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Despite the Internet’s best efforts, Reds SS Elly De La Cruz did not make his major league debut Tuesday night. He did, however, hit another long home run in Triple-A while the Reds won their fourth straight game. The NL Central is there for the taking. Cincinnati has a legitimate case for having the most talented roster. TJ Friedl might be headed right back to the injured list after leaving last night’s game with a tight hamstring. Friedl’s fate isn’t directly tied to Elly’s timeline by any means, but every window can be a door, right? If you’re sprightly enough? Would have to be a huge window for a guy his size. Anyway, might be today, might be tomorrow, but soon, and for a very long time, Elly De La Cruz and his cohort will make the Reds appointment viewing. 

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See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Fri 5/16
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

Well, I had a nice introductory paragraph set to go here for everyone. I really did. Then I decided to go have a peek at YouTube to find a wrestling clip to fit with our lede/title.  Lo and behold, after a bit of a slip down said YouTube rabbit hole, I managed to find the perfect (open to interpretation) analogy of Jake McCarthy’s season…

Let’s assume that Jake is the title character here and our ‘Macho Man’ is Dominic Fletcher. Please, blog, may I have some more?

The Chalk.

Is there a piece of DFS vernacular that is more ubiquitous among all the articles and streaming shows? I’m just as guilty in my work as anyone else. I went into this season thinking I was going to try to express myself avoiding common phrases like “The Chalk,” but when the article rubber meets the deadline road, sometimes convenience wins. Please, blog, may I have some more?

A.J. Smith-Shawver was called up yesterday. A.J. Smith-Shawver began pitching in 2020. You watched Tiger King; A.J. Smith-Shawver developed a 96 MPH fastball. You stuck a cotton swab up your nose; A.J. Smith-Shawver perfected an 88 MPH slider. You wiped down groceries from Door Dash; A.J. Smith-Shawver learned how to throw a 85 MPH change. You are not the same. He's 20 years old! Wanna feel old? He graduated high school in 2021. Wanna feel dumb? You went to college; he went to the majors! This is why I love the Braves. They're not afraid of promoting prospects. Take note, Reds! A.J. Smith-Shawver looks like he could surprise in the majors, like Spencer Strider did last year. Too much pressure for a prospect? Please. A.J. Smith-Shawver went up four levels this year. What do I have to show for the last two months? A bunion? A.J. Smith-Shawver is the Doogie Howser of MLB. Stop overachieving, you're making me feel bad! By the way, if the Braves get Max Fried back, their rotation will include Jew, Jew, Smith-Shuster. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Intro

As the weather warms, baseball’s top hitters are beginning to heat up. The sun’s rays may shine brightly but the Tampa Bay Rays are shining brighter. The Rays lead all teams in HR so far this summer with 101 through 2 months; that’s more than triple the last-place Guardians and nearly as much as the bottom 3 teams combined. Please, blog, may I have some more?

What’s poppin, Razzpimples? Bullpen update time!

Don’t forget, the Razzball Bullpen Chart is manned by yours truly and updated like every single second (not really, but I stay on top of thangs for the most part). And directly below, you’ll see a current look at the Top 15 RP (in both 5×5 standard leagues and 6×6  saves/holds leagues) via our Player Rater. Please, blog, may I have some more?

Grey and B_Don open the show with some discussion about the stats this year compared to previous seasons and what numbers might look like moving forward. Speaking of moving forward, Elly De La Cruz could have the Reds moving forward as they look to the future with an infield of, well, we discuss how the infield might look as the Reds actually have some interesting young pieces all around the infield. Please, blog, may I have some more?

The easiest thing you can do is put together an incredible fantasy pitching staff with only pitchers you drafted after 200 overall. It's not just in hindsight. You could've blindly grabbed guys after 200. It's easier to put together a staff after 200th overall draft than from the top 20 starters. Jon Gray? Don't mind if I do! Patrick Sandoval? Sure! Sonny Gray? Okay! Andrew Heaney? Sure, I'll take the occasional blow up! Hunter Brown? Why not? Jose Berrios? Yes. Nathan Eovaldi? Absolutely. Alex Cobb? Yes. Martin Perez? I've seen worse. Merrill Kelly? Absolutely. Marcus Stroman? He just threw one-hitter vs. the Rays and has a 2.59 ERA. (He added in 8 Ks in that one-hitter with one walk too.) Know how I chose those eleven starters after 200th overall? I went to the ADP of 200 overall and took 11 of the next 14 starters from 200 overall to 268. 11 of the 14 starters after pick 200 are doing great. 11 of 14! On the other hand, five of the top 10 starters overall are garbage! DeGrom, Nola, Woodruff, Verlander, and Sandy. Your mileage can vary with Gerrit, Burnes and Strider, but let's say they were worth it. After the top 10? The next three were Scherzer, Cease and Bieber. Wow! It makes so much sense to draft starters high I cannot take it. I am brimming with sarcasm, if you can't tell. 11 of 14 starters after 200 overall were solid; five of the top 10 are iffy at best. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
It's Memorial Day folx! In addition to your firework festivities that will surely keep my toddlers up all night, we are now 1/3 of the way through the MLB season. In fantasy terms, that's probably more like half of the season, depending on your playoff format. Especially in deeper leagues, fantasy MLB playoffs are like the NBA and NHL, where they go on for half a year. Nothing says hockey like teams from Florida, Texas, and Nevada playing in June! Just as I was writing this up, I realized the Razzball Basketball site was still churning out articles. Good job, Son! I think my RazzJam team last played in...March? ENYWHEY. I'm here for all your weird fantasy scheduling needs. Have a happy Memorial Day for you Americans, or bank holiday for you Brits, or pre-solstice preparations for all my dwellers of the night.