Chris Sale Strikes Out 13 In Minor League Game
Chris Sale is already in mid-season form as he struck out 13 batters over six-plus innings Wednesday in his final minor league game. The Chicago White Sox's ace is set to start the 2015 season on April 12. Sale suffered an avulsion fracture on right foot while at his home on February 27. The Sox […]
Nathan Eovaldi (SP, NYY) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Later Rounds / Waiver Wire Stash ANALYSIS: A name to keep in mind going forward is Nathan Eovaldi. Right now Eovaldi is in the fourth slot of the Yankees rotation, opening up plenty of opportunity to thrive. Owned in just 17% of leagues, Eovaldi is being criminally undervalued in relation to his potential […]
Adam Warren (SP, NYY) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues / AL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: Adam Warren has now been named the New York Yankee's 5th starter. If he is available in your deeper league / AL-Only league, and you've already drafted, go ahead and grab him him off the waiver wire. As a relief pitcher in 2014, with a 2.97 ERA and a […]
Henderson Alvarez (SP, MIA) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target ~230 Overall ANALYSIS: Henderson Alvarez compiled a 12-7 record along with a 2.65 ERA in 30 starts last season, yet he is consistently available after the 20th round in most 12-team leagues for 2015. The Marlins have enough belief in Alvarez’s talent to make him their opening day starter while Jose Fernandez is recuperating from […]
Eye on the Minors: Redraft Pitching Prospects #11-20
As the final week of Spring Training winds down, the series on top redraft pitchers continues with numbers 11 through 20. Previously we covered 50-41, 41-30, and 30-21. Jobs are being won, depth charts established, service time manipulated, and all that good preseason stuff. All the guys listed here (and in the next and final installment […]
2015 Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: How To Use Tiered Rankings
What Are Player Tiers for Rankings? Over the last few years in fantasy baseball, the topic of player tiers or tiered rankings has become a trendy way to approach your draft. Often times, in real life, something that is trendy doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best course of action or the smartest idea. It […]
Predicting The Top 10 Finishers for ERA in 2015: Fantasy Baseball Rankings
While wins are not solely the pitcher's responsibility, one category that falls primarily in the pitcher's hand (pun intended) is ERA. In 2014 the league saw nine starters finish with an ERA under 2.50, capping off one of the best pitching seasons in recent memory. With the amount of runs scored trending downward, it is […]
Brandon McCarthy (SP, LAD) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target Mid-to-Late Rounds in All Leagues ANALYSIS: An increasingly popular strategy in fantasy drafts is to wait until the middle and later rounds to find starting pitching. Brandon McCarthy (ADP 235) is a prime example as to why it is best to follow this strategy during your draft. After the Diamondbacks traded McCarthy […]
Hardy, Brown, Pence, Verlander, Werth To Start 2015 Season on DL
With opening day only days away, many teams will start their season without some important names in the lineup. Every game counts. Even the games in April. Here's a look at some players who will start the season on the DL. Baltimore Orioles J.J. Hardy: According to the Baltimore Sun, Hardy will miss the […]
Fantasy Baseball Spring Stock Watch: Opening Day Is Almost Here
Can you believe it? We are less than one week away from Opening Day when Jon Lester and the Chicago Cubs square off with the Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals. These two storied franchises are poised to write the opening chapter in a new rivalry on national television. The young upstarts, playing without […]
MLB Podcast: Fantasy Baseball's Starting Pitching Sleepers & Value Picks
Preseason Fantasy Baseball Analysis: The Starting Pitcher Sleepers RotoBaller is proud to present a unique new take on fantasy sports. With his tongue firmly placed in his cheek your host, the “Living Legend” Joe Gallina, provides you with a great blend of baseball talk featuring sabermetrics and fantasy analysis. Editor’s Note: Be sure to check […]
AL Only Deeper Draft Sleepers: Winter Hibernation Ends
The term sleeper is overused and commonly confused in fantasy sports. Too many people confuse the concept of a player being undervalued (i.e. a player getting drafted in the seventh round that is going to return fifth round value) versus a player being a true sleeper. When I think sleeper, I think Rip Van Winkle. […]
Henderson Alvarez (SP, MIA) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Middle Rounds ANALYSIS: One of the biggest pitching breakouts of 2014 was Henderson Alvarez. Last season, he went 12-7 with 2.65 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 18 quality starts in 30 opportunities. He did so well that he will be handed the ball on opening day for the Miami Marlins. According to the […]
Garrett Richards (SP, LAA) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in the Early to Middle Rounds in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Garrett Richards impressed a lot of people last year, putting up ace-like numbers through 26 starts until his knee injury in late August. Had it not been for that injury, Richards could have an ADP falling in rounds six through eight along with […]
Hidden Starting Pitcher Draft Gems and ADP Value Picks
What’s up RotoBallers. I’m here today to try and unearth some starting pitchers that you can get later in your drafts, and will also provide similar value to other outfielders who are being drafted earlier on average. If you’re looking to make a splash on draft day, you should give RotoBaller’s ADP Draft Sleepers Tool a long, hard […]
Jesse Hahn (SP, OAK) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target ~240 Overall ANALYSIS: It’s not often that minor league statistics can be used to predict the performance of a future major leaguer, but when it comes to Jesse Hahn, it’s safe to say the writing has been on the wall all along. Hahn has just 73.1 innings of major league experience, but in […]
Jake Odorizzi (SP, TB) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft in Middle Rounds of All Leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays middle-of-the-rotation starter Jake Odorizzi had a pretty solid season in 2014, compiling an 11-13 record, a 4.13 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 168 innings of work. The former first round draft pick has never dazzled at the minor league level, but […]
Video: Analyzing the Top 5 Dynasty League Starting Pitchers (SP) For 2015
The 2015 fantasy baseball season is fast approaching RotoBallers. We are here to provide you with the most current and in-depth analysis every single day during the busy draft season, and the duration of the 2015 MLB season. Several times per week, RotoBaller co-founder Real Talk Raph will review the key player news and developments, as well […]
Undervalued Starting Pitchers: Three With ADPs Between 200-300
There is plenty of quality starting pitching depth up and down a fantasy baseball draft chart. However, once in the later rounds, the names begin to get a bit unfamiliar. These latter rounds though provide an excellent opportunity to take a chance and invest in a lesser known commodity. There are several quality pitchers that […]
Michael Pineda (NYY, SP) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Mid-to-Late Rounds of All Leagues ANALYSIS: Allow me to begin by saying that Michael Pineda is not just a fantasy baseball sleeper; he may be the starting pitcher sleeper of this year’s fantasy season. Currently he has an extremely low ADP at around 209, which is likely due to his injury […]
Jason Hammel (SP, CHC) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft Target Late in All Leagues ANALYSIS: As you probably remember, Jason Hammel was part of the blockbuster deal that sent him and Jeff Samardzija to the Oakland A’s last year. Well, the Chicago Cubs went out and signed Hammel again this offseason. Are they seeing something we’re not? Well, Hammel did pitch very […]
Scott Kazmir (SP, OAK) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft Target in Mid-to-Late Rounds ANALYSIS: With a current ADP of around 195 Scott Kazmir finds himself on our list of ADP draft sleepers for starting pitchers, and is in a position to return a healthy return on his draft day investment. Kazmir had practically fallen off the face of the baseball earth before joining on […]
Tiered Starting Pitcher Rankings Analysis: Draft Strategy & Advice For Starting Pitchers
RotoBaller analysts have been giving you a sneak peak into our consensus Premium Tiered Rankings at each position with some in-depth analysis to help you prepare for your drafts. We already looked at catchers, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, outfield, and today we tackle starting pitchers. The rest of our tiered rankings can be found in our 2015 Fantasy Baseball Draft […]
Five Starting Pitchers Due for Regression in 2015
Each year, starters emerge from out of the woodwork to put together a phenomenal season. Pitchers like Jake Arrieta and Jacob deGrom who, from out of nowhere, become both the ace of an MLB pitching staff and turned out to be fantasy waiver wire gold. It is not that rare for a pitcher to have a breakout year, […]
Taijuan Walker (SP, SEA) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target in Late Rounds ANALYSIS: Taijuan Walker was a highly-regarded prospect coming into 2014, but for some reason, there is minimal interest in Walker by fantasy owners. A former first-rounder and #11 prospect by Baseball America, he entered last spring with an injured shoulder, which limited his chances to make the Opening Day roster. In the […]
Clay Buchholz (SP, BOS) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target ~290 Overall ANALYSIS: A season after posting a ludicrous 1.78 ERA that sat a full run below his FIP, the pendulum swung all the way back for Clay Buchholz. His E-F was the highest among all qualified starters. As you might imagine, it’s fairly uncommon to see a pitcher’s ERA triple from […]
Fantasy Baseball Draft Plans: The Lessons Of Starting Pitcher Injuries
The Plague of Failing Elbows Since the beginning of spring training, we have seen starting pitchers Yu Darvish, Marcus Stroman, Cliff Lee, and Zack Wheeler all go down with with injuries. This, along with the outbreak of Tommy John surgeries in baseball the past few seasons, has left fantasy owners searching for "safe" starting pitching. How do we weed […]
Draft Day Diary: Yahoo 5x5 Roto Results
It's Draft Time Last night, I participated in a 5x5 roto league on Yahoo. It was a standard roster re-draft league, so the results should be useful for most owners. While auction leagues keep getting bigger, I'm old school. I like them snake drafts. Let’s run through the draft and talk strategy. My overall approach […]
Dynasty / Keeper Deeper Dive: Dylan Bundy
Pitching is so deep these days I'm not sure why anyone in the fantasy community is focusing on the prospects to be honest. Sure, you may be lucky and catch the next Jose Fernandez. However, there's a reason Fernandez is so special. It's not often prospects pan out as well as he has, and even […]
Carlos Carrasco (SP, CLE) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target ~130 Overall ANALYSIS: Two years removed from Tommy John surgery, former top prospect Carlos Carrasco finally enjoyed a breakout year for the Indians in 2014. He flourished once he was inserted into the Indians’ starting rotation, posting a 1.72 ERA while striking out 86 in the 78.2 IP after the All-Star break. Carrasco was […]