Question Marks Remain Over Ronald Guzman's Availability
Texas Rangers first baseman Ronald Guzman (knee) remains a question mark for Texas with Opening Day a little over a week away. However, there is optimism that Guzman could be back in the lineup as soon as Wednesday, suggesting that without a set back he will be active come the start of the season. Guzman […]
Joey Gallo Confident of Making Opening Day
Texas Rangers first baseman/outfielder Joey Gallo (groin) is confident of being on the field on Opening Day. Gallo suffered a mild groin strain over the weekend, but has stated on numerous occasions since that if this was the regular season he would be out on the field for the Rangers. This spring Gallo has been […]
Isiah Kiner-Falefa Will Be One of Rangers Two Catchers
Texas Rangers catcher and utility infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa will remain with the Rangers once they head home following spring training. On Tuesday, fellow catchers Jet Bandy and Jose Trevino were optioned to minor league camp, leaving Kiner-Falefa as just one of two catchers remaining in big league camp. However, it looks as though initially Kiner-Falefa […]
Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 13 - Statcast for Pitchers
Previously, we looked at Barrels, a stat combining exit velocity and launch angle to measure how often a batter makes quality hard contact. As much as batters want to hit a Barrel every time, pitchers want to avoid them at all costs. Yet there is some evidence that pitchers do not have the same influence […]
Jon Denzler's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019
With official regular season games on the horizon, there is one last tradition to the fantasy offseason: bold predictions. Those articles that will populate our sites, and others, with the predictions of what might happen during the upcoming campaign. And yet, it is baseball, and as the Moneyball quote says, “You still have to play […]
Updated Second Base Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)
We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. With the 2019 season kicking off 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 list […]
Updated First Base Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)
The clock ticks ever closer to Opening Day and we here at RotoBaller are back to give one final round of position-by-position analysis with a mixed-league, 5x5 framework. We’re going to start at the most glorious position on the field: first base. No, I didn’t play first myself, why do you ask? While there are […]
Dave Emerick's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019
I'll openly acknowledge that I don't really do bold predictions. I sit, read, think, and then watch the players play. If I see something, maybe I'll write an article. But in the spirit of fun, I've put together my own version of 10 Bold Predictions that will definitely, almost probably come to pass.Be sure to […]
ADP Draft Sleepers Tool - Quickly Find Draft Day Gems
RotoBaller Premium Subscribers can click here to access the ADP Draft Sleepers Tool. RotoBaller’s ADP Draft Sleepers Tool is a powerful yet simple tool that can help you unearth fantasy baseball gems on draft day. It's a sleek tool that's easy to use, and will have a huge effect on your draft selections and help you […]
Dynasty Buy or Sell - Catchers, First Base, Second Base
As the season continues to drag closer, fantasy baseball owners are waiting, or willing, to make that first move of the year. For dynasty owners, this means trading talent for future assets or plugging those gaps that currently exist on teams hoping to compete. And yet, the other concern for owners is what players are […]
Pierre Camus' 10 Bold Predictions for 2019
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." If only that were the case in fantasy sports... Other than tampering with the fabric of time-space, which is a bad idea (ask Marty McFly), we just don't know what the future really holds. We can predict whatever we want, but that doesn't mean […]
Top 690: Updated H2H Points League Rankings
Welcome back RotoBallers. Spring training is in full swing, and we couldn't be more excited for fantasy baseball drafts and the approaching MLB season. Below you will find our staff's updated fantasy baseball points league rankings (top 690) for head-to-head points formats. Be sure to also check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard and bookmark that page. It's loaded […]
Top 770: Updated 5x5 Roto Rankings (Mixed Leagues)
Welcome back RotoBallers. Spring training is in full swing, and we couldn't be more excited for fantasy baseball drafts and the approaching MLB season. Below you will find our staff's updated fantasy baseball mixed league rankings (top 770) for 5x5 category mixed roto formats. Be sure to also check out our fantasy baseball rankings dashboard and bookmark that page. […]
Hot September Hitters Ready to Break Out in 2019
September can be a weird month for fantasy baseball. More often than not there are only a handful of owners really fully focused at that stage. Unfortunately by that stage of the season no matter what your league rules at least a couple of owners will be out of contention and their focus will have […]
Breakout Relievers Who'll Keep Succeeding in 2019
"Don't pay for saves." That has always been the advice repeated ad nauseum by veteran fantasy baseball players and while that sentiment is true on the surface, dealing with bullpens in fantasy baseball is a lot murkier in 2019 than it was in 2009. With specialized pitching roles leading to starters being left in the game […]
Nick Mariano's 10 Bold Predictions for 2019
2018 was a banner season for baseball's Marianos, as Mariano Rivera was headed full steam ahead towards a unanimous Hall of Fame entry and yours truly was cruising with the most accurate fantasy baseball ranks of the season per FantasyPros, unbeknownst to me until recently. I'm still riding high off of that and you're all […]
One Dollar Bids - Auction Draft Targets
Auction drafts are an interesting animal. This especially comes through at the end of drafts. In a snake draft, that sleeper you really wanted may get picked just before your turn, but if he does get to your spot, he's yours. In an auction draft, someone you had tabbed as a $1 sleeper can be […]
Predicting the Top 10 Home Run Hitters of 2019
Last year 14 players hit over 35 or more home runs; the year before that it was 18. The point is, narrowing such an impressive pool of players down to 10 is challenging. The list is realistic but I wanted to be slightly bold as well. It wouldn’t be much of a prediction if we […]
2018 Breakout Infielders Due for Regression in 2019
Nothing sinks a fantasy season quite like a bust, and the last thing we want to do as fantasy owners is deal with one of those headaches all season. Last year players like Brian Dozier, Marcell Ozuna, and Jonathan Schoop drove us mad, The goal of this article is to identify an infielder at every […]
Nick Mariano's Early-Round Avoids in H2H Points Leagues (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. There's insight out there for most anything, but coverage of points leagues […]
Nick Mariano's Players to Target in H2H Points Leagues (Premium Content)
All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) usually cater to the biggest stars or the deepest sleepers, but there are very few articles that simply discuss the mid-round targets that deserve a boost in points league formats (even if points veterans will laugh at some […]
The Winning Way to Draft Relief Pitchers
We've gone through each division, team by team. We've talked about the top setup men you should know about this season. We've looked at handcuffs and which closers you should have a backup for on draft day. It's a lot of information, but how does it apply to your league? Most people play in standard 5x5 […]
Spring Training Notes from the Field - Early Reactions
Finally, baseball is back. There might be no better feeling than being able to turn on the television and see a live game, even if it does not count for anything in the win column. While some of the players are new to fans, and some players even lack names on their jerseys, the energy […]
RotoBaller H2H Draft Strategy Primer
Fantasy baseball, much like the sport itself, it is one of the more complex to follow closely. Compared to fantasy football, in which nearly every league was head-to-head before the advent of best-ball, fantasy baseball comes in a variety of formats. Many leagues are roto-style, 5x5 category-scoring, with cumulative season-long stats. While that is the […]
Infielder Busts Who’ll Keep Junking It Up in 2019
Every year in fantasy baseball we do our best to try and avoid the players who are going to be a big-time disappointment on our rosters. It’s the purpose of most preseason articles to sift through the vast array of major-league talent and try and pick out who will repeat, rebound, or regress. The “sleeper” […]
Top 10 Dynasty Third Base Prospects
Taking a look at the top third base prospects in dynasty, you can split the list into two categories: Vladimir Guerrero Jr and everyone else. Clearly, Guerrero is the most exciting prospect in fantasy right now after his monster 2018 campaign where he hit .381 with 20 home runs and a 1.073 OPS over 408 […]
ADP Champ or Chump - Nathan Eovaldi and Dallas Keuchel
Somewhere Dallas Keuchel is looking at Nathan Eovaldi’s four-year contract for $67.5 million and is wondering how he remains unsigned. He might be having similar thoughts about Patrick Corbin’s six-year, $140 million contract, but at least Corbin will be 29 to start the season and is coming off a Cy Young-caliber season. By contrast, Keuchel […]
Jose Leclerc Signs Four-Year Extension
The Texas Rangers signed closer Jose Leclerc to a four-year, $14.75 million contract extension on Wednesday, according to sources. The deal includes two team options worth an extra $12.25 million. Leclerc was easily the Rangers best pitcher last year, going 2-3 with a 1.56 ERA and 0.85 WHIP to go with 85 strikeouts in 57 […]
Later-Round Outfielders - Targets and Avoids
Once you reach the later rounds of drafts, you start thinking about upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. These are the rounds to take risks on more unknown commodities like prospects, forgotten-about veterans, players returning from injuries or players that have previously showed promise but haven't put it all together yet. […]
ADP Champ or Chump - Nelson Cruz and Shohei Ohtani
For fantasy managers, a player with only DH or Utility eligibility can be difficult to own because he creates lineup issues that limit flexibility. For the last decade, Nelson Cruz has been one of the most prolific hitters, and he’s shown few signs of slowing down, except for his shrinking defensive capability. Similarly, Shohei Ohtani […]