The Itch

Top 100 Prospect Discussion Prep: Perspective is Everything 

May 23, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 60 Comments

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A wave of excitement ran through the baseball community like Bo Jackson bursting for the corner and up the sideline. Our collective breaths were held hostage once again by the state of Florida (why is it always Florida?) as we waited for our Wanderwall to save our batting averages. 

Turns out we got Taylor Walls, much to the surprise of nobody who’s followed Tampa for two seconds but certainly to the chagrin of baseball fans everywhere. 

But maybe Walls’ll be the one that saves us. Cause after all . . . 

He’s good at baseball.

He’s no Vidal Wandersoon, but he’s fine for anyone looking to save some coin, and let’s face it, our fantasy teams are in Tampa’s boat on that front. Everyone loves a price break in fantasy. We probably wouldn’t tap and sap our very souls to get it, but that’s life in the so-it-goes era of Major League fuckery. 

Sorry for the detour. I’m putting work into the Top 100 Update and wanted to open the floor to discussion. In this space, I’ll air out some thoughts kicking around as I build the list and invite your thoughts on the season so far. The more minds the better, is my general approach to all things thought and perspective.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Sat 8/9
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
Jeremy Brewer

Top 100 Hitters: Best Shape of His Life

May 22, 2021 | Top 100 Hitters | 33 Comments

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This offseason reports were aplenty of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. getting into the best shape of his life and the monster season he would unleash on the league.  This is such a common story, that we often dismiss the notion that results could follow.  For Vladdy Jr. himself, we also had concerns with his notably high groundball rate driving down the opportunities to put the ball over the fence and ultimately driving in runs.  Well, early this season we are seeing the ball hit harder than last year with more flyballs and a bit of luck.  That is the perfect recipe for success and a jump into the top 10 of the rest of season top 100 hitters.  It is scary to think that Vlad is only 22 and may be only touching the surface of his potential.

There is a lot of movement this week as some hitters have not turned it around after early-season struggles such as Cavan Biggio or Francisco Lindor.  Alternatively, there are guys like Mitch Haniger that bring joy to the rankings watching the comeback stories early in the 2021 season.  Time to get into the most recent rendition of the Top 100 hitter rankings for 2021 fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Dan Pants

Rays Infielders are Adames a Dozen

May 22, 2021 | Daily Notes | 41 Comments

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The Tampa Bay Rays got the baseball world buzzing Friday afternoon when they shipped former top prospect Willy Adames to the Milwaukee Brewers along with RHP Trevor Richards for a couple middle relievers I’ve never heard of, Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Feyereisen. I’m partly lying for the laughs, I am aware of Feyereisen, he’s been solid (3.26 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 20/11 K/BB), and if there’s one thing we all know Kevin Cash needs, it’s more weapons out of the bullpen. But I’ve already spent WAY too much time covering these relievers, and I can assure you they are not the reason this trade sent beisbol twitter into a frenzy. The trade of Adames (.197/.254/.371, 5 HR, 15 RBI) opens up a spot for a new starting shortstop in St. P and the Rays have a bit of a premium at the position including two highly-touted mega-uber super-prospects, Vidal Brujan and Wander Franco, the latter being the consensus top prospect in all of baseball. Grey told you to BUY Vidal this weekend, and that advice was pre-trade, mind you! Clearly, Grey is a witch, but it remains to be seen if it’s of the sexy “Scarlet” variety. Vidal Brujan has 40-steal speed which, *Pro Tip* can help your fantasy team, but Wander is the name the Tampa fans (all 300 of them) are clamoring for. Enter the guy she told you not to worry about, Taylor Walls, who despite our deepest desires, is in fact the infielder that the Rays chose to call up this weekend to replace Adames. *Audible Sigh* No need to sigh so loudly just yet, frand, Walls has got his balls to it and he was slashing .327/.468/.490 with two homers, 10 RBI and two steals before the call up. Manager Cash suggested Walls will see plenty of time at shortstop along with Joey Wendle and could be worth a look for that speed alone, at least until one of the younger, sexier prospects arrives. Taylor had 10 homers and 28 steals between A/AA in 2019–and that is not nothing! Regardless, here’s hoping Brandon Lowe (2-for-3, 3 runs, 2 HR (9), 3 RBI) is next on the trading block. The Rays are so stacked at middle infielder maybe I’m delusional if I think I’m seeing Wander before August. But perhaps an injury? That would do it! What light through Wander a hamate bone breaks? If only they had the Mets training staff. Let’s make it happen!

Here’s what else I saw in fantasy baseball Friday night:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
everywhereblair

Fanduel: Tight Pants On!

May 22, 2021 | DFS, Fanduel | 5 Comments

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What is up degenerati? It’s cha-boi Blair out here on Saturday, which is my day of aggressive projection and fronting for the Vegas hustler crowd. [holds garlic martini] You fellas check out that Andy Williams tribute show yet? [dips hand in dish of peanuts] Check me outside of the betting window, and let’s get some comps together after we lose our stimmy money to the fair and honest workers at the good company Fanduel. Check my high-T picks after the signup offer!

New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Buy Vidal So Soon

May 21, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 569 Comments

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(NOTE: THIS POST WAS RELEASED EARLY THIS WEEK ON OUR PATREON. IT’S $10/MONTH OR $13/MONTH WITH AN EXTRA WEEKLY PODCAST.)

“If you don’t look good, I don’t look good,” said famed hairstylist Vidal Sassoon, as he was trying to get his son, Bob, to take off denim overalls and put on something else. Affronted, Bob Sassoon later took on his father’s hair empire, literally head-on, when Bob started manufacturing baby wigs. “When they emerge from the womb, they should look da bomb,” said Bob Sassoon, managing to make that awkward bomb/womb rhyme. Unfortunately, his baby wig business went belly up after two months with loses totaling twelve million dollars. The story, thankfully, doesn’t end there for the Sassoons. A disgraced Bob changed his last name to Brujan, and named his firstborn son, Vidal, vowing now to capture the hair dye/shampoo market. Again, much to Bob’s chagrin, Vidal Brujan became a baseball player, not a hair stylist, and Bob again disowned a Vidal right before he was about to become wildly successful. Any hoo! Here’s what Prospect Itch has said about Brujan previously, “It’s rare enough for a 40-steal player to enter our game. Even rarer to find one who hits enough to earn himself regular playing time. Rarer still to find one who speaks five languages. I mention this last piece because language learning requires the same determination needed for the grind of baseball. You’re going to make mistakes. Might look like an idiot. Might often feel dumb. But you have to keep putting yourself out there. And as long as you stay positive and focus on the long term, you can improve a little bit every day. In 2014, Tampa signed Brujan out of the Dominican Republic for $15,000. He was illiterate at the time. Now: five languages. Grey can’t speak one.” Tough but fair, tee bee aitch. Brujan is on the 40-man roster and coming our way very soon. He will be an immediate impact guy for fantasy in all leagues, and should be picked up now. Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jay

Que Civale, Civale

May 21, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball | 4 Comments

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A reach if there ever was one, that is; doing a play of words on Que Sera, Sera which would have been most relevant like 500 years ago. Look man, I’m getting old but not that old. I did consider a play on The Witcher since maybe I could have threaded the needle on a Henry Cavill strategy (toss a coin to your Civale?), but it never came to fruition. Which is really gross when you think about that sentence and what exactly fruition means and how it came, but I’ll leave that to better men (and women) than myself. And if you don’t know what any of this means, I don’t either, so at least misery loves company… and since the wheels have already fallen off, something that usually doesn’t happen until at least the second paragraph of our weekly get togethers, let’s just get down to talking about Aaron Civale and his wonderful yet “measured” start and whether or not this is sustainable. And yeah, just to come full circle, I am most definitely not the man who knew too much. (Just show this to your parents, they’ll get it. They’ll have questions, but they’ll get it.)

I normally don’t cover pitchers, and it’s not that I don’t enjoy pitchers, I actually dabbled horribly in high school and college, but covering a player once-a-week, bandwidth just seems to be filled more with trending hitters and analyzing that half of fantasy baseball. Don’t hate the playa, hate the game man. But in terms of fitting themes and trends that synergize (corporate jargon achievement unlocked!), I think Civale kinda begs some attention and I need some more pitchers for the imaginary quota I just proclaimed.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Butters

Points Leagues: Grab a Bat

May 21, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues | 8 Comments

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What’s up party people? It’s your friendly neighborhood Butters here to help fix your points league rosters. So smash that like and subscribe button and let’s get on to some bats who can help you out. Number one on that list is Willie Calhoun who should really be on more rosters, if only for the power potential. He’s been DH (aka Utility) eligible only but you can now deploy him in the outfield and that’s a beautiful thing. I’m encouraged by his start to the season, particularly that he’s managed to keep his average around .275. I would be grabbing him everywhere to see if this is the season he gets some things figured out. All he (and any of the other guys here) cost is the worst player on your roster.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
TroyKlauder

FanDuel: Bringer Of Rain

May 21, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel |

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Twins slugger Josh Donaldson ($3,100) is primed for a big night on Friday, as he’s been crushing the ball this year with a 95th percentile xwOBA. Donaldson also has a career-low 14.5% K-rate, combining patience and power for a 136 wRC+. The Bringer of Rain can do lots of damage against starter Triston McKenzie, who has a 2.25 HR/9 and a 6.21 FIP this season. Batting second in the lineup, Donaldson leads a Twins stack that is affordable and has the upside to take down a tournament.

New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Giants Maul Mal Mahle

May 21, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 310 Comments

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Hello darkness, my old friend…I sing to the T. Mahle coming out my butt a day after eating Chipotle is this enough details for you I can’t even punctuate I’m so miserable. WHAT THE EFF, Tyler Mahle (2 IP, 7 ER, ERA at 4.20)? 4.20 is right because I want to get high to numb the pain. Eff me, that was brutal. Maybe I can sit down again in June. Right now I’m too sore from ingesting that T. Mahle. One of those Giants buggers, Steven Duggar (2-for-5, 2 runs, 4 RBIs) and his 2nd homer, and on top of that Mahle shelllacking — yes, I’m still on that! — no one on the Giants is anywhere near my teams, except Tauchman and he didn’t even play. Holy sit! Darrin Ruf (4-for-5, 4 runs 2 RBIs) hit his 6th homer. Ruf’s having one of those years where you wouldn’t dare pick him up in mixed leagues, but is having a great deep NL-Only year, considering he was picked up off waivers, which is what I tell myself when I want to feel pain, because I dropped Ruf the 2nd week of the season in a 12-team NL-Only league. Haha, I am sucking it up, folx! Also, in on the action is Brandon Crawford (3-for-6, 3 runs, 6 RBIs, hitting .261) and his 11th homer. He’ll be in this afternoon’s Buy column as he’s been for the last few weeks. I almost removed him because he really shouldn’t be on waivers, and I think it’s just ESPN fantasy baseballers being goofy. If you want to see the Buy/Sell now, subscribe to our Patreon. Next up, Evan Longoria (3-for-5, 2 runs, 3 RBIs, hitting .248) hit his 5th homer, and the Giants are the best team in the majors. Welcome to 2021. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Coolwhip

Add Pitch, All Say “Yay”

May 20, 2021 | Deep Thoughts | 22 Comments

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Change is the one constant in the world. You can’t escape it. You can’t deny it. You just have to accept it. We end up in places expecting things to go a certain way with our own laid-out plans that will succeed. But that doesn’t always happen right? Life doesn’t follow a script. We are continuously thrust into a new environment with a new set of rules and presented with a choice. A call to action. Adapt or die. This young man you will hear about today answered the call.

So there I sat in my office on a wet and rainy May morning. The hum of the fan overhead was a siren’s call of missed sleep the night before beckoning me to steal rest from the jaws of the new day. *Ping* The phone buzzed thus piercing the calm and my sleep-deprived ears. It was Grey in my DM with a request. When the bossman pings you to say he mentioned you by name in his morning write-up… It’s kinda a big deal. He didn’t earn his fantasy baseball degree from the University of Phoenix, but on the mean streets of Jersey trusting his primal instincts. He’s either got a really good hunch on the player or he’s really curious about what’s going on. This would be one of the former. Adbert Alzolay is pitching like a new man this season, and the early results are promising. He’s still so young, and still largely untested, but there’s something about Alzolay that makes you want to say “yay.”

Please, blog, may I have some more?
NateMarcum

Getting Ahead in Head to Head, Week 7; Spelunking for saves and SB’s

May 20, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Head-to-Head Leagues | 3 Comments

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As a child, I don’t know if there was a more overblown fear than the inherent fear of quicksand.  It seemed from Scooby Doo to Gilligan’s Island, there was always a person falling into quicksand.  I learned to carry a stick around with me everywhere I went because that seemed to be the only true action needed to be taken.  Simply reach out your stick to passer-by’s and they will pull you to safety.  Did I think I was just gonna fall into quicksand while on my way to Pizza Hut to play Mortal Kombat?  Who knows?  I was a dumb kid.  

Saves and Stolen Bases are our quicksand.  That was the whole point of that cockamamie story.  At the beginning of the season, we knew that Saves and Stolen Bases would be our quicksand.  Fearful and hoping that we had that stick with us, to be pulled to safety.  Well damnit, I feel like I still haven’t gotten over that fear.  I still have that stick, and I wish I could just forget and go back to Pizza Hut, with my BookIt coupon in hand for that free pizza, and just drop $15 into Mortal Kombat.  Either way, follow this weeks formula and Finish your opponent with a Flawless Victory.  

Please, blog, may I have some more?