Grey

Hope Rain Doesn’t Make Teoscar Grouchy

November 17, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes, Featured | 20 Comments

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La La Land! Wait, that’s wrong. Damn it, Faye Dunaway, give me that envelope! …and the Teoscar Hernandez goes to Seattle for Erik Swanson and minor-league LHP Adam Macko! That’s worse than La La Land. Macko better grow ten inches and become the next Randy Johnson for this trade to make sense. Okay, first my thoughts on middle relievers, such as Erik Swanson, then back to the trade. They are failed starters! Take Yusei Kikuchi and make him a middle reliever if you want a middle reliever. What are you doing?! Jays ain’t no Rays, but the M’s might be. Rays know that anyone can be a great reliever. Yanks seemed to figure it out when they took a guy who flamed out in Pittsburgh and made him great–Oh, wait, that could be Gerrit Cole too. Or any pitcher leaving Pittsburgh. Okay, sorry, that Pittsburgh hate is off-topic. Focus! This trade just has me so discombobulated. Why would you trade Teoscar Hernandez for a middle reliever and a lottery ticket arm? The only reasons I can imagine are the Jays aren’t done and will acquire another bat. Or the Jays know something on Teoscar that we don’t know. Something like he wanted out; clashing with some of the other players; something, and I don’t know what. So, Teoscar goes to a much worse park. Seattle is the worst park, by the by. Don’t trust me, ask Jesse Winker. Teoscar is no Winker though, and should be able to hit anywhere. What’s funny, and should be taken with a grain of salt, Teoscar’s expected homers in Toronto last year was 28 (he actually hit 25), and in Seattle it was 31. He’s regularly a top five-percenter in MaxEv, and regular Exit Velocity. Red marks after red marks indicating fire on all the best Statcast numbers. Barrel% upper 94-percenter; HardHit% is 98%; speed is even in the 84 percentile. I ranked Teoscar crazy high last year, and he disappointed, but it’s hard to not fall in love again. He really is that good, and Dipoto is robbing Canada like Mrs. Butterworth’s tapping maples. For 2023, I’ll give Teoscar Hernandez projections of  76/29/83/.264/7 in 517 ABs. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this offseason for 2023 fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Tue 8/5
ARI | ATH | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHC | CHW | CIN | CLE | COL | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | LAD | MIL | MIN | NYM | NYY | PHI | PIT | SD | SEA | SF | STL | TB | TEX | TOR | WSH | MIA | OAK
The Itch

St. Louis Cardinals Top 10 Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

November 16, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 14 Comments

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I thought about my early days at Razzball while building this list. He’s a link to my draft recap from 2020: Baseball is Back With a Whimper: Pandemic Draft Week Recap. St. Louis did about as well as you can at just about any task in that draft. They picked after 20 teams had their choice, but the top four names on this list were their top four picks in that draft, and they’re all exciting players with likely big league outcomes. 

 

1. 3B/OF Jordan Walker | 20 | AA | 2023

If I had to reshuffle the Top 100 today, I think I’d put Walker number one overall. At 6’5” 220 lbs with 80-grade power, plus athleticism and easy speed, Walker belongs to a rare class. No offense to Corbin Carroll or Gunnar Henderson. I’m just slightly more confident Walker will be an impact fantasy player. Check out Grey’s Jordan Walker, 2023 Fantasy Outlook for more. Fun videos in there. Really drives home how easy it can look for Walker when he’s on his game.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Josh Jung, 2023 Fantasy Outlook

November 15, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies, Featured | 41 Comments

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Robin Williams GIF, “What year is it?” Here’s a guy we’ve (I’ve) only covered for what, the last four years? Each year expecting him to debut. Oh my, I just realized something… Josh Jung — Carl Jung — Carl Jung — Josh Jung! Carl Jung who famously said, “The powers of my depths are predetermination and pleasure. Predetermination or fore-thinking is Prometheus, who, without determined thoughts, brings the chaotic to form and definition, who digs the channels and holds the object before pleasure.” You know what that means, don’t you? You do? Can you explain to me? I think what he’s saying is Josh Jung was held, due to forethinking about how good he was going to be, so putting the horse before the pleasure, and it withheld its true pleasures. Or Jung is just saying I shouldn’t have bothered covering Josh Jung for the past three or so years, and I am very dumb. Thanks a lot, Carl! Geez, what a bummer Carl Jung was, huh? Or am I projecting. Crap, Rudy’s going to sue me, projecting is his thing. So, what can we expect from Josh Jung for 2023 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Anthony Volpe, 2023 Fantasy Outlook

November 14, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies, Featured | 20 Comments

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So, this is a tough one to write, that is even harder as I do this in November, when nothing’s been finalized about next year’s rosters. Anthony Volpe could break camp with the Yankees or he could be called up late in the year like the Oswald/o’s. Yankees desperately need to look back at what they did in the mid-90s, and turn the page on signing all these vets, who kinda suck. Israel Diner-Falafel was a terrible signing at the time and it never got better, but this is what the Yankees have done for almost 25 years now. There’s someone reading this who wasn’t even alive for when the Yankees used to promote prospects. Me, being 17 years old, I don’t know any of this. I blew dust off Wikipedia to read about it. That’s right, I started Razzball when I was 5 years old. I was the Doogie Howser of fantasy baseball ‘perts. I don’t even get the Doogie Howser reference that I just made. I’m too young. Was he related to Dick Howser? Dot dot dot. Who I also don’t know — again –> too young. When the Yanks had the Core Four just coming up, I was actually a Yankees fan. Fantasy baseball and moving away from Jersey deadened most of my Yankees fandom, and sanded-down the sharp edges of the rest, but there was one point when the Yankees didn’t just go out and sign every $200 million free agent. That’s why I don’t know how accurate this Anthony Volpe 2023 fantasy rookie post can be about his playing time. I could see the Yankees go to Anthony Volpe in April or sign Carlos Correa for a two-year deal and talk about teaching Volpe to play 2nd. Anything’s on the table. So, what can we expect from Anthony Volpe for 2023 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Pittsburgh Pirates Top 10 Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

November 13, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 11 Comments

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Three Rivers Stadium is about to get hit with a wave of young talent. And yeah, I realize the stadium is probably called Crypto Cathedral or something by now. (Narrator voice: “Three Rivers Stadium was actually imploded in 2001. The Pirates play in PNC Park now, which is, in fact, named for a bank that shuttered 200 branches in June of this year.) So . . . pretty close.

Fact remains that this list is loaded with players set to debut in 2023. One downside of a tank-tastic rebuild is the timeline crunch. Pittsburgh has too many good-not-great youngsters to play at any given time. We saw some of that in 2022 when the club would call up a prospect and let him ride the bench or make him walk the plank like Captain Jack Suwinksi. It’ll take a lot of skill and a little luck to separate playing time winners from losers and build a sea-worthy vessel from this veritable forest of prospects. 

 

1. C/OF Endy Rodriguez | 22 | AAA | 2023

Rodriguez is nearing the end of his minor league journey. In a real-world scenario, he’s probably the Opening Day catcher for this team. Pittsburgh punted in all sorts of creative ways last year, so the chances of Endy breaking camp with the big club are minuscule. It’ll probably be Jason Delay and his 53 wRC+ or Tyler Heineman and his 57 wRC+. You never know, though. If Pittsburgh suddenly decided to give a shit about wins and losses, they could field something resembling a competitive ballclub. Johan Oviedo was a big find for the rotation. Mitch Keller seemed to break through into something approaching functionality. Roansy Contreras is already good fresh off his 23rd birthday.

If you put the switch-hitting Rodriguez behind the plate and in the middle of that lineup, the whole team looks about 50 percent better. The athletic 6’0” 170 lb former Mets farmhand played a fair bit of outfield in 2022 but looks smooth behind the plate. His bat is racing his glove to the majors, and the presence of number one pick Henry Davis complicates the issue further, but it might help them both to share the workload and kick over to DH or left field on off-days. Rodriguez is a better baseball athlete than Davis and a more versatile defender, so he might find himself in the ideal fantasy catcher spot, escaping the rigors of daily dish duty while finding his way into the lineup much more than the average backstop. In 31 Double-A games last year, Rodriguez popped eight home runs and slashed .356/.442/.678 with an impressive 13-to-15.2 percent walk-to-strikeout rate. He finished the year with a week in Triple-A, where he collected eight RBI in six games and slugged .773. In short, he is ready. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

2023 Top Keepers – Catchers

November 12, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Keepers | 21 Comments

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Well, the World Series is over, the citizens of Houston got to have their parade and now here we are – the offseason.

But don’t fret. If you are a regular Razzball reader, then you know we have been looking at the top keepers for 2023. Over the last two weeks we’ve released the 2023 Top Keepers 2023 – Relievers and 2023 Top Keepers – Starting Pitchers. This week – catchers!

Catchers are almost becoming like the place kickers of fantasy football – everyone needs one, but except for a few top players who can actually sway an outcome, they are all the same.

So here are a few simple rules when it comes to catchers:
Catchers, in general, will only play in about 110 to 120 games except for a few outliers. So don’t expect catchers, as a group, to perform like other position players.
If you think two catchers are equal except for age, go with the younger catcher. Few catchers age well.
Be happy if you have a catcher who is a standout in one scoring category. Rare is the catcher who hits for average and homers, even more rare if they add steals.
There are some catchers who make Rule #1, #2 and #3 completely false. If you have one of them, hold onto them for as long as you can.

In backing up rule No. 3, the career leader in home runs by a catcher (as in hitting a homer while playing catcher in that game) is Mike Piazza with 396. There are only three more players who hit more than 300 – Carlton Fisk (351), Johnny Bench (326) and Yogi Berra (305). That is it. This season, the highest batting average by a catcher with more than 200 at-bats was .285 by Alejandro Kirk of the Blue Jays – .285!

So for the below rankings, if you see a player like Martin Maldonado, you are going to wonder why he is even ranked. Dude slashed only .186/.248/.352. But he did hit 15 homers and drove in 45 runs.

You know how many other catchers hit more than 15 homers? Twelve. Do you know how many other catchers drove in more than 45 runs? Fourteen. When looking at a catcher like Maldanado for just his power and run production, he is actually close to being a starter in deep fantasy leagues.

Moral of the story – catchers are their own breed and should be viewed differently.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Sal Frelick, 2023 Fantasy Outlook

November 11, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies, Featured | 15 Comments

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“Keston Hiura, Tyrone Taylor, Christian Yelich…Every other bat the Brewers have ruined has nothing to do with Sal Frelick…” is what I chant to myself while surrounded by candles in a meditation room. Yelich had his own ground ball issues; Tyrone Taylor was never supposed to be that good, he only got hyped in the fantasy baseball community; Keston Hiura sucked, but maybe he was overrated by scouts and always kinda sucked, or maybe his batting stance got out of alignment or maybe or maybe or maybe! None of these guys have anything to do with Sal Frelick, and I need to stop trying to put that garbage on this guy. Let’s see what Itch said, “The 15th overall pick out of Boston College possesses double-plus bat control and contact abilities that should let the rest of his game flourish as Sal Frelick climbs the ladder, and someone push Grey off a ladder.” C’mon, man! Itch also said a lot of other stuff on Sal Frelick, that was, honestly, only a fraction of what was said about Frelick. Prospect Itch and Prospect Hobbs have covered Frelick a great deal; they are both very big fans. You can get a good 1000 words on Sal Frelick from Hobbs when Frelick was merely a guy in the 2021 MLB draft. It’s worth the read. So, what can we expect from Sal Frelick for 2023 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Brett Baty, 2023 Fantasy Outlook

November 10, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies, Featured | 16 Comments

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Hey, a guy who’s already debuted. Let’s refresh the memory on Brett Baty:

And home run number two:

And pure unadulterated love to help weigh out all the hours you spend listening to true crime:

Sweet stuff. Not just the swing, but the family love. Speaking of family, it’s me, your daddy, with what I said back in August when he was called up, “It’s Brett Baty as in Brett “Beatty” — not “Batty,” because I know in your head, you see Brett Baty and think Batty. Oh, yeah, I know what is going on in your head. You’re thinking I also pronounced it Brett “Batty.” Wrong! I’m in your head, but you’re not in my head! In my head, I like to pronounce Brett’s last name “Bat-Why,” and with a flourish like it’s Pad Thai. I’ll tell you Bat-Why! Bat-Why because just last week he landed on Itch’s top 25 prospects for dynasty leagues, where he said, ‘Brett Baty has no business in AA. He’s repeating the level after posting a 118 wRC+ in 40 games last year, and he’s slashing .355/.427/.655 with eight home runs in his last 26 games. Who’s in charge of this stuff? What’s happening here? This is dumb, so I think somehow Grey’s behind it.’ Okay, not cool. Bat Why’s numbers at Double-A ended up 19 HRs, .312/.406 in 89 games, as he was finally promoted to Triple-A after Itch’s insistence, and he’s continued to hit there too. The Mets need a third baseman with Eduardo Escobar IL’d and Baty is being called up. I Bat-Why’d on all my teams where I too need a third baseman. He could be the last big call-up. By the why, who doesn’t need a 3rd baseman? The one team who drafted Jo-Jo-Ram in your league? Cool, not me, which is why I Bat-Why’d and that’s Bat-Because.” And that’s me quoting me quoting Itch! So, what can we expect from Brett Baty for 2023 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Milwaukee Brewers Top 10 Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

November 9, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 9 Comments

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2023 should be a bounce back year for Bernie and the Brewers, who finished 2022 one game behind the Phillies for a wild card spot and will retain all their elite pitching. Well, all their elite pitching except Josh Hader. The lineup is good, too. Rowdy Telez and Willy Adames combined for 66 home runs, which feels like an emblem of where this organization thrives: making room for talent that falls through cracks in other teams’ roster crunches. 

 

1. OF Jackson Chourio | 19 | AA | 2024

Chourio won’t turn 19 until March 11, giving him an outside shot to make his big league debut at age 19. It’s unlikely but within the range of possible outcomes for a player who has already defied the age-to-level curve in an extreme way, playing AA games at 18 and getting valuable winter league reps in a hyper-competitive environment. The numbers don’t matter a whole lot for a wunderkind like this, but the numbers are good: 20 HR and 16 SB in 99 games across three levels.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Ezequiel Tovar, 2023 Fantasy Outlook

November 8, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies, Featured | 12 Comments

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“You’re going to be hearing a lot about Ezequiel Tovar this offseason, so why not get started now? *phone rings* One second, sorry. “Hello? Yes, this is Grey. Yes, Grey Albright. Yes, the one with the luscious mustache and full head of hair! Yes, the only person who is five-seven but looks at least six-one! Yes, you’re talking to him! This is Future Me? Grey? I thought your voice sounded familiar. What’s up, Future Me, if I may call you that…Call you Mr. Albright? Uh, okay. What’s up, Mr. Albright? Ezequiel Tovar is hitting .350 with power and speed next year? That’s awesome! What do you mean it’s not awesome? Why? Because Bud Black’s playing the 32-year-old Scott Schebler at shortstop? Is Scott Schebler hitting well? Should I pick him up in eight months as a hot schmotato? Hello…Hello…?” I think he hung up.” And that’s me quoting Future Me! That was from when Ezequiel Tovar got called up at the end of the year. Ya know what’s a little crazy? Your aunt? Yes, but I’m talking about how it’s a little crazy how Rockies writers, who seemingly know the club better than anyone else, never talk about how awful Bud Black is. Likely because Bud is where the bread is buttered for scoops — Bud buttered? Hmm, I wish I didn’t think that. I also think most Rockies fans like Bud. *shrugs* Well, there’s no accounting for good taste or sense. Am I still very worried Bud Black will inexplicably find someone random to play shortstop instead of Tovar? If you don’t learn from the past Future Me, you will only repeat Future Me’s past mistakes. So, what can we expect from Ezequiel Tovar for 2023 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Matt Mervis, 2023 Fantasy Outlook

November 7, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies, Featured | 17 Comments

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I did a google for Matt Mervis and his ETA and I found he’s going to be promoted to the Cubs in 2022. Very cool, let’s see how he did. Let me do another google for us. Hmm, I’m not seeing any stats for Matt Mervis with the Cubs. They must’ve had some great 1st baseman in the North Side of Chicago, huh? Let’s see…Alfonso Rivas? Hmm…I don’t remember him being, how do they say it, good. I kid, of course, Alfonso Rivas was great (if you don’t know what the word great means). Rivas hit three homers and .235, but in only 101 games. Maybe he needs more of a chance? Say, another 4,000 games? No? Okay. Oh, I’m being told Rivas was only the lefty side of the 1st base platoon for the Cubs! Of course! The righty side must’ve been so much better, right? Let’s see…P.J. Higgins got 38 games at first and hit six homers and .229. Pajamas Higgins must’ve just had a bad year! What? That’s his best season at the plate in eight years of pro ball? Oh, okay. So, my point is obviously that Matt Mervis is going to be the Cubs’ 1st baseman to start the season, unless they want to see more from Pajamas. *weighing options with hands as scales* Pajamas, who sucks worse than feety pee-jays…Or a good prospect. Hmm, tough call. So, what can we expect from Matt Mervis for 2023 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

November 6, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 15 Comments

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Been an odd stretch for the red legs. Yasiel Puig. Trevor Bauer. Nick Castellanos. A couple sell-offs. Joey Votto the constant: a Jon Snow meme made incarnate on the baseball field. Brandon Drury and Raisel Iglesias and Jonathan India and Sonny Gray and Fidel Castro and Eric Davis and Pete Rose and Luis Castillo and why the fiery red hell is Hunter Strickland pitching with a lead in the ninth? 

It’s complicated, I guess. They’ve taken some big swings. And mostly missed. Fun that they tried for a while. Not sure what to make of their current direction. Solid pieces in place with Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Alexis Diaz and more. Some impact talents on the way. A few interesting in-betweeners at the big league level. You have to squint a little, but you can see a path back to relevance for the Reds, which is really all you can ask for on the downside of an unsuccessful cycle. 

 

1. SS Elly De La Cruz | 21 | AA | 2023

In his 2023 Fantasy Outlook for Jordan Walker, Grey refers to meta-human type athletes as Lab Babies. Next year, if he’s still eligible, that post is reserved for E to the DLC: Lab Baby. Prospect Thanos. Inevitable. Only thing between him and that kind of shine is a 2023 debut. The strikeouts and the Reds’ general level of competitiveness could conspire to delay his arrival, but if he does make the leap, we’ll want him on our redraft squads. The power and speed are elite, and I’m way less worried about the strikeouts (158 in 120 games) than what I’ve seen in some other prospect portals because I think the quality of contact is so extreme they barely matter until proven otherwise. De La Cruz is a switch-hitter at 6’5” 200 lbs who explodes his hips through the zone from both sides of the plate. Like Aaron Jude and Oneil Cruz before him, he doesn’t have to square up a pitch to send it seven rows deep. It’s unique. It’s uncanny. It helped him slash .304/.359/.586 with 28 home runs and 47 stolen bases in 120 games across two levels.

Please, blog, may I have some more?