MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/9) - Meadows Returning To Form

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 officially through the first week of spring training games […]

Carter Kieboom (3B, WAS) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 395 CURRENT ADP: ~412 overall ANALYSIS: Just shy of being what I would consider a deep dart throw, Kieboom is currently in line to be the starting third baseman for the Nationals. The reason the confidence is lacking is in part due to the fact that according to reports, the […]

Justin Turner Goes 1-for-2 Monday

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Monday's 8-0 win against the Chicago White Sox. It was nice to see Turner get a hit in this one as he is now just 2-for-10 through his first five Cactus League games. Turner was also batting third, […]

Jonathan India Gets on Base Three Times

Cincinnati Reds infield prospect Jonathan India walked twice, singled, and stole home plate on Monday against the Colorado Rockies. He's now 3-for-9 with a BB-K of 3-4 through seven games this spring. Also of note, the former first-round pick as a third baseman started the game at second base. India has actually spent more time […]

Mark Vientos Flashes Raw Power for Mets

New York Mets infield prospect Mark Vientos went 2-for-2 and slugged two doubles on Monday against the Washington Nationals. The young player is now 3-for-4 with a promising BB-K of 4-1 on the spring. The 21-year-old former second-round pick is known mostly for his power but has also shown a rudimentary approach at the plate […]

Tommy Edman Goes 1-for-2 Monday

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Tommy Edman went 1-for-2 with a run scored in Monday's 7-7 tie with the Miami Marlins. Edman is now 4-for-13 with three runs scored and one stolen base in spring action. Edman struggled a bit in 2020 as he slashed .250/.317/.368 with five home runs and two stolen bases. This was […]

Top 10 Third Basemen - Dynasty Prospect Rankings

Third base is traditionally a place to find offense. It can be a goldmine for fantasy managers in need of some power. Third basemen are also known for providing strong on-base numbers and, in some cases, batting average. The 2019 season met the offensive expectations with 28 hitters managing a 100 wRC+ or better (350 […]

Tout Wars 12-Team Mixed Draft Recap

The 2021 Tout Wars season kicked off this week with the 15-team Draft and Hold starting on Monday and then the NEW 12-team Mixed draft on Tuesday. The Draft and Hold is a slow draft, while the 12 team Mixed was live and rocking. I was fortunate enough to take part in the 12-team draft.  […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/8) - Darvish Deals, Gallo Still Mashing

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 officially through the first week of spring training games […]

Value Based Drafting Primer: WPC+

Learn how to take the next step in fantasy baseball draft strategy by creating custom values for your player rankings. Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut explain how with examples from their TGFBI (The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational) drafts. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch […]

Anthony Rendon Goes Deep Against Brewers

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon went 1-for-2 Monday with a home run against the Brewers in Spring Training. The 30-year-old slugger rounded the bases for the first time of the 2021 exhibition season as the Angels are banking on Rendon to have a huge season. The team's prized free agent signing of last […]

Max Muncy Continues Cold Spring

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy continued his cold start to spring training Sunday as he went 0-for-3 in a 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers. Muncy is now just 1-for-9 in his first four games this spring. Muncy had mixed results in 2020 as he hit just .198 but also crushed 12 bombs across […]

Jeff McNeil With Brutal Defensive Day In Field

New York Mets infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil committed three errors on Sunday in the Mets' Grapefruit League matchup against the Marlins. McNeil was playing third base on Sunday, though his primary position in 2021 will be second base where is he better defensively. With Jonathan Villar now with the Mets after signing a one-year deal this […]

Spencer Torkelson Hitless Through Seven Spring At-Bats

Detroit Tigers third baseman and top prospect Spencer Torkelson has had a rough start to his first spring training with the team. He's gone hitless in his first nine plate appearances with four strikeouts and two walks. The 21-year-old Torkelson, who is ranked No. 3 on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list, isn't expected to make […]

Lineup Takeaways - Week 1 Spring Training Lineups

Well, after a recent article highlighting the idea of what I was wanting to do with this Spring Training series, here is a first look at my Lineup Takeaway series I will be bringing you the rest of the 2021 season. We are focusing 100% on lineups, news and quotes - strictly about lineups and […]

Josh Donaldson Clobbers Three-Run Homer In Spring Debut

Minnesota Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in his Grapefruit League debut on Sunday. Donaldson's homer to center field was absolutely tagged, as the exit velocity was 110.2 MPH with the ball traveling 417 feet. Even one of his outs was loud, as he put a 106.9 MPH ball […]

Jose Ramirez, Franmil Reyes Break COVID-19 Protocols

The Cleveland Indians sent Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes home for breaking Major League Baseball's COVID-19 protocols. The pair were at a restaurant without their masks and Reyes also reportedly had a haircut. He was caught breaking the rules last year, too. Pitchers Zach Plesac and Mike Clevinger also broke the rules in 2020 and […]

Third Base Preview: Fantasy Baseball 2021 ADP Analysis

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller discusses 2021 fantasy baseball third base rankings and 3B draft sleepers who can be sneaky later-round picks. He breaks down and compares the ADPs of five different MLB players at the third base position. Fantasy players should consider picking up these players for their drafts this MLB Season. Be sure to […]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Feeling As Strong As He Did In 2018

Toronto Blue Jays first/third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said he feels as strong as he did before the 2018 season. Guerrero lost 42 pounds this offseason and is looking leaner ahead of the 2021 season after a down year at the plate in the shortened 2020 season. Despite the underwhelming stats, the 21-year-old still placed […]

Kings of Candy: Sweet-Spot% Risers

While the 2020 season may not have given us much of a sample to evaluate outcomes (home runs, doubles, flyouts, etc.), the core events of exit velocity and launch angle stabilize more quickly and can be stickier than combination statistics like ISO or BB%. Two of our FSWA Writer-of-the-Year Finalists, Eric Samulski and Nicklaus Gaut, […]

Finding Over/Undervalued First Basemen Using Expected Draft Values

Welcome to the FSWA-nominated Expected Draft Values series, where we look at historical data to identify both overvalued and undervalued players of all types. Whether you're targeting power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, we've got you covered. We'll start at first base and make our way around the diamond to begin the 2021 […]

DraftKings MLB DFS Cheat Sheet for Spring Training (Premium Content)

  MLB DFS Premium Cheatsheet All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Spring Training games are underway and we couldn't be more excited! We'll be putting out Premium MLB DFS Cheat Sheets for DraftKings throughout Spring Training, and our MLB DFS Lineup Optimizer is live for DraftKings as well. Hope you […]

Evan Longoria Plates Three In Spring Training Debut

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria got his first spring training action at designated hitter in Saturday's game against the Royals. The 35-year-old went 1-for-2 with a three-run double in the third inning of the game. Longoria is being slow-played on defense because of plantar fasciitis, which he has dealt with in the past, […]

Maikel Franco Drawing Interest From Orioles, Others

Free-agent third baseman Maikel Franco has entered the first week of March without an organization to call home for the 2021 year. After having been non-tendered by the Royals at the end of last season, Franco has labored on the market; although it appears that the Orioles and other clubs have expressed interest in bringing […]

Alex Bregman Still Sidelined, Looking "Pretty Good"

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (hamstring) has yet to take the field for spring game action after tweaking his hamstring. Bregman has been hitting on the field this spring and actually tweeted that he would be playing if this were the regular season, with manager Dusty Baker seeming to back up that sentiment by […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Pull%

We have previously determined that fantasy managers generally prefer batters to hit the ball into the air to have a chance at a home run. Yet, all fly balls are not equal for this purpose. A player can maximize his power production by pulling the ball in the air. One way to illustrate this is […]

Nick Mariano's 2021 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 […]

KC Bubba's 2021 Best Ball Draft Targets (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The fantasy baseball season is here! Best Ball leagues are for you for those fantasy players looking to get an edge on their 2021 leagues. Best Ball leagues have increased in popularity in recent years, and that is in large part of the early […]

KC Bubba's 2021 Best Ball Draft Avoids (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The fantasy baseball season is here! For those fantasy players looking to get an edge on their 2021 leagues, Best Ball formats are a great way to get a head start on the competition. By jumping in best ball leagues, fantasy players can get […]

Sam Haggerty Steals Another Base

Seattle Mariners utility man Sam Haggerty swiped his second base of the spring on Friday. Capable of playing both the infield and outfield, Haggerty looks likely to make the big league team out of camp as the main backup to J.P. Crawford, among others. With the Mariners organization looking to maximize their baserunning abilities this […]