Week eleven saw a lot of rough team ERAs in the Razzball Commenter Leagues. In one of my leagues only one team had a weekly ERA of under 3.00. Grey had himself an epic week of ERA (more on that later) and so did many others. With all that going on I thought I’d take a look back at season’s past and see where our average team ERA ranked right now. This is the benefit of being the keeper of the RCL data for as long as I have. In 2016 the average team ERA was 3.71 and in 2017 it was 3.87. 2018 saw the move to FanTrax and the change to 1400 IP instead of 180 GS, this, along with some potentially juiced balls saw our average ERA jump to 4.03. So far this year, we’re looking at a 3.88 ERA and we haven’t even hit the hot, humid days of summer yet. For reference, during week 11 last season we had a 3.60 ERA only to finish with a 4.03. It’s going to get worse before it gets better folks. Worse, of course, is a relative term. If you love offense, this is great. You’ll see in this week’s weekly records that we’re demolishing offensive records left and right. So, don’t be down on your 3.75 ERA, just know that you’re actually slightly below average and everyone is struggling. The struggle is real folks. Now, for the rest of the week that was, week 11:
Monthly Archives: June 2019
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Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Week 12: Boba Baes And Yordan Jacks
June 18, 2019 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast |by: Geoff
Maybe one day we will reminisce about Fantasy Master Lothario Grey Albright, his love for Boba, and how it was ultimately his undoing. That day however is not today, today we laugh at children, punch old women, and talk about Yordan Alvarez. Hey Dodgers fans, you traded him for Josh Fields... really! Anyway, it's Week 12 of fantasy baseball and there is lots to discuss, including returning stars, injuries, Willie Calhoun, and why we kind of wish Shohei Ohtani didn't pitch. Well, he's not pitching now, but we mean, like ever. We answer some twitter questions on Scott Kingery and the Padres recently promoted Logan Allen. We then end the show with some waiver adds, and an embrace that lasts a little too long. This. Show. Has. It. All. It's the latest episode of the Razzball Podcast.
FanDuel: Kershaw Is Killing It
June 18, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel |by: Thomas Howland
Sometimes it's better to stay away from a Dodgers Giants matchup. One of the best rivalries in baseball can create uncertain outcomes at times. Today is not one of those times. The Dodgers are on an absolute tear. They're tied for the league lead with 48 wins. And a big part of that is a resurgent Clayton Kershaw ($10,700). Kershaw has a 2.78 ERA the last 30 days, a 2.25 ERA in June, and a 2.06 ERA against the Giants over the last three years. That includes 90 Ks over 96 innings. He's also not walking many this year, with a 1.08 WHIP overall. Kershaw is also $1,300 cheaper than today's top dog Justin Verlander. So use that dough for some of the no-brainer, big dollar guys in your lineup. On to the rest of today's picks.
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I Look Upton The Sky Justin Time To See Angel Dongs
June 18, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 383 Commentsby: Grey
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On the first pitch Justin Upton (2-for-4) saw back from the IL, he slammed it into the seats for his 1st home run. Kevin from ESPN's "Get Him In Your Lineup" Department said, "Anyone who wants to come over on Saturday, I'm doing a screening of the short film I did about O.J. Simpson and a lovable group of his former Bills teammates plotting to break into a Vegas casino to steal back his memorabilia called, O.J.'s Eleven. I play O.J. in blackface." People have been asking about adding Justin Upton, and he's currently owned in 70% of ESPN leagues, though Klara Bell owns 17,000 teams to help fill his virtual trophy case, and doesn't own Upton, so, technically, Upton's owned in 101% of leagues, but, if he's available, I'd add him everywhere. Prior to his injury, he was a top 30 outfielder, and see no reason why he can't do something similar from here to there. There being October. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
There are those who would call for Yordan Alvarez to be a top-50 player already. With 27 combined HRs this season and 78! 78! 78! RBI in 60 games between AAA and the big leagues -- I get that. I'm just a little hesitant due to his playing time. When George Springer comes back and the rest of the Astros get healthy will he stay up? I hope so because he is crushing the ball right now -- but he has minor league options left and is still only a 22-year-old kid. Age is just a number though as this kid's potential has MVP written all over it in one of the best lineups in baseball.
Not your Grandfather's Top 100 Starting Pitchers...
You're at the local grocer staring at a shelf in the cereal aisle, wishing you were watching baseball and/or Naked and Afraid. Perched next to each other on the shelf are a $4.00 box of Cocoa Puffs and a $2.00 box of Choco Spheres. Do you choose the known quantity name brand or take a gamble on those mysterious spheres at half price? It was always an easy choice for frugal old Grandpa-Donk, he didn't build his fortune of Donkey-units by purchasing the luxury orbs of chocolate. To this day Gramps would poop himself if we ever brought home a box of Depend's Diapers. It's Señor Crapper's or nothing for the old timer.
Two Start Pitchers, Week 13:
June 17, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers | 9 Commentsby: B_Don
No Doubt
| Player | Team | Opponent 1 | Opponent 2 |
| Justin Verlander | HOU | @CIN | @NYY |
| Clayton Kershaw | LAD | SF | COL |
| Jose Berrios | MIN | BOS | @KC |
| Jacob deGrom | NYM | @ATL | @CHC |
In the last 15 months, Justin Verlander has married Kate Upton, had a baby girl, and is leading the player rater among pitchers. Please, blog, may I have some more?
FanDuel: Sign Up Soroka
June 17, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel | 1 Commentby: wander34
The Atlanta Braves’ Mike Soroka enters Monday sporting a 1.92 ERA. While he's not a strikeout pitcher, the Braves’ hurler is in a great spot to carry your FanDuel lineup to the money line. He owns a 57% ground ball rate, so he does not allow many long balls. In fact, he has a 0.26 HR/9. His strikeouts should see an uptick in this one, as the Mets strikeout in 23.2% of their at-bats against righties. New York has also demonstrated little power against right-handed pitching with a weak .167 ISO versus them. The Mets also have struggled with ground ball pitchers this season. J.D. Davis has the highest batting average among the regulars against ground ball pitchers, hitting .275 with a .870 OPS against these type of hurlers. Soroka should be in contention for SP1 on Monday.
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YankEEs BelievED WINning Formula Is Adding More RH Power
June 17, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 565 Commentsby: Grey
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For Mother's Day, all MLB players use pink bats. On Father's Day, all bats should be painted to resemble penises. I try to convince MLB of this every year, and every year I'm met with awkward silence. Another Father's Day, another year MLB didn't take my suggestion for an, uh, equipment update. How about they use the pink bats again, but with hanging scrotum on the knobs? They could at least call all home runs on Father's Day "dongs," or if the player is over the age of 35, then they're long balls. These are not big fixes I'm asking them to do. So, Edwin Encarnacion took his long balls (see?!) to the Yankees (unintentional pun, but still worthwhile). Turns out the Home Run Parrot on Edwin's shoulder is a better agent than Kimbrel's. "Polly want 15%." This made me chuckle: reporters on Saturday suggesting the new potential Yankees' lineup had Edwin Encarnacion penciled in as a question mark like he was some mystery-flavor Dum-Dum. It's because Encarnacion doesn't really make sense for the Yankees -- is he the DH? (Voit? Judge? Stanton?) 1st base? (LeMahieu) -- but they'll find room for him since he was the AL leader in home runs. Clint Frazier was sent to the minors, as he awaits a trade; this will completely kill Gio Urshela's value, and might hurt DJ LeMahieu's, as well. With Giancarlo and Judge returning, Gardner's about to become the 4th outfielder, Maybin's gonna get DFA'd and Aaron Hicks better make sure he doesn't slump or he's going to be benched too. Of course, all of this becomes moot when Judge, Stanton and Edwin all get hurt this week. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
We’re creeping closer and closer to the all-star break, so now’s the time to make a serious push in your leagues. By streaming, you can get a leg up on your competitor in a head-to-head league or boost your counting statistics in a roto league. Please, blog, may I have some more?
In his short stint with the Brewers, Keston Hiura had thirty points and a 0.447 PPPA over 17 games and 69 plate appearances. Somewhere out there Bill and Ted just rejoiced. In case you were wondering Travis Shaw has 36 points in 180 plate appearances. Mind blown. So sorry Keston, but clearly the head office in Milwaukee might be putting back a few too many Miller Lites. Since being sent down to San Antonio Hiura has gone 11 for 34 with 4 home runs, 11 RBIs and a stolen base. Factoring in seven strikeouts he'd be good for about 40 fantasy points. In case you were wondering what Travis Shaw has been up to since his return, he's managed ten points thanks to four hits in 21 at bats. Like I said, it's a head scratcher.
FanDuel: The Right Bauer
June 16, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel | 1 Commentby: NichFields
Happy Father’s Day, everyone! Or, if we prefer, Happy Fudge Day, or Turkey Lover’s Day. There is something for everyone today. Unless we don’t like fathers, fudge, or turkey…might be best to sleep in, then. But not too late! We don’t want to miss this 11-game FanDuel Main Slate. We have a right Bauer to play! Euchre fans? Anyone?
If we don't yet know how to play euchre, we owe it to the fathers in our lives to learn it. They will love it. We’ll love it, too, but they will especially love it. Here is a tutorial.
In the card game “euchre” the jack of whichever suit is declared trump is known as the right bower, and is the highest card in the game that hand. Similarly, and this is not a stretch at all, we have the right circumstances today for Trevor Bauer to be the best option of our DFS slate. So let’s run with this analogy and lead with the Right Bauer.
Trevor Bauer, SP: $11,300, is worth the cost of ownership against the Tigers. Though this game may see an initial weather delay, the likelihood of an in-game delay messing up our SP workload is small enough to risk. He faced the Tigers in Detroit earlier this season, but the conditions were miserable, so we have a handy excuse when considering his sub par performance. We should expect a much better outcome today. The Tigers are the awkward teen of the MLB, they strike out a ton and hardly ever score. Dad joke, eye-roll. But really, they are a great matchup to throw SP against. We should be confident with our play here.
So, we have lead with the right Bauer and taken the first trick. What are our next best plays? Read on to find out.
New to FanDuel? 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 jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!
