Statcast Exit Velocity: Using Sabermetrics for 2023 Fantasy Baseball
If you've watched a baseball broadcast in the 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. There […]
DJ LeMahieu "100 Percent With No Limitations"
According to a tweet from Newsday's Erik Boland on Monday morning, New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (toe) said he enters camp "100 percent with no limitations." Boland also noted in his tweet that the infielder was "limited much of last year by a toe injury." LeMahieu hit .261 with a .357 on-base percentage, 12 […]
First Basemen to Target or Avoid at ADP - Fantasy Baseball Draft Analysis
When I was growing up and really getting into baseball in the 1990s and 2000s, the first base position was chalked full of big-time sluggers that would be counted on to produce gaudy offensive numbers season after season -- especially in the HR and RBI departments. Let's look at 2006 for example. Why? Well, it […]
Five Relief Pitchers To Avoid In 2023 Fantasy Baseball Drafts
The relief pitchers are the trickiest part of constructing your fantasy baseball roster. Having a superstar reliever on your fantasy baseball team can be the key to a winning season. The problem is superstar relievers don’t just grow on trees. Among the select group of elite relief pitchers, it’s hard to find the one that’ll […]
MLB Pitcher Prospect Graduates - Sophomore Fantasy Baseball Outlooks (AL East)
In the first installment of a 6-part series focused on pitchers who exhausted rookie eligibility during the '22 MLB season, I review how the pitching fundamentals of select '22 American League East pitchers have evolved over time and use that information to forecast their MLB futures. Fundamentals will be quantified using my Fielding- and Ballpark-Independent […]
Justin Wilson Signs With Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers have signed left-hander Justin Wilson to a one-year deal. The 35-year-old is expected to miss a significant chunk of the 2023 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. However, this deal includes a 2024 club option, so this could end up being a good deal for the Brewers. The southpaw only […]
Nestor Cortes Feels Good After Bullpen
New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes (hamstring) said he made "good strides and felt better" after throwing his first bullpen session on Friday since being diagnosed with a low-grade 2 hamstring strain that forced him to pull out of this year's World Baseball Classic. Cortes also said he was progressing faster than he initially thought […]
Analyzing Pitcher Fly Ball Data for Fantasy Baseball 2023
Pitchers don't have much of a say about what happens after a pitch they throw is put into play. There is a ton of randomness that occurs after a hitter makes contact with a ball, and that makes a lot of pitching statistics hard to trust. Getting ahead of this gives us an advantage. We […]
Nestor Cortes Throws Bullpen Session Friday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (hamstring), who had to pull out of this year's World Baseball Classic due to a right hamstring injury, threw a bullpen session on Friday. Cortes' injury appears to be very minor, but the Yankees aren't taking any chances this early in spring training, and it was a no-brainer […]
Hitter Busts at Every Position - Comparing ATC Projections vs. ADP for Fantasy Baseball
With the big football game officially behind us, the official "official" start of fantasy baseball season has nearly dawned. It's easy to start obsessing over finding this year's biggest hidden jewels, dreaming at night that your fantasy groundhog will see its shadow and bring you six more weeks of sleepers. But don't forget about their […]
Five Overvalued Starting Pitchers for 2023 Fantasy Baseball Drafts
We have brought you five hitters to avoid in each of the infield and outfield. Now adding to the fold is five starting pitchers to avoid in 2023! When playing fantasy baseball, the player pool is so deep you have to know it front and back. A key strategy I use when I am preparing […]
Frankie Montas Will Undergo Shoulder Surgery, Could Miss Season
New York Yankees starting pitcher Frankie Montas (shoulder) will reportedly undergo shoulder surgery on Tuesday, per a tweet from ESPN's Jeff Passan. Per Passan's tweet, New York manager Aaron Boone said the surgery "could cause him to miss the season." Montas made 27 starts last season, throwing 144.1 innings combined between the Oakland Athletics and […]
Surgery On The Table For Frankie Montas
New York Yankees right-hander Frankie Montas (shoulder) continues to be evaluated, and a surgical option is "on the table," according to pitching coach Matt Blake. However, surgery would "not necessarily" be season-ending. The Yankees are doing their due diligence with Montas' shoulder injury with spring training starting for pitchers and catchers this week. The 29-year-old […]
Top 25 First-Year Player Rankings (FYPD) - Dynasty Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball
When fantasy baseball players begin their first-year player drafts this year, they will have 2022 MLB draftees, foreign imports from Asia, and January 15 signees to sift through. There can be a lot of static in those stats, especially when you are dealing with minor-league players and some fantasy baseball prospects who haven't even played […]
Projecting the Value of Starters Who Changed Scenes: Carlos Rodon, Pablo Lopez, Carlos Estevez
Often, a change of self is needed more than a change of scene, but for some, that change can create new opportunities. For others, that change can come with roadblocks. Today, we're going to look deeper into three pitchers in entirely different environments in 2023 and what that change will mean for their fantasy baseball […]
David Peralta and Michael Fulmer: Buying and Selling the Latest Offseason News for Fantasy Baseball
Even though the Winter Meetings are now behind us, there’s still plenty of offseason left when it comes to baseball news and rumors – especially with a number of the offseason’s top free agents still without a team. And that’s all without mentioning potential trades as there hasn’t been an overabundance of deals made so […]
Aaron Judge Takes Reps At First
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was seen taking fielding reps at first base during Tuesday's camp, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. While the 30-year-old was initially drafted as a first baseman and pitcher in 2010, he has never played first base in his big-league career. It sounds like that will continue to be the case, […]
Jasson Dominguez Likely To Spend Another Year In Minors
New York Yankees outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez was invited to big-league spring training this year, but he just turned 20 years old and likely has at least one more year in the minors before he makes his major-league debut. However, the Yankees think he has the potential to be a cornerstone player when he eventually […]
Anthony Volpe Expected To Start At Triple-A
New York Yankees shortstop prospect Anthony Volpe will likely start the year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after only getting 89 at-bats at Triple-A in 2022 while hitting only .236. The Yankees have high expectations for both Volpe and Oswald Peraza, who is considered the favorite to win the shortstop job over Isiah Kiner-Falefa in spring training. […]
Nestor Cortes Jr. Out Of WBC With Tweaked Hamstring
New York Yankees starter Nestor Cortes (hamstring) is reportedly out of the World Baseball Classic with a tweaked hamstring, per a tweet from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal on Monday morning. Cortes had a breakout season for the American League East club in 2022, logging a 2.44 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 163 strikeouts and 38 walks in […]
Will Frankie Montas Be Ready for the 2023 Season? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update
After Frankie Montas swapped locations midway through the season, which sent him packing to the Yankees, he had hoped to mirror the success that he had in Oakland. Unfortunately, things went entirely south for Montas in the Bronx after he unpacked a 6.35 ERA through eight starts. Montas re-agitated his pitching shoulder in late September […]
4 Fantasy Baseball Hitters Who Were Busts in 2022
Perhaps the most frustrating thing in fantasy baseball -- aside from injuries -- is drafting a player chock-full of upside, only to have him fall flat on his face. It happens every season to players of all ages. The group of consistent, above-average producers is simply not as extensive as many think. A 'bust' is […]
Five Overvalued Outfielders for 2023 Fantasy Baseball Drafts
Welcome back RotoBallers! This is the second part of our overvalued players series for 2023 fantasy baseball drafts. Today we are looking at outfielders. You can see the first part about overvalued infielders as well. When playing fantasy baseball, the player pool is so deep you have to know it front and back. A key […]
Biggest Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters in 2022
It's always a blast to reminisce on the past, and today we've got a fun topic to discuss. We all love watching offensive-minded players, but a few in particular stood out this past season. Let's take a look! I hand-picked four players that outperformed their expectations in 2022. Alejandro Kirk, Nathaniel Lowe, Andrew Vaughn, and […]
DJ LeMahieu Looks Back To Old Self
New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (toe) has been hitting, running and working on defense as an offseason regular at the team's player development complex, and his bat speed and swing appear to be back to pre-injury levels, according to hitting coach Dillon Lawson. "Last year with the injury, he couldn't load the way he […]
Josh Donaldson Projected To Start At 3B For Yankees
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that third baseman Josh Donaldson projects to be the team's starter at third base in 2023 despite hitting .222 with 15 home runs in 2022 in his first year in the Bronx. Donaldson has one year and at least $27 million left on his deal, but the […]
Yankees Impressed With Oswald Peraza
New York Yankees shortstop Oswald Peraza made his MLB debut last September, and his transition to the big stage in the Bronx appeared seamless after he hit .306 in his first 49 major-league at-bats. The 22-year-old continues to impress this offseason, too. "He has the exit (velocities)," hitting coach Dillon Lawson said. "He has the […]
Anthony Volpe On A Mission
New York Yankees infield prospect Anthony Volpe, who received a non-roster invite to major-league spring training, has worked hard this offseason to make sure he's in midseason form when camp begins. The 21-year-old will compete for the Opening Day shortstop job, and he went to the team's player development complex in late November to get […]
Breakout Pitchers for 2023 Fantasy Baseball
Finding breakout starting pitchers is one of the most important things we have to do in order to win fantasy baseball leagues every season. In most leagues, an individual starting pitcher has more of an impact on a fantasy team than an individual hitter since they are throwing a higher percentage of your team's total […]
Luis Severino Won't Pitch In World Baseball Classic
New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino will not pitch for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic because general manager Brian Cashman didn't allow him, according to a source. It makes sense with 2022 being Severino's first full season back from Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old right-hander also missed two months last […]