Eric Thames Slugs A Home Run In Win

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Eric Thames went 1-for-3 with a home-run, two RBI, and a strikeout in the 4-3 win over the Oakland Athletics. Thames has not been that hot this Spring Training so far, with a batting average of .182 and an OPS of .600. Despite Thames being the near guaranteed starting first baseman […]

Yuli Gurriel Worked Out Tuesday

Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel (hand) fielded grounders, ran the bases and did light hitting on the field on Tuesday. It's good progress for the Cuban, but he's still expected to be sidelined until around mid-April. He could come slightly cheaper in drafts as a result, and he showed fine contact and hard-hit rates […]

Jose Abreu Hopes To Play Friday

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (hamstring) is hoping to return to the lineup on Friday. Abreu left Tuesday’s contest with a tight hamstring but was in a very good mood when talking to reporters Wednesday. It seems like Abreu avoided what could have been a significant injury. Abreu remains one of the most […]

Jose Abreu’s Hamstring Injury Is Considered Minor

After leaving Tuesday’s contest with a hamstring injury, Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (hamstring) is considered day-to-day. Manager Rick Renteria said that the White Sox believe that the injury is minor and could have been a cramp. Abreu will still be re-evaluated on Wednesday, but it looks like Abreu has avoided missing significant […]

Pierre Camus' 10 Bold Predictions for 2018

As we steamroll toward Opening Day, our experienced writers will be offering their most bold predictions for the 2018 fantasy baseball season. Although I will never be able to replicate last year's successes in calling Giancarlo Stanton's mammoth season, I will do my best. Feel free to ignore the majority of those other predictions from 2017. […]

Cody Bellinger "Fine" After Being Removed From Game

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger (leg) left Tuesday's game early after fouling a ball off his leg. The move was a precautionary one by manager Dave Roberts, who proclaimed Bellinger to be "fine" after the game. He's considered day-to-day but no one is really worried. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year […]

Jose Abreu Dealing With Hamstring Tightness

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (hamstring) left Tuesday’s game early with tightness in his left hamstring. The White Sox are saying Abreu is day-to-day, but hamstring injuries can be tricky and there should be another update on the slugger's status on Wednesday. Abreu remains one of the best sources for power and has […]

Chris Davis Avoids Injury After Monday's Game Versus Minor Leaguers

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who is making his way back from a forearm injury, almost had another setback on Monday. He was hit in the right shin by Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chih-Wei Hu, but apparently escaped injury, save for needing a shin guard to protect a nasty bruise. That's the last thing […]

Ji-Man Choi Has Been Out With Sore Ribs

Milwaukee Brewers first basemen Ji-Man Choi has been out of commission for a few days with sore ribs and will not play the spring training game on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. Choi has had a solid spring training so far with a .419 batting average and a 1.396 OPS in 31 at-bats, so this […]

Ryan Zimmerman Won't See Grapefruit Action Until Weekend

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman isn't in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game and won't return to the lineup until the weekend. The move is surprising given how close Opening Day is, but Zimmerman has been taking at-bats on the back fields and says he's 100 percent. No one is indicating that there's an injury afoot, […]

Blake Swihart's Strong Spring Could Sway BoSox To Retain Him

Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart has had a strong spring at the plate while gaining experience in the field as well. His performance and positional flexibility might influence the team to trade other assets, according to Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston. Swihart has a .283 average with two home runs and seven RBI […]

Dollar Day Auction Targets for Fantasy Baseball Drafts

The latter part of an auction draft is arguably the most fun part. All of the obvious players to own are long gone, and now owners must go searching through the coal to find the one diamond that will make the difference for their team. Owners were patting themselves on the back after finding $1 […]

Brad Miller Done With Second Base In Spring Training

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brad Miller is done playing second base for the rest of the preseason. Where Miller plays the most often is a matter of what sources you listen to. At first, it sounded like he would be the primary first baseman, but then the Rays acquired C.J. Cron, which created doubt. Some […]

Astros Option A.J. Reed

The Houston Astros optioned first baseman A.J. Reed to minor league camp on Monday. Reed had a slash line of .298/.365/.511 and an OPS of .876 in 52 Grapefruit League at-bats, which is great, but it just speaks to how stacked the team's current roster is. Reed arrived to camp 25 pounds lighter after an […]

Tommy Joseph Claimed By Rangers

After the Phillies designated first baseman Tommy Joseph for assignment, the Texas Rangers have swooped in and claimed the slugger. The 26-year-old didn't really have a place in Philly with the signing of Carlos Santana and emergence of Rhys Hoskins, and Texas can deploy the unathletic hitter as a pure designated hitter. It is unlikely […]

Ryan Zimmerman Will See Grapefruit Action This Week

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman will play in Grapefruit League games this week for the first time all spring. There's nothing officially wrong with him, but he's being brought along slowly due to his age and history of injury. The 33-year-old slugger enjoyed a resurgent year in 2017, hitting career highs in home runs […]

Royals Prospect Ryan O'Hearn Bashes Another Homer

Kansas City Royals first base prospect Ryan O'Hearn has gone on a tear in the Cactus League. O'Hearn has belted four homers in his last three games, and though the 24-year-old will be starting the season at Triple-A Omaha, he could see big-league at-bats soon enough. O'Hearn has shown that he packs a real punch […]

Joey Gallo May Hit Second

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the Texas Rangers want to try a few days of Delino DeShields leading off with Joey Gallo following. This is certainly a vote of confidence in the gains that the slugger has made in his hitting approach, but fantasy owners should not get too excited by this news. The […]

Chris Davis Gets A Hit In First Game Action In A While

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis played the field for the first time in a while after having to sit out with a tight forearm. Fortunately, it didn't require surgery. Davis, who wasn't able to play on his birthday the day before thanks to manager Buck Showalter's overabundance of caution, went 1-for-3 before yielding to […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 14 - Statcast For Pitchers

Previously, we looked at Barrels, a stat combining exit velocity and launch angle to measure how often a batter makes quality hard contact. As much as batters want to hit a Barrel every time, pitchers want to avoid them at all costs. Yet there is some evidence that pitchers do not have the same influence […]

ADP Rankings Debate - Cody Bellinger vs. Freddie Freeman

As with a number of ADP debates, Cody Bellinger and Freddie Freeman both offer the skills for success in 2018. Each first baseman is going in the first two or three rounds of fantasy baseball drafts, but chances are you'll only be able to snag one. Which young slugger will deliver better value in 2018? […]

Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2018

Every day from now until Opening Day, our writers will be offering their most audacious projections for the 2018 fantasy baseball season. This is my fourth go-round with this series. I've had some great successes and some equally terrible calls in both previous attempts, and this year should be no different. Hopefully the former outweigh […]

Cody Bellinger Won't Whiff As Badly As In The World Series

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger says he won't ever again deliver a performance as bad as the one in the World Series. Bellinger, who lit up the National League for 39 home runs in the 2017 regular season en route to unanimously being voted the Rookie of the Year, hit .143 with one […]

Ryan McMahon Doubtful To Start At First Base

Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon went 2-for-4 with one run, two RBI and a double in the 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. McMahon has been one of the best stories this Spring Training, as this game now gives him a .333 batting average, one home run and seven RBI's in 57 at-bats in Cactus […]

Dominic Smith Still Not Running

New York Mets first baseman Dominic Smith (quadriceps) still has enough pain in his quad to prevent him from running, but he is hoping to play in a spring game before the team breaks camp. The Mets were already skeptical of using Smith as the everyday first baseman heading into 2018 after he struggled to […]

Matt Adams Scratched

Washington Nationals first baseman Matt Adams (leg) was a last-minute scratch before Saturday's Grapefruit League game versus the Mets. He had leg cramps and the move was precautionary, according to the team. Adams looks to start the season as the team's backup first baseman to Ryan Zimmerman. But given how often Zimmerman is hurt, Adams […]

Top Fantasy Baseball Prospects - AL Central

If you are in a dynasty league, then the number one thing you likely focus on year-round are prospects. It's a never-ending hunt to find the best prospect and acquire them for the lowest cost possible. Not only are owners looking for the best prospect, they also have to discern whether or not they will […]

Ian Desmond Homers Twice In One Inning

Colorado Rockies outfielder/first baseman Ian Desmond was apparently paying attention to the press this morning. Shortly after an article came out headlining Desmond's terrible spring at the plate, he took the Angels to task. Desmond ignited Colorado's offense in the second inning by blasting a towering home run off Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani, and the […]

Kennys Vargas Not Expected To Make Final Roster

Minnesota Twins first baseman/designated hitter Kennys Vargas will likely be the odd man out when the team has to trim the roster down to 25 players. Vargas was originally expected to be the team's backup first baseman but the mid-spring signing of Logan Morrison will likely leave Vargas without a spot on the active roster, […]

Brad Miller To Play Saturday

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brad Miller (toe) will play in a Grapefruit League game Saturday against the Red Sox. Miller played in a minor league game on Thursday and went hitless, but he's progressing and expects to be ready for Opening Day. After surprisingly hitting 30 homers in 2016, Miller predictably fell back down to […]