2019 Draft Kit
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One Man’s Trash: Are We Healy Done With Ryon?

April 23, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, 2019 Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 7 Comments

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When acquiring players via FAAB, the mental mind f’ing is both exhilirating and annoying at the same time. Is that bid enough? I really want this player, but everyone is talking and writing about him, so the price will be high. I should probably go up a few dollars. Hmmm, maybe that’s not enough. 10? 20? Let’s see who else is likely to bid on him. Yeah, probably have to go up 50. But what if that’s too much? I could maybe get him for cheaper. Yeah, I’ll take it back down. Click. Click. Looks at bid. Click click down. I don’t want to end on a whole number though. Click. Click. I always end on 3 or 7. Click. Click. Oh, F it. Click Click Clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick up. YOLO! This happens for in-demand players who are hot or have massive potential. Ryon Healy, on the other hand, is not hot and doesn’t have game-winning potential. In fact, he’s been dropped in 10.2% of ESPN leagues, to bring his ownership down to 52.2%. He’s been so bad that ESPN doesn’t even bother fixing the discrepancy in batting average on his player page and team starting lineup page. “Don’t sweat it, Tim. No need to fix. Who is going to be searching for Ryon Healy anyways?” Healy was smoking hot to start the season, as he hit two home runs in Japan and opened on a six-game hitting streak. Once the calendar flipped to April, outside of two games, it’s been a barren wasteland. Are we Healy done with Ryon?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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MattTruss

RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 3

April 23, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 22 Comments

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Rudy and his robots are on vacation this week, which means we won’t have the usual weekly Razzball Commenter Leagues data to go over this week.  Do androids dream of electric beach? I can (and will!) still recap the ‘Perts League and we’ll go over the trades from the week. Next week, we’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming.  In the meantime I thought I’d toss out a friendly reminder about pacing yourself. No, this is not advice for becoming a competitive eater so put away the Sam’s Club industrial jug of mayonnaise.  This is about pacing your innings pitched. Some simple math tells us there are 25 weeks in the season and we need to get to 1400 IP. That means you should be looking at about 56 innings pitched per week in order to stay on track.  In other words, you should be sitting at about 170 IP as of this writing. FanTrax does offer you a glimpse of your current pace if you click the Min/Max button on your team screen. I’m not sure I trust their math though. I followed that calculation last year and with about a month and a half to go had to stream my arse off in just about every league to catch up.  I’m not sure where the breakdown was, but I’m doing my own tracking this season. With any luck, you’re reading this early enough this season that you won’t fall into the same trap.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Ralph Lifshitz

Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Week Four: Slumps And Buy Lows

April 23, 2019 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast | Leave a comment

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Sometimes you wake up, and everything is perfect. Other times you wake up and Kris Bryant is awful, Jesus Aguilar has less homers than Jarrod Dyson, and all of your pitching sucks. Has 2019 been a bad dream? Will it ever end? The Fantasy Master Lothario and myself answer these questions and more as we look under the hood of some under-performing stars. Don’t be scared, it’s the latest episode of the Razzball Podcast!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
TroyKlauder

FanDuel: We’re Having A Fire Sale

April 23, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, FanDuel | Leave a comment

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It has not been a fun ride for Chris Sale ($8,400) owners, but it was encouraging that he was able to average 95 mph on his fastball last time out. This could be the start that Sale finally turns things around, as he faces an abysmal Tigers lineup that has just a .256 wOBA versus left-handed pitching, the lowest mark in all of baseball. Sale is still a risky play, so I’d try to avoid him in cash games, but there’s a ton of profit to be made in GPP contests at this price.

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!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

A Polanco Walks Into A Lineup…

April 23, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 398 Comments

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*wavy lines indicating a dream sequence*  It’s the winter of 2019.  And I’m wearing pants.  Okay, that’s not realistic, but it’s a dream sequence, so I’m going to go with it!  Crap, I have to do my rankings.  Quick, rank Gregory Polanco in the top 40 outfielders overall, because you like how he hit more fly balls last year than previous years and think 23 homers is repeatable with maybe more.  Also, he’s got some 10-15 steal-speed!  But, since this is a very realistic dream other than the whole pants thing, someone, who you can’t remember now, told you Polanco won’t be back until June.  Better check the news reports, even though that’s rather boring for a dream sequence.  Yup, Polanco’s not due back until June.  Frantically, by any man’s measure but calmly by yours, move Polanco all the way down so you’ll never draft him.  Now fall into a kiddie pool so you wake to think you had a wet dream.  *wavy lines*  Whoa, that dream was crazy in its mundaneness!   So, here we are on April 23rd and Grey doesn’t freakin’ own Polanco because reports in March were saying he wouldn’t be back until a much later date.  *bites stress doll’s head off*  I’m good.  Thanks.  Yes, I would own Polanco in every league; he can be a top 40 outfielder.  Yesterday, he went 2-for-4, 2 runs, which was better than Jesus Aguilar’s entire season.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Donkey Teeth

Top 100 Starting Pitchers, Week 4: Frankie Montaszuma’s Revenge

April 22, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Top 100 Starting Pitchers | 94 Comments

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Not Your Grandfather’s Top 100 Starting Pitchers…

Back when I was just a young Jack, Grandpa-Donk would regale all us little Donks with tales of his extensive world travels. The old donk especially enjoyed visiting Mexico. On his first venture down south of the border, gramps experienced the full wrath of Montezuma’s Revenge. His exact words, “Coming out both ends for days”. But somehow, after that maiden voyage to the other side of the Rio Grande, G-Donk never again suffered the Hispanic Hershey Squirts.

This reminds me of the curious case of Francellis “Frankie” Montas. Last year Montas started 11 games from the end of May thru October. After posting three quality starts in his first three outings, Montaszuma’s Revenge hit abruptly, as Frankie managed only 2 quality starts over the course of his next eight outings. The Runs were plentiful, if you know what I’m saying.

This season Montas has come out with some solid logs. Game logs, I mean. Thru his first four 2019 starts, the one named Francellis has thrown 23 1/3 IP, boasting three quality starts, a 2.70 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, an increased K rate, decreased walk rate, and loads of fiber in his diet. One cause for optimism this go round, is the addition of a nasty splitter to his repertoire this year which opponents are batting a measly .143 against. The splitter complements an elite fastball which is up almost one full mile per hour from last season, now sitting at an average velocity of 96.6 mph, along with an above average slider. Mr. Montaszuma has also been getting ahead of hitters often in the early going with a lofty 63% first pitch strike rate. Make sure Montas isn’t available in your league, I can wait.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
wander34

FanDuel: Everything is on (Chris) Sale

April 22, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, FanDuel | Leave a comment

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Monday’s 10 game slate lack’s a sure thing starting pitcher. But with Chris Sale priced way down ($8,400), it sure is tough to look past the scissor-wielding ace of the Boston Red Sox. This may be more of a GPP play than cash one given his recent performance. But at his price, FanDuel is begging us to play Sale. Not only did the southpaw see his velocity return in his last start, but this is also a great matchup for the Red Sox starter. The Tigers’ have putrid numbers against lefties in 2019, and are found near the bottom of the league in all relevant offensive stats. They own a .086 ISO, .200 BAA and a 25.6% K-rate against left-handed pitching in 2019. And Vegas agrees as Boston opened up as the biggest favorites on the slate at -230, and the Tigers’ over/under run total at just three.  His suppressed price tag should allow for you to get some Coors’ exposure, as well as take advantage of the other prime matchups listed below.

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!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Tucker: The Man And His Dreamy Speed

April 22, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 770 Comments

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If you said you loved Kevin Kline in the role of Cole Tucker, you wouldn’t be wrong.  What can’t Kevin Kline do?  Yo, Kevin Kline, wanna be my father?  “Sir, this is a Cheesecake Factory and that’s James, our short-order cook, not Kevin Kline.”  I’m crazy for rookie bats.  As crazy as I am for rookie bats, I’m tepid on rookie arms.  I don’t dislike them, but roofies are real and dangerous.  Rookie bats, however…*places nose right above a stick of butter, inhales deeply*  So, the Pirates called up Cole Tucker.  He’s the sexiest Pittsburgh shortstop since….uh Jack Wilson wasn’t very sexy…uh…Jordy Mercer God no…Erik Gonzalez bleh…Arky Vaughan!  Arky took no crap, quitting for three years at one point because he got sore at Leo Durocher for talking to the press about a teammate.  And Arky still made the Hall of Fame!  Of course, he had to wait 33 years after his death.  Any hoo!  Besides Cole Tucker sounding like he wears Vineyard Vines, what do we know about Tucker?  He has 30-steal speed.  Love that.  Where else are we finding that?  That alone is reason to grab him in every league.  Yes, every league.  Next up, he made swing adjustments and is more a 17-homer hitter than the under-5 homer guy he showed before this year.  In 18 spring at-bats, he hit two homers.  In 57 Triple-A at-bats, he hit three homers.  In his first career at-bat with the Pirates, he homered.  For power, I’m going to start saying Triple-A is samesies with the majors.  We’ll see if my new approach pans out!  So, 17/30/.250 while also taking a walk?  I told you every league.  The Ghost of Arky Vaughan can eat a D!  (If the site suddenly goes down for three years, we know why.)  Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Kerry Klug

Top 100 Hitters, Week 4: Jose Ramirez Watch

April 21, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Top 100 Hitters | 39 Comments

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I’m starting a new feature for this column — Jose Ramirez Watch! The mood is tense! No one is losing more value than Ramirez right now. In a lot of leagues he was a top-10 pick and right now he isn’t even justifying a top-100 pick. It’s still early for him — but his owners have to be disappointed.

Last Week: 14 | This Week: 25

Last 7 days: 5/22, 6 runs, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB, 227 AVG

Another disappointing week for J-Ram, however, it is better than the previous week when he went 2 for 25. Baby steps? Here’s what I said to a commenter in last week’s top 100 column:

“JRam wasn’t hitting over .250 until April 24th last year.He’s got a higher hard contact rate so far this season (yay!) but also a higher soft contact rate (boo!) His BABIP is only .167 after last year’s 252. I’d obviously hold and wait until May 1. I think he’ll be fine — not 2018 foooiinnneee — but 2019 fine.”

Let’s see where his average sits later this week…

Please, blog, may I have some more?