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About Riley Mrack - RotoBaller
@FantasyOnTheFli
Canadian-born and raised, I'm an avid sports fan and fantasy expert on baseball and football.
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Riley Mrack - RotoBaller has written 1518 articles so far, you can find them below.
Blue Jays Denied Permission To Play In Toronto
The Toronto Blue Jays have been denied permission from the Canadian government to play their home games at their home park in Toronto, according to an Associated Press source. The province of Ontario permitted the team to play in Canada, but the federal government has vetoed the decision amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Jays will... Read More
Divisional Adjustments: Pitching Fallers
With summer camp officially underway, the beginning of the 2020 MLB season is fast approaching on its coattails with Opening Day coming later this month. The upcoming fantasy baseball campaign will be unlike any other we have seen before, with one of the reasons being the unorthodox schedule to help limit travel during this pandemic.... Read More
Updated Shortstop Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues (July)
With Opening Day of the 2020 MLB season just a few weeks away, we have a new batch of updated fantasy baseball rankings for you here at RotoBaller. The unpredictable effects of COVID-19 and the implementation of the 60-game season will make the upcoming fantasy campaign the most unique we have ever seen. Not only... Read More
Ken Giles Expects Jays To Use “Old School” Pitching Approach
Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles stated in an interview that he expects the team to use an “old school” pitching approach with starters going deep into games and relievers finishing the last few innings. This philosophy will mean that the right-hander will likely work the ninth inning predominantly instead of playing matchups in the... Read More
Travis Shaw Questionable For Opening Day
Toronto Blue Jays corner infielder Travis Shaw (groin) is questionable to begin the season as a fielder since he’s still nursing a sore groin that he suffered earlier this week. Shaw could still be able to serve as the team’s designated hitter if he can’t play the hot corner, so it’s a situation to monitor... Read More
Chase Anderson Plays Catch Wednesday
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Chase Anderson (oblique) played catch at 60 feet on Wednesday as he works his way back from an oblique strain he suffered over the weekend. The right-hander felt good after the workout, but won’t be ready in time for the start of the season late next week. His rotation spot... Read More
Austin Martin Working Out At Third Base
Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo stated on Tuesday that their first-round shortstop Austin Martin will work out at third base “for now.” The team could move him more around the diamond eventually, but will keep him closer to his natural shortstop position. Drafted fifth overall in this year’s draft, there’s plenty of buzz surrounding... Read More
Travis Shaw Day-To-Day With Groin Soreness
Toronto Blue Jays corner infielder Travis Shaw is nursing some groin soreness and is considered day-to-day. He ran the bases on Tuesday but was held out of the team’s intrasquad game as a precaution. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. moving across the diamond, Shaw will man the hot corner for the Jays this year and should... Read More
Chase Anderson Questionable For Opening Day
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Chase Anderson suffered an oblique strain over the weekend and could need multiple weeks to recover. The right-hander was slated for the Jays rotation, but there’s a strong chance he begins the season on the injured list. This may open the door for top prospect Nate Pearson to secure a... Read More
Trent Thornton Slated For Fifth Starter Job
Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo stated Saturday that he plans to open the season with a five-man rotation, with Trent Thornton penciled in as the fifth starter. The right-hander held an underwhelming 4.84 ERA in 29 starts for the club a season ago and will face a tough schedule primarily against his AL East... Read More
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Still Absent From Jays Camp
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has yet to report to the team's summer camp, and manager Charlie Montoyo declined to comment on his status when asked on Saturday. It's easy to speculate that his absence is COVID-19 related, but we may not find out to what extreme since it's not mandatory to reveal... Read More
Trent Thornton Slated For Fifth-Starter Job
Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo stated Saturday that he plans to open the season with a five-man rotation, with Trent Thornton penciled in as the fifth starter. The right-hander held an underwhelming 4.84 ERA in 29 starts for the club a season ago and will face a tough schedule primarily against his AL East... Read More
Matt Shoemaker Throws Five Innings In Intrasquad Game
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker looked sharp in the team's intrasquad game on Thursday, completing five frames in 60 pitches. The right-hander threw 42 of these for strikes while punching out four, with his only blemish coming from a Bo Bichette home run. Shoemaker is looking like he'll be stretched out by the... Read More
Blue Jays Add Austin Martin To Player Pool
Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo announced on Thursday that first-round shortstop Austin Martin will be added to the team’s 60-man player pool. They will likely try the 21-year-old out at different positions with Bo Bichette set to occupy the shortstop position for the foreseeable future. Martin won’t make any impact with the big-league club... Read More
Prospects To Watch: Flamethrowing Righties and ROY Candidates
Perhaps there's nothing more tantalizing in fantasy baseball than drafting and up and coming prospect or rushing to the waiver wire to bid on a Triple-A call-up. With no minor leagues this year, our favorite prospects are now playing on taxi squads, making it difficult for us to fantasize about since we can't get eyes... Read More
Austin Martin Receives Second-Highest Signing Bonus Of Draft
The Toronto Blue Jays officially inked shortstop Austin Martin to the 12th-highest signing bonus of all time and the second-highest of the 2020 draft class. His deal is worth $7,000,825, putting his bonus only behind the first overall selection, Spencer Torkelson. Martin was undoubtedly one of the top hitters of this year's draft, and many... Read More
Blue Jays Reach An Agreement With Austin Martin
The Toronto Blue Jays have reached an agreement with their first-round shortstop Austin Martin, pending a physical. The Jays selected the 21-year-old out of Vanderbilt with the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft despite having a surplus of infield talent already. He will likely shift to third base at the major league level with... Read More
Brandon Drury Among Four Players Jays Send To IL
The Toronto Blue Jays have placed infielders Brandon Drury and Jonathan Davis on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, retroactive to June 30. Relief pitchers Elvis Luciano and Hector Perez were also added to the injured list, while Breyvic Valera, Bryan Baker, Patrick Kivlehan and Josh Palacios have been added to the team’s player pool.... Read More
Nate Pearson Cracks Blue Jays Initial Player Pool
Toronto Blue Jays top pitching prospect Nate Pearson has officially made the team’s initial 60-man player pool for the shortened 2020 season. The flamethrowing right-hander was opening eyes during spring training in March with his swing-and-miss ability, but was still destined for some more fine-tuning in the minors before the suspension of the regular season.... Read More
Multiple Blue Jays Players And Staff Test Positive For COVID-19
According to a source, multiple players and staff of the Toronto Blue Jays have tested positive for COVID-19. The team shut down their spring complex in Dunedin, Florida, late last week after a player showed symptoms of the virus, but it appears that it has spread to other personnel as well. The Jays are scheduled... Read More
Ryan Borucki Throwing Side Sessions
Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker stated on Friday that reliever Ryan Borucki (elbow) is now throwing side sessions and "feels great," putting him on track to be fully healthy whenever the season starts. Walker also noted that if there is a season, "he should be right in the mix and a big part... Read More
Garrett Hampson (2B, COL) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~140 CURRENT ADP: ~163 overall ANALYSIS: Garrett Hampson showed glimpses of his promise during the 2019 campaign despite finding irregular playing time for most of the year. He slashed .247/.302/.385 with eight HR, 40 R, 27 RBI, and 15 SB in 105 games while showing his versatility by starting at four... Read More
Ryan Borucki Recovering Without Setbacks
Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo updated the status of reliever Ryan Borucki (elbow) in a conference call on Thursday, stating he "feels great ... no setbacks." The left-hander missed the majority of the 2019 campaign with an elbow injury and underwent surgery last August to remove bone spurs from his throwing arm. After experiencing... Read More
Platoon Watch: Players Who Could Earn Starting Roles
Every season we see fringe players carve out roles on their respective teams during the spring, but in some cases, it's only a short-term solution. In other instances, players wait in the weeds during the regular season and pounce on their opportunity to solidify themselves into the everyday lineup. In this article, we’ll look at... Read More
Joe Panik Cracks Blue Jays 40-Man Roster
Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Joe Panik has officially made the team’s 40-man roster, with reliever Yennsy Diaz getting placed on the 60-day IL in a corresponding move. Panik had an opt-out in his contract, but the club purchased it to give them more depth in their infield. The 29-year-old hit .244 across 142 games... Read More
Riley Mrack's 10 Bold Predictions for 2020
Who doesn't love a good set of bold predictions? There's nothing like some biased analysis to persuade you to target or avoid the players that are featured in this specific article series. While I will present some factual data, I must admit my personal rooting interest has had some influence on a few of these... Read More
Lourdes Gurriel Doubles Twice On Wednesday
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Lourdes Gurriel upped his spring batting average to .360 on Wednesday, going 2-for-2 versus the Orioles. Both hits went for doubles as he collected three runs and a pair of RBI, but he's still in search of his first long ball. Gurriel will bat third for the Jays this season, which is... Read More
Randal Grichuk Slugs Two Long Balls
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk cranked a pair of long balls in Wednesday's 14-2 Grapefruit League thumping of the Orioles. He finished the afternoon going 3-for-3 with three runs and five RBI as he's now batting a crisp .320 this spring with three homers. Grichuk will serve as the everyday center fielder for the... Read More
Danny Jansen Slugs Grand Slam
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen kept his strong spring going with a grand slam off Rays right-hander Trevor Richards on Monday. It was his third homer and 10th RBI of the spring as he's now hitting a cool .429 through seven games. Jansen disappointed fantasy owners in 2019 when he slashed a miserable .207/.279/.360... Read More
Hyun-Jin Ryu Efficient Versus Rays
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu stymied the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, tossing 4 1/3 scoreless innings in the team's win. The veteran allowed three hits while striking out four batters in the 64-pitch effort, 44 of which were thrown for strikes. Ryu is riding his momentum from his stellar 14-win, 2.32 ERA... Read More
