Trevor Rosenthal Threw A Bullpen On Sunday

Oakland Athletics reliever Trevor Rosenthal, who's been dealing with a mild groin strain, threw a successful bullpen session on Sunday and should make his Cactus League debut in two days. Rosenthal has been ramping up since straining his groin last week and should be good to go for Opening Day if he doesn't have any […]

Top 10 Tips for Fantasy Baseball Snake Drafts

Before I begin, let me caveat everything I say with this: I don't consider myself to be some sort of expert master fantasy player. I've only been playing fantasy baseball for a little under a decade. But as soon as I started to immerse myself into this game we all love, my main focus was […]

Spring Training Lineup Takeaways - Week 2 Lineup Trends

Welcome back RotoBallers! We are entering week three of Spring Training already, and with that came a lot of things we saw in week two. But of course, my week one review also still has very relevant information as well. Just a reminder, in my Lineup Takeaways series we are focusing 100% on lineups, news and […]

Top 25 Starting Pitchers - Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Pitching is an important element of any successful Major League Baseball team — real or fantasy. Coming off a truncated season in 2020 and facing another unique season ahead, pitching prospects will be more important than ever in 2021. MLB managers will be faced with a full 2021 season and, after throwing reduced innings last […]

Mike Fiers Will Have MRI On Sunday

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Mike Fiers will undergo an MRI on his hip/back on Sunday after experiencing a setback. A's manager Bob Melvin previously told reporters that Fiers was behind the other starters in his throwing program due to a back issue and apparently it's gotten worse. There is a good chance he's not ready […]

Mike Fiers To Get MRI Sunday

Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers is being shut down and will get an MRI on Sunday. The team originally described it as a back ailment, though they now believe it to be an issue with his hip. At any rate, the veteran starter will continue to be on the sidelines- he has yet to see […]

Sean Murphy Closes In On Return To Game Action

Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy (lung) has resumed taking batting practice in anticipation of making his Cactus League debut in the near future. Murphy has been working his way back from a collapsed lung, but manager Bob Melvin stated Thursday that the backstop was "progressing" toward a return to the field. How quickly Murphy is […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/12) - Severino Beginning Build Up

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 officially through the first week of spring training games […]

Best-Ball Late-Round Values - Infield

Fantasy Baseball draft season is in full swing, and that goes for more than just redraft leagues; we are talking best-ball formats. Best-ball leagues have been gaining traction in recent years and for good reason. Drafts start almost immediately after the previous season ends for those looking for an offseason fantasy fix. Best-ball drafts are […]

2021 Outfielder Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We now move on to the outfielder position in our mixed-league rankings analysis series. If you missed them, here is our review of Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base and Shortstop. 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. […]

Jed Lowrie Getting Back In Action

Oakland Athletics infielder Jed Lowrie (knee) missed the first week of spring action while working his way back from left knee surgery in the offseason, but he played in his second Cactus League game on Thursday and impressed manager Bob Melvin by making solid contact. The 36-year-old is trying to make the squad on a […]

Jesus Luzardo Unveils New Pitch Thursday

Oakland Athletics left-hander Jesus Luzardo unveiled a new pitch he calls the Turkey Sub on Thursday, a funky 65 mph looping breaking ball to complement his mid-90s fastball. The 23-year-old hasn't thrown the pitch in a major league game, but he's been working to incorporate it into his arsenal this spring. He held the Rangers […]

Jesus Luzardo Dominant In Spring Debut

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo threw four shutout innings with five strikeouts in his Cactus League debut Thursday. Luzardo walked two, but didn't allow a hit while needing just 49 pitches to breeze through four frames. Hold on to your hats, Luzardo will soar up draft boards after this outing. The 23-year-old has a […]

Mike Fiers Battles Back Ailment Early In Camp

Oakland Athletics right-handed pitcher Mike Fiers (back) has not yet appeared in a Cactus League game, which manager Bob Melvin confirmed Wednesday has been due to a lingering back ailment. Fiers has been pitching in sim games, but Melvin did state that Fiers would be behind the rest of the team's projected starting staff as […]

Frankie Montas Feels Good After Simulated Game

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas (illness) said he feels good after throwing two innings in a simulated game. Montas was late to camp after battling COVID-19. As long as there are no setbacks, Montas should appear in Spring Training games soon and is on track to be in the rotation for Opening Day, according […]

Chris Bassitt Working On New Slider Grip

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Chris Bassitt is working on a new slider to try and build on his career year in 2020. In the shortened campaign, Bassitt went 5-2 with 55 strikeouts, a 2.29 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 63 innings. According to Statcast, Bassitt only threw 25 sliders last year, but he has […]

Top 10 Shortstops - Dynasty Prospects Rankings

The shortstop position is a bountiful one for fantasy players. In a 12-team league, most fantasy managers should have the opportunity to be happy with their starter at the position thanks to the depth and variety of skills available. In 2019, 16 shortstops that had at least 350 plate appearances produced a 100 wRC+ or […]

Matt Chapman Leading Off On Wednesday

Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman will lead off and handle DH duties in Wednesday's Spring Training game against the Brewers. Chapman has been hitting well thus far in spring including blasting a homer to dead-center in Tuesday's contest. The A's have an opening at the top of their order after Marcus Semien left in […]

A.J. Puk Will Throw A Simulated Game On Tuesday

Oakland Athletics pitcher A.J. Puk will throw a simulated game on Tuesday, according to manager Bob Melvin. He will pitch two innings at the team complex and will throw another simulated game on Saturday if all goes well. "Hopefully he's into a regular game," following the simulated work, Melvin added. The former top-prospect hasn't pitched […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/9) - Meadows Returning To Form

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 officially through the first week of spring training games […]

Spring Training Lineup Takeaways: Recapping Week 1 - Bases Loaded Podcast

It is never too early to dive into lineups, news and notes from Spring Training. Join us as we dive right into the action! Subscribe to the Bases Loaded podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and […]

JB's Bullpen Method Redux - Building FrankenAces

Last year, I finally published an article breaking down my favorite fantasy baseball strategy I have been using for years. It's really less of a strategy and more a state of mind. No, the Bullpen Method is a lifestyle. I always speak about the importance of balance on a fantasy team. For your pitching staff, I […]

Tout Wars 12-Team Mixed Draft Recap

The 2021 Tout Wars season kicked off this week with the 15-team Draft and Hold starting on Monday and then the NEW 12-team Mixed draft on Tuesday. The Draft and Hold is a slow draft, while the 12 team Mixed was live and rocking. I was fortunate enough to take part in the 12-team draft.  […]

Trevor Rosenthal Battles Groin Strain During Camp

Oakland Athletics right-handed pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (groin) has yet to appear in a Cactus League game during 2021 and it was announced Monday that it's been due to a groin strain. Manager Bob Melvin noted that the team will ease Rosenthal back into the mix, but the hope is that the ailment is minor. Rosenthal […]

Ramon Laureano Has Big Day Sunday

Oakland Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, a walk, and four RBI in Sunday's 9-4 win against the Cleveland Indians. Laureano is now 3-for-8 in his first four spring games. He batted fifth in this one and showed his capabilities for run production, but is also a candidate to leadoff […]

Relievers Set to Break Out in 2021

As the calendar flips to February and more leagues start drafting, it's time to dive into everybody's favorite topic: breakouts. For now, we'll ignore the increasingly common facial breakouts from pandemic-related stress and focus on relief. Relief pitching, that is. When looking for draft targets at relief pitcher, almost everybody just turns their eyes to […]

Lineup Takeaways - Week 1 Spring Training Lineups

Well, after a recent article highlighting the idea of what I was wanting to do with this Spring Training series, here is a first look at my Lineup Takeaway series I will be bringing you the rest of the 2021 season. We are focusing 100% on lineups, news and quotes - strictly about lineups and […]

Third Base Preview: Fantasy Baseball 2021 ADP Analysis

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller discusses 2021 fantasy baseball third base rankings and 3B draft sleepers who can be sneaky later-round picks. He breaks down and compares the ADPs of five different MLB players at the third base position. Fantasy players should consider picking up these players for their drafts this MLB Season. Be sure to […]

Jon Anderson's Outfield Tiered Rankings and Projections

I continue to press forward on my own personal rankings series. Today we tackle the beast that is the outfield. Check out the rest of the series at the links below if you haven't already! First Base Second Base Shortstop Third Base Starting at the top, here's that juicy tier one full of first-round talent.Be […]

Kings of Candy: Sweet-Spot% Risers

While the 2020 season may not have given us much of a sample to evaluate outcomes (home runs, doubles, flyouts, etc.), the core events of exit velocity and launch angle stabilize more quickly and can be stickier than combination statistics like ISO or BB%. Two of our FSWA Writer-of-the-Year Finalists, Eric Samulski and Nicklaus Gaut, […]