Finding Cheaper, Better Alternatives by ADP

Hi, all. New guy here. Well, kind of -- new to RotoBaller, not new to fantasy baseball analysis. Maybe you have read my stuff at RotoGraphs (of the FanGraphs.com family). Maybe you haven't. It's all good either way. The RotoBaller staff has charitably offered me a slot on their MLB writing staff, which I graciously […]

Three Starting Pitchers That Will Disappoint in 2016

Some fantasy managers like to go heavy SP in their drafts with mixed results. Hitting flush on elite SP is normally not too challenging, but making sure you get value for that same SP can be the difference between winning and losing your league. The key here, then, is to target the right high-end SPs, and […]

Three Post-Hype Sleepers Primed for 2016 Breakouts

My recent article on over-hyped prospects advised fantasy owners against buying too high for relatively small or non-existent sample sizes. Baseball trumps every other sport, except possibly international soccer, in terms of labeling minor leaguers as future legends before they have proven their worth on the big stage. On the other side of the coin are players who […]

Top 15 Impact 2016 Fantasy Prospects: Outfielders

Last season, several outfield prospects made their debut and impressed in the big leagues. Joc Pederson had an incredible first half (though his second half performance left much to be desired), Billy Burns flashed blazing speed, Randal Grichuk showed some of the power potential he has displayed in the minors, and Michael Conforto provided a […]

Dynasty Grinders Inaugural Auction Draft Recap

Finally Saturday happened. The Dynasty Grinders Auction is a 16-team, H2H dynasty league with a $500 budget. We geared up for a 480 pick auction draft. We set out to do it in one day, broken into 2-hour sessions with 20-minute breaks squeezed in to make sure nobody died. The picks went fast and furious. And all […]

Top 20 Impact 2016 Fantasy Prospects: Pitchers

The 2015 season saw several highly regarded hurlers make their debuts, but it also saw relative unknowns have major impacts for fantasy teams. When it was announced that Noah Syndergaard, Lance McCullers, and Carlos Rodon were making their big league debuts, everyone knew that near elite fantasy production was going to come as a result. […]

Preseason Champ or Chump: Shortstop

There are those who will try to convince you SS is amazingly deep this year. Don't buy it. In reality, it is just littered with guys that have ridiculously inflated ADPs based on unsustainable performances in small sample sizes. My best advice on the position is to wait to fill it, kind of like catcher. […]

Top 10 Dynasty Third Basemen For 2016

Make sure to also check out our awesome 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard, where you will find more of my dynasty rankings. You'll also find RotoBaller staff rankings for all positions, tiered rankings starting to ramp up, MLB prospect rankings for 2016, and much more. Okay, let's get to it.   Ranking the Top 3B […]

Preseason Champ or Chump: Third Base

Third base is home to two of the trendiest "sleeper" picks this draft season, Kris Bryant and Miguel Sano. I put sleeper in quotes because they both need to hit their upsides to simply break even relative to their current draft day costs. This seems to happen every year with a few young players, but […]

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for HR in 2016

Chicks dig the longball, right? There are so many freaking players who could hit 35 or more home runs, and I hated having to leave guys like Miguel Sano, J.D. Martinez and Josh Donaldson off this list. Also, Manny Machado, Paul Goldschmidt, Miguel Cabrera, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Byung-ho Park, David Ortiz, Albert […]

Adam Mernit's 10 Bold Predictions for 2016

Bold (adj.) ˈbōld Definition: fearless before danger Prediction (noun) pri-ˈdik-shən Definition: a statement about what will happen or might happen in the future Together, these words form the perfect recipe for making me look like an idiot at the conclusion of the 2016 MLB season. Our beloved Kyle Bishop asked the RotoBaller crew if we […]

Top 400: Dynasty League Staff Rankings

Fellow RotoBallers.We are getting closer. Fantasy baseball drafts have already been taking place, and will be heating up over the next few weeks. Spring training already roaring, and the MLB season is near. With that comes the excitement of fantasy baseball drafts, and we are here to help you dominate them. Today we are bringing you our top […]

Predicting The Top 10 Finishers in Saves

Before we get to the list, how about some honorable mentions? Despite his struggles down the stretch last season, Shawn Tolleson had a terrific 2015. With a career-high K/9 rate and a career-low BB/9 rate, he was able to rack up 35 saves as Texas won the AL West division. With the Rangers now looking to build […]

Top 10 Impact 2016 Fantasy Prospects: Shortstops

Last year saw two of the most promising rookie shortstops in baseball battle for the AL Rookie of the Year award and set the stage for the next wave of talented shortstop prospects to be promoted. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa both provided sparks for their teams and proved themselves to be two of the […]

Top 500: Staff Rankings and Auction Values (March)

Fellow RotoBallers. We are getting closer. Spring training is is roaring, and the MLB season is near. With that comes the excitement of fantasy baseball drafts, and we are here to help you dominate them. Today we are bringing you our top 500 staff rankings, updated for March, along with our auction dollar recommendations (for those who […]

Preseason Champ or Chump: Second Base

Position scarcity gives certain players an uptick in ADP over what their established production warrants based on the feeling that it is important to get something out of the lineup slot. Buster Posey is a much better offensive performer than other catchers, for example, so slotting him in at C is more valuable than a […]

Sam Nedimyer's Bold Predictions for 2016

There’s something about making bold predictions that is just plain fun. We’ve basically been given carte blanche to make 10 absurd statements, support some empirical evidence, and voila. You have yourself an educated baseball piece. Think the Phillies are going to win the pennant? Throw some nonsensical stats out there to prove your point! I […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Dalton Pompey

Dalton Pompey stepped to the plate in the ninth inning. The Blue Jays trailed by a run to the Baltimore Orioles in a recent Grapefruit League game, and with one swing, the young outfielder tied the score with a homer to deep center. The contest resulted in a 6-6 tie as both managers opted to end the […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: Undervalued Starting Pitcher Targets (Part 2)

If you’re a regular reader of RotoBaller (and how could someone as smart, funny, and handsome as you not be?), you’ve doubtless already checked out our rankings assistant tool. We just rolled out our final preseason update. With draft season ramping up, it seems like a good time to check our expert opinions against the […]

Four Second Basemen Who Will Disappoint In 2016

Okay, so we need to begin with a relative definition for bust as I’m using it. This doesn’t mean the player will be absolutely worthless and do nothing in 2016. What it does mean is that they won’t be returning value on where you drafted them. Below I take a look at five second basemen […]

Nick Mariano's 10 Bold Predictions for 2016

Kyle, Kyle, Kyle, what hell hath you wrought on our poor readers? Look at the Pandora’s Box that’s been opened. Now it’s time for my shenanigans to fly out. Editor's note: Be sure to check out our fantasy baseball rankings assistant. We recently launched this handy new rankings tool - you can easily filter, sort, and export all sorts […]

Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for WHIP in 2016

The 2016 baseball season is coming in hot, but more importantly the 2016 fantasy baseball season is squarely upon us. In a standard 5x5 league, your starting pitchers are going to be accountable for four out of the five pitching categories, with one of those being WHIP. The Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched stat […]

Joe Panik (2B, SF) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~200 CURRENT ADP: 218 ANALYSIS: Joe Panik had something of a breakout season in 2015. The .312 AVG, .378 OBP, .455 SLG%, .833 OPS, .363 wOBA and 138 wRC+ made Panik an unheralded monster for the Giants in 2015, but the stat that jumps out most is his 9.7 K% compared to […]

Rick Lucks' 10 Bold Predictions for 2016

While I like the idea for this series, it has become a trend to blame fellow RotoBaller Kyle Bishop for making us do it. So thanks a bunch, Kyle, for making me do something I wanted to do anyway. Usually, I identify whether specific baseball players are champs or chumps. This time, we'll find out […]

Reliever Values in Saves+Holds Leagues

Ah, the saves+holds league. Welcome to a progressive community that embraces relief pitchers of all types, not just those fortunate few who selfishly hoard the game’s final outs. Here, players like Darren O'Day and Andrew Miller can flourish. Here, you need not worry about role stifling Dellin Betances’ value or (to use an example from […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings: Relief Pitchers (March)

It's only fitting that we close out the March rankings with the closers. Because these "firemen" are often on the hot seat, the value of a closer can change more quickly than any other position. While it is beyond the scope of this article, it is important to monitor the closer handcuffs as the season […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings: Starting Pitchers, Part 1 (March)

 Our starting pitching rankings will be split into two parts. Today's edition will examine only the top five tiers of starters, as determined by our staff's composite rankings (which differ a bit from my own evaluations where noted). Using the composite rankings to guide discussion helps to highlight personal preferences while also providing a more balanced view of […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings: Outfield, Part 2 (March)

Smoothly transitioning from yesterday's top four tiers to today's best of the rest, let's start my overvalued/undervalued list with a player who recently snuck up from tier 5 to tier 4 and thus snuck his way into this column. Editor's note: Be sure to also check out our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up […]

Yu Darvish (SP, TEX) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~105 CURRENT ADP: 119.3 ANALYSIS: Yu Darvish hasn't pitched since August 9, 2014 due to Tommy John surgery. He missed his age 28 campaign, a time frame when most pitchers are hitting their prime. In 22 starts in 2014, Darvish had a 3.06 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and a 182/49 K/BB ratio. He […]

Joe Ross (SP, WAS) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~210 CURRENT ADP: 228.5 ANALYSIS: Joe Ross will be tabbed as the Nationals' fifth starter  in 2016 after going back and forth between the bullpen and the starting rotation for some time. In 13 starts and 76.2 IP last year, Ross accounted for 69 punchouts, giving him a 22% strikeout rate. Batters […]