Jorge Ona Makes Early Spring Statement

San Diego Padres designated hitter Jorge Ona blasted a towering two-run home run in the sixth inning to tie the game 4-4 against the Mariners in the team's spring debut on Sunday. Ona is in a four-way battle for the final spot on the team's bench with Brian O'Grady, Luis Campusano and Jorge Mateo. Ona […]

MacKenzie Gore Cleaning Up Mechanical Issues

San Diego Padres pitching prospect MacKenzie Gore fanned three in a simulated game over the weekend, taking a positive step towards his impending big league debut. His first spring training start comes Thursday against the Texas Rangers. Despite myriad injuries to the rotation in 2020, the Friars top prospect arm did not receive a call-up. […]

Top 10 Catchers - Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Catchers perform a mostly thankless job as one of the hardest-working players on the baseball diamond day in and day out. The catcher is also one of the least sought-after players in a fantasy baseball draft although there have been catchers who, in their prime, were worthy of a significant investment such as Mike Piazza, […]

Jon Anderson's Shortstop Tiered Rankings and Projections

I am on to shortstop in my position-by-position tiered rankings. Check out the rest of the series at the links below: First Base Second Base Third Base This is quite a different position than what we've seen so far with first and second base. There are four studs at the position, and lots and lots […]

Does Pitch Arsenal Really Matter?

In my research over the last couple of months, I have been paying close attention to the pitch mix of each pitcher I study. This means I want to know how many different pitches they can throw and how they distribute those different offerings. It seemed logical to me that pitchers with more pitches in […]

Manny Machado Had Laser Eye Surgery In Offseason

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado underwent laser eye surgery in the offseason because he said his vision felt slightly off during night games in recent seasons. In the shortened 2020 season, Machado hit .304/.370/.580 with 16 home runs to finish third in National League MVP voting. The right-handed slugger was on pace to […]

Breakout Pitchers and Late-Round Draft Targets: WPC+

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut identify pitchers who could break out in 2021. Target these pitchers late in fantasy baseball drafts! Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius […]

Jon Anderson's Third Base Tiered Rankings and Projections

Welcome back to my own personal rankings series! Today we're covering third base, but you can check out the rest of the series at the links below: First Base Second Base Shortstop Third base may be the deepest position in terms of total statistical production that will come out of it, but that does not […]

Jake Cronenworth To See Some Work In Outfield

San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth will get some looks in the outfield in spring training over the next month. Cronenworth broke out for the Friars last year by hitting .285/.354/.477 to finish second in National League Rookie of the Year voting. He figures to share time at the keystone with Ha-Seong Kim, who […]

Ryan Weathers Building Up As Starter

San Diego Padres left-handed pitching prospect Ryan Weathers, who made his debut in the postseason against the Dodgers with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, is building toward a starter's workload in spring training and was the first pitcher to work multiple innings in a simulated game on Thursday. He used three pitches -- a […]

Padres Won't Get In Yu Darvish's Way

The San Diego Padres don't plan on trying to change starting pitcher Yu Darvish in his first season with the team. He threw a 20-pitch bullpen session on Thursday for the first time this spring and said he felt good. "Had very good control, all in all feeling really good," Darvish said through a team […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook - February 25th

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We've at least made it through the first […]

2021 Third Base Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We continue to move past the chaos of 2020 and onto a new baseball season full of promise. For fantasy baseball managers, draft season is already upon us. RotoBaller's rankers, Pierre Camus, Big Pick Nick Mariano, and I have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings as we now move on to evaluate the hot corner. […]

Injuries Continue To Hamper Tommy Pham

San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham was limited to just 31 games in the shortened 2020 season due to a left hamate fracture in his hand. The career .277/.373/.472 (126 OPS+) hitter batted just .211/.312/.312 (74 OPS+) when on the field in his first season with the Padres. But Pham walked and struck out as […]

Digging Into BB% Leaders - Cavan Biggio

When looking at a player’s stats, what we really want to know is how skilled he is, not necessarily just how a particular year happened to pan out. An output stat like walks can give us some meaningful information, but there is a lot more going on that might help us better understand how and […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook - February 23rd

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We've at least made it through the first […]

Roster Construction Strategies from the Middle

Drafting a great roster is the vital base for a successful fantasy baseball season. In order to do that, you'll need to find an optimal draft position. All draft spots are not created equal. Finding the right spot for you is your first task. Everyone has their own preference on the best spot to start […]

Jose Castillo Finally Ready To Contribute Again

San Diego Padres reliever Jose Castillo appears ready to finally contribute again this season. After a stellar 2018 where he posted a 3.29 ERA and electric 12.2 K/9, Castillo has pitched only 2/3 innings in two seasons dealing with myriad arm injuries. Still just 25 years old, the Friars believe he's a "full-go" in spring […]

Chris Paddack Embracing Analytics To Improve Fastball

San Diego Padres starter Chris Paddack recognizes the need to improve his fastball effectiveness this season. The 25-year-old followed up a sensational rookie campaign in 2019 with a disappointing 4.73 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 59 frames (12 starts) last year. After diving into the numbers, Paddack realized his spin rates fell dramatically and dedicated […]

2021 Shortstop Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

Once upon a time, shortstop was one of the toughest positions to fill in fantasy baseball, just a small notch above catcher. 10 years ago, we were prioritizing Troy Tulowitzki and Hanley Ramirez near the top of drafts just because they filled that elusive shortstop spot. Sure, they were fantastic hitters – when healthy – […]

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 3)

Welcome back RotoBallers to Part 3 of my dynasty prospects list, breaking down the 1-50 ranked prospects. You can also read Part 1 and Part 2 from a few days ago, looking at the 51-150 and 151-250 ranked prospects. RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has […]

Jon Anderson's First Base Tiered Rankings and Projections

One way to improve at drafting a fantasy baseball team is to shift your focus away from straight-ordered rankings and into tiered rankings. This helps you identify spots in the draft where you need to prioritize a certain position and times when you can wait. The difference between the #2 and #3 first baseman is […]

RotoBaller Mock Draft Review - Biggest Reaches and Regrets

As we steamroll into fantasy baseball draft season, the team here at RotoBaller continues to practice what we preach by partaking in mock drafts. It's the best way to test out plans, gather information to have a better idea of what to expect for the real thing and try out new ideas you've been working […]

2021 Second Base Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We continue to move past the chaos of 2020 and onto a new baseball season full of promise. For fantasy baseball managers, draft season is already upon us. RotoBaller's rankers, Pierre Camus, Big Pick Nick Mariano, and I have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings as we now move on to evaluate the keystone position. […]

Fastball Barrel Board - Bases Loaded Podcast

Carmen Maiorano (@CarmsClubHouse) joins the show discuss his newest bit of research, his fastball barrel board. Subscribe to the Bases Loaded podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune […]

Are We Overvaluing Innings Pitched Projections?

One of the biggest questions that the 2020 season has caused for 2021 is concerning starting pitcher inning totals. The league leader in regular-season innings last year, as you've probably heard, was Lance Lynn with 84 innings. The average total for pitchers who made 10 or more starts was just 60 innings. In years prior […]

First Base Preview: Fantasy Baseball 2021 ADP Analysis

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller discusses 2021 fantasy baseball first base rankings and 1B draft sleepers who can be sneaky later-round picks. He breaks down and compares the ADPs of three different MLB players at the first base position. Fantasy players should consider picking up these players for their drafts this MLB Season. Be sure to […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: HR/FB

Using BABIP to predict a player's batting average is great. Batting average is a category in many league formats, and every hit is an opportunity to steal a base or score a run. But most fantasy managers find the long ball sexier. Every HR comes with a guaranteed run scored and at least one RBI. […]

Andrew Benintendi and Franchy Cordero Trade - Fantasy Impacts

We've seen a few blockbuster trades so far this offseason. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco went to the Mets, while Yu Darvish and Blake Snell went to the Padres. These trades have significant fantasy implications, but it's important to also consider the impact of a minor trade that went down about a week ago, where […]

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 2)

Welcome back RotoBallers to Part 2 of my dynasty prospects list, breaking down the 51-150 ranked prospects. You can also read Part 1 and Part 3 from a few days ago, looking at the 1-50 and 151-250 ranked prospects. RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has […]