Ben Rosener's Fantasy Baseball Beat: Yuri Gurriel and Jose Iglesias News Updates

The offseason is officially no more, but Spring training is here, and with it comes the daily influx of baseball news that fantasy managers have missed in the last few months. Lineup news, actual games happening, constant waiver wire moves, pitching assignments, and bullpen usage. Baseball is back and so too is fantasy baseball, with […]

Oswaldo Cabrera Tests Out Center Field

New York Yankees utility fielder Oswaldo Cabrera added another position to his repertoire after playing some center field in Wednesday's 4-0 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals. Cabrera made his first pro appearance in center field after subbing in for Harrison Bader. He even made a diving catch, demonstrating his ability to play almost anywhere on the diamond. […]

Five Hitter Breakouts for OBP - Infield Draft Values for Fantasy Baseball

On-base percentage. It has become a go-to statistic in baseball and fantasy baseball. It gives a better indication than average for if a player is giving his team an opportunity to put a run on the board. Some fantasy baseball owners are forward-thinking when it comes to stats and OBP is a step forward from […]

Jose Iglesias Signs Minor-League Deal

The Miami Marlins have signed shortstop Jose Iglesias to a minor-league deal on Thursday. They also reportedly signed Yulieski Gurriel as well, so they've added multiple infielders to their roster. The expectation is that Iglesias will provide utility depth to their infield. The 33-year-old is likely to compete with Garrett Hampson for a spot on […]

3 Potential Shortstop Busts For 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Once upon a time, the shortstop position was comparable to catchers in fantasy baseball in that nobody wanted to roster them, but the rules said you had to. Things couldn't be more different in 2023, as the shortstop position is filled with a blend of established stars and young guns that are literally oozing upside. […]

Carlos Correa Leaves Camp For Birth Of Child

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa has left the team's spring training camp for the birth of his second son, Kenzo. Correa shouldn't be away from the team for more than a few days. The 28-year-old had a very eventful offseason, almost landing two giant free-agent deals with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets […]

Masyn Winn Impressing In Camp

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop prospect Masyn Winn has been turning heads in spring training so far. So far in Grapefruit League play, he's gone 7-for-18 (.389) with a homer, double, two RBI, five runs scored and three stolen bases in seven games played. It's nice to see, but the 20-year-old has yet to play at […]

Oswald Peraza Back In Grapefruit Lineup Thursday

New York Yankees shortstop prospect Oswald Peraza (leg) is back in the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox and right-hander Nick Pivetta, and he's starting at shortstop and batting seventh in the lineup. The 22-year-old injured his left leg last week and has been held out of the spring lineup […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Off To Slow Start In Spring

San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. is feeling out of sync in the early going of spring training. Tatis is coming off surgeries on his wrist and shoulder, which could be the cause of his struggles. Due to his PED suspension, he isn't eligible to return until April 20. The 24-year-old has played in […]

Gavin Lux Has Successful Knee Surgery

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux's (knee) surgery on Wednesday "went well," according to manager Dave Roberts. In addition to suffering a torn right ACL in a Cactus League game on Feb. 27, Lux's surgery confirmed the damage to his LCL was "more than a sprain." The 25-year-old will miss the entire 2023 season, so […]

Adalberto Mondesi Works Out Wednesday

Boston Red Sox shortstop Adalberto Mondesi (knee) had a good day at spring training on Wednesday while hitting and taking ground balls. Mondesi is expected to increase his workload in the coming days in camp, but he's still not expected to be ready for Opening Day at the end of March. The 27-year-old could bump […]

Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings - 2023 Points Leagues: Oneil Cruz, Xander Bogaerts, Wander Franco, Ezequiel Tovar

RotoBaller is constantly working to try and bring fantasy baseball managers the best advice, especially during draft season. A big part of that includes regular updates to our tiered rankings for all formats. In this article, you will find our updated fantasy baseball shortstop rankings for points leagues as of March 8. In this article […]

Keep It Simple, Stupid - Finding Homers and Strikeouts Throughout the Draft

Rotisserie fantasy baseball is a complex game. The best players give equal attention to each category, build balanced teams, and then prune their teams effectively throughout the year. Not everybody has the time for that though - and it's a lot easier said than done. Sometimes we can do just fine focusing in on the […]

Jordan Westburg Slumping Early In Spring Training

Baltimore Orioles shortstop prospect Jordan Westburg went 1-for-4 with a double on Tuesday versus the Minnesota Twins. Westburg is a consensus Top-100 prospect, but has been off to a slow start in a small sample size this spring. The 24-year-old is just 4-for-18 with two RBI, but it's much too early to question his potential […]

Gunnar Henderson Off To Slow Start

Baltimore Orioles shortstop/third base prospect Gunnar Henderson went 0-for-3 with a walk and strikeout on Tuesday versus the Minnesota Twins. Arguably the top prospect in the game right now, Henderson has come out of the gates sluggish this spring with just two hits in his first 13 at-bats. The 21-year-old has flown through the Orioles […]

Nick Allen Not Guaranteed To Start At Shortstop

Oakland Athletics infielder Nick Allen isn't a lock to open the 2023 season as the team's starting shortstop, according to general manager David Forst. Allen is probably still the favorite for the 6 to open the regular season, but Aledmys Diaz could also be pushing him for playing time at the position. The 24-year-old Allen […]

Oswald Peraza Expected To Return Thursday

New York Yankees shortstop prospect Oswald Peraza (foot) is dealing with a minor foot injury in camp and is expected to return to the Grapefruit League lineup on Thursday, according to sources. Peraza is battling for the starting shortstop gig in spring training this year with fellow prospect Anthony Volpe and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The 22-year-old […]

Anthony Volpe Continues To Swing Hot Bat This Spring

Yankees shortstop prospect Anthony Volpe went 1-for-2 with a run and pair of walks in a start on Monday. Volpe drew the start with fellow shortstop prospect Oswald Peraza (foot) sidelined with a minor foot injury. Volpe, 21, is the teams top prospect and has been off to a hot start this spring with a […]

Shortstop Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

We have now gotten to maybe the most fun list of players in baseball dynasty leagues. Shortstop is usually a heavily drafted position. A lot of that has to do with the fact that some of the players on this list won’t be shortstops for very long.   Though a shortstop will mostly move to […]

Greg Jones To Begin Playing Outfield

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Greg Jones is expected to begin playing outfield this week. The 24-year-old has played shortstop almost exclusively since being drafted in the first-round by the Rays in 2019. Despite that, it sounds like he'll make a move to the outfield with Wander Franco serving as the shortstop in Tampa Bay. Manager […]

Oswald Peraza Misses Monday's Game

New York Yankees shortstop Oswald Peraza (foot) was held out of Monday's Grapefruit matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. There is no need for fantasy managers to panic here. It sounds like Peraza is dealing with a minor foot issue, so the team decided to hold him out of this game. The Yankees don't want to […]

Edmundo Sosa Fine After Being Hit By Pitch

Philadelphia Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa (forearm) said he's OK after being hit by a pitch on his right forearm in the Grapefruit League game on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles. He's just dealing with a little tightness after leaving the game early as a precaution. The Phillies figure to use the 27-year-old as a utility […]

Masyn Winn Shows Patience On Monday

Hitting first for the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, shortstop prospect Masyn Winn went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a pair of walks. Winn has been off to a nice start this spring with six hits over his first 15 at-bats. He has also scored four runs to go along with a homer, two RBI […]

Andrew Velazquez Starting In Center Field Monday

Los Angeles Angels infielder Andrew Velazquez is starting in center field and batting ninth in the team's Cactus League contest on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians. Most of Velazquez's major-league experience has come on the infield, but the 28-year-old needs to become more versatile if he wants to stick on the major-league roster. In a […]

Nick Ahmed Returns To Lineup Monday

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed (forearm) is back in the Cactus League lineup on Monday against the Kansas City Royals, starting at shortstop and batting sixth in the lineup. This will be Ahmed's spring debut after he missed some time in camp with right forearm inflammation. The 32-year-old veteran was limited to just 17 games […]

Three Picks At Each Position - Expensive, Value and Cheap Players for Fantasy Baseball

If I had the time and approval, I could come here every single day and give you hard-hitting data analysis. We could learn all kinds of stuff and do all kinds of speculating and projecting, getting very into the granular data. I do that from time to time on here, but I'm not so egg-headed […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (Pull%) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

After diving into the xBA and xSLG leaderboards last week, I'm continuing my look at Statcast metrics by turning our eye to the Pull% leaderboard. We'll go through some of the leaders in the hopes of not just giving you Statcast numbers but explaining how I believe those numbers impact the projections I have for […]

Orelvis Martinez Blasts First Homer Of Spring

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop prospect Orelvis Martinez went 1-for-2 with a three-run homer on Sunday versus the Philadelphia Phillies. Martinez, 21, has now gone 2-for-6 in a small sample size this spring. Traditionally a shortstop, Martinez suited up at third base and that could potentially be his long-term position with shortstop Bo Bichette locked up […]

Austin Martin Shut Down From Throwing

Minnesota Twins shortstop Austin Martin (elbow) has been shut down from throwing and hitting for the time being. The 23-year-old is dealing with a UCL sprain in his right elbow. It's a shame because Martin was actually doing well in Spring Training. There is no timetable for his return, but it's likely he's sidelined to […]

Statcast xStats: Using Sabermetrics for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Statcast is a valuable tool for fantasy baseball analysis, and it can be easy to look at a stat called "Expected Batting Average" and blindly use it as your projection moving forward. Of course, proper use of these metrics is a little bit more nuanced than that. First, a disclaimer: This article is about the […]