0
7
0Straight from Rudy’s risky pitcher post, “Sliders are the most effective pitch one can throw but are worse on the arm than fastballs/changeups. Pitchers who rely on sliders (15+% of pitchers) take this risk if they feel it’s the only way to reach their expected level of success. Young pitchers relying heavily on sliders for success are more akin to a kid on his tippy-toes trying to make it on a ride – they can only keep it up so much before they fall below that line or get hurt trying.” Following that line of thought, Brandon Morrow was thrown from the big boy ride and will start the season on the DL because he threw sliders with reckless a-Brandon. The Jays are going to backdate Morrow’s DL stint so he’ll only miss one start. Yeah, and I’d like to backdate my fantasy draft where I took Morrow, but that ain’t happening either. If Morrow only misses one start all year, call me Mr. Wendal and play me in a game of horseshoes. A game of horseshoes!? Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Kyle Drabek – Definitely making the rotation now. In his cup of coffee last year, he got creamed. But like a Welsh Corgi, he comes from a good pedigree. If Morrow stays out for an extended period time, then Drabek could stay up for a while. I like my roofies in the NL, so I’m not picking him up, but in AL-Only or keepers, I could see grabbing him for a 7 K/9 and just over a 4 ERA.
Roy Oswalt – Was knocked down by a comebacker. Would’ve be a classy touch if the stadium started playing Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?” BTW, why is the square root of 69 Aesop? Oswalt is as tough as nails (not Lenny Dykstra, though they could be brothers from different mothers). I wouldn’t be surprised if Oswalt is fine for the start of the regular season. C’mon, he rides tractors in the offseason, you can’t stop that magic.
Curtis Granderson – Early yesterday morning, Joe Girardi said Grandy will be ready for Opening Day. But Girardi wears braces causing no one to take him serious, so later in the day there was word Grandy won’t be ready.
Dustin Ackley – Dustin’s off, man, to the minors. Invest in plastics!
Jake Peavy – Called his rotator cuff problem a minor blip. Yeah, and the Titanic hit a minor iceberg.
Kila Ka’aihue – Haven’t talked much about The Good Eyein’ Hawaiian. He hasn’t hit for much average so far in the major leagues. Or is it ma’ajor leagues? But he’s hitting well so far this spring. Oh, poi! In OBP leagues, you should grab him in the reserve rounds for a chance at something special. In 15 team leagues or more, take a flyer. Can’t hurt. He could be one of those guys that becomes the hot add the first week of the season and hits 25 homers with a .260 average.
Alexi Ogando – Told reporters he wants to close. Now there’s some initiative. Next time, he should say that while dressed as Ron Washington.
Oliver Perez – The Nats signed him then announced they would be holding an Oliver Perez Day in late-May where the fans get to throw rocks at the management, only to miss them with three of four throws.
Brandon Webb – Was scratched from throwing when he couldn’t get loose. Wait a second, someone in aluminum pants just walked into my office. What’s that? You’re from the future? Wow! Why are you here, future boy? To tell me Webb only starts seven games all year and is then shut down again? Thanks! Wait, come back! I have important questions for you! Like, um, who wins Top Chef?!
Brian Wilson – Had a setback with his oblique. Sorta like the monkeys at the start of 2001: A Space Odyssey. My money says Romo is going to close games for the first week of the regular season and it’s written in Latin.
Cody Ross – May miss the start of a season with a hurt calf, which is abbreviated in the New England Journal of Medicine as a boo-boo on the moo-moo.
Drabek has the feel of a gas station sandwich. I know you’re hungry but seriously, don’t.
Here’s Roy, leaving the game, flashing look of someone whose head’s a bit scrambled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nozdmwnupuM
Grey – Howard’s been dropped to 16, any other significant ranking adjustments we need to know about?
I’ve been drinking on top of pharmaceuticals, but right now, to me, that’s the best player update thingie you have ever written as long as I’ve been a disciple.
I tried to follow your H2H advice in my first H2H 10 team 5×5 league. I had an Internet snafu in the 2nd round that caused me to draft Longoria AND Wright ( I know that’s a big no-no but is it such a blunder that I should worry about it?). Here is my draft…
C. Wieters
1st. Morneau
2nd. Phillips
SS. Drew
3rd. Longoria
OF. Kemp
OF. J. Upton
OF. Pence
UT. D. Wright
P. Kershaw
P. Ozwalt
P. B. Anderson
P. D. Hudson
P. Volquez
P. Valverde
P. Axford
P. Thorton
BU. Tabata
BU. A. Hill
BU. Chacin
BU. I. Kennedy
BU. Zimmerman
grey=funny mofo
the square root of 69 is ASAP (as in please straddle upside down naked on top of me ‘as soon as possible’)
Per ESPN:
The Braves have denied a report that Beachy has won the fifth-starter job. A decision hasn’t been made on the battle between Beachy and Mike Minor, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Spin: The battle for the fifth starter job is close, but Beachy has a real shot to win the job despite Minor’s pedigree as the seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft. Both Beachy and Minor have pitched well this spring – a decision on who takes the fifth spot will likely be made this weekend.
Of course I have already dropped him and picked up Beachy i several leagues, lol.
@Grey@dingers
LOL “Square root of 69 is ate(8) something” A little double entendre action going on on there.
Hey Grey,
What do you see as Tyler Colvin’s ceiling this season?
.280/80/25/80/8?
Hey Grey, ballers and wanna be shot callers.
I am taking some fliers to fill out the 6 and 7 SP slots on my keeper team. Niese was just dropped and figure I should pick him up. Extra Category k/bb.
To fill those last 2 slots, I have:
Wood
Norris
Bailey
Zambrano
Beachy
Who goes if anyone? I think Z, but wanted to hear thoughts.
Also, what do you think about Jed Lowrie in a keeper league?
Also II, the forgotten also, Joe’s OCD reminds me of my dad, except my Dad vacuums the driveway after taking care of the car. Next week, I will tell you how he labels his labels.
Thanks.
Erik Bedard. . . . wouldja?
grey you said Hanley/chacin for desmond/hanson/fuentes leans heavily to the Hanley side, what about:
A) hanley/chacin/Bruce
B) Hanson/Desmond/Heyward/fuentes ?
Still favoring side A? A little closer or ?
I thought you weren’t up until 5:30 Tony, set the alarm a little early today to grab beachy once he cleared waivers?
here grey, have a dollar
in fact, nah, here brotherman, have 2
2 dollas means a snack for me
but it means a great deal to you
morning, grey- can I see ur optimistic projection for mclcellan this year as a starter? cj Wilson upside? also, him, James mcd,jurrjens, or Lowe as a 6th starter. yes the same asshole that drafted minor also beat me to beachy : /
@Tony: Still want Hanley side.
Does Cody Ross on the DL open the door for Belt?
@eltoo: HA, waiver priority man! burnt the #4, figured whatever…. if he pans out well worth it, if not… we move on! still kept minor, see ya slowey!
@Wilsonian: Thanks I figured. U think its a landslide? I know Hanleys a top 2 player at the thinnest position, BUT it would leave my pitching at Lester and Liriano plus some closers, and why I think he might do it is he has NO pitching or Closers. IDK its worth a shot. Worst can happen he declines!
I always thought he said, the square root of 69 is “8, somethin’” – which is technically accurate. “Because I’ve been trying to work it out…”
the square root of 69 is… 8 sumthin!!! thats the actual line i believe.
the girardi braces thing is hilarious
the end.
Hey Grey. Just did my big draft for the year last night. Its the Gold RotoAuthority League, my first year participating and probably the toughest draft I’ve ever done. Here’s my roster. I think you’re gonna love my C’s and hate my SS and 2B. Otherwise?
C – Chris Iannetta, Josh Thole
1B – Carlos Pena
2B – Ian Kinsler
3B – David Wright
SS – Jose Reyes
CI – Pablo Sandoval
MI – Asdrubal Cabrera
OF – Jason Heyward, Jay Bruce, B.J. Upton, Carlos Beltran, Mike Morse
Util – Alex Gordon
SP – Cole Hamels, Francisco Liriano
RP – Matt Thornton, Brad Lidge
P – Jeremy Hellickson, Brandon Morrow (ugh, really hope he doesn’t miss too much time), Josh Beckett, Jordan Zimmermann, Brandon League
BN – Brandon Belt, Homer Bailey, Brandon Beachy (Woot! Pick #304 overall! Mike Minor was pick #303 overall).
I’m a little worried about average, I got three big average drains, but if David Wright or Jose Reyes can creep back towards .300 territory I have Sandoval to offset Pena and Thole to offset Iannetta and everyone else should be pretty balanced in the category. Beltran really fell pretty deep and I needed an OF so I took his upside. Hope he comes back soon. Need another MI flier but hopefully some poor schlub with a SS scrub and a need at 3B will give me good value on a Sandoval/Asdrubal offer. I’ll wait it out a bit and see if those two bounce back first.
There are two DL slots so assuming Beltran and Morrow open on the DL I’ll likely pick up Jose Lopez and probably David Murphy, though I’m also considering Chase Headley and Jed Lowrie.
Got any thoughts (in the more specific-to-my team than general-rhetorical sense)?
Aesop! HA!!
H2H league, 6×6 (OPS) (4 OF and CI/MI lineup spots)
I’ve kept:
Votto, Howard, J. Hamilton, J. Upton and R. Zimmerman
I have the 4th pick, so please rank the following:
Dread Pirate
Reyes
Kinsler
Morneau
Choo
Speaking of Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?”, doesn’t that have to be the song they play at opposing stadiums every time Kemp comes up to bat this year? Gotta be a little distracting for him, right?
@Tony: ok, so you’re trying to get the Hanley side? I’d go ahead and make him that offer. It’s much closer than the one that didn’t include Bruce and Heyward. But even without pitching, I’d want to keep my Hanley and Bruce. I trust that Bruce is going to put up solid solid numbers this year (barring injury).
Regarding the guys in the deal: Bruce and Heyward could be rather interchangeable regarding stats this year – so I’d call that a wash that kinda leans Heyward, but could lean one way or the other. Chacin COULD be nearly as good as Hanson – but I’d definitely lean Hanson. Desmond might be good, but he’s starting the year in the Minors. And Fuentes isn’t the closer unless Bailey goes down for awhile (which is a good possibility).
So basically, in a nutshell, you’ve got the same deal you had before – Hanson/Desmond/Fuentes for Hanley/Chacin….and then a Bruce for Heyward deal.
It’s not a landslide to the Hanley side, but it’s pretty close to one.
I’ve never offered my draft for comments before, but I’m pretty pleased with the luck I had this year. Experience 5×5 MLB roto, auction league with 5 keepers (Scherzer, CJ Wilson, Beltre, CarGo, Weeks) where I’ve never finished better than 3rd place. This year’s draft provided:
C: V-Mart
1B: MiggyCab
2B: Weeks
3B: Beltre
SS: Elvis (thanks for the tip Grey)
CI: Pena
MI: Escobar (Double hat tip)
OF: CarGo
OF: Kubel
OF: Adam Jones
OF: Juan Pierre
OF: Damon / Logan Morrison
U: Ike Davis
SP: Scherzer
SP: Liriano
SP: Brett Anderson (Hat tip)
SP: Billingsly (double tip)
Other’s: CJ, Garza, Daisuke, 4 donkeycorns and 2 good MRs.
Think I’m weak in the power categories, but stong in pitching, so I’m trying to flip Liriano or CJ Wilson for a 30 HR OF that won’t hurt the AVG too badly. Thoughts?!
Are you sure he’s not talking about Ian?
@Wilsonian: thanks wilsonian, i agree with basically everything. I’d want hanley bruce as well haha which is why i’m going for it, hopefully his crushes on heyward and desmond both guys he owned or traded for last year are still strong…. I am with you thinking Bruce could be a monster this year, but I’ve also thought the exact same thing the past two seasons and it really wasn’t anything spectacular! So he could give us another year of 25Hrs and .270 average or he could break out? I’d lean much more towards Heyward breaking out than him…. so im hoping those kinda tip him to dealing his best player (Hanley). I think Fuentes will get lots of saves, and possibly be the A’s closer most of the year. I put no faith in Bailey, the guy can’t stay healthy…. Desmonds going to triple A? Who’s starting at SS for the nats then? I’ve not heard that?
Damnit Grey. Now I’ve got that stupid song in my head. o nana, whats my name?
Is Rihanna really that freaky?
I am sure glad I traded Peavy and Beltran away in 2009 in my keeper league.
That said, it’s pretty sad how short the window of dominance for so many pitchers are. Those damn injuries. I think Halladay is a safe bet for a consecutive decade of excellence, but I wouldn’t bet on anyone else.
@Tony: ha, my bad…I was thinking Desmond Jennings…oops. Ok, so Ian Desmond! Many apologies!
It’s not nearly as much of a wash as I first thought. But I’d still definitely lean the Hanley side. I still think it’s pushing a landslide for Hanley. If he’s got mad love for Heyward and Desmond, then he could maybe make the deal. Hopefully he’s thinking Bruce won’t break out, and thinks Heyward is more of a sure thing.
I do agree with you about Fuentes – he very well could get 30 saves for Oak-town this year. But IF (and it’s a HUGE “if”) Bailey is healthy for much of the year, Fuentes is essentially worthless. That’s the only problem with him.
I’d go ahead and make the offer, if he takes it, you’ve definitely taken the best side of the deal.
@Jason: yep, he was…I was blinded by the fact that “Mr. Wendel” has been playing in my head all day. Thanks, Grey!
@Grey I started reading your site towards the end of last year and really enjoy it, thanks. I joined a RCL league and like that you will comment on teams, so your thoughts?
C. M. Montero
1st K. Youklis
2nd R. Weeks
3rd D. Freese
SS J. Reyes
Mid G. Beckham
Cor G. Sanchez
OF R. Braun
OF A. Rios
OF T. Hunter
OF R. Davis
OF S. Rodriquez
Utl F. Freeman
P. U. Jimenez
P. D. Price
P. M Scherzer
P. S. Marcum
P. T. Lilly
P. C. Perez
P. J. Venters
P. B. League
P. J. Peneiro
Ben. K. Uehara
Ben. K. McClennan
Ben. C. Jones
Everbody was definatly a reader of your site so the draft went different than most, very fun and tough. Short HR and Chasing saves correct?
Bench spot opened up, looking for the best value/highest ceiling:
-Kila
-Mitch Moreland
-I Like Ike (well hes alright I guess)
-Freddie Freeman
-Jason Kubel
I know you have Kubel ranked highest (or ranked at all), but since this is a warmer of the bench ill be sitting on, figured I would throw it out there.
@Grey
10 Team 5×5. Do I give up Alexi Ramirez and BJ Upton for S. Castro and Santana? I’m hopefully helping my AVG, can spare Upton (Tabata somehow on waivers), and I’m worried about JP’s playing time:
C1 – Arencibia
C2 – Suzuki (both for $1)
1B – Votto
2B – Phillips
3B – Zimmerman
SS – Reyes
CIF – B. Butler
MIF – A. Ramirez
OF1 – Pence
OF2 – Krispie Young
OF3 – B.J. Upton
OF4 – Stubbs
OF5 – A. Rios (super bargain)
UTIL – Rasmus
SP – Kershaw
SP – Liriano
SP – Oswalt
SP – Hamels
SP – Kuroda
SP – Bumgarner ($1)
SP – Volquez ($1)
SP – G. Gonzalez ($1)
SP – Morrow ($1)
RP – F. Corderro
RP – Hanrahan
RP – Thornton
Grey,
Have you changed your expectations for Napoli at all since he, again, will not have a full time job? With Torrealba catching, Moreland at first, and Michael Young already forced into the Super Utility role, do you think he’ll get enough at bats to be productive in a Roto League?
And for everyone,
When does ESPN start allowing you to put players on the DL? First day of the season for all teams?
@Howie Met Your Mother: u dont need castro, and alexi/bj are both the best players out of the 4… decline. See how bad morrows injury is, Tabata should be rostered. Somehow!
@Grey – had my home league draft this Sunday – H2H – 12 teams.
C – Wieters
1B – Votto
2B – Kinsler
SS – Brignac
3B – Zimmerman
MI – A. Hill
CI – Morneau
OF – McCutchen
OF – BJ Upton
OF – Snider
OF – Colvin
OF – Bourjos
UTIL – Alvarez
SP – J. Johnson
SP – Billingsley
SP – Hudson
SP – Morrow
SP – Shields
SP – G. Gonzalez
SP – Pineda
SP – E. Santana
SP – Baker
RP – C. Perez
RP – Thornton
RP – Kimbrel
I kept waiting on SS and nobody fell. I’m probably going to drop Brignac for Espinosa since he was just dropped for some reason. My pitching was looking good until Morrow’s injury, not I’m not so sure. Thoughts?
would you give up A Gonz for Greinke and Zobrist if you were hurting for pitching?
@Donnie Baseball: i wouldnt, you can get better for agon.
@everyone:
Yesterday this trade went down in my 12 team h2h points league:
Greinke DeLaRosa and Westbrook
for
Gallardo League
Which side wins?
Oliver Perez is a good signing Grey -
The fans will get to watch Bryce Harper one year early when Oliver Perez Pitches – every batter he faces will look like Bryce Harper
Thanks Tony. I’m not really thrilled with it either, but I really need pitching and no other teams really line up good for a trade.
How about A Gonz and Penny for Morneau, Beckett, and Zambrano.
It’s a 20 teamer, so not much out there to pick up.
For your question, still easily the Hanley side. I consider Bruce and Heyward pretty much even, and I could even see Bruce outproducing him. With all those strikeouts, I don’t think we see Heyward’s real breakout for another year or two.
@Grey:
5×5 12-team ML… My rotation is currently Gallardo, Oswalt, de la Rose, E-Jax, Cueto, Vazquez. Would it be foolish to trade Oswalt, Gardner and Stephen Drew for Jose Reyes and Brian Matusz? I feel like without Oswalt, I may get tied to the WHIPing post. But I love going all-in on putting together the best lineup possible with the rationale that I’ll figure out pitching later. Is that too risky?
Thanks
I’m in a nine team NL Only league and can protect only one of the following: Ian Desmond ($10), Jay Bruce ($18), Brett Myers ($7), or Gaby Sanchez ($10). Who would you protect?
@Anyone
I’m sure this has been asked before, but I couldn’t find an exact answer. When are teams allowed to officially toss players on the DL? I need to get Morrow in that spot ASAP.
@Howie Met Your Mother:
Opening Day.
@ nyydj2
Braves optioned LHP Mike Minor to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Grey
Do you think Minor is worthy stashing on your bench? Have 7 bench spots.
@BigRedLatrine: Ha!
@Steve: Yup
@Steve: Don’t think so.
@Giant JJ: Thanks! Your team looks stacked, so no the Wright/Longoria thing didn’t hurt you.
@dingers: Ah…
@nyydj2: Yeah, have heard that.
@jrt3177: Oh… Hmm…
@Matt: Doubtful
@Ozzie: re: Joe — Ha! Lose Bailey… Eh on Lowrie.
@The Honey Badger: Nope
@Tony: Why did you add Heyward?
@eltoo: Ha
@byrone: McDonald…
@SwaggerJackers: They have lots of bodies. No word on Belt. I doubt it though.
@Exactly: That’s two for that.
@Mark: No idea how many teams.
@Danks Nugs: Hehe
@Probable Party Starter: Reyes
@Rabbit: They should.
@Roger-Dodger: No idea how many teams.
@Frank Rizzo: Ha
@papasmurf: True
@MR T: You look very short on power, and I’m not a huge fan of your pitching. Overall, not crazy about the team.
@Jared: Kila
@Howie Met Your Mother: I don’t like it.
@Pooch: He didn’t have a starting job last year and hit 20+ homers.
@Dave: Hitting looks weak for a 12 team league and it’s because your pitching is too strong. I’d go with Espinosa.
@Donnie Baseball: Nope
@Mr Baseball: Ha
@Donnie Baseball: No
@Eric H.: No, it’s fine.
@Mr. May: Bruce
@Jim: In a 20 team league?
@Grey
I offered a guy in my league Kinsler and Morneau for Agon.
(I have Hill and Rayburn for 2B. He has Nishioka at 2B.)
He responded with an offer of.
Agon, Maggilo Ordonez(would be on the bench) and Jason Bartlett for my Kinsler, Morneau and Ian desmond.
So my team would look like this before/after.
Before; 1B Morneau 2B Kinsler 3B Wright SS Desmond
After 1B Agon 2B Hill 3B Wright SS Bartlett.
PS It is a keeper league.
PPS He also has Nishioka who i could ask for instead of Bartlett.
Grey
had my money league draft over the weekend. 12 teams 6×6 with offensive K’s and QS instead of wins.
C. Weiters
1B Dunn
2B Uggla
3B Zimmerman
SS Drew
OF Braun
OF McCutchen
OF T.Hunter
Util Vlad
Util Tabata
P Kershaw
P Gallardo
P B. Anderson
P Dan Hudson
P Mariano
P Kimbrel
P Rauch
P Chapman
P Clippard
P Capps
P D Hernandez
P Santiago Casilla
Innings limit is set to 1200, and i go over every year so I didn’t pick up a 5th starter. Instead I grabbed a bunch of relievers hoping one or two end up closing. Figured I could always drop one and get a starter later. Thoughts?
Word on the street, and I can call it thee street since it’s the only one, is that Oswalt worked at a driving range in the off-season. He rode the ball return(screen-less).
@grey
My bad, rushing out this mornin tryin to post that. 12 team roto standard 5×5 with a 1500 IP cap
Grey i have my last draft on sunday its a 12 team h2h league standard scoring what round is drafting morrow in worth the risk or should i not touch him at all?
@Grey
10 team 6X6 mixed league with OBP instead of Avg plus Total Bases plus Quality Starts. One C, 1B-3B, 5 OF, MI, CI, DH & Ute. 6SP & 3 RP 29 rds.
Does any of your draft advice change? For example would it be a good idea to fill in the CI spot early? Should you try to draft any hitters for your bench?
Thanks
@Howie Met Your Mother: @Eddy: they can DL them now…Strasburg is already on the DL and was just added yesterday.
In re-reading a lot of the rankings, I noticed that you oft use xFIP. Do you prefer xFIP over FIP for all pitchers? Also, how is it possible that Voros is not as well known as his cousin Phil?
@Jim: where are you getting this? I’ve looked everywhere. Just want to confirm my Beachy pickup from yesterday.
@Donnie Baseball: ya 20 teamers are tough, i still wouldn’t do the deal you just said…. i dont trust morneau.
@grey: I added heyward to hopefully sway the other owner? I know he likes heyward, i like bruce, i see bruce and heyward possibly even by years end…. I dont know. Thinking of ways to manipulate the deal to make it work.
@ritzer: It’s fair.
@cashmoney: Team looks light on speed, heavy on hitting Ks. The pitching looks too good, that’s why your hitting is hurting a bit.
@Wake Up: Nice
@Mark: What’s that in regards to?
@mets fan: 200th overall
@Mars: Nothing changes.
@Wake Up: xFIP is better.
@Wilsonian: Trust in and fall into Grey’s arms.
@Tony: Gotcha
@ Wilsonian
Rotoworld just reported it, and now I see CBS saying the same thing.
@Grey: most people view bruce as a 5th-7th rounder and heyward as a 3-4th rounder? Hoping that difference and mancrush, plus an SP, and a closer could sway him.
For some reason Heyward having a little back tweak in spring ball kinda worries me too? I dont like hearing about early 20 year olds with back issues….?
Am I the only one hoping to have both Chris Youngs on my team (call ‘em Crispy and Colonel’s Regular, the latter of which sounds like something you pay the call girl an extra $20 for)? I feel like the pitcher just might be a sleeper, though I should probably let sleeping giraffes lie on this one (because if they wake up they’ll strain their necks for 3-4 months).
@Grey/Anyone
Kind of an odd question. I need to drop either Gio Gonzales or Leo Nunez now in order to pick someone up off the wire, with the hopes of picking them back up again when they clear, or using my #4 claim to ensure I get them. All closers are taken (even Farnsworth & McGee), so which do I drop?
Team 1: has 1 elite starter, 4 middle tier starters, 4 (2 elite) closers
Team 2: has 6 elite starters, 2 low tier starters, N. Feliz, D. Bard, C. Sale (obviously looking for some vulture saves)
Team 3: has 7 middle/low tier starters, A. Bailey and H. Bell for closers.
Which of G. Gonzales and L. Nunez has more of a chance of being claimed or do I just drop Nunez and assume I’ll find saves eventually if he’s picked up.
@Wilsonian:
But how come some teams that have said certain players will be DL’ed (Morrow, Utley) haven’t done so? Do they have to have missed all of ST? Or maybe injuries carrying over from last season?
P.S: Beachy indeed won the 5th spot.
@Grey: haha, I like that…and I do trust ya, which is why I snagged that sonuva Beachy yesterday. Just like a little confirmation so I can quit checking the 8 million tabs I have open.
@Jim: thanks, I hadn’t checked Rotoworld or CBS, so I’m guessing I lied when I said I checked “everywhere”.
Following up on Long Bawls’ question: I got Jon Niese sitting on my bench as a potential spot starter; should I drop him for Chris R Young?
And Wilsonian, CBS is now reporting that “MLB.com confirmed Thursday that Braves SP Brandon Beachy will be the team’s fifth starter.” So I think that pretty much confirms it.
How are people’s feelings on Edison Volquez this year?
He went undrafted in my league and I just picked him up…a little worried I have both him and the now injured Cueto though in that ballpark.
May have to drop one and run with the Stauffer in Petco Plan. I could get down with SPP.
@ Grey:
Here is my 5×5 Roto team:
C. Saltalamacchia
1B. Miggy
2B. B. Phillips
3B. A-Rod
SS. Andrus
OF. Kemp
OF. Krispie Young
OF. Tabata
UTIL. Lind
BN. Raburn
SP. Liriano
SP. Scherzer
SP. Billingsley
SP. Gio
SP. Volquez
SP. Edwin Jackson
RP. Valverde
RP. Kimbrel
RP. Nunez
RP. Dotel
RP. Gutierrez
What do you think? I think I may need some more power…
I’ve been thinking about trading B. Phillips for an elite OF (Upton, Heyward, McCutchen… maybe even Pence?) and starting Raburn at 2B. Do you think this is a good idea?
My other idea is to try and pair Tabata and a SP (maybe Gio) for an OF with more power. Thoughts?
NOTE: Snider was just dropped and I’m gonna pick him up once he clears waivers (dropping Gutierrez).
NOTE: Cueto and De la Rosa are on the waiver wire and I could pick one of them up to replace Gio.
@Eddy: ya know? I’m not entirely sure. I know that people like Carlos Guillen have already been placed on the DL. I’m not sure if there is some kind of issue where it has to be 60-day DL, or if they have to miss a specific portion of ST, OR (and this is what I actually think is going on) if they put someone on the 15-day DL now they have to pick someone to take that roster spot, and they don’t know who exactly they want to take that spot yet, so they don’t announce the DL stint until they’re full and ready to complete the roster.
And thanks to everyone for the Beachy info. I can finally close out the tabs and just accept that he’s going to stay on my roster for now (until I get sonuvastarted by him).
What do you think of this team so far? I might have somewhat of a weak bench.
C-Mike Napoli
1B-Prince Fielder
2B-Ryan Raburn
3B-Evan Longoria
SS-Starlin Castro
CI-Justin Morneau
MI-???
OF-Matt Holliday
OF-Justin Upton
OF-Jayson Werth
OF-Chris Young
U-Jose Tabata
U-???
SP-Tim Lincecum
SP-Mat Latos
SP-Matt Cain
SP-Max Scherzer
SP-Ted Lilly
SP-Shaun Marcum
RP-Chris Marmol
RP-John Axford
6 Bench ??
@Grey: Per your advice, I made some trades to upgrade my offense since the last time I posted. How am I looking? 5×5, 12-team keeper, with 2 util and 1400 IP max…
Napoli, Miggy (K), Cano (K), Desmond, Wright (K), Braun (K), McCutchen, Lind, Bay/Ike, Tabata.
Josh Johnson, Hamels, Lilly, dlR, Vazquez, Putz, Axford, Thornton.
I need a replacement for Minor. How does everything else look now?
@ Eddy
Because we don’t care about your fantasy team and we’ll DL the players when we damn well feel like it and/or have all our roster stuff figured out.
Anyone have any thoughts on who is going to play third base for the Marlins and what we can expect from them? I mean they have to start someone right?
Hey, Grey, just wondering which type of player is more important to place in the bench slots for my 15-team, 30-man roster, batters or pitchers? We have 5 bench slots. Here’s my roster…
7×7 Scoring (Keeper)
Batting Cats: BA, HR, OBP, R, RBI, SB, TB+BB
Pitching Cats: ERA, INN, K, QS, S, W, WHIP
C: C. Santana
1B: Miggy
2B: A. Hill
3B: Zimmerman
SS: S. Drew
OF (4): Heyward, Kubel, Pence, Tabata
DH: FraGu, Morse
SP (6): J. Johnson, J. Weaver, Garza, Nolasco, E. Santana, Nova
RP (3): Axford, Nathan, Bard
Bench: (5) Polanco, Pennington, Joyce, Thole, Meek
Minors (2): Banuelos, —–
Basically, I just want to know if you think I should be loading up on one particular type of player, or splitting the bench down the middle.
Hello Grey I need some help. H2h 16 team pts league I need a 2nd base Shoemacker or Ellis or wait for Guillen to come off DL?
Alos when do you see Minor getting call back June? Thanks bro
@Tony: Eh, what’s he gonna play only 150 games out of 162?
@Long Bawls: Ha
@Howie Met Your Mother: They’d both get claimed in one of my leagues.
@Rabbit: Why?
@Shea Sera Sera: My thoughts are in the posts I wrote about him.
@Alejandro: I wouldn’t trade any of those players.
@GTS: No idea how many teams.
@The Situation: Looks solid.
@Alejandro: more power? really, arod, miggy, kemp and krispie can all hit 30 or MORE…. trading a 20 HR phillips for a 25 HR pence or half the other guys listed really doesn’t make sense to me? IDK, i’d sit tight you look fine….
@Danks Nugs: Pitchers
@Ryan: June… Schumaker for now.
If you were drafting in a keeper league and were more concerned about future upside rather than being in a redraft, who would be the pick in Beachy vs. Minor? (sounds like a court case)
@ Tony/Grey
Thanks for the advice guys!
Oh, and thanks for the laughs, needed’em this morning.
@Grey: 10 team H2H 6×5
I’m next out of the box! Here’s an interesting one: I have the 8 pick in a 12 round 6×6 H2H. The guy with the #1 pick just proposed this to me: if Adrien Gonzalez is still there at 8, he’ll trade me Pujols and his 12th rounder (133) for AGonz and my 6th (65). what do you think? we’d text each other and say who to pick withthe traded picks.
@Howie Met Your Mother: I’d drop Gonzalez, just because he’s the sort of guy people might agonize over marginally longer than Nunez. I think there are good odds either would get picked up, but all but the dankest (lower case, lower case) closers elicit Pavlovian clicking.
@Buddo Chezuski: Minor
@Alejandro: No worries
@Wake Up: No problem.
@GTS: Team doesn’t look bad, but light on speed and not necessarily high on power. Pitching looks okay, though you know how I feel about Latos.
@Joel: Sounds good.
Napoli is my only catcher. Should I be worried he’s not gonna play? Jaso, Yadier of the flying Molina Bros., Pierzynski, Buck, Doumit, and Salty are still out there.
@Eddy: Here’s how the DL thing works: from opening day to August 31st, teams must designate a 25-man active roster, along with a 40-man roster (which contains the 25-man and 15 other players). All other times (September, offseason, Spring Training) the team does not need to declare a 25-man roster, just a 40-man.
There are also, correspondingly, two forms of the disabled list (without getting into minors DLs): the 15-day DL and the 60-day DL. The 15-day DL essentially bumps a player off the 25-man roster without bumping him off the 40-man. The 60-day DL means a player can be replaced by someone else on the 40-man.
So, no teams are placing players on the 15-day DL in spring training because there’s no 25-man roster yet. There are guys, like Strasburg, that are on the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster, because that is in effect year-round. Make sense?
@General Managers Everywhere:
I’ll accept that notion once you douches stop being bi-polar and settle on ONE closer for your team.
Committees are for managers without huevos.
@Grey
Last question for the day. Which would you rather have:
C.Santana/Tabata or Arencibia/BJ Upton
@Grey: What fraction of his early (pre-knee issues) auction value would you pay for Utley now? In other words, if, in early February, you slotted him at $30, does the knee put him at $10, $15, $20, or what?
I have no idea what to do in case he’s avoided by the majority of my league. Would hate for someone to steal him for $15 then have him hitting bombs by May 1st.
@Grey:
5×5 12-team ML — just got offered Jose Reyes and Matt Garza for Elvis Andrus and Justin Verlander. Thoughts? Is Reyes that much of an ugprade at SS? And am I wrong for really liking Garza going to the NL to pad his K totals by facing pitchers 3 times a game?
@Jay:
Thanks a lot for that Jay. Cleared it all up for me.
12-team 5×5 (QS instead of wins)
who are your top two out of these 4: Pelfrey, Niese, Cecil, and Porcello
My current staff: Sabathia, YoGo, Brett Anderson, hellboy, Shields, Mcdonald
I think someone above announced that Minor was sent to AAA. I am wondering how this will play out for the Braves. I’ve heard the theory that sending Minor down and using Beachy could somehow be a tactic that would lead to Beachy being expendable once Randall Delgado or Julio Teheran are ready, the latter presenting the most interest, fantasy wise.
@Howie Met Your Mother: My pleasure. I just figured out the DL stuff this time last year.
@royce!: That’s interesting. The Bravos definitely have a surplus of young arms — wonder what they’d deal for. Speedy outfielder would be my first guess.
Continuing trolling for saves, roto league to join Nunez, Rodney and Gregg. Who ya goin with?
Rauch, Farnsworth, Capps, Ogandi… that order?
@9-7: Nope
@Howie Met Your Mother: Upton
@Jay: I wouldn’t buy him for more than $10.
@BHC: I’d hold.
@projectbadass: My SP rankings are in the rankings.
@royce!: I think Beachy and Minor are in the rotation at some point. Not sure beyond that.
@Grey: Thanks Grey!
I made some adjustments for my upcoming draft. I’m aiming for this squad now. Thoughts?
[10 team H2H 6x5 w/ 7 keepers $260 cap auction league]
C-Mike Napoli
1B-Prince Fielder
2B-Ian Kinsler
3B-Evan Longoria
SS-Elvis Andrus
CI-Aramis Ramirez
MI-Alcides Escobar
OF-Matt Holliday
OF-Justin Upton
OF-Jayson Werth
OF-Chris Young
U-Jose Tabata
U-Denard Span
B-Rajai Davis
SP-Tim Lincecum
SP-Mat Latos
SP-Matt Cain
SP-Max Scherzer
SP-Ted Lilly
SP-Shaun Marcum
B-Hiroki Kuroda
B-Javier Vazquez
B-Jhoulys Chacin
B-Brandon Beachy
B-Gio Gonzalez
RP-Chris Marmol
RP-John Axford
http://i.imgur.com/J3YEt.png
Am I screwed, Grey?
@AdamH: Rauch for now.
@GTS: Too much speed, weak on power. You know how I feel about the pitching if you’ve read the site.
@Caleb: I’m not looking at links of teams. Sorry…
MLB.com confirmed Thursday that Braves SP Brandon Beachy will be the team’s fifth starter. “We just feel Brandon gives us a better chance to win right now,” Braves GM Frank Wren said. “It was a tough decision to make.”
@Grey: Apropos of nothing: what you do here is amazing, Grey. Lots of people thank you but still not enough.
Thanks Grey. Pickens’ are gettin’ slim.
“Had a setback with his oblique. Sorta like the monkeys at the start of 2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Nice one.
Keep the Kila talk down, he’s my late round not-so-secret weapon.
For shits and giggles, how would you rate these young slugging firstbasemen:
Kila
Freddie Freeman
Mitch Moreland (what’s up with these alliterating 1B???)
Smoak Monster
If Cody Ross goes down, you see Huff moving to the OF and Belt sliding in at 1B?
wow how stacked is the braves organization on young pitching…. im gonna be honest I didn’t know much about Beachy before the other day, but hanson, minor, beachy…. they look like a nice young crew, although two of them have done nothing yet!
Ok, revision! 6×6 Standard + OPS & QS Roto
What worries me here is that my team screams risk. Am I screwed?
C – Carlos Santana DVX
1B – Miguel Cabrera
2B – Ian Kinsler
3B – Ryan Zimmerman
SS – Mike Aviles
CI – Carlos Pena
MI – Aaron Hill
OF – Justin Upton
OF – Carlos Quentin
OF – Brett Gardner
UTL – Pablo Sandoval
UTL – Michael Morse
BN – Kendrys Morales/Grady Sizemore/Speedy Alcides
SP – Ubaldo Jimenez
SP – Cole Hamels
SP – Mat Latos
SP – Edison Volquez
SP – Brian Matusz
SP – Johnny Cueto
SP – Edwin Jackson
RP – Neftali Feliz
RP – Francisco Cordero
RP – Brian Fuentez
@Caleb: ha im pretty sure you took about every injury chance you could! Half of them are hurting now, have been injured alot in the recent past or bat for low avg OR need a bounce back to be helpful…. kinserl, zimm, j-up, quentin, morales, grady, voltron, latos……. phew, good luck
@Grey:
would you do Kershaw-Hunter for Rios and Kendrick?
I was offered that today?
@Grey:
would you do Kershaw-Hunter for Rios and Kendrick?
I was offered that today
Grey, sup, 12-team H2H points league…I got Cecil, Niese and Madson on my bench (Lidge, Axford, Perez and Hanrahan as a starter). Should I drop any of them for Uehara? And use a closer for trade bait if he starts closing? Thanks.
Which side? Dunn or Andrus/Quentin? Id put Nishioka or Alcides in at ss…
Which side? Dunn or Andrus/Quentin?
@Grey:
when did you drop howard down to # 7 on the 1st base rankings ?
i didn’t see the announcement .
@Long Bawls: Thanks, no problem.
@AdamH: No problem.
@3FingersBrown: Thanks… I’d go Smoak, but they’re a pick em.
@Tony: True
@Caleb: No idea how many teams, but you do have a lot of injury risk and your pitching is probably too strong unless this is an 8 team league.
@cashmoney: I’d want Kershaw.
@cashmoney: I’d want Kershaw.
@Exactly: Can lose Madson for him if you like, same diff though.
@Sos: Dunn
@chata: Tuesday, I think.
@chata: http://razzball.com/phillies-2b-goes-from-utley-to-ugly/
@Grey: would u change your ranking of pelfrey, cecil, niese when replacing wins with QS in a 5×5 format?
Jair Jurrjens left Thursday’s game after one inning with an apparent injury.
It sounds like it could be a hamstring issue, though it’s not known if it’s the same hamstring that caused him to miss time last season. Depending on the severity of the injury, it’s possible that Mike Minor could ending up staying with the big club. Stay tuned.
@Jay:
Thanks!
Grey and everyone,
What do you think of this team in a standard 10 team 5×5 ESPN roto league (200 Start Max). I think I’m lacking a pure power guy (which noone wants to trade) and my pitching is all upside, which could be an issue. My outfield also has an obvious drop off.
C Napoli
1b Youk
2b Kinsler
3b Longoria
SS Alexei Ramirez
2b/SS Neil Walker
1b/3b Aramis Ramirez
OF Holliday (Dropped to 23rd pick)
OF Ellsbury (Sox fan pick)
OF Rasmus
OF Raburn (No 2b Eligibility)
OF Span
BN Colvin
P Kershaw
P Hamels
P B. Anderson
P Daniel Hudson
P Chacin
P Kennedy
P Soria
P Thornton
P Frank Frank
Bn Zambrano
Bn De La Rosa
P.s. Kubel is a FA so i’m probably going to drop Colvin for him. Good move?
It’s 10-man. I guess if the injuries get bad I can always unload a few pitchers…I feel I can replace quite a few without a huge dropoff if I play them by trends (One example being Blanton’s career 2.77 era in August)
Thanks!
@projectbadass: Nope
@Elijah: Thanks for the heads up!
@Pooch: I think your OF is a mess. You have too much speed. Span’s barely startable, definitely not with Ellsbury. Your pitching looks fine.
@Pooch: Sure
@Caleb: No problem.
@Elijah: @Grey: Me quoting me:
http://razzball.com/closer-look-3-24-11/#comment-462494
@Grey: With Kubel starting in place of Span and David Ortiz at UTL (forgot to put that in there), better? I have been trying to trade for an OF bat.
@Grey: Last Question.
And what level of OF should I be targeting? Top 10? Top 20 looking for HRs?
Thanks Grey. You saved my team last year.
@peter: Ha
@Pooch: Eh
@Pooch: Top 20, no problem.
@grey: would you draft morneau this year given that he’s still not fully recovered? I have the 60th pick in my email draft (12-team mixed roto) and he’s still there, and I have no 1st baseman. I still dodo have a CI spot to fill..but I’m hesitant to pull the trigger. Thanks
@Rick: I already have in multiple leagues.
**Feliz to remain closer.***
@Grey:
Let’s see who’s the lucky guy to lose the waiver for no reason in my league.
You have probably answered this before. I confess, I don’t read all the comments everyday. So at the risk of being redundant… I am drafting tonight in the 2 spot in a 12 team draft. I know Hanley will be there because in this league Pujols is guaranteed to go #1. My confliction is that I am doubtful, one of the top tier 1Ber’s are there on ther return trip. I know you told someone recently that you barely have Hanley over Votto, so I am thinking you would draft Miggy here or do you take Hanley. If I was sure I would get Prince, Howard or Teix on the rebound I would definitely take Hanley, but I am thinking probably not.
@Grey:
thanks .
it’s one of those deals where i have to read something 3 times ,
for it to sink in , once .
also …. did anyone really think that feliz was going to be taken out of the
closer’s role for 2011 ?
the problem with the rangers’ situation is that , instead of just riding out that terrible contract that they gave to m. young , they brought in beltre ,
when they should have spent the money on a starter .
even one of steve’s reverse double whammies can’t help them now .
@ grey thoughts on this trade? 12 team h2h 5×5 keeper league
my scherzer ($15) and zambrano ($1)
for his pence ($17), cahill ($3), aardsma($1)
team below. thanks
C-Mccann ($14)
1b- morneau ($24)
2b- weeks ($23)
ss-andrus ($15)
3b- d wright ($36)
ci- vmart ($19)
mi- danny espinosa ($4)
of- werth ($23)
of-ethier ($19)
of- alex gordon ($1)
of- will venable ($2)
util-berkman ($1)
sp-liriano ($21)
sp-gallardo ($20)
sp- scherzer ($15)
sp-morrow ($12)
sp-brett anderson ($10)
sp-bumgarner ($10)
sp-garza ($4)
sp-guthrie ($2)
sp-zambrano ($1)
rp-fernando rodney ($2)
rp-hanrahan ($1)
rp-brandon league ($1)
@BKK: They’re in the same tier. Means they’re interchangeable. Go with your own personal preference.
@chata: True
@jaw: I’d take Pence… Your hitting is a mess. Why did you punt so many spots?
That’s a shame about Feliz, I was all ready to swoop in!
@grey – espinosa i like as a breakout and 20/20 candidate. i generally dont like to pay for OF as its usually easy enough to find guys on the wire. last year i picked up delmon young, hart, quentin, pierre and had a pretty solid OF. you think the hitting is that weak?
With the Feliz news, should I drop Ogando for any of the following:
Kuo, Soriano, Jensen, Madson, Meek, Walden, Hensley?
Looking for a little advice on an upcoming draft… just got invited to the office league, which is H2H – One Win, and the categories are weighted towards batting with 10 (R, 1B, 2B, 3B, HRs, RBI, SB, K, AVG, OPS) possible wins, while pitching only has 8 categories (W, L, CG, SHO, SV, K, ERA, WHIP)….to me this seems a little silly and that it likely will just be a crapshoot week in and week out, but I guess there could be good use for quality pitching each week, but CG and SHOs will be really rare and a premium on elite pitchers — but I still wanted to draft hitter heavy…any thoughts?
Just finished my first ever auction, what are your thoughts? I realize I’m probably light on power/avg, it just kind of happened that way. I can always trade SP for hitting.
Anyway, 12 team 5×5:
C Kurt Suzuki 3
1B Kendry Morales 10
2B Rickie Weeks 13
3B Pedro Alvarez 11
SS Stephen Drew 8
2B/SS Chone Figgins 7
1B/3B Justin Morneau 16
OF Shin-Soo Choo 22
OF Shane Victorino 12
OF Drew Stubbs 12
OF Andres Torres 7
UTIL Chase Headley 5
SP Roy Halladay 32
SP Jon Lester 22
SP CC Sabathia 21
SP Daniel Hudson 11
RP Jonathan Broxton 8
RP Jose Valverde 7
P Madison Bumgarner 7
BE Ike Davis 11
BE Mike Aviles 4
BE Jordan Zimmermann 3
BE Chipper Jones 2
BE Danny Espinosa 3
BE Carlos Zambrano 3
Yeah, I’m claiming 11 for Ike Davis was a misclick. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
@Vic Damone Jr.: if you read Yahoo’s current main story on their Fantasy page, then Ike at 11 is a steal…they’re claiming he’s a lock for 25-30 homers…
@jaw: Yup
@Wilsonian: Madson
@abNormal: Draft hitter heavy as usual.
@Vic Damone Jr.: Nice username. I agree with what you said. Your hitting is weak because your pitching is way too strong.
Thoughts on these hitters?
[10 team H2H 6x5 w/ 7 keepers $260 cap auction league]
C-Mike Napoli
1B-Prince Fielder
2B-Ian Kinsler
3B-Evan Longoria
SS-Elvis Andrus
CI-Adam Dunn
MI-Ryan Raburn
OF-Matt Holliday
OF-Justin Upton
OF-Jayson Werth
OF-Chris Young
U-Travis Snider
U-Andres Torres
B-Rajai Davis
@Grey: Yes, I understand they are in the same tier. Just about every way I have tried to evaluate players, I get Pujols #1 and Hanley #2. This IS about preference and was trying to coax you out of yours. in that situation. I will probably wrestle with this until draft time, take Hanley and then regret the rest of the draft, or I’ll take Miggy and regret that I didn’t take Hanley the rest of the draft. Decisions, decisions…
As a Marlins fan, I gotta say that it’s nice to see Stanton back in the lineup and smack 2 HR for 7 RBI. He was sorely missed.
Finally had my first draft last night in the league I have with my buddies. 14 team, H2H with Yahoo default scoring and rosters. I had the 12th pick, and was saddened when AGon and Wright were picked right in front of me, but c’est la vie.
C Matt Wieters (12-3)
1B Prince Fielder (1-12)
2B Brandon Phillips (4-3)
SS Alcides Escobar (17-12)
3B Pedro Alvarez (6-3)
OF Matt Kemp (2-3)
OF Colby Rasmus (7-12)
OF Jose Tabata (9-12)
UT Adam Lind (10-3)
BN Travis Snider (15-12)
BN Logan Morrison (19-12)
SP Jon Lester (3-12)
SP Yovani Gallardo (5-12)
SP Shaun Marcum (8-3)
SP Jhoulys Chacin (14-3)
SP Tim Stauffer (16-3)
SP Jonathon Niese (18-3)
SP Brandon Beachy (21-12)
RP Matt Thornton (11-12)
RP Joel Hanrahan (13-12)
RP Octavio Dotel (20-3)
In our leagues, pitching usually goes pretty fast, which is why I took Lester in the 3rd (reach I know, but he probably wouldn’t have gotten back to mesince both teams behind me took pitchers, which is crazy). I think I’m pretty set on power and K’s, but a little light on speed. What doth you say Grey?
@Grey:
“Joe Nathan allowed three runs in his inning against the Phillies on Thursday, taking his spring ERA up to 11.05.
It looks like Nathan won’t even make it a difficult call: the Twins are going to have install Matt Capps as their closer initially. Nathan has allowed 10 runs — nine earned — in 7 1/3 innings this spring. He’s struck out just three in the span. Capps, on the other hand, has been flawless in pitching 8 1/3 scoreless innings with a 5/0 K/BB ratio. ”
-Rotoworld-
Is Matt Capps a good pickup? Who do you think starts the season as the closer in Minnesota?
@Grey In a 12-team 5×5 H2H league with 5 keepers would you trade Kershaw for McCutchen. My other keepers are Wright, Pujols, Kemp, Stanton. Basically the question is, how important is it to keep a stud pitcher in a 12-team 5 keeper league? Will I be okay if I keep 5 hitters?
@GTS: Some risk for a 10 team league.
@BKK: I’d take Pujols, Hanley and Miggy, in that order. Pretty clear from my rankings.
@Eddy: Yeah, I’m gonna make love to him this year with my words if he’s good because I have him very cheap in a keeper.
@Justinian IV: Team looks solid, the pitching is a little too strong, but the hitting doesn’t look terrible so there’s that.
@joe from point pleasant: Yeah, I said this two days ago with the Closer Look.
@preptime: Sure
I’m in a 10-team mixed league with a 1500 IP cap. We have 30 roster spots so I can afford to carry a lot of SP and only start guys in juicy matchups or at home. That said, I don’t think I did nearly enough with regards to pitching. How terrible is this staff?
U. Jimenez
R. Dempster
D. Hudson
J. de la Rosa
M. Bumgarner
E. Bedard
E. Jackson
B. Beachy
C. Pavano
C. Richard
J. Peavy
12team nl 4×4 keeper
Street $21 or Espinosa $10?
Thanks grey.
@Grey: What % that Strasburg pitches in MLB this year? (In a very deep 16-team H2H league with 3 DL slots, and thought it might be wise to stash him on the DL)
I’m a fan of Kila, the Sleeper Hawaiian, but I am in an OBP league.
re: Brian Wilson
Wow, just when scouting Closers couldn’t get any less tedious and annoying, there’s a new tandem to handicap! At least in football, you don’t have to pretend to care about Closers.
I don’t care about Closers. Feh!
@Grey: Which would you rather drop to pick up Kila?
Domonic Brown or Jose Tabata
I have too many OFs and need a back up 1B/Utl player.
Hey Grey,
couple questions.
Would you pick up Emaus and drop Peralta to play MI?
Who would you pick up? Saltimacchia or Miranda
(soto-C and either Berkman/S.smith-UTIL are starting for me right now).
Thanks
@grey
My bad again, I’ll just redo the initial comment. 12 team 5×5 roto league. 1500 IP cap. Hardcore money league where everyone had a solid strategy and executed. Probably the toughest draft I’ve ever done. You’ll probably hate my 2B and SS but love my catchers. Other thoughts?
C – Iannetta, Thole
1B – Carlos Pena
2B – Kinsler
3B – Wright
SS – Reyes
CI – Sandoval
MI – As. Cabrera
OF – Heyward, Bruce, BJ Upon, Beltran, Morse
Util – A. Gordon
SP – Hamels, Liriano
RP – Thornton, Lidge
P – Hellickson, Morrow (hope he doesn’t miss much time), Beckett, Zimmermann, League
BN – Belt, H. Bailey, Beachy (greatest pick #304 ever? Minor went 303).
Nishioka and Raburn went by the 15th and S-Rod soon after and I didn’t want another avg drain so the MI punt seems like the most questionable element of my roster, though the catcher punt worked nicely. Figure if they start hot Asdrubal and Sandoval could be interesting trade pieces. Once I can stash Morrow and/or Beltran I’ll likely pick up an MI hedge. I’m thinking Jose Lopez but considering Lowrie. I’ll probably man an OF too. Probably David Murphy.
@Grey: I noticed you don’t even rank JJ Hardy at SS… do you hate him that much? Wondering what you see from him in a revamped O’s lineup… maybe .260 with 20 dingers if healthy all year? Also just looking for some overall good production for a fill in time to time, so who do you like as a 6th OF from these scrubs:
Magglio Ordonez
Will Venable
Michael Morse
Tyler Colvin
Ryan Ludwick
Yo Grey, I just saw this and immediately thought I would share it here. When Andre Ethier wore that one goofy outfit (to which you often allude), he was likely being hazed. But what is Loney’s excuse here?
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13262171&topic_id=8878826&c_id=la
@Grey: Fair enough. Sorry, I wasn’t trying to annoy you.
how about ad Gonzalez for Pedroia and D. Hudson?
In my 16 Team H2H league, the guy with Utley wants one of my 2Bs, because, basically I’m a hoarder. This is what I got:
2B – Hill
UTIL – Raburn
UTIL – Kendrick
BN – Espinosa
What tier of bat or arm should I target with one of the top 3? Thanks dood.
@Grey I just read that Mcgehee was carted off the field after getting hit in the knee. If kneeded, who would be the better pickup: Valencia, Johnson, Gamel…or other waiver wire fodder (16 team pts)?
@Grey Thanks in advance.
Team a- kershaw and Aaron hill
Team b- uggla and marcum
Which team and what player makes you say so?
Grey Pick One
James McDonald
Jeremy Guthrie
Ivan Nova
Jonathon Niese
Brandon Beachy
Grey,
Is it worth hanging onto Minor? I already added Beachy (dropped Stauffer). It is a keeper league, but I’m trying to win now and I’m not terribly concerned about next year yet.
I’d consider adding Harang, Travis Wood, Zambrano, or Stauffer (or a reliever, we count holds and Jake McGee is available), not much else out there. Worth sticking with Minor? Do I drop him for someone like Teheran, since I’m waiting anyway?
Thanks.
Looks like Scott Kazmir is ready
Scott Kazmir was blasted for 10 runs — but only eight earned
Marlins’ Stanton has 2 HR, 7 RBI in debut
THATS MY BOY
@Other Dean: Not great.
@Shippity: Espinosa
@Dad: 10%
@Kendrys Cart Off Home Run: Brown
@MetsfanJames: No… Salty
@Mark: Team looks light on average and power and I’m not crazy about Beckett.
@Joe B: Morse
@Real Tom: Ha!
@Donnie Baseball: I’d take Adrian.
@Wilsonian: Number 2 starter
@Howard: Johnson
@michael bourne: A
@Mr Baseball: Beachy
@TheRealTaz: Wood
@Mr Baseball: Ha!
Well Grey,
I really shat the bed this year. Please help. 10 team, standard-scoring roto. I need power.
C Buster Posey (SF – C,1B)
1B Pablo Sandoval (SF – 1B,3B)
2B Dustin Pedroia (Bos – 2B)
3B Aramis Ramírez (ChC – 3B)
SS Hanley Ramírez (Fla – SS)
OF Matt Kemp (LAD – OF)
OF Jacoby Ellsbury (Bos – OF)
OF Brett Gardner (NYY – OF)
Util Adam LaRoche (Was – 1B)
Util Jorge Posada (NYY – C)
SP David Price (TB – SP)
SP Tommy Hanson (Atl – SP)
RP Jonathan Papelbon (Bos – RP)
RP Francisco Cordero (Cin – RP)
P Joel Hanrahan (Pit – RP)
P Craig Kimbrel (Atl – RP)
P Jon Rauch (Tor – RP)
BN Juan Pierre (CWS – OF)
BN Travis Snider (Tor – OF)
BN Yovani Gallardo (Mil – SP)
BN Matt Garza (ChC – SP)
BN Gio González (Oak – SP)
BN Tim Hudson (Atl – SP)
BN Jeremy Hellickson (TB – SP,RP)
Any immediate thoughts? I was thinking of trying to package Gardner or Pierre with Papelbon to someone who needs SV help for some power.
Thanks
@Grey:
frank wren , speaking live (now) on blog-talk radio says
minor has options , so they’re sending him down , AND , would even consider trading him to another team , if a position opened up for him
on another team .
he also said that the 5th starter spot wasn’t for sure beachy’s …. yet .
but the way he said it , didn’t convince me otherwise .
and ,
he’d still rather have brooks conrad coming off the bench , in the pinch-hitter’s role .
So where is Panda going to hit for the Giants to start the season?
Grey, ESPN is reporting Brandon Beachy has won the 5th rotation spot for the braves over Mike Minor. Any perspective on him? In a deep 16 team league and my bench pitchers are Duensing, Coke, Chris Young, Nova, Fuentes and Mclellan (as I said, deep league, so all are matchup or flier pitchers). Would you drop anyone of them to get him?
@Grey: would DLR, Chacin, or Hellickson fit the bill?
@chata:
(wonder if anyone from thee ranger’s organization is listening to this program …. they have been trading partners in the past)
@Guy from Trainspotting: Nice username. Not as nice of a team. Your power is a mess, also your pitching is an issue. Way too much speed.
@chata: Yeah, he’s the 5th starter.
@bob@867-5309: William Goldman knows the truth about preseason batting order speculation.
@motorcitykitty: Yeah, I reported yesterday. read the site.
@Wilsonian: Nope
**Opening in Razzball League #2**
I’ve had to drop out of the Razzball league (Draft the worst players), so there is an opening in league #2.
The draft is Tuesday March 29 at 6:30pm PDT
League ID#: 140826
League Name: Razzball 2
Password: razz2
@Grey: is Brett Anderson too much? What about a bat like Lind, Bruce, Stubbs, Pena?
I’m interested in that Fantasy spot! How do I take it?
@Wilsonian: Anderson is not too much. Those bats are fine too.
Kevin Correia named your opening day starter for the Pirates, Wow!
@Grey: alright, thanks man. Definitely appreciate the advice.
Ha. Sorry, normally I do read everything, that one got by me. So then the question is, who do I drop for Beachy? (16 team H2H points) Coke, Chris Young, Nova, or Fuentes?
@elwood blues: Yeesh. Apparently the Pirates have been reading too much Razzball. “6.38 ERA. It’s just Spring Training!”
@elwood blues: Big stuff out of the Pitts.
@Wilsonian: No problem.
@elwood blues: @royce!: @Grey: Awww, look how the little Hodgepadre has grown up.
@motorcitykitty: Beachy
@Steve: Pitching for the Pirates is regressing.
@Grey: I suppose it is. Now you can’t even trust him at home.
@GopherDay: If I go to register, don’t I need to know what team I am?
Grey hates Beachy. I think he’s more pissed about Minor!
6×5 keeper including OPS:
Stanton and Haren for Alvarez and CC
Speaking of Starters.. in my NL Only 12 Team 4×4 roto auction league..
I like to have 6 starters, how does this rotation look for wins, era, and whip..
1. Latos
2. Marcum
3. Nolasco
4. Niese
5. Richard
6. Waiver Claim (protecting Strasb. for next yr)
@Black Beard: It’s fair, I’d want Stanton.
@elwood blues: Looks okay, not all guys I would’ve went with.
@Steve:
making the draft ?
@chata: Planning to. Hoping to find a quiet room somewhere.
I’m doing a mock in about 10 minutes on ESPN- it’s the Baltimore 12-Team Mock 201611 at 8:30 EST if anyone wants to mock against a like-minded individual.
@grey: well the auction happens this weekend.
I was just throwing that out there.
Right now I have Latos, Nolasco (because I took on someone else’s contract last year) Niese and Strasburg.
I’m also looking at Greinks instead of Marcum and Dempster/Vazquez/Kuroda/or Stauffer instead of Richard.. but money is a little tight for me this year.
Any thoughts on which pitchers to target? Will it be worth the extra bucks?
@elwood blues: My SP rankings are up top. I like Greinke better than Marcum. Kuroda and Dempster over Vazquez.
Yeah, I’ve been trying to trade Nolasco and Latos to no avail. My opponents must be reading your projections.
@Grey: Punted MI in my 12 team mixed roto. Now I’m looking to start rotating the hot hand – start with Rhymes, O-Hudson, or Aybar? Thanks!
By the way, looking forward to the MI rotation strategy post!!! *emoticon*
I recall around the start of last season seeing that a post had 140+ comments and thinking that it had to be a record for Razzball. Now you seem to routinely reach around 200. I’m hoping that’s a good thing. I do know that the ads have gotten a lot better. My favorites have all been American Apparel, but that’s probably a sign of my fondness for bespectacled women in disco shorts.
You know, if Jurrjens goes down for a while, this whole Beachy/Minor thing might become really nice for all of us loyal Razzballas!
@elwood blues: Or they’re reading other sites that are copying me.
@Bill Lumbergh: Aybar
@royce!: Disco shorts are always a good thing.
@Public Enemy #1: Word.
@Grey: Trying to improve my SP (my best pitcher as of now is Chad Billingsley) in my keeper league…debating proposing this trade:
I give: Matt Holliday and Daniel Hudson
I get: Nelson Cruz and Zack Greinke
What I’m debating is if it is a low ball offer….I feel like I could get a discount on Greinke since he will be starting the season on the DL, just not sure how much.
Thoughts?
Grey – had my 12 team RCL draft the other night. what do you think? How did I fare against my fellow commentors?
C- Wieters
1B- Miggy
2B- Weeks
3B- Polanco
SS- Furcal
2B/SS- Kelly Johnson
1B/3B- Morneau
OF- McCutchen
OF- Nelson Cruz
OF- BJ Upton
OF- Markakis
OF- Swisher
Util- Freddie Freeman
P- Haren
P- Price
P- Daniel Hudson
P- Colby Lewis
P- Nunez
P- Hanrahan
P- League
P- Floyd
P- McClellan
B- E. Santana
B- Niese
B- L. Morrisson
For you Wire (and Victorian lit?) fans out there: http://hoodedutilitarian.com/2011/03/when-its-not-your-turn-the-quintessentially-victorian-vision-of-ogdens-the-wire/
[for some reason the link leads to a google cache, sorry, but the article is there]
@Grey: @Dad: So, would that make Strasburg a… muststash?!
@cruisinkc: Not great for you.
@Benny: You look pretty light on power and not overly optimistic about your pitching.
@royce!: Pretty awesome, love the sketches.
@Dad: Nope
@Real Tom: Nah, just register and the draft is on Tuesday. It’s on Yahoo BTW.
Hey Greigh! What do you think? Kemp for McCutchen and J. Chacin???
@Grey: Just drafted for my big money league. 14 team h2h. I punted closers. If you remember last year, having closers wasnt really a benefit for me as the pitching cats are IP, W, L, CG, Shutouts, SV, ER, HR, BB, K, ERA, WIN %, Blown Saves. Heres my team:
C Matt Wieters
1B Prince Fielder
2B Aaron Hill
3B David Wright
SS Elvis Andrus
OF Justin Upton
OF Jason Heyward
OF Travis Snider
UTIL Ryan Raburn
BN Marlon Byrd
SP Tommy Hanson
SP Dan Haren
SP Shaun Marcum
SP Gio Gonzalez
SP Edinson Volquez
SP Jorge De La Rosa
SP Ian Kennedy
Thoughts?
To Grey et al. Just drafted, 14 Team, 6 x 6 roto (OBP, QS). Any suggestions/criticisms would be welcomed. Thanks
C: Salty
1B: Teixeira
2B: Phillips
3B: Longoria
SS: Andrus
CI: Lind
MI: Espinoza
OF: J-Up
OF: Krispie Young
OF: Tabata
OF: Snider
OF: Morrison
UTIL: Colvin
SP: Hamels, Liriano, Billingsley, Vazquez, Zimmermann, McDonald, Beachy
RP: F. Cordero, Lyon, Rodney, Uehara, S. Burnnett
@Grey:
Hrmpf, Jar-Jar dissapoints by not being hurt. I guess Minor is gonna stay one for awhile…any ideas for other good flier/sleepers along those lines?
Hmm Javy Vasquez has a sore elbow…Im dubious until its cleared up. That leaves Edwin Jackson, Zambrano, T Wood, and Stauffer as the likely suspects? Who do you like outta those guys? Oh theres Pineda too, I guess kinda intriguing but probably less so than the more established guys.
@Dad:
amusing .