rankings […]

2019 Starting Pitcher - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. The sun is still rising on 2019, but RotoBaller writers JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli and myself are here with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these […]

Yasiel Puig Settles With Reds

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $9.7 million deal, according to a source. Inconsistent playing time hurt Puig the most in 2018, as he hit .267/.327/.494 with 23 home runs, 63 RBI, 60 runs scored and 15 stolen bases in 125 games for the Dodgers before […]

Tanner Roark Earns $10 Million In 2019

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Tanner Roark avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $10 million deal. Roark posted a very mediocre line in 2018 in his final season with the Nationals, going 9-15 with a 4.34 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 7.3 K/9 over 31 outings (30 starts). He was always more of […]

Scooter Gennett Avoids Arbitration

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $9.775 million deal. Gennett proved his 2017 breakout was no fluke by slashing .310/.357/.490 with 23 home runs, 92 RBI, 86 runs scored and four stolen bases in 2018. He may never reach the 30-homer mark, but Gennett is […]

Jose Peraza Avoids Arbitration

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Jose Peraza avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.775 million deal, according to a source. Peraza put himself on the fantasy map in 2018 by hitting .288/.326/.416 with 14 home runs, 58 RBI, 85 runs scored and 23 stolen bases in 157 games as the team's everyday shortstop. […]

2019 Catchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

Catcher is a tough position to evaluate, as many teams utilize multiple catchers and it is rare for one to play 140 or more games in a season. Wear and tear as a backstop limits offensive value for sure, but there are still a group of solid catchers that can contribute in multiple categories. Beyond […]

2019 Second Base - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. Even though we are just coming off ringing in the new year, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, and Chris Zolli have wasted to time coming up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Yasiel Puig and Adalberto Mondesi

Champ or Chump began the year with two positive outlooks because it's always a good idea to begin your draft prep with a dose of optimism. However, you won't win your league on draft day no matter how many players you like end up on your roster. You can lose your league on draft day […]

2019 First Basemen - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the first base position. Even though it is only January, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these rankings […]

2019 Shortstops - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

It’s never too early to start looking toward the fantasy baseball season, so I’m here to kick off RotoBaller’s position-by-position rankings analysis series with the ever-so-glamorous shortstop position. Shortstop is rich at the top and while it boasts intriguing depth, this is not a position to wait on, especially if you also have a middle-infield […]

Top 660: Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers, and Happy New Year! Below you will find our staff's early 2019 fantasy baseball tiered rankings (top 660) for mixed leagues. In case you missed it, you can also see our tiered positional rankings as well. Four of our lead fantasy baseball analysts - Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, JB Branson and Chris Zolli - have analyzed the MLB offseason moves and […]

Top 10 Dynasty First Basemen - Fantasy Baseball Prospects

It might seem like I drew the short straw among the prospect analysts here at RotoBaller, but I actually picked this assignment! You won’t see many of these names on top 100 lists. Despite being one of the positions from which teams expect to get the most offensive production, first base gets the least amount […]