Updated First Base Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back RotoBallers. With the MLB season just a few short weeks a way, it's time to update our rankings and analysis to account for injuries, free agent signings, spring training risers/fallers and more. We kick off our updated March rankings today with the first base position. Harris breaks down each tier and provides analysis […]

Pirates Name Ivan Nova Opening Day Starter

For the first time in his big league career, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova will take the mound on Opening Day on March 29 against the Detroit Tigers. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle made the announcement on Wednesday, adding that Jameson Taillon would take the ball for the club in their home opener. Last season, […]

Joe Musgrove Expects to Be Ready for the Regular Season

Although he has yet to appear in a spring training tilt, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (shoulder) expects to be ready when the season begins, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Bill Brink. Musgrove most recently had a bullpen session on March 2 and will throw three innings in a simulated game this Friday. Although […]

2018 Bullpen Outlooks - National League Central

The National League Central continues our series of National League bullpen outlooks. Check out all of the American League divisions here: AL East, AL Central, AL West, and the first National League article here: NL East The NL Central has several strong closers who could make some significant noise in fantasy leagues this season. Even with that being […]

Gregory Polanco Returns to Pirates Lineup

After a brief three-game absence, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco (knee) returned to action on Sunday, playing five innings. Polanco bruised his left knee sliding into a base last Wednesday and was held out for precautionary reasons. Given his injury history -- he missed 54 games last season due to various ailments -- Pittsburgh fans […]

Points Leagues Outfielders - Overvalued and Undervalued

As we’ve established, player values can fluctuate pretty widely between points leagues and the more popular, traditional rotisserie and head-to-head formats. If this is your first experience with a points league, you may be wondering how to identify players whose contributions make them more or less appealing for that particular scoring system. You've come to […]

Starling Marte Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

We continue our series of articles debating the overall ranking of some of the most fantasy-relevant players of the 2018 baseball season with a dynamic player who went through a tough 2017. Starling Marte has been a fixture in the early fantasy rounds for several years now, but an 80-game PED suspension derailed his '17 […]

2017 Breakouts Due for Regression - Starting Pitchers

The 2017 season saw a number of starting pitchers emerge and become studs for both their real and fantasy teams. Aaron Nola and James Paxton finally matched their prospect hype. Alex Wood finally stayed (mostly) healthy and earned his first All-Star appearance. Trevor Bauer finally seemed to put his inconsistency behind him with a dominant second […]

RotoBaller Industry Expert Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

On Thursday, February 15th, we brought together an illustrious group of industry experts to take part in the RotoBaller Friends and Family mock draft. We'll be playing this out as a best ball league. Our participants represented sites like: Creative Sports (Lawr Michaels) Fangraphs (Alex Chamberlain) GuruElite (Ray Flowers) Fantasy Alarm (Howard Bender) CBS (Heath […]

Joe Musgrove Throws Another Bullpen Session

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (shoulder) is slowly getting closer to seeing game action. The Pirates right-hander has not yet appeared in a spring training contest due to shoulder discomfort, but the issue is minor. Musgrove threw an extended bullpen session on Friday, as reported by the Post-Gazette's Bill Brink, meaning he's one step […]

Kenley Jansen Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

We continue our rankings debates with a look at the game's best reliever. RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, we'll hear from rankers with the biggest differences of opinion on a well-known player and have them defend […]

ADP Sleepers and Busts - NL Relief Pitchers

Early-season drafts do not always tend to be reflective of a player's actual value. Average draft position does not tend to stabilize until closer to Opening Day but that does not stop people like myself (and presumably you as well if you're reading this) from drafting well before then. The ADP of relief pitchers is […]

Gregory Polanco Hoping for Bounce-Back Season After Dropping Weight

Talented Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco has yet to live up to his potential, but he's hoping 2018 is the year it happens. In a story by The Athletic's Rob Biertempfel, Polanco mentioned that he lost weight in the offseason, believing his bulkiness led to an injury-filled season last year. The Pirates right fielder has […]

2018 Relief Pitchers - Dynasty Tiered Rankings

As we move closer to the 2018 baseball season, at RotoBaller we have released our Dynasty Rankings. We have been dissecting the tiers of each position, showing fantasy owners where to find value in their draft. We have a total of 54 relief pitchers ranked in the first six tiers. When looking at dynasty leagues, one […]

Daniel Nava Out 10-12 Weeks After Surgery

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Daniel Nava (back) underwent back surgery on Tuesday and will be out 10 to 12 weeks, according to head trainer Todd Tomczyk. It's a tough blow for the 35-year-old Nava, as he was hoping to make the team out of camp as a platoon partner in left field. That was looking less […]

2018 Starting Pitchers - Dynasty Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball dynasty rankings analysis with the first base position. RotoBaller writers Kyle Richardson, Chris Zolli, Pierre Camus, and I have come up with our preseason rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. In a dynasty league, it can be tough to decide between a proven veteran or […]

Steven Brault Preparing as a Starter

With the fifth spot in the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation open, manager Clint Hurdle views pitcher Steven Brault as a legitimate contender, reports the Post-Gazette's Bill Brink. Brault went 10-5 with a 1.94 ERA in 120 1/3 Triple-A innings last year, though his strikeout (22.7 percent) and walk (9.2 percent) rates were nothing to write […]

Top 500: Mixed Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (February)

Spring training is officially here! To celebrate, today we are here to look at our staff's updated 2018 fantasy baseball mixed league rankings for February and the top 500 players. Our rankings are updated weekly, but enough changes have taken place recently (see humidor, Arizona) to release a new overall list. Over the next few weeks we will also be publishing individual tiered […]

Champ or Chump - Corey Dickerson and Steven Souza Jr.

Traditionally, the Tampa Bay Rays operate in relative obscurity. That has changed this offseason, as trading away Evan Longoria, Jake Odorizzi, Corey Dickerson, and Steven Souza Jr. has led to allegations of "tanking" comparable to the Miami Marlins. The news that Brent Honeywell may require Tommy John surgery certainly doesn't help either. Despite appearances, the […]

2017 Breakouts Due for Regression - Relief Pitchers

2017 was a great season for those who follow the "Don't Pay for Saves" strategy. Actually, it's more than a strategy, it's a lifestyle. Corey Knebel blossomed into an elite closer, Fernando Rodney almost matched his age in saves, Brandon Kintzler/Sean Doolittle/Brandon Maurer/Felipe Rivero/Brad Hand all had over 20 saves, and even Bud Norris was […]

ADP Myth Busters - Debunking Myths in the NL Central

This series will attempt to help fantasy baseball owners make informed opinions on players whose ADP may not be in line with their value for the 2018 season. As fantasy owners, we can fall into a "group think" mentality and start to overlook certain teams and players. If we aren't careful, those ideas can turn […]

2018 Second Basemen - Dynasty Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball dynasty rankings analysis with the second base position. Second base is a very intriguing position for dynasty leagues, as there is a changing of the guard that could come as soon as a year or two. Out will be the mainstay names of Robinson Cano, Brian Dozier, and Daniel Murphy, […]

Pirates Acquire Corey Dickerson From Rays

After being curiously designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, outfielder Corey Dickerson has found a new home. The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Dickerson on Tuesday in exchange for reliever Daniel Hudson and infield prospect Tristan Gray. What was supposed to be an interesting position battle for the Pirates is no more, […]

Pirates Hope Daniel Nava Will Return Soon

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Daniel Nava (back) has not participated in the team's last two workouts and is "rehab-only," according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. General manager Neal Huntington said the team is hopeful Nava will return quickly, but outfielders Bryce Brentz and Michael Saunders are backup plans in case Nava isn't ready. Nava […]

Joe Musgrove's Injury Is Minor

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove's (shoulder) right shoulder pain is "minor" and "precautionary," director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said. Musgrove could resume throwing in the "coming days." The former Houston Astro should be fine for Opening Day, but he's currently slightly behind the other pitchers in camp. Musgrove was much better as a […]

Pirates Ink Michael Saunders To Minors Deal

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor league deal Wednesday. Saunders was an All-Star in Toronto in 2016, but he fell off big time last year, hitting just .237/.312/.429 with 14 home runs and 38 RBI in 333 at-bats. Add Saunders to the list of players competing for playing time in […]

2018 Catchers - Dynasty Tiered Rankings

As we move closer to the 2018 baseball season, we at RotoBaller have released our Dynasty Rankings. We have been dissecting the tiers of each position, showing fantasy owners where to find value in their draft. At the catcher position, we have a total of 41 players ranked across eight tiers. When looking at dynasty leagues, […]

Daniel Nava Held Out Of Workouts

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Daniel Nava (back) was held out of Tuesday's workouts due to lower back discomfort. Nava also dealt with back problems last year, so the team will play it cautious early in camp. The veteran outfielder hit well with the Phillies last year (.301/.393/.421), but he was fortunate with a .357 BABIP. He […]

ADP Sleepers and Busts - Third Basemen

Take a quick look at the NFBC ADPs of third basemen. What do you notice? Is Manny Machado going too high? Is Joey Gallo the boom-or-bust pick of the year? Is Josh Donaldson the best early-round value pick? Third base might just be the deepest infield position in fantasy this year, so it's important to […]

Jameson Taillon (SP, PIT) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~155 CURRENT ADP: 192 ANALYSIS: Last year was a roller coaster for Jameson Taillon on and off the field. On top of an up-and-down season on the mound (4.44 ERA), the Pirates right-hander missed over a month due to testicular cancer surgery. When healthy, the former top prospect went 8-7 with 125 strikeouts and […]