Zack Cozart Out A Few Weeks

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Zack Cozart has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left calf strain and will be out for a few weeks, according to manager Brad Ausmus. Cozart played in just 58 games in his first year with the Angels due to injury, and he hasn't gotten rid of the injury bug […]

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 […]

Are Elite Pitchers Undervalued?

After San Francisco Giants’ president Farhan Zaidi announced that the team might use an opener this season, Madison Bumgarner messaged Bruce Bochy: “If you use an opener in my game I’m walking right out of the ballpark.” In addition to giving us the most Madison Bumgarner quote of all time, the news prompted me to […]

Top 10 Outfield Prospects - 2019 Redraft Rankings

We're back with another list of 2019 impact prospects. Today the focus is on the outfield. With a whole host of candidates ready to make the jump to regular roles, this might be the deepest prospect position heading into 2019. With the growth of five-outfielder leagues as well, the need to know who will be […]

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 […]

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 […]

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for Runs in 2019

Welcome to my never-ending journey through baseball numbers past, present and future. Today we are going to predict the 10 MLB players who will lead the league in runs scored for the 2019 season. Before we start, however, let's look back at a little bit of history in order to give ourselves an idea of […]

Justin Upton Starting To Make Progress

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Justin Upton (knee) has been battling tendinitis in his right knee since the start of spring training. However, he has ramped up his activity and is now doing some hitting with light outfield drills. He is still not ready to participate in Cactus League spring games, although there are […]

Zack Cozart Battling A Tight Left Calf

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim third baseman Zack Cozart (calf) is dealing with a tight left calf and he was scratched from the Cactus League spring lineup. He will be re-evaluated on Monday. The veteran had surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder last June, so that's something to watch, too. He has […]

Andrew Heaney Battling Elbow Inflammation

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (elbow) is battling elbow inflammation, and the team pushed him back from his next Cactus League spring start Sunday, using pitcher Daniel Hudson instead. Heaney did say he was able to throw Saturday and Sunday, including a long-toss session from 120 feet on Sunday, so it […]

ADP Comparison - Overpriced / Underpriced Players on Yahoo

Average Draft Position (ADP) is a must-have piece of information when it comes to drafting. While every league is different and may have a particularly aggressive or conservative group of owners when it comes to certain players, it’s the best tool we have when analyzing players’ value. Now, instead of just talking about total ADP […]

ADP Comparison - Overpriced / Underpriced Players on CBS

Average Draft Position (ADP) is a must-have piece of information when it comes to drafting. While every league is different and may have a particularly aggressive or conservative group of owners when it comes to certain players, it’s the best tool we have when analyzing players’ value. Now, instead of just talking about total ADP […]

Winning Strategies For Your Dynasty League Startup Draft

Some people enjoy playing fantasy baseball one season at a time, drafting a new roster every year. Others are fascinated with drafting a team and managing it year after year towards multiple championship trophies. The latter individuals are best suited to play in dynasty leagues. For rosters to be competitive annually, they have to possess […]

ADP Debate - Carlos Martinez vs. Chris Archer

The NL Central figures to be one of the more competitive divisions in baseball this season. The Brewers are the returning runners-up in the NL, the Cubs are coming off of the most wins in baseball over the last four seasons, the Cardinals are retooling for another postseason run, and the Pirates and Reds made […]

Platoon Watch - Part-Time Infielders Worth Drafting

Platooning in major league baseball is becoming more common every year. With this mentality, teams play lefty/righty matchups to get the daily batter versus pitcher advantage. They also use this method to try to defend players against a potential injury and keep them fresh. While platooning may look smart on the surface, it’s not always […]

Nick Mariano's 2019 Draft Sleepers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. It's everyone's favorite pre-draft word to throw around and likely threatens to take the top spot on some Google Analytics the closer we get to that premier fantasy baseball draft season. Yup, we're talking about sleepers. But let's just get this out of the way: […]

Nick Mariano's 2019 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. It can […]

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

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Congratulations to you and your leaguemates for electing to play in the vastly superior format that is auction-based fantasy baseball. We can draw many parallels here, but playing/reading your fellow owners and managing your own money well lends itself best to poker. We're here […]

Top 10 First Base Prospects - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Rankings

We're back with another list of 2019 impact prospects. Today the focus is on first base. While it is never fully stocked with quality depth, this might be the weakest the position has ever been heading into the season. With such a shallow group of options, it is important to know who will be called […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 9 - Pitcher BABIP

While FIP is a useful tool to predict a pitcher's future ERA performance, fantasy owners should remember that ERA, not FIP, is what really matters in most formats. This means that we are interested in the "luck" that separates the two statistics. While some of this luck is unpredictable, we can and should predict some […]

ADP Cost Analysis - Robbie Ray vs Andrew Heaney

When drafting a pitcher, the vast majority of owners put an emphasis on upside, selecting a player based on his best-case scenario. That’s what makes Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray so intriguing, and why he has a 120 ADP. After lighting up the league in 2017, people are still holding out hope that the best is yet […]

Andrew Heaney (SP, LAA) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 150 CURRENT ADP: ~165 overall ANALYSIS: The Angels have two promising southpaws in their rotation, but Heaney, in particular, is generating a lot of buzz for the 2019 fantasy baseball season. Andrew Heaney pitched 180 IP last season, posting a 4.15 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 180 SO. The numbers […]

Willians Astudillo (C, MIN) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 315 CURRENT ADP: ~340 overall ANALYSIS: Willians Astudillo just might be my favorite player in baseball. It's almost impossible to look at him, and his stats, and not immediately become a fan. First off, he's just 5'9" yet weighs 225 lbs, so seeing him field and run the bases is fun […]

Shohei Ohtani To Hit Off Tee Friday

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (elbow) is scheduled to hit off a tee for the first time on Friday. It's good news for the Japanese two-way star, but he won't be ready for game action until sometime in May and will not pitch at all in 2019 after having Tommy John surgery on […]

NFBC Draft and Hold Strategy - Pitching Category Boosters (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. There is no such thing as a can't-miss pitching prospect. Pitchers never stay healthy. Relievers are volatile. All of these are sayings that diehard fantasy baseball players are familiar with, and to some extent, live by during the fantasy season. Developing a pitching strategy […]

Top 10 Second Base Prospects - 2019 Redraft Rankings

Continuing our 2019 prospect preview series, the stop today is at the keystone - second base. As noted in the other pieces so far on the position, second base offers a ton of variety in terms of the player profiles, future roles, and proximity to the Majors. In general, though, the players on this list […]

Justin Upton Hitting Off A Tee

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Justin Upton (knee) is hitting off a tee and will move to soft toss soon. Upton is dealing with tendinitis in his knee, but it isn't very serious and he should be ready for the start of the regular season. The team's starting left fielder hit .257/.344/.463 with 30 home runs, […]

Matt Harvey Resumes Throwing Monday

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Matt Harvey (gluteus) has resumed throwing after initially expected to be out at least a week and a half. It's good news for Harvey, but he should be ignored in mixed leagues after posting a 4.94 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 131 strikeouts in 155 innings between the Mets and Reds […]

Justin Upton Has Knee Tendinitis

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Justin Upton is dealing with right patellar tendinitis in his knee and will take it slow in spring training. It's not something that should keep Upton sidelined to begin the year, but it's something to watch when Cactus League games start. The 31-year-old hit .257/.344/.463 with 30 home runs, 85 RBI […]

Angels Discussing Extension For Mike Trout

Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno said the team has had internal contract-extension discussions regarding outfielder Mike Trout, but there have been no formal talks. The Angels would obviously like to have the best player on the planet beyond just the two years remaining on his current deal. Trout is a five-category producer and is […]