Kenley Jansen Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

We continue our rankings debates with a look at the game's best reliever. 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 with the biggest differences of opinion on a well-known player and have them defend […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 10 - Ballpark Factors

If you have ever selected a streamable pitcher based on home park or benched an otherwise must-start arm at Coors Field, you already know how much a stadium can impact a player's bottom line. Ballpark Factors quantify the influence each stadium has, allowing you to make the most of your fantasy team's real life schedule. […]

Travis Wood's Knee Injury Doesn't Look Promising

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Travis Wood left Thursday's game against the Braves with a left knee sprain, but manager Ron Gardenhire says that things don't "look very good," leading to speculation that it could be more serious than a sprain. The 31-year-old pitcher had a rough go of things last year with the Royals and […]

ADP Sleepers and Busts - NL Relief Pitchers

Early-season drafts do not always tend to be reflective of a player's actual value. Average draft position does not tend to stabilize until closer to Opening Day but that does not stop people like myself (and presumably you as well if you're reading this) from drafting well before then. The ADP of relief pitchers is […]

2018 Bullpen Outlooks - American League West

The American League West is third in our series of 2018 Early Bullpen Outlooks and will wrap up the AL side of things. The AL West has some solid bullpens with some dependable closers at the helm, but none who really inspire confidence as early or even mid-round fantasy selections. At least not yet. The Angels have some […]

Robbie Erlin And Colin Rea Return To Game Action

After both players missed 2017 recovering from Tommy John Surgery, San Diego Padres starting pitchers Robbie Erlin (elbow) and Colin Rea (elbow) returned to live action in a "B" game on Thursday. They each pitched two innings and struck out a pair. Erlin and Rea are two of eight Padres pitchers battling for three rotation spots and could […]

Cubs Sign Danny Hultzen

The Chicago Cubs have signed former top pitching prospect Danny Hultzen. The 28-year-old announced his retirement after the 2016 season but will give it a go with a second chance with the Cubs. The former first-round pick -- No. 2 overall by the Seattle Mariners in 2011 -- Hultzen never figured things out and never reached […]

Matt Strahm May Not Be Ready To Start

AJ Cassavell tweeted that San Diego Padres pitcher Matt Strahm may not be ready to start by Opening Day but can come out of the bullpen. Although he's competing for a back-end rotation spot, Strahm also projects to be a useful relief arm. Strahm is returning from a torn left patellar tendon suffered last July. […]

Pedro Strop Dealing With Sore Left Calf

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop (calf) has been kept off the mound. The relief pitcher has been sidelined with a sore left calf. Aside from holds, Strop carries minimal fantasy value.

2018 Relief Pitchers - Dynasty Tiered Rankings

As we move closer to the 2018 baseball season, at RotoBaller we have released our Dynasty Rankings. We have been dissecting the tiers of each position, showing fantasy owners where to find value in their draft. We have a total of 54 relief pitchers ranked in the first six tiers. When looking at dynasty leagues, one […]

Danny Salazar Still Limited But Starting to "Turn a Corner"

Cleveland Indians pitcher Danny Salazar (shoulder) is still limited to playing catch from 75 feet, but he said he hopes to advance further soon. He recently threw on back-to-back days for the first time this spring. Salazar was feeling shoulder discomfort earlier in camp but has said that he felt he was starting to "turn […]

Mark Melancon Throws On Wednesday

San Francisco Giants closer Mark Melancon (forearm) threw for the first time since this past September on Tuesday. The closer threw 20 pitches and said he felt fine. Melancon is coming off a rough season but should be a strong bounce-back candidate. Owners who draft Melancon would be wise to keep an eye on relief pitchers […]

Seung Hwan Oh's Elbow Expected To Be Fine

When the Toronto Blue Jays signed reliever Seung Hwan Oh, there were some reports indicating that his right elbow might be troublesome. This was largely due in part to Oh’s verbal agreement with the Texas Rangers falling apart due to a rumored failed physical. For now, though, it sounds like Oh’s elbow is good enough, […]

Alex Reyes Will Throw Live Batting Practice Wednesday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Alex Reyes (elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Wednesday. It will be his first time facing live hitters since undergoing Tommy John Surgery last February. Reyes will be brought along slowly, with the team expecting him back on the big league mound sometime in early May. The Cardinals […]

Tyler Thornburg Throws Bullpen Session Wednesday

As scheduled, Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Tyler Thornburg (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Wednesday comprised of 20 fastballs off the mound, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. This was Thornburg's first bullpen session since having thoracic outlet surgery in June 2017. Christian Vazquez seemed enthused after catching Tyler Thornburg's first side session since surgery. He let […]

Tim Lincecum a Lottery Ticket for Texas

Pending a physical, pitcher Tim Lincecum will join the Texas Rangers on an incentive-laden one-year contract. Evan P. Grant reports that the deal is for just $1 million for the season. The former two-time Cy Young winner is trying to resurrect his career one more time after showing little life in a 2016 Angels campaign […]

Craig Kimbrel Leaves Camp To Be With Family

Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel has left the team to be with his infant daughter, who is having a second heart procedure in Boston, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Kimbrel learned his daughter would be born with a heart defect early in the 2017 season and she has already had one […]

Tyler Thornburg Scheduled For Bullpen Session

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Tyler Thornburg (shoulder) is scheduled for a bullpen session Wednesday, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. This will be Thornburg's first bullpen session since having thoracic outlet surgery in June 2017. “Big day for him,” manager Alex Cora said. Thornburg never had an opportunity to pitch in 2017 due to […]

Top 500: Mixed Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (February)

Spring training is officially here! To celebrate, today we are here to look at our staff's updated 2018 fantasy baseball mixed league rankings for February and the top 500 players. Our rankings are updated weekly, but enough changes have taken place recently (see humidor, Arizona) to release a new overall list. Over the next few weeks we will also be publishing individual tiered […]

Andrew Bailey to Officially Retire

Los Angeles Angels reliever Andrew Bailey is officially retiring and taking another position with the Angels. Bailey, 33, will be the Angels instant-replay coordinator and coaching assistant this season. The former A's closer was recovering from a shoulder injury but opted instead to retire. Bailey only threw four innings last season and has had health […]

Archie Bradley Shows His Velocity

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Archie Bradley has already demonstrated the velocity that he hopes to maintain throughout the 2018 season. He admitted to having inconsistencies in past seasons that began even in spring training. However, in a game situation on Saturday, Bradley's first pitch was 95.1 mph. Afterwards, his 17-pitch outing only increased in speed, […]

Kenley Jansen To Pitch In Two Spring Games

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will only pitch in two Cactus League games, according to manager Dave Roberts. Jansen doesn't need much spring work to get up to speed for the regular season. He's one of the best closers in the game and is pitching for a team that will rack up a lot […]

Matt Bush Adding a Third Pitch in Transition to Starter

The Texas Rangers are pushing pitcher Matt Bush to add a changeup into his repertoire as he continues to stretch out into a starter. Bush had previously relied on a blazing 95-100 mph fastball with an 80 mph curve mixed in to keep hitters honest. Successful two pitch starters are rare, and the push to […]

2017 Breakouts Due for Regression - Relief Pitchers

2017 was a great season for those who follow the "Don't Pay for Saves" strategy. Actually, it's more than a strategy, it's a lifestyle. Corey Knebel blossomed into an elite closer, Fernando Rodney almost matched his age in saves, Brandon Kintzler/Sean Doolittle/Brandon Maurer/Felipe Rivero/Brad Hand all had over 20 saves, and even Bud Norris was […]

Carl Edwards (RP, ChC) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~275 CURRENT ADP: 338 ANALYSIS: Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Carl Edwards is more valuable in holds leagues than leagues that do not count holds, but that should not stop you from scooping him up at the back end of your draft for relatively little. Relievers like Edwards are valuable in that they can bolster […]

Blue Jays Agree With Seung Hwan Oh

The Toronto Blue Jays agreed on a deal with free-agent relief pitcher Seung Hwan Oh on Sunday, pending a physical, according to sources. Oh was believed to have a deal with the Rangers earlier this month, but that was nixed when they found ligament damage in his right elbow. Oh's injury isn't believed to be […]

ADP Sleepers and Busts - AL Relief Pitchers

The early days of draft season typically result in volatile ADP data, as values adjust rapidly to a growing sample size. Eventually, players fall much closer to their intrinsic worth as fantasy owners become inundated with news, analysis and pundit commentary. So, I'm here today to serve as another voice to the copious reams of […]

Oliver Perez Inks Minor League Deal With Reds

The Cincinnati Reds have signed veteran left-handed reliever Oliver Perez to a minor league deal on Saturday. Perez made his big league debut with the San Diego Padres back in 2002. The 36-year-old southpaw made 50 appearances for the Washington Nationals in 2017, pitching 33 innings and posting a 4.64 ERA, one save, 12 holds, […]

Pitchers Who Changed Scenes for 2018

When getting back into the fantasy baseball groove, one important task fantasy owners need to accomplish is tracking the offseason moves. Here at Rotoballer, we help you prepare for the new season providing you with some of the names you need to know for draft day and some you need to avoid. We've already covered some of […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 9 - BABIP For Pitchers

While FIP is a useful tool to predict a pitcher's future ERA performance, fantasy owners 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 […]