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Jakkers

Author: Jakkers

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Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen for 2021 – Week 21

August 22, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, Rest of Season Rankings, Second Basemen | 4 Comments

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In many fantasy baseball leagues, the season is winding down. The difference between making the playoffs and sitting on the sideline is going to be between which players are hot and which players are not.

As I have been doing the past month with the second baseman and shortstop rankings, I am going to highlight the players you may have a chance of adding from the waiver wire. We all know Marcus Semien and Ozzie Albies are awesome. Chris Taylor, Max Muncy, and Jose Altuve are all having great seasons as well. But we all that, and all five of those players aren’t sitting around on the waiver wire.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops for 2021 – Week 20

August 15, 2021 | Top 25 Shortstops | 4 Comments

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Last week featured the second basemen who are good additions to make right now in your drive toward the fantasy postseason. This week it is the shortstops’ turn. There are a number of players available on the waiver wire who will make great additions down the stretch on your fantasy team.

You can never have too much depth at the position. Owners of Francisco Lindor know all too well about injuries. Javier Baez is now in that same situation with back spasms. Or you can have two outstanding shortstops who are now falling “short” of expectations.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen for 2021 – Week 19

August 8, 2021 | Second Basemen | 17 Comments

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With the playoffs looming in fantasy baseball, owners are looking for those players who may be able to give them that little edge they need to secure a playoff spot or hold off an opponent. So let’s change things up a bit this week and talk about those who are not listed at the top of the rankings. We all know who the top second baseman are and they aren’t available to you unless you make a trade for them.

However, there are a handful of second basemen who are eligible on the waiver wire. A few of these players could be the key to you making the playoffs or watching the postseason from the outside. So, who are these magical players some of you should be adding to your roster?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops for 2021 – Week 18

August 1, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Top 25 Shortstops | 4 Comments

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The trade deadline is history, and what a trade deadline it was as one All-Star after another All-Star changed teams.

Two of the big names on the move were shortstops – Javier Baez and Trea Turner. Baez is now a member of the New York Mets while Turner moved west and is now with the Dodgers. How do the two trades affect fantasy owners?

Statistically, I think the move will benefit both players. Baez was already playing well over the last month. But now that he is in a race for a division title, look for him to continue his hot streak and become even more productive. This is a player who has shown in the past that he can rise to the occasion.

As for Turner, he is now in a lineup that will be loaded with players who get on base or can drive him in. When he returns from the COVID list, he will likely slot into the top of the lineup and score a ton of runs while also using his speed to steal bases to get into scoring position. But the bottom of the Los Angeles lineup gets on so much that Turner won’t suffer a drop in RBI.

Positionally, both players are going to add to their versatility, especially for next season. That will help dynasty owners. With Francisco Lindor on the shelf for possibly another month, Baez will slot in a shortstop before moving to second when Lindor gets back.

But if that return is near the end of August and closes in on the start of fantasy league playoffs, Baez may not get a lot of starts at second to help fantasy owners who could use him at second base. Turner, however, will be starting at second base as soon as he returns as Corey Seager has returned from the IL. So within a week or two, Turner will have that second position to be able to play.

Have the trades of Baez and Turner changed where they are ranked among the shortstops? Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen for 2021 – Week 17

July 25, 2021 | Second Basemen | 2 Comments

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At this point of the season, we all know who the top players are at each position. Unless you already own them are can make a trade for them, players like Marcus Semien, Jose Altuve, or Ozzie Albies won’t be helping your fantasy lineup this year.

But as we gear up for the trade deadline and the final stretch of the season, the difference between winning your league and falling short could be finding that second baseman who is underrated at the moment. Who are some of those players? One of them could be Jonathan Schoop, who is still available in 17 percent of Yahoo leagues of seven percent of Yahoo leagues. He can also provide depth at first base.

Cesar Hernandez is having a solid year for the Future Guardians of Lake Erie, um, I mean the Cleveland Indians. Despite having 16 homers and 43 RBI, he is found on only 22 percent of Yahoo rosters and 36 percent of ESPN rosters. So there are still plenty of solid options fantasy for owners in need of a second baseman or middle infielder to find and add to their rosters.

Let’s get to the rankings and find out who are some other possible players who can help your team down the stretch.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops for 2021 – Week 16

July 18, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Top 25 Shortstops |

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The All-Star break is thankfully over, allowing us to get back to watching baseball games every night. Watching the All-Star game no longer is the exciting matchup it used to be, especially with so many players opting out now. The Home Run Derby was great entertainment, but it isn’t a baseball game.

Thankfully the games are back this weekend, which means we get to watch Fernando Tatis Jr. do his thing with a smile and a lot of flash. We get to watch two outstanding players up the middle for the Toronto Blue Jays in Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette. It’s not a bad problem to have when you have two of the best three players at a position group, though that won’t be the case next season when Semien is only going to be classified as a second baseman.

With the second half of the season officially here, let’s see who is ranked where in the Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen for 2021 – Week 15

July 11, 2021 | Rest of Season Rankings, Second Basemen | 9 Comments

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With the All-Star break upon us, now is a good time to see who has been a fantasy star in the first half of the season and who has been a disappointment.

Owners of Marcus Semien, Jose Altuve, Whit Merrifield and Eduardo Escobar have to be ecstatic with the overall performance of those four players. Semien has been the top-ranked second baseman for most of the season, while Altuve and Merrifield have been in my Tier 1 rankings for more than a month. Meanwhile, Ozzie Albies has rewarded those owners who didn’t freak out by his slow start and wanted to dump him. If you are one of those owners who did dump him, you deserve to be laughed at.

Albies is now back in the Tier 1 group and playing like the top second baseman he was expected to be this season. Escobar has been a surprise this year, at least for me, as I didn’t have him ranked at the start of the year. But when you slug 20 homers and drive in 60 runs in the first half, you deserve to be ranked as a Tier 1 second baseman.

For owners of DJ LeMahieu, perhaps your patience with him is finally starting to pay off. Like Albies, LeMahieu had a horrible start to the season and dropped out of the rankings completely. LeMahieu has not had the same rapid turnaround to his season as Alibies has, but he is now ranked among the Top 25 thanks to strong 30-day stretch. Meanwhile, players like Dylan Moore and Cavan Biggio have dropped out of the rankings at some point this season and have yet to return, though Biggio has at least shown signs of life since his early slump and stint on the IL.

So, with baseball taking a rest, let’s see who is ranked where in this week’s rankings.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops for 2021 – Week 13

June 27, 2021 | Top 25 Shortstops | 10 Comments

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Around Major League Baseball, there are a host of outstanding players at every position. But the deepest position is unquestionably shortstop. Need some convincing? Eleven of the top 50 players in the Razzball Player Rater rankings or shortstops.

And these are not shortstops in the mold of Ozzie Smith or Omar Vizquel. These shortstops are in the mold of Cal Ripken Jr. and Alex Rodriguez, both the steroid and non-steroid versions. Fernando Tatis Jr. is must-watch television when he steps to the plate. Xander Bogaerts, Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette, and Carlos Correa are also must-watch television every time they are hitting.

I’m not giving anything away when I tell you they are my Tier 1 shortstops right now. As a group, they average 54 runs scored, 17 home runs, 48 RBI, and eight steals while slashing .294-.366-.553. Of the top 50 home run hitters in baseball, eight of them are shortstops. And shortstops account for nine of the top 50 RBI leaders this season. What does this have to do with fantasy rankings? Well, if you don’t have Tatis Jr. or one of the other Tier 1 shortstops, the position is so deep you can make a trade for a player from Tier 2 or 3 and still greatly improve your team.

Without wasting more of your valuable time, let’s see what the ranking order is for the Tier 1 group and the rest of the rankings for shortstops.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen for 2021 – Week 12

June 20, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Second Basemen | 4 Comments

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Before the season starts, we devour all the statistics we can about a player in order to determine where we should rank them ahead of our fantasy draft or auction.

We look at home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage. What was a player’s ISO, average exit velocity, and BABIP? How did a player hit over the final month, two months, and/or three months of the previous season? We need to know who was on the decline and who showed improvement.

Then there is a number I always look at – a player’s age, especially when it comes to dynasty leagues. In my preseason rankings, I valued a younger player more than an older player, especially for a redraft/dynasty league. But maybe it is time to put that bias aside and just go with the numbers and my gut.

Why, you may ask? Well, when it comes to the top second basemen this year, youth is being pushed aside by the veterans. Four of my top five ranked second basemen are 30 or older. Out of my top 10 players, seven of them are now in their 30s. So while I love the younger players, perhaps it is not wise to write off those aging players just yet.

So, just who are these veterans showing they can still play the game. Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops for 2021 – Week 11

June 13, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Top 25 Shortstops | 20 Comments

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Fantasy rankings are always an interesting exercise. How much do you weigh a slump at the plate? Should an injury penalize a player? The answer to that is the oh-so-great “it depends.”

Is the slump over the past week or two? If yes, then the player may drop down in the rankings a bit but he won’t disappear, especially if he is a proven veteran. If it is a month-long slump, then that player is obviously not one of the top 25 players at that time. I don’t think anyone could realistically rank Francisco Lindor as a Top 25 shortstop during the first month of the season.

Now that we are two-plus months into the season, I look at players on three levels when I consider trading for them or adding them from the waiver wire. The obvious level is what are his overall statistics. I then look at what they have done in the last 14 days and 30 days.

If I’m going to add a player to one of my dynasty teams, I want production, not just this year but for the next year or two. Thus, I’ll go even deeper into the weeds and look at their exit velocities, hard-hit percentage, and strikeout percentage and compare them to past seasons. If a player’s counting stats look nice but his overall numbers are trending down, I’m going to think twice before trading assets for him or picking up a free agent and thus have to drop one of my current players.

As for injuries, if a player is out for 10 days, I’m not going to drop him out of the rankings unless he was already near the bottom of the rankings. But if a player is out for a considerable amount of time, then that will affect where he is ranked. That is why Corey Seager is not ranked right now. In real life, he is still a top 25 shortstop. No MLB would drop Seager from their roster because he is hurt. But in fantasy baseball, Seager is not helping anyone. He has not produced for weeks and it will be weeks before he hits the field – so he is not a top 25 fantasy shortstop right now.

But there are plenty of players who are not injured and who are not slumping at the plate. Which players have moved up the rankings or entered the Top 25? Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen for 2021 – Week 10

June 6, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Second Basemen | 4 Comments

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The baseball season is now two months old, and over the first third of the season, what have I learned?

I learned that Marcus Semien was a good signing by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays didn’t care that Semien wasn’t a second baseman. All they saw was a player who finished third in the American League MVP voting in 2019 was available so they snagged him.

Meanwhile, I have also learned that I didn’t overvalue Whit Merrifield in preseason rankings as he continues to produce and steal bases, which in today’s game makes Merrifield a superstar. I learned not to underestimate Max Muncy. I had him ranked 10th in my final preseason rankings, one spot ahead of Nick Madrigal. Madrigal is nowhere to be seen in the rankings anymore while Muncy is now a Tier 1 second baseman.

Is there anything else I learned? Yep. I should have listened to my gut when it came to DJ LeMahieu. I had a debate with myself when it came to ranking him second overall because I was worried about his age. He seemed too good of a hitter for that to be a concern, but right now, I am looking really silly for ranking him that high.

Is LeMahieu still even ranked? Who has surprised this season and become a Top 10 second baseman? Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops for 2021 – Week 9

May 30, 2021 | Top 25 Shortstops | 6 Comments

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When ranking players every two weeks, you have to treat those rankings a lot like the stock market. Players are going to have hot streaks, and if you are lucky enough, you get them into the lineup and ride the wave. Of course, just like the stock market, players also suffer slumps and can devastate your lineup if they are a key part of your team.

But a good fantasy owner knows, or is lucky enough, to catch the players when his stock is going up and have enough depth to overcome a player whose stock is falling. Some players see their value drop because of injury or illness, such as Fernando Tatis Jr. A true clue chip stock, owners were obviously not going to get rid of him when his value fell. They just waited for Tatis to get healthy and watch his value rise. Right now, it is through the roof.

Players who are not Tatis are tougher to judge. Joey Wendle has taken fantasy owners on a rollercoaster ride this season. A great hot streak to start the season before turning ice cold only to turn it around at the plate. Did you catch the Wild Wendle Ride at the right time, or did you ride it too long, got off and now are wondering whether to get back on?

Let’s find out with this week’s rankings of the Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
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