MattTruss

RCL Update: Crushing Drafts

April 4, 2017 | Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 16 Comments

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Draft season is done and over.  Did that seem to drag or what?  I’m pretty sure I had a draft every night for about 11 straight days there.  I’m ready for real baseball.  You can close out of your cheat sheets now.  Take a breathe….OK stop….time to get on the RCL grind!  Grab your caffeine vessel of choice and start researching tomorrow’s batty calls.  

We’ll be looking at all the draft data that all of you contributed from the evening of February 22nd all the way until this past Sunday night.  That’s just over a month of draft data to break down, dissect and tear apart.  Next week, we’ll be able to dig into all those RCL teams a bit, but this week, it’s all about those drafts.  Without further ado, let’s dig into how the RCLers drafted this year.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Tue 8/5
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
Ignacio

FantasyDraft: It Really Ties The Team Together, Man-aea!

April 4, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft | 8 Comments

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So maybe the first day of a full slate didn’t go your way; the beauty of DFS baseball is that it is a daily grind. Tuesday offers an 8 game slate with some very solid pitching options such as Johnny Cueto, Carlos Carrasco, Lance McCullers Jr. and Matt Shoemaker. One young arm that stands out and could provide options to build around, though, is Sean Manaea. Priced only at $14,800, Sean allows you to pay up for some top bats. Manaea was the top Pitching prospect in the Oakland A’s organization last year before getting called up at the end of April. His season was the tale of two halves as he had a rocky start to his career. Carrying a 5.24 ERA through his first 12 starts, he was able to turn it around in his final 12 starts and recorded a 2.67 ERA, finishing with a 3.86 ERA for the year. The promising prospect looks to improve and become the Ace for the A’s. He is squaring off vs. the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night, an offense that can be neutralized. They ranked towards the middle of the pack in most offensive categories last season. Oakland is a -110 favorite and the run line is set at 7.5, not a lot of offense is expected. With that, 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?
JB Gilpin

Podcast: “Little Jimmy Is Gonna Go To Opening Day With Daddy!”

April 4, 2017 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast | 23 Comments

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The season is here!  Finally real games to talk about!  Unsurprisingly, Grey and I’s (sic) motors get going with an action-packed Pod breaking down the Sunday games, plus the first half of Opening Day from yesterday.  Should be “Opening Days”!  So confusing!  We catch up on closers being terrible, a big start for A.J. Pollock, and C-Mart pitching more like K-Mart.  The show then wraps with a run through of our 2017 Staff Picks, and man did things look great for Grey right after we stopped recording!  Literally minutes after we finish recording Rougned Odor hits his first homer, then 30 minutes later his second!  Yeesh Kubot.  Reboot!  Reboot!  Here’s the latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:

Download from iTunes

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Yas & Joc Go Rock & Jock On Friar Suck

April 4, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 498 Comments

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When did Opening Day for the Padres become a laugher?  Was it when Corey Seager (2-for-5, 3 RBIs) homered off Christian Bethancourt?  You might remember Bethancourt was a catcher last year, but the Padres brought him back this year as a reliever.  If the Padres are going to make every one of their terrible hitters a reliever, their bullpen is going to get crowded.  Maybe that wasn’t the moment it became as cringeworthy as Michael Jackson/Lisa Marie’s romance.  Maybe it was the moment Jhoulys Chacin was pulled after giving up nine earned in 3 1/3 IP.  Considering this was the Padres’ best starter, the game score for their fifth best starter is going to be 38 to 1.  Maybe the moment an 0-162 season became a possibility was when Yasmani Grandal (2-for-5, 3 RBIs) hit his 2nd home run, tying Madison Bumgarner for the major league lead.  Or maybe it was the moment Manuel Margot (1-for-4, 1 run, hitting leadoff) tried to take first base after three balls, because he was facing Kershaw, and no one wants to face Clayton Kershaw (7 IP, 1 ER, 2 baserunners, 8 Ks).  Kershaw must’ve felt like Meatloaf when he mowed down Dan Cortese’s 1999 Rock n Jock team.  Oh, and haven’t even mentioned Joc Pederson (1-for-3, 5 RBIs with his 1st homer, a grand slam).  He never gets any love in the preseason, but I can’t ever (I mean never) move past that he was the first 30/30 guy in the PCL in 80 years.  Kinda wish I owned Pederson in more (any) leagues.  Well, looks like LA now owns San Diego’s Chargers and Chacin.  Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles might be the next beneficiary.  Though, if LA takes San Diego’s navy, it’ll prolly only be used in a West Hollywood musical featuring Village People songs.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
JB Gilpin

Pitcher Profile: Updating JB’s 2017 Top 100 Starting Pitchers

April 3, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Pitcher Profiles | 89 Comments

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Baseball is back!  Our long wait through an absolutely ridiculous winter (in pretty much all aspects of life) is finally over!

I looked back at my re-ranks from last year to kick off the season, and can you believe this is Year 5 of the Pitcher Profiles?!  Who woulda thought Grey would let me write these silly things this long?!  I’m in my 5th year though, have a lot of seasoning, I’m ready to hit my prime!

As always, a lot had changed in the past month+ since I put out my ranks in late February, with big names falling to elbow issues/concerns this time out vs. a fairly injury-free 2016.  My Alex Reyes dynasty team weeps for this offseason!  Plus ya know, massive changes after opening day.  Drop Masahiro Tanaka everywhere!  Yeah, if I were in any schmohawk leagues, I’d offer buy lows non-stop for Tanaka.  Wait, I am in the Perty Perts league, I’ll try there!  Haha I keed, I can’t walk the walk, not like I’ve topped the Perts league my first two years against Grey’s 1,000+ moves every season…

We’ll be getting into the Profiling next week (everyone watched those first 3 games, seems silly to profile any of those Opening Day guys), so get ready for some mad GIFs!  And going to try a little something new for the GIFs too!  Hopefully you like em…

Here’s my updated top 100 SP for the first week of the fantasy baseball season:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
LT Murray IV

A Titanic Mishap: The Draft Chronicles of Beddict

April 3, 2017 | Our Leagues | 21 Comments

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Long ago, when I was but a young boy, I would decipher Matthew Berry articles on ESPN, strategizing for my fantasy baseball draft with all my closest associates, writhing in anticipation. Soaked like I was just urinated on by a large pack of giraffes, waking up from dreams soaked in sweat, I wasn’t sure if this was all real or not. Did I really help cover up the murder of a stripper last night? Did I sleep with Anna-Nicole Smith? Isn’t she dead? I just adored fantasy baseball! Anyway, this went on for a few years until a grand man by the name of Josephine Morris told me of a certain gentleman, a mustached little man who curiously resembled Don Mattingly. Josephine told me:

“You, Tehol, my closest and must trusted friend, have mastered fantasy baseball. That is, mastered it against peasants like our peanut-brained friends… but if you want to go to another level of metaphysical wizardry, well, then you must go to a a little place where the beer flows like wine and the seagulls flock like the salmon of Capistrano… a little place called… Razzball.com…”

The rest is history. But now you know there was a man named Grey Albright and he saved me… in every way a person can be saved.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Lance

What I’m Watching, Week 1: Yu Should Check This Out

April 3, 2017 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 12 Comments

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It’s really hard not to overreact, I understand.

With that said, I think that it’s best Madison Bumgarner was the human highlight reel of opening day as opposed to somebody like Mallex Smith or Tuffy Gosewich(!!!).

The early season star of 2016 was the pun machine himself, Trevor Story. I’d consider him a best case scenario for any early season performer. Six homers in his first four games, on his way to a 27 home run season over less than 400 ABs. Story was a top 30 pick this year, all after that early season explosion, and I’ll admit, there was a league where I paid that price for him.

With Bumgarner holding the headlines for the next few days, there is no need for overreaction and desperate projection for his rest-of-season value. We know what he’ll give back. Very, very good value.

Is there a chance somebody else stands out? Of course, and you’ll likely have to make a tough decision to give up that ’25th’ man on your roster as sacrifice if you want to believe in the hype…

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Teddy Heater

FantasyDraft: Crack Open A Duff For Opening Day

April 3, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft |

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Holy Shizz!  I can’t believe Opening Day is already here, it seems like a couple weeks ago I was opening up the 2016 season with Mad Max.  I hope you all had a great off season, but now it’s time to get back into the swing of things and started building that DFS account.  Practically every ace is going today, so I know you’re asking yourself, why Danny Duffy, $16,800?  Although I maybe a little rusty with my picks, I can assure you The Duffman won’t be showing any signs of rust as he’s already in mid May form.  I’m sure you all followed the WBC this year, dude was absolutely lights out grabbing 2 W’s, 8 K’s, and 1 ER in 8 innings of work.  He has a solid matchup versus the Twins and I think he’s stretched out enough to give us a solid 6 innings.  Granted, it’s early so dumping all your money on top arms isn’t the best strategy, so I’m really feeling the mid level guys like Duffy, Kendall Graveman at $11,200 and Jon Gray at $15,200.  Just a quick update on the DFS format.  We’ve changed gears this year and I think you guys are really going to enjoy the format with FantasyDraft Sunday thru Tuesday.  It’s still a two pitcher roster, but you have three IF, three OF and two Utility spots, so the positions don’t matter.  That means no more catchers; Woo Hoo!  There’s still catchers available to roster, but you won’t hear much from me about them.  I’m really excited about the new format as it allows for a lot more flexibility.  Anyways, on to 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?
Grey

I Will Start 4 2

April 3, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 388 Comments

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I’m not a woman.
I’m not a man.
I am something that you refer to as Fantasy Master Lothario.
I’ll never beat you (except in fantasy, that is my pledge).
I’ll never lie (except about how much I once liked Josh Rutledge).
And you’re evil but unless Rougned Odor disappoints I’ll forgive you!
Cause baseball will start 4 2!

*takes a long inhale* Can you smell the freshly cut grass?  No, because it’s still freezing in half the country?  Where’s your climate change now, Al Gore?!  I’m so hyped up about Opening Day, I’m slangin’ bean pies like Ice Cube and picking up and dropping catchers for s’s and g’s!  *goes to my Yahoo fantasy team page*

All right, so I guess I’m not making changes to my Yahoo team on this glorious of splendiferous days.  This day that is more beautiful than Giancarlo’s tukis.  This day that is the most frou-frou of all catchpennies!  Okay, I think my thesaurus steered me wrong on that last one.  On a sappy level, this was a weird offseason, and I’m glad to put the real world in my rearview mirror for six glorious months, and worry about nothing but winning as many fantasy baseball leagues as I can, and helping everyone along the way.  Now who was it again that had Greg Bird (0-for-4, but batted third; yes, you should own him) ranked higher than everyone else?!  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
M@

Two-Start Starters, Week 1: Applying the Primer

April 2, 2017 | Two Start Fantasy Starters | 24 Comments

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Primer’s are the best. Aren’t they? Last year I started off by talking about painting the walls of my house. This year it’s the same thing, but with my cabinets. So, let’s give the Two-Start Pitcher Primer a little facelift. Or…a second coat of paint. We’ll pick up with the dilemma of painting yourself or getting someone to do it…

…This left me with one of two choices: pay some stupid amount of money for someone to trash my kitchen, cover everything in little drops of paint splatter and brighten up the house by turning my brown cabinets white, or do it myself. Tim ‘The Toolman’ Taylor I am not. In fact, I may have married more of a Tim ‘The Toolman’ than I am myself. Wait, haha, don’t take that wrong. My wife’s gorgeous. Maybe I should change the analogy. Ok, what’s the girl’s name who wears the short shorts and works on the show with Tim and Al Borland on ‘Home Improvement’? Heidi? Yeah, that’s what I hitched myself to. I win! And now that I’ve spent 100 words talking about my wife in a fantasy baseball post, let’s get back to the story. Which option did I choose?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Mike Honcho

We’re Going Streaming!, Week 1: Taking A Leake Will Force A Strong Stream

April 2, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Streamers |

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Happy baseball season Razzballers! It’s me, Honcho, your on-again, off-again best baseball buddy. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ll be handling the streaming duties this season, so you’ll want to check in each week to get the best information in the free world on which lightly owned pitchers and hitters to grab off the wire. Now, I know what you’re thinking…”But how does Honcho know which arms and bats to own each week?” Well, let me tell you my secret: Friends, it’s this simple, I’ll be assisted by both the Stream-o-Nator and Hitter-Tron this season. Sounds exotic or erotic or both. Right? Exactly. These easy to use tools will help you dominate your league, so I urge you to check them out and take the plunge. You can choose which package is right for you and your fantasy needs and enjoy our easy to use tools all season long. Rudy has done a tremendous job creating what I consider the best “tools” in the industry and I plan on giving you a sneak preview each week of what they can do for you. Obviously, since we’re heading into Week 1 of the season, the options will be slim – at least in terms of pitching. However, I’ll dig deep and deliver the best streaming options available along with a few bats that you might want to consider as well. Here’s the best part…..I’ll be focusing on players that are less than 50% owned in ESPN leagues which should provide an opportunity for you to pluck these winners off the vine so to speak. Anyway, enough about me. Let’s turn our attention to the match-ups and stream away…

Please, blog, may I have some more?
FredWord

FantasyDraft: Opening Day Shmopening Day

April 2, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft | 1 Comment

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If you’re reading this, you’ve survived another baseball off-season. I know what you’re thinking, how can MLB deprive us of baseball for 13,046,400 seconds? That might be an alternative fact, please don’t fact check me. Let’s get right to the slate for opening day! History repeats itself as we are left with a short slate on opening day once again. First and foremost, Vegas has the away teams completing the 3 games sweep which always makes for an interesting day in daily. Don’t expect any of the SP’s to throw a CG today. All of the guys on the board have averaged around 85 – 95 pitches on opening day for the last 3 seasons. Today’s value lies with Masahiro Tanaka at $18,100. Surprisingly Tanaka is the 2nd cheapest pitcher on the board today. Normally I try to shy away from pitchers on the road however Tanaka is 6-0 at the Trop and boast a k/9 of 8.6 against the Rays.  It’s not that I don’t trust Chris Archer but the Yankees offense has been electric this spring. Vegas seems to think this will be the best pitching duel of the day with an o/u of 6 ½ and I’d agree that seems spot on. Tanaka gives you salary relief to pay up for MadBum who is the best pitcher on the board today, though I would proceed with caution. MadBum has a tough matchup in a hitter’s park and that game is projected for the highest scoring game of the day at 8 o/u.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Hey DFSers, you might notice we’re covering a new site today.  New season, new site!  We’ve teamed up with FantasyDraft for the 2017 season and we’ll be covering them Sunday, Monday and Tuesday every week.  New to FantasyDraft?  So are we for MLB, so come learn with all of us and make sure to use our link when signing up.  Good luck this season!

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?