We’ve started our annual Depth Chart Discussions, re-branded as Playing Time Battles for 2016. You can catch up on every team we’ve covered in the Playing Time Battles Summary post or following along using the Depth Chart Discussions tag.

Fresh off trading Corey Dickerson in a baffling alleviation of outfield depth, the Rockies are set to enter 2016 with three position battles. Were I running the club, I would have my eye on the free agent market which contains first base and back up outfield reinforcements.

Nolan Arenado, DJ LeMahieu, Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon, and Gerardo Parra seemingly have five of the eight positions on lock down. It’s debatable that Parra merits an unimpeded full time role, but that’s what he was hired to do.

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Everybody has their sleeper lottery tickets. By that, I don’t mean known quantities like Adrian Beltre who may be slightly underpriced. Players like Lance McCullers, Corey Seager, and Xander Bogaerts have flashed impressive talent, but they’ve yet to truly prove it’s sustainable. We’re making informed guesses when we reach for them in the draft. Today, we’ll talk about three reaches that I just don’t get.

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If I have one complaint about fantasy baseball, it’s the importance of an early lead. Of course, it’s possible to scuffle through April and still win a roto league. In such a scenario, victory requires a heroic effort. The roto game is rigged to favor April’s top performers, and H2H isn’t much different. I’ll present an alternative today, but it does require some manual work from your commissioner.

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The 2016 fantasy baseball season has unofficially begun. Yahoo opened its doors over the weekend. I’ve already renewed two keeper leagues, and undoubtedly more will follow. In fact, I’m planning to unveil some quirky reader leagues in the near future. What follows is an ode to the Roto 5×5 and common twists on the original.

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In what has become an annual tradition for me, I have gone a-hunting through Yahoo’s pitcher universe to find every reliever with SP eligibility. The goal is to find a few relief aces in the haystack. I used a fancy process called manual scrolling. Jeff Zimmerman was also kind enough to furnish a short list too.

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It’s crunch time. Trades and keepers for all ottoneu league are due in just a little over two days. An offseason of reshaping your roster is about to be locked in place for all of 2016. Are you ready?

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We’ve started our annual Depth Chart Discussions, re-branded as Playing Time Battles for 2016. You can catch up on every team we’ve covered in the Playing Time Battles Summary post or following along using the Depth Chart Discussions tag.

With Chris Davis back in the fold, the Orioles have a surprisingly settled roster. Presently, the battles are all constrained to the outfield and designated hitter role. Davis should claim first base full time while Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, and J.J. Hardy will start whenever healthy. Adam Jones has center field on lock down, but his flanks are up for open competition.

Corner Outfield

Left and right field could belong to anybody, even a player not currently on the roster. The Orioles were among the finalists for Yoenis Cespedes, offering a five-year contract that he ultimately spurned in favor of the Mets. The club probably won’t burn their top draft pick to sign Dexter Fowler. However, I could see them signing one of Austin Jackson, Marlon Byrd, David DeJesus, Alex Rios, or Shane Victorino. The trade market also has a few names.

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We’ve started our annual Depth Chart Discussions, re-branded as Playing Time Battles for 2016. You can catch up on every team we’ve covered in the Playing Time Battles Summary post or following along using the Depth Chart Discussions tag.

We ran through the Nationals’ pitching battles yesterday. Since then, Bronson Arroyo has joined the team on a minor league contract. If he’s healthy and performing, he’ll probably push one of Tanner Roark or Joe Ross out of the rotation.

With one exception, the Nationals don’t really have any position battles. What they do have are several regulars who frequently land on the disabled list. So we’ll talk about them, their back-ups, and what the club may do between now and Opening Day.

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We’ve started our annual Depth Chart Discussions, re-branded as Playing Time Battles for 2016. You can catch up on every team we’ve covered in the Playing Time Battles Summary post or following along using the Depth Chart Discussions tag.

At this point, I think you know what you’re getting yourselves into. We’re here to talk position battles. Max Scherzer’s battle for second best fantasy pitcher is irrelevant to us.

The Rotation

In addition to Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez are locked into starting roles. They aren’t going anywhere. Well, Strasburg and Gonzalez could be traded, but it seems a little late for the club to go that route.

Fourth on the depth chart is Doug Fister impersonator Tanner Roark. Fister, to be clear, is no longer a National (he is, in fact, a free agent). As for Roark, he’s a contact-oriented righty with plus command. In 363 career innings, he has a 3.12 ERA, 3.84 xFIP, 6.14 K/9, and 1.88 BB/9. Last season was his worst – a 4.38 ERA, 5.68 K/9, and 2.11 BB/9. He bounced between the rotation and bullpen which might explain the poor results.

Short of a terrible spring, Roark will be in the rotation. The current front runner to join him is Joe Ross. Tyson Ross‘ younger brother performed just like his sibling. He has a below average quality sinker and a plus slider. Personally, I’m very wary of Ross – I see a swing starter or setup reliever. Mike Podhorzer recently outlined most of my concerns.

Despite my worry, Ross was quite good in his major league debut. So long as he continues to produce, he’ll be a valuable member of the Nationals. In 13 starts and three relief appearances, Ross had a 3.64 ERA, 3.62 xFIP, 8.10 K/9, and 2.47 BB/9. Once he got ahead in the count, he buried hitters under an avalanche of sliders.

In the event of injuries or poor performance, the team has plenty of depth (and a pending minor league contract offer to Bronson Arroyo). Fly ball pitcher Yusmeiro Petit is the swing man. The purveyor of the Invisiball could conceivably push Roark into the bullpen under the right conditions. Because he’s 30 and signed to a one-year contract, the Nationals will undoubtedly give preference to their long term assets.

While he’s not first in line on the call sheet, Lucas Giolito is on the cusp of the majors. The Nationals top prospect looks to be an ace in the making. He’s made just eight starts in the upper minors (3.80 ERA, 8.56 K/9, 3.23 BB/9 at Double-A). He’ll need to prove himself again at Double- and Triple-A before he shoves the door wide open. Since the Nationals are contending, we’ll probably see Giolito at some point this season.

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Earlier in the month, I spent a week focused on your keeper dilemmas. One of the most popular formats is the Keep X league (if you recall your algebra lessons, X equals some number). There’s usually a cost associated with keepers. In a keep five league, either you lose your first five picks in the draft, or your keepers have an unique value assigned to them.

Both scenarios can leave you with head scratching trade offs. It’s common for two or more players to be on the keeper bubble. Based on current information, there could be more than one “correct” pick for your final keeper. This is when owners usually talk about which player they can reacquire in the draft.

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