Matt Olson Injures Hand In Japan

Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson left the 12-inning loss to the Mariners on Thursday in Japan in the sixth inning with right hand pain, and he will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Oakland. He said that the injury likely occurred when he fouled off a slider in the fifth inning. Olson won […]

Updated Third Base Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We move to the left side on the infield now in our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the third base position. The 2019 baseball season is already here! RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel want to make sure you are prepared for last-minute drafts, so they have […]

Ellis Canady's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

Bold predictions. The time where we come up with ideas that should happen because in our minds they make sense. Statistical analysis, prognostication, voodoo, card reader, etc. None of these are completely certain methods to achieve the forecast that we have in mind. So, we put our idea to text, bury them in the digital […]

Jesus Luzardo To Miss Several Weeks With Shoulder Injury

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo (shoulder) was a candidate to open the season in the starting rotation, but he will be shut down for the next four to six weeks with a rotator-cuff strain. If all goes well, he will resume throwing in May. Luzardo is the Athletics' top prospect and was cruising through […]

Stephen Piscotty Opens With A Home Run

Oakland Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty became a trivia answer in the first inning when he cracked a solo homer off of Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales in Wednesday's Opening Day battle in Tokyo. Piscotty had a tremendous season in his first year in the American League, hitting .267 with 41 doubles, 27 homers and […]

Ramon Laureano Has Forgettable Opening Day

Oakland Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano was at the top of manager Bob Melvin's lineup for Wednesday's Opening Day battle against the Seattle Mariners in Tokyo. He struggled, going hitless in five at-bats with three strikeouts. It wouldn't be surprising to see veteran Robbie Grossman get a chance to see what he can do in the […]

Matt Chapman Fires Out Of The Chute

Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman opened with a strong performance in Wednesday's game against the Seattle Mariners in Tokyo. He racked up a double with a three-run homer off of M's reliever Nick Rumbelow, finishing 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. The hot corner man had a breakout season with a .278 […]

Khris Davis Launches First Home Run In Opener

Oakland Athletics designated hitter Khris Davis hit a titanic two-run homer off of Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales in the third inning, one of three homers hit by the A's in a 9-7 loss. The homer was the only hit across four at-bats for Davis, who did not strike out in the opener. He […]

Mike Fiers Gets Tuned Up In Tokyo Opener

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Mike Fiers made his first career Opening Day start on Wednesday in Tokyo and it was not an outing to remember. He yielded five earned runs, four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. The big blow was a grand slam allowed to Domingo Santana in the third inning. He threw […]

Updated Catcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with everyone's favorite - the catcher position. With the 2019 season beginning in a matter of days, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel have given their preseason rankings a final update. Check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard for a current […]

Harris Yudin's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

Despite whiffing on more than half, my 2018 predictions were highlighted by the claim that Christian Yelich would return first-round value. I was also justifiably optimistic about Matt Chapman’s breakout and Khris Davis’ impending title of Home Run King. So, I figured, the best plan of attack for 2019 was to use the same template […]

The King's Insider Report - National League East

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The King’s Award-Winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller with a look at the National League East. Last time, we focused on the New York Mets, and now here’s an insider outlook from a former pitcher in the division who now works as a broadcaster. […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 13 - Statcast for Pitchers

Previously, we looked at Barrels, a stat combining exit velocity and launch angle to measure how often a batter makes quality hard contact. As much as batters want to hit a Barrel every time, pitchers want to avoid them at all costs. Yet there is some evidence that pitchers do not have the same influence […]

Updated Second Base Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. With the 2019 season kicking off in a matter of days, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel have given their preseason rankings a final update. Check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard for a current list […]

Top 10 Shortstop Prospects - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Rankings

We're back with another list of 2019 impact prospects. Today the focus is on shortstop. The crop of talent this year starts off very strong, and then does a few hops and jumps bouncing around the skill and potential spectrum. Few positions are completely stocked with premium talent in the top-10, but compared to others, […]

Updated First Base Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

The clock ticks ever closer to Opening Day and we here at RotoBaller are back to give one final round of position-by-position analysis with a mixed-league, 5x5 framework. We’re going to start at the most glorious position on the field: first base. No, I didn’t play first myself, why do you ask? While there are […]

Dave Emerick's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

I'll openly acknowledge that I don't really do bold predictions. I sit, read, think, and then watch the players play. If I see something, maybe I'll write an article. But in the spirit of fun, I've put together my own version of 10 Bold Predictions that will definitely, almost probably come to pass.Be sure to […]

Top 690: Updated H2H Points League Rankings

Welcome back RotoBallers. Spring training is in full swing, and we couldn't be more excited for fantasy baseball drafts and the approaching MLB season. Below you will find our staff's updated fantasy baseball points league rankings (top 690) for head-to-head points formats. Be sure to also check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard and bookmark that page. It's loaded […]

Top 770: Updated 5x5 Roto Rankings (Mixed Leagues)

Welcome back RotoBallers. Spring training is in full swing, and we couldn't be more excited for fantasy baseball drafts and the approaching MLB season. Below you will find our staff's updated fantasy baseball mixed league rankings (top 770) for 5x5 category mixed roto formats. Be sure to also check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard and bookmark that page. […]

Jesus Luzardo Making Case For Rotation Spot

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo, the team's top prospect and No. 12 overall per MLB Pipeline, is making a case for a rotation spot this spring. He has given up just one earned run over 9 2/3 innings (0.93 ERA) with 15 strikeouts and an opponent's batting average of just .176. The 21-year-old left-hander […]

Hot September Hitters Ready to Break Out in 2019

September can be a weird month for fantasy baseball. More often than not there are only a handful of owners really fully focused at that stage. Unfortunately by that stage of the season no matter what your league rules at least a couple of owners will be out of contention and their focus will have […]

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for RBI in 2019

If you so much as mention the acronym "RBI" in the wrong baseball circles these days, you run the risk of being ridiculed. Because RBI is such an opportunity-driven statistic, it is no longer viewed as an accurate measurement of a player's overall value. J.T. Realmuto didn't have any control over the on-base percentages of […]

Breakout Relievers Who'll Keep Succeeding in 2019

"Don't pay for saves." That has always been the advice repeated ad nauseum by veteran fantasy baseball players and while that sentiment is true on the surface, dealing with bullpens in fantasy baseball is a lot murkier in 2019 than it was in 2009. With specialized pitching roles leading to starters being left in the game […]

Dustin Fowler Optioned Despite Nice Spring

The Oakland Athletics optioned outfielder Dustin Fowler to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday despite the fact he had a strong spring. He his .293 (12-for-41) with two home runs during Cactus League spring play, but he was on the outside looking in once Robbie Grossman was added to the roster early in camp. "I knew […]

Mike Fiers Serves Up Three Homers In Spring Game

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Mike Fiers allowed five earned runs, eight hits and a walk with two strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings, and he served up three home runs in the Cactus League spring finale against the Chicago Cubs. It was his final tune-up before he makes the Opening Day start in Tokyo against the […]

Daniel Mengden Optioned To Triple-A Las Vegas

The Oakland Athletics optioned starting pitcher Daniel Mengden to Triple-A Las Vegas. Beat writer Susan Slusser suggests that this move doesn't necessarily mean he is out of the running for a rotation spot, it just means that someone else will fill his roster spot for the Japan Series next week against the Seattle Mariners. The […]

Nick Mariano's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

2018 was a banner season for baseball's Marianos, as Mariano Rivera was headed full steam ahead towards a unanimous Hall of Fame entry and yours truly was cruising with the most accurate fantasy baseball ranks of the season per FantasyPros, unbeknownst to me until recently. I'm still riding high off of that and you're all […]

Hitter Prospect Risers for 2019

We are thrilled to announce that Marc Hulet has recently joined the RotoBaller team! Marc is also the longest-serving, active writer at FanGraphs. For 10+ years he has been focused on MLB prospects and their fantasy baseball impacts. Follow along all season! I’m kicking off my tenure at Rotoballer with a two-part series looking at the […]

Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

2018 was a season to forget for yours truly, both in terms of fantasy performance and hit rate on bold predictions. In the first three years as a participant in this feature, I connected on three per article, with a few others in the realm of respectable. Last year? An 0-fer, and most of them […]

Breakout Relievers Due for Regression In 2019

One of the hardest positions to pinpoint fantasy value for each season is a relief pitcher. You have your handful of dominant closers who are fantasy staples, but the remainder of fantasy value usually comes from surprise players who step into the closer role or are starters with reliever eligibility. With the progressing shift towards […]