Donkey Teeth

Top 20 Starting Pitchers for 2020 with Bonus Grey & Donkey Teeth Podcast

August 11, 2019 | All Podcasts, Ditka, Top 100 Starting Pitchers | 30 Comments

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So you started the season with a monstrous keeper squad of Jose Ramirez, Giancarlo Stanton, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Luis Severino? Now you’re sitting in a bathtub, crying like Grey as he watches Travis Shaw and Jose Peraza bag his sack of Whole Foods groceries in the year 2021. Peraza holds the bag while Shaw inserts the various packages of beyond meats. The toaster is already plugged in and heating up next to your bath; Johnny Cash’s rendition of “Hurt” is blaring on your old school boombox as you shovel Hagen-Daas into your face. Suddenly everything goes black! Did the toaster slip into the tub? Nope, you blew a fuse!

Now you have a choice. Either go flip the breaker, crank The Man in Black back up, and finish the job; or wipe those tears away and send out a flurry of fantasy baseball trade offers before your deadline passes. In an effort to save a life, here are my top 20 starting pitchers for 2020:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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malamoney

Points Leagues: I Tauch Myself, I Want You To Love Me

August 11, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues | 3 Comments

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I been up, I been down. Take my word, my way around. I ain’t askin’ for much. I said, Lord, take me downtown. I’m just lookin’ for some Tauch. I been bad, I been good. Dallas, Texas, Hollywood. I ain’t askin’ for much, I said, Lord, take me downtown. I’m just lookin’ for some Tauch. Take me back way back home. Not by myself, not alone. I ain’t askin’ for much. I said, Lord, take me downtown. I’m just lookin’ for some Tauch. In the last month Mike Tauchman has been the most profitable bat in points leagues. During that span he has eight home runs and twenty-four runs batted in. That all equates to 103 fantasy points for you points league purists. Did I mention he’s batting over .400 as well. Not that we care about batting average in points leagues, but there is certainly a correlation between a higher average and more points. Tauchman’s 1.3 points per plate appearances is the stuff studs are made of. In the words on MC Hammer, can’t Tauch this!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
NichFields

FanDuel: Heavens Help Us

August 11, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel |

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When making sense of this gigantic 11-game FanDuel Main Slate, let’s look to the heavens, as both the Angels and Astros offer great value potential today via stacks.

Our featured stacks are all road teams hitting in more friendly environments than they usually enjoy at home. Situations like this tend to provide an easier path to value because players are priced based on past performance. So, if past performance took place in, on average, less friendly hitting conditions, any time you get players moving into more favorable hitting conditions than average – whatever those conditions may be – you can expect better than average performance, and, therefore, better than average value. Ipso facto quota.

It is these little things that separate us from the herd of DFSers playing the hot hitter or pitcher, regardless of considerations such as park factors, weather, and ADI.

Read on for the juicy details, and best of luck today, you crazy DFSers.

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?
Mike

Prospect News: Top Gunnar

August 11, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 28 Comments

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Baltimore shortstop prospect Gunnar Henderson (2-for-5 with a triple and a homer) is riding a seven-game hit streak in the GCL. Henderson was a second-round pick for the Orioles in this year’s draft (42nd overall). There’s not a lot to get excited about right now in Baltimore, but if you play in dynasty league, I’d scope Henderson as a long-term project with a potentially sweet payoff. At 18, Henderson is 6’3″/180 with a nice left-handed swing that can make contact and hit for some power. Like a lot of shortstops, there’s talk of a slide to third if he doesn’t have the defensive chops, but his bat should play at either position. Henderson’s K-rate is a touch high at 23% but he also has a nice walk rate (11%) through 70+ plate appearances. Check him out if he’s available and you’ve got a roster slot to play with. Here’s what else is happening around the minor leagues…

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Coolwhip

Deep Impact: Sanchez Takes The Tunnel To Dirty Town

August 10, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 25 Comments

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Back from paternity leave, I got a spicy take for you in the form of Aaron Sanchez. At the trade deadline, he was acquired by the Astros and to the surprise of no one writing this article he went out there dominated his first start wearing the star. He went 6 no-hit innings with 2 BBs and 6 Ks as part of a combined no-hitter, yeah that’ll play. What is it with the Astros and their pitching coach Brent Strom, or should I say King Midas? On the surface, they seem to simply tell their new pitchers to stop throwing their worst pitch, and throw their best pitch more often. Surely it can’t be that simple, and why isn’t everyone doing that? But there’s a bit more going on here. Let’s dive in!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Thomas Howland

FanDuel: House(r) the Competition

August 10, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball Draft, DFS, Fanduel | 2 Comments

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On a day with Aces such as Morton, Syndergaard, Corbin and Soroka on today’s FanDuel slate it can be tempting to go with them and cobble together around one high priced bat or two.  Patrick Corbin and Noah Syndergaard are facing each other, which makes choosing the winner, and thus the FanDuel bonus, too close to call.  Michael Soroka has faced the Marlins a couple times and beat them soundly, but the Marlins bats have woken up a little, and you know the saying: Third time’s the charm.  And Charlie Morton is the priciest, meaning you can grab him, but you won’t be able to afford the bats you need to compete.  That leads us to dark horse Adrian Houser ($5,700).  If you look closely you find a 3.38 ERA at home.  You also find that he’s holding right hand batters to a .224 batting average/.614 OPS slash line.  Houser struggles with lefties, but all of the Rangers left handed batters are struggling right now, especially on the road.  Now 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!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
B_Don

Two Start Pitchers, Week 20: Turning Cole Into Diamonds

August 10, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Two Start Pitchers, Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers, Two Start Fantasy Starters, Two Start Starters | 12 Comments

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No Doubt

Player Team Opp. 1 Opp. 2
Gerrit Cole HOU @CHW @OAK
Clayton Kershaw LAD @MIA @ATL

It wasn’t worth the effort to paste Gerrit Cole’s head on the GIF, but you get it, Cole is about to dive straight into a pile of money as he enters free agency next season.

After getting off to a rough start, Cole keeps cruising with a 1.98 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 36% K rate along with a 6.3% BB rate since his May 27th start. He may be getting a little lucky, but you have bigger concerns than whether he should be in your lineup.

Clayton Kershaw has been great this season as well, and performing even better since July started. 1.66 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 32% K rate. As Mark Twain was famously quoted as saying, “Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.” The back has held up this season and we’re getting a (potentially last) look at vintage Kershaw down the stretch.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Buy Once, Twice, Three Times A J.D.

August 9, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 340 Comments

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[brid autoplay=”true” video=”445569″ player=”10951″ title=”FantasyBaseball2019BuySellHold19″]

Did you ever think that sometimes your haters offer relevant critiques that you should maybe take into consideration? Me neither, just wondering if that’s a thing. Don’t think about it too long if it doesn’t apply. It’ll make you cuckoo like Cocoa Puffs’ Sonny, the Cuckoo Bird. Speaking of which, Sonny, the Cuckoo Bird went to a rally recently with a sign that read, “You can’t be cuckoo without cuck.” I can’t tell if Sonny is woke, shook or just cuckoo. Either way, or eye-thurr if Chingy is reading, for a few weeks now people have been asking me about J.D. Davis, and I’ve mostly ignored them. You, “Yo, Grey, you hard of hearing?”  Me, “WHAT?!” J.D. is having himself a bit of a star mitzvah, but is it completely out of nowhere? Nope and nuh-uh. He had 17 HRs in only 85 Triple-A game last year and 30 HRs the year before across three levels.  It’s easy to write him off, because what business do the Mets have pulling a fast one on the Astros? Yet, here we are and they pulled it.  Davis has been getting regular playing time and with improved plate discipline (25.7% K% vs. 20% this year). I’m going cuckoo for Mets’ stuff, and I’d grab Davis for power and average. Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:

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

Rolling In The Deep: Time To Keep Your Eye On The Berti Again

August 9, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Deep Leagues | 3 Comments

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One of the downsides, if you will, of the deep league format, is that it can be difficult to impossible to improve your team.  Things can feel especially frustrating at this time of year, especially if you have holes in your lineup and nowhere to turn to fill them.  Instead of completing ignoring my more disappointing teams, though, I like to pay a little extra attention to them in August and September.  If nothing else, you might come across a recent call-up or a now-under-the-radar post hype prospect that – even if it’s too late for your team in 2019 – might be a player that is worth knowing more about as your re-group for fantasy baseball in 2020 and beyond.  No, there aren’t a ton of exciting free agents out there to add to an NL or AL-only team, but let’s take a look at a handful of names that could be of some potential deep league interest, both for the rest of the season and in some cases, possibly even for the future.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Richardo

FanDuel: Now Watch Me Yuuuuuuuuuuu (Crank Dat Darvish Boy)

August 9, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel |

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You know we’re getting wild when I’m starting your weekend off with some Soulja Boy. We have a 14-game slate on FanDuel, so sit back and “watch me crank it, watch me roll” through the options today. Our Superman today is Yu Darvish ($9,400), who has had quite the Jekyll and Hyde season. In 18 starts to begin the season, Darvish threw 97 innings of 5.01 ERA baseball, with a 2.26 K/BB%. However, in five starts since July 12th, he’s gone 29 innings while allowing a 2.17 ERA and a 19.0 K/BB%. That’s 38 strikeouts versus just two walks. To be fair, the change started earlier, as noted by Alex Chamberlain’s fantastic piece here. Yuuuuuuuuu (sorry, I’m pot committed at this point) faces the Reds today, who’s projected starting lineup has a 25.4% strikeout rate and just a .308 wOBA against right-handed pitching. Now “watch me crank dat Robocop” as we take a look at the rest of today’s slate.

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

Yankees Lineup Has Stormy Weather But They Can Get Under Gio Urshela

August 9, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 196 Comments

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[brid autoplay=”true” video=”442583″ player=”10951″ title=”FantasyBaseball2019BuySellHold18″]

Ruth/Gehrig, Mantle/Maris, Gio/Tauchman. Ya know, en bee dee, oh em gee, tee em eye, tee bee aitch, bee tee dubs, what the eff. It’s an all-New York week here at Razzball HQ. Yesterday, Gio Urshela (3-for-5, 3 runs, 4 RBIs) went and hit his 15th and 16th homer, and has five homers in his last 13 at-bats. Last year, he hit three homers, and two came in Triple-A! I’d cackle-snort, but who would hear me with this pillow over my mouth as I scream about not picking up Urshela last week? Of course, Urshela will be in this afternoon’s Buy column, but, in any self-respecting league, he shouldn’t be available anymore. By the way, the Yankees became the 1st team in Major League history to hit 19 HRs in a four-game span. Our Commissioner Manfred just shipped in a new crate of baseballs, and they’re wrapped tighter than a hamster’s balloon knot. Let’s get some homers! Gulp, gulp up those juiced balls! Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?