In the front row of Dodger Stadium, an empty seat adorned with only everything bagel seasoning and suspenders commemorating Larry King sat to the right of home plate. Still there in person, Mary Hart recounted how Larry used to say, “Something smells funny in my Duane Kuiper.” A big game for the Dodgers, make no mistake. Almost as big as the game they lost the night before. This game they wouldn’t come up short, especially with Jake Odorizzi (3 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 4.95) helping. Mookie Betts (2-for-5 and his 16th and 17th homer) led the way, showing why he’s Mookie Best. The celebrities weren’t just in the stands, as Will Smith (1-for-3, 3 RBIs) hit his 15th homer. The big story, of course, was the debut of the newly-acquired Max Scherzer (7 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 10 Ks, ERA at 2.75). One film exec in the crowd was heard saying, “He wouldn’t be half-bad if he had the same color eyes.” Oh, and A.J. Pollock (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) hit his 14th homer, and he’s been about 500 spots better than Cody Belanger on the Player Rater, as Cody now hits out of the eight hole. Hey, the 8-hole is only two spots from ‘falling’ to leadoff, which is what I say as I slowly climb out my window. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?
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In 2021, most rookies are playing like Joe Strummer on a Ramshackle Day Parade, taking the freight elevator straight to the incinerator.
This makes fantasy players reluctant to buy for the first time in a long time, a corrective measure many years in the making as we’ve been titillated by Tatis, Acuña, Soto, Alonso, Bichette and many, many more.
Wander Franco is a disappointment, is all I’m saying, depending who you ask.
Only if you’re watching his games, you probably think he’s incredible–a 20-year-old in the middle of the lineup for a World Series team. A 20-year-old who never gives an inch, always looks like a tough out, never gives away a pitch.
Perhaps your trade deadlines are all behind you. Half of mine are. But I mention the idea of floating a trade for Franco because I myself just sent Wander away this week.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Welcome to August! Four months down, two to go. Earlier in the season, I was all about having patience for your struggling sluggers. Now that we’re down to just eight weeks of baseball, I’m more likely to ride the hot hand and opportunity is everything. There were some big names moved at the trade deadline including Kris Bryant and Eduardo Escobar. For the most part, nothing changes for those players, but there is now an opportunity that opens (or closes) with their move. In Chicago, Patrick Wisdom has become the Cubs’ everyday clean-up hitter, causing his value to spike. However, in Milwaukee, Luis Urias went from having regular plate appearances to being the odd man out in a crowded infield. One door closes, another one opens. Let’s take a look at the list and then we’ll get into our movers.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
An Update on the State of the RazzSlam, Dispatch Four of Six
August 4, 2021 | RazzSlam | 5 Commentsby: Steve Paulo
Every journey ends.
Every journey, dear reader, that begins with but a single step, ends with a final one. The final step for your intrepid correspondent was taken with a tripping, stumbling, decidedly un-Baryshnikovian gracelessness, as I bowed out of our towering competition in the bottom 15% or so, at the initial cutline.
For me, then, it is on to next year, with sights set high.
For the rest of you? Well, if you find yourself fortunate enough to be among those mentioned herein, perhaps glory still awaits. The cutline has come and gone, and we are in to the final rounds of the RazzSlam. Let us, together, gaze upon the leaderboard and see what separates those generals still marshaling their forces upon the field of battle and, well, me. Shall we?
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Happy hump day everyone! The first week of DFS after the deadline is always an interesting one. Pay close attention not only to playing time, but where they are batting in the order. The Cubs are the prime example, shipping out 3 of their stars, opening plenty of prime real estate at the top of their order. After all, fantasy sports, above all else, is about opportunity.
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Please, blog, may I have some more?“We’re going to put all Graveman talk to rest, forever ever, amen. Bow your heads. Please. You with your head half-bowed…you have a crick in your neck? Okay, fine. Here lies the Graveman talk. He was a great teammate, we were told. You know who’s also a great teammate? A guy who is hitting home runs every game and helping your stupid asses win! Okay, you can raise your heads and go get some herring.” Yesterday, Abraham Toro went 2-for-4, 2 runs and his 9th homer, and his 5th homer in last seven games. He was re-christened Vigoda because his first name is Abe and his last name is a fish. It makes sense if you know Barney Miller. In all sincerity, I almost made Toro the lede buy this week, which will be available on our Patreon later today. Also, I’m starting to think Toro might be on my early list of 2022 sleepers. This is Splash and I’ve fallen in love with a fish. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Sunday was not your typical deadline. Any time you get an elderly man from Sacramento at odds with a front office run by the richest MLB owner with the most-perfectly oval-shaped head in pro sports, things are bound to get interesting. And that’s precisely what happened on the August 1 MLB Draft-signing deadline, when two of the premier prospects in all of baseball were left without pro contracts. One went unsigned by his own choosing: Jud Fabian. The other as a result of the aforementioned scenario: Kumar Rocker. That makes the elderly man mentioned above none other than the infamous Scott Boras, who was looking about as youthful as Eustace Bagge from Courage the Cowardly Dog if you happened to catch a glimpse of him these past few weeks. Botox is like $350, just sayin’. For Rocker and Fabian, the future remains tremendously bright, albeit drastically different from the path we anticipated just one month ago. Now, we get to sift through the fallout and ramifications as it relates to both of these future stars — and while we’re at it, we’ll check in on some of the top prospects in baseball.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Fantasy Baseball Podcast: The Trade Deadline and Everything After
August 3, 2021 | All Podcasts | Leave a commentby: Geoff
The boys are back and ready to talk about the wildest trade deadline in at least a decade. We talk about the Cubs fire sale, how the new homes impact fantasy production from the top names. Players set to gain playing time based on trades, and some of the top callups over the last week. We also spend 10 minutes at the top of the show trying to figure why the Rockies didn’t trade Trevor Story and why they draw as many fans as they do. Another week, another Razzball podcast with your boys.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Happy August! The trade deadline has come and gone, and there’s eight weeks of baseball left. Hopefully if you’re reading this, you’re still in the thick of things in a deep league or two, so let’s do what we like to do here and take a look at some players that may be available and/or of interest to those of us in particularly deep leagues. Since I realized most of the players I thought I’d mention are in the AL, we’re gonna go ahead and make it a theme, keeping it strictly in the junior circuit for this week.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 17, 2021
August 3, 2021 | Our Leagues, Razzball Commenter Leagues | 19 Commentsby: MattTruss
Hello there, RCLers and welcome to another weekly round-up. We’re hitting the dog days of the Razzball Commenter Leagues now, this is the time of year where teams in the bottom half of the standings check out and start drafting fantasy football teams. But not you, good reader, you are sticking around for the long haul and grinding out those roto points. Just a friendly reminder that our RCL trade deadline is approaching. August 14th at midnight is your last chance to make any moves via trade. I expect the next two weeks to be very busy with trades. Speaking of the next two weeks, Rudy and the RCLBots are going to be out of commission for a bit. That means today’s update and next weeks will be a bit smaller than normal with no Master Standings and no weekly stats to dig through. However, the update on August 17th will be jam-packed with info, we’ll have three weeks of stats as well as an updated Master Standings. A lot can happen in three weeks, so stay tuned.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
