Nick Senzel Displaying Strong Hit Tool

Cincinnati Reds third baseman/outfielder Nick Senzel, the team's top prospect and No. 6 overall per MLB Pipeline, has gone 8-for-25 (.320) with three doubles over his first eight Cactus League games as he attempts to learn center field and win an Opening Day roster spot. Injuries held Senzel to only 44 games for Triple-A Louisville […]

Sonny Gray Holds Dodgers Scoreless Thursday

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Sonny Gray held the Los Angeles Dodgers scoreless over three innings of work in a spring training outing on Thursday. Gray didn't allow a hit and struck out one in the start. The veteran right-hander got off to a late start this spring as elbow stiffness held him out of action for […]

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for RBI in 2019

If you so much as mention the acronym "RBI" in the wrong baseball circles these days, you run the risk of being ridiculed. Because RBI is such an opportunity-driven statistic, it is no longer viewed as an accurate measurement of a player's overall value. J.T. Realmuto didn't have any control over the on-base percentages of […]

Will Joey Votto's Power Return?

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto had a disappointing 2018 season by his standards, hitting .284 with a .417 on-base percentage, .419 slugging percentage, 125 OPS+ and 131 wRC+. The 34-year-old didn't have his typical second-half resurgence and he lacked a lot of power. Votto actually had a better average exit velocity (88.1 mph) last […]

Nick Mariano's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

2018 was a banner season for baseball's Marianos, as Mariano Rivera was headed full steam ahead towards a unanimous Hall of Fame entry and yours truly was cruising with the most accurate fantasy baseball ranks of the season per FantasyPros, unbeknownst to me until recently. I'm still riding high off of that and you're all […]

Five Hitters Whose Barrels Rate Makes Them Undervalued

Baseball is back! The nostalgic diamond traditions of cracker jacks, oat sodas and intricately-designed grass patterns have finally returned. Most importantly, the boys of summer are once again fine-tuning their five tools for the upcoming season. In 2016, Major League Baseball expanded its research on exit velocity and launch angle by introducing Barrels. Barrels not […]

The King's Insider Report - New York Mets

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller, with an in-depth look at the New York Mets from the perspective of a former player and current broadcaster who works for a major media outlet in the area, On the condition of anonymity, he […]

Nick Senzel Front-Runner For Starting CF Spot

According to MLB.com, Cincinnati Reds prospect Nick Senzel is considered the favorite to win the starting center field job out of spring training. Senzel is putting together a fine spring, batting .389 with three runs, three RBI, and one steal in 18 at-bats. The former No. 6 overall draft pick has dealt with assorted injuries […]

JB's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

It is such an honor to have been selected to hit lead-off for the 2019 RotoBaller staff Bold Predictions. Sure, I asked for it due to time constraints but that's not how I will tell my story to the grand-kids. Bold predictions are everyone's favorite articles. They are fun, not always entirely plausible, while still […]

One Dollar Bids - Auction Draft Targets

Auction drafts are an interesting animal. This especially comes through at the end of drafts. In a snake draft, that sleeper you really wanted may get picked just before your turn, but if he does get to your spot, he's yours. In an auction draft, someone you had tabbed as a $1 sleeper can be […]

When and How Do You Target Sleepers on Draft Day?

If you're the type of fantasy baseball enthusiast who enjoys the preparation as much as the draft itself, chances are you've been filing away names as potential under-the-radar breakout candidates. Maybe you've got your eye on a young utility player who is one injury away from regular playing time (not that anyone should be rooting […]

Nick Mariano's Early-Round Avoids in H2H Points Leagues (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. There's insight out there for most anything, but coverage of points leagues […]

How to Avoid Cognitive Bias on Draft Day

Cognitive bias: whether or not we fully understand what it means or how it operates, we have all seen it at one time or another on draft day, regardless of the sport in question. It can take the form of a co-worker who insists on drafting a full roster of players from their favorite hometown […]

Alex Wood Throws Simulated Game

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Alex Wood (back) passed a test when he threw a two-inning simulated game against minor leaguers on Friday. He hasn't pitched in a Cactus League game since Feb. 25 due to a sore lower back. The left-hander said he felt good and hopes to make his next spring start. Manager David […]

Luis Castillo's Spring Struggles Continue

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Castillo saw his spring training struggles continue in a Thursday start against the Seattle Mariners. Castillo allowed three runs in two innings of work, striking out four and walking two. The young fireballer is sporting an ugly 17.36 ERA in 4 2/3 innings of work this spring, spanning three appearances. Despite […]

Alex Wood Hoping To Pitch Saturday

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Alex Wood, who has been sidelined with a tight back, is hoping to pitch on Saturday against the Padres. The 28-year-old left-hander should be fine for the start of the regular season with his new team. Wood went 9-7 with a 3.68 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 135 strikeouts in 151 2/3 […]

Outfielders Who'll Continue to Break Out in 2019

"The rookie phenom" is almost a cliche at this point in fantasy baseball. Every year there are at least a few absolute studs that break out--think Ronald Acuna, Juan Soto, Kris Bryant, those types. The A1 prospects who follow through on their pedigree. It's not all that difficult to predict that they'll likely keep up […]

RotoBaller H2H Draft Strategy Primer

Fantasy baseball, much like the sport itself, it is one of the more complex to follow closely. Compared to fantasy football, in which nearly every league was head-to-head before the advent of best-ball, fantasy baseball comes in a variety of formats. Many leagues are roto-style, 5x5 category-scoring, with cumulative season-long stats. While that is the […]

Expert Mock Draft Reactions - RotoBaller Friends & Family

On February 13, 2019, we assembled a group of industry experts to take part in the second annual RotoBaller Friends and Family Expert Mock Draft. Our participants represented multiple sites, including: CBS Sports (Heath Cummings) The Athletic (Nando Di Fino) Fantasy Alarm (Howard Bender) Fangraphs (Alex Chamberlain) RotoWire (Tim Heaney) Mastersball/ESPN (Todd Zola) GuruElite (Ray […]

Sonny Gray To Start Saturday

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Sonny Gray (elbow) is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut on Saturday against the San Diego Padres. Gray was scratched from a start last week after developing tightness in his pitching elbow. The veteran hurler should be on track for the beginning of the season, provided he doesn't suffer any setbacks. […]

Top 10 Dynasty Third Base Prospects

Taking a look at the top third base prospects in dynasty, you can split the list into two categories: Vladimir Guerrero Jr and everyone else. Clearly, Guerrero is the most exciting prospect in fantasy right now after his monster 2018 campaign where he hit .381 with 20 home runs and a 1.073 OPS over 408 […]

Best-Ball Targets and Sleepers For 2019

One of the biggest challenges that fantasy baseball owners face is that they literally have to follow it every day. Unlike fantasy football, where you only need to check lineups once a week, baseball is on every single day and if you don’t pay attention your season will be in jeopardy. Most leagues are won […]

Sonny Gray To Throw Thursday

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Sonny Gray (elbow) is scheduled to throw a side session on Thursday and could start pitching in spring games after that if everything goes well. Gray was very unproductive in his two years in New York and had a 4.90 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 123 K's in 130 1/3 innings in […]

Nick Senzel Dealing With Hamstring Tightness

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that third baseman/outfielder Nick Senzel is dealing with tightness in his hamstring. However, Bell expects that Senzel will return to spring games Thursday or Friday. Senzel is MLB Pipeline's No. 6 prospect heading into the 2019 season and has a chance to start in center field for the Reds […]

Later-Round Starting Pitchers - Targets and Avoids

Once you reach the later rounds of drafts, you start thinking about upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. These are the rounds to take risks on more unknown commodities like prospects, forgotten-about veterans, players returning from injuries or players that have previously showed promise but haven't put it all together yet. […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Nathan Eovaldi and Dallas Keuchel

Somewhere Dallas Keuchel is looking at Nathan Eovaldi’s four-year contract for $67.5 million and is wondering how he remains unsigned. He might be having similar thoughts about Patrick Corbin’s six-year, $140 million contract, but at least Corbin will be 29 to start the season and is coming off a Cy Young-caliber season. By contrast, Keuchel […]

Later-Round Outfielders - Targets and Avoids

Once you reach the later rounds of drafts, you start thinking about upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. These are the rounds to take risks on more unknown commodities like prospects, forgotten-about veterans, players returning from injuries or players that have previously showed promise but haven't put it all together yet. […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Nelson Cruz and Shohei Ohtani

For fantasy managers, a player with only DH or Utility eligibility can be difficult to own because he creates lineup issues that limit flexibility. For the last decade, Nelson Cruz has been one of the most prolific hitters, and he’s shown few signs of slowing down, except for his shrinking defensive capability. Similarly, Shohei Ohtani […]

Raisel Iglesias Allows One Run In Spring Debut

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Raisel Iglesias allowed one run in one inning in his spring training debut on Monday. The veteran closer gave up a hit and walk in the frame while striking out one. After the outing, he told reporters that he felt good and that his velocity "was there". Iglesias was solid as Cincinnati's […]

The King's Insider Report - Machado a Bust? Buehler Being Overdrafted?

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The King returns with his award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series, an annual feature that takes you into the dugouts, locker rooms and press boxes to gain access to highly valuable nuggets of information. On the condition of anonymity, Scott "The King" Engel brings you […]