Bear or Bull: Domo Arigato, Mr. Joey Votto

June 9, 2016 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 14 Comments

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto has been a model of consistency throughout the majority of his MLB career. This has been especially true in terms of his disciplined approach at the plate. From 2012 to 2015, he led MLB in walk rate (18.8%) by a comfortable margin and was one of only two qualified players (A.J. Ellis being the other) with an O-Swing% under 20%. Simply put, if a pitch was out of the strike zone, Votto rarely swung at it. This impressive strike zone awareness resulted in him being one of only four players (including Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, and Paul Goldschmidt) to produce a .300+ batting average as well as a .400+ on base percentage during that span. This season, however, his walk (13.9%) and strikeout (26.6%) rates have regressed, hurting his usually stellar batting average (.230) and OBP (.348) in the process. The man with the precise, almost robotic approach at the plate is suddenly about as effective as R.O.B. was for the 8 bit NES back in the day. Are the 32-year-old’s skills starting to erode? Is it time to say sayonara to Mr. Votto?

Let’s take a look at Votto’s profile to see what, if anything, has changed for him this season. Here are a few observations:

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2016 REL Dynasty League Update: Week 10

June 9, 2016 | Razzball Elite League | 4 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

We’re back with the REL updates! I know what you’re thinking, “blah-ty blah, JB’s vanity league, blah-ty blah.” Well, you’re right! But we have two really competitive leagues with a lot of great discussion and some very interesting trades going down – things I haven’t seen anything close to in other leagues. My goal will be to make the REL rules the most common fantasy league out there! OK, well, ain’t no one gonna wanna play in a league where Andy Wilkins is owned, but whatever!

Despite missing last week whilst I was on vacay, there’s really not too much of a change with our frontrunners, as the I-95 corridor continues to reign terror on the league. The Nats have an astounding 135.5 roto points out of a possible 150 in the NL, and the Orioles have moved to a 19 point lead in the AL. It’s time to revolt against the overlords in (and around) our Nation’s capital! Here’s how weeks 9 and 10 went down in the 2016 REL League:

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DraftKings: USMNT Fever

June 9, 2016 | DraftKings | 2 Comments

by: wheyen3

I am admittedly a massive fan of The Beautiful Game, the game that they call football in most of the world, albeit not in the USA. Baseball is certainly a beautiful game, but soccer finds a way to place that “the” in front of it kind of like that Buckeye school in Columbus, Ohio. Naturally, as a soccer fan, I’ve been following the Copa America Centenario closely, and was glad to see the USMNT win handily on Tuesday night to keep hopes alive. Now, I will pick a DraftKings lineup to help you out and in the process assign each and every player in the lineup his position for the moment when MLB decides that for their all star game, their all stars will play soccer instead of baseball. You gotta remember, Manfred is progressive.

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 June 13th to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care! If you still feel helpless and lonely, be sure to subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays.

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Myers Scares Up A Homer And A Sequel

June 9, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 655 Comments

by: Grey

Yesterday, Wil Myers went 2-for-4 and his 11th and 12th homers as he hits .294. How many posts does Wil Myers have with his post-hype sleeper? More than the postman at the postoffice marking his post-lunch post-time with some extra postage licking and complaints that they have their postbaccalaureate to sort postcards without postcodes wishing they were postcoital not dealing with postapocalyptic posturing about the postage for the postmortem envelope they pulled out of the garbage that now looks postmodern. Nah’mean?! That’s 14 posts, kid! Damn, I should be on Def Poetry Jam. I know you wish there were some sleepers you could unswallow, but Myers has been the one shining light in a sea of brown, cloaked Padres. This could be the last year that he’s even a question mark and not owned from start to finish. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

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MLB Draft Preview: The 2016 Mock Draft

June 8, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 57 Comments

by: Geoff

In just 24 hours MLB draft madness will be upon us. While it certainly has the least amount of fanfare among the four major sports, I find it to be by far the most fascinating. In Football and Basketball so much of the focus is immediate, mostly due to the older nature of prospects, particularly in football. This relies heavily on opportunity and fit with a team’s style and system. The NHL in many ways sits in the middle between the other two sports and baseball. But baseball, that’s a whole different story. In baseball it’s all about projection and development. Even the most MLB ready player spends a year plus in the minors developing. The other end of the spectrum is prep players that can marinate in the lower levels for 3-4 years. It’s an animal unto itself. So today I give you the final installment of my pre-draft posts. You can check the other two here and here. I’m going to begin with a quick mock, and follow that up with some general notes and thoughts. Let’s make this interactive, as more information matriculates, and the draft rumors circulate feel free to post what you’re hearing in the comments.

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The One Gray Joy

June 8, 2016 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 26 Comments

by: malamoney

How do you like your eggs? Sonny side up or with a side of space cakes? I guess that depends if you’re from Oakland or Colorado. Speaking of space cakes, did you hear Tim Lincecum is making a comeback. In two minor league starts for the Salt Lake Bees he is 0-2 with 11 strikeouts, 5 walks and 5 earned runs in 10 innings. The only number I don’t like there is the five walks, but for a guy that hasn’t pitched since June 27 of last year perhaps these numbers aren’t that bad. Maybe Tiny Tim has something left in the tank. I’m not dropping anyone of consequence for him, but if I had a guy like Phil Hughes, Shelby Miller or Mike Fiers sitting on my bench, I might take shot on the two-time Cy Young Award winner. It’s a long shot, but you never know.

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DraftKings: Home Is Where The Heart Is…And Taijuan’s Stats

June 8, 2016 | DraftKings | 12 Comments

by: Sky

As the season progresses, we get these lovely things called ‘stats’. And with those stats, as they build and build, we get ‘stabilization of stats’. But sometimes you’re kinda in between and gotta start reading some tea leaves to beat others to the rush. With that, I started looking at Taijuan Walker and his miniscule $6,800 price tag. I mean, minus his last start, his stats looked really solid for the year as I’m fairly certain his ERA was sub-3 prior to the debacle in Texas. Then I realized: he likes homeschooling. Maybe he’s just a young pitcher still learning the ropes. Maybe he lets it fly at home because he knows the ballpark helps. Whatever it is, his home vs road splits are night and day and thankfully he’s at home…which I think is day in that metaphor. Regardless, at home Walker is rocking a 3.48 ERA backed by a 3.51 xFIP. Top that off with an 8.93 K/9 and a 1.96 BB/9, and you’re looking at some fairly elite stats over 41 IP so far. Given the cost and the big arms on the mound, making Walker your SP2 makes a lot of cents (see what I did there!). So Walker with me will you as we take a look at my taeks for this Wednesday DK slate…

New to DraftKings? Well reserve your spot in the 25 Team Razzball Exclusive League set to run Monday June 13th to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care! If you still feel helpless and lonely, be sure to subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays.

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Will Alb-Alm Cover For Soler?

June 8, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 543 Comments

by: Grey

Albert Almora was called up yesterday by the Cubs, and he’s the latest barely in-his-20s, big-time Cubs prospect. Albert Almora also anagrams to Barrel T. Alamo, who’d be great as a San Antonian oil man villain. “Remember my wrath, Walker, Texas Ranger! Now hand me my seersucker suit, and, yes, I’m in my underwear because I just bedded your wife and daughter together. I dig holes for a living!” So, Almora’s up while Jorge Soler mends his broken hamstring, and Almora’s ready to get all that and a cup of coffee. Or is it bring Maddon a cup of coffee? Well, he’s here for his cup of coffee. And Maddon says he’ won’t play every day. And, Part II, And There’s More!, I still grabbed him in two leagues. He’s basically a young Dexter Fowler. I will call him Dexter Chick. In Triple-A, he had 3 HRs, 10 SBs, .318 average in 55 games. He could see action here and there, and might provide a few steals. In most leagues, he’s not worth grabbing yet, unless you’re like me and can’t resist rookie nookie. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

One Man’s Trash: Adam Duvall, Mr. Curtain Call

June 7, 2016 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 74 Comments

by: Big Magoo

Despite my best efforts, I can no longer avoid writing about this week’s most added player, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Duvall (68.9% owned; +45.8% over the last seven days). It’s not that I don’t like him. I actually considered writing about him a few weeks ago. After deciding to go in another direction, that opportunity came and went quicker than a patron at a pay by the hour hotel. Everyone seemed to jump on the Duvall bandwagon, and for good reason. Over his last 14 games, he’s smashed 9 homers to go along with 14 runs, 19 RBI, and a .268/.293/.786 triple slash line. If you want to go back a bit further, he’s produced a 24/14/30/1/.292 line since May 3rd (31 games). Those are numbers that’ll have his fantasy owners frequenting the hourly hotels on a regular basis. While he’s unlikely to maintain this blistering power pace for the rest of the season, Duvall hit 35 homers between AAA and MLB in 2015, and 30 homers across those same levels in 2014. The power is very much for real. The strikeouts (29.7% K%) are likely to keep his average in the .250 range, and while his on-base skills (.327 or lower OBP at every stop but one since 2012) and speed (10 stolen bases since 2013) are severely limited, 35 homers appears to be in his wheelhouse. Think of him as the NL version of Mark Trumbo. In competitive leagues, Duvall is likely long gone, but if his owner is interested in “selling high,” it’s worth exploring a trade if you’re looking to add some power.

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

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RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 9

June 7, 2016 | Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 22 Comments

by: MattTruss

Trea Turner came and went, Luke Gregerson finally got the boot and James Shields became the first big piece to move as the White Sox fancy themselves a contender and made a proactive trade. That was just the beginning of the fun that was had in week 9 of the fantasy baseball season. We really only care about two of these headlines for RCL purposes, as no one whose team isn’t abandoned has been owning James Shields this year. Nothing changes with a move to a (much) more hitter friendly park. Turner illustrates the frustration with stashing rookies. We talked about this a little last week and then Turner got the call, started the first game he was up and only went 3 for 3. The nerve! He didn’t hit a homer or even steal a base. His punishment? He was benched for the next two games of his call-up and then sent back to Syracuse. Now, we wait some more, while continuing to burn a roster spot. The nice thing Turner has going for him is he plays at second base, which is a dearth of talent. On the flip side, waiting on a player like AJ Reed, that could be a problem. While your leaguemate is stashing Reed, you could be streaming Mike Napoli and/or Logan Morrison while they’re hot and be raking in more HRs than the Reed owner could hope to see in a best case scenario. While you were stashing Reed, the guy rostering Mike Napoli was using that roster spot to hold Will Harris this whole time…that burns. Especially since you own Luke Gregerson…double burn. It’ll be fun (not fun) to see how that whole mess shakes out with the Astros save shituations. I have to believe it’s only a matter of time before Ken Giles (who was waiver fodder a mere 3-4 weeks ago) is the man in the 9th inning. I expect a lot of Ken Giles/Will Harris trades in the coming weeks in the RCLs. Sticking with the Astros RCL news, Evan Gattis is now just two games shy of earning the coveted catcher eligibility. Some were speculating it could take Gattis a month to earn that tag, but thanks to Jason Castro’s illness, that pace got accelerated in a hurry. If you’re hurting for power, like the majority of my teams seem to be this year, I’d look to make a move for the Catch-162 ASAP. Here’s what else went down in the RCLS in the week that was week 9:

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DraftKings: Paul Goldschmidt. Nothing Personal, Just Business

June 7, 2016 | DraftKings |

by: AskRotoBaseball

Pricing is absolutely wild at two positions on Tuesday night: First Base and Outfield. There are nine outfielders priced at $5,000 or above, while first base has four players in the $5K club. Paul Goldschmidt is the $5,000-club headliner on Tuesday night given his home matchup against the atrocious Matt Moore. I’ve always liked Matt Moore, but my affection for him at this point is that of a two-legged dog. He’s still my buddy, but he’s basically useless. If you look at Moore’s game log over his last 10 starts, you may start vomiting uncontrollably. To say this guy is worthless would be an understatement. It’s been a rough start for Goldschmidt, but the weather is getting warmer and I truly believe he’ll still finish the season batting over .300–he’s at .261 right now. So, pick on Matt Moore on Tuesday night. It’s nothing personal, we all still like you Matt. It’s just business.

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Podcast: “Maybe He Will Get Joe Ross Music At This Point!”

June 7, 2016 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast | 41 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

Wooooo, it’s good to be back! I’ve missed Grey’s laugh like you wouldn’t believe, and on today’s show we talk the James Shields‘ trade, solid pitching from Matt Shoemaker and Michael Fulmer, and how hot Jonathan Villar has been. Don’t get Grey and Rudy’s engines revved about ESPN player rater value with the overemphasis of steals! We also talk Joe Ross (obviously!), where Yu Darvish ranks ROS, and our thoughts on Julio Urias. Now with more techno music! Here’s our latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:

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