Leading Indicators - First Pitch Strikes and Strikeout Risers

Conventional baseball wisdom harps on the importance of the first-pitch strike (F-strike%). As pitchers get ahead in counts, they gain an advantage on hitters and have more pitch choices at their disposal. However, smart people discovered a hitter's average with a 0-1 count (.321) is only marginally worse than a 1-0 count (.337). The pitch […]

Trey Mancini (1B/OF, BAL) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~142 CURRENT ADP: 151 ANALYSIS: Baltimore Orioles 1B/OF Trey Mancini turned heads last season by hitting .293 with 24 HR, 78 RBI, and 65 R. Still only 25-years-old, Mancini is poised to take his game to the next level in 2018. Sporting a ground ball-heavy profile, Mancini still managed to pop 24 […]

David Robertson Makes Spring Debut

After dealing with a bout of food poisoning, New York Yankees reliever David Robertson finally made his spring training debut Saturday against the New York Mets. He faced just two batters and tossed just six pitches, but they were all strikes, resulting in two strikeouts. The 32-year-old appears very likely to be the club’s eighth-inning pitcher […]

Greg Bird Struggling Mightily At The Plate

Last season, New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird enjoyed a monstrous Spring Training, hitting .451 with eight home runs and 15 RBI in 51 plate appearances. He appeared set for a terrific season with the Yankees, but he actually suffered a terrible opening month of the season before losing most of the year with […]

Giancarlo Stanton Crushes First Home Run Of Spring

Taking on his former division rival in the New York Mets on Saturday, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton took a couple of healthy hacks. In the first inning, he smashed a foul ball that struck the window of a press box. Later, he connected on a two-run home run, his first in a New York Yankees uniform. […]

Ottoneu Draft Strategy

Ottoneu is a format that only the fantasy baseball obsessed know about. For years I’ve been eyeing an Ottoneu league but was hesitant to take the plunge; the massive rosters, complex scoring system and year-round commitment were overwhelming, to say the least. But this year I’m ready to make the leap, having signed on with […]

Champ or Chump - J.T. Realmuto and Andrew Benintendi

Some fantasy owners prioritize upside over everything else in their draft. Upside wins leagues! Upside makes your team more exciting to follow! Upside encourages you to draft Byron Buxton and hold onto him until his lack of production has doomed you to the second division of your league! Upside doesn't win leagues, profit potential does. […]

Trevor Story Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

We continue our series of articles debating the overall ranking of some of the most fantasy-relevant players of the 2018 baseball season with a player who captivated the world with the start of his career in 2016, but now finds himself in need of redemption after a disappointing 2017. Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story is […]

First Base H2H Points Rankings - March Update

Welcome back RotoBallers. With the MLB season just a few short weeks a way, it's time to update our rankings and analysis to account for injuries, free agent signings, spring training risers/fallers and more. We kick off our updated March rankings today with the first base position. Bill Dubiel breaks down each tier and provides analysis […]

Best Ball Sleepers and Late Round Targets for Fantasy Baseball

Best ball leagues are one of the latest variations of fantasy baseball that are quickly growing in popularity. Draft day is the only day of the year where owners will have control over their roster. There is no waiver wire and there are no trades. Owners won't even set daily lineups, as they will instead […]

Updated Third Base Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

With the regular season blessedly just a few weeks away, it's time for the RotoBaller staff to update our rankings one last time. We continue our review of the March update with a look at the third base position. There's a ton of talent at the hot corner this season, with the usual elites at […]

Jordan Montgomery Officially The Fifth Starter

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone officially tabbed starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery as the fifth starting pitcher for the club on Friday. The 25-year-old won the job last season, making 29 starts and posting a 9-7 record with a 3.88 ERA. In June and September he was particularly strong, going 4-0 with a 2.59 ERA and […]

ADP Myth Busters - Debunking Myths in the AL East

This series will attempt to help fantasy baseball owners make informed opinions on players whose ADP may not be in line with their value for the 2018 season. As fantasy owners, we can fall into a "group think" mentality and start to overlook certain teams and players. If we aren't careful, those ideas can turn […]

Jacoby Ellsbury Could Still Return For Opening Day

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated on Thursday that injured outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury (oblique) could resume running on Saturday in a bid to return for Opening Day. The veteran injured his oblique earlier in spring training and has been sidelined ever since. Ellsbury’s injury came as he took batting practice, later telling his coaches before the injury […]

Domingo German Emerging As Starter Option

Young New York Yankees Dominican pitcher Domingo German is pitching his way into the conversation to start for the team this upcoming season. While Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Sonny Gray, CC Sabathia and Jordan Montgomery are the clear five starters for the club at this point, the 25-year-old has made three appearances this spring, allowing just […]

Luis Cessa Slated To Start On Saturday

After missing Wednesday’s game against the New York Mets with a stiff neck, New York Yankees pitcher Luis Cessa is expected to pitch on Saturday, again against the Mets. The 25-year-old last pitched at the end of February, surrendering five runs on six hits in four innings of work across two outings. Cessa might have […]

Clint Frazier Taking Things Slowly

New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier (concussion), who has had two MRI exams and a CT scan on his head, did 20 minutes on a bike, threw and did rotational exercises on Thursday. “It’s frustrating, but I’m trying not to mess around with this," Frazier said. He suffered a serious concussion after running into the […]

ADP Sleepers and Busts - NL Starting Pitchers

With the inherent injury risk to pitchers and innings management becoming more prevalent in baseball, nailing starting pitchers becomes even more important on draft day. After the big four of Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, and Corey Kluber are off the board, seemingly every pitcher has some sort flaw or concern going into 2018. […]

Updated First Base Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back RotoBallers. With the MLB season just a few short weeks a way, it's time to update our rankings and analysis to account for injuries, free agent signings, spring training risers/fallers and more. We kick off our updated March rankings today with the first base position. Harris breaks down each tier and provides analysis […]

Turning Two - Beware the Trending Six-Man Rotation

A six-man starting rotation? "That's just not what MLB is to me," Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels said recently. As someone accustomed to being at the forefront of a pitching staff and who's logged 362 starts over 12 Major League seasons, it's only logical that Hamels would expect to keep trotting out there as much as […]

Best-Ball Draft Strategy Overview for Fantasy Baseball

It's finally March, which can only mean two things: Spring Training and fantasy drafts. All the effort spent on rankings and draft prep finally come to fruition. Once your draft is completed, you then get to spend every day of the rest of the season analyzing player performances, scouring waiver wires and setting the best […]

Points Leagues Starting Pitchers - Overvalued and Undervalued

As we’ve discussed before, points leagues are a bit of a different animal from the more popular head-to-head and rotisserie formats. One of the most obvious differences between them is how pitchers are valued. In a points league, the top pitchers routinely outearn the top hitters. Most analysis will tell you to favor bats in […]

Jacoby Ellsbury’s Return Taking Time

Suffering from a strained right oblique, New York Yankees veteran outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is still in the preliminary stages of a return to the Yankees this spring. The 34-year-old suffered the injury on Friday while taking batting practice. Perhaps Ellsbury can get advice from teammate and fellow outfielder Aaron Hicks, who suffered the same injury last […]

Clint Frazier’s Return a Work In Progress

New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier continues to be sidelined with a concussion, with his time out now at a week and a half. He has attempted to resume workouts various times since then but has had to quit due to ongoing headaches. His last attempt at any form of workout activity came on Sunday, when he […]

Top Catcher Prospect Rankings - 2018 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back, RotoBallers. Over the next few days, I'll be breaking down my top impact prospects for fantasy baseball by position. Today I'm bringing you my top 10 catcher prospect rankings - rookies that have the best chance to make fantasy baseball impacts for the 2018 season. Catcher is a vital spot for owners in redraft leagues. […]

Adam Lind Perplexed By Lack Of Attention

Finally signed with the New York Yankees to a minor league deal, veteran first baseman Adam Lind remains dumbfounded about the lack of attention from teams. The 34-year-old is coming off a season with the Washington Nationals that saw him hit .303 with 14 home runs and 59 RBI in 116 games. The veteran is a […]

RotoBaller Industry Expert Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

On Thursday, February 15th, we brought together an illustrious group of industry experts to take part in the RotoBaller Friends and Family mock draft. We'll be playing this out as a best ball league. Our participants represented sites like: Creative Sports (Lawr Michaels) Fangraphs (Alex Chamberlain) GuruElite (Ray Flowers) Fantasy Alarm (Howard Bender) CBS (Heath […]

Jacoby Ellsbury A Late Scratch Against Braves

New York Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury was scratched from Friday's game against the Braves due to tightness in his right side. Estevan Florial took his spot in center field. Ellsbury missed 50 games last year after being fairly durable for most of his time in New York, save for his 111-game season in '15. He's […]

Kenley Jansen Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

We continue our rankings debates with a look at the game's best reliever. RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, we'll hear from rankers with the biggest differences of opinion on a well-known player and have them defend […]

ADP Sleepers and Busts - NL Relief Pitchers

Early-season drafts do not always tend to be reflective of a player's actual value. Average draft position does not tend to stabilize until closer to Opening Day but that does not stop people like myself (and presumably you as well if you're reading this) from drafting well before then. The ADP of relief pitchers is […]