Wooooooooo! It’s the Nature Boy Grey Albright back for another week of pre-season ranks on the Razzball Podcast! This week we dive into one of the most fantasy relevant positions in today’s game, the top 20 first basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball! We go from Goldy to Smoak and everything in between. We debate Hosmer vs Hoskins for 2018, and talk the strategy behind when to fill your first base and corner infield spots. We go 20+ deep and still had another 20 players we didn’t get to. First base be deep yo! Finally, please make sure to support our sponsor by heading over to RotoWear.com and entering promo code “SAGNOF” for 20% off the highest quality t-shirts in the fantasy sports game. It’s the latest edition of the Razzball Fantasy Baseball Podcast:
Find all of the 30 Minor League Previews, and Offseason Rankings on the Minor League Index
On Twitter as @ProspectJesus
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Haha great intro.
Grey listening to people yap in an apartment reminded me of the hbo show high maintenence. And wait so Greys friend is the bitcoin guy and the random gf told Grey she was about to break up with his friend..? Haha
Ralph what line did you get on the Pats? Why add insult to injury?
@Willy Mo: Hahaha no, I think he was at this party and was talking to someone he just met, who was the Bitcoin guy, who didn’t know he was getting dumped.
We talked some exit velo too! Lol
Got 4 1/2, I don’t like betting on the Pats, but how often will I be in Vegas the week before the Super Bowl when they’re in it.
Would you deal Forrest Whitley for Yoan Moncada? Deep Dynasty
@BuckNastySauce: I would
25$ Springer or 22$ yelich in 5×5 Roto 12 team
@Jb: I’d go Springer
How low would Miggy’s price need to get in standard roto leagues for you to take a flier on him putting up a full “F.U. Haters” season in your UTL spot?
@Duda Want to Build a Snowman?: I’d draft him around where he’s goimg. Which in the drafts I done has been between 75-90. I’ll take the risk
@Ralph Vegas: Good to know! His only issue is health . . . if Ryan freaking Zimmerman could do it, why not Miggy?!
@Ralph Vegas: Good to know! His only issue is health . . . if Ryan freaking Zimmerman could do it, why not Miggy?!
@Ralph Vegas: Good to know! His only issue is health . . . if Ryan freaking Zimmerman could do it, why not Miggy?!
@Duda Want to Build a Snowman?: Duda tres!
@Ralph Vegas: bah! Not sure why that happened – apologies! “Duda tres” is usually what I call my bathroom trip following a Taco Bell run.
I have Domingo Santana and Orlando Arcia on dynasty teams. I feel both took hits with Yelich and Cain coming on board. Orlando is stuck in the 8 spot so is he worth keeping in a 10 team dynasty. And where will Santana get AB now? I have him in a 16 team dynasty.
@sport: I wouldn’t sweat it on Santana, no idea if it hurts or helps. Lineup got better, unless he’s being sent to the bench. Arcia isn’t keepable.
I also had a question about Robbie Ray. I saw you drafted him in the RDI. Does his 40% hard hit worry you?
@sport: Kind of pitcher he is. His BAA was .197, when he gets hit they make good contact, but he’s tough to square up. Archer, Verlander, Darvish, and Quintana are all in the top 20. His issue hasn’t been getting hit.
Didn’t you ask me this before?
@Ralph Vegas: one more thing on hard hit. It’s a complementary stat, I wouldn’t look at it by itself.
@Ralph Vegas: Haven’t seen anyone distill it as clearly as you just did re: Ray . . . seems like he’s filthy, but when he throws a flat slider or meh fastball, hitters are on it. Your comparison to Archer (except NL lefty w/ better lineup behind him) feels pretty spot-on.
@Ralph Vegas: I’m not the one who asked you. I just noticed it digging through stats. I’m looking for a stud to get in the 4th or 5th round 12 team redrafts for my SP1 and was curious what you thought. You like one of Yu, Carlos Martinez, Archer, or Robbie as your SP1?
I got Robbie Ray in all my redrafts last year around 180. Who is this year’s Robbie Ray?!?!
@sport: and where would Quintana tank on that list?
@sport: Zack Godley / Salazar? Godley’s in the 140 range I think, Salazar in 170s.
@Duda Want to Build a Snowman?: I’m really looking forward to Grey’s top 20 and 40 pitchers to see where all these names up! Along with Castillo, Weaver, and dare I even say Price?
@sport: I’d take Ray of that group. They all have some risk, but I like him the best of the group with health and stuff.
Hey Ralph, with the 2nd pick in a 30 team dynasty league, head to head scoring but steals are 3 points, would you take:
Betts
Turner
Harper
I used Fangraph’s scoring calculator and the 3 point steals makes Turner close to Betts in points projections. A top short stop would also be more rare in a 30 team league, but Betts is so solid in points leagues. And Harper is Harper. Who would you take?
@Randy: I would go Mookie then Turner. Damn it!
Who is singing the Razzball Podcast song? Get’s me pumped up everytime!
@Regan: I don’t know. It’s from Nick’s days. Grey must know.
@Ralph Vegas: band was called symphony of nine
Would you rather bring a birthday card to a party for your friends wife or be stuck in a conversation with a leech at said party for an hour?
@Justin: Card
Or run into an acquaintance at the grocery store while purchasing condoms
@Justin: That’s a plus though, cause you’re doing sex.
Ralph-
Love the podcasts. Thanks for all your hard work.
1) Dynasty H2H. Offer my JUpton for his Devers? Enough?
2) I asked this in another column, but I cannot find it to know if you answered. Halp has an unfinished post on IBW, and I was finding it helpful. It combined inexperienced players with prospects together in one list. I’d love it if you could do some sort of combined list, or at least expand comments to include those thoughts. Remember that prospects are never picked up in a vacuum, but are integrated into our teams, and its good to have an idea of relative value. For example, how do guys like David Dahl or Francis Martes slot into a list of prospects?
3) A friendly reminder. In podcasts, don’t forget to repeat the player’s name occasionally. If the listener leaves the room for a second, sometimes we return to 5 minutes of “he” and have no idea who the player is. Thanks!
@The Eye of Horus: Yeah I think so, Upton is a great win now piece.
Yeah, I could do it, but when do I have time? That’s my struggle having time to expand beyond prospects.
Hit the 30 seconds back button, that’s what I do when I miss names. It’s tough to be cognizant of this and still be conversational. I do try though.
Thanks for the listen and feedback!
@Ralph Lifshitz: I know all the work that you already put into prospects–I honestly don’t know how you find the time. I just know that you are the guy to pick up that thread that Halp didn’t finish. Maybe you and Lance could do one 10 minute segment where you slot in the top 15 inexperienced players just for comparison’s sake.
It’s supplemental draft time in dynasty where this becomes the big issue. Do I sit on Dahl, or dump him for Florial? And I should dump Martes if I can pick up Jose Guzman, assuming it fits into my timeframe, right? It’s these type of questions that make dynasty supplemental drafts tricky. Anyway, I 100% get it if you haven’t got the time.
Keep up the great work. Lance is a great addition.
12 team, 25 round keeper league. What round are you targeting Acuna? Am I crazy for thinking 16-17?
@Succos Baseball: Much earlier, I imagine.
@Succos Baseball: Round 4, if you can keep him, and he may go earlier than that.
@Ralph Lifshitz: We get to keep him at the round we select him for the next two year. Thanks for the feedback!
Hey Ralph, love the podcast, as usual. Lots of cheap 1B for later rounds. In plenty of mocks, I’ve punted on 1B until the late-teen rounds and still have been able to get Mancini, Bell or Smoak. I feel like there’s a lot more flexibility this year compared to previous years.
Separately, broadly speaking, in a 10-team (60 players per team) dynasty, which side do you fall on for this:
Team 1 gets:
Corey Kluber, Ozzie Albies
Team 2 gets:
Lance McCullers, Yordan Alvarez, Ryan McMahon, Alex Verdugo, Carson Kelly
.. asking for a friend >.>
@Tweak: Too much talent on Team 2 to ignore.
@The Eye of Horus: Give me team 1
@Ralph Lifshitz: Alright, glad to see that there’s some disagreement here. I was Team 1 in this scenario. I feel like I had to pull the trigger because I’m rolling into Win Mode after my rebuild.
The roster includes…
Bats: Freeman, Hoskins, Lamb, Jose Ramirez, Stanton, JDongs, Mazara, Khris Davis, Cespedes
Arms: Berrios, Flaherty, Severino, Paxton, Gausman
I felt like I should cash in on prospects despite the risk of losing out on a beast. Losing McCullers likely hurts long-term, but Kluber is a machine. Adding youth through Albies helped ease the burden.
I’m still sitting on some young talent as well: Jose Siri, Taylor Trammell, Austin Meadows, Brendan Rodgers, Mike Soroka, Julio Urias
So, I didn’t sell the farm completely.
@Tweak: Those guys for me are CI in a 12 team mixed, I still want that elite production the top 6-10 offer. If you have shorter rosters and more teams that makes sense.
Ralph after picking Acuna in the 2nd round , I am looking for a couple of players that you might think take the big leaps he did last year. Any helpful tips you can give.
Thanks
@sh: You are asking him to summarize all the previews he does already? Just read them yourself. The answers to your question are there.
@sh: Take Taylor Trammell
I always thought that dude was a former member ofJefferson Airplane.
@Big League Wood: what dude