King Raj
@rajmehta.ca
Baseball writer & analyst for Prospects Live. Creator of stats such as rajWAR, bFIP, and more.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired the 2025 World Series trophy. Hearing reports that the Toronto Blue Jays were in the mix.
November 2, 2025 at 11:06 PM
The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired the 2025 World Series trophy. Hearing reports that the Toronto Blue Jays were in the mix.
Ten Notable Non-Tender Candidates for the 2025-2026 Offseason
Ten Notable Non-Tender Candidates for the 2025-2026 Offseason
Raj Mehta looks at ten players who could be non-tendered this offseason and what that might mean for their value.
www.prospectslive.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Ten Notable Non-Tender Candidates for the 2025-2026 Offseason
Top 3 offenses in MLB this year, by wRC+:
1: Yankees - 119
T2: Mariners - 113
T2: Dodgers - 113
The Toronto Blue Jays have faced (or will face) all three this postseason.
1: Yankees - 119
T2: Mariners - 113
T2: Dodgers - 113
The Toronto Blue Jays have faced (or will face) all three this postseason.
October 21, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Top 3 offenses in MLB this year, by wRC+:
1: Yankees - 119
T2: Mariners - 113
T2: Dodgers - 113
The Toronto Blue Jays have faced (or will face) all three this postseason.
1: Yankees - 119
T2: Mariners - 113
T2: Dodgers - 113
The Toronto Blue Jays have faced (or will face) all three this postseason.
Shohei Ohtani throws five no-hit innings and hits his 50th home run of the year to establish the 50 HR/50 K club, as the Phillies defeat the Dodgers, 9-6.
September 17, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Shohei Ohtani throws five no-hit innings and hits his 50th home run of the year to establish the 50 HR/50 K club, as the Phillies defeat the Dodgers, 9-6.
Currently working on a projection system for fantasy baseball, right now it’s only looking at 2025 stats but I’m working on including 2024 & 2023 stats to better project for 2026. Here’s the top 10 hitters in projected value so far (assuming standard 5x5 league format):
September 9, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Currently working on a projection system for fantasy baseball, right now it’s only looking at 2025 stats but I’m working on including 2024 & 2023 stats to better project for 2026. Here’s the top 10 hitters in projected value so far (assuming standard 5x5 league format):
Top 10 players in #MLB by rajWAR through the end of August:
1. Aaron Judge - 7.9
2. Shohei Ohtani - 7.7
3. Fernando Tatis Jr. - 7.4
4. Kyle Tucker - 6.8
5. Geraldo Perdomo - 6.3
6. Kyle Schwarber - 6.3
7. Cal Raleigh - 6.2
8. Paul Skenes - 5.4
9. Zack Wheeler - 5.2
10. Nick Kurtz - 5.1
1. Aaron Judge - 7.9
2. Shohei Ohtani - 7.7
3. Fernando Tatis Jr. - 7.4
4. Kyle Tucker - 6.8
5. Geraldo Perdomo - 6.3
6. Kyle Schwarber - 6.3
7. Cal Raleigh - 6.2
8. Paul Skenes - 5.4
9. Zack Wheeler - 5.2
10. Nick Kurtz - 5.1
September 1, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Top 10 players in #MLB by rajWAR through the end of August:
1. Aaron Judge - 7.9
2. Shohei Ohtani - 7.7
3. Fernando Tatis Jr. - 7.4
4. Kyle Tucker - 6.8
5. Geraldo Perdomo - 6.3
6. Kyle Schwarber - 6.3
7. Cal Raleigh - 6.2
8. Paul Skenes - 5.4
9. Zack Wheeler - 5.2
10. Nick Kurtz - 5.1
1. Aaron Judge - 7.9
2. Shohei Ohtani - 7.7
3. Fernando Tatis Jr. - 7.4
4. Kyle Tucker - 6.8
5. Geraldo Perdomo - 6.3
6. Kyle Schwarber - 6.3
7. Cal Raleigh - 6.2
8. Paul Skenes - 5.4
9. Zack Wheeler - 5.2
10. Nick Kurtz - 5.1
I'm pleased to announce that I'm now a writer for Prospects Live! I'll mainly be writing about dynasty baseball and prospects, though I'll sometimes write about general baseball analysis.
I'm excited for the opportunity and can't wait to begin my journey working in baseball!
www.prospectslive.com
I'm excited for the opportunity and can't wait to begin my journey working in baseball!
www.prospectslive.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:24 PM
I'm pleased to announce that I'm now a writer for Prospects Live! I'll mainly be writing about dynasty baseball and prospects, though I'll sometimes write about general baseball analysis.
I'm excited for the opportunity and can't wait to begin my journey working in baseball!
www.prospectslive.com
I'm excited for the opportunity and can't wait to begin my journey working in baseball!
www.prospectslive.com
There is a non-zero chance that the Pirates DFA Andrew Heaney to make room for Bubba Chandler on the roster. Heaney has bonuses that start when he hits 120 IP, and he’s currently at 119.2 IP. They did something similar to Rowdy Tellez last year, who was 4 PA shy of a $200K bonus before he was DFA’d.
August 20, 2025 at 4:35 PM
There is a non-zero chance that the Pirates DFA Andrew Heaney to make room for Bubba Chandler on the roster. Heaney has bonuses that start when he hits 120 IP, and he’s currently at 119.2 IP. They did something similar to Rowdy Tellez last year, who was 4 PA shy of a $200K bonus before he was DFA’d.
🧵 Since the Jays are leading the AL East and the trade deadline is a couple weeks away, the Jays are without a doubt looking to add. But what do they need? The rotation needs an ace, and every team could use a bullpen arm, but I believe the lineup could use an addition as well. Here's why:
July 18, 2025 at 3:51 PM
🧵 Since the Jays are leading the AL East and the trade deadline is a couple weeks away, the Jays are without a doubt looking to add. But what do they need? The rotation needs an ace, and every team could use a bullpen arm, but I believe the lineup could use an addition as well. Here's why:
Top 10 Trade Candidates (team <.500 & <=2 yrs of team control) by rajWAR:
1. ARI E. Suárez - 4.0
2. ARI J. Naylor - 2.8
3. MIN H. Bader - 2.8
4. KCR K. Bubic - 2.6
5. ATL C. Sale - 2.4
6. BAL R. O’Hearn - 2.1
7. MIN W. Castro - 1.9
8. ATL M. Ozuna - 1.8
9. TEX A. García - 1.8
10. LAA T. Ward - 1.7
1. ARI E. Suárez - 4.0
2. ARI J. Naylor - 2.8
3. MIN H. Bader - 2.8
4. KCR K. Bubic - 2.6
5. ATL C. Sale - 2.4
6. BAL R. O’Hearn - 2.1
7. MIN W. Castro - 1.9
8. ATL M. Ozuna - 1.8
9. TEX A. García - 1.8
10. LAA T. Ward - 1.7
July 17, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Top 10 Trade Candidates (team <.500 & <=2 yrs of team control) by rajWAR:
1. ARI E. Suárez - 4.0
2. ARI J. Naylor - 2.8
3. MIN H. Bader - 2.8
4. KCR K. Bubic - 2.6
5. ATL C. Sale - 2.4
6. BAL R. O’Hearn - 2.1
7. MIN W. Castro - 1.9
8. ATL M. Ozuna - 1.8
9. TEX A. García - 1.8
10. LAA T. Ward - 1.7
1. ARI E. Suárez - 4.0
2. ARI J. Naylor - 2.8
3. MIN H. Bader - 2.8
4. KCR K. Bubic - 2.6
5. ATL C. Sale - 2.4
6. BAL R. O’Hearn - 2.1
7. MIN W. Castro - 1.9
8. ATL M. Ozuna - 1.8
9. TEX A. García - 1.8
10. LAA T. Ward - 1.7
For those who play dynasty baseball (or just enjoy following prospects), there’s a lot of great prospect recommendations by both myself and others!
🚨SPECIAL 100th MEGA EPISODE🚨
@sonny108.bsky.social & I are joined by a legion of guests from the Fantasy Baseball Discord, @prospectslive.bsky.social & across the industry, providing their own dynasty player recommendations to celebrate 100 episodes of the pod!
www.prospectslive.com/dynasty-base...
@sonny108.bsky.social & I are joined by a legion of guests from the Fantasy Baseball Discord, @prospectslive.bsky.social & across the industry, providing their own dynasty player recommendations to celebrate 100 episodes of the pod!
www.prospectslive.com/dynasty-base...
Dynasty Baseball Pickups: Ep 100 - Special 100th Guest-a-palooza MEGA EPISODE
Kyle and Taylor celebrate their 100th episode by inviting 19 special guests to share their own dynasty pickup/buy recommendations.
www.prospectslive.com
June 30, 2025 at 3:20 AM
For those who play dynasty baseball (or just enjoy following prospects), there’s a lot of great prospect recommendations by both myself and others!
Just made a reworked version of a swing quality metric I made a couple years ago. The old version had a power component, while this one doesn't (but I'll make another version that includes it). Here are the top 10 hitters by SQ+ (min. 1000 pitches):
June 13, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Just made a reworked version of a swing quality metric I made a couple years ago. The old version had a power component, while this one doesn't (but I'll make another version that includes it). Here are the top 10 hitters by SQ+ (min. 1000 pitches):
The 3rd & 4th overall picks from the 2019 MLB Draft (Andrew Vaughn & JJ Bleday) both got optioned today. I have no way to verify this but I assume that’s the first time two top-5 picks from the same year got optioned on the same day in-season.
May 24, 2025 at 12:24 AM
The 3rd & 4th overall picks from the 2019 MLB Draft (Andrew Vaughn & JJ Bleday) both got optioned today. I have no way to verify this but I assume that’s the first time two top-5 picks from the same year got optioned on the same day in-season.
Among pitchers with at least 27 IP in both '23 & '24, '23 bFIP is more strongly correlated with '24 ERA than ERA, RA/9, FIP, xERA, xFIP, and SIERA. In other words, bFIP is more predictive of next season's ERA than most other ERA predictors.
Check out the linked thread for a quick explainer on bFIP:
Check out the linked thread for a quick explainer on bFIP:
May 13, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Among pitchers with at least 27 IP in both '23 & '24, '23 bFIP is more strongly correlated with '24 ERA than ERA, RA/9, FIP, xERA, xFIP, and SIERA. In other words, bFIP is more predictive of next season's ERA than most other ERA predictors.
Check out the linked thread for a quick explainer on bFIP:
Check out the linked thread for a quick explainer on bFIP:
I'm sure this has been done before, but I had the idea to create a version of FIP that used statcast barrels instead of home runs, since barrels are stickier than homers year over year and therefore could be more predictive (though I haven't verified this yet).
May 12, 2025 at 7:22 PM
I'm sure this has been done before, but I had the idea to create a version of FIP that used statcast barrels instead of home runs, since barrels are stickier than homers year over year and therefore could be more predictive (though I haven't verified this yet).
The team logos of the current AL West standings spells out “ASSHAT” from bottom to top.
April 4, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The team logos of the current AL West standings spells out “ASSHAT” from bottom to top.
This season, #Brewers 1B Jake Bauers currently has more batters faced as a pitcher (11) than plate appearances as a hitter (6).
He’s thrown 2 IP across 2 of the Brewers’ first 3 games, and needs just 18 more IP to complete the pitching portion of obtaining two-way player status.
He’s thrown 2 IP across 2 of the Brewers’ first 3 games, and needs just 18 more IP to complete the pitching portion of obtaining two-way player status.
March 30, 2025 at 10:13 PM
This season, #Brewers 1B Jake Bauers currently has more batters faced as a pitcher (11) than plate appearances as a hitter (6).
He’s thrown 2 IP across 2 of the Brewers’ first 3 games, and needs just 18 more IP to complete the pitching portion of obtaining two-way player status.
He’s thrown 2 IP across 2 of the Brewers’ first 3 games, and needs just 18 more IP to complete the pitching portion of obtaining two-way player status.
Back at TD Ballpark for another Spring Breakout game! Twins @ Jays today.
Flying back home tomorrow so this will be my final spring training game this year. Really enjoyed my experience here!
Flying back home tomorrow so this will be my final spring training game this year. Really enjoyed my experience here!
March 15, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Back at TD Ballpark for another Spring Breakout game! Twins @ Jays today.
Flying back home tomorrow so this will be my final spring training game this year. Really enjoyed my experience here!
Flying back home tomorrow so this will be my final spring training game this year. Really enjoyed my experience here!
Day 2: Pirates @ Phillies (Spring Breakout)
Lots of interesting prospects playing for both sides, can’t wait to see them all in action!
Lots of interesting prospects playing for both sides, can’t wait to see them all in action!
March 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Day 2: Pirates @ Phillies (Spring Breakout)
Lots of interesting prospects playing for both sides, can’t wait to see them all in action!
Lots of interesting prospects playing for both sides, can’t wait to see them all in action!
I’m in Florida for a few days so I figured I’d catch a few spring training games!
First up: O’s @ Jays
First up: O’s @ Jays
March 13, 2025 at 5:14 PM
I’m in Florida for a few days so I figured I’d catch a few spring training games!
First up: O’s @ Jays
First up: O’s @ Jays
Not sure how I feel about the O’s now with this news. The rotation was already shaky, and now it’ll start as Eflin/Morton/Kremer/Sugano/Povich, which is… not great. The O’s needed to replace Burnes’ production, but they didn’t, and are stuck with a bottom-10 rotation when they’re looking to compete.
Grayson Rodriguez is feeling discomfort in the back of his right elbow/triceps area. Not a ligament issue, per #Orioles manager Brandon Hyde.
Rodriguez will miss some time and won’t be ready for Opening Day.
Rodriguez will miss some time and won’t be ready for Opening Day.
March 7, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Not sure how I feel about the O’s now with this news. The rotation was already shaky, and now it’ll start as Eflin/Morton/Kremer/Sugano/Povich, which is… not great. The O’s needed to replace Burnes’ production, but they didn’t, and are stuck with a bottom-10 rotation when they’re looking to compete.
One thing I do to see if I have a good fantasy team is to send it to others and have them guess the # of teams in the league (guess lower = good, guess higher = bad).
The draft for one of my main leagues just ended, so guess away!
Format: H2H each cat; R, RBI, SB, OBP, TB; K, ERA, WHIP, SV+H, W+QS
The draft for one of my main leagues just ended, so guess away!
Format: H2H each cat; R, RBI, SB, OBP, TB; K, ERA, WHIP, SV+H, W+QS
March 7, 2025 at 8:27 PM
One thing I do to see if I have a good fantasy team is to send it to others and have them guess the # of teams in the league (guess lower = good, guess higher = bad).
The draft for one of my main leagues just ended, so guess away!
Format: H2H each cat; R, RBI, SB, OBP, TB; K, ERA, WHIP, SV+H, W+QS
The draft for one of my main leagues just ended, so guess away!
Format: H2H each cat; R, RBI, SB, OBP, TB; K, ERA, WHIP, SV+H, W+QS
Shane Smith, the #WhiteSox Rule 5 pick, looked much better today in his second Spring Training start, throwing 2 perfect IP w/ 3 K vs the #Mariners A-team.
In his 1st start his fastball averaged 96.6 mph, already higher than his AAA average of 94.2. Today it averaged 98.3 mph & topped out at 99.6.
In his 1st start his fastball averaged 96.6 mph, already higher than his AAA average of 94.2. Today it averaged 98.3 mph & topped out at 99.6.
March 2, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Today, #Guardians SP Triston McKenzie threw 12 fastballs, averaging 94 mph. Last year it averaged 91.1, and in the rest of his career it sat between 92-93 mph.
Assuming the velo sticks, his fastball would be a much better offering than it was last year (-16 run value, 2nd percentile per Savant).
Assuming the velo sticks, his fastball would be a much better offering than it was last year (-16 run value, 2nd percentile per Savant).
February 22, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Today, #Guardians SP Triston McKenzie threw 12 fastballs, averaging 94 mph. Last year it averaged 91.1, and in the rest of his career it sat between 92-93 mph.
Assuming the velo sticks, his fastball would be a much better offering than it was last year (-16 run value, 2nd percentile per Savant).
Assuming the velo sticks, his fastball would be a much better offering than it was last year (-16 run value, 2nd percentile per Savant).
Here’s the metrics for Clay Holmes’ new changeup, which Statcast mislabeled as a sinker.
Only 83 changeups in 2024 were thrown w/ >=89 mph, <=1 in. iVB, & >=45° arm angle.
Those CH had a 49% Whiff%, an avg EV of 85 mph, & an avg launch angle of -5°.
This could easily be an elite pitch for Holmes.
Only 83 changeups in 2024 were thrown w/ >=89 mph, <=1 in. iVB, & >=45° arm angle.
Those CH had a 49% Whiff%, an avg EV of 85 mph, & an avg launch angle of -5°.
This could easily be an elite pitch for Holmes.
February 22, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Here’s the metrics for Clay Holmes’ new changeup, which Statcast mislabeled as a sinker.
Only 83 changeups in 2024 were thrown w/ >=89 mph, <=1 in. iVB, & >=45° arm angle.
Those CH had a 49% Whiff%, an avg EV of 85 mph, & an avg launch angle of -5°.
This could easily be an elite pitch for Holmes.
Only 83 changeups in 2024 were thrown w/ >=89 mph, <=1 in. iVB, & >=45° arm angle.
Those CH had a 49% Whiff%, an avg EV of 85 mph, & an avg launch angle of -5°.
This could easily be an elite pitch for Holmes.