For the first seven years of his career, Elvis Andrus was a light-hitting shortstop that would provide cheap speed for fantasy teams. That Elvis has left the building. Unlike Mr. Presley, who aged into a fat slob which lowered the barriers to entry for employment as an impersonator, Mr. Andrus has become phat. For those that only know # as a hashtag, phat was synonymous with great, back in the 90's. I still can't believe phat was a thing.
Anyways, Andrus is the #1 shortstop in fantasy right now. He's batting .305 with seven home runs, 34 runs scored, 32 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. The wOBA is .353 and ISO is .170.
For perspective, the ISO has been below .100 six of the last eight seasons and the season-high in home runs is eight, which occurred last year...
Monthly Archives: June 2017
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While he hasn't ever been the end all, be all fantasy shortstop, Elvis Andrus is putting it together this year. He has gone from a Ron Popiel special at SS to a must own, and by own I mean a trade for candidate. Because I am not sure people really realize how well he is comparatively to some of the leagues elite shortstops with bigger names and bigger draft day price tags. Across the five counting stats that matter for most leagues, and RCL's are no different. this is where he ranks among qualified two-and-a-halvers. He sits 5th in batting average (.305), 5th in Homers (7), 5th in runs (34), 3rd in RBI (32) and since this is the SAGNOF post, 2nd in steals with 14. It is interesting to compare yesterday and this year. He has more steals at this point in the season than Segura did, and in case you were wondering all counting stats across the board are in King Creole's favor, but at a 80 pick reduction in price from draft day. Value plays are what makes the fantasy champ. If Andrus, through one third of the season, can steal 14, score 34, and knock in 32 for a Rangers team that has yet to really hit their stride offensively... Why is he not a trade target for someone who may know (that is now you) to someone who thinks that Andrus is like watching paint dry and boring? His name to me in trade talks would be the most exciting, unless you were really paying attention to things. Hell, look at what Zack Cozart is doing, and that is not even a joke. So enjoy this week's tidbits and fantasy snares that may help you on the waivers or taking advantage of some situations this week. Cheers!
RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 9
June 6, 2017 | Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 44 Commentsby: MattTruss
No doubt you’ve heard the old expression, “It’s better to be lucky than good”. Today we’re going to take a look at one of the biggest areas of luck in the RCLs, “win luck”. There’s no doubt it takes some luck to win a fantasy baseball league. Injury luck is probably the biggest factor in winning a league. Mike Trout owners can relate right now I’m sure. As good a manager as we think we are, if your number one pick goes down for the year, you’re going to be at a disadvantage. That’s just common sense. “Win luck” is another area that is seemingly out of our control. Let’s face it, wins are brutal. I’m a big proponent of the mantra, “Make your own luck” and I certainly think that can be applied to “win luck”. “Win luck” is a term often tossed around to describe a team that is raking in the wins and/or a team that can’t seem to buy a win (most of my teams this year it seems). Can you make your own luck in regards to wins? Of course you can. You can stream those valuable middle relievers, especially the ones that frequently work multiple innings in the middle of games (Mychal Givens this year is a prime example). When a lead change occurs, these relievers are typically the benefactors. It’s no guarantee of course, but it can’t hurt your luck any. There are other ways to increase your win luck too. Let’s take a look at another big one as well as who is getting lucky and who got luck this week in the week that was, week 9:
After a short slate last night, we have ourselves a full slate tonight that is packed with a bunch of great pitching options. There are four pitchers listed over $20K on the slate so finding value bats is going to be key. Names such as Max Scherzer ($25,200), Robbie Ray ($23,200), Jake deGrom ($21,200), Chris Archer ($20,400) are all great options on the night. As we did last week, going to the Robbie Ray well is always dangerous but he has a great matchup vs. the San Diego Padres. The start is at home where he has struggled but he is in a groove right now and I do expect it to continue. Chris Archer should be a great option versus the Chicago White Sox as they really struggle against RHP. As a team, their OPS is almost .130 points lower and AVG is 60 points lower against Righties than it is against Lefties. Any of the 4 options should be solid and there a some cheaper pitchers and bats to team up with. Lets take a look at the picks...right after that jerkweed editor Sky comes in and talks about the Razzball Listener's League link available over at FantasyDraft. [EDITOR'S NOTE]: Hey! Jerkweed is kinda harsh! But he's right, though; you should hop in that Listener's league today in the link he provided and I in no way added to make it sound like he called me a jerkweed prior to the editor's note. It's only $5 to get in on a 20 team league, go get you some today. Now on with Ignacio's show...
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Fantasy Baseball Podcast: Middle Infield Edition
June 6, 2017 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast | 34 Commentsby: Halp
I start this week’s podcast by wondering if JB still listens to the show and/or reads the website, but based on the nugget of information Grey passes along, I’m going to assume the answer to that question is no. I also thank everyone for the awesome podcast reviews this week, while Grey is unsatisfied and unimpressed. On the fantasy baseball side of things, our main focus is middle infield, kicking things off with the surprise of Elvis Andrus being the current #1 SS in fantasy, and Zack Cozart being the current #1 SS in real life. We also talk about if Grey is coming around on Daniel Murphy, how real the Whit Merrifield breakout is, and debate Carlos Correa vs. Trea Turner in Dynasty Leagues. Finally, I get excited for the return of the Razzball Only FantasyDraft Contest today, so make sure to sign up and join in on the fun. It’s the latest edition of the Razzball Fantasy Baseball Podcast:
Hungover Odubel Just Needed A Little Herrera The Dog
June 6, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 578 Commentsby: Grey
Kinda ridiculous that Odubel Herrera is the first player to get two ledes this year, but this is because they both came on short schedule days and I'm the only one that likely knows this, so let's just move on! ODB's hot like Mariah's fire. Mariah's fire is the dragon breath she breathes right before her morning ritual of firing a staffer. "Who sprinkled my slippers with gold dust? It's Tuesday! Tuesday's slippers get sprinkled with powdered sugar so the squirrels follow me like it's a Disney movie!" That's Mariah TCOB. Ooh, idea! I'm gonna do the rest of this in acronyms. ODB TCOB SAGNOF UB40--Ugh, I failed at that exercise. Grey does not equal a 14-year-old girl texting. I told you yesterday if you take nothing else from the roundup, take away that you should grab Odubel. And that's me reiterating me! Seriously, he's 8-for-13 over the last three games with two homers. Grab him! Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Wax On, Wax Off Dinelson …And The Top 100 Starters, Week 10
June 5, 2017 | Pitcher Profiles | 88 Commentsby: Geoff
So let's just get this whole curse thing out of the way. Seems like every starter I've profiled since taking over this here gig has hit the DL, with lone exception being Luis Severino. Some how he's escaped my DL wrath, which means he made a deal with the devil, or knows strong voodoo. Poor Charlie Morton, Vince Velasquez, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Nate Karns, y'all never had a chance without Severino's voodoo. Yeah, seriously, the "Ralph Curse" is that real! Now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, my condolences to the owners of this week's victim Dinelson Lamet. Let's pray for a shared secret between he and Luis from the BX. Because DANG, he looks good. He feels like one of those prospects that's never bad, but falls through the cracks on some lists (mine), while being higher on others (other people not named me). He's two strong starts, and 10 innings into his major league career, and he's scheduled to go twice this week. So he's firmly on the fantasy baseball radar. Enough with the bollocks, let's dig into the bangers and mash, see what we have here, and determine if he's someone to hold in the right formats.
Let's begin by having a moment of silence for the fact that we will be without Mike Trout for two months. I dropped him to 23 in the rankings below, which are considered ROS trade value. I know it is hard to justify Trout over some talented players who aren't going to miss two months, I just couldn't bring myself to drop him much lower. The Razzball Player Rater has him all the way down to 71 for ROS projections. Personally, if I were to trade Trout, I would hold out for the highest bid and make someone overpay. Otherwise, I'm not moving him. And in keeper leagues, I would still have him at number 1 and wouldn't entertain offers.
Now, for the players who are playing right now. The two players I moved up and want to focus on this week are Justin Bour and Justin Smoak. I received some questions and comments on here and on Twitter last week about Smoak, so let's take a look at him first. He has looked great this season, but I have my doubts.
While Smoak's slash line and counting stats look great right now, unless he finally figured everything out at 30 years old, I have my doubts. Yes, he is currently on pace for almost 40 home runs. Yes, he is striking out 17.9% of the time, which is almost half as much as he did last season and is well below his career average of 23.5%. Through 55 games and over 200 plate appearances in 2017, the metrics back up what he is doing.
But here's the thing.
Smoak has been in the league for eight seasons and has over 3,000 plate appearances. He's a career .227 / .311 / .402 hitter. His previous high for home runs in a season is 20, which he did back in 2013. Take a look at his wOBA by season:
Translation: Smoak isn't this good. This probably isn't going to last, and a regression is coming.
Now, as far as Justin Bour goes, I am still skeptical but am less skeptical. Bour is 29 but has just over 1,000 plate appearances at the MLB level. He has displayed this kind of power before, both at the major league level and in the minors, so it is easier to believe that his current power stroke is real. Will he continue to hit up around .300? No, but it is reasonable to expect him to hit in the .250-.270 range and offer up 30 home runs, as long as he can stay healthy (which he can't always do).
The main point here is that, while Bour is only a year younger, he doesn't have as much of a negative track record that we can hold against him. He has also displayed plus-power in the past, while Smoak has always struggled to fulfill his potential in that department. Bour is likely to regress a bit as well, but I don't think his regression will be as extreme as Smoak's. If I had to pick between these two first basemen as a guy I value higher ROS I am taking Bour every time. Maybe I'm just biased now that I live in South Florida, or maybe their track records are telling us everything we need to know about them...
Translation: Smoak isn't this good. This probably isn't going to last, and a regression is coming.
Now, as far as Justin Bour goes, I am still skeptical but am less skeptical. Bour is 29 but has just over 1,000 plate appearances at the MLB level. He has displayed this kind of power before, both at the major league level and in the minors, so it is easier to believe that his current power stroke is real. Will he continue to hit up around .300? No, but it is reasonable to expect him to hit in the .250-.270 range and offer up 30 home runs, as long as he can stay healthy (which he can't always do).
The main point here is that, while Bour is only a year younger, he doesn't have as much of a negative track record that we can hold against him. He has also displayed plus-power in the past, while Smoak has always struggled to fulfill his potential in that department. Bour is likely to regress a bit as well, but I don't think his regression will be as extreme as Smoak's. If I had to pick between these two first basemen as a guy I value higher ROS I am taking Bour every time. Maybe I'm just biased now that I live in South Florida, or maybe their track records are telling us everything we need to know about them... 
I'm not sure what it is about Jaime Garcia, but I absolutely can't quit him. I've stuck with him through the injuries and the ups and downs in St. Louis and never once have I regretted giving him a gigantic cowboy hug while wearing a denim jacket with a fur collar, just to let other owners in my league know he's mine. You see, he's what I consider a hidden gem of sorts in the fantasy world. Someone you can roster and keep for those special occasions where you might need a win or quality start. He usually delivers, which is all you can ask for with a streamer. This season he's been an important part to fantasy staffs as he's produced a 3.18 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Those numbers improve significantly at home (1.88 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) and he's limiting opposing teams to a .214 bating average against at Sun Trust Park. This week he'll get a starting pitcher two-step against the Phillies and the Mets at home and you better believe that your fantasy bestie Honcho is running him out there for both turns. Philadelphia has been unwatchable over their last seven games posting a .088 ISO and 25.7% K-rate. This start has that low-hanging fruit feel to it. Enjoy. Sunday he'll take the bump against the Mets who've been merely league average against lefties, producing a .299 OBP and .312 wOBA. Inducing groundballs has been Garcia's calling card this year as he's compiled a 58% GB rate, which will be an important factor considering the Mets hit the fewest groundballs in the league at a 38% clip. At just 17% owned and considering the plus match-ups for this week, Garcia seems like a strong pick up for those in need of some mound help.
As always, the streaming suggestions in this post were hand-picked from the mountain of incredible data provided by the Stream-o-Nator and Hitter-Tron. Do yourself a favor and grab a subscription for the rest of the year so you can dominate like all the other Razzballers in the fantasy world. Until next week, stream away amigos...
It's an extremely short schedule tonight with only seven games, five NL and only two AL contests. Carlos Martinez, $24,300, is the top pitcher facing the Reds tonight in the Great American Home Run Park. I'm staying away from this game mainly because of the weather, but I might slide in a hitter from this contest. I'm not touching anyone in the PHI at ATL game. This is strictly a weather related decision, as I do like Bartolo Colon at only $11,200. Enough about who I'm not rostering, let's talk about my two Monday night G's. Gio Gonzalez at $15,600 at the Dodgers looks like it could be a scary play, but the Dodgers are only hitting .247 vs LHP and are in the top seven in Ks. Gio has been solid all year as he's only let up 4 or more ER twice, against the O's (6 ER) and the Braves (4 ER). The Nationals offense has been mashing all season and with them behind him, he can easily cruise to a win while picking up 6-8 Ks along the way. My other G for tonight is, Junior Guerra, $15,200 vs the Giants. He's been solid in his 2 starts since coming of the DL, 11.2 IP, 1 ER and 9 Ks. I'd the to see more Ks, but he's locating the ball where he wants to and he can throw gas. Granted he's at home in a hitters park, but it's against the Giants and I like the matchup. Now that we've got a ton of cash to spend on offense, let's go shopping...[EDITOR'S NOTE]: right after I bring the best $5 deal you can find! We have our weekly Razzball Listener's League going down tomorrow. Hop in, drop that fiver, and win some of our monies! Now on with the show.
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Volquez No Hits DBacks, Roto Points>Scrabble Points!
June 5, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 602 Commentsby: Grey
Sometimes, baseball can be that game we all fell in love with *covers mouth so you can't hear number* years ago. Whether it's Paul O'Neil hitting a triple with an error to score a home run for a child in the hospital or that minor leaguer who crashed through a fence to make a catch or Bryce Harper tossing a foul ball to an actual clown to silence his questions or Reggie Jackson thinking about someone other than himself for a moment after Thurman Munson's plane crashed or Lou Gehrig's speech or Kirk Gibson's fist pump or Saturday. It would've been Yordano Ventura's 26th birthday. Obviously Edinson Volquez was very close to him when they were both on Royals. According to Volquez, they shared everything, even constantly having to tell people, "No, I'm not Johnny Cueto." Edinson posted a pic of Ventura on his Instagram page Saturday morning, then went out and pitched the game of his life that afternoon, a no hitter -- 9 IP, 0 ER, 2 walks, 10 Ks, lowering his ERA to 3.79. For one day, Edinson was able to say, "No, I'm not Johnny Cueto. I'm better." Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
If you had to choose one word to describe the 2017 fantasy baseball season, where would your imagination take you? 'Disastrous' for all the ESPN leagues you're in that don't have enough DL spots to let you breathe? 'Unexpected' for one guy in the history of the universe that selected Ryan Zimmerman and Aaron Judge at the turn of the first round? Or what about 'covfefe' for all the unbelieveable coverage Razzball's fantastic hub of writers has bestowed to the masses?
My darkhorse pick is 'superteam.'
With Trout hitting the DL for six to eight weeks after shredding his thumb on the home run statue in centerfield of Marlins Park, we've stumbled into a glorious window of time where the construction of superteams is possible without the complaint of collusion. Imagine this window for superteam construction as the parallel universe where all those Crawford-esque Red Sox contracts actually worked themselves out. I've done my best impression of what I'd like to call "rational Dave Stewart" and wheeled my way into one more share of Mike Trout, with aspirations for more. The titan of baseball is now embodied in all his thumb-less glory on two of my most coveted teams (I detailed my portfolio of fantasy baseball assets back in March). My intention with this column is to breakdown the rationale behind that acquisition and help all of you not only acquire Trout, but understand the thought process around acquiring any injured player of this caliber in the future.
