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Brian Rudd - RotoBaller has written 19 articles so far, you can find them below.
First Base Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
The first base position has some high-end options such as Freddie Freeman, Cody Bellinger, and Jose Abreu. All are typically going in the top 40 of most mixed-league drafts. But getting one of the top guys isn't imperative. There are plenty of other viable alternatives available later in drafts. Whether it is power, batting average, or... Read More
Manuel Margot (OF, TB) - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
When you get to the middle to late rounds of drafts, it becomes increasingly difficult to find stolen bases. Many of the options that are available will end up hurting fantasy owners in at least a couple of other categories. Therefore, it's important to either have a plan in place to attack steals early, or... Read More
Richard Rodriguez (RP, PIT) - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
Saves are a scarce commodity in today's game, as more and more teams are relying on multiple relievers to handle ninth-inning duties. In last year's abbreviated season, just 10 pitchers reached double digits in the category. Going a little further down the list, only 18 closed out seven or more games, and that includes guys... Read More
Four Pitchers Who Changed Scenes
It has been a slow off-season to this point, but we're starting to see some moves made, in the form of both free-agent signings and trades going down. There will be plenty of more action over the next several weeks, as there are still a lot of unsigned free agents, and no shortage of trade... Read More
Biggest Fallers of 2020 - Starting Pitchers
We recently took a look at some starting pitcher risers, those who have seen their stock jump significantly since this time a year ago. Now, we'll analyze some pitchers who have gone the other way following a down year in 2020. Last season consisted of just 60 games, so we're obviously looking at a much... Read More
Biggest Risers of 2020 - Starting Pitcher
With just 60 games worth of data to draw from during the 2020 season, it's going to be a challenge for fantasy owners to determine how much to weigh those numbers when projecting 2021 performance. We see hot and cold two-month stretches all the time in a normal season, and there's plenty of time to... Read More
Year-In-Review: Javier Baez
Javier Baez was one of the bigger disappointments in the league during the shortened 2020 season. He had established himself as a five-category contributor over the last several seasons and was coming off a 2019 campaign in which he hit .281 with 29 home runs and 11 steals in 561 plate appearances. Therefore, Baez was... Read More
A.J. Pollock (OF, LAD) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~ 280 CURRENT ADP: ~323 overall ANALYSIS: A.J. Pollock has typically been very productive when on the field but has always had a very hard time staying healthy. His upside has often made him an intriguing early-round pick, but he's reached 500 plate appearances just once in his career, and that... Read More
Justin Upton (OF, LAA) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~ 160 CURRENT ADP: ~202 overall ANALYSIS: Going into the 2019 season, Justin Upton had reached 600 plate appearances and eight or more steals in eight straight seasons, while hitting 26 or more homers in all but one. Needless to say, just 12 home runs in an injury-plagued campaign was a... Read More
Brandon Nimmo (OF, NYM) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~ 260 CURRENT ADP: ~327 overall ANALYSIS: Brandon Nimmo showed a lot of positive signs during his breakout 2018 season. His marginal power took a significant step forward, hitting 17 home runs across 535 plate appearances. Nimmo not only continued to walk at a very high rate but his 26.2% K-rate... Read More
Eliminating Park Factors: Hitters That Will Suffer Most
While optimism continues to grow surrounding the likelihood we will have baseball in 2020, there are still a few hurdles to clear, and plenty of unknowns regarding the parameters. While the universal DH seems like a near-certainty at this point, other important factors- like how many games will be played and where they will take... Read More
How to Approach High Stakes Leagues in 2020, Part 2
While we await confirmation that there will be a season, and clarity on how it will play out, there's plenty of fantasy baseball prep work to do. Sure, it's impossible to nail down definite strategies or exact player values with so much uncertainty surrounding the season. But we can at least start to figure out... Read More
Homer Bailey (SP, MIN) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~300 CURRENT ADP: ~366 overall ANALYSIS: It has appeared for quite some time that Homer Bailey's days of being fantasy relevant were in the rearview, but he went on a nice little run at the end of last season that put him back on the radar. After some initial struggles following a... Read More
How to Approach High-Stakes Leagues in 2020 (Part 1)
While it's not clear which of the proposed scenarios will be ultimately be used, there is hope that games will eventually be played in 2020. We may not know what the season will look like but drafts are still taking place, including those hosted on the gold standard of high-stakes competition, the National Fantasy Baseball... Read More
Infielder Busts Set to Bounce Back in 2020
Fantasy baseball owners tend to put too much emphasis on the previous season when it comes to valuing players. There is a reason projection systems use three years of data, because while last year's numbers are typically the most important thing to consider, what a player has done in the past matters as well. Each... Read More
Outfielder Busts Set to Bounce Back in 2020
Recency bias plays a large role in player valuation for many fantasy baseball owners and probably more than it should. Consequentially, a player's price will drop the following a down year, often creates a buying opportunity. As is the case with some of the names below, sometimes injuries are to blame for a decrease in... Read More
Closers Due for Regression in 2020
Finding reliable closers is always a challenge. There is a high turnover rate in the role every season, and in today's game, a lot of teams are going to a closer-by-committee approach, which adds a layer of confusion to the saves category. In each of the last three seasons, exactly 11 relievers have saved 30... Read More
Can Freddy Peralta Succeed as a Starter?
There is some uncertainty at the back of the Milwaukee rotation heading into 2020, with three candidates likely battling it out for one spot. Brandon Woodruff and Adrian Houser are locked into the starting five, while newcomers Brett Anderson and Josh Lindblom appear to have an inside track at two of the remaining spots. Given... Read More
Pitchers Who Changed Scenes - Risers and Fallers for 2020
Projecting pitching performance is a never-ending cycle that is constantly changing due to a variety of factors. Pitchers are often tinkering with their pitch mix, which can sometimes unlock a new level in performance. Their velocity can go up, which adds some intrigue to their profile; or it could go down, which usually makes them... Read More
