Jordan Hicks Reaches Another Milestone

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jordan Hicks (elbow) faced the Nationals in a B game on Wednesday for the first time since June of 2019. The hard-throwing right-hander had a 1-2-3 inning on just 11 pitches, striking out one and inducing two groundouts. Hicks recently flashed 102 mph on the radar gun in a live […]

Scott Oberg Set To Make Spring Debut Friday

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Scott Oberg will make his spring training debut on Friday against the Giants, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Oberg has not pitched in a game since 2019 when he was shut down with blood clotting in his arm. He underwent thoracic outlet surgery back in September in order to correct […]

Franklin Perez Throws Scoreless Inning In Spring Debut

Detroit Tigers pitcher Franklin Perez made his first appearance this spring against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. He gave up one walk and no hits and didn't record a strikeout. The 23-year-old Perez was the Tigers' top prospect in 2018, but he's struggled with lat and shoulder injuries over the past few years and his […]

Michael Lorenzen Strikes Out Three In Loss

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen allowed three runs over 2 1/3 innings of work in a 9-3 Cactus League loss to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Lorenzen struck out three and didn't issue a walk in the outing, his second appearance of the spring. The right-hander has now allowed six earned runs in his […]

Zach Pop Throws A Scoreless Inning On Wednesday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Zach Pop contributed a scoreless inning of relief in Wednesday's 4-4 Grapefruit League tie with the Houston Astros. Pop didn't allow a hit and struck out one while walking one in his inning of work. It took him 21 pitches (11 strikes) to work through the inning. Pop was recently a […]

Adam Ottavino Has Strong Red Sox Debut

Boston Red Sox reliever Adam Ottavino had a strong debut on Wednesday against the Twins in spring training, striking out two in a scoreless inning of relief. Ottavino, who was acquired from the Yankees this offseason, had a disappointing 2020, but it was not as bad as the surface numbers suggest. Even though his ERA […]

Richard Rodriguez Strikes Out Three In Scoreless Inning

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez allowed one hit and struck out the side in a scoreless inning of work against the Yankees on Wednesday night. Rodriguez faced the heart of the Yankees order in the fifth inning, striking out Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres while allowing only a one-out double to Brett […]

Kendall Graveman Has A Tough Outing Wednesday

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Kendall Graveman had his worst outing of spring training on Wednesday against the Rangers, allowing four runs on four hits and a walk while striking out one. Before Wednesday, Graveman had thrown two scoreless innings in two appearances. But his rough outing on Wednesday leaves his ERA at an unfortunate 12.00. […]

Keynan Middleton Has A Disastrous Inning

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Keynan Middleton had about as bad an inning as you can have on Wednesday against the Rangers. Middleton did strike out two batters, but he also allowed five runs on four hits and a walk while giving up three home runs. Middleton is expected to be a major player in the […]

Aroldis Chapman Excellent In Spring Debut

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman looked to be in midseason form for his spring debut on Wednesday, striking out two batters over a clean inning. Chapman's fastball narrowly missed touching triple digits, but there's no reason to expect the 33-year-old to be anything other than his flamethrowing self in 2021 even if he is […]

Josh Hader Hit Hard In Spring Debut

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Josh Hader made his spring debut on Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics and had an outing to forget. He pitched just 2/3 of an inning and allowed two home runs as well as a walk. He also recorded two strikeouts. After the game, Hader said that he had been working on […]

MacKenzie Gore, Ryan Weathers Have Shot At Opening Day Roster

San Diego Padres pitching prospects MacKenzie Gore and Ryan Weathers both have legitimate shots to crack the Opening Day roster. While both southpaws are viewed long term as starters, both could fill swing roles with reliever Matt Strahm (knee) out and the Friars down to one left-hander in the bullpen. Furthermore, starter Dinelson Lamet (elbow) is […]

Drew Pomeranz Flexible On Bullpen Role

San Diego Padres reliever Drew Pomeranz doesn't care whether he is the team's designated closer. Since converting to a full-time reliever, the 32-year-old southpaw has been fantastic, including a 1.45 ERA and 40 percent strikeout rate last year. He also recorded four saves in 20 appearances. Padres manager Jayce Tingler indicates he'd prefer a "set […]

Jose Alvarado Showing Strong Velocity In Spring Training

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado seems to have good velocity on his sinker as he prepares for his first season in Philadelphia. Alvarado is in the mix for late-inning work with fellow newcomer Archie Bradley and Hector Neris. Bradley is considered the favorite for the closer job, but manager Joe Girardi hasn't disclosed much […]

Tim Dillard Announces Retirement

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Tim Dillard has retired from baseball. The 37-year-old signed with the Rangers in December but was not invited to major league camp. He pitched parts of four seasons in the majors with the Brewers, last appearing in an MLB game back in 2012, when he made 34 appearances with a 4.38 […]

A.J. Puk Will Throw A Simulated Game On Tuesday

Oakland Athletics pitcher A.J. Puk will throw a simulated game on Tuesday, according to manager Bob Melvin. He will pitch two innings at the team complex and will throw another simulated game on Saturday if all goes well. "Hopefully he's into a regular game," following the simulated work, Melvin added. The former top-prospect hasn't pitched […]

Pedro Baez Lands On COVID-19 Injured List

Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Pedro Baez has been placed on the COVID-19 injured list following a positive test for the virus Tuesday. Baez was a major addition to the Houston bullpen this off-season, likely setting him up to be the setup man ahead of Ryan Pressly. Baez was remarkably consistent during a seven-year tenure with […]

Joely Rodriguez Will Throw Off A Mound This Week

Texas Rangers reliever Joely Rodriguez, who reported to camp with a sprained ankle, is scheduled to throw off a mound this week, according to beat writer Jeff Wilson. Rangers GM Jon Daniels said Rodriguez was "a couple weeks behind" the other relievers once camp started so it's encouraging that he's progressed to mound work this […]

Alex Colome Strikes Out The Side Against Baltimore

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Alex Colome looked sharp in his third Grapefruit League appearance on Tuesday. Colome worked one inning, striking out the side on 15 pitches while inducing five swings-and-misses. The 32-year-old reliever now has six strikeouts in three innings pitched this spring, with all six coming on his cutter, a pitch that has […]

Jose Castillo Undergoing Tommy John Surgery

The San Diego Padres announced reliever Jose Castillo (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery. The development is another terrible turn for the 25-year-old, who has pitched just 2/3 innings since 2018. Castillo was poised to compete for a middle relief role with the Friars but will instead start the long road to recovery. After bursting […]

Zach Britton Has A Bone Chip In His Elbow

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zach Britton (elbow) will undergo surgery on Wednesday after he was diagnosed with a bone chip in his pitching elbow on Tuesday. This kind of surgery can take around two months for pitchers to fully recover from, so fantasy managers should expect Britton to miss at least the first month […]

Alex Reyes Strikes Out Three In An Inning Of Work

St. Louis Cardinals right handed pitcher Alex Reyes worked an inning in relief in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets. Reyes tossed a scoreless inning, recording all three outs by strikeout while allowing two hits in between. Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak said the plan is for Reyes to throw […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Pitcher BABIP

While FIP is a useful tool to predict a pitcher's future ERA performance, fantasy managers should remember that ERA, not FIP, is what really matters in most formats. This means that we are interested in the "luck" that separates the two statistics. While some of this luck is unpredictable, we can and should predict some […]

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 […]

Jonathan Hernandez Has UCL Tear

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jonathan Hernandez has a small tear in his UCL and has been shut down for the next four weeks. The team remains hopeful Hernandez can avoid surgery, but it sounds like the best-case scenario would be for Hernandez to return in late May. The 24-year-old righty had a 2.90 ERA last […]

Julian Merryweather Out With Back Tightness

Oft-injured Toronto Blue Jays hurler Julian Merryweather is once again on the sidelines after suffering from back tightness. The hard-throwing right-hander was originally acquired from Cleveland for third baseman Josh Donaldson but was recovering from Tommy John surgery at that time. He spent the majority of 2020 at the Jays' alternate training site but he […]

Zach Britton Gets An MRI

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zach Britton got an MRI on Tuesday after experiencing soreness following a bullpen session. It's too early to say exactly what Britton's injury is, but fantasy managers should place him on "do not draft" lists until more details are revealed. An elite reliever for fantasy managers who value holds, Britton […]

Tejay Antone Throws Three Scoreless Innings

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Tejay Antone threw three scoreless innings in a 6-4 Cactus League win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday. Antone struck out three while allowing just two hits in the outing. The 27-year-old is one of the Reds pitchers fighting for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, battling with Michael Lorenzen, Jose […]

JB's Bullpen Method Redux - Building FrankenAces

Last year, I finally published an article breaking down my favorite fantasy baseball strategy I have been using for years. It's really less of a strategy and more a state of mind. No, the Bullpen Method is a lifestyle. I always speak about the importance of balance on a fantasy team. For your pitching staff, I […]

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.  […]