Small sample size (that's what she said!)... Oh wait, I'm not Grey on the Podcast!
Let's start over... Aherm...
Small sample size... They happen all the time. [player]Shane Greene[/player] is awesome! F You Shane Greene! Shane Greene is awesome again! But usually less bipolar than that.
The funny thing with small samples is the timing. Sorta like how "impressions are everything" and that hooblah. Start a year awesome, everyone wants to marry you! Start the year terrible, and you get cut in the shower and sent to AAA (poor Scooter...).
I will admit the only [player]Mike Bolsinger[/player] I had watched before this Pitcher Profile was a start last year for the Dbacks and he didn't look good. Impressions are everything! ...I more or less wrote him off even with a decent start to 2015 with the Dodgers. Then he goes all [player]Corey Kluber[/player] and 1-hits the Padres over 8 innings. So I decided to break down Bolsinger's fantastic start last Saturday, and see if there's really something here:
Monthly Archives: May 2015
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Last week I recommended Shawn Tolleson, a player that seemed on the cusp of closerdom. The closer's role is now his and even though they have a player in Keone Kela that is being groomed for the role (thanks for the tip, Smokey!), it is my belief that Tolleson will stay the closer until he loses the job by blowing saves, but that could be said of just about any closer. This week it's time to turn our attention to the happenings in Seattle, where Fernando Rodney has an ERA of 6.23 so far this year. I've previously recommended Danny Farquhar but he's been almost as bad as Rodney. Both of them sport BABIPs of about .350 so it's been some bad luck in addition to bad pitching. Your answer: [player]Carson Smith[/player]. Some of you have caught on already because his RCL ownership is up to 39% but it should probably be near 100%. His ERA is 0.90 but his FIP and xFIP are 2.40 and 2.36 because his BABIP (.182) and LOB% (95.6%) are unsustainable. So now you know where all of Rodney and Farquhar's luck went. The sustainable part is the solid 23:5 K:BB in 20 innings. That's closer material. He could, in theory, be named the closer any day now, but unfortunately Rodney has been given a long leash so it's not likely to happen until after the next blown save or two.
Podcast: “It’s French, You Don’t Pronounce Hard Consonants”
May 25, 2015 | All Podcasts | 2 Commentsby: JB Gilpin
We're back with a threeway! On this week's Pod, Sky joins Grey and I as we chat [player]Bryce Harper[/player] and his ejection, [player]Clayton Kershaw[/player]'s value moving forward, and the moment when Grey figured out he likes girly movies. Hint - it came during a film review panel in the men's room. Grey - why were you in the middle urinal?! We also recap DL-ridden hitters with who to drop or hold, and answer some of your Twitter questions. All-in-all, I think it was one of our cutesier episodes... Here's the newest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:
DraftKings: I’ll Take My Pitching Odorizzi With A Side Of Ks
May 25, 2015 | DraftKings | 10 Commentsby: Sky
Welcome to Razzball, here is your pitching menu for this morning and afternoon. First off, we have plenty of arms to choose from on the Early Bird Special but that stops serving shortly. I can and will go over the choices on there later if you'd like but for now, I'd like to talk to you about our special for this evening: Jake Odorizzi. For just $8,000, you get a delicious splits difference in that Jake has a 2.87 xFIP and a K-BB% of 20.4% on the year against left-handed bats. Given that the Mariners boast around seven of those in their lineup on a given night, this is by far the most bang for your buck that we have on the menu tonight and if you choose correct sides around it, he might end up being able to feed your whole family for, like, a long, long time. Why am I wearing a tight, sheer tank top? Um, *covers kids' ears* Razzball is what we call in the industry a 'Breastaurant'. Woah, don't talk about my chest like that. It's only this small because I haven't landed my big gig in Hollywood yet to pay for the goods! *End Scene* - In all seriousness, Jake looks to be a fine cash game get for a very small slate of pitching on this evening and is probably my SP1 given the price and the ugliness surrounding him. In all seriousness part deux, we'll be covering a bit of the mid-day/morning slate because I have a bigger window to talk about it. In all seriousness part triple, I tip my cap to all of those who have given their lives for us. Your service is never forgotten. But with that, let's move on to what we came to do. Here's my seething hot takes for this Monday's DK slate...
New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 25 teamer of Razzball writers and friends to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care! If you still feel helpless and lonely, be sure to subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays.
The closest David Wright is to getting on the field is to smell the glove. The doctors have diagnosed him with spinal stenosis, which is the narrowing of the spinal column. "That sounds awesome, my column's way too wide," says a runway model. Has there ever been a situation, besides This Is Spinal Tap, where the word spinal has been good? Misspellings of spinal with l'pinas, the French Colada, does not count. The plains in Wright's pain fall directly on the spinal. Honestly, this sounds like an issue that will plague him this entire year and he's going to have a lost season. Not honestly, good news. On our podcast that is coming later today this ailment is compared to some football guy no longer doing football things due to spinal stenosis and how dropping Wright, if you don't have DL room, could be the, uh, right move. I sorta agree, but would try to hold him a bit longer, until we hear more. It does sound like this has the makings of "Can Wright bounce back in 2016?" articles. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
Hey, it's Memorial Day weekend, so I assume most of you aren't here. I guess I'll be chatting with some of our playas' from Europe and that New Zealander Steve. Damn, that came out like I'm hatin' on Razzballs good buddy Steve. Sorry Steve, we miss you. With this title you might think I'm going to play a bunch of jazz tunes and that would be the most logical place to go, but not in the stream of confusion of my mind. Of course I started with Dizzy from one of my favorite jazz albums, but then my mind took an odd turn to Herbie Hancock and how this song changed a lot of musical perspectives for me. After absorbing all of that I fell deeper into the funk and the brilliance of the godfather of soul's backing band (now there is some dancing I want to see come back). Oh, that sweet sweet soul music from the Baby H to the contemporary Charles Bradley and Lee Fields. Now along the way, I had the local LA underground hiphop scene to deliver rare gems like the Breakestra, and speaking of hip-hop, I have to wonder what the world would be like without Herbie Hancock. Now, you might be asking yourself what this has to do with todays creeper or top 100, and all I can say is my mind is a place and I'm letting you step in it for a few. I also know you guys like talking about music so WTFN.
What's cooler than being cool? FRIAS!!! What's 6'4 but weighs as much as a pile of sticks? FRIAS!!! What throws 95 MPH and induces groundballs at a 60% clip? FRIAS!!! Sorry for the over the top enthusiasm but I'm all jacked up on Mountain Dew and pixie sticks tonight, and I just spent the last hour and half watching the Bad News Bears on MLB Network. Oh not the classic with Walter Matthau, but the sequel "Breaking Training". The kids get to play in the Astrodome!! In the last scene of the movie the gang gets simultaneous career ending knee injuries, and all get addicted to painkillers. It was awffffful. You know what isn't awful? FRIAS!!! As in Dodgers starter Carlos Frias. So far in 22 and 1/3 as a starter the ICEMAN (Frias means cold in español) has a 2.82 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and as mentioned earlier a very nice GB%. His K upside is limited, but he's very capable of 5-6 punchouts and 6 innings each time he goes out. So he's a bit of a boring player and his upside is somewhat limited, but we haven't even discussed the two biggest reasons I'm advocating you start him today. First his price, he only costs a measly $5,400. That's literally pennies on DraftKings, Hell Brandon Belt will set you back more than that. The second and maybe biggest reason for my enthusiasm is his opponent the Muy-Frias San Diego Padres. Over the past 14 days the Friars are the worst offense is baseball putting up an embarassing team wOBA of just .270. Over the same period they've also struck out at a rate of 24.8% . That's no bueno... Still not convinced? Well fine then do you trust the Stream-O-Nator? Because that stone cold guerrilla pimp has Frias valued at $11.7, good enough for the 6th best pitcher of the day just ahead of Sonny Grey. Still not convinced? Fine start Chad Bettis....
New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 20 teamer of Razzball writers and friends to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care! If you still feel helpless and lonely, be sure to subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays.
Every other week Razzball ranks the prospects closest to contributing to your fantasy roster. The list is limited to players who still have rookie eligibility (less than 130 at bats or 50 innings pitched) and who are currently in the minor leagues. It’s not a list based on talent alone, but rather it’s a mixture of talent and opportunity. It will change frequently over the course of the season as prospects graduate to the majors, injuries occur, or service time roadblocks are passed. Here are the top 15 prospects on the cusp of the major leagues for 2015 fantasy baseball…
Sorry my loyal musicfiles, but this week I've moved on from our weekly music discussion mixed in with some fantasy baseball edu-ma-cation, to a weekly discussion of my favorite of all foods....the all-mighty fast food cheeseburger. I'm guessing regular commenter Happy Vegans will have to talk about boca burgers or something made of grass. Sorry homie, your avatar still has a rocking stache. Take solace in that. Either way we'll once again awkwardly navigate our way through the two-start pitching options for the week and mix in some auxiliary discussion of the delicious, greasy, delicacy we call the cheeseburger. If you're kosher remove the cheese, cool? Looking forward, we have some seriously tasty doubles piled up in the top tiers this week and some dollar menu values spread across the middle tiers where streamers are to be had in super-sized portions. Some one and done guys that might be In N Out of your lineup depending on the matchup. There's also a whole lot more garbage in a bag then there has been in previous weeks.... I know, I know, I'm so topical I should be an ointment! Quite a few streamers I like this week, one in particular is Mariners Lefty Roenis Elias. Over his last 15 starts dating back to last July Elias' ERA is 2.48 with a 7.78 k/9, 3.56 BB/9, and a .65 HR/9. His pheriperals scream regression (3.71 FIP, 4.02 xFIP, 1.36 WHIP), but they don't scream awful either. His control has improved this season and he's faced some solid lineups thus far in Minnesota, Baltimore, and Houston. Roenis is slated to go against two clubs this week that are middle of the road when it comes to hitting lefties, in the Rays and Indians. But I like his chances to continue his string of quality starts. Now that's a tasty burger!
Rusney or Not, Here Comes Castillo
May 23, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 83 Commentsby: Dan Pants
Cuban phenom and top prospect [player]Rusney Castillo[/player] debuted for the Red Sox last night going 1-for-4 with a run scored and a fielding error on a fly ball that resulted in a few boos from the Sawx Nation. "You ahre nevah gunna be like owah Tawmmy!" Be nice you guys, he's new. OK, so not the best debut, sure, but Castillo made good strong contact on a few fly balls and showed flashes of that speed we've all heard so much about. Russy was slashing .293/.341/.440 with six steals, two homers and 10 RBI in 18 games at Pawtucket, and Boston is in desperate need of an offensive jolt right now. If he's still available in your league you need to go grab him immediately, he was number one on Prospector Mike's Power Rankings and Grey told you to BUY. If I'm projecting conservatively, I could see 10-12 homers and 15 steals from Rusney with a .275 AVG, but there is a lot of upside here and the homer in me wants to project 25 jacks, 30 steals and .325 AVG, because that's way more fun. He also has the same hair cut as David Ortiz so they should be best friends forever in no time, and that's always a bonus, especially if your league counts "Hugs Received" as a category.
Here's what else I saw Friday in fantasy baseball:
If I was drafting a season-long fantasy baseball team today, I would target Kolten Wong very early. I remember before the start of the 2014 season, a major media outlet had a debate as to who the best future middle infielder would be. I was hoping one of them was going to talk about Wong, and to my surprise, they did. I was surprised because there was so much focus on future star players like Javier Baez, Francisco Lindor, Addison Russell, and Carlos Correa. We all remember Kolten being picked-off first base to end Game 4 of the World Series against the Red Sox in 2013. Talk about a way for a young rookie's career to start off! Wong came back in 2014 starting at second base for the Cardinals, only to be demoted to the minors after struggling to begin the season, and was then recalled and performed very well to end 2014. This season, Wong was the starting second baseman for the Cardinals, but batted at the bottom of the lineup. Now he's batting at the top of the Cardinals' lineup and has really displayed his talent. So far he's batting over .300 with 5 home runs and 3 stolen bases. However, he has the potential to hit 20 homers and have 25 stolen bases. When it comes to DFS, I will continue to play Wong at every opportunity. Not too many second basemen have power and speed ability. Robinson Cano is no longer a viable DFS option. Brian Dozier is a power hitter. Ian Kinsler has been an on-base player this season while still looking for his first home run. Jason Kipnis is coming back to his potential self, and as for Jose Altuve, well, umm, all I can say is Wong isn't there, yet. If there's a second baseman that can potentially reach Altuve-type ability, I firmly believe Wong could be that guy.
New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 25 teamer of Razzball writers and friends to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care! If you still feel helpless and lonely, be sure to subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays.
I've been alluding (Allusion Michael!) to how and when to panic in terms of your team the past few weeks in my little corner here on Saturday. But the time is now. Memorial weekend is the unofficial "official" period for me (I chose both, because I'm not sure either made sense, and I double down on not making sense), personally, to start acting out my general manager fantasies. Ooo baby, you know I love Andrew McCutchen as a buy-low. So while for the first month (and partly the second month of the season) I begged, pleaded, and cordially requested that you not do anything drastic to your rosters... I am now giving you permission to go buck wild. Yes, that's correct, I have given you permission to be a deer. Makes a lot of sense. Hopefully you know what you need, so don't be afraid to go and get it. If it was only that easy with dating. So as we take time this weekend, between relaxing and burning meat, to honor all the men and women, active, retired, and tragically lost while defending their county, in all the armed services, we should also take a moment today to get me some dates. And also to be a deer. And then trade for Andrew McCutchen. This is the weirdest to do list I've ever seen...
Follow me after the jump to take a look back at what was week four AND a look forward on all things Razzball, including some player suggestions for next week, straight from Razzball’s Streamonator, Hitter-Tron, and DFSBot!
