Evaluating OAA for Pitchers Changing Teams (AL and NL-Only)

Earlier this preseason, I looked deeper into Statcast’s new Outs Above Average (OAA) leaderboard, which identifies the best defensive infielders in the league. I used 2019 OAA to look at how a pitcher's new defense will affect his value in the 2020 season. The first article evaluated pitchers drafted inside the top 300 picks, so this […]

Alex Verdugo: Redraft and Dynasty Outlook

Alex Verdugo is free. He is off to Boston and rid of the shackles of the Dodgers' outfield committee. With Mookie Betts as the major piece he was moved for, Verdugo will have an outfield spot with his name on it. Where exactly the Red Sox play him -- right field, in all likelihood -- […]

Xander Bogaerts A Few Days Away From Game Action

Boston Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said that shortstop Xander Bogaerts (ankle) could be ready to play in Grapefruit League games in "a few days." Bogaerts is dealing with some ankle soreness, but the injury isn't serious and the Red Sox are just exercising caution with their star shortstop. Barring any setbacks, he should be […]

Second Basemen Set to Breakout in 2020

The purpose of this article, as the title suggests, is to identify second basemen who have shown the potential to have a breakout season heading into 2020. These will be players that were likely on waivers at some point in your league during 2019 and may or may not have been added down the stretch. […]

Elite Starters and Pitching Trends Revisited

Last year I wrote a series [Part 1, Part 2, Part 3] on whether we were properly valuing elite starting pitchers. The basic premise was that we were likely to see fantasy-relevant starters (not openers) throw fewer innings again in 2019. I hypothesized that if there were fewer and fewer starting pitchers providing 200 innings […]

Evaluating OAA for Pitchers Changing Teams (12-Team Leagues)

Last week, I looked at Statcast’s new Outs Above Average (OAA) leaderboard, which they’ve used to identify the best defensive infielders in the league. My initial exploration of the metric was designed to identify pitchers who might have been lucky or unlucky last year as a way of mining for bounceback value or avoiding potential […]

Chris Sale Will Begin Season on Injured List

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (illness) will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, according to interim manager Ron Roenicke. Sale is two weeks behind his throwing program in camp as a result of the pneumonia that he was dealing with, resulting in the delayed start that will force him to begin […]

RotoBaller Friends & Family Industry Mock Draft: What the Experts Were Thinking

The RotoBaller Friends & Family Mock Draft has become an annual tradition where we gather some of the biggest names from the fantasy baseball world and put together a mock draft just as spring training has commenced. Thanks to RT Sports for once again hosting and providing a custom draft site where readers could follow […]

2020 Catcher Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

Spring Training is upon us! Pitchers and catchers have reported and we finally have some box scores to desperately over-analyze. The catcher position can really be a headache for dynasty owners trying to plan for the future. Needless to say, it is not a position that many MLB teams count on for offense, leaving fantasy players […]

Martin Perez Makes Red Sox Debut on Wednesday

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Martin Perez made his spring training debut and tossed two scoreless innings in Wednesday's 6-3 victory against the Pirates. The 28-year-old recorded three strikeouts, walked one batter and surrendered just one hit over the pair of innings of work in his debut, after signing a one-year deal with the Red […]

Jarren Duran Hits Home Run Against Pirates

Boston Red Sox outfielder/second baseman Jarren Duran continued his impressive start to the exhibition schedule with another productive performance in Wednesday's 6-3 victory against the Pirates. Duran went 2-for-3 at the plate with a two-run home run off of Pirates right-handed starter Mitch Keller in the second inning. The 2018 seventh-round draft selection has started […]

Chris Sale's Opening Day Status Is Uncertain

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (illness) successfully went through a bullpen session on Wednesday, but the delayed start to his spring training throwing program and lack of game action during the exhibition schedule may impact his availability for Opening Day on March 26. Sale has yet to make an appearance on the mound […]

2020 Keeper Value Rankings - Shortstop

If you're keeping up with the Keeper Value Rankings, you know we've already covered First Base, Second Base, and Third Base. Today, we will address Shortstop. These rankings are intended for Keeper Leagues in which a fantasy owner must forfeit a designated draft pick in order to keep a player into the upcoming season. These rankings are based […]

ADP Showdown: Anthony Rendon vs. Rafael Devers

The first two rounds in your fantasy draft can be challenging because each available player is tremendously skilled with significant upside. Every pick looks desirable, so it’s important to try to determine which player has a greater likelihood of producing superior fantasy production. This can be accomplished by examining overall production and team context.  This […]

Rafael Devers Could Make Spring Training Debut on Friday

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers could potentially make his Grapefruit League debut on Friday against the Twins. The 23-year-old arrived late at spring training camp because of the birth of his second daughter in the Dominican Republic, causing him to miss the start of the Red Sox exhibition schedule. Devers is coming off […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Will Make Spring Training Start on Saturday

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) will make his first start of the spring on Saturday against the Yankees. Rodriguez threw a live batting practice on Monday and felt great afterwards, giving him the positive result that he was hoping for after slipping on the mound and twisting his left knee last week. […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Throws Live BP on Monday

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) threw two innings of live batting practice on Monday and managed to throw all of his pitches with no hesitation or discomfort. Rodriguez slipped during a bullpen session on Wednesday and twisted his left knee as a result of the incident, but the left-hander expects to make […]

2020 Outfield Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

We've been breaking down rankings for points leagues over the last couple of weeks in order to prepare fantasy owners for draft day. To check out previous analysis articles by position, click the following links: first base, second base, third base, shortstop, catcher, starting pitcher, relief pitcher. Outfield is obviously the deepest of all positions […]

Alex Verdugo Ahead of Initial Schedule In Recovery

Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo (back) is progressing quicker than trainers would have expected but is still unlikely to be ready for Opening Day against the Blue Jays, according to Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke. Verdugo has completed some running drills but has not started hitting or fielding yet, and it is unknown […]

Xander Bogaerts Could Appear In Spring Training Games Soon

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (ankle) has been progressing nicely after dealing with ankle soreness towards the end of the offseason and could begin to play in spring training games by the end of the week. “[Bogaerts] has been hitting some in the cage. He’s throwing. They’re going to hit him some light ground […]

Chris Sale Hopeful To Be Ready For Opening Day

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (illness) threw a bullpen session on Sunday and hopes to be ready for Opening Day against the Blue Jays on March 26. “I think I’m going to be ready for it but those aren’t my calls to make,” The ace said on Saturday. The 30-year-old had his workouts […]

2020 Regression Candidates: Breakout Outfielders

Every season in MLB you can count on the fact that you will have breakout performances from players. Sometimes these breakout performances can be seen coming a mile away and sometimes they catch you entirely by surprise. Regardless of which type of breakout we see, you will almost always have to pay up for that […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Will Not Start on Sunday

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) will not make his scheduled Spring Training start against the Orioles on Sunday due to left knee soreness. Rodriguez slipped and fell after his spikes got caught in the mound on Wednesday, causing the injury that is not expected to be a serious concern according to Red […]

2020 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - Adrian Houser

In life, there seem to be two kinds of people, the flashy and the boring. “Flashy” people like high-end materialistic things such as nice clothing or an expensive car. "Boring” people prefer the simpler things in life like spending time with their loved ones. This seems to be true when it comes to fantasy baseball, […]

Taking Out the Trash: Pitchers Who Should Junk Their Worst Pitch

Pitch mix changes can make or break a player’s season. That obviously goes for fantasy value as well as real-life. We've already seen how throwing an effective pitch more often could make a huge improvement a la Patrick Corbin. Sometimes pitchers just need to eliminate a pitch to see their numbers improve. Consider the following: Mitch […]

No Timetable For Alex Verdugo

Boston Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said that the team still doesn't have a timetable on outfielder Alex Verdugo (back). Verdugo is running outside and also threw for the first time since September on Thursday. It sounds like he's making some progress from a stress fracture in his back, but it seems more likely than […]

Finding Combo-Player Values Using Z-Scores and ATC Projections

Towards the end of last season, I asked the question – “Draft Speed or Pound the Power?” Loaded in this seemingly simple query are two contradictory approaches – one for power and one for speed. Power Approach 1: Home run totals are dramatically up in baseball these days. Therefore, there are many power bats available […]

2020 Keeper Value Rankings - Third Base

Keeper Value Rankings are intended for Keeper Leagues in which a fantasy owner must forfeit a designated draft pick in order to keep a player into the upcoming season. These rankings are based on Keeper "Values". In the marketing world, Value can be defined as the extent to which a good or service (player) is […]

Jonathan Lucroy Had Surgery On Neck

Boston Red Sox catcher Jonathan Lucroy (neck) said he had surgery for a herniated disc in his neck that had been bothering him for the last three years. "I'd like to sit here and make excuses and say it's the reason I haven't been good, but I'm not going to. It did affect me," Lucroy […]

2020 Second Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

Points leagues may seem like a slight variation from traditional 5x5 category scoring leagues but you must approach draft day with a different strategy if you wish to truly compete. Rankings themselves are a different beast altogether, as category specialists like Mallex Smith and Dee Gordon (stolen bases), Kyle Schwarber and Franmil Reyes (home runs), […]