The Carlos Martinez Experience

June 25, 2018 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 9 Comments

Let’s pretend for the rest of this column that the lat injury Carlos Martinez returned from four starts ago isn’t an issue. I don’t know if it is. I don’t know if it isn’t. Creating a hypothesis on imperfect information is futile. I prefer to instead to try and understand if other tangible problems exist and whether they can be fixed. Martinez’s injury will be used as a natural timeframe to separate. Why? Because fantasy owners would be happy to take the early 2018 version of Martinez back.

The Cardinals ace has 20 walks and 18 strikeouts in his four starts since returning on June 5. Let’s nerd-out and take a look at how his approach to both handedness of hitter has changed.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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SAGNOF Report, Kiermaier is Gonna Ski the K12

June 25, 2018 | Uncategorized | 15 Comments

by: Smokey

From this day forward, or rather more bluntly on days when I have had too much of Grandpa’s wowwie sauce, it gets a little obscure. And this week by obscure I am talking about John Cusack movies. The cult 80’s classic movie Better Off Dead to be exact. Where we all wanna know where my two dollars is. Much like that movie, the Myer that we are all hoping and rooting for to defeat the preppy d-bags is Kevin Kiermaier. Recently returned from a DL stint that lasted too long in my humble K.K. loving opinion. The thing I tend to love about Kevin is that he is going to play every single day. Why you ask? Because he is an elite defender in centerfield. That my friends wins hearts and minds and cures all ills in real baseball. Unfortunately for fantasy baseball, we need results to warrant consideration for lineup-hood. While he doesn’t boast Hamilton type speed, he does have three consecutive 10/15 seasons under his belt. Like I said, it’s not elite by any stretch of the imagination, but to be honest, this whole Lane Myer/Kevin Kiermaier lede title thing was a stretch. But still, 10/15 seasons don’t come stumbling in the bar every night with the take me home pumps and no drink necessary dress on. The waiver wire is a place for throwbacks and what-ifs. So that is where I am telling you to look. If K.K. is there, grab him up, make him wifey material for the rest of this year and watch the 80 plus games he plays out the rest of the year develop into a 10/10 season. Not great, once again. I know I sound like a drunken broken record but everyday at bats are the sex panther for good SAGNOF returns. Here comes some more tidbits of SAGNOF-dom and maybe some cool little pop-up pictures for the slower reading crowd. Cheers!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Ditka, Sausage, And Fantasy Sports: Captain Jack Flaherty

June 25, 2018 | Ditka, Razzball Podcast | 5 Comments

by: B_Don

Why is the rum always gone? Also, who doesn’t enjoy a terrible face crop!

The search for the fabled fantasy baseball treasure lead us on a hunt to the NL Central where B_Don and Donkey Teeth look at the Captain Jack Flaherty vs Junior Guerra matchup. One guess who is higher on the Cardinals pitcher… They also discuss Ketel Marte and his hot hitting ways in June. And of course a few pickups for those of you in those deeper leagues.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Draft: Trout Dinner

June 25, 2018 | DFS, Draft |

by: Butters

I’m going to change things up a little bit for this fine Monday morning. Normally I advise you to get in on the top pitchers for your slate on Draft for any given day, because that can make or break your day. Even today, we have a certified ace in Justin Verlander making a favorable start against the Blue Jays. He makes for a fine first pick, or even a steal with your second. However, today there are multiple pitching options that I like later. This gives you the chance to lock up the best player in baseball: go get you some Mike Trout. Over the last month, he has raised his always-incredible performance to another level. Don’t question your pick if he’s still on the board. It really is crazy how good he is. And you would be even crazier not to take him.

New to Draft? 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?

Cody, Muncy and Kiké Get Bellingerent

June 25, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 441 Comments

by: Grey

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257768″ player=”10951″ title=”Fantasy Baseball Buy Sell Hold Week 13″]

The Mets started Jerry “Mathers As The” Blevins yesterday (as a starter; not because the Mets are ‘bullpenning’ but because they are bullsh*tting), taking advantage of the Mets waving the white (person sitcom star) flag was everyone on the Dodgers. First up, Enrique Hernandez (3-for-6, 3 runs, hitting .232) as he hit his 11th and 12th homer in Metco. Or as Jesse Jackson would say, “Kike homered in Jaime town.” By the by, players who Hernandez has more homers than (this is gonna make you cry): Jose Abreu, Bregman, Dozier, Ozuna, Matt Chapman and Smoak, to name but a few. I’ve been rocking Enrique — sounds Enrisqué! — for the whole year in an NL-Only league, but he doesn’t play every day (unlike all those schmohawks he’s besting on power). Next up, Cody Bellinger (2-for-5, hitting .239) as he hit his 14th and 15th homer. I get the sense that people think Cody’s absolutely bombing out his sophomore year. Not close. He’s not repeating his great rookie year (yet), but he is top 75-ish on the Player Rater and could easily be top 30 on the year with one extended hot streak. Lastly, Max Muncy (2-for-5) hit his 15th homer, or as I like to call him, This Year’s Chris Taylor. Muncy is having a legitimate breakout, or the Dodgers are slowly poisoning Taylor to make Muncy look great for a case of Muncyhausen By Proxy. I think it’s the former, but a teamster smoking may not be the only one leaning on the latter. To buy Muncy’s breakout, you have to buy a near-30% HR/FB, but he is top 35 for exit velocity, top 10-ish for hard contact percentage, and 2nd for Barrels. What does all this mean? The breakout looks real and beautiful. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Top 100 Hitters, Week 13: Aguilar Walking on Water

June 24, 2018 | Top 100 Hitters | 17 Comments

by: Kerry Klug

Not a lot of us saw this major league breakout coming from Jesus Aguilar. We were all expecting an awkward OF & 1B battle in Milwaukee between Eric Thames and Ryan Braun. Then here comes Jesus walking on the waters of Lake Michigan from Cleveland to Milwaukee to become an All-Star with the Brew Crew (he should be — stay tuned.) Maybe we all should’ve seen this coming — in 655 minor league at-bats in 2016 Aguilar hit 40 HR and 114 RBI. The average was only .261, but in the Indians minor league system he has some high average seasons (2011: .288; 2013: .291; 2014: .304.) Aguilar has already dropped his strikeout rate from 30% to 24.6% and if that number continues to go down while his contact rate continues to climb — Jesus’s ascension could continue.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Top 100 Starting Pitchers, Week 13: Torpedoed By A German

June 24, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Top 100 Starting Pitchers | 22 Comments

by: Dokken

Surprise!! Kershaw is back! Again. Hopefully for the last time. We all love Kershaw whether we own him or not (come on, the guy builds houses in third world counties in his off time). Therefore for the good of baseball, Kershaw should be allowed to have a personal masseuse on the field at all times to loosen him up between pitches. Anything that back needs, get that masseuse in there and rub it out. No more DL stints! Someone get me Manfred’s number. Of course, for every give there is a take, and we lost Carlos Carrasco to a nasty comebacker off the elbow. It doesn’t sound like he’ll be gone too long, but he’s off the list this week. Outside of that we had a relatively quiet week for starting pitchers. We lost the likes of Aaron Sanchez and Jose Urena to the DL, but those guys aren’t leaving anyone’s season hanging in the balance. Michael Wacha does appear to be gone for a significant amount of time with an oblique strain though, and that is a more significant loss. Despite the fact that he seemed obscenely overrated by the Razzball community, I didn’t want to see him go. Especially considering he’s being replaced by John Gant. Yay. We’re also in that dead zone before the midseason call ups, so we don’t have too many debuts to discuss this week on the list. Most starters pretty much pitched like you’d expect them to this week as well, so there wasn’t a ton of serious moving and shaking. That makes this sound like a bit of a dance, which I guess it kind of is. I prefer the Mashed Potato, myself. Since there isn’t a ton of movement, I want to touch on some of the guys I haven’t talked about this year in addition to a few newcomers to the list.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

FAAB Five: Save on Saves

June 24, 2018 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 5 Comments

by: Paul "The" Martian

As the fantasy world clamors for Sam Dyson and Pedro Strop to scoop some extra saves, we will be different. Sure, these two may be in line for the occasional save opportunity, Strop until Brandon Morrow returns from his back injury and Dyson until Mark Melancon proves more durability, but both situations are temporary. There are some names available that could bring long-term help to your fantasy roster. This week I am headed to the waiver wire to see if Joe Jimenez (FAAB Bid: 5%) or Jordan Hicks (FAAB Bid: 5%) are still around. Both of these relievers have found themselves sneaking into save chances. Jimenez and Hicks provide upside that Dyson and Strop do not. They can potentially provide saves for the rest of the season with a strikeout ability unmatched by most relievers on the wire.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

The Art of (A Trading) War, Parts 4 and 5: Decisions and Fear

June 24, 2018 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 5 Comments

by: B_Don

“No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique. If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.”

At no point do you HAVE to make a trade. Trade negotiations can last days, weeks, maybe even longer, but even with the time that you’ve invested in getting something done, do not make a trade simply to get it done or because you’ve invested too much time into it. If the deal does not help your team or doesn’t feel right, there is nothing during a trade discussion that says you must come to a deal. Don’t put yourself in the situation where you have instant trade regret because you clicked accept after spending too much time on a deal or out of some sense of duty to the other team.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Draft: Cole Mining…Again!

June 24, 2018 | DFS, Draft |

by: Thomas Howland

It’s no accident that this blog has taken on a burnt orange hue when recommending starting pitchers. The Houston Astros are lassoing the competition with a MLB-league-leading ERA. And the main buckaroo is the intimidating, hard-throwing man who’s proving you can go home again: Gerrit Cole. This ace is having an incredible season with a 2.59 ERA, .894 WHIP and 12.3 K/9, and today faces off against the lowly Kansas City Royals. Grab Cole with your top pick and ride that Texas pony to a win. Now let’s look at a few more early-, middle- and late-round picks for your Draft…drafts!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Minor League Update: A Beginner’s Guide To Griffin Canning

June 24, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 64 Comments

by: Geoff

There’s times where you just need to trust your gut. About 14 months ago I added a UCLA righthander with impressive stats in one “open universe” league I’m in. His name was Griffin Canning, and while there were some mechanical knocks, injury history, and a lack of premium stuff. I saw something in early March of 2017. He mowed down the Michigan lineup going 8 strong, allowing 6 baserunners on 3 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 12. He showed a curveball with depth, a fastball in the low 90’s that he commanded well, a slider, and an off-speed pitch. Despite a very good 2017 season in the PAC-12, Canning dropped down boards due to his size, injury history, and the aforementioned mechanical issues. He dropped all the way to the Angels in the second round, and in what is becoming an increasingly reality based narrative, Billy Eppler stole another one. Coming off consecutive seasons at UCLA where he exceeded 100 innings, the Angels were prudent to delay his professional debut until 2018. The righty was assigned to High-A Upland out of camp, and such begins Canning’s second act. His first two professional starts produced 8.1 scoreless frames, with 14 punchouts, and 7 baserunners. He saw promotion immediately to AA Mobile and while his next few starts were struggles, Canning clicked in his next six allowing a single earned run over 32.1 frames. A few starts later Canning was promoted to AAA Salt Lake where he made his debut this Thursday, going four, allowing five baserunners on 2 hits, and 3 walks. Over his time in the Southern League he made 10 starts, going 1-0 with a 1.97 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, and 3.7 Bb/9.

The Griffin Canning curveball is fun. pic.twitter.com/fIOrBrkBXH

— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) June 12, 2018

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Two Startapalooza, Week 13: Big Maple, Still A Staple

June 23, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers | 18 Comments

by: Dokken

I like my Two Start Pitcher schedules the same way I like my coffee: robust, and diarrhea inducing. We have a strong slate this week of double dippers, complete with a vast array of crap in Tier 5 and a pleasantly surprising amount of goodness in Tiers 3-4. Tier 1 holds a trio of no-brainers, but Tier 2 is ripe with the scent of potential over-performance! Price, Gonzalez, Hamels, and Stripling all raise their stocks with non-intimidating opponents. Tyler Skaggs is worthy of discussion in Tier 3 as someone who could have been pushed to Tier 2, but despite Boston’s weakness against southpaws, I’m not stoked about that matchup. There are some really interesting names in Tier 4, not the least of which is Reynaldo Lopez. Despite his decent matchups and surface stats, he’s got a lot of red flags under the hood and that keeps him from Tier 3. Have a look at Tier 5 if you want to know who not to start. Let’s have a look at some more two-start options of interest this week.

Please, blog, may I have some more?