Save Fallers: 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! A tough statistic to find trends on is saves, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these […]

Batting Average Risers - 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! One of the main stats for measuring batters’ success is batting average. Surprisingly, Jose Altuve is the only player that was a holdover in the top 10 of batting average from […]

R+RBI Fallers: 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! Run production, that is R+RBI, is a key trend to monitor, as there are tight correlations to both slugging percentage and on base percentage with the respective numbers. Let's start with […]

Save Risers: 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! A tough statistic to find trends on is saves, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these […]

R+RBI Risers: 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! Run production, that is R+RBI, is a key trend to monitor, as there are tight correlations to both slugging percentage and on base percentage with the respective numbers. Let's start with […]

Post-Playoff Fantasy Stock Watch - Hitters

The 2018 MLB postseason kept baseball fans on the edge of their seats, and also gave fantasy owners a new window into players as they begin to prepare for 2019. While the playoffs are a small sample, any chance to see players facing top talent from other teams, over and over, still has value for […]

A's Pick Up Fernando Rodney's Option

The Oakland Athletics exercised relief pitcher Fernando Rodney's $4.25 million option for the 2019 season on Wednesday. Rodney had a 3.36 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 70 K's in 64 1/3 innings over 68 outings in 2018. All 25 of his saves came with the Twins before being traded to Oakland at the trade deadline. Walks […]

Athletics Want To Keep Jed Lowrie

The Oakland Athletics want to re-sign impending free-agent second baseman Jed Lowrie and are expected to make him an offer, according to sources. The 35-year-old was an All-Star and hit a career-high 23 home runs last season. He has averaged 155 games and an .804 OPS the last two years. If the A's do indeed […]

A's Reach Extensions With Bob Melvin, Billy Beane, David Forst

The Oakland Athletics gave multi-year contract extensions to vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane, general manager David Forst and manager Bob Melvin on Monday. Melvin's deal will run through the 2021 season and will make him one of the top five highest paid managers at roughly $3.5 million per year. Forst's extension is for […]

Biggest Risers of 2018 - WHIP

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! One of the main sabermetric stats for measuring pitchers’ success is walks/hits per inning pitched (WHIP). Walks and hits directly translate to fewer points in fantasy, so the lower the WHIP […]

Barrel Leaders - Statcast 2018 Year-In-Review

The 2018 MLB season was full of memorable moments and rife with power. It's unexpected to see that there was a noticeable dip in power numbers, despite the 5,585 home runs hit by Major League players. In 2017, that figure was up at 6,105 HR. Homers make the highlight reels but don't tell the whole story […]

Breakouts and Gems - 2018 MLB Waiver Wire Stars

Stars and Scrubs. Balanced approach. Regardless of the method chosen during drafts to fill your roster, your team likely needed more to get to the championship matchup or top of the standings. The skilled managers were ones who were able to discover players who would eventually break out. Every year there will be players that […]

Matt Chapman Undergoes Thumb Surgery

Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman (thumb) underwent successful left thumb surgery on Tuesday, and it was performed by Dr. Steven Shin. Chapman had an ulnar sided sesamoid bone excision along the left thumb. Shin was happy with the outcome and expects Chapman to make a full recovery prior to the start of spring training. […]

2018 RotoBaller MLB Challenge - And The Fantrax Winner Is...

What a season, RotoBallers. Fantasy baseball is always a fun, interesting, and long season - filled with injuries, breakout players, and different strategies. It takes stamina and endurance to win the six month marathon, and we're here today to recognize those who pulled it off. With 480 teams competing to be crowned champ of the […]

Bob Melvin Expected To Receive Contract Extension

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin, a Manager of the Year candidate, is expected to receive a contract extension in the offseason. General manager David Forst and front-office man Billy Beane have also earned extensions with their current contracts up after the 2019 season. After three straight losing seasons, Melvin managed the A's to an excellent […]

James Kaprielian Throwing In Instructional League

Oakland Athletics general manager David Forst said that pitching prospect James Kaprielian (elbow, shoulder) is throwing in an instructional league game on Friday. The right-hander had Tommy John surgery last April and then developed shoulder problems. He hasn't pitched since 2016 with High-A Tampa. Kaprielian is the team's No. 9 prospect, but he has quite […]

Jesus Luzardo Will Have Chance To Earn Rotation Spot

Oakland Athletics general manager David Forst said pitching prospect Jesus Luzardo will be in the mix for a starting job in spring training next year. Luzardo is the team's top prospect and ranks as baseball's No. 12 prospect overall. The left-hander had a 2.88 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and excellent 10.6 K/9 over 23 starts (109 […]

Arizona Fall League Preview - Prospects to Watch

As October baseball begins, fantasy fanatics shift their attention to the next season, which means diving into prospects and performances. Luckily for fantasy players, the Arizona Fall League (AFL) offers the perfect chance to check-out top prospects, and how they look against other high profile players. While many of these names are a year or […]

Nick Martini Leading Off In Wild-Card Game

Oakland Athletics outfielder Nick Martini is starting in left field and hitting leadoff in the wild-card game on Wednesday against Yankees starter Luis Severino. Martini has been good for the A's this year in just 152 at-bats, hitting .296/.397/.414. However, he had just one homer and 19 RBI, limiting his fantasy impact in counting stats. […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (10/3/18-10/4/18): MLB DFS Lineups

We're back on a two game slate with one game tonight and one game tomorrow. The game tonight is a "win and in" Wildcard game, while the game tomorrow is the first game of the Atlanta/Los Angeles series. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on […]

Mike Fiers Won't Be On Wild-Card Roster

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Mike Fiers won't be on the roster for the wild-card game against the Yankees on Wednesday. Edwin Jackson will be the lone starter available in the event the game goes into extra innings. The A's will use Liam Hendriks as a one- or two-inning opener against the Yankees, and the team […]

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (10/3/18): MLB DFS Lineups

For whatever the reason, FanDuel is only running a one game slate, rather than combining today's game with tomorrow's Atlanta - Los Angeles game. So, what we have to work with here is just the contest between the visiting Athletics and host Yankees tonight in the Bronx. The Athletics - adopting from the Tampa Bay […]

Liam Hendriks To Open Up Wild-Card Game

Oakland Athletics pitcher Liam Hendriks will serve as the "starter" in the wild-card game against the Yankees on Wednesday. Hendriks has taken well to the role of opener in eight starts this year, although he has a 4.13 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in his 25 outings (24 innings) for the A's this year. Hendriks is […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (10/2/18-10/3/18): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

We're onto the Wildcard games! Is there anything better than postseason baseball? I can personally think of a few things, but not many! There are two games - one tonight and one Wednesday. I'll be outlining players from both games, as that is the slate we will be attacking! In this article, I will be […]

Matt Olson is Out of the Lineup on Saturday

Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Olson will get a breather against the left-handed starter. Chad Pinder will draw the start at first base and bat eighth versus lefty Tyler Skaggs. Pinder is hitting .333/.412/.733 over the last two weeks, […]

Start/Sit Matchups - Starting Pitchers (9/24 - 9/30)

Welcome back, RotoBallers. For those of you still playing - we're here to try and help with your  lineup decisions, and of course bring him those championship trophies! I'm filling in for the regular @Roto_Dubs this week, as he has "real life" stuff to attend to. For those who aren't familiar, this is our fifth year now […]

Fantasy Baseball: #2EarlyMock, Rounds 11 - 20

As I mentioned last week, I'm one of more than 100 fantasy analysts participating in this year's #2EarlyMock. It’s been a fun way to run out the clock on a 2018 season that has been forgettable for me in terms of both my personal fantasy performance and the IRL collapse of my preferred team. As […]

Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 27

Happy end of the baseball season! While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire in Week 27. One-inning middle relievers are the constant sources for holds and specialists can manage to secure a hold even with one out. […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (9/28/18): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

The final Friday of the regular season - I can't believe we're really here. The seasons always seems to fly by, but this one in particular seemed lightning quick. Anywho, we have a lovely 13 game Main slate on deck for tonight with a handful of intriguing pitching options. In this article, I will be […]

Champ or Chump: Joey Votto and Christian Yelich

When fantasy owners invest an early draft pick in a player, they generally assume that the player in question is a lock to put up excellent fantasy stats. Joey Votto has been a model of consistency throughout his career, slashing .320/.454/.578 with 36 bombs in 2017. Unfortunately, he only produced 12 HR for his owners […]