EPL Betting Picks for Matchweek 16: English Premier League

The EPL's hectic Christmas schedule is such that I'm having to write this before Matchweek 15 has been completed. As if teams playing two games in three days isn't difficult enough to predict, there could be some issues (such as injuries etc) that cause me to alter my thought process on a game. So I'll […]

Tigers Sign Jose Urena

The Detroit Tigers signed right-hander Jose Urena to a one-year, $3.25 million deal on Wednesday night. Urena can make $250,000 in performance bonuses based on starts. The 29-year-old spent the last six years with the Marlins, going 32-46 with a 4.60 ERA in 142 games (98 starts). The shortened 2020 season was a rough one […]

EPL Betting Picks for Matchweek 15: English Premier League

Another weekend of nearly but not quite as Newcastle couldn't find a winner against the 10-men of Fulham and had to settle for a point. A Newcastle winner would have netted us a +164 pick and +850 correct score. Tottenham then wet the bed at home to Leicester (losing 2-0) before Aston Villa helped us […]

EPL Betting Picks for Matchweek 14: English Premier League

The midweek slate was brutal with zero correct picks. It goes to show how unpredictable the EPL is and how fine the margins are we're working with. Newcastle was 15 minutes away from bagging us the pick, before capitulating to a 5-2 defeat. Brighton and Fulham did draw, sadly for us it was a boring […]

EPL Betting Picks for Matchweek 13: English Premier League

If you read last weekend's piece, you'll have seen I'm currently nursing a broken finger which is making typing more painful than it should be. Nevertheless, the process and research doesn't diminish, just the quantity of the write-up is a bit less. We still managed to bag two winners from our three picks at +131 […]

MLB's Best Pitches by the Numbers

One of the most-often used algorithms in the data science world is called clustering. Clustering is defined, by Wikipedia, as: grouping a set of objects in such a way that objects in the same group (called a cluster) are more similar (in some sense) to each other than to those in other groups (clusters) In baseball […]

Statcast Review - Hard Hit/Exit Velocity Pitching Leaders

Pitcher contact quality can be a tricky attribute for fantasy managers to incorporate into their analysis. On one hand, pitchers are more at the whim of hitters when it comes to contact quality than the other way around. On the other hand, it certainly seems as though pitchers can exert meaningful control over their contact […]

EPL Betting Picks for Matchweek 12: English Premier League

First things first; this will be a shortened piece this week. Still three picks, still three score predictions and still a parlay. But I'm currently nursing a broken finger so typing is painful and is something I need to limit right now (Doctor's orders). Anyway, last week was our best of the season with two […]

Year-In-Review: Sixto Sanchez

The 2020 season presented numerous challenges and is one that most teams, Dodgers aside, are ready to move on from. In the case of the Miami Marlins, it represented a major step forward for a perennially-rebuilding franchise. The Marlins made the playoffs for the first time since their 2003 championship season, mostly on the strength […]

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects for 2021

The 2020 baseball season was unlike any year we’ve ever seen with its shortened season and schedule that can perhaps be best described as organized chaos. The absence of a minor league season played havoc with prospect prognosticators. The 2021 season — and perhaps beyond — will continue to present unique challenges as the pandemic […]

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects for 2021

The abbreviated, wild-ride known as the 2020 MLB season has come to an end and the playoffs are in full swing. Sadly, that means fantasy baseball seasons are finished. And prospects watchers have turned their attention towards the 2021 season. The 2020 season saw a significant number of key contributions from rookies and, had you […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings

The 2021 MLB season isn't guaranteed to be normal but I have hope that next spring will be much healthier. As such, I will approach ranks as if a traditional 162-game season is coming. Join me for my position-by-position ranking series for the 2021 fantasy baseball season. How much weight do we give 2020? How […]

Starting Pitcher K-BB% Fallers: Who to Worry About

In part one of this mini-series, Sam Chinitz covered K-BB% risers from 2021. You can check that post out here. This article will take a look at the pitchers that went in the wrong direction. Strikeout to walk rate is so important to be mindful of when evaluating pitchers. No matter how you slice it, […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings

The upcoming 2021 season may not be normal -- going from 2020 to 2021 doesn't wave a magic wand -- but there's still comfort in baseball. As such, I will approach ranks as if a traditional 162-game season is coming. Join me for my position-by-position ranking series for the 2021 fantasy baseball season. How much […]

EPL Betting Picks for Matchweek 11: English Premier League

No sugar coating last week: it was brutal. Between Fulham and Leicester combining for 31 fouls and only two yellow cards, Everton and Leeds combining for 37 shots and just one goal, and Arsenal and Wolves combing for three goals in the first half, nothing went right. After three straight profitable weeks, it was a […]

Projecting Power in 2021: Elite Levels of Air% Exit Velocity

Everyone wants more power, even more so when it comes relatively cheap. But even when pricey, you're going to need to draft a bomber or two. One of the best ways to see how a player's power is trending is to sift through their exit-velocities to see what they're saying. Most know by now that […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings

I think most of us would agree that looking forward to 2021 is a good idea. For me, that means immersing myself in the upcoming baseball season. While there's no guarantee COVID-19 won't affect the '21 season, I will approach ranks as if a traditional 162-game season is coming. Join me for my position-by-position ranking […]

EPL Betting Picks for Matchweek 10: English Premier League

For the third straight week, we bag two out of three correct picks to make a profit but are denied the big parlay payout by the odd goal. Chelsea and Newcastle couldn't find that elusive third goal between them with the former missing numerous good chances and the latter hitting the woodwork. All the more […]

Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft - ADP Surprises

Of course, there are many changes to be made throughout the offseason. It feels as if the dust is still settling on the 2020 World Series yet baseball fans are more ready for the upcoming season than ever. We have no idea whether a full schedule can be played, what games will look like, and […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings

As we begin to look towards the 2021 baseball season, we can only hope that COVID-19 will be handled well enough to let the season run as normal. Since this is a mere early ranking exercise and we have so much ahead of us, let's just close our eyes and chat as if a 162-game […]

EPL Betting Picks for Matchweek 9: English Premier League

Just when our luck appears to be turning, we get burned. Two weeks ago, we get the pick in game one correct with an injury-time winner and still needed Fulham to miss a 97th-minute penalty, which they duly did with one of the worst penalty kicks of all time. Game two pick banked as well, […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings

Hope springs eternal for the 2021 baseball season, but it's hard to imagine we'll be completely past COVID-19 by then. Plus, we could see opening salvos for the CBA debates to come. But for now, let's just close our eyes and dream of a perfect world and chat as if a 162-game season will come […]

Noteworthy xwOBA-wOBA Pitching Leaders

One of the oddities brought on by the shortened 2020 season was the number of qualified pitchers with huge gaps between their xwOBA and wOBA. In 2019, only seven qualified pitchers posted a wOBA at least 0.050 points away from their xwOBA in either direction, a number that ballooned to 52 pitchers in 2020. Of […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Rankings

As usual, I'll start by saying the 2021 baseball season may still be affected by COVID-19. Maybe even more labor disputes just for a curveball. But for now, let's just close our eyes and dream of a perfect world and chat as if a 162-game season will come next spring. Join me for my position-by-position […]

Tigers Interested In Taijuan Walker

The Detroit Tigers are among the teams interested in free-agent right-hander Taijuan Walker, according to a source. Detroit would like to add one veteran starter this winter. Walker missed most of the previous two seasons with elbow and shoulder injuries, but he had a 2.70 ERA over 11 starts with the Mariners and Blue Jays […]

2021 First Look Fantasy Values: Third Base

The baseball offseason may officially begin with the end of the World Series but the projections offseason began last Thursday night with the release of the first Steamer projections for 2021. Created and maintained by mathematics teacher Jared Cross and his former students, Steamer remains the industry standard for non-aggregated projection systems, as well as […]

Rockies Sign Dereck Rodriguez To Minor League Deal

The Colorado Rockies signed right-hander Dereck Rodriguez to a minor league deal on Monday with an invitation to spring training. The 28-year-old is the son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez. He made 51 appearances over three seasons with the Giants and went 12-15 with a 4.27 ERA before he was designated for assignment […]

2021 First Look Fantasy Values: Outfielders

The baseball offseason may officially begin with the end of the World Series but the projections offseason began last Thursday night with the release of the first Steamer projections for 2021. Created and maintained by mathematics teacher Jared Cross and his former students, Steamer remains the industry standard for non-aggregated projection systems, as well as […]

EPL Betting Picks for Matchweek 8: English Premier League

Last weekend was heartbreaking. After starting off the weekend with a winner and correct score (+850), we bagged a game 2 winner and was one goal away from another correct score. The +924 parlay was on the brink of coming in as the under 12.5 corners came in for game 3 but Aston Villa only […]

2021 Fantasy Value First Looks: Shortstop

The baseball offseason may officially begin with the end of the World Series but the projections offseason began last Thursday night with the release of the first Steamer projections for 2021. Created and maintained by mathematics teacher Jared Cross and his former students, Steamer remains the industry standard for non-aggregated projection systems, as well as […]