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The Itch

Author: The Itch

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The Itch

Top 50 Dynasty Outfielders for 2021 Fantasy Baseball

April 19, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 51 Comments

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I’ve been dreading this next stretch for a hot minute.

Well–not “dreading” dreading. That word doesn’t fit many contexts now the world is experiencing existential dread on a daily basis.

But the faux fear is realish enough that my point stands: infield feels like pretty solid ground for fantasy baseball purposes. Pretty much every league uses a catcher, shortstop and first, second and third basemen. Some use one catcher, some use middle and corner infielders, some use an IF spot, but the needs across leagues, and the depth of each position, are fairly standard. 

Outfield and Pitcher feel like the dark arts. Snape describes them to Harry in book six, and Harry describes them to Dumbledore’s Army in book five, as a constantly shapeshifting, infinite battle for which there is no measure of readiness that reaches the level of being “prepared.” 

You do the best you can and react when the world changes. 

So that’s my task here, starting with the sequencing of the top 50 outfielders for 2021 dynasty baseball. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Top 100 Dynasty Shortstops for 2021 Fantasy Baseball: Behind the Scenes

April 15, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 7 Comments

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On a recent spring afternoon, I hopped a DeLorean to go back to the future and discuss the top 100 prospects for 2021.

Then I built a quantum computer to predict next year’s dynasty landscape around the infield.

Catcher

First Base

Second Base

Third Base

Today, I’ll post my updated shortstop list, share my thoughts on the process and synthesize conversations we had this week about the position’s future.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Top 100 Dynasty Shortstops for 2021 Fantasy Baseball

April 12, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 40 Comments

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On a recent spring afternoon, I programmed a quantum computer to construct an infinite number of realities to discover the top 100 prospects for 2021.

Then we explored next year’s dynasty landscape at catcher, first base and second base. 

Today, we’ll stay on that Devs-powered theme and continue our position-by-position focus by zooming in on third base.

Something I’d like to try this week = two posts about the position. This first draft can spark conversations throughout the week, and the next one will bring an updated list and a behind-the-scenes look at the process. 

I think forecasting the future could be more fun for everyone this way. Our updated versions have been better than the one first sent to print because many minds are better than one for most things in life and especially for a project this fluid, speculative and sizable.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Dynasty 3B Rankings for 2021 Fantasy Baseball: Behind the Scenes

April 8, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 24 Comments

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On a recent spring afternoon, I hopped a DeLorean to go back to the future and discuss the top 100 prospects for 2021.

Then we explored next year’s dynasty landscape at catcher, first base and second base. 

Today, I’ll post my updated list, share my thoughts on the process and synthesize conversations we had this week about my initial rankings for third base in 2021 dynasty leagues. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Dynasty Third Base Rankings for 2021 Fantasy Baseball

April 5, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 54 Comments

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On a recent spring afternoon, I hopped a DeLorean to go back to the future and discuss the top 100 prospects for 2021.

Then we explored next year’s dynasty landscape at  catcher, first base and second base. 

Today, we’ll stay on that future theme, continuing our position-by-position focus by zooming in on third base.

Something I’d like to try this week = two posts about the position. This first one can spark the conversations we might have throughout the week, and the next one will bring an updated list and a behind-the-scenes look at the process. 

One reason is I think it could be more fun for everyone this way. Another is my on-going/updated versions have been better than the one first sent to print. Many minds > one, for most things in life, and especially for a project this fluid, speculative and sizable.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Dynasty Second Base Rankings for 2021 Fantasy Baseball

April 1, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 40 Comments

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On a recent spring afternoon, I hopped a DeLorean to go back to the future and discuss the top 100 prospects for 2021.

Then we explored next year’s dynasty landscape at catcher and first base.

Today, we’ll stay on that future theme, continuing our position-by-position focus by zooming in on second base.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Dynasty First Base Rankings for 2021 Fantasy Baseball

March 29, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 15 Comments

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On a recent spring afternoon, I hopped a DeLorean to go back to the future and discuss the top 100 prospects for 2021.

On Wednesday, we explored next year’s dynasty catcher crop.

Today, we’ll stay on that future theme but continue our position-by-position focus, zooming in on first base.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

2021 Top 100 Prospects: Behind the Scenes

March 22, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 26 Comments

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A few weeks ago, I ran into a white-haired “scientist” trying to sell me a souped-up DeLorean. He was on the run from some Libyans, he said, and figured his best move was to cover his tracks. Said the car could travel through time–that it had just enough gigawatt juice left for one round trip. 

I didn’t have much scratch on hand so had to trade my own car in the exchange but figured, hey, let’s go back and fix this Corona thing. 

Then I remembered the butterflies. What if I made it worse? Who would I even visit? So many Ashton Kutcher-esque variables. 

If you’re reading this in quarantine, you know I chickened out. Flashed forward to next March and watched baseball instead. In this article, I’ll discuss what I saw and how I built the 2021 top 100.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Top 100 Prospects for 2021 Fantasy Baseball

March 18, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 57 Comments

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During the moments I could focus enough to exercise the fantasy part of my brain, I’ve been brainstorming for what I should explore during the virus break. 

A fast forward to next March’s Top 100 list landed pretty high on my to-do list, but the task of going back to the future quickly became a complicated proposition. 

Will the Tigers have any incentive to promote Skubal, Manning and Mize? 

In a full season, players can push for the next level through dominance, putting a variety of pressures on the organization: fan frustration, developmental stall, player frustration, etc. 

It’s easy to project Julio Rodriguez, Jarred Kelenic, and Wander Franco to push their way up given a full season, but the math is all variables now. And mostly negative ones for young studs on non-contenders. 

Nonetheless, I grabbed some plutonium and had a lot of fun in the process. Feeling pretty good about the whole thing on publication day. Will have more to say about the future in future, specifically this Sunday. In the meantime, to paraphrase the great Red Green: if you don’t find this list handsome, I hope at least you’ll find it handy.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Spring Break COVID-19 Draft: Vlad and Eloy Form Voltron

March 15, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball | 18 Comments

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The thing about now is that writing about anything feels like writing about nothing. Thus is the nature of fantasy sports in a global crisis. The nature of sports themselves, we’re seeing. 

I’m supposed to be on Spring Break, man.

Or my students are. I never do much with it, if I’m honest. Just baseball stuff, really. I’ll watch last year all winter and try to see as much as I can in Spring, which is typically a lot over Spring Break. Used to play some video games. These days it’s just Fifa 16 because it only takes about ten minutes to pop in and finish a game. Think I just won the 2022 World Cup with Portugal. Just a fluke they offered me the job all those years ago.

Still had time for a draft with CBS around noon Friday. 15-team roto. First one post-shutdown for me, and though it was just a mock, it felt like pretty serious. I’m not sure why. I think it’s the fourth mock I’ve done with them this off-season, and I’m very thankful to Scott White and the crew for inviting me, but the previous ones were very clearly mocks while I was in the room, if you know what I mean. Maybe it was just me feeling like everything is serious. My wife can’t stop coughing and can’t get tested. Our daughter is around her a lot. It’s hard to avoid. 

Anyway here’s the team: (overall pick number in parenthesis)

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Spring Training Sleeper Watch: American League West Edition

March 11, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 7 Comments

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Spring Training Sleeper Watch: American League West Edition

One of my favorite traditions as a young fan was Peter Gammons profiling each team’s spring training focus points. 

I loved the spittle and shake of his voice, the depth of his details, and especially how he always shot the segments in front of people playing catch, gloves popping symphonically as we imagine the impossible topside of Rich Harden.

It’s in that spirit that I begin our next prospect series—one that works in concert with Razzball’s Gammonsian team previews and one that involves a few nods to some non-prospects. Graduating from eligibility requirements doesn’t mean you’re a known quantity, nor that you’ve graduated to an everyday opportunity. Yesterday’s failed prospects are often tomorrow’s sleepers, so let’s take a lap around the division looking for some fantasy profit. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
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