Kenley Jansen Given Day Off, Will Still Be Ready
Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen has been given the day off from his bullpen session on Friday. He'll still be ready for Opening Day, though, since relievers are given a lighter workload in the spring. The team is also mindful of his innings from last season and hopes to give him a similar number […]
Walker Buehler Impressing In Early Bullpen Sessions
Los Angeles Dodgers top pitching prospect Walker Buehler is impressing his pitching coaches in his first bullpen sessions. Back problems in January have led to a reduced throwing program for Buehler, but the Dodgers likely don't mind. He's two full seasons removed from Tommy John surgery and despite success in the minor leagues last season, […]
Austin Barnes Will Catch First Game Monday
Los Angeles Dodgers backup catcher Austin Barnes (elbow) will make his Cactus League debut on Monday behind the plate. Barnes has been on a reduced throwing program after he developed elbow problems on the eve of spring training. A clubhouse virus that made its way across the team earlier this week also delayed his first appearance. […]
Kenley Jansen Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers
We continue our rankings debates with a look at the game's best reliever. RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, we'll hear from rankers with the biggest differences of opinion on a well-known player and have them defend […]
ADP Sleepers and Busts - NL Relief Pitchers
Early-season drafts do not always tend to be reflective of a player's actual value. Average draft position does not tend to stabilize until closer to Opening Day but that does not stop people like myself (and presumably you as well if you're reading this) from drafting well before then. The ADP of relief pitchers is […]
White Sox Could Be A Possible Landing Spot For Matt Kemp
Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports suggest that the Chicago White Sox could be a fit for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. Heyman notes the White Sox have had interest in the outfielder in the past and could be willing to take on his contract if the Dodgers were willing to include one or two top prospects. […]
2018 Relief Pitchers - Dynasty Tiered Rankings
As we move closer to the 2018 baseball season, at RotoBaller we have released our Dynasty Rankings. We have been dissecting the tiers of each position, showing fantasy owners where to find value in their draft. We have a total of 54 relief pitchers ranked in the first six tiers. When looking at dynasty leagues, one […]
Points Leagues Shortstops: Overvalued and Undervalued
As we’ve discussed before, points leagues are a bit of a different beast than the more popular head-to-head and rotisserie formats. One of the easiest and best ways to ensure that you’re making a smooth transition between these disparate styles is to identify players whose values change most. Luckily for you, you don’t have to go it […]
George Springer Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers
We continue our long-running series of articles debating fantasy rankings with a player that is sure to be one of the first few outfielders off the board in all formats. Or is he? RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, […]
2018 Starting Pitchers - Dynasty Tiered Rankings
We continue our fantasy baseball dynasty rankings analysis with the first base position. RotoBaller writers Kyle Richardson, Chris Zolli, Pierre Camus, and I have come up with our preseason rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. In a dynasty league, it can be tough to decide between a proven veteran or […]
Chris Sale Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers
We continue our rankings debate with a look at one of the game's most dominant arms. Major League Baseball's reigning strikeout king is a consensus top-four starting pitcher, but his exact draft value is still in question. RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed […]
Points Leagues Third Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued
Most fantasy baseball analysis is geared toward rotisserie and head-to-head formats. Given the popularity of those setups, that's understandable. But plenty of folks out there play in points leagues, and player values can change quite a bit in that format compared to the more mainstream variants. This series is aimed at identifying some of the players […]
2018 Third Basemen - Dynasty Tiered Rankings
The hot corner runs relatively deep in terms of draft value this year. While stalwarts like Arenado, Machado, and Bryant easily claim the top tier, you can find a former MVP at the ninth spot, a back-to-back 30-HR hitter at 14, and perhaps the best prospect in all of baseball at the 20th spot. Without […]
ADP Myth Busters - Debunking Myths in the NL West
This series will attempt to help fantasy baseball owners make informed opinions on players whose ADP may not be in line with their value for the 2018 season. As fantasy owners, we can fall into a "group think" mentality and start to overlook certain teams and players. If we aren't careful, those ideas can turn […]
Top 500: Mixed Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (February)
Spring training is officially here! To celebrate, today we are here to look at our staff's updated 2018 fantasy baseball mixed league rankings for February and the top 500 players. Our rankings are updated weekly, but enough changes have taken place recently (see humidor, Arizona) to release a new overall list. Over the next few weeks we will also be publishing individual tiered […]
Kenley Jansen To Pitch In Two Spring Games
Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will only pitch in two Cactus League games, according to manager Dave Roberts. Jansen doesn't need much spring work to get up to speed for the regular season. He's one of the best closers in the game and is pitching for a team that will rack up a lot […]
ADP Sleepers and Busts - AL Relief Pitchers
The early days of draft season typically result in volatile ADP data, as values adjust rapidly to a growing sample size. Eventually, players fall much closer to their intrinsic worth as fantasy owners become inundated with news, analysis and pundit commentary. So, I'm here today to serve as another voice to the copious reams of […]
2018 Shortstops - Dynasty Tiered Rankings
We continue our fantasy baseball dynasty rankings analysis with the first base position. RotoBaller writers Kyle Richardson, Chris Zolli, Pierre Camus, and I have come up with our preseason rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. In a dynasty league, it can be tough to decide between a proven veteran or […]
Points Leagues First Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued
As we’ve discussed before, points leagues are a bit of a different animal from the more popular head-to-head and rotisserie formats. One of the easiest and best ways to ensure that you’re making a smooth transition between these disparate styles is to identify players whose values change most. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it […]
Matt Kemp Homers In First Game Back For Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, who was acquired in a contract swap with Atlanta in the offseason, gave die-hard Dodgers fans a case of deja vu on Friday by homering in his first game back since the 2014 playoffs. Kemp went 2-for-2 on the day after getting a single in his first at-bat. The Dodgers […]
2018 Second Basemen - Dynasty Tiered Rankings
We continue our fantasy baseball dynasty rankings analysis with the second base position. Second base is a very intriguing position for dynasty leagues, as there is a changing of the guard that could come as soon as a year or two. Out will be the mainstay names of Robinson Cano, Brian Dozier, and Daniel Murphy, […]
Yasmani Grandal Adjusts Launch Angle In Offseason
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal has joined the fly-ball revolution, according to The Athletic's Pedro Moura. Grandal ran into hitting coach Casey Chenoweth, who, ironically, now works for the Giants in the minor leagues, in the offseason and became interested in launch angles as a way to improve his catching. But an adjustment with his […]
Austin Barnes Has Elbow Discomfort, Will DH For Now
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes (elbow) began to feel his elbow "barking" as he prepped for spring training and won't catch during this first week. He will serve as the designated hitter instead, according to manager Dave Roberts. The situation doesn't seem to be serious, though, and he'll be put on a delayed throwing program. Yasmani […]
Jose Abreu Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers
We on the RotoBaller staff have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but there's plenty of debate over individual players' proper place in the pecking order. In this space, we'll hear from rankers with the biggest differences of opinion on a well-known player and have them defend their position against each other. […]
Corey Seager To DH This Weekend
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (elbow) will serve as the designated hitter in spring games Friday and Saturday. He's currently still progressing through his throwing program, and the Dodgers are playing it cautious with him early in camp. Despite dealing with elbow issues late in 2017, Seager still managed to finish the year hitting […]
Chris Taylor Will Also Play Shortstop And Second In 2018
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained on Wednesday that outfielder Chris Taylor will get repetitions at shortstop and second base, in addition to manning the outfield in 2018. The Dodgers have a recovering Logan Forsythe penciled in at second, and shortstop Corey Seager was hurt late last season. So Taylor, along with Kike Hernandez, will serve as […]
Julio Urias Throwing From 75 Feet
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias (shoulder) said in a spring training clubhouse interview with Sports Net L.A.'s Alanna Rizzo that he remains optimistic about his recovery from shoulder cap surgery. He says he's throwing from 75 feet and looks forward to throwing from the mound again. However, he also stressed that he hasn't been given a […]
Alex Wood Now Throwing Out Of The Stretch
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times that starting pitcher Alex Wood is throwing out of the stretch more this spring in order to "simplify his delivery." The move is undoubtedly designed to increase Wood's longevity after losing gas down the stretch last season. He broke out in 2017 by […]
2018 Catchers - Dynasty Tiered Rankings
As we move closer to the 2018 baseball season, we at RotoBaller have released our Dynasty Rankings. We have been dissecting the tiers of each position, showing fantasy owners where to find value in their draft. At the catcher position, we have a total of 41 players ranked across eight tiers. When looking at dynasty leagues, […]
ADP Sleepers and Busts - Third Basemen
Take a quick look at the NFBC ADPs of third basemen. What do you notice? Is Manny Machado going too high? Is Joey Gallo the boom-or-bust pick of the year? Is Josh Donaldson the best early-round value pick? Third base might just be the deepest infield position in fantasy this year, so it's important to […]