Brandon Kintzler Agrees With Marlins

The Miami Marlins agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with relief pitcher Brandon Kintzler on Saturday, according to a source familiar with the situation. The deal includes a $4 million option for the 2021 season or a $250,000 buyout. The 35-year-old posted an excellent 2.68 ERA and 1.02 WHIP for the Cubs in 2019, […]

Early Mock Draft Analysis: MLB Mixed Leagues

Don't tell us it's not draft season yet! Truth be told, the RotoBaller crew was already planning a mock draft days after the World Series ended. As it turns out, we decided to wait until some free agent moves were made and settled for a slow draft that began shortly after the Winter Meetings. We […]

Top 250 Prospects for 2020 Dynasty Leagues

It’s hard to believe it’s that time again. Major League Baseball’s spring training is just weeks away now, which means it's also fantasy baseball season. This year at RotoBaller, we’re rolling out even more in-depth prospect coverage — starting with a ranking of the Top 250 prospects for dynasty leagues. That’s right. Not 100. Not […]

2020 Saves+Holds Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

To any reader who thinks they don't have a voice here at RotoBaller, let it be known that this article came from a simple Reddit comment about how those seeking Saves+Holds reliever ranks were often overlooked. Poof, and here we are. Allow me, Nick Mariano, 2018's most accurate draft expert and sharer of names with […]

Neil Walker Agrees With Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies signed infielder Neil Walker to a minor league deal on Wednesday, according to a source. Walker will receive an invitation to big league camp this spring. The 34-year-old switch-hitter slashed a weak .261/.344/.395 with eight home runs and 38 RBI in 337 at-bats for the Marlins in 2019. If Walker makes the […]

2020 Offseason Starting Pitcher Rankings (Part 3) - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

We continue with our analysis of the early 2020 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings by looking at the middle tiers. To read part one, click right here, or right here for part two. After a record-setting year for offense and a sense among the industry that 2020 likely won't be dramatically different, being able to […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Exit Velocity

If you've watched a baseball broadcast in the so-called Statcast Era, you have undoubtedly noticed the broadcasters commenting on a batted ball's exit velocity, or EV. Many have taken to using stats like Hard% and Soft% to forecast how a player should be performing, expecting larger Hard% rates to produce larger BABIP and HR/FB figures. […]

Using xwOBA to Identify Breakout Pitchers

Heading into a new baseball season, fantasy owners are looking for any leg up on our competition. We turn over stones looking for any stat or training report that might suggest a breakout that few others can see coming. I’m not here to promise some groundbreaking stat, but I do believe that Expected Weighted On-base Average […]

Jonathan Villar Avoids Arbitration For Final Time

Miami Marlins shortstop Jonathan Villar avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $8.2 million deal. It is Villar's final season of arbitration eligibility. The 28-year-old was one of the lone bright spots for the lowly Orioles in 2019, hitting .274/.339/.453 with a career-high 24 home runs, 73 RBI and 40 stolen bases […]

Top 570: Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers, and Happy New Year! Below you will find our staff's early 2020 fantasy baseball tiered rankings (top 570) for mixed leagues. In case you missed it, you can also see our tiered positional rankings and position-by-position analysis breakdowns as well. Four of our lead fantasy baseball analysts - Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Riley Mrack and Nicklaus Gaut - have analyzed the […]

Early 2020 ADP Reflections - Second Base

When a baseball season ends, the following season can’t come here soon enough for some fans, myself included. We start thinking about what we want to see from some players, which includes letdowns, bounce-backs, and even young prospects. Instead of letting them bounce off the brain walls, let’s put these musings into digits. This includes […]

Nationals Agree With Starlin Castro

The Washington Nationals agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with second baseman Starlin Castro on Friday, according to a source familiar with the deal. He's expected to be the starter at the keystone with his new club. The 29-year-old (30 in March) hit .270/.300/.436 with a career-high 22 home runs, 68 runs and 86 […]

Top 30 Impact Prospects for 2020 Redraft Leagues

When last we checked in on the top rookies for 2020, the World Series had yet to be decided, the Astros’ obsession with garbage cans was still a secret, and Neal Huntington was running the Pirates. A number of things around baseball have changed since the last update but few, if any, moves have rattled […]

2020 Offseason Starting Pitcher Rankings (Part 1) - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next baseball season, so here we deliver our 2020 rankings to those of you looking to scratch your fantasy itch. Today we are bringing you part one of our 2020 starting pitcher rankings and analysis - you can read part two here. We know you're […]

2020 Offseason Starting Pitcher Rankings (Part 2) - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

We continue with our analysis of the early 2020 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings by looking at the middle tiers. To read part one, click right here. After a record-setting year for offense and a sense among the industry that 2020 likely won't be dramatically different, being able to navigate the ever-murkier waters of starting […]

2020 Closer / Relief Pitcher Offseason Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next baseball season, so here we deliver our 2020 rankings to those of you looking to scratch your fantasy itch. Whether you're searching for a reprieve from a long fantasy football season or you're getting a head start on next year's keeper selections, RotoBaller has […]

2020 Offseason Outfield Rankings (Part 1) - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next baseball season, so here we deliver our 2020 fantasy baseball rankings to those of you looking to scratch your fantasy itch. Whether you're already eliminated from fantasy football contention, or you're getting a head start on next year's keeper selections, RotoBaller has got you […]

Marlins Finalizing Deal With Corey Dickerson

The Miami Marlins are finalizing a two-year deal with outfielder Corey Dickerson on Saturday. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. The Marlins preferred to land Yasiel Puig, a Cuban native, but they settled for the fallback option in Dickerson. Dickerson is an underrated offensive commodity, but he played in just 78 games with the […]

2020 Offseason Outfield Rankings (Part 2) - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next baseball season, so here we deliver our 2020 fantasy baseball rankings to those of you looking to scratch your fantasy itch. Whether you're already eliminated from fantasy football contention, or you're getting a head start on next year's keeper selections, RotoBaller has got you […]

2020 Offseason Shortstop Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next baseball season, so here we deliver our 2020 fantasy baseball rankings to those of you looking to scratch your fantasy itch. Whether you're already eliminated from fantasy football contention, or you're getting a head start on next year's keeper selections, RotoBaller has got you […]

2020 Offseason Third Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next baseball season, so here we deliver our 2020 rankings to those of you looking to scratch your fantasy itch. Whether you're already eliminated from fantasy football contention, or you're getting a head start on next year's keeper selections, RotoBaller has got you covered. We've […]

2020 Offseason Second Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next baseball season, so here we deliver our 2020 fantasy baseball rankings to those of you looking to scratch your fantasy itch. Whether you're already eliminated from fantasy football contention, or you're getting a head start on next year's keeper selections, RotoBaller has got you […]

2020 Offseason First Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next baseball season, so here we deliver our 2020 fantasy baseball rankings to those of you looking to scratch your fantasy itch. Whether you're already eliminated from fantasy football contention, or you're getting a head start on next year's keeper selections, RotoBaller has got you […]

Marlins Agree With Francisco Cervelli

The Miami Marlins agreed to a one-year deal with catcher Francisco Cervelli on Monday, according to a source. The deal is believed to be worth $2 million. Cervelli had more concussion problems in 2019 and played in just 48 games as a result with the Pirates and Braves. He hit a weak .213/.302/.348 with three […]

2020 Offseason Catcher Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next baseball season, so here we deliver our 2020 fantasy baseball rankings to those of you looking to scratch your fantasy itch. Whether you're already eliminated from fantasy football contention, or you're getting a head start on next year's keeper selections, RotoBaller has got you […]

Early 2020 ADP Reflections - First Base

When a baseball season ends, the following season can’t come here soon enough for some fans, myself included. We start thinking about what we want to see from some players, which includes letdowns, bounce-backs, and even young prospects. Instead of letting them bounce off the brain walls, let’s put these musings into digits. This includes […]

Top 30 Prospects for 2020 Dynasty Leagues

It’s almost time to bid adieu to 2019 so it’s a great time to revisit the top dynasty prospects in baseball. The 2019 season saw a lot of stud prospects reach the Major Leagues, such as Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Peter Alonso, Yordan Alvarez… the list goes on and on. And as good […]

Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Prospects: Top 12 Potential Relievers

This week we’re doing something a little different. We’ve been traveling through the minor leagues reviewing the best dynasty prospects at each position. Now, we find ourselves looking at the relievers. This position is a bit of an anomaly. Teams often don’t directly develop impact relievers - they’re often initially starters that fail to fully […]

Teams Interested In Sandy Alcantara, Caleb Smith

The Miami Marlins are getting calls from teams around the league about the availability of starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Caleb Smith and Pablo Lopez. However, it would take a lot in return for the Marlins to get rid of their young, controllable and cheap pitching options. Alcantara and Smith will likely be the team's Nos. […]

SP Strikeout Risers: 2019 Season Review

For the last four seasons, MLB has seen an increase in strikeout rate (K%). Since 2015, K% has increased from 20.4% to 23.0%. We’ve also seen an increase in walk rates and a poorer league-wide ERA. Those trends can make it difficult to assess whether a pitcher is actually better at inducing swings and misses. […]