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Statcast Hitter Leaderboard - Second-Half Exit Velocity
Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - Barrels/Batted-Ball Event For Week 21
Welcome back to RotoBaller’s Statcast pitcher Studs and Duds article series! Each week I have selected an advanced stat, chosen two top performers and two under-performers, and analyzed what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. This week I will focus on the rate of barrels per batted-ball event a pitcher allows (Brls/BBE %). Barrels are... Read More
Champ or Chump: Tylor Megill
Isn't it amazing what one player can do? Led by Jacob deGrom, the New York Mets appeared poised to waltz into the playoffs after outlasting a mediocre division. With deGrom out for an extended period, the Phillies have surged past them while the Braves currently enjoy a half-game advantage over them. The Mets ace was... 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
Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - wOBA-xwOBA Difference For Week 20
Welcome back to RotoBaller’s Statcast pitcher Studs and Duds article series! Each week I have selected an advanced stat, chosen two top performers and two under-performers, and analyzed what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. This week I will focus on the difference between pitchers' weighted on-base average (wOBA) and expected wOBA (xwOBA). wOBA is... Read More
Fantasy Trade Deadline Advice - The Bigger Picture
The MLB trade deadline came and went like a category five hurricane (or typhoon, for those on the other side of the Pacific). We are still picking up the pieces, trying to make sense of what is left in the aftermath. This year, the rich got richer in L.A. and New York while non-contenders like... Read More
Hitter Analysis by Batted Ball Data
With all of the data that is captured for every event in MLB games, there are a lot of fun ways to dive in and see how hitters are truly performing. There is also an opportunity to find what statistical outputs we should generally expect with certain inputs. For this post, I'd like to revisit... 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
Champ or Chump: Tanner Houck
Did any team have a more puzzling trading deadline than the Boston Red Sox? Okay, the Seattle Mariners trading their All-Star closer to the team they're chasing for a package largely comprised of future value was a bit strange. Still, the Red Sox need a pitcher and an injured power hitter without a position is... Read More
Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - Chase Rate For Week 19
Welcome back to RotoBaller’s Statcast pitcher Studs and Duds article series! Each week I have selected an advanced stat, chosen two top performers and two under-performers, and analyzed what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. This week I will focus on a metric that can have interesting implications for fantasy production: chase rate. Chase rate... Read More
Statcast Hitter Risers, Fallers - xwOBA Rolling Windows
After an insane trade deadline that saw pretty much everybody in the league changes teams (hyperbole intended), we must collect ourselves and focus on the numbers again. The intent of this series is to identify the top risers and fallers for various Statcast metrics each week, not focus on the players who are in the... Read More
Announcing This Year's Fantasy Busts - The Bigger Picture
The second half of the MLB season is about two weeks deep and the trade deadline brings a flurry of activity that will shake up rosters. Last week, I advised being proactive to prepare for prospects or under-the-radar players who may jump into the starting lineup or rotation. This week, let's get reactive. While you... Read More
Hitter Busts Who'll Keep Busting: wPC+ Podcast
Pierre Camus and Nick Gaut review hitters who have been fantasy baseball busts in 2021 that may not turn things around in the second half. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller... Read More
Pitcher Busts Who'll Keep Busting: wPC+ Podcast
Pierre Camus and Nick Gaut review starting pitchers who have been fantasy baseball busts in 2021 that may not turn things around in the second half. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune... Read More
K-BB% Starting Pitcher Risers and Fallers (July)
Recently I've been on a K-BB% bender. I first looked at potential 2nd half breakouts by examining June K-BB% and came away feeling good about Eduardo Rodriguez, Patrick Sandoval, and Adam Wainwright. Then I looked at some relievers who might be worth stashing based on June's K-BB%, so it's only fitting that I go back... Read More
MLB Trade Deadline: Lineup Spot & Team Opportunity Impact
The trade deadline unofficially was kicked off on Sunday, when the Rays acquired Nelson Cruz and the Padres nabbed Adam Frazier. Fantasy managers will always be quick to scrutinize trades through the lens of fantasy - and that's good, we should be looking for any edge we can find. However, it's possible that we sometimes... Read More
Champ or Chump: Patrick Sandoval
Patrick Sandoval exploded onto the national scene when he nearly no-hit the Minnesota Twins, but his name has been whispered in fantasy circles as a potential sleeper for quite a while. He posted a 4.02 xFIP in 39 1/3 IP in 2019 and 4.00 xFIP in 36 2/3 IP in 2020, but actual ERAs of... Read More
Statcast Hitter Leaderboard - xHR Underachievers/Overachievers
We're not far removed from the Home Run Derby so it seems like an appropriate time to examine the Statcast side of home run production for some big-name players. As with most counting statistics, there is an expected version of home runs, appropriately labeled xHR. By comparing xHR to HR totals, we can identify the... Read More
Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - BABIP For Week 18
Welcome back to RotoBaller’s Statcast pitcher Studs and Duds article series! Each week I have selected an advanced stat, chosen two top performers and two under-performers, and analyzed what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. With the second half now under way, I will get back to picking specific metrics to dive into. This... Read More
The Bigger Picture - Post-Trade Deadline Pickups Are Key
The MLB trade deadline is one week away as of this writing and the first big deal has already gone down. Baseball's version of the Highlander, Nelson Cruz, has moved to Tampa Bay. It comes as no shock that the Twins are sellers this year; they are currently 17.5 games behind first place in the... Read More
Five Undervalued Standout Pitchers - Maddux Plate Discipline
“The key to pitching is to have the ability to throw a strike when they’re taking and throw a ball when the hitter is swinging.” - Greg Maddux Using my weighted plate discipline index statistic - the Maddux Plate Discipline Index (mPDI) - we can enumerate the percentage of time in which pitchers demonstrate the... Read More
Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - Second Half Preview
Welcome back to RotoBaller’s Statcast pitcher Studs and Duds article series! Each week I have selected an advanced stat, chosen two top performers and two under-performers, and analyzed what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. I have covered both Statcast and Fangraphs metrics to help identify hidden value as well as sell-high candidates. The... Read More
Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds - xBACON Leaderboard
Who doesn't love xBACON? Rather than the extra crispy version of your favorite breakfast meat, it's actually an expected statistic that measures Batting Average on CONtact, but you already knew that. The purpose of using xBACON is to get a better sense of whether a player's BABIP is truly "deserved" or not based on the... Read More
Champ or Chump: Jarren Duran
The MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching, and contenders are incentivized to get a look at top prospects to see if they have internal solutions for their problems or will have to look outside of their organization for help. The Boston Red Sox have summoned Jarren Duran from Triple-A to see if he could give... Read More
The NotBurts: First Half Hitter Awards
For all of the division and rancor in society, one foundation of our world stays intact from year to year, splendid in its grandeur, universal in its praise. The NotBurts. A celebration of first-half excellence in hitting, the NotBurts aren't, as one critic (liar) claimed, "just an award show made up by some lunatic". No,... Read More
Barrel Rate and Contact Rate, Who Can Do Both?
Hitting is, at the same time, completely simple and enormously complex. Hitting in the Major Leagues is arguably the most challenging thing to do in all of sports. I don't think I need to explain myself for saying that hitting is complex. I can't do it, probably neither can you. The reason I say it's... Read More
Improving Hitters to Watch in the Second Half
We have more than three months of baseball in the books. It has been a glorious spring and summer with the return of the 162 game schedule. While it was nice for MLB to sneak in 60 games and some expanded playoffs in 2020 after we feared a full season cancellation, it really just didn't... Read More
Pitcher Advanced Metrics Studs and Duds - Midseason Review
Welcome back to RotoBaller’s Statcast pitcher Studs and Duds article series! Each week I have selected an advanced stat, chosen two top performers and two under-performers, and analyzed what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. I have covered both Statcast and Fangraphs metrics to help identify hidden value as well as sell-high candidates. With... Read More
Statcast Leaderboard - Exit Velocity Midseason Review
It's All-Star time, sadly. I say that because there is precious little baseball to watch this week. This presents the opportunity for reflection, so we will once again look back on the first half leaderboard for Statcast. This time, we will review the top players in average exit velocity, hard hit rate, and barrels. As... Read More
Champ or Chump: Vidal Brujan
With the All-Star Break upon us, it's the perfect time to look at your league's standings page and figure out how best to approach the second half. If you aren't on pace to reach your innings and/or games played limits, you should definitely look to maximize your games played moving forward. If you could gain... Read More
