Top 10 Relief Pitchers to Target - LIMA Plan

You need saves but you don't want to burn an early pick or spend up just to invest in a closer that joins the 50% club. That is, the 50% or more of relief pitchers who start the year as closers but will lose their job due to poor performance or injury at some point […]

First Base Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers

The first base position has some high-end options such as Freddie Freeman, Cody Bellinger, and Jose Abreu. All are typically going in the top 40 of most mixed-league drafts. But getting one of the top guys isn't imperative. There are plenty of other viable alternatives available later in drafts. Whether it is power, batting average, or […]

Later-Round Category Targets - Stolen Bases

The stolen base is like no other category in the rotisserie game. It is correlated to no other category that is used in fantasy and is influenced by "specialists" (meaning players who only contribute in one category) way more than any other as well. Steal attempts have also been trending downward in recent MLB history, making […]

Undervalued Mixed League Draft Targets in 2021

Finding undervalued players during drafts can make or break your fantasy season. One of the ways we look for undervalued players is to utilize RotoBaller’s Expected Draft Value research developed by my colleague Nick Mariano.  We attempt to identify players who are forecast to return value in 2021 which is greater than the expected value […]

2021 Relievers To Target For Holds

As evidenced by the success of the 2015 Kansas City Royals and 2020 Tampa Bay Rays, we have seen a much greater focus placed on strengthening middle-relief in MLB bullpens over the past decade. Additionally, in recent seasons we have seen a shift toward teams utilizing their best reliever in the most crucial innings and […]

2021 Undervalued Draft Targets - Starting Pitchers

In late November, before I officially joined the RotoBaller team, I began a long post series where I went rotation-by-rotation, slowly populating my SP ranks for 2021. The way I did this was I would do the analysis and take a long look at each player, and then insert them into the list based on […]

Diamonds in the Pen - Deep Reliever Draft Targets

When it comes to building a pitching staff in fantasy, most managers focus solely on starting pitchers and closers. And that makes sense. In standard scoring, those pitchers are the ones who are going to make the greatest contributions to wins, strikeouts and saves. A guy that comes in and tosses a scoreless frame in […]

Power Sleepers - Noteworthy 2020 Barrel Leaders

As we've continued to progress in the MLB offseason, I've been looking at barrel rates from 2020 in the hopes of finding players whose breakouts during the shortened season were real or those who may still have breakouts looming. As I've mentioned previously, I'm a firm believer that finding the barrel regularly is an incredibly […]

Catcher Draft Targets for All Leagues

Enough with the catcher slander! As fantasy baseball drafts heat up, all I keep reading about is how we're "forced" to draft catchers and how they can tank your roster. Catchers are people too! I could use thousands of words writing about the value of catchers and how the grind of their defensive job and […]

Hitter Targets Under $10 - Salary Cap League Values

Snake drafts are the more common method, but salary cap leagues offer a more complex flavor to your draft day. That's not for everyone, and that's fine; part of the beauty of fantasy baseball lies in its high degree of customizability. Salary cap drafts take longer, and they're much less straightforward than snakes, but for […]

Mark Canha (OF, OAK) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 240 CURRENT ADP: ~255 overall ANALYSIS: In 2020, Oakland A’s outfielder/designated hitter Mark Canha posted a .246/.387/.408 slash line to go with five home runs and a very impressive 33 RBI in 243 plate appearances. While his RBI total, fifteenth in all of MLB, and OBP were among the league’s best […]

Best-Ball Late-Round Targets - Outfield

With best-ball drafts gaining steam, we are pumping out more best-ball content at RotoBaller. I wrote the Best-Ball Targets and Best-Ball Fades for the premium draft guide and will now produce a three-part series on late-round targets. Part one focused on late-round infield targets, and now we head to the outfield for some late-round targets.  […]

2021 Starting Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues (Part 2)

We now move on to starting pitcher in our mixed-league rankings analysis series. If you missed them, here is our review of Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base, Shortstop, Outfield, and of course, Starting Pitcher Part One. RotoBaller's rankers, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Nick Mariano, and Ariel Cohen have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings once more based on […]

Daulton Jefferies Strikes Out Six In Three Innings Versus Royals

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Daulton Jefferies allowed two runs in three innings with six strikeouts in a Spring Training game Wednesday. The runs were the first Jefferies has allowed in nine innings this spring. The 25-year-old has only pitched two MLB innings, but has a strong minor league track record including posting a 27.5 percent […]

Trevor Rosenthal Allows One Run In Spring Debut

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal allowed one run in one inning of work in his Cactus League debut Wednesday. It wasn't pretty for the right-hander as he allowed two hits and a walk, but his performance is secondary to the fact Rosenthal was healthy enough to appear in spring action despite a groin injury […]

Mark Canha Flashing On-Base Ability This Spring

Oakland Athletics outfielder Mark Canha hasn't hit much so far in Cactus League play, but the veteran is making his push to bat leadoff thanks to a .440 on-base percentage this spring. Canha, who went 1-for-3 from the one-hole on Wednesday, has been batting leadoff in spring training and seems to have the inside track […]

Ramon Laureano Should Return Early Next Week

Oakland Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano (side) was scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League game with left side soreness. After the game, manager Bob Melvin said Laureano should be back in games early next week, according to MLB.com's Martin Gallegos. The good news is Laureano will be back for the regular season. The bad news, for his […]

Sam Chinitz's 10 Bold Predictions For 2021

The 2021 MLB regular season is less than one month away, so it’s time for some bold predictions. Last year’s bold predictions didn’t pan out too well for me; if we’re being generous, two out of the ten predictions hit -- and that’s including Corey Kluber posting a sub-3.00 ERA (which technically happened, even if […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/17) - Jorge Polanco Leaves Game

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. Thankfully, we have real, live baseball being played every day again, and while it doesn't count for anything, these exhibition games gives us the smallest glimmer into players and teams heading into the new season. We're into our third week of spring training games and […]

Starter Prospects that Could be Impact Relievers in 2021

In many ways, Major League Baseball is getting back to normal in 2021. Most importantly for sports fans and fantasy baseball fanatics, this means that the season will be 162 games after experiencing a stunted 2020 season. However, the sudden spike back to 162 games from 60 contests creates headaches for MLB managers. Lance Lynn […]

2020 Breakout Infielders Who'll Keep Improving

In a recent article, I outlined a methodology to determine which breakout 2020 seasons from hitters would be built off of into 2021. Upon further reflection, however, I’m unconvinced that that methodology the best way to spot breakouts that will continue to improve, in large part because of its reliance on evaluating the stickiness of […]

Matt Olson Continues Hot Spring

Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson went 1-for-3 in Tuesday's 12-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Olson is now 8-for-22 with three home runs, nine RBI, and six runs scored so far this spring. Olson struggled with his average in 2020 as he hit just .195, but his power numbers were superb as he smacked […]

Sean Murphy To Make Spring Debut On Thursday

Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy (lung) will make his Cactus League debut on Thursday, according to manager Bob Melvin. Murphy is recovering from a collapsed lung that required offseason surgery. The 26-year-old backstop had a strong rookie year in 2020 blasting seven homers in 43 games. He won't hit for much batting average, but a […]

A.J. Puk Will Pitch In Spring Training Game Wednesday

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher A.J. Puk (shoulder) is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut Wednesday, according to manager Bob Melvin. The 25-year-old lefty was once a top prospect in the A's system, but a myriad of injuries have derailed the early portion of his career. Puk missed the 2018 season after undergoing Tommy John […]

Trevor Rosenthal Scheduled To Pitch Wednesday

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (groin) is yet to appear in Cactus League action with his new team, but he's been throwing bullpen sessions and manager Bob Melvin said he is scheduled to pitch in Wednesday's game. Rosenthal is the presumed closer for the A's after signing a one-year deal in Oakland this offseason. […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/16) - Luis Robert Scratched Monday

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. Thankfully, we have real, live baseball being played every day again, and while it doesn't count for anything, these exhibition games gives us the smallest glimmer into players and teams heading into the new season. We're into our third week of spring training games and […]

Fantasy Baseball Spring Training Injury Updates

Injury updates tend to change often during Spring Training. "Soreness" is a common theme as players get back into game shape. I will be giving the most recent available injury updates from the offseason. These updates will undoubtedly change as Spring Training continues. As we get closer to Opening Day, some injuries are much more […]

2021 Starting Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues (Part 1)

We now move on to starting pitcher in our mixed-league rankings analysis series. If you missed them, here is our review of Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base, Shortstop, and Outfield. RotoBaller's rankers, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Nick Mariano, and Ariel Cohen have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings once more based on early spring training action. You can […]

Chad Pinder (2B/3B, OAK) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 440 CURRENT ADP: ~542 overall ANALYSIS: Pinder took clear steps he took to improve his plate discipline leading up to the 2020 season last February, and those improvements showed up in his performance. Although Pinder’s O-Swing rate was up slightly from 2019 at 33.3%, his swing rate at pitches in […]

Jake Diekman Fires Scoreless Inning In Spring Training Game

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Jake Diekman threw a 1-2-3 fifth inning in a Spring Training game against the White Sox on Sunday. The 34-year-old lefty was among the most dominant relievers in baseball last season posting a 0.42 ERA in 21 1/3 innings. Obviously, he won't sustain that pace over a larger sample size, but […]