Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - Exit Velocity for Week 2

Welcome to this year's first iteration of Statcast Hitter Analysis. Each week, I will select a different metric to evaluate unexpected names at the top and bottom of the Statcast Leaderboards. Even if you aren't well-versed in Statcast, you know exit velocity. Even the crustiest of old-school baseball announcers have incorporated this term in his […]

Kevin Pillar Belts First Career Grand Slam

San Francisco Giants outfielder Kevin Pillar made the start in center field for Monday's game against the San Diego Padres and he belted his first career grand slam. It was his only hit in four at-bats. Perhaps the slam will help get him going, as he is still hitting just .111 (4-for-36) with no walks […]

Brandon Belt Makes Start In Left Field

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt made the start in left field to start Monday's game against the San Diego Padres. He is already the eighth different player to appear in the outfield this season for the Giants. He was making room at first base for new acquisition Tyler Austin. The good news for […]

Tyler Austin Makes Presence Felt In Debut

San Francisco Giants first baseman Tyler Austin made his team debut Monday night against the San Diego Padres, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored while batting out of the two-hole of manager Bruce Bochy's lineup. Austin showed some good pop last season in Minnesota, and the Giants apparently like him enough to […]

Gerardo Parra Fine After Hit By Pitch

San Francisco Giants outfielder Gerardo Parra has a cut on his lip but is otherwise fine and will be available on Tuesday after being hit in the face by a pitch in the loss to the Padres on Monday night. He was hitless in his lone plate appearance on the night and has just six […]

Tyler Austin Starting In Giants Debut

Merely hours after being acquired from the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants first baseman Tyler Austin will be immediately inserted into the club's starting lineup Monday as they face off with the San Diego Padres. Austin smacked 17 home runs and drove in 47 RBI in 69 games last season, but struck out 95 times in […]

Tyler Austin Traded To The Giants

Minnesota Twins outfielder Tyler Austin was traded to the San Francisco Giants on Monday afternoon for outfield prospect Malique Ziegler. Austin - formerly a top prospect in the Yankees system - has struggled to find his footing in the big leagues since breaking in back in 2016. Austin has power-hitting potential, but he was blocked […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/9/19): MLB DFS Lineups

For Tuesday's slate of Major League Baseball games, I'll focus on the evening contests (first pitch of 7:05 PM EST and later). Be sure to double-check the weather and the lineups before finalizing your roster. Precipitation won't be a huge issue across Major League Baseball on Tuesday, but the winds will be kicking up in […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (4/9/19): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

What's up RotoBallers! Welcome back to another fun-filled Tuesday of DFS action and our daily fantasy baseball analysis. There is plenty of action tonight with almost a full slate of games as 28 teams are in action. Three of the 14 games are afternoon contests while eight of the contests will get underway between 6:30 […]

Evan Longoria Struggles Against His Former Team

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria managed just one hit across 13 at-bats with four strikeouts in three games against the Tampa Bay Rays, his former team. The struggles continue for Longoria, as he has managed just one homer all season, and he has just one extra-base hit (a double) across the past nine […]

Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2

Managers continue to dig through the waiver wire at alarming rates for a season that just begun. Try not to overreact and make rash decisions. Trust in your draft strategy and the players you drafted. Give them time to get into a groove, which should be more than a single week. While there hasn’t been […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2

Being only a week and a half into the season, drastic measures are to be avoided. None of us are happy with Yu Darvish right now, for example, but kicking him to the curb after two starts amounts to fantasy malpractice in most situations. That doesn't mean you can't tinker on the edges, which is […]

Points Leagues Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 2

Happy baseball season to all our diamond-dwelling RotoBallers! For the past five months, we’ve settled for pass interferences, technical fouls and busted brackets but now it’s time to pull up our stirrups for summer’s pastime. One week into the season, the clouds of Opening Day fireworks are starting to subside, and it’s time to begin […]

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers for Week 2

Week 1 is almost in the books. We've seen some great pitching performances this week, while also watching a few guys still get the kinks worked out of their system. Now with a week of playing time that actually matters, we can get a better idea of what to expect from the two-start pitchers in […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/8/19): MLB DFS Lineups

For Monday's slate of Major League Baseball games, I'll focus on the evening contests (first pitch of 7:05 PM EST and later). Be sure to double-check the weather and the lineups before finalizing your roster. The only weather trouble spot on Monday's slate will be the battle between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco […]

MLB DFS Prop Picks for 4/8/19 - Monkey Knife Fight

A new week starts and while hockey and pro basketball are taking a break, baseball season is going to keep chugging along, with a 10-game schedule. There are a couple of thoughts based on early-season results. One, don’t get too hyped about one or two good performances. This applies particularly to starting pitchers, especially those […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 1 Waiver Wire

Welcome back, baseball. We missed you. Your offseason was mostly boring, so here's hoping you make up for it with a great season. So far, you're off to a good start. Okay, enough. Closers and Saves Report is back for another year of looking over all of the important bullpen news of the week. With […]

Top Prospect News For Week 1

Baseball is back! Opening Day of the 2019 MLB slate came and went last week, but now we have the start of the minor league season to look forward to this week. Fantasy owners, especially those in dynasty/keeper leagues, are always looking for the next young stud prospect that might be a difference-maker at the […]

MLB DFS Prop Picks for 4/5/19 - Monkey Knife Fight

Early in the baseball season, there are lots of trends to track as you try to find the best value plays on Monkey Knife Fight. One of the factors to keep in mind is that we are still dealing with very small samples right now. So, even if players like Mookie Betts and Charlie Blackmon […]

NL-Only Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 1

Every week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to […]

Kevin Pillar Could Start In Right Field For San Francisco

Newly acquired San Francisco Giants outfielder Kevin Pillar will likely start in right field on Wednesday, reports Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Pillar was acquired from Toronto for infielder Alen Hanson, relief pitcher Derek Law and prospect Juan DePaula. At 30, Pillar has always been known for his defensive prowess but from a fantasy perspective, he's fit […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/2/19): MLB DFS Lineups

For Tuesday's slate of Major League Baseball games, DraftKings has contests open for games with first pitch of 7:05 PM EST and later. Be sure to double-check the weather and the lineups before finalizing your roster. Light rain is in the forecast for game time in D.C. for the Phillies-Nationals series opener. If the game […]

Giants Acquire Kevin Pillar

The San Francisco Giants acquired outfielder Kevin Pillar from the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday in exchange for infielder Alen Hanson, reliever Derek Law and pitching prospect Juan DePaula. The 30-year-old Pillar is an elite defender, but his fantasy value in NL-only leagues will fall moving from a hitter's paradise to the pitching-friendly environment in […]

Fantasy Exam Room: RotoBaller & Inside Injuries

In our new weekly feature in collaboration with Inside Injuries, we take a comprehensive look into major injuries and their Fantasy implications. The medical team at Inside Injuries breaks down each player’s outlook from physical perspectives. RotoBaller then provides in-depth fantasy recommendations based on the impact of every injury breakdown. It’s an unrivaled combination of […]

Will Smith Nails Down His Second Save

San Francisco Giants closer Will Smith worked two scoreless innings with a walk and two strikeouts in the ninth inning on Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers for his second save of the season. Smith has converted each of his first two save attempts while striking out four batters in two innings and he […]

Brandon Belt Connects For First Home Run

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt finished 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and three RBI in Monday's 4-2 road victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Belt connected for a solo home run against relief pitcher Joe Kelly in the sixth inning, as the Dodgers RP had a forgettable showing. Belt had […]

Evan Longoria Takes Collar In His Return

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria (calf) returned to the lineup for Monday's road game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished hitless in four at-bats with a strikeout. It wasn't the start fantasy owners and DFS players were hoping for, but at least he made it back after a one-game absence and was […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/3/19): MLB DFS Lineups

This is an extremely odd slate for the day. There are 14 total games, but DraftKings currently has two five game slates. With that being said, they have a 14 game "All Day" slate, and I'll be writing up the plays for that slate. That way, we get a few plays from every slate. In […]

Updated Week 1 Start/Sit Matchups - Starting Pitchers

Opening Day is finally here! Welcome back everyone to our starts/sits column for Week 1. We are back again this year with our weekly starting pitcher matchups and recommendations. In case you missed it, this is our sixth year now writing this weekly column, helping fantasy baseball managers pick the best pitchers weekly. Below are […]

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers for Week 1

The 2019 season is officially underway! After months of preparing for drafts, now owners will turn their attention to finding the best values off the waiver wire. Owners looking for two-start pitchers in this first week of the season are going to have to dig their way through the back end of team's rotations. While […]