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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.
Teoscar Hernandez Nearly Past Minor Groin Issue
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez (groin) is feeling better after experiencing some groin soreness last week and is expected to play in the outfield as soon as Tuesday. Hernandez was able to DH in Monday's game, where he went 0-for-1 with a pair of walks in the team's split-squad game versus the Pirates. He... Read More
Kevin Newman (2B/SS, PIT) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~170s CURRENT ADP: ~192 overall ANALYSIS: Kevin Newman didn't begin the 2019 season on most fantasy owners' radar, but by the year's end, he had cemented himself as an excellent middle-infield option. The 26-year-old slashed an impressive .308/.353/.446 as a rookie, with 12 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and respectable run production in... Read More
Jean Segura (2B, PHI) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~170s CURRENT ADP: ~191 overall ANALYSIS: Jean Segura underachieved, for his standards, in his first season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019. He slashed .280/.323/.420 with 12 HR, 79 R, 60 RBI, and 10 stolen bases as some minor injuries limited him to 144 games. Segura disappointed the most on the base paths,... Read More
Bo Bichette Launches Second Homer This Spring
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette clubbed his second homer of the spring on Sunday, taking Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez deep for a solo shot to the opposite field. The youngster is now 6-for-23 (.261) this spring but has picked it up lately, recording five hits in his last 10 at-bats. BIchette will leadoff for... Read More
Travis Shaw Finding His Stroke With Another Homer
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Travis Shaw popped his second homer of the spring on Sunday as he continues to stay hot at the dish. After starting his spring in an 0-for-10 funk, the 29-year-old journeyman has gone 4-for-10 since with a pair of doubles and two long balls. Shaw will act as the primary... Read More
Matt Shoemaker Continues Strong Spring
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker continued his hot start to his spring training on Sunday, firing four scoreless frames versus the Phillies. He allowed no hits and just one walk while striking out four in the 49-pitch effort, 30 of which were thrown for strikes. Shoemaker now has 6 2/3 scoreless innings under... Read More
Teoscar Hernandez Day-To-Day With Groin Soreness
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez is experiencing some soreness in his groin, but manager Charlie Montoyo doesn't believe it to be anything serious. Consider the 27-year-old day-to-day as he'll likely sit out the next few Grapefruit League games. Hernandez will see starts in the outfield for the Jays this season, but his defensive woes... Read More
Tanner Roark Strikes Out A Pair In Spring Debut
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Tanner Roark made his spring debut versus the Phillies on Thursday, allowing one run in two complete frames. He served up a home run to Roman Quinn in the first inning, but went on to strike out a pair of batters while surrendering two walks to complete his first taste... Read More
Ryan Borucki Progressing Slowly
Toronto Blue Jays reliever Ryan Borucki (elbow) threw from 120 feet on Thursday as he's slowly working his way back from missing nearly the entire 2019 campaign. The left-hander was limited to just under 25 innings pitched last year after undergoing elbow surgery in August. He still has time to crack the Opening Day roster... Read More
J.D. Davis (3B/OF, NYM) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~140 CURRENT ADP: ~160 overall ANALYSIS: After the Houston Astros sent their former third-round pick to the Big Apple last offseason, J.D. Davis did nothing but thrive in his first season in the National League. He finished his campaign sporting a shiny .307/.369/.527 slash line with 22 HR, 65 R, and 57... Read More
2019 Busts Who Will Keep Junking It Up - Starting Pitchers
The term “bust” in fantasy baseball can have a few different definitions. The obvious meaning is a player whose lack of production stinks so bad we have to cut bait on him early in the season. The more common definition is a player who doesn’t live up to his draft-day value. Whether it’s a decline... Read More
Trent Thornton Works Three Scoreless Frames
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Trent Thornton kept his strong spring going in Monday's contest versus the Pirates. The right-hander tossed three scoreless innings while striking out a pair in the sharp performance as he's yet to allow a run through five frames this spring. Thornton is the odds-on favorite for the job as the... Read More
Matt Shoemaker Sharp Versus Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker had a terrific first taste of spring action, striking out five batters in his 2 2/3 innings versus the Pirates on Monday. He allowed just one hit in his 32-pitch outing but promptly picked him off first base, ending any sort of threat. Shoemaker picked up right where... Read More
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Connects For First Spring Homer
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. slugged his first long ball of the spring in the team's Grapefruit League loss to the Pirates on Sunday. The youngster is now 4-for-14 this spring, with the solo shot marking his first extra-base hit of the preseason and his second RBI. Guerrero Jr. has impressed his... Read More
Chase Anderson Roughed-Up By Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays starter Chase Anderson failed to get through the first inning versus the Pirates on Sunday, serving up three runs in 0.2 IP. He surrendered three hits while issuing three free passes, throwing just 16 of his 31 pitches for strikes in the disappointing outing. The Blue Jays acquired the 32-year-old from the... Read More
Nate Pearson Electric In Spring Action
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Nate Pearson dazzled in his second spring outing on Sunday, firing two perfect frames against all projected Pirates starters. He hit 100 MPH with his fastball on multiple occasions as he made relatively short work of his opponents, striking out a pair in the 20-pitch effort. Pearson won't break camp... Read More
Travis Shaw Will See Time At The Hot Corner In 2020
Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo has expressed his interest in making his position players as flexible as possible this spring, now adding first baseman Travis Shaw into the mix to spend time at third base. He would take over the job at the hot corner when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. either acts as the designated... Read More
Blue Jays Have Discussed Adding Collin McHugh
The Toronto Blue Jays have had discussions about adding free-agent reliever Collin McHugh (elbow) to their roster now that he's been given the nod to resume pitching. The right-hander has experience both out of the bullpen and as a starter, but has posted superior numbers as a reliever with a career 2.76 ERA and 29.8%... Read More
Matt Shoemaker To Make Spring Debut Monday
Toronto Blue Jays starter Matt Shoemaker (knee) has been pegged for his spring training debut on Monday versus the Pirates. The veteran has taken it slow so far in camp after suffering a season-ending ACL tear in April last season, but is still on track to make the Opening Day rotation. Shoemaker got off to... Read More
Tanner Roark To Throw Sim Game This Weekend
Toronto Blue Jays starter Tanner Roark (flu) will throw a simulated game this weekend, followed by his Grapefruit League debut sometime next week. The veteran has had a late start to his throwing program after battling the flu, but he should be good to go by Opening Day to pitch in the middle of the... Read More
Danny Jansen Will Likely Platoon With Reese McGuire In 2020
Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo indicated on Thursday that he foresees a 60/40 split between catchers Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire this season. Jansen would be on the favorable side of the platoon despite the right-handed bat, but Montoyo wants both players to know the pitching staff well so he can play matchups during... Read More
Cavan Biggio Could See Time As Corner Infielder
Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo stated on Thursday that second baseman Cavan Biggio could see time at both corner infield spots this season. He had similar splits against both types of pitchers last season, so he could spell off Travis Shaw at first base versus left-handers while giving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a breather at... Read More
Reese McGuire Pops Spring Homer
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire slugged his first long ball of the spring off Twins right-hander Randy Dobnak on Thursday. He has a good chance at cracking the team's Opening Day roster if he can beat out veteran Caleb Joseph for the backup job, and he could even become the starter if Danny Jansen... Read More
Hyun-Jin Ryu Strikes Out A Pair In First Spring Start
Toronto Blue Jays starter Hyun-Jin Ryu made his Grapefruit League debut versus the Twins on Thursday, striking out two batters in two frames of work. He allowed a hard-hit double in the first inning that he worked around before serving up a no-doubt homer to Zander Weil in the second for his only blemish on... Read More
Rowdy Tellez Launches Spring Homer
Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Rowdy Tellez cranked his first homer of the spring off of Phillies right-hander Jake Arrieta on Tuesday. The bomb was of the three-run variety as he added an RBI double to put his early Grapefruit League total to six. Tellez is currently on the roster bubble with his limited defensive... Read More
Nate Pearson Dominates In Spring Debut
Toronto Blue Jays starter Nate Pearson flashed his potential big-league promise in his first taste of Grapefruit League action against the Yankees on Tuesday. He struck out all three batters he faced in an impressive 12-pitch frame, including one looking and two via the whiff. Ranked as MLB's eighth overall prospect, Pearson has intriguing dynasty... Read More
Ryan Borucki Throwing Again Tuesday
Toronto Blue Jays reliever Ryan Borucki (elbow) played catch for the second day in a row on Tuesday as he works his way back from an elbow injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of 2019. With some lingering stiffness so far in camp, the left-hander is too far behind schedule to begin the... Read More
Matt Shoemaker Making Progress Towards Spring Debut
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker (knee) is scheduled to throw in a simulated game on Wednesday as he works his way back from an ACL tear he suffered last April. Barring any setbacks, his next outing should take place in a Grapefruit League start, putting him on track to begin the year in the... Read More
Platoon Watch: Part-Time Infielders Worth Rostering
It seems that platooning in major league baseball has become increasingly popular every year. This strategy benefits teams by protecting aging veterans from injury and by getting the most advantageous lineup versus a specifically-handed pitcher. While platooning is smart for major league clubs, it gives us fantasy managers headaches when our player rides the pine... Read More
Ken Giles Works Perfect Inning In Spring Debut
Toronto Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles worked a quick one-two-three inning in the team's Grapefruit League contest versus the Braves on Monday. He recorded one strikeout in the stress-free frame for his first spring tune-up this year. Giles is locked in as the closer for the Jays this season after an impressive 2019 campaign that... Read More
