Points Leagues First Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued

As we’ve discussed before, points leagues are a bit of a different animal from the more popular head-to-head and rotisserie formats. One of the easiest and best ways to ensure that you’re making a smooth transition between these disparate styles is to identify players whose values change most. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it […]

Daniel Vogelbach In Walking Boot

Seattle Mariners first baseman Daniel Vogelback (foot) was seen in a walking boot Saturday after he was hit by a pitch in the right foot in the Cactus League opener on Friday. His status is up in the air, although he did stay in the game and hit a double an inning before being taken […]

Buster Posey Held Out Saturday

San Francisco Giants catcher/first baseman Buster Posey (ankle) was held out on Saturday with a mild ankle tweak. There has been no update on if this will be a lingering injury, but the Giants have every reason to play it safe with Posey. Posey should be a top-five catcher this year and is a safe […]

Kris Bryant Not An Option To Bat First

Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said “four players (are) under consideration for leadoff spot. Kris Bryant is not in that group.” It should be no surprise that the former National League MVP won’t be atop the Cubs lineup, as he should remain in the two-hole. First baseman Anthony […]

Ryder Jones To Undergo MRI

San Francisco Giants infielder/outfielder Ryder Jones (hamstring) will undergo an MRI on his right hamstring. Jones tweaked his hamstring on Thursday. Jones got some run last year before landing on the disabled list with a wrist injury. Jones will play some outfield this spring, as he is blocked at both first base and third base by […]

Dominic Smith Benched For Being Late

As mentioned earlier Friday, New York Mets first baseman Dominic Smith was a late scratch for the team’s opening game of spring training on Friday. Given the team’s offseason full of criticizing Smith, the signing of first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and emergence of prospect Peter Alonso, any benching of Smith is worth close inspection. It turns […]

Dominic Smith’s Benching Not Health-Related

In a further development related to the New York Mets scratching first baseman Dominic Smith from Friday’s spring training opener, the benching does not seem to be health-related. According to Smith himself, the decision was simply the call of manager Mickey Callaway. This makes the situation all the more interesting, given a full offseason’s worth […]

Bobby Bradley Has Been the Highlight of Spring So Far

Cleveland Indians first base prospect Bobby Bradley has been the highlight of Spring Training so far for manager Terry Francona. Bradley has reportedly lost 30 pounds and will get a chance to play this spring. Francona said, "I told him not only is he knocking on the door because of where he plays, but we […]

Dominic Smith Scratched, Peter Alonso To Start

New York Mets first baseman Dominic Smith (undisclosed) was originally in the team’s lineup for their opening game of spring training, but has been scratched and replaced by Peter Alonso. There is no news yet as to why Smith was scratched. Hopefully, it’s nothing and Smith will be in the lineup next time out. Despite only […]

Eric Hosmer May Move Around Batting Order

Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the San Diego Padres are not concerned where first baseman Eric Hosmer bats in the order. Hosmer brings a career .342 on-base percentage, including .385 last season, to one of the league's least-disciplined teams. The Padres had a miserable .299 OBP in 2017. Manager Andy Green hopes Hosmer's […]

Alex Cora Not Concerned About Lineups

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is not concerned with the particulars of lineup construction based on splits, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Cora is not concerned with splitting up righties and lefties and doesn’t plan to get carried away with batter/pitcher matchups if it’s a small sample. With this news, there […]

ADP Sleepers and Busts - First Basemen

RotoBallers, it’s that time of year when we’re starting to really get into the grind of draft season. With that comes plenty of early ADP data that will either have you jumping for joy or scratching your head. With this article, we aim to bring you a few first basemen who we believe are either […]

Wil Myers Believes He's Stronger And Faster In 2018

Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports San Diego Padres outfielder Wil Myers put on over 20 pounds in the offseason, increasing his playing weight to 224. Despite the gain, Myers thinks he's both faster and stronger. This could be an iteration of the classic "best shape of my life" maxim, but fantasy owners could take […]

Anthony Rizzo Won’t Lead Off In 2018

When asked if leading off was a possibility for Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo in 2018, he replied with “no.” It’s no surprise, as Rizzo remains one of the better middle-of-the-order hitters in all of baseball. Rizzo should be targeted in the top 20 to top 25 this year and should be able to maintain […]

Champ or Chump - Jake Odorizzi and Eric Hosmer

It took the better part of four months, but baseball's offseason is finally starting! Eric Hosmer signed a massive contract to vacation play baseball in San Diego, while Jake Odorizzi was traded to the Minnesota Twins for a ham sandwich and a few extra baseballs. One of these players is capable of turning a substantial […]

Kendrys Morales (1B, TOR) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~215 CURRENT ADP: 297 ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays first baseman  Kendrys Morales was expected to have a solid 2017 season after two stellar seasons with the Kansas City Royals. Morales, unfortunately, did not exactly deliver the goods for fantasy owners in his first season north of the border. While he did finish with 28 home […]

Ryan McMahon The Front-Runner For First Base Job

Colorado Rockies first baseman Ryan McMahon is the clear front-runner for the first base job this year with outfielder Ian Desmond mainly focusing on left field. However, McMahon hasn't heard anything definitive from manager Bud Black. The 23-year-old was just 3-for-19 in 17 games with Colorado at the end of last year, but he hit […]

Hanley Ramirez To Be No. 3 Hitter

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said first baseman Hanley Ramirez is currently in line to be the No. 3 hitter. Han-Ram had a disappointing season all around in 2017, but shoulder issues might've been the biggest reason for his decline across the board at the plate. Despite hitting .241, Ramirez still slugged 23 home […]

Nick Mariano's 2018 Dynasty Sleepers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The term "sleeper" remains a volatile one, but when you add the dynasty-league wrinkle to it then you really open yourself up to a can of worms. Some people are in 12-team dynasties with a rather healthy stable of prospects available for the picking, […]

Fantasy Spin - Eric Hosmer Signs with San Diego

On Feb. 17, Eric Hosmer inked an eight-year, $144 million deal, the largest in Padres franchise history. Many are confused by the signing not only because eight years is an awfully big contract, but also because the Padres already have an All-Star first baseman on their roster in Wil Myers. Irrespective of this fact, the […]

Brad Miller Looked Good Monday

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Brad Miller was praised by manager Kevin Cash Monday. Cash said that the best part of spring training Monday was "seeing a healthy Brad Miller take BP and hit with power." Miller shocked everyone by slugging 30 homers in 2016, but he was a massive fantasy disappointment last season and […]

Jose Abreu Takes Grounders At Third Base

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu was seen taking groundballs at third base on Monday. Matt Davidson was at first base, but there shouldn’t be too much to read into this, as Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Abreu regularly took groundballs at shortstop last year. Regardless of where Abreu plays, […]

Cody Bellinger Won't Play Outfield This Spring

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told L.A. Times reporter Andy McCullough that the club has "no plans" to use first baseman Cody Bellinger in the outfield this spring. Bellinger spent most of his rookie season manning first base but also played all three outfield positions. He's considered a top-25 outfielder, so hopefully the Dodgers will […]

Chris Davis Looking To Clear Head With Strong Spring Training

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis told beat writer Brittany Ghiroli that his 2017 offensive struggles were all in his head. He also said that he's going to be treating his spring training at-bats like they are regular season ones. Here's hoping that he does pull that off, but putting pressure like that on himself has […]

Ian Desmond Expected To Mainly Play Left Field

Colorado Rockies first baseman/outfielder Ian Desmond said he's expected to mostly play left field this year. "I will be ready to play first base if they need me to, but right now, from what I understand it’s going to be mostly left field," Desmond said. Pegged as a breakout candidate with the move to Coors […]

Joe Mauer Wants To Stay With Twins

Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer, who is in the final year of an eight-year, $184 million deal, would like to continue his playing career with the Twins after the 2018 season. “If I can still contribute, I’m planning to keep going. I’d like that. I really enjoy playing this game, and I want to […]

Nick Mariano's 2018 Early-Round Overvalued List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) are almost all about finding the next superstar and unearthing talent late, but we can't forget that surrendering value by over-drafting can be just as crucial. In order to evaluate overvalued players here, we're going to utilize Average […]

C.J. Cron Traded To Tampa Bay, Rays Designate Corey Dickerson For Assignment

The Los Angeles Angels traded first baseman C.J. Cron to Tampa Bay for a minor leaguer to be named later. Cron hit .248 with a career-high matching 16 homers, 56 RBI and a .742 OPS in 100 games last season. The Rays also designated All-Star outfielder Corey Dickerson for assignment in a corresponding move. Dickerson started off […]

Eric Hosmer Signs With San Diego

The San Diego Padres signed free-agent first baseman Eric Hosmer to an eight-year deal worth $144 million. The deal is front loaded towards the first five seasons, and Hosmer will be able to opt out in the offseason after that fifth year. Hosmer hit .318/.385/.498 with 31 doubles, 25 homers, 94 RBI, 98 runs and […]

Three Up, Three Down – 2018 First Base Prospects

Power. Nothing else defines the first base position more than pure, raw power. If you have it, you better display it in abundance or there will be concerns. If you are smaller in stature, there will be concerns. If your talent is just hit tool, there will be concerns. If your defense is lacking, there […]