Correlating Statcast to Outcomes: Why You Should Pay Attention to Barrels

Barrels are the keeper of life’s finer things. Beer, pickles, monkeys, the list is endless. Barrels don’t just hold fermented vegetables and unruly simians these days, barrels may also hold the key to identifying the game’s best hitters and struggling hitters who may be due for brighter days. In my mission to find just how […]

JB's Bold Predictions for 2021

I'm going to let you in on a little secret... JB stands for "JUST BOLDNESS". Okay that's a lie... it's actually not a secret because I use that every year in my bold predictions intro (three years in a row now, sure saves time on writing a new intro though). Nevertheless, welcome to the latest […]

Pirates Make Extension Offer To Ke'Bryan Hayes

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a contract-extension offer to young third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, but there has been no traction. Hayes posted a 1.124 OPS last year and has a 1.259 OPS so far this spring. The third base prospect has perennial All-Star ability at the hot corner, but early deals for top prospects are becoming […]

Advanced MLB DFS Strategy: Targeting Bad Bullpens

With Opening Day of the MLB season only a little over a week away, it's time to start getting your mind right and preparing for a full season of MLB DFS action. Last summer we missed out on several months of MLB games due to the COVID pandemic, but we are going to get 6 […]

Cavan Biggio Scratched With Finger Soreness

The injuries continue to pile up for the Toronto Blue Jays with news that third baseman Cavan Biggio was scratched from today's game with an injury to his pinky finger. The injury is not considered serious at this time and the incident occurred two days ago when he took a ball off his finger while […]

J.D. Davis Easing Concerns At Third Base

New York Mets third baseman/outfielder J.D. Davis went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Grapefruit League action against the Marlins on Tuesday. Davis also looked better in the field on Tuesday, including starting a pair of 5-4-3 double plays. Davis is now batting .250 with the one HR and two RBI in 28 at-bats […]

Maikel Franco Says He'll Be Ready For Opening Day

Baltimore Orioles third baseman Maikel Franco said Tuesday that he will be ready to play with his new team on Opening Day, per MASN's Steve Melewski. Said Franco, "No question, I'm going to be ready. I'm going to be 100 percent for Opening Day.". Franco sat as a free agent until mid-March, so he has […]

KC Bubba's 10 Bold Predictions for 2021

The 2021 season is so close to starting, which means it is time for some bold predictions. It appears the season will still be a complete 162 games, with no NL DH and a standard playoff format. The bouncy ball will supposedly be replaced with a ball designed to limit power, fun times like usual from […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Barrels

We've previously looked at how exit velocity (or EV) is only one piece of the fantasy analysis puzzle. Baseball broadcasts will commonly cite Launch Angle (LA) to complement their EV figures, but it is given in terms of degrees. Am I evaluating a baseball player or trying to find the hypotenuse of an isosceles triangle? […]

2021 Fantasy Baseball Busts - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As you prepare for fantasy baseball drafts in 2021, it's crucial that you avoid the dreaded bust that could sink your team. As we did with draft sleepers yesterday, our staff came together to share their thoughts on preseason ADP values, this time on their least favorite picks. Let's find out who our experts have […]

Will Alex Bregman Be Ready To Roll?

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has played only three spring games heading into the final week of Spring Training. Bregman has been dealing with a hamstring injury and has only nine at-bats during the exhibition portion of the season. When healthy, Alex Bregman is a force at the plate and a top-20 play in […]

Anthony Rendon Slugging .571 This Spring

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon smacked his second home run of the spring season on Monday. Rendon is slowly rounding into shape with only a week to play before the regular season starts and is slugging .571 through 28 exhibition at-bats. Rendon put up an impressive .915 OPS during last year's shortened season […]

Ryan McMahon Goes Yard On Monday

Colorado Rockies second baseman Ryan McMahon went 3-for-3 at the dish and bopped a solo home run on Monday vs. the Texas Rangers. McMahon took Rangers' starter Dane Dunning deep in the first inning for his third home run of the spring. He chipped in a pair of singles later in the game as well. […]

Starlin Castro Starts At 3B Tuesday Amid Carter Kieboom’s Slump

Washington Nationals infielder Starlin Castro shifted over to the hot corner for the first time during Grapefruit League play Tuesday in an attempt to get the veteran reps at the position prior to Opening Day. The move comes as a means of helping Castro develop additional positional flexibility in the case that manager Dave Martinez […]

Kyle Seager Doubles Twice

Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager doubled twice on Monday. The second of those doubles came with the bases loaded, scoring two runs. Seager struck out in his other two plate appearances. Seager is now slashing .429/.543/.643 for the spring as he looks to build off a strong 2020. He could be a draft value […]

Frank Ammirante's 10 Bold Predictions for 2021

Making bold predictions is one of my favorite topics to write about. There's no better feeling as a writer than when you tout an overlooked player and it hits. Hitting on your bold prediction can really help you win your fantasy leagues. To secure a championship, you need your top players to approach their ceilings and […]

Carter Kieboom May Not Start At 3B

Washington Nationals third baseman Carter Kieboom has not locked up the team's third base job this season as infielder Starlin Castro has started to take spring training reps at the position. Kieboom's struggles in his MLB career to date--a .267 wOBA and .284 xwOBA, for example--have made him a fringe player for fantasy purposes, and […]

Justin Turner Collects Two Hits Monday

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk in Monday's 7-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners. Turner is now 9-for-34 with four runs and four RBI across 15 spring games. Turner was once again batting third in his usual spot in the Dodgers' lineup and should continue to […]

Evan Longoria Has Yet To Play Field This Spring

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria (plantar fasciitis) has hit very well this spring, compiling a .474/.500/1.211 slash line with four home runs and 10 RBI. However, he has yet to play the field for the Giants. It makes sense that Giants have tried to keep Longoria off his feet as much as possible […]

MLB Sophomores: Who Will Improve, Who Will Stumble?

We all expect excellent rookie seasons from the most hyped prospects in baseball. But the reality is that some players just don’t hit their strides for a year or two. Other prospects start off strong but then fade away. If we look back at 2015, Corey Seager, Miguel Sano, Carlos Correa, and Kris Bryant had […]

Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2021

I've been in the bold predictions game since 2015 and in that time I've had my share of successes. Befitting a premise that demands spicy takes, though, I've also wildly missed the mark a bunch of times (whither goest thou, Byung-Ho Park and Delino DeShields?) The format's been around long enough that you almost certainly know the […]

Jose Ramirez Collects Two Hits In Win Over Rangers

Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Rangers. Ramirez has had a bit of a quiet spring- he has yet to hit a homer- so it was nice to see him raise his average to .276. The 28-year-old had another strong season in 2020, […]

Luis Arraez Could Bat Leadoff At Times

Minnesota Twins infielder/outfielder Luis Arraez could bat leadoff at times in 2021. Outfielder Max Kepler has been the primary leadoff hitter for Minnesota over the last two seasons, though Arraez has assumed that role when both have been in the lineup this spring. Manager Rocco Baldelli said that both could hit in that spot in […]

Max Muncy Draws Pair Of Walks Against Giants Sunday

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy did not record an at-bat against the Giants on Sunday, as he finished the day with two walks and a run scored. While the average hasn't been high for Muncy this spring as he is currently 6-for-30 in 13 games, he has shown good plate discipline with eight […]

Spring Training Lineup Takeaways - Week 3 Lineup Trends

We are entering week four of Spring Training and week three gave us a lot to watch down the stretch. But of course, you can catch up by talking a look at week one and week two recaps. Just a reminder, in my Lineup Takeaways series we are focusing 100% on lineups, news and quotes […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: MiLB Stats

Once you've grown accustomed to having advanced tools to help make fantasy decisions, it can feel disorientating to be without them. Prospects are increasingly becoming a focal point in both real and fantasy baseball, but the minors simply do not have all of the data publically available for MLB players. For example, advanced plate discipline […]

MLB DFS Advice: Picking Hitters on DraftKings and FanDuel

Welcome back to our DFS strategy series. I've already gone over some tips for picking pitchers in this post, and I covered a lot of the hitting side in this piece where I talked about stacking strategy. A lot of hitting tips were already covered in that stacking piece, so give that a look after […]

Yoan Moncada Reaches Base For 12th Straight Game

Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada collected two hits in Saturday's win over the Indians. Moncada now has 10 hits and six walks in 13 Cactus League games- and has reached base safely in 12 straight. The 25-year-old said he didn't feel normal until after last season after contracting the COVID-19 virus, as he […]

Todd Frazier Out Of The Lineup With Back Tightness

Pittsburgh Pirates first/third baseman Todd Frazier (back) won't suit up on Sunday against the Red Sox. Frazier is experiencing some back tightness, though it's unclear if it will affect his potential availability for Opening Day, should he make the roster. The veteran infielder is having a strong spring, as he has a .935 OPS with […]

Dollar-Day Targets - Salary Cap League Values

Players who go for just $1 in salary cap leagues are guys who lack outside confidence. Not a lot of managers trust that they will be useful on a roster. In standard leagues, many of these players will go entirely undrafted and float around the waiver wire until they produce enough to be picked up […]