Creeper of the Week: No Mas Quiero Creepers

September 27, 2015 | Creeper of the Week | 61 Comments

This is it, no mas quiero creepers. I've been pondering today's post all week as we get to the most unpredictable week for playing time. As teams clinch, guys will get days off, all willy-nilly. Any little ding, bruise, ouchie or pending surgery will be a first class ticket to the bench. Yeah I'm looking at you Brauny, you are dead to me for making me drop you everywhere. I'll throw a few names that could be good to grab but saying their playing time is secure can turn into a fools errand. If you are in a weekly league, then I hope to God you make the right choices and I will do everything in my power to help you. If you are in a daily league, then you got a chance. And if you are in a moves limit league, you can go tell your commish to f*ck themselves courtesy of Jack Full of Hate. I hate moves limits leagues more than H2H. *Intern taps me on shoulder and whispers into ear* Oh... I see, H2H and moves limits are usually linked together. Thanks Octavio. Sorry guys, Octavio is my gardener-slash-intern that is trying to break into a new career. He also makes a mean Cadillac Margarita. Okay enough about Octavio, let's get to creepin...

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#	MLB Starting Lineups For Mon 6/16
	ATH \| BAL \| BOS \| COL \| HOU \| LAA \| LAD \| MIA \| NYY \| PHI \| SD \| SEA \| TB \| WSH \| ARI \| ATL \| CHC \| CHW \| CIN \| CLE \| DET \| KC \| MIL \| MIN \| NYM \| OAK \| PIT \| SF \| STL \| TEX \| TOR

Ambulance Report, Week 26: The Final Countdown

September 27, 2015 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 4 Comments

by: Davidwiers

Perhaps it's my inner Gob Bluth, but with just a week's worth of games to be played, this truly is the final days of the season. Already the Royals, Blue Jays, Cubs, Pirates and Cardinals have wrapped up a piece of the postseason, yet four of those five teams are still jostling for position with only the Royals able to rest some of their players without fear of slipping to the Wild Card games. Today's Ambulance Report will first focus on the teams in the postseason.

DraftKings: Fly Little Birdie, Fly

September 27, 2015 | DraftKings | 2 Comments

by: Bigfoot Paul

With just over 1 week to go in the regular season it is important to keep a close eye on starting lineups. Many playoff contenders are playing their regulars, but it's the non-contenders that you really have to watch. Luckily for us, DraftKings lets you switch out players up until each player's game time. However, with today's slate, I have my eyes focused on the first game of the day between the White Sox and Yankees in New York. The Yankees are 4 games back behind the Blue Jays in the A.L. East, so we know they'll have their regulars out there. The visitors are sending a rookie pitcher to the mound who was formerly their top pitching prospect last season. Of today's 15 games, he is the least expensive pitcher. Take a hint, DraftKings thinks he'll get destroyed, and so do I. Today's most confusing and interesting player is Greg Bird. Out of all the hitters on the Yankees, he's the most expensive at $4,400 and that is $300 more than the second most expensive Yankee, Alex Rodriguez. The three Yankees' outfielders are all under $4,000. Bird had hit a home run in three straight games last week, but hasn't done much since. So does that really warrant him being the most expensive Yankees' hitter? Certainly not. I don't think Bird is necessarily a bad play, but knowing that information, I may shy away. I will stack Yankees in an entry though, mostly consisting of the three other infielders, and an outfielder, not to mention their perfectly priced pitcher. I really like the matchup. Read on and check out some of my other DraftKings picks for today. New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 10 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.

Breakout Prospects: NL Central

September 27, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 16 Comments

by: Mike

There are just two divisions left to cover in our breakout prospects series. These are players who “broke out” statistically in 2015 and were either ranked in the bottom half of their team’s preseason top ten list or didn’t make their team’s list at all. Some of these names will look familiar and have already been scooped up in many dynasty formats. Others may still be flying low enough that their big performances have gone undetected. Today we’ll look at five breakout prospects from the NL Central.

Two Start Pitchers, Week 26: My Way

September 26, 2015 | Two Start Fantasy Starters | 25 Comments

by: Geoff

And now the end is near, so I face the final curtain, my friends I'll say it clear, I'll state my case of which I certain. I've written a season's full, I've looked at each and every wOBA. But much more than this I did my Job-a. Regrets I've had a few, but then again too few to mention (cough, cough Carlos Frias). I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption. I built each chart of course, each careful stat along the byway. And much more than WHIP, I diiiiiiidddd ittttTTT MYYYYY WAAAAY!

A big thank you to everybody reading my non-sequiturs and random brain farts about two start pitchers. I surely do appreciate your time. With 25 (actually 24) of these in the can, we got one last post to go. I don't know what will happen to us over the next 6 months. We may grow apart, you may follow your heart, and your heart might take you to a small village in the Hindu Kush mountains. Where you fall madly in love with the daughter of a Tajik Warlord by the name of Richa. Maybe you abandon fantasy baseball and live a simpler life off the land. No not like the reality show the Simple Life. A simple life like milking goats, and tending fields. Simple like owning 4 bowls amongst five people. No matter what happens to all of you, just know I'll always be here. Well not technically here but if you click that icon up top that says soccer, I'll magically appear. Sort of like the genie from Aladdin, just soley focused on the subject of soccer, and completely devoid of wishes. I might have matches though. Goodbye my friends, I promise to be just as crazy in the 1-6. Two start pitchers week 26.

Rich Ain’t Over The Hill

September 26, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 7 Comments

by: Dan Pants

[player]Rich Hill[/player] pitched a complete game two-hit shutout last night against the Mighty Orioles walking just one batter and striking out 10 for his second win. Where the heck was this guy in April when Justin Masterson and Steven Wright were starting? Am I really asking that question about a 35-year-old southpaw journeyman who hasn't started a big league game since 2009, and was out of baseball in July? Yeah I guess I am asking that because Hill has been an absolute monster since debuting with the Sawx two weeks ago in Tampa Bay. In just three starts, he's pitched 23.0 IP, allowing just 10 hits and 3 ER, with a 30/2 K/BB rate. Yes, my friends, the Hill Has Ks. That was almost your headline. Also, not for nothing, the three earned runs were surrendered to the Blue Jays, and I mean, come on, it's the Blue Jays. And just in case you thought this story couldn't get any sweeter, Rich was pitching for the Independent League's Long Island Ducks just months ago. He holds a 1.70 ERA and 0.52 WHIP through three starts and although I love what he's doing, he's scheduled to take on the Yankees in New York next week and I wouldn't call it a slam dunk. If you're feeling lucky, by all means ride the snake, but I'm not sure I'd risk my fantasy season on Rich Hill, despite how awesome he's been. But cool story, bro! Here's what else I saw in fantasy baseball Friday night:

DraftKings: Do Twinkies Go Well With Alfredo?

September 26, 2015 | DraftKings |

by: Sky

That title wasn't a real question, y'all, please don't provide your responses in the comments below. And if your answer was yes, that means you've eaten it and lived so I'll just take your word for it and barf on my own time. But I don't wanna know about your culinary disasters, what I do wanna know about is how can I find a way to price in those sweet Colorado bats. I know that you know that we all want in on that action, boss, so we have to find ways to swerve to get them in and pitching is a prime starting point to begin that search. I'm not gonna lie to you and say that Alfredo Simon has merit on his own. He's pretty meh if we're being honest but the Twins vs righties especially on the road will always grab my attention. For the year, the Twins rank 4th worst in wRC+ against righties and throw in a reasonably healthy K rate of 21.1% to boot. Throw in the second worst road wRC+ and a 22.9% K rate and you have the mixings for a solid if maybe unspectacular line from the Big Fettuccine. I wouldn't even think about this in cash but for tourneys, picking on Twinkies on the road with righties is a solid Konami Cheat Code for this kind of day. But now that we've covered culinary dysentery, let's move on to better things. Here's my Wild Mushroom Risotto hot takes for this Saturday 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.

OPS Leagues: Phamtastic Debut

September 26, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, OPS Leagues | 4 Comments

by: Elliot

[player]Thomas Pham[/player] is a 27-year old rookie who has made the most of his first month in the big leagues. Big Magoo wrote about him on Tuesday, saying “Enjoy the fling while it lasts, but be wary of a long-term commitment.” And I completely agree! I don’t think that Pham will be a viable option in shallow mixed leagues next year.

thomas-pham-mlb-st.-louis-cardinals-milwaukee-brewers-590x900

Can he do it? Yes, he pham! Remember those great Jorge Cantu chants? Jorge can't hit a home run! Yes, he Cantu!

My initial reaction was: could this be a [player]Charlie Blackmon[/player] scenario? Blackmon’s first full season came at the age of 27, when he batted .288/.335/.440 with 19 bombs. But, Blackmon had already had plenty of major league action to that point, and his skillset was generally superior to Pham’s. So, I slapped myself and recognized that Pham is a perfect playoff schmotato and nothing more. Given that information, Pham has absolutely crushed over the past two weeks, posting a 1.350 OPS with 4 homers and 12 RBI. At this point in the year, you need to grab onto these hot streaks. And, Pham’s hot streak is molten right now.

Let Me Run It Buy The Pham

September 25, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 352 Comments

by: Grey

The Cardinals never not produce prospects out of nowhere. Double negatives don't not be damned. Or is that be damned? There's likely hundreds if not thousands (maybe five or six) prospects that have come out of nowhere for the Cardinals. The big one I can think of is Albert Pujols. Pujols was originally signed as the 402nd pick overall and turned down an offer of $10,000 to play instead in the National Baseball Congress, against Dick Gephardt and Nancy Pelosi. Finally, he signed with the Cardinals when no one else wanted him. We know how that turned out. Jason Motte was a 19th round selection in 2003, and he was still closing games this year (though for the Cubs). In 2001, the Cards drafted a little known shortstop, Michael J. Fox, in the last round and he had a fine career in sitcoms and starring film roles. So, Thomas Pham was drafted in the 16th round of 2006 and came up with little fanfare. "Little fanfare?" No way, this is St. Louis baseball, we have the best fans yadda whatever! Pham was considered a fringe prospect at best and a Thai beef salad at worst. Could've Pham just got lost in the shuffle? In 2014, he had 10 HRs, 20 SBs, hitting .324 in Triple-A. Then, with no room to play in the majors, he went back to Triple-A this year and hit 6 HRs with 9 SBs and a .327 average in 48 games. He's likely more interesting in fantasy than real baseball, but, guess what, you numbnuts, we're talking about fantasy. For 2016 fantasy baseball, I could see him being a 14 HR, 25 SB, .280 hitter, who gets a huge boost if he stays at the top of the order as he's been doing thus far. For right now, Pham's hitting near-.400 in the last week, and taking this back to the beginning with Pujols, he's in the two-hole with his Phamy jewels. Anyway, here's some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:

Points Leagues: Dee’s Nuts

September 25, 2015 | Points Leagues | 5 Comments

by: malamoney

In the preseason I projected [player]Dee Gordon[/player] to finish this season with 272 points. Those projections included 1.8 home runs, 33.83 RBIs, 71 runs scored and 51 stolen bases. Through 135 games Gordon has 333 points, with 3 home runs, 42 RBIs, 78 runs and 53 stolen bases. Had he not missed about three weeks with a thumb injury those numbers would be even a little better. All told my projections were pretty accurate. So where did the extra 61 points come from? Singles. Dollar dollar bills y'all. I projected 115.75 singles and a .268 batting average. He currently has 157 one-baggers and a .332 average. When asked how he felt about my 272-point projection, Dee responded with "do you like tapes or CDs?"

DraftKings: Listen All Of Y’all It’s A Sabathiage

September 25, 2015 | DraftKings | 8 Comments

by: Sky

I can't believe I've come to this point in the season but it's that time, fam. Or 'Pham' if you're into making things not only hip but fantasy baseball-related. This is the time of the season where you just can take that season-long ERA/WHIP of a pitcher here and there, throw them out the window, turn on your Janet Jackson album and sing 'what have you done for me lately?' *Singing optional...and some of you? Please don't. Don't look at me like that, you know why*. It's one of the trickiest times of the year. Maybe it's because the young arm is unknown and the vet team he's facing didn't scout well enough or is just plain tired from a long season? Or in the case of the vet arm, maybe they were hurt all year and are healthy and 'fresh' by comparison to the other team? I don't know, I guess what I'm trying to say is this is the time of year for some truly bizarro world shizz and you gotta think about players you may not have at other times. Case in point, CC Sabathia. I mean, 4.80 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP is...well it's...hrm, it's...let's just have Cleveland call it like it is. Yet he's now had back to back 24+ point DK outings and gets a matchup against a team that currently floats near the bottom against LHP in wRC+ (29th), ISO (28th), and BB/K (28th). Am I confident enough in him to fling him out there in cash games? Ish you cray! But his $6,600 pricetag makes it easy to work in bigger bats and another big arm as needed so I'm all in on CC. Just remember when paying up today for your arms, the all important Beastie Boys words: 'Cause what you see you might not get, And we can bet so don't you get souped yet, You're scheming on a thing that's a mirage, I'm trying to tell you now it's sabotage. But enough about my poetic license use of someone else's poetry, let's have at it. Here's my Root Down hot takes for this Friday 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.

Starling Goes Hannibal On Rockies

September 25, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 163 Comments

by: Grey

We have one reader in Nigeria who emails me privately about how I've won large amounts of muney (sic), so I don't need to be working, which means this is more of a PSA, and should be taken even more seriously: Starling Marte is a God. There's Jesus, there's his Dad, there's Jehovah, there's Mormons' magic underpants, there's whoever the Jews pray to -- Mel Brooks? -- there's Chief Jay Strongbow, there's the Pope, there's Allah, there's Halla, the Arab God for dyslexics, and there's others, I'm sure. My God is Starling Marte. You know how the religious say, "Peace be with you?" For baseball players, they should say, "May you always hit in Coors." Yesterday in Coors, Marte went 4-for-5, 1 run, 1 RBI, which is the rainbow jimmies on the ice cream that has been his season. He has 18 HRs, 29 SBs and is hitting .288. Right now, he's around top 25 on our Player Rater. For 2016, it's gonna be hard for me to wait past the top 20 overall. Yes, he's that good, and I may just rank him above McCutchen. Oh, snap! Don't need the police to try to save them, your voice will seize, so please, stay off my back or I will attack and you don't want that. Hit the bass, hit the anyway and let's do this! Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball: