Bear or Bull, Week 4: Ryu Forgetting About Me?

April 25, 2017 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 29 Comments

Image result for hyun jin ryu

When the Dodgers signed Hyun-Jin Ryu before the 2013 season, my first thought was, This dude looks like a Macy’s Day Parade balloon; not a professional athlete. The Dodgers did shell out $36 million for him, so they obviously had more grandiose plans for him than to have him float high above Chavez Ravine to provide shade for the whole stadium. So I looked at his numbers in Korea. Not bad, but not great. Then I read the scouting reports and was meh. At the conclusion of his first season with the Dodgers in 2013, Ryu went 14-8, posted a 3.00 ERA, 1.203 WHIP, and struck out 154 batters in 192 innings. Those numbers don’t sound exciting, yet he ended that year as the 25th starting pitcher and 79th overall player in fantasy.

DISCLAIMER: This was written before tonight’s start in San Francisco. He is in my DFS lineups so I put my money where my mouth is. Oh God, help me.

Now, Ryu has missed the past two seasons due to arm injuries. He’s currently sporting a 5.87 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in 15 1/3 innings. There’s a ton of wear and tear on his arm, as he threw 1269 innings in Korea and 391 in the US. So, why is he the focus of this week’s Bear or Bull? Well, there’s this…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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#	MLB Starting Lineups For Wed 8/6
	ARI \| ATH \| ATL \| BAL \| BOS \| CHC \| CHW \| CIN \| CLE \| COL \| DET \| HOU \| KC \| LAA \| LAD \| MIA \| MIL \| MIN \| NYM \| NYY \| PHI \| PIT \| SD \| SEA \| SF \| STL \| TB \| TEX \| TOR \| WSH \| OAK

SAGNOF Report, Week 4: Picking On The Tools Of Ignorance

April 25, 2017 | SAGNOF | 19 Comments

by: Smokey

As I have gone over in the preseason, streaming against a starting pitcher is sometimes a good approach. The problem is that sometimes the blame isn’t completely on the pitcher. This isn’t Looney Tunes and Bugs Bunny isn’t playing all nine positions versus the Gas House Gorillas. So obviously I am referring to the catcher in this scenario. Streaming against a pitcher is all well and good, the bad is that they only pitch once every five days and while it’s fun to rosterbate the high hell out of it, why not take advantage of a starting catcher who usually gets five starts a week? Seems like genius and a better way to try and capitalize on a three game set versus a weak catcher oriented team at gunning down baserunners. So the handy chart below gives us an early glimpse of who we should be taking advantage of with our waiver additions in the steals category. Stay after the chart, because I drop some tidbits of grandeur.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

RCL Update, Week 3: The Week That Was

by: MattTruss

Three weeks in and I’m sure there’s some of you out there pressing as much as Jose Abreu right now. Is it too soon to be worried that you’re falling behind in stolen bases? Probably not, unless of course you lost Starling Marte for 80 games. What a bummer. You can’t hold a guy on the bench for half the season, can you? I’ve seen him dropped in several leagues and picked right back up. I don’t think I’d have the stomach to waste a roster spot for 3 months, but to each their own. After next week we’ll be at a good point to stop and assess our teams as well as start scouring for trades to address whatever weaknesses we find. It’s still early folks and there’s no reason to be dropping a guy like Jose Abreu or doing anything else crazy just yet.

A big thank you to Rudy and Malamoney this week as we now have Master Standings! Who’s numero uno? You’ll have to read on to see. We also now have data that helps me put together the weekly leaders and the Team Of The Week! I’m giddy, are you? If so, let’s go check out the goods:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

FantasyDraft: Wacha Time To Be Alive

April 25, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft | 1 Comment

by: Ignacio

Man is baseball great and unexpected. We’ve got Bronson Arroyo throwing Quality Starts and getting wins versus the defending champs.. IN 2017!! Eric Thames loaded on Kimchi and Korean BBQ hits every pitch out of the ball park. One of the best pitchers in the game, Madison Bumgarner, is out for a while cuz he fell off his dirt bike. You never really know what to expect in this game. Only thing we know is that we have games every night and a chance to play the greatest game of all…Fantasy Baseball. We have a solid slate for Tuesday night, but one pitcher that really stands out to me is Micahael Wacha ($13,600) of the St. Louis Cardinals. He has been pitching well this year, 2-1 record with a 2.41 ERA. He has been striking people out at a pretty good rate as he has 17 Ks in his 18 innings of work this season, and he has a great matchup vs. the depleted Toronto Blue Jays. They currently rank 25th or worse in Runs Scored, HRs and Avg. Already down Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki due to DL stints, they are now traveling to a National League park and wont have the luxury of the DH. To add insult to injury, the Blue Jays ranked 5th in the MLB in Strikeouts, so a big strikeout potential is in the cards for Wacha.

Clayton Kershaw is also taking the mound tonight, I don’t need to tell you to pick him. He is an automatic start in DFS as long as you are willing to pay the price. He is priced at $27,600, squaring of against the San Fransisco Giants. A slugfest is expected in Coors in a matchup between Joe Ross and German Marquez. As always there will be a high own percentage in this game but it might be smart to fade Kershaw and get some bats from this game. Some solid pitching options are available on the slate tonight. Lets take a look at 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?

Podcast: “I Don’t Give You The Milk, Just Because You Got The Cow Tweeting Out Stuff About The Milk!”

April 25, 2017 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast | 36 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

We’re back with a new edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast, that was recorded at some point in time recently, but we won’t reveal when! On today’s show, we catch up on Madison Bumgarner losing his motorcycle’s license, Starling Marte losing his GNC Rewards Card, and the Red Sox losing their shizz over Manny Machado. Spikes up, Dan! We also have big news from our friends at FantasyDraft with our own Podcast RAZZBALL ONLY FANTASYDRAFT CONTEST!!!!! It’s only $5 to join and you play against yours truly in our own contest tonight. Makes me feel special! We also play some FMK, and preview what we’re looking for in the week ahead including Christian Arroyo‘s callup. Here’s the latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:

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PS – Sorry we ran outta time this week, but you now can join the Pod by leaving us a dime at this link, and we’ll include as many as we can on the show. Leave us a message and we’ll answer next week! Best promptness ever!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

ET: The Extra Thamesbeastrial

April 25, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 619 Comments

by: Grey

Eric Thames went 2-for-3, 3 runs, 3 RBIs and hit two more homers (9, 10). *does exaggerated yawn* Justice Eric Ruth Thames is like, “Yeah, I had a harder time in Korea, ya’ll suck.” Jer-Ru the Damaja is like, “The Sun Also Rises in the East, and sets in Milwaukee when I’m done hitting homers, goodnight.” At this point, I’m surprised Justice didn’t hit, like, 80 homers a season in Korea. Who got this guy out? An NL team should sign that guy. Or watch the Korean broadcasts of the games to see how they got him out, if for no other reason than the weird game show-like moments in-between innings when they’d have contestants try to find which part of the stadium is made of chocolate. (I know this is Japanese, but it’s funny, so stop with your judging. Leave that to the Justice!)

Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Itchy Triggs Finger …And The Top 100 Starting Pitchers, Week 4

April 24, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Pitcher Profiles | 141 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

So here’s something ridiculous – I think the Oakland A’s are my least favorite team. Scratch that, F THE CARDS! Even if they do have the best fans in baseball… A’s are my least favorite AL team. And it’s nothing to do with particular players, trying to be “hipster” and not liking Monyeball (It’s a cool movie! Love the music.), or residual ire due to the Warriors. Ugh, NBA with only 2 or 3 competing teams every year – BORING! It just seems like every year, their offense is lacking, yet they pound on pitchers when you least expect it. Cough, James Paxton, cough. It’s so annoying! It all started when I owned CC Sabathia on some dynos back when he started with the Yankees, and it felt like every April or May the A’s would tag him for 7 or 8 runs every game. Plus, ya know, I didn’t buy into Josh Donaldson and Khris Davis decided to be a consistent power hitter in a shittier park, but we’ll end this absolutely ludicrous rant here.

Due to the above, I don’t watch a ton of A’s, so I have yet to see Andrew Triggs pitch. His scouting report is unimpressive: his fastball actually lost velocity to be a sub-90 MPH pitch, he gets groundballs which usually means Ks should be low, is 28 and a converted closer, and it just all feels like smoke and Black Mirrors. He’s a robot! But maybe that perception is a reaction to my A’s bias, especially since he went into yesterday with three straight scoreless start wins. Well, he did allow 2 unearned runs in one of em and 1 in another – yet another reason I think it’s Black Mirrors. So I decided to watch his start Sunday afternoon to finally get the book out on the guy, and here’s how he looked against the Mariners:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Judge Away: I Missed on Aaron …And The Top 100 Hitters, Week 4

April 24, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 69 Comments

by: M@

When you’re 6’7″, 275 lbs as an athlete there are a few limits to how you can reach the highest level. Running back? Nope. Shortstop? Nope. Quarterback? Well, Jared Lorenzen did at about 4 bills, so maybe? But as much as Andre 3000 loved singing about the prototype, you can’t put that label on a 6’7″, 275 lb outfielder. Remember Richie Sexson? Ugh. Hey, @JB…what would it look like with you galavanting around the outfield? #Razz30

All that to be said, I was totally out on the Aaron Judge experiment. He has massive power in his bat, but I just didn’t see his build and makeup translating well into a MLB slugger. Same worry I have about Phillies minors monster Dylan Cozens. In 670 plate appearances at AAA the last two years Judge hit around .250 with 27 HR. He improved from 2015 to 2016, but I just held some big hesitations.

And man…was I wrong.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

We’re Going Streaming!, Week 4: Ricky Business

April 24, 2017 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 21 Comments

by: Mike Honcho

Greetings streamaholics. I’m back for another week of zany hijinks and madcap fun in our pursuit of streaming perfection. Like always, I’ll be sorting through the bargain bin and lightly owned section of arms and bats to bring you the best options available in standard ESPN leagues. By now you should know the drill…..These suggestions will be less than 50% owned in the aforementioned leagues as well. Holding my hands throughout this entire process are the brains of this operation: The Stream-o-Nator and Hitter-Tron. These sexy, next-level love-bots have provided the pertinent information necessary to pass along the best streaming information in the industry. Hands down. Or hands up if you’re on a dirt bike excursion in the Rockies with Madison Bumgarner. He’s such a blast to kick it with on off days. So do yourself a favor and sign up for one of the many packages Razzball has to offer. The “tools” Rudy has put together here are second to none. The absolute best in the industry if you ask me. And you did ask me, right? Of course you did. Anyway, just sit back, relax and enjoy this post. I’m here to help you win your league. #honchoyourfriend

Please, blog, may I have some more?

FantasyDraft: Zack Attack Is Back, Baby

April 24, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft | 6 Comments

by: Teddy Heater

Zack Greinke, $18,000 was the 2015 Cy Young runner-up to Jake Arrieta. Jake from State Farm’s second half was magical, but at 19-3, 1.66 ERA, 200 Ks in 222 innings Zack Attack was a close second. For all that hard work he was rewarded with a 6 year, $206 million dollar contract (that’s basically a million per start or $10k per game thrown pitch). Damn Son, that’s a whole lotta bread, enough bread to lure him into the confines of Coors Jr. We knew his stats were going to take a hit, but Greinke’s stats for 2016 were awful; 13-7, 4.37 ERA and 134 Ks over 159 innings of work. That was his highest ERA in the last 10 seasons and he pitch in hitter friendly Miller Park for two seasons. I hope he’s enjoying all that dough, because his stats were right there with Jon Gray who pitches in Coors. Not what you were looking for with a top draft pick, but the good news he looks like he’s back. If you threw out the clunker against the Dodgers, he’s sporting a 2.22 ERA with 16 Ks over 16.2 innings. Tonight he is at home. Not ideal, but Arizona did install a humidor like Coors to keep the HR’s down. Obviously it’s an extremely small sample size but over 9 games, the 2.44 HR’s per game are just a tick above the league average of 2.34. Zack Attack is facing the struggling Padres who own the league’s lowest slugging percentage and at $18K I’m feeling it. Now that we’ve got tonight’s Ace in place, let’s see who else we can roster so we can get a small piece of that Zack Greinke bread.

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?

ABABC — Andrew Benintendi Always Be Crushing

April 24, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 770 Comments

by: Grey

What if we’re all living inside a Boston masshole’s dream? This is Inception, and we all fell asleep sometime after Tom Brady was drafted, but before the Patriots won their first Super Bowl. Then, due to some plantains you ate before you went to sleep, the Red Sox grabbed David Ortiz from Minnesota for nothing, and you got a kidney stone and were peeing blood but it all came out on Curt Schilling’s sock, and the Red Sox won the World Series, and then, because you fell asleep to The Apprentice, Trump became president, and now Andrew Benintendi goes 5-for-5, 1 run, 1 RBI, hitting .347. This has to be possible, doesn’t it? What if our world is like Herman’s Head, but we’re inside Prospector Ralph’s head? Is Somalia in a famine because Prospector Ralph is too worried about Rick Porcello and forgot to eat? Eat, Ralph! Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Mitch-A-Palooza: Seattle’s Sultry New Event

April 23, 2017 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 116 Comments

by: LT Murray IV

Wait, what? The Mariners got Jean Segura AND Mitch Haniger for the continually underachieving Tai Walker? The same Haniger who’s third in offensive WAR in the AL (through Friday), first in the AL in runs scored with 16, leading the AL in times on base, fourth in the clubhouse in jersey-chaser takedowns, and first in my heart for being part of the heist that was the Taijuan Walker trade. Coming off a year where he masta-donged 25 and 94 with a .321 BA in AA/AAA last year, the D-Bags felt the urge to dump another diamond in the rough, a la Max Scherzer. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that trade all those year ago. I couldn’t believe at the time and couldn’t believe they weren’t making a bigger deal about it.

I may be going too far as I’m a Walker fan, but Haniger clearly has All-star capabilities and hitting in this loaded lineup is going to keep him relevant all season long. Much unlike myself, it’s really easy to be a fan of this dude.

Here’s what else intrigued me this past week… Take heed!

Please, blog, may I have some more?