Howdy everyone. The Great Knoche here, newish DFS writer at Razzball, but certainly not new to Razzball. I’ve been hanging around these parts for around decade. That’s long enough to have accumulated the knowledge to have finished 9th overall in the RCL standings in 2019, That’s long enough to remember when J-FOH also known as […]
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Grey and B_Don are back to mourn the loss of Adalberto Mondesi, again. On the positive side though, Ronald Acuna Jr. is back and the two weigh in about where they would have Acuna for the rest of the season. The hottest Angels player right now isn’t Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani, but rather, Taylor […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1000828″ player=”13959″ title=”BSH_%20Week5″ duration=”201″ description=”undefined” uploaddate=”2022-04-27″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/snapshot/1000828_th_1651023244.jpg” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/sd/1000828.mp4″]
Last week Prospect Itch drew up his Prospect Must Stash List. He made a caricature of each minor leaguer he was interested in and added a little mustache. It really was quite remarkable…*intern whispers in ear*…I see, so being told he absolutely did not do that, but instead he gave you all his prospects he’s stashing in redraft leagues. Jose Miranda was on that must stash list, and his mustache was fantastic–*intern leans in, annoyed*–Miranda did not have a drawn-on mustache. So, I gave you a Jose Miranda fantasy back in October of last year. There I said, “(He) possesses the usual Twins’ tendencies — Twindencies? — he doesn’t strike out at all and doesn’t walk a ton. At 23 years of age, Miranda ended 2021 across two levels (Double and Triple-A) with 30/4 and .344/.400/.575 with a 12% strikeout rate. Beginning to think he’s Luis Arraez with 30 homer-power. His contact skills won’t just disappear, even if they fade a little because the majors are tougher than the minors, he’ll still hit .280 with a 17-19% strikeout rate.” And that’s me quoting me! To compare him to a non-Twins player, he’s like a poor man’s Ty France. I will call him, Miranda’s In France To Stop Carrie From Marrying Mr. Big Because He’s About To Get MeToo’d. With him being recalled by the Twins — hey, I just remembered, we have a top prospect! — I’d add Jose Miranda in all leagues. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?Welcome to week 4 — the week where all the data finally makes sense and the futures of every player become written in stone! Not really — that’s kind of the wonky thing about baseball — it might take years to make effective predictions about player performance (see Greinke comma Zack). For me, May is where I start to vaguely pay attention to baseball again because the stats are meaningful again. DFS becomes a bit more predictable, and the rest of us fantasy ballers (Grey’s mom’s word) are ready to spew out meaningful and actionable takes. Like, “Sit that clown Lucas Giolito! I kid, I would never bad-mouth a White Sox player [stares at Dylan Cease].
Let’s learn about some interesting players!
Please, blog, may I have some more?While I may have taken some liberties with the spelling of the last name, can anyone tell me (without Googling) where my title comes from? I’ll give you a hint. The movie includes John Wick, Sodapop Curtis and Johnny Castle. But for now, let’s discuss Tylor Megill. Through five starts he is averaging 20 points […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?Attention Razzballers! The Not Not News Podcast is now available 100% free of charge! Subscribe to the Not Not New Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. It’s your favorite hour of the week! The Not Not News is back with all the Billy Hurley jokes and Grey Albright cackles you […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?Good day All, If you’ve been focusing on the NFL Draft this week, I’m happy to report we’ve had another exciting week of baseball. The Mets combined to pitch a no-hitter against the Phillies this past Friday, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout earned their 10th year of MLB service time (I feel old), and yes […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?Welcome back to MLB DFS, Money Monday edition. It’s me, Cousin Timmy, and I’m here to keep your Monday nice and green. We have a six-game main slate on FanDuel tonight with first pitch set for 6:40PM ET in Miami. If you’re a Mike Trout fan or are dying to see Zack Greinke pitch 5 […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1000828″ player=”13959″ title=”BSH_%20Week5″ duration=”201″ description=”undefined” uploaddate=”2022-04-27″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/snapshot/1000828_th_1651023244.jpg” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/sd/1000828.mp4″]
Wish I could say Kevin Gausman‘s success this year will end forever, “(Pitcher’s name) is going to AL East, now you better be scared, right, Grey? Grey, tell me you’re supposed to be scared. Say that now. I beg of you! Tell me (pitcher’s name) going to the AL East is bad for him!” Grabs Aquanet hairspray and a Zippo lighter, threatening, “Tell me, Grey, or I will burn down your house.” Even with the NL getting the DH, something about a pitcher going to the AL East frightens guys more than hearing Amber Heard just ate Raisin Bran. Yesterday, Kevin Gausman went 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 10 Ks, ERA at 2.27. That’s now 41 Ks and zero walks to start the year. That’s the third most Ks to start the year without a walk since 1900 (only behind 2021 Corbin Burnes and 2017 Kenley Jansen). It doesn’t matter if a pitcher has two pitches, if one is unhittable like Gausman’s splitter, and it doesn’t matter what division a pitcher is in if he’s unhittable. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?Welcome back, bar patrons! Hey, I’ve got some… bad news. This week looks rough for double-dippers. I mean, among the Top Shelf, there isn’t anyone that particularly stands out. They’re all good, of course, but there’s not necessarily a sure thing in the bunch. Looks like we’re all drinking the cheap stuff this week. On […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?Finding great pitching is always always a chore during the fantasy season. If the pitchers on the waiver wire were sure things, they would have been added during your league’s offseason draft.
But this doesn’t mean finding a good pitcher is impossible. It just means you have to study the pitchers and make an informed decision about whether a certain pitcher is just hot or is a legit add and keeper.
Two players we will look at today are Eric Lauer of the Brewers and Matt Brash of the Mariners.
Who are Lauer and Brash?
Lauer was drafted twice, once out of high school by the Blue Jays in the 17th round of the 2013 draft and then with the 25th pick of the first round of the 2016 draft by San Diego.
Lauer had a great college career at Kent State, going 23-10 with a 1.86 ERA and a K/9 rate of 11.2 while walking only 2.5 batter per nine innings.
In the four minor league seasons, he was only 9-10, but he had a 2.85 ERA, 1.175 WHIP and still 10.2 K/9,
Brash was drafted in the fourth round out of Niagara University by the San Diego Padres. In college, Brash put up nice, but not great numbers.
He started 29 of the 38 games he appeared in over three years, going 12-7 with a 2.97 ERA. In 190.2 innings of work, he struck out 215 hitters, or 10.1 K/9, with a 3.1 BB/9 rate.
His walk rate increased in the minors, where in 25 career games he had a 4.2 BB/9 rate but with an outstanding 13.1 K/9 rate.
So, why are they still available?
Lauer was a pedestrian pitcher his first major league three seasons, posting ERAs of 4.34, 4.45 and 6.37. But last season the lefty rebounded with a 3.19 ERA.
Fantasy owners are coming around on Lauer, at least in Yahoo leagues where he rostered on 66% of teams. However, he is only rostered in 49% of ESPN leagues.
Meanwhile, Brash is owned in only 30% of Yahoo leagues and 17.8% of ESPN leagues. While he is ranked as a Top 100 by several publications, the fact he didn’t dominate hitters in college and the minors has left doubt about him by fantasy owners.
Is that doubt about Brash correct? Is Lauer really for real?
Let’s take a look.
Please, blog, may I have some more?I was really pleased with how last week played out. Bailey Ober was the only guy who struggled, and it sounds like he wasn’t available in your leagues anyway. On the hitting side, Eric Hosmer was one of our best streamers of the season. Unfortunately, Miguel Sano went into hiding on the Twins bench while […]
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