Hitter Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - Average Exit Velocity for Week 4
We can finally start extrapolating something from one of the easiest Statcast metrics to decipher - exit velocity. This stat stabilizes after approximately 70 plate appearances or 45 batted-ball events. Last week, we looked at early leaders in maximum exit velocity because it doesn't take long to take something away from that metric. Keep in... Read More
Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings for Fantasy Baseball: The Top 101 Baller Ranks
With a shortened April now in the rearview mirror, let's move into May with a fresh stroll through my weekly-updated top 101 starting pitcher rankings - looking at rest-of-season values. RotoBallers can once again peruse my notes regarding key movers and then scroll through the top-101 in a table with tiers, ranks, earned value via... Read More
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball Week 4
Week four of fantasy baseball is upon us, and we have seen a lot of exciting developments on the starting pitcher scene. Kyle Wright, an early recommendation in this post series, continues to dominate, while young rookies like Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo have fallen off a bit due to performance and injury. The pool... Read More
Closers and Saves Waiver Wire Report for Fantasy Baseball - Week 4
Another week of baseball means another week of bullpen drama. Nothing like the Mets/Cardinals drama though. We're staying in the bullpens here, not jumping over the fence. There were plenty of saves, even more holds, and some blown saves this week. A few surprises, and some strong throwing arms getting healthy made some bullpens shift... 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
Homer Run Risers and Fallers: Batted-Ball Profile Changes for Fantasy Baseball
We are closing in on the end of April, which means we have a pretty decent-sized data sample for hitters now. The league leaders will clear 100 plate appearances in the next week or so, which gives us a lot of good stuff to look into. A lot of times we find a breakout or... 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
Breakout Hitters to Watch for Fantasy Baseball Week 4
Welcome back RotoBallers to another edition of my "Breakout Hitters To Watch" series. What we're doing here is taking good, close look at the hitting data each week to see which hitters are standing out the most. The idea is to find hitters that have made changes and/or really improved this season to find start-worthy... Read More
Updated MLB Prospects Rankings - Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects (Week 3)
Bobby Witt Jr., Julio Rodriguez, and C.J. Abrams may have arrived in The Show already but the Triple-A level (and even Double-A) is littered with prospects looking to have explosive impacts at the MLB level in 2022. Quite a few top prospects are off to strong starts at the Triple-A level -- albeit in small... Read More
Are You For Real? Surprising Pitcher Starts from Week 3
Welcome back to "Are You For Real?" - a weekly column where we take starting pitchers who had surprisingly good starts over the past week and put them under the microscope to determine whether they're legit, or just smoke and mirrors. With May fast approaching we're starting to get settled into the season, and while... Read More
Baller Ranks: Starting Pitchers Top 101 Weekly Rankings
We have another week in the record books for our emerging 2022 MLB season, which yields another dose of my weekly top-101 SP Baller Ranks breakdown. RotoBallers can enjoy my rambling about key movers and then scroll through the top-101 in a table with tiers, ranks, earned value via Fangraphs, and even more notes! You... Read More
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball Week 3
Week three of fantasy baseball is upon us, and we have seen a lot of exciting developments on the starting pitcher scene. Plenty of guys are popping up here, especially guys we really weren't tracking much in the pre-season. Finding breakout starting pitchers is one of the most fun parts of the game, and it's... Read More
The Cut List - Time to Let Go? Week 3
Welcome back to The Cut List. This is our weekly article looking at players who fantasy managers might be considering cutting from their teams and struggling players who need a closer look. We'll look at players who are worthy of a drop, players who are worth monitoring for replacing, and someone on the hot seat... Read More
Two-Start Pitcher Streamers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 3
Before introducing this week's two-start streaming options at starting pitcher, I have to expound briefly upon one specific topic: Nestor Cortes. This isn't a victory lap just because I labeled him as a solid streamer last week. I simply want to highlight the value of examining pitching matchups closely each week and identifying the best... Read More
Are These Early Slumps Worth Worrying About? Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, Cedric Mullins and more
We are less than two weeks into the season, and full panic mode is setting in for many fantasy players. It should not, but it is. Some of our draft picks perform poorly, and we always wonder what to do. It is even worse when watching some of our top draft picks struggle. So, what... Read More
Breakout Hitters to Watch for Fantasy Baseball Week 3
Welcome back RotoBallers to another edition of my "Breakout Hitters To Watch" series. And just like that, we are on our third version of the weekly breakout hitter watch analysis. For those who are not familiar, I'll be writing this article weekly and it will be published on Thursday mornings. So far, we have identified... 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
Are The Mets Hitters Here To Stay? Fantasy Baseball Insider Report
If the early returns are any true indication of how the full season will play out, then Francisco Lindor will prove to be one of the best early-round picks of 2022 fantasy baseball drafts. Some were skeptical about him rebounding in a big way in his second year in New York, and it was reflected... Read More
Bullpen Report: Speculating on the Red Sox, Twins, Giants, and More
While many early-season trends in baseball can be dismissed as hot or cold starts, bullpens are the one thing you should always pay close attention to and get actionable information. So much of what makes relievers valuable in fantasy is the usage and opportunities they receive. This year, perhaps more than ever, there were more... Read More
How Sustainable is High Fastball Usage? Hunter Greene, Justin Steele Analysis
Hunter Greene and Justin Steele have looked very sharp to start the 2022 season. They are both trendy waiver wire additions in fantasy leagues right now, but I noticed something very interesting about these two guys. They have both been extremely reliant on their four-seam fastball in their first two outings, and in Greene's case,... Read More
Are You For Real? Surprising Pitcher Starts from Week 2
Welcome back to "Are You For Real?" - a weekly column where we take starting pitchers who had surprisingly good starts over the past week and put them under the microscope to determine whether they're legit, or just smoke and mirrors. We're two weeks into the season and already numerous pitchers have emerged as potential... Read More
The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Starting Pitcher Rankings
Another week of matchups is upon us, so that means it's once again time for my weekly top-101 SP Baller Ranks breakdown. RotoBallers can find my thoughts on key movers and then the top-101 in a table with tiers, ranks, earned value via Fangraphs, and even more notes! We now ride with the second 2022... Read More
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball Week 2
A long Week One in the books, and now we've got some data to really get into! It's the weekend so that means it's time for all of RotoBaller's fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups content, as we prepare you for Week 2 - April 18th through April 24th. I'm Jon Anderson and I'm once again... Read More
Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Fantasy Baseball - Week 2
Having America's greatest pastime back in action creates such a sense of happiness that is hard to encapsulate. Spring is here, summer is approaching, and every team has hope. Is this the year your favorite player breaks out? This is the time of optimism! Fantasy baseball teams are built through the draft, but an argument... Read More
Finding Waiver Wire Gems on Bad Teams
One of the beautiful things about fantasy baseball is the value found on bad teams. No matter the wins and losses for any given team, there will be value for those who get regular at-bats and produce. Unfortunately, some of these players may have been overlooked during the draft season as they are on subpar... 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
Bullpen Report: What We Learned Early in the Season
All throughout fantasy baseball draft season there was a ton of talk about saves and how there are so few known sources of them. Heading into the season it felt like two-thirds of the teams around the league did not have a set closer. At least half of those had more than two options they... Read More
Are You For Real? Surprising Pitcher Starts from Week 1
Welcome back to "Are You For Real?" - a weekly column where we take starting pitchers who had surprisingly good starts over the past week and put them under the microscope to determine whether they're legit, or just smoke and mirrors. The first few days of the season have been nothing short of incredible, and... Read More
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball Week 1
Welcome to the 2022 fantasy baseball season, RotoBaller readers! We are back with our fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for starting pitchers and Week 1 - April 11th through April 17th. We're grateful that you're back with us this year, and we hope to once again help a bunch of you win your leagues. I'm... Read More