All posts under "Preseason Prep" - Page 8

2019 HR/FB Rate: More than just Batted Ball Speed New baseball data continues to emerge yearly, continually granting us insight into a player's core skill/ability.  Indicators such as HR/FB rates are thankfully no longer looked at as blanket averages. As we have...

Entering the 2018 campaign, Cubs C Willson Contreras was widely regarded as a top-3 fantasy option at the position. After all, the then-25 year-old was coming off a strong 2017 season in which he batted .276 with 21 homers and...

Search, if you'd like, for reasons why Jacob deGrom will regress. Sure, you'll find them. For one, he is unlikely to sustain last year's 6.3% HR/FB rate. His 82% strand rate could foretell mild regression, and his .281 BABIP was the 2nd-lowest of his career. However, there are far more reasons to believe deGrom is poised for another Cy Young-caliber season.

Indians Notes There have been rumors throughout the offseason that the Indians may trade one of their top pitchers in order to cut payroll. Well, so far that hasn't happened, but the Tribe has lost more than half their starting...

Ronald Acuña Jr, Atlanta Braves - Ronald Acuña Jr the most hyped prospect to make his debut last season and he was everything fantasy owners could have asked for, and more. Acuña posted 143 wRC+ in 111 games while hitting...

Minnesota Twins: Power Surge in the Twin Cities? There is potential in Minnesota to have a lethal power combo in the middle of the lineup where Miguel Sano and Nelson Cruz Look to become the first pair of AL teammates...

Astros: Roberto Osuna Osuna is currently the sixth reliever getting drafted based on ADP, but he could finish the year as the league's highest scoring relief pitcher. The 24-year-old has had his share of off-field problems, but posted a 1.99...

World Series Champion - Boston Red Sox Can He Repeat? Can Mookie Betts repeat last year's MVP season? We think he can certainly come close. He turns 26 and is one of only a few players capable of going 30/30....

Fantasy baseball is back and J.T. Realmuto finally got traded.

Happy Opening Day everyone. One of my favorite days of the year to be sure. Dodgers Left Field situation - Toles to AAA In somewhat of a surprise, Joc Pederson made the Opening Day roster over Andrew Toles, this despite...

One last time around the block ... Many of us finished off our preseason of prepping, devouring, debating, adjusting, and (finally) drafting over the past weekend. Although many consider it the highlight of their fantasy baseball season, it is, of...

Notes two days before the games count... Delino DeShields had locked up the CF spot officially a couple of weeks ago. He had a strong spring, hitting .333 with an OBP of .415 and scored 11 runs in 19 games....

Indians Notes: Kluber set for Opening Day Corey Kluber, SP, CLE In case you weren't sure, the reigning AL Cy-Young Award winner Kluber will start for the Indians on Opening Day this Thursday against the Mariners. Kluber has been an...

In our continuing series on the Sabermetric Indicators that shape our player projections in our 2018 Draft Advisory Program. Today we'll take a look at some of the indicators that are defining our 2018 3rd Baseman projections: Bryant, Kris Bryant...

Hi Folks, below is our annual review (2018) on the correlation/predictability for the statistical categories that many of us use in our rotisserie leagues.    Over the next few weeks, many  of us are about to draft the fantasy teams...

LOS ANGELES ANGELS Underrated in a New Spot? - Ian Kinsler remains an excellent contact hitter, and with the lowest pull% and highest hard contact rate of his career in 2017, you certainly wouldn't have expected a 70 point drop...

Indians Notes Bradley Zimmer, OF, CLE Zimmer has been sitting out with a groin injury, but he rejoined the Indians lineup for Thursday's game. He is expected to be the Tribe's starting CF this season, following a campaign in which...

Josh Donaldson, who is in the final year of his contract, recently said that he and the Jays are "not in the same type of area" on contract talk. This is a fantastic sign for Donaldson owners, as he knows...

Chicago Cubs: A Case for Anthony Rizzo: Anthony Rizzo is consistently being drafted in rounds two and three, but the Cubs' first baseman offers enough upside and consistency to return first round value this season. One of the best barometers...

Good luck going through an entire draft without hearing the following statement ... "Wait, he's hurt? Is it bad?" Those two sentences usually follow two occurrences ... 1. The selection of a player who is limping coming out of spring...

Minnesota Twins Shortstop Situation - With the news of Jorge Polanco's 80 game PED suspension, Eduardo Escobar figures to be next in line for the gig in Minnesota. Coming of 2017 numbers of .256/.301/.525, 21 homers and 73 RBI...

Could Matt Kemp be the primary left fielder in Los Angeles? It's looking more and more like it. Manager Dave Roberts this week stated that Kemp could see at-bats versus both LH and RH pitchers, rather than being on the...

In our continuing series on the Sabermetric Indicators that shape our player projections in our 2018 Draft Advisory Program. Today we'll take a look at some of the indicators that are defining our 2018 Pitcher projections: Davies, Zach Zach is...

Addison Russell (CHC) SS - Russell just turned 24, yet it seems like he's already being dismissed as a low-AVG, decent power lower-tier SS. Most guys aren't fully formed as hitters until at least 25, and Russell has some other...

Blue Jays What can we expect out of Aaron Sanchez this year? It's easy to forget that Aaron Sanchez was one of the top pitchers in the American League in 2016. He posted a 3.00 ERA over 192 IP with...

Giants CF Job Battle: Does Steven Duggar Have a Chance? Will the Giants really give a job to a younger player for a change? The 24-year-old Duggar is competing with Austin Jackson for CF at-bats this spring and he's off...

The second week of March appears to have been the self-imposed deadline for many of the big-name fish in the 2018 Free Agent Pool. In just the past week the top pitcher (Jake Arrieta), the top catcher (Jonathan Lucroy), and...

Notes from the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues... Sorting out the Rangers' bullpen probably will be a task going on until after the season starts. There are a lot of arms and not many set spots. Tim Lincecum has started throwing...

Indians Notes Jason Kipnis, 2B, CLE After a 2017 to forget in which Kipnis was limited to just 90 games and hit .232, followed by an offseason of trade rumors, Kipnis has had a torrid spring, hitting 6 HR's through...

In our continuing series on the Sabermetric analysis that shapes our Player projections in our 2018 Player Projections Software. Today we'll take a look at some of the indicators that are defining our 2018 1st Basemen projections: Abreu, Jose Abreu...

Pirates Value Power in the Burgh Corey Dickerson posted a solid .341 wOBA with 27 homers last season while quietly improving against left-handed pitching. Acquired from the Rays on Feb. 22, the slugger looks set to assume the bulk of...

Indians Notes The Indians entered 2018 with six leading candidates for their rotation - Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Danny Salazar, Josh Tomlin, and Mike Clevinger - and it looked like either Tomlin or Clevinger would be the odd...

Braves News Ryan Schimpf - Here's a pair of stat lines for comparison's sake: .217/.336/.533 130 wRC+, 20 HR, .315 ISO, 31.8% strikeout rate. Number 2, .209/.333/.537 123 wRC+ 41 homers and a 36.8% strikeout rate. As you may have...

Over the weekend the news came blaring out of Arizona ... there's just no stopping Fernando Tatis, Jr. (ADP #660, 383/750)! On Sunday, the 19-year old infielder strung together a perfect 4-for-4 day with five RBIs. After that spring explosion,...

Minnesota Twins Miguel Sano (3B) - The Twinkies third baseman is generating a fair amount of chatter around the league for various reasons. Coming off a season in which he was limited to 114 games due to a major shin...

Colorado Rockies What's the situation with COL's David Dahl? As of now, Dahl doesn't have a spot in the every day lineup. Ian Desmond, Charlie Blackmon, and Gerardo Parra are expected to man the outfield, with rookie top prospect Ryan...