Third Base Preview: Fantasy Baseball 2021 ADP Analysis

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller discusses 2021 fantasy baseball third base rankings and 3B draft sleepers who can be sneaky later-round picks. He breaks down and compares the ADPs of five different MLB players at the third base position. Fantasy players should consider picking up these players for their drafts this MLB Season. Be sure to […]

Jon Anderson's Outfield Tiered Rankings and Projections

I continue to press forward on my own personal rankings series. Today we tackle the beast that is the outfield. Check out the rest of the series at the links below if you haven't already! First Base Second Base Shortstop Third Base Starting at the top, here's that juicy tier one full of first-round talent.Be […]

Kings of Candy: Sweet-Spot% Risers

While the 2020 season may not have given us much of a sample to evaluate outcomes (home runs, doubles, flyouts, etc.), the core events of exit velocity and launch angle stabilize more quickly and can be stickier than combination statistics like ISO or BB%. Two of our FSWA Writer-of-the-Year Finalists, Eric Samulski and Nicklaus Gaut, […]

Finding Over/Undervalued First Basemen Using Expected Draft Values

Welcome to the FSWA-nominated Expected Draft Values series, where we look at historical data to identify both overvalued and undervalued players of all types. Whether you're targeting power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, we've got you covered. We'll start at first base and make our way around the diamond to begin the 2021 […]

2021 Relief Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We continue to move past the chaos of 2020 and onto a new baseball season full of promise. For fantasy baseball managers, draft season is already upon us. RotoBaller's rankers, Pierre Camus, Big Pick Nick Mariano, Ariel Cohen and I have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings as we now move on to evaluate the […]

Michael Lorenzen Allows Three Runs In Spring Debut

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen struggled in his spring debut, allowing three runs in 1 2/3 innings in a 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Lorenzen struck out one and walked one while allowing three hits, including a three-run homer to Josh Rojas in the contest. Lorenzen told reporters after the game that […]

Jose De Leon Strikes Out Four

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Jose De Leon allowed two runs over three innings in a 5-3 Cactus League loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. De Leon struck out four and walked one in the outing, his second of the spring. The former top prospect for the Los Angeles Dodgers impressively forced seven swinging strikes in […]

Nick Senzel Homers On Friday

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Senzel had a productive game in a 5-3 Cactus League loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Batting third, Senzel went 2-for-3 with a first-inning solo homer. He later doubled, giving him his first two extra-base hits of the spring. Armed with an intriguing power/speed combo and an exceptional hit tool, […]

Nick Mariano's 2021 Late-Round Fliers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Howdy, RotoBallers! I hope you're ready to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy. We’re here to dig a little deeper into the draft room and look for players that would be wise to take a flier on in the late rounds. 2021 might […]

Nick Mariano's 2021 Early-Round Overvalued List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) are almost all about finding the next superstar and unearthing talent late, but we can't forget that surrendering value by over-drafting can be just as crucial. In order to evaluate overvalued players here, we're going to utilize Average […]

Nick Mariano's 2021 Draft Sleepers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Sleeper has started to lose its meaning in fantasy sports, becoming an SEO must for articles despite no real consensus on what it means. So let's get my definition out of the way first. Sleepers are not necessarily meant to be names that no one […]

Luis Castillo Predicted As Potential Strikeout King In 2021

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo was tabbed by MLB.com's David Adler as a potential dark-horse candidate to lead the majors in strikeouts in 2021. Castillo has placed in the top-20 in strikeouts in each of the last two seasons while pitching to a 3.35 ERA in 260 2/3 innings. The key to his success […]

Starting Pitcher Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

As the 2021 MLB season approaches, it's a good time to take stock of the dynasty landscape. We've examined hitters at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and outfield. Now it's time to dive into the player pool for starting pitchers. Starters are increasingly difficult to project long-term with the steadily-increasing limitations being placed on […]

Sonny Gray Goes Two Innings In Spring Debut

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Sonny Gray made his Cactus League debut on Thursday, allowing one run over two innings in a 5-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Gray struck out one and allow just one hit, a solo homer to Ryan O'Hearn in the second inning. The veteran right-hander is coming a solid 2020 campaign, […]

Nick Mariano's Auction Draft Strategies and Tips (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. We applaud you and your league for playing in the more entertaining format that is auction-based fantasy baseball. This is not a 101-level "how-to" guide, you'll need to know how to click "Bid" and whatnot. But I want to help you go from the […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/5) - Buehler Building Up For Big Season

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games. […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/4) - Realmuto Nearing Return

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games. […]

Shogo Akiyama Back In Camp

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama (personal) will return to camp on Thursday after being away since last Friday to tend to personal matters. Akiyama will have to go through COVID-testing protocols and test negative for the virus before he can take the field. The 32-year-old hit .245 with seven steals for Cincy in 2020 and […]

Nick Castellanos Still Sidelined Thursday

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos (finger) is not in the lineup as the team gets ready to take on the Kansas City Royals in Cactus League action on Thursday. Castellanos was scratched from the lineup on Tuesday with a sore right middle finger and remained sidelined on Wednesday. The team tentatively hopes to have him […]

Top 10 First Basemen - Dynasty Prospect Rankings

If you’re hunting for an impact bat for your fantasy baseball team, first base is often a good place to find a strong offensive contributor. In 2019, the last full season, 25 out of 37 first basemen with a minimum of 350 plate appearances had a 100 wRC+ or better. Of those, 13 players topped […]

Lineup Takeaways - An Early Look at Spring Training Trends

As many of you know, tracking lineups is what I am all in on this 2021 season and with it comes an influx of data and information right away. Going forward, a weekly article will occur - especially as we get into more tangible information and data. However, I wanted to get ahead of the […]

Nick Lodolo Impresses In Spring Debut

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo, the team's No. 1 prospect, flashed his mid-90s fastball and a work-in-progress breaking ball in his spring debut against the Angels on Tuesday night. Lodolo was able to work a scoreless inning in the Cactus League game. The seventh overall pick in 2019 out of TCU went 0-1 with a […]

Shogo Akiyama Still Not At Camp

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama has been away from camp since Friday due to personal reasons, and a date for his return has not been announced. "I don't expect it to be much longer, though," Reds manager David Bell said. "I would expect to have him back in camp here in the next few coming […]

Jesse Winker Battling Sore Hip

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker (hip) isn't concerned that he'll miss much time while battling a sore right hip this spring that caused him to be scratched from the Cactus League lineup on Monday and Tuesday. Winker is taking a couple of days off and has the luxury of not battling for a 26-man roster […]

Hunter Greene Brings Elite Heat In Spring Debut

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene displayed some impressive velocity in his long-awaited spring training start against the Angels on Tuesday. The first three pitches to leadoff hitter David Fletcher registered at 101, 102 and 103 mph, respectively. The 21-year-old right-hander is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the team's No. 2 prospect. He allowed three […]

Nick Castellanos Scratched With Injury Tuesday

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos (finger) was scratched from the team's spring training lineup on Tuesday due to a sore right middle finger. TJ Friedl took his spot in right field to begin the game. The injury isn't believed to be serious, so Castellanos could return to Cactus League action in a day or two. […]

Roster Construction Strategies from the End

Drafting a great roster is the vital base for a successful fantasy baseball season. All draft spots are not created equal. There are pros and cons for all of them. You'll find that everyone has their own preference on the best spot to start the draft. The purpose of this article series is to get […]

Top 10 Catchers - Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Catchers perform a mostly thankless job as one of the hardest-working players on the baseball diamond day in and day out. The catcher is also one of the least sought-after players in a fantasy baseball draft although there have been catchers who, in their prime, were worthy of a significant investment such as Mike Piazza, […]

2021 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - Tyler Mahle

Eric Samulski of RotoBaller analyzes Tyler Mahle as a 2021 fantasy baseball sleeper and undervalued draft pick. He breaks down Mahle's pitches, improvements from 2020, and other factors that could make him a sneaky mid-round starting pitcher breakout candidate. Fantasy players should consider drafting Mahle for their drafts this MLB Season. Be sure to also tune […]

Does Pitch Arsenal Really Matter?

In my research over the last couple of months, I have been paying close attention to the pitch mix of each pitcher I study. This means I want to know how many different pitches they can throw and how they distribute those different offerings. It seemed logical to me that pitchers with more pitches in […]