ATC Projections Volatility for Multi-Category Players

One year ago, I penned my very first article on RotoBaller. I am truly honored that the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) awarded the piece as the 2020 Baseball Article of the Year. “Finding Combo-Player Values Using Z-Scores and ATC Projections” provided a new perspective on how to find helpful multi-category players to fill out […]

2021 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As the 2021 MLB season approaches, it's time for the RotoBaller staff to once again reveal their favorite preseason draft sleepers. We recently asked some of our top fantasy baseball writers to get their take on which hitters and pitchers they are targeting the most in the later rounds of fantasy drafts. While you've likely […]

Francisco Lindor With Three More Hits On Saturday

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor went a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk on Saturday in Grapefruit League play against the Houston Astros. Lindor is now batting a robust .388/.444/.653 with four home runs, 14 RBI, and one stolen base in 49 spring training at-bats. After a sluggish start to spring training, Lindor is now […]

Pete Alonso Continues His Red Hot Spring

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso went 1-for-4 with a two-home run on Saturday against the Houston Astros in Grapefruit League action. Alonso continues his hot hitting this spring, giving credence to a potential, imminent bounce-back campaign in 2021. Alonso now has four HR to go with a .333/.418/.688 slash line and 14 RBI […]

Dominic Smith Blasts Two Home Runs On Saturday

New York Mets first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith went 2-for-4 with two home runs on Saturday in Grapefruit League action against the Astros. Smith, who had been dealing with a wrist issue earlier in spring training, is finally heating up at the plate just in time for Opening Day. He now has four HR in Grapefruit […]

Eric Samulski's Bold Predictions for 2021

It's bold prediction time! Everybody's favorite time of year. Last year I put out my bold prediction article, and it was a doozy. Obviously, publishing it before the shutdown which delayed the MLB season impacted some of the claims, but, actually, no, I'll just blame everything on that. Anyways, I'm back again to plant my […]

David Peterson With Solid Outing Friday

New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson pitched six effective innings on Friday in Grapefruit League action against the Nationals. Peterson allowed only four hits and two earned runs while striking out two. He lowered his spring ERA to 3.75 in 12 innings pitched, though his spring K:BB stands at a less-than-impressive 3:3. With the […]

Joey Lucchesi May Be Used Behind An Opener This Season

New York Mets starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi may be used behind an opener this season, The Athletic's Tim Britton reports Friday. According to Britton, the Mets will test this out in Saturday's game where Jacob Barnes will serve as an opener for Lucchesi, who has allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while […]

Optimism That Mets Will Reach Deal With Francisco Lindor

There is an increasing sense of optimism that the New York Mets will reach a multi-year contract with shortstop Francisco Lindor prior to Opening Day. The Mets are reportedly willing to go to, at least, $300 million to get a deal completed. Both Lindor and the Mets have stated that they will not negotiate after […]

Overcoming Recency Bias on Draft Day

With all the draft analysis and sabermetrics being thrown at fantasy managers these days, I think it's time we take a step back and focus on the most important thing to dissect before your draft - YOU. A few months ago, I covered some of these cognitive biases for fantasy football season. Now, I believe […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Statcast Exit Velocity

If you've watched a baseball broadcast in the so-called Statcast Era, you have undoubtedly noticed the broadcasters commenting on a batted ball's exit velocity, or EV. Many have taken to using stats like Hard% and Soft% to forecast how a player should be performing, expecting larger Hard% rates to produce larger BABIP and HR/FB figures. […]

RotoBaller Friends & Family Industry Mock Draft Recap

The 2021 RotoBaller Friends & Family Mock Draft is the continuation of an annual tradition where we gather some of the biggest names from the fantasy baseball world and put together a mock draft just as spring training has commenced. Thanks to RT Sports for once again hosting and providing a custom draft site where […]

Correlating Statcast to Outcomes: Why You Should Pay Attention to Barrels

Barrels are the keeper of life’s finer things. Beer, pickles, monkeys, the list is endless. Barrels don’t just hold fermented vegetables and unruly simians these days, barrels may also hold the key to identifying the game’s best hitters and struggling hitters who may be due for brighter days. In my mission to find just how […]

JB's Bold Predictions for 2021

I'm going to let you in on a little secret... JB stands for "JUST BOLDNESS". Okay that's a lie... it's actually not a secret because I use that every year in my bold predictions intro (three years in a row now, sure saves time on writing a new intro though). Nevertheless, welcome to the latest […]

2021 Points League Ranks - First Base

Draft season is in full gear as we're only less than two weeks from Opening Day baseball. And here at RotoBaller, we're about more than just roto leagues. We're here to cover your whole fantasy spectrum. So let's do some point ranks, shall we? If you've forgotten from last year, I have strong opinions on […]

Joey Lucchesi Looks To Have Secured Spot In Rotation

New York Mets pitcher Joey Lucchesi looks like he has secured a spot in the Mets' rotation following the demotions of Corey Oswalt and Jordan Yamamoto on Wednesday, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reports. Lucchesi has looked solid in camp this spring, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out 11 in 8 […]

J.D. Davis Easing Concerns At Third Base

New York Mets third baseman/outfielder J.D. Davis went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Grapefruit League action against the Marlins on Tuesday. Davis also looked better in the field on Tuesday, including starting a pair of 5-4-3 double plays. Davis is now batting .250 with the one HR and two RBI in 28 at-bats […]

KC Bubba's 10 Bold Predictions for 2021

The 2021 season is so close to starting, which means it is time for some bold predictions. It appears the season will still be a complete 162 games, with no NL DH and a standard playoff format. The bouncy ball will supposedly be replaced with a ball designed to limit power, fun times like usual from […]

Which Pitchers With New Pitches Should We Care About?

There are few things more exciting in Spring Training than learning that a pitcher developed a new pitch. It's a little bit like waking up to find that you've been given a new toy. We're blinded by the possibilities of this new toy. Think of the fun we can have with it. Think of the […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Barrels

We've previously looked at how exit velocity (or EV) is only one piece of the fantasy analysis puzzle. Baseball broadcasts will commonly cite Launch Angle (LA) to complement their EV figures, but it is given in terms of degrees. Am I evaluating a baseball player or trying to find the hypotenuse of an isosceles triangle? […]

2021 Fantasy Baseball Busts - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As you prepare for fantasy baseball drafts in 2021, it's crucial that you avoid the dreaded bust that could sink your team. As we did with draft sleepers yesterday, our staff came together to share their thoughts on preseason ADP values, this time on their least favorite picks. Let's find out who our experts have […]

NL Starting Pitcher Sleepers

Looking at early mock and seasonal drafts results, we see the huge trend of starting pitchers falling off of draft boards at a furious pace in the early rounds. As a result, managers who miss out on rostering the top-tier starters must identify value sleepers they can target in the mid-to-late rounds of drafts. Below […]

Francisco Lindor Blasts Fourth Spring Homer

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor hit his fourth home run of the spring in Grapefruit League action on Tuesday. Lindor went 3-for-4 with the HR, a double, two runs scored, and two RBI in the Mets' 5-3 win over the Marlins. After a sluggish start to spring training, Lindor is now batting .476 with […]

Pete Alonso Crushing The Ball This Spring

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has been in mid-season form all spring. Over 34 spring at-bats, he's slashing .382/.475/.794 with three home runs, five doubles and 11 RBI. He's walked five times and struck out nine times. Alonso is one of the game's top power hitters with 69 home runs over 218 games […]

Mets Willing To Go To $300 Million To Sign Francisco Lindor

The New York Mets are reportedly willing to go to $300 million to lock up shortstop Francisco Lindor on a multi-year contract. Extension talks between the Mets and Lindor have taken place, but there has been no real movement by either side toward ultimately reaching a deal. Both Lindor and the Mets have stated that […]

Nick Mariano's Top 140 Saves+Holds Rankings

To any reader who thinks they don't have a voice here at RotoBaller, let it be known that this article came from a simple Reddit comment about how those seeking Saves+Holds reliever ranks were often overlooked. Poof, and here we are. Allow me, Nick Mariano, 2018's most accurate draft expert (top-three for RPs in '18 […]

Jeff McNeil Scores Twice In Win Over Nationals

New York Mets infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil went 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Nationals. McNeil has had a bit of a rough spring, as he's batting just .103 so far with one walk against seven strikeouts. Still, there isn't much to worry about with the 28-year-old, as […]

Starting Pitcher Preview: Fantasy Baseball 2021 ADP Analysis

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller discusses 2021 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings and starting pitcher draft sleepers who can be sneaky later-round picks. He breaks down and compares the ADPs of five different MLB players at the starting pitcher  position. Fantasy players should consider picking up these players for their drafts this MLB Season. Be sure […]

Dominic Smith Back In Mets Lineup Sunday

New York Mets first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith (wrist) is back in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals. Smith had been dealing with wrist soreness, though it was never believed to be a serious issue given that he was able to take batting practice on Friday. The 25-year-old broke out in a big way […]

Finding Hitter Clones At Cheaper ADPs

One of the most useful algorithms in the machine learning world is that of data clustering. Clustering, in this case, is defined as: grouping a set of objects in such a way that objects in the same group (called a cluster) are more similar (in some sense) to each other than to those in other groups […]