Statcast Pitcher Risers/Fallers - O-Swings-and-Misses (Week 9)

Welcome back to Rotoballer's series using Statcast to extrapolate, dig into, and commiserate over data to examine pitching performances. The weekly series will be dynamic as we fine-tune our findings and enlighten ourselves on the information and tools at our disposal. For the first two months of the season, the baseball community has fixated on […]

Contact Rate Risers and Fallers for Week 9: Buy or Sell?

Welcome to Contact Rate Risers and Fallers! Our premium tools allow us to get out ahead of trends in player performance, including contact rate. Every Wednesday, we'll be looking at some players that have seen an increase in contact rate and some that have seen it decline. Contact rate can foretell a player's batting average […]

Austin Meadows Mashes Home Run On Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Austin Meadows went 3-for-5 with a double, solo home run and two runs scored in a loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Despite Starling Marte's return, Meadows is still getting consistent playing time and has yet to cool down at the plate. The long ball was his fourth of the year […]

Felipe Vazquez Returns, Fires Perfect Inning

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez (forearm) returned to action in a non-save situation on Tuesday, firing a perfect ninth inning. Vazquez left Sunday's game with left forearm discomfort after feeling his elbow "pop," but the issue wasn't deemed serious. The southpaw got three straight groundouts from Cubs hitters, a nice return to form after blowing […]

Nick Kingham Takes No-Decision After So-So Outing

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Nick Kingham allowed three runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. The rookie got through the first four innings unscathed before Ben Zobrist blasted a two-run home run in the fifth. After allowing a two-out double and RBI single to opposing […]

Gregory Polanco Sitting Again On Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco is out of the lineup for a second straight game on Tuesday. The slumping Polanco is batting .128/.261/.205 over the last two weeks and is hitless in his last 22 plate appearances. He'll continue to find playing time hard to come by, as the Pirates intend to go with an […]

Corey Dickerson Sitting Against A Southpaw On Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson is out of the lineup for the second time in three days on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs. With left-hander Jon Lester on the mound for the Cubs, Sean Rodriguez is getting the starting nod in left field and batting sixth. Dickerson has traditionally performed worse against southpaws, but he's […]

Felipe Vazquez is Available on Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez (forearm) will be available against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. He reported forearm discomfort after blowing his third save of the season on Sunday. He got the day off on Monday and said that he is available in the bullpen for Tuesday's contest. Fantasy owners do not need to worry, […]

Relief Pitchers Deeper Dive - Week 9

Today and every Tuesday moving forward throughout the 2018 MLB season, we will take a deep dive into some of the lesser-owned relief pitchers on the market that are worth keeping tabs on. This can be a good tool for those in deeper holds leagues, although any pitcher in a position to make a move on […]

Third Base Prospect Rankings (May) - 2018 Impact Rookies

Welcome back, RotoBallers. I'll be breaking down impact prospects by position. Today I'm bringing you my top 10 third basemen - MLB prospect rankings for the 2018 fantasy baseball season. There are some clear tiers in this list. There are some seriously elite players at the top. There’s some solid players in the middle who […]

Trading Up - Miles Mikolas

The legend of the Lizard King begins in 2011 when a young Miles Mikolas, a self-described picky eater, accepted a teammate’s bet to eat a live lizard in exchange for paying Mikolas’ Arizona Fall League dues. Mikolas agreed, coated the lizard in Moutain Dew, tasted it quickly, and paced for a moment. Then he crammed […]

NL-Only Waiver Wire Team of the Week: MLB Week 9

Every week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to […]

Updated First Base Rankings (May) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

With a quarter of the regular season complete, it seems only appropriate to canvas things to update our perspective of how things have changed since the start of the season. Thus far, we have covered starting pitchers and relief pitchers. Today, let’s take time to look at the first baseman rankings. As a whole, first […]

Streaming Wars - Waiver Wire Targets For May 30

Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. This article, which began last season, runs seven days a week. We are always ready to stream. For those who are newcomers to this feature, use this column on a daily basis to improve upon your weakest categories and target players who may be available […]

Felipe Vazquez Expected To Be OK, Won't Pitch Monday

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez (forearm) told reporters he feels "fine" after leaving Sunday's game with what was termed "left forearm discomfort." According to The Athletic's Rob Biertempfel, Vazquez said he felt a "little pop" in his elbow and had no feeling in his ring finger. Fortunately, nothing concerning was detected on an MRI. He's […]

Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets or May 29

Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. This article, which began last season, runs seven days a week. We are always ready to stream. For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on a daily basis to improve upon your neediest categories, and target players who may be […]

Ivan Nova Headed To DL, Nick Kingham Recalled

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova (finger) will be placed on the 10-day disabled list on Monday with a sprained right ring finger. Nova has been on a rough stretch lately, giving up 20 earned runs and six home runs in his last 23 2/3 innings. Nick Kingham will take the vacant spot in the […]

Jameson Taillon Sees Quality Start Wasted By Bullpen

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon gave up just three runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, but he had to settle for a no-decision. After allowing a run in the first inning, the right-hander settled down, holding the Cardinals scoreless until the seventh inning. Taillon struck […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (5/28/18): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

We've got a Monday slate thanks to Memorial Day, and that also means a busy early slate. Unfortunately, FanDuel diced up the games, so we don't get the bulk of them in any slate besides the all day slate. That said, these picks apply for the "Early Only" slate because those had the best selection […]

Updated Third Base Rankings (May) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

We are a quarter of the way through the regular season for Major League Baseball (almost a third of the way now), so our premier staff at RotoBaller has updated our rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings. We've been going around the diamond over the last few days and now it's time to turn our attention to […]

Week 9 Start/Sit Matchups - Starting Pitchers

You know what it is--it's my updated starts/sits column for Week 9! Your friendly neighborhood @Roto_Dubs is back again this year with his weekly starting pitcher matchups. This is our fifth year now writing this weekly column, helping fantasy baseball managers pick the best pitchers weekly. Below are the projected starting pitching matchups for Week 9, which […]

Austin Meadows (OF, PIT) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

  BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 39% of leagues ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Austin Meadows has had a tremendous start to his major league career.In just 33 at-bats, Meadows has a .443 AVG with three home runs and a slash line of .433/.867/1.300. Some expected him to go back to the […]

Week 9 Waiver Wire - Second Base (2B) and Shortstop (SS)

A programming note: This column will be published on Sunday rather than Monday moving forward. We’re making this change because some of you, for reasons which escape my understanding, play in weekly leagues where waivers process on Sunday night. My snobbery aside, this column is more useful to more people when it runs on Sundays, […]

Josh Harrison Out Of Lineup Sunday

Pittsburgh Pirates second/third baseman Josh Harrison (rest) is out of the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals. This will be Harrison's first day off since returning from the DL on May 20 after suffering a fractured hand. The 30-year-old has been productive so far this season, batting .294 with a .340 on-base percentage and a .400 […]

Trevor Williams Bounced Early In Loss

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Trevor Williams lasted just four innings and allowed four runs in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. The outing got off to a bad start when Williams allowed a home run to the first batter of the game, Matt Carpenter, and the right-hander was never able to steady […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (5/27/18): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

We have a large slate today, like we do on every Sunday. The main slate has several ace options for starting pitcher including Chris Sale, Gerrit Cole, and Stephen Strasburg. There are plenty of value options in the middle tiers as well, which should give DFS players plenty of wiggle room to get creative with their […]

Week 9 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)

The Corner Store is open! It is week nine and there are still so many good options on the waiver wire. Continue to stay fluid with your lineup and ride the hot hand. Don't get attached. However, make a decision and initiate movement to get that player. Do not let someone else grab them while […]

The Cut List (Week 9): Time to Let Go?

Welcome to Week 9 of the Cut List. Last week’s cut suggestions were some of the best yet if you ask me. I suggested cutting Jay Bruce, Albert Pujols, Rougned Odor, and Rich Hill and they all continued their poor play. Bruce, Pujols, and Odor went a combined 13-for-64 (.203) and Hill was pulled from […]

Ivan Nova Dealing With Finger Issue, Nick Kingham May Be Re-Called

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle announced on Saturday that starting pitcher Ivan Nova is dealing with a sprained ligament in his right index finger. Nova's next start is currently slated for Tuesday against the Cubs, but that is now in doubt. The Pirates are likely to place Nova on the disabled list and recall Nick […]

Streaming Wars - Waiver Wire Targets for May 27

Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire all season long. This article, now in its second year, runs seven days a week. For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on a daily basis to improve upon your neediest categories, and target players who may be available on […]