Grey

Dystopia Averted In The Haniger Games

April 16, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 226 Comments

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Yesterday, across a doubleheader, Mitch Haniger went 3-for-8, 3 RBIs and his 3rd and 4th homer. After the arduous eighteen months that Mitch Haniger went through, it’s great to see him get in touch with his inner dong. If only someone would smack him on the butt to get it to poke out again. Now, now, that must be refreshening for Haniger, like a swim in a cool pond on a warm day, something he embraces since he no longer has to worry about shrinkage. Yesterday, was the first time in 18 months Haniger’s had any luck with hangers. Haniger’s had less luck with hangers than Joan Crawford’s kids. Okay, okay, OKAY! Enough! You’re liable to get Haniger testy, in theory at least. As for fantasy, meh, who am I kidding, I just wanted an excuse to razz him. If he stays healthy, he’s a solid number three outfielder. Too bad to stay healthy, his front side needs to look like the M’s new closer. Ya know, a Kendall. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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Richardo

Top 25 Third Basemen Rest of Season – Early Season Issues

April 15, 2021 | Top 25 Third Basemen | 5 Comments

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We’re less than two weeks into the season and I’d like to speak to someone’s manager, please. The injury bug has bitten me in a brutal way. In one league I have Mookie Betts, Fernando Tatis, Jr., Ketel Marte, Luke Voit, and Ke’Bryan Hayes on the IL. It’s getting a little ridiculous, but we’ll continue to persevere. Let’s take a look at the updated ROS rankings.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Hobbs

Collegiate Corner: Midseason Notes, Battle for No. 1 and More

April 15, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 12 Comments

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What have you accomplished in the last two months? Personally, I’ve picked up roughly 350 bags of dog crap, learned how to make banana bread and endlessly yelled at Fessy on MTV’s The Challenge at the top of my lungs for being the world’s worst human being. Two major takeaways there. One: you just realized you take fantasy baseball advice from someone who quantifies time in terms of how much dog poop he has picked up. Two: none of those things are impressive. Hopefully, you’ve accomplished more the past two months, much like many of the incredible athletes currently competing in the college baseball realm have. Since the 2021 season began in mid-February, we’ve seen a lot of awesome things happen in the college game, from Jack Leiter’s ridiculous no-hit inning streak to the emergence of NC State catcher Luca Tresh as a legitimate first round MLB Draft prospect. We’ll get to both of those items in this week’s Collegiate Corner and more, as we touch base on six must-know names for this July’s draft. I’ll continue to provide a Collegiate Corner once-per-month leading up to my 2021 Complete College Top 100, which I intend to release in the weeks leading up to the MLB Draft as an all-encompassing guide to this year’s collegiate talent for all of you dedicated dynasty leaguers out there. Without further adieu, let’s get to it.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Son

Bear or Bull: On and On by Akil Baddoo

April 15, 2021 | Bear or Bull | 12 Comments

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Oh my my my. I’m felling high. My voice is gone but I’m not alone. Too much “he ain’t real”. The world keeps turnin’. Oh what a day. What a day. What a day. Hits and homers manifest. With every passing game. If my belief were my wealth. Then I would be filthy rich. If I were made in his image. Then I’d be one sexy dude. Most analysts do not believe. Cuz they fear regression coming. Oh on and on and on and on. The hits keep coming like the morning dew. Whew on and on and on and on. All night until the break of dawn. I go on and on and on and on. The hits keep coming like the morning dew. Ooo on and on and on and on. God damn it. Imma sing his song.

Akil Baddoo has taken the league by storm in the early going. He’s racked up three home runs, nine RBI, and one stolen base in 21 plate appearances. There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical in terms of his staying power so should we automatically dismiss him? Or is there something here and will this Baddoo go on and on like Badu?

Baddoo is 22 years old, 6′ 1″, 210 pounds, and bats from the left side. He was drafted out of high school by the Twins in the 2016 MLB Draft. His first two seasons were spent in Rookie ball, where he improved the strikeout rate, ISO, and slash at each stop. The K% went from 28.1% to 15% then to 12.1%. The ISO went from .093 to .173 to .222. The average went from .178 to .267 to .357. Remember, that he was coming straight from high school so he was a 17-year-old kid that first year. The improvement trends are encouraging.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
NateMarcum

Getting Ahead in H2H Week 3: LaStella Little Story ‘Bout a Man Named Jed!

April 15, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Head-to-Head Leagues | 5 Comments

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Burn it all down!  You’ve started off 0-2, 0-20,2-18, or whatever combination it is that your league has set up.  There is no way that you can come back now, considering there are only 20+ weeks left in the season.

This reminds me of a good book I once read as a child about this locomotive who had a task ahead of him.  He realized the task was too challenging and just thought, “no way in hell can I do this?” and he gave up. It was an inspirational book and I have lived my life with much retrospect on that little locomotive.  It would probably had been a better book if he/she had overcome the adversity and could be a beacon of hope, but what did I expect from books written in the 1930’s.  The years back then sucked!  

Never fret tho dear readers!  I shall not let you fade into obscurity and be chastised by your league-mates.  For I am here to bring you the formula for winning your week 3 matchups and becoming 1 step closer to the championship!  Prepare for another H2H Cheat Sheet for Week 3!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Butters

Fanduel: Ozuna to the Moon

April 15, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel | 1 Comment

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Don’t you love when you can get a top option without paying for it? Today that guy is Marcell Ozuna, OF: $2,800 – This price is just way too cheap for a guy who can do as much for you as he can. Throw in a very favorable projection from the bot and you’ve got yourself the steal of the day. His projection puts him in the top 10 and not that far behind the top guys, but for way less. For the money, I’ll take that upside all day long.  Run, don’t walk to lock this pick 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?
 
Grey

Carlos Rodón The No-Hit Train

April 15, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 547 Comments

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Immortality smells of Chucky Cheese because that’s what Carlos Rodon was throwing last night. *wavy lines* Chyron: A Few Days Ago. “Skip, I don’t think I can go. I mean, I can go…But not like that.” It was Tuesday, and Carlos Rodon had an upset stomach, unable to pitch, but what he was really doing, what no one knew at the time, he was getting out all the runs he had in him. *wavy lines* Chyron: Present Time, uh, Yesterday. Early in the game, Rodon was working a slider, but not darting it hard and high and past people. The Clevelanders were making contact. Struggling, weak contact, but it was there. Then, as the game progressed, Rodon began to get as loose as the buttons on his jersey, and the high Chucky Cheese began to whip past hitters. He was feeling it. By the end of the 8th, a perfect game within his grasp. Strikeouts began to pile up, and 98 MPH Chucky Cheese hitting the upper quadrant of the zone. One out in the ninth on a close play at first, then Roberto Perez dug his left foot in, but he dug it in too much! An offspeed pitch in the dirt hit him. How is it not in the unwritten rules rulebook for Perfect Games that a guy can be hit in the 9th to break one up? So, Rodon’s final line:  9 IP, 0 ER, 0 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at zero, and give him the AL Cy and let’s stop playing games. He’s always struggled with command in previous years, and I don’t think we can say those problems are completely in the rearview, but you never know when a guy turns the corner. The stuff, as they say, is there, so, yes, I’d pick him up in all leagues just to see if this isn’t a complete fluke. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
The Itch

Prospect Graduations: Carlson and Arozarena Bloom, Top 25 in Flux

April 14, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 21 Comments

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You could help us both a bit here by imagining the standard intro about 2020 being weird for minor leaguers. Unprecedented, at least in my lifetime. Well, I guess I was in grade school during the strike that stopped the Expos’ title run. I remember sitting in music class thinking about Steve “The Scab” Reed. That’s when I learned what a scab was. But you couldn’t just scrape ole Steve Reed off that wound and fling it in the garbage. On no, he hung around for a little longer than anyone wanted, a coagulated reminder of the strife that brought on the steroid era. Though that shutdown was much shorter on the minor league side, young players’ timelines were similarly wonked up back then, I suspect, but they persevered, and so will some among this covid-complicated crop.

Here’s a refresher link to the Top 100 Prospects for 2021 Fantasy Baseball.

In this space, I’ll bid farewell to the prospects on their way off the lists as we head into mid April and discuss my thoughts in building a new list for May.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Coolwhip

Top 100 Outfielders For 2021 Fantasy Baseball: NyQuil & Naquin Edition

April 14, 2021 | Rest of Season Rankings, Top 100 Outfielders | 7 Comments

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Welcome back, Razz faithful. We have the first week plus in the books. And of course, there’s a LOT to talk about and a lot to overreact to… as well as gloss over. Yes, all the things. There is nothing quite like the drug that is April baseball. I call this the NyQuil and Naquin update because there are many well-known and well-thought-of bats that are still asleep *glares at Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on my bench* and other lesser-known bats starting the season loudly, like Tyler Naquin (Raise your hand if you saw that coming. No you didn’t, put it down!). So rather than freak out let’s relax like Frankie. Pull up a chair, breathe, and take a dose of the no-playtime, slow-start, whiffing, choking, groundout, hit-into-double-play, bad BABIP, so you can roster medicine.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Kerry Klug

SAGNOF, Week 2: Rickey Laureano

April 14, 2021 | Steals | 6 Comments

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Ramon Laureano is running angry about his 2020 season. After an .853 OPS over his first two seasons with the Athletics with 20 total SBs, Laureano saw his OPS plummet to .704 and accumulated only 2 SBs in 2020. He’s already more than halfway to his season-high 13 SBs. 

Is this for real? Yes, to an extent. He’s projected for 131 SBs if he plays 150 games this season. Thems Rickey numbers! The (current) Athletics organization is notorious for not stealing bases, but Laureano has the speed and while he doesn’t have an elite walk-rate — his 81% contract rate paired with his legs can help him get on base at a decent rate. The only thing that could stop Laureano is an injury. In his young career, he does seem to be slightly injury prone — already dealing with a jammed wrist early this season. 

Below you will find the stolen base leaders so far this season. For each of the players included, I’ve highlighted their sprint speeds and their xwOBA. xwOBA is an indicator of a batter’s skill based on the quality of contact (incorporating exit velocity and launch angle,) the number of times they made contact while excluding the fielding result. There are 22 players who have stolen 2 bases, but I’ve chosen to highlight 7 of the interesting players that popped out to me. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?