Will the Real Shohei Ohtani Please Stand Up?
When he arrived in 2018, Shohei Ohtani was regarded as one of the most dynamic and difficult-to-value players in the league. After two excellent, but injury-marred seasons, that much hasn’t changed. We have a clearer sense of Ohtani’s talent, but drafting him is still a unique challenge. In fact, the fantasy owners I've talked to […]
2020 Catcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues
Points leagues may seem like a slight variation from traditional 5x5 category scoring leagues, but you must approach draft day with a different strategy if you wish to truly compete. Rankings themselves are a different beast altogether, as category specialists like Mallex Smith and Dee Gordon (stolen bases), Kyle Schwarber and Franmil Reyes (home runs), […]
Biggest Fallers: K-BB%, Part 1
K-BB% is a valuable metric because it shows which pitchers can combine strikeout ability with pinpoint control. Pitchers with high K-BB% possess high floors and ceilings because even when they’re not accumulating strikeouts, they are still usually able to pound the strike zone. The list below shows pitchers with the highest drop-off in this rate […]
2020 RotoBaller Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Reactions
Over the last couple weeks, RotoBaller's roster has grown with several new faces to join our esteemed veteran corps. We figured it would be nice to roll out the welcome wagon with a February fantasy baseball mock draft, putting six "RotoNewbs" with six RotoVets. It was a snake draft hosted on Fantrax, a traditional 5x5 format with […]
Going Full Corbin: Pitchers Who Should Throw Their Best Pitch More
Patrick Corbin has made a case for himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball. He produced 14 wins in 202.0 innings pitched with a 3.25 ERA and 28.5 K%. Corbin wasn’t always this good though. In 2016, his ERA was a pedestrian 5.15 with a mediocre 18.7 K%. Suddenly, Corbin decided to start […]
Should We Buy Back Into Blake Snell?
Author note: Blake Snell dealt with an elbow issue ad received a cortisone shot. That lead to his ADP falling, and for good reason, but he returned to the mound since and now with the start of the season delayed, he should be ready for the start of the season. Early in 2018, I was […]
Biggest Risers and Fallers of 2019 - Relief Pitchers
Welcome back, RotoBallers. I have to admit, I just wrote 3000 words on relief pitchers so forgive me if I get a little brief with the intro and just allow you to jump into the meat. In this article, I look at 10 relievers whose value skyrocketed or plummeted in the 2019 fantasy season, spend […]
Mets Sign Matt Adams to Minor League Contract
The Mets signed first baseman Matt Adams to a minor league contract on Friday, also extending him an invite to 2020 spring training. In 2019, Adams hit .226 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI with the Nationals. If he makes the MLB roster, Adams would serve as first base insurance for the Mets and […]
2020 First Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues
We're not far from the start of spring training and draft season is almost afoot! In re-draft leagues, a ton of preparation and research goes into building a new squad for 2020. Dynasty owners scoff at this because they already have their core players established. The question then becomes of relative value. Who is still […]
2020 Early Bullpen Outlooks - N.L. East
It's Super Bowl Week, and that means a lot in football, sure. But what about baseball? It means anticipation. It means the free agent pool is drying up, and players are starting to make plans for Spring Training. We don't know much about the 2020 season yet, but there has been enough movement to at […]
Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for 2020 Redraft Leagues
Freshmen players played a huge role in Major League Baseball in 2019 and rookies are poised to once again have a strong presence on your fantasy baseball teams in 2020. Rotoballer is here to help you decide which players are deserving of a roster spot as you open up the season with a list of […]
Greg Holland Returning To Royals
The Kansas City Royals agreed to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training with relief pitcher Greg Holland on Tuesday, according to a source. Holland pitched for KC from 2011- 2015 and had 145 saves while helping the Royals win the 2015 World Series. The 34-year-old missed all of the 2016 season […]
Diamondbacks Interested In Brian Dozier
The Arizona Diamondbacks are among the teams with interest in second baseman Brian Dozier. Dozier did manage to slug 20 home runs in his first season with Washington, but he hit just .238/.340/.430 and lost playing time late in the season and the postseason. There's still power here, but Dozier swings and misses way too […]
Early Mock Draft Analysis: MLB Mixed Leagues
Don't tell us it's not draft season yet! Truth be told, the RotoBaller crew was already planning a mock draft days after the World Series ended. As it turns out, we decided to wait until some free agent moves were made and settled for a slow draft that began shortly after the Winter Meetings. We […]
Top 250 Prospects for 2020 Dynasty Leagues
It’s hard to believe it’s that time again. Major League Baseball’s spring training is just weeks away now, which means it's also fantasy baseball season. This year at RotoBaller, we’re rolling out even more in-depth prospect coverage — starting with a ranking of the Top 250 prospects for dynasty leagues. That’s right. Not 100. Not […]
Ryan Zimmerman Staying With Nationals
The Washington Nationals agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal to bring first baseman Ryan Zimmerman back on Friday night, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. The contract could max out at $5 million based on incentives for games played and plate appearances. The 35-year-old has been the face of the franchise […]
Nationals Agree With Welington Castillo
The Washington Nationals agreed to a minor league deal with catcher Welington Castillo on Friday. Castillo will receive a non-roster invite to spring training. The 32-year-old (33 in April) hit a disappointing .209/.267/.417 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI in just 72 games for the White Sox in 2019. There won't be much fantasy […]
Four Teams Interested In Fernando Rodney
Four teams have checked in on relief pitcher Fernando Rodney. His overall numbers in 2019 don't look good (5.66 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 5.3 BB/9), but most of the damage against him came in his 17 relief outings with the A's. Rodney actually pitched much better with the Nationals (4.05 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, two saves) in […]
2020 Saves+Holds Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues
To any reader who thinks they don't have a voice here at RotoBaller, let it be known that this article came from a simple Reddit comment about how those seeking Saves+Holds reliever ranks were often overlooked. Poof, and here we are. Allow me, Nick Mariano, 2018's most accurate draft expert and sharer of names with […]
2020 Offseason Starting Pitcher Rankings (Part 3) - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues
We continue with our analysis of the early 2020 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings by looking at the middle tiers. To read part one, click right here, or right here for part two. After a record-setting year for offense and a sense among the industry that 2020 likely won't be dramatically different, being able to […]
Early 2020 ADP Reflections - Shortstop
When a baseball season ends, the following season can’t come here soon enough for some fans, myself included. We start thinking about what we want to see from some players, which includes letdowns, bounce-backs, and even young prospects. Instead of letting them bounce off the brain walls, let’s put these musings into digits. This includes […]
Using xwOBA to Identify Breakout Pitchers
Heading into a new baseball season, fantasy owners are looking for any leg up on our competition. We turn over stones looking for any stat or training report that might suggest a breakout that few others can see coming. I’m not here to promise some groundbreaking stat, but I do believe that Expected Weighted On-base Average […]
How To Win Your Fantasy Baseball Leagues on Draft Day
I hate intros. Nobody takes the time to read these things. I could say whatever I wanted and it would literally pass zero sets of eyes. Watch.... I have hemorrhoids! See? No one. But in the rare occasion that one of you sad saps does in fact read this paragraph before jumping to the meat […]
Don't Doubt Mike Trout: Why He's Still #1
It has become fashionable for fantasy owners to suggest that perhaps this is the year that Mike Trout should be supplanted as the consensus first overall draft pick. Not one, but two other players - Ronald Acuna and Christian Yelich - are being regularly selected in early NFBC drafts ahead of the 28-year-old Trout, who […]
Michael Taylor Avoids Arbitration
The Washington Nationals and outfielder Michael Taylor avoided salary arbitration on Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $3.325 million deal, according to a source. He'll receive $25,000 in incentives if he reaches 300 plate appearances in the majors next season. The 28-year-old speedster hit only .250/.305/.364 in 97 plate appearances in 2019 and was demoted […]
2019 Season in Review: Aristides Aquino
On August 1, 2019, Aristides Aquino was called up by the Cincinnati Reds. Shortly thereafter, bedlam broke out. He hit 11 home runs in his first 63 at-bats, drove in 22 runs, and caused the internet to flood with The Punisher GIFs and newly made t-shirts. When the month of August came to a close, […]
Top 570: Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings (January)
Welcome back RotoBallers, and Happy New Year! Below you will find our staff's early 2020 fantasy baseball tiered rankings (top 570) for mixed leagues. In case you missed it, you can also see our tiered positional rankings and position-by-position analysis breakdowns as well. Four of our lead fantasy baseball analysts - Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Riley Mrack and Nicklaus Gaut - have analyzed the […]
Nationals Agree With Eric Thames
The Washington Nationals agreed to a one-year deal with first baseman Eric Thames on Tuesday that guarantees him $4 million, according to a source familiar with the deal. Thames will make $3 million in 2020 with a $1 million buyout of a mutual option for 2021. The 33-year-old averaged 24 home runs and an .848 […]
Nationals Bringing Back Daniel Hudson
The Washington Nationals are finalizing a two-year deal to re-sign relief pitcher Daniel Hudson on Monday, according to sources familiar with the agreement. Hudson was excellent for the Nationals after coming over from the Blue Jays in 2019, going 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, six saves and 8.3 K/9 in 25 innings down […]
Asdrubal Cabrera Re-Signs With Nationals
The Washington Nationals re-signed infielder Asdrubal Cabrera to a one-year, $2.5 million deal on Saturday, according to a source. The switch-hitter batted .260 in 131 games with the Rangers and Nationals last year. The 34-year-old was key in the team's World Series run late in the season and hit .323 with six home runs, 40 […]