Detroit Tigers Re-Sign Joba Chamberlain
With pitchers and catchers reporting to camp, the Detroit Tigers will have relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain reporting to camp soon after coming to an agreement on a one-year deal. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Chamberlain was spotted at Tigers' Spring Training camp. Joba Chamberlain spotted in #Tigers’ camp. In agreement with club on […]
Justin Verlander (SP, DET) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target as SP5 ANALYSIS: Once-Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander finished 2014 with a gruesome 4.54 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP and a 6.95 K/9 rate, all either worst or second-worst in his nine year career. He also averaged his lowest fastball velocity ever – 93.1 mph. Despite somehow managing to eclipse 200 IP and rack up 15 wins, […]
Pitchers Advanced Statistics: Keys to Analyzing Fantasy Trends
Advanced Pitcher Stats for Fantasy Baseball One of the most misunderstood books in the last decade or so was Moneyball, the Michael Lewis novel about the Oakland A's that really brought advanced statistical analysis into the mainstream. A lot of people thought it was just about valuing On-Base Percentage looking at college players, but those were just […]
Justin Verlander: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Bust
Time for an Oil Change? Over the last 15 years, baseball managers have kept a closer eye than ever on pitch counts. It makes sense, of course. We’re so trained on the importance of avoiding pitcher injuries that there’s a gasp every time someone exceeds 110 pitches. Spectators sit on the edge of their […]
Justin Verlander: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Sleeper
Once an Ace, Now a Sleeper Before I even start writing this article, I need all of you readers out there who drafted Justin Verlander as your number two or even number one starting pitcher in 2013-2014 to leave your grudges at the door. Same goes for those of you who traded for Verlander at […]
Shane Greene: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Sleeper
A Forgotten Asset? Starting pitching is deeper than ever. It’s become a cliché. Fantasy writers frequently point to the depth of pitching as a reason to target position players early in the draft. It isn't just a myth. The raw data firmly supports the statement - there is a virtually unprecedented number of quality pitchers in baseball today. According […]
Victor Martinez to Miss 4-6 Weeks
After underdoing successful surgery on Tuesday to repair the medial meniscus in his left knee, it was announced that Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez will miss approximately 4-6 weeks. When that point comes, he can resume full activity and potentially be available at the very start of the regular season. "We are very happy […]
Drew Smyly: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Sleeper
A New Approach in Tampa Bay Makes Drew Smyly Worth Drafting Drew Smyly is a riddle wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, wrapped in a Rays jersey. His size, pitch velocity and, most importantly, his strikeout totals get fantasy GMs excited, but his platoon split issues made Smyly a part time fantasy […]
Max Scherzer Signs With The Washington Nationals
If the Washington Nationals weren't already the front-runners in the NL East, they certainly are now. Max Scherzer, the top prize of the 2014-2015 MLB free agency, has landed in the District of Columbia. He has signed a seven year deal worth $210 million. The Nationals, who already had one of the deepest rotations top […]
Tigers Slugger Miguel Cabrera Is Out Of His Walking Boot
In an update from this week's previous story, Miguel Cabrera is one step closer to getting back on the field, and his next step is going to feel much lighter after shedding his walking boot. Today, he posted a picture on Instagram and Twitter of him without said boot after a visit from Dr. Robert Anderson, […]
Miguel Cabrera's Ankle To Be Evaluated In February
Two time AL MVP Miguel Cabrera is set to have a CT scan of his ankle in February. Cabrera underwent surgery last October to remove bone spurs from his right ankle and repair a stress fracture in his foot. The visit next month to Dr. Robert Anderson, an Orthopedic Surgeon in North Carolina, should provide […]
Daily Fantasy Leagues Advice: Fantasy Baseball FanDuel BvP Lineup Picks (9/1)
Remember, these picks are posted early in the day for your convenience, and without knowledge of the teams’ starting lineups. ALWAYS check starting lineups before finalizing your FanDuel entries. Also, you've got to check out RotoBaller's new BvP (batter vs. pitcher) analysis tool, which shows you all the daily matchup stats for every single hitter in the […]
Fantasy Baseball Stars on the DL: Who to Keep, Who to Dump
With the fantasy playoffs right around the corner, there seems to be an abundance of star power sitting on your DL. The recent news of Andrew McCutchen, Gerrit Cole and Wil Myers coming off the disabled list is surely encouraging, but there are still plenty of guys you might be stashing, hoping they'll be your […]
Alex Avila (C, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in AL-Only Leagues, Mixed Leagues With Two Catcher Slots ANALYSIS: Perhaps Alex Avila has been overlooked as a result of the strength of the team around him, but he has been a consistently solid contributor for the Tigers over the past five years. When healthy, he has good power for a catcher, […]
Week 19 Fanduel DFS Recap: RotoBaller's Expert Lineup Picks
Daily League Lineup Picks - Subscription Newsletter Recap As many of you already know, we take our DFS quite seriously here at RotoBaller. Each and every week since the start of the 2013 MLB and fantasy baseball season, we have been providing our premium subscribers with 3 cheat sheet style newsletters per week, full of […]
Week 18 Fanduel DFS Recap: RotoBaller's Expert Lineup Picks
Daily League Lineup Picks - Subscription Newsletter Recap As many of you already know, we take our DFS quite seriously here at RotoBaller. Each and every week since the start of the 2013 MLB and fantasy baseball season, we have been providing our premium subscribers with 3 cheat sheet style newsletters per week, full of […]
Drew Smyly (SP, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues; Continue Scouting in Shallow Leagues ANALYSIS: Drew Smyly is someone I had as a preseason sleeper. I really expected him to breakout this year, and get a decent amount of wins with that powerful Tigers' offense behind him. Unfortunately, at the end of May Smyly didn't really live up […]
Week 17 Recap: Our Best FanDuel DFS Lineup Picks
Daily League Lineup Picks - Newsletter Recap As many of you already know, we take our DFS quite seriously here at RotoBaller. Each and every week since the start of the 2013 MLB and fantasy baseball season, we have been providing our premium subscribers with 3 cheat sheet style newsletters per week, full of our […]
Getting A Grip: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds
Fantasy Baseball Sleepers For Holds Leagues While the holds statistic is even harder to predict than saves is for closers, the relief pitchers we highlight today feature some sleeper setup men and some looking to reclaim glory they once had. The more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these following relief pitchers will be […]
DFS Lineup Picks for 7/18: Advice & Expert Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings
We're Going DFS Deep! Starting Pitcher Sleepers For 7/18 Are you just sick and tired of seeing your seasonal fantasy baseball team at the bottom of the standings? Can’t seem to make up ground even though you watch the games every night, and are very active on your league’s waiver wire (and even downloaded RotoBaller's FREE iPhone […]
Fantasy Baseball Buy Low / Sell High: Hitters for Week 16
Buy/Sell Week 16: Don't Give Up Yet! In some leagues we only have about 6 weeks left (excluding the playoffs) of fantasy baseball. I hope you all enjoy the impending end to the season, because I know we will all have a lot more time on our hands when it’s over. Even if your playoff […]
Fantasy Baseball ROS Rankings: July Update
RotoBaller Fantasy Baseball Rankings for July 2014 Clayton Kershaw, Andrew McCutchen, J.D. Martinez and Billy Hamilton stole the fantasy baseball headlines during the month of June. Kershaw put up one of the best pitching months in recent history, while J.D. Martinez came out of nowhere to revive many lucky fantasy owners hopes if they picked […]
DFS Lineup Picks for 7/11: FanDuel, DraftKings & DraftStreet Advice
We're Going DFS Sleepers Bonkers For 7/11 We may have taken last week off for the fireworks preparations, and consumption of adult beverages (hopefully in moderation), but we are back in a big way for the first recommendations of July! Are you just sick and tired of seeing your seasonal fantasy baseball team at the bottom […]
Austin Jackson (OF, DET) - Waiver Wire Analysis
BALLER MOVE: Continue Scouting / Stash in Deeper Leagues ANALYSIS: Austin Jackson has had a disappointing first half in 2014, hitting just .244 with only 3 HR thus far. Coming off two seasons in which he hit .300 and .272, many fantasy owners had him on their list of pre-season sleepers, and expected him to produce nicely […]
Nick Castellanos (3B / OF, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: The Tiger's rookie Nick Castellanos had a very rough start to the season, batting in the neighborhood of .220 for the first two months of the season. In fact, all non-keeper leagues where I owned him in I gave up on him because of the lack of every aspect of […]
Buy / Sell Week 14: Fantasy Baseball Hitters To Target In Trades
Your Gooaaalll Is To Stay One Step Ahead I know it has been hard for most of us to sit and watch a baseball game with all of the heart stopping World Cup action happening. The good news is that your league has most likely done the same. Be alert during the next few days […]
Sleeper Hitters Who Could See a Big Second Half
These Hitters Love To Lay Down The Wood This is the third in a series of articles in which we will evaluate potential fantasy baseball sleepers by looking at deeper statistics and advanced sabermetrics. Today we are going to try and project four hitters that should see increased production in batting average, and subsequently, in […]
Drew Smyly (SP, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: In his first year in the rotation, Drew Smyly is performing quite nicely. Even though he's the Tigers' fifth starter, Smyly's numbers indicate that he's actually the third best man in the rotation behind Sanchez and Scherzer. His 3.19 ERA and 1.26 WHIP are more than respectable, and he has a […]
3 Must Own Starting Pitchers: Waiver Wire Pickups
Fantasy baseball owners are always looking for sleepers and the next big player from the waiver wire to help improve their teams. Every year there are starting pitchers who come out of nowhere to make a huge splash, and pitchers that come into the season with high expectations but don't but it all together immediately. In this […]
Nick Castellanos (3B / OF, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper / AL-Only Leagues (Especially Corner Infield Slots) ANALYSIS: Nick Castellanos has some big shoes to fill this year, seeing as the last guy to man the hot corner in Detroit won two consecutive AL MVP awards. The young righty will not be taking home such honors this year, but he has shown […]