Spring Training Skill Searching: Max Exit Velocity Standouts - Brendan Rodgers, Sam Hilliard, Christian Walker, Miguel Andujar
For most advanced baseball statistics, you need plenty of data to be available before you can start interpreting them. There is so much randomness and variance in baseball, that you really cannot glean any insights from a handful of games. This doesn't turn out to be true when we're looking at maximum exit velocity. This […]
Ke'Bryan Hayes To Miss Time With Ankle Injury
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (ankle) suffered a minor right ankle sprain several days ago in batting practice and won't play for a "brief period of time." Hayes will continue all baseball activities besides running. It doesn't sound like an overly serious injury, so the 25-year-old should be ready to play on Opening Day […]
Late-Round Third Basemen - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values and Targets
Welcome officially to the 2022 fantasy baseball season! Now that an MLB deal is in place, a lot more fantasy drafts will be taking place -- and we're here as always to guide you through it. Once you reach the late rounds of drafts, everyone is looking to draft players with upside that can provide […]
Finding Over/Undervalued Third Basemen Using Expected Draft Values
We push on with our Expected Draft Values series, which utilizes historical data and projections to help us identify both over and undervalued players of all types. Power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, with pitchers as well. Today, we'll look at a trio of third basemen and compare their projected statline via my […]
Breakout Infielders That Will Keep Improving in 2022 (Jonathan India, Bo Bichette, Ty France)
Breakouts are perhaps the most fun part of playing fantasy baseball. Being able to identify and grab guys as they reach their potential can often be the difference between winning it all and being lost in the shuffle. Breakouts come in all shapes in sizes. They can be guys that come out of nowhere or […]
Tommy La Stella To Make Spring Debut Tuesday
San Francisco Giants infielder Tommy La Stella (Achilles) will make his spring training debut on Tuesday as the designated hitter in the Cactus League game against the San Diego Padres. La Stella had surgery on his Achilles last fall and has been rehabbing ever since, but he's made good progress this spring and is ready […]
Jose Ramirez, Guardians Discussing Contract Extension
The Cleveland Guardians and third baseman Jose Ramirez's representatives have been talking on and off for the last couple of weeks about a potential contract extension that would keep the three-time All-Star in town for the bulk of his career. He signed with the team as a 17-year-old and has said he'd like to finish […]
Evan Longoria To Have Surgery Tuesday
The San Francisco Giants said that third baseman Evan Longoria (finger) will have surgery on Tuesday to fix a ligament in his right index finger. Longoria's prognosis will be determined after his surgery, but the expectation is that his finger will be immobilized for at least 10 days. The 36-year-old will not be ready for […]
Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene Not Locks To Make Roster
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that top prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene aren't locks to make the team's Opening Day roster. "They still have things to do to make this team. I can't put it any more simply than that," Hinch said. Torkelson, a corner infielder, and Greene, an outfielder, are the Tigers […]
Luis Urias To Start Season On Injured List
Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Luis Urias (quadriceps) will open the regular season on the injured list, according to manager Craig Counsell. On the bright side, Urias ran on the field for the first time on Saturday and will take some swings in the cage and play catch early this week. The 24-year-old injured his leg […]
Pierre Camus' Bold Predictions for 2022 Fantasy Baseball
Normally, I would begin this annual column by saying how grateful I am for the opportunity to be able to take up space on a major website like RotoBaller with my predictions for the upcoming season and follow with the number of years running I've done this. Truth is, I don't remember. Not that it's […]
Manny Machado Back In The Lineup Monday
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (back) is in the starting lineup for Monday's Cactus League game against the Chicago White Sox and is hitting second. Machado took two days off while battling back tightness, but he's fine now and will return to spring action. So far in the Cactus League, the 29-year-old is […]
Later-Round Fantasy Baseball Hitter Targets: Home Runs
Today, we will be highlighting some hitters that can help your team in the home runs category without costing you tons of your draft capital. We have gone through several categories already, so check out those posts if you've missed them. These analyses are vital to having a successful fantasy baseball draft in rotisserie-style leagues. […]
Hitters Under $10: Salary Cap League Draft Targets for Fantasy Baseball - Yoan Moncada, Josh Donaldson, Brandon Belt, and more
It's a cliché to say that those managers who finally dip their toe into salary cap leagues never go back to snake drafts. Snake drafts have their own charm. There is simply more going on, and thus, more fun to have when participating in a salary cap draft. There become no bounds on how one […]
Yoan Moncada (3B, CWS) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~130 pick CURRENT ADP: ~149 overall ANALYSIS: The Chicago White Sox have it all on paper: multiple aces in their starting rotation, an elite bullpen headlined by multiple closer-caliber arms, and a lineup filled with premier hitters. After a breakout in 2019, Moncada was supposed to be one of those premier […]
Josh Donaldson In The Mix To Lead Off
New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson could be in the mix to lead off, according to manager Aaron Boone. The 36-year-old crushed a home run during Sunday's matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The occasional moves to the top of the lineup could be good for Donaldson's value. He has plenty of over-the-fence power and […]
Giants Acquire Luke Williams
The San Francisco Giants have acquired infielder and outfielder Luke Williams from the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league infielder Will Toffey and cash considerations. Williams hit .245 with a .315 on-base percentage, one home run, and a pair of stolen bases in 108 plate appearances for the Phillies last season. Capable of playing all four […]
Nolan Gorman Scratched With Back Tightness
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (back) was scratched from the Grapefruit League lineup on Sunday against the New York Mets with lower back tightness. It's unclear how serious Gorman's injury is, but we'll keep a close eye on his status in the coming days. The 21-year-old is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the […]
Giants Not Ruling Out Brandon Belt, Tommy La Stella
The San Francisco Giants aren't ruling out first baseman Brandon Belt (knee) or infielder Tommy La Stella (Achilles) for Opening Day, even though neither has appeared in a spring game yet. Belt and La Stella have been simulating game action by taking plenty of at-bats in live batting practice. Belt, 33, had surgery in September […]
Jace Peterson On Track To Start At Third Base
The Milwaukee Brewers haven't officially ruled out third baseman Luis Urias (quadriceps) for Opening Day due to his left quad injury, but manager Craig Counsell said this weekend that it's "getting less likely" that he'll be active on Opening Day on April 7 against the Cubs. Jace Peterson, Mike Brosseau and Pablo Reyes could all […]
Updated Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings for Roto Leagues - Ronald Acuna, Randal Grichuk, Luis Castillo, Dylan Floro, Shane Baz and More
Welcome back RotoBallers! Spring Training is upon us, and fantasy baseball drafts are about to get busy. Below are our updated 2022 fantasy baseball draft rankings and tiers for roto leagues. We will be updating these rankings constantly, and releasing updates every few days along with relevant injury updates to be aware of. Five of […]
Jon Anderson's 2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide
Baseball is happening in 2022, and it is happening in full force. With the excellent news of the lockout ending, we are ready to dive full steam ahead into the fantasy baseball draft season! I have had my head deep in baseball data since before Christmas, so I wanted to come out with a miniature […]
Manny Machado Dealing With Back Tightness
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado was scratched from Saturday's Spring Training lineup due to back tightness, the team announced. Although no additional updates were provided, it's very possible that Machado's removal from the lineup was merely a precaution. Last season, he slashed .278/.347/.489 with 28 homers, 106 RBI, 63 walks, 102 strikeouts, and […]
Shortstop: Fantasy Baseball Rankings and Sleepers
Anthony Aniano's 2022 fantasy baseball third base rankings and SS draft sleepers who can be sneaky later-round picks. He breaks down and compares the ADPs of six different MLB players at the shortstop position. Fantasy baseball players should consider drafting these players in the middle and later rounds of their drafts this MLB Season. Be […]
Tommy La Stella Continues To Make Progress
San Francisco Giants infielder Tommy La Stella (Achilles) is running the bases and taking part in full baseball workouts at camp. He will be re-evaluated next week for spring training game activity. La Stella underwent surgery on his Achilles last October, and he still has a chance to be ready for Opening Day if he […]
Evan Longoria Has Right Finger Tendinitis
San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria (finger) is dealing with right index finger tendinitis, but he is participating in all baseball workouts in camp and will be re-evaluated next week for spring training game activity. Longoria said the pain in his finger stems from when he was hit by a pitch late last season. […]
Michael Florio's Hitters to Target in Points Leagues
Points leagues are becoming more and more popular in fantasy baseball. They have long been my favorite format because they are great both for the newcomer and the seasoned vet. The thing about points leagues is that while the scoring can vary based on platform, they tend to reward more outcomes than traditional Roto leagues, […]
Prime-Age Infielders Set to Break Out for Fantasy Baseball
With baseball officially back, we can finally move on from worrying about whether the teams would actually be on the field and start worrying about the fake teams we're going to field this year in fantasy baseball. This article is going to break down three infielders in the age 26-29 range who are on the […]
RotoBaller Staff Mock Draft Analysis: 12-Team Roto League Draft
Fantasy prep is never complete without mock drafts. So in doing our best to prepare for the 2022 season, my fellow RotoBaller writers and I got together for a 12-team 5X5 Roto mock draft. The only difference is that we used Quality Starts instead of Wins. I’ll be breaking down our draft round-by-round and highlighting […]
Justin Turner (3B, LAD) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 130 CURRENT ADP: ~154 overall ANALYSIS: Justin Turner projects to a tasteful .355 OBP to go with a noice .457 SLG that combines for the eighth-best OPS among 3B in Steamer's spreadsheets. I know the hammy has you worried, but JT gave us hope a few days ago talking about a very […]