Pitcher Thoughts: Pulling the Trigger on Happiness?

April 30, 2018 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 12 Comments

"Romantic scouting date" is exactly what it sounds like: Ralph, myself, and a baseball game. We ventured up to slightly warmer weather than Hartford brought us a few weekends ago for more looks at Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Ralph wrote about it (right here) and I had a great time looking at the mechanics of Sean Reid-Foley (TOR) and Dillon Tate (NYY) on my Twitter feed. For the sake of brevity, let's get right into two pitchers I've had my eye on in this edition of Pitcher Thoughts.

Learn more about our 2026 Fantasy Baseball Subscriptions!

The best daily/weekly player rankings/projections (hitters, starters, and relievers) for each of the next 7-10 days + next calendar week starting Friday. Kick-ass DFS lineup optimizer and projections for DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo!.

See all of today’s starting lineups

#	MLB Starting Lineups For Tue 4/21
	LAA \| NYY \| PIT \| MIL \| SD \| PHI \| BOS \| KC \| TEX \| NYM \| CIN \| ARI \| CLE \| DET \| LAD \| MIN \| HOU \| CHC \| SEA \| TOR \| ATL \| CHW \| SF \| MIA \| STL \| BAL \| ATH \| TB \| COL \| WSH

I don’t have enough spam, give me the Razzball email newsletter!

Weekly Razzball news delivered straight to your inbox.

SAGNOF Report: Ender’s Game Is By Foot

April 30, 2018 | Uncategorized | 9 Comments

by: Smokey

The fantasy world is buzzing with a guy with a tilde in his name, a name that not need speaking. Because all the prospects analysts have been walking around like freak cases of Cialis gone wrong. I hear that if you point your juggs gun at it for 30 seconds, it will subside. Sticking with the Bravos though, I am intrigued by the possibilities around the ever in the lineup presence of Ender Inciarte. (Him of the 8 steals in his last 14 games.) When thinking about that total in the past fortnight, it's more than six whole teams have all season. I wish that was made up, but there are some slow of foot teams who like the one bag at a time approach. Batting a crisp .339, getting on-base with an even crispier .369, and has only not hit in the leadoff spot one entire time all year. Coincidentally, it was yesterday. Uncoincidentally, he still produced. He is a fixture (at the peak of that blossoming before our eyes) in the lineup, and the best thing about it is that his defense will keep him on the manager's card to play every single day. Defensive ability may be the sleepy fantasy stat that has no measuring stick. Although his counting stats maybe a tad slight on the runs/RBI's, you want him for his SAGNOF appeal, that and he plays next whats his face. Stay cozy, my friends as we round the first month out of fantasy in style, and by style I mean with no pants and a tub of ice cream.

The Keepers Korner: Pitchers to Watch

April 30, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Keepers | 1 Comment

by: Al Shines

So far, the Keeps Korner has focused on the prospects expecting to be called up, but this week we're moving over to young pitchers who are starting to show some form of a breakout. We’ve gone over most of the prospects who have been called up lately like [player]Ronald Acuna[/player], [player]Gleyber Torres[/player], and [player]Miguel Andujar[/player], but also some who are still waiting like [player]Nick Senzel[/player] and [player]Willie Calhoun[/player]. All of these guys should be owned in any type of keeper league, even if they are just stashes. Its also time to start looking at the pitching prospects even though we haven’t seen much yet from the pitchers. [player]Jack Flaherty[/player] and [player]Walker Buehler[/player], two of the top pitching prospects in baseball, had stellar debuts but there are no plans for them to stay up in the big leagues for now, but both could force their respective teams to keep them up if they want help to keep contending...

Draft: MurdeReds

April 30, 2018 | DFS, Draft |

by: Ignacio

Give me all the Cincinnati Reds tonight: Joey Votto, Scott Schebler, Jose Peraza and Scooter Gennett. Tonight they could be a solid stack option that a lot of people won't be on. It's a nice match-up against Jhoulys Chacin, who currently has a 5.19 FIP and a K/9 of only 5. May the BABIP fairies be on our side tonight. Peraza and Votto have been on a serious tear and I expect that to continue. Let's take a look at the rest of the picks for Draft... New to Draft? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care!

Nicking ‘Em? More Like Smack Kingham

April 30, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 564 Comments

by: Grey

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Nick Kingham retired the most batters to start a game since 1961 in a debut. Elias Sports Bureau also said, "There were sixteen cracks in the 5th floor's tile closest to the bathroom, which is a new record for cracks in a tile." Yo, Elias Sports Bureau might have OCD. On our top 100 starts of 2018 chart, Kingham registered in the top 10. According to Baseball-Reference, he's the first pitcher to debut with 7+ IP and not have a baserunner reach scoring position. According to Kent Tekulve, Kingham was the first pitcher in a 1979 Pirates uniform not high on cocaine since Tekulve. In all, a terrific debut for Kingham -- 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, zero walks, 9 Ks. Originally, the Pirates planned on a one-and-done, hit-and-run, wham-bam-thank-you, young-man start for Kingham and see him get sent right back down, but they rightfully are having him travel with the team, and appear to be keeping him up. His Triple-A numbers (10.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.59 ERA) say this is the right move. I'd hold off for now in mixed leagues, but you should cyclops him with a monocle. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Top 100 Hitters, Week 5: Moncada, Mo Problems

April 29, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 36 Comments

by: Kerry Klug

Hey Yoan! There he is! Moncada’s bat is officially awake! Through his first 49 ABs Moncada had 1 HR, 0 SB and a .604 OPS. Since then? 42 ABs, 5 HR, 4 SB and a 1.295 OPS. Here’s my worry -- will Moncada continue to be streaky and see a 700 point swing in his OPS every few weeks? Or did he just get off to a slow start?

Top 100 Starting Pitchers, Week 5: Santa Maria, Faria

April 29, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 37 Comments

by: Dokken

Do you enjoy lists that go all the way to 100?! Well aren't you in for a treat! I was pretty excited when I was tasked with compiling this list, and my enthusiasm continued until I reached about the SP50 mark. It was about that time my enthusiasm shifted to malaise, which then morphed into a legitimately queasy feeling as I tumbled down into the 80's. You're getting into a lot of interchangeable parts down at the bottom, and one particularly good or bad start could vault one of those bottom-dwellers a good 10 spots up or down. As the season rolls on I'll include the previous week's ranking to give you an idea of how the pitcher is trending. Since this serves as my first rankings list, however, I'll begin with some guys I wound up ranking either higher or lower than I had anticipated going into it.

OPS Leaguers Unite! April OPS All-Stars!

April 29, 2018 | OPS Leagues | 3 Comments

by: Phil B.

At the Angels-Giants game last weekend I saw something I haven’t seen before. Not in the game, but in the crowd. First off, let me say I am not a fan of the beach balls that I’ve seen way too often at Angels and Dodgers games. This isn’t an outdoor concert. With that being said, baseball can be boring (who knew?) and it keeps the kids entertained and not jumping around ruining my experience, so be it. Anyway, there’s a Giants fan (and there were a lot of Giants fans at Angels Stadium) sitting a section over by himself, a middle-aged guy in a Posey jersey and backwards hat (when does it become too old to wear a backwards ball cap? 25? 30? Never?); the only thing he was missing was his glove. So the beach ball gets to him, and he just rips it in half and throws it in the aisle. He did it with meaning too. After that, he points two middle fingers up in the air. It drew glares from everyone around him and was truly surreal. A few minutes later an usher comes and talks to him; I didn’t hear what was said, but they didn’t kick him out (and if they did I would hope it would be for the double middle fingers, because who cares about the beach ball). Then, the next inning, he removes the Posey jersey and hat and meekly leaves. Everything about the experience was hilarious and I won't judge him much; the beach balls suck and him going full heel was great. So if that guy is reading, first off, way to provide some entertainment; and secondly, be cool, man, it’s only a game. Now let’s get to our April OPS All-Stars, stinkers and surprises! (All stats & ownership through Wednesday, April 25^th)

FAAB Five: One Month Down

April 29, 2018 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 2 Comments

by: Paul "The" Martian

Here we stand after one month of baseball. Ronald Acuña is finally up in the bigs! Still waiting on guys like Nick Senzel and Kyle Tucker to take their rightful places alongside them. As we head into May there continue to be players falling onto the DL and in the constant struggle to find replacements, here are my nominees for this week's FAAB Five. All of these percentages can translate to any FAAB Budget, and my target league format is 12-15 Team (Mixed Leagues).

Draft.com: Don’t Worry, Be Happ(y)

April 29, 2018 | DFS, Draft |

by: Thomas Howland

They call Draft fantasy for the people, and why not? It’s easy as Sunday morning. Sign up at Draft.com, do a quick snake draft of 3, 4, 6 or 10 players, and get a piece of the payouts. Here at Razzball we recommend using Value-Based Drafting (VBD) to make the most of your roster. Using Rudy’s tools, you can easily sort values and take the projected points for the final player drafted at each position (P, IF, OF) and subtracting from all the players at that position, then re-ranking based on VBD. In other words: Razzball will give you the inside knowledge you need to dominate your DFS opponents. It's days like today, when there appears to be only one ace and then all the rest, that Razzball can give you a clear edge over the competition. Hiding behind the giant shadow of Gerrit Cole lurks a man striking out the world and leading one of the surprising teams of the year. J.A. Happ is a monster right now, leading the league in K/9 with a mark of 12.7. He and his 14-11 Toronto Blue Jays get to face the last-place Texas Rangers today. It doesn't hurt that current Rangers hit Happ to the woeful tune of a .473 OPS. After these two pitchers, it's a significant drop-off, but the edge of grabbing J.A. Happ a pick or two after Cole is enough to bring home the bacon. Now on to some more Draft.com recommendations for today. New to Draft? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care!

Minor League Update: Hello Soto, Goodbye Sorrow

April 29, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 66 Comments

by: Geoff

Every year a player shows up in April and makes you regret your ranking. The honor of "that guy" in 2018, at leats so far, goes to Juan Soto. Ranked 25th on my Top 100 Prospects coming into the season, if I re-ranked today, I'd move Soto up as many as 10 spots. Upon receiving an assignment to low-A Hagerstown, it was obvious from the jump his competition in the Sally was overmatched. Soto slashed .373/.486/.814 with 5 homers and 24 RBI in 15 games, and was quickly promoted to high-A Potomac of the Carolina League. So far through 5 contests he's hitting .318/.400/.591 with a double, triple, and homer. Here's a look at the homer he hit on Wednesday versus Wilmington. The swing is a thing of beauty, with a super quick and simple motion, strong wrists, and fast hands. It's all evident in the video below.

Washington @Nationals OF Prospect Juan Soto's 1st Home Run for High-A @PNats42 tonight. #Nats #Nationals pic.twitter.com/DHaTSczwOd
— NatsGM (@NatsGMdotcom) April 26, 2018

Soto is already looking like he belongs in high-A, and it wouldn't come as a surprise if he spent a good chunk of the summer in AA Harrisburg. He's moving toward a near certain Top 10 rank come mid-season, and a potential Top 5 come pre-season 2019. However, we won't see Soto at the major league level until later on in 2019. To encapsulate, Soto is a year away, but an elite talent, one that needs to be owned in every dynasty league. He pairs the ability to hit for both power, and average, and shows advanced understanding of hitting. Working counts, making adjustments with two strikes, and avoiding strikeouts. He has a real shot to be the best rightfielder in the game in his prime years.

The NFL Sandlot

April 28, 2018 | Y to Z | 9 Comments

by: B_Don

Last year some fellow co-workers and I decided it would be fun to join a flag football league. Seemed like a solid idea. Do some ‘team building’, get some running in, and enjoy a little competition. Well, by the end of the season we had gone through 4 QBs, one broken thumb, multiple pulled hammies and quads, and a grand total of 2 wins to show for all of our pain, so, safe to say, we made the right choice to be auditors and not professional athletes. With the NFL draft ongoing, I thought it would be interesting to see what the best backyard football squad we could put together of current MLB players would look like. As this is a backyard/adult sport league type of team build, we’ll forego the offensive and defensive line. By NFL standards, there aren’t many guys that could play the line anyway. David Ortiz, Big Papi, is by all accounts a mountain of a man for a baseball player at 6’4” and listed at 250 lbs. (I’m not sure I buy the weight, but that’s neither here nor there) would still be an inch short and 60 pounds light of the average offensive tackle in the NFL...