Starter Prospects that Could be Impact Relievers in 2021

In many ways, Major League Baseball is getting back to normal in 2021. Most importantly for sports fans and fantasy baseball fanatics, this means that the season will be 162 games after experiencing a stunted 2020 season. However, the sudden spike back to 162 games from 60 contests creates headaches for MLB managers. Lance Lynn […]

2020 Breakout Infielders Who'll Keep Improving

In a recent article, I outlined a methodology to determine which breakout 2020 seasons from hitters would be built off of into 2021. Upon further reflection, however, I’m unconvinced that that methodology the best way to spot breakouts that will continue to improve, in large part because of its reliance on evaluating the stickiness of […]

2021 Keeper Value Rankings - Third 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 […]

Jonathan India Hoping To Make Opening Day Roster

Cincinnati Reds infielder Jonathan India has turned heads in Cactus League action this spring. The former No. 5 overall selection by the Reds in 2018 has hit the ball well, batting .348 with one homer, five runs, three RBI, and a steal in 23 at-bats. Cincinnati is toying with the idea of moving Eugenio Suarez […]

Wade Miley Feels Good After Tuesday Start

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Wade Miley (hamstring) returned to Cactus League action on Tuesday and allowed four runs over three innings of work in an 11-7 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Miley was forced from his appearance last Thursday with a left hamstring injury but it appears that the ailment was not serious. After the start, […]

Fantasy Baseball Spring Training Injury Updates

Injury updates tend to change often during Spring Training. "Soreness" is a common theme as players get back into game shape. I will be giving the most recent available injury updates from the offseason. These updates will undoubtedly change as Spring Training continues. As we get closer to Opening Day, some injuries are much more […]

Shogo Akiyama Will Open The Season On Injured List

The Cincinnati Reds announced on Monday that outfielder Shogo Akiyama (hamstring) will open the regular season on the injured list. Akiyama felt something while running the bases during Saturday's Cactus League game against the Oakland A's. Through his translator, Akiyama said, "I heard something before I landed on the base, and after I landed on […]

Wade Miley To Start Against Rockies On Tuesday

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Wade Miley (hamstring) will start against the Colorado Rockies in Cactus League action on Tuesday. Miley left his appearance last Thursday early with a left hamstring injury but it appears that the injury was minor with the veteran slated to take the mound again this soon. If he can stay healthy, Miley […]

Eugenio Suarez To Start At SS On Tuesday

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez will shift over and get the start at shortstop in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Colorado Rockies. Suarez was originally a shortstop in the minors and spent some time in the majors at the position as recently as 2015 before getting moved to third base. Manager David Bell […]

Michael Lorenzen Strikes Out Three On Monday

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen allowed two runs over 3 2/3 innings of work in a 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels in Cactus League action on Monday. Lorenzen struck out three and walked one while giving up two homers, both to Shohei Ohtani. The veteran right-hander now has a 9.39 ERA and seven […]

2021 Starting Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues (Part 1)

We now move on to starting pitcher in our mixed-league rankings analysis series. If you missed them, here is our review of Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base, Shortstop, and Outfield. 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. You can […]

Nick Castellanos Doubles, Triples In Spring Loss

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, and two runs in a 10-4 Cactus League loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Castellanos is having a solid spring, hitting .278 with a homer, four runs, and three RBI in 18 at-bats. The veteran outfielder dealt with a finger issue […]

Eugenio Suarez Reaches Once In Cactus League Loss

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez went 0-for-2 with a walk in a 10-4 Cactus League loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Even though he's still looking for his first homer, Suarez has been enjoying a productive spring, hitting .353 with four runs in 17 at-bats. The veteran third baseman is looking to […]

Tejay Antone Has A Mild Groin Strain

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Tejay Antone exited Sunday's Cactus League start vs. the San Diego Padres with a mild groin strain. Antone started the game and left after 2 2/3 innings. He re-entered the game in the fourth, which you're allowed to do this spring, and threw a few warmup pitches before meeting with trainers […]

Carson Fulmer Claimed By Reds

The Cincinnati Reds claimed right-hander Carson Fulmer off of waivers after the Pittsburgh Pirates released him last week. Fulmer, a former first-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox, posted a 4.35 ERA and 11 strikeouts, and five walks in 10 1/3 innings of work in 2020. He will look to catch on in the […]

Sonny Gray Shut Down With Back Spasms

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Sonny Gray (back spasms) will be shut down for the next three-to-four days. He was scratched from his Sunday start against the San Diego Padres with what the team initially called a "mid-back injury." Gray doesn't seem too concerned with the back issue as he told reporters that he expects to have […]

Top 20 Outfielders - Dynasty Prospect Rankings

If you’ve played fantasy baseball for a while, you know how hard it can be to find enough quality outfielders to field a competitive team all year long. The good news for fantasy managers is that there are some big names on the way, thanks in part to the 2020 amateur draft which had a […]

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, […]

Top 10 Tips for Fantasy Baseball Snake Drafts

Before I begin, let me caveat everything I say with this: I don't consider myself to be some sort of expert master fantasy player. I've only been playing fantasy baseball for a little under a decade. But as soon as I started to immerse myself into this game we all love, my main focus was […]

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 […]

Finding Over/Undervalued Third Basemen Using Expected Draft Values

Last year we introduced our Expected Draft Values and explained how they would help us identify both over and undervalued players of all types. Power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, with pitchers as well. Today, we'll look at four third basemen and our site projections for them. Stay tuned over the next couple […]

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 […]

Nick Senzel Reaches Base Twice In Loss

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Senzel went 1-for-2 with a single and a walk in a 4-3 Cactus League loss to the Seattle Mariners on Friday. Senzel is putting together a productive spring, hitting .313 with two homers, three runs, and two RBI across 16 at-bats. The young outfielder is expected to open the season as […]

Jesse Winker Crosses The Plate In Loss

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker went 0-for-3 with a run scored in a 4-3 Cactus League loss to the Seattle Mariners on Friday. Winker struck out twice in the contest as he saw his batting average dip to .200 over 10 spring at-bats. The veteran outfielder is still working his way back after missing the […]

Luis Castillo Sharp In Spring Debut

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Castillo made his first spring appearance on Friday, tossing two scoreless innings in a 4-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners. Castillo struck out one and walked one while allowing no hits in his first Cactus League action this year. The veteran right-hander arrived at Cincinnati's camp late after running into travel […]

Jonathan India Remains In Big League Camp Through Cuts

Cincinnati Reds infielder Jonathan India got the green light to stick with the Major League squad after the team announced its first round of cuts Friday. With Joey Votto (COVID-19) sidelined, the Reds' infield picture could shift, with Mike Moustakas potentially moving over to first, opening a slot for India to make his Major League […]

Wade Miley Eyes Return To Mound Next Week

Cincinnati Reds left-handed pitcher Wade Miley (hamstring) departed his first Cactus League outing early Thursday night, but he said Friday that the move was largely precautionary, not wanting to aggravate the ailment so close to the start of the year. Miley is planning on getting back on the hill next week in an attempt to […]

Reds Acquire Mike Freeman From Cleveland

The Cincinnati Reds acquired utility infielder Mike Freeman from the Cleveland Indians on Friday in exchange for cash. The Indians valued Freeman's versatility and experience around the infield after he played 99 games and hit .270 in the last two years for them. They had signed him to a minor league deal last month with […]

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 […]

Best-Ball Late-Round Values - Infield

Fantasy Baseball draft season is in full swing, and that goes for more than just redraft leagues; we are talking best-ball formats. Best-ball leagues have been gaining traction in recent years and for good reason. Drafts start almost immediately after the previous season ends for those looking for an offseason fantasy fix. Best-ball drafts are […]