Bear Or Bull: Will The New Tiger Survive In The Motor City Jungle?

June 2, 2016 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 78 Comments

Justin Upton was one of this offseason’s prized free agents, and with good reason. He’s shown the ability to hit for power (.200+ ISO and 26+ homers in each of the last three seasons), get on base (.348 career OBP), and even steal a few bags (18 or more SBs in five out of the last seven seasons). At 28 years old, the odds were pretty good that there were still a few productive seasons left in the tank. The Detroit Tigers pounced on the fresh meat and decided to lavish a six year, $132.75 million contract upon Upton in January. Thus far, the carcass of this Upton has been more rancid than the ones described by Upton Sinclair in his novel The Jungle over a century ago. J-Up has managed to produce a measly .213/.259/.319 batting line with just 3 home runs, 1 stolen base, 22 runs, and 11 RBI through the first two months of the season. Eduardo Nunez and Coco Crisp have hit more homers. Renowned speedsters Buster Posey and Mike Napoli have swiped more bags. Backup catchers David Ross and Bobby Wilson have driven in more runs in a fraction of the at-bats. Umm… what in the blue hell is going on here? Is Upton washed up already? Is there any hope for a turnaround?

Let’s take a look at Upton’s profile to see if there’s hope for a rebound. Here are a few observations:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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Razznasty League Update: The Exodus

June 2, 2016 | Our Leagues | 56 Comments

by: Geoff

Throughout my time as a dynasty player, I’ve learned that there’s one thing that’s as inevitable in this format as death and taxes….. turnover. Sometimes it’s simply because a manager no longer likes the format or league. Sometimes it’s a lack of the time element that needs to be applied to properly compete. Other times it’s an incident that disenfranchises owners, and leads them to quit. Well over the last month I’m pretty sure all of these apply to outgoing managers within our Razzball in-house dynasty the Razznasty. There’s been drama, tears, a gang-related shooting, and an arm wrestling tournament in a truck stop. Actually I think I’m confused, all those things happened during my Memorial Day weekend with my in-laws. You know what they say, “sometimes you join the Hell’s Angels, and other times you marry into them”. Moving along, let’s discuss the standings, trades, and wavier claims for the month of May.

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DraftKings: AL East Infield and Brewers’ Battery

June 2, 2016 | DraftKings |

by: wheyen3

The paragraph that I am about to write has next to nothing to do with the Thursday slate of MLB games, and that’s okay, because the NBA Finals begin on Thursday. Cleveland is stronger than they were last year, but most people are forgetting that Golden State is too. At least one of Steph and Klay will get hot in every game of the series, and when at least one of them is hot, they are virtually unguardable. Because of that fact, I am going Warriors in six. Now, to move onto the picks for today, with three AL East infielders making an appearance in my lineup, along with the Brewers’ battery.

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 6th 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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Mariners Replace Their Big Ace With Big Love

June 2, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 683 Comments

by: Grey

Felix Hernandez hit the DL with a calf strain. He could veal it during his last start. Sounds like a good injury to milk. Sorry, I was just shaking out the pockets of these jeans I wore last night and I had a bunch of unused cow puns. What’s a dad cow’s poop called? Pa-nure! Take it, Highlights, it’s yours! So, James Paxton was called up to replace F-Her, who is likely going to only miss a few weeks, but Paxton could continue to get starts if he’s good. So, can Paxton be good? Is there’s twelve posts in post-post-post-post-post-post-post-post-post-post-post-post-hype sleeper? Paxton has shown flashes of brilliance with his 94 MPH fastball but the M’s have wanted Paxton to improve on a bunch of pitches and he’s already 27 years old, so is improvement coming? Well, he had a 3.97 ERA in Triple-A this year and Steamer projects him as a streamer, so I have no faith whatsoever. Speaking of faith, yesterday Paxton gave up runs like his character gave out marriage proposals. Looking at his line is like looking at Chloe Sevigny — 3 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 unearned runs. Paxton’s like when Picasso stood up from the toilet. He’d look down and say, “That’s a work in progress.” Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

No Whammies! Week 9: Are We There Yet?

June 1, 2016 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 23 Comments

by: Son

Vegas is approximately a 4 1/2 hour drive from where I live. The drive there is always fun, unless you leave on a Friday night and it seems like all 3.884 million inhabitants of Los Angeles are headed that way as well. Regardless, even with the traffic, the anticipation and excitement are at a fervent level in the beginning. You feel lucky. You’ve got your strategy down. You are going to come back a winner. Then you get there and reality sets in. For some it’s great. For the rest, Vegas would like to thank you for paying for the lights, wages, profits, etc…The ride back is either the Drive of Shame, the longest freaking journey in the history of mankind that has you screaming Are We There Yet? or you are floating on a magic carpet ride and it’s a Whole New World. We are entering that phase of the fantasy baseball season when some owners will start wondering when the fantasy football season starts, while others will be giddy with excitement at their place in the standings. I’m here to say that there’s a ton of baseball to be played. Don’t get too excited if you are on top and don’t give up hope… at least not yet.

In this weekly column, I will highlight some lower-owned players that performed well over the past week (5/22 – 5/28). If I think they can help your fantasy team, Obama will make it rain. If I do not, then they get a whammy. If you are not familiar with whammies, check out old episodes of the game show Press Your Luck.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Plate Appearances Per Stat

June 1, 2016 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 4 Comments

by: malamoney

Do you remember back when you were in school when you were walking into class and your buddy asked you how much you studied for today’s test and your immediate response was “oh sh!t” when you realized that you had completely forgotten about said test? You then spent about six minutes trying to “study” all the while knowing you were not going to fare all that well. But hey, you were going to give a shot. You could have just bailed on the class and figured out how to make up the exam, but not today. Well the “oh sh!t” thought is what went through my head about ten minutes ago when I remembered that tonight was Tuesday (not Monday) and I had to write you clowns a post about fantasy baseball. I considered packing it in, but then decided I was going to give it a go.

Let’s take a look at the players that lead the league in the fewest number of plate appearances to accomplish a stat…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

DraftKings: The Good, The Meh, And The Ugly

June 1, 2016 | DraftKings, Fantasy Baseball DFS | 14 Comments

by: MattTruss

I’ve never been a big fan of the small slates with 3-4 games. DraftKings calls them “turbos”, I call them, “no-gos”. In a game with so much variance, I don’t need to mess around with rosters with 75% overlap. Therefore, we’ll be taking a look at the night slate on this Wednesday. The full day contests aren’t really much more enticing. I have a hard enough time setting aside the time to research for my lineups, get them built, check the weather, and monitor things up until 7:05. Adding in more random start times throughout the day just doesn’t do much for me. So, during this night slate we have some interesting pitching choices. Max Scherzer is the (very) good, then there’s some “meh” and finally, there’s a whole lot of ugly. We all know Scherzer’s upside. Even his last time out when he gave up 5 runs before Nats fans even got settled into their seats, he still settled down to go 7 IP with 6 Ks and turn a negative 12 point outing into 13+ points. He’s a horse and against the Phillies and their third worst team OPS, he’s the #1 cash game option of the night. That’s a no brainer. Maneuvering through the uglies is where things will get tricky tonight. Let’s do some digging and see if we can find a 10 hidden among the slew of ugly:

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 6th 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.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Mookie Betts The Trifecta

June 1, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 668 Comments

by: Grey

“Ree,” opens the front door, walks down the driveway, says hello to my Polish neighbor, Stash, walks to the DQ, gets a Blizzard, eats said Blizzard, walks home, opens the door, says “Dick,” hits the head, not like that, comes back feeling a Blizzard lighter, does some Netflix and chill, shuts it off, says, “You,” brushes teeth, gets into bed, moves arm over Cougs, hears about her splitting headache, rolls over and says, “Lus.” That’s right, in honor of Mookie Betts, I just did the most ridiculous ridiculous call ever. You earned that shizz, you madman! I’d count the ways I love this man, but like a savant Blackjack dealer I can only count up to 21. After his three-homer game yesterday, Betts (3-for-5, 5 RBIs, 10th, 11th, 12th homers) now has those twelve homers to go with eight steals, a .283 average and is on pace for 115 runs and 85 RBIs. Don’t make me do another ridiculous ridiculous call, cause if you want me to, I will. Oh, and with what he’s doing, it’s not even inconceivable that he keeps up this pace. His BABIP (.290) is actually below his career average (he’s getting unlucky!), his fly ball percentage is down (he could be hitting more homers!) and he hasn’t been caught stealing once (so steal more!). You are witnessing the emergence of a perennial first rounder. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

DraftKings: Matz Attack

May 31, 2016 | DraftKings | 1 Comment

by: AskRotoBaseball

It was only about two weeks ago that the Mets sent Steven Matz to have his elbow examined. Fantasy owners were nervous and tried and true Mets fans were ready to call it a lost season. Overreaction at its finest, but it makes total sense; no one wants to see a promising pitcher go down with a serious injury, especially one that’s already undergone Tommy John surgery. Well, have no fear. Matz came back in his next start and fired off seven innings while giving up just two runs. His start against Washington last week was even better as he pitched eight scoreless innings while striking out seven. So, Matz is totally fine, but here comes the best news yet: he gets a floundering White Sox team in friendly Citi Field. Chicago is just 2-8 over their last 10 games and looks like total crap which is sweet, serenading music to your ears. Matz is my top pitching option on Tuesday night.

New to DraftKings? Well reserve your spot in the 25 Team Razzball Exclusive League set to run Monday June 6th 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.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

One Man’s Trash: Whoops, I’m An Indian

May 31, 2016 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 32 Comments

by: Big Magoo

The Three Stooges are awesome. Unquestionably one of the greatest comedic acts of all time. If you’ve seen the Sean Hayes/Will Sasso Stooges film from a few years ago, well, I’m sorry about that. Hollywood has a special knack for ruining things these days, doesn’t it? Go check out Disorder in the Court, A Plumbing We Will Go, Brideless Groom, or any of the many other classic short films from this talented trio to get that sour taste out of your mouth. One of their early shorts, Whoops, I’m an Indian!, tends to get lost in the shuffle. The Stooges are caught cheating while gambling and are forced to run from the angry victims. Curly ends up marrying one of the pursuers when dressed as an Indian squaw (because his disguise is sooo convincing) and all is well until his wig slips off and the jig is up. It’s probably not their best work, but it never seems to be mentioned much anymore. A bit of an underrated gem, in my opinion. This week’s top add, Cleveland Indians third baseman/outfielder Jose Ramirez (51.4% owned; +25.8% over the past week), is another diamond in the rough much like that Stooges short. He’s gotten off to an impressive start this season (.305/.381/.447 with 22 runs, 3 homers, 19 RBI, and 4 steals in 161 plate appearances) thanks in large part to his incredible plate discipline. Ramirez has been excellent at pitch recognition (22.2% O-Swing% is 26th lowest among qualified players), and when he does swing at pitches outside of the strike zone, he makes contact at an elite rate (86.1% O-Contact% leads MLB). This has allowed him to strikeout at the third lowest rate (9.3%) among 181 qualifiers, and be one of only eight players with more walks than strikeouts (Zobrist, Span, Harper, Rizzo, Santana, Altuve, and Bautista are the others). Ramirez possesses 25 steal speed (though 15-18 is more realistic), and appears to have a shot to crack double digits in homers this season as well. He’s been moved up to the 5th spot in the lineup recently, and should qualify at 2B and SS in addition to the 3B/OF eligibility that was mentioned earlier. Terrific plate discipline, plus speed, developing power (23 years old), and eligible just about everywhere. Giddy up. Grab him if he’s still lingering on the wire.

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

Please, blog, may I have some more?

RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 8

May 31, 2016 | Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 22 Comments

by: MattTruss

Two months have now passed and we’re through the 8th week of the fantasy season. The calendar turning to June also brings the anticipated promotions of several youngsters as the Super Two cutoff tends to be right around this time of year. Trea Turner is my favorite stash at the moment, but their are several others to ponder over and pin our fantasy hope and dreams to. Jonathan Villar is doing his best to fend off Orlando Arcia in Milwaukee. Maybe you’re in need of some power and happen to be short a corner man at the moment. You might take a look at stashing AJ Reed. There is plenty of pitching to be stashed as well Lucas Giolito and Jameson Taillon are the most likely two power arms to make an impact in the immediate future. I had high hopes for Julio Urias coming in and being an impact bullpen arm, which for RCL purposes I preferred more than him being a starter. Instead I got one start, a shellacking and a return trip to AAA. Fun times. These guys all carry risk and balancing that while weighing the impact of losing a roster spot for an unknown amount of time is tricky business in the RCLs. Those three bench spots in our leagues are very valuable commodities. They can be used for rostering extra RPs to tack on extra Ks and ratio help, or they can be used to platoon a SAGNOF base stealer such as, Rajai Davis with a power bat such as Trayce Thompson. Decisions, decisions, and the answers can be different for every team. I don’t have the answers, but I do have some numbers. Come on down and take a look at the week that was, week 8:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Podcast: The Memorial Weekend Special

May 31, 2016 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast | 6 Comments

by: Jay

And when I say special, I mean special. That is, if special meant filling-in for J.B. and then talking about how Grey knows Buzzy (vicariously I think?) from Jeopardy. Be thankful you guys have Gilpin to do this, otherwise it’d just be a 25-part series of Grey’s anecdotes with a live laugh-track called Jay (that’s me!). But we do get around to talking about fantasy baseball… Yu Darvish’s debut was talked about in there somewhere, along with some meta-trade thoughts now that we’re reaching midseason. Jacob deGrom, Carlos Gomez, and CC Sabathia are touched on for a bit, along with some added tidbits about how Carlso Carrasco is a huge buy-now guy. You’d have to figure fantasy teams also have some primo sales going on during this holiday period, so maybe send a message over to your fantasy adversary and see what happens? The question mark is there because I wanted the statement to not be taken as an order, but more a suggestion. Just like how you should listen to this pod…? At the end of the show, we talk about the last episode of Game of Thrones (there is a spoiler alert during the show for all of you who haven’t seen it yet) for a bit and then we’ve made sure to include the best ending of a podcast that the world has ever seen. RESPEK.

Please, blog, may I have some more?