This Cubbie The Start Of A Dansbeautiful Friendship

It was clear where Dansby Swanson was going to sign once he got married. Mallory Pugh, his new wife, plays soccer in Chicago. Lucky Dansby didn’t marry Messi. He’d have to play for Argentina, which, I believe, is where Yasiel Puig is playing now. Imagine being so whipped you have to play for whoever your wife roots for. I’d be playing for the “Gilmore Girls reunion.” So, Swanson immediately makes the Cubs much better. Competitive? Well, maybe a Wild Card, then who knows, Their pitching staff’s got more question marks than the Riddler’s leotards, so, yeah, I don’t think the Cubs are competitive, but weirder things have happened. Their middle infield does look solid, though. I am Hoerny for Hoerner and have always loved me some Swanson. Last year, Wrigley played poorly for home runs, but, as mentioned previously, I think that was a flukey thing vs. a new thing. Though, the dead ball and the humidor might’ve finally overcome the Windy City to make it more like Fly Out City. Will need more than one year to determine that. Last year, Swanson did what he’s always done with just a little more luck on BABIP, and flashed more speed. His counting stats might take a little hit in a weaker lineup (though, now the Cubs have Cody Bellinger five exclamation marks). His power should remain around 25-28, steals around 12-15, and average around .260. Assuming he doesn’t get his new marriage annulled and start dating Marge Schott Jr. and throw every game vs. the Reds. For 2023, I’ll give Dansby Swanson projections of 78/27/84/.262/14 in 591 ABs. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this offseason for 2023 fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Learn more about our 2025 Fantasy Baseball Subscriptions!

The best daily/weekly player rankings/projections (hitters, starters, and relievers) for each of the next 7-10 days + next calendar week starting Friday. Kick-ass DFS lineup optimizer and projections for DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo!.

I don’t have enough spam, give me the Razzball email newsletter!

Weekly Razzball news delivered straight to your inbox.

See all of today’s starting lineups

#	MLB Starting Lineups For Mon 8/4
	ARI \| ATL \| BAL \| BOS \| CHC \| CIN \| CLE \| COL \| HOU \| KC \| LAA \| LAD \| MIA \| MIL \| MIN \| NYM \| NYY \| PHI \| PIT \| SD \| SF \| STL \| TB \| TEX \| TOR \| ATH \| CHW \| DET \| OAK \| SEA \| WSH

New York Yankees Top 10 Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

December 18, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 14 Comments

by: The Itch

The shortstop question has hovered over this organization since Derek Jeter retired. That can’t be right. They’ve had a real shortstop since Jetes, haven’t they? Can we count Tulowitzki?

A quick giggle search brought me to a New York Post article from 2021 titled “Yankees Still Searching For Derek Jeter’s Long-Term Replacement at Shortstop.” A year and change later, the search continues.

The word “search” feels a little aggressive to describe how this has looked in the real.

Nobody’s gathering groups with flashlights to comb the forests of upstate New York. Instead, they’re hoping a shortstop emerges from atop this list.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2023 Top Keepers – Left Fielders

December 17, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Keepers | 12 Comments

by: Jakkers

Hey, if it’s a day that ends in “y” then it is a good talk to talk about fantasy baseball. This week we are shining a light on left fielders in another edition of the 2023 Top Keepers series.

When it comes to left fielders, they are almost like the second basemen of the outfield. Many left fielders also play other positions, whether it is elsewhere in the outfield, DH, or someone in the infield.

Of the 30 ranked players and the five who just missed, only 15 of them appeared in more than 100 games in left. A few more of them would have reach 100 games if they were called up to the big leagues sooner or didn’t suffer through injuries.

The Average Left Fielder

The goal when building a fantasy team is to obviously have the best players at every position. But that is pretty much impossible to do. But an easier goal to reach is to at least have a player who is better than league average at that position. You may think this is easy, but in 16- to 20-team leagues with deep rosters, this goal is a lot harder to achieve than you may think.

So, what does the average left fielder produce?

A slash line of .250/.322/.403
19 home runs
72 RBI
10 stolen bases

If you can start a player who tops the majority of those players, then you are in good shape. And in case you are wondering, the average left fielder has the best overall slash line compared to center fielders and right fielders, while center fielders have the best speed and right fielders the most power.

Decent Depth

Unlike some other positions we have already looked at, like second base, there is relatively good depth in left field. The top players are head and shoulders better than the rest of the group, but there are decent players to be found in Tier 5.

Now, let’s start our dive into the 2023 Top Keepers – Left Fielders edition.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Carlos Rodon The L, The BART, and now The 6 Train

December 16, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes, Featured | 51 Comments

by: Grey

Yankees are absolutely stacked:

Gerrit Cole
Carlos Rodon
Luis Severino
Nestor Cortes
Frankie Montas

Which makes it so weird that they’re going to Wandy Peralta with the ALCS on the line. Wait, ever since I bought this DeLorean off eBay I have no idea what time I’m in. Is this October of 2023? *looks down* Oh, I’m wearing a loincloth. I know when I am now. It must be in the 70’s in the San Fernando Valley. Carlos Rodon became a jewel in my crown of lovelies this past season. I didn’t want him, but Donkey Teeth insisted we draft him in our Main Event, and I fell in love. That Donkey Teeth also had us draft Maikel Franco is another thing entirely. He’s truly special when he’s healthy. Uh, Rodon, not Maikel or Donkey. Last year, his 12 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 2.91 xFIP (!) tells pretty much the whole story. His HR/9 was .6, and that might go up, as he does give up a decent number of fly balls. But it is a ton of weak contact, 290-foot outs. Wait, you can get 290-foot home runs in Yankee Stadium. He’s going to be great in the AL East, in Yankee Stadium, everywhere. As long as he’s healthy. If healthy, yes. That’s the riddle that we don’t know, like why did E.T. want to phone home? You can’t call other planets. E.T. was dumb if you ask me. For 2023, I’ll give Carlos Rodon projections of 16-4/3.03/1.05/224 in 169 IP. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this offseason in fantasy baseball:

Psyche! Before we get into the roundup, just wanted to announce that I’ve begun to roll out my 2023 fantasy baseball rankings on our Patreon. It’s an early Hanukkah miracle! Or late Hanukah miracle, depending on when Hanukkah is this year. The Jews should really decide on one day to start Hanukah each year, and stick with it. It’s better for branding. Anyway II, the roundup:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Thairo Estrada, 2023 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

December 15, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Sleepers, Featured | 39 Comments

by: Grey

Just spent more time than I care to admit (47 seconds) thinking about if this is the first San Francisco Giants player I’ve ever called a sleeper. Congratulations, Thairo Estrada, you’re the first Giants hitter I’ve liked since Barry Bonds! What does Thairo Estrada win? *digs through pockets* How does a losing Powerball ticket sound? No? A stamp card for TCBY? I’m not sure if TCBY is still in business, but if they are, you only need seven more yogurts for a free one. Not interested? Geez, picky, picky. By the way, I kinda like J.D. Davis too at his current ADP, but not enough to write a whole post. How did Thairo Estrada breakthrough like Jim Morrison on mescaline? Last year his stats were: 14/21/.260 in 488 ABs and he’s currently being drafted around 185th overall, so that’s a sleeper, said like The Simpsons’ Jasper would say, “That’s a paddlin’.” This is going to be one of those sleepers, where I just try to prove that a 15/20 hitter wasn’t a fluke last year, because Thairo Estrada was a top 100 overall guy on the Player Rater last year, so we just need a repeat performance. By the by, I’m finding a lot of success in the 90th to 95th overall on the Player Rater from last year. Eyeing Taylor Ward, Rowdy Tellez, and Thairo in that five-player range. Also, in there is Ian Happ, who I kinda like, but that’s for another day. So, what can we expect from Thairo Estrada for 2023 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?

Psyche! Before we get into the Thairo Estrada sleeper post, just wanted to announce that I’ve begun to roll out my 2023 fantasy baseball rankings on our Patreon. It’s an early Hanukkah miracle! Or late Hanukah miracle, depending on when Hanukkah is this year. The Jews should really decide on one day to start Hanukah each year, and stick with it. It’s better for branding. Anyway II, the Thairo Estrada sleeper:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Boston Red Sox Top 10 Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

December 14, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 15 Comments

by: The Itch

Remember when you could play as Yoshi for the first time in a Mario game? Maybe it was Mario Tennis. Maybe you could count riding him in that first SNES game? Remember how great it felt to win a Mariocart race as Yoshi?

Boston members.

Though they lack a truly elite prospect, the Red Sox have assembled an exciting group of hitters that should matriculate to Fenway in waves over the next few seasons. Best system I’ve seen here in four years doing these lists. Took me a long time to whittle down to these top ten.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Atlanta Braves Relives Boston Days By Adding Sean Murphy

December 13, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes, Featured | 46 Comments

by: Grey

Finally, a trade! No team but the A’s could make Sean Murphy into the impetus for a three-team trade with eight players involved. Sean Murphy to the A’s; Oakland gets Kyle Muller, Esteury Ruiz, Freddy Tarnok, Royber Salinas and Manny Pina; Milwaukee gets William Contreras, Justin Yeager and Joel Payamps. Braves turning William Contreras into Sean Murphy, presumably at DH and catcher, is such a why bother for the Braves that I wonder if Alex Anthopoulos just had to trade William Contreras because he wouldn’t agree to a 17-year, $12 million deal. “You won’t agree to being a Braves player for life for $75,000 a year? Then, I’m sorry, you have to go.” We know Billy Beane, Anthopoulos and the Brewers’ GM, whoever that is, don’t play fantasy baseball, because if they did, they’d know to never pick their catcher scab. Ron Popeil, food appliance guru and master fantasy baseballer, once said, “Set it and forget it.” Seriously, I’m trying to figure out the difference between Murphy and Contreras and I am at a literal loss. In Oakland, the will is gone; and in Atlanta the William. Sean Murphy was the 6th best catcher on the Player Rater last year, and, while it looks like he overperformed on average, there is something to a team as bad as the Vegas A’s just rolling a guy like Murphy out there for 150-ish games. It’s Murphy’s Law. In a better lineup, he might lose a few at-bats, but, as said above, he has the DH too. For 2023, I’ll give Sean Murphy projections of 66/20/73/.244/1 in 502 ABs. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this offseason for 2023 fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Fantasy Baseball Podcast: Winter Meetings Recap

December 12, 2022 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast |

by: B_Don

Grey and B_Don (basically Grey couldn’t find anyone better, yet) are back for the 2023 season! We’re here to jump into the moves from the winter meetings. We start the podcast with Aaron Judge re-signing and some discussion about the different baseballs in use last season, and well, we rant a little bit…

Then, we move on to the signings. We talk about Trea Turner heading to Philadelphia and the Bryce Harper injury news. The Rangers bolstered their pitching rotation with Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney, and Jake Odorizzi, but how interested are we in them? The Mets followed suit and added to their rotation with Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana. We go on to talk about the other signings including Jose Abreu, Xander Bogaerts, Willson Contreras, Mitch Haniger, Josh Bell, and the other meaningful-ish signings.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Jake McCarthy, 2023 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

December 12, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Sleepers, Featured | 39 Comments

by: Grey

As mentioned many times in the past, there’s different types of fantasy baseball sleepers. They can’t all be, “Who the H-E-double hockey sticks are you talking about?” Some guys are going to be no dur sleepers. Jake McCarthy is interesting because I think he might be both, depending on what kind of league you’re in. I could see him being a “What the H-E-double hockey sticks” in some leagues with people who are immersed in fantasy baseball all year long. There’s others though, who don’t follow fantasy baseball year-round. and these people are the real freaks. They have lives six months of the year when there’s no baseball? That sounds nuts, to be honest. For those absolute freaks, they might not realize how good Jake McCarthy was last year, and could let him slip in drafts. The slightly hilarious thing is the big box sites like ESPN are in this group, as they also cater to the freaks. I have no idea at this point, as I write this in October, and you read it in December, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jake McCarthy ranked around 275 overall at ESPN, if at all. He’s the kind of guy that is just completely overlooked. Therefore, ergo, vis-a-vie, if you’re seeing Jake McCarthy 2023 fantasy baseball sleeper and thinking, “No dur.” You’re right, he should be no dur, but he won’t be no dur for all people. If you’re thinking, “Okay, if you’re writing this for freaks, and I’m reading it, does it make me a freak?” No, you’re reading this in December. You’re no freak. Unless you read this in March. Then you be a freak. So, what can we expect from Jake McCarthy for 2023 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Baltimore Orioles Top 10 Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

December 11, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 19 Comments

by: The Itch

Selling Trey Mancini to Houston during the club’s one competitive season in years might have karmically doomed the franchise, but if Baltimore can avoid the hex, they should be in for a steady run of good rosters. This list will only scratch the surface on how much talent this team has accrued through aggressively tanking then gaming the draft-pool system and slow-playing every prospect so they’d all be on the cusp at the same time.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2023 Top Keepers – Third Basemen

December 10, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Keepers | 7 Comments

by: Jakkers

Welcome back for another edition of 2023 Top Keepers. This week we are going round out the infield as we look at third basemen.

As a whole, this is not an overly deep position. If you have a player who I rank in Tier 1 or 2, be happy. Because after the top 10, the production level drops pretty quickly.

Where is the young talent?

If you are looking for a third baseman to be a long-term anchor on your team, there are only a few players who can really fit that mold. Out of the 30 players ranked in Tiers 1 through 5, 14 of them are 30 or older. I did rank nine players who are 25 or younger, but only four of those players are in my top 10.

The good news is that many of the third basemen listed below do hit for some power. Sixteen players hit more than 20 home runs and another nine hit more than 10. The bad news, however, is that only nine of the ranked players hit better than .270 and only 10 had an OBP above .340.

This all adds up to a group that is largely old and doesn’t hit for a high average or get on base. However, at least they can help with home runs!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Taylor Ward, 2023 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

December 9, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Sleepers, Featured | 71 Comments

by: Grey

Taylor Ward as a fantasy baseball sleeper feels like one of those: By March, everyone is going to write at least one sleeper post for Taylor Ward and some people will write two so he will be a sleeper in name only. That’s fine, they can’t all be “Drafted around 300th overall” sleepers. I’ve been wrong about things like this before. Not wrong on whether a guy will be good or not, I’m never wrong about that. Shut up about Adalberto Mondesi! Literally no one is asking you for a list of names I was wrong about. Yes, I thought Jonathan India was a star, and it turned out I was just reading a Star of India takeout menu. Can you please stop listing all of my many mistakes now? Thanks. I mean, I’ve been wrong in the past about whether a player will be hyped as a sleeper, then they’re not. It’s harder to understand what others are thinking than what players will do. All of the stats, that I will get to in a second, show Taylor Ward will be undervalued, but will everyone else see that? My guess is yes, but who knows? Thought it was obvious to not draft starters in the first 15 picks overall, and I’ve been wrong about people catching on with that for about a decade. Last year, Taylor Ward went 73/23/65/.281/5 in 495 ABs. That’s *holds hand over mouth while yawning*, right? No? Ah, you’re one step ahead of me, let me catch up. So, what can we expect from Taylor Ward for 2023 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?

Please, blog, may I have some more?