2021 Fantasy Baseball Batting Awards

We've put a bow on the 2021 season, with the Braves finishing off their surprising season with a World Series victory over the Astros. That leaves fantasy baseball managers to eagerly await an offseason of hot stove rumors and draft prep. Before all that takes place, it's only right to pay tribute to the players... Read More

End of Season Report Card - Starting Pitchers

Back in late April, I published the early season report card. It was a look at how the top drafted starting pitchers began their seasons and what we could expect from them moving forward. At the All-Star break in July, we revisited them and updated their grades with a midseason report card. We also provided... Read More

Padres Exercise Options on Pierce Johnson, Craig Stammen

The San Diego Padres announced several roster decisions on Friday, exercising their contract options on relief pitchers Pierce Johnson and Craig Stammen and declining their contract options on outfielder Jake Marisnick and relief pitcher Keone Kela. Johnson and Stammen return to an excellent bullpen in 2022, one that may not feature Mark Melancon after the... Read More

Mark Melancon Heads Back To Free Agency

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Mark Melancon declined the option on his contract Friday, instead choosing to re-enter the free-agent pool. He will receive a $1 million buyout. This does not come as a surprise, as Melancon led the majors with 39 saves in 2021. He figures to do better than his $5 million option... Read More

Corbin Burnes 2021 Year-in-Review

One of the toughest decisions to make in 2021 drafts was what exactly to do with Corbin Burnes. We hadn't seen much of him at all in the Major Leagues before the 2020 season, and then we had less than 60 innings to go off of for Burnes from that 2020 season. While his performance... Read More

Padres Hire Bob Melvin As New Skipper

The San Diego Padres agreed to a three-year deal on Thursday for Bob Melvin to be their next skipper after they let Jayce Tingler go after a disappointing 2021 season in which the team finished 79-83 despite entering the season with World Series aspirations, according to sources. The Oakland Athletics had picked up Melvin's 2022... Read More

2021 Fantasy Baseball Pitching Awards

The World Series is underway, promising us a new champion this year. It will be followed soon thereafter by the announcement of the 2021 MLB Awards. Among those are MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and the usual annual hardware that is doled out to those most deserving. For fantasy baseball purposes, we view... Read More

Fernando Tatis Jr. Unlikely To Have Shoulder Surgery

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (shoulder) is unlikely to opt for offseason surgery on his troublesome left shoulder, according to sources. The decision isn't necessarily final, but it's tied to Tatis' belief that his shoulder is stable and will hold up moving forward. The superstar shortstop has partially dislocated his shoulder on at... Read More

Randy Arozarena 2021 Year-in-Review

Randy Arozarena came off one of the best statistical postseasons ever in 2020, slashing .377/.429/.831 with a .515 WOBA across 84 plate appearances. He won the American League Championship Series MVP and set the postseason record in hits (29) and homers (10) in 2020. The 26-year-old was selected inside the top-50 in re-draft leagues as... Read More

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (10/20/21): MLB DFS Lineups

Happy Wednesday, Rotoballers! After a wild ninth inning, the Astros and Red Sox play Game 5 of the ALCS less than 16 hours after ending Game 4. Houston exploded for seven runs in the ninth inning to tie the series at two, and they will try to steal one more game in Boston before the series... Read More

Shohei Ohtani - 2021 Year-in-Review

Baseball fans had the pleasure of watching Shohei Ohtani play a full season, doing things we've never seen done on the baseball field all year long. It was an incredible year, to say the least, for the probable American League MVP. This is essentially a double-article since Ohtani functioned as two completely different players (for... Read More

Arizona Fall League 2021 Preview

On October 13th at 3:30 pm EST, the Arizona Fall League kicks off! I am going to preview the Arizona Fall League from a fantasy sports perspective. Before digging into the players, let's get into the quick basics of what the Arizona Fall League (AFL) is. It's a six-team league that plays a 30-game schedule.... Read More

Bold, Bolder, and Boldest in 2021: A Post-Mortem

Ahh, the time-honored tradition of making bold predictions is upon us. We hem and we haw; we make outrageous claims like Adalberto Mondesi invented the question mark, and bicker about the proper definition of "bold". In the NotBurtatorium (totally a real word), however, we worry not about this or that definition. Our goals are simple... Read More

Trent Grisham Fails To Build On Breakout 2020 Season

San Diego Padres outfielder Trent Grisham finished the season with a .242/.327/.413 slash, 15 homers, 13 steals and 123 runs-plus-RBI in 527 plate appearances. After breaking out in a shortened 2020 campaign, Grisham battled leg injuries early in the season, ultimately disappointing as a player expected to provide OF2/3 value. Despite superb plate discipline, the... Read More

Year in Review: Jon Anderson's Bold Predictions

After joining the RotoBaller team in late 2020, I was graciously allowed to write a "Bold Predictions" piece for the 2021 MLB season, you can read back on that here. It was a fantastically fun year covering fantasy baseball on this website, but now it's time to get the gavel out begin judging some of... Read More

Tommy Pham Headed Towards Free Agency After Uneven Year

After an inconsistent season in 2021, San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham will enter his age-34 season as a free agent. Pham followed up a disappointing shortened campaign last year with a .229/.340/.383 slash, 15 homers, 14 steals and 123 runs-plus-RBI in 561 plate appearances. Despite his fourth career double-digit power and speed output, Pham... Read More

Eric Hosmer Enters Offseason With Lingering Doubts

After a disappointing 2021 campaign, San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer enters the offseason with doubts about his role as an everyday player. With an outsized contract and uninspiring 102 wRC+, the 31-year-old was often the scapegoat for the Friars second half collapse. Across 565 plate appearances, Hosmer recorded a .269/.337/.395 slash, 12 homers,... Read More

Jake Cronenworth Proves Legitimacy In 2021

San Diego Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth entrenched himself as an everyday big leaguer after a successful sophomore campaign. The 27-year-old tallied a .266/.340/.460 slash with 21 homers, four steals and 165 runs-plus-RBI over 643 plate appearances, earning an All-Star bid while playing both first and second base. Under team control through 2026, Cronenworth should remain... Read More

Manny Machado Posts Another Strong Season

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado wrapped up another solid season in 2021, compiling a .278/.347/.489 slash with 28 homers, 12 stolen bases and 198 runs-plus-RBI over 640 plate appearances. Despite the Friars cratering in the second half, Machado remained a reliable force in the lineup, placing third in the NL with 106 RBI... Read More

Fernando Tatis Jr. Claims NL Home Run Title

After a 4-for-12 series over the weekend with a pair of doubles against the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres shortstop/outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. cemented his superstar status in 2021. Despite playing in just 130 games, Tatis led the National League with 42 homers, slashing .282/.364/.611 with 25 steals and 196 runs-plus-RBI in 546 plate... Read More

Lucid's Best Bets - Premium MLB Betting Picks for 10/3/2021

Happy Sunday, RotoBallers, and welcome to the final day of the regular season! John 'LucidMedia' Brubaker here, filling in for Tommy Bell for the rest of the season. I'm privileged to be able to do this for you guys and am extremely excited to help you crush the sportsbooks in this final push of the... Read More

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (10/3/21): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

If you're playing MLB DFS today, shout out to you as it's Sunday and it's the last day of the regular season! We have a 15 game slate to wrap this thing up! My biggest piece of advice on large slates is to trust your research and process. Don't be afraid to fade some chalky... Read More

Reiss Knehr To Start Padres Final Game

San Diego Padres pitcher Reiss Knehr has been named the team's starting pitcher for their final game of the year against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. The 24-year-old has made four starts and seven relief appearances for the Padres this year. He's spent the bulk of the year in the minors, making 19 appearances... Read More

Wil Myers On The Bench Saturday

San Diego Padres outfielder Wil Myers is absent from Saturday's lineup for the matchup with the San Francisco Giants, according to MLB.com. Myers has taken a step backward after a career year in 2020 but has still put up decent numbers. He's slashing .257/.335/.437 with 17 HRs and eight stolen bases over 145 games. Jurickson... Read More

Eric Hosmer Not In Saturday's Lineup

San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants, according to MLB.com. After posting a .851 OPS in the shortened 2020 season, Hosmer's been more of an average hitter this season. He's slashed .270/.338/.396 with just 12 HRs in 149 games. Jake Cronenworth will... Read More

Adam Frazier Taking A Seat Saturday

San Diego Padres second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants, according to MLB.com. Frazier has hit .304 with five home runs, 10 stolen bases, and a .777 OPS in 153 games split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Padres. However, since being traded to... Read More

Lucid's Best Bets - Premium MLB Betting Picks for 10/2/2021

Happy Saturday, RotoBallers, the weekend is here! John 'LucidMedia' Brubaker here, filling in for Tommy Bell for the rest of the season. I'm privileged to be able to do this for you guys and am extremely excited to help you crush the sportsbooks in this final push of the MLB season. If you need absolutely... Read More

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (10/1/21): MLB DFS Lineups

Happy Friday and happy October, Rotoballers! It's the first day of the month, but, sadly, it's the final Friday of the regular season. I've had a great time writing about the DraftKings picks all season on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Hopefully, you've made more money than me because I seem to have a rather debilitating... Read More

Yu Darvish Lands On The 10-Day Injured List

San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (hip) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hip impingement. The Padres optioned Ryan Weathers to Triple-A El Paso, reinstated Craig Stammen from the IL, and recalled Shaun Anderson in corresponding moves. He allowed two earned runs on five hits and four walks while striking out... Read More

Ryan Weathers Has Much To Improve Next Season

San Diego Padres pitcher Ryan Weathers coughed up five earned runs over three innings Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Making his first start since August, the swingman permitted five hits and three walks while fanning two. After a strong start to his rookie campaign, the league caught up to Weathers' subpar stuff as he... Read More