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Keone Kela Hasn't Worked Out With Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Keone Kela has yet to work out on the field with the Pirates during summer camp. Manager Derek Shelton didn't provide an explanation as to why, which means there's a good chance it's COVID-19-related. Kela might not have tested positive, but he might've come in contact with someone who did. There's... Read More
Steven Brault Could Piggy-Back Chad Kuhl's Starts
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Steven Brault said the team has discussed the possibility of having him piggy-back Chad Kuhl's starts this year. Brault was pretty good for most of last season in 25 appearances (19 starts) for the Bucs, but a poor September left him with a 5.16 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 100 strikeouts and 53... Read More
Joe Musgrove Feeling Better
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (shoulder) threw a five-inning simulated game on Friday and said that he feels better now than he did in March. Musgrove was battling shoulder fatigue before spring training was shut down earlier this year, and his results weren't pretty. The 27-year-old right-hander showed an uptick in strikeouts towards the... Read More
Short-Season Draft Risers and Fallers: RotoBaller Staff Picks
Recently, the RotoBaller MLB staff provided their thoughts on the best draft strategies for a shortened season. You can read that article right here. The fantasy baseball season is ready to kick up (finally) but things won't be the same as usual. Some players may be more appealing now that they've had time to work... Read More
2019 Breakout Starters Who’ll Continue to Improve
Breakout starters are one of the great joys of fantasy baseball. There are few things more satisfying than adding or drafting a player who emerges as one of the season’s best values. Starting pitchers are particularly prone to come out of nowhere and propel a team to a championship. However, that volatility makes it difficult... Read More
30 Burning Questions (and Answers) for 2020 Fantasy Baseball
Upon hearing that Major League Baseball was finally set to return to action and the fantasy season was back, a million questions popped in my head. Sadly, I forgot most of them by the next day so I'm left with just 30, coincidentally a nice even number. Actually, my initial plan was to do 60... Read More
Top DH Options for National League Teams
There is finally a plan for Major League Baseball in 2020! After months of negotiations and discussions, baseball is tentatively scheduled to open up in late July, and with it, a couple of new rules. The most notable new rule for 2020 is the implementation of the designated hitter in the National League, which certainly... Read More
Pirates Sign First-Rounder Carmen Mlodzinski
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed first-rounder Carmen Mlodzinski (31st overall in the supplemental round) for $2.05 million on Thursday. The deal comes in just under the slot value of $2.312 million for the No. 31 overall selection. The right-handed pitcher from South Carolina has a lively mid-90s fastball that can reach 99 mph on the radar... Read More
Josh Bell To DH For Pirates?
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell is a prototypical slugging designated hitter, and the Pirates could use Jose Osuna at first base if they decide to use Bell as the primary designated hitter in 2020. Another option in the DH role would be outfielder Gregory Polanco, with Guillermo Heredia, who is an excellent defender, in... Read More
Colin Moran Expected To Play A Lot At Hot Corner
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said that he expects third baseman Colin Moran to see most of the playing time at third base this year. "I don’t think it’s an open competition. I think you’re going to see Colin [Moran] there a lot," Shelton said. Other candidates to see time at the hot corner this... Read More
Mets Sign Melky Cabrera
The New York Mets signed outfielder Melky Cabrera on Monday and named him to their 60-man player pool for 2020. A career .285 hitter, Cabrera played in 133 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season and was productive, hitting .280/.313/.399 with seven home runs and 47 RBI in 378 at-bats. Although the Mets are quite... Read More
Draft Season 2.0 Strategy Discussion - Bases Loaded Podcast
Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland), Jorge Montanez (@Roto_Nino) and Zach Braff (@braffz) all get in on this one as they dive into fantasy baseball draft season strategy. 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... Read More
Edgar Santana Hit With 80-Game Suspension
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Edgar Santana has been given an 80-game suspension by Major League Baseball on Sunday after testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance. Santana missed all of last season after having Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old Dominican right-hander has a 3.31 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 7.9 K/9 for the Pirates in 88... Read More
New Draft Strategies for 2020 MLB: RotoBaller Staff Picks
Baseball is coming back and it's about time! The announcement of a 60-game season comes as a blessing and a curse. It's barely over one-third of a normal MLB season and will come with several modifications to the rule book. Then again, at this point we are just happy to have baseball (or any live... Read More
Pirates Sign First-Rounder Nick Gonzales
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed rookie shortstop Nick Gonzales, the seventh overall pick this month, to a $5.432 million signing bonus on Wednesday, which matches the slot value for the No. 7 pick. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound middle infielder might have been the best pure hitter in this year's draft class. Gonzales was the Cape Cod League... Read More
Jameson Taillon Throws Off Bullpen Mound
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon (elbow), who is roughly 10 months removed from his second Tommy John surgery, threw off a bullpen mound at PNC Park on Tuesday. It's good progress for Taillon, but it remains unlikely that the Bucs will risk using him during the shortened 2020 season that is set to begin... Read More
Reassessing ADP: Picks 201-300 - Bases Loaded Podcast
Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) is is rolling solo in this round of ADP review. First time in a while. Let's have some fun! 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... Read More
Fantasy Value In a 50-Game Season: Starting Pitchers
Having now passed the ides of June, there is still no start date for the 2020 season and no guarantee that we'll even ever get one. MLB and the MLBPA continue to pass proposals back and forth, with each side taking their turn at rejection. This puts baseball in a situation where Commissioner Rob Manfred is... Read More
Overvalued and Undervalued Shortstops in 2020
In the last few seasons, the shortstop position has improved tremendously with the emergence of All-Stars like Alex Bregman, Trea Turner, and Trevor Story. The position has four potential first-round picks, and a staggering ten picks in the top 40 according to NFBC. By comparison, second base and third base have five players each in... Read More
Infielders Ready to Break Out Late
Finding value is crucial on draft day and finding just one or two players later in drafts that provide better numbers than projected can give you a significant edge on the competition as you bid for fantasy glory. All too often, we look for the new shiny object in drafts thinking they’ll come up to... Read More
Parker Brahms Agrees With Pittsburgh As Undrafted Free Agent
The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to terms with Sacramento State right-handed pitcher Parker Brahms following the conclusion of the 2020 MLB draft last week. Due to the shortened draft this year, all 30 teams may sign an unlimited number of high school and college players who went undrafted for a maximum of $20,000 each. Brahms returned... Read More
Pirates Load Up On Arms In Day 2 Of Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Chapman University pitcher Nick Garcia with the 79th overall pick in the third round in the 2020 MLB draft on Thursday. The Bucs then took Appalachian State pitcher Jack Hartman in the fourth round and Northwestern State pitcher Logan Hofmann in the fifth round. All three are right-handed pitchers, and Pittsburgh... Read More
ERA Lie Detector: Finding 2019 Underachievers with SIERA (Part 2)
Welcome back RotoBallers to my Lie Detector mini-series (you can read part one here). Skills-Interactive ERA (or SIERA) has been around since 2011 when it was introduced at Baseball Prospectus by Matt Swartz and Eric Seidman before moving to its current home at Fangraphs. Much like xFIP, SIERA attempts to quantify the skills that underpin... Read More
Pirates Go With Jared Jones In Second Round
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected La Mirada High School pitcher Jared Jones with the 44th overall pick in the second round in the 2020 MLB draft on Thursday. Jones was a two-way star in high school, but his future in the big leagues is on the mound. He has a big arm and can get his... Read More
Carmen Mlodzinski Taken By Pirates At Pick No. 31
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected South Carolina pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski with the 31st overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft on Wednesday. Mlodzinski opened last season as the Gamecocks' No. 1 starter as a sophomore but broke his left foot and missed the rest of the year. But he ranked as the best pitching prospect in... Read More
Nick Gonzales Taken By Bucs At No. 7
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected New Mexico State shortstop Nick Gonzales with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft on Wednesday. Gonzales wasn't on the radar out of high school and was a walk-on in college, but he has done nothing but hit in college. He won the Cape Cod MVP last summer by... Read More
Major League Baseball 2020 Mock Draft
The 2020 MLB amateur draft takes place later tonight and it will be unlike any draft we’ve seen. With owners crying poor and minor league systems set to be permanently compressed, the draft has been slashed from the normal 40 rounds to just five — although teams will be able to sign undrafted players as... Read More
How to Approach MLB Rookies in 2020 Re-draft Leagues
While the players and owners continue to trade demands for getting the 2020 season on its feet, we're going to turn our attention to fantasy. This article will specifically look at players who have yet to make their major league debut (or come up for more than the proverbial cup of coffee) and how fantasy... Read More
Four Things I Wish I Knew Before My First "Only" Draft
If you're looking to liven up your fantasy experience, trying your hand at an Only league could be a great way to bring a fresh perspective to one of your favorite pastimes. While standard mixed leagues are largely a race to accumulate as many elite performers as possible, Only leagues allow owners to demonstrate their... Read More
Talking Pitching With Nicklaus Gaut - Benched with Bubba (Episode 292)
Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by RotoBaller's own Nicklaus Gaut (@NT_BurtReynolds). The guys chat about the Chris Archer injury, some pitchers that have over/under achieved when looking at ERA and SIERA, and then hit some listener questions. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel... Read More
