Starting Pitcher Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

As the 2021 MLB season approaches, it's a good time to take stock of the dynasty landscape. We've examined hitters at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and outfield. Now it's time to dive into the player pool for starting pitchers. Starters are increasingly difficult to project long-term with the steadily-increasing limitations being placed on... Read More

Oneil Cruz Could See Playing Time in the Outfield

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz could start to see more playing time in the outfield writes The Athletic's Rob Biertempful. On Wednesday Cruz started at shortstop but played the final two innings in center field, and then on Thursday he got the start out in center field. The Pirates have not officially indicated their plans... Read More

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/4) - Realmuto Nearing Return

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games.... Read More

Ke'Bryan Hayes Remains Hot At The Plate Thursday

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes picked up his third extra-base hit in as many games Thursday, as he finished 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI in the Pirates' 6-1 victory over Atlanta. This moves Hayes' spring line to 4-for-8 with two doubles, a triple and two RBI through his first three games. Hayes... Read More

David Bednar Strikes Out The Side Thursday

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar struck out the side in 15 pitches on Thursday afternoon in a 6-1 victory over the Braves. Bednar earned a hold with his fifth-inning performance in which he struck out Ender Inciarte and Ryan Goins looking before getting a swinging strikeout against Austin Riley. One of the prospects acquired... Read More

Tyler Anderson Strikes Out Three in Pirates Debut

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Tyler Anderson made his debut with the team on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts over two innings against the Atlanta Braves. Anderson signed a one-year deal with the Pirates last month after spending 2020 with the San Francisco Giants, where he went 4-3 with a 4.37... Read More

Colin Moran Batting Cleanup Thursday

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Colin Moran is batting cleanup Thursday against the Atlanta Braves. Moran will look to stabilize himself and become the anchor in the middle of the Pirates' order in 2021 after they traded away Josh Bell during the offseason. Moran's strong suit comes against right-handed pitching as he slashed .252/.338/.512 with nine home... Read More

Top 10 First Basemen - Dynasty Prospect Rankings

If you’re hunting for an impact bat for your fantasy baseball team, first base is often a good place to find a strong offensive contributor. In 2019, the last full season, 25 out of 37 first basemen with a minimum of 350 plate appearances had a 100 wRC+ or better. Of those, 13 players topped... Read More

Lineup Takeaways - An Early Look at Spring Training Trends

As many of you know, tracking lineups is what I am all in on this 2021 season and with it comes an influx of data and information right away. Going forward, a weekly article will occur - especially as we get into more tangible information and data. However, I wanted to get ahead of the... Read More

Todd Frazier Hits Second Homer Of Spring On Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Todd Frazier hit his second home run of the spring and accounted for the only run in the Pirates' 6-1 loss to Detroit on Tuesday. It was his only hit of the game as he finished 1-for-1 with a walk in the five-inning matchup. It's been all power for Frazier this... Read More

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/2): Glasnow Struggles, Taillon and Chapman Return

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games.... Read More

Mitch Keller Struggles Against Blue Jays on Monday

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller struggled in his spring debut against the Blue Jays on Monday, allowing two runs on three hits with a strikeout in one inning of work. Keller struggled with his command as he recorded 11 strikes on 21 pitches, with only three of those strikes being either a called or... Read More

MLB Spring Training Notebook - March 1st

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games.... Read More

Gregory Polanco Homers in Spring Training Debut

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in a 6-4 Pirates' victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon. Coming off the worst season of his career in 2020, Polanco showing off some power early this spring will be a welcome sight for managers who hope to see... Read More

Does Pitch Arsenal Really Matter?

In my research over the last couple of months, I have been paying close attention to the pitch mix of each pitcher I study. This means I want to know how many different pitches they can throw and how they distribute those different offerings. It seemed logical to me that pitchers with more pitches in... Read More

Jon Anderson's Third Base Tiered Rankings and Projections

Welcome back to my own personal rankings series! Today we're covering third base, but you can check out the rest of the series at the links below: First Base Second Base Shortstop Third base may be the deepest position in terms of total statistical production that will come out of it, but that does not... Read More

Is J.T. Realmuto Worth the Draft Cost?

Every year, there seems to be one catcher who stands above all others when it comes to fantasy value and consequently draft price. In 2017, it was Gary Sanchez. In 2018, Salvador Perez. After the 2019 and 2020 seasons, J.T. Realmuto has clearly emerged as the top backstop in fantasy. Catcher is one of the... Read More

2021 Third Base Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We continue to move past the chaos of 2020 and onto a new baseball season full of promise. For fantasy baseball managers, draft season is already upon us. RotoBaller's rankers, Pierre Camus, Big Pick Nick Mariano, and I have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings as we now move on to evaluate the hot corner.... Read More

2021 Shortstop Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

Once upon a time, shortstop was one of the toughest positions to fill in fantasy baseball, just a small notch above catcher. 10 years ago, we were prioritizing Troy Tulowitzki and Hanley Ramirez near the top of drafts just because they filled that elusive shortstop spot. Sure, they were fantastic hitters – when healthy –... Read More

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 3)

Welcome back RotoBallers to Part 3 of my dynasty prospects list, breaking down the 1-50 ranked prospects. You can also read Part 1 and Part 2 from a few days ago, looking at the 51-150 and 151-250 ranked prospects. RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has... Read More

2021 Second Base Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We continue to move past the chaos of 2020 and onto a new baseball season full of promise. For fantasy baseball managers, draft season is already upon us. RotoBaller's rankers, Pierre Camus, Big Pick Nick Mariano, and I have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings as we now move on to evaluate the keystone position.... Read More

Todd Frazier Has Deal With Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent third baseman/first baseman Todd Frazier to a minor league deal on Friday, according to a source. Frazier will make $1.5 million if he makes the club out of spring training. The 35-year-old veteran can still hit the ball over the fence occasionally, but he strikes out too much and won't... Read More

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 2)

Welcome back RotoBallers to Part 2 of my dynasty prospects list, breaking down the 51-150 ranked prospects. You can also read Part 1 and Part 3 from a few days ago, looking at the 1-50 and 151-250 ranked prospects. RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has... Read More

Pirates Talking To Todd Frazier

The Pittsburgh Pirates are talking to free-agent third baseman Todd Frazier about a minor league deal, but nothing is finalized yet. Frazier hit .236/.302/.382 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 45 games with the Rangers and Mets during the shortened 2020 season. In his last full season in 2019 with the Mets, the... Read More

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 1)

RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has undergone a lot of change over the past 12 months due to the pandemic and no area of the game has been more heavily impacted than the minor leagues. Since this time last year, Minor League Baseball has... Read More

2021 First Base Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

The chaotic, wild, and confusing 2020 COVID season is now thankfully behind us, am I right fellow Red Sox fans? But now is the hardest part in terms of fantasy implications from the pandemic as we try to decipher how much of 2020's statistics are actually viable data for 2021 projections. Small playing time samples,... Read More

Pirates Sign Lefty Tyler Anderson

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent left-hander Tyler Anderson to a one-year major league contract worth $2.5 million on Tuesday. Anderson has made 82 starts over five big league seasons with the Rockies and Giants and should enter spring training with a spot in the team's starting rotation. The other four members of Pittsburgh's staff have... Read More

Prospects to Know in 2021 - AL Central

The Super Bowl is over and we are officially on to baseball season! So what better way to celebrate the new baseball year than by talking about prospects? Last week, I took a look at the prospects to know in the NL Central. This week we're switching leagues and taking a look at five prospects... Read More

Sneaky Starters - Deceptive Pitchers Who Could Be Draft Steals

Earlier this week, I was reading Michael Ajeto's article on PitcherList about Brady Singer. In the article, Michael touted Singer's deception and mentioned a sign of that being Singer's Zone Swing Rate (Z-Swing%) minus his Chase Rate (O-Swing%). The premise of the concept was simple but one that stood out to me immediately. Z-Swing% measures... Read More

Deeper League Sleepers at Third Base

Fantasy managers are always on the lookout for the sleeper that can turn into a breakout performer. I've already reviewed the best deep sleepers at second base, so now let's turn to third base. When defining a breakout, I look at it as a player that can take a step forward to a level they... Read More