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About Eric Samulski - RotoBaller
NYC-based teacher, writer and filmmaker. Former collegiate and professional baseball player. Lifelong Bills fan.
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Eric Samulski - RotoBaller has written 412 articles so far, you can find them below.
Finding Breakout Hitters for Fantasy Baseball: Chase Rate Early-Season Metrics
In an earlier article on Blast Rate, I mentioned that this was the time of year that some hitting metrics start to stabilize. While many of us want to focus on exit velocity and hard-hit rate because they lead to more exciting outcomes, I think focusing on plate discipline metrics can be just as important.... Read More
The (L)Earning Curve Sports Betting Podcast - May 2nd
Thunder Dan Palyo (@ThunderDanDFS) and Eric Samulski (@SamskiNYC) discuss the importance of keeping in mind your betting process and not solely focusing on your results. Then they give you their best picks and player props for the MLB slate on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2022 Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel 87)... Read More
Finding Breakout Hitters for Fantasy Baseball: Blast Rate Early-Season Metrics
It's about that time in the season when we start getting antsy about slow starters, or wondering if players off to hot starts on the fantasy baseball waiver wire might be for real. While it's still important to keep in mind that we're dealing with small sample sizes, there are some stats that have begun... Read More
Mining the Minors for Hot Prospect Hitters and Call-Ups - Nolan Gorman, Triston Casas, Luis Garcia, and more
If you've played even one year of fantasy baseball, you know that predicting minor league call-ups can be a frustrating endeavor. We have to weigh not only the talent of the player and the potential lineup opening in his major league organization but also the relative competitiveness of that organization and any financial or service... Read More
Pitchers With New Pitches - Should We Care For Fantasy Baseball? Part Two
The new pitch, like the shiny new toy, might be exciting on its own, but it also needs to be a complement to what a pitcher already has. Much like a toy that's the exact same as a toy we already have makes us forget the older toy. So instead of just celebrating that some... Read More
Catcher's Corner, Episode 30: Hot or Not With Chris Clegg
Eric (@SamskiNYC) and Sami (@Believe_Sami) chat with Fantrax's' Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) about some of the starting pitchers and hitters who are off to hot starts and whether or not they're buying in. They discuss Matt Brash, Kyle Wright, Paul Blackburn, Owen Miller, Jesus Sanchez, Taylor Ward, and many many more. Be sure to also tune... Read More
Pitchers With New Pitches - Should We Care For Fantasy Baseball? Part One
I'm excited to start year number two of this column. Last year, I began the column in spring training with the simple premise that pitchers throwing new pitches is cool but that not all new pitches should be treated equally. Some can be missing pieces to an arsenal, while others can just be an unnecessary... Read More
Eric Samulski's Bold Predictions for 2022 Fantasy Baseball
It's bold prediction time! Everybody's favorite time of year. Last year, I put out my bold prediction article and it was the second straight year of being all over the place with my results. Some of the predictions hit, like Randy Arozarena being outside the top-30 outfielders, Sixto Sanchez being the least valuable Marlins starter,... Read More
Eric Samulski's "My Guys" for 2022 Fantasy Baseball
Throughout fantasy baseball draft season, we get a lot of fantasy baseball sleepers or fantasy baseball busts articles, which are useful in finding guys who may be valued too high or low by ADP and can return a nice profit on our rosters. However, we also talk a lot about reaching a point in the... Read More
Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers: Avisail Garcia
RotoBaller's 2022 fantasy baseball draft sleepers and fantasy baseball draft advice get you ready for the MLB season. Eric Samulski (@SamskiNYC) breaks down his fantasy baseball draft sleepers for the 2022 fantasy baseball season, helping you find value in your drafts. This video features Miami Marlins outfielder Avisail Garcia, who Eric thinks is being underpriced... Read More
Eric Samulski's Top 100 Starting Pitchers
I decided to publish a top-100 starting pitching rankings list! I have no idea why, though. These fantasy baseball rankings lists are often the most scrutinized and criticized of anything anybody publishes, so I'm not sure why I decided to open myself up to this. However, I've also been researching pitching all offseason and constantly... Read More
Catcher's Corner, Episode 27: Reds Deep Dive With C Trent Rosecrans
Eric (@SamskiNYC) and Sami (@Believe_Sami) breakdown the most-discussed starting pitching performances of spring training before welcoming Reds' beat writer C Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) on to discuss all things Reds: When will Luis Castillo be back? Will the Reds use Lucas Sims or any one particular pitcher at closer? Will Hunter Greene and/or Nick Lodolo break... Read More
Second Base Draft Busts for 2022 Fantasy Baseball
When it comes to successful fantasy baseball drafts, identifying risk is as important as identifying value. We focus so much on "sleepers" and "breakouts" but often forget to really think about the players we should be avoiding. If the goal for a good draft is to build a complete team but also to hit on... Read More
Brandon Belt (1B, SF) - 2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 195 CURRENT ADP: ~223 overall ANALYSIS: Over the last two seasons, Belt's barrel rate has spiked to near 17% in both seasons and his hard-hit rates are at career highs. That's part of the reason Belt hit 29 home runs in just 97 games last year and has 38 home... Read More
Let's Overreact to Spring Training News and Tweets: Part Two
Baseball is back, spring training is here, and every tweet from every beat writer is getting scrutinized to an outrageous level. It's wacky season at its best, but instead of shying away from that, we're going to lean into it. I've found some bits of news that are interesting and also, at times, amusing, and... Read More
Carlos Correa (SS, MIN) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 85 CURRENT ADP: ~100 overall ANALYSIS: It seems like Correa has been around forever, so it may come as a bit of a surprise that he's only 27-years-old and entering the prime of his career. With six years of Major League Baseball experience heading into last season, it's clear that... Read More
Tommy Pham (OF) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 240 CURRENT ADP: ~261 overall ANALYSIS: Pham stole 14 bases last season but has a history of good wheels, stealing 25 in both 2017 and 2019 and also swiping 15 in 2018. He stole six in just 31 games during the COVID-shortened season, so it's fair to say that Pham... Read More
Where to Draft Injured Pitchers in Fantasy Baseball
In this article, I'm going to discuss pitchers who ended last season injured and discuss how comfortable I believe we should be in drafting them. We'll look at the nature of their injury, their projected recovery timeline, and whether a start in early April should make you less inclined to draft them or not. There... Read More
Late-Round Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Targets - NFBC Draft and Hold Leagues
Even as the Major League Baseball lockout drags on, fantasy baseball managers have begun diving into draft season. In these early months before Spring Training begins, the most common draft formats are draft and hold leagues in which managers will draft large teams (usually 50 players) and then make no waiver claims during the year.... Read More
Where to Draft Injured Hitters in Fantasy Baseball
After a stressful few months where seemingly everybody became an expert on the economics of baseball and traded spin rate analysis for PR spin analysis, we can get back to digging into the game itself. It's wonderful news without a doubt. Except possibly for those injured players who were hoping for another few weeks of... Read More
Let's Overreact to Spring Training News and Tweets
Baseball is back, spring training is here, and every tweet from every beat writer is getting scrutinized to an outrageous level. It's wacky season at its best, but instead of shying away from that, we're going to lean into it. I've found some bits of news that are interesting and also, at times, amusing, and... Read More
How to Prep For Your Fantasy Baseball Drafts
RotoBaller's 2022 fantasy baseball draft strategy and fantasy baseball draft advice to get you ready for the MLB season. Eric Samulski (@SamskiNYC) takes you through all the Do's and Don'ts of preparing for your fantasy baseball draft. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning... Read More
Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (xBA) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball
There are stats for everything now. It's great, but it can also be overwhelming at times. Depending on where we look, we can tell ourselves all different types of narratives about a player. As a result, I've always been a proponent of identifying the stats that you find to be most useful/beneficial and focusing on... Read More
Contact Rate Gainers - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball
As the MLB and MLBPA keep working towards ending the lockout and getting baseball back into our lives, we've been keeping the offseason content going by digging into some 2021 stats. While we all obviously want the lockout to end, this is a useful time to do your research and have a better understanding of... Read More
Late-Round Stolen Base Targets for Fantasy Baseball
Ah, stolen bases. It's a real love/hate relationship. They're fun, but they also seem to be dying out, which means fantasy baseball managers are hunting for them like Nicholas Cage hunting for his precious truffle pig. (Side note: "Pig" is such a gem. Forget whatever you think it's about and just watch it. It's so... Read More
How Will the MLB Lockout Impact Top AL Central Prospects?
In part two of this ongoing series, I will cover the top prospects from the American League Central that may be impacted by the lockout imposed by MLB ownership. You can read about AL East Prospects here. As fantasy baseball managers, we must consider the ramifications of this lockout for minor leaguers. Remember that this... Read More
Biggest Brl/BBE% Gainers - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball Hitters
Often when it comes to fantasy baseball, we get overloaded with statistics and it becomes hard to sort out what's useful from what's misleading. Many experts can write pages about why they swear by certain stats as being the most predictive for future success or accurate in reflecting who had a good season. While the... Read More
How Will the MLB Lockout Impact Top AL East Prospects?
As every baseball fan knows, the sport has been mired in a lockout this offseason. While we don't need to get into all the specifics here, I highly recommend following Evan Drellich for easy-to-digest information on the lockout and also reading this interesting tidbit on the tax laws and their implications for the owners. As... Read More
Could Cowboys Move On From Amari Cooper?
When discussing the future of his team, Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones (son of Jerry Jones) suggested that the team is continuing to have conversation about what to do with wide receiver Amari Cooper's contract. The veteran is owed $20 million in 2022, a number that is fully guaranteed if he remains on the team... Read More
Justyn Ross Medically Cleared For Football
Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross (foot) announced at the NFL scouting combine on Wednesday that he is medically cleared for football activities. While Ross will only do the bench press at the combine -- and be put through individual medical evaluations -- this is a big step for one of the draft's most intriguing prospects.... Read More
