Welcome to Week 6 of Two Startapalooza! Happy Cinco de Mayo to you, as well. It’s a lesser occasion than the arrival of this post to be sure, but I’m a fan nevertheless. Oftentimes in the past I would participate in “Cinco de Mondo” at my local Taco Del Mar, where on Cinco de Mayo […]
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Dodgers rookie/phenom/franchise savior Walker Buehler continued to impress Friday night combining with three other relievers to no-hit the sad, sad Padres. Walker went six innings on 93 pitches striking out eight while walking three for his second win in just his third major league start. He is good at throwing baseballs. With three of the Dodgers’ best players hitting the DL recently the defending NL champs need something positive to grasp onto right now, and if Buehler can be their Baby Kershaw than way less fans would have to jump on the Angels’ bandwagon, which is already pretty full considering its carrying over a quarter of the Japanese population. The Dodgers top prospect has been every bit the flamethrower he was advertised to be with his 99 mph fastball which he can locate with pinpoint accuracy and he also features a decent slider and curve. You can read Ralph’s profile on him here if you don’t trust a word I’m saying, but honestly, I’m only trying to help. Maybe his 1.13 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 19/7 K/BB in 16.0 IP will convince you? To be fair, his three starts have come against arguably the worst three teams in the league in Miami, San Francisco and San Diego, but to be even more fair, he matches up with unarguably the worst team in the league record-wise in the Cinncinati Reds next week. Yes, you should own him! The upside here, especially for those sweet, juicy strikeouts, is immense, and outweighs any concerns about locating his breaking balls or off-speed stuff, high pitch counts going deep into games, or his rumored rocky relationship with Kershaw. That last concern I made up just now! If he’s still out there in your league, runner don’t Walker to the waiver wire to grab Buehler. This kid’s gonna be a start! Ha-cha-cha!
Here’s what else I saw Friday night in fantasy baseball:
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I so wanted to be able to highlight a Mexican pitcher today, as it’s the day after Cinco de Cuatro [Sidebar: You heard about the remix, right?] Alas, the closest I could get is this jug of margaritas and Aaron Sanchez at Tampa Bay and…no. It’s one of those days I wish I didn’t have to draft a pitcher at all for my FantasyDraft lineup, actually. The selection is all iffy pitchers and/or bad ballparks (Charlie Morton is pitching! … in Arizona. Kenta Maeda is pitching against the Padres! … in Coors South [more on that below]). I’ll be going with Charlie Morton anyway and stacking some hitters — thoughts on which ones after the jump. It may be a wild, white-knuckled ride, like the first time you drink tequila slammers with your mother-in-law.
New to FantasyDraft? 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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The biggest little pod in the prospect world is back with one of the hottest systems in the minors. The Toronto Blue Jays. In what is the final minor league system preview of the season, Lance and I jump into Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Nate Pearson, and the rest. To say we have a connection to this system is an understatement. We’ve essentially watched this team a handful of times already in the first month. Tack on Lance’s interview back in February with Nate’s pitching coach, and you have some hot takes and fresh looks aplenty. Before we get into all that, we speak on last week’s scouting date to Manchester, NH, where we took in the pitching duel of Sean-Reid Foley vs. the Yankees’ Dillon Tate. After waxing poetic about SRF’s strange mechanics, we dive into our 5 by 5, highlighting ten of the top prospect performers over the last week. We round out the discussion with a review of the Blue Jays and Nationals systems. As we comp Victor Robles, and ask if Juan Soto is a top 10 prospect. It’s a whole lot of loving in this episode! Finally, please make sure to support our sponsor by heading over to RotoWear.com and entering promo code “SAGNOF” for 20% off the highest quality t-shirts in the fantasy sports game. It’s the latest edition of the Razzball Fantasy Baseball Prospect Podcast:
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Looking For BuyCronesia On The Globe Again
May 4, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 560 Commentsby: Grey
“Hello, I’m here to visit The Sciosciapath.” “We need to see your ID, and, if you’re carrying any sharp items, you have to leave them here.” I empty my pockets and show the guard my ID. The Mental Institution of Major League Managers is a relic from the 50’s, a product of discarded patients suffering moral treatment. There’s Ron Washington chewing on a piece of chalk. At least, I think it’s chalk. Over there, Terry Collins is pretending a yo-yo is his arm. Finally, I see The Sciosciapath, bifocals low on the bridge of his nose, carrying a clipboard. He is a patient, but thinks he’s the megalomaniacal head physician. He muahaha’s as he sees me, and screams at a discarded piece of meatloaf, “I told you to run, Darin Erstad!” Any hoo! C.J. Cron has finally emerged from the shadow of failed psychiatry in Anaheim and is putting up a season we thought always possible. This is so unsurprising. He was obviously a 27-homer hitter for the last few years as The Sciosciapath played everyone else. If Cron is available in your league, grab him and stop screaming at your meatloaf. Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:
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Closers wear many hats, many outfits, and work their way up to that garnered closer spot. Now that Hunter Strickland is there, established and doing work, what will become of him if/when Mark Melancon returns… eventually? Melancon is scheduled for a bullpen session this weekend and he was previously scheduled for a throwing session a few days before, but instead played catch. Was his dad in town and they wanted to reminisce about the days of yore? But back to the guy in the seat in Strickland, him of the plus 9 K/9, 7 saves in 9 chances and .170 BAA. Those are all numbers for a closer that makes you comfy and cuddly in a “set it and forget it” kinda way. Though in all fairness, you should never remove your closer from your starting roster. So how long, or better yet, do we trust that Melancon just walks in like Wooderson from Dazed and Confused with ‘This is the story of the Hurricane’ playing behind and retakes his job? I am leery that he even makes it through his bullpen session. Kinda serious, but… kinda serious. The people that drafted Melancon aren’t losing anything but a DL slot. The people that own Strickland via FAAB or waiver wire pick up deserve him keeping the job. I am fighting for the common man here! The everyday waiver wire warrior. So rooting for Strickland now is a thing, I am going to get some foam fingers made that have some catchy quote on them. So if you are a Strickland owner, it is a firm hold and hope the MM never makes it back. For the Melancon owners… sorry. Hope he falls down and breaks his crown. Closer report, rankings, and musings heading your way. Cheers!
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Another day, another baseball injury. Except this one is devastating. Especially for the Dodgers who have already been off to a rough start. One of the game’s young stars, Corey Seager, is set to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. Prayers up and here’s to a speedy recovery Corey.
If you are (were*) a Seager owner, you probably feel like you just found out you also need TJ surgery. He cost you a 3rd/4th round selection, and was one of the top players at one of the thinest positions. So his absence will surely leave a glaring hole at your SS slot unless you have a viable backup. For those of you that don’t you have probably been scrambling to find a replacement.
Here are some SS eligible players that may be on the waiver wire (<55% owned) that can help fill the void:
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May the FanDuel be with you. What were you expecting a Star Wars pun? I’m more of a TV guy, anyway. ANYWAY, we’re without day games on this Friday so you’ll have all afternoon to research and create lineups, but first come check out my recommended plays below. Oh, and use the force!
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? That’s The Way The Cookie Crumbles
May 4, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 412 Commentsby: Grey
Yesterday, Carlos Carrasco went 5 1/3 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 3.95. Whew. Luckily, Carrasco was in that tier of preseason pitchers I said not to draft. You still drafted him? But I said he was like a skunked can of La Croix bacon-avocado cheeseburger flavor. *scrunches nose* You didn’t pay attention? Aw geez. Why? Not to answer but to lower your head in shame. Since you didn’t pay attention the first time, let me say it once more so you can again ignore it, “For the first time in his career, Carrasco (Careerasco?) threw 200 IP last year. Not bad for a 25-year-old. Less so for Carrasco who is 31 years old. I know, I was surprised he was that old too. Not as surprised, as say, a cat jumping out of a closet. They should do a Cats revival on Broadway where the whole thing is cats jumping out of closets.” And that’s me quoting me! K/9 and velocity stabilizes fairly quickly and, well, his rates are kinda the dog’s breakfast. His velocity is down over a mile, and his Ks are down from 10.2 to a 8.1 K/9, and he has the highest xFIP in six years. If this doesn’t worry you, you might be slow on the uptake. You repeat 3rd grade? Do you think your password on all logins is *************? Do you eat Thai and say, ‘Now my stomach is in knots?’ We might have to get you a tutor. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
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“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” – Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects. I disagree Mr. Kint. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing 22.4% of ESPN owners that Jarlin Garcia was worth a pickup. 1.09 ERA is the juicy apple. But hidden in plain sight is the 6.27 K/9, 3.55 BB/9, and .151 BABIP. Want me to continue? How about a 95.2% strand rate and 4.57 xFIP? Go farther you say? 36.4% hard contact rate and 8.6% swinging strike rate. More? Damn, no wonder the devil be one productive mofo. Paul Sporer of Fangraphs broke it broke it down last week HERE. Maybe Jarlin is a magician. Maybe Jarlin is a Jedi master. When I look at FanGraphs, the data says that Jarlin is throwing his fastball more, slider less, and changeup more than last year. On Baseballsavant, though, the data says that Jarlin is throwing the fastball more, slider more, and changeup less. He’s even got the internet flabbergasted! Anyways, I’m in agreement with Sporer. I’m not going to write what he said, though. Go back and click on the link. Don’t be a lazy mofo. That’s when the devil pounces. TRASH
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It’s funny how quickly things can change, in life, and certainly in fantasy baseball. Just last week, Nick Kingham wasn’t on the radar of anyone but the deepest-league fantasy owner, and now suddenly he’s owned in over half of CBS leagues, after flirting with a perfect game in his major league debut over the weekend. Will Kingham continue to be a solid fantasy contributor? Will he even stay in the Pirates’ rotation? Only time will tell, but his overnight success reminds us that a fantasy baseball hero can come out of nowhere, even when moments before it looked like there was no one worth grabbing on the thinnest of waiver wires.
All this is just a reminder to keep focused and pay attention to your fantasy baseball surroundings. As frustrating as it is to have a team that’s gotten off to a horrible start due to injuries or anything else — especially in a deep league where you can’t always do much to improve it – don’t forget it’s still only the first week of May. A lot can and will happen over the next few months, so stay vigilant and be ready to grab whomever the next guy is that comes out of nowhere to provide you with some unexpected help.
I’m not saying any of the following guys are going to be heroes, but that bar can be quite a bit lower in the deepest of leagues, so who knows! As is the usual M.O. here, if nothing else, perhaps one of them can help you patch a hole in your deep-league roster.
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Just a quick plug before we get into this week’s edition. Click over to the football side of the site and check out the podcast that I did this week with Matt Harmon from NFL Media. If you don’t know, he created a really cool wide receiver tool called Reception Perception a few years back and now it is pretty mainstream in the fantasy football community. He’s always a great listen (this is the second time we’ve had him) and there is plenty of stuff to talk about post-draft.
Now it’s time to talk about baseball. The injury bug is smashing through my home league. I’ve lost Jacob deGrom, Johnny Cueto, and Andrew Miller in the span of a week. I’m guessing that I’m not going to be holding onto first place for very much longer. Some of you have lost Corey Seager for the season and I am sad for you as well. Let’s see if we can help each other out by taking a gander at the player rater and looking at the hottest bats…
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