Why You Should Target Injury-Prone Pitchers (Sometimes)

To some fantasy owners, there’s nothing more frustrating than the good but oft-injured starting pitcher. It makes owners just want to wash their hands entirely of pitchers like Rich Hill, James Paxton, and Stephen Strasburg in favor of sub-par innings-eaters and often pushes these fragile hurlers down draft boards. However, in certain league formats, targeting these […]

Man vs. Machine: Nick Mariano and THE BAT's Undervalued and Overvalued Players

What do I, Nick Mariano, have in common with great minds such as Ken Jennings, Gary Kasparov, and Lee Sedot? Before, I wouldn’t have had an answer, but now I can say that we’ve all had the honor of challenging incredible Artificial Intelligence minds! Nevermind that those other three guys got crushed in their “Man […]

Three Pitchers Vying For Two Bullpen Spots

The Texas Rangers are still deciding between relief pitchers Kyle Bird, Connor Sadzeck and Adrian Sampson for their final two spots for an eight-man bullpen. The team also could acquire an arm from outside of the organization, too. Beat writer Jared Sandler considers Bird to have a leg up, as the team would then be […]

Zach McAllister Released By The Rangers

The Texas Rangers granted pitcher Zach McAllister his unconditionally release on Monday. The 31-year-old right-hander will try and catch on with another organization, but it's highly unlikely he'll have a very meaningful role. He hasn't been a regular part of a rotation since 2014 with the Cleveland Indians. If he finds work elsewhere, it's likely […]

Sophomores Who Have Fallen Between the Cracks?

Baseball prospects and rookies get covered extensively around baseball, whether we’re referring to just fantasy baseball or the sport in general. What we don’t do overly well, is cover the players that fall between the cracks. What I mean by that is the players that play long enough to lose their rookie eligibility but not […]

Updated Third Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

We are continuing our updated analysis of points league tiered rankings with the hot corner. Third base has a treasure trove of fantasy stars in the making, if things break right of course. If you are relatively new to points leagues, you need to pay close attention to the difference between these rankings and that […]

Updated Outfield Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

As we enter the final stretch for drafting it is time to take a look at the latest iteration of points leagues rankings from our amazing hard working rankings staff. Starting with the outfield is always fun because there is so much depth at the position, especially if you only require three of them, as […]

Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We're back up on the bump for this edition of our mixed rankings analysis, and not a moment too soon. The 2019 baseball season is already here! RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel want to make sure you are prepared for last-minute drafts, so they have given their […]

Finding Under and Overvalued 1B Using Expected Draft Values

We've been rolling out our Expected Draft Values series, starting with Nick Mariano's look yesterday into some undervalued players, and we followed it up this morning with Nick's look at overvalued players.  This afternoon, we're going to give you some undervalued and overvalued players at first base. As a quick primer, Expected Draft Value is the […]

Updated Second Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

Continuing on our points league tiered rankings analysis we move over to the keystone position. Second base has the deepest talent pool that it's seen in recent years as it’s full of elite bats at the top and high-upside youngsters in the lower tiers. With two games in the regular season already in the books, […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Busts - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As you get ready for last-minute drafts or reflect on recent results, we wanted to give our staff the chance to share their least favorite preseason ADP values. We recently polled some of our fantasy baseball writers to get their take on which hitters and pitchers they are likely to avoid in the early rounds of […]

Rick Lucks' Bold Predictions for 2019

Our series of Bold Predictions continue with my piece. I've had success with this exercise in the past, but last year was easily my worst performance to date. That said, I am traditionally one of the boldest authors on this series, and I think you'll agree that the predictions below will at least let me […]

March ADP Musings - Overvalued / Undervalued Relief Pitchers

If you've played fantasy baseball long enough, you've heard some variation of the phrase "don't pay for saves" before. If you're new to the fantasy baseball community, you'll get used to it soon enough. The long-form version, for those of you who are indeed trying out fantasy baseball for the first time, is this: bullpen […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As we get set for the 2019 MLB season, it's time for our crack staff to reveal their favorite preseason sleepers. We recently polled some of our fantasy baseball writers to get their take on which hitters and pitchers they are targeting the most in the mid-to-late rounds of fantasy drafts. While you've likely heard […]

Intro: Finding Undervalued Players Using Expected Draft Values

At RotoBaller, we are all about bringing you the best analysis in the fantasy sports universe. We’re proud to unveil a draft-season project that looks at the past 10 years of draft data to find undervalued and overvalued players based on Expected Draft Values.  This series introduction will briefly break down our methodology and then […]

Joey Gallo Homers In Minor League Game

Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo (groin) homered, grounded out and walked twice as the designated hitter in a Triple-A game on Friday after being sidelined since March 14 with a strained right groin. The left-handed slugger said he was pain-free and ran at about 80 percent. Gallo will continue to receive at-bats in minor league […]

Willie Calhoun Yet To Report To Triple-A

Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun was disappointed to learn he was optioned to Triple-A Nashville and has yet to report to the team. A player has 72 hours to report to a team, according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Calhoun still has a lot of potential at the major league level, but he's going to […]

Rookie Catchers that Could Help You in 2019

It’s not enough to just be overflowing with talent to have a good rookie season. You also need to have an opportunity. And $1 buys, or late-round selections likely won’t win you a championship on their own but most championship seasons in fantasy baseball need a little luck from those picks or a lucky waiver […]

Updated Shortstop Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

Our updated fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis rolls on with the shortstop position. With the 2019 MLB season technically underway in Japan, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel have given their rankings a final update. Check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard for a current list any time. Shortstop […]

Updated Outfielder Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with a look at the star-studded outfield position With the 2019 season beginning in a matter of days, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel have given their preseason rankings a final update. Check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard for a […]

Nate Green's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

Here at RotoBaller, we offer only the best, most factually-grounded fantasy analysis. Then, once a year, along comes everyone's favorite exercise: the Bold Predictions. Ah yes, wherein those of us who write analysis about a sabermetric-driven sport are encouraged to make the wildest guesses about the coming season in fantasy baseball. Some statistical basis ought […]

First Basemen Set To Break Out in 2019

First base is no longer the premier position it once was for fantasy baseball. Aging sluggers have not been replaced by all-around talents for the large part and it has left a massive gulf in quality. Part of the decline in hitting has been due to the demand to get better fielders at first base, […]

Hans Crouse Mixes Deception With Stuff

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Hans Crouse, the team's top prospect and No. 84 overall per MLB Pipeline, possesses a riding mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider. He also gets animated on the mound in order to disrupt hitters' timing at the plate. The 20-year-old right-hander posted a 2.47 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 in […]

Hunter Pence Makes Roster, Willie Calhoun Optioned

Texas Rangers outfielder Hunter Pence will be on the team's Opening Day roster as the fourth outfielder, while Willie Calhoun has been optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Calhoun still has a lot of upside, but as a left-handed hitter he was blocked by Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara and Shin-Soo Choo. Calhoun will attempt to increase his […]

Hunter Pence Could Earn Roster Spot

Texas Rangers veteran outfielder Hunter Pence is finally healthy and is on his way to earning an Opening Day roster spot for the rebuilding Rangers. The 35-year-old is hitting .356 (16-for-45) with three home runs, seven RBI and six stolen bases in 16 spring games as he tries to make the team. Pence rebuilt his […]

Updated Third Base Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We move to the left side on the infield now in our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the third base position. The 2019 baseball season is already here! RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel want to make sure you are prepared for last-minute drafts, so they have […]

Ellis Canady's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

Bold predictions. The time where we come up with ideas that should happen because in our minds they make sense. Statistical analysis, prognostication, voodoo, card reader, etc. None of these are completely certain methods to achieve the forecast that we have in mind. So, we put our idea to text, bury them in the digital […]

Joey Gallo Doing Full Baseball Activities

Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo is still sidelined with a strained right groin muscle, but he's doing full baseball activities, including batting practice, and remains confident he'll be ready for Opening Day. Gallo has only 29 spring at-bats, but he will be able to get extra work on the minor league side on the back […]

Updated Catcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with everyone's favorite - the catcher position. With the 2019 season beginning in a matter of days, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel have given their preseason rankings a final update. Check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard for a current […]

Willie Calhoun Likely To Open Season in Triple-A

Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun looks likely to open the season in Triple-A. The Rangers would ideally like to keep both Calhoun and fellow outfielder Hunter Pence around. However, to do that one will need to go to Triple-A, and Calhoun is the only one with options available. Calhoun has not helped himself by hitting […]