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Please see our player page for Asdrubal Cabrera to see projections for today, the next 7 days and rest of season as well as stats and gamelogs designed with the fantasy baseball player in mind.

Deep in the depths of the Razzball fantasy baseball archives, there exists a Dolly Parton-esque song performed by Grey called “Hamstrings Pull Heartstrings”. It is not as soulful as the only video on the Razzball TikTok channel. However, it is a close second because hamstring strains are a very unfortunate but hot trend in the MLB.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

What’s up, everybody? I’ve got a big list of players because Fanduel has a big all-day (15 games) and main (14 games) slate. As always, check lineups with Rudy’s tools or your favorite lineup site (not including MLB The Show). It looks like a great hitter slate today, so you mega-event players should let your optimizers run wild and you single-event players will likely want to focus on Athletics, Rays, Marlins, and Angels lineups.

New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Eduardo?  More like, Eduar…dough, amirite?  No one?  Alright, I understand, Eduardo Rodriguez ($9,800) has been far from money this season but that 3.34 FIP and that 11.3 K/9 just keep drawing me in and suggest we should see a really strong finish for Eddie.  That strong finish started three starts ago, since that game it’s been 16.1 IP, 2 ER, and 24 strikeouts.  Yum.  Tonight, it’s the Texas Rangers coming to town with their league-worst .657 team OPS.  Double yum.  The only thing that can stop Eddie from a money performance is if Hurricane Henri decides to speed up and land before Sunday.  As of right now, this game should play without any issue and I’m looking to cash in.

New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Before the season starts, we devour all the statistics we can about a player in order to determine where we should rank them ahead of our fantasy draft or auction.

We look at home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage. What was a player’s ISO, average exit velocity, and BABIP? How did a player hit over the final month, two months, and/or three months of the previous season? We need to know who was on the decline and who showed improvement.

Then there is a number I always look at – a player’s age, especially when it comes to dynasty leagues. In my preseason rankings, I valued a younger player more than an older player, especially for a redraft/dynasty league. But maybe it is time to put that bias aside and just go with the numbers and my gut.

Why, you may ask? Well, when it comes to the top second basemen this year, youth is being pushed aside by the veterans. Four of my top five ranked second basemen are 30 or older. Out of my top 10 players, seven of them are now in their 30s. So while I love the younger players, perhaps it is not wise to write off those aging players just yet.

So, just who are these veterans showing they can still play the game. Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

The baseball season is now two months old, and over the first third of the season, what have I learned?

I learned that Marcus Semien was a good signing by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays didn’t care that Semien wasn’t a second baseman. All they saw was a player who finished third in the American League MVP voting in 2019 was available so they snagged him.

Meanwhile, I have also learned that I didn’t overvalue Whit Merrifield in preseason rankings as he continues to produce and steal bases, which in today’s game makes Merrifield a superstar. I learned not to underestimate Max Muncy. I had him ranked 10th in my final preseason rankings, one spot ahead of Nick Madrigal. Madrigal is nowhere to be seen in the rankings anymore while Muncy is now a Tier 1 second baseman.

Is there anything else I learned? Yep. I should have listened to my gut when it came to DJ LeMahieu. I had a debate with myself when it came to ranking him second overall because I was worried about his age. He seemed too good of a hitter for that to be a concern, but right now, I am looking really silly for ranking him that high.

Is LeMahieu still even ranked? Who has surprised this season and become a Top 10 second baseman? Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

At the start of the season, I was certain Ozzie Albies was the top fantasy second basemen, followed closely by DJ LeMahieu. I was so smart to rank them there and I knew it. Filling out my top five were Whit Merrfield, Keston Hiura, and Brandon Lowe all ranked in my Top 5.

I wish I could say I was spot on about all five players. But if there is one thing that I should have learned in my lifetime, it is that what I am certain about in baseball is not always the way things turn out.

My initial Top 5 currently has only one player still there. Thanks, Merrifield, for living up to expectations so far. The rest of you, ugh. Albies, LeMahieu, and Lowe all struggled out of the gates but have since shown signs of life at the plate. And if you are an owner of Hiura, I’m sorry. I hope you enjoyed the two-run homer he hit for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds the other day. So outside of Merrifield, my Top 5 was completely wrong.

So who is now in the Top 5 and fills out the rest of the rankings? Has Albies done enough to crack the Top 10? Has LeMehieu or Lowe? Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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(NOTE: THIS POST WAS RELEASED EARLY THIS WEEK ON OUR PATREON. IT’S $10/MONTH OR $13/MONTH WITH AN EXTRA WEEKLY PODCAST.)

When I saw Jarren Duran running from 2nd to home the other day in a minor league game, I thought to myself, with a trademark stammer, “This Duran…Duran looks like he could come undone.” With rookies, sometimes it’s like I’m on a ride and I want to get off, but Duran…Duran won’t slow down the roundabout. The instincts, the…the reflex. The reflex! I’m pleading with the Red Sox, “Why don’t you use him?” While hoping Duran…Duran stays healthy and does not bruise it. The reflex! Are they buying time? Don’t lose it, Red Sox, you have the lead. Have you seen him, girls? On film? He’s wild, boys. Wild, boys. Wild, boys. Wild, boys. By not calling up prospects, are they trying to break us? Looks like they’ll try again. Luckily, wild boys never lose it. I need prospects, and I’m hungry like a wolf! Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo–Okay, enough with 80’s on 8. Shut off that classic MTV. With Jarred Kelenic up, the next Jarr is Jarren Duran, and I’m gonna be singing Chingy, “Right Jarr, right Jarr.” Jarren Duran is so gee-dee fast. Not sure if you’ve seen him yet, but I watched him for the first time last week and was like, “If this guy doesn’t hit .230, he will be a top 50 fantasy contributor for a handful of years.” He’s got easy 30 steal speed, and if the Red Sox push him, and he hits well, he could steal 45+. He looks like Treat Urner when he first came up, i.e., not a ton of power, but it’s not a huge knock, he’ll give a few knocks. The Red Sox need an arm more than a bat, but it’s just silly for them to keep Duran down in the minors much longer. He’s immediately better than Enrique Hernandez or whoever they have at leadoff right now. I’d grab him in every league to stash. He’s wild, boys. Wild, boys. Wild, boys. Wild, boys! Anyway, here’s more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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Explain to me how you had to draft a top ten starter and Freddy Peralta (7 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, 1 walk, 8 Ks, ERA at 2.77) wasn’t going to be good enough. Explain it to me like I’m a five-year-old. A well-read five-year-old, of course. Like I’ve read some of the classics, like that caterpillar turning into the butterfly book and the Berenstain Bears (eat that, Mandela Effect!). Explain how a guy with a 14+ K/9 and 2.92 FIP isn’t exactly what you want in every league and is worse than who? Who’s he worse than?! I’m all charged up because I ate some candy. I’ll calm down by the third blurb of the post. Explain to me how Freddy Peralta with an .130 xBA on all pitches, which is the top 1% in the league, and a top 5% in the league xSLG, and a top 3% strikeout rate in the league is not an ace? Explain how an expected ERA of 2.21 isn’t an ace. I’ll wait! (After the third blurb, I’m still running on sugar.) Explain how a guy with a .115 xBA on his fastball isn’t an ace. Explain it! Okay, I’m not even going to make it to the third blurb, I need a nap. Freddy Peralta is an ace, aside from his walks. If he can lower his walk rate, he’s a top five starter. Right now, he’s roughly a top 15 starter. Get on board or explain to me why not! Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Happy Mother’s Day! If you are a mother reading this, I just wanted to wish you a wonderful day and appreciate all you do. I know I wouldn’t who I am without the guidance of my mom. And I know my household would be a disaster without the leadership of my wife and mother of two.

OK, so with the important stuff out of the way, let’s talk some baseball. With the weather heating up, we are finally seeing some players who were ice cold in April starting to find their groove at the plate. That’s right, we are looking at you DJ LeMahieu and Ozzie Albies. Top 5 second basemen entering the season, you left millions of fantasy owners nearly bald as they were pulling out their hair watching you look like Freddie Patak at the plate.

Meanwhile, some players who I was hesitant to rank at the start of the season continue to produce, such as Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson of the Rockies. I’m still waiting for the bubble to burst, but that is because years of expectations for these two have always left me shaking my head wondering why I kept having them on my teams. Guess the secret for them to produce was for me to finally dump them from my teams. So all you McMahon and Hampson owners, you’re welcome. I expect you owners to post kind words about me now.

Enough small talk. Let’s get to the rankings and discuss who’s hot and who’s not.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

It’s been a crazy first half-week of baseball, and I’m already struggling a bit trying to keep up with tracking the waiver wire in all of my leagues.  As often happens even after months of offseason research, the first few box scores of the season have featured a handful of surprise names in terms of who’s contributing fantasy stats.  Instead of looking at a few of the young up-and-comers who’ve already made contributions that we may not have been expecting based on our winter planning, I’ve decided that this post should instead be dedicated to some names we were already plenty familiar with but may have passed right over.  It’s been hard for our heads not to be turned — and perhaps rightfully so — by the Jonathan Indias and the Akil Baddoos of the baseball world (both of whom we’ve already chatted about over the past couple of weeks).  But here at Rolling In the Deep, we’ll take one for the Razzball team this week, and concentrate on the Island of Misfit Toys rather than exciting shiny new objects.  To earn a blurb below, each player needed three qualifications:  to be age 30 or older, to have been basically left for dead (or in this case between #570 and #700)  in terms of ADP this year, and to have had at least one impressive/helpful game fantasy-wise to start the 2021 season.  Not gonna lie, those qualifications proved a bit more challenging than I thought they’d be, bringing us to the names below.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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The top 20 3rd basemen for 2021 fantasy baseball burn hot and flame out super fast, then find themselves a little flicker to help them read while wearing their stocking cap, then that extinguishes with a cold wind blowing through that smells of garbage. This will hopefully make some sense after you read the next 4,000 words. I should put Easter eggs in these rankings posts to see who is actually reading the whole thing. There will be a quiz at the end, and a sample question is, “Who uses a Lady Bic razor?” Don’t you dare do a “Find.” Here’s Steamer’s 2021 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Hitters and 2021 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Pitchers.  All projections included here are mine, and where I see tiers starting and stopping are included. Anyway, here’s the top 20 3rd basemen for 2021 fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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The top 20 1st basemen for 2021 fantasy baseball are fascinating, at least according to early ADP. There’s some top guys to draft, a few, at least. But, unlike past years, there’s also quite a few 1st basemen to draft after the top 100. Usually I’d scream at you in the most shrill of voices that if you didn’t have a top five 1st baseman you were going to lose your league. I’m not against drafting one of those top guys, but there’s also quite a few later 1st basemen that I could see getting hip wit’. It’s wit’ because it’s hip, get it? Here’s Steamer’s 2021 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Hitters and 2021 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Pitchers.  All projections included here are mine, and where I see tiers starting and stopping are included. Anyway, here’s the top 20 1st basemen for 2021 fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?