Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects for 2021 (Part 1)

Spring Training 2021 is almost here, which means it’s time to start thinking about prospects again. A strong pop-up performance from a rookie or two can have a massive impact on a fantasy manager’s season. If we look back to the truncated 2020 season, we can easily locate a healthy dose of players that had […]

Dynasty Shortstop Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

The shortstop position is usually one of the most exciting to choose from on draft day but the options are even more enticing in dynasty. As we prepare to flip the calendar to 2021, fantasy baseball managers are poring over MLB free agency news and the latest rankings. That includes our constantly-updated dynasty rankings. We've […]

Marcus Semien to the Blue Jays - Fantasy Impact

Toronto may have come up short in the Francisco Lindor sweepstakes earlier this offseason, but they got a new middle infielder last week with the signing of Marcus Semien to a one-year deal. Semien has played exclusively at shortstop throughout his career with Oakland, but he'll likely slide over to second base in Toronto with […]

Prospects to Know in 2021 - NL Central

There are many factors and ideas that go into conducting a draft strategy. Are you going to draft pitching early? Are you going to punt steals and focus on home runs and RBI? Which players are you going to reach on and which will you let fall and hope to catch in later rounds? The […]

Trevor Williams Agrees With Cubs

The Chicago Cubs agreed to a one-year deal believed to be worth around $2.5 million with free-agent starting pitcher Trevor Williams on Saturday. Williams will attempt to win a rotation job in Chicago, with Kyle Hendricks, Zach Davies, Adbert Alzolay and Alec Mills likely lined up to take four spots. The right-hander could be competing […]

Starting Pitchers to Target Late - LIMA Plan

The LIMA (Low Investment Mound Aces) Plan is a long-standing draft strategy that was developed far before 2021 but it seems more applicable now than ever. FSWA Hall of Fame member Ron Shandler developed the strategy around the turn of the millennium due to the heavy emphasis on starting pitching in most drafts, leading him […]

Adam Frazier Being Discussed On Trade Market

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier is being discussed on the trade market and could be the next player that the Pirates move as they continue to rebuild. The Pirates have already traded starting pitcher Jameson Taillon to the Yankees, right-hander Joe Musgrove to the Padres and first baseman Josh Bell to the Nationals this […]

Hitters Who Changed Scenes - Fantasy Impacts

Well, the 2021 off-season has finally come to life! Over the course of January, we have seen some big splashes, both in terms of pitchers and hitters on the move to new teams. There are still plenty of unsigned big-name free agents, but we have some juicy free agent hitter signings and trades to take […]

Jameson Taillon to the Yankees - Fantasy Impact

After bolstering their rotation with the signing of Corey Kluber last week, the New York Yankees acquired another starter over the weekend as they shipped off four prospects to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jameson Taillon. Here's how that deal broke down: Yankees receive: RHP Jameson Taillon Pirates receive: RHP Roansy Contreras, RHP Miguel Yajure, INF Maikol Escotto, […]

Pirates Acquire Miguel Yajure, Three Other Prospects

The Pittsburgh Pirates dealt right-hander Jameson Taillon to the New York Yankees on Sunday in exchange for pitchers Miguel Yajure and Roansy Contreras, infielder Maikol Escotto and outfielder Canaan Smith, according to sources. Yajure was the Yankees No. 15 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, while Contreras was No. 19 and Smith was No. 21. Yajure, […]

Yankees Trade For Jameson Taillon

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon was traded to the New York Yankees on Sunday, giving the Yankees some added depth in a fairly weak starting rotation. Taillon has had a fairly uneven career since debuting for the Pirates in 2016, but the 29-year-old boasts a solid 3.55 FIP for his career and has been […]

Dynasty Third Base Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

We will continue our early preseason look at each position with some thoughts on individual player values heading into 2021. We've already gone over first base and second base rankings. Today, we examine a fairly deep third base position. As we prepare to flip the calendar to 2021, fantasy baseball managers are poring over MLB free […]

Top 440: Early H2H Points League Rankings

Welcome back RotoBallers. Below you will find our early 2021 fantasy baseball H2H points league rankings (top 440). As you may know, head-to-head points formats are typically underserved by fantasy baseball outlets - but this is an area that we at RotoBaller take pride in and specialize in. Throughout the preseason and regular season, we will […]

Joe Musgrove to the Padres - Fantasy Impact

The San Diego Padres have made yet another trade for starting pitching, as news broke on Monday of a three-team, seven-player deal that will send Joe Musgrove back home to sunny Southern California. Here's how the deal breaks down: Padres receive: RHP Joe Musgrove Mets receive: LHP Joey Lucchesi Pirates receive: (from Padres) OF Hudson Head, […]

Pirates Adding Prospects Hudson Head, Endy Rodriguez

The Pittsburgh Pirates are acquiring center fielder Hudson Head and catching prospect Endy Rodriguez on Monday in a three-team deal also involving the San Diego Padres and New York Mets. Head, a 19-year-old center fielder in the Padres organization, was San Diego's No. 7 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The left-handed hitter still has plenty of […]

Padres Acquiring Joe Musgrove

The San Diego Padres are in agreement on a deal to acquire right-hander Joe Musgrove from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team deal on Monday, according to sources. The trade is pending medical reviews. Hudson Head, a well-regarded center field prospect, is expected to be among a group of prospects heading back to Pittsburgh. Musgrove […]

Top 680: Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers, and Happy New Year! Below you will find our staff's early 2021 fantasy baseball tiered rankings (top 680) for 5x5 mixed leagues. In case you missed it, you can also see our tiered positional rankings as well. Three our lead fantasy baseball analysts - Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus and JB Branson - have analyzed the MLB offseason moves and are ready to […]

Three Rookie Sleepers that Debuted in Late 2020

For a wide variety of reasons, 2020 was an unusual season for baseball. But out of these unusual situations came some opportunities for top-tier prospects to get a shot at the big leagues. Now prospects that made a splash in their debuts like Ke'Bryan Hayes or Tanner Houck will be garnering the interest of many […]

Dynasty Second Base Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

We will continue our early preseason look at each position with some thoughts on individual player values heading into 2021. We've already gone over first base. Today, we continue with second base. As we prepare to flip the calendar to 2021, fantasy baseball managers are poring over MLB free agency news and the latest rankings. […]

Dynasty First Base Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

As we prepare to flip the calendar to 2021, fantasy baseball managers are poring over MLB free agency news and the latest rankings. That includes our constantly-updated dynasty rankings. We will take an early preseason look at each position with some thoughts on individual player values heading into next season. Today, we start with first […]

Josh Bell To Nationals - Fantasy Impact

The Washington Nationals were one of the bigger disappointments in baseball last season. Robbed of their World Series celebration with their fans, the Nats limped to a 26-34 record in the pandemic-shortened season, good for last in the NL East. The Nationals addressed one of their biggest weaknesses, however, by swinging a Christmas Eve trade […]

Oneil Cruz Playing Well In Dominican Winter League

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz, the team's No. 3 prospect and No. 59 overall per MLB Pipeline, hit a home run in Game 3 of the semifinals in the Dominican Republic Winter League and was 3-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI in Game 4. The 6-foot-7 22-year-old hit .357 with four […]

Stunted Growth: Prospects Who Need More Time

So in 2018 and 2019, I was living the dream as I interned for a Minor League Baseball team, and I was looking forward to coming back in 2020. And then the season was canceled. Obviously, I was disappointed by everything that happened, but while I can shrug off missing a summer of interning and […]

Joe Musgrove Trending In Promising Direction

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove, who is reportedly drawing trade interest this offseason, could be on the right track to breaking out in 2021 and beyond. The right-hander has a 96 ERA+, but he also has a 3.69 FIP in the last three seasons. The 28-year-old had his best season in 2020 with a […]

Three Hitters Set To Break Out Later Than Expected

Finding breakout hitters can be a difference-maker for fantasy teams, especially when those hitters have had limited success at the major league level and are older than when players typically have their best seasons. Whether it be through added playing time, skill improvements, or some combination of the two, post-prime breakouts can be excellent draft […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings

Once again, I'll start by saying the 2021 baseball season is not guaranteed to be a normal one. But for now, let's just close our eyes and dream of a world unencumbered by COVID-19 and talk about our silly little game as if a 162-game season will come next spring. Join me for my position-by-position […]

Gregory Polanco Breaks Wrist In Winter Ball

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco (wrist) suffered a fractured right wrist while playing in the Dominican Winter League with the Leones del Escogido, according to the team's general manager. The injury is deemed a small non-displaced fracture of the triquetrum bone. Polanco will have his wrist immobilized for a small period of time and is […]

Nationals Trade For Josh Bell

The Washington Nationals acquired first baseman Josh Bell from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday in exchange for young pitchers Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean. Bell set career highs in almost every category when he made his first All-Star team in 2019 by hitting .277 with 37 home runs and 116 RBI, but he regressed in […]

Projecting Power in 2021: Late ADP Options

Like a sitcom catchphrase from a bygone era, we all want more power. We'll take it early and we'll take it late but it always feels extra sweet when one of your final picks suddenly becomes one of the mayors of dong city. Looking at a player's exit velocities can tell us a lot about […]

Strike Zone Rate Analysis - Starting Pitchers

There are hundreds of metrics out there that describe pitchers. The richness of the available data is rivaled by no other sport. This can at times lead to information overload, leading us too far away from the core tenants of what success looks like. One group of statistics that are very simple and very helpful […]