2014 Minor League Preview: Boston Red Sox

March 5, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 16 Comments

Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America 2013 (6) | 2012 (10) | 2011 (17) | 2010 (5) | 2009 (13) 2013 Affiliate Records MLB: [97-65] AL East AAA: [80-63] International League – Pawtucket AA: [68-73] Eastern League – Portland A+: [76-64] Carolina League – Salem A: [51-87] South Atlantic League – Greenville A(ss): [40-33] New York-Penn League — Lowell Graduated Prospects None The Run Down This Boston farm is exceptionally strong from a fantasy perspective, but it's a different brand of strength from the top-of-the-league systems that we've recently discussed. Orgs like the Cubs, Twins, Astros, and Pirates all feature a grouping of extreme high-impact prospects at the top of their ranks, whereas Boston's main attraction is in its fantasy-relevant depth. Excluding [player]Xander Bogaerts[/player] from the conversation, there aren't any sure-fire top 50 prospects in this group (although Garin Cecchini is certainly in the T50 conversation), but even so, it'd be difficult to find another farm as strong as Boston is from prospects #5 through #10. Everyone here can be owned comfortably in dynasty formats, and that's a rarity among these preseason top 10's.

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#	MLB Starting Lineups For Sun 5/18
	ARI \| ATH \| ATL \| BAL \| BOS \| CHC \| CHW \| CIN \| CLE \| COL \| DET \| HOU \| KC \| LAA \| LAD \| MIA \| MIL \| MIN \| NYM \| NYY \| PHI \| PIT \| SD \| SEA \| SF \| STL \| TB \| TEX \| TOR \| WSH \| OAK

2nd Basemen To Target, 2014 Fantasy Baseball

March 5, 2014 | Uncategorized | 334 Comments

by: Grey

Psst! This post is gonna list 2nd basemen that you should target in your 2014 fantasy baseball drafts. I'm whispering because you don't want everyone to see this post. No, I can't whisper louder. Then it WOULDN'T BE WHISPERING! Okay, gig's up (or maybe that's jig's up), the love I'm about to reiterately (Made Up Word of the Day!) confirm are guys I love later in drafts. Am I drafting any of these guys in the first 12 rounds? Probably not (except for [player]Brad Miller[/player] -- hello, beautiful! Come here, let Grey massage your balls...The balls of your feet, silly! Oh, that feels good on my hands. Can I tickle your toes with my mustache? Weird?). These are players that you're looking at later and all of them have ADPs after 200. Some could be the 2nd baseman on your team, they are more than likely MIs. This is a (legal-in-all-countries-except-Spanish-speaking-ones) supplement to the top 20 2nd basemen for 2014 fantasy baseball. Click on the player’s name where applicable to read more and see their 2014 projections. Anyway, here’s some 2nd basemen to target for 2014 fantasy baseball:

Fantasy Baseball Streaming – Valuing Starting Pitchers

March 4, 2014 | Uncategorized | 90 Comments

by: Rudy Gamble

This is part of a four-part series using Rudy and Grey's Razzball Commenter League experience as well as some modeling (the dorky kind) to quantify the effectiveness of streaming and how it should inform one's draft strategy in shallow mixed leagues (10-12 teams). The first three posts will focus on quantifying the value of streaming starting pitchers, relief pitchers, and hitters. The fourth will synthesize the learnings from the three and how they impact draft strategy. The streaming decisions made by Grey and I were HIGHLY influenced by our free, daily updated tools for streaming starting pitchers (Stream-o-nator) and hitters (Hitter-tron). If you are reading this article (or this site for that matter), I assume you are familiar with streaming starting pitchers. This is an essential strategy in all daily league formats whether one plays standard Roto or H2H. While my beloved Stream-o-nator aims to make sure all our readers make the most informed decisions on which pitchers to stream over the next 7 days (and possibly more in 2014), I have yet to read any analysis that quantifies the value of the average streaming pitcher to inform draft strategy. So this post is going to focus on quantifying the value of a streaming SP and, once I've completed quantifying the value of streaming relievers and hitters, I will figure out how this impacts draft strategy.

Deep League Thoughts – Drew Smyly

March 4, 2014 | Uncategorized | 66 Comments

by: Sky

Is it just me or does the pitcher we're talking about need to work in showbiz? Particularly as some sort of game show host and even more particularly, the Love Connection. Yeah, lets bring that back, put a 2010s spin on it where all the first dates are just two people standing next to each other at a dance club, smiling at their phones as they're sending private snapchats back and forth. That's riveting television people! And later on, JFOH sexted me that he wanted his P in my V, F me in the A and then J off on my T's and I totes said yes! Magical...true modern love in the making there. He even wrote a song about it. Just an FYI, ICYMI that vid is probably NSFW given context...m'kay. But of course you didn't come here to find out about JFOH's creative, more gentle musical side, you came to talk about the man, the myth, the emoticon: [player]Drew Smyly[/player]. Yeah, I called him emoticon. I think we should call him that together. It's better than calling him the Smyly Faced Killer. That's just morbid. In the end, there's a lot to like about Drew for the 2014 season and I have a few good reasons why...oh, you wanna know what they are I see. Well then follow me on a magical journey to a distant land by clicking on the title of this post if you're on the homepage and just seeing this paragraph and see why Smyly is a good get in deep leagues for the 2014 Fantasy Baseball season...

RCL Update: Draft’s Are A Commeth, Needs More Salt-eth, And, You Know, Uh, Commissioners-eth. Err.

March 4, 2014 | Razzball Commenters League | 81 Comments

by: Jay

We are almost there folks. Where is there? Draft time. BUT EVERYONE JUST HOLD UP FOR A SECOND. Remember that one time when I set 75 RCL's as my personal goal, and therefore, by mitosis, or photosynthesis, or osmosis, or dry-humping, it became your personal goal? Yeah. In this regard, we are not almost there. I mean, technically we are, only two more leagues… but drafts are right around the corner. It's gonna be close. WE'RE TOO CLOSE MAN. Just two more commissioners... look, how about this... if you go commish a league right now (yes, we can totally have more than 75, in fact, I prefer it), I promise to go over some of the leagues that are drafting this week, including the 2014 Razzball Writers League. And guess what? One RCL league has actually drafted (WOOO!) and, as a bonus, we'll take a look at their first round. Free shipping and handling too! Because boy do I know how to handle it. Whatever that means. Sure, even if you don't commish a league, you can still continue reading after the jump… I *can't* stop you per say. But I promise you there will be guilt. I WILL MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE A CATHOLIC. If you're already Catholic, well, you have enough guilt to deal with, so yeah. Take that, I guess.

Catchers To Target, 2014 Fantasy Baseball

March 4, 2014 | Uncategorized | 290 Comments

by: Grey

Here, friend, are some catchers that I will be targeting at my 2014 fantasy drafts after the top options are gone. I’m not going to get into the strategy of punting catchers. Been there, half-drunkenly wrote that three years ago then had to fight Steve McQueen for writing credit. Click on the player’s name where applicable to read more and see their 2014 projections. This is a (legal-in-most-countries) supplement to the top 20 catchers of 2014 fantasy baseball. Now, guys and four girl readers, I am not saying avoid catchers like [player]Salvador Perez[/player] if they fall, but to get on this list, you need to be drafted later than 200 overall. And, to preemptively answer at least seven comments, yes, I will go around the entire infield, outfield and pitchers to target very late. Anyway, here’s some catchers to target for 2014 fantasy baseball:

2014 AL West Spring Training Preview

March 3, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Team Previews | 18 Comments

by: Jeremy

First off, I would like to say Eric Sogard should be the Face of the MLB; that vote was rigged in David Wright's favor. Baseball needs more nerdy-looking, glasses-touting, Bernie-leanin', jive-walking players. But without further ado, here is the AL West Spring Training Showdown. (You can check out the AL Central Spring Training Preview here and NL East Spring Training Preview here.)

“Sir” Domonic Brown: Your 2014 Fantasy Baseball MVP?

March 3, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 160 Comments

by: LT Murray IV

Greetings! Tis I, Tehol Beddict, back again to educate, subjugate, and perhaps even procreate if you deem myself worthy. Last week's post got a bit nasty, but guess what? I'm a nasty boy, just like my deceased brother Biggie, so I liked it. My closest friends speak to me like I'm Jonathan Martin, so these negative comments didn't cut too deep. A trip to Scottsdale was all my chicken and I required to return to the writing world like Jesus, when the whole needs us. My Arizona trip in a nutshell: Steamy modeling shoot in Scottsdale, tanning nude with the Phoenix Suns dance team, speaking with government officials about their negative reception to gays and minorities and how it must stop or I will no longer be visiting their desert wasteland of a city, and ending it all with some of the most sumptuous lap dances I've ever experienced, including one from the beazle who starred in the cult hit Grandma's Boy (probably NSFW). I hate that movie by the way. Despise it really. Moving on.

Deep League Thoughts – Yan Gomes

March 3, 2014 | Uncategorized | 29 Comments

by: Sky

Greetings plebeians and plebeianettes. You may remember a little about this series from the former me: Oregon Nut Cups. Or you probably don't because it's been like 2 years since it happened and I'm changing the format to target one player rather than rambling about everyone based on their position. But of course, you don't care about taking a trip down memory lane with me nor down mammory lane as we talk about great scenes from adult entertainment history. Asia Carrera, my heart and crusty socks go to you...nay, you're here to snuggle up to some bargain players in your draft this year. As we all know - and if you don't, now you do - I'm talking to you deep leaguers. Whether it's a 14 teamer or a large starting roster, you gotta find bargains where you can and of all positions this is tantamount, catcher is probably the biggest in my book. It's one where the haves and the have nots line isn't as big as people want to draw it up to be and where you can get away with ignoring a bunch of players once the top few fly off the board...which is just how I like it. Keep in mind, I'm the artist formerly known as ONC that brought you [player]Wilin Rosario[/player] with my Wilin Rosario Sleeper post back in 2012. Way back then, you could get a gallon of gas for about 25 cents, your shoes shined for a nickel and Rosario went undrafted. My how times have changed...So here I'm going to bring to you the man that has pretty much been declared the starting catcher for the Indians for this year - [player]Yan Gomes[/player] - and why he's a nice snag in deeper leagues for the 2014 Fantasy Baseball season...

A Mariner Switches Taijuan To Off

March 3, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 298 Comments

by: Grey

[player]Taijuan Walker[/player] was shut down for a week due to a bursa in his right shoulder. Isn't a bursa a type of Ethiopian bread? Sounds more like Somalians are holding my beautiful, upside starting pitcher captive. Only Captain Phillips can get me out of this mess...by being taken captive for two hours of a two hour and twenty minute movie and then being saved by characters we don't even empathize with. Snooze. True story, schmue story, give Phillips a hidden machine gun in his rectum and let him shoot his way out by farting! This is starting to sound bad for Walker. I haven't moved him in my top 80 starters for 2014 fantasy baseball yet, and, since I only have him down for 170 IP in my projections, I'm not changing anything, but I'd definitely be careful about pairing Walker with lots of other risk. As of right now, Walker will not be ready to start the year in the rotation. Anyway, here's what else I've seen in Spring Training for fantasy baseball:

2014 Dodgers Fantasy Baseball Preview

March 2, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Team Previews | 19 Comments

by: Mike

We at Razzball realize that exporting our views across the country has damaging consequences on the blogosphere. To help make amends, we are reaching out to leading team blogs and featuring their locally blogged answers to pressing 2014 fantasy baseball questions regarding their team. We feel this approach will be fresher, more sustainable, and require less energy consumption (for us anyway). The 2014 Dodgers Fantasy Baseball Preview comes courtesy of Mike Petriello from Dodgers Digest.

2014 Minor League Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates

March 2, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 52 Comments

by: Scott Evans

Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America 2013 (7) | 2012 (13) | 2011 (19) | 2010 (15) | 2009 (18) 2013 Affiliate Records MLB: [94-68] NL Central AAA: [80-64] International League – Indianapolis AA: [63-79] Eastern League – Altoona A+: [57-77] Florida State League – Bradenton A: [82-58] South Atlantic League – West Virginia A(ss): [43-52] New York-Penn League — Jamestown Graduated Prospects Gerrit Cole (RHP); Justin Wilson (LHP); Bryan Morris (RHP) The Run Down This Pittsburgh farm is a definite top tier system for fantasy, loaded with impact potential on both sides of the game. After watching homegrown talents like [player]Starling Marte[/player] and [player]Gerrit Cole[/player] graduate into the big leagues over the past two seasons, we're already accustomed to looking toward the Pirates for youthful fantasy help, and that trend should continue in 2014 as Gregory Polanco and Jameson Taillon appear ready for big league arrival. Looking deeper, though, there's impact talent at every level of this org, and even after Polanco and Taillon push through to the majors, prospects like Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows figure to fill those voids nicely.