We're all enthralled by the likes of Elijah Greene and Termarr Johnson, but who is best-positioned to be the first college prospect off the board in the 2022 MLB Draft? 2022 will be nothing like 2020 in terms of the college arms that come off the board, but could the top-five collegiate prospects ALL be position players next year? That's the way I have it drawn up as of right now, with Florida's Hunter Barco, Arkansas' Peyton Pallette and Alabama's Connor Prielipp representing the arms most likely to break into the top five. But for now, it's all bats -- and as always, I have some bold opinions in my prospect rankings. So let's get to 'em.
Wait another former Cardinals prospect is tearing it up with a team that isn't the Cardinals? No way, that's never happened before, or even over and over again over the last few seasons. We're of course discussing Patrick Wisdom. It's gotta sting that he ended up with the Cubs, no? This run doesn't even make sense. So Grey and yours truly talk about it, we mix in some talk of Starling Marte's unbelievable season and a handful of names to grab over the final month. It's the latest Razzball podcast!
As the air starts to turn a bit cooler, the calendar flips to September and a large group of fantasy baseballers turn their attention to fantasy football. Go ahead, wave at Donkey Teeth. There are only five weeks left in the fantasy baseball season but what an important five weeks they are. As the rest of your league checks out to go play the fantasy sport that requires only one day per week of roster setting (or as I like to refer to it, chess vs. checkers) the true competitors remain to grind it out for Razzball Commenter League glory. Right now only a few points separate the top teams in the Master Standings, so we should be in for a heck of a finish. This week, we’ll take a look at the year-long RCL records and what teams have a shot at setting new ones. Does your team have a shot at the RCL record books? Find out this and more in the week that was, week 21:
The thing about the future? It's unknowable. Some things we can know with pretty good certainty, like the weather. You can see a hurricane forming because it's the size of a small country, but you still can't predict with utter precision where it will make landfall because the air masses over the continent are different than those over the ocean. Basically, ya gotta wait until
go time to see what happens. The same thing applies to baseball, only on a much more volatile scale. Players have a certain trajectory, but sometimes they do things to intervene in that trajectory: they train in a different way, they find the right coach, or they eliminate parts of their game entirely (see Ray, Robbie). With that, we highlight Schmohawk of the Year, Teoscar Hernandez, who could finish with a 30/10 season with 100 RBIs. Even the baseball card lovers like that stat line! Teoscar Hernandez has a ridiculous split in his favor today: a .400 wOBA home/away, a .480 split vs hand, and a .400 ISO vs lefties like Brady Aikin. Let's hop into our DFS picks for today:
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!
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The power-hitting catcher prospect,
Keibert Ruiz (1-for-4), was recalled to step behind the plate, and yesterday his job was to catch another former Dodger, Josiah Gray. Call them the Nots. The Notionals? No, what's that? Some kind of potion? Nots is short for the Not Dodgers. From the Freeway to the Beltway. Keibert Ruiz is gonna have a new way of life to learn. Los Angeles has a bunch of people who exaggerate everything and you can't tell what to believe. Phonies, all of them! Luckily, he's now in Washington, D.C. where there's nothing but salt-of-the-earth brokers of honesty. So, I talked to Prospect Itch on the phone yesterday, and the conversation ended with him saying, "I'm outside your house with a sledgehammer," but prior to that he said he thinks Ruiz has changed dramatically since his last big
top 100 fantasy baseball prospects update and he likes Ruiz way more now. He's found more power. Ruiz, not Itch. I hope. Could see grabbing him in a few places if you need power. Still Ruiz, not Itch. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Having been gone for a goodly amount of time, I return refreshed and tickled pink into the loving arms of Razzball. I have some new categories, as I’ve decided that limiting things is too...erm...limiting? Know that I’ll still list my glossary of category titles, because it’s right below this section, so I’m not sure why I’m reassuring you of something that is incredibly obvious. Know that I recognize the profound redundancy, however, I follow a version of Radical Truth that allows me the freedom to make mistakes and immediately reflect on the different species of humiliation I endure publicly upon their consumption. There’s a reason you can almost spell “mutilation” from the letters in “humiliation.” Mostly it’s to make your partner curse to themself while not quite having the right letter combos in Spelltower.
Fantasy playoffs! I don't kink shame here. If you're Googling "MLB Playoff Fan Fiction," that's your thing. My thing? Ranking pitchers in a giant table. We're down to the last month of the MLB regular season -- and many fantasy leagues are in the playoffs already -- so you'll want to start
any hot hand you think will help your team. Within reason, of course. We're going to see a lot of rookie starters called up, and even with their immense hype (see Cabrera, Edward), they can still put up lackluster performances that don't really help your cause. As always, consult Rudy's
Streamonator Tools (and if you're not subscribed, where have you been? Jump in and support us!) and check-in with the writers throughout the week. We're here to help!
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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. First up, a zoo is now caging humans for lions' viewing pleasure. Then, a man's attempt to rob a bank using a handwritten note, fails due to his poor penmanship. Finally, Disney is finally channeling
West World and bringing in some murder robots.
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Imagine: in 5 years, when we're on the Zeta variant of the coronavirus and our rivers are filled with sand and fire, Robbie Ray finishes the 2026 baseball season with his record-breaking 5th consecutive Cy Young. Razzball -- now known as Razzbot -- will be delivered straight to your brain via Google Glasses, which will no longer be illegal or creepy. In fact, you'll be watching Robbie Ray's tight sliders on those glasses every day because MLB will have partnered with Google to make all other television options obsolete. And you thought baseball was boring! But for today, let's focus on the present and see who we're watching on TV today.
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!
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Go ahead, Mr. Wendle! Mr. Wendle, yeah! Lord, Mr. Wendle! If you didn’t know I was quoting Arrested Development, you’d think I was fornicating with someone named Mr. Wendle. You know Mr. Wendle is no bum. By the way, is it in poor taste to hand out B.U.M. equipment sweatshirts at a homeless shelter? Ya know what, prolly better you don't answer. Yesterday, Joey Wendle (3-for-4, 6 RBIs) hit his 8th and 9th homer, about two weeks after I told you to drop him. Oopsie! Much more egregiously is the A's and Rays screwed over Wendle so bad that he won't be a free agent for the first time until he's 34 years old. What a s'Wendle! Any hoo! Also, in this game, Austin Meadows (1-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) hit his 22nd homer as he makes a case for himself in my fantasy team with Audrey and Jayne. Um, my Meadows fantasy team. Then, Jordan Luplow (2-for-4, 2 runs) hit his 8th homer, and I didn't know what MLB team he was on, and I'm not even sure Jordan Luplow knew. Over on the O's making the O face was Jorge Mateo (1-for-5, 2 RBIs) who hit his 3rd homer, and is hitting around .350 since his trade from the Padres to the O's. With his 50-steal speed, he's angling himself for a 2022 sleeper. For this year, I'd absolutely grab him but for SAGNOF; power has a face, and it's not his. Finally, Cedric Mullins (2-for-5, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) and Ryan Mountcastle (4-for-5, 3 runs) both hit their 24th homer. Not at the same time, that's not allowed. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
Welcome to another week of two-start pitchers sports fans. The fantasy playoffs are right in front of us, so it's time to hunker down and put our best lineups out there. With that said, a few MLB notes to get to. The Yankees winning streak finally ended, courtesy of the A's. The Yanks also in turn ended the Braves win streak earlier in the week with a series sweep on them. Also, the Pitcher Shohei Ohtani became the first Angels player in their history to record 40 Home Runs and 20 Stolen Bases in the same season. A feat that will most likely solidify his chances to win the AL MVP. I still hold out hope for Vladdy personally. Let's move to the injury news.
Injury-related news this week is scarce, but there are a few things happening so let's talk about them. Dakota Hudson pitched a rehab appearance for the Cardinals Single-A affiliate. He's been out since last September with Tommy John Surgery, monitor him, as he could be an interesting waiver pickup for teams deep in the playoffs this year. Clayton Kershaw threw a bullpen session, his return is not yet clear. Corey Kluber is set to start Monday after missing the last couple of months. Freddy Peralta could return to the Brewers rotations as soon as September 3rd according to sources. And lastly, Kenta Maeda will have season-ending elbow surgery and Tommy John is not out of the question. That's the injury news now let's get to the rankings.
