Updated Points League Rankings Risers and Fallers (July)

Is it feasible to do a weekly H2H league in 2020? Sure. Is it a great idea? Not really. With just under 10 weeks of actual baseball, the whole "sprint" metaphor will become real in a hurry. Total points leagues aren't as popular but make a lot more sense over the course of a 60-game season. […]

Sauceda's Slants: Finding POWA in the Infield

We recently introduced our new hitter metric, POWA (which stands for Prediction of wOBA Attempt), to more appropriately align and weight new Statcast metrics to better predict future performance. You can read the introductory piece for the full details and a 2019 POWA leaderboard, but the gist of it is: POWA is nearly 10% more […]

Aroldis Chapman Still Testing Positive For Coronavirus

New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman is still testing positive for coronavirus as of Wednesday. Chapman is now mostly symptom-free according to manager Aaron Boone, but Chapman is ineligible to rejoin the team until he tests negative twice over a 24-hour period. Given that Chapman will likely need time to get back into game […]

Gerrit Cole Could Throw 100 Pitches On Thursday

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole may through 90 to 100 pitches against the Nationals on Thursday, according to manager Aaron Boone. The Yankees don’t appear to want to get too creative or cautious with their star pitcher, and for good reason. Fresh off of a season with a sparkling 2.50 ERA and 34% […]

DJ LeMahieu Uncertain For Opening Day

New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu may not play on Thursday as he continues to get back into game shape after isolating with coronavirus. LeMahieu rejoined the Yankees last Friday after testing negative for coronavirus twice over a 24-hour period, but manager Aaron Boone doesn’t want to rush the 32-year-old back into games. Even […]

Jordan Montgomery To Start On July 29

New York Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery is in line to start on July 29 against the Phillies, according to manager Aaron Boone. Montgomery was optioned to the team’s alternate site on Tuesday as a means to add relievers for a bullpen game on July 26, but the 27-year-old will be the team’s fifth starter […]

Closer Conundrum: What Does Managing Like It's The Playoffs Mean?

"In a 60-game season, managers will approach every game like it's the playoffs." We've heard that refrain over and over again as we prepare for the 2020 fantasy baseball season. In fact, I think I've written that sentence, or something similar, close to ten times already. But that statement brings up a natural follow-up question: How […]

Sauceda's Slants: More POWA to your Outfield

We recently introduced our new hitter metric, POWA (which stands for Prediction of wOBA Attempt), to more appropriately align and weight new Statcast metrics to better predict future performance. You can read the introductory piece for the full details and a 2019 POWA leaderboard, but the gist of it is: POWA is nearly 10% more […]

Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt Don't Make Opening Day Roster

New York Yankees pitching prospects Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt will start the season at the team's alternate training site. Manager Aaron Boone said the team thinks the 21-year-old Garcia needs more seasoning after his rough exhibition start on Monday against the Phillies. Schmidt's absence on the 40-man roster hurt his case for breaking camp […]

Michael King A Candidate To Open Third Game

New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael King earned a spot on the Opening Day roster as one of the standouts of summer camp, and the 25-year-old is a candidate to open the third game of the season against the Nationals, along with Chad Green and Jonathan Loaisiga. King is the team's No. 25 prospect, per […]

Yankees Option Jordan Montgomery

New York Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery was optioned to the team’s alternate training site on Tuesday. This was likely a short-term move to open up spots for relievers early in the season, as manager Aaron Boone announced that the team will have a bullpen day on July 26 to fill in for the recovering […]

Masahiro Tanaka On Pace For July 31 Start

New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (head) threw 20 pitches from the mound on Tuesday. Barring any setbacks, Tanaka is scheduled to throw around 40 pitches on Sunday, putting him in line to start on July 31 against the Red Sox. Tanaka is slated to miss one start with that timeline, giving the Yankees […]

Roto Category Inflations for Pitchers in 2020

Limited sample sizes are scary territory for pitching results and analysis. In this year’s upcoming 60-game season, starting pitchers are going to be maxing out with around 12 starts, meaning that just one or two blowup games could cause a pitcher’s season-long numbers to look quite ugly. So how do fantasy managers adjust? The key […]

Updated Third Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues (July)

Opening Day is quickly approaching, and we’ve got some updated fantasy baseball rankings here at Rotoballer. The 2020 season will be unusually uncertain, with even minor injuries potentially forcing players to miss significant portions of the season and a short season creating small samples of key stats. Certainty should be a little easier to find […]

Fantasy Life Vests: Safe Hitters In A Season Of Chaos

Chaos is the name of the game when it comes to the 2020 Major League Baseball season. We've got a short season, a limited schedule, expanded rosters, universal DH, and the continuously looming threat of a global pandemic. In other words, we have a plethora of factors we've never had to deal with before as […]

Essential Multi-Position Performers for the Shortened Season

We have already seen several players opt out of the season and others having their outlooks for the beginning of the schedule clouded by COVID-19. There will certainly be more players forced out of action, and some may even elect to walk away when they reach certain service time thresholds or if their team falls […]

Updated Outfielder Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues (July)

With Opening Day of the 2020 MLB season just a few days away, we have a new batch of updated fantasy baseball rankings for you here at RotoBaller. The unpredictable effects of COVID-19 and the implementation of the 60-game season will make the upcoming fantasy campaign the most unique we have ever seen. Not only […]

Introducing POWA - A New Hitting Metric Stickier Than wOBA

It can be fun to look back at previous things you’ve written, gaining a window into your state of mind in that moment. I originally wrote much of this piece back in March, when baseball seemed like a distant dream. From March: "The last few weeks have been challenging. In the grand scheme of things, […]

Aaron Hicks (OF, NYY) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues ROSTERED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: Want to invest cheaply in a likely regular piece of the Yankees' offense who might've slipped past your opponents due to the long COVID-19 layoff? The switch-hitting, slick-fielding Aaron Hicks appears close to a return after recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in […]

James Paxton Still Trying To Find Velocity

New York Yankees starting pitcher James Paxton threw 84 pitches over five innings in a simulated game on Monday, and although manager Aaron Boone came away comfortable with Paxton’s performance, Paxton indicated that he’s still unsatisfied with his velocity. Paxton’s exact velocity from Monday’s game is unclear, but his fastball was sitting around 93 mph […]

Historically Fast Starters to Target

The 2020 fantasy baseball season will be unlike any that has existed before. A 60-game sprint to the finish will offer all kinds of unexpected twists and turns. One consequence that seems obvious, though, is that players will not have a chance to round into shape. Guys will need to be on top of their […]

Updated Relief Pitcher Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues (July)

With Opening Day of the 2020 MLB season just a few weeks away, we have a new batch of updated fantasy baseball rankings for you here at RotoBaller. The unpredictable effects of COVID-19 and the implementation of the 60-game season will make the upcoming fantasy campaign the most unique we have ever seen. Not only […]

10 Hitters Who Benefit from a Short Season

Baseball is finally back! After months of waiting, it’s time to get back to fantasy baseball. This year will look much different due to the short season as a 60-game sample size is going to make for some wacky stats. While fantasy baseball will never be more unpredictable, we can gain an advantage over our […]

Updated Second Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues (July)

With Opening Day of the 2020 MLB season just a few weeks away, we have a new batch of updated fantasy baseball rankings for you here at RotoBaller. The unpredictable effects of COVID-19 and the implementation of the 60-game season will make the upcoming fantasy campaign the most unique we have ever seen. Not only […]

Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 1

The first week of waiver wire pickups for the 2020 season is here and Opening Day is approaching quickly. Some teams have endured a lengthy period between draft day and the start of the season, making Week 1 waiver pickups unusually important this season. In the same vein, many of the players worth picking up […]

Nick Mariano's Waiver Picks - Get 'Em While They're Hot (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Baseball's Opening Day is finally on the menu, set for July 23 after a wild 2020 has seen us all battered around. I truly hope you and yours are all doing well, I hope baseball works out, that your fantasy baseball leagues have adjusted […]

Masahiro Tanaka Could Face Live Hitting On Tuesday

New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (head) threw another bullpen session on Sunday, his second bullpen session since suffering a concussion on July 4. Manager Aaron Boone said that Tanaka could start facing live hitters as soon as Tuesday, putting him in line to miss no more than one start at the beginning of […]

Nick Mariano's 2020 Late-Round Fliers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Howdy, RotoBallers! I hope you're ready to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy. We’re here to dig a little deeper into the draft room and look for players that would be wise to take a flier on in the late rounds. 2020 is […]

MLB Injury Guide - Week of July 19th

Injuries are commonplace in all sports. Baseball has seen the rate of injury continue to rise over the past few years. In fantasy, if someone is not in the medical field, it is hard to gauge how long a player will be out and whether they need to be replaced in a lineup. Sometimes this […]

Updated Catcher Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues (July)

With Opening Day of the 2020 MLB season just a few weeks away, we have a new batch of updated fantasy baseball rankings for you here at RotoBaller. The unpredictable effects of COVID-19 and the implementation of the 60-game season will make the upcoming fantasy campaign the most unique we have ever seen. Not only […]