2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers and Saves: Bullpen Draft Strategies and Later-Round Targets

One of the hardest positions to navigate in fantasy baseball drafts is the closer position. Managers have to decide whether they are willing to go all in on the saves category or wait until the middle-to-late rounds to secure those saves. That makes choosing the right time to select a closer one of the toughest […]

Deeper Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - Undrafted Players and Late-Round Picks (2026)

Fantasy managers can bank on undrafted pitchers coming out of nowhere to post outstanding seasons, but identifying who will do so is challenging. Standard roto leagues draft 336 players, so anyone with an NFBC average draft position (ADP) of 337 or higher is considered "undrafted" for this article. Naturally, individual drafts may vary. You can […]

Relief Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Undervalued Closers and Saves (2026)

Navigating saves is often the most difficult part of fantasy baseball. While there are players who are near locks to earn 30+ saves, like Edwin Diaz and Mason Miller, managers will have to pay a hefty price to acquire their services and take a hit at other positions. When you invest in an early-round closer, […]

10 High-Impact Fantasy Baseball Prospect Risers, Sleepers: Breakout Rookies for 2026

Targeting high-end prospects in the final rounds of your draft can provide your fantasy team with a massive spark throughout the season. Last summer, managers saw top prospects like Nolan McLean, Noah Cameron, Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, and Jacob Wilson all make a massive impact during their rookie seasons. In this piece, we will spotlight […]

Bubba Chandler Struggles to Command Pitches Again in Second Outing

Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitching prospect Bubba Chandler stumbled in his second outing of spring training on Sunday afternoon. The top pitching prospect entered the game in relief behind Braxton Ashcraft and struggled, tossing 1 1/3 innings of two-run ball. In this brief appearance, Chandler allowed a high three walks with only two strikeouts. Chandler has […]

Konnor Griffin Launches Third Spring Training Home Run

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin launched his third home run of the spring during their contest on Sunday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals. The top prospect hit a two-run shot in the game's opening frame off right-handed pitcher Kyle Leahy. While Griffin has shown immense upside, hitting three home runs over his first […]

Carmen Mlodzinski to Compete for Starting Rotation Spot

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski will compete for a starting rotation spot during Spring Training. He worked as a starter to begin the 2025 season, but ultimately shifted to the bullpen. Mlodzinski posted a 6.58 ERA, a .330 batting average against and an .858 OPS in six starts in March and April. He was demoted […]

4 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Breakouts to Target in Drafts (2026)

The term "breakout" gets thrown around a lot, I know. And it's always important to put it in context. For the sake of this article, it's going to refer to pitchers with relatively little MLB experience who could be ready to make a big impact for fantasy teams in 2026. These pitchers check as many […]

Pirates Expected to Approach Konnor Griffin With Long-Term Extension This Spring

The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to approach shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin with a long-term contract extension this spring, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Despite being only 19 years old with just 21 games of experience beyond High-A in the minor leagues, Griffin is the No. 1 prospect in the sport and is trending toward […]

Konnor Griffin Back in the Lineup After Injury Scare

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin (foot) is back in the Grapefruit League lineup on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, starting at shortstop and hitting eighth. Griffin was hit by a pitch on his foot in Wednesday's spring training contest and was removed as a precaution. The 19-year-old No. 1 overall prospect in baseball said […]

Top 50 Catcher Fantasy Baseball Rankings: February Updates

Depending on where you live, your area may have been hit with a ton of snow recently. The good news is we are inching closer to spring and Opening Day for baseball. At Rotoballer HQ, we wrap up our positional rankings series with the catcher position. In this article, you will find our updated 2026 […]

Top 70 Shortstop Fantasy Baseball Rankings: February Updates

It's an exciting time to be a baseball fan, as Opening Day will be here before you know it. At RotoBaller HQ, we continue to update and tweak rankings for fantasy managers to crush their upcoming drafts. We focus on shortstops today with our 2026 fantasy baseball shortstop rankings and tiers for roto leagues (5x5 […]

Konnor Griffin "Trending Toward Being" Opening Day Shortstop

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said on Foul Territory on Thursday that it looks like Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin is "trending toward being" the team's Opening Day shortstop. It was seen as a bit of a stretch going into spring training, since Griffin is only 19 years old and has played just 21 games […]

6 Breakout Pitchers For Fantasy Baseball Drafts

Identifying breakouts is the key to securing a fantasy championship. Last season, managers who bet on the talents of Garrett Crochet and Hunter Brown secured high-end starting pitchers that greatly outperformed their preseason ADP. Last week, we did a deep dive into my hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, and now it's time to turn our attention […]

7 Fantasy Baseball Bold Predictions - Eric Cross' 2026 Picks

One of my favorite articles to write every pre-season is my bold predictions article here on RotoBaller. Why? Well, a bold predictions article can be both fun and informative. Many of these won't come true, but they're bold predictions for a reason. But at the same time, while the chances are slim, there's an element […]

2026 Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Prospects: Later-Round Values for Drafts

Every year, we get rookie pitchers emerging as legitimate fantasy stars. Some of them get hyped up in the offseason and go in the earlier rounds of fantasy drafts. And some of them are under-the-radar options that go unnoticed in drafts. It's the latter we're going to feature here. We will be looking at some […]

SIERA Overachievers - Identifying Fantasy Baseball Pitchers Worth Fading in 2026

It's that time again - time to dig into the advanced stats and see what we can find that will help us make the right decisions in our upcoming fantasy baseball drafts. Every year, I like to analyze the SIERA of starter pitchers to identify those who likely overperformed in terms of their ERA. SIERA […]

Starting Pitchers: Fantasy Baseball Sleepers, Values and Draft Targets (2026)

The “big three” in fantasy baseball this season at starting pitcher are Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, and Paul Skenes. In mixed league snake drafts, all three might go off the board in the first round, and there will be spirited bidding for every one of them in salary cap formats. But some fantasy baseball analysts […]

2026 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft - RotoBaller Staff's Favorite Picks and Roster Strategies

Hey RotoBallers! Fantasy baseball season is in full swing (pun intended), and it's time to begin enacting our offseason research into mock drafts. Mock drafts are the perfect way for you to simulate a real-draft experience and get a feel of which players will be available for you at your respective picks. This is now […]

Later-Round Fantasy Baseball Prospect Sleepers - Rookies To Stash (2026)

While draft season is in full swing, it is never too early to begin looking at high upside prospects to stash. In the final rounds of your draft, managers often select high-upside prospects who have a path to an early MLB debut. Last season, those who either drafted Nick Kurtz or stashed him early in […]

Saves+Holds Fantasy Baseball Rankings (SV+HLD): Top 150 Relief Pitchers for 2026

Welcome to our Saves+Holds fantasy baseball rankings (SV+HLD or SOLDS) for the top 150 relief pitchers and the 2026 season. Traditional fantasy baseball bullpen content is hyperfixated on saves, with most only concerned with who gets the ninth inning. Therefore, Saves+Holds reliever ranks can be an afterthought, but we love having a reason to dig […]

Top 90 Second Base Fantasy Baseball Rankings: February Updates

It's an exciting time as spring training games are being played and the countdown to Opening Day is on! At Rotoballer, we have been pumping out content all offseason long to help crush your upcoming fantasy baseball drafts. We have freshly updated our rankings, and below you will find our updated 2026 fantasy baseball second […]

Konnor Griffin Exits Early After Being Hit in the Foot

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin (foot) left Wednesday's Grapefruit League game in the sixth inning after he was hit in the foot with a pitch, according to DK Pittsburgh Sports. Griffin stayed in the game to run the bases, but he didn't come out to play the field in the seventh inning. It doesn't […]

Konnor Griffin Open to Long-Term Extension With Pirates

Top prospect Konnor Griffin and the Pittsburgh Pirates are open to a long-term contract extension, according to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 19-year-old is the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball going into the 2026 season, and he appears to be the favorite this spring to open the 2026 regular season as Pittsburgh's […]

Ryan O'Hearn Could See a Career High in Plate Appearances in 2026

Across 544 plate appearances split between the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres in 2025, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn posted a .281/.366/.437 slash line with 17 home runs, 63 RBI, 67 runs scored, and three stolen bases. O'Hearn's solid season landed him a two-year deal with the Pirates, where he could lock down […]

Paul Skenes Expects to Make Two Starts in World Baseball Classic

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes said he expects to make two starts for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, assuming they advance out of pool play, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The reigning National League Cy Young winner is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut in spring training on Wednesday […]

Bubba Chandler Stumbles in Spring Training Debut

Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitching prospect Bubba Chandler struggled in his spring debut on Monday afternoon against the New York Yankees. Across 1 1/3 innings, the top prospect allowed four earned runs with a high four free passes. He did not allow a hit and added two strikeouts. Chandler's command was a major issue during the […]

Konnor Griffin Slugs Two Home Runs on Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin had a monster spring training showing against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in his team's 16-7 victory. Griffin, who will turn 20 years old in late April, is widely considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball. […]

Top 230 Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Rankings: February Updates

Spring training is here, and at RotoBaller we have updated our fantasy baseball rankings to account for the latest rotation news and injuries. Today we're back with our 2026 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings and tiers for roto leagues (5x5 category mixed leagues). These February rankings cover the top 230 starting pitchers for 2026. Injuries […]

Oneil Cruz Looking to Improve Against Left-Handed Pitchers

Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Matt Hague said that outfielder Oneil Cruz hired a left-handed batting practice coach on the second day of the offseason and worked on hitting lefties all offseason. Cruz reached the 20-homer mark for the second straight year in 2025 and also had a league-high 38 stolen bases, but he hit a […]