Shane Baz Wild But Effective in First Game

The Tampa Bay Rays are loaded with talented prospects and pitcher Shane Baz had a strong showing over the weekend to ensure he's not lost in the shuffle. The hard-throwing right-hander's fastball sat at 98 mph while he threw a shutout inning in his spring debut. His high-risk, high-reward profile was on full display with […]

Austin Meadows Hits Third Spring Home Run On Sunday

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows has been raking this spring- and that continued in Sunday's loss to the Twins. Meadows went 1-for-3 with a solo home run- which traveled at an exit velocity of 108.8 MPH- his third home run in four games to go along with four runs scored and two walks in […]

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 […]

Brandon Lowe Delivers First Hit Of Spring On Sunday

Tampa Bay Rays infielder/outfielder Brandon Lowe went 1-for-3 with one hit, a run scored, and a strikeout in Sunday's loss to the Twins. Lowe had gone hitless in his previous seven plate appearances before today's game, so it was nice to see him deliver in the hit column, even though it is just spring training. […]

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 […]

Top 10 Second Basemen - Dynasty Prospect Rankings

Finding a quality second baseman in fantasy baseball is no easy task. In 2019, 16 second basemen posted a 100 wRC+ or better. However, only six managed at least a 120 wRC+ (one of whom got caught for illegal substances). The numbers were fairly similar in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The position has seen some […]

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 […]

Chris Archer Nears Return To Game Action

Tampa Bay Rays right-handed pitcher Chris Archer has come out of an intrasquad/sim contest healthy, with manager Kevin Cash impressed by the spin of his slider, speculating that Archer could be back on the mound Friday. A fascinating fantasy asset on the heels of having undergone surgery to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome, Archer's highest level […]

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 Early-Round Overvalued List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) are almost all about finding the next superstar and unearthing talent late, but we can't forget that surrendering value by over-drafting can be just as crucial. In order to evaluate overvalued players here, we're going to utilize Average […]

KC Bubba's 2021 Best Ball Draft Avoids (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The fantasy baseball season is here! For those fantasy players looking to get an edge on their 2021 leagues, Best Ball formats are a great way to get a head start on the competition. By jumping in best ball leagues, fantasy players can get […]

2021 Dynasty Leagues: Top Trade Targets (Premium Content)

While redraft owners prepare for draft day, dynasty owners are scouring the trade market. The weeks preceding spring training are optimal to take a chance on young players who have yet to peak or may have question marks surrounding them. Not all buy-low scenarios will pan out as expected, but when playing the long game, […]

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 […]

ADP Cost Analysis: Luis Robert vs. Austin Meadows

It's finally March and we're now in the thick of fantasy baseball draft season! This means that it's time to look closely at ADP to determine if there are players with similar skillsets but different draft costs, allowing you to maximize value with your draft picks. In this article, we'll take a look at two […]

Nick Mariano's Auction Draft Strategies and Tips (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. We applaud you and your league for playing in the more entertaining format that is auction-based fantasy baseball. This is not a 101-level "how-to" guide, you'll need to know how to click "Bid" and whatnot. But I want to help you go from the […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/4) - Realmuto Nearing Return

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games. […]

Over/Undervalued Fantasy Baseball Players with Vlad Sedler: The Operating Room Ep. 22

Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) and Vlad Sedler (@RotoGut) of FantasyGuru discuss opportunities presented to managers in the 2021 Fantasy Baseball season. Vlad, a seasoned high-stakes NFBC participant/winner, and creator of VDP, is a veteran of the industry who has formed his strategy over the years to a low-risk, high-reward system. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller […]

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 […]

Wander Franco Tags First Spring Home Run

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball entering the 2021 season, hit a towering home run in Grapefruit League play on Wednesday just two days after turning 20 years old. The switch-hitting prospect had gone hitless in his first five spring at-bats before going deep off Pirates right-hander Miguel […]

Roster Construction Strategies from the End

Drafting a great roster is the vital base for a successful fantasy baseball season. All draft spots are not created equal. There are pros and cons for all of them. You'll find that everyone has their own preference on the best spot to start the draft. The purpose of this article series is to get […]

Second Base Rankings, Russell Wilson Trade Talk - The King and Pocket Aces Episode 4

In this episode of The King and Pockets Aces, RotoBaller's Scott "The King" Engel and Anthony "Pocket Aces" Aniano share their highly charged Fantasy insights. They look at the latest and upcoming NFL player moves, the Hot Stove headlines, provide Fantasy Basketball player breakdowns, and ready you for the DFS NASCAR season with strategy tips. […]

Tyler Glasnow Unveils Cutter-Slider Hybrid

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow showed off his new breaking pitch and his familiar fastball velocity in his spring debut against the Twins on Monday. He blew away Minnesota with a 10-pitch first inning but allowed two runs on two hits (one homer) with three walks and three strikeouts in his 1 2/3 […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/2): Glasnow Struggles, Taillon and Chapman Return

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We've finally made it to (real?) baseball games. […]

NL Outfielders - Draft Avoids for 2021

MLB players have reported for Spring Training and plenty of big offseason moves have taken place; it's beginning to feel a lot like baseball season! Big-league players are not the only ones getting ready for the start of the season at this time, though. Fantasy players are now putting the work in to prepare for […]

Jon Anderson's Shortstop Tiered Rankings and Projections

I am on to shortstop in my position-by-position tiered rankings. Check out the rest of the series at the links below: First Base Second Base Third Base This is quite a different position than what we've seen so far with first and second base. There are four studs at the position, and lots and lots […]

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 […]

Emmanuel Clase (RP, CLE) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 400 CURRENT ADP: ~447 overall ANALYSIS: A suspension wiped out his 2020 season but it only serves to make him an even better value in 2021. With Brad Hand gone, there's a good chance Clase gets at least a handful of saves even if he doesn't win the job outright. The question is […]

Jon Anderson's Third Base Tiered Rankings and Projections

Welcome back to my own personal rankings series! Today we're covering third base, but you can check out the rest of the series at the links below: First Base Second Base Shortstop Third base may be the deepest position in terms of total statistical production that will come out of it, but that does not […]

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 […]

Kevin Cash Raving About Austin Meadows

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash continues to rave about outfielder Austin Meadows and how he looks really good after dropping weight in the offseason. Meadows played in only 36 games last year while dealing with COVID-19 and a Grade 2 oblique strain, but the 25-year-old broke out in his last full season in 2019 […]