All posts under "Preseason Prep" - Page 9

Welcome to the first edition of A Closer Look for the 2018 campaign! This is a special pre-draft article that takes a deep dive into every team's current projected closer for the upcoming year. Each of these player blurbs can...

New York Yankees A Yankee Sleeper? - It's exceedingly rare for a Yankee prospect to fly under the radar. So rare, in fact, that I'm not sure who the last one might have been. Brett Gardner? Andy Pettitte? Ron Guidry?...

Arizona Diamondbacks Today we take a deeper dive into a few of the Diamondback players. One quite note: I'm not a scientist and don't play one on TV, so any thoughts on the humidor effect are pure speculation from what...

Happy March 1st everyone! We're officially in the same month as opening day! Camps alll over Arizona and Florida are full of news and energy and we're here to help you parse through all of that newsflow to figure out...

As someone who hosts a 3-hour fantasy sports coast-to-coast radio sit-down every night, I realize that I am certain to make mistakes every single night. No scripts. Open phone lines. No crack research staff to hunt down the numbers immediately....

Notes from the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues... Noah Syndergaard P- NYN- Syndergaard threw 22 pitches in his Grapefruit League debut. A full half of them (that's 11 if it's too early to do math) were 100 mph or faster. Not...

Preston Tucker, Atlanta Braves - Preston Tucker is fighting for at-bats in the Atlanta outfield until Ronald Acuna is freed from AAA and he had an excellent game Sunday going 2-for-3 with a double. Tucker had 24 homers last year...

Ahhh...we finally got to enjoy live baseball yesterday! Just think, nearly every day from now until the end of October, we will be able to turn on the television and watch a baseball game. Spring is near! ROYALS: Does Whit...

Sean Newcomb, Atlanta Braves - ATL P Sean Newcomb enters 2018 in a competition for the final two rotation spots for the braves, and there were some positives and negatives about his 100 innings for the braves last year. We'll...

Minnesota Twins Jake Odorizzi (SP - MIN) In an effort to boost the starting rotation, the Twins were able to acquire the 27 year old for a minimal price, by sending prospect Jermaine Palacios to Tampa. While it is a...

It's finally happening. Free agents are finding homes for 2018 and beyond, money is being spent, and the backlog of available assets is beginning to shrink. In just the past 10 days, we've seen the top two free agent hitters...

Peter Moylan, Atlanta Braves - Right hander Peter Moylan signed with the Braves Monday for what will be his 3rd stint as a Brave. Moylan led the AL in appearances last year with 79 and turned in a 3.49 ERA...

CHICAGO CUBS Who Will Be Saving Games for the Northsiders? For the second consecutive year, the Chicago Cubs attempted to use the off-season to give their bullpen a complete makeover. After losing Aroldis Chapman to free agency following their...

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 Outfielder projections: OF Brinson, Lewis All...

Notes from the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues... Focus on Baltimore The Orioles have had immensely talented young players shift between 3B and SS before (some guy named Ripken comes to mind.) Ripken made the switch at 22 and in the...

Blue Jays What can we expect from Josh Donaldson this year? Josh Donaldson was limited to 113 games last year due to a nagging calf injury that sidelined him for a month during Spring Training and then most of April...

Among a number of Red Sox players, Xander Bogaerts hopes to redeem himself in 2018. Bogaerts followed up his impressive 2016 campaign with a complete dud last year, posting a wRC+ of just 96 while hitting only 10 home runs,...

Welcome back to another round of late-winter/early-spring Average Draft Positioning (ADP) talk. I've been lucky enough to post my thoughts and advice on handling these numbers for Fantistics/InsiderBaseball.com since 2015. The goal over the upcoming seven weeks (with columns posted...

ATLANTA BRAVES Ozzie Albies - Ozzie Albies is entering 2018 as the full time second baseman for the Braves and if he's able to produce how he did last year in 57 we are in for a treat. After hitting...

Minnesota Twins Brian Dozier (2B-MIN): While Dozier is clearly behind the top man at the position, Jose Altuve, he makes for a nice consolation prize if you are not able to land the Astros second baseman. The 30-year-old Dozier comes...

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: P Anderson, Chase BABIP...

Pittsburgh Pirates: Joe Musgrove(SP): While the newly acquired Pirate allowed a .526 slugging percentage and 16 homers as a starter in 78 innings with Houston last season, Musgrove thrived in the bullpen to the tune of a .321 slugging allowed...

The fantasy football season may be coming to a close, but the fantasy baseball season is just starting! Those of you who follow our show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio know that our sabermetric analysis is among the best in...

Carlos Martinez (SP) STL - Martinez showed why he could be a surprise Cy Young candidate in 2017, shutting out the Cubs on Opening Day for 7 1/3 innings on 6 hits and 0 walks, striking out 10. A 3-run...

That's like your opinion, (Breg)man There's a lot to like with the `Stros young third baseman. Alex Bregman made his MLB debut in 2016 and was able to shake off a disastrous 1-for-32 start to his career, finishing the season...

Indians Notes Jose Ramirez to fill in at 2B while Jason Kipnis is out, Yandy Diaz wins 3B job With Jason Kipnis set to start the 2017 season on the DL with a shoulder injury, the Indians plan to move...

Blue Jays What can we expect out of Troy Tulowitzki this year? The question that has always plagued Troy Tulowitzki was his health. His production when on the field was never questioned. It was whether he was going to stay...

For the past two months, I've been following the trends and movements, telling you why a certain player is going up or down, and providing my take on whether or not it's warranted. As always, our numbers are courtesy of...

Notes from the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues... With a week until games start to count, teams are solidifying their plans. The Orioles named Kevin Gausman as their Opening Day starter, with Chris Tillman beginning the season on the DL. Gausman...

PADRES: Rounding Out The Rotation With Flair Newcomer Trevor Cahill seems to have locked up a rotation spot with the San Diego Padres. Cahill has been quite effective over his last two Spring Training starts, racking up 15 strikeouts over...

In our continuing series on the Sabermetric analysis that shapes our Player projections in our 2017 Player Projections Software. Today we'll take a look at some of the indicators that are defining our 2017 2nd Basemen projections: Kipnis, Jason As...

Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Notes: Uncertainty Surrounding Jung Ho Kang Jung Ho Kang has been denied a work visa and remains in limbo in South Korea. Reports suggest that a possible DUI arrest in a third country may be a reason...

Blue Jays Will Aaron Sanchez lead the AL in ERA again? Aaron Sanchez took a huge step forward last season as a starter. He posted a 3.00 ERA over 192 IP with a 1.17 WHIP and 54% GB. He saw...

Average Draft Position (ADP) should never be the end-all, be-all when it comes to mapping out your draft. Still, it serves as a top signifier of 'the way the wind is blowing,' as we get closer to Opening Day. Let's...

NEW YORK YANKEES: Dididon't - Gregorius has a right shoulder injury that has caused him to leave the WBC, leaving his status for Opening Day up in the air. Even without the injury, Gregorius was unlikely to surpass his 2016...

CHICAGO CUBS: Do the Risks Outweigh the Rewards for Lester? Coming off arguably the best year of his career, Jon Lester has already been tabbed the Cubs' opening day starter for 2017. At 33 years old, however, does his 3rd...