2021 Outfielder Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We now move on to the outfielder position in our mixed-league rankings analysis series. If you missed them, here is our review of Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base and Shortstop. RotoBaller's rankers, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Nick Mariano, and Ariel Cohen have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings once more based on early spring training action. […]

Adrian Morejon The Favorite For Fifth Rotation Spot?

While San Diego Padres starting pitcher Adrian Morejon has walked way too many hitters this spring, he's the favorite over left-handers MacKenzie Gore and Ryan Weathers to open as the fifth starter if Dinelson Lamet (elbow) is eased into the start of the regular season. Morejon has already shown that his stuff plays in the […]

Dan Altavilla Likely To Win Final Bullpen Job

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Dan Altavilla is the likeliest candidate to win the final spot in the bullpen over Tim Hill, Taylor Williams and Michael Baez. Altavilla pitched meaningful innings down the stretch last year and is out of minor-league options. Hill, a left-hander, still has options. He'll almost certainly join the team if […]

Jorge Mateo Leading The Competition For Last Bench Spot?

San Diego Padres outfielder Jorge Mateo might be in the slight lead over outfielders Jorge Ona and Brian O'Grady and catcher Luis Campusano in the battle for the last spot on the bench to open the season. Mateo is hitting the ball hard and reaching base. He has elite speed, but he's also struck out […]

Wil Myers Posting Gaudy Spring Numbers Again

San Diego Padres outfielder Wil Myers has posted some big Cactus League numbers in springs past, and he's doing it again in 2021. Myers went 2-for-2 with a walk on Thursday against Cleveland and hit his second home run in as many games. He's hitting .389 with a 1.310 OPS in spring training action. We […]

Joe Musgrove Works Three Innings Thursday

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove allowed two runs on four hits and a walk and was victimized by shaky defense in his Cactus League start against Cleveland on Thursday. "I actually felt a little better today with my delivery, my timing," Musgrove said. "The results weren't the same, but I attribute that to […]

Trent Grisham Injures His Hamstring Thursday

San Diego Padres outfielder Trent Grisham (hamstring) left the Cactus League game against Cleveland on Thursday with "a slight strain in his hamstring," according to manager Jayce Tingler. Grisham will be re-evaluated on Friday to determine the extent of the injury. Tingler said Grisham has dealt with minor hamstring issues in the past and that […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/11) - Hiura Endures Spring Struggles

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. Thankfully, we have real, live baseball being played every day again, and while it doesn't count for anything, these exhibition games gives us the smallest glimmer into players and teams heading into the new season. We're officially through the first week of spring training games […]

MLB DFS Advice: Picking Pitchers on DraftKings and FanDuel

Welcome back to RotoBaller, where we are taking you through some advanced DFS strategy and advice to prepare you for a full-length MLB season in 2021. Last spring, while baseball was not being played and I did not know what to do with myself, I wrote a big old script to go back and collect […]

Joshua Mears Annihilates 117.3 MPH Homer

San Diego Padres outfield prospect Joshua Mears demolished a 117.3 mph home run Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies. The 20-year-old non-roster invitee is just 1-for-7 this spring, but his long ball would've been one of the hardest hit last season in the majors. The Friars 2019 second-round pick and No. 10 prospect (per MLB Pipeline) possesses […]

Top 10 Shortstops - Dynasty Prospects Rankings

The shortstop position is a bountiful one for fantasy players. In a 12-team league, most fantasy managers should have the opportunity to be happy with their starter at the position thanks to the depth and variety of skills available. In 2019, 16 shortstops that had at least 350 plate appearances produced a 100 wRC+ or […]

MacKenzie Gore, Ryan Weathers Have Shot At Opening Day Roster

San Diego Padres pitching prospects MacKenzie Gore and Ryan Weathers both have legitimate shots to crack the Opening Day roster. While both southpaws are viewed long term as starters, both could fill swing roles with reliever Matt Strahm (knee) out and the Friars down to one left-hander in the bullpen. Furthermore, starter Dinelson Lamet (elbow) is […]

Fernando Tatis Jr.'s Return To Lineup Is Imminent

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (illness) completed a full workout Wednesday and should return to game action Thursday or Friday. The 22-year-old star had battled a non-COVID bug earlier this week but appears close to full strength. After posting a 150 wRC+ across his first 629 big league plate appearances with 39 homers […]

Jurickson Profar Dealing With Groin Tightness

San Diego Padres infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar (groin) is dealing with groin tightness but should return Thursday. The utilityman has missed three games but had amassed a hit and three walks in 10 spring plate appearances. The 28-year-old flourished in his first season in San Diego, posting a .278/.343/.428 slash with seven homers and steals apiece […]

Drew Pomeranz Flexible On Bullpen Role

San Diego Padres reliever Drew Pomeranz doesn't care whether he is the team's designated closer. Since converting to a full-time reliever, the 32-year-old southpaw has been fantastic, including a 1.45 ERA and 40 percent strikeout rate last year. He also recorded four saves in 20 appearances. Padres manager Jayce Tingler indicates he'd prefer a "set […]

Ha-seong Kim Struggling With Contact

San Diego Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim has struggled to start spring training, recording just two hits with four strikeouts in 14 plate appearances. The 25-year-old joined the majors this offseason after seven excellent years in the KBO, culminating with a .306/.397/.523 line last season with 30 homers, 23 steals and 220 runs-plus-RBI in 138 contests. […]

Jake Cronenworth Starting Hot In Spring

San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth is off to a .364/.417/.455 this spring across 12 plate appearances. The 27-year-old enjoyed a sensational rookie campaign, posting a .831 OPS while popping four homers, swiping three bags and tallying 46 runs-plus-RBI in 192 plate appearances. With the offseason addition of Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim, Cronenworth's playing […]

Manny Machado Collects Two Knocks Tuesday

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado collected two knocks and a walk Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox, lifting his spring slash to .400/.538/.600 in 13 plate appearances. With substantial buzz around teammate Fernando Tatis Jr., Machado quietly enjoyed a monster 2020 campaign, registering a .950 OPS with 16 homers, 91 runs-plus-RBI and six […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Battles Flu-Like Symptoms, Faces Absences

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (illness) was held out of Tuesday's lineup and figures to miss at least one more day as he battles flu-like symptoms. It sounds as if San Diego is just being cautious with their star, as manager Jayce Tingler said, "If we were in-season, 100 percent he would be […]

Blake Snell Blanks White Sox Across Two Innings

San Diego Padres starter Blake Snell tossed two shutout frames in Tuesday's spring training contest against the Chicago White Sox. Snell required 22 pitches to record one strikeout and permit one knock, extending his spring ledger to three scoreless innings. The 28-year-old is locked in as the Friars No. 2 starter. In five big league […]

Jose Castillo Undergoing Tommy John Surgery

The San Diego Padres announced reliever Jose Castillo (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery. The development is another terrible turn for the 25-year-old, who has pitched just 2/3 innings since 2018. Castillo was poised to compete for a middle relief role with the Friars but will instead start the long road to recovery. After bursting […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Pitcher BABIP

While FIP is a useful tool to predict a pitcher's future ERA performance, fantasy managers should remember that ERA, not FIP, is what really matters in most formats. This means that we are interested in the "luck" that separates the two statistics. While some of this luck is unpredictable, we can and should predict some […]

JB's Bullpen Method Redux - Building FrankenAces

Last year, I finally published an article breaking down my favorite fantasy baseball strategy I have been using for years. It's really less of a strategy and more a state of mind. No, the Bullpen Method is a lifestyle. I always speak about the importance of balance on a fantasy team. For your pitching staff, I […]

Tout Wars 12-Team Mixed Draft Recap

The 2021 Tout Wars season kicked off this week with the 15-team Draft and Hold starting on Monday and then the NEW 12-team Mixed draft on Tuesday. The Draft and Hold is a slow draft, while the 12 team Mixed was live and rocking. I was fortunate enough to take part in the 12-team draft.  […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/8) - Darvish Deals, Gallo Still Mashing

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. Thankfully, we have real, live baseball being played every day again, and while it doesn't count for anything, these exhibition games gives us the smallest glimmer into players and teams heading into the new season. We're officially through the first week of spring training games […]

Value Based Drafting Primer: WPC+

Learn how to take the next step in fantasy baseball draft strategy by creating custom values for your player rankings. Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut explain how with examples from their TGFBI (The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational) drafts. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch […]

Dinelson Lamet Ramps Up To 98 MPH In Sim Game

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet (elbow) tossed another sim game Sunday, this time displaying his slider against opposing batters. After receiving a PRP injection that ended his 2020 campaign, there was some concern that the pitch may have to be dialed back some heading into '21, especially if the righty was to avoid […]

Eric Hosmer Homers Sunday

San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer went 1-for-2 with a home run in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals. The blast marked Hosmer's first hit of the spring as he is now just 1-for-10 through his first four games. Hosmer missed a large chunk of September with a broken index finger, but […]

Josh Naylor (OF, CLE) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 370 CURRENT ADP: ~391 overall ANALYSIS:  The Indians were pretty high on Josh Naylor in 2020 as he was a key piece in the Mike Clevinger deal. Naylor will likely rotate between the outfield and first base, which means he will provide added flexibility on fantasy rosters. In 2020, he slashed .247/.291/.330 […]

Luis Patino (SP, TB) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 410 CURRENT ADP: ~431 overall ANALYSIS: The Rays pulled off a shocking trade this offseason, sending former AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to San Diego. As part of the return, the Rays landed Luis Patiño, an intriguing arm that could fit perfectly in Tampa Bay’s tactical oeuvre. Patiño, still just […]