Tom Bellucco's 10 Bold Predictions for 2016

Fellow writer Kyle Bishop had a great idea for us "experts" to come up with a plethora of bold predictions. So far we've see the 10 bold predictions from Kyle and Max. Now it's my turn. I like to think I did fairly well on my more conservative predictions last year (believing in the Gerrit Cole, […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings: Outfield, Part 1 (March)

This is the fourth and final update to our outfield staff rankings. Once again, I was joined by colleagues Kyle Bishop, Bill Dubiel, Brad Johnson, Nick Mariano, Max Petrie, and Harris Yudin. In case you missed them, you can see our updated March tiered rankings and analysis breaking down our thoughts for catcher, first base, […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Third Base Rankings (March)

Oh yeah, you know you love yourself some hot corner action. Third base is one of those premier power spots where you know your team can’t be slouching. If you don't know us by now, the seven rankers are Brad Johnson, Kyle Bishop, Max Petrie, Harris Yudin, Jeff Kahntroff, Bill Dubiel, and myself. In case […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Shortstop Rankings (March)

Welcome to our final round of rankings. We've been guiding you throughout the offseason and it has all culminated to this. These rankings will be your guide in fantasy drafts, and while they shouldn't be seen as an end-all, be-all assessment, it's wise to have an understanding of where the market values the players you […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings: Second Base (March)

It seems like only yesterday that we kicked off our preseason coverage back in December with the first round of our RotoBaller staff rankings. Just kidding – it feels like an eternity whenever we’re waiting for baseball to return. But the weather is warming, the days are getting longer, and spring training is in full […]

Max Petrie's 10 Bold Predictions for 2016

Welcome to round two of our Bold Predictions segment. If anyone asks, Kyle bullied me into doing this. But in all seriousness, the best hitter on a team bats second, so I'm honored to be included. In this edition I'll be highlighting the hitters and pitchers I believe have the best chance to make crazy […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Catcher Rankings (March)

Welcome to our final round of rankings. We've been guiding you throughout the offseason and it's all culminated to this. These rankings will be your guide in fantasy drafts, and while they shouldn't be seen as an end-all, be-all assessment, it's wise to have an understanding of where the market values the players you seek. […]

Industry Mock Draft Reactions: Reaches of the Draft

Now we find ourselves with the final question to be answered regarding the industry mock draft that we hosted last Thursday. Now we’re looking at those go-go-gadget picks, asking everyone who they thought the reach of the draft was. As is tradition, I’ll be following everyone’s thoughts with a brief commentary of my own because […]

2016 Outfield Prospects and Dynasty Rankings

This is an outfield prospects omnibus, a one stop clearinghouse for all of the profiles I created in the last month. With this post finished, I'll have just enough time to whip through starting pitching before we're too deep into dynasty draft season. You can also read about catchers, first base, second base, shortstop, and third base. Mostly, […]

Industry Mock Draft Reactions: Most Regrettable Pick?

Back again with more insight into the industry mock draft that took place last Thursday. This time we’re looking at the picks that each of us wished we could give the ol’ Men in Black memory wipe to everyone else. Again, I’ll be following everyone’s thoughts with a brief commentary of my own because it’s […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Clay Buchholz

After an injury-riddled 2015 season, during which he was the number one starter for the Boston Red Sox, Buchholz and fantasy owners are hoping 2016 will be much better. The question is, do you take the right-hander? Editor's note: Be sure to check out our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard, which is already loaded up […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: Undervalued Second Basemen

If you’re a regular reader of RotoBaller (and how could someone as smart, funny, and handsome as you not be?), you’ve doubtless already checked out our staff rankings. We'll be releasing our final update on those next week. With draft season ramping up now, though, it seems like a good time to check our expert opinions […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Blake Swihart

2015 In Review Prior to the 2015 season, the Boston Red Sox had set themselves up with one of the best defensive tandems behind the plate; the combination of veteran Ryan Hanigan and up-and-coming Christian Vazquez, who's knack for impeding opposing run games raised plenty of eyebrows during his short stint in 2014. But after already […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Three WHIP Sleepers

In 2015, every qualified starting pitcher who ranked in the top 30 of WHIP (Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched) had a BB/9 under 3.00. 15 of those pitchers had a BB/9 under 2.00. There is a clear correlation between limiting walks and posting a low WHIP. When looking for WHIP sleepers, it’s ideal to […]

Eduardo Rodriguez (SP, BOS) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~250 CURRENT ADP: 273 ANALYSIS: In 121.2 IP in 2015, Eduardo Rodriguez arrived at a 3.85 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP and a good-looking 18.8 K%. Other than four major bumps in the road, Rodriguez held teams to fewer than three earned runs in 16 of his 17 remaining starts. After his worst […]

Hanley Ramirez (1B / OF, BOS) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~80 (overall draft pick) CURRENT ADP: ~119 (overall draft pick) ANALYSIS: Hanley Ramirez hit 10 home runs in April and finished the month with a .999 OPS, helping the Red Sox to a 12-10 record despite awful showings from the pitching staff. A few days into May, he suffered a shoulder injury that appeared […]

Five Deep First Base Options: 2016 Draft Values

Every year, there are a handful of players that make a significant impact but garnered no recognition or any sort of hype whatsoever in the offseason. Whether it be for power, average, stolen bases, or anything else that brings a smile to fantasy owners’ faces, there are always deep sleepers lurking at the 1B position. […]

Rick Porcello (SP, BOS) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~260 CURRENT ADP: 291.3 ANALYSIS: After finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2009, Rick Porcello has fallen off a bit. The New Jersey native has certainly had some problems keeping guys off the base paths, with a 1.359 career WHIP. Some of his problems in Boston during the […]

Saves and Holds: AL East Bullpen Depth Chart

With the 2016 fantasy baseball season approaching, bullpen depth charts can be tricky to decipher when entering your fantasy drafts. Projections of who will be vital to their respective team and to your fantasy team will be analyzed over the course of the next two months. Below I've identified the projected AL East closers, setup men, and […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Eduardo Rodriguez

Many of the headlines surrounding the Boston Red Sox’s pitching rotation have to do with David Price. After all, he did receive the largest contract in the history of baseball for a pitcher. However, behind Price is a group of young guns (and I guess Clay Buchholz) that are looking to make their mark in […]

Five Undervalued AL Starting Pitcher Targets for 2016 Drafts

Winning a fantasy baseball league often depends upon finding value in the middle and end of the draft. Today I'm going to focus on a few starting pitchers from the American Leagues who fit the bill. You can find more draft values and potential sleepers in our running list all preseason long, and be sure […]

Early Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: The Fourth Round Pitching Run

The lineup (in draft order): Jacob Bogardus, Brad Johnson, Alex Brock, Harris Yudin, Max Petrie, Josh Leonard, Ross Williamson, Andrew Miller (from The Fantasy Fix), Nick Mariano (myself), Tom Bellucco, Brian Dunshee (also from The Fantasy Fix), and Edward Suletan. We put together a traditional 5x5 redraft 23 round mock with 2 catchers, a corner […]

Early Mock Draft 2016: Analyzing the Second Round

If you haven't read the first round analysis yet, you should definitely do that! Click that and then come right back here. I'll know. For those of you that want to view the draft board in all of it's glory, here it is: As a reminder, here's the lineup: Jacob Bogardus, Brad Johnson, Alex Brock, […]

Boston Red Sox Top MLB Prospects for 2016 Dynasty Leagues

The Boston Red Sox 2015 season did not quite go as planned after big splashes in the previous offseason, but recent additions to the team and an infusion of young talent should help them to be competitive again in 2016. The Red Sox made a big splash first by acquiring Craig Kimbrel from the Padres […]

Mike Napoli (1B, CLE) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

TARGET: ~260 CURRENT ADP: 442 ANALYSIS: Location, location, location. The old real estate adage absolutely applies to sports, and one of the main beneficiaries of a change of scenery will be Mike Napoli. Napoli signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Indians and was told he will spend the majority of his time as the everyday first basemen, per […]

Greinke's Free Agent Market 'Quietly Heating Up'

The market for free agent starting pitcher Zack Greinke is “quietly heating up,” according to ESPN.com. The runner-up for this year’s NL Cy Young award is the hottest free agent on the market. Greinke backed out of the final three years on his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for what would have been $71 […]

Red Sox 'Trying To Move' Ramirez: Sign OF Chris Young

The Boston Red Sox Are “trying to move” Hanley Ramirez, according to The Boston Globe. This seems more likely because the team signed free agent outfielder Chris Young on Monday, according to FOX Sports. There are a few rumored suitors out there for Ramirez, according to the report. The Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles and Angels […]

Johnny Cueto Wants $140-160 Million Deal

Free agent starting pitcher Johnny Cueto is looking for a contract in the $140-160 million range, according to ESPN.com. The Arizona Diamondbacks were believed to be at the top of the sweepstakes. They offered Cueto a six-year, $120 million offer that was turned down, according to MLB.com. The right-hander has been one of the better […]

MLB Bust Players At 1B and 3B - What It Means for 2016

Welcome back, readers. Hopefully you've enjoyed the first three segments of this series as we look further into players that broke out in 2015 and others that received the "bust" label. This edition will focus on corner infielders that failed to deliver on their expectations. My selections will be influenced by their respective ADP (Average […]

The Mighty Fall: Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez

2015 marked a changing of the guard at shortstop, as the top three players at the position in offensive value (per Fangraphs) were rookies. In fourth place? Second-year man Xander Bogaerts, aged 23. The rise of youth dovetailed with the precipitous decline of two long-time fantasy stalwarts: Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez. Along with fellow […]