Our 2021 Razzball leagues are in signup mode. Robot in Signup Mode, “I am entering contest to win Razzball t-shirt even though I’ve never seen a robot wear a shirt. Starting….” The Robot begins to peter out, “…New…Fad.” Oh no, the Razzball Robot has died! *screaming to heavens* What hath you forsaken me?! Heavens, “Focus on ESPN’s 2021 fantasy baseball rankings, you moron.” Wow, the heavens do not take well to histrionics. So, this year’s ESPN rankings are a tad goofier than I remember them, but maybe I just got smarter — Smarterened? Smartered? Became the smarts? Meh, I don’t know. What I do know is ESPN has Trevor Bauer ranked 12th overall, and that made me laugh for a very long time. At one point, I coughed, and I thought I was coming down with the plague, but quickly recovered to laugh some more. Never knew ESPN was so climate-conscious, but they must be because they’re good recycling garbage. Maybe it’s bravery in the face of contradictory evidence. Maybe it’s dumb. Maybe it’s nuts. Hopefully not Mitch Haniger’s, they’ve been through enough. Any hoo! I’m clutchin’ my pearls like a Barbara Bush hologram and about to take out some ‘perts! *slowly, menacingly sharpens index finger for more incisive typing* I’m about to cut up somebody with words! Now let’s open a window and defenestrate ESPN’s 2021 fantasy baseball rankings. To the tune of U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday, I call this So Bloody Stupid:
I can’t believe ESPN’s rankings today
Oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away
How long, how long must we sing this song?
How long? How long?
‘Cause tonight
They have Mookie Betts at one
Tonight
There’s so many straight whothunkits in ESPN’s rankings, I don’t even know where to begin. The madness really starts at number one overall. I love Mookie Betts, so I don’t want to go down this rabbit hole too far, but number one over Acuña? Over Tatis? *Lisa Simpson grumble* Okay, let’s focus in on the top 20 1st basemen — aperture out; Instagram blur filter in; Wonder Twins activate in the form of a bust. *sees a Dolly Parton chest begin to form* No, no, no! Not that kind of bust. ESPN has Dom Smith 78th overall, and above Paul Goldschmidt, Max Muncy, Matt Olson — almost 120 spots higher than Josh Bell, who they had ranked incorrectly (!!!) at 41st overall last year — Did they really like Josh Bell last year or was that a mishap when Clara Bell was pulling a name out of Tristan’s hat? Oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away! How long I must sing this song?! How much did they see if a 60-game season to go from 41st overall on Josh Bell to him being traded to a better lineup and now being ranked at 200th overall? Okay, I don’t like Josh Bell either, but what are they even doing? If you like Dom Smith, then great, but are they even briefly considering how he might be squeezed for playing time? They have him ranked 50 spots before Eric Hosmer, who is locked into a cleanup spot in a stacked lineup. Dom Smith has never hit 20 homers in pro ball — in a lot of seasons! I’m losing my mind!
Broken rankings under ESPN’s tweet
Embodies buffoons on a dead-end street
But I won’t heed their high-ranked starters call
It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall
So Bloody Stupid
So Bloody Stupid
So Bloody Stupid
So Bloody Stupid
Alright, let’s go
Already mentioned Trevor Bauer in the opening. I can’t emphasize enough after saying I can’t emphasize enough that is some bat-shizz crazy shizz. Hyun-Jin Ryu ranked after at least ten starters who are almost guaranteed to be worse than him, as they have been for years. Ryu should be singing So Bloody Stupid. What does my man Ryu need to do? I feel like I’m living in an alternative universe where I’m the only one who ever notices Ryu pitches like a number one starter literally every year. He has a 2.95 ERA in 807 1/3 career innings. I will now laugh for two hours until someone comes with a straitjacket to cart me away. Could Ryu breakdown this year? I guess, but why are you saying that besides guessing? It’s almost as dumb as ranking Trevor Bauer in the top 12 overall. Almost. That really is the epitome of ESPN fantasy baseball rankings ever year, innit? (I’m Irish today.) Just absolutely overrating the previous year, so people, who use their rankings who have only scant knowledge of rankings, see what they want to see. ESPN is constantly searching to give people what it thinks people want spoon-fed back to them. Trevor Bauer gets a huge deal after a Cy Young, don’t dig in too deep on any of the mechanisms of his year or the contract, and just tell people to draft him 12th overall. Don’t even look to see where Dustin May is ranked overall for them — above Lance McCullers! May isn’t in the rotation as right now. Yes, I looked a good week after the signing of Trevor Bauer, so they don’t have that excuse for May. Oh, and they have Joey Lucchesi ranked above Pablo Lopez. I need to move on before I get an aneurysm. So Bloody Stupid!
And the battle’s just begun
There’s many lost who have used ESPN’s rankings, but tell me who has won?
The benches snug beneath our farts
And fathers, uncles, brothers, and five sisters torn apart
So Bloody Stupid
So Bloody Stupid
You might be under the impression ESPN’s rankings only have issues on the top half, but they really fall apart the deeper you go. You can’t make heads or tails of anything ESPN is doing after, like, pick 150 overall. Brian Anderson over Austin Riley? Mmkay. Paul DeJong after Ha-seong Kim? If you say so! Joey Gallo over Lordes Gurriel Jr.? Right-o, you giant dummies! Last year they ranked Fernando Tatis Jr. 43rd overall. You honestly can’t even make up this garbage.
Wipe hitter tiers from your eyes
Wipe the hitter tiers away
I’ll wipe your hitter tiers away
I’ll wipe your hitter tiers away (So Bloody Stupid)
On a less-belligerent tip, here’s a chart of the biggest values from ESPN to me (Thank you!) and the players that ESPN overrates (No thank you!). A small note, since I did this chart a few days ago, ESPN has already adjusted their rankings, so some of these might be a little off, but it goes to show you the influence I’m having on them. They so shook, y’all!
THANK YOU
| Player | Grey’s Ranking | ESPN’s Ranking | Overall Difference | |
| Francisco Lindor | 8 | 16 | 8 | |
| Cody Bellinger | 10 | 15 | 5 | |
| Bo Bichette |
12 | 21 | 10 | |
| Adalberto Mondesi | 18 | 50 | 32 | |
| Luis Robert | 19 | 34 | 15 | |
| Rafael Devers | 20 | 33 | 13 | |
| Pete Alonso |
29 | 51 | 22 | |
| Matt Olson |
35 | 76 | 41 | |
| Kyle Lewis | 40 | 94 | 54 | |
| Brandon Woodruff | 48 | 68 | 20 | |
| Javier Baez | 49 | 73 | 24 | |
| Zac Gallen | 50 | 71 | 21 | |
| Dansby Swanson |
51 | 99 | 48 | |
| Hyun-Jin Ryu | 58 | 100 | 42 | |
| Lourdes Gurriel Jr. |
80 | 108 | 28 | |
| Marcus Semien | 81 | 106 | 25 | |
| Dylan Moore |
82 | 162 | 80 | |
| Dylan Bundy |
88 | 170 | 72 | |
| Framber Valdez | 91 | 149 | 58 | |
| Anthony Santander | 101 | 210 | 109 | |
| Julio Urias | 105 | 248 | 143 | |
| Kevin Gausman | 107 | 163 | 56 | |
| Pablo Lopez |
112 | 202 | 90 | |
| Nick Solak |
125 | 219 | 94 | |
| Jared Walsh |
128 | 247 | 119 | |
| Tyler Mahle | 169 | unranked | — | |
| Elieser Hernandez | 204 | unranked | — | |
| Griffin Canning | 242 | unranked | — | |
| Josh Naylor | 301 | unranked | — | |
NO THANK YOU
| Player | Grey’s Ranking | ESPN’s Ranking | Overall Difference | |
| Trevor Bauer | 34 | 12 | 22 | |
| Anthony Rendon | 46 | 20 | 26 | |
| Starling Marte | 60 | 25 | 35 | |
| Corey Seager |
52 | 31 | 21 | |
| Nelson Cruz | 94 | 42 | 52 | |
| Aaron Judge |
78 | 52 | 26 | |
| Jose Altuve | 143 | 60 | 83 | |
| Dominic Smith |
131 | 78 | 53 | |
| Jeff McNeil |
130 | 81 | 49 | |
| Max Kepler |
165 | 87 | 78 | |
| Michael Brantley |
173 | 92 | 81 | |
| Kris Bryant | 127 | 93 | 34 | |
| Joey Gallo |
178 | 96 | 82 | |
| Charlie Morton | 190 | 120 | 70 | |
| Dustin May |
285 | 140 | 145 | |
| Kyle Seager | 314 | 163 | 151 | |
| Chris Sale | 299 | 178 | 121 | |
| Mitch Haniger | 437 | 182 | 255 | |
| Wander Franco |
520 | 199 | 321 | |
| Randal Grichuk | 460 | 201 | 259 | |
I checked it out. Found lots of shirts with robots on them, but no shirt-wearing robot.
Thanks for investigating!
I have set up a couple of Razz leagues (Bad stats are good!) drafting next Thursday, February 25.
Thought I would try and get these drafts done before your important drafts start. The object is to find players who play a lot, but do poorly.
10 teams/Weekly lineups/14 active and 8 bench players/Limit 50 moves.
SCORING
HITTING
At Bats (AB)2
Hits (H)-3
Home Runs (HR)-6
Runs Batted In (RBI)-4
Runs Scored (R)-4
Strikeouts (SO)2
PITCHING
Earned Runs Allowed (ER)1.5
Hits Allowed (H)1
Home Runs Allowed (HR)4
Innings Pitched (IP)-1
Losses (L)8
Strikeouts Pitched (K)-1
Walks Allowed (BB)1
7 PM ET: https://www.fantrax.com/newui/fantasy/j … isSubmit=y
10 PM ET: https://www.fantrax.com/newui/fantasy/j … isSubmit=y
Hey Vinwins, thanks for setting these up, I really enjoyed playing in these many years ago! The links don’t seem to work though.
Thanks for the heads up.
7 PM
https://www.fantrax.com/newui/fantasy/joinLeague.go?leagueId=6a32lbzqklankpvq&isSubmit=y
10 PM
https://www.fantrax.com/newui/fantasy/joinLeague.go?leagueId=r8hgtol2klaolgoo&isSubmit=y
Thanks! I just joined the 10pm one (it’s my GF’s birthday so can’t make it to the 7pm one). But it’s only the two of us so far in that one, so maybe Grey could advertize these leagues so we can have the 10pm one going also?
Thanks, Vin!
Grey!!!
Awesome report!
a. MLB quote of the day for the weekend February 20-21, 2021
1. Tom Henrich, born February 20, 1913
‘Tom Henrich. He never over-swung. He made a ball be a strike and he would swing at a low overhand curve now and then. Tom would go for the single and cut down on his swing with two strikes. He was a good clutch hitter and tough to strike out–it seemed he was always looking for the pitch I was delivering.’
Bob Feller in Baseball Digest (Associate Director of the Baseball Hall of Fame William J. Guilfoile, August 1992, ‘Hall of Famers Name Their Toughest Diamond Foes’)
2. Bill Gullickson, born February 20, 1959
‘His fastball hits 84 mph on a good day – nothing more than a batting-practice pitch unless he cuts it or sinks it. Keeping hitters off balance is the key for (Bill) Gullickson, who throws two kinds of curves and a slider, and hides the ball extremely well.’
Bill Mazeroski in Bill Mazeroski’s Baseball (1993 Edition)
3. Livan Hernandez, born February 20, 1975
“‘Man, he (Livan Hernandez) works slow. I swear a gentleman sitting behind me read half of ‘War and Peace’ while he was out there. I looked back at one point, and he said ‘400 pages.'”
Columnist Jayson Stark on ESPN.com (Rumblings and Grumblings, 05/27/2010)
4. Justin Verlander, born February 20, 1983
‘Starter Justin Verlander rode a dominant fastball to the Rookie of the Year award, and the only way Zumaya could have been scarier was by lugging a chain saw to the mound.’
ESPN Columnist Jerry Crasnick on ESPN.com (High-speed pursuit, 03/26/2007)
5. Alan Trammell, born February 21, 1958
‘In the early 1980s, things started to change, as the American League produced a trio of talented two-way shortstops who could field their position and pose a substantial threat to pitchers. The Brewers’ Robin Yount, who debuted in the majors in 1974 at the tender age of 18, evolved into a top-notch hitter and earned MVP honors in 1982 as Milwaukee won the pennant. The Orioles’ Cal Ripken kicked off a stretch of 10 straight seasons with at least 20 homers in his official rookie season of 1982—as well as a record-setting consecutive games streak—and the next year, he too claimed an MVP award as Baltimore won the World Series. Debuting between those two, in late 1977, was the Tigers’ Alan Trammell. He didn’t win the MVP award in 1984—that honor went to reliever Willie Hernandez, a teammate—but he hit .314/.382/.468 while helping Detroit to a world championship. Trammell would spend 20 years with the Tigers, and while he didn’t reach 3,000 hits like Yount (who eventually moved to centerfield and won another MVP award) or Ripken (who also won a second MVP before moving to third base for his final few years), he did make six All-Star teams and win four Gold Gloves in his career, even while competing for attention with the other two.’
Jay Jaffe in Sports Illustrated (12/11/2013, ‘JAWS and the 2014 Hall of Fame ballot: Alan Trammell’, Source)
6. Joel Skinner, born February21,2021
‘When you see him (Joel Skinner) throw, you say, ‘Wow.’ It’s hard to believe that he can throw so hard and be so accurate.’
Cleveland Indians Manager Mike Hargrove in USA Today Baseball Weekly (September 6-12, 1991)
b. MLB quote of the day for February 22, 2021
1. Sparky Anderson, born February 22, 1934
‘He (Sparky Anderson) really believes he made a winning team out of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, George Foster and Davey Concepcion by teaching them the virtues of shiny shoes and clean upper lips.’
Bill James in Sport Magazine (1982) [Sparky Anderson Quotes]
8. Kazuhiro Sasaki, born February 22, 1968
‘At 36 (when he left MLB and a $8.5 million dollar salary) Sasaki was not that old for a major league pitcher, perhaps, but ancient by the standards of the NPB. (Sasaki missed much of the 1999 season with Yokohama because of arm surgery.) His lifestyle didn’t help. The 6’4″, 220-pound reliever, nicknamed Daimajin after a giant stone samurai that comes to life on celluloid to rescue imperiled villagers, had lived alone in a Mercer Island condominium while with the Mariners. He bought a silver Porsche, frequented Seattle watering holes and was spotted hanging out at the University of Washington student union. On the road he was often wined and dined at expensive Japanese-only nightclubs by wealthy businessmen residing in the U.S.’
Robert Whiting in Sports Illustrated (03/22/2004, Volume 100, Issue 12, ‘Lost in Translation’, Source)
c. Random Reggie Jackson quote of the day for February 22, 2021
‘This team it all flows from me. I’ve got to keep it going. I’m the straw that stirs the drink.’
Cheers,
Ante
Thanks!
1. He said that quote while smoking a cig, 100%
Grey!!
a. 100%
b. Sasaki quote mis-numbered. Should have been b.2, dur! Sasaki was chased away from Seattle because of his ‘philandering’ ways! His nickname was ‘The Fang’ but it should have been ‘The philanderer’.
c. Reggie! My pool of Reggie quotes is diminishing. I’ll try not to repeat!
Cheers,
Ante
Classic Reggie too! Awesome!
I’m gonna carry this over and start fresh with the question.
Hope all is well Grey!!
5th year keeper H2H 6X6 Yahoo
R HE RBI SB AVG OPS
QS S+H K:9 ERA WHIP
It’s keep 6. I have the Last pick, 1st pick second round etc. for being a champion, the best my friend. You know about that my friend, lol.
I made a slight mistake and dropped Jack Flahtery thinking I was going to let him go but I kind of want to keep 4 Bats and 2 SP, but that is not happening now and it IS NOT A BIG DEAL because I am ok keeping 5 bats and 1 pitcher as pitching is deep and I could essentially draft a couple SP early.
Anyhow here are the 4 sures I am keeping, see what I did there, 4 sures? Haha. These 4 guys.
Juan Soto – OF
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Jose Abreu – 1B
Shane Bieber – SP
Here are the group of guys under consideration:
Yoan Moncado (I’m 99% on him he’s a stud who was affected by COVID, he is healthy and young and I still believe he on a stacked CHI Sox team is one of the best young players in the game)
Gleyber Torres – SS/2B(I just don’t love him)
Jared Kelenic – OF (should be up a couple weeks into the season, no?)
Dansby Swanson – SS
Matt Olson – 1B
Trent Grisham – OF
Toescar Hernandez – OF
I am also working a potential trade with someone in my league who I know I can persuade to trade with me where it’ll largely benefit me with the following type of offer
I get: Bo Bichette & a 2nd or 3rd rounder
He gets: Yoan Moncado, Gleyber Torres, & a 12th rounder
Who all do you think I should keep for sure and would you do that trade? I’d have Soto, Bichette, Albies, Bieber, Abreu, and ?
Thanks as always Grey!
I would do that Bo trade immediately!
Those 4 sures for sure
Moncada is also 4 sure…Trent or Dansby for me
I’d take Bo
Read a rumor that Hosmer might be platooned.
https://theathletic.com/2365403/2021/02/04/padres-prospects-hosmer-fans/?source=rss
Are you worried ?
Thanks you’re the best !
I’d guess Hosmer sits vs. some lefties, but that’s fine, still 500+ ABs in a solid lineup
Your rankings from 2020 are the same as 2021. No biggie I just wonder if that’s an error or if you’ve decided your 2020 rankings are irrelevant to post in 2021.
I don’t know what you mean, but here’s my 2021 rankings: https://razzball.com/2021-fantasy-baseball-rankings/
If you click the ranikings on the razz all site it gives the option of seeing 2020 or 2021 but the if you click 2020 it’s the same rankings as 2021. Not I’mportant I just wanted to see how far you dropped a couple of players from one year to the next.
No, if you click 2020 rankings, it’s 2020 rankings, not 2021
Hey Grey,
Just curious, why are you so low on Mitch Haniger?
Do you think all the time off has rusted away his ability? Or do you think the injury will will leave him with a limp bat among other things (ba-dump-bump)? I mean, I can see where such an injury might wipe out his power. Core muscles are kinda important for that I would assume, so if there’s any lingering issue or simply a slight decrease in core strength, he might never be the same.
Whatcha think?
Bc he hasn’t played in like 18 months
And he doesn’t know how to deal with balls.
Hehe
Actually since June 6 of 2019, so if he plays first game in April when the season starts, it will be 22 months. That’s a long time not to see a single live MLB pitch. Might take time to figure it out again. I agree with you buddy. Makes sense to me.
Yup, *22
Thanks. Love these posts every year. A great heads up on how my team might look in my ESPN league.
It’s funny- even with knowledgeable leaguemates you can usually see the impact that the native rankings have. I’m sure Dom Smith will go earlier than anyone would want in a lot of good leagues because of this.
Which is a convoluted way of saying- now I can build the framework of my team around the Thank Yous (and in an auction throw out the No Thank Yous much too early and see who overpays).
Thank yous have it!
Yup, No problem
Poor Mitch, he seems as though he can’t get away from that testy humor!
Poor guy bc that happened to him
Hey. Is the online war room working? Thanks.. sign in that I have used for years is not working. Thanks
Yeah, it’s working, you need to scrub cookies from previous year
I also can’t get the war room to work. I’m not exactly computer literate. What do you mean by (scrub cookies from previous year?)
Thanks for all the awesome content.
I’ll post about it tomorrow — you need to delete cookies for razzball — Go to Preferences in browser, go to privacy, go to cookies, search Razz and delete razzdraft
Or just use a new email
Thanks. I’ve tried using a different email. I get to where I can delete the cookies, but it doesn’t have a search option. Anyways, thanks for the reply. I’ll keep messing with it until I figure it out.
No problem…Tomorrow it will be officially live, so hopefully then
Whats up man? Love this and Yahoo comparison articles every year. Do you think the rumor about MLB deadening the ball is true?
Yes, they changed the ball
Always thought deriding another time make yourself superior is poor taste
‘To not time ;)
Who are you, the Taste Police?
Not when it comes to sports and politics….
Haha
So …i have a question. A couple, actually. Is Jackie Bradley planning on playing Major League baseball this year ? What about Jake Odorizzi ?
I think so on both
What about Puig?
I hope so, but I’m losing faith…
I remember seeing an ESPN h2h ranking preseason 2018 that had Kenley Jansen as the #5 player OVERALL before he finished tied for 4th in total saves. Can’t take them serious but thank you for making it easy on us
Haha, that’s amazing
Hey grey, can’t believe you didn’t have a huge going away party for Ian Desmond…. does this change the hampson projection? Trying to decide between him and Wong…. everywhere I look Wong has the better projections
Desmond wasn’t there last year, and did Hampson play? Hampson’s still a bench/platoon guy
Grey, you up for another $10 Bestball? We’re 8/12 filled already, so lots of same drafters as we had in that last one I believe. Would guess it will fill up and start in a few hours. No worries if you wanted to take a break on these at any point either.
Here is the link: https://bestball10s.shgn.com/signup/baseball?for=0;728,82,6787,7200&private_code=de0c7w
And PW, as usual: Bobby
For anyone who might want to join us and hasn’t played in one of these cheap bestballs. This draft has a 2 Hour Clock. And Top 3 are paid out ( $75 / 20 / 10). Also, keep in mind that there are only 2 OF and 4 Pitcher slots in these. All the rest of the rules and whatnot can be seen by clicking the link. Draft will start shortly after it fills.
Yeah, was gonna ask you to start one
I’m in Nux, I’m freakin in!
Oh snap! You’ve made it now lol
I’ve made it ma!
Man! Two drafts in a row with Grey and Nux. If only Coolwhip would jump in again.
Christmas came in February this year.
Jolt
I pinged Coolwhip
Amazing! I hope he jumps in this one as well.
Jolt
I just joined. Have no idea what I’m in for, but I’m in!
Wait until you see the lineups!
There’s zero in-season management right? Like I don’t even have to edit my roster…
Correct Cram.
Draft and let the computer do the rest. 4 pitchers, 2 outfielders. Good way to get comfortable with the player pool.
You’re up.
Aw sookie
Oh, him
that is correct Cram, no season mgmt; draft and done.
bit of different format and it is points league. Was my first time involved in one and it was fun to see how people drafted.
I am used to 5×5 roto leagues myself so it was fun and interesting.
Enjoy!
Exactly, after you draft, you close the window and never think about it again until September to see if you’re gonna win money
Cool cool cool. I just want to do a draft, and will draft like I don’t care, but will brag when I win!
Haha, yes, same
Another round of battles with the masters. Yeah!
Let’s get this party started! And by party, I mean draft
11/12 filled.
One spot left. This is your chance to play against Grey. Nux, Cram, and Earl in as well.
Fun atmosphere. As per Nux’s instructions above, come jump in befire it’s too late.
Jolt
Aw sookie!
I’m leaning towards taking Tatis first overall instead of Acuna in a snake draft. I’m in a shallow six team league. Knowing how the other owners tend to draft, taking Tatis may set me up a little better for subsequent rounds.
You have Acuna and Tatis ranked 1 and 2 with similar projections. ATC projections show them similar too. I don’t want to screw up the number one. Is it splitting hairs between these two or is there a little more risk with Tatis being that the most he’s played was 84 games in a season – though his talent is undeniable.
I have them in same tier, means they’re interchangeable
Thanks, Grey.
Tatis launch angle is 8.7%. Do you think the change in ball will impact his HR projections more than someone like Acuna who’s launch angle is higher? May not matter for the guys that hit the ball as hard as they do.
Tatis isn’t going to be affected
@grey: Where are you puling the ESPN rankings from?
Right now if you go to https://www.espn.com/fantasy/baseball/ and click “Top 300” rankings, they don’t jive with what you listed in this article. A couple examples:
Woodruff is currently 32
Mondesi is currently 41
I like making fun of ESPN as much as the next person but something isn’t adding up.
I said in the article, rankings are constantly changing…I wrote this last week, if they’ve changed since then, then so be it…Points remain same
Yeah, I keep a pretty close eye on their rankings between Feb and the start of the season and they made a big overhaul last week. Some of their more ridiculous rankings are less Josh Reddickulous now.
Some of your points remain the same but not all of them. Using the Woodruff example, he went from a 68th ranking in ESPN and showing up in the “Thank You” list to now being ranked 32nd by ESPN which would move him to the No Thank You list.
I think it’s a fun article concept but if fellow ESPN drafters are looking at this as a bit of a cheat sheet to find deals, it’s already outdated and hasn’t even been live for a full day. If you want me to be a guest contributor, I’d be willing to write an updated version of this every couple weeks leading up to drafts.
Sure! Ping Donkey Teeth {at} razzball
Will do!
Woodruff is only up to 66 overall, btw
Which list are you looking at? This is the one they have front and center in their main navigation:
https://www.espn.com/fantasy/baseball/story/_/id/27699611/2021-h2h-categories-rankings
You just linked to a H2H rankings, I used roto
Your job interview isn’t off to a good start.
Hello, Miss Lady. I’m Dale. I’m Brennan’s stepbrother, and I think I might be able to help with the Roto-H2H dilemma.
Haha
Grey,
Good to have your commentary back for another season. H2H, 16 teams + 6 Keep Forevers
R, HR, SB, RBI, AVG, OPS
W, SV, KS, HLDS ERA WHIP
Def Keeps: Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, Realmuto, Goldschmidt.
Bubble: Gleyber Torres, Trent Grisham, Zach Gallen, Gallo.
Would you stay pat and roll with Torres and Grisham? I have a straight up offer of Gleyber for Walker Buehler that I want to take as Gleyber has 2nd eligibility in Yahoo but will lose it next year.
It does give the other team Gleyber to go along Acuna, Luis Robert, Eloy, Judge but I guess that shouldn’t be a consideration. Thanks !
Hmm…Gallo’s 100% out — so 3 keepers for 2 spots… Prolly Gleyber, Trent, Gallen and forget Realmuto
Thanks. I go back and forth with Realmuto’s value in H2H. Last year I kept no pitchers. With your help I drafted Gallen, Woodruff, Maeda and Fried and they carried my team
Gotcha, but catcher is so meh
ESPN has always been and always be way out of touch with their rankings. Thanks for the comparison!
One question i’ve been wanting to ask for awhile and fits with this article is what do you see in Kyle Lewis? He had a great start to the season last year, but in September he totally tanked. Had a 38% K-rate. His early season success was helped by a .407 babip.
I’m not trying to be argumentative, but I have an opening to acquire him in a dynasty league and just curious to know what you see that had you rank him so high and trying to talk myself into doing it.
Thanks!
He’s got 70-grade power — 35+ homer upside, and he could steal 15…He might hit .240, but with his speed and a .320+ BABIP, he should hit .250+ — And he was never that awful with contact in the minors
Grey, the NFBC Diamond Challenge contest sounds fun. Everyone has their pick of all players.
The $400 entry fee for the roto leagues gives me pause.
Have you or anyone in the Razz nation have any thoughts or strategies about this contest?
Any comments are welcomed.
Does sound fun, I’ve never done it so don’t feel confident telling you what to do on a $400 entry fee
Good read, the one person I’d disagree with both you and ESPN on is Kris Bryant. No-thanks-ever….
Ever ever ever!
Which side of this trade do you like in a deep dynasty roto league? Bryce Harper & Eflin for Andrew Vaughn & Austin Riley
Bryce
One of my favorite articles every single year
Thanks!
Grey as always a great read amazing how different people evaluate players.
Keeper question 10 team mixed 5X5 OBP & S+H can keep 12
Albombso 8, Biggio 3, Bichette 3, Eloy 8, Roberts 3, Yordan 3, Hoskins 13 (OBP), Robles 10
Castilla 10, Gray 3, Hendricks 3, That’s 11
Keep any of Yellich 48, Caleb Smith 3, R Iglesias 10 ???
And if you have an opinion minor league draft Torkelson or Vaughn this my last year to keep Albomso
Thanks
Thanks!
Keep Yelich
Vaughn
ESPN rankings for comedy never disappoints, bunch o bleepin bozos.
Haha, dumb robots — beep, beep bloop
Sup Grey. Fantasy baseball back baby
Question about the patreon sub. Its a monthly sub? yearly sub? Wheres the link to sign up
Keeper league Avg HR RBI SB Runs
Which 5 are you keeping?
Story freeman tucker arozereana Suarez Chapman Swanson
Monthly sub patreon.com/razzball
Not Swanson and Eugenio
Hey Grey,
Whats your view on Montas now that he has been diagnosed with COVID? How far would you drop a guy on your rankings for that?
I wasn’t drafting him in my rankings
Another separation point is the Thank You list are studs and the No Thank list are fades. (for the most part) Not sure who those guys are but they’re entertaining!
Yup!
Grey,
I’d like to grab his Laureano (23rd round this year and next) for my Benintendi (18th). I’ll have to add a pick to make it fair, obviously. What pick(s) should I offer up in a 29 round draft? I have no 16th, 18th, or 22nd to give, but an extra 19th.
Great read, btw.
19th?
Also, I’m not keeping Benni if I can’t dump him on someone else. So I don’t have to do it.
Is the best ball full?
Yeah — you get NFBC email in?
Dirt!
Sent but haven’t received anything yet…
Cool, invites go out this week
Ok I’ll be on look out.
Going to buy this with my winnings
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Felpa-Gomorra-DONNA-PATRIZIA-Secondigliano-00106-/283566947989
Oh man I have to buy that for Cougs
What about the Slam? Was I granted access haha
Yes, I pinged Donkey on it — thanks for signing up for the Patreon!
You’re the best
*blushes*
You’re the best
Grey , 5*5 obp 5*5 qs keeper league
Tried to get Luis roberts and Valdez didn’t work. Moose is on my bench would you offer him straight up for framber? He needs 2b. That teams owns gurriel JR as well. I feel Rosario and gurriel jr are the same.
Smith
Freeman
Biggio
Arenado
Story
Bellinger
Rosario
K Lewis
Mondesi
Bench
Vaughn
Moose
Chapman
Stanton
Bieber
Nola
Glasnow
Maeda
Urias
Bench
Gore
Tailon
Civale
Skubul
I’d take Framber
Can you do one of these for Yahoo also, or are they to difficult to make fun of? I think Kris Bryant and Carlos Correa are 2 guys that could do much better than projections but I’m gonna take your Lewis ranking and run with it. No way someone will scroll down that far before I do.
I will do one for Yahoo
You da man!!
Our league is shallow and only has six teams this year.
C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, UTIL, UTIL
SP, SP, P, P, P, RP, RP (Qs, K, era/whip, sv)
3 bench
I’m concerned teams can stock up on the top arms and dominate pitching stats making it hard to compete in those categories. Especially if inning eaters with solid ratios and high K/9 will be more valuable this year. Would you reach earlier for SP in this league than waiting as you would a larger league with more positions?
Hey grey hope all is well and love the rankings! Couple quick questions for a start up 12 team, 10 keepers plus 5 prospects lg. Scoring is 7×7 avg, ops, hr, r, sb, tb, rbi and qs, w, era, whip, ks, L, svhd. Ended up with the 12 pick, so was hoping you could give me about 5 or 6 names you would be targeting with the 12 and 13 ovr picks. Also was hoping you could give me your ideal rounds to snag my first and second sps.
Julio at 248?! C’mon ESPN your better than that!! Actually…nah maybe not
Grey, I need help with my final two keepers…14 teams, 15 keepers. I made some trades but for the most part you and I have similar taste!
C- Contreras
1B – Olson
IF – Arenado
IF – Swanson
OF – Acuna
OF – Grisham
OF – Jimenez
OF – Lewis
P – Cole
P – Lynn
P – Bundy
P – L.Hendricks
P – Yates
Options…
Benintendi, Kieboom, B.Anderson, R.McMahon
Urquidy, Keller, Manaea, Stroman, Houck, Whitley, A.Reyes