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 […]

Hanley Ramirez Feels Fantastic

Boston Red Sox first baseman/designated hitter Hanley Ramirez (shoulder) said he feels "fantastic" and that throwing won't be a problem for him this year. Han-Ram continued his downfall in 2017, hitting .241 with 23 home runs and 62 RBI in 133 games, but his shoulder injury might've been the main culprit. Ramirez was also terrible […]

Albert Pujols Looking Leaner

Los Angeles Angels first baseman/designated hitter Albert Pujols said he lost 12 to 15 pounds in the offseason, and he's looking lean and strong. He's looking forward to playing more first base in 2018. Pujols managed to hit 23 home runs and drive in 101 runs, but the Machine will turn 38 years old this […]

Chris Davis (1B, BAL) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~140 CURRENT ADP: 243 ANALYSIS: Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis does not have that poor of power numbers from 2017, he just did not play enough games in 2017. Had he played his usual 150+ games, he would have likely hit at least 30 or more homers. The fact that he only had 61 RBI […]

Matt Carpenter (1B, STL) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~100 CURRENT ADP: 175 ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter will head into the 2018 season hoping to play injury-free. He had a decent 2017 season, slashing .241/.384/.451 with 23 home runs and 69 RBI. Carpenter has always been a better asset in OBP leagues, but had not been a liability in batting average […]

Ryan Zimmermann (1B, WAS) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~90 CURRENT ADP: 128 ANALYSIS: Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman came back from the dead to deliver one of his best seasons in 2017. He went from a -1.3 WAR in 2016 to a 3.3 WAR in 2017. He delivered career highs in HR (36) and RBI (108), while scoring 90 runs. His ISO […]

Champ or Chump - Ian Desmond and Jonathan Villar

Early draft data from RTSports drafts has been added to FantasyPros, making the latter's composite ADP data a little more reliable. Your host site's ADP data is worth looking into, especially if any absentee owners are auto-selecting based on the site's default rankings. However, FantasyPros' composite ADP is the best way to feel an unbiased […]

Justin Smoak (1B, TOR) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~84 CURRENT ADP: 145 ANALYSIS: Justin Smoak broke out in a big way in 2017 with 38 HR, 90 RBI, a 20.1% K% on a triple slash of .270/.355/.529. The former top prospect made major changes to his approach, appearing more confident and comfortable. He made more overall contact than he had in years at […]

Edwin Encarnacion (1B, CLE) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~35 CURRENT ADP: 55 ANALYSIS: Cleveland Indians designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion may no longer be the ~4 fWAR player he was in the past and as recently as 2016, but he should still be a solid source of home runs and RBI in 2018. Encarnacion finished the 2017 season with a .258/.377/.504 line, including 38 […]

Toronto Blue Jays Top MLB Prospects for 2018 Dynasty Leagues

Today we are wrapping up the American League East with one of the most interesting farm systems in baseball in the Toronto Blue Jays. There might not be a farm system in baseball with a better top pairing than this one, especially for fantasy purposes. Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are two of the […]

Tampa Bay Rays - Top MLB Prospects for 2018 Dynasty Leagues

When people think top farm systems in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays do not often come up. Or at least, not as much as they should. For a team that has consistently developed players well and drafted well, the Rays have not received as much love as they deserve. That might be starting to change. […]

Top 600: Dynasty League Fantasy Baseball Rankings

What's up RotoBallers. Today we are bringing you our top 600 fantasy baseball dynasty rankings for the 2018 MLB season. Dynasty leagues, or keeper formats, are becoming more and more popular in the fantasy sports landscape. For those of you who are playing in dynasty formats, or are interested in long-term valuations of fantasy players, this is […]

Brad Miller In The Running At Both First and Second Base

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brad Miller could be in the running at either first base or second base. The general manager of the Rays went on the radio that they had an "open mind" when figuring out the right side of the infield. It was also noted that Miller would be in the running at either first […]

New York Yankees Top MLB Prospects for 2018 Dynasty Leagues

This New York Yankees’ farm system has been one of the best in baseball since the team decided to start reloading. Trading Andrew Miller for Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield, sending Aroldis Chapman to Chicago for Gleyber Torres and Billy McKinney helped restock a farm system that already started to lose a few names. Many […]

Champ or Chump - Brandon Moss and Todd Frazier

The theme of this article is cheap power. As more players than ever before start cracking 20 homers, fantasy owners can rely on legitimate power bats remaining available in the latter stages of their draft. Some owners believe that this allows them to wait on power, but the league-wide increase in home runs has also […]

2018 First Basemen - Dynasty Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball dynasty rankings analysis with the first base position. RotoBaller writers Kyle Richardson, Chris Zolli, and I have come up with our pre-season rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. In a dynasty league, it can be tough to decide between a proven veteran or a high-upside […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 3 - Statcast for Batters

If you've watched a baseball broadcast in the so-called Statcast Era, you have undoubtedly noticed the broadcasters commenting on a batted ball's exit velocity, or EV. Many have taken to using stats like Hard% and Soft% to forecast how a player should be performing, expecting larger Hard% rates to produce larger BABIP and HR/FB figures. […]