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About Nick Mariano - RotoBaller
Senior MLB/NFL Fantasy Analyst & Editor here at RotoBaller, I've been lucky enough to work here since 2015. Spent two seasons writing for MLB.com as well.
FantasyPros ranked me as 2018's most accurate fantasy baseball draft dude, and I'm a three-time top-12 ranker in their fantasy football weekly accuracy competition as well. I rank the things good, or something.
NY born and raised, but now you can find me in Boston with my awesome Star Baker of a wife. Addicted to apples, peanut butter, learning about cognitive biases, and baseball cards. Lots of baseball cards...
Feel free to reach out on Twitter or ride with me on Peloton: @NMariano53
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Nick Mariano - RotoBaller has written 1887 articles so far, you can find them below.
Mike Montgomery (SP, CHC) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Mike Montgomery only has 25 strikeouts in 43 innings thus far, which may leave you looking elsewhere for SP options. However, a 3.56 ERA and 1.16 WHIP are very solid, particularly on a team like the Cubs that... Read More
Mike Leake (SP, SEA) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS: Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Mike Leake only made one mistake on Tuesday night, which was spotting a great pitch on the outer corner at the knees of Mike Trout. Outside of Trout’s solo homer, Leake was effective against the Halos and has now... Read More
Lance Lynn (SP, MIN) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Lance Lynn has turned things around with four consecutive quality starts after forgetting that he was supposed to get batters out to open 2018. That being the case, you still cannot buy that his command woes are truly... Read More
Clayton Richard (SP, SD) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: San Diego Padres starting pitcher Clayton Richard ended his 2017 season by posting a 3.52 ERA (3.69 SIERA) and being rather useful over his final 10 starts. Well, after a rocky April, Richard is back to mowing down opposing hitters with his... Read More
Seth Lugo (SP/RP, NYM) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 42% of leagues ANALYSIS: New York Mets starting pitcher Seth Lugo is coming off of his best start of the season, creating a waiver rush like no other. Lugo dismantled the Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball, as he allowed a mere two singles and struck out... Read More
Week 11 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers
With roughly two-fifths of the baseball season in the past, we’ve got plenty of data to play with and some serious questions to answer about our fantasy teams. Some of you are likely rolling reliever-heavy lineups and I respect that, but you probably won’t find much help here! Whatever your strategy may be, these arms... Read More
Marco Gonzales (SP, SEA) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales has made three straight starts without allowing an earned run and now has a 2.41 ERA/1.26 WHIP over the last 30 days. This has rejuvenated his ownership lately, but he has also been extremely lucky over... Read More
Week 10 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers
It's that magical time of the season where I start to feel old because we've moved into the "double-digit weeks" when writing out the title. You should have a good idea about where your team stands against the competition, though an unheralded stat in roto leagues with maximums is how many innings you have left... Read More
Nick Kingham (SP, PIT) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 22% of leagues ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Nick Kingham stumbled in his return to the bigs on Tuesday, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out just four Cubs in the eventual 8-6 defeat. This came after he had two quality... Read More
Nathan Eovaldi (SP, TB) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: Those desperate for an AL-only arm may want to see what the once-useful Nathan Eovaldi has left in the tank after two elbow surgeries have sidelined him in recent years. Those who bought Eovaldi for yesterday's start against the Athletics must be... Read More
Vince Velasquez (SP, PHI) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez rebounded from a rough outing last week by taking a shutout into the sixth inning on Monday, though his bullpen would blow the lead and his win. Still, we have to respect how VV has 70 strikeouts... Read More
Week 9 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers
Hopefully, you’ve all enjoyed a strong first two months of the fantasy baseball season and are heading into June with a full head of steam. Whether you're at the top and looking to strengthen your pitching ranks or in the lower half and seeking out a spark, we've got you covered. If you want to... Read More
Updated Third Base Rankings (May) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball
We are a quarter of the way through the regular season for Major League Baseball (almost a third of the way now), so our premier staff at RotoBaller has updated our rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings. We've been going around the diamond over the last few days and now it's time to turn our attention to... Read More
Updated Relief Pitcher Rankings (May) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball
We are a quarter of the way through the regular season for Major League Baseball, so our crack staff at RotoBaller has updated our rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings. We looked at starting pitchers yesterday, and now we’re ready to hand things off to the bullpen. Closers are known for their volatility and even the greats... Read More
Ross Stripling (SP, LAD) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Dodgers seem to have outclassed themselves with “playing the 10-day DL” (sarcasm), as Rich Hill is set to miss a month with a blister issue, Clayton Kershaw is still working back from biceps tendinitis and Hyun-Jin Ryu tore his groin off the bone. Anyway, the... Read More
Luiz Gohara (SP, ATL) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: Atltanta Braves starting pitcher Luiz Gohara is finally getting the turn in the rotation that we all envisioned before Opening Day, but we need to temper expectations since he is transitioning from the bullpen and will travel to Brazil after the outing... Read More
Joe Musgrove (SP, PIT) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove appears set to toe the rubber for the Pirates on Friday against the Cardinals after posting a very respectable 17-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 17 ⅔ innings (four rehab starts). The biggest knock against ol' Joe is the... Read More
Carlos Rodon (SP, CHW) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodon fits a theme of “injury-prone starters” that are still available in many leagues. He just turned in five innings of one-run ball in a rehab start and is good for over a strikeout per inning... Read More
Anthony DeSclafani (SP, CIN) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% of leagues ANALYSIS: Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani now has two rehab starts under his belt and has looked pretty darn good against Double-A players. Tony Disco has struck out 12 while walking just one over eight innings of work, yielding two earned runs on... Read More
Zach Eflin (SP, PHI) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: While not at his best against the Cardinals on May 19, Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zach Eflin was in line for the win before a premature rain-delay call by the umpires saw him lifted after just 4 ⅔ innings. He had yielded... Read More
Trevor Cahill (SP, OAK) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Trevor Cahill toyed with a watered-down Mariners team on Tuesday night, nearly cruising through seven innings without a blemish before serving up a two-run homer to Mike Zunino as he approached 100 pitches. He wound up throwing 101 on the... Read More
Week 8 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers
We've officially moved beyond the quarter-season mark and will be staring down the one-third pole when next week rolls around, so it's high time you start assessing your team and really scrutinizing those slow starts. I don't know why guys like Aaron Sanchez, Felix Hernandez, Rich Hill and Chad Bettis continue to have 50% ownership... Read More
Jack Flaherty (SP, STL) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 34% of leagues ANALYSIS: The good news is that St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty allowed just one run over his 5 2/3 innings of work on Tuesday night against the Twins, lowering his ERA to 2.87 over three Major League starts this season, as... Read More
Mike Soroka (SP, ATL) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Soroka deserved so much better on Saturday, as he was through 4 ⅔ innings before inducing a grounder toward third base that should have ended the inning. Instead, Jose Bautista booted the thing and, wouldn’t you know it, a bases-clearing... Read More
Caleb Smith (SP/RP, MIA) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 39% of leagues ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins pitcher Caleb Smith should have been owned for a while and, hopefully, RotoBallers who have bought him surely will not have bailed already. However, his ownership is still too low and we need more people to realize the talent in South... Read More
Jordan Lyles (SP, SD) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 4% of leagues ANALYSIS: There is something poetic about San Diego Padres starting pitcher Jordan Lyles dominating the Rockies, a team that he was absolutely awful on for the better part of four seasons. The 27-year-old had given up just one earned over five innings with... Read More
Alex Reyes (SP, STL) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 39% of leagues ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Alex Reyes is getting closer to the big leagues and this is likely the last chance to get this talented pitcher. Reyes tore through the Low-A Clinton LumberKings in his latest rehab start, striking out 12 out of... Read More
Week 7 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers
It's the middle of May and baseball has already descended into its prime chaotic form. We've got Robinson Cano getting popped with an 80-game suspension after breaking his hand, A.J. Pollock out for 4-8 weeks, DJ LeMahieu possibly out for over a month and Adrian Beltre is back on the DL. As I'm typing this,... Read More
Freddy Peralta (SP, MIL) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 0% of leagues ANALYSIS: Rookie pitcher Freddy Peralta was called up for a spot start on Sunday after Chase Anderson hit the 10-day DL with an illness. He dazzled in his debut performance, picking up the win at Coors field, while racking up 13 strikeouts over... Read More
Caleb Smith (SP, MIA) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 35% of leagues ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins starting pitcher Caleb Smith has really taken a shine to this whole “being aggressive” schtick, as his swing-and-miss stuff was once again on display against the Reds on May 5. Smith rung up seven Redlegs over 5 ⅔ shutout innings... Read More
