The Itch

Prospect News: Mead Up For A Cup or Caissie Cooking With Gas

August 6, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 30 Comments

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I finally saw the Mario movie last night, which my family could do because I subscribed to Peacock to watch seven innings of the Futures Game, so . . . good work on that one, MLB. 

In other good-move news: Rays 1B Curtis Mead is in the majors today. We’d be short-sighted to assume he’s going to play regularly going forward, but the team needs a spark, and Mead’s all-fields approach and excellent plate skills (12.8-to-14.7 percent walk-to-strikeout rate) give the club another tough out in a solid lineup. 

Mead went for $6 in the CBS AL-Only Analysts League. I have zero dollars and could’ve really used him but feel pretty good about landing a $0 Davis Schneider. I’m in first place and trying to win a second-straight championship there but have been dealt a series of body blows these past few weeks. Josh Bell and Jake Burger got traded out from under me. I also have Tyler Wells and Taj Bradley on that team. Not a recipe for success in an Only: losing four key pieces in the same week. With the two free roster spots, I added Red Sox 3B Luis Urias and Royals LHP Cole Ragans for zero dollars. I was a bit surprised they were free, but it’s late, and there were a ton of guys to bid on in that run. I really like Ragans, though. Great get for the Royals in the Aroldis Chapman trade. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Wed 8/6
ARI | ATH | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHC | CHW | CIN | CLE | COL | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | LAD | MIA | MIL | MIN | NYM | NYY | PHI | PIT | SD | SEA | SF | STL | TB | TEX | TOR | WSH | OAK
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Go Guardians!

August 5, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 1 Comment

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Everyone knows about the Road to the Show baseball players travel. But what you have to remember is there is not just one road to take to get to The Show.

This week the Top Dynasty Keeper spotlight falls on Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams – two players who took those different roads to both wind up in Cleveland.

The Overlooked Draft Choice Road

Bibee is having an outstanding rookie season for the Guardians, and it is somewhat surprising when you realize where he was drafted. Unlike many top pitching prospects, Bibee was not a first- or second-round selection. Instead, he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 draft out of Cal State Fullerton. And Bibee headed to Fullerton because he wasn’t even drafted out of high school.

While at Fullerton, Bibee had a decent, but not spectacular, career as he actually had a losing record and a career 3.82 ERA. That is good in the majors, but not very eye popping if you are a college pitcher hoping to have a major league career. Even more pedestrian was his career 7.8 K/9 rate. Pitchers with those numbers are the ones who are drafted in the fifth round or lower. But pitchers with those numbers also don’t enter the season ranked as a top 100 prospect by Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and Baseball Prospectus only two years after being drafted.

The Look at Me Draft Choice Road

This is the road we are used to seeing top pitching prospects take. Williams was actually drafted out of high school in the 30th round by Tampa Bay in 2017, but he decided not to sign and instead attend East Carolina.

Once in Greeneville, N.C., Williams was used more as a reliever his first three seasons until making 12 starts out of 15 appearances in 2021. That season he dominated opponents to the tune of a 10-1 record with a 1.88 ERA and 0.959 WHIP. In 81.1 innings, he struck out 130 batters for a 14.4 K/9 rate.

The Guardians loved what they saw from Williams and selected him in the first round with the 23rd overall pick – four rounds ahead of Bibee. The selection was a wise one as Williams entered the season ranked as the No. 20 prospect in Baseball America, 42nd by MLB Pipeline and 26th by Baseball Prospectus.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Buy More Jeimer

August 4, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell, Featured | 314 Comments

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Jeimer Candelario stares out at the desert landscape in New Mexico. Behind him, an El Pollo Loco, in front of him nothing as far as the eye can see. “Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Balls.” That’s a wide open Jeimer. Um, ‘open-for-business.’ That’s an important distinction. Also, it’s an important distinction to say “balls” as in baseballs. The open Jeimer pushes a button and–it’s a bomb. The explosion reverberates. A mushroom cloud ascends to the heavens. The bomb is a home run into the Wrigley bleachers. Prolly a good distinction to make, as well. Finally the open Jeimer says, “I wanted to hit that bomb off German. Uh, Domingo.” So, Jeimer Candelario was a sleeper of mine two years ago, and he did not pan out at all, but it shows you there was pedigree. It just took a little while longer. His Launch Angle is perfect for Wrigley and his HR/FB is actually not that inflated, meaning he could actually become a home run hitter (27-homer-power) with a solid-enough average (.255) for 2024 fantasy, but this is for this year, and he’s been hot. Like nuclear. Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

The Pfaadt Boy Is Back, And You Know He Can Never Be Whack

August 4, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes, Featured | 149 Comments

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Brandon Pfaadt (7 IP, 1 ER, 3 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 7.11) returned three starts ago to the Diamondbacks’ rotation so has there been any changes? First off, his ERA of 7.11 doesn’t play here, cuz. We are *claps hands* Wawa! We are *claps hands* Wawa! We are *claps hands* Wawa! Coursing through my veins is Type O, no, you dint. That 7.11 Slurpee-ass ERA is deceiving. His last three starts: 3.37 ERA. Also, and more importantly, 16:2. That’s the most important ratio. No, not Jon Snow’s Golden Ratio of his butt. That’s his K:BB in 18 2/3 IP, and that plays. This is for this year, but I’m already getting worked up for Brandon Pfaadt’s 2024 fantasy hoo-ha. Remember, he was supposed to be an ace. That didn’t disappear because he struggled in his first call-up. Don’t make me go back to how even Kershaw looked pedestrian in his first call-up. Let me just go there while saying I won’t go there. In fact (Grey’s got more!), starters tend to take three years to get their footing in the majors. Either way, the command has been there since his recall, so hold off on rasberrying your lips at Brandon Pfft. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Son

One Man’s Trash: Can This Lourdes Be Our Savior?

August 3, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Featured |

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The more I live life, the more I begin to see and understand the dualistic nature of the universe. If there was no gravity, the Drop of Doom at Six Flags would just be a hair folicle on the Earth’s surface. Any kind of market would be unable to function without two divergent thoughts, resulting in a buyer and a seller. A buyer cannot buy without anyone willing to sell. Nothing goes straight up. Conversely, nothing goes straight down. There are ebbs and flows to most things in life. Which seamlessly brings me to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. of the Arizona Diamondbacks. His season up to date has been a tale of two halves within a half of a season. He was amazing for the first two months but has been the exact opposite the last two months. Can this Lourdes be our savior come money time?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Butters

What’s The Point: August Already?

August 3, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues | 7 Comments

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What is up party people? The Trade Deadline has passed and I guess that means we have kicked off the stretch run of the season. Seriously, where did the time go? August is upon us and that means we’re only a month away from September call-ups to tease us with their potential only to be let down next year when the start in they have a great spring only to start in the minors. Yeah, I’m probably getting ahead of myself but here we are. Some big names were moved (Justin Verlander back to the Astros and Max Scherzer to the Rangers) Obviously, you already know the kind of numbers they can put up with Ks and innings. Their respective moves shouldn’t change that but both could be in line for a boost in the wins department. Wins are always a tough stat to chase but we can hope that moving to a better team will at least set them up for more dubs.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Hobbs

Five FYPD College Sleeper Sticks

August 3, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 8 Comments

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The draft has come and gone and as many suspected, LSU’s Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews went off the board with the first two overall selections. For many, those two prospects instantly became the most sought-after in dynasty leagues and first-year player drafts alike. Alas! How could thee thinketh otherwise? After all, generational prospects, as they’ve been labeled, are likely to cause such a reaction. And perhaps it’s for good reason. Sure, Skenes is a great choice at No. 1 in a first-year player draft. But I get up on my rooftop at this time every summer (it takes me roughly that long to tear down the holiday lights), and remind our readers that draft position should not dictate FYPD board position. There are many, many places to find and steal value along the way. Maybe there’s a bat that went outside the first 18 picks that you should consider in your top five players overall. Or a mid-second-round diamond in the rough that fell 20 spots past where he probably should have. It’s all about being creative and better informed than those around you. In this week’s column, we’ll break down five FYPD sleeper sticks from the 2023 college draft class, followed by another five to keep your eye on.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Mike Couillard

Cards & Categories Ep. 4 – Deadline, Deadline, Deadline

August 3, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, All Podcasts |

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Mike Couillard and Jeremy Brewer have launched a pod, Cards & Categories, to discuss baseball from card collecting and fantasy angles! In our fourth episode, we open with discussion on the trade deadline results. Then we talk about how to store prospect rookie cards and ride the market waves, especially in relation to the prospects traded this […]

Please, blog, may I have some more?