Something that may help you is my
pitchers pairing post. Something else that may help you is
APPLES. Something else that might help you, our
Fantasy Baseball War Room. Something else that may also help you is
mocking A-Rod. One note before we get to the lede's lead-in, ESPN doesn't look they rank any starters. I have no idea where a bunch of these guys are on their list, I'm assuming they are after 300. If you know where they're ranked, you're smarter than me. Pat yourself on the back, you're in the top eighty-six percentile. So, these starters are all being drafted after 200 overall. Now, this is a (legal-in-all-countries-except-Trinidad-and-Tobago) supplement to the
top 100 starters for 2013 fantasy baseball. Click on the player’s name where applicable to read more and see their 2013 projections. Also, I've gone over all positions for sleepers; to see them all
2013 fantasy baseball sleepers. Anyway, here’s some
starters to target for 2013 fantasy baseball:
My grandfather, who is 86 years old, Skypes with me all the time. He'll Skype with me when he's eating some braciola that he got from the deli down the street. Sometimes he'll Skype with me when he's not wearing a shirt, and simply calling me to ask how 'his pecs' look because he's about to Skype with one of his five girlfriends. Sometimes he Skypes me by accident when he's trying to call Google (that's what he does rather than search). I tell you this so when I say we still weren't able to get the podcast going with Rudy and I together on the same call, you know we're not coming to you from the 1950's before such things as 'conference call.' We are all living in the present day. To be honest, I have to say this whole Daylight Savings Time thing is still affecting us. "So, I call in at 10:30 AM? Is that Eastern? Pacific? Central? Eastern pre-Daylight Savings? Post-Daylight Savings?" Do you see how many different possibilities there are? No wonder Bobby Fischer went mad. Who can keep track of all of these things? Rudy tried to call in after me, but Nick closed up shop, so it's just me today. Well, me, Smokey and Jaywrong. They called in before me -- separately, so I have no idea what they said because WE CAN'T FIGURE OUT CONFERENCE CALL?! I talked about some of my ancestry and Madeleine Albright, then we talked fantasy baseball. I'm assuming the other people on the podcast also talked fantasy baseball too. I'm merely assuming. Nick and I specifically go over my Justin Upton, Edwin Encarnacion and Ian Kinsler rankings. We talk briefly about the
Fantasy Baseball War Room. I also handicap the Razzball Writers' League and the Razzball Champions RCL. Maybe next week we can figure out a call-in number and an exact time. We shall see. Or not. Your choice. Anyway, here's the Razzball podcast (still in 3 separate parts):
We're currently at sixty completely full leagues. I now have a waiting list for future leagues.
Contact me if you are interested in getting on the list, which has already proven very helpful after unexpected dropouts. Three leagues lost owners yesterday, but all were refilled in short order. And, if we collect enough names, a new free RCL will be set up. Feel free to include your preferred draft times. I can't guarantee you will be accommodated, but we will do our best. There is also a league with a $25 buy-in that has 9 openings.
Check out the Signup sheet if you need the thrill of money on the line, and send the league organizer, Dave, a note.
That title is very confusing if you have a lisper reading it to you. Why you're having someone else read it to you, let alone a lisper doesn't make any sense. You can't find a better-qualified Task Rabbit? Put down your soy capp-a-latte and find a better intern; you owe it to yourself. Last year, Justin Upton had a problem with his thumb. He hit 8 homers the first 4 months of the season. After he took off his hand guard and his thumb felt better, he hit nine homers in the final two months.
Chase Headley doesn't have Chase Field or Headley Field, for that matter. He also doesn't have any offense around him. Literally. He's hitting in front of Nadir Bupkis and behind Tumble Weeds Jr., and now he's out for a month to six weeks, at least. I mentioned Upton because I'm trying to get through that thick melon on your shoulders how important hands are for hitters. Headley has gone from a high-ranked, 3rd baseman looking to repeat last year to a risky DL stash that isn't much more than a corner man. In the
top 20 3rd baseman for 2013 fantasy baseball and the
top 400, I moved Headley way down. I wouldn't touch him with his thumb, fingeratively. A fractured thumb is non-violent, but for fantasy it's Headley. Double pun point! On a related note that's a tangent closer than most of what you've read, Gyorko could move to 3rd base and might take an extra month to gain 2nd base eligibility in Yahoo leagues. Anyway, here's what else I saw in Spring Training for 2013 fantasy baseball:
Welcome to the first Deep Impact of the year. Did you miss me? Good, because I didn't miss you. So there.
Remember, the Deep Impact series is aimed towards a different audience than your regular re-draft leagues. That’s because we do things deeper and harder, with special sauce. And while there are many different formats and scoring systems for deep leagues, there are elements we can create a context with. All deep leagues have some sort of dynasty mechanism, which favors younger and/or cost-controlled players. Along with that aspect, you’ll have a robust MiLB system, usually with multiple drafts (MLFAD, FYPD) and escalating long term contracts that attach to those players once activated. And last, but not least, you are most likely dealing with leagues that have anywhere from 15 to 30 teams, NL-only, AL-only, more advanced scoring categories (OBS, W+QS, TB, S*2+H, etc.) and you can even add simulation leagues like Strat-O-Matic or Scoresheet into the mix. We basically have to smash all those things into one sandwich, and then add your usual facets: 2013 production, lettuce, 2014+ potential production, tomatoes, injury risk, bacon, positional scarcity, etc.
Gird your loins – we’re currently navigating positions battles in each division. Today I’m talking about the AL West, which gains the Astros this year, if anyone considers them something you gain. Every other team in the division should stand to benefit from the move. Maybe I’ve already beat them into the ground, especially with
my review of worst pitching staffs in 2012, but they really could have a season for the ages (of a fallen empire). Across the state, the Rangers should continue to be a powerhouse, despite Ron Washington’s “leadership.” Meanwhile, the Angels look like the terminator, although, once their non-Trout core ages a little more, maybe they’ll be merely human. Today’s empires, tomorrow’s ashes – am I right? I don’t want to say anything bad about the Mariners other than this sentence implying that I have something bad to say about them. Ah yes, and I’m required by the union of baseball writers to have a token mention of the A’s. There you go. Anyway, here’s some of the position battles to watch in the AL West:
Now Aroldis Chapman says he wants to be the closer. Hahahahahahaha... Wait, why are you putting me in this room with padded walls? No, the Reds haven't driven me crazy. I'm wearing a potato sack because the fabric breathes. Dusty's the crazy one, not me. What is that powdery substance you're stirring into my Jamba Juice? I saw you... I feel drowsy... Jack, I just want to see what's in the hatch... ....Whoa, just had the weirdest dream. I dreamt that not only did Dusty say he wanted Aroldis as the closer, but that Aroldis was saying it too. All of that came after they signed Broxton to close games, with Sean Marshall and Jose Arredondo setting him up. Wait, why am I still wearing a potato sack? It's true?! AAAHHH! I blame Dusty and the toothpick he hasn't changed since late-1997. He's got splinters in the brain. The good news (depending on how optimistic you can be) is Aroldis has about the same value and ranking as a closer as he does as a starter. His auction value wouldn't really change either. If anything, Aroldis is probably a tad higher in rankings if he's a closer. It's a role that he's not only done before, but it's a role that had him produce a top ten overall fantasy season. The bad news is, you might own a $12 Salad and if you drafted him as an ace, you no longer have a starter, which could change the entire dynamic of your team. This would kill Broxton's value too. This still isn't a done deal, Aroldis and Dusty might get overruled by Reds management, who obviously want him as a starter. I ask the Reds, "Is deciding on a role dis hard?" Anyway, here's what else I saw in Spring Training for 2013 fantasy baseball:
Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2012 (5) | 2011 (23) | 2010 (28) | 2009 (26) | 2008 (20)
2012 Affiliate Records
MLB: [81-81] NL West
AAA: [81-63] Pacific Coast League – Reno
AA: [69-71] Southern League – Mobile
A+: [64-76] California League – Visalia
A: [67-73] Midwest League – South Bend
A(ss): [36-40] Northwest League — Yakima (Hillsboro beginning 2013)
Graduated Prospects
Patrick Corbin (LHP); Bryan Shaw (RHP)
The Run Down
The Diamondbacks entered the off-season with one of the most impressive collections of 25-and-under talent in the game. With the departures of Justin Upton and Trevor Bauer, however, that youthful core took a major hit in the high-impact department. One of Arizona's motives in those trades was adding low-risk depth, and in that regard, they did quite well -- Didi Gregorious and Nick Ahmed are premium defenders up the middle, Zeke Spruill is a safe bet to max out his potential, and Brandon Drury is a 1B with upside. Unfortunately for us, though, these changes make the D'Backs organization a tad less exciting for fantasy purposes. But that doesn't mean this system is void of fantasy intrigue. There's actually plenty of immediate-impact potential here with guys like Tyler Skaggs and Adam Eaton. There's long-term excitement, too, with prospects like Archie Bradley and Stryker Trahan.
