Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 8: BABIP For Pitchers

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 […]

Closer Hot Seats and Setup Men Who Want To Sit In Them

"Closer" can more or less be considered a starting role in fantasy baseball. It's not a starting role in the sense that the player actually starts every game, nor does he start in a regular rotation, but he has a set role that his manager uses him in. The whole point of trying to convince you […]

Third Base: Updated March Rankings and Tiers

We rolled out our final update on 2017 rankings this past weekend. While there haven’t been seismic shifts, some players have naturally seen their stocks rise or fall since our initial valuations were made in December. However, our third base rankings, tiers, and auction values have remained shockingly consistent – the top 15 haven’t budged. […]

Rick Lucks's 10 Bold Predictions For 2017

Our series of bold predictions continues with my piece. I felt that I was a little bolder than most of my colleagues last season, including the only recommendation I saw for Steven Wright's breakout campaign. I also touted Drew Storen as a top reliever for fantasy purposes. That one didn't work out so well. This […]

First Base: Updated March Rankings and Tiers

We rolled out our final update on 2017 rankings this past weekend. While there haven’t been seismic shifts, some players have naturally seen their stocks rise or fall since our initial valuations were made in December. All week long, we’re looking at the biggest movers and shakers at each position. In this installment, we’ll present […]

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for RBI

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome back to our series on 2017 predictions for fantasy baseball. In 2016 there were only three players with more than 119 RBI, but 35 players finished the season with 95 or more. While RBI production depends on a player's ability and spot in their team's lineup, the statistic is also largely dependent […]

Potential First Base ADP Busts for 2017

We’re continuing our Positional Avoid series today with a look at first basemen. Earlier, we examined three potential busts at catcher. As the days in March go by, we are getting closer and closer to the witching hour. The time in which you must determine who is fit for your team and who you don’t mind […]

Top 550: Updated March Rankings and Tiers

Welcome back RotoBallers. It's officially draft season, preseason baseball is in high gear, and opening day is right around the corner. Below you will find our updated 2017 fantasy baseball tiered rankings (top 500) for mixed leagues. In case you missed it, you can also read our points leagues rankings with analysis as well. Six of our lead fantasy […]

Three September Surgers Who Could Falter in 2017

Month-to-month splits can sometimes be misleading. The baseball season is so long that mining one month’s worth of data to determine a trend can be a dangerous game. That being said, September (and the few days the regular season bleeds into October) can tell us more than other months. September is a unique month for […]

ADP Champs or Chumps: Stephen Strasburg & Justin Verlander

While it has become fashionable to roster breakout pitchers in fantasy circles, you generally still need an ace to keep you afloat while you are searching for the next Kyle Hendricks. You do not know when, or even if, your guys will pan out, so there is a lot of pressure to draft the right ace […]

JB's 10 Bold Predictions for 2017

Welcome back to the most infamous series at RotoBaller, our pre-season bold predictions. Since the beginning of this week through the end of next week, our brightest baseball minds offer their most audacious projections for the 2017 fantasy baseball season. Thanks to the Army sending me to the swamps of Louisiana, I missed out on the fun […]

Mid-March Bullpen Updates for Closers & Saves

We're almost halfway through March and we have about as much clarity at the back end of some bullpens as we had in December. While many bullpens are set in stone, there are still a few heated competitions happening across Grapefruit and Cactus League play as managers try to decide who to hand the ball […]

2017 Deeper Starting Pitcher Sleepers: AL

The key to winning a championship in fantasy baseball is to find some gems in the late rounds of your fantasy baseball drafts. Anyone can draft a top-10 player, but only the good ones can find the diamonds in the rough. Below are some 2017 deeper starting pitcher sleepers for the American League. I analyze […]

2017 Keeper Values: Outfield Rankings - Tier One

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome back to my series on keeper leagues. Today I'll be taking a look at outfield keeper values for fantasy baseball (tier one)  for those of you deciding what players to keep for your teams. Keeper Value Rankings are intended for Keeper Leagues in which a fantasy owner must forfeit a designated draft […]

Draft Values: The Bargain Bin Picks

This article first appeared on the Metro news publication. We’re right in the thick of fantasy baseball draft season. For any remaining drafts you have in 2017, consider the following bargain alternatives to some popular targets. ADP data is pulled from NFBC (National Fantasy Baseball Championship). Editor's note: For even more draft prep, visit our […]

Industry Experts - March Mock Draft: The Overview

With your fantasy drafts rapidly approaching, we organized an expert mock draft last week. The 12-team "league" was selected on RTSports.com featuring writers from five different sites along with a few twitter fans. Among the RotoBallers represented were Kyle Bishop, Pierre Camus, Andrew Sullivan, JB Branson, and me. Also in the room were Nick Doran of […]

Turning Two: What Pitchers Will Win 20 Games in 2017?

Welcome back, Rotoballers! We are now on the fourth edition of Turning Two. If you have missed our other pieces, how dare you. We have discussed who will hit 50 HR, who will rack up 300 K, and who will hit .350. Our next topic flips back to the pitchers. Which pitchers will reach the 20 win mark? […]

2016 September Surgers Who Could Break Out in 2017

September results are often cited by fantasy owners looking for young breakout players who flash power, speed, or both. Isolating one month’s stats can be risky due to the small sample size of any one-month performance and the roster expansion in September can lead to inflated numbers against poor competition. Given these conditions, it’s important […]

27-Year-Old Players Set to Break Out

The age of 27 has often been thought of as a baseball player’s peak, and the last chance for a guy who has yet to truly break out. There’s probably not much to the idea that there’s something magical about the age of 27, but certainly the chances for a guy to truly break out […]

Standard League Draft Strategy: Part Two (Pitchers)

For many, a draft is all about finding sleepers, predicting who the busts and breakouts are, and deciding who to pick with the first pick or who to allocate the most money to in an auction draft. While finding the right players is certainly a necessary element of a successful fantasy draft, it is not […]

Albert Pujols Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

It's the fantasy baseball draft season. To us baseball nerds, few things are more exciting than arguing about player rankings. Today, we'll discuss and compare Albert Pujols' RotoBaller staff rankings. He was ranked No. 98 overall by Nick Mariano and No. 158 by Brad Johnson. Throughout this series, we'll be using our February Staff Rankings to debate where to […]

2017 MLB Closer Depth Chart: American League West

Let's head out west for the final early-Spring Training MLB Closer Depth Chart article. The American League West has many intriguing arms, but very few set roles. As Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic move along, there will (hopefully) be more clarity in terms of eighth and ninth inning roles out west, but for […]

Top 500: Points Leagues Rankings & Tiers (March)

Welcome back RotoBallers. Below you will find our updated fantasy baseball points leagues rankings for March. The MLB season is approaching, and with that comes the excitement of fantasy baseball drafts - coming in a variety of formats. Today's rankings are specifically for points leagues, which have different scoring settings than most. Each statistical category is assigned a point […]

Relief Pitcher: Points Leagues Rankings and Tiers

Welcome to this series of analyzing our site’s points league rankings, compiled by myself and Kyle Bishop. We’re good people, you should get to know us. Today we're taking a look at our tiered relief pitcher rankings for points leagues. Points leagues abide by different rules, with walks and strikeouts usually being of notable importance compared […]

Mark Trumbo Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

It's the fantasy baseball draft season. To us baseball nerds, few things are more exciting than arguing about player rankings. Today, we'll discuss and compare Mark Trumbo's RotoBaller staff rankings. He was ranked No. 51 overall by Jeff Kahntroff, and No. 136 by Brad Johnson. Throughout this series, we'll be using our February Staff Rankings to […]

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for Batting Average

With the importance of advanced statistics in baseball, one of the traditional stats still carries a lot of weight. You can't watch a baseball telecast, or go to a baseball game without seeing a batting average attached to a player's name. In addition, the number .300 still remains sacred in baseball lore. When it comes […]

2017 MLB Closer Depth Chart: American League Central

The American League Central features the AL Champion Cleveland Indians, then a pair of if-everything-goes-right possible contenders in the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals, and rounded out by the rebuilding Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. Of course, the "good" teams have good fantasy options, but there is some value to be drawn from […]

Starting Pitcher: Points Leagues Rankings and Tiers

Welcome to this series of analyzing our site’s points league rankings, compiled by myself and Kyle Bishop. We’re good people, you should get to know us. Today we're taking a look at our tiered starting pitcher rankings for points leagues. Points leagues abide by different rules, with walks and strikeouts usually being of notable importance […]

Outfield: Points Leagues Rankings and Tiers

Welcome to this series of analyzing our site’s points league rankings, compiled by myself and Kyle Bishop. We’re good people, you should get to know us. Today we're taking a look at our tiered outfield rankings for points leagues. Points leagues abide by different rules, with walks and strikeouts usually being of notable importance compared […]

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for Runs

There were 15 players that were nine runs or fewer than being in the top 10 in runs scored in 2016, and I'm guessing that there will be nearly as many if not more this season. In 2015, there were 17 players that were within 10 runs of finishing within the top 10 in runs scored. […]