Points Leagues Values: Third Basemen Set to Outperform ADP in 2022
This article will examine a few eligible third basemen for the 2022 MLB season that are being selected later than their Steamer projections suggest they should in points leagues and H2H points formats. RotoBaller's fantasy baseball points analyst Antonio Losada will be offering a few picks for both potential overperformers (sleepers) and shortcomers (busts) when... Read More
Points League Values: Shortstops Set to Outperform ADP in 2022
This article will examine a few eligible shortstops for the 2022 MLB season that are being selected later than their Steamer projections suggest they should in points leagues and H2H points formats. RotoBaller's fantasy baseball points analyst Antonio Losada will be offering a few picks for both potential overperformers (sleepers) and underachievers (busts) when it... 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
Best Fantasy Baseball Fits for Oakland's Trade Chips
The Oakland A’s might be rebuilding. Or at least something that resembles it to a degree. Of course, that’s purely speculative but Bob Melvin, Mark Canha, and Starling Marte have all departed this winter, and more could follow once the lockout ends. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweeted the following on November 9: GM David Forst of the cash-strapped A’s... Read More
A Year to Remember: Pitchers Coming Off Career Seasons
Each year in baseball, there are those pitchers who somehow sneak their way into Cy Young contention. Just one or two little tweaks could make all the difference and lead to a breakout year. From the aging veterans to the developing youngsters, there’s always a handful of breakthrough stories on the mound. We saw that yet... Read More
Four Hitters Who Changed Scenes - What Will That Mean?
In case you have been living under a rock, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are currently in the midst of a lockout. As a result, there can be no MLB transactions until the lockout is concluded, while the start of the regular season is now in doubt. I think I speak for everyone... Read More
Late-Round Fantasy Baseball Third Base Targets - NFBC Draft and Hold Leagues
Lockout or not, fantasy baseball drafts have been taking place on several platforms. Sure, we do not know if or when the MLB season will start, but that will not stop us die-hard fantasy players. Some players have been researching for a few months, while some players are just now getting their first looks at... Read More
Batting Order: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball
You may be wondering why there aren't any advanced stats aimed at predicting a player's counting stats like runs and RBI. The answer is simple: modern sabermetrics reject the idea of a "clutch RBI guy" and therefore do not bother inventing predictive metrics for it. Runs and RBI are team-dependent stats and are unhelpful in ascertaining... Read More
Pull%: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball
We have previously determined that fantasy managers generally prefer batters to hit the ball into the air to have a chance at a home run. Yet, all fly balls are not equal for this purpose. A player can maximize his power production by pulling the ball in the air. One way to illustrate this is... Read More
Prime-Age Outfielders Set to Break Out for Fantasy Baseball
In modern baseball, we expect players to perform the instant they hit the majors, or shortly afterward. If the player hasn't broken out by age 25, we assume he will never break out. That wasn't always the case, however, as we used to view a player's mid-to-late-20s as the crucial time for a step forward.... 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
Making the Case for Dylan Bundy
Earlier this week, I started writing an article about my favorite late-round starting pitchers for draft-and-hold formats and found myself digging into Dylan Bundy. I wasn't really expecting to find much that would make me want to draft him anywhere, but I was intrigued enough by the projection systems giving him consistent innings in Minnesota... Read More
Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (xSLG) - 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
Identifying Potential Pitcher Breakouts - Biggest Changes in Fastball Usage
Every year, we are looking at different ways to find fantasy baseball breakouts. This is particularly true on the pitching side of things. Pitchers tend to be more volatile in terms of their year-to-year performance than hitters, paving the way for under-the-radar talents to emerge as frontline starters. When that happens, you'll want them on... Read More
Exit Velocity Leaders - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball
As we wait for MLB and the MLB Player's Association to work through the lockout issues and move forward with the 2022 baseball season, we've been digging into a few players that stand out as good fantasy investments based on their 2021 Statcast numbers. As with evaluations of any metric, these should be taken as... Read More
Late-Round Fantasy Baseball Second Base Targets - NFBC Draft and Hold Leagues
Welcome back RotoBallers to my ongoing series about NFBC late-round targets - today we take a look at second base. We have entered January, 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... 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
Hitters Set To Break Out Late in 2022
In baseball, common sense would indicate that a player would break out when they reach their prime, which is around 26 years old. However, development is not linear. We have seen plenty of players burst onto the scene with the first or second season and flourish, while others have taken longer than expected to develop.... Read More
Late-Round Fantasy Baseball First Base Targets - NFBC Draft and Hold Leagues
Welcome RotoBallers to my new series about NFBC late-round targets - today we kick things off and take a look at first base. We have entered January, 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... Read More
A Year To Forget: Pitchers Who Will Rebound In 2022
When you draft a pitcher onto your fantasy baseball team, you are hoping they can be a stable source of production. Unfortunately, for these five pitchers, that was not the case. All of them struggled mightily, with four of the five even being either demoted to the minor leagues or the bullpen at one point... Read More
2022 Fantasy Breakout Candidates - NL West
We have already broken down the top breakout candidates from the National League Central, National League East, American League West, American League East, and American League Central. In this column, we'll run down players from the National League West, one from each team, who could fit the bill and have breakout campaigns next season. One... Read More
Tyler Stephenson - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
Welcome back RotoBallers! We had the first action of the MLB hot stove period yesterday when Tucker Barnhardt was traded from Cincinnati to the Detroit Tigers. This trade should pave the way for more playing time for Cincinnati’s young backstop Tyler Stephenson. Stephenson is now bound to be a trendy late round pick at the... Read More
Pitch Mix Exam Room - Freddy Peralta
Eric Samulski of RotoBaller does a deep dive on Freddy Peralta. He analyzes the Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher and his pitch mix, explaining why fantasy baseball managers should possibly avoid him in his new role. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning between 6-7 AM... Read More
Later-Round Relief Pitchers and Closers - Targets and Avoids
Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have playing time concerns.... Read More
Hot Prospects To Watch: End of Spring Training
It's almost here! It's almost here! Opening Day is on Thursday!! As we all get excited for Opening Day, we're also updating our personal rankings based on Spring Training performances as we cram in the last of our drafts. And of all the spring performances to analyze, it's the prospects that will have the biggest... Read More
Later-Round Starting Pitchers - Targets and Avoids
Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have playing time concerns.... Read More
Later-Round Shortstops - Targets and Avoids
Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have playing time concerns.... Read More
Later-Round Third Basemen - Targets and Avoids
Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have playing time concerns.... Read More
Later-Round Second Basemen - Targets and Avoids
Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have playing time concerns.... Read More