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The Razzball Baseball Podcast returns with our second off-season Pod recapping the big starting pitcher moves during the Winter. Winter finally got here if you live on the East Coast, sheesh what an awful weekend! Grey and his lavish SoCal lifestyle has no idea what perils exist over on this side of the world! But I huddle for warmth next to my love for Jeff Samardzija‘s new home, we discuss a great new park for Wei-Yin Chen and his value, and also break down the Justin Upton signing that went down since our last show. We also debunk a sleeper argument for a pitcher that is seemingly over the Hill. Do you get it?! You get the joke!? This is why I leave the comedy writing for Grey… Schwatev, here’s our latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast for 2016:

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2016 is here! 2016 is here! Grey and I hop, skipped, and jumped all the way into the Razzball Podcast Studio for our first Podcast of the 2016 season. Hail to the 40-win Brewers! Oh wait, I promised Grey I wouldn’t derail everything for Brewers talk, but I did it on the Pod anyway! On today’s show, we recap the biggest free agent and trade moves amongst hitters and their projected draft spots in upcoming fantasy drafts. Grey loves himself some Jason Heyward! We also talk 3B tiers and where Todd Frazier fits in, and a mutual love for a very late-round sleeper. That’s what we call a tease! Here’s our first edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast for 2016:

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Baseball is over!  Wait, um, what World Series?  My Brewers aren’t in it, so I’m not watching…  i.e. I never watch the World Series…

2015 was a very interesting year for pitchers with a lot of unique things – guys coming out of nowhere, a lot of TJ surgeries, a crazy amount of Ks…  Wait, OK, never mind, it was about the same!  Hopefully with the doldrums of winter upon us for fantasy baseball, you hopped into some fantasy basketball leagues and can join us for an indoor fantasy sport!

Recapping February ranks can be pretty eye-opening.  As in, seeing my Chris Archer rank makes me want to gouge my eye out!  Maybe that would be eye-closing then…  Anywho, for the second straight season I went through my top 100 from Spring to see what went right and what went Chien-Ming Wang.  I think I did a little better than last year, especially when you consider James Paxton was easy to drop and didn’t just pitch bad all year…

You’ll find below in this War and Peace-esque recap SP sorted by my initial SP ranks in February, Grey’s SP pre-ranks in the top-400 sortable ranks post, ESPN’s SP pre-ranks based on whenever that list came out (I tried to find their most standardized ranks), then compared them to their Razzball Player Rater finish amongst SP.  I also mention a few times my ranks edit right before the season, since it’s not really fair to grill me on Yu Darvish.  No, Yu’re injury prone!  With all those numbers thrust together to showcase best and worst calls, I review each pitcher and include which top-40 pitchers I failed to rank.  I cut it off at 40 to make me look better, there were like 7 I didn’t rank between 40-50 and I’m lazy!  Haha.  And I promise, no more hyperlinks in the open!  Here’s the recap to 2015’s starting pitching ranks:

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Through Grey and I’s manipulation of modern physics, the 2015 podcast season has finally ended for us and we’re here to wrap up the year!   We each give each other the high-pitched chuckles looking back at the Razzball Staff Picks and where we both went horribly wrong, talk a few of Grey’s Razzballies where he awarded the best and worst of 2015, then a few stat oddities amongst the league leaders.  Then the podcast goes into hibernation while Grey will be here doing what he do, and I’m over on the fantasy basketball side of things!  (Grey’s note:  Draft James Harden.  A) He looks like a black Justin Turner.  B) Without a Kardashian, he’s in store for big things or he will become a woman.  C) There’s no C.)  Here’s the latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:

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The season is over, but when you’re listening it wasn’t quite over for us!  So we still have a wrap up show on the docket, and on today’s fine programming we grace the airwaves with possible 2016 bounce backs, another edition of Higher/Lower, and players ending the year hotter than Devonta Freeman!  Wait, ummmm, no I’m not thinking about football right now!  “Say something I’m giving up on you!”  Here’s the latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:

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Sure there’s roto leagues wrapping up, some final H2H matchups, but the Pitcher Profile isn’t going to help too many owners scout for the remaining 6 days of this season.  We are doing a little more looking ahead!  Progressive scouting is my term for this edition – makes me feel all front-office-y!

So I decided to find another off-the-map “prospect” to break down – Rays maybe long-term long-relief/maybe full-time starter next year, Matt Andriese.  I know what you’re thinking…  Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!  But what really intrigued me was his AAA numbers this year.  In 12 starts (13 app.), 3-3 with a 2.35 ERA and 69 K in 65 innings.  He did have a 1.15 WHIP, but then in the deeper numbers it’s even more intriguing – 9.55:1.38 K:BB and all with a .344 BABIP, giving him – wait for it – a 1.94 FIP.  Whoa!  Given it’s a pretty small sample, but he’s been decent in 62.2 innings in the Majors as well.  I don’t really remember seeing any of those innings this year in the Majors (and I don’t think I saw him the few Durham Bulls games I’ve been to this year), so I decided to break down his spot start yesterday to see if there’s some deep league sleeper appeal for 2016:

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Every time I think of Brandon Finnegan, I envision a long-storied lineage of Irish pub purveyors.  “Have a pint, laddie!”

A very big name prospect with the Royals, the Reds hit on the luck of the Irish by dealing a really awful-looking Johnny Cueto – whose numbers are getting walloped by an ugly stick – and picking up some nice prospects with Finnegan the centerpiece.  Man, both the Reds and my Brewers got some nasty returns for vets that have been atrocious in the AL…  The NL Central is going to be unreal in a few seasons…

Back to the point!  Hell, I’m all over the place – I’m writing this open while watching football, and while taking a break from putting together basketball ranks in position tiers.  Oh yeah!  Play in an RCL Basketball League, it’s like Fantasy Baseball but without rainouts!  Yikes, get me some Adderral…

Even with all the hype, and even though he’s made a few relief appearances, I don’t think I’ve ever watched Finnegan pitch.  So I decided to break down Finnegan’s first career MLB start at the Brewers last Friday night to see if he’s worth an add over the final two weeks, and/or a buzzy sleeper pick in 2016:

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It’s never too early to start scouting sleepers (from the seashore) for 2016!  Grey and I talk some names that could be impact late-rounders in 2016 and possible dynasty pickups as we near the 2015 finish line.  We also play another round of Higher/Lower and mention a few prospects to keep an eye on.  Plus a breakdown of the league leaders in BABIP!  Grey constantly says “that seems high” which is probably a consensus review of this Podcast…  So much high-pitched cackling!  Mmmm, cracklin…  Here’s the latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:

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Unfortunately when you watch a lot of baseball, there’s guys who at the eye-level look awesome (whoa, not like that though!) that turn out to just never put forth the numbers.  You get this big lumbering Canadian, with this long but smooth delivery, hitting high-90s at times, and you get all excited and…  It turns out to be James Paxton‘s bumpy start to his career.  A few nice stretches, but very inconsistent Ks, inconsistent control, AND THE INJURIES!!  Long-term lat strain last year, he sprains both his forearms tripping in Spring Training, then sprains a finger tendon which keeps him out almost this entire season.  Hey Pax, I have a finger with a sprained tendon for ya too!

Even with all these injuries, I still think I’ll rank Paxton favorably next year…  Eesh, I just know I will…  But I did want to see his final starts of 2015 before my off-season work…  So I decided to break down his return off the DL yesterday afternoon hosting the Rockies to see if he’s worth a spot start or two for the stretch run, or will be the worst ranked pitcher yet again in my 2016 ranks:

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One is nice, two even better, but we bring the Sky in a threeway this week on the Razzball Baseball Pod!  Everyone’s favorite public health spokesman joins Grey and I for a special edition podcast where we draft the first 21 players for 2016 fantasy baseball.  Grey was an absolute boy scout with his preparedness!  Draft results can be found below, as we explain our picks and make fun of each other’s stupidity.  We also talk a few streamers than can help for the stretch run.  Here’s the latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:

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Has there been anyone more frustrating at SP than Alex Wood?

Well, sure there’s been a few – Stephen Strasburg and his myriad of minor injuries come to mind.  But for a guy drafted as an SP 3 or 4, none have seemed to toe the line of “drop or hold” as much as Wood.  Enter all the obligatory Wood euphemisms you can think of – he’s been half-mast!  He needs to bring the Viagra!  We need more swinging strikes!  Wait, well, I guess that could work both ways…

So with Wood being a wet noodle of inconsistency, I decided to watch his last start against the Padres to see if you can rely on him the rest of the season.  I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day Holiday!

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We’re back with the Razzball Baseball Pod – this week’s episode brought to you by Chris Davis‘s brand of Adderall…  On today’s show we talk Asian carnival food delights, crazy power binges at Coors Field, and play another edition of Higher/Lower.  Emphasis on higher!  We also talk some pitchers who could be late-round sleepers in 2016 and how this latest injury to Giancarlo Stanton impacts next year’s first round of fantasy drafts.  September means bring the crazy!  Here’s the latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:

Please, blog, may I have some more?