Champ or Chump: What to make of Maikel Franco, Shelby Miller, and Carlos Correa

Younger players rule the day this week as we look at two rookies and a once hyped pitching prospect. The small sample sizes make determinations more difficult, but that is not going to stop their labeling as either Champs or Chumps. Lets begin.   Maikel Franco (3B, PHI) The one exception to the preseason notion […]

Champ or Chump: What to Make of Billy Burns, Pablo Sandoval, and Albert Pujols

Lately I feel as though I have discussed many pitchers in this space, so let's switch it up a little. This week, I will be discussing all people with bats. I'll also order the players in traditional batting order format: a fast guy will lead off, a contact guy will hit second, and a middle […]

Champs or Chumps: What to Make of Mike Pelfrey, Trevor May, and Big Papi

Did you realize that the Twins were in first place for a couple of minutes in a division that includes not only free spending Detroit but the American League All Star Team as well? They have since faded, but attaining first at all required quite a few players far exceeding preseason expectations, especially in their […]

Why You Should Buy Yovani Gallardo in Very Deep Leagues

Why I'm Buying Yovani Gallardo in Very Deep Leagues While Gallardo has largely been written off by fantasy owners, he is currently enjoying a career revival, following up last season's solid 3.51 ERA with a 5-6, 3.45 performance this season. FIP largely buys him as well, with a 3.62 figure. The success has not been […]

Champs or Chumps: Lucas Duda, Sonny Gray, and Clay Buchholz

Nearly everyone now agrees that sabermetrics have a use both in MLB front offices and in the fantasy arena, but the extent of this belief still varies. The Boston Red Sox have a league average starting rotation according to the advanced metrics, and are therefore still a popular postseason pick in some analytical circles. Their […]

Mike Foltynewicz (SP, ATL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: So a 3-2 record with a 4.29 ERA from Mike Foltynewicz on a weaker team does not excite you at first glance. Okay, how about a 3.83 FIP. Still no? What about a 9.31 K/9? Now you're listening? Good. Atlanta's random assortment of […]

Nate Karns (SP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Leagues or Stream in Good Matchups OWNED IN: 20% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Karns' numbers look league average at first glance - 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA - and his strikeout rate is acceptable at 8.13 K/9. The walks, however, can kill your WHIP - 3.92 BB/9 is simply dreadful. […]

Champs or Chumps: Bryce Harper, Gregory Polanco, A.J. Burnett

Once again, it is time to attempt to sort through the statistical noise that comes standard with every baseball season and work out whether current performances are sustainable or if significant regression should be expected. This week, we look at a pitcher making a strong case for Comeback Player of the Year, a Pirates outfielder […]

Champ or Chump Superstar Edition: What to Make of Slow Starts from Kershaw, Tulo, and Cano

You can never win your fantasy league on draft day, but you can lose it - especially if an early rounder doesn't pan out. This is the situation that Kershaw, Tulo, and Cano owners find themselves in. Every single one of them went in the first round in some leagues, and they almost never saw […]

Week 8 Q&A: Live Fantasy Chat (5/28)

Thursday Evening – Live Fantasy Baseball Q&A RotoBaller writer Ross Wiliamson will be fielding all grounders, flies and line drives on Thursday May 28th at 9:00 PM EST. Lineup concerns, add/drops, trades, DFS questions – you name it, we cover it! Come join in on the fun, and get your fantasy baseball lineup, waiver wire and sit/start questions answered. We’ll do our […]

Erick Aybar (SS, LAA) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues OWNED IN: 50% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Once upon a time, Aybar was a contributor to a lot of fantasy titles. You could draft elite hitters regardless of position early in the draft, and then count on .280 with 20 SB and a bunch of runs scored from your SS […]

Champs or Chumps: What to Make of Utley, Samardzija, and Bryant?

You know the drill by now. Each week we will check out three players, and break them down in sabermetric detail to determine if they are "Champs" or "Chumps". We help you cut through the fog to understand what's really going on with a player and whether or not their performances are sustainable (if they're […]

Miguel Gonzalez (SP, BAL) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Continue Scouting OWNED IN: 58% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: His sterling 4-2 record and 2.93 ERA look appealing on the surface, but the underlying statistics suggest that Gonzalez is likely to regress in a big way. His 7.12 K/9 isn't bad, but represents a leap of a full strikeout from his 2014 figure of 6.28. […]

James Paxton (SP, SEA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Ignore in shallow formats; Stream in 12+ team mixed formats OWNED IN: 21% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Overall, Paxton has pedestrian numbers: 2-2 with a 3.59 ERA and 6.99 K/9. These middling numbers mask a massive month to month split, however, as his April ERA was an inflated 5.74 while the May figure […]

Champs or Chumps: Will Hanley, Bartolo, and Vogt Maintain Their Hot Starts?

It seems like the season has just started, but in many ways we are well into it at this point. It is becoming increasingly necessary to focus on this year's production, leaving 2014 in the rear view mirror. This week we look at a Boston "outfielder", a Mets pitcher that might make more sense for […]

J.A. Happ (SP, SEA) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Continue Scouting / Add in AL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: So your offense is chugging along just fine, but your pitchers have underperformed your expectations thus far. You don't want to lose your league because of that, so you head to waivers to see what might be available. What's available? J.A. Happ, currently owned in 57% of […]

Dan Haren (SP, MIA) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Leagues / Matchup Streamer OWNED IN: 31% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: So you are still chugging along with an offense that can easily win you your league, but you need one more SP to really seal it. You looked into J.A. Happ, but then you remembered you want someone good. The […]

Andrus, Harang, and Dee Gordon: Real Deal or Impostors in Week 5?

A shortstop that is underperforming expectations, a pitcher that had no expectations, and a second sacker blowing his projections completely out of the water are on tap this week. Which shall we trust more: What we thought we knew heading into the season, or the data that the early season has given us? Without further […]

Cozart, McHugh, and Keuchel: Real Deal or Imposter?

Another week, another round of ballplayers to approach with a critical eye. The Astros' twin aces have a lot to do with their current position in the standings, but is it sustainable? First, however, lets look at the Reds shortstop that is having a season no one saw coming.   Zack Cozart, SS, CIN Cozart […]

Real Deal or Impostor: Will Graveman, Bauer, and Cruz Sustain Their Performances?

With 2 weeks officially in the books, we can finally begin to consider 2015 performances, at least to a certain extent. The small sample size waters remain treacherous, but approximately 10% of a player's season should not be completely ignored either. Three players that are now looked at far differently than they were in the […]

Real Deal or Impostor: Time to Sell on Mesoraco, Hughes, and Pearce?

Three Players Who You Should Considering Selling High On While this weekly column exists to determine whether you should trust a given player's performance, there are not enough data points to consider meaningful analysis of 2015 statistics. Last week we looked at three 2014 breakouts who we expect to continue their improved play, and this week we will look […]

Real Deal or Impostor: Why Dickey, Revere and Duffy Are Solid Waiver Wire Pickups for 2015

  Three Players Who Should Carry Over Their 2014 Success Is that guy on waivers a flash in the pan or the final piece you need to win your league? In this weekly column, we will examine underlying numbers in order to determine whether a given player is the real deal at his current pace […]

Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: When to Punt a Stat on Draft Day (Almost Never)

Fantasy owners are constantly trying to find something that will give them an edge, and one strategy that has been employed is to intentionally disregard a stat during the draft. The logic is simple enough: If all teams have the same number of auction dollars or draft picks, intentionally disregarding one stat provides an advantage […]

Travis d'Arnaud (C, NYM) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

Current ADP: 207.2 Rankings Status: Overvalued Analysis: The Metropolitan backstop is high on many sleeper lists this season due to a "power breakout" in the second half of the 2014 season. However, his rate stats indicate that while the second half was a change for Travis d'Arnaud, it is not one likely to lead to […]

Five Undervalued Catchers: Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

  Bet on These Backstops Catchers are the bane of seemingly every fantasy owner's existence. They tend not to accrue as many PAs as other hitters, while real teams value their defense to the exclusion of any semblance of offensive production. What masochist decided we should have to roster two of these? Fear not - […]

Top Five Shortstop Sleepers for 2015: Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

  Five Undervalued Shortstops for 2015 So you've had a great draft, taking the best player available in each round. You are reasonably certain you will contend in all categories, and then you remember that you still need to fill a SS and MIF slot and it is Round 17. Ugh. While shortstop can be a […]

Three Shortstops Who Will Underperform Their ADP: Rankings Analysis

Shortstop Buyer Beware Shortstop is traditionally one of the weaker positions on the fantasy baseball diamond, and 2015 figures to be no exception. With that being said, I find it difficult to justify buying these three shortstops at their currently inflated ADP prices, as they simply have very little chance to produce equal value - let alone […]

Jose Abreu (1B, CWS) - Overvalued in 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

CURRENT ADP: 7 RANKINGS STATUS: Overvalued ANALYSIS: Jose Abreu made a huge splash in his first MLB season, recording a robust .317 average to go along with 36 bombs. Bearing this in mind, it is easy to see how he would be a desirable Fantasy commodity heading into 2015. After all, he continues to play in […]

Craig Kimbrel (RP, ATL) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

CURRENT ADP: 50 RANKINGS STATUS: Fairly Valued ANALYSS: Craig Kimbrel has been the king of the fantasy closers since his first full season in the role in 2011, but somehow he has lost that distinction to Cincinnati's Aroldis Chapman heading into 2015. Nothing against Chapman, but Kimbrel should still be the first closer off the board on draft […]

Jedd Gyorko (2B, SD) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis

CURRENT ADP: 261 RANKINGS STATUS: Undervalued ANALYSIS: There is no doubt that Jedd Gyorko's 2014 season went disastrously awry. He managed to hit just .210 with 10 HR as he was held back by plantar fasciitis in the first half. There is hope for a rebound, however, as there are numerous signs that last year's failures were […]