Arodys Vizcaino: Cheap Closer Comes With Skills

While no one actively roots for injury, when Jason Grilli went torn with a torn Achilles as he shot off to cover first base it meant that there was a void to be filled in the Braves’ ninth inning. This was initially filled by Jim Johnson, whose trade value was built up enough to then […]

Julio Teheran Is A Risky Buy in 2016

Julio Teheran took a few sizeable steps back in 2015 after an impressive first two full years in the majors for the Braves. Many people could see that the regression police was hot on Teheran’s trail after last year. It’s one thing to have your surface stats catch up to your peripherals, but his peripherals […]

Nick Markakis: A Deep League OF Option In 2016

Nick Markakis’ 2015 was his first season not in an Orioles jersey, and his first year for the Braves saw him barely able to hit a home run. In every season of his career Markakis had hit double digit home runs, and last year for Atlanta he hit a grand total of three. He had […]

Ender Inciarte Is Set To Leadoff For The Braves In 2016

An exciting addition for the Braves, Ender Inciarte comes over from the Diamondbacks after he hit six homers and stole 21 bases while hitting .303 in 561 plate appearances in 2015. Inciarte put the ball in play more last year, bringing his strikeout rate down from a healthy 11.9% to an improved 10.3% while also […]

Erick Aybar: Cheap MI Option in 2016

Erick Aybar has really settled into a role, seemingly unflinching in his quest to hit a few home runs every year alongside 15 steals and a .270s average. Of course he now comes to the Braves instead of playing for the Angels, so his counting stats may take a step back, but for now he […]

Adonis Garcia: Sneaky CI Power Bat For 2016?

If you scoured the web for 2016 Braves’ projections and saw Adonis Garcia slotted in at third base and batting fifth behind Freeman, your reaction may have been one of shock and dismay. From a “real life” baseball perspective, plenty might agree with you as his glove at third is subpar. What is keeping him […]

Hector Olivera Looks To Grow In 2016

The Braves traded for Hector Olivera from the Dodgers at the deadline last year, and after Olivera recovered from a wrist injury he was called up for the month of September in Atlanta. In a minuscule 24 game, 87 plate appearance sample, he hit two homers with 11 RBIs with a .253 average. While it […]

Jace Peterson: A Buried 2016 Deep League MI Option

Jace Peterson is slated to be the Braves’ second baseman again in 2016, but he doesn’t look to have much relevance outside of deep leagues that require a MI slot. He goes on streaks, but he’ll never be a guy who hits double digit homers and it doesn’t seem like his speed has translated to […]

Freddie Freeman: Top 10 First Baseman in 2016

Freddie Freeman’s first three years in the league (2011-2013) saw him seemingly establish a safe 20 home run floor, with 2013 looking like a huge growth year as he also posted a .319 average to go with 23 bombs and a career high 109 RBIs. Now that average isn’t likely to come again (he had […]

Early Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: Points of Contention from Rounds 5-7

Here are the usual suspects (in draft order): Jacob Bogardus, Brad Johnson, Alex Brock, Harris Yudin, Max Petrie, Josh Leonard, Ross Williamson, Andrew Miller (from The Fantasy Fix), Nick Mariano (myself), Tom Bellucco, Brian Dunshee (also from The Fantasy Fix), and Edward Suletan. Reminder: This is a traditional 5x5 redraft 23 round mock with 2 […]

Gerardo Parra: Now a Full Time Player in Coors

Well, well, now it's starting to make sense! Corey Dickerson is off to Tampa Bay and Colorado did not get an outfielder in return, so Gerardo Parra now gets to step into a clear starting role with the Rockies. Parra's 2015 was a tale of two halves, as the first one, in Milwaukee, saw him […]

No More Coors for Corey Dickerson

Okay folks, Corey Dickerson is now a Tampa Bay Ray and there are plenty of questions surrounding the fallout. What does this mean for Dickerson? How valuable is he? Which is a nice way of putting “how much of a hit does his stock take leaving Coors”? Well, outside of copping out with a “no […]

David Robertson is a Top Ten RP for 2016

David Robertson has been rock solid for many years now. He doesn’t elicit any injury concerns and is coming off his first year with the White Sox where he anchored the bullpen with 34 saves. He had the eighth best K/9 in the league amongst qualified relief pitchers last year, and he doesn’t have to […]

Erik Johnson is a Deep League SP to Watch

Erik Johnson is an intriguing back-end rotation guy who has been in the White Sox system for a few years now. The General Manager of the White Sox spoke as though Johnson has the inside track heading into Spring Training for the #5 slot in Chicago’s rotation. With Jeff Samardzija gone, Johnson can pop in […]

Carlos Rodon Poised for a Top 30 SP Finish in 2016

Carlos Rodon joined the major leagues quickly in 2015 after only two starts at AAA. He then pitched 139 innings, going 9-6 and striking out a batter per inning with a 3.75 ERA. The 1.44 WHIP left something to be desired, but his stuff is undeniably real. Most important to note is how clustered his […]

Jose Quintana is Still Underappreciated in 2016

Jose Quintana has quietly posted three good years in a row with the White Sox, breaking 200 innings in each of them. In 2014 he struck out 178 with a 3.32 ERA (with a 2.81 FIP) and 1.24 WHIP, and went 9-11. 2015 saw him strike out 177 batters with a 3.36 ERA (backed by […]

Chris Sale Will Be Your Team's Ace in 2016

Chris Sale came into 2015 with a bit of a foot injury that scared his draft stock down a little, and boy he paid off for those that got him. He only got 13 wins with the struggling White Sox backing him, but he struck out 274(!) in 208.2 innings with a 3.41 ERA and […]

Avisail Garcia: Deep League Fifth OF for 2016

Avisail Garcia is only turning 25 this June, and only played his first full season last year. His 601 plate appearances in 2015 wasn’t all that impressive, tallying a 66-13-59-7-.257 line in all. It doesn’t help his case that his defense is also quite lousy. The White Sox and fantasy owners alike are hoping that […]

Adam Eaton Poised for a Top 25 OF Spot in 2016

Adam Eaton’s 2015 was an unmitigated disaster in April, as he hit .192 with zero RBIs and one stolen base to open the season. He then had a good rest of the season, ending the year with 98 runs scored, 14 home runs, 56 RBIs, 18 steals, and a .287 average. Hello five category production, […]

Melky Cabrera: A Strong Fourth OF in 2016

Melky Cabrera’s 2015 got off to a slow start, hitting only two home runs in the first three months, but he had a strong second half and ended up with 70 runs, 12 homers, 77 RBIs and a .273 average. Not much appears different in the batted ball profile except for a drop in BABIP […]

Todd Frazier is a Top Five 3B in 2016

Todd Frazier rode a torrid first half into the All Star Break and then fell flat on his face. I don’t think anyone expected him to keep it up all year, 25 first half home runs is ridiculous, but no one could have seen such a disastrous second half coming. The power disappeared, but more […]

Brett Lawrie: 2016 Deep League MI Power Bat

Brett Lawrie is one of those names that elicits an initial wave of excitement, followed by the memories of all the times you thought the breakout was coming. It feels as though now he’s settled into a profile, and if he hits sixth for the White Sox then he could turn in another year like […]

Jose Abreu is a Top Four First Baseman in 2016

Jose Abreu seems to be slipping a bit after he couldn’t replicate his incredible debut season of 2014. He “letdown” his owners last year with 30 bombs, 101 RBIs, 88 runs scored, and a .290 average. Abreu is a powerful guy, and he seems like he has a safe floor of 30 bombs and 100 […]

Adam LaRoche: A Very Deep League Consideration for 2016

Adam LaRoche isn’t dead yet! He’s close though. Entering his age-36 season, he needs to show that he deserves the at bats after a miserable 2015. Known for being a second half player, many owners stuck with him through the horrible first half hoping for life in the warmer months. It never came. He ended […]

Jorge De La Rosa: 2016 Deep League Pitcher

Jorge De La Rosa isn’t going to surprise anyone at this point. He’ll be the 35 year old stalwart in the Rockies rotation who should be good for a 4 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with 140 strikeouts if health holds (which he's had issues with in the past). These are the overall numbers, as his […]

How Jon Gray Can Be Great for You in 2016

Jon Gray has been the pitching prospect for the Rockies for a few years now, and he finally got a taste of the major leagues at the end of 2015. Just as Coors Field giveth to its hitters, it taketh away from its pitchers. He ended up with a 5.53 ERA and 1.62 WHIP, though […]

Gerardo Parra and the Curious Case of 2016 Playing Time

Gerardo Parra had two seasons in 2015. The first one, in Milwaukee, saw him hit .328 with nine homers and nine steals. This was capped off by an insane July where he hit .435, which caught the eye of the Baltimore Orioles. The Brewers were sellers, so off Parra went to Baltimore at the deadline. […]

Corey Dickerson: A Mid-Round Risk Worth Your Shot

Corey Dickerson had an extremely disappointing 2015 as plantar fasciitis derailed his season. He started out hot, hitting five home runs with a .329 average in March/April, but soon thereafter was being rested for his foot pain. He kept trying to work back in until they shelved him for the entirety of August. When he […]

Charlie Blackmon Looks to be One of 2016's Top Ten Outfielders

Entering 2015 there were plenty of questions as to whether Charlie Blackmon could sustain his success, so he answered by scoring 93 runs, hitting 17 homers, knocking in 58 runs, stealing 43 bases, and hitting .287. If you’re a real stickler you can complain about the RBI total, but the bottom line is he has […]

Nolan Arenado is a Top Three 3B in 2016

Nolan Arenado is a first round pick in 2016. He is entering his age-25 campaign for the Rockies on the heels of an amazing 2015 where he hit 42 dingers with 130 RBIs while scoring 97 runs himself. He even provided all of that pop while hitting .287. That’s rare. For what it’s worth, he […]