Felipe Vazquez Continues Scoreless Spring

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez pitched a scoreless inning on Saturday, giving up a walk while striking out one in a win against the Phillies. Vazquez has only made five spring appearances thanks to an illness early in camp. However, he has shown no ill effects, having not allowed a run thus far. Vazquez remains […]

Corey Dickerson Continues Strong Spring Start

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI on Saturday against the Phillies. Dickerson started playing in Spring games a little later than his teammates but he has raked in his 10 Grapefruit League games, hitting .424 with three home runs. Dickerson will bat in the middle of the […]

Jameson Taillon Struggles In Final Spring Start

Pittsburgh Pirates starter Jameson Taillon allowed four earned runs on eight hits over four innings against the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon. He struck out three batters and walked none. The Pirates' ace finished his spring training with a 4.85 ERA and 11:0 K:BB ratio over 13 Grapefruit League innings. Taillon will start for the […]

Updated Second Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

Continuing on our points league tiered rankings analysis we move over to the keystone position. Second base has the deepest talent pool that it's seen in recent years as it’s full of elite bats at the top and high-upside youngsters in the lower tiers. With two games in the regular season already in the books, […]

H2H Points Leagues First Basemen - Overvalued & Undervalued

For those fantasy enthusiasts that love the head-to-head competition and being able to trash talk their friends every week, the points league is the ideal setup. For the casual player in this format, it’s common to unknowingly draft using a standard top-300 list from a magazine or website. These lists base themselves on roto formats, […]

Finding Under and Overvalued 2B Using Expected Draft Values

We've been rolling out our series on Expected Draft Values, an innovative new way to find under and overvalued players. Yesterday, we started with Nick Mariano's look into some undervalued players, we followed it up this morning with Nick's look at overvalued players and then Connelly Doan's look at some under and overvalued first basemen.  This evening, we're […]

Rick Lucks' Bold Predictions for 2019

Our series of Bold Predictions continue with my piece. I've had success with this exercise in the past, but last year was easily my worst performance to date. That said, I am traditionally one of the boldest authors on this series, and I think you'll agree that the predictions below will at least let me […]

Francisco Liriano and Melky Cabrera Make Opening Day Roster

Pittsburgh Pirates veteran starting pitcher Francisco Liriano and outfielder Melky Cabrera have been assured by the team that they have made the Opening Day roster. Liriano played last season with the Detroit Tigers, finishing with a 4.58 ERA and 18.8 K%. Cabrera played 78 games with the Cleveland Indians last year, slashing .280/.335./.420 with six […]

March ADP Musings - Overvalued / Undervalued Relief Pitchers

If you've played fantasy baseball long enough, you've heard some variation of the phrase "don't pay for saves" before. If you're new to the fantasy baseball community, you'll get used to it soon enough. The long-form version, for those of you who are indeed trying out fantasy baseball for the first time, is this: bullpen […]

H2H Points Leagues Outfielders - Overvalued & Undervalued

For those fantasy enthusiasts that love the head-to-head competition and being able to trash talk their friends every week, the points league is the ideal setup. For the casual player in this format, it’s common to unknowingly draft using a standard top-300 list from a magazine or website. These lists base themselves on roto formats, […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As we get set for the 2019 MLB season, it's time for our crack staff to reveal their favorite preseason sleepers. We recently polled some of our fantasy baseball writers to get their take on which hitters and pitchers they are targeting the most in the mid-to-late rounds of fantasy drafts. While you've likely heard […]

Oneil Cruz Has Enormous Offensive Upside

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz, the team's No. 4 prospect and No. 95 overall per MLB Pipeline, reached double-digit home runs and stolen bases in full-season ball last year after being acquired from the Dodgers in 2017 in the Tony Watson trade. While the 6-foot-6 left-handed hitting shortstop might not stick at the 6 at […]

Updated Shortstop Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

Our updated fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis rolls on with the shortstop position. With the 2019 MLB season technically underway in Japan, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel have given their rankings a final update. Check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard for a current list any time. Shortstop […]

Updated Outfielder Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with a look at the star-studded outfield 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 […]

Starling Marte Day-To-Day With Back Tightness

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte was scratched from Thursday's Grapefruit League lineup as a precaution due to lower back tightness. Marte is listed as day-to-day. It doesn't seem like a serious injury, so Marte should be good to go for next Thursday's Opening Day on March 28. Marte hit .277/.327/.460 with a career-high 20 home […]

Ross Stripling Offers More Value than Charlie Morton Based on ADP

When it comes to fantasy drafts, really for any sport, what we all should be most focused on is the word value. For every player you are considering, you should be asking yourself “what value is this player most likely to provide?” ADP, recent form, and similarly-priced players should all be taken into consideration when attempting […]

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 […]

Gregory Polanco Close To Returning

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco (shoulder) could play in minor league games as early as next week, according to Todd Tomczyk, the team's director of sports medicine. The 27-year-old had his 2018 season cut short due to surgery on his throwing shoulder. Despite playing in just 130 games, he set career highs of 23 HR, […]

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 […]

Felipe Vazquez Locked In On The Mound

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez appears to be in midseason form as spring training begins to wind down. During an appearance against the Tigers on Tuesday, the southpaw retired all four hitters he faced, including striking out the side in the fifth. Adam Berry of MLB.com noted that Vazquez hit 101 mph on the stadium […]

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 […]

Erik Gonzalez Wins Shortstop Job

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said on Monday that shortstop Erik Gonzalez won the shortstop job over Kevin Newman. Gonzalez had gone 7-for-30 (.233) with a double, home run, 11 strikeouts and two errors in Grapefruit League action, while Newman was 8-for-29 (.276) with two doubles, a homer and no errors. In his three […]

Jung Ho Kang Named Opening Day Third Baseman

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang will man the hot corner for the club on Opening Day, beating out Colin Moran, the club announced on Monday. Kang's big league career has been a roller coaster due to injuries and legal issues in Korea but he seems poised to make good on his past. This […]

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 […]

Dynasty Buy or Sell - Catchers, First Base, Second Base

As the season continues to drag closer, fantasy baseball owners are waiting, or willing, to make that first move of the year. For dynasty owners, this means trading talent for future assets or plugging those gaps that currently exist on teams hoping to compete. And yet, the other concern for owners is what players are […]