Vladimir Gutierrez Suspended 80 Games

MLB announced that they have suspended Cincinnati Reds right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez for 80 games after he tested positive for Stanozolol, violating the Minor League Drug Prevention program. Gutierrez, 24, made 27 starts for the Reds in Triple-A last season and was tentatively expected to make his MLB debut at some point during the 2020 season. […]

Reds Sign First-Rounder Austin Hendrick

The Cincinnati Reds signed 2020 first-round draft pick Austin Hendrick to a $4 million contract on Friday. Hendrick was widely regarded as one of the top high school outfielders in the draft, prompting the Reds to use the No. 12 overall pick on the Mississippi State recruit. The lefty has plenty of power and is […]

Jesse Winker Could Be Beneficiary Of DH

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos and infielder Mike Moustakas could both see time at designated hitter this year if the team wants to improve defensively, but outfielder Jesse Winker might be the biggest beneficiary of the new rule this year in the National League. Winker has a career .909 OPS against right-handers but hasn't impressed […]

How To Draft Saves In A Shortened Season

Now that Major League Baseball and the MLBPA have finally come to an agreement and locked in a plan for the upcoming season, the RotoBaller staff is churning out content to try and get you ready for the 2020 fantasy baseball season. A lot of us have questions about how the shortened season, new league […]

Eugenio Suarez 100 Percent Recovered

Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said that third baseman Eugenio Suarez (shoulder) is 100 percent recovered from offseason shoulder surgery in January. Prior to COVID-19 delaying the 2020 season, Suarez was a question mark to be ready for Opening Day, but it looks like he'll be full strength when the season finally […]

Fantasy Value In a 50-Game Season: Starting Pitchers

Having now passed the ides of June, there is still no start date for the 2020 season and no guarantee that we'll even ever get one. MLB and the MLBPA continue to pass proposals back and forth, with each side taking their turn at rejection. This puts baseball in a situation where Commissioner Rob Manfred is […]

MLB Draft Review and More with Chris Welsh - Bases Loaded Podcast

Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) is joined by Chris Welsh (@IsItTheWelsh) and they dive into the MLB draft. Subscribe to the Bases Loaded podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune […]

Reds Bring In Six Undrafted Free-Agent Players

The Cincinnati Reds agreed to terms with six undrafted free agents following the conclusion of the 2020 MLB draft last week. Due to the shortened draft this year, all 30 teams may sign an unlimited number of high school and college players who went undrafted for a maximum of $20,000 each. The new undrafted free-agent […]

Fantasy Baseball Prospects: On the Farm with the Cincinnati Reds

Doug (@coachingish) is joined by Shelly Verougstraete (@ShellyV_643) for another quick-hitting episode of the SP Streamer podcast "On The Bump" to discuss the Cincinnati Reds prospects in fantasy baseball. Be sure to subscribe to the SP Streamer Podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and […]

Does James Paxton's Spin-Rate Adjustment Matter?

Players frequently enter spring training in, "the best shape of their lives," but offseason programs rarely seem to pay significant dividends. The extended offseason may have provided some players with the opportunity to make unusually significant adjustments this year, though. One example of such an adjustment is Yankees starting pitcher James Paxton, who recently announced that […]

Bryce Bonnin Highlights Cincy's Late Picks

The Cincinnati Reds selected Texas Tech pitcher Bryce Bonnin with the 84th overall pick in the third round in the 2020 MLB draft on Thursday. The Reds followed that up with St. Edward High School outfielder Mac Wainwright in the fourth round and Notre Dame pitcher Joe Boyle in the fifth round. Bonnin has been […]

Stock Your Dynasty Farm: AL West Sleeper Prospects

If you've been following my series on sleeper prospects, you probably correctly noted that there are actually more than the four divisions I've already written about. Who knew?! No worries Rotoballers, a six-week gap isn't enough to keep me from tucking my tail firmly between my legs and returning to finish what we started. I […]

ERA Lie Detector: Finding 2019 Underachievers with SIERA (Part 2)

Welcome back RotoBallers to my Lie Detector mini-series (you can read part one here). Skills-Interactive ERA (or SIERA) has been around since 2011 when it was introduced at Baseball Prospectus by Matt Swartz and Eric Seidman before moving to its current home at Fangraphs. Much like xFIP, SIERA attempts to quantify the skills that underpin […]

Jackson Miller Heading To The Reds

The Cincinnati Reds selected J.W. Mitchell High School catcher Jackson Miller with the 65th overall pick in the second round in the 2020 MLB draft on Thursday. Miller is an attractive left-handed-hitting catcher, but he's not as polished as some of the other prep backstops in 2020. He is athletic and has a good approach […]

Reds Take A Chance On Christian Roa

The Cincinnati Reds selected Texas A&M pitcher Christian Roa with the 48th overall pick in the second round in the 2020 MLB draft on Thursday. Alongside Asa Lacy, who went fourth overall to the Royals, the Aggies had a nasty one-two punch in their rotation before the season was canceled. He has a mid-90s fastball, […]

Austin Hendrick Lands With The Reds

The Cincinnati Reds selected West Allegheny High School outfielder Austin Hendrick with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft on Wednesday. Hendrick is a polarizing prep prospect because of his inconsistencies, but on his best days he was one of the best high school bats in this draft class. His quick hands and […]

Major League Baseball 2020 Mock Draft

The 2020 MLB amateur draft takes place later tonight and it will be unlike any draft we’ve seen. With owners crying poor and minor league systems set to be permanently compressed, the draft has been slashed from the normal 40 rounds to just five — although teams will be able to sign undrafted players as […]

Fantasy Baseball Insider Report: Shortened Season Alters Strategies

The award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller, this time with in-depth takes on the shortened season from a former MLB executive and current broadcaster. Every year, Scott Engel talks to prime MLB sources to get exclusive nuggets of information. On the condition of anonymity, former and current players, executives, scouts, media members and […]

Diving Into Pitch Counts For a Shortened Season

Pitchers who produce a ton of innings are a rare commodity in today’s game, with those who consistently put up 200 or more innings becoming increasingly valuable. However, with a potential shortened 2020 season and no innings limits, will this playing field be leveled? At first thought, one might think that pitchers with assumed limits […]

Talking Pitching With Nicklaus Gaut - Benched with Bubba (Episode 292)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by RotoBaller's own Nicklaus Gaut (@NT_BurtReynolds). The guys chat about the Chris Archer injury, some pitchers that have over/under achieved when looking at ERA and SIERA, and then hit some listener questions. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel […]

Fantasy Baseball ADP Risers - Head-Scratching Trends?

Welcome to Part Two of the ADP Risers and Fallers series, where I will examine key changes from March to the present day. If you missed Part One, where I evaluated injured players and prospects, you can read it right here. Those were the easy risers and fallers. In this article, we will delve into […]

Eugenio Suarez, Nick Senzel Doing Well

Cincinnati Reds general manager Dick Williams said that third baseman Eugenio Suarez (shoulder) is 100 percent healthy and that outfielder Nick Senzel (shoulder) is also doing well. Suarez had surgery in January and has benefited from the delay of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 28-year-old (29 in July) should be ready […]

Overvalued and Undervalued Starting Pitchers

Spring training is often the time when players start climbing up or freefalling down draft boards. This year, however, without a full spring training to draw from, there is less talk of a pitcher with a new and improved change-up, and fewer managers blowing smoke, influencing fantasy owners. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of value […]

ERA Lie Detector: Finding 2019 Overachievers With SIERA (Part 2)

Welcome back RotoBallers to my Lie Detector mini-series (you can read part one here). Skills-Interactive ERA (or SIERA) has been around since 2011 when it was introduced at Baseball Prospectus by Matt Swartz and Eric Seidman before moving to its current home at Fangraphs. Much like xFIP, SIERA attempts to quantify the skills that underpin […]

Outfield Draft Values - Later Round Fliers

Host Michael Florio of RotoBaller Radio discusses the 2020 fantasy baseball season. In this episode, he brings you his fantasy baseball draft sleepers at the outfield position. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune into […]

ERA Lie Detector: Finding 2019 ERA Underachievers With SIERA

Skills-Interactive ERA (or SIERA) has been around since 2011 when it was introduced at Baseball Prospectus by Matt Swartz and Eric Seidman before moving to its current home at Fangraphs. Much like xFIP, SIERA attempts to quantify the skills that underpin a pitcher's ERA, albeit in a different manner. Although technically a backward-looking evaluator,  SIERA […]

How to Approach High Stakes Leagues in 2020, Part 2

While we await confirmation that there will be a season, and clarity on how it will play out, there's plenty of fantasy baseball prep work to do. Sure, it's impossible to nail down definite strategies or exact player values with so much uncertainty surrounding the season. But we can at least start to figure out […]

Hidden Gems to Watch - 2020 Pitching Prospects

As we continue through this window of uncertainty, the chances of having a “normal” season are getting far less likely. And while we still don’t have any concrete solutions for having a 2020 season, some ideas seem to be more likely than others. Whether implementing regular doubleheaders in a truncated season or a universal designated-hitter, […]

Mock Draft Review: ADP Risers and Fallers

It's Memorial Day weekend, which means it's time to pick some flowers, fire up the BBQ, and do fantasy baseball mock drafts. Well, one of those things doesn't quite belong, but in these uncertain times, it's never a bad idea to do another draft and see how things stand. With MLB owners and the Player's […]

ERA Lie Detector: Finding 2019 Overachievers With SIERA (Part 1)

Skills-Interactive ERA (or SIERA) has been around since 2011 when it was introduced at Baseball Prospectus by Matt Swartz and Eric Seidman before moving to its current home at Fangraphs. Much like xFIP, SIERA attempts to quantify the skills that underpin a pitcher's ERA, albeit in a different manner. Although technically a backward-looking evaluator,  SIERA […]