This may be my only chance to lead with a Bieber pun, so I'm shooting my shot. Here's hoping it's Neil Diamond level, not Smash Mouth cover bad. If you're going to fade the top pitchers on Draft.com tonight, the Biebs is a great gamble. To quote The Jewish Elvis, "Then I saw this Ace, now I'm a Bieleber."
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Monthly Archives: July 2018
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Let My Love For Francisco Open Lindor
July 3, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 444 Commentsby: Grey
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Across the media landscape yesterday, people who vaguely know sports were giving hot takes like, "Cleveland lost their sports hero." "What do we hang on this LeBron sports banner now?" "All Cleveland has left is the Browns, what will they ever do?" I blame myself. People don't know baseball like they should. That pains me. What MLB was hoping for from Judge and Giancarlo is currently going on with Francisco Lindor (2-for-4, 3 runs, 7 RBIs and his 22nd and 23rd homer, hitting .298) and Jose Ramirez (2-for-4, 15th steal, hitting .298) and people outside of Cleveland have no idea. Don't worry, you're not absolved of blame either. I blame you, as well. We need to shout from the rooftops at what these two are doing. They are neck-and-neck in the top five on the Player Rater. I can't remember another time two teammates, who are hitters, were both in the top five. (If you can think of an instance, hit me up in the comments. I racked my brain, which is to say I placed my head on a video of a stripper's rack.) Together, they are worth nearly $90! To swoop your pretty face back to the preseason, if your team added up to $260, you were at least working on even money. Combined they're worth more than a third of a total team! Which one of them is going to end up worth more? No idea, but this will be the greatest battle since Apollo-Rocky I. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Prospect Primer: Fangraphs Vs. Baseball America
July 2, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Keepers | 29 Commentsby: Lance
It is with great honor I submit to the fantastic readers of Razzball my first prospect-centered column. The concept will be a fun one for anybody looking forward to Ralph's prospect omnibus that will drop in the coming days (stay tuned!).
Two prominent lists dropped in the last few weeks. One comes from Fangraphs, the other comes from Baseball America. Below I look at a few players with large differentials between the two lists. This gets tricky with players who are on one list and not on another, but I made it work.
Before we launch ourselves into the prospect stratosphere, a few logistics...
Turnarounds midseason are the waiver wire wet dreams that we all hope for. Now add in that they are included in one of the most prolific hitting offenses. Now, throw some salt on it and say that he is going to play everyday because of spectacular defense (which I have preached before). That player is Jackie Bradley Jr.. Yeah, I get that his season long stats are pretty much garbage and as a whole have been not rosterable in most 12-team or lesser formats... but (and there is a always a but), he has started to come out of his shell and is profiling more of the .270 hitter based on deeper stats, including the last 10 games of actual functioning stats that he has produced. His hard hit rate over the last 14 games played is higher than Just Dong, Mookie and any other Red Sox batter you wanna throw in my direction. That 51.6% during that span is in the same conversation league wide as some legitimate fantasy heavyweights and in the top-20 overall during that time frame. Now I get that this is the SAGNOF post, but we are getting to that... he has 2 steals in 11 games, but with more there to come with increased OBP over the last month, higher BB % and since he has hit over .400 for nearly 11 games played, that'll only help his SB totals. So if JBJ is sitting on waivers, filter out the stats and look at a shorter time frame before you throw some shade on the Red Sox defensive dynamo. More SAGNOF love and goodies for all things saves and steals after the jump. Happy Independence day, cheers!
Going into the season, there was a lot of hype surrounding Luis Castillo. And why not? After all, he was pretty damn good last year, with a 3.12 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. The WHIP is especially noteworthy because it would have tied him for 7th best in the league, had he thrown enough innings to qualify. And he tacked on 98 Ks in only 89.1 innings. Fast forward to this season and... well, he hasn't been good. In roughly the same number of innings, the ERA is above 5 and his WHIP has risen to 1.41. So why am I telling you all of this and then leading with him? Well, I'm glad you asked, citizens of the Internet. And if you didn't, I'm going to tell you anyways. First, because Stream-o-Nator says you should start him. Second, because I have him in a season league and I'd really like him to do well. Third, he gets the White Sox and their anemic offense and that elite upside is still there. Go big, take a chance and reap the rewards. (Don't @ me if this one doesn't pan out.)
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[brid autoplay="true" video="259747" player="10951" title="Fantasy Baseball Buy Sell Hold Week 14"]
This weekend, I was kneeling in a garden, tending to my Monkey Face Orchid, when I heard some commotion outside my greenhouse. It was my much, much older wife, Cougs, screaming, "Grey! They've come for you." It was the Rockies, and they were trying to send me to the minors. They trampled over my azaleas with their jackboots, dragging me through the soil, ruining my suspenders. I tried to tell them, "You have the wrong man!" Finally, they heard my pleas and checked my state ID card. Before they left, I asked, "Who are you looking to send to the minors?" They replied, "Jon Gray," and I began to scream again, "Please! Take me instead!" So, Jon Gray was optioned to the minors. Can't say I fully blame the Rockies, but, of course, I can try. Have the Rockies heard of underlying peripherals? Sure, the results have been miserable, but it's Coors and everything says Gray should be much better. You really have a better replacement pitcher who is worth ruining your best pitcher's confidence? He has the 6th best xFIP in the league with an 11.6 K/9. I honestly can't even with the Rockies. They are the worst. Then, they brought up Raimel Tapia to fill the roster spot, so, of course, Tapia will sit on the bench. WHAT THE HOLY EFF ARE THE ROCKIES DOING?! Caps for emphasis and the hyperopic. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
What a difference a week makes. A week ago there wasn't a ton of movement, but this week I felt like an overhaul was in store. We'll get to the risers and fallers in a little bit, but first there is a bit of scuttlebutt to address. No, not Scuzzlebutt the basket-weaving monster who lives in the mountains of South Park and has Patrick Duffy for a leg and a stick of celery for an arm. SCUTTLEbutt. The largest of which has to be the surprise demotion of Rockies Opening Day starter Jon Gray to Triple-A Albuquerque. Gray had a particularly heinous 5.77 ERA, so bad that Mariska Hargitay had begun poking around Coors Field to keep an eye on things. His FIP, however, is a sterling 3.07 (11th best among qualified starters), and his K-BB% is 21.8% (12th best). You can't even point to Coors Field as causing his troubles, with a 5.89 road ERA. This looks like incredibly bad luck, but with this demotion clearly the team is focused on something mechanical. It'll be pretty hard to hang on to him in standard mixers, although he may not be down for too long if they fix what needs a-fixin' right quick. I'd try to hold him in a bench spot if you can in 15+ team leagues. Elsewhere, there aren't too many notable promotions, but there are a few new names on the back end to peep.
When the early spring rolls around, there are these wonderful gatherings in the northeast known as maple festivals. Now, thanks to big James Paxton, there's a maple festival every 5th day in the Pacific Northwest. The Big Maple himself, pride of Ladner BC, gets to face the grovelling Kansas City Royals today at home in Seattle. Paxton beat the Royals earlier in the year 4-2, pitching 6 innings with 10 strikeouts. At home he's got a 1.098 WHIP and 12.1 K/9. It all adds up to a dominating start and better bet than the other top starters today. Now let’s look at a few more early-, middle- and late-round picks for your Draft…drafts!
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It's a running joke among prospect nerds that "the Yankees have a tree down in Tampa, that they shake, and some guy who throws 95 falls out." Well, in the 18th round of the 2017 draft they shook that (palm?) tree, and a tall righthander out of UAB named Garrett Whitlock tumbled into the Yanks hands. A draft eligible Sophomore due to an early birthday, Whitlock is an interesting story, and a lesson that often in the MLB draft later round guys can be more than their draft pick number. In other words, don't let the 18th round tag fool you, he had some pedigree. In the summer of 2016, a strong performance for Chatham in the Cape Cod League, planted Whitlock onto the draft radar. Many believed he was a day two pick when rounds three through ten are conducted. Unfortunately for Whitlock, and fortunate for the Yankees, a back injury hampered his season, and his stock dropped. The Yankees stepped up, paid him above slot, and all he's done since is make everybody look smart. According to the numbers and the scouting reports from people like Jason Woodell, he might just be the Yankees best kept secret. Here's a look from Jason, and after we'll discuss why I'm buying all over.
68 seconds of Garrett Whitlock abusing hitters FB 93-94 T 95 with sink CB 78-81 CH 85-86 Deceptive delivery. Commands the zone. Changes eye level, pounds both sides of the plate. As a prospect, SP3, should stick in rotation. Ahead of Abreu, Medina, Freicer Perez #Yankees pic.twitter.com/4PMXF1OCn4
— Jason Woodell (@JasonAtTheGame) June 23, 2018
