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Relievers Set to Break Out in 2021
Relief Pitchers Set To Bust In 2021
Projecting relievers is notoriously tricky, and that’s especially true after an irregular 2020 season. As is prone to happen in small samples of performance, otherwise strong relievers sometimes have down seasons that are not entirely in their control. Still, some relievers are more likely to bust than others, and fantasy managers would do well to... Read More
Richard Rodriguez (RP, PIT) - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
Saves are a scarce commodity in today's game, as more and more teams are relying on multiple relievers to handle ninth-inning duties. In last year's abbreviated season, just 10 pitchers reached double digits in the category. Going a little further down the list, only 18 closed out seven or more games, and that includes guys... Read More
Kirby Yates to the Blue Jays - Fantasy Impact
The Toronto Blue Jays made a trio of free-agent signings over the last week. The big news of course was outfielder George Springer signing a six-year deal with Toronto (for more on that check out Frank Ammirante's analysis of Springer's fantasy impact in 2021). But the other big acquisition for the Blue Jays was landing... Read More
Liam Hendriks to White Sox - Fantasy Impact
After making a big splash last offseason the White Sox with the signing of Yasmani Grandal to a four-year deal, Chicago has done it again as they signed closer Liam Hendriks to a three-year deal. The top closer on the free agent market, Hendriks will head to the South Side after establishing himself as one... Read More
Valuable Long Relievers of 2020 and the Lingering Impact (Part 2)
In part one, we examined the bullpens in Toronto and Cincinnati. The circumstantial insanity of the 2020 MLB season necessitated some adjustments in strategy, both for big-league managers and fantasy baseball GMs. One of these adjustments, prompted by frequent doubleheaders and the three-batter minimum rule, was the greater use of long-relievers and a generally reduced... Read More
Valuable Long Relievers of 2020 and the Lingering Impact (Part 1)
The circumstantial insanity of the 2020 MLB season necessitated some adjustments in strategy, both for big-league managers and fantasy baseball GMs. One of these adjustments, prompted by frequent doubleheaders and the three-batter minimum rule, was the greater use of long-relievers and a generally reduced workload for rotation pitchers. That makes sense from the perspective of... Read More
Year-In-Review: Rafael Dolis and Jordan Romano
As I created my early 2021 Relief Pitcher rankings, I realized how wide open so many bullpens are right now due to free agency. One team that will surely add a late-inning arm this offseason is the Toronto Blue Jays, as Anthony Bass and Ken Giles are both now free agents. But are they in... Read More
A Year to Forget: Relievers Who'll Rebound in 2021
The 2020 season was so weird, unprecedented, awkward, and chaotic, it might be wise to toss out most of the stats when prepping for your 2021 fantasy drafts. But we are also human, and sometimes getting that bad taste a down season leaves in your mouth can be nearly impossible no matter the circumstances. These... Read More
Year-In-Review: Diego Castillo and Nick Anderson
As I created my early 2021 Relief Pitcher rankings, I realized how wide open so many bullpens are right now due to free agency. But there is at least one team that can sleep well knowing the back end of their bullpen is solid as bedrock and that's the Tampa Bay Rays. Diego Castillo and... Read More
Biggest Fallers of 2020 – Relief Pitchers
In an abbreviated 60-game season, a large number of relievers previously considered to be lockdown closers or dominant set-up men struggled consistently, ultimately resulting in a negative impact on their fantasy value. As we previously did with RP risers, we will now look at the biggest fallers of the 2020 season as we gear up... Read More
Raisel Iglesias To Angels - Fantasy Impact
The 2020 Winter Meetings may be taking place virtually, but that didn't stop the Los Angeles Angels from addressing one of their biggest needs before some participants could even log on. The Angels acquired former Reds closer Raisel Iglesias who should immediately slot into the ninth-inning that has been a sore spot for the Halos for... Read More
Biggest Risers of 2020 – Relief Pitchers
In 2020, we saw a large number of relief pitchers, previously not in the upper tier of fantasy rankings, breakout or bounce back from 2019 decrepitude. Below we will take a look at a few of the biggest relief pitcher risers of the 2020 season as we gear up for 2021 drafts in the spring.... Read More
Week 10 MLB Closers & Bullpen Usage Report
Monitoring bullpens in 2020 will be a vital task each and every day. Because of this, we'll be publishing a weekly article at RotoBaller that tracks which bullpens are being taxed and which pitchers within that bullpen are being heavily used. The idea of this column is to help you gain an inside track into which... Read More
Week 9 MLB Closers & Bullpen Usage Report
Monitoring bullpens in 2020 will be a vital task each and every day. Because of this, we'll be publishing a weekly article at RotoBaller that tracks which bullpens are being taxed and which pitchers within that bullpen are being heavily used. The idea of this column is to help you gain an inside track into which... Read More
Week 8 MLB Closers & Bullpen Usage Report
Monitoring bullpens in 2020 will be a vital task each and every day. Because of this, we'll be publishing a weekly article at RotoBaller that tracks which bullpens are being taxed and which pitchers within that bullpen are being heavily used. The idea of this column is to help you gain an inside track into which... Read More
Week 7 MLB Closers & Bullpen Usage Report
Monitoring bullpens in 2020 will be a vital task each and every day. Because of this, we'll be publishing a weekly article at RotoBaller that tracks which bullpens are being taxed and which pitchers within that bullpen are being heavily used. The idea of this column is to help you gain an inside track into which... Read More
Week 6 MLB Closers & Bullpen Usage Report
Monitoring bullpens in 2020 will be a vital task each and every day. Because of this, we'll be publishing a weekly article at RotoBaller that tracks which bullpens are being taxed and which pitchers within that bullpen are being heavily used. The idea of this column is to help you gain an inside track into which... Read More
Week 5 MLB Closers & Bullpen Usage Report
Monitoring bullpens in 2020 will be a vital task each and every day. Because of this, we'll be publishing a weekly article at RotoBaller that tracks which bullpens are being taxed and which pitchers within that bullpen are being heavily used. The idea of this column is to help you gain an inside track into which... Read More
Week 4 MLB Closers & Bullpen Usage Report
Monitoring bullpens in 2020 will be a vital task each and every day. Because of this, we'll be publishing a weekly article at RotoBaller that tracks which bullpens are being taxed and which pitchers within that bullpen are being heavily used. The idea of this column is to help you gain an inside track into which... Read More
Week 3 MLB Closers & Bullpen Usage Report
As this weird, altered season progresses, the imbalance in the schedule becomes a bigger and bigger issue. Some teams have already played double-figure games, while others have played just a single series. This imbalance is obviously troublesome for the standings with the playoffs not all that far off in the grand scheme. It is also... Read More
Week 2 Bullpen Usage Report for Fantasy Baseball
Less than a week into the 2020 Major League Baseball season, the future is uncertain. Bullpens are normally the most unreliable and volatile aspect of the sport. This year, the outside world has told baseball to hold its beer and showed it what unreliable and volatile really meant. As we see the Miami Marlins sit... Read More
Statcast Sleepers - Relief Pitchers to Target
This is the first edition of our weekly series on Statcast Pitcher Analysis. Normally, I will select a different sabermetric evaluation method to identify undervalued and/or overvalued pitchers. Since we have less than a week's worth of data under our belt for 2020, let's take one more look back at last year's Statcast data to find... Read More
Week 1 Bullpen Usage Report for Fantasy Baseball
One of the biggest questions in baseball this season will be how managers approach bullpen usage. That was already arguably the manager's heaviest workload in a normal season, apart from immeasurable impacts on team mood and cohesion. However, this year the bullpen will be in even clearer focus. Every blown save counts 2.7 times more... Read More
Closer Conundrum: What Does Managing Like It's The Playoffs Mean?
"In a 60-game season, managers will approach every game like it's the playoffs." We've heard that refrain over and over again as we prepare for the 2020 fantasy baseball season. In fact, I think I've written that sentence, or something similar, close to ten times already. But that statement brings up a natural follow-up question: How... Read More
2020 Fantasy Baseball: NL Hitters (DHs) Who Will Gain At Bats
Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2020 fantasy baseball season and keeps you updated with all the latest news and analysis. In this episode he breaks down some of his must-have players for 2020 fantasy baseball drafts focused on National League hitters who should benefit from the universal DH. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel... Read More
Closers and Saves Report: Summer Camp Edition 2 - Handcuffs
It's a whole new ball game. Literally. Baseball is going to be weird this season, folks. Only 60 games. (Almost?) all in the same time zone. Tons of games against the same teams. The DH everywhere. Empty stadiums. Cardboard cutouts. Artificial crowd noise. 30-man rosters for a while. Then 28-man rosters for another while. It's... Read More
Mariano's Saves+Holds Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitchers
To any reader who thinks they don't have a voice here at RotoBaller, let it be known that this article came from a simple Reddit comment about how those seeking Saves+Holds reliever ranks were often overlooked. Poof, and here we are. Allow me, Nick Mariano, 2018's most accurate draft expert and sharer of names with... Read More
Why You Need Middle Relievers In 2020 - Top Draft Targets
Heading into the 2020 fantasy baseball season, much of the talk is focused on the randomness that we're likely to see unfold. With a 60-game season, it feels a bit like anything can happen. However, instead of that reality causing you to throw your hands in the air in dismay, I think it's the perfect... Read More
Starting Pitchers Who Will Benefit From a Delayed Start to the 2020 MLB Season
Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2020 fantasy baseball season and keeps you updated with all the latest news and analysis. In this episode he breaks down some of his must-have players for 2020 fantasy baseball drafts focused on starting pitchers who should benefit from the delay to the 2020 season. Like and subscribe to the... Read More
