Adam Ottavino Throws A Scoreless Inning In Spring Debut

New York Yankees reliever Adam Ottavino picked up the win against the Tigers on Saturday, tossing one inning with one walk and two strikeouts. Ottavino has been dominant over the past two seasons, with a 2.19 ERA and a 33.8% strikeout rate. Walks and stolen bases have been a problem for Ottavino, though. Over the past two […]

Aaron Judge Feels Discomfort While Hitting On Friday

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (shoulder) reportedly felt discomfort near his pec when hitting on Friday. Judge underwent a number of tests that all came back negative, but the outfielder’s nagging shoulder discomfort explains why he still hasn’t hit outside. The Yankees continue to be optimistic that Judge will be ready for Opening Day, […]

Aaron Judge Still Not Hitting Outside

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (shoulder) may not be ready to hit outside. Manager Aaron Boone indicated on Tuesday that Judge should be cleared to hit outside by Saturday, but was less optimistic about Judge’s timeline on Friday. Judge hit live batting practice for the first time since his injury on Thursday, and hitting […]

When and How Do You Target Sleepers on Draft Day?

A popular buzzword this time of year is "sleeper." Every fantasy baseball writer, podcaster, and radio analyst wants you to know why their sleeper is the one you should be targeting on draft day. Conversely, your league mates hope you've never even heard of their sleeper. As I prepared to write this article, I found […]

Deivi Garcia Allows Two Runs Over Two Innings In Spring Debut

New York Yankees starting pitcher Deivi Garcia threw two innings against the Braves on Friday, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out three. A consensus top-100 prospect, Garcia enters 2020 with a shot to start in the Yankees rotation. With a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and a strong […]

Domingo German Uninjured In Car Accident

New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German was reportedly in a car accident in the Dominican Republic on Friday but is uninjured. German will be sidelined until mid-June with a suspension, but the 27-year-old should be a usable fantasy option after posting a 4.03 ERA last year. Considering that German gets hit hard with a […]

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 […]

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 […]

ADP Cost Analysis: Gleyber Torres vs Max Muncy

Fantasy baseball is a great game, and there may not be a better time of the season than draft prep. The numbers are flying around, and the group texts are saying that it's Acuna's year to be No. 1 while others take the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach with Mike Trout. 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 […]

Luis Severino Has Successful Tommy John Surgery

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (elbow) had Tommy John surgery on Thursday. Severino’s surgery was reportedly successful, and the pitcher also had a bone chip removed from his elbow in the process. Severino’s best-case scenario for a return date seems to be the start of the 2021 season, but it’s more likely that […]

Aaron Judge Still Not Hitting Live Batting Practice

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (shoulder) has still yet to progress to live batting practice, but the 27-year-old said that he’s feeling good and is likely in line to play on Opening Day. Judge only missed one game with a shoulder issue last season, but the outfielder underwent shoulder surgery between the 2017 and […]

Clint Frazier Crushes Solo Home Run

New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier crushed his first spring training home run of 2020 against the Rays on Thursday. A strong spring training can go a long way for Frazier, who is competing for playing time with Mike Tauchman and Miguel Andujar. Injuries to Aaron Judge (shoulder) and Giancarlo Stanton (calf) have opened up […]

James Paxton Feels Good, Could Start Throwing Soon

New York Yankees starting pitcher James Paxton (back) had surgery three weeks ago and is now nearly ready to start throwing. An optimistic target date for Paxton to resume throwing is March 5, but the southpaw is reportedly feeling good, so some optimism is warranted. When healthy, Paxton is a hard-throwing lefty who accumulates strikeouts […]

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. […]

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 […]

H2H Points League Draft Strategy

Points leagues are essentially the rawest version of fantasy baseball. These are not players, these are stat-lines and you want to put up as many points per week as possible. Do not get too attached to underperforming players who have name-value and potential. There is a stark difference in draft strategy when it comes to […]

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 […]

Masahiro Tanaka Allows Two Runs Over Two Innings

New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka made his 2020 spring training debut on Wednesday, allowing two runs on two hits, no walks and two strikeouts. Tanaka comes into 2020 after having posted his worst career strikeout rate (19.6%) last season, and his swinging-strike rate (10.7%) dipped to its lowest level since 2016. Tanaka tweaked […]

Giancarlo Stanton Has Grade 1 Calf Strain

New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (calf) has a Grade 1 calf strain. Manager Aaron Boone didn't give much information on Stanton's timeline, but it seems unlikely that Stanton will be ready for Opening Day. Stanton only managed to play in 18 games last year as he battled a variety of injuries, but he's still […]

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 […]

Luis Severino Needs Tommy John Surgery

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (elbow) needs Tommy John surgery. Severino came into spring training with forearm discomfort and elbow issues, and the pitcher got bad news upon further evaluation. If Severino opts to get the surgery early then he could be back in time for Opening Day next season, but the Yankee […]

Aaron Judge To Play In Games Next Week

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (shoulder) could start playing in games next week. The Yankees are being cautious with Judge's shoulder, but he seems to be progressing well after experiencing discomfort early in spring training. Manager Aaron Boone continues to assert that Judge should be ready for Opening Day, and if he's able to […]

Fantasy Insider Angles - Thor, Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis and More (Premium Content)

Success in baseball isn’t always just about pure numbers. For those who play the game and are inside the clubhouse, it’s also about creating the right chemistry and environment. As the New York Mets opened spring training this season, there was a fresh air of optimism around the team. It also seemed to extend to […]

Platoon Watch: Part-Time Infielders Worth Rostering

It seems that platooning in major league baseball has become increasingly popular every year. This strategy benefits teams by protecting aging veterans from injury and by getting the most advantageous lineup versus a specifically-handed pitcher. While platooning is smart for major league clubs, it gives us fantasy managers headaches when our player rides the pine […]

Gerrit Cole Impresses In Spring Debut

New York Yankees starter Gerrit Cole pitched one scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a walk in his spring training debut on Monday. Cole picked up right where he left off after last season when he led all of the major leagues with 326 strikeouts and a 1.85 ERA+. Impressively, Cole also managed to lead […]

Jordan Montgomery Throws Two Scoreless Innings

New York Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery pitched well in his first spring action, tossing two shutout innings with three strikeouts and a walk. Montgomery has missed nearly all of the past two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but the 27-year-old is coming off of an impressive 2017 rookie season in which he […]

No Date Set For Aaron Judge To Return To Game Action

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (shoulder) hit off of a tee and did soft toss on Monday as he continues to deal with shoulder discomfort. The Yankees still haven't set a date for Judge to play in a game, but the team continues to indicate that Judge's shoulder is a minor issue. Fantasy owners […]

2020 Outfield Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

We've been breaking down rankings for points leagues over the last couple of weeks in order to prepare fantasy owners for draft day. To check out previous analysis articles by position, click the following links: first base, second base, third base, shortstop, catcher, starting pitcher, relief pitcher. Outfield is obviously the deepest of all positions […]

Miguel Andujar Homers In First Spring Training Game

New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar crushed a home run in his first live game action since May of last season. Andujar lost nearly all of last season with a shoulder injury, but the 24-year-old is just a season removed from placing second in American League Rookie of the Year voting with a .297/.328/.527 […]