The Itch

Prospect News: Brent Honeywell Debuts, Kyle Garlick Simmers

April 11, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 8 Comments

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Look, I know I left some puns on the table there. Just feels like kind of a solemn moment, you know? We’ve been waiting for Tampa Bay RHP Brent Honeywell so long we might as well be Winnie the Pooh stuck in Rabbit’s doorway. And like Pooh, Honeywell is easy to root for: his elbow all stuffed with fluff. Cut to Eeyore murmuring “He’s only the opener.” But even Eeyore can’t dampen my enthusiasm. I’m like Christopher Robin out here skipping along in my tiny shorts. Weeeee!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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Jeremy Brewer

Top 100 Hitters: Early Overreaction Addition

April 10, 2021 | Top 100 Hitters | 27 Comments

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Just over a week into the season means it is time to update our rest of the season Top 100 hitter rankings.  Logically, Yermin Mercedes will be rated as the number one hitter in this edition, because we cannot miss the next big thing!  Ok, Yermin Mercedes is a 28-year-old rookie that reminds me more of Allen Craig than Babe Ruth.  Will he be valuable for your fantasy team?  Probably not unless you can time the luck infused hot streaks!

So how does this Top 100 hitter update work?  Every few weeks we will update the list highlighting key movers for better or worse.  Unlike the preseason hitter profiles, we will focus on highlighting more players with quicker insights.  Think of it like the Eddie Gaedel of articles.  We will be short but surprisingly effective.  Without further ado and random baseball references, here are the Top 100 hitters for the rest of the fantasy baseball season.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
everywhereblair

Fanduel: Saturday Brunch of Fishwraps

April 10, 2021 | DFS, Fanduel | 9 Comments

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What is up everybody? Yeah, I know you’re checking your calendars right now. “Everywhere, aren’t you supposed to be here on Mondays?” Yes, I’ll be here on Mondays for ever and ever and ever, at least until the Greybot gives up and sells the site to Venutian Real Estate Prospectors. But, keen-eyed readers will remember that yours truly was promoted to “Clubbie,” and I’ve been filling out my desk with stolen lunches and dirtied laundry of the Razzball staff. I also get an extra DFS column every other Saturday. So, uh, hi!

Now, for DFS, I want you taking advantage of recency bias. Why? Because Rudy’s got your regressed data ready in the DFS Bot and I’m not going to replicate what he’s doing. Ya know — best of both worlds stuff! That said, I wish you the best of luck with whatever DFS slates you enter today, and here’s who I think has a chance of making the highlight reel today:

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?
 
Dan Pants

Clase Closed Game Making Case for Space in Closer Race at Chase

April 10, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 57 Comments

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Joe Musgrove pitched the first no-hitter in Padres history Friday night, but this isn’t about him. It’s not about how he dominated the dreadful (so, so bad) Texas Rangers line up allowing just a single hit batsman to reach base in the fourth inning. Or how he he struck out 10 of these so, so bad Rangers. Moss Grove is already owned in all fantasy leagues. If he’s available well then by all means go pick him up now. This is about a player you can pick up. The Cleveland Baseball Team’s new, maybe, possibly, could be, I really don’t know but can you imagine if it was, closer Emmanuel Clase. Manny got his first save of the season Friday night pitching a perfect inning with two strikeouts. That’s right. Clase Closed. It’s almost too perfect. He did it with just 14 pitches. He reached 100 mph on 11 of those pitches and topped out at 101.2 mph with his cutter. Sweet sassy molasse! Let’s give him the chop! James Karinchak was the de facto closer in many minds going into the season but he’s blown a save and he’s also anti-VAX which is not a good look right now. We just might have ourselves a bit of a committee. So let’s speculate. Considering only Nick Wittgren and Clase have gotten saves so far, and Nick Wittgren doesn’t have a 101.2 mph cutter, hmm, imma grab Clase if I’ve targeting saves, or just some stinky, smelly cheese. He’s got the stuff to run away with the ninth inning gig in C-Land and the Cleveland Baseball Team’s closer has usually paid rich fantasy dividends in the past. I wouldn’t drop your James Karinchaks for him just yet, but I’d grab him wherever I needed saves. Clase closed! Ha! I love it!

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

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
JKJ

Ambulance Chasers: I Got Bad News, Com-Padres

April 10, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Injury Report | 23 Comments

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Howdy, folks.

Another doozy of a week. I don’t know what it is about this year, but hamstrings and shoulders are DOOMED. Feels like 90% of the injuries I keep getting updates about are “hamstring tightness” or “pulled up lame” or “sore shoulder” or “shoulder inflammation.” Ugh.

If by some stroke of insane luck you’ve managed to avoid injury to this point, no doubt this week the fantasy baseball gods deemed you unworthy after all. I told you in the title that I had bad news. Well, let’s get to it:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Grey

Buy Baddoo (Looba A Womp Bam Boom)

April 9, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 460 Comments

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Yabba Dabba Baddoo! Big Bad Baddoo Daddy! He’s a Baddoo Baddoo man! Who? Akil Baddoo, that’s who who. Whatchu gonna doo doo when Akil Baddoo comes for you you? You you have no answer because Baddoo makes the rooroo-ules. Don’t you you see see I’m Greybot3000 and and I am am malfunctioning…please oil my joints. Steam pours out of Greybot’s ears, slowly he falls over and puns mutter out onto the floor. Yikes, I might need a mechanic. So, Tigers have Grossman, the two outcome player leading off, then it just gets progressively worse until the 9th place hitter and Andre 3000’s ex namleganger, Baddoo. If I’m the Tigers, I’m staying the hell away from Joe Exotic, and I am not leaving Baddoo in the nine hole. Let my man sink or swim, and move him up to the three hole. He might be a hot schmotato, but he had a year at the tender age of 19 in Class A, where he hit 11 homers, and stole 24 bags. He’s never struggled with strikeouts, and actually could have a .360-ish OBP. With a 55-grade power tool and 60-grade speed, you might just sneak into a 25/20/.260 guy. Whatever the case, I grabbed him everywhere. Now let’s put on our pinstripe suit, patented leather shoes, and watch Big Bad Baddoo Daddy swing with their hit song, You & Me & Baddoo Makes 3. Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Jay

The Depressing Friars

April 9, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Injury Report | 2 Comments

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While historically known as the “Swinging Friars”, my new nomenclature I think fits a bit tighter. Tiger toite, if you like dating yourself with classic Mike Myers references. And while I think the viewing public has some understanding of what it means to be a San Diego sports fan (not a Mike Myers fan), I’m fascinated when fantasy baseball is able to put into focus exactly why the many dozens of us Friar fans suffer from habitual antacid and alcohol abuse. The latest example is nonother than Fernando Tatis Jr. and his “swinging” injury. (If the irony didn’t kill me, munching on 582 Tums certainly will!) Now obviously the injury itself has already been covered by the biggest and best voices out there and in here, but I’d like to continue the discussion, if not only to find some cathartic way out of this darkness (hello, my old friend), but to also try and see what actual ripple effects might be. Follow me after the jump for the usual, now with more existential despair!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Butters

Points Leagues: Freak Out

April 9, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues | 6 Comments

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The season is a week old which means we finally have some real data to analyze. So let’s overreact to all of it.  The best part about the early weeks of the season are the lesser known guys come out swinging and light the world on fire. First on the list is Akil Baddoo who is here to save your fantasy season. If you haven’t picked him up yet, stop reading right now and go grab him. You can ride the molten lava hot start while it lasts. Naturally the average will come down at some point but the power should remain and he has the tools to be stay in your lineup all season. He’s taking the league by storm after smacking a home run in his first at bat with his parents in the stands. It’s Baddoo’s world and we’re all just fortunate to be living in it. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
TroyKlauder

FanDuel: Lance Gon’ Give It to Ya

April 9, 2021 | DFS, Fanduel | 3 Comments

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Rostering a starting pitcher with a high strikeout total is a big part of performing well in GPP tournaments, which is why Lance McCullers, Jr. ($9,000) is an ideal target tonight. He’s got a 10.02 K/9 for his career and faces an Oakland lineup with a 28.1% K-rate against righties this season. In his first start against the Athletics, McCullers struck out seven batters in five innings with just one earned run, so his ceiling is even higher if he can work deeper into this outing. If you’re looking for a top pitching performance, Lance gon’ give it to ya.

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

White Sox DH Garage Sponsored By Mercedes-Baines

April 9, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 278 Comments

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I’m still not convinced Yermin Mercedes isn’t a LARP. Or a Transformer. His name really is Yermin Mercedes? Just out here with a name that sounds like a German saying German Mercedes? And he doesn’t wear a Mercedes emblem around his neck like Flavor Flav? Is this real life or a simulation? The White Sox lost Eloy and just randomly found a guy who can do exactly the same? Right, right, okay, so the story I heard about one fantasy baseballer hearing the news of Eloy’s injury while on the Mercedes-Benz factory tour and crying onto a C-Class, and that transforming into Yermin, was a lie? I don’t hear lies, I hear truths! So, Yermin Mercedes went 2-for-4 and hit another home run (2nd) yesterday, and has basically done what we would’ve hoped for from Andrew Vaughn in our wildest dreams. But can it continue? Ah, excellent leading question! Yes, Yermin can hit .550. No! Of course not! He does have a solid hit tool (can hit .280) and good power (20-ish homers). The moment he slumps and Vaughn hits (it’ll happen — hopefully for my teams) Yermin will be on the outside, while Vaughn moves in. There is a chance Mercedes could hit 25 homers/.280, which is essentially Trey Mancini-type projections, so he’s worth rostering for now. tl;dr: Mercedes goes vroom, vroom, make room. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?