Chris Sale’s Version Of 300 More Homoerotic Than The Movie

September 21, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 128 Comments

You know how they say think about baseball to make sex last longer? Okay, so I was thinking, to make the baseball season last longer do we think about baseball? Maybe we think about sex. This is a riddle for the Sphinx! I saw Chris Sale struck out his 300th batter of the season, and I got a pit in my stomach. I mean, I know the season’s quickly approaching its French end title, “Fin,” but it still bums me out like a mid-20’s Evan Gattis. Yesterday, Chris Sale went 8 IP, 0 ER, 4 baserunners, 13 Ks, lowering his ERA to 2.75. He became the first Red Sox player to record 300 Ks in a season since Pedro Martinez in 1999. And Pedro had his good luck charm, little person, Nelson de la Rosa! Well, I guess Sale does have Pedroia. You look at Sale’s peripherals and you kinda wanna drool — 12.9 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 2.62 xFIP, and averaging 94 MPH on his fastball. His K-rate is the third best for a starter since 1900. Okay, so maybe Kluber doesn’t win the Cy Young. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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Rolling In The Deep, Week 25: Looking For Sunshine Through The Hays

September 20, 2017 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball |

by: Laura Holt

Here we are, everyone! And by everyone, of course I mean the few souls out there who still have something to play for in a deep league over the next week and a half. And by here, I mean my last NL/AL only column of the season.

It’s been quite a year. I have much more to say about it, and I probably will over the next few months. While everyone is off playing fantasy football, enjoying the holiday season with family and friends, and generally braving the long winter months ahead, I’ll be hunkered down, obsessively thinking about and occasionally sharing my thoughts on the fantasy baseball season that is behind us, as well as the shiny new one that lies ahead of us in 2018.

But for now, I need to clear my head a bit. I’m still having trouble processing the fantasy seasons that Ryan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez have had, and am not sure when I will be able to move on from the burn I’m feeling, as I think this is literally the first year in the last five or six that I haven’t owned both of them in at least one NL-only league. Thinking about the way they treated me in the past, all while watching them wine and dine their current owners with more home runs and quality starts than they know what to do with – well, as with any nasty breakup, it has not been easy. But, it’s time to move on… and if nothing else, I can spend the winter daydreaming about who my 2018 imaginary fantasy baseball boyfriends will be (look out, Zack Godley, I may be coming after you!)

And, if you are one of the lucky ones soldiering on in a deep NL or AL-only league over the next ten days or so, here are some fellows that are owned in only a few percent of leagues… but who, if all the stars somehow align correctly, could end up giving you that magic stolen base or 3-RBI game that puts you over the top.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

FanDuel: Morning Wood

September 20, 2017 | DFS, Fanduel |

by: Tugga

Alex Wood ($9,400) takes on the Phillies tonight. He’s fresh from his little procastination break, and decided to post 8 K’s across 6.0 IP last week – whatta guy! Despite that one good outing though , Wood’s ERA this month is still as fat as a butcher’s dog (4.76). He clearly went on a serious earned run bender towards mid season, but against a Phillies team that has been hovering around .245 this week, he’s the cheapest semi-elite option you’ll come close to. Here’s who else I like on this fine Wednesday:

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?

Gausman Turns Boston Bats Into Baked Beans

September 20, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 164 Comments

by: Grey

Who loves irony? Did you just answer your mom? I said irony, not ironing. As the British will tell you, irony is not a well-pressed shirt. Though, now that I think about it, if I had a well-pressed shirt, and I said, “This thing is real irony,” I wouldn’t be wrong because I was saying it. Any hoo! The irony I speak of is Alex Gordon hitting the major leagues’ record 5,694th home run on the year, while there was less offense around the league last night than I could remember in some time. Granted, from around September 11th to 14th is a bit of a blur. A true highlight (building shizz up now!) was Kevin Gausman and his dismantling of the Sawx (really overselling) with the line 8 IP, 0 ER, 4 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 4.61. This year, like a case of lice, Gausman is a real head scratcher. Looking at his perfs (kids say this; think it’s short for perfumes), Gausman is having a garbage year. Velocity is there, so doubt it’s a hidden injury. The walks are way up, Ks are down, and the culprit appears to be his fastball. Went from a near-10 in pitch value on his speed ball to a negative. FS shouldn’t abbreviate fastball, it should be for “F**k’s sake.” The good news is this sounds like a mechanics problem, and might’ve been fixed already. Thanks, Pep Boys! His 1st half vs. 2nd half: 5.85 ERA vs. 3.44; 7.7 K/9 vs. 9.6 K/9; 4 BB/9 vs. 3.2. Yeah, sadly enough, it’s going to be hard to avoid him in 2018 again. Now, that’s real irony (no, it’s not). Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

SAGNOF Report: Sore Diorama

September 19, 2017 | Closers, Steals | 1 Comment

by: Smokey

Wanna take a guess at who the title is? Anagrams are fun, and by fun, I mean about as fun as going to a baseball game and staying sober. Since that first sentence merely took eight seconds to read, I would assume that your guess of Fernando Valenzuela was wrong. The real answer is Amed Rosario. I could have went with endless possibilities, but a “sore diorama” sounds like a science fair experiment gone wrong. So onto the SAGNOF usefulness for the man that could have been “armoire soda,” but alas the diorama wins. Over the last 15 games with the Mets on coast mode to losing, the question is: are they in a coasting mode for losing and futility? Anyways, over his last 15 games, he has a .364 batting average, a .391 OBP, 7 runs, and the all important 3 steals. He never exuded elite-type speed in the minors, maxing out at 19 across two levels this year and last. So the speed could be blossoming like the ability to make pumpkin spice anything nowadays and have lonely single people furnish an entire apartment with it. With the season less than two weeks from finish, look high, look low, look Amed Rosario.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 24

September 19, 2017 | Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 6 Comments

by: MattTruss

It’s that time of year again, when teams looking to max out their counting pitching stats (strikeouts and wins) or who hope to get lucky (or have nothing to lose) and lower their ratios, stack up nine starting pitchers on their final day of starts and see what happens. This is a strategy that has caused quite a bit of consternation over the years of the Razzball Commenter Leagues, but in the end, it’s not against the rules and if you want to take the risk, that’s your prerogative. Y! Leagues feature the same characteristic where, on the day you go over your IP limit, all stats count. This is no different. Thus far, 4 teams have maxed out with 188 Games Started. I have two teams that have taken the plunge, as has Simply Fred of ECFBL and # Sozo of Cougs R Us. ECFBL and Cougs R Us are routinely two of the most competitive RCLs and, speaking on behalf of the 5 years I’ve played in ECFBL, typically 75% of the league will hit the 188 threshold. Strikeouts and wins are usually so tightly contested, that every inning counts. Unless you are holding a slim lead in the ratios that you don’t want ruined, there’s not much to lose in maxing out your stats. So, how have our trio managers made out? We’ll look at that and more from the week that was, week 24 below:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

FantasyDraft: Californication

September 19, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft |

by: Ignacio

We are going to take a trip to California to look for our pitching options tonight. German Marquez ($14,100) is taking the mound in San Francisco and is facing one of the worst hitting teams in the Giants. To make matters worse, they might be without Buster Posey. For the year the Giants are hitting .252 against Righties and a lowly .685 OPS. Marquez should have a good chance at the win and some strikeouts. Meanwhile in Southern California Zack Godley ($21,600) is taking the mound in San Diego. Not to beat a dead horse but streaming guys against the Padres is becoming the norm. Doesn’t mean we cant profit from it, Godley has been at his career best all year and should be no different in San Diego. Padres offer a juicy opportunity to rack up the Ks and the win should be in play. Lets take a look at the rest of the picks…

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!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Fantasy Baseball Podcast: Shohei Otani, Yoan Moncada, Noah Syndergaard, and Many More

September 19, 2017 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast | 17 Comments

by: Halp

Grey starts the podcast by recounting the harrowing story of his grandparents escaping a concentration camp in Nazi Germany during World War II. It truly makes stressing about things like messed up podcast recordings seem silly. The recording was perfect for this one, though, allowing us discuss Yoan Moncada’s hot streak, Ozzie Albies’ sleeper status, and if Jonathan Schoop will still be underrated next year. Then, we bring on Ralph Lifshitz to argue about the chances an MLB team will actually let Shohei Otani hit, along with talking about Noah Syndergaard, Matt Olson, Kyle Schwarber, and Zack Godley. Finally, please make sure to support our sponsor by heading over to RotoWear.com and entering promo code “SAGNOF” for 15% off the highest quality t-shirts in the fantasy sports game. It’s the latest edition of the Razzball Fantasy Baseball Podcast:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Giancarlo’s HRs & Dee’s SBs A Lot Like Florida — 55 and Over

September 19, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 153 Comments

by: Grey

Yesterday, Dee Gordon went 4-for-6, 2 runs, 2 RBIs and stole his 55th base. Mean’s while, his teammate and my crush-bae, Giancarlo Stanton went 2-for-5, 3 runs, 4 RBIs and hit his 55th homer. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last time two teammates hit their 55th homer and stole their 55th base in the same game was Jimmie Foxx and Sugar Cain in 1932. Though, historians, led by Ken Burns, have said Sugar Cain played on a doctor’s prescribed cocaine named Hurry Coke, a precursor to Cherry Cola. Sugar used to bunt with one hand while rubbing his gums with his other hand. Any hoo! Dee Gordon is carrying my NFBC team in steals, where I’m in first, and SAGNOF, and all of that, but steals are pathetic this year, as they were last year. 25 players have 20 or more steals, after 28 last year, but with a few players at 19 steals, we should get to 28 players again. However, 14 guys stole 30 bags last year, and, this year, we’re at six players. I will now laugh hysterically to avoid crying. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

The Peters Principle… And The Top 100 Starters, Week 25

September 18, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Pitcher Profiles | 20 Comments

by: Geoff

If you’re at all familiar with management theory, then you’re probably aware generally of the “Peter Principle”. The concept is simple, managers rise to the level of their incompetence. Here’s where you think about your current manager, and snicker. Are you done? Okay, so it’s concept that many of us can relate to, some of us first hand. But what does this have to do with the subject of today’s profile Marlins starter Dillon Peters? Ahhh, his name is Peters? It works right? But perhaps there’s more there. Or maybe I’m overthinking. Yeah, totally overthinking it. Then again, is it possible that Peters has risen to his own level of potential incompetence here in the Bigs? His numbers over the last two years in the minors have been phenomenal, rarely letting up multiple earned runs in a game. In fact over the last two years, across 37 starts between high A and AA, Peters has amassed a 21-9 record with a 2.11 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .224 BAA, 7.5 K/9, and 1.74 Bb/9. While allowing just 5 balls to leave the park in 191.2 innings. So to say he’s on a great run the last few years is an understatement. Will that continue here in the majors or is he due for a heavy regression? Through Peters first few starts he’s been solid but lucky. I actually intended to profile his start last Tuesday at Philadelphia, but pivoted to Sunday’s turn for the rescheduled home game vs the Brew Crew. I figured in case things went awry in Milwaukee recency bias would win out. Here’s what I saw.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Tim Anderson, Eddie Rosario, Yoan Moncada …And The Top 100 Hitters, Week 25

September 18, 2017 | Uncategorized | 15 Comments

by: mikeMaher

Tim Anderson is a guy that I would glance at earlier in the season and then move on with my life and with our beloved Top 100. He is a nice young player and all, but he wasn’t spongeworthy. Now, though, we’re in the last couple weeks of the season, and homeboy is lighting it up. And more than just hitting, TA is running wild. He has six stolen bases in his last seven games after not running much at all this year, so he is providing SAGNOF value, as well.

Anderson has been so hot that he is your PR15 king this week, with a 17.18 rating. That stretch of games only includes two home runs, which should give you an idea of just how hot he has been at the plate in order to be able to record a 17+ PR15 with only two long dongs. Our boy is hitting everything in sight and swiping bags now.

If you are battling down the stretch in roto leagues, Anderson can help you while providing some SAGNOF. If you are battling it out in weekly H2H league playoffs, though, he doesn’t have the same kind of appeal. IF (read: big IF) he stays hot, he will help across the board except for power and possibly RBI, while helping with AVG, R, and potentially SB. Compared to the standard stiff on the waiver wires, he looks like a stud. But in terms of cross-category production and overall value, he does have a pretty low ceiling. Grab him for the hot streak, but don’t drop anyone of value for him if you can help it.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

FantasyDraft: When There’s a Short Slate, Go All In On Pitching

September 18, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft | 4 Comments

by: Teddy Heater

With only seven games on the schedule today we’re spending the bulk of our money on starting pitching, because once you get passed the top 3 arms, there’s not a whole lot left. Clayton Kershaw, $26,700 at Philadelphia and Patrick Corbin, $18,600 at San Diego are on top of the Streamonator and I’m feeling both matchups. They’re both lefties, the’ye both facing two terrible offenses who strike out more than most teams in the league and they’re the cream of the crop tonight. It’s Kershaw’s four start coming off the DL, so he should be in a good groove and he won’t be on a pitch count less than a 100 pitches. The reins should be off tonight and I’m thinking he’ll come away with a W and double digit Ks. Corbin got rocked for 8 ER in 4.1 innings at home against the Padres back on September 8th. Look for a monster bounce back game in pitcher friendly Petco tonight, as I’m sure he’s been studying tape. Now that we’ve spent a good chunk on our pitchers. let’s get creative and see what we can do on the offensive side.

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!

Please, blog, may I have some more?