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 […]
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 […]
Corey Kluber Solid On Tuesday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Corey Kluber was decent on Tuesday, holding the Tigers to one run (zero earned) over 3.2 innings with four strikeouts and three walks. Kluber's 71 pitches were a spring-high for him and the most pitches he's thrown in a game since April 2019, and it's encouraging to see the 34-year-old […]
Mike Tauchman Reaches Base Four Times On Tuesday
New York Yankees outfielder Mike Tauchman had a big day at the plate on Tuesday, going 2-for-2 with a home run and a pair of walks. Tauchman now has a strong .960 OPS for the spring, but he faces an uphill battle for an MLB roster spot because of outfielder Jay Bruce's successful spring and […]
Gleyber Torres Poised For Rebound Year
New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres is poised for a bounce-back season for the Bronx Bombers in 2021. Torres was out-of-shape and out of sorts at the plate during the shortened season last year, as his .724 OPS was uncharacteristically low. A dramatic decrease in barrel rate- 3.7 percent compared to 9.0 percent for his […]
2021 Keeper Value Rankings - Shortstop
Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing. There […]
Justin Wilson Exits Monday’s Game With Shoulder Injury
New York Yankees left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson (shoulder) left Monday's Grapefruit League game versus Philadelphia due to left shoulder tightness. Wilson is set to undergo further evaluation Tuesday, when the club is expected to provide an update on an integral member of their bullpen. Having notched a 2.91 ERA over 68 appearances with the cross-town […]
Fantasy Baseball Spring Training Standouts with Max Greenfield - Benched with Bubba (Episode 353)
Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Max Greenfield (@GreenfieldMax18) of PitcherList. The guys will go over recent fantasy baseball news, talk about some specific players of interest (Gleyber Torres, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Domingo German, Max Scherzer), go over some Spring Training standouts (Joey Gallo, Joc Pederson, Bobby Dalbec, Shohei Ohtani, Willi Castro, Bobby Witt Jr.), and […]
DJ LeMahieu To See Spring Reps At First And Third
New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu will be getting some action at the two corner infield positions, first base and third base, before the end of spring. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that he wants LeMahieu to see reps at the two corner spots because LeMahieu's able to give the team some versatility there. […]
MLB Sophomores: Who Will Improve, Who Will Stumble?
We all expect excellent rookie seasons from the most hyped prospects in baseball. But the reality is that some players just don’t hit their strides for a year or two. Other prospects start off strong but then fade away. If we look back at 2015, Corey Seager, Miguel Sano, Carlos Correa, and Kris Bryant had […]
Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2021
I've been in the bold predictions game since 2015 and in that time I've had my share of successes. Befitting a premise that demands spicy takes, though, I've also wildly missed the mark a bunch of times (whither goest thou, Byung-Ho Park and Delino DeShields?) The format's been around long enough that you almost certainly know the […]
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 […]
Aroldis Chapman Getting Comfortable With Splitter
New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman is getting more comfortable with his split-fingered fastball this spring. Chapman has relied upon his four-seam fastball-slider combo while using a changeup and splitter sparingly over the years, though he's intent on adding the latter pitch to his arsenal. One American League scout said the pitch looks "nasty"- noting […]
Chad Green Working On A Curveball
New York Yankees relief pitcher Chad Green is introducing a curveball to his arsenal this season, providing him with a possibly strong complimentary pitch to his high-spin fastball. Green had originally planned to introduce a curveball last season but temporarily scrapped the pitch because of the delayed and shortened season, though pitch-tracking systems appear to […]
Spring Training Lineup Takeaways - Week 3 Lineup Trends
We are entering week four of Spring Training and week three gave us a lot to watch down the stretch. But of course, you can catch up by talking a look at week one and week two recaps. Just a reminder, in my Lineup Takeaways series we are focusing 100% on lineups, news and quotes […]
Outfield Preview: Fantasy Baseball 2021 ADP Analysis
Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller discusses 2021 fantasy baseball outfield rankings and outfield draft sleepers who can be sneaky later-round picks. He breaks down and compares the ADPs of five different MLB players at the outfield position. Fantasy players should consider picking up these players for their drafts this MLB Season. Be sure to also tune […]
Gary Sanchez To Catch On Opening Day
New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez will be the team's starting catcher on Opening Day, officially quieting any speculation that catcher Kyle Higashioka will be starting pitcher Gerrit Cole's personal catcher to start the season. The Yankees have been vocal in their support of Sanchez heading into this season and Sanchez still boasts one of […]
Clint Frazier In The Lineup Sunday
New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier (undisclosed) is back in the lineup for Sunday's action against the Blue Jays. Frazier was apparently feeling "sluggish" on Saturday, though he's back and good to go for the remainder of the spring. The 26-year-old has seven hits and two homers in 10 Grapefruit League games for the Yankees. […]
Gerrit Cole Expected To Pitch 200 Innings In 2021
New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole is expected to pitch 200 innings in 2021, per manager Aaron Boone. There's been chatter about starting pitchers being limited following 2020's sprint of a shortened season, though Boone said he believes Cole could be the exception. The ace right-hander has reached the 200-inning mark in each of […]
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 […]
Michael King Hopes To Throw 100 Innings
New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael King hopes to throw 100 innings for the team in 2021, noting that the team may be cautious to overwork its starting pitchers after the shortened 2020 season. King isn't even a lock for an Opening Day roster spot and the team has a fairly deep pitching staff, so […]
Jon Anderson's 10 Bold Predictions For 2021
Today, I am honored to take my turn giving you my 10 bold predictions for the 2021 season here at RotoBaller. It's a thrill to be featured on this site, and I look forward to continuing to put out content for you all over the 2021 season and beyond. This was not an easy post […]
Using Data Analysis To Spot Strikeout Risers
The key to winning a fantasy league is to spot things that are to come before they happen. This is what we try to do here every day at RotoBaller. As the years have gone by, more data about the game has been made available to us, and we can use that data to make […]
Hidden Gems To Watch - Starting Pitching Prospects (Part Two)
With pitchers and catchers reporting, Major League Baseball is bearing down on a return to normalcy for the 2021 season. With the MLBPA rejecting MLB’s offer of a delayed start to the 2021 season, opening day is now officially scheduled for Thursday, April 1. When analyzing the pool of pitching prospects for 2021, there are […]
Clint Frazier Dealing With A Minor Injury
New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier (undisclosed) is dealing with a minor injury and is sitting against Baltimore on Sunday as a result. Frazier has missed significant time in past seasons with ankle, oblique, and head (concussion) injuries, but he's been healthy so far this spring and it's not clear what this new injury is. […]
Deivi Garcia Struggles With Control On Friday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Deivi Garcia struggled with control on Friday as he walked four batters over three innings, but he escaped unscathed with no runs allowed. Garcia left Friday's start with a 1.64 ERA, but he remains unlikely to claim the team's fifth starter job over starting pitcher Domingo German and is likely […]
Luke Voit Collects First Extra-Base Hit Of Spring
New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit went 1-for-3 with a double, a sacrifice fly, and an RBI in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Phillies. Voit collected his first extra-base hit of the spring on a check-swing double- then later notched his fourth Grapefruit League RBI on a sacrifice fly. The 30-year-old is batting just […]
Yankees Option Mike Ford
New York Yankees first baseman Mike Ford was optioned to the minor leagues by the team on Friday. Ford's demotion comes as no surprise as the Yankees have a crowded competition to fill out the remaining spots on their bench, but it's disappointing to see Ford lose his MLB playing time after posting a .909 […]
Prospects to Know in 2021 - NL East
Can you feel the excitement in the air? It's Spring Training! We're a few games in now so it's time to overreact about which unknown player is going to be an MVP candidate and which star player is "clearly" washed up. But when we're not overreacting, we shouldn't forget to think about the new faces […]