2021 Razzball Videos
The Itch

Stash List Wander Edition: Top 40 Prospects for Redraft Leagues

June 20, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 7 Comments

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Happy Father’s Day!

I hope you all have a great one!

It’s been a while since I checked in with the stashes, list-wise, and today feels like the perfect fit for a post super-two redraft ranking of the rookies in waiting. 

Since last we met here for the Stash List Sans Jarred Kelenic, we’ve seen a lot of players promoted for the first nights under the big lights: Alek Manoah, Logan Gilbert, Jesus Sanchez, Matt Manning, Lewin Diaz, Chris Gittens, Jackson Kowar, DeMarcus Evans, and Cory Abbott. 

We’ve also seen some guys from that list go there and back again: Owen Miller, Luis Barrera, Corbin Martin, Max Moroff. It’s a tough game. Failure abounds. Determination is elemental. Some of these guys will only get a sip or two before returning to endless bus trips and styrofoam sandwich dinners. Some will become central to the fantasy game itself. Welcome to The Stash List.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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Jeremy Brewer

Top 100 Hitters: Shersey Night!

June 19, 2021 | Top 100 Hitters | 13 Comments

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Friday night, we got one of those wonderful novelty games.  In Baltimore, it was Cedric Mullins T-shirt night, so of course, he was 3 for 4 with 2 bombs and 4 RBI.  I really thought you were only supposed to go crazy on bobblehead night, but I was wrong!  Speaking of being wrong, Mullins has been knocking on the top 100 for a few weeks now and as much as we have resisted, the door has been opened and run right through.  So, what is driving this change?  Mullins is never going to be the biggest power hitter or the fastest runner, but he does everything well across the board.  In addition, in 2021 he is improving his discipline at the plate by swinging less and swinging at better pitches when he does attack.  In this week’s edition of the Top 100 Hitters for the 2021 Fantasy Baseball season, Cedric jumps in at number 72.  Maybe he should be even higher, but we will leave that discussion for the comment section.

Time to jump into our rankings!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Dan Pants

Erick Fedde Waps the Mets

June 19, 2021 | Daily Notes, June's Daily Notes | 20 Comments

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Washington Nationals fifth starter slash long reliever slash wait, really, that guy?–Erick Fedde was awesome Friday night as he limited the New York Mets to just two hits (seven base runners) in seven innings pitched. He struck out seven and had 31 called strikes plus whiffs, which baseball nerds tell me is pretty good. I’m Fedde up with these crazy pitching lines, ya’ll! I thought the bans were supposed to solve this, and I don’t know what to make of this guy. Erick hasn’t given up a run since a start at home versus the Phillies May 11. Since then, he’s pitched 20 scoreless innings with 17/6 K/BB. The start was Fedde’s third QS of the year and he’s lowered his ERA to a respectable 3.33 during the scoreless stretch! Also, I need a hip hop historian to tell me if I used “Wap” right here. Fetty Wap is a rapper and that’s different than Cardi B’s WAP, right? Back to Erick! More impressive than Fedde’s streak, Washington has allowed just seven runs in the past eight games, and need I remind you Max and Stras are hurt? Pretty neat until you notice that they allowed 42 runs in the eight games before that. Regardless! Someone needs to check these baseballs for spider tack! Da sticky stuff. For real though, it was admittedly a slowish fantasy day, and I didn’t want to write about Adam Duvall again, so Fedde gets the lede! His first in ever! Enjoy it, Erick, because this is likely to be a one time deal. As the aforementioned Max and Stras are out, Erick has gotten an extended look in the rotation and so far so good. He’s had some favorable matchups this month so I wouldn’t rush out to grab him, but he could be a worthwhile streamer in the right matchups. However, and I’m being 100% candid here and this could be the ethanol talking, he could pitch another 20 scoreless innings and Fedde would still scare the heck out of me. It’s got to be the baseballs, right!?

Here’s what else I saw Friday night in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
everywhereblair

Fanduel: A Tisket, a Tasket, A Green and Yellow Bassitt

June 19, 2021 | DFS, Fanduel | 3 Comments

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Welcome, duelers! [Slaps in you in the face with a glove]. First, I wanted to share with you a major discovery. If you’re a DFSer or a degenerate in general — me, I’m just a loveable panda — you probably know who Jonathan Bales is. If you don’t know, well, he’s a good gambler and DFS player. ENYWHEY. If you’re the kind of person who sold your soul to Amazon and have a Prime account, you can get Bales’ 2015 book on fantasy baseball DFS for free on Kindle. I’ll point out that Rudy’s DFS Bot automates a fair amount of what Bales asks players to do. However, I noticed a really under-utilized section of the Teamonator that not only gives you the Vegas Lines but the Razzball lines, and compiles which teams are cheapest on the slate and therefore the biggest value. I mean, super-slick and easy way to get your DFS picks ready. Best of all? You know what teams were in the top 10 selections yesterday? Cleveland and Pittsburgh. They scored like 21 runs combined yesterday. I mean, it’s nuts. Rudy’s so good at this stuff. So, let’s get some lineups made and see if we can’t get some money in your pocket.

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?
 
 
Grey

One Day I’ll Find Some Buy Like Jo

June 18, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 267 Comments

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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.)

What are the Angels doing? “Every time David Bell does something stupid, he smacks his head twice, and hears a ringing in his ears, then an Angel gets his wings.” That’s terrific, Clarence, but you’re a bit of a noodge. Imagine having an angel following you around all day, telling you what could be if you lived your life differently? What a nightmare! Constantly whispering in your ear, “If you throw that plastic straw into the ocean, a dolphin will get it stuck in his blow hole, and won’t be able to squeak at a young boy in Indonesia on a wooden raft and, without that distraction, the boy will drift into the middle of an ocean liner’s path and–” Shut up, Clarence! You’re annoying me! That would be my It’s A Wonderful Life, just screaming shut up. Any hoo! What are the Angels doing in regards to Juan Lagares and Taylor Ward starting in their outfield? Let’s put aside Taylor Ward, because he’s young and maybe he can do something. Let’s instead focus on Juan Lagares. He’s 32 years old, and his top year in the majors was 47/6/41/.259/7, when he was 26 years old. That was in 143 games! Try to wrap your noodle around Juan Lagares getting 143 games and those stats. It’s pretty difficult to do, and that was six years ago! Lagares is in the majors because he is perceived as a defensive specialist. On its face, a 32-year-old centerfielder is lunacy. Ya think he might’ve lost a step somewhere along the way? Ya think?! With some more stank: YA THINK?! Using defense metrics, Byron Buxton has 25.8 UZR/150 games. You don’t need to know what UZR is other than it’s a fielding metric and Buxton is great. Lagares is ranked 79th for fielding centerfielders and has -11.3 UZR/150 games. There’s only 30 teams and Lagares is 79th for centerfield defense! Okay, enough bagging on Lagares, enter: Jo Adell. Even if he fields with his glove on the wrong hand, he can’t be that much worse. Or move Taylor Ward to center and call up Adell! It defies logic why Adell isn’t up already, and it’s because of his bat why we’re here: He’s on pace for 40+ homers in Triple-A. He’s still struggling with strikeouts, and might not hit above .220, but, again, I’m asking: What are the Angels doing? It’s time to call-up Adell and play him. Irregardless? Yes, I’m ill re: Lagares and their other options. Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Jay

As the Tables Turnbull

June 18, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball | Leave a comment

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So generally I try to write content about players who are actually, you know, actively playing. And while that shouldn’t rule out any fluff pieces involving Bruce Chen, I think Spencer Turnbull could have something to offer once his rehab assignment is complete. And while it’s just been about 10 days of this writing since he went on the 10-day injured list for a right forearm strain to already preparing to throw the ball, his return to the Majors could be a slower one. But the 2.88 ERA and 44 strikeouts with just 12 walks in the 50 innings he had pitched (including a no-hitter against the Mariners) and the allure for more is why my focus is on those tables and why they be turnin. Into a ball. At a ball? It’s not really clear. Turnball. Maybe turning into a way while turning towards another ball? That’s totally it.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Butters

Points Leagues: Checking in on the Projections

June 18, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues | 6 Comments

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Now that we’re midway into June we’re really starting to see who the studs and duds are. Now that guys have established themselves and we have a large enough sample size to identify consistent fantasy contributes. So with that in mind now seems like a good time to check in on my preseason rankings. Prior to the season I went over the unique challenges that points leagues pose to fantasy players. Hey, I’m the points guy so you’re darn tootin that I’m gonna make it sound like points leagues are the most difficult format and you would be lost without me to guide you. So let’s check in on the top points scorers are and see who is outperforming their ranking and who is making you want to give up fantasy baseball forever. As I sat down to write this and started looking at who’s on top I realized I made an error in my initial rankings. Yes, I made a mistake, not often, but it happens. When I crunched the numbers based on projections I neglected to combine Shohei Ohtani into one player and instead had him listed as two separate players. I know there are formats where he is separated, but he really should be one player who is eligible at both pitcher and DH. If he picks up OF eligibility it will be icing on the cake. Anyhoo, he’s the top fantasy points scorer this season, and it’s not like he’s barely ahead. There isn’t much I can say about him that hasn’t already been said, he’s simply been incredible this season and he should be the number one overall pick next season if can keep rolling. He would have checked in at number 10 in my preseason ranks had I added up his pitching and hitting numbers. That’s still an incredibly valuable player, just not far and away the best.

 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
TroyKlauder

FanDuel: Yusei, You Say?

June 18, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel | 1 Comment

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You say that you’re trying to find an affordable high upside starting pitcher on Friday’s slate? Yusei Kikuchi ($9,200) is the guy you are looking for as he takes on Tampa Bay. The Rays strike out 28.7% of the time against left-handed pitching with a poor .292 wOBA. Kikuchi, who has a 2.28 ERA in the last month, is a pivot off of the expensive high-end starters on the slate. This provides an opportunity to have a lower rostered player without sacrificing the potential of landing the highest scoring starter on the slate, which is the ideal target for GPP tournaments.

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?
 
Grey

Al, Tu, Al, Tu, Ve, Four

June 18, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 298 Comments

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“Okay, guys, to start the song we’re going to count out to four, but we’re going to count 1, 2…Then go back to the beginning and finish with 1, 2, 3, 4…Questions?”
“Hey, Bruce Springsteen, uh, yeah, big fan, and I’m happy to have the opportunity to show you I belong as a background vocalist in the E Street Band — ESB? Do people use that? Anyhoo…Have you considered hiring someone else to count, because ‘1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4’ isn’t how people count?”
“Who are you?”
“I saw a flyer at The Stone Pony for an opening in your band.”
“That flyer was supposed to be taken down 48 years ago. Get out of here.”

And that’s how we got the title for this post: Al, Tu, Al, Tu, Ve, Four. It’s also how many homers Jose Altuve (2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, 16th homer, hitting .298) has in the last three games. He has eight homers in the last 10 games, but Bruce Springsteen never counted to eight. As another singer, Lady Sovereign, would sing, “Altuve is the biggest midget in the game!” That Lady Sovereign song is 15 years old, and now I feel 100 years old. Jose Altuve also has 16 homers in 57 games; his career high is 31. Maybe this time he can steal an MVP award from someone his own size (if he’s standing on top of a car, and you include the car’s weight). Imagine being Aaron Judge and saying Altuve stole an MVP from you. Bro, you stole the sun from anyone within 10 feet of you. It’s a form of cheating by just being big. At least that’s what I tell anyone who challenges me to any sporting event. So, drilling down on Altuve’s peripherals, he’s pulling everything, and his Launch Angle is a little goofy early on (as in high), which could lead to a lot of fly balls, and lower average, or more homers, if he’s connecting, as he has been. Now, if pitchers pound away, he might be in trouble. There’s a possibility here for him to come back to earth (small fall), but anyone would come back to earth after an eight-homer, ten-game stretch, but, in general, he seems back. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?