Infielders Ready to Break Out Late

Finding value is crucial on draft day and finding just one or two players in the mid to late rounds in drafts that provide better numbers than projected can give you a significant edge on the competition as you bid for fantasy glory. All too often, we look for the new shiny object in drafts […]

Hidden Gems To Watch - 2021 Infielder Prospects

When we talk about prospects, almost everybody wants to gravitate to the names at the top of the various lists; the guys like Wander Franco or Julio Rodriguez. The ones we've deemed "generational talents" or determined will "win you your league." But the issue, as we've seen with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., is that predicting prospect […]

Four Players Set to Break Out at Third Base

I previously identified breakout candidates at second base, so now it's time to move on to the hot corner. When defining a breakout, I look at it as a player that can take a step forward to a level they never reached before. This doesn't mean it has to be a "sleeper" or someone who […]

Power Sleepers - Noteworthy 2020 Barrel Leaders

As we've continued to progress in the MLB offseason, I've been looking at barrel rates from 2020 in the hopes of finding players whose breakouts during the shortened season were real or those who may still have breakouts looming. As I've mentioned previously, I'm a firm believer that finding the barrel regularly is an incredibly […]

Second-Year Hitters Ready to Break Out

Every season there are hitters entering their second year in the big-leagues that have a solid break-out campaign. In 2020, these were players like Eloy Jimenez, Cavan Biggio, and arguably, Fernando Tatis Jr. Some will say Tatis Jr. broke out in 2019, but he really burst on the scene in 2020 and became a household […]

Hitter Targets Under $10 - Salary Cap League Values

Snake drafts are the more common method, but salary cap leagues offer a more complex flavor to your draft day. That's not for everyone, and that's fine; part of the beauty of fantasy baseball lies in its high degree of customizability. Salary cap drafts take longer, and they're much less straightforward than snakes, but for […]

Austin Riley (3B, ATL) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 185 CURRENT ADP: ~206 overall ANALYSIS: With the power being the strength in his game it was encouraging to see him not selling out for power as much in 2020. He hit more line drives (30.7%) but unfortunately he saw a big jump in ground balls. Up to 42.1% from 25.6% […]

Eduardo Escobar (3B, ARI) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 260 CURRENT ADP: ~278 overall ANALYSIS: Eduardo Escobar was a player that was expected to regress from the big year he had in 2019. The juiced ball really assisted the power that year and it was a clear outlier. However, we saw Escobar regress a little too much in 2020. He […]

Tommy La Stella (1B/2B/3B, SF) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 290 CURRENT ADP: ~306 overall ANALYSIS: Finally signing with the San Francisco Giants, La Stella should play just about every day and hit atop the Giants Lineup. Tommy La Stella is what I categorize as a roster stabilizer. His production is not flashy, but you can write it in pen. […]

David Fletcher (2B/SS/3B, LAA) - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

Analyzing David Fletcher is an exercise in extremes. No qualified batter swung-and-missed less frequently than Fletcher did in 2020, and no qualified batter posted a lower hard-hit rate than Fletcher’s 17.8% mark. In an era of hitters who tend to be more power-oriented, Fletcher stands out as a contact-focused hitter with unremarkable power. Fletcher’s ability […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/18) - Montgomery, Alcantara Surging

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. Thankfully, we have real, live baseball being played every day again, and while it doesn't count for anything, these exhibition games gives us the smallest glimmer into players and teams heading into the new season. We're into our third week of spring training games and […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Ballpark Factors

If you have ever selected a streamable pitcher based on home park or benched an otherwise must-start arm at Coors Field, you already know how much a stadium can impact a player's bottom line. Ballpark Factors quantify the influence each stadium has, allowing you to make the most of your fantasy team's real-life schedule. However, […]

Carter Kieboom Still The Likely Starting Third Baseman

Washington Nationals third baseman Carter Kieboom, despite a rough spring, still looks like the team's starting third baseman. Neither Starlin Castro nor Luis Garcia have received repetitions at third base, and neither general manager Mike Rizzo nor manager Dave Martinez have indicated Kieboom's job is in jeopardy. Kieboom has hit just .160/.222/.240 this spring, but […]

Alek Manoah Among Players Sent To Minors By Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays sent 25 players to the minor league camp on Thursday, including starting pitcher and former first-round pick Alek Manoah. The hard-throwing righty made a huge impression this spring by dominating the Yankees in two appearances. Although he won't break camp with the Jays, he could possibly help the club late in […]

Rafael Devers With Three Home Runs This Spring

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has delivered some solid power numbers so far this spring. Over 11 games and 29 at-bats, he's hit three home runs and tallied seven RBI. He's slashing .207/.258/.552. Devers had his breakout season in 2019, when he hit .311 with 32 home runs, 115 RBI and 129 runs. […]

Anthony Rendon Is A Great Draft Value At Current ADP

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon is currently going in the middle of the third round in most fantasy drafts. Rendon was a bit underwhelming in his first year with the Angels in 2020. Over 52 games, he slashed .286/.418/.497 with nine home runs, 31 RBI and 29 runs. He displayed elite plate discipline […]

Isiah Kiner-Falefa Triples In Second Straight Game

Texas Rangers shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-2 with a triple on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was his second triple in as many games. The catcher-turned-shortstop is on a recent hot streak and is 4-for-9 with three extra-base hits over his past three games. For the season, Kiner-Falefa is 7-for-22 (.318) with a BB-K […]

Manny Machado Hitting Well This Spring

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado has been consistently productive during his nine appearances this spring. He's currently slashing .300/.360/.450 over 20 at-bats. He's yet to hit his first spring home run, but he's tallied three doubles and driven in three runs. Machado is coming off a fantastic season in which he slashed .304/.370/.580 […]

Jason Vosler Vying For Opening Day Roster Spot

San Francisco Giants utility player Jason Vosler continued to impress in Wednesday's 11-8 win over the Rockies, batting 2-for-4 with a single, a double, and an RBI. The 27-year-old, who has never played in the big leagues, currently has a batting average of .333 and an OPS above .900 for the spring . Further, he […]

Sam Chinitz's 10 Bold Predictions For 2021

The 2021 MLB regular season is less than one month away, so it’s time for some bold predictions. Last year’s bold predictions didn’t pan out too well for me; if we’re being generous, two out of the ten predictions hit -- and that’s including Corey Kluber posting a sub-3.00 ERA (which technically happened, even if […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/17) - Jorge Polanco Leaves Game

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. Thankfully, we have real, live baseball being played every day again, and while it doesn't count for anything, these exhibition games gives us the smallest glimmer into players and teams heading into the new season. We're into our third week of spring training games and […]

2020 Breakout Infielders Who'll Keep Improving

In a recent article, I outlined a methodology to determine which breakout 2020 seasons from hitters would be built off of into 2021. Upon further reflection, however, I’m unconvinced that that methodology the best way to spot breakouts that will continue to improve, in large part because of its reliance on evaluating the stickiness of […]

2021 Keeper Value Rankings - Third Base

Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing. There […]

Charlie Montoyo's 2022 Option Picked Up By Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays picked up manager Charlie Montoyo's 2022 option on Wednesday. The move gives the club some stability for at least the next two years. The decision should be welcomed by fantasy managers as Montoyo has pushed versatility among his players which has increased the fantasy value of players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. […]

Alec Bohm Off To A Hot Start In Spring Training

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm went 1-for-3 with a run scored in a Grapefruit League contest against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. Bohm is now slashing a cool .318/.423/.591 through 26 plate appearances this spring. Bohm is a former first-round pick and was the top prospect in the Phillies farm system. He had success […]

Spencer Torkelson's Struggles Continue

Detroit Tigers infield prospect Spencer Torkelson's struggles continued on Tuesday when he grounded out in his lone at-bat. The first-overall selection in the 2020 draft, he's been splitting his time between first base and third base this spring. He was considered to be a near-MLB-ready talent by many but he's just 1-for-19 with 11 strikeouts […]

Orioles Officially Sign Maikel Franco Tuesday

The Baltimore Orioles completed their signing of free-agent third baseman Maikel Franco on Tuesday. General manager Mike Elias said, "I think [Franco] is someone that is going to help us a lot and fit in very well with the personnel that we have on this roster.". In addition to third base, Elias said that Franco […]

Asdrubal Cabrera Doubles, Homers In Diamondbacks Win

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Asdrubal Cabrera had his first multi-hit performance of the spring on Tuesday, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. It was a slow start to the spring for Cabrera, as he was 1-for-12 through his first five games, but he now has four hits over […]

Josh Donaldson Collects A Pair Of Hits Against Pirates

Minnesota Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson went 2-for-3 with a pair of hits and a strikeout in a 4-2 loss to the Pirates Tuesday. Donaldson raised his spring batting average to .385 while recording yet another batted ball above 100 MPH. The veteran infielder has been really getting the barrel of the bat on the […]

Gio Urshela Starts At Shortstop On Tuesday

New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela started at shortstop on Tuesday and went 2-for-2 with a walk against the Tigers. The Yankees flirted with the idea of having Urshela play some shortstop when shortstop Gleyber Torres and second baseman DJ LeMahieu were on the injured list last season, but the team ultimately never opted […]