Nicholas Castellanos (3B/OF, DET) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Target ~80 CURRENT ADP: 103 ANALYSIS: The Detroit Tigers offense is aging and showed a significant drop-off from their 2016 season. In 2017, while most of the roster was struggling, Nicholas Castellanos was the lone bright spot as he continued to improve his offensive ability. Castellanos had a .272 average with 26 home runs and […]
Adrian Beltre Hopes the Rangers Add Free Agents
Jeff Wilson of the Star Telegram reports that Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre hopes the team adds some firepower before the 2018 season. Beltre, entering his 21st season, believes that the core roster is good enough to compete for a playoff spot and potentially a division championship, but thinks that general manager Jon Daniels should […]
Rangers to Give Jurickson Profar Consistent Playing Time in the Infield in 2018
While at-bats may be tough to come by, the Texas Rangers are looking to get utilityman Jurickson Profar more opportunities in the infield during the 2018 season. After not being traded last season, the Rangers are hoping that keeping the 25-year-old Profar in the infield, where he is more comfortable, will unlock the offensive potential […]
Eduardo Nunez Goes Beyond Normal Signing Procedures
Infielder Eduardo Nunez has officially signed with the Boston Red Sox. He went beyond the normal physical to demonstrate not only his health, but how much he enjoyed playing for the team. According to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox had to be more diligent in ensuring Nunez's health due to knee injuries […]
Royals Content Standing Pat
The Kansas City Royals say that they will stand pat and will not pursue any other marquee free agents now that former first baseman chose the San Diego Padres on Saturday. That presumably also includes free-agent third baseman Mike Moustakas, who remains available in free agency. Moose posted a career-high 38 home runs in 2017 […]
Nick Mariano's 2018 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 […]
Manny Machado Reiterates Desire To Move To Shortstop
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado said shortstop is where his heart is and playing there will play a role as he approaches free agency next offseason. The Orioles have not had any extension talks with Machado, but he'd like to remain with the team if possible. Machado has been mentioned heavily in trade talks […]
Champ or Chump - Adrian Beltre and Yu Darvish
One great way to identify sleepers and busts is to take advantage of any biases that may impact the community's perception of a player. For example, older players are frequently bargains on draft day because owners assume that they're going to collapse. Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers seems to fit into this category so […]
Danny Duffy (SP, KC) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Target ~135 CURRENT ADP: 175 ANALYSIS: Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Danny Duffy labored through 2017 as he dealt with injuries that eventually ended in minor elbow surgery in October. Duffy mixed a couple stellar months (2.81 ERA in April, 3.20 ERA with 31/4 K/BB ratio in July) in with a lot of mediocre months to […]
Kyle Seager (3B, SEA) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Target ~100 CURRENT ADP: 135 ANALYSIS: Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager will look to bounce back after an uneven 2017 campaign. Seager's numbers were certainly above average; 27 home runs and 88 runs batted in, but he hit a career-low .249. Seager is still a veteran hitter who now has six straight 20-plus home […]
Jake Lamb (3B, ARI) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Target ~75 CURRENT ADP: 117 ANALYSIS: Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb has two major splits: lefty/righty and first half/second half split. He does well against right-handed pitchers, with a slash line of .282 average, .386 on-base percentage, and .552 slugging. However, he does poorly against left-handed pitchers, slashing .144/.269/.288. Additionally, Lamb’s career performance in […]
Justin Turner (3B, LAD) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Target ~55 CURRENT ADP: 79 ANALYSIS: Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Justin Turner does not have the power that the top 3B options in fantasy do. What he offers is sharp plate discipline and hits for days. Turner is the poster boy for the fly-ball revolution. A late-blooming hitter who didn’t find his stride until […]
Nick Senzel Working At Second Base And Shortstop
Cincinnati Reds third base prospect Nick Senzel arrived to the team's spring complex about a month early, and their No. 1 ranked prospect and No. 7 prospect in all of baseball has been working diligently at second base and shortstop. The 22-year-old has worked exclusively at third base since he was selected second overall in […]
Yankees Could Still Trade For Manny Machado
It's not out of the question that the New York Yankees could swing a deal for third baseman Manny Machado, even though the superstar can hit free agency next year. It's a long shot, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic explores a possibility that the Yankees land Machado. New York's major obstacle is avoiding the […]
Zack Cozart (SS/3B, LAA) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Target ~135 CURRENT ADP: 188 ANALYSIS: Zack Cozart made himself a rich man thanks to a 2017 campaign in which he posted 24 HR, 80 runs, a .297 average, and .385 OBP while striking out on just 15.4% of his at-bats. After producing the 17th-best wRC+ in all of baseball, the infielder signed a three-year, $38 […]
Ryon Healy Undergoing Tests On Hand
Seattle Mariners first baseman/designated hitter Ryon Healy (hand) is dealing with a hand injury at camp and is undergoing further tests. Until we know the results of his tests, we won't have an idea of how serious his injury is. Healy maintained a nice hard-hit and loft rates in 2017, but he likely won't be […]
Manny Machado Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers
We continue our long-running series of articles debating fantasy rankings with a player that is sure to be a first-round pick in all formats. Or is he? RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, we'll hear from rankers […]
Matt Duffy Looks To Finally Deliver For Rays Fans
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Matt Duffy missed all of 2017 due to injury. He has been battling problems and had setbacks since he joined the Rays and admits that he would be skeptical at this point if he was in the shoes of the fans. He was able to fully test his repairs during […]
Miguel Sano Expected To Be At Camp On Time
Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano (shin) is expected to report to spring camp on time, and he's currently working out in the Dominican Republic. He will be limited early in camp, but he's expected to be ready for the start of the season. Before his shin injury last year, Sano was an elite power […]
David Wright Reports To Spring Training
While it probably doesn’t matter, New York Mets third baseman David Wright has reported to spring training. The difference in his latest comeback attempt, though, is that the Mets recently brought third baseman Todd Frazier on board since Wright can clearly no longer be relied upon. Wright has played in only 75 games over the […]
Toronto Blue Jays Top MLB Prospects for 2018 Dynasty Leagues
Today we are wrapping up the American League East with one of the most interesting farm systems in baseball in the Toronto Blue Jays. There might not be a farm system in baseball with a better top pairing than this one, especially for fantasy purposes. Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are two of the […]
Tampa Bay Rays - Top MLB Prospects for 2018 Dynasty Leagues
When people think top farm systems in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays do not often come up. Or at least, not as much as they should. For a team that has consistently developed players well and drafted well, the Rays have not received as much love as they deserve. That might be starting to change. […]
Top 600: Dynasty League Fantasy Baseball Rankings
What's up RotoBallers. Today we are bringing you our top 600 fantasy baseball dynasty rankings for the 2018 MLB season. Dynasty leagues, or keeper formats, are becoming more and more popular in the fantasy sports landscape. For those of you who are playing in dynasty formats, or are interested in long-term valuations of fantasy players, this is […]
Nick Senzel (3B, CIN) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Target ~340 CURRENT ADP: 384 ANALYSIS: Cincinnati Reds third baseman Nick Senzel will attend his first big league Spring Training when his team opens camp in February. Senzel is the Reds' No. 1 ranked prospect and is the No. 2 third base prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. While Senzel is a third […]
New York Yankees Top MLB Prospects for 2018 Dynasty Leagues
This New York Yankees’ farm system has been one of the best in baseball since the team decided to start reloading. Trading Andrew Miller for Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield, sending Aroldis Chapman to Chicago for Gleyber Torres and Billy McKinney helped restock a farm system that already started to lose a few names. Many […]
Champ or Chump - Brandon Moss and Todd Frazier
The theme of this article is cheap power. As more players than ever before start cracking 20 homers, fantasy owners can rely on legitimate power bats remaining available in the latter stages of their draft. Some owners believe that this allows them to wait on power, but the league-wide increase in home runs has also […]
Eugenio Suarez Loses Arbitration Case
Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez lost his salary arbitration case and will make $3.75 million in 2018. Suarez showed real growth at the plate in 2017, hitting .260 with 26 home runs and 82 RBI in 156 games. That could be his ceiling, but his improved walk rate (13.3 percent) could mean that he […]
Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 3 - Statcast for Batters
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. […]
Todd Frazier Agrees To Terms With Mets
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that free-agent infielder Todd Frazier has agreed to a two-year, $17 million contract, with the New York Mets. It is a nice deal for Frazier, who aside from home runs, has struggled in recent years. This past season, the 31-year-old hit .213 with 27 home runs and 76 RBI […]
Blue Jays Not Talking Josh Donaldson Extension Yet
The 2017-2018 MLB offseason has been a slow grind in terms of free agent signings, and many believe that is in-part due to the monster free agent class that will hit the market next year. Toronto Blue Jays third basemen Josh Donaldson is one of those players, and as of now, he seems primed to […]