Spencer Torkelson To Make Tigers Opening Day Roster

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson will make the Opening Day roster, according to the Detroit Free Press, and will likely assume the starting first base job. Torkelson is the best prospect in the Tigers farm system, as per MLB.com, and has hit .280 with a .406 OBP and .846 OPS in 25 at-bats during […]

Paul Goldschmidt Having An Excellent Spring

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has been red hot this spring, hitting .526 with three homers, seven runs, four RBI, and a steal across just 19 at-bats. In 2021, Goldschmidt turned in yet another excellent season, hitting .294 with 31 homers, 102 runs, 99 RBI, and 12 steals in 158 games. The 12 […]

JB Branson's Bold Predictions for 2022 Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back to everyone's favorite series, the time where we allow rowdiness to surpass rationale ever so slightly and plant our flags on hills across the fantasy landscape. It's time for 2022 Bold Predictions. In case you missed it, my colleague Pierre Camus started us off with his bold picks from the leadoff spot. He […]

Players for $1: Salary Cap League Draft Targets for Fantasy Baseball - Dinelson Lamet, Brandon Nimmo, and more

We've already identified hitters and pitchers under $10 to target in salary cap league drafts. For this exercise, we're aiming lower and targeting players for just $1. That rules out roughly the top 350 players in drafts! From this vantage point, some managers may look for high-risk, high-reward plays to strike big with a small […]

Brandon Belt, Mike Yastrzemski To Play Saturday

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (knee) will make his Cactus League debut on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (quadriceps) will also be making his return to the spring lineup. Belt has been held out of spring action due to knee inflammation, but he's reportedly ahead of schedule and could […]

Padres, Mets Discussing Trade Involving Eric Hosmer, Others

The San Diego Padres and New York Mets have been in active conversations about a trade that would send first baseman Eric Hosmer and starting pitcher Chris Paddack to the Mets in exchange for outfielder/first baseman Dominic Smith, according to sources. The potential deal would allow the Padres to unload Hosmer's contract while addressing their […]

Later-Round RBI Targets for Fantasy Baseball - Joey Gallo, Rhys Hoskins, Matt Chapman

We are on to the RBI category in our later round categories targets series. This is a category that gets a bit overlooked just due to the nature of things, but it's important to have a good understanding of it. This post will follow the later round HR targets post pretty closely, so check that […]

Scott Engel's Fantasy Baseball Industry Draft Review - 2022 FSGA Experts League

In the final week of March, I was invited to represent RotoBaller in the industry's Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association’s Experts League Draft, which featured 15 teams from various fantasy sports outlets in a 5x5 Rotisserie style format. I will be attempting to win my third FSGA Fantasy Baseball Experts championship this season. I was […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues Draft Rankings - Aaron Nola, Luis Castillo, Jack Flaherty, Justin Verlander and More

And the hits keep on coming! As we deal with a variety of fantasy baseball news and injuries, below you'll find our updated 2022 fantasy baseball points league rankings. These fantasy baseball rankings are meant to reflect recent injuries and player news, and are geared towards points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) points league scoring formats. […]

Charlie Montoyo Given One-Year Extension

The Toronto Blue Jays extended manager Charlie Montoyo's contract through the 2023 season, according to an industry source. Montoyo's deal also includes two team options through the 2025 season. The 56-year-old skipper is heading into his fourth season with the team after originally signing a three-year deal that included an option for the 2022 that […]

ESPN H2H Points League Primer - Strategy, Bargains and Busts for Fantasy Baseball

Please, everyone just calm down. Don't worry! I'm not gonna do...what everyone thinks I'm gonna do...and FLIP OUT, man!!! I know that this is usually the space where I go on a big rant about ESPN point league coverage and how much they're failing the people by producing content that fails to match the realities […]

Launch Angle Analysis: Power Breakouts for 2022 Fantasy Baseball - Ketel Marte, Austin Hays, Jazz Chisholm Jr.

There are three essential components that go into hitting a home run. Putting a ball in play Hitting said ball at a certain angle range Hitting said ball above a certain velocity When forecasting how many homers a certain player will hit, these sabermetrics (strikeout rate, walk rate, launch angle distributions, and launch velocity distributions) […]

Brandon Belt Could Make Spring Debut Monday

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (knee) is scheduled to debut in an exhibition game on Monday, but it's "very tentative," according to manager Gabe Kapler. Tuesday is the final exhibition game in camp. Belt has yet to play in a Cactus League game this spring due to knee inflammation, but he's been taking […]

Royals Pick Up Mike Matheny's 2023 Option

The Kansas City Royals exercised their team option on manager Mike Matheny for the 2023 season on Thursday. Matheny took over as the lead man in Kansas City in 2020 and has led the team to a 100-122 record since. The former big-league catcher was with the St. Louis Cardinals previously for nearly seven years […]

Robinson Cano To Play First Base On Thursday

New York Mets infielder Robinson Cano is expected to play first base during Thursday's spring training matchup. Cano has only made 14 appearances at first base, which were all with the Seattle Mariners in 2018. Jeff McNeil should have the second base job locked up, so the Mets will look to increase Cano's versatility. The […]

Brandon Belt Could Return This Weekend

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (knee) was able to run the bases on Wednesday. The veteran infielder could return to the starting lineup this weekend. He has been dealing with lingering knee soreness, but manager Gabe Kapler expects Belt to be ready for Opening Day. Barring any setbacks, Belt could make his spring […]

Evan White Undergoes Sports-Hernia Surgery

Seattle Mariners first baseman Evan White (hernia) underwent successful surgery to fix a sports hernia on Wednesday, but his timeline for a return is unknown. White was injured last Thursday and will begin the 2022 season on the 60-day injured list most likely. The 25-year-old made his major league debut in 2020 but hasn't been […]

Michael Florio's Value Picks for Fantasy Baseball Drafts

Fantasy managers spend a ton of time spent breaking down player skillsets and what a player can do well. Chances are if you are on fantasy baseball Twitter at any point, you will see people arguing about a player. There will be people saying to reach for someone and others saying to fade him. But […]

Power Hitters Who Surged in September - Tyler O'Neill, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Belt

Whether their team is in the playoff hunt or not, it’s always big for guys to finish the season out on a strong note. Even if it’s in meaningless games, guys can look to carry that positive momentum into spring training and then the next season. In 2021, we saw some really strong performances at […]

Undervalued and Overvalued Players - Fantrax Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings

This year's RotoBaller Challenge is being hosted exclusively on Fantrax - The Home of Fantasy Sports. Whether you are competing against fellow RotoBallers, joining a public league, or creating your own custom league on Fantrax, you'll want to get familiar with the site's rankings and average draft position (ADP) before your league drafts. Each platform […]

Giants Expect To Have Brandon Belt For Opening Day

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said that he expects to have first baseman Brandon Belt (knee) on Opening Day "as of now." It's good news for a Giants team that will already be without third baseman Evan Longoria and outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. due to injuries to open the season. Belt has been dealing […]

Spring Training Skill Searching: Max Exit Velocity Standouts - Brendan Rodgers, Sam Hilliard, Christian Walker, Miguel Andujar

For most advanced baseball statistics, you need plenty of data to be available before you can start interpreting them. There is so much randomness and variance in baseball, that you really cannot glean any insights from a handful of games. This doesn't turn out to be true when we're looking at maximum exit velocity. This […]

LaMonte Wade Jr. Has Bone Bruise In Knee

San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (knee) was diagnosed with inflammation and bone bruising in his left knee after undergoing an MRI exam on Monday. Wade will rest for 10 days before being re-evaluated, which will rule him out for Opening Day. The 28-year-old was injured in the Cactus League game on Monday […]

Breakout Infielders That Will Keep Improving in 2022 (Jonathan India, Bo Bichette, Ty France)

Breakouts are perhaps the most fun part of playing fantasy baseball. Being able to identify and grab guys as they reach their potential can often be the difference between winning it all and being lost in the shuffle. Breakouts come in all shapes in sizes. They can be guys that come out of nowhere or […]

Bobby Dalbec (1B, BOS) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~200 pick CURRENT ADP: ~221 overall ANALYSIS: Bobby Dalbec will get every opportunity to be the Boston Red Sox starting first baseman in 2022 after his strong finish last season. Dalbec might be just holding the spot warm for elite prospect Triston Casas, who hit .284 with 13 homers in 77 Double-A […]

Albert Pujols To Retire After The Season

Future Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals this past weekend. Following the signing, he spoke with reporters and stated, "This is it for me. This is my last run." 2022 will be Pujols' 22nd season in the majors. The 42-year-old spent the first 11 years […]

Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene Not Locks To Make Roster

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that top prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene aren't locks to make the team's Opening Day roster. "They still have things to do to make this team. I can't put it any more simply than that," Hinch said. Torkelson, a corner infielder, and Greene, an outfielder, are the Tigers […]

Padres Acquire Matt Beaty From Dodgers

The San Diego Padres acquired first baseman/outfielder Matt Beaty from the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday in exchange for right-handed pitcher River Ryan. The Dodgers designated Beaty for assignment last week, and now he'll land in the same division with the Friars. The 28-year-old definitely need some more outfield help, but at best, the […]

Pierre Camus' Bold Predictions for 2022 Fantasy Baseball

Normally, I would begin this annual column by saying how grateful I am for the opportunity to be able to take up space on a major website like RotoBaller with my predictions for the upcoming season and follow with the number of years running I've done this. Truth is, I don't remember. Not that it's […]

Justin Upton Playing First Base

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Justin Upton is starting at first base and hitting fourth in Monday's Cactus League game against the Oakland Athletics. It's the first time that Upton will play first base in a major league game, although he's been working at the position this spring. If the Angels actually decide to use the […]