Second-Half Improvements: Buy Into These Starting Pitchers
The second half of the season is always put under a microscope for starting pitchers. Fantasy players have a love for the second half of the season, as the belief is that pitchers who take a step forward could carry over that success the next season and perhaps even build upon it. But, as we […]
Mock Draft Review: Best Late-Round Targets
Last week, some members of the RotoBaller staff completed a 12-team mock draft for standard 5x5 format. After the draft, we each broke down our strategy and some of our favorite picks, which can be found here. However, I want to take a closer look at one portion of the draft in particular. Since we know that […]
2020 Relief Pitcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues
Often regarded as an inferior fantasy baseball format, points leagues offer a different style of boasting over your friends or coworkers similar to that of fantasy football. These setups are typically head-to-head formats for a one-week stretch where the player with the most points gets a win. Easy right? While it's true that roster construction […]
2020 Shortstop Rankings - H2H Points Leagues
Points leagues may seem like a slight variation from traditional 5x5 category scoring leagues but you must approach draft day with a different strategy if you wish to truly compete. Rankings themselves are a different beast altogether, as category specialists like Mallex Smith and Dee Gordon (stolen bases), Kyle Schwarber and Franmil Reyes (home runs), […]
2020 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers – Victor Reyes
With a 457 ADP in 2020 NFBC leagues, Detroit Tigers outfielder Victor Reyes is an afterthought in all but the deepest leagues. Perhaps the 25-year-old shouldn't be, though, as Reyes was quietly solid in 2019, slashing .304/.336/.431 in 292 plate-appearances, with three home runs and nine stolen bases. Having made stops in Arizona and the […]
2020 Keeper Value Rankings - First Base
Many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. I thought I would help them out instead of taking their money every year and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing. There […]
2020 Third Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues
Points leagues may seem like a slight variation from traditional 5x5 category scoring leagues but you must approach draft day with a different strategy if you wish to truly compete. Rankings themselves are a different beast altogether, as category specialists like Mallex Smith and Dee Gordon (stolen bases), Kyle Schwarber and Franmil Reyes (home runs), […]
Biggest Fallers: K-BB%, Part 2
K-BB% is a valuable metric because it shows which pitchers can combine strikeout ability with pinpoint control. Pitchers with high K-BB% possess high floors and ceilings because even when they’re not accumulating strikeouts, they are still usually able to pound the strike zone. Name K-BB% '18 K-BB% '19 K-BB%-Diff ADP (NFBC) Patrick Corbin 24.80% 20.10% […]
Pitchers Most Impacted By Defense: OAA Risers
Early in January, Statcast released a full fielding leaderboard of their Outs Above Average (OAA) metric, which had previously been limited to outfielders only. The metric takes into account fielder positioning, reaction time, throw difficulty, and batter speed in order to calculate how likely a play is to become an out. The more unlucky, the […]
Dellin Betances Believes He'll Be Ready For Opening Day
New York Mets reliever Dellin Betances (shoulder, Achilles) told reporters on Tuesday that he will be ready for Opening Day. The 31-year-old endured a miserable 2019 season that was plagued with injuries, limiting him to only one appearance. Nevertheless, if Betances is ready for the start of the 2020 season, he will likely serve as […]
Noah Syndergaard, Wilson Ramos To Be Paired In Camp
New York Mets manager Luis Rojas said that the plan is for starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard and catcher Wilson Ramos to be paired up in bullpens and spring games so that they can develop better chemistry and comfort in working together during the regular season. Thor allowed a career-high 4.28 ERA (league-high 94 earned runs) […]
Juan Lagares Joins Padres On Minor League Deal
The San Diego Padres signed outfielder Juan Lagares to a minor league deal on Feb. 10. According to sources, Lagares will be invited to big league camp and is likely a depth option for the Padres after outfielder Manuel Margot was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. The light-hitting Lagares enjoyed his […]
2020 Dynasty Leagues: Players to Buy (Premium Content)
While redraft owners prepare for draft day, dynasty owners are scouring the trade market. The weeks preceding spring training are optimal to take a chance on young players who have yet to peak or may have question marks surrounding them. Not all buy-low scenarios will pan out as expected, but when playing the long game, […]
2020 NFBC Draft and Hold Strategy - Late-Round Hitting Category Boosters (Premium Content)
All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Draft strategies are challenging to master regardless of the league. Should you focus on elite starting pitchers? Do you load up on hitting early and devour all the pitchers in the middle rounds? When do you grab a catcher in two-draft leagues? There are […]
2020 First Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues
Often regarded as an inferior fantasy baseball format, points leagues offer a different style of boasting over your friends or coworkers similar to that of fantasy football. These setups are typically head-to-head formats for a one-week stretch where the player with the most points gets a win. Easy right? While it's true that roster construction […]
Pitchers Most Impacted By Defense: OAA Fallers
Early in January, Statcast released a full fielding leaderboard of their Outs Above Average (OAA) metric, which had previously been limited to outfielders only. The metric takes into account fielder positioning, reaction time, throw difficulty, and batter speed in order to calculate how likely a play is to become an out. The more unlikely, the […]
Sophomore Hitters Who Should Progress in 2020
We’ve been spoiled. In recent years, players such as Peter Alonso, Yordan Alvarez, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Aaron Judge have all entered the MLB ranks while performing at a high level. But it’s not supposed to be that easy for freshmen players. There are many examples of players starting out modestly in their rookie seasons […]
2020 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers – Christin Stewart
Writing about Christin Stewart being a sleeper gives me a feeling of déjà vu, largely because I did the same thing 12 months ago. Stewart didn’t really do much in 2019 to warrant any fantasy relevance, yet here I am letting you know that the Tigers outfielder is once again a sleeper for 2020. Heading […]
Will the Real Shohei Ohtani Please Stand Up?
When he arrived in 2018, Shohei Ohtani was regarded as one of the most dynamic and difficult-to-value players in the league. After two excellent, but injury-marred seasons, that much hasn’t changed. We have a clearer sense of Ohtani’s talent, but drafting him is still a unique challenge. In fact, the fantasy owners I've talked to […]
2020 Catcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues
Points leagues may seem like a slight variation from traditional 5x5 category scoring leagues, but you must approach draft day with a different strategy if you wish to truly compete. Rankings themselves are a different beast altogether, as category specialists like Mallex Smith and Dee Gordon (stolen bases), Kyle Schwarber and Franmil Reyes (home runs), […]
Biggest Fallers: K-BB%, Part 1
K-BB% is a valuable metric because it shows which pitchers can combine strikeout ability with pinpoint control. Pitchers with high K-BB% possess high floors and ceilings because even when they’re not accumulating strikeouts, they are still usually able to pound the strike zone. The list below shows pitchers with the highest drop-off in this rate […]
Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: FIP and xFIP
The first advanced pitching stat most fantasy owners encounter is FIP. FIP stands for Fielding Independent Pitching, and attempts to measure a pitcher's actual skill instead of the effects of luck or his supporting cast. According to the DIPS theory, pitchers control only Ks, BBs, and home runs allowed. Therefore, Ks, walks, and dingers are […]
2020 RotoBaller Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Reactions
Over the last couple weeks, RotoBaller's roster has grown with several new faces to join our esteemed veteran corps. We figured it would be nice to roll out the welcome wagon with a February fantasy baseball mock draft, putting six "RotoNewbs" with six RotoVets. It was a snake draft hosted on Fantrax, a traditional 5x5 format with […]
Going Full Corbin: Pitchers Who Should Throw Their Best Pitch More
Patrick Corbin has made a case for himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball. He produced 14 wins in 202.0 innings pitched with a 3.25 ERA and 28.5 K%. Corbin wasn’t always this good though. In 2016, his ERA was a pedestrian 5.15 with a mediocre 18.7 K%. Suddenly, Corbin decided to start […]
Sneaky Stolen Base Options: Fantasy Baseball ADP Analysis
Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2020 fantasy baseball season and keeps you updated with all the latest news and analysis Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning between 6-7 AM ET, every weekday afternoon from 1-2 PM ET, Saturday nights from 9-11 PM ET […]
Bases Loaded Podcast - All Things Fantasy Baseball w/ BatFlip Crazy (@batflipcrazy)
Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) is joined by Toby of the BatFlip Crazy Podcast to discuss all things fantasy baseball Subscribe to the Bases Loaded podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also […]
Early Mock Draft Analysis and Reaction: Fantasy Baseball
Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut review the draft board from an early 2020 mock draft for fantasy baseball mixed leagues. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, […]
Biggest Risers and Fallers of 2019 - Relief Pitchers
Welcome back, RotoBallers. I have to admit, I just wrote 3000 words on relief pitchers so forgive me if I get a little brief with the intro and just allow you to jump into the meat. In this article, I look at 10 relievers whose value skyrocketed or plummeted in the 2019 fantasy season, spend […]
Mets Not Discussing Trades For Dominic Smith
The New York Mets currently don't have any active trade talks involving first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith, according to sources. The assumption is that Smith would be a likely trade candidate now that the Mets signed first baseman Matt Adams on Friday. They also have All-Star Peter Alonso entrenched as the everyday starter at the position. […]
Mets Sign Matt Adams to Minor League Contract
The Mets signed first baseman Matt Adams to a minor league contract on Friday, also extending him an invite to 2020 spring training. In 2019, Adams hit .226 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI with the Nationals. If he makes the MLB roster, Adams would serve as first base insurance for the Mets and […]