Shortstop - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

It’s never too early to start looking toward the fantasy baseball season, so I’m here to carry on RotoBaller’s position-by-position rankings analysis series for points league and head-to-head (H2H) formats with the stars of the infield, the shortstops. The position is star-studded, and in roto leagues, I think I'd be comfortable with any of the […]

Outfield - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

It’s never too early to start looking toward the fantasy baseball season, so I’m here to continue RotoBaller’s position-by-position rankings analysis series for points league and head-to-head (H2H) formats with the incredibly deep outfield position. There is a seemingly neverending stream of useful bats, but there are still clear chokepoints where the risk portfolio thickens. […]

Greg Holland Agrees With Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with free-agent relief pitcher Greg Holland on Wednesday. The deal also includes performance-based incentives, probably for games finished. While Archie Bradley and Yoshihisa Hirano are capable of closing out games, Holland has more experience and might be the favorite now for ninth-inning duties in the […]

Third Base - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

The hot corner is stacked like never before, especially with the anticipated arrival of mega-prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Waiting on a third baseman won't hurt given the relative depth of the position. With the multi-position eligibility of several players on this list, one could easily grab several of these names within the first few rounds […]

Torey Lovullo Receives Extension

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed manager Torey Lovullo to an undisclosed extension on Tuesday. Lovullo's current deal was set to expire after the 2019 season. He was named the 2017 National League manager of the year after he led the team to a 93-69 record and playoff berth, but the D-Backs fell to 82-80 in 2018 […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Eduardo Escobar and Paul DeJong

In the past two years, baseball has seen an explosion in the number of shortstops with legitimate home run power. Everyone from Francisco Lindor to Tim Anderson seems capable of belting 20 dingers on an annual basis. Most of those players are being drafted in the first 10 rounds or so, but both of our […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - First Basemen

Power. Nothing else defines the position more than pure, raw power. If you have it, you better display it in abundance, or there will be concerns. If you are smaller in stature, there will be concerns. If your talent is just hit tool, there will be concerns. If your defense is lacking, there will be […]

Is It Legit? Ketel Marte's Breakout

We keep rolling with our preseason edition of "Is It Legit?" to discuss another surprising breakout performer from the 2018 MLB season in order to assess his value heading into 2019. With so many players seemingly becoming fantasy baseball darlings overnight, it can be challenging to sift through the multiple hype trains and determine which […]

A.J. Pollock to the Dodgers - Fantasy Impact

The merry-go-round that is the Dodgers' offseason continued on Thursday, as it was announced that A.J. Pollock is signing in Los Angeles on a four-year $55-million dollar contract. It always seemed likely the Dodgers could add another outfielder, but the thought was that it was more likely to be Bryce Harper who signed in Los […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - National League West

The East and Central have already been covered, so let's head out west. It's time to see what's going on in the bullpens of the National League West division. There are still too many significant relief pitchers on the free agent market to believe that any bullpen is "set" for Opening Day, but there are […]

Dodgers Agree With A.J. Pollock

The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to an undisclosed deal with free-agent outfielder A.J. Pollock on Thursday, according to sources. Pollock is a big addition for the Dodgers even if they already have a somewhat stacked outfield despite trading Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp this offseason. The 31-year-old helps bring more balance to a left-handed heavy […]

NL-Only Deep League Draft Targets

Objectively, deep-league AL or NL-only fantasy baseball is the best format to play this summer. For one, NL-only leagues were the original formats of fantasy baseball. With both an expanded and limited player pool, the unique challenges of balancing depth with team need come to the fore. While this writer might be in the minority, I […]

Ketel Marte To Play Center Field

Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said second baseman Ketel Marte will play center field and other positions this year. It was the expected course of action with A.J. Pollock to depart in free agency and after the acquisition of infielder Wilmer Flores, who will play the keystone. The position versatility will be nice, but […]

Top 420: Points Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers. Today we are here to start looking at points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) formats. In this column, you will find our staff's preliminary 2019 fantasy baseball points league rankings for January and the top 420 players. Over the next few days, we will also be publishing individual tiered rankings analysis columns for each […]

Dodgers Have Increasing Interest In A.J. Pollock

The Los Angeles Dodgers have increasing interest in signing free-agent outfielder A.J. Pollock, but there is no indication that any deal is close at this time. Pollock has the ability to play center field and would help balance a lefty-heavy Dodgers lineup. The 31-year-old would be a top-of-the-order hitter for the Blue and provides fantasy […]

Merrill Kelly - The 30-Year-Old Rookie Sleeper

It’s almost becoming a trend for players to travel overseas to play baseball after struggling to make it in the MLB, only to end up back in the Majors better than before. In 2017 it was Eric Thames and last year it was Miles Mikolas. You can now add Merrill Kelly to the list. The […]

Diamondbacks Sign Wilmer Flores

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed free-agent infielder Wilmer Flores to a one-year, $4.25 million deal on Wednesday, according to league sources. He will make a base salary of $3.7 million with a $500,000 buyout on a 2020 club option worth $6 million. Flores was mostly a part-time player with the Mets in 2018, hitting .267/.319/.417 with […]

Steven Souza Jr. - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Earlier this offseason, I wrote about the sleeper value of Luke Voit and how believing in him was a conscious decision to move on from a blind spot I had for Greg Bird for a couple of years. Well, in this article I am going to break down a player who I do not think […]

NL Rookies to Target in 2019 Mixed Redraft Leagues

As the New Year has finally come, and fantasy football is over, at last, fantasy baseball draft season is right around the corner. With that comes mock drafts, draft previews, ADP analysis, and of course, player recommendations. This article will help owners get ready by looking to the National League All-Star team of rookies to […]

2019 Outfielders - Early Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Outfield is a unique position in the fantasy world. The best of the best reside in the outfield, with our consensus top two picks and nine of the top 25 overall players making this list. On the other hand, it is by far the deepest and easiest to gain late-round value if you choose to […]

2019 Relief Pitchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

A tough position to evaluate is that of relief pitchers, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these days, further stifling the value of closers. That being said, only four of the pitchers that ranked in the top-10 in saves in […]

2019 Third Basemen - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the third base position. Even though it is only January, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these rankings […]

2019 Starting Pitcher - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. The sun is still rising on 2019, but RotoBaller writers JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli and myself are here with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these […]

Archie Bradley Settles With Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Archie Bradley avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to an undisclosed one-year deal. Many pegged Bradley as the favorite for saves in Arizona's bullpen heading into 2018, but that didn't happen and they preferred to use him in a setup role. The hard-throwing righty had a 3.64 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, […]

D-Backs Avoid Arbitration With David Peralta

The Arizona Diamondbacks avoided salary arbitration with outfielder David Peralta on Friday by signing him to a one-year, $7 million deal, according to a source. Peralta's fantasy value is on the rise after he posted a career year in 2018, hitting .293/.352/.516 with 30 home runs, 87 RBI and 75 runs scored in 560 at-bats. […]

Jake Lamb Settles With Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $4.825 million deal, according to a source. Lamb played in only 56 games for Arizona due to injury last season, but he hit a combined 59 home runs the previous two seasons and could bounce back as a corner […]

Steven Souza Jr. Avoids Salary Arbitration

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $4.125 million deal, according to a source. Souza managed 30 home runs and 16 stolen bases in his final season with Tampa in 2017, but he came back to Earth in 2018 by hitting a measly .220/.309/.369 with only […]

Diamondbacks Settle With Robbie Ray

The Arizona Diamondbacks avoided salary arbitration with starting pitcher Robbie Ray on Friday by signing him to a one-year, $6.05 million deal. Rumored to be on the trade block this offseason, the D-backs ultimately would like to hang onto the talented southpaw. Ray went 6-2 in 2018 with a 3.93 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 165 […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - National League East

Last year's Bullpen Outlook got started with the American League, so let's take the National League on first this time around. Some signings and trades have made a splash in the bullpens of the NL East, and there may still be more to come. With some top free agent closers and setup men still looking […]

2019 Catchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

Catcher is a tough position to evaluate, as many teams utilize multiple catchers and it is rare for one to play 140 or more games in a season. Wear and tear as a backstop limits offensive value for sure, but there are still a group of solid catchers that can contribute in multiple categories. Beyond […]