Auction Draft Dollar Day Targets

There are multiple strategies available to drafters in auctions. It is one of the reasons auctions are so much more interesting and fun than snake drafts. They award owners the ability to maneuver their roster the way they see fit. One of the most popular strategies is a stars-and-scrubs alignment, meaning owners pay up for […]

Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2020

This will be my sixth season with RotoBaller, and consequently, my sixth time participating in this bold predictions series. Over that time, I've amassed a fairly strong record with bold predictions, generally clocking in with a success rate of 30 percent. I correctly predicted Bryce Harper's MVP campaign in 2015 and Kirby Yates leading the […]

Finding Over/Undervalued Power Hitters Using Expected Draft Values

A couple weeks ago, we introduced our Expected Draft Values and explained how they would help us identify both over and undervalued players of all types. Power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, with pitchers as well. Today, we'll look at four "power" hitters, as identified by our site projections. Stay tuned over the […]

A.J. Puk Shut Down With Shoulder Strain

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher A.J. Puk has a mild shoulder strain and will be shut down for a few days, according to manager Bob Melvin. An MRI showed nothing structural, but he'll take a few days to rest and will be re-evaluated later in the week. Puk is a top pitching prospect and is expected […]

Jorge Mateo Collects Three More Hits Tuesday

Oakland Athletics second baseman Jorge Mateo went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in a Spring Training game vs the White Sox Tuesday. Mateo has been opening eyes in A's camp as he competes for a roster spot. Through eight games the 24-year-old speedster is batting a cool .300 with a .417 on-base […]

Frankie Montas Sharp In Spring Start

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas pitched two scoreless innings in a Spring Training start against the Cubs Monday. Montas hit a batter and allowed a walk, but didn't allow a hit while striking out two. Montas was having a great 2019 before being handed an 80-game PED suspension. He won nine of 16 starts, […]

Sean Murphy Healthy After First Spring Action

Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy had two plate appearances in his Spring Training debut Monday against the Cubs, walking both times. More importantly, the A's starting backstop left the game healthy and pain-free as he continues to rehab from knee surgery. Murphy has power, he hit 15 home runs in 51 games between the Majors […]

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for 2020 Redraft Leagues (March Update)

The sun is shining in Florida and Arizona, and spring training games are underway. That means it’s time to update our redraft prospect rankings for 2020. We last looked at the key prospects for the coming season back in January when there was a lot of uncertainty around players' roles and potential playing time. As […]

2020 Third Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

The pool of third basemen for the 2020 dynasty season is jam-packed with talent. From budding stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Rafael Devers, to productive veterans like Justin Turner and Mike Moustakas, no one should have trouble finding a useful bat to hold down the hot corner. That said, depth can breed confusion and […]

Khris Davis (UT, OAK) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 150 CURRENT ADP: ~175 overall ANALYSIS: Davis struggled mightily in 2019 by slashing .220/.293/.387 with 23 HR, 73 RBI, 61 R, and 47 BB in 481 at-bats. He put up career-lows in average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS, most likely all attributed to a nagging hip injury Davis had […]

Mark Canha Walking Into Big Season

Oakland Athletics outfielder Mark Canha has four walks in just 12 plate appearances this spring as the veteran outfielder attempts to back up his big 2019. Canha blasted 26 home runs to go along with 80 runs scored and 58 RBI. His .279 batting average was good, but where Canha really shines is formats that […]

Matt Olson Struggling Early In Camp

Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson has just one hit in his first 10 Spring Training at-bats and has four strikeouts in that span. The sample size is obviously small and Olson should be ready to mash once the games count. Statcast loved Olson last season, he finished in the top-seventh percentile or better in […]

Matt Chapman Off To Slow Start In Camp

Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman has just two hits through 11 Spring Training at-bats as he prepares for the 2020 season. One of those hits was a home run, however, and Chapman should be good to go by the time the games count for real. The Gold Glove third baseman slashed .249/.342/.506 last season […]

Three AL Outfielders Set to Break Out in 2020

The purpose of this article, as the title suggests, is to identify three American League outfielders who have shown the potential to have a breakout season heading into 2020. These will be players who were likely on waivers at some point in your league during 2019 and may or may not have been added down […]

Marcus Semien Collects Two Hits Saturday

Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien went 2-for-3 with two RBI in a Spring Training game against the Indians Saturday. Semien is coming off a career-year where he slashed .285/.369/.522 and finished third in AL MVP voting. He scored 123 runs last season and should score plenty again this year batting leadoff for a stacked Oakland […]

Mike Fiers Rocked In Spring Start

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Mike Fiers was roughed up in his second Spring Training start Friday, allowing five earned runs in two innings pitched. Fiers walked three and struck out just one in the contest while allowing four hits. Veterans like Fiers often use Spring Training to work on things without worrying about their numbers, […]

Sean Murphy Expected To Play Next Week

Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy (knee) will make his spring training debut on March 3, according to manager Bob Melvin. Murphy has been easing his way into playing after knee surgery last October, but the A's backstop should have plenty of spring training left to be ready for the season. Murphy hasn't played much at […]

Stephen Piscotty Shut Down With Rib Injury

Oakland Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty (rib cage) will be shut down after reports that his MRI came back "a little worse" than expected, according to manager Bob Melvin. Piscotty had been taking batting practice in the cage but hasn't been on the field for Oakland this spring due to rib cage discomfort. Piscotty has some […]

Mike Soroka Will Not Live Up to Draft Price Expectations

Every year there are polarizing players in fantasy baseball. These polarizing players leave no room for middle ground. They are the catalyst for Twitter debates, articles, videos, podcasts, and by the end of it you are forced to chose a side: are you in or are you out? For those of you thinking, surely there […]

Elite Starters and Pitching Trends Revisited

Last year I wrote a series [Part 1, Part 2, Part 3] on whether we were properly valuing elite starting pitchers. The basic premise was that we were likely to see fantasy-relevant starters (not openers) throw fewer innings again in 2019. I hypothesized that if there were fewer and fewer starting pitchers providing 200 innings […]

Stephen Piscotty Still Dealing With Strain

Oakland Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty (rib cage) will not take batting practice on the field on Thursday as he continues to deal with an intercostal strain. Piscotty had been taking swings in the batting cages and hoped to get on the field Thursday, but he is still dealing with twinges from the strain. Piscotty said […]

RotoBaller Friends & Family Industry Mock Draft: What the Experts Were Thinking

The RotoBaller Friends & Family Mock Draft has become an annual tradition where we gather some of the biggest names from the fantasy baseball world and put together a mock draft just as spring training has commenced. Thanks to RT Sports for once again hosting and providing a custom draft site where readers could follow […]

H2H Points League Draft Strategy

Points leagues are essentially the rawest version of fantasy baseball. These are not players, these are stat-lines and you want to put up as many points per week as possible. Do not get too attached to underperforming players who have name-value and potential. There is a stark difference in draft strategy when it comes to […]

2020 Catcher Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

Spring Training is upon us! Pitchers and catchers have reported and we finally have some box scores to desperately over-analyze. The catcher position can really be a headache for dynasty owners trying to plan for the future. Needless to say, it is not a position that many MLB teams count on for offense, leaving fantasy players […]

Stephen Piscotty Hits In Batting Cage

Oakland Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty (rib cage) took batting practice in the batting cage on Wednesday, according to Susan Slusser. Piscotty has been out with a rib injury and hopes to take batting practice on the field Thursday before hopefully getting into games this weekend. Piscotty only played in 93 games last season due to […]

2020 Keeper Value Rankings - Shortstop

If you're keeping up with the Keeper Value Rankings, you know we've already covered First Base, Second Base, and Third Base. Today, we will address Shortstop. These rankings are intended for Keeper Leagues in which a fantasy owner must forfeit a designated draft pick in order to keep a player into the upcoming season. These rankings are based […]

Jesus Luzardo Has Solid Spring Debut

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo pitched two scoreless innings in his first start of Spring Training. Luzardo allowed a single and struck out two while sitting between 95-97 MPH with his fastball in an impressive debut for the top-prospect. A's manager Bob Melvin already said Luzardo and fellow rookie A.J. Puk don't have a […]

Stephen Piscotty Taking Swings

Oakland Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty (rib cage) took swings in the batting cage and is feeling a little better, according to A's beat reporter Susan Slusser. Piscotty is dealing with a strain on his left side and said he won't be able to play until at least the Vegas games later this month. Injuries limited […]

ADP Cost Analysis – Kris Bryant vs Josh Donaldson

Spring training is officially underway, which means baseball season is finally upon us! Maybe you haven’t started prepping for your drafts, but fortunately for you, there have already been plenty of drafts, which means that fantasy players out there have already started dealing with tough draft position decisions. Third base is a fairly deep position […]

Sean Manaea Rocked In Spring Debut

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea was hit hard in his spring debut on Monday, getting pulled in the second inning against the Brewers. Manaea cruised through a 12-pitch first inning before allowing three straight doubles and a two-run homer before getting lifted in the second inning. There's not much that can be taken from […]