Yu Darvish (SP, TEX) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
BALLER MOVE: Target ~90 CURRENT ADP: 122 ANALYSIS: Fantasy owners are often weary of spending valuable picks or dollars on injury-prone players, especially strikeout machines coming off Tommy John surgery. Such is the fear surrounding Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish, who appeared in just one spring training outing in 2015 before going under the knife. […]
Delino DeShields (OF, TEX) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
BALLER MOVE: Target ~210 CURRENT ADP: 235 ANALYSIS: Delino DeShields isn't quite on Billy Hamilton's level, but like Hamilton, he has a 100-SB season on his minor league resume. Hwever, unlike Hamilton, DeShields can actually hit. As a rookie, he posted a .261/.344/.374 line with 83 runs in 121 games, maintaining the double-digit walk rate […]
Can You Trust Yu Darvish in 2016?
The Texas Rangers are a team with serious playoff aspirations. Look no further than their interest in Ian Desmond for left field to see the team is willing to entertain all possibilities to contend in the AL West. The Houston Astros made a serious step forward in 2015 and the Rangers are the only competition […]
Five 2016 Second Base Sleepers
After you get past the elite options at second base, guys like Jose Altuve, things can get a little iffy. Because of that, it is pretty easy to just settle for a low-end player, punt that position, or even worse, reach for an overvalued player. As we get closer to Opening Day, here are some […]
Mitch Moreland (1B, TEX) - Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target ~220 CURRENT ADP: 237.3 ANALYSIS: In 2015, Mitch Moreland got back to the 20 HR mark he attained in 2013, but he also, surprisingly, made across-the-board improvements to his slash line. In 2013 (his last time eclipsing 500 PA), Moreland hit .232/.299/.437, but those numbers jumped up to .278/.330/.482 last year. Moreland set […]
Five Deep Sleepers at Catcher For 2016
Welcome to the war room. We’re investigating which deeper catchers could turn a nice profit for only the savviest of fantasy owners going into 2016. Catcher is an extremely volatile position, with most of them putting their bodies through the ringer during the course of the season. It isn’t a particular deep position, but rest […]
2016 Breakout Candidates: Young AL Outfielders To Target
Here at RotoBaller we’ve been cranking out tons of preseason content for some time now. We might be a little obsessed with baseball ‘round these parts. But that’s okay, because so are you! And what better way to celebrate the advent of draft season than to profile potential breakouts and busts? Last week’s series focused […]
Five Hitters to Target in OBP Leagues
Not all leagues are created equal. What I mean is not all leagues abide by the same standards. Some owners have stuck by the traditional 5X5 roto leagues, while others have transitioned to 6X6 leagues with such exotic categories as OBP, K/9 and SLG. I’m not here to say which format is best, (though I […]
Saves and Holds: AL West Bullpen Depth Chart
With the 2016 fantasy baseball season approaching, bullpen depth charts can be tricky to decipher when entering your fantasy drafts. Projections of who will be vital to their respective team and to your fantasy team will be analyzed over the course of the next two months. Below I've identified the projected AL West closers, setup men, and […]
Texas Rangers Top MLB Prospects for 2016 Dynasty Leagues
More than any other team in baseball, the Texas Rangers snuck up and emerged as the most surprising contender in 2015. Both the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs had been rebuilding for many years so though earlier than many expected, it seemed more plausible that the Astros or Cubs would compete than the Rangers would. […]
Five Undervalued AL Starting Pitcher Targets for 2016 Drafts
Winning a fantasy baseball league often depends upon finding value in the middle and end of the draft. Today I'm going to focus on a few starting pitchers from the American Leagues who fit the bill. You can find more draft values and potential sleepers in our running list all preseason long, and be sure […]
2016 Third Basemen Keeper Values: The Other Guys
The Keeper Valuation Formula uses the players’ age, draft round, number of teams in the league, current stats, projected stats, games played percentage, positional value, and some secret squirrel statistical math. The product is a TRUE Keeper Value for each player. These players did not make it into my Top Five Third Basemen Keeper Values, but may […]
Mike Napoli (1B, CLE) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
TARGET: ~260 CURRENT ADP: 442 ANALYSIS: Location, location, location. The old real estate adage absolutely applies to sports, and one of the main beneficiaries of a change of scenery will be Mike Napoli. Napoli signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Indians and was told he will spend the majority of his time as the everyday first basemen, per […]
2016 Top Five Second Basemen Keeper Values
These rankings are derived from my 15 step formula. The Keeper Valuation Formula uses the players’ age, draft round, number of teams in the league, current stats, projected stats, games played percentage, positional value, and some secret squirrel statistical math. The product is a TRUE Keeper Value for each player. Consider the derived Values the […]
2016 First Basemen Keeper Values: The Other Guys
To view the top five first baseman keeper values or to read more on the Keeper Valuation Formula, click HERE! 2016 First Baseman Keeper Values: Outside the Top Five Rankings Prince Fielder TEX, 31 (Sixth Round) Keeper Formula Value: 32.10 2015 Stats: 78 R, 23 HR, 98 RBI, .305 BA. After a miserable 2014 culminating […]
Breakout Players at 1B and 3B and What It Means For 2016
Welcome back to our weekly series running through November looking at players at each position who experienced breakout campaigns. I'll also run another segment detailing the busts at each position. Previously we looked at breakouts and busts up the middle (2B, SS, C). Here we will be focusing on the hot corners. No, Paul Goldschmidt returning to […]
Rangers Extend Qualifying Offer To Yovani Gallardo
The Texas Rangers have extended the $15.8 million qualifying offer to starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo, according to Evan Grant of Dallas Morning News. Rangers extend QO to Yo Gallardo. Does this make it either/or but not both on Gallardo/Colby Lewis? https://t.co/7k2bOUptex — Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) November 6, 2015 The 29-year-old Gallardo has been a model […]
Fielder And Harvey Win Comeback Player Of The Year Awards
Texas Rangers DH Prince Fielder has been named the AL Comeback Player of the Year for 2015 after an excellent season while the New York Mets Matt Harvey won the same award for the NL. In 2014, Fielder only played in 42 games until he was required to undergo season-ending surgery on his neck. After […]
Rangers To Discuss Extension With Odor
The Texas Rangers are expected to discuss a long-term contract extension with second baseman Rougned Odor. The 21-year-old is under team control through 2019 but the Rangers want to lock up Odor now. Texas will have to wait until after the World Series to start the works of a new contract. After a slow start […]
Future Tense: The Arizona Fall League, Part VII: Surprise Saguaros
And we have finally made it to the last team in the Arizona Fall League, the Saguaros, brought to you by the Kansas City Royals, the Milwaukee Brewers, the New York Yankees, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Texas Rangers, the letter M, and the number 6. So, with this being the last team on the […]
Beltre (Thumb) Played 2nd Half With Torn Ligament
Adrian Beltre was playing through a torn ligament in his left thumb during the second half of the 2015 season. Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels confirmed the news on Friday. His third baseman played through the pain as the Rangers went from being below .500 to the AL West champions. Unfortunately for them, their […]
Beltre (Back) Starting At 3B, Batting 4th For Game 5
Adrian Beltre will start once again at third base for the Texas Rangers on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays for Game 5. After starting Game 4 after missing Game 2 and 3, Beltre’s back responded well enough to the nine innings he played on Monday. The 36-year-old will bat cleanup behind Prince Fielder and […]
Beltre (Back) MRI Comes Back Clean, Somewhat
Adrian Beltre is day-to-day after he left Thursday’s Game 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays while running to first base. The Texas Rangers slugger underwent an MRI after leaving the game in the third inning. The results revealed no structural damage to Beltre’s back, which is better news than possibly expected. Adrian Beltre has a […]
Rangers Reveal Game 1 Lineup: Hamilton Starting
The Texas Rangers have announced their lineup for Game 1 of the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. The AL West winners will lead it off with centerfielder Delino DeShields Jr. The 23-year-old rookie will have the opportunity to get it started for the Rangers against David Price. He will bring his .261 […]
Holds Leagues: Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 27
While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire for Week 27, the final days of the fantasy baseball season. The more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these pitchers will be eligible to earn […]
Week 26 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups
What’s up RotoBallers. Welcome to the final week of this column, as we approach the home stretch of the fantasy baseball season. Thank you all for RotoBalling with us all season long, and I hope that this column (along with the rest of our MLB content) has helped you win some leagues. Now let's get […]
Holds Leagues: Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 26
While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire for Week 26 of the fantasy baseball season. The more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these pitchers will be eligible to earn the holds that […]
Josh Hamilton (Knee) Runs For First Time Since Surgery
Josh Hamilton will run the bases on Wednesday for the first time since he underwent surgery on his knee earlier in the month. The surgery was done to clean up loose bodies in his ailing left knee. Since he was scheduled to go through running drills on Wednesday, it’s a sign that the former AL […]
Week 25 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups
What’s up RotoBallers. Below are all of the projected starting pitching matchups for Week 25, including our recommendation on whether to start or sit them for your fantasy baseball teams. Next to each matchup below, we also have a link to our Premium Starting Pitcher Daily Matchups, Streamers & DFS Tool. For those who aren't aware, our in-house […]
Week 24 Start/Sit: MLB Starting Pitcher (SP) Matchups
What’s up RotoBallers. My apologies for not being able to post the Week 23 start/sit column last week, things were extra hectic with Memorial Day. I hope everyone had a great one, and here we are back in action. Below are all of the projected starting pitching matchups for Week 24, including our recommendation on whether to […]