Drafting First Overall In Rotisserie Formats
I really do believe there’s no such thing as too much draft strategy. There are a lot of factors that play into draft selections. I will be discussing topics ranging from positional scarcity to team construction and many things in between. The idea is to go into my strategy and targets through the first 10 […]
Eliminating Park Factors: Which Pitchers Will Benefit Most
After weeks of half-baked proposals cribbed from rejected "BioDome" scripts, there now seems to be a scrape of light at the end of the no-baseball tunnel. MLB seems to be increasingly confident that a 2020 season will be played, whether it's playing all games in one location (the Arizona plan), playing in multiple warm-weather hubs (Arizona, […]
KBO DFS Lineup Picks for 5/5/20 - DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball
Welcome RotoBallers to my first KBO DFS column. Baseball is officially back! It's been more than a month since Spring Training was canceled and the KBO is finally here to cure your baseball blues. After a long hiatus, DraftKings and FanDuel finally have live baseball contests set to go. Tuesday is opening day for the […]
Using xPA to Evaluate Lineup Movers: Victor Robles
We don't need to talk about how much a player's lineup spot matters. The higher you are, the more times a game you'll bat. Plus, you'll almost necessarily be surrounded by better players. That simply means more opportunities to pile up fantasy stats. Consider Ronald Acuna Jr., who was on pace for 658 plate appearances […]
Paul DeJong (SS, STL) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~175-185 CURRENT ADP: ~198 overall ANALYSIS: Paul DeJong had his first full MLB season in 2019, and it yielded 30 homers, 175 R+RBI, and nine steals for fortunate fantasy owners. You’re getting a nice speed contribution on top of stellar R+RBI stats given his position within the order at a spot […]
Mid-Round Shortstops - Targets and Avoids in 2020
Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, it would be smart to consider drafting some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have […]
NL Players Who Could Benefit From Extended Rosters
Although we still don't have baseball, we're starting to get a lot of proposals on how we COULD have baseball this summer. The plans may wind up just being a fantasy, but, hey, this is a fantasy site, so it makes sense for us to take a look at it. One of the facets of […]
Deeper Draft Sleepers - Catcher
When we do analysis here for deeper leagues there is some semblance of universal acceptance on the parameters. While there is no definitive rule on what constitutes a "deep league", that isn't really the point. This series aims to highlight players not normally drafted but can offer value in leagues where more than roughly 300 […]
Introducing xPA to Project Plate Appearances
I like big rates and I cannot lie. You other readers can't deny. When a rate walks in with an itty PA and an integer in my face, I get sprung...Whoa! Wait just one second, Sir-Mix-A-Nick. Before I go full-Rhymenoceros on everyone, maybe we oughta back the track up a little bit. What I like […]
Dynasty League Buy/Sell
With the uncertainty of opening day, there is no better time to play in an MLB Fantasy Dynasty League. Due to the league format, it by far the most unaffected by the delay of Opening Day. Drafting and trading can proceed in full force as the value assigned to these players go long beyond this […]
Deeper Draft Sleepers - NL Outfielders
We’re confident there will be a 2020 baseball season, but the game might look a little different. For instance, we may not see a 162 game season and the first several weeks may be played in empty baseball stadiums. The game may also feature a universal designated hitter. In attempting to identify deep outfield NL […]
How a Revamped MLB Season will Impact Fantasy Baseball
No matter how this MLB season plays out it will look like something we have never seen before. Not only is the start of the season already delayed, but there is no definitive end in sight. If we do see baseball this season, the game is going to look very different. First, there will be […]
Players Who Gain Value With The Universal DH - Bases Loaded Podcast
What's up RotoBallers! Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland), Jorge Montanez (@Roto_Nino) and Zach Braff (@braffz) are discussing all the players who could gain value if the universal DH is adopted by the league in 2020. Subscribe to the Bases Loaded podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all […]
ADP Champ or Chump Spotlight: Pete Alonso
Peter Alonso was a hyped name heading into the 2019 MLB season. FanGraphs was optimistic, giving him a perfect 80 grade on raw power along with a 70 future grade for game power. He was ranked as the top first-base prospect (and 51st overall) by MLB Pipeline, with scouts noting an advanced ability to access his […]
Second Basemen Likely to Return a Loss in 2020
As mentioned in my article covering 1B that we might be over-drafting, my goal in these articles is to point out players who might "bust" at their current ADP. The definition of a bust that I'm using is when you invest a large amount of draft capital in a player who doesn't hit the production […]
Gavin Lux (2B, LAD) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~150 CURRENT ADP: ~169 overall ANALYSIS: Lux earned a call-up in September just in time to earn a starting job as the Dodgers second baseman. Although he had some strong moments, including five multi-hit games and a pinch-hit home run in Game 1 of the NLDS, he ultimately hit .240 in […]
2020 Starting Pitcher Sleepers - September Surgers
September can be an overlooked month for Fantasy Baseball players, particularly those who are out of contention. It’s a month where we might miss strong performances from players who have fallen off of our radar due to previous struggles. However, if you dig deeper into September performances, you might find some potential gems to target […]
Fantasy Baseball ADP Reflections - Relief Pitchers
We’re still awaiting concrete news on how a 2020 baseball season will look like (if it does exist). Different possibilities have surfaced in recent days which includes an option of multiple doubleheaders being played every week. It’s still far too early to tell how serious or plausible this is but should it come to fruition, […]
OPS Underachievers: Using Differences in xOPS to Judge Performance
Add a player's on-base-percentage to his slugging-percentage and you wind up with OPS. Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy. But some things don't need to be complicated to be useful and descriptive. There are a hundred ways to judge a baseball player's performance but OPS remains one of the best proxies for quickly judging a player's overall offensive […]
The King's Fantasy Baseball Insider Report: Exclusive Scouting Reports From an MLB Veteran
The award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller, this time with the seasoned input of a current Major League Player. Every year during fantasy baseball draft season, Scott Engel talks to prime MLB sources to get exclusive nuggets of information. On the condition of anonymity, former and current players, executives, scouts, media members and […]
JB's Bullpen Method - Building Aces out of Relief Pitchers
If you read my Top 10 Draft Tips piece, you got a preview of the method I have been using for many years in fantasy baseball. It's really less of a method or strategy, and more a state of mind. The Bullpen Method is a lifestyle! I always speak about the importance of balance on […]
First Basemen Likely to Return A Loss in 2020
We all dream of drafting the sleeper pick who vastly outproduce his draft-day value and carries our team to victory. However, the truth is that those types of selections are few and far between. Often a player will give you more value than you would normally expect from his draft slot, but it's likely only […]
Third Base Draft Values - Late-Round Fliers
Host Michael Florio of RotoBaller Radio discusses the 2020 fantasy baseball season. In this episode, he brings you his fantasy baseball draft sleepers at the third base position. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune […]
Mid-Round Second Base - Targets and Avoids in 2020
Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, it would be smart to consider drafting some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have […]
Mid-Round First Base Targets and Avoids in 2020
Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, it would be smart to consider drafting some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have […]
The Top Five N.L. Starting Pitching Staffs for 2020
Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2020 fantasy baseball season and keeps you updated with all the latest news and analysis. In this episode he breaks down the top five starting pitching staffs in the National League. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on […]
Finding Value in Points Leagues: Outfield Edition
Welcome back RotoBallers to my Finding Value in Points League Series! Points leagues have become more and more popular in recent years, but there is still an emphasis placed on roto leagues. That leads towards analysis and often player values skewed by something I have dubbed roto bias. Due to that, I decided to start […]
Pitchers Whose Value Increases In a Delayed Season
Unfortunately, we all know by now that the MLB season will be delayed or maybe even worse, canceled. There are without a doubt more important things in life than sports and one of them is health. The decision the MLB commissioner made was certainly the right one. But why do we all love baseball and […]
NL Starting Pitching Sleepers for 2020
The shorter 2020 MLB regular season has led to a few shifts in fantasy strategy, but perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in the starting pitching landscape. We're used to constructing fantasy rotations around strikeout pitchers and ratio arms or high-upside flyers and solid innings-eaters. However, with a shorter season, there will likely be no major […]
Johan Camargo (3B/SS, ATL) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~350 CURRENT ADP: ~484 overall ANALYSIS: Johan Camargo appeared to have beaten out Austin Riley to be the Atlanta Braves’ third baseman before spring training was ended early and with a current ADP ~484, he’s effectively free in drafts. A lot of that has to do with his limited playing time in 2019, […]