MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/2): Glasnow Struggles, Taillon and Chapman Return

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games. […]

Danny Santana Plans To Sign Soon

Free-agent infielder/outfielder Danny Santana (elbow) plans to have one more workout on Tuesday in Miami and plans to sign shortly after that. He is canceling his showcase on Thursday, as he's shown that he is healthy and ready to go in his individual workouts. Santana was the Texas Rangers Player of the Year in 2019 when […]

Carter Kieboom Seeing Early Spring Results

Washington Nationals third baseman Carter Kieboom worked on simplifying and fine-tuning his swing in the offseason after a disappointing 2020 season. The results are paying off early in spring training, as he went 2-for-3 with a pair of hits in his spring training debut, including stretching a misplayed deep fly ball to center field into […]

Niko Goodrum Records Two Hits And A Walk In Spring Debut

Detroit Tigers infielder Niko Goodrum had a solid spring training debut on Monday against the New York Yankees. Goodrum started at shortstop in the game and hit fifth in the order. He went 2-for-2 with two singles, one RBI and a walk. Goodrum, who just turned 29 in February, had a rough year in 2020, […]

Matt Chapman Returns To Lineup As DH

Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman (shoulder) was the team's designated hitter in a spring training game versus the Reds on Monday. Chapman went 1-for-3, which included roping a double to the gap, before being lifted from the game. Chapman had offseason shoulder surgery and the A's are slowly working him back into shape, with […]

Christian Arroyo Could Win Final Roster Spot

Boston Red Sox second baseman Christian Arroyo, who impressed the team at the end of last year, is out of minor league options and will receive a long look in spring training for the final roster spot. Arroyo has also seen time at third base, and manager Alex Cora mentioned that he can play some […]

Anthony Rendon Out Monday With Soreness

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon is being held out of the team's spring game on Monday due to "soreness," according to manager Joe Maddon. There's no reason for the Angels to rush their star third baseman early in spring training. Fantasy managers that have already drafted the 30-year-old should have nothing to worry […]

Bobby Dalbec Starts Off Hot

Boston Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec picked up right where he left off last year, homering in his first at-bat of the spring on Sunday against the Twins. Dalbec was fantastic in his rookie season, hitting a home run every 10 at-bats and slugging .600. It looks like Dalbec will win the Red Sox […]

Alec Bohm Goes Hitless In Spring Debut

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm went 0-for-3 in his first Grapefruit League action on Sunday against the Tigers. The former top-prospect batted an impressive .338 last season with a .400 on-base percentage. The average was aided by a .410 BABIP, but Bohm displayed impressive batted-ball skill posting a 10.3 percent barrel rate and a […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook - March 1st

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games. […]

Nolan Arenado Goes Hitless In His Spring Cardinals Debut

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado played third base and hit cleanup in the first Cardinals Grapefruit League game of 2021. He ended up 0-for-2 with a strikeout, but that's absolutely nothing to worry about. Despite moving to a much less hitter-friendly home field, Arenado might not see any change in his fantasy value […]

Jon Berti Opens Up The Spring With Two Hits

Miami Marlins utility player Jon Berti got off to a good start, going 2-for-2 with a run scored in the first Marlins Grapefruit League game of the spring. Berti is turning into a Ben Zobrist-type super utility player for the Marlins and has been an excellent part of the team. While he may not "win" […]

Breakout Hitters and Late-Round Draft Targets: WPC+

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut identify hitters who could break out in 2021. Target these batters late in fantasy baseball drafts! Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius […]

Hunter Dozier Signing Four-Year Extension

Kansas City Royals first baseman Hunter Dozier is in the midst of finalizing a four-year extension with the team. The team will be buying out three years of arbitration as well as a year of free agency in the extension. Dozier had an underwhelming season last year, slashing .228/.344/.392 with six home runs, 12 RBI […]

DraftKings MLB DFS Cheat Sheet for 2/28/21 (Premium Content)

  MLB DFS Premium Cheatsheet for 2/28 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Today is the start of Spring Training games and we couldn't be more excited! We will be putting out Premium MLB DFS Cheat Sheets for DraftKings all throughout the Spring Training schedule, and our MLB DFS Lineup […]

Third Basemen Set to Bust in 2021

The hot corner is loaded with talent once again in 2021, and of the two classic infield power positions, third base is measurably deeper than its traditional slugger counterpart across the diamond. With such depth, it’s even more important to nail your third base pick on draft day, otherwise you’ll be fitting an uphill battle […]

Manny Machado Had Laser Eye Surgery In Offseason

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado underwent laser eye surgery in the offseason because he said his vision felt slightly off during night games in recent seasons. In the shortened 2020 season, Machado hit .304/.370/.580 with 16 home runs to finish third in National League MVP voting. The right-handed slugger was on pace to […]

Alex Bregman Hits For Second Straight Day

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (hamstring) hit on the field for the second consecutive day on Friday. Bregman has been slowed at the start of camp by a sore hamstring, and his status to play in the team's first spring training game on Sunday is up in the air. Bregman was one of a host […]

Dylan Moore Poised To Build On 2020 Improvements

Seattle Mariners utility man Dylan Moore made a change in his approach at the plate before the 2020 season in order to be more direct to the ball, and it yielded huge results. Moore's line-drive percent jumped almost nine percentage points over his rookie season to a solid 24.7%, and his 13.8% barrel rate placed […]

Brian Snitker Signs Extension Through 2023 Season

The Atlanta Braves signed manager Brian Snitker to a contract extension on Friday that will take him through the 2023 season. The deal includes a club option for the 2024 season. It's well-deserved, as Snitker has managed the team to three straight National League East division titles after they won just on division crown from […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Plate Discipline

No matter how high a particular player's BABIP may be, his average will be mediocre at best if he strikes out too much. This is why fantasy managers have known for years that players like Chris Davis are potential drains on a fantasy team's batting average. Furthermore, players that whiff a lot tend to continue […]

Jon Anderson's Third Base Tiered Rankings and Projections

Welcome back to my own personal rankings series! Today we're covering third base, but you can check out the rest of the series at the links below: First Base Second Base Shortstop Third base may be the deepest position in terms of total statistical production that will come out of it, but that does not […]

Yoan Moncada Could Play Sunday Or Monday

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa was told on Thursday that third baseman Yoan Moncada (arm) could play third base on Sunday or Monday in a Cactus League game. Moncada is dealing with some arm soreness in the early days of spring camp, but the White Sox will be careful not to push him […]

Miguel Sano Could See Time At Both Corner Infield Spots

Minnesota Twins first baseman Miguel Sano could also see some time at the hot corner this year. Sano was originally a third baseman by trade, though the team shifted him to first when they signed Josh Donaldson last offseason. The 27-year-old could get some starts at third with the team planning to rest Donaldson more […]

Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez Get On The Field Thursday

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (hamstring) took batting practice on the field on Thursday but remained out of infield drills. Outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (knees) stretched and did some running with the team but remained out of batting practice. Bregman tweaked the same hamstring that caused him to miss some time last year, but […]

Kris Bryant Open To An Extension

Chicago Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant is open to negotiating a contract to remain with the team. Bryant will be eligible to be a free agent for the first time after this season and with Scott Boras as his agent, Bryant is likely to command a large contract either with the Cubs or another suitor. […]

Spencer Torkelson Cuts Finger, Will Miss Spring Games

Detroit Tigers top prospect Spencer Torkelson (finger) cut his finger and is now expected to miss the first set of games of spring training. According to Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, Torkelson suffered the injury while opening a can. Hinch said that Torkelson got his finger stitched up and that the injury is "very mild." The […]

Edwin Rios Expected To See More Playing Time In 2021

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Edwin Rios will not be an everyday player in 2021 with the newly re-signed Justin Turner back in the fold. Nevertheless, Rios has serious sleeper upside, as the Dodgers will try to preserve the health of the 36-year-old Turner. Rios slashed .250/.301/.645 with eight homers and 17 RBI across 76 at-bats […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook - February 25th

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We've at least made it through the first […]

Eugenio Suarez Wants To Hit 50 Home Runs

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who had a down year in 2020 by hitting .202/.312/.470 with 15 home runs, 38 RBI and a 102 OPS+, said he wants to hit 50 home runs this year. Suarez hit .118 with two homers and 25 strikeouts in 82 plate appearances in his first 20 games, and […]