Greg Bird's Roster-Spot Chances Increase

In the aftermath of New York Yankees infielder Tyler Wade's demotion to Triple-A, the possibility that the Yankees could carry two players currently engaged in a position battle increased. Luke Voit and Greg Bird are currently battling it out for the starting job at first base, but it was assumed that only one would make the […]

Yankees Option Tyler Wade

The New York Yankees optioned infielder/outfielder Tyler Wade to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday morning, meaning that outfielder Mike Tauchman appears to have made the Opening Day roster. Tauchman was acquired from the Rockies on Saturday. Manager Aaron Boone sees the 28-year-old Tauchman as being capable of playing all three outfield positions for depth. The team's […]

Rhys Hoskins On Track For Opening Day

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder/first baseman Rhys Hoskins (shoulder) is still on track to be ready for Opening Day despite battling left shoulder soreness, according to manager Gabe Kapler. Hoskins took a round of batting practice and hit off a high-velocity machine in the cages on Sunday and said he "felt good." He's expected to play in […]

Hanley Ramirez To Make Opening Day Roster

Cleveland Indians first baseman Hanley Ramirez has made the team's Opening Day roster, manager Terry Francona confirmed on Sunday. Han-Ram signed a minor league deal in February and entered Sunday hitting .278/.316/.528 with two home runs and eight RBI in 36 spring at-bats. He'll be an option for at-bats at first base but won't be […]

Finding Under and Overvalued 1B Using Expected Draft Values

We've been rolling out our Expected Draft Values series, starting with Nick Mariano's look yesterday into some undervalued players, and we followed it up this morning with Nick's look at overvalued players.  This afternoon, we're going to give you some undervalued and overvalued players at first base. As a quick primer, Expected Draft Value is the […]

H2H Points Leagues First Basemen - Overvalued & Undervalued

For those fantasy enthusiasts that love the head-to-head competition and being able to trash talk their friends every week, the points league is the ideal setup. For the casual player in this format, it’s common to unknowingly draft using a standard top-300 list from a magazine or website. These lists base themselves on roto formats, […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Busts - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As you get ready for last-minute drafts or reflect on recent results, we wanted to give our staff the chance to share their least favorite preseason ADP values. We recently polled some of our fantasy baseball writers to get their take on which hitters and pitchers they are likely to avoid in the early rounds of […]

Intro: Finding Overvalued Players Using Expected Draft Values

Yesterday we introduced the concept of Expected Draft Values and looked at four undervalued players that are prime targets in 2019. Today, we'll look at four overvalued players. Stay tuned the next few days as we bring you a deeper look at undervalued and overvalued players from each position using Expected Draft Values. Generally, what […]

Infielders Who'll Continue to Break Out In 2019

2018 was a fantastic year for a number of MLB players. Breaking out and either surprising people or reaching your true potential must be a fantastic feeling for players who have put in years of work to get to where they are. Those breakout players are also a lot of fun for fantasy baseball owners. […]

Ryan Zimmerman (1B, WAS) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 220 CURRENT ADP: ~340 overall ANALYSIS: Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman surprised a lot of folks when he hit .303/.358/.573 with a .930 OPS, career-high 36 home runs and 108 RBI in 144 games in 2017. The 34-year-old predictably fell back to Earth last season, hitting just .264/.337/.486 with an .824 […]

Pete Alonso (1B, NYM) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 200 ANALYSIS: Mets first base prospect Peter Alonso was one of the top hitters in the minor leagues this year. As a 23-year-old, he mashed 36 HR to go along with 92 R, 119 RBI and a .285/.395/.579 slash line between Double- and Triple-A. His stat lines in the upper minors resemble […]

Tyler White (1B, HOU) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 175 CURRENT ADP: ~270 overall ANALYSIS: Tyler White had a great 2018 campaign in the small sample size of 66 games. He posted a .276/.354/.533 slash with 27 runs, 12 home runs, and 42 RBI. His stats are pretty bulletproof evidenced by an above-average walk rate at 10.1% and an average […]

Yulieski Gurriel (3B/2B/1B, HOU) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 200 ANALYSIS: In his second full season with the Houston Astros, Yuli Gurriel’s 2018 numbers were exactly as expected. He hit a cool .291 with 13 HR, 70 R, 85 RBI and he even chipped in five stolen bases. Other than superb contact skills, Gurriel is league average in all batted […]

Carlos Santana (3B/1B, CLE) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 170 ANALYSIS: Carlos Santana has been fairly consistent, and to some extent, you know what you are getting. Depending on your league and needs, that can be a good thing or a bad thing. If your league and roster construction require an upside play, then Santana would not be your guy. […]

Mets Imply Roster Spot For Peter Alonso

There are increasing signs that the New York Mets will indeed carry first baseman Peter Alonso on their Opening Day roster. With the season just days away from kicking off, Jed Lowrie and Todd Frazier both remain in injury limbo, opening up a spot for the 24-year-old first baseman. While the Mets haven't specifically stated he […]

Luke Voit Will Avoid First Base Fate For Now

With just days until the start of the 2019 MLB regular season, the New York Yankees are still seemingly undecided over the starting first baseman. Entering the spring, the club had both Luke Voit and Greg Bird in competition for the everyday job, with the loser surely losing out on a spot on the big […]

After Hours with RotoBaller Radio: Starting Pitcher Preview Part 4

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. This radio show is sponsored by our good friends over at RT Sports. Be sure to check out their Best Ball leagues, drafting every day, and their awesome contest the RealTime Fantasy Sports Baseball Championship with a […]

Matt Olson Undergoes Hand Surgery

Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson suffered an injury to his right hand after fouling a ball off of it in Thursday's game in Japan. He had to undergo surgery on his hamate and will be out an extended period of time. The A's haven't specified an exact timetable for his return yet, but these […]

Hitters Who Changed Scenes - Preseason Risers and Fallers

The constant and inevitable churn of players and teams continued this offseason, as it does being "constant" and all. A change of scenery having an effect in and of itself is a bit cliche and probably inaccurate, but changing parks and changing teammates will certainly have its effect on a player's stat line. One player […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As we get set for the 2019 MLB season, it's time for our crack staff to reveal their favorite preseason sleepers. We recently polled some of our fantasy baseball writers to get their take on which hitters and pitchers they are targeting the most in the mid-to-late rounds of fantasy drafts. While you've likely heard […]

Intro: Finding Undervalued Players Using Expected Draft Values

At RotoBaller, we are all about bringing you the best analysis in the fantasy sports universe. We’re proud to unveil a draft-season project that looks at the past 10 years of draft data to find undervalued and overvalued players based on Expected Draft Values.  This series introduction will briefly break down our methodology and then […]

Matt Carpenter To Play In One More Spring Game

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter, who dealt with back tightness last weekend, plans to play in just one more Grapefruit League game before getting the rest of his at-bats in a minor league setting next week. He plans on being ready for Opening Day next Thursday against Milwaukee. Carpenter had five hits, including three […]

Good News For Greg Bird

New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird was relieved to find out that X-rays and a CT scan on his right elbow came back clean on Friday. Bird was hit by a pitch on his right elbow in a spring game on Wednesday. He did not swing or take ground balls on Friday, but he […]

Can Cody Bellinger Take The Next Step?

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger is quietly having a solid spring, slugging .535 through 43 spring at-bats. After a breakout rookie season, Bellinger saw his home runs dip from 39 in 2017 to only 25 last season. He also saw a regression hitting with runners in scoring position, hitting only .245 last season […]

Angels Hope Justin Bour Bounces Back In '19

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Justin Bour is hitting the ball with authority in spring training, leading the team with three home runs despite hitting only .235 through 34 exhibition at-bats. Bour was acquired over the winter to bring a run-producing presence to the lineup and provide some thump from the left side in the […]

Yuli Gurriel Slugging .515 This Spring

Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel is enjoying a fantastic spring training, slashing .364/.417/.515 through 33 at-bats. Gurriel is tied for the team lead with five doubles and will be looking to get off to a fast start in 2019 after starting last season on the shelf with a broken hamate bone in his hand. […]

Grant Lavigne Has Chance To Put Up Gaudy Numbers

Colorado Rockies first baseman Grant Lavigne, the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is No. 7 on the top-10 prospect first basemen list and could put up gaudy numbers at hitter-friendly Asheville in his first full professional season in 2019. The New Hampshire product could take more time to develop than others, but he […]

Nate Green's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

Here at RotoBaller, we offer only the best, most factually-grounded fantasy analysis. Then, once a year, along comes everyone's favorite exercise: the Bold Predictions. Ah yes, wherein those of us who write analysis about a sabermetric-driven sport are encouraged to make the wildest guesses about the coming season in fantasy baseball. Some statistical basis ought […]

First Basemen Set To Break Out in 2019

First base is no longer the premier position it once was for fantasy baseball. Aging sluggers have not been replaced by all-around talents for the large part and it has left a massive gulf in quality. Part of the decline in hitting has been due to the demand to get better fielders at first base, […]

Cardinals Finalizing Extension For Paul Goldschmidt

The St. Louis Cardinals are working to finalize a new five-year deal that would begin next season for first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, a source confirmed to MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal on Thursday. ESPN's Jeff Passan and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reported the deal will be worth around $130 million and is expected […]