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Mike Schwarzenbach - RotoBaller has written 121 articles so far, you can find them below.
Brady Singer (SP, KC) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 215 CURRENT ADP: ~236 overall ANALYSIS: Singer is a pitcher who should be getting more hype based on how he finished last season. The former first-round pick went 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA, .114 batting average against, and had 25 strikeouts in 24 innings across his last four starts. This is a... Read More
Jesus Luzardo Dominant In Spring Debut
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo threw four shutout innings with five strikeouts in his Cactus League debut Thursday. Luzardo walked two, but didn't allow a hit while needing just 49 pitches to breeze through four frames. Hold on to your hats, Luzardo will soar up draft boards after this outing. The 23-year-old has a... Read More
Frankie Montas Feels Good After Simulated Game
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas (illness) said he feels good after throwing two innings in a simulated game. Montas was late to camp after battling COVID-19. As long as there are no setbacks, Montas should appear in Spring Training games soon and is on track to be in the rotation for Opening Day, according... Read More
Chris Bassitt Working On New Slider Grip
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Chris Bassitt is working on a new slider to try and build on his career year in 2020. In the shortened campaign, Bassitt went 5-2 with 55 strikeouts, a 2.29 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 63 innings. According to Statcast, Bassitt only threw 25 sliders last year, but he has... Read More
Jean Segura Off To A Slow Start In Spring Training
Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Jean Segura is batting just .083 through 13 plate appearances this spring. Segura is expected to man the keystone this season after the team brought back shortstop Didi Gregorius. Segura slashed just .266/.347/.422 last season with seven homers and two stolen bases. Steals once made Segura a viable fantasy option, as... Read More
Chase Anderson Fires Two Scoreless Innings Versus Detroit
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Chase Anderson pitched two shutout innings with one strikeout in a Spring Training game against the Tigers. Anderson's line looks good, but he was a bit shaky allowing two walks and a hit, but managed to escape unscathed. Anderson is competing with Vince Velasquez, Spencer Howard, and Matt Moore for a... Read More
Spencer Howard Strikes Out Four Tigers
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Spencer Howard allowed two runs in two innings with four strikeouts in a Spring Training start against the Tigers. Howard is the Phillies' top-ranked pitching prospect and is competing for a rotation slot with Vince Velasquez, Matt Moore, and Chase Anderson. Howard struggled in his first taste of the Majors last... Read More
Rhys Hoskins Feels Healthy After Playing First Base
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins said his surgically repaired elbow is, "All systems go," after playing the field for the first time this spring. Hoskins was one of the hottest hitters in baseball last season before a September elbow injury cost him the last two weeks of the season. Before the injury, Hoskins blasted... Read More
Jose Alvarado Showing Strong Velocity In Spring Training
Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado seems to have good velocity on his sinker as he prepares for his first season in Philadelphia. Alvarado is in the mix for late-inning work with fellow newcomer Archie Bradley and Hector Neris. Bradley is considered the favorite for the closer job, but manager Joe Girardi hasn't disclosed much... Read More
Matt Chapman Leading Off On Wednesday
Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman will lead off and handle DH duties in Wednesday's Spring Training game against the Brewers. Chapman has been hitting well thus far in spring including blasting a homer to dead-center in Tuesday's contest. The A's have an opening at the top of their order after Marcus Semien left in... Read More
Christian Yelich Excited For "Fresh Start" After Down Season
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is excited to get a fresh start in 2021 after struggling for most of the pandemic-shortened campaign. Fantasy managers that used a top-five pick were let down as Yelich limped to a .205 batting average and a .430 slugging percentage, a far cry from his league-leading .671 mark in 2019.... Read More
Marcell Ozuna Batting Cleanup In Grapefruit League Game Sunday
Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna is batting fourth in Spring Training action on Sunday. Ozuna re-signed with the Braves this offseason and fantasy managers should be excited to see what he can do in a full season in Atlanta's stacked lineup. In 2020, Ozuna blasted 18 homers and racked up 56 RBI which ranked third... Read More
Paul Goldschmidt Batting Third In Spring Training Action Sunday
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is batting third for in a Spring Training game against the Astros on Sunday. Goldschmidt is off to a slow start this spring reaching base just once through seven plate-appearances. Goldschmidt is batting in front of newly acquired third baseman Nolan Arenado who should provide lineup protection for... Read More
Corbin Burnes Fires Two Scoreless Frames On Friday
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes threw two shutout innings with five strikeouts and one walk in a Cactus League game versus the Rockies. Burnes was one of baseball's breakout hurlers last year posting a 2.11 ERA with 88 strikeouts in only 59 2/3 innings. Burnes' improvements are supported by a pitch-mix adjustment as he... Read More
Matt Olson Homers In Cactus League Action Friday
Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson went 1-for-2 with a home run and a strikeout in a Spring Training game against the Angels on Friday. It was a typical game for the lefty slugger who mashed 14 homers last year, but also batted .195 thanks to an uncharacteristic amount of strikeouts. Olson's K-rate spiked to... Read More
DJ LeMahieu Reaches Three Times In Spring Training Action Friday
New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu went 2-for-2 with a walk in a Grapefruit League contest Friday against the Tigers. The reigning AL batting champ picked up right where he left off last season when he posted a career-high .421 on-base percentage. In two seasons with New York, LeMahieu has silenced all doubters who... Read More
Spencer Howard Impressive In Spring Debut
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Spencer Howard fired a clean inning with two strikeouts in his Grapefruit League debut versus the Pirates. Especially encouraging for the Phillies' top pitching prospect was his four-seam fastball which averaged 96 MPH on Friday after sitting at 94 MPH for most of last season. Howard is competing for a spot... Read More
Max Fried Scratched From Start Due To COVID-19 Protocol
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday due to being exposed to COVID-19, according to ESPN. Fried has not tested positive for the virus but will need to quarantine for a few days before he can make his Grapefruit League debut. The 27-year-old lefty is coming off a... Read More
Liam Hendriks Looking To Bring Intensity To Chicago
Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game yet, but his presence has been felt in camp thanks to his intense demeanor on the mound. The Aussie closer signed a $54 million contract to come to Chicago and help give the team a "killer instinct" after Chicago limped to... Read More
Corey Seager Keeping Focus On Winning Ahead Of Free Agency
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager said his focus is on this season and would rather not talk about his upcoming free agency after the season. Seager said all he wants to do is help the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles and, "Let the chips fall where they may," after the season. Los Angeles... Read More
Scott Kingery Homers In Spring Training Game Thursday
Philadelphia Phillies infielder/outfielder Scott Kingery hit a solo home run to lead off Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. Kingery is trying to earn a starting job after batting just .159 in 36 games last season. Kingery had severe symptoms during a battle with COVID-19 last July and also missed time with a shoulder... Read More
Odubel Herrera Homers In Spring Training Game Thursday
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera homered in Thursday's spring training game versus the Yankees. Herrera hit a moonshot off Deivi Garcia to lead off the bottom of the second inning after gunning down a runner at the plate to end the top of the frame. Herrera's presence in Phillies camp has been controversial following his... Read More
Andrew Knapp To See Expanded Role In 2021
Philadelphia Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp will see an expanded role this season, even when J.T. Realmuto is healthy, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Knapp has been working as the team's top catcher as Realmuto deals with an injury, though reports indicate Realmuto is still on track for Opening Day. Knapp is a light-hitting backup catcher... Read More
Zach Eflin Impressive In Spring Debut
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zach Eflin threw two scoreless innings in his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday against the Tigers. Eflin struck out three, including back-to-back strikeouts to end a dominant first inning where he needed just 11 pitches. The 26-year-old righty is coming off a strong season where he posted a career-best 3.97 ERA and... Read More
Matt Chapman Returns To Lineup As DH
Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman (shoulder) was the team's designated hitter in a spring training game versus the Reds on Monday. Chapman went 1-for-3, which included roping a double to the gap, before being lifted from the game. Chapman had offseason shoulder surgery and the A's are slowly working him back into shape, with... Read More
Alec Bohm Goes Hitless In Spring Debut
Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm went 0-for-3 in his first Grapefruit League action on Sunday against the Tigers. The former top-prospect batted an impressive .338 last season with a .400 on-base percentage. The average was aided by a .410 BABIP, but Bohm displayed impressive batted-ball skill posting a 10.3 percent barrel rate and a... Read More
Ivan Nova Clobbered In First Spring Start
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ivan Nova allowed five runs while only recording one out in his Grapefruit League debut on Sunday. Nova allowed a home run on his first pitch of the game and things went downhill from there as the veteran couldn't escape the first inning. The Phillies inked Nova to a minor league... Read More
Adam Haseley Homers In First Grapefruit League Game
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Adam Haseley homered in his first at-bat of Spring Training to make the first move in the battle for the job in center field. With most of the Phillies regulars out of the lineup, Haseley batted leadoff and lined an opposite-field home run on the second pitch of the game. The 24-year-old... Read More
Sean Manaea Focusing On Health, Confidence In 2021
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea is entering his sixth MLB season and believes he took the steps necessary this offseason to stay healthy and lead the starting rotation. Manaea is two years removed from surgery that caused him to miss most of 2019 and said he changed his offseason routine to focus on his... Read More
Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano Candidates To Lead Off For A's
Oakland Athletics outfielders Mark Canha and Ramon Laureano were mentioned by manager Bob Melvin as candidates to lead off this season, according to MLB.com's Martin Gallegos. Marcus Semien has been entrenched as Oakland's leadoff hitter for three straight years and scored 240 runs in that span, tied for 11th in baseball. Semien's replacement, Elvis Andrus... Read More
