Coolwhip

Deep Thoughts: Smith Is A Short-range Firearm

June 6, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball | 15 Comments

by:

Caleb Smith is not an ace. I will put that out there now, and assuage any comment bombs. However looking at a short season, and for funsies, considering an MLB proposed 50-game season that looks closer and closer to reality as the days grow longer, we are now looking at finding value in possibly 2 months of games, bleh. With a long grinding season becoming a short sprint, I was curious about fast-starting pitchers while continuing research on the hitter-side. To my surprise, there was 1 name that appeared in the Top 20 K% for starting pitchers from April–May over the last 2 years outside of Grey’s Top 100. That name is indeed Caleb Smith.

Now I know what you are thinking, Smith is kinda sun-dried garbaggio as the season wears on so why are you bothering me with this pincushion? I get it. But hear me out! If the season continues to shrink and we see 2 months full of games, you can spin the wheel of mediocrity and possibly land on a short-term ace. He doesn’t have to be Mr. Right, just Mr. Right-now-while-we-have-games (for 2 months). And those kinds of aces come in spades, Mr. Kilmister. One of which could easily be our boy, Caleb.

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.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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
Richardo

Super-duper Post Hype Sleeper – The Smoak Monster

June 5, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball | 2 Comments

by:

We’re heading into month three of quarantine and my wife and I are running out of shows to binge. So we’re revisiting one of our favorites in Lost. Secret time – we got our son’s name from the show, not from the Mark Twain novel. We’ve watched the full series at least four times through and the thing I love is how well they developed the characters. Sure, by the end there are plenty of unanswered questions, but I love the ensemble and I love how flawed every character is. Since my mind is back on “The Island”, I decided to look into The Smoak Monster himself, Justin Smoak. Entering his age-33 season, is a return to fantasy relevance in the cards for Smoak who batted a paltry .208 in his final season with the Blue Jays, or will he be scratched off Jacob’s candidate list?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Brent

Fantasy Baseball Podcast: MLB Prospects with Eric Cross

June 5, 2020 | All Podcasts |

by:

Eric Cross (@EricCross04) from Fantrax joins the show to dive into this years prospects and MLB draft. We discuss his top 10 highlighted by Wander Franco, Luis Robert and Jo Adell. We also go over guys he thinks could work their way into the top 50. Julio Rodriguez or Jarred Kelenic? We look at the loaded Seattle Mariners farm system and who we think could become the next wave of MLB stars. Eric gives us his top 5 draft picks and why that organization will take them. Who goes first overall? Spencer Torkelson, Austin Martin, Nick Gonzales.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Dart Throws: Rowdy Tellez

June 5, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Sleepers | 98 Comments

by:

This is a less-than-straight-forward dart throw. “Watch your head! Incoming dart!” Mostly because Rowdy Tellez has a minefield of playing time concerns. I don’t fully trust Travis Shaw, even though I predicted he’d win the NL MVP in 2019. That never stops getting funny. You can mock me about Delino DeShields Jr. You can call me a giant dope for five years of adulation over Josh Rutledge and Ian Stewart. You can even say I might’ve been a little goofy about loving German Marquez last year. But calling Travis Shaw my preseason NL MVP selection is so off-the-wall bonkers in retrospect, even I have to shake my head. How many players qualified for the 2019 NL MVP? 300? 400? Well, I think he finished dead last. Yo, Grey, you are smart in the opposite sense of that word. Any hoo! Travis Shaw is blocking Rowdy Tellez. At worst, Shaw is a platoon player, which hurts Tellez and Shaw, and, in a shortened season, I don’t want any part of any platoon player, outside of daily leagues with bench hitters capable of filling in. In a shortened season, maximizing at-bats is going to be critical. Optimism for Rowdy Tellez will also incidentally hurt Teoscar Hernandez, another dart throw, and Derek Fisher, who I like more than most (and might Dart Throw too). As Karens say, something’s gotta give, as they snap for help at nail salons. If Rowdy plays 1st base and Shaw gets DH, Fisher goes to the bench or to the outfield in place of Teoscar. Not great for those other guys, but Rowdy can be interesting in his own right. Audience screams, “Tellez something we don’t know!” I’m about to. So, what can we expect from Rowdy Tellez for 2020 fantasy baseball and what makes him a great dart throw?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Hobbs

2020 MLB Draft Sleepers for Fantasy Baseball: Early, Middle & Late

June 4, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 4 Comments

by:

Determining what truly constitutes as a sleeper is an age-old debate. Take Duke’s Bryce Jarvis from the 2020 MLB Draft class. About two months ago, I ranked him 15th in my top 25 college fantasy baseball prospects while other ‘perts’ were tabbing him with third round status at best. Was he a sleeper then? Maybe. Is he now? No, because he’s risen all the way to No. 25 on MLB.com’s top 200 rankings. How about Pete Crow-Armstrong in this year’s class? Is he a sleeper if he indeed falls to the latter half of the first round? Maybe he goes in the twenties and we spend the next 20 years comping the prep schooler’s draft fall to that of Trout’s in 2009 (unlikely, but you get the point). And what about your 57-year-old Uncle Ed who just passed out on his La-Z-Boy after pounding five Millers and ghosting a Juul hit? Now that is a true sleeper my friends.

For this segment, what qualifies as a sleeper is this: a player sitting outside the top 50 2020 MLB Draft prospects according to both MLB.com and Baseball America who is considered a long shot to be drafted in the first round by the industry consensus (with bonus pool tomfoolery, we can never ensure who won’t be a first rounder with 100% accuracy). Out of this group of players, I have selected several which I believe will outperform their draft position as a future professional. I then separated these players based on where I anticipate they will be selected in this year’s five round draft: early, middle and late.

But wait! It gets better. I’ve even expanded into the high school prospect pool by including one, yes you heard that right — one — prep prospect in this post. Although the college circuit is my specialty, I feel confident enough in my knowledge of the high school crop to dig into a name here and there. If you’re playing in a dynasty league and looking for some high-upside deep finds in this year’s draft to target moving forward, look no further. And wake up Uncle Ed while you’re at it. That guy needs all the help he can get.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
B_Don

Fantasy Baseball Podcast: 2020 MLB Draft, College Prospects With Hobbs and The Itch

June 4, 2020 | Razzball Podcast |

by:

B_Don and Donkey Teeth are back to talk some college prospects leading up to the MLB Draft with 2 resident Razzball prospectors, Hobbs and The Itch. We start by discussing the newest proposal from the MLBPA and how a shortened season might affect our willingness to play in high stakes leagues.

Then, we move on to discuss Hobbs’s top 10 college prospects. We start with at the top with Spencer Torkelson, the projected #1 pick. Hobbs and The Itch talk us through what kind of profile we can expect from Torkelson and whether they’d have a comparable asset from last year’s draft, Andrew Vaughn. We then ask our prospect gurus to give us some information on the top college pitchers including: Reid Detmers, Emerson Hancock, Max Meyer, and Asa Lacy.

Our analysts then move on to discuss how this different season could affect this, and future, drafts along with how a minor league system may look down the line. Finally, we wrap up with some Jasson Dominguez talk to find out if he’s worth all of the hype.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Dart Throws: Adley Rutschman

June 4, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Sleepers | 46 Comments

by:

A subplot of this stand-off between the MLB and MLBPA is how duplicitous will MLB teams be in their excuses to not promote a top prospect if there’s no minor league season, which seems assured, at this point. What will the Orioles say to not promote Adley Rutschman? “We really wanted to promote Adley but we lost his phone number and they’ve discontinued 411, go figure.” “We wanted to promote Adley, but, after reading the Kama Sutra, we’re inclined to withhold climax for six to nine months.” “We did promote Adley. He’s now in charge of selling season tickets for the 2021 season. We have faith he can handle the promotion.” One thing they can’t say with a straight face: “We really wanted to promote Adley Rutschman but he’s not ready.” So, they hold him down and he misses a full year of development? That seems dumb, even for them. However, you can’t go too wrong betting MLB teams will be dumb. Yes, I’m saying I’m not 100% guaranteeing Adley Rutschman sees real playing time this year, but he’s got a lot more of a chance this year now, than he had before. “Did someone say Chance?” Shut up, Chance Sisco! So, what can we expect from Adley Rutschman for 2020 fantasy baseball and what makes him a great dart throw?

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

WonkaVision: Jasson Dominguez and the Search for Gold in Bowman

June 3, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 29 Comments

by:

Before taking a single at bat, Jasson Dominguez is dominating the baseball card world.

2020 Bowman Baseball is nowhere to be found in the retail universe. Year over year, Bowman baseball cards are one of the only products in late-stage capitalism that corporations cannot keep in stock.

Stephen Strasburg is to blame for some of this. Back in 2010, I was stopping at Wal-Marts off the highway, tiny town Targets and roadside Casey’s in search of 2010 Bowman blaster boxes. They cost 19.99 in stores and sold for about $40 online. Inside a blaster box were eight packs, two chrome prospect cards per pack. (Today, Topps has shrunk the pack count to six but kept the pricing.) Some of the craze was that a Strasburg base 1st Chrome rookie went for about $50 on eBay. Some of the craze was due to the high-end market. An attorney bought the Strasburg 1/1 Superfractor–not autographed–from 2010 bowman for $10,000 and sold it a short while later for $26,000.

Ten years later, Bowman is the biggest thing in baseball, and Jasson Dominguez is growing the game yet again.

Here’s a table I put together built from the elite group of my Top 200 for easy viewing and comparing.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Dart Throws: Isaac Paredes

June 3, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Sleepers | 49 Comments

by:

Singing a’la Ethel Merman, “I……saac Paredes!” You ever wonder if Ethel Merman was an actual merman, the fabled marine creature with the head and upper body of a man and the tail of a fish? Well, I do. It keeps me up at night, actually. Cougs rolls over in the middle of the night, and sees my eyes are open, as I stare at the ceiling. Finally, she asks, “Are you thinking about Ethel Merman again?” Sullenly, I nod my head, then I turn to her, “She was so…fascinating.” Any hoo! Isaac Paredes is brought to you by me, after Podcaster Ralph brought him to my attention. True story alert! I woke up yesterday at 7 AM from a text message that read from Ralph, “I have your next Dart Throw.” Groggy (after thinking about Ethel Merman all night), I replied, “Who…?” And thus began a back and forth of Ralph telling me Jeimer Candelario wouldn’t be starting at 3rd base this year for the Tigers, and I……saac Paredes would. Back in January, which was approximately 18 months ago in real time, Prospect Itch said Isaac Paredes was a solid pick in 50-round draft and hold leagues, i.e., Draft Champion leagues. With no minor leagues this year, and Paredes on the 40-man roster, and a Latin 21 years old, and every team having a chance in a shortened season, why, I ask, not? He’s definitely going late (NFBC ADP 748), and is a guy who will be available in the deepest of leagues, even your 12-team AL-Only whosie-ma-jigs. So, what can we expect from Isaac Paredes for 2020 fantasy baseball and what makes him a great dart throw?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Laura Holt

Rolling In The Deep: Fishing In Murky Waters

June 2, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball | 21 Comments

by:

Well, I thought by the time June rolled around I’d be writing knowing whether or not a plan was in place for at least an attempt at baseball in 2020, but instead as I write this the immediate future of the MLB, along with much else in the world, is still painfully up in the air. As we all deal with everything going on around us, though, I don’t think it’s too self-indulgent to turn to a favorite past time/hobby/obsession/part-time job to help strengthen us mentally and emotionally — and for the readers and writers here at Razzball, that past time, of course, is fantasy baseball.

Since I’ve always been a fan of mining bad real-life MLB teams for deep-league value — attempting to find treasure in the perceived trash pile that other owners may overlook completely — we’ll take one of those bad MLB teams and see what it might have to offer, especially for us deep leaguers.  I’m choosing the Marlins, since for about five months now I’ve just had a feeling that they could be at least a bit better than folks expect, especially in fantasy terms (though in a shortened season with expanded playoffs, who knows what craziness could ensue).  I’ve gone through my rosters, and here are the Marlins I have on multiple teams, all of whom I’d consider grabbing more shares of if and when I draft more teams for 2020.  Let’s see who on this team is leading the charge to make me think there might be something to see here…

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Dart Throws: Jo Adell

June 2, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Sleepers | 46 Comments

by:

Players are saying they want to play 114 games; owners are saying 50 games; I’ve been saying 100 games, and, if I were just guessing now for the first time, I’d split 114 and 50 and still tell you 80-100 games.

The players are saying 114 games because, well, for a myriad of reasons, I imagine. One reason might be they want to seem like they’re ready to play, but owners are holding them back. This way the players can say, “We said ‘Let’s go and play,’ but the owners said, ‘Nah, you can’t have any money, we’re poor babies, so no baseball.'” Another less cynical reason might be the players just want to play, if they’re paid. What stood out to me in the players’ proposal was the contingency that a player can sit out if they want. They don’t need to be high-risk to Covid-19. They can just say, “Yo, y’all do your thing, and I’m gonna do my thing and I’ll catch you on the flip.” So, with that in mind, and, in the highly speculative market of futures and dart throws, or simply Fu DarTh, as it’s known in most circles that rely on the Force and midi-chlorians, a guy like Mike Trout could sit out this year. Fu DarTh relies on space (on the field) and a light (on players) and dark side (of the MLB this year without its best player). Jo Adell would benefit in this space (on the field) scenario. *white text on a black screen scrolls out with the MLBPA proposal, suddenly, a SWOOSH, and a giant Joe Maddon head overtakes the dark space* It will give Joe Maddon less options to use instead of Adell, too. Keep your nonsense with playing Brian Goodwin, if you must. Assume Justin Upton gets on the field, if you have to. If Mike Trout’s not there, Jo Adell will have to be. By the way, I mention this on Trout, because he’s already said he doesn’t want to play if it means he can’t leave the team to be with his wife for the birth of their child. Plus, Trout’s set for life; he doesn’t need this headache. Finally, I haven’t even mentioned how rosters will be expanded and there won’t be minor leagues this year. Even if Mike Trout plays, Jo Adell should too. So, what can we expect from Jo Adell for 2020 fantasy baseball and what makes him a great dart throw?

Please, blog, may I have some more?