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About Michael Griffin - RotoBaller
I'm a writer living in New York with my wife, son and two crazy cats. I went to my first baseball game at the age of four and have been a fan since.
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Michael Griffin - RotoBaller has written 93 articles so far, you can find them below.
Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups: Catcher
Kyle Schwarber owners? It's a tough blow, for all of us, as we already have to say goodbye to an exciting young player for the entire 2016 season. But it's still early, and we are here to help. It's time to take a peek down that hole known as the waiver wire for catching depth.... Read More
Brandon Phillips (2B, CIN) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target ~200 CURRENT ADP: 248.6 ANALYSIS: There was a time in December when it seemed like an era was coming to a close in Cincinnati: After 10 seasons, Brandon Phillips was going to be traded to the Nationals. He even Tweeted about being in Washington at the time of the rumored deal. Then... Read More
Jason Grilli (RP, ATL) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Target ~250 CURRENT ADP: 287.8 ANALYSIS: Yes, it's true that Jason Grilli had a very rough Grapefruit League showing, with a 6.75 ERA. He did strike out five batters in four innings of work, so that's encouraging. He also started pitching later than his teammates - his first action was on March 17.... Read More
Dustin Pedroia (2B, BOS) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
BALLER MOVE: Target ~150 CURRENT ADP: 164.3 ANALYSIS: Dustin Pedroia told reporters that he wanted to run more this season, which is encouraging, but it could also give people reason for pause. Hamstring problems plagued him in 2015, and it's not like they get looser as one gets older. He's had the element of speed... Read More
2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Dustin Pedroia
There are many out there who think Dustin Pedroia is a sleeper pick this season. He's certainly got a lot to prove after his injury-marred 2015 season. He's a player who bleeds for the game and he's going to be aiming to bring himself back to the upper echelon. The question is... is it a... Read More
Carson Smith Could Be Invaluable Part of Bridge to Craig Kimbrel for Boston
Carson Smith looked like he could be the closer in Seattle in 2015 after Fernando Rodney faltered. Instead, he was part of the Wade Miley deal in the off-season and he's now behind another uber-closer: Craig Kimbrel. All is not lost, though. Bullpens are constructed to lock down the later innings before turning the ball... Read More
Eduardo Rodriguez Looks to Have Strong Sophomore Season
There was a time during the 2015 season that the Red Sox brass was concerned that rookie southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez was tipping pitches. Pitching to a lineup like Toronto's, with Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion is terrifying enough - but if they have an idea of what's coming? It might as... Read More
Brock Holt Ready For Another Year As Red Sox Utility Man
Brock Holt, whose name sounds like something out of a Wild West movie, isn't going to be a superstar. The nearly 28-year-old will be a very good player who can handle enough positions to allow manager John Farrell to give him around 500 plate appearances a year. He'll hit for a modest .280 average and... Read More
Blake Swihart May Get Nod to Start Season Behind The Plate For Boston
Right now Boston has a crowded catching corps with Blake Swihart, Ryan Hanigan and Christian Vazquez all on the roster. After Spring Training, it'll probably be pared down to two and Swihart has the upper hand on the depth chart. He's the youngest of the three and would probably benefit from having the older Hanigan... Read More
Rusney Castillo Has to Make Most of His Chance in 2016
OK. It looks like the training wheels are finally going to be off for Rusney Castillo. Boston has him starting in left field and they are going to see if that seven-year, $72.5 million contract is worth it. Either the Cuban will break out and make everyone in the Red Sox front office happy they... Read More
Boston Needs Joe Kelly To Be An Above-Average Joe This Season
There was a time where Joe Kelly showed a glimmer of hope that he might be a very good starter. It was in 2013, when he fashioned a 10-5 record for the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. He didn't overpower anyone, but his 2.69 ERA showed promise. Ironically, he was traded the next year... Read More
Jackie Bradley Jr. Getting Possible Final Chance For Boston Outfield
Baseball, like all professional sports, can be brutal. The transition from "can't miss" to "forgotten" can be incredibly swift. Jackie Bradley Jr. has had the prospect label on him since 2013 and the glue on that label is starting to dissolve. Boston would love for him to be part of an outfield nucleus of Mookie... Read More
Rick Porcello Can Thrive With Less Pressure In 2016
Remember when Rick Porcello came to baseball as a precocious 20-year-old who won 14 games for the Detroit Tigers? 2009 is so long ago. Now he's fresh off a season where he finished with a 9-15 record and an ugly 4.92 ERA. He probably spent some time staring at the mirror, wondering where that youngster... Read More
Who's on First in Boston? Hanley Ramirez Is, That's Who
When discussing Clay Buchholz, I alluded to former Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington's very bad decision of having a 2015 pitching rotation with no aces. His having Hanley Ramirez play left field is probably Bad Idea 1A. In his short stint of patrolling the outfield, Ramirez made former Boston left fielders like Mike Greenwell... Read More
Pablo Sandoval Wants a Better Sequel For Kung Fu Panda in Boston
Pablo Sandoval bid a sad farewell to San Francisco after the 2014 season after signing with Boston. He didn't bowl anyone over during his first season in a Red Sox uniform. His numbers were a far cry from his best days: .245 with 10 homers and 47 RBIs, which came NOWHERE near his '09 line... Read More
Clay Buchholz Sees No Shame in Being No. 2 Starter in 2016
Ever since he got that final out in his no-hitter against Baltimore in 2007, Clay Buchholz has been chasing something. He looked like he was on track in '10, finishing sixth in the American League Cy Young voting. Then he backslid badly, suffering from depression/anxiety in '11 and various injuries over the years, though he... Read More
Dustin Pedroia Wants Laser Show To Last All of 2016
Like several of his teammates, Dustin Pedroia had a truncated 2015 season. Injuries limited him to 425 plate appearances, his lowest since '10. Predictably, Boston saw its season end way earlier than anticipated. Pedroia's determined not to let that happen. Don't bet on a 213-hit, 54-double season like '08, but if he's healthy, he's still... Read More
Craig Kimbrel Bringing Heat to Red Sox Bullpen
The Red Sox and Yankees made it a really interesting off-season with their bullpen additions. Boston acquired Craig Kimbrel from San Diego to be their closer... and New York got Aroldis Chapman from Cincinnati. Coincidence? Maybe. Sure, Boston got Kimbrel because Koji Uehara got hurt last year and he's also 40. But they also got... Read More
Xander Bogaerts Looking To Add More Power In 2016
Boston is still very high on Xander Bogaerts... and with very good reason. He won a Silver Slugger award in 2015, hitting .320 and driving in 81 runs. The thing that was missing was homers - he hit all of seven, below his target of 10. The Red Sox brain trust thinks he'll get more... Read More
David Ortiz's Quest For Final Ring Could Help Draftees
David Ortiz has three rings. He really, really wants to get a fourth one before he retires after the 2016 season. He could help the Red Sox and by proxy those who draft him in leagues that use the designated hitter. Whoever drafts him might get a really big steal... he has a lot of... Read More
Mookie Betts Looks To Bowl Over People Who Draft Him
Mookie Betts is only 23, but people are already anticipating big things from him in his second full season in the big leagues. He'll look to expand on the 174 hits and 42 doubles as he continues learning the pitchers and the ballparks. Where he may really be primed for a breakout is in his... Read More
David Price Aiming To Give Red Sox, Fantasy Owners A Championship
David Price was the largest piece of a potential championship puzzle that Boston gathered this off-season. They figured both he and closer Craig Kimbrel were what they needed to give David Ortiz a final ring before he retired. The front office is obviously unconcerned about his postseason struggles, since they lavished that seven-year, $217 million... Read More
