Matt Davidson Hosts “Homerwood Squares”

June 16, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 359 Comments

After homering in his fourth straight game, Matt Davidson (2-for-4, 2 runs) is halfway to Dale Long’s record of home runs in eight straight games. A record I didn’t think would ever be matched, aside from it being matched twice previously by Ken Griffey Jr. and Don Mattingly. Dale Long was mostly remembered for that record and getting to first base with his bat. Good year for no-names whose last name ends in son: Davidson, Morrison, Alonson. The book on Davidson previously was a AAAA player, which is different than Mickey Mantle and David Wells. That’s two AA players. Sadly (for him), Davidson is playing so over his head that giraffes be like, “Yo, come down from there.” In Triple-A, he was a 30% strikeout guy and is striking out at a 38% rate now, so he will hit .200 for the season and be an only-occasional home run guy. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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#	MLB Starting Lineups For Mon 8/4
	ARI \| ATL \| BAL \| BOS \| CHC \| CIN \| CLE \| COL \| HOU \| KC \| LAA \| LAD \| MIA \| MIL \| MIN \| NYM \| NYY \| PHI \| PIT \| SD \| SF \| STL \| TB \| TEX \| TOR \| ATH \| CHW \| DET \| OAK \| SEA \| WSH

Minor League Update: Mickey Moniak Goes Claws Up

June 15, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 65 Comments

by: Geoff

It was only a year ago that Mickey Moniak entered our lives. After going with the first pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, the California prep star hit the Gulf Coast League, raked to the tune of .284/.340/.409 with 10 steals, plus a homer, and showed he was ready for a full season assignment in 2017. You could see all the tools were there, even if his power numbers were underwhelming. Then again, we knew the power would be a slow burn with Moniak, as it often is with prep players. He did show the ability to hit for average, get on base, and steal some bags. All worthy pursuits, but it’s not going to make Moniak a fantasy superstar. We need the power to develop, and of late Moniak has struggled, not just with power, but in all facets. In fact over the last two weeks he’s hitting .179, with 1 homer, and a caught stealing. That’s how you say? Awful! Yeah, so last night’s 4 for 5, Moniak’s first four hit game of his career, was a welcomed development. In my eyes Moniak is an elite top 50 prospect, even with the recent struggles. At a newly minted 19, you need to be patient with the kid as the skill set develops. No player’s future is set in stone, just ask Byron Buxton, but Moniak looks like a top of the order bat with elite contact skills, speed, and the dynamic ability to improve any offense he’s a part of. Think Christian Yelich, early Jacoby Ellsbury, or a Trea Turner type, though maybe not quite as dynamic as Turner. Take this post as a reminder to hold onto Moniak in dynasty leagues, especially as teams that own him approach the deadline in a month and a half. If you’re a dynasty manager looking to restock your farm, I’d be looking to add Moniak every where I could. Now you just have to hope your league mates don’t read Razzball……… Here’s what else went down in the MiLB.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

One Man’s Trash: A Simmons Or A Russell?

June 15, 2017 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 2 Comments

by: Son

Andrelton Simmons (48.9% owned – increase of 12.2%) is the No. 12 shortstop in Razzball’s Player Rater. Addison Russell (63.5% owned – decrease of 9.2%) is the No. 31 shortstop. It’s as if the names should be swapped. Russell should be 48.9% owned and Simmons should be 63.5% owned. I have the sudden urge to listen to some jams from Russell Simmons’ Def Jam Records…

Russell plays for the Cubs. Woohoo…He’s 23 years old. Yipee…He hit 21 home runs last season. Woo saaaa…Can you feel the excitement? I’m about to open up an incognito window on my computer. Hold up. Give me like 20 seconds….Sarcasm alert. Not about the incognito window thing, though. Now, I like Russell in dynasty. As mentioned above, he is young and could be a monster in a few years. But we trying to win rings like Kevin Durant now!!! Nothing has really changed with Russell in regards to batted ball profile and plate discipline. He pretty much is who he is right now. .240-ish hitter with 10-15 home runs. He also hits seventh, in front of the pitcher. As for Simmons, he’s always been a low strikeout/high contact batter. He has some pop and will probably end up with around 10- 12 home runs, but with a batting average closer to .275. The surprising thing with Simmons this season is the number of steals. So far, he’s pilfered 10 bags, after ending up with that total in 124 games last season. Stealing bases is one of the few stats that a player has more direct control over, so that’s a nice trend. In this week’s Razzball Baseball podcast, Grey touched on the value that power/speed guys have. Go listen to the pod and…LEAVE A REVIEW!!! Special things will happen. Anyways, back to Simmons. Actually, it’s more a rant against the Sociopath. Simmons is batting .180 against LHP and .305 against RHP this season. His career numbers are .268 vs RHP and .244 vs LHP. So, what does the Sociopath do? He bats Simmons 6th against righties and 2nd against lefties. To bring everything full circle, I guess it makes sense that Simmons is owned in 48.9% of leagues and Russell in 63.5%. What a world. TRASH for Russell. TREASURE for Simmons.

Here are a few others that stood out to me in this week’s add/drop list:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

FanDuel: Gumby Time

June 15, 2017 | DFS, Fanduel |

by: TroyKlauder

On Thursday night, Gumby will be taking the mound for the Yankees, taking on the Athletics at the Coliseum. Gumby, of course, is rookie left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery, who has put together a nice season thus far, with an 8.67 K/9 and a 3.27 BB/9. This is good for a 3.55 ERA and a 3.57 FIP, and there’s nothing in Montgomery’s profile to scream regression. He’s facing a weak A’s lineup that is 23rd in wOBA against lefties at .298, and in a great pitcher’s park. At just $7,500, Gumby is a great bang for your buck.

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?

Astros Find The True Successor To Kevin Bass

June 15, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 471 Comments

by: Grey

Derek Fisher was called up by the Astros to replace the concussed Reddick. First off, Derek needs to stop singing that jingle, “Trust the Astros Fisher, man.” Tres annoying. Saying tres instead of very is tres annoying, too. Fisher was hoping Reddick was some combination of reddish and haddock. “Get that seaweed out of my face!” That’s Nori Aoki. Everyone in MLB is happy for Fisher except this guy. If you thought Strickland-Harper was something… Sorry, for Derek Fisher, that was a layup. As for fantasy, Fisher has power and speed, has had strikeout issues, but no worse than Bellinger. He could be a difference maker if he plays 75%+ of the time. One of the best guys in the minors this year. Better on power than speed, inefficient as a runner. Yes, PCL, but MLB is kinda PCL-like nowadays. Might outproduce Brinson, though Fisher needs to stick in a job for that. Yesterday, he went 2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs with his first home run, and I think Fisher is for reel, and not just on the casting couch. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Rolling In The Deep, Week 11: All This Horrible Pitching Just Isn’t Faria!

June 14, 2017 | Deep Leagues | 11 Comments

by: Laura Holt

I’ve been thinking recently about that age-old question: is it better to keep a bad pitcher in your deep-league lineup than no pitcher at all? Maybe I feel this way every season at this point, but right now it seems like there are more starters than ever who are providing negative value. No matter how you plan your draft, in the deepest leagues, you’re probably going to end up with at least a couple of pitchers that no one would sniff at in a “normal” league. If you can figure out which of these guys are going to be able to eat some innings in your lineup without killing your ratios (or if you just luck into an Ervin Santana or Jason Vargas), you’re a step ahead of the game. But in a really deep league, if you get a few duds, it could ruin your year.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Ambulance Chasers, Week 11: Baby Got Back Discomfort

June 14, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Injury Report | 15 Comments

by: Kerry Klug

It is the time of year where we see daily grind injuries. Sore backs, back stiffness, back discomfort etc. A lot of injuries that just accumulate from playing six games a week in the summer heat. If you thought we’ve had a lot of injuries so far — I have a sneaking suspicion there are going to be more of these type of injuries. Not season ending — just break down injuries. If you have an opportunity to acquire a multi-position player like Brandon Drury, Danny Valencia, Chris Taylor or Taylor Motter you might make it through these injuries better than your opponents.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

FanDuel: Don’t Break Open this Pineda, It Offers More Than Candy

June 14, 2017 | DFS, Fanduel |

by: Troy: The Collector

Hello readers, hope you’re ready for another wonderful write up from The Collector! Today should be an interesting slate as long as we get the pitcher right. As my title suggests, I think Michael Pineda at $8,700 is that pitcher. I’ve talked in the past how he has high strike out upside; besides that, he’s also been very consistent this year if you take the Toronto game out. He’s looking more and more like the Pineda we all fell in love with during his rookie year. It also helps he gets to face off against a Trout-less Angels team. Angels in the Outfield can’t even save this team without Trout. I expect Pineda to have the best game of the slate, though he might be a little higher owned than I normally like. Today just focus on picking the guy you like and worry about ownership elsewhere.

Now on to the picks…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Kenya Believe How Much Ryan Zimm Bombs Away

June 14, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 538 Comments

by: Grey

When Ryan Zimmerman hits a homer, they should play the Coming to America clip where Murphy says, “In dee face,” at the basketball game. Speaking of Africa (sentence intro commonly found on fantasy baseball blogs), why is it called Out of Africa if it’s in Africa? Granted, I’ve never seen that movie, but the one thing I know about it is that it is in Africa! Straight Outta Compton is in Compton, but they get OUTTA OF COMPTON! This post is brought to you by Meryl Movie Lovers, or MeMoLos, as they’re commonly referred. Two more homers for Ryan Zimmerman yesterday, bringing his season total to 19 homers. Shame I didn’t believe in him (and still don’t). Why do I have more doubt than Meryl Streep in a habit? Answer me that, MeMoLos! He’s 32 years old, and, in his last two years, he had 15 and 16 homers. In eleven years, he’s only topped 26 homers once. So, don’t even give me that crap that I should’ve seen this coming. He’s hitting .372! Last year, he hit .218 and .249 the year before, and only hit over .300 one year in his career. He’s not having a career year. Nope. He’s combining all of his years together into one year, putting them into a Magic Bullet, pulverizing them for five minutes and drinking it. And, like Meryl sold French cuisine to an American audience in Julie & Julia, I’m still selling Zimmerman. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Bear or Bull: Eduardo, Is It High Nunez?

June 13, 2017 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 10 Comments

by: Son

Grey has been touting Eduardo Nunez, for what seems like, forever. He’s also been pushing the whole Convent, Edu-Nun, an educational institute for nuns thing, for what seems like, forever, forever, ever, forever, ever. I’m sorry Ms. Jackson, I’m just not feeling that, but I am the OutKast at Razzball so….

Shenanigans aside, did you know that The Convent (I’m a company man) is the No. 4 rated third baseman according to the Razzball Player Rater? The Fantasy Master Lothario knew. He can see into the future, except when it comes to a few players that shall remain nameless, for if I name them, I shall become toothless, armless, legless….you get the point. Thank goodness I’m already hairless.

Anyways, is this high noon, which Merriam-Webster defines as “the most advanced, flourishing, or creative stage or period,” for The Convent this season?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 10

June 13, 2017 | Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 16 Comments

by: MattTruss

I need to rant for a bit. Can we, as a group, talk about how ridiculous it is that Anthony Rizzo is about to gain 2B eligibility in both ESPN and Y!? He’s already gained the eligibility in CBS, but who plays there anyway? If you’re not privy to this info, go check the “ELIGIBILITY” tab on your RCL team page if you’re a Rizzo owner. I’ve got Rizzo on a couple RCL teams and I even think this is beyond silly, so don’t confuse this with being #notbitter. This is more about how Joe Maddon is ruining fantasy baseball. First it was batting Schwarber leadoff and Ben Zobrist at clean-up, now it’s making Javier Baez cover first while Anthony Rizzo perches on the infield grass awaiting a bunt attempt. This isn’t playing second base, this is fielding a bunt while the second baseman covers first. I hate every second of this. Giving Rizzo second base eligibility is the equivalent of instant replay to me. The game is simple, it’s not meant to be scrutinized down to the last iota. This seems like a classic case of, “use some common sense”, but that’s just me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be putting Rizzo in my 2B slot here shortly, moving Odor to MI and throwing Whit Merrifield/Tim Anderson/Tim Beckham back into the FA waters, but I’m not going to be happy about it…OK, maybe a little. I’m still allowed to think it’s silly though. It’s going to be very strange looking through the RCL teams and seeing Rizzo sitting at 2B, but what an advantage that is for the lucky ones that drafted him. Thanks for hearing me out, I look forward to chatting with everyone in the comments about this atrocity. Now, here’s what happened in the Razzball Commenter Leagues in the week that was, week 10:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

SAGNOF Report: Only The Young Can Save

June 13, 2017 | SAGNOF | 11 Comments

by: Smokey

You know what Tuesday’s are good for… SAGNOF. And remembering to put your recycling out. Funny enough, I am correlating the two this week. Co-mingling, if you may. This week, I wanna bring something old, something not so new, and he wears blue… pajamas. (Because p-jays make the man.) Let’s look at some old SAGNOF gold and the familiar name that is Eric Young Jr.. Hell, this is SAGNOF, it ain’t a beauty contest… it’s not even that B.S. 15-buck prize from Monopoly when you land on the community chest. Why I like E.Y. Jr. is multi-faceted; First, he is on a team where he doesn’t have to throw base-running as a caution to the wind. The Angels are second behind only the Reds’ legs in steals, and with an 80% success rate, they prolly won’t be choosing another tact to manufacture runs while Trout is mending his fin. He isn’t sexy, and he has a track record of being a good for a few games then falling off a plateau, but since receiving regular at-bats, it is in the same breath as Trout going down. He has an OBP of over .410, and if you think it’s kind of a fluke, check his minor league stats prior to call-up. His OPS was at .950 in 44 games at Triple A with 15 steals. The days of stealing 50-plus bases ala 2013 are long gone, but if you need to find a place for a steal here or there, check the Angels ownership and steals totals. Maybin, Simmons et al. So with that, let’ see what else is shaking in the 90-feet of thievery department. Chart added for flavor. Cheers!

Please, blog, may I have some more?