Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2018
Every day from now until Opening Day, our writers will be offering their most audacious projections for the 2018 fantasy baseball season. This is my fourth go-round with this series. I've had some great successes and some equally terrible calls in both previous attempts, and this year should be no different. Hopefully the former outweigh […]
Steven Wright Pushing To Be On Opening Day Roster
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Steven Wright (knee) threw three innings of live batting practice Saturday, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Wright had cartilage restoration surgery on his left knee in May, which abruptly ended his 2017 season. A spring training game is not too far in the future for Wright. Currently, Wright's recovery is […]
Overvalued - Second Basemen Set to Bust in 2018
Predicting busts is surprisingly easy if you really think about it. Looking at a player’s age is a good starting point, but their recent season performances are even more telling. The guys listed below are players who I think will underwhelm expectations in 2018. You won’t be seeing fantasy studs like Jose Ramirez or Brian […]
Craig Kimbrel Still In Boston With Daughter
Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel is still in Boston with his daughter Lydia, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. Manager Alex Cora is very supportive of the family and stated, "That’s about Lydia. ... They’ll make a decision as a family." Kimbrel has been away from camp since Feb. 27. He did […]
Top Third Base Prospect Rankings - 2018 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Baseball
Welcome back, RotoBallers. I'll be breaking down impact prospects by position. Today I'm bringing you my top 10 third basemen - MLB prospect rankings for the 2018 fantasy baseball season. Third base this season is a particularly interesting class of prospects. There are so many like Nick Senzel, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Gleyber Torres who […]
Eduardo Rodriguez (SP, BOS) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Target ~ 310 CURRENT ADP: 330 ANALYSIS: It seems like Eduardo Rodriguez has been talked about forever, but the power lefty only turns 25 in April; this is shocking to say the least. Rodriguez has had trouble staying on the field the past few seasons due to right knee injuries, but when healthy […]
Eduardo Rodriguez Had Successful Batting Practice Session
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) threw three innings of batting practice against minor leaguers on Thursday, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. He threw 47 pitches -- a combination of fastballs, sliders and changeups. Rodriguez is working his way back from knee surgery. He is focused on strengthening his shoulder […]
David Price Has Impressive Debut
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price pitched four shutout innings with five strikeouts and one walk against the Blue Jays on Thursday. It is a good sign for Price to be this dialed in so close to the start of the season. As he adds innings, we will see how his elbow holds up […]
Updated Relief Pitcher Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball
One final time before regular season baseball returns and our lives are, at last, complete, RotoBaller's staff writers are updating their 2018 fantasy baseball rankings. Today, we'll be taking a look at one of the shallower positions - relief pitcher. As usual, there are a few elite options at the top, and it gets much […]
Brad Ziegler (RP, Mia) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Target end of your draft or ~275, whichever comes first CURRENT ADP: 344 ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins closer Brad Ziegler is not a flashy pickup. He is not going to overwhelm anyone with strikeouts like Craig Kimbrel, induce a ridiculous amount of ground balls like Zach Britton, or blow teams away with a triple-digit fastball like Aroldis […]
Third Base H2H Points Rankings - March Update
We are getting closer and closer to the first pitch of the 2018 MLB season. Spring training is in full swing which means we are right in the thick of draft season. If you have a draft coming up soon, make sure to use our rankings for all league types. Regardless of the platform or […]
Updated Shortstop Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball
With the regular season only a few weeks away, the esteemed RotoBaller staff has updated their rankings one last time. We continue our review of the March update with a look at the glorious shortstop position. There's a bevy of talented bats ready to be penciled in at the "6" this season, but the sure things draw […]
Updated Catcher Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball
One final time before regular season baseball returns and our lives are, at last, complete, RotoBaller's staff writers are updating their 2018 fantasy baseball rankings. Today, we'll be taking a look at the shallowest position - catcher. As usual, after the few elite options are off the board, it's probably best to leave filling this […]
Leading Indicators - First Pitch Strikes and Strikeout Risers
Conventional baseball wisdom harps on the importance of the first-pitch strike (F-strike%). As pitchers get ahead in counts, they gain an advantage on hitters and have more pitch choices at their disposal. However, smart people discovered a hitter's average with a 0-1 count (.321) is only marginally worse than a 1-0 count (.337). The pitch […]
Chris Taylor Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers
We continue our long-running series of articles debating fantasy rankings with a super-utility player that suddenly became a fantasy force in 2017. The question remains: is it repeatable? RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, we'll hear from […]
Rick Porcello Struggles Through Four Innings
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello gave up four runs over four innings against the Orioles on Sunday. Porcello has been using innovative ways to help him locate his pitches this spring. Whether or not Porcello was focusing on locating his pitches is unknown. Porcello will continue to work on his pitch location the […]
Christian Vazquez Carrying Offensive Success From 2017 Into Spring Camp
Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez finished 2017 on a high note, batting .290 with five home runs and 32 RBI in 324 at-bats. Thus far, Vazquez is hitting .286 in the spring and is set to reap the benefits as the starting catcher in Boston's potent lineup. It has yet to be determined if […]
Hanley Ramirez Has Multi-Hit Game Against Orioles
Boston Red Sox designated hitter/first baseman Hanley Ramirez was 2-for-3 in Sunday's game against the Orioles. Ramirez has made some bold proclamations this spring. While a 30-30 season might not be a reasonable expectation, Ramirez can still recover some value in an improved lineup. Ramirez is expected to bat third and will see plenty of […]
Rafael Devers Impresses With Aggressiveness
Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is having a very good spring with two home runs and a .345 average. Manager Alex Cora is preaching aggressiveness this spring, which Devers has no trouble accomplishing. Devers swung at 50 percent of pitches last season, 38.5 percent of which were out of the zone. Cora does […]
Ottoneu Draft Strategy
Ottoneu is a format that only the fantasy baseball obsessed know about. For years I’ve been eyeing an Ottoneu league but was hesitant to take the plunge; the massive rosters, complex scoring system and year-round commitment were overwhelming, to say the least. But this year I’m ready to make the leap, having signed on with […]
Champ or Chump - J.T. Realmuto and Andrew Benintendi
Some fantasy owners prioritize upside over everything else in their draft. Upside wins leagues! Upside makes your team more exciting to follow! Upside encourages you to draft Byron Buxton and hold onto him until his lack of production has doomed you to the second division of your league! Upside doesn't win leagues, profit potential does. […]
Trevor Story Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers
We continue our series of articles debating the overall ranking of some of the most fantasy-relevant players of the 2018 baseball season with a player who captivated the world with the start of his career in 2016, but now finds himself in need of redemption after a disappointing 2017. Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story is […]
First Base H2H Points Rankings - March Update
Welcome back RotoBallers. With the MLB season just a few short weeks a way, it's time to update our rankings and analysis to account for injuries, free agent signings, spring training risers/fallers and more. We kick off our updated March rankings today with the first base position. Bill Dubiel breaks down each tier and provides analysis […]
Mookie Betts Is Having A Spring To Forget
Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts is struggling to get into a rhythm this spring. Thus far, Betts has one hit in 19 at-bats, with his one hit coming on Thursday. While many disregard spring numbers as unimportant, Betts surely wants to make sure he improves upon his 2017 batting average (.264). Getting consistent quality results […]
Xander Bogaerts Getting Aggressive At The Plate
Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has seemingly bought into new manager Alex Cora's intent of being more aggressive at the plate. Thus far, Bogaerts is 9-for-18 at the plate in spring training with five runs, one home run and three runs batted in. More importantly, he is driving the ball and has an on […]
Roenis Elias Vying For Reliever Spot On Roster
Boston Red Sox pitcher Roenis Elias is being used as a reliever in spring training. Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reported Elias is throwing sidearm to lefty hitters. Elias has long been a starting pitcher but despite being 29 years old, he has not had a successful career. The last year he was productive […]
David Price Will Not Pitch In A Game Saturday
Updating a previous report, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price will not be pitching in a game Saturday, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Price will get his work done in a bullpen session. Price was originally supposed to pitch against the Twins this afternoon, but rain caused the plans to change. […]
Drew Pomeranz Is Back In A Routine
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz (forearm) said his arm is fine and is ready for a bullpen session, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Pomeranz believes he has time to be ready for the start of the season. The current plan is for Pomeranz to throw two innings of live batting […]
Sam Travis Locates Previously Unproven Power
Boston Red Sox first base prospect Sam Travis hit his third home run of the spring Friday against the Marlins. He went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Travis has never hit more than six home runs in any season of his minor league career. It became questionable whether Travis would stay at first […]
David Price's Spring Debut Altered Due To Rain
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price will pitch at Fenway South on Saturday morning instead of his afternoon start against the Twins, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Price will pitch in a minor league game and have his first Grapefruit League start postponed. Coming off a season marred by injuries that ultimately concluded […]