All posts under "Fantasy Strategy" - Page 3

In The Field 2B D.J. LeMahieu has been placed on the 10-day IL and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a sprained thumb. He was on fire (.411/.456/.534) prior to the injury. The Yankees will play Tyler Wade at...

Like most pitchers in 2020, the variance has been extremely difficult for fantasy owners to manage. We're officially about 33% of the way through the baseball season, but just 7 teams have one player with all their team's saves....

In The Field OF George Springer is considered day-to-day with a wrist injury. Manager Dusty Baker said nothing is broken or fractured which is a huge plus. Shohei Ohtani (elbow) returned to the lineup on Thursday and promptly went yard....

In The Field OF Bryon Buxton (foot) made the Opening Day roster but wasn't in the lineup Friday night. He is expected to be ready at some point this weekend if not early next week. C Tom Murphy was placed...

In normal seasons, the column that typically gets written this week (leading up to July 31st) would be filled with hypothetical statements and advice about how to handle the various movement expected in the closer pool. The same is true...

Today would have been the start of the 2020 MLB season, but as you are probably already well aware of, that start has been pushed forward into an undetermined future. As we endure through one of the most difficult times...

This morning on SiriusXM Fantasy Radio, we're discussing Barrels & Exit Velocity. Below are some of the player notes contained in our 2020 Fantasy Baseball Draft Advisor Program, highlihgting the guys that stand out in these categories. Barrels According to...

Swinging strike rate, or the percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss, is one of the most powerful tools for any fantasy player to utilize when attempting to evaluate starting pitcher performances. The calculation of the...

Sabermetricians are generally viewed as experts on statistics, so go find your favorite sabermetrician and ask him the ERA of Pitcher X in the MLB. Chances are, he might not even know what it is. Now ask the same sabermetrician...

Statistics sometimes have a funny way of coming full circle. If you rewind the clock back a decade or two, our "advanced" metrics were using player's splits, specifically handedness and home/away. To this day, a player's handedness splits are frequently...

Home Run to Flyball Rate (HR/FB) is one of the most straightforward statistics that we use for fantasy baseball since it's simply telling us what percentage of flyballs are hit for home runs. The metric is calculated by taking total...

In The Field OF Ender Inciarte could be back next week. He has been able to do some running. Inciarte is unlikely to return to an everyday role which severely limits his fantasy appeal. 1B Anthony Rizzo was able to...

As we wrap up A Closer Look for another season, I like to use these final columns as a way to start getting an edge on the competition for the upcoming draft season. Teams are calling up their top prospect...

In The Field OF Ender Inciarte (hamstring) has started jogging but is still a couple of weeks away from returning. OF Nick Markakis (wrist) has started throwing but hasn't hit yet. OF Austin Riley is playing in rehab games at...

Ah, do you smell that? That's the sweet, sweet smell of victory. It's so close, yet the next two or three weeks will likely feel like the longest of the year. With the NFL season starting, it's possible you've lifted...

In The Field OF Ender Inciarte (hamstring) is likely going to miss the rest of the season which means that the Braves have an open outfield spot. In the time since Inciarte went on the IL the Braves have gone...

In The Field OF Nick Markakis has been out with a fractured left wrist since July 27. The Braves have gone with OF Ronald Acuna, OF Ender Inciarte, and OF Adam Duvall has regulars since then. OF Austin Riley started...

Within the next week, we're going to be about 75% of the way through the baseball season. From a figurative standpoint, that means we're rounding third base on this fantasy baseball season. While it's probably too late to make a...

The trade deadline has come and passed and from a closer perspective, it turned out to be a lot of pomp and circumstance over nothing. Well, nothing is a strong term, but some of the tremors we felt leading up...

In The Field SS Dansby Swanson was placed on the 10-day IL with a heel injury. He is in the middle of a strong breakout season (.265 AVG, 17 HR/7 SB) so hopefully, this injury does not turn into something...

Happy trade deadline weekend!! Unlike some seasons, the list of sellers and buyers remains murky, at best. With so many teams on the cusp of a wild card race, it's quite possible we see a quieter than normal trade deadline....

In The Field C Jonathan Lucroy is expected to miss three weeks due to the fractured nose he suffered in the home plate collision with the Astros. SS Carlos Correa (ribs) has started a Triple-A rehab assignment and should be...

Welcome to the first official edition of A Closer Look of the second half! As I wrote about two weeks ago and touched on in last week's first half awards ceremony, the trade deadline is looming and will be upon...

Welcome back to baseball! Hopefully everyone had a wonderful All-Star break and found the time off enjoyable and rejuvenating. We're just a few weeks away from baseball's non-waiver trade deadline and we're certainly in the midst of the most important...

In The Field OF Brian Goodwin has been on the 10-day IL with a right wrist contusion. Playing time is going to be scarce for Goodwin when he comes back with Upton, Trout, and Calhoun manning the outfield and Ohtani...

It's that time of year - I can feel it in my sweat-soaked fingers. The weather is heating up and contending major league general managers are beginning to feel pressure from their fanbase to upgrade their rosters for the playoff...

In The Field SS Andrelton Simmons suffered a setback as he tried to make his way back from a Grade 3 ankle sprain. He is going to be reevaluated next week which means the Angels will continue with a combination...

If you're still reading this column in June, it probably means you check your fantasy baseball teams every day. In fact, you're probably the subject matter expect on just about any player on your active roster. That's a good thing!...

Maybe leading in saves isn't such a good thing after all. As most of the avid readers know, I'm heavily involved in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) drafts each spring. I'm a firm believer that the players who play...

In The Field 3B Zack Cozart was placed on the 10-day IL on May 28 which opens up playing time for 2B Luis Rengifo. He is hitting .241 with just 1 HR and 0 SB which was thought to be...

A Closer Look is back! After a weeklong respite, your friendly neighborhood closer column is back refreshed and ready to lead you into baseball's second half. Memorial Day week was relatively quiet on the closer front, so the closer landscape...

In The Field SS Andrelton Simmons has a grade 3 ankle sprain and is going to be out multiple weeks. The Angels called up 2B Luis Rengifo to take his spot on the roster. He was hitting .273 with 5...

The art of the handcuff. Teaching the strategy behind identifying handcuffs in fantasy baseball used to be an easy task. Find the pitcher with the best skills in the bullpen, roster him, and wait for the current closer to falter....

In The Field OF Justin Upton has been cleared to resume running as he recovers from a toe injury. He is not expected back until June. This gives OF Brian Goodwin a chance to compete with OF Kole Calhoun for...

Who are the best bullpens in baseball? Who are the worst? As fantasy owners, should we even care? While this is a column that focuses heavily on closers and saves, bullpen quality is one of the most important aspects of...

What makes a good reliever? Is it his mental makeup, his approach to the game or is the most important aspect his talent? Maybe you'll take the side that it's all the above. There's really no right answer, the best...