Matt Bush Adding a Third Pitch in Transition to Starter

The Texas Rangers are pushing pitcher Matt Bush to add a changeup into his repertoire as he continues to stretch out into a starter. Bush had previously relied on a blazing 95-100 mph fastball with an 80 mph curve mixed in to keep hitters honest. Successful two pitch starters are rare, and the push to […]

2017 Breakouts Due for Regression - Relief Pitchers

2017 was a great season for those who follow the "Don't Pay for Saves" strategy. Actually, it's more than a strategy, it's a lifestyle. Corey Knebel blossomed into an elite closer, Fernando Rodney almost matched his age in saves, Brandon Kintzler/Sean Doolittle/Brandon Maurer/Felipe Rivero/Brad Hand all had over 20 saves, and even Bud Norris was […]

Points Leagues Second Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued

Points leagues are less popular than the traditional rotisserie or head-to-head scoring formats. Consequently, most fantasy analysis is geared toward the latter styles. As anyone who’s played in a points league before knows, though, player values can be quite a bit different under those settings. All week, I’ll be offering my thoughts on potential points […]

Blue Jays Agree With Seung Hwan Oh

The Toronto Blue Jays agreed on a deal with free-agent relief pitcher Seung Hwan Oh on Sunday, pending a physical, according to sources. Oh was believed to have a deal with the Rangers earlier this month, but that was nixed when they found ligament damage in his right elbow. Oh's injury isn't believed to be […]

2018 Shortstops - Dynasty Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball dynasty rankings analysis with the first base position. RotoBaller writers Kyle Richardson, Chris Zolli, Pierre Camus, and I have come up with our preseason rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. In a dynasty league, it can be tough to decide between a proven veteran or […]

Points Leagues First Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued

As we’ve discussed before, points leagues are a bit of a different animal from the more popular head-to-head and rotisserie formats. One of the easiest and best ways to ensure that you’re making a smooth transition between these disparate styles is to identify players whose values change most. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it […]

Pitchers Who Changed Scenes for 2018

When getting back into the fantasy baseball groove, one important task fantasy owners need to accomplish is tracking the offseason moves. Here at Rotoballer, we help you prepare for the new season providing you with some of the names you need to know for draft day and some you need to avoid. We've already covered some of […]

Rangers Place Joe Palumbo on 60-Day DL

Texas Rangers left-handed pitcher Joe Palumbo (elbow) was placed on the 60-day disabled list as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for recent signee Jesse Chavez, as Palumbo is expected to miss at least the first two months of the season. Palumbo does not figure to […]

2018 Second Basemen - Dynasty Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball dynasty rankings analysis with the second base position. Second base is a very intriguing position for dynasty leagues, as there is a changing of the guard that could come as soon as a year or two. Out will be the mainstay names of Robinson Cano, Brian Dozier, and Daniel Murphy, […]

Rangers in the Lead to Land Julio Pablo Martinez

The Texas Rangers have emerged as the favorites over the Marlins and Yankees to sign 21-year-old Cuban outfielder Julio Pablo Martinez. The recent defector will be free to sign with a team on March 6, and his bonus is expected to be in the neighborhood of $2.7 million. The Rangers traded pitcher Miguel Medrano for […]

Nomar Mazara Not Far From Competing for an MVP

SportsDay's Evan P. Grant believes if Texas Rangers outfielder Nomar Mazara makes a small adjustment, he will be in the conversation for MVP in 2018. Grant is encouraged by Mazara's 100-RBI campaign from a season ago and believes if he can clean up his approach against lefties, then there is more success to come. The […]

Jose Abreu Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

We on the RotoBaller staff have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but there's plenty of debate over individual players' proper place in the pecking order. In this space, we'll hear from rankers with the biggest differences of opinion on a well-known player and have them defend their position against each other. […]

Elvis Andrus Sits Again Due to Back Spasms

Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus (back) will take the day off again with back spasms on Wednesday. The Rangers star stated that "it's just too cold for me" and won't participate in team workouts. For fantasy owners, there does not appear to be any lingering concern or long-term issues, so consider Andrus still safe from a […]

2018 Catchers - Dynasty Tiered Rankings

As we move closer to the 2018 baseball season, we at RotoBaller have released our Dynasty Rankings. We have been dissecting the tiers of each position, showing fantasy owners where to find value in their draft. At the catcher position, we have a total of 41 players ranked across eight tiers. When looking at dynasty leagues, […]

Cole Hamels (SP, TEX) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~200 CURRENT ADP: 234 ANALYSIS: Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cole Hamels suffered his worst professional season in 2017. The left-hander gave up a 4.20 ERA with 3.22 BB/9 and a career-worst 6.39 K/9. Hamels looked nothing like the model of consistency that provided solid-to-great numbers across the board for the better part of the last decade. In […]

Elvis Andrus Dealing With Back Spasms

Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus (back) cut his workout short Tuesday due to back spasms. This isn't a major deal so early in camp, but it's something to watch as Andrus is coming off a career year with a .297 average, 20 home runs, 88 RBI, 25 steals and 100 runs in 158 games. His […]

Adrian Beltre Open-Minded to Changing Role

Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre told Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram that he's considering acquiescing to spending more time serving as the designated hitter. This is music to fantasy owners' ears, as this would mean less time at the physically-demanding hot corner. Beltre will play most of the upcoming season at age 39, so […]

ADP Sleepers and Busts - Third Basemen

Take a quick look at the NFBC ADPs of third basemen. What do you notice? Is Manny Machado going too high? Is Joey Gallo the boom-or-bust pick of the year? Is Josh Donaldson the best early-round value pick? Third base might just be the deepest infield position in fantasy this year, so it's important to […]

Adrian Beltre Hopes the Rangers Add Free Agents

Jeff Wilson of the Star Telegram reports that Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre hopes the team adds some firepower before the 2018 season. Beltre, entering his 21st season, believes that the core roster is good enough to compete for a playoff spot and potentially a division championship, but thinks that general manager Jon Daniels should […]

Rangers to Give Jurickson Profar Consistent Playing Time in the Infield in 2018

While at-bats may be tough to come by, the Texas Rangers are looking to get utilityman Jurickson Profar more opportunities in the infield during the 2018 season. After not being traded last season, the Rangers are hoping that keeping the 25-year-old Profar in the infield, where he is more comfortable, will unlock the offensive potential […]

Seung-Hwan Oh Diagnosed with Ligament Inflammation

The results of the MRI for free-agent relief pitcher Seung-Hwan Oh (elbow) are in, and it appears that he is suffering from ligament damage in the elbow of his throwing arm. While the injury is considered not to be serious, apparently the ailment, along with some increasing contractual demands, were enough to submarine his deal with […]

Nick Mariano's 2018 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 […]

Rangers No Longer Signing Seung-hwan Oh

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that the Texas Rangers have called off a previously reported deal with free-agent relief pitcher Seung-hwan Oh after an MRI discovered damage in his throwing arm. This will have major consequences for the Texas bullpen, as Oh was expected to serve as the either the team's closer or eighth-inning setup man. […]

Champ or Chump - Adrian Beltre and Yu Darvish

One great way to identify sleepers and busts is to take advantage of any biases that may impact the community's perception of a player. For example, older players are frequently bargains on draft day because owners assume that they're going to collapse. Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers seems to fit into this category so […]

Rangers Sign Edinson Volquez

The Texas Rangers agreed to terms on a minor league deal with free-agent starting pitcher Edinison Volquez. The deal includes an invite to spring training and is for 2018 and 2019. Volquez managed to throw a no-hitter in 2017 before he had season-ending Tommy John surgery in August. He'll turn 35 years old in July […]

ADP Sleepers and Busts - Catcher

Catcher is generally considered the weakest position in fantasy baseball. That is exactly why getting reliable production from the position is so important. There won’t be many good options on the waiver wire to replace a bad pick. This article looks at some catchers that are undervalued and overvalued based on their NFBC ADP (as […]

Nomar Mazara (OF, TEX) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~136 CURRENT ADP: 159 ANALYSIS: Nomar Mazara was drafted in 2017 with sky-high expectations after a surprisingly effective 2016 season. Unfortunately, the 22-year old largely disappointed, producing a .253/.323.422 triple slash and 20 HR with just 64 runs scored. Mazara’s sophomore season was marred by an inconsistent approach at the plate, sometimes pressing and trying […]

Manny Machado Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

We continue our long-running series of articles debating fantasy rankings with a player that is sure to be a first-round pick in all formats. Or is he? RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, we'll hear from rankers […]

Three Up, Three Down – 2018 Second Base Prospects

The keystone should be a position for players developed to keep everything together, both offensively and defensively. However, that is not the case in most years. It is generally comprised of athletes that move off of shortstop for one reason or another. Therefore, the position is usually very thin in the minor leagues. It is […]

Post-Hype Outfielders Set to Breakout in 2018

Fantasy owners are way too quick to cast aside players who initially underperform their talent level. It's safe to say we’re too obsessed with age-adjusted production. If a rookie shows up with a ton if hype and busts early, fantasy gamers have no problem tossing the player aside in search for a shinier untested asset. […]