Jake Cronenworth Homers In Spring Opener

San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth went 1-for-2 with a solo homer during Thursday's Spring Training opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres fell behind early and never came back, dropping the first game of Cactus League play by a score of 14-1. Cronenworth took a step back offensively in 2023 with a […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Reports for Hitters - Updates for Manny Machado, Willson Contreras, Noelvi Marte, Tommy Edman, more

The 2024 baseball season is just over a month away, but fantasy draft season has already begun. As always, injuries will mightily affect the 2024 campaign and fantasy lineup or draft decisions. Let's take a look at injured hitters Manny Machado, Willson Contreras, Noelvi Marte, Tommy Edman, and more. This is our weekly edition of […]

Exit Velocity (EV): Using Sabermetrics For 2024 Fantasy Baseball

If you've watched a baseball broadcast in the 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. There […]

Eric Hosmer Announces Retirement

First baseman Eric Hosmer announced his retirement from professional baseball on social media on Wednesday. Hosmer never latched on with another team after he was released by the Chicago Cubs last May. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter played in just 31 games in 2023 and went 22-for-94 (.234) with two homers and 14 RBI before getting […]

Red Sox Interested In Gio Urshela

The Boston Red Sox are among the teams interested in adding free-agent infielder Gio Urshela, according to a source. In addition to Boston, the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, and Miami Marlins have been looking at Urshela. His market has been slow to develop this offseason. The 32-year-old veteran is best […]

Ty France Added Bat Speed This Offseason

Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France met with the media on Wednesday and explained how he added 3.5 mph of bat speed to his swing. He mentioned it was 'crazy' to see how bad his swing was, so he decided to clean up his mechanics, apparently successfully. The 29-year-old indeed took a step back at […]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Feeling Great

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said he "feels great" at camp this spring and is sporting a leaner physique after putting in hard work to get his body right in the offseason. The 24-year-old arrived this week at camp looking noticeably slimmer and stronger. "He looks great," manager John Schneider said of […]

Kings Of Candy: Biggest Sweet Spot Risers for Fantasy Baseball Year-Over-Year (Swt-Spt%)

We recently looked at hitters who increased their BB% the most year-over-year, but now we want to look at hitters whose sweet spot percentage increased the most. Why this metric? Well, by looking at who has increased their sweet spot percentage, you might find hitters who may be hitting the ball at a better angle, […]

NL-Only Fantasy Baseball Sleepers and Late-Round Draft Fliers (2024)

No fantasy league is won in the draft, but they can be lost. That's even truer when it comes to NL-only leagues. They are incredibly challenging. They will really test your knowledge and fantasy skills. They could also cause you to question why you play this game! But that's just part of the fun. The […]

Ryan O'Hearn To See Reps In Corner Outfield

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that first baseman Ryan O'Hearn will be getting reps in the corner outfield at spring training. O'Hearn could see an occasional start in the outfield this year, but most of his playing time figures to come at first base and designated hitter. The 30-year-old left-handed slugger was in the […]

Dominic Smith, Cubs Agree On Minor-League Deal

Free-agent first baseman Dominic Smith (hand) and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a minor-league deal on Monday, according to a source familiar with the deal. The contract includes incentives and can max out at $3.5 million. The 28-year-old left-handed hitter had hamate-bone surgery in early January but should be full-go by the end of spring […]

Alex Kirilloff Faces Live Pitching Monday

Minnesota Twins first baseman Alex Kirilloff (shoulder) was scheduled to face live pitching at spring training on Monday at Hammond Stadium. It's a notable development for Kirilloff after he had surgery last October to fix the labrum in his right shoulder. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger doesn't appear to be limited at all at camp and […]

Cubs Haven't Had Real Negotiations With Cody Bellinger Yet

Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said there have been "some discussions," but they haven't become a "negotiation" yet to re-sign outfielder Cody Bellinger. "We're just waiting, waiting for whenever he and his agent are going to engage. And it could be anytime now, or it could be a few weeks, we'll just see where it […]

Mets Agree On Minors Deal With Luke Voit

The New York Mets agreed to terms on a minor-league deal with an invitation to major-league spring training on Monday with free-agent first baseman/designated hitter Luke Voit. The 33-year-old right-handed slugger will return to the Mets after finishing the 2023 campaign playing for Triple-A Syracuse, where he had a strong 1.058 OPS with 14 home […]

Livan Soto Claimed Off Waivers By The Angels

The Los Angeles Angels have claimed infielder Livan Soto off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Soto was designated for assignment by the Angels last month before being claimed by the O's, who subsequently DFA'd him again. He ends up back with the Angels and will likely just serve as infield depth for the big league […]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In Better Shape?

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been working out with personal trainer Nicole Gabriel for much of the winter, and by the looks of images and videos posted to her Instagram account, Guerrero's results are impressive, according to the Toronto Sun's Rob Longley. "I think there will be some impressed eyes in […]

Pablo Sandoval Signs With Giants, Earns Camp Invite

The San Francisco Giants have signed veteran Pablo Sandoval to a minor league contract, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Sandoval's deal includes an invitation to major league spring training. The 37-year-old has been out of Major League Baseball since 2021, and he was most recently a member of Dubai's Abu Dhabi Falcons after […]

First Base: Overvalued/Undervalued for Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues

Teams have already reported to spring training, which means the MLB season is right around the corner. The first regular season series of the year will take place between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres on March 20-21 in Seoul, South Korea. That means if you are in a fantasy baseball league, now […]

Ji Man Choi Agrees To Split Contract With Mets

Free-agent first baseman Ji Man Choi signed a split contract with the New York Mets on Friday that is worth up to $3.5 million, including performance-based bonuses if he makes the Opening Day roster. The deal includes an invite to spring training. The 32-year-old left-handed-hitting South Korean started the 2023 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates […]

Daniel Vogelbach, Blue Jays Agree To Minors Deal

Free-agent designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a minor-league deal on Friday, according to sources familiar with the contract. Vogelbach will receive a non-roster invite to spring training. The 31-year-old veteran left-handed slugger spent last season playing for the New York Mets, where he hit .233/339/.404 with 13 home runs, […]

Keston Hiura Heads To Detroit

Free-agent infielder Keston Hiura signed an undisclosed deal with the Detroit Tigers on Friday. Hiura, once a former top prospect of the Milwaukee Brewers, will likely be joining the Tigers in spring training as a non-roster invite. The 27-year-old came up as a second baseman but was eventually moved to first base in Milwaukee. He […]

Justin Foscue Working Out At First Base In Camp

Texas Rangers infielder Justin Foscue is focusing on first base in spring training this year. Foscue is blocked at second base by Marcus Semien, so the 24-year-old is working at first base in spring training in order to give him more versatility and a better path to playing time in 2024. He'll be with the […]

Bobby Dalbec Taking Outfield Reps

Boston Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec is taking reps with the outfielders in spring training on Friday. Dalbec is trying to increase his versatility heading into the 2024 regular season. Perhaps it will help him see the field more often after he played in only 21 games for Boston in his fourth year in […]

How To Attack Hitters In The First Three Rounds Of Fantasy Baseball Drafts

We're in the middle of preparing for the most fun thing we will do all year: drafting our fantasy baseball teams. You have probably often heard the idea that you can't win your league with your first picks, but you can sure lose it by starting with bad picks. That being said, let's take a […]

Biggest Year-Over-Year BB% Risers for Fantasy Baseball Drafts (2024)

In this article, we'll look at players' BB% from 2022 to 2023 to see who had the biggest increases. For this exercise, I first took out any hitter who did not collect at least 400 PA in 2023. Next, I eliminated anyone who did not rise to at least above league average BB% (8.6%). Finally, […]

Rob Manfred Serving His Last Term As MLB Commissioner

When asked on Thursday if his current five-year term would be his last, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said, "This is going to be my last term." Manfred's current contract is set to expire in January of 2029. He's in his 10th year as the commissioner in 2024 and has overseen a period of […]

No Clear Role For Wilmer Flores

San Francisco Giants infielder Wilmer Flores enters spring training this year without a clear role once again. Last year, he had a stretch when he mostly came off the bench, but then he ended up being a lineup regular and the team's best hitter due to injuries. Until this past week when the team signed […]

Blake Sabol Could See Time At First Base

San Francisco Giants catcher Blake Sabol, last year's primary backup catcher, will be moved around this spring to add some more versatility since there are two catchers now ahead of him on the depth chart in Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy. "I think first base might be -- I haven't told him this yet -- […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Reports - Updates for Manny Machado, Justin Verlander, Kenley Jansen, Jacob deGrom, Shane McClanahan, Michael Kopech, Taylor Ward, and more

Fantasy baseball season is just around the corner, and injuries will affect some players early in the 2024 campaign. Let's take a look at the top injured players including Manny Machado, Justin Verlander, Kenley Jansen, Jacob deGrom, Shane McClanahan, Michael Kopech, Taylor Ward, and more. This is the first edition of this year's fantasy baseball […]

Eric Cross' 2024 Fantasy Baseball Bold Predictions

Bold predictions have been thrown about dating back to the stone age. Okay, maybe not that long, but they're always a fun topic to discuss with your friends, especially during this time of year when spring training is just beginning. The start of Spring Training always creates optimism throughout the baseball world. Sometimes that optimism […]