Patreon Podcast: Airplane Food Thanksgiving with Billy Hurley

November 30, 2020 | All Podcasts |

Razzball Patreon members receive our weekly podcast where Grey cackles about the funniest news stories we’ve found over the past week, plus you get that warm fuzzy feeling of supporting your favorite fantasy sports site in all the land. It’s your favorite hour of the week! I Can’t Believe It’s Not Not News is back again with all the Billy Hurley jokes and Grey Albright cackles you can handle. Off the top, we discuss the new the Florida man who pulls out a gun when questioned about his penis size and the U.K.'s pandemic sex ban. Then we chat about a tourist who was cursed after stealing artifacts from the ruins of Pompei and Finnair's new business plan. Tune in now for all the laughs and Albright cackles you can handle by signing up for the exclusive Razzball Patreon Club for only $5/month! Find all of this week’s hilarious stories here:

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	ARI \| ATH \| ATL \| BAL \| BOS \| CHC \| CHW \| CIN \| CLE \| COL \| DET \| HOU \| KC \| LAA \| LAD \| MIA \| MIL \| MIN \| NYM \| NYY \| PHI \| PIT \| SD \| SEA \| SF \| STL \| TB \| TEX \| TOR \| WSH \| OAK

Ramon Laureano, 2021 Fantasy Sleeper

November 30, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Sleepers | 73 Comments

by: Grey

A big part of 2021 fantasy baseball drafting is going to be not throwing out the baby with the bathwater. The "baby" being a player who had a terrible 2020 season, and the "bathwater" is the player who had a great 2019, and was primed for a breakout before we entered the crazy two month nonsense of last year. Ramon Laureano is a prime example. His 2019 was 24 homers, 13 steals, .288 average and was ticketed for great things, then the 2020 season happened and no "great things" happened in the 2020 baseball season. Some good things happened if you're a Dodgers fan, and willing to overlook the giant asterisk on the top right of your World Series banner, but great? Great, I don't know about. I just googled "great" and it said, "Can I interest you in 'just all right?'" In fairness to "just all right," Ramon Laureano can't make that claim. He was awful last year. No way around that little factoid. In 54 games last year, he went 27/6/25/.213/2 in 183 ABs. Wait, it gets worse! His average exit velocity was 87.7, which was in the bottom third of the league; his line drive rate fell, and his ground balls went up (not literally). You hit a WAP (weak-ass piddler) to the 2nd baseman, and you're not going to get many hits. So, his .270 BABIP was low for him, and a sizable drop-off from his .342 mark the previous year, but can't just say unlucky since his hits were so weak sauce. His strikeouts also went up, too, and not in a way that would lead one to believe he was overaggressive. His O-Swing% went down and his Swinging Strike% went way down. In other words, he was waiting for his pitch, and waiting and waiting and...Anyone have eyes on Ramon Laureano right now? I'm wondering if he's standing at the plate somewhere watching a pitch. So, what can we expect from Ramon Laureano for 2021 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?

Top 10 San Francisco Giants Prospects for 2021 Fantasy Baseball

November 29, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 4 Comments

by: The Itch

On the big league side, the Giants employed three specialized hitting coaches to great effect in 2020. This made an immediate impact on the field--a field that shrunk a little before the season when the front office decided to bring in the outfield walls. Last but not least, a huge tarp was hung behind the right center field fence, blocking a gust that might’ve been killing home runs for years. According to the story by Eno Sarris and Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, the tarp was meant to shield the eyes of looky-loos getting a free peak, so there’s a non-zero chance it remains. If it does, if the park and the wins and the coaching stays the way it was in 2020, I’m taking a second look at every San Francisco prospect, especially left handed hitters. You had to be Barry Bonds on super balm to get to lefty power in previous iterations of the park. Now you can be Brandon Belt. Or Alex Dickerson. Or maybe Hunter Bishop? One interesting piece of this is I feel like the front office has been targeting right handed bats for quite some time to try and navigate their park. It’s just anecdotal, and Hunter Bishop deflates the relevance pretty quickly, but it’s a thought I’ve been having nonetheless. I’m thinking of the pre-Zaidi group, but even if you look at Farhan Zaidi’s low-stakes acquisitions: Kevin Pillar, Wilmer Flores, Jaylin Davis, Mauricio Dubon, you find mostly righties. Last year’s top ten here had seven righty bats and just two lefties. I dunno, probably just silliness that’s irrelevant now, but thoughts are thoughts, y’all.

Alex Kirilloff, 2021 Fantasy Outlook

November 27, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 21 Comments

by: Grey

Alex Kirilloff has the same number of hits in the playoffs as Mike Trout. Sorry, I forgot my parasol, so I made my own shade. An important aspect to him starting a playoff game shows -- Oh, by the way, in case you didn't hear, Alex Kirilloff made his major league debut in the playoffs this year -- back to the scheduled program! One thing that him starting a playoff game shows is the Twins are ready to see Kirilloff go, um, off. And *raises hand* same, same. Here's what Prospect Itch said previously, "After a tough summer fighting a wrist injury, Alex Kiriloff caught fire in the final month—a burst that could be connected to his wrist feeling better. 2020 is a big year for his perceived value. If he comes out hot, people will handwave a disappointing 2019. If he struggles, they’ll start connecting data points and dropping him down their lists, now only if Grey would drop dead." Okay, what the eff, dude? Also, Prospect Hobbs wrote about 1,500 words about Alex Kirilloff in his Blind Resume post. So, 2020 wasn't a great year for Kirilloff--I literally can't think of anyone who had a good 2020, so join the crowd. A bad 2020 for Kirilloff, however, had no bearing on him or anything. There was just no year to have. Here's where I suppose something: If the Twins weren't confident with what they were seeing from Kirilloff in the alternate training camp, they wouldn't have put him on their playoff roster. So, what can we expect from Alex Kiriloff for 2021 fantasy baseball?

Andrew Vaughn, 2021 Fantasy Outlook

November 26, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 48 Comments

by: Grey

Andrew Vaughn, hmm. A classic case of team ready to win, having the parts to do it, but are they thinking long-term to save money? Like Altuve trying to get cereal, going with the latter always wins. Never trust teams to promote prospects. It's good self-care to expect teams to be absolutely monolithic creatures of saving money and not caring for fans' wants and/or needs. Imagine a giant glove compartment filled with all the Bed, Bath and Beyond 20% off coupons in the entire world, that's every major league team, except the Dodgers and Yankees, and maybe now the Mets. By the by, how do the Dodgers and Yanks compete every year? Hmm, let's see, could it be they spend money? Really? I nailed it on my first guess? Damn, just lucky I guess. The Pirates' team owner is worth $1.1 billion. He could sign Trevor Bauer, George Springer, and Liam Hendricks to one-year $25 million contracts, and still have one billion left over accruing enough interest to pay for those contracts. But, ya know, poor franchises! Any hoo! Andrew Vaughn's ETA is what this entire post is going to come down to, but, well...So, what can we expect from Andrew Vaughn for 2021 fantasy baseball?

Top 10 San Diego Padres Prospects for 2021 Fantasy Baseball

November 25, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 17 Comments

by: The Itch

The Padres took a turn as America’s team this summer, partly because Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a grand slam on a 3-0 pitch when his team had a three-run lead, partly because the whole team pitched in to make the name Slam Diego stick, partly because we all love a rags to riches story, and the Padres’ future looks as rich as any club in baseball. Plus they really went for it in 2020, trading away several key cogs from last year’s list: 5) Taylor Trammell; 6) Joey Cantilllo; 8) Gabriel Arias; 9) Owen Miller after moving 3) Xavier Edwards and Luis Urias during the off-season. Trades are fun. AJ Preller is fun. The Padres are fun.

Jazz Chisholm, 2021 Fantasy Outlook

November 24, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 72 Comments

by: Grey

I was tempted to do a rookie outlook post for the entire Marlins organization. Here's me putting guys in categories in my brain: "Okay, Jesus Aguilar, you stay where you are. Everyone else take a step forward." Seeing one player with his head low, "Wait, who are you?" The player finally lifts their head, "I'm Chad Wallach, sir." "Oh, you stay with Jesus Aguilar. I think. Were you in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?" "That's Eli Wallach, sir." "Any relation?" "Not sure, but since this is your inner monologue, you could google it." "Don't talk back to me, son." So, there's a ton of Marlins prospects. Let's just run down some names: Jazz Chisholm, Monte Harrison, Sixto Sanchez, Trevor Rogers, Lewin Diaz, Edward Cabrera and Max Meyer. Already gave you a Sixto Sanchez fantasy, and I debated writing one for Edward Cabrera, but, honestly, Prospect Itch's Marlins top 10 prospects will suffice for most of these guys. Monte Harrison is interesting, but has severe strikeout tendencies, and I like Lewin Diaz, but more of an NL-Only guy, who I might rank in January, but don't think I need to talk about him for 500+ words at this point. Jazz Chisholm, though, there's still more to say, and looks to be at least be in the discussion for a starting job in April, which makes him immediately relevant. So, what can we expect from Jazz Chisholm for 2021 fantasy baseball? Psyche! My NFBC league filled, so we’ve started another league with Donkey Teeth. The slow draft starts this coming Monday, and costs $150 to join. $1,000 to the winner, $350 to 2nd place, and money back to 3rd. Also, there's a $30,000 overall prize, amongst other incentives, like razzing Donkey when he drafts Chris Sale and Noah Syndergaard. Donkey's league is just about full too, so don't wait, hesitate or any other rhyming synonym. To sign up, click this rather unwieldy link that’s under this writing. Anyway, the Jazz Chisholm 2021 fantasy:

Patreon Podcast: Tom Cruise And The Pope Walk Into A Space Bar

November 23, 2020 | All Podcasts |

by: Donkey Teeth

Razzball Patreon members receive our weekly podcast where Grey cackles about the funniest news stories we’ve found over the past week, plus you get that warm fuzzy feeling of supporting your favorite fantasy sports site in all the land. It’s your favorite hour of the week! I Can’t Believe It’s Not Not News is back again with all the Billy Hurley jokes and Grey Albright cackles you can handle. Off the top, we discuss the new Tom Cruise movie set to be filmed in space and the Pope's Instagram scandal. Later we dive in on Baby Shark torture and time travel. Tune in now for all the laughs and Albright cackles you can handle by signing up for the exclusive Razzball Patreon Club for only $5/month! Find all of this week’s hilarious stories here:

Wander Franco, 2021 Fantasy Outlook

November 23, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 72 Comments

by: Grey

Predicting rookie call-ups is a lot harder this preseason than in past, because of the previous year shizzshow. Usually a team calls up a guy in September, lets them play for a few weeks, then they appear ticketed for an April call-up in the next season. Or a guy isn't called up, but you know there will be minor league teams playing in April so you can sorta gauge whether or not a guy will be playing in April in the minors and called up by May, June or later. We might know by mid-March if there will be a minor league season, and what it will look like: Will there be Single, Double and Triple-A? Will there only be Triple-A and camp? Will there just be an alternate camp? I have no idea. I'm flying blind right now, like Howard Hughes with undiagnosed syphilis. Every time someone mentions minor league baseball, I mimic Little Carmine with, "Your minor league baseball, whatever happened there?" If there's only a Summer Camp again, Wander Franco might start the year with the Rays. If there's relatively normal minor league baseball, and we can remember what relatively normal is, Wander Franco might not be up until June. It's worth saying that I think we start the MLB season on time. So, what can we expect from Wander Franco for 2021 fantasy baseball?

Top 10 Los Angeles Dodgers Prospects for 2021 Fantasy Baseball

November 22, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 18 Comments

by: The Itch

The champions enter 2021 with more answers than questions, just as they’ve entered the past few seasons but now featuring the added benefit of some shiny new rings to verify that they are in fact the best as this game. Their minor league system, as you’d expect after such a dominant run at the top level, is a little less amazing than it’s been the past few years thanks to a flurry of graduations and the big Mookie trade. It’s still incredibly deep, but the name-value isn’t the same.

Cristian Pache, 2021 Fantasy Outlook

November 20, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 38 Comments

by: Grey

So, there was some high drama behind the scenes for this rookie outlook post. Prospect Itch does not, under any circumstances, agree with me writing or promoting Cristian Pache in any way. Thinks he's overrated and might struggle to hit .220. Others in my close orbit have no qualms with this post. Others in my close orbit include Cougs and Ted, my dog. Bless their hearts, but neither even know who Cristian Pache is, so when I asked them if I should write a post about Cristian Pache, they didn't have the deepest of insights. As you might've saw, in Itch's top 50 fantasy baseball prospects for redraft leagues (meaning: The best for 2021, and only 2021), Pache didn't even crack the top 40. So, I obviously think higher of Pache than Itch, and it's not just because I saw Pache wears a Star of David. Let's get one thing out of the way, Notacristian Pachestein, as he's commonly known amongst the Hebrews, ranks way higher on regular baseball prospect lists because his defense is a chef's kiss from the sea to shining sea. Andruw Jones just popped his head out of his mansion on the island of Curaçao, and said, "Did I time travel forward to 2020?" Jones might've, but Pache is his own man, but his defense is just as sexy. If you watched the playoffs, you saw him rob a home run with a "hop and sit down" like it was en bee dee. Defense is not a part of most people's fantasy games, but if you have anything defensive minded in one of your crazy category leagues, Pache is a top three center fielder immediately in the league, and might be the top one with opportunities. But, back to our normie leagues, where defense is ignored and is about figuring out if Itch is right to mostly ignore Pache for 2021, or if there's more here. So, what can we expect from Cristian Pache for 2021 fantasy baseball? Psyche! My NFBC league filled, so we've started another league with Donkey Teeth. It's 150 smackers to join, one thousand smackers to the winner with a thirty-thousand-smackers overall prize, and other runner-up smackers. Lots of smackers. It's a slow draft with a 2-hour clock. Should be fun and super easy to beat Donkey Teeth! To sign up, click this rather unwieldy link that's under this writing. Anyway, the Cristian Pache 2021 fantasy:

The Alternate Universe Minnesota Twins

November 19, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball | 15 Comments

by: everywhereblair

Inspired by JKJ's recent lament on the St. Louis Cardinals, combined with my First Year Player Drafts informed by The Prospect Itch and Hobbs, as well as noted scout John Sickels' "Shadow Twins" series of articles, I wanted to reveal my own mourning process for my ~~beloved~~ tolerated local sports team, the Minnesota Twins. More than just an elegy to the Midwest Monsters that could have been, the Minnesota Twins stand as an example of a team that dynasty fantasy managers might want to avoid, and the reason is rooted in the "real world" dynamics of the Twins' ownership and management over the past century.