Yankees Asking About Steven Matz

With the New York Yankees starting pitching staff decimated by injuries, the Yankees have reportedly reached out to the New York Mets about starting pitcher Steven Matz. According to the report, the Mets are willing to listen to offers, but any deal appears, at least in the immediate term, unlikely. The Mets are deep at […]

2020 Third Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

The pool of third basemen for the 2020 dynasty season is jam-packed with talent. From budding stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Rafael Devers, to productive veterans like Justin Turner and Mike Moustakas, no one should have trouble finding a useful bat to hold down the hot corner. That said, depth can breed confusion and […]

Marcus Stroman Allows Solo Homer In Spring Action

New York Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman allowed one run in two innings pitched against the Cardinals on Friday. In his second Grapefruit League outing of the season, Stroman walked one and struck out one. Although the lone run against Stroman came on a Paul Goldschmidt solo home run, he showed off a fastball that […]

Michael Conforto Hits First Spring Homer

New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto connected for his first home run of the spring on Sunday against the Nationals. He is now hitting .267 in Grapefruit League play. In 2019, Conforto had his best season as a major leaguer hitting .257 with 33 HR, 92 RBI, and seven steals. He is currently projected to […]

Jacob deGrom Dominant In First Spring Game

New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom threw three scoreless innings on Sunday against the Nationals. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner allowed just one hit and struck out two in his three innings pitched. deGrom is coming off of a season in which he posted an 11-8 record, 2.43 ERA and 0.97 WHIP […]

Amed Rosario Pressured To Perform in 2020

New York Mets shortstop Amed Rosario will need to prove that he is the shortstop of the future for the Mets in 2020. With top SS prospects Andres Gimenez and Ronny Mauricio both getting closer to the majors, Rosario will need to build on his 2019 campaign. In 2019, Rosario hit .287 with 75 runs, […]

J.D. Davis Progressing Toward Baseball Activities

New York Mets manager Luis Rojas has reported that infielder/outfielder J.D. Davis (shoulder) should soon resume baseball activities. His left shoulder inflammation has been subsiding. Davis jammed his shoulder last Tuesday diving for a ground ball. Davis, who was getting repetitions at third base in an attempt to get his bat into the lineup regularly […]

Peter Alonso Off To A Slow Start This Spring

New York Mets first baseman Peter Alonso struck out twice in three at-bats on Saturday against the Astros, lowering his Grapefruit League batting average to .067 (15 ABs). Alonso also has yet to his first home run this spring. Alonso broke out in 2019, with a line of .260-53-120-103-1. Despite his slow start in Grapefruit […]

Evaluating OAA for Pitchers Changing Teams (AL and NL-Only)

Earlier this preseason, I looked deeper into Statcast’s new Outs Above Average (OAA) leaderboard, which identifies the best defensive infielders in the league. I used 2019 OAA to look at how a pitcher's new defense will affect his value in the 2020 season. The first article evaluated pitchers drafted inside the top 300 picks, so this […]

Steven Matz With Solid Spring Outing

New York Mets starting pitcher Steven Matz pitched two strong innings on Saturday against the Astros in Grapefruit League play. Matz struck out one and allowed just one hit over two innings pitched. Matz is currently in a competition with Michael Wacha for the Mets fifth rotation spot. Matz went 11-10 with a 4.21 ERA, […]

Mike Soroka Will Not Live Up to Draft Price Expectations

Every year there are polarizing players in fantasy baseball. These polarizing players leave no room for middle ground. They are the catalyst for Twitter debates, articles, videos, podcasts, and by the end of it you are forced to chose a side: are you in or are you out? For those of you thinking, surely there […]

Matt Adams To Undergo Cardiac Testing

New York Mets first baseman Matt Adams was scratched from the lineup on Thursday in order to undergo cardiac testing. Adams was signed to a minor league contract by the Mets this past off-season. In 2019, Adams hit .226 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI with the Nationals. If he makes the MLB roster, […]

Elite Starters and Pitching Trends Revisited

Last year I wrote a series [Part 1, Part 2, Part 3] on whether we were properly valuing elite starting pitchers. The basic premise was that we were likely to see fantasy-relevant starters (not openers) throw fewer innings again in 2019. I hypothesized that if there were fewer and fewer starting pitchers providing 200 innings […]

Brandon Nimmo Cleared For Baseball Activity

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo was cleared for baseball activity on Thursday after multiple rounds of cardiac screening. It appears that Nimmo should be ready to go for Opening Day. Nimmo will face competition for playing time in a crowded Mets outfield. As a result, he could end up in a platoon role given the […]

Evaluating OAA for Pitchers Changing Teams (12-Team Leagues)

Last week, I looked at Statcast’s new Outs Above Average (OAA) leaderboard, which they’ve used to identify the best defensive infielders in the league. My initial exploration of the metric was designed to identify pitchers who might have been lucky or unlucky last year as a way of mining for bounceback value or avoiding potential […]

Robinson Cano To Debut On Friday

New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano (legs) is set to debut in spring training on Friday when the Mets take on the Cardinals. Cano is spending more time strengthening his legs than previous spring camps in an effort to avoid the same leg issues he suffered in 2019. Quadriceps and hamstring injuries limited Cano […]

Brandon Nimmo Undergoing More Medical Tests

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo is undergoing more medical tests on Thursday. These tests are in addition to the precautionary cardiac screening that caused him to miss Wednesday's Grapefruit League game. At this point despite the testing, nothing has been suggested by the Mets that Nimmo will miss time. In 2019, Nimmo played in […]

Seth Lugo Continues To Progress Toward Game Action

New York Mets relief pitcher Seth Lugo (toe) continues to progress from a broken pinkie toe. He has been throwing bullpen sessions without issue. The next step is for Lugo to throw live batting practice on Sunday. If all goes well on Sunday, he will pitch in Grapefruit League games next week. Based on Lugo's […]

Engel's Angles: ADP Insights, Perspectives on Aaron Judge and Ketel Marte (Premium Content)

Spring training exhibition play has just opened and expert draft season is here. The trends are being firmly established on how to draft, and where to draft certain players. We all know pure ace top starters are going to be taken very early, and there will be a high emphasis on garnering top speed merchants. […]

Noah Syndergaard Comes Out Blazing This Spring

New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard blanked the Astros over two innings of work in his spring debut on Wednesday. Syndergaard dialed up his fastball to 101 mph at one point. He recorded two strikeouts and allowed only one hit in his two innings pitched. Syndergaard had a disappointing 2019 in which he led […]

RotoBaller Friends & Family Industry Mock Draft: What the Experts Were Thinking

The RotoBaller Friends & Family Mock Draft has become 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 readers could follow […]

Edwin Diaz Has Mixed Results In First Spring Outing

New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz allowed three hits, including a pair of two-run doubles, in the Mets 4-2 loss to the Astros on Wednesday. On the plus side, Diaz generated swings and misses, hit 98 mph on his fastball and also struck out one batter in his one inning pitched. Diaz had a disastrous […]

2020 Catcher Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

Spring Training is upon us! Pitchers and catchers have reported and we finally have some box scores to desperately over-analyze. The catcher position can really be a headache for dynasty owners trying to plan for the future. Needless to say, it is not a position that many MLB teams count on for offense, leaving fantasy players […]

Questionable Closers: An Early Look at Some Unsettled Bullpens

As anyone who has played fantasy baseball for even five minutes knows, bullpens around the league are always in flux. There are fewer and fewer closers who are no doubt, always in for the ninth inning, always healthy, never slumping, and always celebrating wins for their team. We're seeing more and more teams go with […]

Mets Not Concerned About Brandon Nimmo

Updating a previous report, New York Mets manager Luis Rojas called outfielder Brandon Nimmo's cardiac screening on Wednesday "precautionary." Rojas called the tests relatively routine and said he's not concerned about Nimmo. Nimmo was scratched from the Grapefruit League lineup on Wednesday, but it looks like he'll be just fine. That's great news after the […]

Brandon Nimmo Scratched Wednesday

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo was scratched from the Grapefruit League lineup on Wednesday because the team cardiologist suggested an additional cardiac screening, which was completed on Wednesday. This may just be a precaution and might not lead to anything, but stay tuned for more information on the situation. Nimmo hit .263/.404/.483 with 17 […]

J.D. Davis Has No New Structural Damage

The results of an MRI taken on New York Mets infielder/outfielder J.D. Davis (shoulder) on Wednesday did not reveal any tears or new structural damage, according to Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen. Davis did have old structural damage in his labrum that the Mets were aware of, but it was an asymptomatic non-issue. For […]

Michael Wacha Shows Improved Velocity

New York Mets starting pitcher Michael Wacha showed improved velocity in his first outing of spring training on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers. Wacha consistently threw 94 to 96 mph in two innings of work, allowing one hit and two walks with two strikeouts. Last season with the Cardinals, Wacha averaged 93.4 mph with his […]

2020 Keeper Value Rankings - Shortstop

If you're keeping up with the Keeper Value Rankings, you know we've already covered First Base, Second Base, and Third Base. Today, we will address Shortstop. These rankings are intended for Keeper Leagues in which a fantasy owner must forfeit a designated draft pick in order to keep a player into the upcoming season. These rankings are based […]

Steven Matz In Competition For Fifth Rotation Spot

New York Mets starting pitcher Steven Matz is now in a spring competition with Michael Wacha for the fifth rotation spot. The belief is that the Mets may choose their fifth starter based on specific matchups, use an opener like Seth Lugo or Robert Gsellman and then turn to Matz and/or Wacha later in games, […]