Jose Abreu Hits First Home Run

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu connected for his first home run of the season on Thursday. Abreu finished the game 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. He remains one of the best power threats in the game and there should be plenty of more home runs in his future.

Eric Hosmer Finishes 0-For-4 in Padres Debut

In his San Diego Padres debut, first baseman Eric Hosmer went 0-for-4 with a walk in the Opening Day matchup against Milwaukee. Outside of the 11th-inning walk, Hosmer had two groundouts — one for a double play — and two strikeouts in the win. While it wasn't the way owners would have liked for Hosmer […]

Jose Martinez Gets 2018 Off to a Strong Start

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Jose Martinez got off to a great start on Opening Day, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Martinez smashed a home run in the sixth inning and had a pair of singles to go with it. Most importantly, Matt Carpenter started at third base, giving Martinez a […]

Anthony Rizzo Hits Home Run Thursday

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit a home run in the top of the third inning on Thursday. Rizzo finished the game 1-for-4 with two runs scored. He remains one of the more consistent fantasy players for this season.

Cleveland Reassigns Mike Napoli to Minor League Camp

The Cleveland Indians reassigned first baseman Mike Napoli to minor league camp. Napoli was released by Cleveland but quickly re-signed once he accepted the fact that he would need to start the season at Triple-A Columbus. He'll serve as depth and should be up on the Cleveland roster sooner or later. It looks like Napoli's […]

Mets Place Dominic Smith On Disabled List

New York Mets first baseman Dominic Smith was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Thursday with a quadriceps injury. It’s been a disastrous start to 2018 for Smith, who many thought would seamlessly take over the first base gig full time to start the year. Unfortunately, the Mets went out and signed first baseman […]

Chris Davis Batting Leadoff On Opening Day

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis will bat first on Opening Day. Yes, it's unconventional, but manager Buck Showalter likes to challenge the norm. The stakes aren't as high for Thursday, but it's still a different look. Davis, who struggled in '17, might be more focused in this spot. It's not permanent yet, though. It'll be […]

Joey Gallo to Bat Second in Opener

Texas Rangers corner infielder Joey Gallo will open the season as the starting first baseman after spending the majority of the spring working at the position. More interesting is that he'll supplant shortstop Elvis Andrus as the No. 2 hitter. It raised eyebrows in the spring that the three true outcomes slugger was taking at-bats […]

Champ or Chump - Luis Castillo and Miguel Sano

Most fantasy owners have already drafted their squads by this point in March, but there are a handful of leagues that wait until after the season has started to populate their rosters. It seems bizarre, but we're not judging. This column will continue with its current format (citing ADP data) until a few weeks into […]

Bill Dubiel's 10 Bold Predictions for 2018

These bold predictions usually go one of two ways--I'm either spot on or I look like a clown. Still rubbing off the white makeup from my face after last year. It's funny, because I'm pretty good when it comes to rankings, but these shots in the dark, not so much. But this year will be […]

Week 1 Waiver Wire: 25-50% Owned Pickups

First, winter was here and the night was truly dark and full of terrors. But now, now it's Opening Day and the ills of the world are all invited to screw off. I love you all, what a great day! In light of this, let's give that free agent pool one last look over before […]

Top 30 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Leagues (Preseason)

Hello everyone, and welcome to my weekly Top-30 Fantasy Rankings for Impact Rookies! In this series, I will be going over the top prospects in baseball and discussing which ones figure to have an impact for the rest of this fantasy baseball season. This might be one of the most star studded prospect lists to […]

Carlos Santana Enters New World Today

After a World Series appearance in 2016 and historic winning streak last season, Carlos Santana bid farewell to the Cleveland Indians and signed with the upstart Philadelphia Phillies. It’d be quite the story if the Phillies reach that level, as they’re viewed to be rebuilding this year. Santana will be surrounded by younger players, making […]

Jesus Aguilar Makes Opening Day Roster

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Jesus Aguilar has made the team's Opening Day roster. Aguilar, who was claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Indians, was already a backup first baseman to Eric Thames last season with 16 home runs and a .265 batting average in 279 at-bats. However this year, Ryan Braun will start against left-handed batters […]

Justin Bour Ready To Duplicate 2017 Success

Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour will be one of the lone power hitters in South Beach this year, and he's eager to put Spring Training behind him. Bour hit a measly .167 in 42 Spring Training at-bats, though fantasy owners shouldn't be too concerned with him. Last season, the big lefty slashed .289/.366/.536 with […]

Frank Schwindel Sent Back To Minors

The Kansas City Royals grabbed a surprise share of the spring training home run leaderboard thanks to first baseman Frank Schwindel, but that doesn't mean Schwindel will have a roster spot for now. Schwindel was left off the Opening Day roster for the Royals, and instead, Lucas Duda will man the post at first. Schwindel's […]

Rhys Hoskins Will Lead Philadelphia’s Four-Man Outfield

With four clear outfielders capable of starting, the Philadelphia Phillies will rotate Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr, Odubel Herrera and Rhys Hoskins, according to manager Gabe Kapler. His hope is to limit the starters to 145 games each, allowing them some rest. Hoskins is coming off his monstrous rookie stint with the Phillies last year, raising […]

Gary Sanchez Gets Assurance Behind The Plate

While New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez enjoyed another successful season at the plate last year, it was behind the plate where issues ensued. The 25-year-old suffered defensively, with talk of switching him to full-time designated hitter running rampant. However, his new manager Aaron Boone has given Sanchez a vote of confidence. The rookie skipper has […]

Neil Walker Starting At Second Thursday

While New York Yankees infielders Tyler Wade and Ronald Torreyes spent most of spring training fighting for the starting job at second base voided by Starlin Castro’s departure, it will be Neil Walker manning the position for Opening Day. The 32-year-old signed with the Yankees earlier this month, managing to get 18 at-bats with the club […]

Tyler Austin Gets Opening Day Nod At First

The New York Yankees have released their starting lineup for Thursday’s season opener in Toronto against the Blue Jays. While the familiar faces will be atop the lineup, first baseman Greg Bird’s injury and subsequent surgery has led to Tyler Austin getting the start at first and batting ninth. The 26-year-old saw time at first last […]

Buster Posey On Fire This Spring

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey is ready to go for Opening Day on Thursday. Posey dealt with some ankle issues early in camp, but has bounced back strong with a .471 batting average with two home runs and 10 RBI over 34 at-bats. He remains one of the top-three options at catcher along with […]

Anthony Rizzo Has Strong Spring

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is coming off of a very nice spring. Rizzo hit .354 with three home runs and 10 RBI over 48 at-bats. Rizzo has been one of the more consistent fantasy players over the past few years and he should continue to be a safe pick. It also doesn’t hurt […]

Angels Cut Chris Carter

The Los Angeles Angels have informed first baseman/designated hitter Chris Carter that he will not break camp on the 25-man roster. There's no word on if he will accept an assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake or if he will try and catch on with another club. Regardless, his current fantasy value is non-existent. If he catches […]

Later-Age Fantasy Breakouts for 2018

Common wisdom used to suggest that a hitter’s true prime was his age-27 season, but in recent times that seems to have shifted to a younger age as more and more players break into the league earlier. That said, we’ve still seen our fair share of late breakouts over the last number of years, with […]

Ryan McMahon Makes The Roster

After much speculation going the other way, the Colorado Rockies have elected to keep first baseman Ryan McMahon in the majors. McMahon's got a ton of potential, but he still seems to have an uphill battle to find regular playing time. For now, he should be owned in all deep and dynasty leagues, and this […]

Freddie Freeman Set To Ride Hot Spring Into Regular Season

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman can be a top-15 fantasy player when he's healthy. He looks that way after a Grapefruit League showing that saw him hit .319 with two homers. He's going to hit a lot more long balls during the regular season. This could be the year where he wreaks complete havoc […]

Josh Bell To Bat Cleanup On Opening Day

After finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2017, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell will bat fourth for the team on Opening Day. The 25-year-old batted .255/.334/.466 with 26 home runs and 90 RBI in his first full season and .294/.351/.608 with four homers and 12 RBI this spring. He's […]

Kennys Vargas Back With Twins, Heading To Triple-A

Minnesota Twins first baseman/designated hitter Kennys Vargas has cleared waivers and will report to Triple-A Rochester. Vargas had a busy week as the Twins tried to get him through waivers earlier, only to have the Cincinnati Reds claim him. The Twins then got Vargas back two days later after Cincinnati waived the slugger. Vargas is […]

Can Kyle Seager Take The Next Step?

Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager produced another ho-hum season of 25-plus home runs and 74 or more runs driven in last season. But he hit a career-low .249 and struggled to produce the kind of power numbers the Mariners were hoping for in the first half of the season. After slugging .499 in 2016, […]

Dan Vogelbach Presents Short-Term Fantasy Option For Opening Week

Seattle Mariners first baseman/designated hitter Dan Vogelbach should see plenty of at-bats in the first week of the season thanks to his sparkling spring training performance. Vogelbach hit .407 with seven doubles, seven home runs and 16 runs batted in through 54 at-bats. Vogelbach should see some time as free-agent acquisition Ryon Healy works his […]