Jakkers

Author: Jakkers

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Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Bohm, Gorman And Meadows

April 1, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, fantasy baseball keepers, Keeper Leagues | Leave a comment

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Finally, after months of waiting, the regular season is here. The pomp and circumstance of Opening Day on Thursday has come and gone, but we now have months and months remaining of the best game on Earth!

That means we have months and months to discuss who may or may not be some of the best dynasty keepers. This week, I am spotlighting three players who I actually think are all solid dynasty keepers but at varying levels of success.

The Players

The three players under the spotlight this week are Austin Meadows, Alex Bohm and Nolan Gorman.

Meadows was drafted 9th overall in the 2013 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was a top 100 prospects every year he was in the minors. He was first ranked 45th in 2014 by MLB.com, 49th by Baseball America and 89th by Baseball Prospectus. He eventually rose as high as 6th by BA, 10th by MLB and 6th by BP in 2017 before finally making his debut in 2018 with the Pirates.

Bohm was a standout at Wichita State University, leading the Phillies to select him with the third overall pick in 2018. With the Shockers, Bohm hit .317/.393/.548 with 33 homers and 125 RBI in 166 games over three seasons. By 2020, he was ranked as the 28th best prospect by BA, 20th by MLB and 40th by BP.

Gorman is the youngest of this group, entering the season as a 23-year-old. Like Meadows and Bohm, he was a first-round selection as the Cardinals drafted him with the 19th pick in the 2018 draft.

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Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers: It’s Twins, Or Really Triplets!

March 25, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 12 Comments

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With the regular season just around the corner, dynasty league players all over the place are looking for dudes that may have been overlooked in drafts but have great upside or can fill a need. In leagues with only 25 or 30 man rosters, this is a little harder to do. But if you are in leagues with 40-man rosters, stashing a player or two is a little easier to do.

But who do you stash?

Do you look for players who can help you immediately? Do you try to get a player who is still in the minors but is knocking on the door? And a third option is do you snag a young, injured player with great upside? The Twins have three players who address each question in Nick Gordon, Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis.

Gordon can help immediately as he is healthy and is battling to be the Opening Day starter at second as Jorge Polanco is not being ready to play as he recovers from a knee injury suffered last season. Julien is the minor leaguer who is knocking on the door and Lewis is the injured player with great upside.

Think About the Future

Jorge Polanco is not the answer at second base for the Twins in the near or distant future. His power decline last season compared to 2021 is likely not a blip as the juiced balls in 2021 played a large part in his power production. Additionally, Gordon, Lewis and Julien are all younger than Polanco, and one of them will be taking over the job at second base soon – but who will it be?

Let’s take a look at all three players.

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Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers: A Royal And Two Snakes

March 18, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 6 Comments

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Whether you are a long-time dynasty player or new to the format, it is not too hard to figure out the top players. Everyone will be after those players and you should be able to get your fair share of them.

But the difference between winning and losing is finding the players in the late rounds or off the waiver wire who may have a breakout season. While the baseball season only weeks away, dynasty league owners are gearing up for their drafts or scouring the waiver wire to find possible hidden gems.

The Case

Today we are going to look at three players who could provide a spark to your pitching staff. One of the players in Kansas City Royals starter Brady Singer while the other two – Drey Jameson and Ryne Nelson – are battling for a spot in the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation. Nelson enters the season as the 8th-ranked prospect in the Arizona system while Jameson is ranked 9th.

Singer is the more established player as he is entering his fourth season with the Royals and is coming off a solid season. In fact, he is currently rostered in 85 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.

Jameson and Nelson, however, are basically being ignored by fantasy owners. Jameson is rostered in only 0.8% of ESPN leagues and 5% of Yahoo leagues and Nelson is rostered in 0.5% of ESPN leagues and 2% of Yahoo leagues. Arizona selected both Jameson and Nelson in the 2019 draft, nabbing Jameson out of Ball State in the first round and Nelson out of Oregon State one round later.

Let’s take a look at the three pitchers.

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Jakkers

2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: Top 200

March 11, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Keeper Leagues | 24 Comments

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If you are starting a team in a new dynasty league, take a look at the position breakdown of the top 200 players, using the main position for utility players except for one, who plays basically any position in the field.

What quickly jumps out is the lack of depth at second base and third base. The second and third base positions alone add up to only one more Top 100 player than the shortstop position. There are some great players at those two positions, but the overall quality lacks compared to shortstop or first base.

When it comes to catchers and relief pitchers, I can tell you right now that there are few of them ranked. There are a lot of good catchers, but many of them will get only 110 or so starts or they are getting up in age, making them less than desired dynasty options.

As for the relivers, I never chase saves (or holds if your league has them). How many players dread chasing Aroldis Chapman last year or a host of other top closers? Meanwhile, five new closer will come out the woodwork this year that you can get in the middle of the season.

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Jakkers

2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: Players 25-1

March 4, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 24 Comments

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After seven weeks of highlighting the top 175 dynasty players, we are finally at the finish line of the 2023 Dynasty Rankings. Today is Christmas and Opening Day merged into one fantastical moment as the final 25 players – the Tier 1 group – are unveiled.

What You Won’t See

When selecting from the top dynasty players, I lean heavily towards hitters. So, in this tier, there are only three pitchers, four if you count an athlete who is out of this world.

You also are going to see a lot of players aged 30 or younger. Of the 25 players in this tier, only two players are older than 30. It’s pretty obvious why, but in case you need it explained – you want the top players for as long as possible, so youth is the obvious choice when building a dynasty team.

What You Will See

While Tier 2 features nine middle infielders, this tier is heavy on outfielders – 10 to be exact. These players don’t just hit homers or for average or just steal bases. These are the five- and four-tool players that lead dynasty teams to championships.

And if you have been asking yourself where the top corner infielders have been during the countdown, well they are here as nine corner infielders grace this tier.

With that said, let’s get on with the 2023 Dynasty Rankings: Players 25-1.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: Players 50-26

February 25, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 2 Comments

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Welcome back to another week of the 2023 Dynasty Rankings. We have turned the corner and we are now racing down the home stretch as the focus this week is on players 50-26 – my Tier 2 group.

This tier is pretty diverse when it comes to the ages of the players and the percentage of pitchers appearing in this tier may surprise you. As you probably know by now, I like hitters more than pitchers.

However, in this tier, I have 10 pitchers. Why are 40 percent of the players in this tier pitchers?

Well, the answer is pretty simple. I don’t trust young pitchers nearly as much as I trust veteran pitchers or even young hitters. When starting a team in a new dynasty league or trying to fill holes in my current dynasty leagues, while I won’t chase pitching, I will look to take a top veteran pitcher over the stud rookie hurler.

Pitching Experience over Youth

As a whole, the pitcher in his mid- to late-20s, or even early 30s, has established his track record compared to a 23-year-old. That young pitcher could be great, but he can also take three to four years to get to that level of greatness, especially with so many major league teams now limiting the number of innings a young pitcher will throw in a season.

I don’t want to reach the playoffs only to have a host of pitchers shut down because they reached an arbitrary innings limit. Thus, of the 10 pitchers you will find in this tier, seven of them are between the ages of 25 and 30. Two are over 30 and one is 24.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 75-51

February 18, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Keeper Leagues | 4 Comments

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What a great Valentine’s Day.

Yeah, I had a nice date night with the wife, but more importantly, pitchers and catchers in Arizona and Florida are reporting for Spring Training! Baseball is officially back.

And you know what else is back? Another edition of the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings. This week we dive into my Tier 3 players – numbers 75 to 51 on the overall list.

Young Over Old, Position Players Over Pitchers

As we count down and get closer to the final tier of players, the number of pitchers and players older than 30 will be getting smaller and smaller. This goes back to my original rules concerning dynasty leagues:

Young over old
I’m always thinking five years down the road. 
Hitter over Pitcher
Since the introduction of the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, 113 hitters have been awarded the Rookie of the Year compared to 39 pitchers. In this century alone, 33 hitters have been named ROY to 13 pitchers. Young hitters perform better than young pitchers, and veteran hitters are more consistent than veteran pitchers.

In this tier, only seven of the players are pitchers, and four of those appear in the first group. While there are five players who are 30-years-old or older, there are eight players who are 25 or younger. This is a ranking for dynasty leagues, so it only makes sense for the older players to be pushed aside for the younger players with more upside and more years ahead of them to help you win.

Building With Athletes

This tier is also heavy on athletic players. The masher who plays first or third is great to have, but let’s face it, those two positions, as a whole, do not deliver everything you need to win. Speed is always good to have as well as players who can simply get on base. The players who often do that the best are outfielders and middle infielders.

So, if you have been wondering where some of the top outfielders and middle infielders have been, you are going to love this tier as there are six outfielders and seven middle infielders. And you can probably guess that the next two tiers will be heavy on these two groups of players as well.

But for now, let’s concentrate on this week’s 2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: Players 75-51

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Jakkers

2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 100-76

February 11, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 4 Comments

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Well, we have made it through the first 100 players in this year’s 2023 Dynasty Rankings. Now, just another 100 more players to go.

This week rankings feature players ranked numbers 100 to 76 – or my Tier 4 players. This group of 25 players features only eight pitchers, seven of which are starters. The group also skews to the under-30 crowd as only 10 of the players in this tier are 30 or over.

Season Slowing Inching Closer

Next week the start of Spring Training is here, which means the real season is just around the corner. But until then, the next month will be about you creating a new team (or teams) in dynasty baseball leagues are continuing to tweak your current team(s).

No matter what you are looking forward to – Spring Training, the regular season, drafts or everything – it is a great time of the year. And since we can’t get enough rankings, let’s get to this edition of the 2023 Dynasty Rankings: 100-76.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Keepers – 125-101

February 4, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Keeper Leagues | 3 Comments

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Welcome back to the 2023 Dynasty Keepers. This week we will look at my Tier 5 group – players 125 to 101.

When it comes to putting together your dynasty team, you have to try to stick to your formula as much as possible. I’ve discussed my approach to how I build my dynasty teams, but here is a quick reminder:

Young over old.
Draft the hitter over the pitcher.
Draft the starting pitcher ahead of the closer
Trust your gut

Heading into a draft, figure out what your approach is going to be then stick with it as much as possible. Yes, there are times when you need to be flexible, but in the end just go with your gut instinct. You formulated a plan, so trust your plan and don’t make a panic pick because there is a run at a position,

If your plan is to build a team heavy on relatively unknown but high-ceiling players, then go for it. As the season progresses and you need to fill holes, you can always flip a young player and/or prospects (if you have a league with prospect rosters) for a key veteran.

You want to win right away? Then go heavy with proven veteran players, with the risk that many other teams are filling their rosters with younger players who can be core players for years to come. Three years from now your old players may start their decline and then you’re headed for a rebuild.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 150-126

January 28, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 5 Comments

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As I was compiling the 2023 Dynasty Rankings: 150-126 this week, the song “The Final Countdown” popped into my head. Then I told myself that, thankfully, this is only third installment of the 2023 Dynasty Rankings!

This week the focus is on the Tier 6 players, a group of players that features a few more established players.

There are nine players listed between the ages of 26-29 and six who are 30 or over. While I love to hoard the younger players as much as possible, a dynasty team still needs some solid veteran players.

Pitchers and Corner Infielders

This tier is also heavy on pitchers and corner infielders. Listed are seven starting pitchers and one closer in addition to seven players who can play first or third base. When it comes to the corner infielders, it just shows how interchangeable the players are once you get past the top five at those positions.

Let’s get to the Rankings!

Enough of the small talk. It’s time to take a look at the 2023 Dynasty Rankings: 150-126.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 175-151

January 21, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 5 Comments

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Welcome back to another week of the 2023 Dynasty Rankings. After looking at players in Tier 8, this week the focus is on Tier 7 players – numbers 175-151 overall.

As far as advice on how I approach building a team in dynasty leagues, well, nothing has changed since last week. So there is no need to go over that. If you missed last week’s rankings, just go to the bottom of this wonderful list and click on the link. And like magic you will be transported back to the past!

Like Players over 30?

I’ll give you a quick rundown of this week’s rankings. First, you are not going to find very many players who are over 30. In fact, only four players who are 30 or older are ranked in this tier. On the flips side, there isn’t an overabundance of players who are under 25. In fact, there are only four of those players.

These players have great upside but haven’t found their stride or have barely any time in the majors.

So, hope you like the Mid-20s

So what you will find is a strong group of players who are between 25-29, the players who can break out and become stars or simply be solid glue guys who help your team win because they provide solid stats across the board.

Everyone wants the star players, but more often than not, the team that has best depth is the team that wins a league championship.

Now, enough with the lovely banter. Let’s dig in and look at the 2023 Dynasty Rankings: 175-151.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

2023 Dynasty Rankings: 200-176

January 14, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 15 Comments

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The start of the 2023 baseball season is just weeks away, but here at Razzball it is always baseball season. To get you ready to go for the upcoming year, here is the first installment of the 2023 Dynasty Rankings.

When it comes to dynasty rankings, you have to look at a little of this, some of that, and can’t forget about the other. You want a team that can contend for years, so do you look only at age? If you do that, it may compromise your team’s performance?

When evaluating players for dynasty leagues, the formula for success thus consists of many factors. It’s a dash of gut instinct mixed in with past experience and a whole lot of what the eye sees. You know a good player when you see him. But you can’t just go with the best player on the board.

The Rules (or at least guidelines)

That said, there are some basic rules I try to follow as much as possible:

Young over old
I’m always thinking five years down the road. Justin Verlander is great to have on your team this year, but what about next year and certainly in 2024? You will need veteran players, but you don’t want a whole team of veteran players.
Hitter over Pitcher
Since the introduction of the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, 113 hitters have been awarded the Rookie of the Year compared to 39 pitchers. In this century alone, 33 hitters have been named ROY to 13 pitchers. Young hitters perform better than young pitchers, and veteran hitters are more consistent than veteran pitchers.
Starting Pitcher over Reliever
This is pretty easy to understand why. For the most part, you know what you are going to get from starters. As a group, relievers are so up-and-down it is maddening. Need an example? Aroldis Chapman. Need another? Josh Hader.
But, what about…

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