ADP Champ or Chump - Eduardo Escobar and Paul DeJong

In the past two years, baseball has seen an explosion in the number of shortstops with legitimate home run power. Everyone from Francisco Lindor to Tim Anderson seems capable of belting 20 dingers on an annual basis. Most of those players are being drafted in the first 10 rounds or so, but both of our […]

Is Punting Steals a Viable Draft Strategy in 2019?

For readers who tune in to watch MLB games regularly, the phrase “small ball is dead” is becoming more and more the cliche. Managers do not feel the need to run as much, there is a decreasing rate of sacrifice bunts, and above all, no more hit-and-run as a primary offensive tactic. While many factors […]

Astros Bringing Alex Bregman Along Slowly

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (elbow), who had surgery on Jan. 11 to remove bone chips from his right elbow, said the team is bringing him along slowly. He could throw and hit now if he wanted to, but the Astros are holding him back "because they're smart." Bregman broke out in his third […]

Jung Ho Kang Has Secured His Visa

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang has his visa in order for the 2019 season, according to his translator, Jeffrey Kim. It means that Kang should be a full participant in spring training after missing most of the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He played in just three games for Pittsburgh last year after multiple DUI's […]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio Invited To Camp

Toronto Blue Jays prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio have all been invited to major league spring training. Guerrero and Bichette are the team's top two prospects, while Biggio is ranked No. 9. Guerrero is baseball's consensus top prospect after hitting .381/.437/.636 with 20 home runs and 78 RBI with four minor […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Weekend Warrior: American League East Preview Show

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - Monday through Friday from 6-7 am ET. You can also find new weekly shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, SoundCloud and on iTunes under RotoBaller […]

NL-Only Deep League Draft Targets

Objectively, deep-league AL or NL-only fantasy baseball is the best format to play this summer. For one, NL-only leagues were the original formats of fantasy baseball. With both an expanded and limited player pool, the unique challenges of balancing depth with team need come to the fore. While this writer might be in the minority, I […]

Rangers Agree With Asdrubal Cabrera

The Texas Rangers agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent infielder Asdrubal Cabrera on Tuesday, according to sources. The deal will be for less than $5 million and he will be the team's third baseman. With Adrian Beltre a free agent, the Rangers needed to find a third baseman, so Cabrera will fill in at […]

Nicholas Castellanos - Unfortunate Barreler of Baseballs

In 2017, Nicholas Castellanos made outs on 17 of his barrels, which led Major League Baseball. In 2018, Castellanos again made outs on 17 of his barrels, which led Major League Baseball. Even stranger, it was a continuation from the 2016 season, when Castellanos barreled up 13 outs, which ranked ninth and was also the most of […]

2019 Points League Draft Strategy - Fantasy Baseball

When discussing fantasy baseball. An often neglected-but-entertaining format is the points league. These exist in both cumulative season-long and weekly head-to-head formats. While existential debates about scoring categories and their true depiction of player worth are endless, points leagues arguably get closest to the objective of sabermetrics. Points leagues attempt to define a player’s contribution […]

Rafael Devers Feels Healthier

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers, who is still only 22, hired a nutritionist in the offseason and has been eating healthier after a challenge from team management after his first full season in the majors. “I feel healthy right now,” Devers said Saturday at the team’s annual Winter Weekend event. I think I’m […]

Top 420: Points Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers. Today we are here to start looking at points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) formats. In this column, you will find our staff's preliminary 2019 fantasy baseball points league rankings for January and the top 420 players. Over the next few days, we will also be publishing individual tiered rankings analysis columns for each […]

Nick Mariano's 2019 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 […]

Kris Bryant Says He's Healthy

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (shoulder) said he's healthy with spring training approaching. “The shoulder is perfectly healed. Feels great,” Bryant said. “Everything about it feels right back to where I was before.” The star third baseman made two trips to the disabled list due to inflammation in his left shoulder last year that […]

Jung Ho Kang - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Is there a better feeling in fantasy sports than drafting or claiming a guy that no one else even sniffs, but he pans out to be a valuable contributor to your roster? Aside from winning your league, finding that stud sleeper is what makes your countless hours of research and prep time well worth it. […]

Diamondbacks Sign Wilmer Flores

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed free-agent infielder Wilmer Flores to a one-year, $4.25 million deal on Wednesday, according to league sources. He will make a base salary of $3.7 million with a $500,000 buyout on a 2020 club option worth $6 million. Flores was mostly a part-time player with the Mets in 2018, hitting .267/.319/.417 with […]

AL Rookies to Target in 2019 Mixed Redraft Leagues

As the New Year has finally come, and fantasy football is over, at last, fantasy baseball draft season is right around the corner. With that comes mock drafts, draft previews, ADP analysis, and of course, player recommendations. This article will help owners get ready by looking to the American League All-Star team of rookies to […]

NL Rookies to Target in 2019 Mixed Redraft Leagues

As the New Year has finally come, and fantasy football is over, at last, fantasy baseball draft season is right around the corner. With that comes mock drafts, draft previews, ADP analysis, and of course, player recommendations. This article will help owners get ready by looking to the National League All-Star team of rookies to […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 3 - Statcast for Hitters

If you've watched a baseball broadcast in the so-called Statcast Era, you have undoubtedly noticed the broadcasters commenting on a batted ball's exit velocity, or EV. Many have taken to using stats like Hard% and Soft% to forecast how a player should be performing, expecting larger Hard% rates to produce larger BABIP and HR/FB figures. […]

AL-Only Deeper League Draft Targets

Objectively, deep-league AL or NL-only fantasy baseball is the best format to play this summer. For one, NL-only leagues are the original formats of fantasy baseball. If readers are not into history, the strategy should also convince them to jump in. With both an expanded and limited player pool, the unique challenges of balancing depth […]

2019 Third Basemen - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the third base position. Even though it is only January, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these rankings […]

Anthony Rendon Receives Hefty Raise

Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $18.8 million deal. Because Rendon doesn't have elite power for a corner infielder -- he's yet to top 30 home runs in six seasons -- he's in the back end of the conversation for the top 10 fantasy third […]

Cubs Settle With Kris Bryant

The Chicago Cubs avoided salary arbitration on Friday with third baseman Kris Bryant by signing him to a one-year, $12.9 million deal, according to a source. A shoulder injury derailed Bryant's 2018 campaign and limited him to only 389 at-bats over a career-low 202 games. He hit .272/.374/.460 with just 13 home runs and 52 […]

Javier Baez Earns Raise For 2019

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $5.2 million deal. The 26-year-old superstar broke out in 2018 with a .290/.326/.554 slash line and career highs across the board in home runs (34), RBI (111), runs (101) and stolen bases (21) on his way to finishing second in […]

Brewers Avoid Arbitration With Travis Shaw

The Milwaukee Brewers avoided salary arbitration with infielder Travis Shaw on Friday by signing him to an undisclosed one-year deal. While Shaw can play either third or second base, he'll likely be ticketed for the everyday job at the hot corner in 2019 with Mike Moustakas likely leaving in free agency. The dual-eligibility makes Shaw […]

Jake Lamb Settles With Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $4.825 million deal, according to a source. Lamb played in only 56 games for Arizona due to injury last season, but he hit a combined 59 home runs the previous two seasons and could bounce back as a corner […]

Miguel Sano Avoids Arbitration

Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.650 million deal, according to a source. 2018 was a disaster for Sano, as he dealt with injury and spent time in the minor leagues. He hit an embarrassing .199/.281/.398 with just 13 home runs and 41 RBI in […]

Alex Bregman Undergoes Elbow Surgery

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (elbow) underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Friday to remove loose bodies, according to the team. He will be limited in spring training but is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. It's not a serious surgery, but it's something to keep an […]

Mariners Sign Tim Beckham

The Seattle Mariners signed free-agent shortstop Tim Beckham to a one-year, $1.75 million deal with $250,000 in incentives on Thursday. The former first overall pick in 2008 was a disappointment in 2018 after a career year in 2017. He hit .230/.287/.374 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI in just 96 games with the Orioles. […]

David Wright To Work In Front Office

New York Mets third baseman David Wright has admitted that he is no longer physically able to play the game, but he will keep a small role in the organization as a special assistant to new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, according to two team sources. Sources close to Wright say it'll be a part-time […]