Mike

2019 Minor League Preview: Chicago White Sox

November 14, 2018 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 40 Comments

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I like this White Sox club *dodges tomato*. Geez, that one wasn’t even ripe! Harsh. Seriously though. Hear me out. You’ve got the anchor at first with Abreu. That’s a solid middle infield of Moncada and Anderson. And you’ve got three decent arms to build around in Rodon, Lopez, and Giolito. If Kopech weren’t recovering from Tommy John, he’d have been a good bet to join them (spoiler: he”ll still rank somewhere on this list). But Mike, that’s only like six players. That’s true my over-the-internet-friend-holding-an-unripened-kumquat. But this is where our prospect list comes into play. The reinforcements are on the move, and right now this system has arguably the best outfield prospect in baseball scheduled to arrive in early 2019. Am I predicting they win the Central? Nah, I still think that’ll go to the Tribe. But I’ll bet Chicago leapfrogs the Twins and Tigers and puts together a winning record.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Sun 8/3
ARI | ATH | BAL | BOS | CHC | CHW | CLE | COL | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | LAD | MIA | MIL | MIN | NYM | NYY | PHI | PIT | SD | SEA | SF | STL | TB | TEX | TOR | WSH | ATL | CIN | OAK
Grey

Fernando Tatis Jr., 2019 Fantasy Outlook

November 12, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 33 Comments

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Fernando Tatis Jr. was born in 1999.  Recently, it was announced Acuña was so young he didn’t know who Mickey Mantle was, well, Tatis Jr. is so young he doesn’t know who Mike Trout is.  Dude was born like a minute ago, and not a minute as it’s defined in Urban Dictionary, which is a long time, but an actual minute.  Tatis’s dad is so young he didn’t even use charcoal as his medium; he used MS Paint.  Tatis Jr. looks like an All-Star ready to happen, until the 75th round draft pick, Albert Pujols Jr., comes along and replaces him.  Jokes aside, Tatis looks damn near perfect.  A lanky Machado maybe, a young Hanley possibly.  Like something Ryan Brasier would cover, Tatis looks real and spectacular.  I’d say the difference him and his pops is the difference between Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr., but Ken Sr. wasn’t that bad.  How about this, the difference between Tatises (Tatii?) is the difference between J.D. Martinez and J.D. Martinez Sr.  Was there a J.D. Martinez Sr.?  No idea, but that’s the point.  FTJ is going to be special.  Now Fun the Jewels fast!  Now Fun the Jewels fast!  Now Fun the Jewels fast!  Anyway, what can we expect from Fernando Tatis Jr. for 2019 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Mike

Offseason Prospect Notes: The Robert Report

November 11, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 6 Comments

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Luis Robert will rank highly in the White Sox top ten, which happens to be the system on deck to publish here. The outfielder extended his AFL hit streak to 14 games on Friday with three hits, two runs, and a steal for good measure. This raised his average to .386 – good for second in the league behind Tyler Nevin. Where you at Vlad Jr.? Step it up! Robert is an easy like for fantasy players with the ability to contribute in all five categories. He draws comps to fellow Pale Hoser Yoan Moncada, and while the profile right now is centered around his speed, he projects to trade some of that for power as he matures. With only one week left in the Arizona Fall League, there’s a good chance he’ll finish as one of this year’s top performers, sending his offseason stock even higher. Here’s what else happened in the desert this week…

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Geoff

Prospect Podcast: Just Another Arizona Fall League Update W/ Jason Pennini

November 10, 2018 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Prospect Podcast, Razzball Podcast | 3 Comments

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The Arizona Fall League is pretty much the only game in town (America) at the moment, and in our quest to provide you with the freshest information out there, Lance and I welcome Jason Pennini live from Arizona… again. That’s right, we bring back Prospects Live’s resident scout to break down all the top performers over the last few weeks. We cover a handful of players with mixed league relevance next season. So pay attention deep leaguers! We talk a little Fall Stars Game, before rounding it out with my weekly “Ode to Ryan McKenna”. In total we cover nearly 20 players navigating between real life scouting looks and fantasy value. You’re not going to want to miss this one. It’s another episode of the Razzball Prospect Podcast powered by ProspectsLive.com. As always make sure you stop by Rotowear.com, and support our sponsor by picking up some of the freshest T-shirts out there

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Bo Bichette, 2019 Fantasy Outlook

November 9, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 58 Comments

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Bo Bichette looks like Dante Bichette and Craig Biggio had a kid, but Biggio’s got his own future All-Star in Cavan Biggio so maybe they did a baby swap.  Honestly, if I worked in a maternity ward, I’d be switching babies all the time.  Not because I’m a bad person, but because I was a huge fan of the documentary, Three Identical Strangers.  See, I’m not evil, I’m cultured.  On a side, yet related note, I’m beginning to understand how my father felt when Ken Griffey Jr. started playing in the majors.  When Ronald Acuña Jr. Jr. starts playing, call it a wrap and bury me in a field with Seabiscuit.  Speaking of Seabiscuit (totally natural segue), let’s see Bichette!  Anyway, what can we expect from Bo Bichette for 2019 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Nick Senzel, 2019 Fantasy Outlook

November 8, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 26 Comments

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The Cincinnati Reds top prospect Nick Senzel is ready to play baseball.  A blonde woman scampers past him.  She wears a scarf on her head and glances at Senzel.  Because he’s interested, and not at all a creeper, he follows her to the San Francisco Bay, where she dips her foot in the water.  She turns her head and it’s revealed it’s not a blonde woman at all, but it’s the rapper Sisqo.  AHHHHH!!!

So, Senzel has had to deal with vertigo more times than Jimmy Stewart without the love of his dog, Beau.  Senzel missed time in 2017, then again this year.  I’d say this is a big warning sign, but it’s more of a spinning, spiral sign.  Can imagine Nick Senzel when he walks past a store with a person outside spinning a sign?  Dude must straight lose it.  “Everywhere I go, it’s like I’m outside a Subway sandwich shop and someone is spinning a sign.  I don’t know why I see people dressed as submarine sandwiches everywhere too.  That is weird.”  That’s Senzel talking to his therapist.  This dizziness that Senzel is suffering from for two years is a bit more worrisome than, say, a broken hand.  One just heals, the other is more obtuse.  Unfortunately, he’s got some of those non-obtuse injuries too. The hits (to his health, and not off his bat) keep piling up.  He’s currently rehabbing surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow, but this is supposedly minor and he’ll be fine in time for Spring Training.  Never heard that before!  Anyway, what can we expect from Nick Senzel in 2019 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Mike

2019 Minor League Preview: Texas Rangers

November 7, 2018 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 17 Comments

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I haven’t slept since Red Dead 2 came out, so I’m probably going to confuse these Ranger prospects with actual Texas Rangers galloping around with Litchfield repeaters, shooting deer, and antagonizing passersby. There’s something about virtual cowboying that brings me joy. It’s all of the glory and none of the chafing! I’m rocking a $300 bounty in Strawberry, but we have business to take care of here and I’m willing to risk my hide for my tens of readers. We’ve reached the border of the AL West, and this Rangers system features a trio of Grade A outfield prospects inching their way closer to the bigs. After that, it gets a bit pitching heavy. So down a pint of whiskey, grab your revolver (aka PS4 controller), mount your horse (aka couch), and let’s ride through the 2019 Texas Rangers minor league preview!

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

2019 Points League Mock Draft Recap

November 6, 2018 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues | 5 Comments

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Every once in a while Grey and Rudy will head down to the local Jewish bakery and buy bagels for everyone at Razzball Headquarters. Special occasions, birthdays, Earth Day, or just to let us all know we’re loved. (Note from Grey: it’s not a bakery, it’s a dumpster, and it’s not ‘buy,’ per se.) Of course there’s always that one bagel, whole wheat or multigrain (Note from Grey: those aren’t multigrains) or something equally boring, which sits untouched until all the other bagels are demolished.

I do have to admit, once you toast that circle of whole wheat dullness and lather it with excessive amounts of cream cheese (NfG: it’s not cream cheese either), it’s still pretty damn tasty. While it’s not an onion or sesame or, the Holy Grail, asiago cheese bagel, it’s still a bagel which someone will end up devouring.

For me, head to head points leagues are the whole wheat bagels of fantasy baseball. While it’s not a roto league or even a head to head categories league, it’s still a form of fantasy baseball, which can satisfy my incurable fantasy baseball addiction until the next dose arrives. So when Scott White of CBS Fantasy Sports became desperate enough to invite someone with the name “Donkey Teeth” into his industry points league mock draft, I pounced on that drug-filled wheat bagel like the starving fiend I am.  (NfG: I could’ve sworn I removed all syringes from the bagels prior to bringing them back)

Here’s the points scoring system and roster positions used for this particular mock draft:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Kyle Tucker, 2019 Fantasy Outlook

November 5, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 51 Comments

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Don’t feel good about this fantasy baseball rookie post at all, tee bee aitch.  The Astros seem 100% in win now mode, or winnow mode if you’re talking about winnowing out rookies.  Tyler White seemed all ready to go once he was called up this year, and saw playing time, but hopefully that is not portending anything for Kyle Tucker, because White took six years in the minors and was 27 years old.  Let’s not forget other Astros rookies who seemed all but destined for playing time in the last two years. Two that come to mind:  Derek Fisher and A.J. Reed.  Through a personal connection (and most definitely not stalking), Rudy was at a holiday party with Jeff Luhnow and was told that Reed had the lead for the starting 1st base job — that was two years ago!  Reed did himself no favors to get that starting job, but how quickly did the Astros just go right back to a Marwin/Gattis/Reddick platoon?  Quicker than you can call that platoon, Marwin Gatdick, and wonder how he gets through TSA.  “Excuse me, sir, are you planning on doing a stickup or do you Gatdick?”  Unlike my Victor Robles fantasy, I don’t think I can just ignore the possibility that Tucker never sees real playing time this year.  Wow, this is getting me so amped up in the reverse direction.  Okay, before you abandon ship and go back to reading recaps of Young Sheldon, Marwin’s about to walk and there’s really no one worthwhile blocking Tucker, so &2b[1y29–Sorry, was crossing fingers.  Anyway, what can we expect from Kyle Tucker for 2019 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Mike

Offseason Prospect Notes: Hey Now, You’re A Fall Star

November 4, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 19 Comments

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Last night, MLB streamed the Arizona Fall League equivalent of an All-Star Game. In a cunning twist, it’s named the Fall Star Game. The game ended too late for a recap, so this is a preview of a game that has already been played. Welcome to time travel. I’d explain the intricacies of writing in the present about something in the future that will publish in the future about something that happened in the past, but it’s a bit complicated. All I’ll say is it requires weapons-grade plutonium, an internet connection, and a fifth of Dewar’s. The player I’m most excited to see is Keston Hiura (2B), the Brew Crew’s top prospect with the 70 hit tool. He’s kicking keisters in the AFL, hitting .343 with four bombs, five steals, and 27 runs batted in (the league lead). Here are a few other prospects I’m scoping out tonight (last night) in the Fall Stars Game… 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Victor Robles, 2019 Fantasy Outlook

November 2, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 46 Comments

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Do the Nats sign Bryce Harper?  For Victor Robles, we should start there.  I don’t think the Nats retain Harper’s services.  That might be tinged with how I don’t think they should retain his services.  Nothing against Harper.  Dot dot dot.  Okay, I have a lot against him.  He seems like a supreme douchenozzle, but he’s a top 15 hitter in the major leagues when you consider OBP.  Maybe top ten.  Whatever the Nats do to replace for him, aside from Manny Machado, will be a step down.  As much as I like Victor Robles, and I do, he’s not going to be Bryce Harper.  However, I think the Nats should lose Harper because they haven’t been able to win with him, so why pay $850 bajillion for a guy who is going to get you into third place?  This is so important for Robles, because, if Harper leaves, then Robles is a lock for an everyday job.  Sexy Dr. Pepper, Juan Soto will play and Adam Eaton somehow is signed on for yet another year.  That leaves one more spot.  Yes, I know Eaton is injury-prone.  Don’t pretend you’re telling me that.  I’ve been telling you that for five years.  However, I’d be shocked if Eaton is suddenly a 4th outfielder, so we need Harper gone for Robles to play (and, of course, no other random outfielder signings by the Nats; goes without saying, though, yes, I am saying it).  I’m going on the assumption this is what’s going to happen, that Robles will play.  Unfortch, when we make an assumption, we make an ass out of an ump.  Angel Hernandez and Joe West resemble that remark.  Anyway, what can we expect from Victor Robles for 2019 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?