Bear Or Bull: Jake The Snake Gives His Ratios The DDT

September 9, 2016 | Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta certainly has a lot of things going for him these days. He’s the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. He’s the ace on a team that’s the favorite to win the World Series which would end the longest championship drought in professional sports and cement his place in MLB history. He’s in tremendous physical shape and he’s not afraid to show it off. He’s won 16 games already this season, and his 2.84 ERA and 1.05 WHIP are once again among the best in the game. However, despite all of these great things that Arrieta has working in his favor, he’s actually been in somewhat of a slump recently. Over his last twelve starts, Arrieta is just 5-4 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. These are certainly not terrible results, but it almost feels like blind luck when he delivers the finishing blow to his opponents these days. So what’s going on here? Is Arrieta’s slide just the result of bad luck in a relatively small sample size or something more concerning?

Let’s take a look at Arrieta’s profile to determine if his recent production is just a blip in the radar or a sign of things to come. Here are a few thoughts and observations:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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DraftKings: Fading The Aces

September 9, 2016 | DraftKings | 2 Comments

by: MattTruss

Is everyone recovered from their NFL opening night hangover? I’m excited to have some NFL DFS to pair with the grind of MLB DFS. Something to keep in mind these next four weeks is MLB DFS will be losing a fair share of players as NFL takes over the scene. Like it or not, NFL DFS is infinitely more popular than MLB DFS. I get it, in this instant gratification world we live in, NFL DFS is that one killer weekend party while MLB DFS is the local bar down the road; it’s there for you every night, but it’s not exactly thrilling. What does this loss mean for us hardcore MLB DFSers? Well, keep an eye out for overlay for one. Mostly though, it means the casual player has likely moved on which leaves stiffer competition from here on out. You have been advised (in my best Nick Capozzi voice, I miss Nick).

On to today, Clayton Kershaw picks right up at basically the same price as when he last pitched…over two months ago. The good news is he pitched a whole 3 innings in his rehab start. I know the guy’s a machine, but I’m not feeling the $13,500 price tag for 5 innings of Kershaw. That brings us to the next high priced ace, Jose Fernandez. The Marlins have already come right out and said Jose will be shut down if they’re eliminated from the playoffs. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy for his potential innings. For $12,700, I’ll look elsewhere. So, where should we look? Let’s take the jump and see:

New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well reserve your spot in the 25 Team Razzball Exclusive League set to run Monday September 12th to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. Wanna know what the best part is about signing up with us? The free subscription for the rest of the season to our DFSBot, that’s what! For details on the how to, please visit our Razzball Subscriptions page.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Strasburg Right (Arm Flexor Strain) Ahead!

September 9, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 223 Comments

by: Grey

Stephen Strasburg‘s MRI revealed a flexor strain, which is about the best news they could’ve hoped for. It’s also likely not-true news. Teams say all kinds of things; the truth is one of them, but it’s not always said. I’ll tell you the truth, I have no idea if the Nats are telling the truth. Gotta take their word for it, which means he’s droppable in redraft leagues, but he doesn’t need serious surgery so should be fine for 2017 and keepers. That’s until next year when his inverted W stands once again for wince. By the way, why is the inverted W not just called an M? Can anyone please answer me this? It hurts my brain. I’m gonna take a nap. *intern blows airhorn* I’m up, I’m up, let’s do the post. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Prospect Podcast Episode 6: “I Almost Said Crap Bums”

by: Geoff

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope you’re all shaking off the dust from a productive Burning Man, and are looking to fine tune your offseason dynasty strategy. Actually I don’t really wish those things, it was just the first thing that popped into my head. With that said, welcome back to another episode of the Razzball Prospect Podcast with myself, Prospector Ralph, and Michael Halpern of Imaginarybrickwall.com. This week on the pod we talk Byron Buxton‘s resurgence, Rockies rookies Raimel Tapia and Tom Murphy (of course!!), and the curious case of Shohei Otani. Then as always we get into this week’s edition of “Lists w/ Prospectors”, as Halp and I take your through our Outfield Prospect ranks. We discuss in painful detail, such luminaries as Austin Meadows, Victor Robles, Lewis Brinson, Bradley Zimmer, Eloy Jimenez, and several others. Enough with the words! Subscribe, tune in, and tune out. It’s the latest edition of the Razzball Prospect Podcast.

And be sure to check out the newest episode of the Razzball Football Podcast with Tehol, Zach, special guest Ramona from SportsGalPal, and Jay going over the first week of the NFL!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2016 REL Dynasty League Update: Week 23

September 8, 2016 | Razzball Elite League | 3 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

Wow, this is our penultimate league-wide post! In only one-and-a-half weeks, the first REL World Series will see its first pitch.

Even for the non-contenders, it’s September roster expansion time! A lot of prospects have gotten the call, and several big splashes have been made with the final FAAB dollars teams have remaining.

To the standings, and in the AL, what a push from The Tribe! After jostling with the Blue Jays the past few weeks, they took a commanding 11.5 point lead as scores wrapped this morning. The Blue Jays aren’t out of it yet though… In the NL, it’s been the Nats all along, who continue their dominance in the first year. Here’s how week 23 went down in the 2016 REL League:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

DraftKings: Corn on the Cobb

September 8, 2016 | DraftKings |

by: wheyen3

This Thursday is going to be a little nicer to us than last week, bringing us a six game evening slate of games. There are a handful of lefties starting in these games, and as you’ll see from my picks, some definite platoon advantages for you to take advantage of. I also loved the way Alex Cobb looked in his first start of the DL, and I love corn on the cob. I think I love baseball more though, so I’ll be especially rooting for the Alex variety of the Cobb to be the better one tonight.

New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well reserve your spot in the 25 Team Razzball Exclusive League set to run Monday September 12th to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. Wanna know what the best part is about signing up with us? The free subscription for the rest of the season to ourDFSBot, that’s what! For details on the how to, please visit our Razzball Subscriptions page.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Cotton Pickin’ A Fine Time To Harvest A Win

September 8, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 255 Comments

by: Grey

Maybe it was the food poisoning I had yesterday, but I had a dream Toomgis, the AM/PM mascot, and I were driving around talking about September baseball. It feels like half the teams are either resting regulars for the playoffs, or the other teams that are out of it are resting regulars to give rookies a chance. Those are the matchups you need to capitalize on with starting pitchers. By the way, Toomgis is so obvious a creation of stoned creatives. It’s a collection of stoner food and Toomgis stands for ‘Too Much Good Stuff.’ Um, okay, but there’s an I in there. Stoner creative, “Eye-shmeye, we just need to move on before I eat our prototype.” One more Toomgis point, how is this not Colorado’s national bird? Any hoo! So, with this matchups point hidden amongst my fracking in on Toomgis, we have Jharel Cotton capitalizing. In his first major league start, 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 4 baserunners, 3 Ks. Jharel Cotton makes me think of Faye Dunaway in a heavy Southern accent saying, “I shall avert my eyes.” Cotton showed good control in the minors, and solid Ks, but in redraft leagues, you’re more worried about matchups this time of year. For 2017, Cotton idolized Pedro Martinez and I can see why. He’s five-eleven soaking wet (but I’m not sure people get taller when wet). He also relies on the speed of the fastball and the break of the change. A change that might carry him to glory, as soon as next year. In keepers, I’d be very interested. For this year, go with Toomgis’ advice on matchups. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Razznasty Update, September: A Hippo in the Bush

September 7, 2016 | Our Leagues | 51 Comments

by: Geoff

There’s an old African expression that I just made up, it goes “A hippo in the Bush is more dangerous than a pack of lions”. Whether anyone in an actual African country has ever whispered that phrase I don’t know. What I do know is, that in the Razznasty a Hippo is more dangerous than all the other Lions combined. After leading by the slimmest of margins entering August, the Matt Truss led Hippos has put his foot on the gas, switched on the nitrous, and left the rest of the league in the dust. In the past 30 days he’s gone from 121 points and a half point lead over Raskals, to 137.5 points and an 11.5 point lead over his rival. With good across the board production, and a slight edge in pitching, Hippos is doing it all. Seriously he’s top 5 in every category but RBIs, where he ranks 6th. Way to come on Matt, you’re both a Czar, a scholar, and a Maine resident. That means you’re Russian royalty, know how to spell deductible, and love a good Skowhegan whoopie pie. What, you don’t understand why whoopie pies and Maine, particularly Skow-Vegas, are synonymous? What can I say there are just mysteries that can’t be explained. This isn’t one of those, I just don’t feel like uncovering why the two are related. The whoopie’s are amazing though….Hey it’s the final Razznasty Update for 2016!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

DraftKings: The Full Montgomery

September 7, 2016 | DraftKings | 2 Comments

by: Sky

Before Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL – and before you ask, yes there was such a time…and why do you demarcate things around such a movie? God, you’re weird – there was The Full Monty. The Full Monty was about a bunch of white guys who took off their clothes for money, just like Magic Mike. It was also a comedy, just like Magic Mike. Serious question: why is it so damn funny when a white guy takes his clothes off? I mean, we weren’t SUPPOSED to laugh when Showgirls did it…even though we did because if we didn’t laugh, we’d cringe. It seems racist and misandrist to me, but then I just stripped in front of the mirror myself and even I had to laugh. What is wrong with me and the world…well, that was a short-lived moment of self-awareness and poignancy, so let’s talk about Mike Montgomery instead. Admittedly, there’s not much to see here in terms of season stats since he’s really only been a spot starter and a middle relief arm for most of the year. That said, he’s only been in the rotation for three games with the Cubs and from the looks of it, I wouldn’t say the Cubs are going to suppress his pitch count when you factor in the 91 he threw against the Dodgers just a start prior. Basically, here’s what I see: a guy with a K/9 in the 8 range, going against a team with a K% in the 25 range, at a price point in the $4,300 range. Ok, $4,300 isn’t a range, it’s his exact salary and that salary plays gloriously into punt range. Really, if he returns you 16 DK points – which, with a win, is very within reach – you’re gonna be absolutely fine cuz he let you beef up elsewhere. Hell, you could even throw a few more dollars into some dude’s golden lame thong if you’re into that thing. Just don’t laugh when you do, it hurts my feelings…I mean THEIR feelings! So with that, let’s move on to this. Here’s my thunder from down under taeks for this Wednesday DK slate…

New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well reserve your spot in the 25 Team Razzball Exclusive League set to run Monday September 12th to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. Wanna know what the best part is about signing up with us? The free subscription for the rest of the season to our DFSBot, that’s what! For details on the how to, please visit our Razzball Subscriptions page.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

In Computer Technology And Fantasy, There’s A Future In Villar

September 7, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 150 Comments

by: Sky

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Grey post for my shenanigans. Hi all, I’m Razzball’s resident Troy McClure. You might remember me from such times as when I used to write more than just our DFS content. Yes I do, in fact, still write on here and yes I just, in fact, pimped some of our writings. *Slides on shades* deal with it and if you don’t like it, take it up with Grey who told me he had a bout of food poisoning. As I’ve reminded him more than once, just because Ted eats out of the trash can doesn’t mean he has to, too. I won’t mention what he said about Cougs’ cooking and it’s comparison there of with regards to said trash can. I don’t rat on my friends, I’m just that kind of guy. But now that we’ve been cordially reacquainted with the writer that is moi, let’s get on to Jonathan Villar. Went 3/5 and had a delicious slam (13) and legs (52). Was sexting with JFOH the other day about Villar since I owned him everywhere this year including my keeper and am looking to 2017 with him. Thankfully, Virtual Reality isn’t really available on smartphones just yet. Can only imagine what that eggplant emoji would do…anyhoo, the thoughts on Jonathan overflowed. On the one hand, the BABIP (.396) has to come down given his K rate (26.2%), but on the other, he does the right thing by taking plenty of walks (11.3%), hitting the ball on the ground (55.8% GB rate), and is 8th in the MLB in pitches per plate appearance. All and all he’ll be drafted too high in 2017, but still looks good for .270, 10 HRs, and 40 steals. Or as Grey likes to call him, the Delino DeShields that wasn’t. Ow, I just felt how cold that was and I was just on the delivery end of it! Anyways, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball…(<— yes, I did copy and paste it; don’t mess with the recipe, fool!).

Football has arrived! Our Rankings (rated highly and in the top-20 percentile of all experts the past two years) for Week 1 can be found here!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

One Man’s Trash: Black Snake Yoan

September 6, 2016 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 13 Comments

by: Big Magoo

Can you believe it’s September already? With just under four weeks to go until the end of the MLB regular season, it’s time to push your chips all-in. Outside of the elite players, everyone is expendable in redraft leagues from this point on. If you want to make that final surge up the standings before it’s too late, production trumps reputation. Nursing a sore wrist? Thanks for the memories, Marcell Ozuna. Looking for more than a .220 average with mediocre counting stats out of your #5 outfielder? See you later, Josh Reddick. Need some ratio relief down the stretch? Adios, Marco Estrada. The problem is that trade deadlines have passed and the waiver wire is looking pretty thin at this point of the season. Who are you going to replace these players with? Fortunately, the recent roster expansion has allowed for a fresh influx of rookie talent at this key time in the fantasy season. The youngsters who were held down in the minors earlier this summer for some extra seasoning (or to delay their arbitration clocks) are being called up to get a taste of the big leagues. This week’s most added player, Boston Red Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada (39.6% owned; +33.3% over the past week), is a prime example of the upsidey September call-up. Moncada is about as toolsy as it gets – plus-plus speed (94 steals over the last year and a half in the minors), above average power (.254 ISO in Triple-A), and a patient approach at the plate (double digit walk rates at every level) – which has made him one of the top prospects in all of baseball. His plus throwing arm has allowed the Sox to move him over to third base from his natural position of second base as well. The one caveat is that he strikes out. A lot. He’s already whiffed six times in his first fourteen MLB at-bats and his 30.9% K% in 207 Double-A plate appearances this season is a concern. That being said, it wouldn’t surprise me if he hit three homers and stole half a dozen bases over the season’s final month. Moncada is definitely worth adding for his upside alone.

Here are a couple of other interesting adds/drops in fantasy baseball over the past week:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 22

September 6, 2016 | Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 46 Comments

by: MattTruss

I hope everyone had a great long weekend and you’re all freshened up for the final four weeks. I’m just barely recovered from a weekend of Fantasy Football drafts. These are teams that will be mostly ignored for the first 4 weeks of the season until baseball is over. That’s why I went ahead and drafted Tom Brady, Le’Veon Bell and Josh Gordon on every team. See, I’m a thinker! This is where things get a little crazy for those that are two sport fantasy stars. Some RCL teams that were hanging on by a thread could be completely forgotten as owners turn their longing eyes to Fantasy Baseball’s more popular, but I think, less skillful cousin. I maintain the opinion that my grandmother could sit down with a random set of rankings and draft a Fantasy Football team that could win a championship. I’ve seen teams that drafted 3 kickers take down a league championship before. That’s not to say I don’t love it, I really do, but baseball has a much bigger place in my heart. It takes a special type of sadist to login everyday for 26 straight weeks, set a roster, make appropriate add/drops and not lose interest by May though. If you’re reading this, you’re clearly one of those sadist, and I applaud you. Let’s finish strong and then get back to those football teams we’ve been ignoring and beat the snot out of grandmama and the dude with three kickers, shall we? But first, let’s take a look at what happened in the RCLs in the week that was, week 22:

Please, blog, may I have some more?