Chris Davis Hits Homer In Loss While Battling Forearm Tightness

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis (forearm) was supposed to play first base in Wednesday's game against the Cardinals. He wound up being the designated hitter while outfielder Mark Trumbo took his spot at first. Davis, who hit a three-run homer in the loss, explained after the game that he was experiencing forearm tightness, possibly because of […]

Blake Swihart Plays The Field For First Time

For the first game this spring, Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart played first base on Wednesday against the Pirates. He went hitless in three at-bats and struck out once. The plan to increase Swihart's versatility has begun, and now we will see what he does with it and how it affects his future with […]

Kris Bryant Remains Out With Illness

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (illness) remains out of the team’s lineup on Wednesday. Bryant has been absent all week while he is sick, but it should be nothing for fantasy owners to worry about. He remains one of the best hitters in the game and should see his run production improve in 2018.

Ryan Zimmerman Still Awaiting 2018 Debut

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who came alive last season after a couple of injury-plagued campaigns, has yet to play in spring training. This is by design, according to new manager Dave Martinez, who is mindful of Zimmerman's history and in no hurry to push him. The Nationals starting first baseman was scheduled to start […]

Hanley Ramirez Makes A Bold Declaration

Boston Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez has made an outrageous pronouncement, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. “I’m going 30/30. Write that down,” said Ramirez. Evidently, Ramirez is feeling very good this spring. Assuming health, it is not out of the question that Ramirez can hit 30 homers in this homer-friendly age, […]

Tommy Joseph Shifting To Outfield

After spending last season as the starting first baseman of the Philadelphia Phillies, Tommy Joseph finds himself fighting for a spot in 2018. The 26-year-old hit .240 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI in 142 games last season, but will give way to newly-signed Carlos Santana this upcoming season. As a result, the Phillies […]

Matt Carpenter "Not Concerned At All" About His Back

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter said he is "not concerned at all" about his sore back. Carpenter experienced discomfort in his back nine days ago in Cardinals camp and has yet to resume "baseball activities." The extent of his activity has been standing in the batter's box during batting practice without taking any swings. […]

Kennys Vargas Enjoying Improved Vision

Minnesota Twins first baseman/designated hitter Kennys Vargas has been benefiting from better vision after getting a a new contact-lens prescription for his left eye. The switch-hitter told reporters that both eyes are now 20/20 as he heads into the season. The young slugger is out of options with the Twins and has heard his name […]

Dominic Smith Taking Swings On Tuesday

In what may be the first piece of positive news we’ve heard on New York Mets first baseman Dominic Smith (quadriceps) in months, Smith is taking swings Tuesday after being officially diagnosed with a strained right quad. He was only expected to miss a few days to begin with, so this sounds about right. Smith has […]

Brock Stassi Day-To-Day With Back Spasms

Minnesota Twins first baseman Brock Stassi was sidelined on Monday after he developed back spasms. The team is calling the 28-year-old day-to-day. Stassi made a name for himself with a hot camp during Spring Training in 2017, when he was with the Phillies. He appeared in 51 games with Philadelphia in 2017, batting .167 with […]

ADP Myth Busters - Debunking Myths in the NL West

This series will attempt to help fantasy baseball owners make informed opinions on players whose ADP may not be in line with their value for the 2018 season. As fantasy owners, we can fall into a "group think" mentality and start to overlook certain teams and players. If we aren't careful, those ideas can turn […]

Top 500: Mixed Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (February)

Spring training is officially here! To celebrate, today we are here to look at our staff's updated 2018 fantasy baseball mixed league rankings for February and the top 500 players. Our rankings are updated weekly, but enough changes have taken place recently (see humidor, Arizona) to release a new overall list. Over the next few weeks we will also be publishing individual tiered […]

C.J. Cron Could See Consistent Playing Time

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman C.J. Cron may see consistent time in 2018. Manager Kevin Cash says Cron will be more than a platoon player and could play "a lot." One possible alignment could see Brad Miller playing second base while Cron plays first and outfielder Denard Span serves as the designated hitter. Cron might also see […]

Freddie Freeman Collects Hit In First Spring Training Action

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is batting .500 so far this Spring. Then again, he's only had two at-bats. Freeman went 1-for-2 in Monday's win over the Washington Nationals. There's not much to say about him -- he's a high-round pick who can hit well over 30 homers if he stays healthy. That's all […]

Dominic Smith’s MRI Comes Back Clean

While New York Mets first baseman Dominic Smith (quadriceps) may have other things to worry about, but his health doesn’t sound like a big concern on that list. Dealing with a strained right quadriceps, Smith’s MRI came back clean, so it is believed he should be good to go shortly. The bigger problem for Smith is […]

Paul Goldschmidt's Plan Includes Time Off

According to Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt will get more days off this year, as reported by Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Goldschmidt has played 155 games or more four out of the last five seasons. He is well known for his durability. As Goldschmidt has turned 30, the manager seems intent […]

Kris Bryant Scratched From Monday’s Lineup

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (illness) was scratched from Monday’s lineup due to an illness. Bryant should be fine and remains one of the better and safer draft picks in 2018. Bryant should expect to see his run production improve this year and should return first-round value in fantasy leagues this year.

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 […]