Barrels and Brls/BBE: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball
We've previously looked at how exit velocity is only one piece of the fantasy analysis puzzle. Baseball broadcasts will commonly cite Launch Angle (LA) to complement their EV figures, but it is given in terms of degrees. LA is basically a fancy way of saying things that the fantasy community has used for years. Am... Read More
2022 Keeper Value Rankings - Outfield
Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing. There... Read More
ADP Review - February Risers and Fallers
The fine people over at NFBC have really put together an awesome fantasy sports product. You can participate in fantasy drafts all year long, and the platform is just great. One of the coolest things they do is keep detailed ADP data. You can even select custom date ranges to limit the drafts you want... Read More
2022 Keeper Value Rankings - Relief Pitchers
Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year, I thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing.... Read More
Post-Hype Hitters Ready To Break Out
In a day and age where prospect coverage is at an all-time high, we as a baseball community have never hyped up prospects to the extent we are currently. Once upon a time, prospects were seen as unproven commodities that we asset in trades for established big-league players. Now, they're the exciting new kid on... Read More
2022 Keeper Value Rankings - Catcher
Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year, I thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing.... Read More
2022 Keeper Value Rankings - Shortstop
Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year, I thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing.... Read More
2022 Keeper Value Rankings - Third Base
Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing. There... Read More
2022 Keeper Value Rankings - Second Base
Many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year, I thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing. There... Read More
Buying Back in on Alec Bohm
Let's start with a cliché because those are always fun. We've heard over and over again that "prospect growth is not linear." Well, there might not be a better example of that in the current MLB landscape than Bohm, who was drafted third overall in 2018 and quickly moved through the minor leagues, hitting .291... Read More
2022 Keeper Value Rankings - First Base
Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year, I thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing.... Read More
Late-Round Fantasy Baseball Outfield Targets - NFBC Draft and Hold Leagues
Welcome back RotoBallers to my ongoing series about NFBC late-round targets - today, we take a look at outfielders. We are in February and that means Fantasy Baseball draft season is ramping up in hopes of a resolution to the lockout. In previous years, many players would participate in mock drafts to get their feel... Read More
Late-Round Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Targets - NFBC Draft and Hold Leagues
Welcome back RotoBallers to my ongoing series about NFBC late-round targets - today we take a look at shortstops. We are entering February and that means Fantasy Baseball draft season is ramping up. Sure, we do not know if or when the MLB season will start, but that will not stop us die-hard fantasy players!... Read More
HR/FB: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball
Using BABIP to predict a player's batting average is great. Batting average is a category in many league formats, and every hit is an opportunity to steal a base or score a run. Most fantasy managers find the long ball sexier. Every HR comes with a guaranteed run scored and at least one RBI. Many... Read More
Under-The-Radar MLB Free Agent Sleepers for 2022 Fantasy Baseball
Despite the free agent frenzy that happened before the lockout, there are still a number of significant free agents left on the board, both in real life and fantasy. Hitters like Carlos Correa, Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, and Kyle Schwarber will draw the headlines, as will pitchers like Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw, and rightfully so.... Read More
Biggest Brl/BBE% Fallers - Hitters
Welcome to part two of my pre-season series on 2021 barrel rate risers and fallers. In the first part, I looked at the players who showed the biggest barrel rate improvement in 2021 and broke down whether or not we should believe that success will carry over into 2022. In this article, I'll look at... Read More
Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar to Mets - Fantasy Impact
The New York Mets have been major players in the free-agent market so far this offseason. Before the MLB lockout, they made two high-profile signings by acquiring starting pitcher Max Scherzer and outfielder Starling Marte. Not to be lost in the shuffle, the Mets also signed outfielder Mark Canha and infielder Eduardo Escobar. The acquisitions... Read More
Arizona Fall League 2021 Wrap Up
The Arizona Fall League wrapped up on November 20th with a Mesa Solar Sox championship over the Suprise Saguaros. In this space, we will review the 2021 Arizona Fall League by highlighting players who were the most notable risers and disappointments based on their performance from a fantasy baseball perspective. Many of these prospects won't... Read More
Corey Kluber to the Rays - Fantasy Impact
The starting pitching market has been on fire early in the off-season. The veteran starting pitchers have been no exception. Former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber signed a one-year, eight million dollar contract on November 27th with the Tampa Bay Rays. The veteran moves south but stays in the AL East after spending 2021 with... Read More
Arizona Fall League 2021 Preview
On October 13th at 3:30 pm EST, the Arizona Fall League kicks off! I am going to preview the Arizona Fall League from a fantasy sports perspective. Before digging into the players, let's get into the quick basics of what the Arizona Fall League (AFL) is. It's a six-team league that plays a 30-game schedule.... Read More
Year in Review: Jon Anderson's Bold Predictions
After joining the RotoBaller team in late 2020, I was graciously allowed to write a "Bold Predictions" piece for the 2021 MLB season, you can read back on that here. It was a fantastically fun year covering fantasy baseball on this website, but now it's time to get the gavel out begin judging some of... Read More
Statcast Hitter Leaderboard - Second-Half xBA
As we revisit expected statistics such as xBA, it's only logical to focus on recent performance in the second half. In this week's column, I will evaluate the xBA leaderboard since the All-Star break, using 30 plate appearances as a minimum. Rather than run down the entire leaderboard, we'll skip over the obvious names and... Read More
Statcast Hitter Leaderboard - Second-Half Exit Velocity
We're a month removed from the All-Star break so it's time to narrow our focus on second-half stats. In other words, it's time to look the players on your roster in the eye and ask, "What have you done for me lately?" They won't respond, but it's a good mental exercise for you to practice.... Read More
Statcast Hitter Leaderboard - Launch Angle
One of the most basic components of Statcast metrics is launch angle, which is incorporated in Sweet Spot% and Barrel rate among other things. While launch angle alone doesn't tell the entire tale of a batted ball, much less an entire season's worth of offensive stats, it can serve as an entry point to a... Read More
Hitter & Pitcher Splits Worth Exploring
We talk a lot in fantasy baseball about splits data, and for good reason. Some hitters are completely different players when facing a left-handed pitcher as compared to when they're facing a right-hander. Some of the differences you see in the data are huge. This is also true with pitchers, as some guys can be... Read More
Max Scherzer to the Dodgers - Fantasy Impact
Max Scherzer made it to southern California by the trade deadline — but it wasn't to the team everyone had expected. After early reports said he was heading to the Padres, hours later suddenly the story flipped to Scherzer going to Los Angeles, and next thing you know not only was Scherzer joining the Dodgers,... Read More
Joey Gallo to the Yankees - Fantasy Impact
The Yankees got the left-handed power-hitting bat that they've been looking for in outfielder Joey Gallo. After spending the first seven years of his career in Texas, Gallo is heading to the Big Apple as the Rangers look to start a rebuild. Here's how the trade broke down: Yankees receive: OF Joey Gallo, LHP Joely... Read More
Anthony Rizzo To Yankees - Fantasy Impact
The 2021 MLB Trade Deadline was as wild as any in recent memory as dozens of players changed addresses with seemingly every team making some kind of move. The biggest deadline buyer may have been the New York Yankees. They were busy making deals to try and hunt down the Red Sox and Rays, 8.5... Read More
Starling Marte to Athletics - Fantasy Impact
In what is somewhat of an annual tradition, the Miami Marlins made a cost-cutting move wisely traded a veteran asset to acquire young talent with an eye toward the future. As obvious sellers at the trade deadline, they made the decision to deal the best hitter on their roster. Hence, 32-year-old outfielder Starling Marte is heading to... Read More