Launch Angle Analysis - Potential HR Risers
With the onset of Statcast data, we can now better predict which hitters may be due for a power surge. Before recent years, we only had things like hard-hit rate and home runs per fly ball ratios to look to as predictors of future changes in home run rates. Now that we have launch angle, […]
Spring Training Lineup Takeaways - Week 2 Lineup Trends
Welcome back RotoBallers! We are entering week three of Spring Training already, and with that came a lot of things we saw in week two. But of course, my week one review also still has very relevant information as well. Just a reminder, in my Lineup Takeaways series we are focusing 100% on lineups, news and […]
Top 25 Starting Pitchers - Dynasty Prospects Rankings
Pitching is an important element of any successful Major League Baseball team — real or fantasy. Coming off a truncated season in 2020 and facing another unique season ahead, pitching prospects will be more important than ever in 2021. MLB managers will be faced with a full 2021 season and, after throwing reduced innings last […]
Ozzie Albies Struggles Continue Saturday
Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Saturday's 7-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Albies is now just 2-for-13 with a home run and one RBI in his first six spring games. It is still early enough in the spring where Albies can rebound and put together a string […]
Ian Anderson Strikes Out Seven
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Ian Anderson struck out the first four Boston Red Sox batters that he faced on Saturday. In total, the rookie hurler whiffed seven batters over 3.1 innings but he also struggled with his command. He allowed three runs on a walk and four hits, including a solo home run. Through two […]
Michael Florio's Hitters to Target
Every year, one of the articles I look most forward to writing is about the players I am targeting in my drafts. It not only allows me to talk about the players I know I am high on and go into my drafts hoping to select, but it also forces me to look over my […]
2021 Keeper Value Rankings - Second Base
Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing. There […]
Maikel Franco On The Braves Radar
Free-agent third baseman Maikel Franco is likely to choose his new team in the coming days, and the Atlanta Braves are firmly in the mix. The Orioles and Mets have also shown interest. The 28-year-old slashed .278/.321/.457 with eight homers and 38 RBI with the Royals in 2020. He remains a useful right-handed bat, but […]
MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/12) - Severino Beginning Build Up
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 […]
Nick Markakis Announces Retirement
Outfielder Nick Markakis has announced his retirement from the MLB after 15 seasons. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Baltimore Orioles and the last six years with the Atlanta Braves. He finishes his career with a career batting average of .288 as well as 189 home runs and 1,046 RBI. […]
2021 Outfielder Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues
We now move on to the outfielder position in our mixed-league rankings analysis series. If you missed them, here is our review of Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base and Shortstop. RotoBaller's rankers, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Nick Mariano, and Ariel Cohen have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings once more based on early spring training action. […]
Ender Inciarte's Injury Giving Cristian Pache An Opportunity
Atlanta Braves outfielder Cristian Pache has a greater chance to open the season as the team's center fielder with Ender Inciarte (thumb) spending the last week bothered by a sore left thumb. Inciarte might not have enough time to prove he's capable of the handling the center field job with just three weeks until Opening […]
Kyle Wright Making Bid For Rotation Spot
Atlanta Braves starting pitchers Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson and Huascar Ynoa are the top candidates to fill the final rotation spot until Mike Soroka returns from Achilles surgery. If Soroka returns on schedule within the first few weeks of the regular season, Atlanta might need one of those pitchers to make just a start or […]
MLB DFS Advice: Picking Pitchers on DraftKings and FanDuel
Welcome back to RotoBaller, where we are taking you through some advanced DFS strategy and advice to prepare you for a full-length MLB season in 2021. Last spring, while baseball was not being played and I did not know what to do with myself, I wrote a big old script to go back and collect […]
Michael Harris Impressing The Skipper
Atlanta Braves outfield prospect Michael Harris has played in just 53 minor league games since graduating high school in 2019, but the 20-year-old has made an impression on manager Brian Snitker in camp. Harris hit his first homer off Rays hard-throwing right-hander Pete Fairbanks on Thursday, making him 3-for-7 through seven games. Ranked as the […]
Finding Over/Undervalued Second Basemen Using Expected Draft Values
Welcome to the FSWA-nominated Expected Draft Values series, where we look at historical data to identify both over and undervalued players of all types. Whether you're targeting power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, we've got you covered. We now head to second base as we make our way around the diamond for 2021. […]
Ronald Acuna Jr. Goes Deep For First Time This Spring
Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. hit his first spring training home run on Thursday, a solo shot to left field off Rays right-hander Collin McHugh. Acuna entered the day 2-for-14 with five strikeouts in spring training but had two hits on the day. He was 5-for-32 with no extra-base hits and 14 strikeouts last […]
Ian Anderson Has Contract Renewed For 2021
Atlanta Braves pitcher Ian Anderson saw his contract get renewed ahead of the 2021 season. The 22-year-old will make $575,000 while in the majors this year. Anderson is one of the brightest young pitchers in baseball and tossed two scoreless innings during his first Spring appearance. He has considerable value in standard leagues, as he […]
Ronald Acuna Jr. Hungry For World Series Run
Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. has higher expectations for his team this year after narrowly missing out on a World Series last year. In a recent interview, Acuna stated, "We're coming in with the same mentality we had last year, but we are coming in with even more hunger to reach the World Series." […]
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 […]
Finding Over/Undervalued Shortstops Using Expected Draft Values
Welcome to the FSWA-nominated Expected Draft Values series, where we look at historical data to identify both overvalued and undervalued players of all types. Whether you're targeting power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, we've got you covered. We'll start at first base and make our way around the diamond to begin the 2021 […]
MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/8) - Darvish Deals, Gallo Still Mashing
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 […]
Value Based Drafting Primer: WPC+
Learn how to take the next step in fantasy baseball draft strategy by creating custom values for your player rankings. Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut explain how with examples from their TGFBI (The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational) drafts. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch […]
Mike Soroka Tosses Two Scoreless During Sim Game
Atlanta Braves right-handed pitcher Mike Soroka (Achilles) worked two innings during a simulated game Sunday, not allowing a run in his first ramp up toward game action. Working his way back from a torn right Achilles tendon, Soroka's availability for Opening Day remains unclear. Despite looking solid in three appearances during 2020, fantasy managers can […]
Dansby Swanson (SS, ATL) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 80 CURRENT ADP: ~103 overall ANALYSIS: Swanson remains an oft-overlooked late bloomer thanks to such a top-heavy shortstop class. We're not crowning him as a Tier One or Two kind of guy, but he's capable of delivering power, speed, and counting stats alongside an average that won't burn. The 27-year-old […]
Lineup Takeaways - Week 1 Spring Training Lineups
Well, after a recent article highlighting the idea of what I was wanting to do with this Spring Training series, here is a first look at my Lineup Takeaway series I will be bringing you the rest of the 2021 season. We are focusing 100% on lineups, news and quotes - strictly about lineups and […]
Are We Overlooking Ha Seong Kim?
Earlier this year I, like most of us, was quarantined in my home with limited ability to go outside and no sports on television. I had already binged Tiger King, so I was looking for a new obsession; then ESPN started broadcasting KBO games. Hungry for sports, I started recording the games and writing DFS […]
Dansby Swanson Collects Three-Run Double Against Red Sox
Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson continued his strong start to the spring in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox. Swanson went 1-for-2 with a strikeout, a double, and three RBI. The 27-year-old stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom half of the first and cleared them with a double to […]
Marcell Ozuna Batting Cleanup In Grapefruit League Game Sunday
Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna is batting fourth in Spring Training action on Sunday. Ozuna re-signed with the Braves this offseason and fantasy managers should be excited to see what he can do in a full season in Atlanta's stacked lineup. In 2020, Ozuna blasted 18 homers and racked up 56 RBI which ranked third […]
Jon Anderson's Outfield Tiered Rankings and Projections
I continue to press forward on my own personal rankings series. Today we tackle the beast that is the outfield. Check out the rest of the series at the links below if you haven't already! First Base Second Base Shortstop Third Base Starting at the top, here's that juicy tier one full of first-round talent.Be […]