They call you lady luck. But there is room for doubt. At times, you have a very unlady-like way of running out. Or so the song goes. Anyways, as we discussed in our BABIP Regression piece, there are a lot of components that go into high and low BABIP over the course of the season. And just as a high BABIP has a lot to say about a player, so does a low BABIP. It should come as no surprise that players with a high FB% come with a low batting average. Go hit a towering shot to center down at the park (and by towering I mean have it clear 2nd base, you pansy) and see how long it lingers in the air. There’s your flyball. It can easily get caught. It’s also no surprise if you’re a no speed guy, if you hit a lot of grounders, you probably ain’t getting many hits. So when reviewing ‘lucky vs unlucky’ BABIPs, it’s good to keep those ideas in mind and I did my best to do so as well with these guys. And also, just like the BABIP regression post, I’ll be using 350 plate appearances just so we keep as consistent as your gram gram is after drinking her prune juice. So without further ado, lets roll on. Here are some likely BABIP bounceback candidates for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball Season…
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Author: Sky
Sky Sperling has been a contributor since 2012 for Razzball Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Football and formerly wrote under the name 'Oregon Nut Cups'. Don't ask. He's also a lover of fine beer, fine women and fine-toothed combs. You can follow him on twitter @Sky_Razzball and in your most sweetest of dreams.
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As I sit here sipping my IPA, dreaming of the what ifs in life on a Sunday night before the cold reality of hits on Monday morning, I like to dream. I go back to a time when I was a mere child and I recount some of my favorite things. I used to love dinosaurs. Thought I’d be a Paleontologist when I grew up (and I may still. Fun fact! I haven’t grown up). I also loved Greek mythology. I’d sit and read through encyclopedias, going from character to character, story to story. Yeah, I was a nerd (Fun fact part 2! I’m still a nerd). But the one thing that brings me back to my childhood? The movie Young Guns. Now looking back on scenes like this, I kinda ponder how I was allowed to watch such things at such an age. Hell, I even hold a special place in my heart for Bon Jovi cuz of this damn movie series. This shizz goes deep! But why do I ramble about all this? Cuz I’m gonna refer to Billy Burns as Billy the Kid from here on out. Yeah, 150+ words about my washed up life just to get to that point. Come fight me. But at least wait until you’re done. Here’s my take on why Billy Burns could be a deep league special for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season…
Please, blog, may I have some more?Alright, let’s just get something under control before it takes this post over. His first name is Rubby. You get the laughs out of the way? Good, now realize it’s pronounced ‘ROO-BEE’ and get over it. This isn’t a sex ed class, you’re not 11 and I’m not saying penis repeatedly while laser-pointing at anatomical drawings in a slideshow. Alright, now let’s…why are you still laughing? Because I said ‘penis’? Or because you now could google ‘Rubby penis’ and find this article? Honestly, I’m officially proud of that. Welcome to Razzball, those of you who like handy vids of an adult nature! If you read through and request in the comments, for the right amount of cash, maybe both parties could come away happy…but since you’re not the core audience, let’s talk to those who are for now. Here’s my take on Rubby De La Rosa and his potential in deeper leagues for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season…
Please, blog, may I have some more?Full truthiness: my deep league posts from 2014 weren’t very deep. I mean, yeah, talking about Yan Gomes was a good call and probably deeper than many were willing to talk about at catcher. But I looked myself in the mirror a few times. Khris Davis? Yeah, he wasn’t a top 100 pick anywhere but that doesn’t make him a deep league shot. So I took a vow to leave the ‘Under The Greydar’ calls for just that and to really refocus these Deep League calls, especially in the outfield where much like Busta Rhymes, I make sure everything remains raw. So welcome to an overhaul of my DLT calls. Really, I just want to get as many ‘who?’ questions in the comments section this year as possible. They’re way easier to answer! The answer to the ‘who’ today is Ryan Rua. But of course, that doesn’t tell you much because now you want to know what he can do for you this year so let’s trudge on. Here’s my dig down deep look at Ryan and how he can help you deep leaguers for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season…
Please, blog, may I have some more?True story, here’s a text conversation between Grey and I. Me: How gross is it that I am excited to write about Dan Straily? Grey: Gross. What, you wanted more? Like all the things we say we want to do to Giancarlo? Sorry, I’m no Olivia Munn. Or at least I’m not until I get hacked. But whatever, I’m not being facetious here nor am I trying to drum up mock enthusiasm; I really do like the concept of Straily in deeper league settings. You remember that time way back when when he had you a little excited too? Yeah, we forget quickly in this silly little game of ours that at one point, Straily was a thing. The pitching world can do that to you sometimes. Guy gets hurt or misses a couple of years and poof, everything he could’ve ever been or ever was is gone faster than Bruce Jenner’s adam’s apple. Don’t know what I mean? Well let me show you. Here’s my looking to Straily and why he could be a diamond in the rough for deep league 2015 Fantasy Baseball…
Please, blog, may I have some more?Well at this point you kinda sorta maybe know what this is all about. I mean, I’ve now dropped April, May, June and July on you so if you’re lost about what we’re trying to look at it simply means you haven’t been keeping up. That’s ok, that’s what hyperlinks are for. Now if you’re asking me to spoon-feed you info…well, ok. Vvvvvvvvvvrooooooom, open the mental hangar, we’re about to drop some #PitchingIsSoDeep knowledge on you. We’ve been looking back at 2014 to get some feel for just how deep the pitching rabbit hole really went. Did we reach Wonderland? Well, I’m not here to make a verdict on either side but so far we have seen an abundance of ownable arms either for extended periods or for at least a few weeks that were sufficient if you didn’t draft a ‘top’ arm in the draft. Better yet, if your top arm was Jose Fernandez, you had your chances to make up for it. This isn’t a West Side Story thing, BTW. I’m not ‘team draft late arms forever’ any more than I am ‘draft Kershaw in the first’. I want to see both sides and weigh them out for myself so that’s why I’m here. Come join me, will you? Here’s the top August arms from the 2014 Fantasy Baseball season…
Please, blog, may I have some more?My God, is it 2015 already? My how the time flies. It seems like only 365+ days ago it was January 1st, 2014! I hope you all had a Merry Festivus, a Happy New Year and maybe a great…President’s Day? IDK, I don’t know when you’ll get this blast from the 2014 fantasy baseball season past. It ain’t my place to say when this shall see the light of day. I just know I started a job and Imma finish it. We’ve been looking back at the fantasy baseball season through the eyes of pitcher rankings by month. We’ve now looked back at April, May, June, July, August (it’ll be out tomorrow because we like to keep you on your toes around here) and now, those who failed the sequence aptitude tests, guess what? We’re looking at September. It’s been an interesting series IMHO. IYHO, it was probably the worst but since IYHO isn’t real textual slanguage, I win so you will listen to every damn word I have to say. We’ve been exploring if #PitchingIsSoDeep really has merit which so far, there is some merit to it. That said, there’s a reason Kershaw finished numero uno on the player rater. But who’s that at #5? OH! *Fans self*. In reality, I wanted to see what the numbers had to say so I’ll let them speak for themselves. Here’s the final go at 2014 Fantasy baseball as we look back at the top pitchers from September…
Please, blog, may I have some more? BABIP: Regression Is Now In Session
January 29, 2015 | 2015 Fantasy Baseball Draft | 68 Commentsby: Sky
With rankings season upon us and which is soon followed by draft season and then the real season which is actually our fake season, there are two things to take note of. One, it’s ‘upon’ us and not ‘up on’ us. The first one means ‘I’m snooty’ the second one means ‘I still use 90’s hip hop slang when referring to coitus’. Sadly, both could describe me. But since we’re not here to talk about knocking boots, let’s take note of the second note: BABIP can change the scope of how we view a player for the better or for the worse. Since BABIP is such a combination of things – player speed, hitting style, plain old luck, etc – it’s good to take a peak at some of those who topped the 2014 season and whether or not we can expect the trend to last. One thing of note: I’m looking at players with a minimum of 350 plate appearances. Why 350 PA you ask? Because I started at 200 and worked my way up until I couldn’t see Justin Turner’s name near the top. Sound, scientific reasoning if you ask me. With that, let’s get down to business. Here’s me breaking down a few players that seem primed for a BABIP regression for the 2015 fantasy baseball season…
Please, blog, may I have some more?So, here’s all that’s happened since I began the Fantasy Aftermath: Top June Pitchers write up and the July write up. I worked, I tweeted, I played Daily Fantasy Football and made the Fantasy Football playoffs in seven of my eight seasonal leagues, I wrote weeks worth of Daily Fantasy Football for @Jaywrong (he’s such a slave driver), I grew a beard, and I repped Razzball for a Fantasy Baseball mock draft. Oh and I completed Top April and Top May pitchers prior to that. This is the off-season!?! But more to the point, I don’t remember what the hell we were talking about. Fantasy pitchers from the 2014 year? That’s so 2014! PS, that’s only funny if you’re reading it in 2015. Knowing Grey he’s gonna be a jerk and post this on New Year’s Eve just to kill the humor. So let’s not waste our time being funny, let’s get to the facts. Here’s the top July pitchers from the 2014 Fantasy Baseball season…
Please, blog, may I have some more?They say talent trumps experience. That said, they also say persistence trumps talent. They also say persistence pays off. Sorry y’all, got lost reading motivational posters it seems. But that’s what happens when you are trying to get people excited about Josmil Pinto for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season. Believe me, I know it’s a bumpy road. I mean, haven’t we been down it before? The Twins organization has been a confounding crew, turning 5 year aged Malbec into two buck chuck (now probably three buck chuck…curse you, inflation!) for what feels like a long time. I mean, name the last Twins hitter you were actually excited to own? Chuck Knoublauch? And how have I made two references to ‘chuck’ in an opening paragraph and it’s not even about the same type of chuck? Weird times. All this to say, Josmil could be on the cusp of greatness…or getting traded…or being completely forgotten. Man I love those three true outcome guys! If you’re curious why I say these things, read on. Here’s my red hot take on why Pinto could be an exciting get as a second catcher in deep league settings for 2015 Fantasy Baseball…
Please, blog, may I have some more?Something tells me this post might never see the light of day. Yet on the flip side, this post also felt like an inevitable eventuality. That’s what happens when a guy has a major league ready bat but gets placed at a sub-optimal fielding position for his talents. And thus begins the deep league story of our hero of this piece, Wilmer Flores. We’re bordering on a Greek tragedy over here, really. Not of the Oedipus level, though…because gross. Of course that doesn’t mean he hasn’t slept with someone’s mom at this stage because every tweet about Wilmer Flores is a sideways glance at who are the Mets going to get to play short to replace him. Heck, they might find a defensive replacement before the season starts. As we see, there’s nothing safe about drafting Flores this year but the appeal is still there. Why? Trudge on. Here’s my take on why Flores is a great SS get for deep leagues for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season…
Please, blog, may I have some more? The Pre-Mid-Post-Winter Meeting Mock Draft That Was
January 13, 2015 | 2015 Fantasy Baseball Draft | 53 Commentsby: Sky
When Grey contacted me in mid-October about a mock draft, I thought perhaps an email that got caught up in his iPhone draft folder had finally wiggled it’s way out of technological purgatory. Yo Grey, I fire back, I think you got hacked and the worst part is even your spam is about fantasy baseball. After some clarification via emails and iPhone emojis, it was clear it was indeed a mock draft for the 2015 season being offered up by Bryan Curley of Baseballprof.com. And look at that site bio pic…who could say no to that, right? So I started the long and winding trek that was this pre-pre-pre-season mock draft. Since we’re nowhere near the start of the season, there was a 24 hour clock for each pick. All that to say, since the start of this mock draft, the Padres have traded for every player in the league at least once, the football season basically came and went, and we’ve found out that we side with North Korea in the matters of Seth Rogen/James Franco movies. But after three months’ worth of setup and drafting, 12 teams were made and now we get to talk about them so here it goes. Let’s take a look at a way too early mock for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season…
Please, blog, may I have some more?