ADP Sleepers and Busts - Closers

Where an owner drafts closers comes down to personal strategy and philosophy. Some owners are willing spend up for high-end closers like Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel, while others are content to let closers fly off the board deep into the draft and scrounge for saves late. For those of us unwilling to invest in […]

Alex Verdugo Optioned To Minor League Camp

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and top hitting prospect Alex Verdugo was optioned to the team's minor league camp on Tuesday. The move isn't surprising given how many outfielders the team has. With a surprisingly resurgent Matt Kemp and a healthy Andrew Toles competing for time in left field, it would have taken a miracle for […]

Cody Bellinger "Fine" After Being Removed From Game

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger (leg) left Tuesday's game early after fouling a ball off his leg. The move was a precautionary one by manager Dave Roberts, who proclaimed Bellinger to be "fine" after the game. He's considered day-to-day but no one is really worried. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year […]

Logan Forsythe To Replace Injured Justin Turner At Third

Los Angeles Dodgers infield utilityman Logan Forsythe will get most of the starts at third base while starter Justin Turner heals from a fractured wrist sustained Monday night. Manager Dave Roberts said Forsythe is the best defender available, while Kike Hernandez, Chase Utley and possibly Austin Barnes will man second. Chris Taylor will likely stay […]

Second-Year Hitters Set To Breakout In 2018

We were blessed with two huge fantasy baseball stars emerging from the rookie class in 2017. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger burst onto the scene and owned the AL and NL, respectively, Rookie of the Year honors. Now, it’s time to examine the 2017 rookies and determine who will learn from their inaugural campaign and […]

Justin Turner Suffers Broken Wrist

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (wrist) suffered a non-displaced left wrist fracture after being hit by a pitch in the Cactus League game Monday night. There is no timetable for his injury, but expecting him to miss at least around two months would be a fair bet. Turner has come on strong late in […]

Hyun-Jin Ryu Named As Fifth Starter

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu was officially named as the team's fifth starter on Sunday. He'll make his regular season debut in the second series of the year against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Despite giving up five runs on seven hits in three innings recently against the Cubs, the club likes the strides that […]

Trayce Thompson Being Shopped By Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson is likely to be traded by the team before Opening Day. Thomspson is out of minor league options and would surely be picked up on waivers by another team if he were sent down. The 27-year-old is behind on the outfield depth chart to Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor, Kike Hernandez, […]

Deeper NL Outfield Sleepers - Undervalued ADPs

We are gathered here today to discuss everyone’s favorite fantasy buzzword, the “sleepers.” Not only that, but we’re tabbing these guys as deeper sleepers with a focus on the outfield position for National League teams. The outfield is always complicated by having so many options that you feel like there's always another guy waiting for you […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 14 - Statcast For Pitchers

Previously, we looked at Barrels, a stat combining exit velocity and launch angle to measure how often a batter makes quality hard contact. As much as batters want to hit a Barrel every time, pitchers want to avoid them at all costs. Yet there is some evidence that pitchers do not have the same influence […]

ADP Rankings Debate - Cody Bellinger vs. Freddie Freeman

As with a number of ADP debates, Cody Bellinger and Freddie Freeman both offer the skills for success in 2018. Each first baseman is going in the first two or three rounds of fantasy baseball drafts, but chances are you'll only be able to snag one. Which young slugger will deliver better value in 2018? […]

Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2018

Every day from now until Opening Day, our writers will be offering their most audacious projections for the 2018 fantasy baseball season. This is my fourth go-round with this series. I've had some great successes and some equally terrible calls in both previous attempts, and this year should be no different. Hopefully the former outweigh […]

Cody Bellinger Won't Whiff As Badly As In The World Series

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger says he won't ever again deliver a performance as bad as the one in the World Series. Bellinger, who lit up the National League for 39 home runs in the 2017 regular season en route to unanimously being voted the Rookie of the Year, hit .143 with one […]

Julio Urias Throws From 120 Feet, Feels No Pain

Los Angeles Dodgers pitching prospect Julio Urias (shoulder) has felt no pain in his rehab pitching program even as he's gotten to throwing from 120 feet. He's been recovering from anterior capsule surgery since last July and now basically lives in Arizona, where the team is about to leave him behind for a second year […]

Kenley Jansen Solid Again, Will Throw Four More Times

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen easily put down the three batters he faced in Saturday's Cactus League game, striking out one. The plan is for Jansen to make four more appearances before Opening Day. He'll pitch Monday against the A's, followed by a four-out appearance on Thursday -- in 2017, the Dodgers asked Jansen to […]

Walker Buehler Gives Glimpse Of Dominant Future

Los Angeles Dodgers top pitching prospect Walker Buehler showed everyone what his future starts will look like. And they look scary. Playing in his last Cactus League game on Friday before being returned to the minor league backfields, the 23-year-old unloaded a second-pitch 99 mph heater against the Diamondbacks. In his two innings of work, […]

Deeper Second Base Sleepers - Undervalued ADPs

We are gathered here today to discuss everyone’s favorite fantasy buzzword, the “sleepers”. Not only that, but we’re tabbing these guys as deeper sleepers with a focus on the second base position. The keystone position is an exciting one these days, and while many folks are scurrying to score Ian Happ, Jonathan Villar or Ian […]

Walker Buehler To Make Cactus League Start Friday

Los Angeles Dodgers top pitching prospect Walker Buehler will come up from minor league camp to start in the club's Cactus League game on Friday before heading back to the minors. Buehler won't be on the Opening Day roster but looks to be called up toward the end of the season to give the team […]

Corey Seager Predicts Readiness For Opening Day

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (elbow) said that his throwing elbow is good and anticipates being ready for Opening Day. He will serve as the designated hitter on Thursday and make his Cactus League debut playing short on Friday. Seager's elbow has been giving him trouble since last August. The reduced playing time created a confrontation […]

Updated Relief Pitcher Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

One final time before regular season baseball returns and our lives are, at last, complete, RotoBaller's staff writers are updating their 2018 fantasy baseball rankings. Today, we'll be taking a look at one of the shallower positions - relief pitcher. As usual, there are a few elite options at the top, and it gets much […]

Deeper Third Base Sleepers - Undervalued ADPs

Hooray! Another sleeper article! The RotoBaller team recently updated our third base rankings and commented on the depth of third base this year. Today, we'll go deeper, and deeper into the well. Waaaayy, way down. No argument, there's plenty to like about the upper crop of third basemen. If you're in standard-sized leagues, you should […]

Travis Shaw - The Mayor of Ding Dong City Deserves Your Vote

After beating out the esteemed Pablo Sandoval in Boston for starting third baseman in 2016, Travis Shaw had a decent season for the BoSox (.242/.306/.421, 16 HRs, 63 runs, 71 RBI) but was quickly forgotten by the fantasy community. As he quietly departed for Milwaukee before 2017, Shaw was barely a rumor on draft boards […]

Third Base H2H Points Rankings - March Update

We are getting closer and closer to the first pitch of the 2018 MLB season. Spring training is in full swing which means we are right in the thick of draft season. If you have a draft coming up soon, make sure to use our rankings for all league types. Regardless of the platform or […]

Updated Shortstop Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

With the regular season only a few weeks away, the esteemed RotoBaller staff has updated their rankings one last time. We continue our review of the March update with a look at the glorious shortstop position. There's a bevy of talented bats ready to be penciled in at the "6" this season, but the sure things draw […]

Clayton Kershaw Looks Ready For Regular Season

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw was absolutely dealing in his fourth Cactus League start on Monday. In 3 2/3 innings, he gave up no runs, two hits, struck out seven and walked one. He also threw another inning in the bullpen after being pulled. He has yet to allow a run and has punched […]

Corey Seager Plays Shortstop For First Time Without Incident

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (elbow) played at shortstop for the first time all spring in the team's "B" game against minor leaguers on Monday. He played the position for five innings and handled two routine grounders in the second without incident. He's been on a reduced throwing program to relieve any stress on […]

Walker Buehler Optioned To Minor Leagues

Los Angeles Dodgers top starting pitcher prospect Walker Buehler was optioned by the club on Monday. The move was expected despite his dazzling outing on Saturday where he struck out five batters in two innings. Manager Dave Roberts pointed out that Buehler will make one more Cactus League start. The team is saving him for […]

After Clean Inning, Kenley Jansen Will Pitch In Cactus League Game Thursday

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (hamstring) threw a clean 1-2-3 inning on Monday in the team's "B" game, striking out two. He said afterwards his hamstring and leg felt fine. His next appearance will be in a Cactus League game on Thursday. The Dodgers have been brining Jansen along slowly this spring. He's pitched […]

Updated Catcher Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

One final time before regular season baseball returns and our lives are, at last, complete, RotoBaller's staff writers are updating their 2018 fantasy baseball rankings. Today, we'll be taking a look at the shallowest position - catcher. As usual, after the few elite options are off the board, it's probably best to leave filling this […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 12 - Pitch Info

One of the most fundamental questions in fantasy sports is if a player's current performance is sustainable. More than any other sport, baseball has a slew of statistical measures that can be dissected numerous ways to analyze player performance. Pitch Info is a publicly available pitch tracking system that provides a lot of different data […]