Howdy, Razzfolks!
Had ourselves another doozy of a week. Plenty to cover this time around and some big names are involved. What else can be said that hasn’t been said already? Even that’s been said already. Let’s just get this over with.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
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by: Grey
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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?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?
by: Butters
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?
by: TroyKlauder
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.
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Please, blog, may I have some more?“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?
Ah, the sweet sounds of summer. Managers chirping. The pop of the bats as they wake from their early spring hibernation. Hitters all going down with soft tissue injuries. Pitchers breaking down with overuse injuries. And of course, Rob Manfred trying to fix something nobody wanted fixed while ignoring the plight of minor leaguers sleeping in their Geo Metros.
Everything just as I remember it from 2019.
As we approach the summer months we’ll undoubtedly start to see some players break out of their early-season funk. Players finding their rhythm, returning from injury, and hitting flyballs into the hot summer air. We will also begin to see who is for real and who is pretending. To start off our hot bat summer, here are a few names that I have noticed around the league.
Please, blog, may I have some more?“I *am*…in a world….of shit”
These were the famous words uttered by Austin Gomber when he was given the news about the trade to the Colorado Rockies. Then the words were uttered again when he set foot in Coors Field. He had spent his entire professional career in the friendly confines of Busch Stadium with an organization that valued pitching. Now he was being sent to the Siberia of MLB, a place where, in the infamous words of Drago, “If he dies, he dies.” Gomber is coming off a gem in Colorado and has been added in 19.8% of ESPN leagues. Is this Gomber a Pyle or should we promote him with distinction?
Gomber is 27 years old, 6′ 5″, 220 pounds, and throws from the left side. The Cardinals selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
Please, blog, may I have some more?I once dated a girl named Claire Voyance in grade school. It was going decently well for a while until she started to tell me how our future together was going to unfold. It was a little hurtful to hear her tell me about the long nights writing about fake baseball and how the kids of Vlad Guerrero, Dante Bichette and Al Leiter would be names to pay attention to in the 21st century. It was at this point that I should have started to listen to her a little more carefully, and I sure wish I was with her now (Sorry Kerry, as if she is reading this). Claire, on the other hand, knew that I was going to be 125 words in and remind me that clairvoyance isn’t an actual thing. With that knowledge, I have to just look at the collection of games, starters, matchups and trends to bring you Week 11.
Please, blog, may I have some more? by: Butters
My favorite picks are the one’s the bot loves but aren’t the usual suspects. Shohei Ohtani has been nothing short of excellent but you don’t need me to tell you that. The same goes for Fernando Tatis Jr. Off the beaten path is Avisail Garcia, OF: $3,100 – Take this one to the bank. Garcia’s projection is too good to ignore at his price. Throw out what you think you know and lose yourself in the moment. He’s in prime position seriously outperform what it’ll cost you to add him to your roster.
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?
