James Holzhuauer is running roughshod over the competition on Jeopardy! these days. So much so that I’ve entered the notion that he’s from the future, but there are tangible reasons for his success. He knows his trivia, as he’s appeared on two other television game shows in the past and performed very well. Hmm, he could […]
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Closer Rankings, Week 5: Ghosts Of Scioscias Past
April 25, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Closers | 16 Commentsby: Roto-Wan
The bullpen upheaval has begun in earnest. If you need saves you’re about to get your chance to bid for some. The NFL draft also starts tonight, so I went with NFL movie themed tiers.
- Mike Scioscia’s spirit must be haunting the hallways of Angel stadium. Brad Ausmus tried to get twelve outs from Ty Buttrey but he only had 11 in him and gave up a run and the lead to New York. Hansel Robles, who hadn’t pitched the day before, was called on for the last out of the loss. I’m more confused about the LA situation than ever.
- Mychal Givens notched an honest to goodness save Wednesday. A six-outer, to boot! Maybe that means manager Brandon Hyde is starting to realize that Givens his only real fit for the ninth.
- Ryan Brasier has grabbed the upside to the Boston closer Schwartz. He’s viewed as the more straight-line ninth inning guy, while Matt Barnes has more value as a fireman.
- Baseball is weird. Shane Greene has eleven saves and two earned runs. He’s the second best closer in baseball on one of it’s worst teams.
- With David Robertson on the IL the Phillies have been turning to Hector Neris mainly. That’s shocking for Gabe Kapler. When Neris has his split-piece working it’s nasty, though. We can back the Kapler meddling threat level to yellow for now.
- Both Jose Alvarado and Diego Castillo needed some well-deserved rest this week. Kevin Cash turned to Emilio Pagan for back to back saves. Pagan was cast off by Oakland after they traded for him and didn’t get the reliable reliever they expected. Their loss could be Tampa’s gain. Please, blog, may I have some more?
Baseball Podcast: Ron Swanson Loves Meat
April 25, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Ditka, Razzball Podcast | 1 Commentby: B_Don
Ron Swanson: Lover of meat, woodworking, hunting, whisky, and breakfast foods. Also, a promising rookie pitcher for the Seattle Mariners. That’s Erik Swanson, dummy. Who keeps inviting the random italicized voice and why is it so condescending?
Donkey Teeth and B_Don discuss the ins and outs of young Erik Swanson’s game, only hours prior to Swanson’s second major league start against the San Diego Padres. They then take a look at an early pitching breakout candidate, Matt (Matthew?) Boyd. Can these guys please stop changing their names on us already?
In the final segment, a bunch of hot pickup names are flipped around, fresh off the grill: Cole Tucker, Michael Chavis, Renato Nunez, Hunter Dozier, Mike Soroka, Mike Tauchman, Jesus Luzardo, and Alex Reyes, just to name more than a few. Grab your sausage and prepare for pleasuring on this week’s episode of the world’s #1 fantasy sausage podcast.
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Fanduel: Shipping Up To Boston
April 25, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel, Fantasy Baseball DFS |by: Butters
If you’re looking to go big you might as well go as big as you can. J.D. Martinez ($4,000) is one of the robot’s favorite bats on the day. He’s been one of the few bright spots for the Sox offensively. He’s rocking a great average but his power numbers haven’t followed suite so maybe he’s been a disappointment too. Actually the bot loves the entire Sox outfield which means Mookie Betts ($3,900) and Andrew Benintendi ($3,800) are also great plays as well. Don’t write them off just because Boston has, shall we say, not lived up to expectations thus far. All three are great talents and eventually that talent will win out. Mookie is still one of the best players in the game and Beni is a solid across the board contributor. Just Dong is the highlight for today because chicks dig the long ball. (I’m pretty sure everyone digs the long ball) All it takes is one swing of the bat for him to make your day, especially if his outfield buddies can get on base in front of him. Ship yourself on up to Boston and grab these guys while you can.
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Please, blog, may I have some more?[brid autoplay=”true” video=”406626″ player=”10951″ title=”Fantasy Baseball 2019 Mailbag Week 5″]
Yesterday, on the way to the park, Chris Paddack felt under the weather. Not to confuse people, Paddack had the flu, there’s no weather in San Diego. So, Chris Paddack was touching 100, and I’m not talking about his fastball. As Paddack made his way to the mound, he’d cough and: “You rang?” That’s the on-staff hernia nurse. Well, it’s not just the hernia nurse who’s on-staff when it comes to Paddack. Yesterday, he dismantled the Mariners — 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, 1 walk, 9 Ks, ERA at 1.67 in 27 IP, getting some swinging strikes that were…Well, one swing by Daniel Vogelbach was the highest pitch generating a swing all year at four-feet and eight-inches aka “an Altuve.” Currently, Paddack sits at 10 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 3.80 xFIP, and, Steamer’s rest-of-the-season projections for him are 3.49 ERA with a 10 K/9 in 120 IP, i.e., a top 40 starter in all mixed leagues. With all his commercials, Justin Verlander can push his Flonase down our throats (noses?), but Paddack pitching is sick — God bless you! Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
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Prospect News: Bo’s Boo-Boo
April 24, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 47 Commentsby: Mike
Blue Jays prospect Bo Bichette broke his hand and is scheduled to see a specialist. It looked/sounded painful and my guess is it’ll be at least a month before he’s playing again. Bichette was a candidate for a 2019 call at some point, so obviously this sets things back quite a bit. Marcus Stroman tweeted “big prayers for my bro” to which Bichette replied “preciate it bro”. Bo and Stro are bros bro. There is so much bromance happening in that Twitter exchange I might vomit. Nope, yup. I’m definitely vomiting. We’re going to need a new keyboard. Here’s what else is happening in the minor leagues…
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Ambulance Chasers, Week 4: No Pitcher is Safe
April 24, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball |by: Kerry Klug
Good lord — Curt Schilling and his bloody sock are looking up from hell at the starting pitching landscape and just cackling. There are so many injured SPs this week that I’m going to just give you three solid recommended adds at the bottom of this article. Otherwise, I’d end up recommending Jordan Zimmermann and Homer Bailey. Who would ever add them to their team in a two week period? Me. I did that.
Wait — is Curt Schilling dead?
You already know I had to keep in line with the Easter/Passover puns. I’ve wanted to discuss Christian Walker’s success at the plate this season and now seems like an appropriate time. Walker has been a huge beneficiary of King Goldy getting shipped to St. Louis, as well as a quad injury to Jake Lamb. With the opportunity, Walker has been doing his best Goldschmidt impression. Through 80 PA this season, he is slashing .347/.413/.722 with 7 HR, 13 runs, and 13 RBI. In true Goldschmidt fashion, the first baseman has also flashed some speed by going 3-for-3 in SB attempts. His .462 wOBA is 8th among all major leaguers this season, and his 188 wRC+ is good for 9th in the MLB. Both figures are likely to be unsustainable over a full season, but to be top 10 in both categories after a full month is nothing to sneeze at. His .347 average on a .429 BABIP hints that regression is to come, but he has shown that he should continue to produce at the plate.
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I don’t actually have much to say today before getting to the picks, in large part because this FanDuel slate doesn’t really seem that attractive. I won’t ever tell my loyal readers not to play on a certain day, but today’s slate is definitely one of the more unappealing ones I’ve seen in a while. There’s a blatant chalk pitcher and there aren’t that many offenses in particularly juicy spots. There’s also not that many value guys. It’s not so much a “bad” slate, it’s just a boring and unattractive slate. But I know people will want to play, so like any good professional, I will do my job and break it down for you guys. Also, don’t leave Damian Lillard open from 37 feet with your season on the line.
On to the picks…
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!
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Phils Met A 10 Wheeler With a Spare K And Got Steamrolled
April 24, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 738 Commentsby: Grey
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”406626″ player=”10951″ title=”Fantasy Baseball 2019 Mailbag Week 5″]
It had been so long since I drafted Zack Wheeler (7 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners (zero walks), 11 Ks, ERA at 4.85) in multiple leagues, and, after so many subpar efforts, I was beginning to forget why I drafted him as my number two. Was a number two a harbinger of things to come, I asked myself while sitting on the toilet. His control in previous starts left something to be desired, which is the understatement of the year after: Christian Yelich’s poster is on just a few ceilings in Milwaukee of couples who are trying to have a baby. And the guys are the ones looking up. Yesterday, Wheeler pinged up on my iCal, reminding me why I wanted to own him. If you weren’t able to see him or the highlights, he is the first pitcher to throw 100 MPH and pitchslap the opposing pitcher, Zach Eflin (4 IP, 3 ER, ERA at 4.15) with a 100+ MPH exit velocity. “I’d like to report a Zack on Zach crime.” 911 Operator, “Is it a H or K on the first Zack?” “Get down here!” If Wheeler pitches like he did yesterday, he’s not a number two. Dot dot dot. He’s a number one! Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
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One Man’s Trash: Are We Healy Done With Ryon?
April 23, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball | 56 Commentsby: Son
When acquiring players via FAAB, the mental mind f’ing is both exhilirating and annoying at the same time. Is that bid enough? I really want this player, but everyone is talking and writing about him, so the price will be high. I should probably go up a few dollars. Hmmm, maybe that’s not enough. 10? 20? Let’s see who else is likely to bid on him. Yeah, probably have to go up 50. But what if that’s too much? I could maybe get him for cheaper. Yeah, I’ll take it back down. Click. Click. Looks at bid. Click click down. I don’t want to end on a whole number though. Click. Click. I always end on 3 or 7. Click. Click. Oh, F it. Click Click Clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick up. YOLO! This happens for in-demand players who are hot or have massive potential. Ryon Healy, on the other hand, is not hot and doesn’t have game-winning potential. In fact, he’s been dropped in 10.2% of ESPN leagues, to bring his ownership down to 52.2%. He’s been so bad that ESPN doesn’t even bother fixing the discrepancy in batting average on his player page and team starting lineup page. “Don’t sweat it, Tim. No need to fix. Who is going to be searching for Ryon Healy anyways?” Healy was smoking hot to start the season, as he hit two home runs in Japan and opened on a six-game hitting streak. Once the calendar flipped to April, outside of two games, it’s been a barren wasteland. Are we Healy done with Ryon?
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RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 3
April 23, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 26 Commentsby: MattTruss
Rudy and his robots are on vacation this week, which means we won’t have the usual weekly Razzball Commenter Leagues data to go over this week. Do androids dream of electric beach? I can (and will!) still recap the ‘Perts League and we’ll go over the trades from the week. Next week, we’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming. In the meantime I thought I’d toss out a friendly reminder about pacing yourself. No, this is not advice for becoming a competitive eater so put away the Sam’s Club industrial jug of mayonnaise. This is about pacing your innings pitched. Some simple math tells us there are 25 weeks in the season and we need to get to 1400 IP. That means you should be looking at about 56 innings pitched per week in order to stay on track. In other words, you should be sitting at about 170 IP as of this writing. FanTrax does offer you a glimpse of your current pace if you click the Min/Max button on your team screen. I’m not sure I trust their math though. I followed that calculation last year and with about a month and a half to go had to stream my arse off in just about every league to catch up. I’m not sure where the breakdown was, but I’m doing my own tracking this season. With any luck, you’re reading this early enough this season that you won’t fall into the same trap.
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