Pirates Considering Kevin Pillar, Billy Hamilton, Cameron Maybin

The Pittsburgh Pirates are considering outfielders Kevin Pillar, Billy Hamilton and Cameron Maybin as center field candidates now that they've traded Starling Marte to the Diamondbacks. Of the three, Pillar would likely be the most expensive free agent, but general manager Ben Cherington is familiar with Pillar from their time in Toronto. Pillar, 31, is […]

2020 First Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

We're not far from the start of spring training and draft season is almost afoot! In re-draft leagues, a ton of preparation and research goes into building a new squad for 2020. Dynasty owners scoff at this because they already have their core players established. The question then becomes of relative value. Who is still […]

Miguel Sano - 2019 Year in Review

Heading into the 2019 season, Miguel Sano’s career was defined by injuries and disappointment mixed with glimpses of potential. What was once one of the top prospects in baseball (Fangraphs ranked him #15 in their 2015 Top-200 list), had become an after-thought in fantasy drafts. He finished the 2018 season slashing .199/.281/.398, with just 13 […]

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 […]

Bases Loaded Pod - All Things Fantasy Baseball with Bubba

Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) is joined by Bubba of RotoBaller (@bdentrek) and the "Benched with Bubba" podcast. They discuss all things fantasy baseball! Subscribe to the Bases Loaded podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. - 2019 Season in Review

A year ago, though he was highly valued in dynasty leagues, Fernando Tatis Jr. was viewed merely as a late-round flier in redraft formats. At just 20 years old and with only 450 plate appearances above Single-A, there was a large degree of uncertainty around his 2019 outlook. Would San Diego's front office manipulate his […]

Miguel Andujar To See Work At First Base, Left Field

New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar has been told to prepare to get work at first base and left field in addition to third base this spring, according to general manager Brian Cashman. The emergence of Giovanny Urshela and the injury to Andujar last season will cause the Yankees to get creative in order to […]

J.A. Happ To Be Fifth Starter

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that starting pitcher J.A. Happ will be the team's fifth starter entering the 2020 season. He'll slot in behind Gerrit Cole, James Paxton, Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka. Happ went 12-8 last year but with a 4.91 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 140 strikeouts and 49 walks in 161 […]

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 […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Barrels

Last time, we looked at how exit velocity (or EV) is only one piece of the fantasy analysis puzzle. Baseball broadcasts will commonly cite Launch Angle (LA) to complement their EV figures, but it is given in terms of degrees. Am I evaluating a baseball player or trying to find the hypotenuse of an isosceles […]

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 […]

Eric Samulski's Prospects Live Bestball 50 Draft Breakdown

This offseason, Prospects Live announced a new draft format that they were hoping would bring together the dynasty crowd with more redraft-heavy players. The format was simple and also completely complicated. Each league would be a five-year Best Ball Dynasty featuring 30 teams where each owner would draft a roster of 50 players, and the […]

2019 Season in Review: Carlos Correa

Over the first five seasons of his career, Carlos Correa has demonstrated why the Astros chose him first overall in the 2012 MLB amateur draft. He captured American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2015, along with some down-ballot MVP consideration. In 2017, he made his first All-Star team, finishing 10th in the league […]

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. […]

Marlins Acquire Stephen Tarpley

The Miami Marlins and New York Yankees completed a trade on Wednesday, sending pitcher Stephen Tarpley to Miami in exchange for third baseman James Nelson and cash. In a corresponding move, pitcher Brian Moran was designated for assignment by the Marlins. Tarpley had a 5.88 ERA and issued 21 walks in just 33 2/3 innings […]

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 […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: HR/FB

Using BABIP to predict a player's batting average is great. Average is a category in many league formats and every hit is an opportunity to steal a base or score a run. But most owners find the long ball sexier. Every HR comes with a guaranteed run scored and at least one RBI. Many owners […]

Don't Doubt Mike Trout: Why He's Still #1

It has become fashionable for fantasy owners to suggest that perhaps this is the year that Mike Trout should be supplanted as the consensus first overall draft pick. Not one, but two other players - Ronald Acuna and Christian Yelich - are being regularly selected in early NFBC drafts ahead of the 28-year-old Trout, who […]

Gary Sanchez Settles With Yankees

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $5 million deal, according to a source. It's a pretty big raise for Sanchez in his first year of arbitration eligibility. He played in just 106 games due to injuries in 2019 and hit .232/.316/.525 with a career-high 34 […]

2020 Early Bullpen Outlooks - A.L. East

Welcome to 2020, fantasy friends. With football season winding down and basketball and hockey in full swing, it's time to start thinking about the 2020 baseball season. Free agency has been a little more front-loaded this season, leaving fewer questions about rosters heading into Spring Training. Still, there will be changes between now and Opening […]

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 […]

Domingo German Suspended 81 Games

New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German was suspended for 81 games on Thursday for violating the league's domestic-violence policy. German was on administrative leave for the final 18 games of last year, including nine postseason games, so he will sit out the first 63 games of the 2020 season. The right-hander will not appeal […]

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 […]

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 […]