Brad Ziegler (RP, Mia) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target end of your draft or ~275, whichever comes first CURRENT ADP: 344 ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins closer Brad Ziegler is not a flashy pickup. He is not going to overwhelm anyone with strikeouts like Craig Kimbrel, induce a ridiculous amount of ground balls like Zach Britton, or blow teams away with a triple-digit fastball like Aroldis […]

J.T. Realmuto To Rest A Few More Days

Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto (back) is a little sore still and will receive a few more days off, according to manager Don Mattingly. Mattingly is confident that Realmuto will be ready for Opening Day against the Cubs. Realmuto has dealt with a few nagging ailments this spring, but nothing too serious. He'll remain a […]

Cardinals Sign Yefri Perez

The St. Louis Cardinals signed outfielder Yefri Perez to a minor league contract. Perez got a few at-bats with the Marlins in 2016 but didn't do much with them, then played poorly in Double-A last season, slashing .169/.280/.242 over 293 plate appearances. He's a 27-year-old organization filler with plus speed but nothing else. He's highly […]

Updated Catcher Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

One final time before regular season baseball returns and our lives are, at last, complete, RotoBaller's staff writers are updating their 2018 fantasy baseball rankings. Today, we'll be taking a look at the shallowest position - catcher. As usual, after the few elite options are off the board, it's probably best to leave filling this […]

Leading Indicators - First Pitch Strikes and Strikeout Risers

Conventional baseball wisdom harps on the importance of the first-pitch strike (F-strike%). As pitchers get ahead in counts, they gain an advantage on hitters and have more pitch choices at their disposal. However, smart people discovered a hitter's average with a 0-1 count (.321) is only marginally worse than a 1-0 count (.337). The pitch […]

J.T. Realmuto Injures Back Sunday

Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto (back) was removed from the spring game early Sunday with a lower back contusion. Realmuto has been beat up lately, as he missed some time late last week with a minor knee injury as well. His back injury also doesn't appear serious, thankfully, and Realmuto should be able to return […]

Kyle Barraclough Dazzles On Sunday; Expected To Be Miami's Setup Man

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Kyle Barraclough should begin the season as Miami's setup man, paving the way for the veteran Brad Ziegler to close out games for the Marlins. Barraclough's 22 holds were eighth most among National League relievers last season, though he did blow four saves as well. He pitched extremely well in just one […]

Lewis Brinson Continues To Impress In Spring Training

Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson continues to tear the cover off the ball this Spring and is making a serious case to begin the season in the starting lineup. Brinson, who came over to the Marlins from Milwaukee in the Christian Yelich trade, is rated as Miami's top prospect, according to MLB.com. The young outfielder […]

Champ or Chump - J.T. Realmuto and Andrew Benintendi

Some fantasy owners prioritize upside over everything else in their draft. Upside wins leagues! Upside makes your team more exciting to follow! Upside encourages you to draft Byron Buxton and hold onto him until his lack of production has doomed you to the second division of your league! Upside doesn't win leagues, profit potential does. […]

First Base H2H Points Rankings - March Update

Welcome back RotoBallers. With the MLB season just a few short weeks a way, it's time to update our rankings and analysis to account for injuries, free agent signings, spring training risers/fallers and more. We kick off our updated March rankings today with the first base position. Bill Dubiel breaks down each tier and provides analysis […]

Derek Dietrich To Play In The Outfield For Miami, Could Also Bat Leadoff

Derek Dietrich is ready to take on full-time outfield duties for the Miami Marlins as the team debuts a brand new outfield once the season begins. Primarily a versatile infielder, the departures of Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton have forced Miami to shift some of its most flexible players to different positions. Dietrich's offense […]

Brad Ziegler Still On Track To Be Marlins Closer

Relief pitcher Brad Ziegler is still expected to be the Miami Marlins closer when the season starts, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. The veteran Ziegler is close to 40 years old and is coming off one of the worst seasons he's ever had. In 2017, Ziegler finished with 10 saves but also blew five, […]

Starlin Castro Enjoying Quality Spring

Miami Marlins second baseman Starlin Castro is having a solid Spring as the former New York Yankee inches closer to his Marlins regular season debut. After coming to Miami via the Giancarlo Stanton trade, Castro made headlines for saying he wanted to be traded. He has since changed his tune, and the Marlins will need […]

Jose Urena Named Opening Day Starter

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Urena has been named the team's Opening Day starter. He'll get the nod over Dan Straily. On the surface, Urena was great in 2017 with a 14-7 record, 3.81 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, but when you look further, there are reasons to be skeptical. His FIP was 5.20 and he […]

Justin Bour Scratched With Back Spasms

Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour (back) was scratched from spring action Saturday due to back spasms. The injury isn't considered serious, and the Marlins are just being cautious with the regular season quickly approaching. Bour will be the team's cleanup hitter in 2018 after hitting .289 with a career-high 25 home runs in 377 […]

Dan Straily Could Be Miami's Opening Day Starter

Starter Dan Straily has a 50-50 shot of being the Miami Marlins' Opening Day starter, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Straily, who has a 2.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in nine innings this Spring, finished as one of Miami's best starting pitchers last year. Straily is competing with fireballer Jose Urena for the team's Opening […]

J.T. Realmuto Nursing Sore Knee

Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto is dealing with a bruised knee, though the club isn't too concerned, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Realmuto, who will be one of Miami's best offensive weapons this season, was scratched before Friday's game against the Red Sox to deal with the injury he suffered on Thursday. Realmuto is hopeful […]

Justin Bour Struggling This Spring

It's been a slow Spring Training for Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour, but that shouldn't deter fantasy owners from drafting him this year. The big lefty, who clubbed 25 homers and 83 RBI in just 108 games last season, is batting a measly .190 in 21 at-bats this Spring. When healthy, Bour is one […]

Updated Third Base Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

With the regular season blessedly just a few weeks away, it's time for the RotoBaller staff to update our rankings one last time. We continue our review of the March update with a look at the third base position. There's a ton of talent at the hot corner this season, with the usual elites at […]

Starlin Castro Looks To Be Favorite For Three-Hole

Miami Marlins second baseman Starlin Castro has mostly been hitting in the three spot in the batting order this spring, and manager Don Mattingly plans on mainly using Castro in the third spot during the season. The 27-year-old will hit in front of cleanup hitter Justin Bour. Castro has posted a career slash line of […]

J.T. Realmuto Scratched With Knee Contusion

Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto (knee) was scratched from Grapefruit League action with a left knee contusion Friday. The injury doesn't look to be very serious, so Realmuto should be fine. Despite the Marlins roster overhaul over the winter, Realmuto remains a top-five fantasy catcher, although his run and RBI totals will surely suffer in […]

Updated First Base Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back RotoBallers. With the MLB season just a few short weeks a way, it's time to update our rankings and analysis to account for injuries, free agent signings, spring training risers/fallers and more. We kick off our updated March rankings today with the first base position. Harris breaks down each tier and provides analysis […]

Turning Two - Beware the Trending Six-Man Rotation

A six-man starting rotation? "That's just not what MLB is to me," Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels said recently. As someone accustomed to being at the forefront of a pitching staff and who's logged 362 starts over 12 Major League seasons, it's only logical that Hamels would expect to keep trotting out there as much as […]

Best-Ball Draft Strategy Overview for Fantasy Baseball

It's finally March, which can only mean two things: Spring Training and fantasy drafts. All the effort spent on rankings and draft prep finally come to fruition. Once your draft is completed, you then get to spend every day of the rest of the season analyzing player performances, scouring waiver wires and setting the best […]

Martin Prado, J.T. Riddle Could Both Be Ready For Opening Day

Miami Marlins starting infielders Martin Prado and J.T. Riddle could both be ready by Opening Day, according to MLB.com's Joey Johnston. Both Prado and Riddle were shut down in the middle of the 2017 season for respective surgeries, but Marlins' skipper Don Mattingly is hopeful that both will be ready to go once the season […]

Dan Straily Makes Second Spring Start on Sunday

Miami Marlins starter Dan Straily will toe the rubber for the second time this Spring as the Fish take on the Atlanta Braves on Sunday. The last time Straily took the mound, he struck out three batters in two scoreless innings. With a very young and inexperienced rotation, Straily has a good chance of being […]

Jose Urena With Another Scoreless Outing

Miami Marlins starter Jose Urena earned his second win of the Spring after throwing two scoreless innings against the New York Mets on Saturday. Urena allowed one hit and struck out two for his second consecutive shutout appearance. After beginning last season in the bullpen, Urena went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA for the Marlins. […]

Cameron Maybin Dealing With Achilles Tightness

Miami Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin was scratched from Saturday's lineup with tightness in his left Achilles, according to MLB.com. Maybin, who returned to the Marlins this Winter after leaving the team nearly a decade ago, has one hit in five Spring at-bats. According to Marlins' skipper Don Mattingly, Maybin is expected to rest over the […]

Sandy Alcantara Continues To Impress This Spring

Pitcher Sandy Alcantara impressed for the Miami Marlins on Thursday by allowing four hits and only one earned run in three innings against the New York Mets. Alcantara, who came to Miami from St. Louis in the Marcell Ozuna trade, has looked solid this Spring. In five innings of work, the young fireballer has a […]

Starling Marte Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

We continue our series of articles debating the overall ranking of some of the most fantasy-relevant players of the 2018 baseball season with a dynamic player who went through a tough 2017. Starling Marte has been a fixture in the early fantasy rounds for several years now, but an 80-game PED suspension derailed his '17 […]