2019 Spring Training Position Battles: The NL West

I don’t pay much attention to Spring Training statistics. You never know who the statistics are coming against. Baseball-Reference did, however, have an amazing tool last year that attempted to quantify the quality of opposing pitchers or batters faced during spring training games on a scale from 1-10 with 10 being MLB talent and 1-3 being high A to low A level. This tool is great, but it averages all the Plate Appearances or batters faced. You would still need a deeper dive to see if your stud prospect smacked a donger off of Chris Sale or off of your kid’s future pony league baseball coach. So what should we watch for in March when we’re starved for the crack of the bat? Ignore “best shape of their life” stories and Spring Training statistical leaderboards. Pay attention to injuries and lineup construction and position battles!

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See all of today’s starting lineups

#	MLB Starting Lineups For Thu 5/22
	ATH \| ATL \| CLE \| COL \| DET \| HOU \| LAA \| MIL \| NYY \| PHI \| PIT \| SD \| SEA \| TEX \| TOR \| WSH \| ARI \| BAL \| BOS \| CHC \| CHW \| CIN \| KC \| LAD \| MIA \| MIN \| NYM \| OAK \| SF \| STL \| TB

NFBC Signups! Plus, A Totally Unrelated K/9 vs. K% — Which One Should You Use For Fantasy Baseball?

February 21, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball Draft, Our Leagues, Y to Z | 188 Comments

by: Grey

Couple of sells before the words to ring the till's bells. If you want an ad-free experience, click here. Join a Razzball League, they're filling up, but they need youse, so stop being afraid of success! Finally, Rudy released his War Room, you need to subscribe to our tools to get it. Not to toot Rudy's horn -- ew! -- but it is what we both use in all our drafts. I'm basically crediting it with our Tout Wars wins. It is leaps and bounds better than our online War Room. It is indispensable in NFBC leagues. You can get access to the War Room via the Easter Egg hidden in the middle of the Stream-o-Nator page. You have to subscribe, though. Speaking of NFBC, sign up to take on Rudy or I or Ralph or MattTruss. League's start drafting March 4th. Wait, there's a more detailed intro:

The 18th Out, Part 3: Head to Head, Face to Face, Butt to Butt

February 20, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, 2019 Fantasy Baseball Draft | 3 Comments

by: John L

A howdy, a hey and a hi-yo Silver to all the hot-rod rowdy Razzball readers in deep anticipation of this; The third installment of my series on the oft spat upon Quality Start (Part 1 and Part 2). I'm so glad to be back at the grindstone so soon; Things around here are getting better every day. Recuperation from a neck surgery is progressing daily, and little John is sleeping a little longer every night. In fact, I've sat down to start this article three different times already; Each time ending up down a different rabbit hole of QS stats which set me on a productive, yet different path than intended. So for the delight of the crowd (and the detriment of the nerve endings in my fingers) the H2H part of our QS exploration will become a series within a series. Just as a note going forward; Always keep in mind that point league formats can vary greatly. I will be using the format from my own CBS Home League which is only slightly varied from the standard: +0.5 per out, +1.0 per K, -0.5 per runner, -1.0 per run, +7.0 per W, +5.0 per QS, -5.0 per L. We wanted to make sure that in the event of taking a Quality Start + Loss, (which we call ''eating the cock-meat sandwich'') that the QS negates the Loss. All leagues are different so make sure to adjust for your own format as we progress.

2019 Minor League Preview: Milwaukee Brewers

February 20, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 4 Comments

by: Mike

The Brewers system is pretty much Hiura and then everybody else. It's kind of like how there is Blatz beer, and then everything else. Can I use my powers as an internet blogger - whose words reach tens of people - to say something slightly controversial? *whispers* I don't get the craft beer thing. I mean, I understand micro-brewing and that, but when did we start talking about beer like it's wine with "notes" and such? I guess I'm a reverse beer snob. I stick to the classics. Hamm's, Carling Black Label, Genesee, and, if I'm feeling extra fancy, Miller High Life. If you're a craft beer guy or gal...cheers to you. Just remember stubborn old farts like me are still out there when you're stocking up for your next party. Rant over. Back to baseball...

Manny Machado Taking His Talents To Coronado

February 20, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 200 Comments

by: Grey

What an absolute trip this offseason has been, huh? Emphasis on 'has been,' and hyphenated. And trip as in "catch one's foot on something and stumble or fall or other Macy Gray lyrics." And 'trip' might actually be a misspelling of 'drip.' To recap, what an absolute drip this offseason has-been, huh? Players have already reported and Manny Machado is only now signing and Bryce Harper still hasn't, said the man who likes to point out the obvious. Obvious Man continued, "I need oxygen to breathe." Shut up, Obvious Man! Yesterday, the Padres signed Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300 million contract. We should've seen this coming all along. After all, San Diego is the world's most languid city. Also, remember all those people saying Machado would sign with the White Sox, due to Yonder Alonso signing there and being his brother-in-law? I mean, a guy doesn't want to be with his in-laws? No kidding! Now Machado will be in the cozy position of hitting between Ian Kinsler and Eric Hosmer. Does he just prefer to hit in garbage lineups? Was Balty-more (how I say it) not bad enough for him? What an absolute shizzshow this 1st round has become. In the top 10 for 2019 fantasy baseball, I've moved Machado down to another tier as the 2nd tier in the top 10 becomes increasingly barren. "Acuña or Trea Turner or die," as my bumper sticker I'm manufacturing says. Petco isn't the 'terrible' park everyone has made it out to be in past years, i.e. Petco isn't for the birds and is not a dog of a park or--Fill in your own damn animal pun! It's still makes me shudder hard at thinking of hitting in front of Hosmer, but, as previously mentioned on the aforementioned tip, hitting in the Orioles' lineup wasn't amazing either and Machado did fine for many years. I did lower his projections in the top 10, and I'm now way more tentative on him. Anyway, here's what else I saw for fantasy baseball this offseason: PSYCH! Before getting into the post, we have an announcement:

Razzball Introduces An Ad-Free Option

I know, I know, I know, but you love seeing ads for "Kate Hudson Beauty Secrets" that then lead you to a free Amazon gift card which is actually an Eastern European man living in Nigeria who managed to clone your DNA from your IP address and just slept with your wife using the Amazon Gift Card Clone, who goes by the name, Tommy. I love those ads too! They are terrific! However, and this is going to come as a shock to some of you, there's people who don't appreciate the IP clone illegal download software ads that sleep with your wife. I know, shocker! For those people, Razzball is introducing an ad-free option. As Rudy tells me, direct people to the Tools Subscription page and they can figure it out from there. I have my doubts, but what better way to prove me wrong? The ad-free subscription runs for 250 days -- a Jewish calendar year! -- and is only for one sport. There is now a Log In in the top menu for people too, so if you're a subscriber, there's no more need to email Rudy or I asking, "Hey, I bought the subscriptions and I can't figure out where to log in? Is it at the log in page?" Wait until we introduce the "Grey comes to your house and just operates your computer for you" option. Anyway, here's the roundup:

Fantasy Baseball Podcast: Top 20 Third Basemen For 2019 Fantasy Baseball

February 19, 2019 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast | 7 Comments

by: Geoff

Are you triggered by Grey's Jose Ramirez "Schmohawk" post from earlier this morning? Do you want to yell at him through your radio while he explains his Jo-Ram shade? Look no further than the Razzball Podcast, where Grey talks, and won't answer you back as you scream obscenities. It's a great relationship you two have... Lucky for you Grey has plenty of other goodies to share on which third baseman he thinks you should target. If you don't know by now, Grey has a mystical "Kavorka" capable of causing injuries, poor play, or both. Just ask Kyle Schwarber. Any the who, we run through the third base ranks, running so deep that the end of the show is all about players that have yet to be born. It's no joke! It's all on the latest episode of the Razzball Podcast! Bee-T-Dubs, don't forget to checkout the new Razzball shirts over on Rotowear.com!

2019 Razzball Commenter Leagues: Why Join?

February 19, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 48 Comments

by: MattTruss

Pitchers and catchers have reported and the Razzball Commenter Leagues are open, it’s beginning to feel a lot like baseball! I can’t wait to be half as productive at work and start losing countless hours of sleep staying up to watch the end of the Marlins@Padres game, just in case there is a closer injury. Football was a fine diversion, but I always feel a little empty without baseball. I’m happy to be back for another season as your RCL tour guide. I love these things. Really, they play to my strengths and offer ample opportunity to test strategy and ideas. Weekly lineups/moves have their place, I just don’t find them as fun. The daily moves, the League Competitive Index competition, battling hundreds of other managers for the top of the overall standings and of course, the non stop action make this a unique and fun challenge. It’s kind of like pounding a pot of coffee every hour, on the hour for six straight months. It’s the fantasy baseball equivalent of snorting Red Bull. I’m also a huge nerd for all the numbers and data that gets collected from running so many leagues under the Razzball umbrella. We’re back for another season partnering with FanTrax. FanTrax makes data collection much better which means it will be even easier to share these numbers with you along the way and try to glean some info from all that data. In order to make the data pool even larger though, we need you, and you, and you too. You see, what makes RCLs great is all of you. Man that sounds mushy, but it’s true. In an ideal world, every Razzball reader would head on over to the RCL sign-ups, pick a league and all would be right with the world. It’s funny to see how many frequent commenters have never played an RCL. What’s wrong with you? I was there once upon a time, so for those of you that aren’t so eager, let’s sit down and chat it out.

Jose Ramirez, 2019 Fantasy Schmohawk

February 19, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Overrated | 215 Comments

by: Grey

[brid autoplay="true" video="378040" player="10951" title="2019 Razzball Draft Kit Top 5 Busts"] Before I get into our 1st schmohawk post (I'm including you, because without you there's no me; wanna hug? I'm kidding, don't touch me), a quick remembrance. One loyal Razzball Reader, Simply Fred, kept a running tally of how many times I nailed my schmohawk posts. I think at last tally I was 25 for 27 over the last five years. Something like that. The point is I don't know the number, because around Christmas time of this year, we lost Simply Fred. He passed suddenly around the holidays. He was one of our most loyal readers, and he will be missed, especially around the time of the yearly of the schmohawk posts. In his honor, MattTruss, who runs our Razzball Commenter Leagues, is changing the championship trophy of the ECFBL league that Simply Fred was a part of to the Fred Barker Memorial Trophy, a worthy gesture for a worthy man. Any hoo! Jose Ramirez is a schmohawk. This is so freakin' obvious to me that it almost makes me question myself, because literally no one else is saying this about Jose Ramirez. Could I really be the only one that recognizes how obvious this is? I feel like Queen Isabella when she used cover her giant bosoms with bras that were hand-painted with round globes and Spanish men would be like, "She ain't flat, but the earth is, so her luscious breasts are factually incorrect." Thankfully, Christopher Columbus recognized the beauty of Isabella's chest, raised his mast and sailed west. Anyway, what can we expect from Jose Ramirez for 2019 fantasy baseball and what makes him overrated?

2019 Preseason Closer Rankings: Big Gulps Huh?

February 18, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Closers, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 36 Comments

by: Roto-Wan

Welcome in save chasers! The closer landscape is taking shape and while Craig Kimbrell remains a free agent, most of the other dominoes have fallen. As it's a new season, I'll be rolling out new titling for the tiers. This week's feature four popular 7-Eleven offerings.

2019 Razzball Team Preview: Seattle Mariners

February 18, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Team Previews | 14 Comments

by: LT Murray IV

For the Seattle Mariners, all is lost...

Well, well, well.....What in the ever-loving mother of the elder gods do we have here!!? Baseball is upon, guys/gals, and after taking a brief hiatus to give my absolute all to battling some forces that were severely limiting my effectiveness as a writer, I return to thee thirsty for battle, lusting for justice, soothsaying for savants, and fully equipped to do battle with any who shall oppose me in this art form of writing about the game we know and love; Fantasy Baseball. I have missed this so much, truly, I have. Sadly, you are not here to read about me and newfound love of life and everyone in it, but to discover sort of a basic understanding of what the Seattle Mariners are up to.....I will try to put it into words, which may prove difficult, being that I'm not allowed to drop F-bombs or post dick pics, but here's a hint; IT'S ALL BAD!!!!! Like, it's rotting badger carcass under your backseat bad, when whom you believe to be your dream girl blows up your bathroom after railing an eight-ball to the face bad, like, any Nicolas Cage movie from the last ten years bad, like, REALLY, REALLY, ASTRONOMICALLY PISS POOR!!!!!! Say one thing for the Seattle Mariners, say they are going absolutely going to be one one of the five worst teams in the sport this season. Before I get started, did anyone read the Minnesota Twins preview? I was starting to blast the dude on Twitter for buying fake followers, only to realize he's a professional wrestler!?!?!?! WHAT!?!?!?! Is this real? Can someone confirm? If so, it is with great honor that I accept this cohabitation of mannishness, and look forward to continuing the greatness of Razzball, thee premier site for fantasy baseball. Aaaaahkay, now let's set it off in this MF. I am Tehol Beddict and this is your Seattle Mariners team preview. TAKE HEED! Check out our other team previews here!

Best 2019 Fantasy Baseball Team

February 18, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball Draft | 185 Comments

by: Grey

[brid autoplay="true" video="379070" player="10951" title="2019 Razzball Draft Kit Draft This Not That"] The best 2019 fantasy baseball team is a misnomer. Thankfully, none of us know what misnomer means. Sounds to me like someone tentatively wants to date the Travelocity Gnome's daughter, "Miss Gnome, er, you wanna grab some boba and chill?" Miss Gnome brushes back her hair and bats her eyelashes that are almost as long as her two-and-half foot body, "I'd love to," but her voice is high-pitched, which is a turn-off, so you cancel plans with her repeatedly until she gets the hint. Sorry, Miss Gnome, I like my women's voices low like their stature. Any hoo! So the title is a bit of a superlative. What was I gonna say, "The Mostly Kinda Good Fantasy Baseball Team?" You’ll get over your scoffing; I have faith in you. This is the best 2019 fantasy baseball team that I can put together when drafting from my top 100 for 2019 fantasy baseball and top 500 for 2019 fantasy baseball. Honestly, I could draft another 25 teams from those lists, and they’d all be different, but equally terrific… Well, one of the twenty-five would only be sorta terrific, but it would be really hard to tell which one that is. If I took Adalberto Mondesi in the 2nd round, everything after would change. If I took Javier Baez in the 1st round, everything after would change. I’ve previously gone over my 2019 fantasy baseball draft prep for the first few rounds and pitchers pairings. For this exercise, I’m taking Trea Turner first, because, well, people complain I always did this post by taking Mike Trout first, so I'm switching it up, like when you combover right instead of left. Until pick 100, I’m taking one guy somewhere in every fifteen picks. It would be nice if I was in a league where someone drafted Scherzer and deGrom in the first two rounds and I was able to take Bryce Harper in the 2nd round (which is very likely), but since Treat Urner and him are in my first 14 picks, according to the rules I’ve set up for myself, I can’t take them both. Then, as we all know, once you get into the 100s, there’s wide gaps between ADP and where players are actually taken. People tend to look at team need over value. So for this exercise, once I get to pick #101, I’m going to pick two players every twenty picks. Finally, because there is so much latitude in the last 300, I gave myself free reign to fill up my team. Throughout the draft, I also gave myself the ability to reach to a lower draft pick, but not reach forward. Or reach around, if you’re feeling frisky. It should still be my ideal team… Or not. Let’s see, shall we? Bee tee dubya, this team is a 12-team, 5×5, one catcher, 5 OFs, MI, CI, 1 UT, 9 P, 3 bench, just like the Razzball Commenter Leagues (go sign up). Anyway, here’s the best 2019 fantasy baseball team:

2019 Minor League Preview: Cincinnati Reds

February 17, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 4 Comments

by: Mike

"Has it always been this way? Where we just f***in' tell everybody everything? I'm f***in' sick of this s***!" No ,that's not me talking about social media (although that's pretty much how I feel). Those quotes are from former Reds manager Bryan Price's epic tirade during a post-game press conference. He famously dropped 77 f-bombs after a reporter basically asked him if Tucker Barnhart was available. Whoops! As a Philly fan I can respect that kind of passionate potty mouth as well as the frustration. There's some hope for this rebuilding Reds club in 2019 though. And at least part of the optimism should stem from its solid minor league system.