MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/8) - Darvish Deals, Gallo Still Mashing

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 […]

Logan Webb Working On Off-speed Pitches

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb was told that he needed to focus on throwing his off-speed pitches for strikes more frequently this spring, per Mercury News' Kerry Crowley. Webb did a good job of that in Monday's 2-2- tie against the Diamondbacks, pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Webb said all three […]

Joey Bart has Two Hits Including a Home Run

San Francisco Giants rookie catcher Joey Bart faces stiff competition for playing time thanks to the presence of Buster Posey but he's off to a strong start this spring. The young backstop went 2-for-3 with a home run on Sunday. He's now 6-for-8 (.625) in the early going. The homer was his first extra-base hit […]

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 […]

Heliot Ramos Slugs Two Homers

San Francisco Giants outfield prospect Heliot Ramos flexed his muscles on Sunday with two home runs in a 9-4 win over the Reds. The club has taken a long look at the 21-year-old so far this spring and he's 5-for-12 in five games. Consistent contact has been a challenge for the former 19th-overall draft pick […]

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, […]

2021 Relief Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We continue to move past the chaos of 2020 and onto a new baseball season full of promise. For fantasy baseball managers, draft season is already upon us. RotoBaller's rankers, Pierre Camus, Big Pick Nick Mariano, Ariel Cohen and I have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings as we now move on to evaluate the […]

Evan Longoria Plates Three In Spring Training Debut

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria got his first spring training action at designated hitter in Saturday's game against the Royals. The 35-year-old went 1-for-2 with a three-run double in the third inning of the game. Longoria is being slow-played on defense because of plantar fasciitis, which he has dealt with in the past, […]

Johnny Cueto Has Strong Spring Training Debut Saturday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto looked great in his Cactus League debut Saturday, pitching two shutout innings with four strikeouts against the Royals. Cueto touched 94 MPH with his fastball and showcased his signature changeup. The 35-year-old has not had a solid, healthy season since 2016, but the Giants will need him to […]

Jose Alvarez Joins Giants Bullpen Mix

Left-handed reliever Jose Alvarez and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for the 2022 campaign. Alvarez has combined to produce a 3.32 ERA over the past six seasons, which he has spent with the Angels and Phillies. Utilized primarily as a left-handed specialist, he has held same-side […]

Nick Mariano's 2021 Late-Round Fliers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Howdy, RotoBallers! I hope you're ready to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy. We’re here to dig a little deeper into the draft room and look for players that would be wise to take a flier on in the late rounds. 2021 might […]

Nick Mariano's 2021 Draft Sleepers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Sleeper has started to lose its meaning in fantasy sports, becoming an SEO must for articles despite no real consensus on what it means. So let's get my definition out of the way first. Sleepers are not necessarily meant to be names that no one […]

Starting Pitcher Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

As the 2021 MLB season approaches, it's a good time to take stock of the dynasty landscape. We've examined hitters at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and outfield. Now it's time to dive into the player pool for starting pitchers. Starters are increasingly difficult to project long-term with the steadily-increasing limitations being placed on […]

Jaylin Davis Dealing With Knee Soreness

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jaylin Davis (knee) is currently dealing with knee soreness. However, he ran the bases on Thursday and has a good chance to return to the lineup in the next couple days. The 26-year-old Davis has played just 21 games in the majors since making his debut in 2019. Over that stretch, […]

Austin Slater Dealing With Hamstring Soreness

San Francisco Giants outfielder Austin Slater (hamstring) left the team's first spring training game due to hamstring soreness. He is still dealing with the soreness, according to Giants manager Gabe Kapler. He only saw one at-bat in the team's spring opener before he was lifted. He started the game at designated hitter, batting sixth. Slater […]

Evan Longoria Could Make Spring Debut On Saturday

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria has been eased into action along with fellow veterans on the team so far this spring. However, Giants manager Gabe Kapler recently suggested that Longoria could see his first spring action on Saturday. Longoria had a quietly decent year in 2020. He slashed .254/.297/.425 with seven home runs, […]

Top 10 First Basemen - Dynasty Prospect Rankings

If you’re hunting for an impact bat for your fantasy baseball team, first base is often a good place to find a strong offensive contributor. In 2019, the last full season, 25 out of 37 first basemen with a minimum of 350 plate appearances had a 100 wRC+ or better. Of those, 13 players topped […]

2021 Keeper Value Rankings - First Base

Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing. There […]

Lineup Takeaways - An Early Look at Spring Training Trends

As many of you know, tracking lineups is what I am all in on this 2021 season and with it comes an influx of data and information right away. Going forward, a weekly article will occur - especially as we get into more tangible information and data. However, I wanted to get ahead of the […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: FIP/xFIP

The first advanced pitching stat most fantasy owners encounter is FIP. FIP stands for Fielding Independent Pitching, and attempts to measure a pitcher's actual skill instead of the effects of luck or his supporting cast. According to the DIPS theory, pitchers control only Ks, BBs, and home runs allowed. Therefore, Ks, walks, and dingers are […]

Jason Vosler Impressing Giants At Spring Training

San Francisco Giants third baseman Jason Vosler may have a path to a role in the big leagues this season, per NBC Sports' Alex Pavlovic. Vosler, who has spent his career in the minors, signed a big league deal with the Giants in November. The 27-year-old went 2-for-3 with two doubles, one off of Walker […]

Jose Alvarez Closing In On Deal With Giants

Free-agent left-handed reliever Jose Alvarez is closing in on a deal with the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. Alvarez, who will turn 32 years old in May, debuted with the Detroit Tigers in 2013 and has also pitched for the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. Alvarez has a subpar career strikeout percentage of […]

Top 10 Catchers - Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Catchers perform a mostly thankless job as one of the hardest-working players on the baseball diamond day in and day out. The catcher is also one of the least sought-after players in a fantasy baseball draft although there have been catchers who, in their prime, were worthy of a significant investment such as Mike Piazza, […]

Does Pitch Arsenal Really Matter?

In my research over the last couple of months, I have been paying close attention to the pitch mix of each pitcher I study. This means I want to know how many different pitches they can throw and how they distribute those different offerings. It seemed logical to me that pitchers with more pitches in […]

Is J.T. Realmuto Worth the Draft Cost?

Every year, there seems to be one catcher who stands above all others when it comes to fantasy value and consequently draft price. In 2017, it was Gary Sanchez. In 2018, Salvador Perez. After the 2019 and 2020 seasons, J.T. Realmuto has clearly emerged as the top backstop in fantasy. Catcher is one of the […]

2021 Third Base Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

We continue to move past the chaos of 2020 and onto a new baseball season full of promise. For fantasy baseball managers, draft season is already upon us. RotoBaller's rankers, Pierre Camus, Big Pick Nick Mariano, and I have updated our 2021 Mixed League rankings as we now move on to evaluate the hot corner. […]

Scott Kazmir, Giants Reach Minor League Deal Tuesday

The San Francisco Giants and veteran left-handed pitcher Scott Kazmir have agreed to a Minor League deal with an invitation to big league camp, per ESPN's Buster Olney. The 37-year-old has not pitched since 2016, but reportedly threw up to 93 MPH in his latest bullpen session. Kazmir owns a career 4.01 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, […]

2021 Shortstop Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

Once upon a time, shortstop was one of the toughest positions to fill in fantasy baseball, just a small notch above catcher. 10 years ago, we were prioritizing Troy Tulowitzki and Hanley Ramirez near the top of drafts just because they filled that elusive shortstop spot. Sure, they were fantastic hitters – when healthy – […]

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 3)

Welcome back RotoBallers to Part 3 of my dynasty prospects list, breaking down the 1-50 ranked prospects. You can also read Part 1 and Part 2 from a few days ago, looking at the 51-150 and 151-250 ranked prospects. RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has […]