The Tigers are reporting that Miguel Cabrera has a small fracture under his right eye, i.e. a non-displaced fracture in the orbital bone. When questioned, Miggy was puzzled, saying, “I don’t chew Orbitz.” The Tigers are saying he will be shut down for a week, but should be ready for Opening Day. I tend to agree with them. Miggy has that special brand of “I don’t give an eff in the effhole,” that was exhibited by Manny Ramirez and has been carried in his absence by Hanley Ramirez. I like to call it insouciance, because I have a thesaurus. The Tigers are saying Miggy will be ready for Opening Day, so there’s no reason to panic. I’d continue to draft Miggy at or near the top of my draft boards. I have to think the Tigers are gonna think long and hard about letting him play third now. Not only because of the injury, but he’s losing precious time to get reacquainted with the position. Frequent commenter, JoeC, had a good idea, put Miggy in a body cast. Armor to stop all balls hit directly at him and now he can say decreased mobility is his strong suit. Also, in fantasy baseball news:
Grant Balfour – The A’s named Balfour the closer. They obviously felt a righty with a last name synonymous with a hitter getting on base is better than a lefty who puts hitters on base.
Brad Peacock – As predicted this morning, but not three months ago, Peacock was optioned to Triple-A. Damn you and your beautiful plumage! The A’s are obviously repaying me for my tepid response to Moneyball. In all but the deepest of leagues, it’s okay to drop Peacock and gamble on a different pitcher sleeper. Chris Sale comes to mind.
10-team keeper league:
Moustakas ($5) or Scherzer ($5)
I have Hosmer @ 1B and need a 3B and CI. I have 3 starters (all Nats: Strasburg, Zimm, Gio). Bautista, Longoria, Beltre, Lawrie, and Sandoval are all being kept by others. I’ll either spend big money on a 3B, or settle for someone like Moustakas. My brain says Scherzer, my gut says Moustakas. What does Grey say?
@Aaron, Moose
@Grey, I dumbly drafted Utley late in a mixed league, and now I’m paying the price. Now someone’s offering his Michael Young (2B eligibility) and Tabata for my Jay Bruce and Kendrys. I’m trying to decide whether to accept or hope Utley gives me something, and go with someone like Furcal or Infante in the meantime. I’d appreciate your input.
Please ignore this. I reposted this in the correct location. Sorry.
Whenever I see Peacock mentioned I can’t help but think of Wahlberg in “The Other Guys.” I have that as my Ferrell sleeper pick.
@probablepartystarter, Good sleeper movie pick…
Bah. Early season closer carousel not going well. Dropped Holland the other day, now watching my opponents get the Balfour benefit #fbbproblems
@Steve, Ha! Yeah, me too… Had Fuentes in multiple leagues…
@Grey, Still have Thronton and Crain on one team!
Sad trombone.
@Steve, Ha
Sale gone, Minor gone, who else comes to mind, my good sir?
@thekingadrock, There will be a pitchers to target post tomorrow… Anyone here around: http://razzball.com/top-80-starters-for-2012-fantasy-baseball/
@Grey, 12-team H2H, 6×6 (OBP, QS)
What do you think of Ross or Godfrey as a replacement pick up for Peacock?
@Project_badass, Ross over Godfrey…
@thekingadrock,
Trevor Bauer ..
See what happens when you drink Jobu’s rum?
@A2K, Ha
Argh! I had Fuentes and De Los Santos (who is worth it just for the name). Is it worth holding onto those two, or do you think Balfour has it pretty much locked down? I’m in a ten team AL-only league.
@Ralph, I’d hold Fuentes for a week or two on my bench in an AL-Only league…
Repost from previous: Jose Tabata or Kendrys Morales. Who gets the best of that trade?
@Schmohawks Bob, Coin flip… Morales…
@Grey, another brain fart. Posted my reply to this in the wrong place. Speaking of dumb, I dumbly drafted Utley late in a mixed league, and now I’m paying the price. Now someone’s offering his Michael Young (2B eligibility) and Tabata for my Jay Bruce and Kendrys. I’m trying to decide whether to accept or hope Utley gives me something, and go with someone like Furcal or Infante in the meantime. I’d appreciate your input.
@Schmohawks Bob, Terrible trade…
@Grey, As an alternative, what about his Ryan Roberts for my Brett Myers, a fourth closer I picked off the waiver wire after draft.
Hey Grey what is your drafting strategy for differing max innings pitched requirements?
These are two leagues I’m in.
1250-5×5
1350-6×6 (holds)
@Coco Krispie, 1250, you need a stronger staff because less room for error… 6 SPs, 2 closers and 2 MRs… 1350, also 6 SPs, 2 closers and 2 MRs…But more room to juggle out SPs, so less important to have as strong a staff…
@Grey, what round would you draft your first pitcher? I usually like to go hitters the first four rounds, but now thinking should go earlier?
@Coco Krispie, In what? 15 team league? 50th overall in a 12 team league…
Balfour is sitting on my waiver wire, 12 team mixed with only 3 RP spots. I already have Betancourt, Motte, Jansen, and Holland (Jansen starting on the bench). Should I drop Holland or Jansen to pick up Balfour?
@Boats and O’s,
Check that, Broxton got dropped for Balfour…now it’s pick 2 of 3: Jansen, Holland, Broxton.
@Boats and O’s, Holland and Broxton until one emerges…
Grey—
20 team, H2H points keeper league (no year limits)
Which side do you want?
Kemp & Adrian Gonzalez or Votto/Hosmer/Ja Weeks/Des. Jennings
Thanks — btw, great podcast we should we expect another?
@Kenny Powers, Another podcast tomorrow… Depends if you need depth, trade’s fair… Votto side by a hair…
Crap DST change! I missed the first 3 rounds of my friend’s league, team did poorly last year after winning the year before, need to make a better showing. Other than having 2 3b Its a pretty solid group, the AI didn’t take a SP early so its all good. I’m gonna dump Quentin and Longoria or Beltre are available for the right price. This is the 7×7 league with OPS, TB, Losses, and BAA, so steals and saves are deflated while Power is King offensively and SP’s are much more valuable than in a standard HtH.
C J.P. Arencibia (254)
1B M Young (87)
2B B Phillips (54)
SS Tulo (7)
3B Longoria (14)
MI A Hill (207)
CI A Beltre (27)
OF J Bruce (34)
OF D Jennings (107)
OF C Young (114)
OF Markakis (147)
OF P Bourjous (247)
DH B Butler (94)
Bench J Montero (167)
Bench C Quentin (227)
SP Z Greinke (47)
SP Y Gallardo (67)
SP M Bumgardner (74)
SP G Gonzalez (127)
SP A Sanchez (134)
SP B Morrow (174)
SP J Chacin (234)
RP C Marmol (154)
RP B League (187)
RP K Jansen (194)
RP J Guerra (214)
Really wished I’d taken Votto over Tulo but Tulos tendency to explode in August makes him a good HtH guy so not crying there…and well sooner or later someone’s gonna need a 3b and maybe I can target a good 1b in return. Its not a powerhouse here but I think Its good enough to make the playoffs with.
Comments? Advice?
@Elijah, Oh and its a 10 team league, not 12.
@Elijah, Looks very solid pitching team, and hitting looks okay. I’m obviously a bit concerned about Young… Wish you would’ve taken Votto too… I think you should be competitive, for sure.
@Grey,
Yeah M Young meh. But I needed a 1b and in r9 it was a value pick. My buddy has Both Fielder and Miggy so Im hoping Miggy never gets 3b eligability so I can talk a deal there. M Young as the CI is pretty decent.
@Grey, Hmm gonna offer Beltre and Markakis for Konerko and Kendrick, I don’t think he values Kendrick as much as I do and Beltre and Konerko are fairly equal in my situation.
@Grey,
Also offered Longo for Fielder. in this league Fielder is really nice.
@Grey, Your thoughts?
14-team 5×5 mixed standard.
C Matt Wieters R6 P9
C Devin Mesoraco R17 P6
1B Joey Votto R1 P6
1B Justin Smoak R23 P6
2B Howie Kendrick R5 P6
2B Aaron Hill R15 P6
2B Kelly Johnson R20 P9
SS Jimmy Rollins R8 P9
3B Adrian Beltre R3 P6
OF Mike Stanton R2 P9
OF Nelson Cruz R4 P9
OF Ichiro Suzuki R9 P6
OF Logan Morrison R13 P6
OF Lucas Duda R19 P6
SP Josh Johnson R7 P6
SP Shaun Marcum R10 P9
SP Justin Masterson R16 P9
SP Mike Minor R18 P9
SP Jonathan Sanchez R22 P9
RP Heath Bell R11 P6
RP Huston Street R12 P9
RP Javy Guerra R14 P9
RP Frank Francisco R21 P6
Thanks!
@mcbainus, Team looks solid on hitting, you have a lot of pitching question marks, Johnson is always hurt, Marcum is already hurt and Masterson could regress…
How good is Ryan Raburn? I know you loved him last year… He just hit his 6th homer of the spring today, and seems to have 2b locked up all to himself.
Is it just me, or do i see a cheap Dan Uggla? I think Raburn can hit .260-.270 while bopping 20+ hrs and decent run and rbi totals in that potent tigers lineup.
Spring Training stats may mean nothing, but I usually take notice when someone is ripping the way he is right now. I’ve read that he has the job to himself now. Does his spring showing change your outlook on him at all?
@joe from point pleasant, He could be a cheap Uggla, or he could disappoint again… His spring changes nothing in my mind… He’s a late round flyer that could have 20+ homer power…
12-team keeper league- Jennings in the 4th or is that too expensive?
@Eng, About right… Tad expensive… Maybe the 5th…
@Grey, Wow, thanks for the quick reply. I agree, my issue is I have a man-crush and I’m 12th pick so have no shot in the 5th. I’ll make him my last option if the other guys I want are gone. Cheers (you draft tiers etc is f’in immense).
@Eng, typo “Your draft tiers…….”
@Eng, BTW, the new reply option makes me feel like we’re friends similar to the hatchet man hired by Shooter McGavin.
@Eng, Ha, me too!
There are some players in your rankings that are slightly higher than Markakis and are available…Rios, Rasmus, Cespedes…based on my team and league settings (I posted them in your 2012 Spring Training Stats, What Does It All Mean?! article but I’ll share again so you don’t have to go search), would you hold Markakis or drop for one of those guys? 10 team, H2H, standard 5×5 except OBP instead of AVG…
C – Avila
1B – Fielder
2B – Uggla
3B – Aramis
SS – Castro
OF – Braun
OF – Felatio Upton
OF – Gardner
Util – Markakis
BN – Lind
SP – Lee
SP – Gio
SP – Garza
SP – Zimmerman(n)
SP – Ubaldo
SP – Chacin
SP – Cahill
SP – Peacock (Dammit!)
RP – Madson
RP – Marmol
RP – Frank Frank
@B.o.B., Hold him for now in an OBP league…
@Grey, exactly what I thought…with Peacock shaking his tail feathers in AAA now, and Sale already taken, who you like next? Jonathan Sanchez is the highest ranked SP available according to your rankings but would you prefer another sleeper?
@B.o.B., I like Sanchez late, sure…
grey man, who you higher on lor.cain or matt gamel
@#1contenda, http://razzball.com/2012-fantasy-baseball-rankings-the-top-300/
@Grey – With many thanks for your help, I drafted the following from the 3-hole in a new 12-team 7×7 H2H league (1C, 3OF, 1 UT).
C – Ramos
1B – Hosmer
2B – Kendrick
SS – Reyes
3B – Longotia
OF – Braun
OF – Stanton
OF – Stubbs
UT – I. Davis
BN – Lind
BN – Duda
SP – Bumgarner
SP – Lester
SP – Zimmermann
SP/RP – Moore
SP/RP – Luebke
SP – Marcum
SP/RP – Sale
RP – Motte
RP – Betancourt
Lose one of the bench guys (Duda?) for another arm? Leake, Nicasio, Balfour, GHolland, or Myers are available. Many thanks!
@AnotherFalstaff, No problem… Team looks really, surprised you could get that hitting with that pitching, but it is a shallower league… Duda for Balfour for now…
Fantasy Razzball 1 has an opening.
Draft is tomorrow, Wednesday, at 7 ET.
vinreich@zoho.com
Which side:
Doc/Farnsworth
F-Her(or Greinke)/Latos?
I’m thinking F-Her side, but is it close?
@Wilsonian, F-Her side… Not really close…
@Grey, kinda what I thought. I’m assuming it would still be F-Her side if Hellickson was tossed in with Doc and Farns?
@ Grey :
i gotta go back and catch up (am still on comment #13 , previous post) ,
but i see you dedicated another post to Miggy .
the thought occurred to me , that if you had an australian accent ,
you could have used this head-line :
“miggy , miggy , miggy ….. eye , eye , eye”
catch you later .
@chata, He’s the number one drafted player in some leagues, he needed another post…
@Grey,
not disputing that .
guess you didn’t like my attempt at humor .
@chata, Hehe… Sorry, in the middle of a draft…
@Grey, @chata, I’m reminded of a joke (it’s more of an aural one, but whatevs).
An Australian WWII soldier arrives at the front and reports to his commanding officer.
“Welcome soldier”, says the officer. “Did you come up here to die?”
“No sir” replied the soldier.
“I came up here yester-die.”
@Steve, Hehe
Grey,
Need to pick my last keeper, 5×5 standard mixed league (Holds instead of K/9). Need 1 from this group.
Lawrie, Jennings, Greinke, Strasburg, Bumgarner
Already keeping Bautista, Fielder, Kinsler, & Hanley.
@Drewcifer, Greinke
My draft is tonight but my keeper deadline is in 35 min. You still say keep Hamilton over Granderson? Thanks again.
@Matt, Yeah, but they’re close, if you’re feeling the other way…
@Grey, The only thing I see with Hamilton is the Avg, but do you think Grandy will beat him in every other category? If so I just won’t take mini donkey this year and let grandy have my crappy average for the team. He is hitting lefties in spring training but a lot of people are hitting well this spring
@Matt, Go for it then… He should match him in power and beat him in steals… Rest of the categories are up in the air…
Grey: Please name the top-3 minor leaguers who won’t play in the majors this year (or will only have a September call up) but who will make the most impact at the major league level in 2013. Thanks.
@Henry Chinaski, http://razzball.com/top-25-fantasy-baseball-prospects-for-2013-beyond/
@Grey, (or anyone that can help), I signed up for a Razzball commenter league this season, but there’s only one slight problem. Our draft is in just over 4 hours, yet there are STILL players on my roster and my league organizer has not contacted anyone about this issue. I’m in Razzball Commenter League #22. Is this standard procedure? Am I supposed to have players on my roster already? My guess is no, yet I have heard nothing from the league organizer. I’m hoping that the organizer hasn’t vanished. I apologize in advance for what may be a HUGE overreaction to this particular issue, but something just seems amiss. Thank you to whomever responds.
@Eric Riptide, @Steve or @VinWins Any idea about this?
@Grey, @VinWins, almost sounds like the league has been carried over from last year, rather than being set up from scratch.
Vin – do you know who the commish is?
@Steve, No worries. They’ll disappear just before the draft.
@VinWins, Cool. ESPN is a bit screwy this year it seems. Not all transactions (Adds/Drops) showing up either.
@Steve, Yeah They can’t believe people have been making moves for weeks already.
@Steve,
is this your way of warning the new guy that some “surprises”
are ahead ??
@Eric Riptide, Yeah, if the league operated last year, players will still appear. They will disappear before the draft.
@VinWins, Hey thanks, guys. I’ve got enough to worry about with the Jack Hanahanahanahanahan and Lonnie Chisenhall position battle as it is. I don’t need another stressor.
SAGNOF Alert: Bourgeois traded. Recipient not released yet; but we may just have the crucial At Bats part of the equation.
@zombie, They hate Cain… Hurts Guido at 2nd too…
@Grey,
KC is the recipient. Also getting Humberto Quitnero. Astros getting two PTWEBR (Player that won’t ever be relevant).
Bourgeois has been the guy I’ve waited to get traded for playing time. Think he gets it now?
I guess it’d really be in Cain’s spot, though I find that hard considering how well Cain has played.
And I think Giavotella is still their 2B guy.
@Grey, would you drop Yonder Alonso for Bourgeouis in a 12 Team Keeper?
grey,with santos closing in toronto,can i loose cordero
@AL KOHOLIC, Yup
@Grey, thanks,grabbed bourgeouis for him
@AL KOHOLIC, Do I have to remind you of Original Recipe rule #1?
@ Grey :
here’s another thought that you’re not going to like :
IF you charged a nominal fee (say $7.50) to evaluate newly drafted teams , instead of HOPING people finish in the money and MAYBE cut you in for a piece of the pie ,
you’d be approaching thousand-aire status by now .
anyhoo , here’s to hoping you get rewarded for all of your efforts and concern , regardless of how shitty some of these posted teams are .
(tipping for in-season advice and encouragement would still remain your
bread-and-butter option ,
and is not a city in china) .
@chata, I hear ya, but I don’t want to charge people…
Looking to grab Niese and his new nose as my 6th starter flyer with the Peacock news. He seems to be available last round most places, I’ve seen Sale going earlier.
Also, for another good laugh, you should watch the Pedroia roundtable video. Karabell apparently ranks him over A-Gon. Milton errrr Cockcroft nearly dies in his chair, excellent. Still nothing from those boobs joining an RCL I assume?
@MattTruss223, Nah, they’re not joining… Gotta watch that video when I get a chance… Always good for a laugh…
our espn league isnt updating any transactions we make the last 3 or 4 days,and thier watch list doesnt work very well,still better than yahoo though
@AL KOHOLIC, You can see them all when you hit the Transactions link at the bottom of ‘Recent League Activity’
And stop asking Grey about your RCL team
@Steve, hey,someone stole my username
@AL KOHOLIC, Don’t give me that shit.
@Steve, you wait till our auction,ive got an eye on you
@AL KOHOLIC, You’ll need to. I’m liking my keepers.
wondering why lance berkman hasn’t been around in a while ?
seems he’s making head-lines elsewhere :
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/scott-miller/17925655/berkman-commissioner-extorted-astros-in-forcing-move-to-al
on this issue (calling out selig) , i say “good for him” .
@chata, Ha! He held his toupee against him…
@Grey, Perhaps Miggy’s been getting fielding coaching from her… http://gifninja.com/animatedgifs/709644/hooters-girl.gif
@3FingersBrown, Bwahahaha
Maybe I’m a PITA, but I don’t know why there is all this, who do I keep, who do I draft, how is my team B.S. Why aren’t the comments about the article. In that vein, I’d like to see Fielder play 3B. Man, that would be a hoot. Leave my Miggy alone. You already see what’s happening. Gonna affect his hitting. GLA
@Cosmo, I’d like to see Fielder get catcher eligibility, probably ain’t happening…
@Grey, LOL…yea, I won’t hold my breath. You do know I was being sarcastic?
@Cosmo, Yeah, me too…. Emoticon.
Is there anything to suggest that a guy’s struggles in the field can affect him at the plate (in terms of confidence etc)?
I mean, anyone who gets knocked down by Clemens and then homers two pitches later isn’t fazed by much, but…
@Steve, It’s something that the old guys at the Moneyball scout table would say is a factor, but saber-heads would say is made up…
@Steve, That may be tru and he might be just the guy who won’t have it affect him, but yes, in general, there is loads of data reflecting that issue. If he is not happy, if he is getting the crap kicked out of him at 3B, if he starts thinking about the defense, if the manager yanks him and he gets less AB’s because he is a defensive liablility…all these lead to possible decline in hitting. I speak from experience as a 3B. On days that ball was kicking my butt, that’s all I could think of.
@Cosmo, Thanks – some good insight there. Defense is so important to a team’s success in real baseball, but tends to be overlooked (with good reason, obviously) for fantasy purposes.
Hey Grey I was hoping you could take a look at my team I just drafted. 12 team mixed H2H 6×6 (OPS and QS)
C Soto
1B Votto
2B Kendrick
3B Longoria
SS Castro
MI D Espinosa
CI M Reynolds
OF Stanton
OF Cruz
OF Rasmus
OF Rios
U Tabata
SP Bumgarner
SP G. Gonzalez
SP A. Sanchez
SP U Jimenez
SP Chacin
RP Valverde
RP Jansen
Masterson
J Sanchez
J Niese
Peavy
Peacock (ugh)
I think Saves might be a problem as well as whip. Any advise or comments would be greatly appreciated.
I also want to say that i have never had a draft that I felt more prepared for. Razzball is the bomb. I can’t wait for the next podcast!!
@Turk Wendell, Thanks! I’m not that worried about your WHIP, saves will be an issue and your average… Even with Kendrick and Votto and Castro… Team looks solid though, especially with OPS.
Jesus, I’m getting tired of seeing Longo on so many teams with a stud 1B.
Could I really have waited til #15 to take him in my H2H draft?
I’m going to scream into a pillow now.
@Steve, Ha… Yeah, don’t even ask me about my latest draft…
@Grey, I have to stop think ing about it. I’m now seeing a way I could have gone Prince or A-Gonz+Longo+Pirate+Bruce.
Wahhhh!
@Steve, Maybe it’ll work out, not like you took Cano in the first round cause your computer crashed…
@Grey, I’ll stop whining now. It’s a much better team than the one that got me to the playoffs last year.
That happened to you? Oh man.
@Steve, Yup!
@Grey, That sux. Did you recover? If so, how? Might make an interesting post.
@Grey, In any case – Point Shares likes the Longo/Car-Go combo better anyway – and I’m clinging to that (emoticon).
@Grey, In a standard mixed 5×5 12-team league, and you get to decide what draft position to take, what are your top 3 preferred spots (in order) this year, if you had to rank?
@mcbainus, 4, 7, 12…
@Grey, Funny you should say. I have 6th and just got an offer for 4th…guess i’ll take it.
@Grey, Why those three?
Votto, Longo and the turn?
@Steve, If Votto goes 19 or 20 though, I am gonna regret the decision to trade.
@Grey, What is your preferred strategy at 4th spot Grey? 1B/3B, or 1B/OF? (asking the question in a vacuum, of course…)
@mcbainus, I’m sure Grey will answer, but if you follow his rankings you’ll likely get Votto at #4 and I’d be surprised if there’s a 3B worth a damn left by the time you pick again. You’ll probably be looking at someone like Stanton or the Dread Pirate. Either is great but the Pirate balances Votto’s relative lack of speed nicely.
@Steve, One can only hope. I am sure grey didn’t think longo would hold in LABR, but chances are you are right.
@mcbainus, Indeed – I had forgotten he fell to #20 there, though Rudy pointed out it was the absolute furthest he had seen him fall.
I’m currently obsessing over whether I could have gone Prince/Longo in my H2H draft instead of Longo/Car-Go (I had 10th pick).
@Steve, I was just looking at the CBS Mock Draft and Longo went 23…which is insane.
Now that I’ve traded, I don’t care where he goes other than 19 or 20 which will break my small grinch-like heart.
Was just looking at the Padres promotional schedule for 2012 and got angry that they are offering nothing interesting- no bobbleheads, gnomes, fans in the shape of a manager’s head (check out the DBacks offerings). Then I realized that they probably are still trying to get rid of their Everth Cabrera and Kyle Blanks bobbleheads so they don’t have any room to store any new ones. Also, they don’t want to commit to keeping anyone until whatever game would be their bobblehead night.
I know I mentioned this before, but I really wish they were offering this nationally: http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2012-02-23/don-zimmer-bear-promotion-creating-quite-a-stir-in-tampa
@royce!, Yeah, that’s the best promotion in the entire world.
@Royce, Awesome…
@royce!, Allegedly, the promotion was Pedro’s idea…
@Wake Up, Ha!
LOL…excellent post.
Grey, Marmol got hurt today, I know its early and he could be just fine, but if its serious Wood is the guy to snag, yes?
@TualatinTwoStep, Wood, yeah…
@Grey, thanks man! Its a super deep league, and the RP cupboard is bare! I snagged Wood just in case.
@TualatinTwoStep, according to twitbook, er whatever it is, he felt a hand cramp, so they took him out. He’ll be getting an MRI, but he didn’t sound too concerned.
@Wilsonian, Whew
@Grey, Hope he was pitching when he got this ‘hand cramp’.
@Steve, it was reportedly on the mound…if that’s what kids are calling it these days…
Grey can you answer my question from above (post #15)? Thanks!
@B.o.B., Yup
Tommy Milone made the roster instead. Any interest in him?
@Bob, I do like him, but he’s not an overpowering thrower, so his upside is a bit limited…
so grey do you think L. Cains playing time is gone now? or does he break camp still? I just dont get the move…..
I took him as a late round guy in a league, figuring he’s looking good and I can take him for a test run see if I can strike a little gold…. stupid KC.
@Tony, I think Cain will lose 75-100 ABs unless he sets the world on fire, but if you drafted you should hope he sets the world on fire anyway…
@Grey, @Tony, What happened to Cain? Can’t find anything specific RE: decreasing his value.
@mcbainus, Royals traded for a potential Utility man/center fielder in Bourgeois…
@Grey, Ahhh. Kinda blows, but I guess he’d only get significant time if Cain busts, so might be OK. I do like Bourgeois when he’s playing though. With Gordon’s and Frenchy’s history, he may end up replacing them soon, lol.
Grey, What is your dream pairing for picks 4/21 (not including Longo at 21, lol)?
@mcbainus, Votto/best OF available…
@mcbainus, Or Votto/Kinsler/Hanley/Reyes or Best OF…
Grey : Do you have any concerns with Miggy and his history of drinking now that pain pill are introduced into his cocktails?
@Mr2Bits, Ha! Nah…
next question grey- just drafted last night, went votto/kinsler first two picks, same two in another draft 2 weeks ago, i dont like that, one goes down I go down in two leagues….
what do you think of me dealing Kinsler/Adam Jones for CANO/Eithier?
strictly value wise? it would alter that duo, give me the more “prefered” 2B, and eithier is no slouch? I do expect more than you outta adam jones, BUT im just not sure….
sidenote: the guy is an orioles fan, homer, so thats part of my angle in this as well….
@Tony, That trade looks fair… He gets a slightly better side, but Jones is no sure thing and Kinsler is a lot iffier than Cano…
@Grey, ha i love the response above “whats your dream scenario for 4/21 picks” and you say VOTTO/KINSLER, which I got in a 14 teamer picking 10th and in a 12 teamer last night picking obviously 4th like just stated.
ughhh i dont know what to do.
I need to mention its 10×10.
runs, 1B, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, SB, BB, K, AVG
Are we being blessed with a podcast this week Grey?
@MrHappyTime, Should be on the site tomorrow…
@Grey: Now that you’ve come to terms that Peacock isn’t going to work out, are you ready to drop Reimold off your list too? He isn’t even the everyday outfielder.
@SwaggerJackers, Yeah, can lose him too…
@Grey
I have…
C-Sal Perez
1B-Napoli
CI-Morse.
Perez is out. Should I swap some characters around?
ie: Nap to C ,Morse to 1B and grab a CI? Very little to choose from…
Betemit, Brent Morel , Carp..
OR just leave em in place and grab another C? Wilin Rosario, Doumit…
@JG_ism, Grab Morel for now…Doumit once the season starts and Morel isn’t doing well…
Since everyone seems to be doing this, I’m just going to show you my team and you tell me how much it sucks, Grey? This is relevant to Miggy’s busted face, right?
10 teams, roto 5×5
C – Ramos (was Salvador Perez…)
1B- Teixeira
2B- Kendrick
SS- Reyes
3B- Panda
CI- M. Reynolds
MI- Jeter
OF- Kemp
OF- Pence
OF- Krispie Young
OF- Yoenis
OF- Rasmus
U- Morrison
Infante
Wells
Bumgarner
Gio
Wainwright
Morrow
J. Garcia
Nolasco
Cahill
RP
Storen
Santos
Frank^2
I see some serious average issues in my future, and I wasn’t crazy about my last two starter picks or my Corner or Middle Infidels… I panicked.
How do I fix it, Grey?!
Love, your soon to be habitual commenter,
DasPeck
@DasPeck, Ha, thanks! Don’t love your hitting in spots — and think it might be an average issue and steals are light. You don’t need Infante… Pitching looks a tad better, but Nolasco and Waino aren’t friends of Grey…
@Grey, This seems foolish, but Rajai is still available in my league. Should I scoop him up? I’m not sure about his status with having a job.
Grey:
R/HR/RBI/SB/BB/K/GIDP/AVG/OPS/XBH
I’ve Freeman and Lind. Am I crazy to want to drop both for Dunn and Pena? I didn’t have Dunn last year on any teams, so not the whole “he owes me one” meme. And, sure, they’ll both K a truckload but they’ll BB a truckload and they hit into about half the DPs, historically, as Freeman and Lind can be expected to. And, sure, they’ll both bring down the AVG but they should up the OPS.
The roster as of now:
C-Montero
1B-Freeman
2B-Pedroia
3B-Zim
SS-Tulo
LF-Crawford
CF-Jennings
RF-Choo
OF-Swisher
Util-Lind
Util-Alonso
BN-Fowler, Kipnis, P. Alvarez
@Slappy, I’d drop Freeman for Lind… I’d lose Alvarez for Dunn for potential/bench bat…
10 team 5×5 categories H2H non keeper league. I had the 10th pick of the snake draft. Thoughts on the roster? Thanks!
10Justin Upton, Ari OF
11 Joey Votto, Cin 1B
30 Dan Uggla, Atl 2B
31 Pablo Sandoval, SF 3B
50 Elvis Andrus, Tex SS
51 Carlos Santana, Cle C
70 Madison Bumgarner, SF SP
71 B.J. Upton, TB OF
90 John Axford, Mil RP
91 Brett Gardner, NYY OF
110 Mat Latos, Cin SP
111 Drew Stubbs, Cin OF
130 Adam Lind, Tor 1B
131 Nick Swisher, NYY OF
150 Emilio Bonifacio, Mia SS
151 Jason Motte, StL RP
170 Mike Minor, Atl SP
171 Sergio Santos, Tor RP
190 Javy Guerra, LAD RP
191 Ryan Dempster, ChC SP
210 Jhoulys Chacin, Col SP
211 Jonny Venters, Atl RP
230 Bud Norris, Hou SP
231 Jonathan Sanchez, KC SP
@bfeels, Don’t love the Upton and Gardner picks in combo, it’s too much speed, then you took Stubbs… And Bonifacio… Pitching looks fine though…
Grey, thanks, but long day? I have them as well. Anyway, I already have both Freeman and Lind, so is it simply drop Freeman and pick up someone else? I already dropped Pedro for Dunn. And with dumping Pedro, well, Tulo is already on an island, i.e., no backup SS, and with no Pedro, no backup 3B as well. I read the writeup on 2B and unless Kipnis well and truly exceeds the projection, I’d probably be better off dropping him for Daniel Murphy, since Murph has 2B and 3B eligibility? You have Kipnis at:
80/14/60/.255/12
And Murph at:
75/12/60/.275/5
Oh, I probably should have mentioned that this is H to H and on roto. So not quite the same worry over the 5 R, 2 HR, and 7 SB diff. It’s otherwise a crap shoot anyway when they aren’t in your lineup everyday, since Murph could have his better days when active while Kipnis could shoot blanks, so what say you?
On a lighter note, I have the usual truckload of teams 14, though well off my season record of 32, but I always have one team where, while I’d like to do well, I pick players I’d like to root for as well. So I went with the G-rated version of the turning Japanese motif and so of a 7 man SP crew, I’ve Darvish, Kuroda, Iwakuma, Wada, and even though he’s not Japanese he did pitch in the NPB, so I’ve Wei-Yin Chen as well. Rounded out Bumgarner and Baker. If Baker starts on the DL I’ll pick up Wolf for the interim period since he’s still available.
@Slappy, Yeah, but Kipnis has more upside and Murphy is what you see… Nice rant on the rest of the comment… Ha!
Grey, sorry, meant to say that I already have both Freeman and Lind so no need to drop Freeman for Lind. So just rid myself of Freeman for some other promising soul?
@Slappy, Yup…
Grey, forgot in my post (#51) to add that the postions are: C, 1b, 2b, SS, 3b, MI, CI, OF, OF, OF, OF and start 10 P. thanks!
You got some splanin to do on the friends and family draft. Its like you broke every rule in your book.
@Terrence Mann, I didn’t draft it.
@Terrence Mann, Rudy did. But I think the team looks solid… It is crazy solid in pitching…
@Grey, Figured as much. He got good values, I guess. Don’t think I could get behind that much pitching so early, though.
My guess is he took Presley at the end to appease you after you saw his draft.
He’s learned from your grandmother and is now laundering your own players through you.
@Terrence Mann, HA! Great call back…
@Grey, He took Presley because he knows his shit.
This comment has NUTH-ING (Sgt Schulz voice) to do with the fact that I drafted Presley for my RCL team.
@Grey It’s prolly a good time to reintroduce the ebook. I’ll grudgingly recommend it.
@Terrence Mann, Aw, thanks!
10 Team 5×5 Auction. Went heavy on bats. Would you be comfortable going to battle with this squad?
M. Bumgarner
CJ Wilson
A. Sanchez
C. Luebke
M. Minor
V. Worley
Thanks!
@Giggles McGehee, Yup
@ Grey :
wish i was in a draft with you and your minions .
and i had the #4 pick
and you guys had the #5 pick .
‘cuz i’m taking a-gon six ways to sunday before votto ,
and , we’d all end up happy .
of course , if you guys had #4 and i had #5 ,
the same result would occur .
cust kayin’ .
@ Grey :
oops .
just checked my rcl draft .
took a-gon with the 5th pick
and let votto fall to 6th ,
but the concept is the same .
@Grey, last draft to ask you about for a while. This is the RotoAuthority Gold league that Tim Dierkes runs (I won the “Silver” league last year to gain entry).
12-team, 5X5 standard roto:
C Jonathan Lucroy
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
1B Joey Votto
2B Dan Uggla
3B Ryan Zimmerman
SS Jose Reyes
CI Mike Moustakas
MI Danny Espinosa
OF Lance Berkman
OF Brett Gardner
OF Yoenis Cespedes
OF Logan Morrison
OF Jose Tabata
Util Danny Valencia
BN Zack Cozart
BN Miguel Olivo
SP Tim Lincecum
SP Madison Bumgarner
RP Drew Storen
RP Jose Valverde
P Gio Gonzalez
P Brandon League
P Joakim Soria
P Jhoulys Chacin
P Justin Masterson
BN Clay Buchholz
War Room has me projected tied for third.
I think my average could be in trouble, but overall a reasonably solid team.
Anything stick out to you?
@mcbainus, I think the looks solid, but a little light on power and a bit higher on pitching… Solid team though, should be competitive. Good luck going for the gold!
@Grey, Agreed. I missed Lind as an upside pick towards the end.
I exceeded my the player projections for “what it takes to win” for HR, but that’s only if a couple of guys work out…as if I am the first person to say that.
Looking at the history of the league, those that win seem to always focus a bit more on pitching (particularly closers), so I amended my normal strategy a bit. Soria as a 19th round pick could be great if he doesn’t stay out too long.
Took Lincecum in the 3rd instead of Beltre, which was risky, but I got Zimmerman in the 4th, who I actually rate equal to Beltre, so was pretty psyched about that.
The one thing I am noticing this year is, if you take 1B and 3B in the first 3 rounds, your OF is going to be pretty thin. I am almost leaning more towards taking a stud OF instead of a 3B, since it seems like there is a lot of value with late round 3B picks.
But getting a Top Tier 1B is absolutely essential.
Thanks, as always.
@mcbainus, Yeah, don’t have much faith in Soria for this year… I drafted Hosmer as my first baseman and don’t feel great about it, hopefully I’m proven wrong…
2 part question Grey:
1.What’s the minimum innings pitched per week you recommend for a standard 5×5 H2H league? Yahoo’s default is 7 which seems way low. I ask because of my next question…
2. Some wiseguy in my league just drafted a completely stacked offense (although a little injury prone and lacking on speed) but then went with Kimbrel, Putz, Papelbon, Betancourt, Farnsworth, Romo and no starters but then he’ll just throw a waiver wire in based on matchups each week to make sure he meets the 7 innings. With this he tries to guarantee Saves, ERA and WHIP for pitching and just needs to win 2 or 3 offensive categories per week. Can this strategy actually work?? Have anybody seen it be successful before?
@Raja, 1. 25 2. With 7 IP, yeah….
Grey, I’m not one to make brown in your lemonade but what is the forum for? Maybe you prefer the team questions this way, or maybe it’s just the time of year, but every comment is “Grey, trade belch and belch for fart or maybe should I try for a bigger fart?” or “your rankings are clear as day, but which of these two players do you like more better grander? Thanks I’ll hang up and listen!” (I’m guilty of all these things in the comments section but I doo doo use the forum too).
There was a time when we talked about the post and made witty banter here at razzball! Milk was a quarter and leaded gasoline was a dime. Asbestos pies were delicious and there were three channels on the TV. Get off my lawn!
Also, I envy your lucious mustache and appreciate the work you do. Viva la Razz. PAGNOF.
@inertiatic, Ha… It doesn’t bother me…
With Balfour winning the closer battle, guess its time to drop Fuentes. Any other closer battles (KC aside, both Brox and Holland gone in my league) worth speculating on? Crain the next best shot?
@TheNewGuy, Adams…
All things being equal, who do you like more for a keeper league? M.Pineda or J.Heyward? Should I be overly concerned about Pineda’s velocity? Heyward makes me a little nervous. I know the talent is there, but injuries and age make me think that it could be another year before he starts to show his fantasy potential. I suppose the same could be said of Pineda. Thoughts?
@Aaron, Heyward