Mike

Prospect News: Lord Vallimont

May 22, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 61 Comments

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We get a fun one today because Miami Marlins prospect Chris Vallimont wasn’t on my radar. Last night, he threw seven no-hit innings and struck out nine batters. That gives him a 2.70 ERA on the season with a 10+ K/9 and a crisp 2.7 BB/9. All three stats are massive improvements over his performance last season. At 22, he’s probably just beating up on the younger competition in A ball, but there could also be a legitimate change in him that’s causing the success. Either way, I think he’s earned our attention moving forward in a Marlins system that features some nice pitching talent. Here’s what else is happening around the minor leagues…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Wed 8/6
ARI | ATH | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHC | CHW | CIN | CLE | COL | HOU | KC | LAA | LAD | MIA | MIL | MIN | NYM | NYY | PHI | PIT | SD | SEA | SF | STL | TB | TEX | TOR | WSH | DET | OAK
Kerry Klug

Ambulance Chasers, Week 8: Nelson You’re a Song

May 22, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball | 10 Comments

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But so far he’s made me wanna roll my windows down and snoooooooze. Nelson Cruz wasn’t doing what we all drafted him to do anyway so maybe this rest will do him a body good. He’s designated to only hit 7 HRs and 22 RBI? Not on my team! Cruz is saying he’ll be back on May 24th when eligible. I say take all the time you need and remember who you are and become what you are supposed to be. Replacement: Albert Almora (3.2%) has been on a tear in his last 15 games. In 53 ABs he’s got 12 runs, 3 HR, 7 RBI with a .340 AVG. Almora has always had a solid average, but just never gets enough starts to improve. He’s never been a high HR guy, never been a huge SB guy — just average and the runs and RBI that sometimes come with that. Maybe if he starts getting more starts he can develop either more power or speed.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Yost

Getting Ahead in H2H, Week 8: 4 Under 40% – Starting Pitchers

May 22, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Head-to-Head Leagues | 14 Comments

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Especially in H2H, you really can never get enough starting pitching. I’m a firm believer that most of your bench spots should be utilized for having SPs. One, because it is frustrating trying to decide between what hitters to start and seeing stats sitting on your bench. And two, because I’m also a believer that the more the merrier when it comes to starts and pitching strategy in H2H. Yes, there is a greater likelihood that your ERA and WHIP can get blown up with just a couple bad starts. However, I think that giving yourself more starts and trying to win strikeouts and wins every week will pay off more times than being conservative and trying to win ERA and WHIP. Because let’s face it, even the times you try to do that it can all come crashing down with a bad start or two anyway. And then you’re at a disadvantage in strikeouts and wins too because you only used 6 or 8 starts.

Since I love chasing winning strikeouts and wins every week, I’m always trying to find guys to add to my pitching staff. Here are 4 starting pitchers that are less than 40% owned in ESPN leagues.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
cinthree

FanDuel: Wrigley Wind

May 22, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel |

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Veteran DFS players know that FanDuel is horrible about proactively pricing guys who haven’t played so far this year due to injury (as opposed to players who already played this year and then got hurt). This past year in NBA DFS, Kevin Love made his season debut on Feburary 4th, basically four months into the season, and was $3,500 (the bare minimum). He was on a minutes limit so the entire slate became a question of whether he was worth it given the minutes restriction. However, in baseball, when a hitter comes back, odds are (and there are exceptions of course) he’s going to play the entire game (or at least be the DH for the entire game, but DFS lineups don’t care about whether you’re actually in the field). Why bring this up? Because it’s going to come into play fairly soon. More on this after a word from our sponsor.

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

When Verlander Pitches, My Staff Cries Out In Need Of Add Justin

May 22, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 575 Comments

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[brid autoplay=”true” video=”415141″ player=”10951″ title=”Fantasy Baseball 2019 Mailbag Week 9″]

I’m like Neo dodging bullets, only instead of bullets, it’s bad pitchers.  Bends in slo-mo and avoids Ed-Rod, twists to the right and avoids Trevor Bauer, twists left and sees Jalen Beeks…Well, I’d never own him, so…Then again, he has been pretty good as the Malcolm for the Rays.  Ya know, their Middle man.  Oh, crap, I’ve been shot!  *dies in slo-mo*  Beeeeeeeeeeks!  *clutches chest, searches for bullet wound, can’t find it* I thought I was shot.  Oh, noooooooo!!!  It’s worse than I thought!  It was my fantasy team that was shot!  You could’ve avoided this whole megillah for the last, oh, I don’t know, 12 years, minus two random years in the middle (not Malcolm) if you just owned Justin Verlander.  Yesterday, he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning, and went 8 IP, 1 ER, 1 hit, 1 walk, 12 Ks, ERA at 2.24, and on our Player Rater, he is the number one starter.  Barely as good as Tim Anderson, but, ya know, those are noogs for another day.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Son

One Man’s Trash: A Large Latte and a Cron to Go Please

May 21, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball | 18 Comments

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I rarely go to Starbucks. I’m good with my Jose’s Vanilla Nut from Costco thank you very much, but when I do enter one, I turn into a complete psycho. I blame the siren on the logo that must be whispering sweet nothings into my ear. Hi, Shelley. Yes, I’d like the largest sized mocha frappaccino with oreo cookie crumbles and a blueberry scone. I don’t care how much it costs and how many calories they are. Also, that article I read the other day about how the pastries are not fresh? I. Don’t. Care. One must indulge from time to time and that costs money. Yes, I could run next door to the supermarket and get a six-pack of scones for the same price, but who has time for that. Plus, the sirens. Anyways, as many of us need our caffeine and pastry fixes in real life, the same goes for power in the fantasy world. Well, C. J. Cron of the Minnesota Twins has plenty of power and the cost to acquire could be relatively cheap, as he’s owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues. Let’s see if he’s trash or treasure.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Geoff

Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Week 8: Grey Albright’s Shake Weight Pillow

May 21, 2019 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast | 4 Comments

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Cougs, what are you doing to our dear Fantasy Master Lothario? Is this shaking pillow in fact a cure for snoring, or just a modern torture device? Reader, you decide. In the meantime there was fantasy baseball to discuss, like this weekends FAAB madness, Shane Bieber’s dominant start, how worried we are about Noah Syndergaard, and where to get the best borscht in Los Angeles. Wrapping up the show we run through some adds for your leagues, luminaries like C.J. Cron, Tommy LaStella, and that Peanut Vendor that dances at Padres games (I made this person up). It’s another episode of the Razzball Podcast, check your diaper.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
MattTruss

RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 7, 2019

May 21, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 3 Comments

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There are so many rookies out there right now that I can’t find room to try and roster them all!  After basically punting corner infield in most of my Razzball Commenter League drafts this year I’ve been able to find Daniel Vogelbach, Mitch Moreland, Yandy Diaz and now Michael Chavis and Austin Riley to fill holes.  Amed Rosario has been uninspiring so far on most of my teams, so enter Chavis and his new 2B eligibility and Keston Hiura. I don’t even have room to try and snag Brendan Rodgers. Now it’s trying to find room for Yordan Alvarez, it never ends!  These are good problems to have though and a good reason to leave those last couple roster spots on offense able to be churned. There is no issue with leaving the draft in this format knowing you’ll be hitting the waiver wire for your OF5, UTIL and CI/MI spots.  There are players every year that pop from the waiver wire, just keep those eyes peeled. Right now, point your eyes below for the rest of the week that was, week 7 in the RCLs:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Texas Takes A Leake On The M’s

May 21, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 598 Comments

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[brid autoplay=”true” video=”415141″ player=”10951″ title=”Fantasy Baseball 2019 Mailbag Week 9″]

To the Muppet Show theme song, “It’s time to face the music!  It’s time to say Asdrubal Cabrera is all right!  It’s time to meet the Rangers on the Rangers show tonight!”  Asdrubal Cabrera went 2-for-4 and his 8th and 9th homer, hitting .222.  Guess you can say that was an Asdouble homer night!  Give me some skin up in the air!  No?  Okay.  Asdrubal went cold the past three weeks after having a hot two weeks prior, and it sounds like I’m writing his autobiography.  So, finally he said to his 4th grade gym teacher, “I will be someone one day,” and that teacher was Hunter Pence, who also hit a home run, his 9th as he hits .307.  Pence aka The Gangly Manbird aka the Zombino aka the inflatable wavy guy outside of a used car lot has six homers in the past 11 games.  He sure doesn’t stink, but you know who does?  Rougned Odor (1-for-4, 3 RBIs, hitting .169) hit his 7th homer.  Odor…Odor…Odor…Odor…*my back is pressed against a giant gym sock*…Odor!  Seriously, you know when 25 homers is not feasible?  When it comes with a .170 average. Pick up the pace, Odor, you odorous piece of pond scum!  All of this offense was plenty for Mike Minor (6 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 11 Ks, ERA at 2.51).  Nope, he’s not pitching as well as his ERA indicates, but at a certain point you have to say to yourself, “Do I want some flashy FIP, which I don’t even fully understand, or do I want to win my league?”  But those runs were only barely enough for Clocks singer, Chris Martin (1 IP, 3 ER, ERA at 4.66). Bring back the South African dictator, Leclerc, which I say quietly to myself, so no one gets the wrong impression. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Kerry Klug

Top 100 Hitters, Week 8: Aw Bell Naw

May 20, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Top 100 Hitters | 56 Comments

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There were many big movers and shakers in the Top 100 this week perhaps none bigger this year (and maybe the past few years) than Josh Bell. Bell has slapped a hit in all but 9 of his 42 games so far this season. In 15 May games alone he’s hitting .383 with 12 runs, 6 HRs, and 18 RBI. (Writer update: since I started writing this, Bell has crushed another 2 HRs and 4 RBI tonight!) Bell keeps this up and he could be in top 20-25 territory.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Donkey Teeth

Top 100 Starting Pitchers, Week 8: Handle Ruff Wood with Care

May 20, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Top 100 Starting Pitchers | 82 Comments

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Not your Grandfathers Top 100 Starting Pitchers…

Grandpa-Donk handled a lot of wood back in his day, if you know what I’m saying. Not that kind of wood! Alright, maybe that kind of wood, it was the 60’s and from what I understand the donkey world was pretty open-minded back then. But the way G-Donk tells it, his hobby of woodworking accounted for the majority of his wood handling back in the day. The old donk enjoyed taking very rough pieces of phallic shaped lumber and smoothing them out into much less rough pieces of phallic shaped lumber. Because it was such intensive and sweaty work, he typically handled the wood shirtless with help from his completely platonic friend Jimmy.

I always think of these stories of my gramps and his very heterosexual buddy handling that rough wood together when I hear the name of my lede for this week’s top 100: Brandon Woodruff. Brandon had a rough start to his 2019 campaign himself, but has begun to mold his season into a masterpiece that would make even Grandpa-Donk and sweaty Jimmy proud. After a seemingly unlucky April, Woodruff has been silky smooth since the calendar turned to May, sporting a 1.55 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP with 29 strikeouts across 25 innings. Impressively, 11 of those innings came in his home hitter haven Miller Park against the Mets and Nationals, while the other 14 innings were tossed in scary road starts against potent Philadelphia and Atlanta squads! I don’t think he’s a sub 2.00 ERA pitcher, but this dude is smoothing out penis-shaped timber with the best of them at the moment. Woodruff has thrust himself a full 30 spots higher in my rankings this week, all the way up to #42.

Here are a few other guys who have been smoothing and thrusting lately…

Please, blog, may I have some more?