I’ve drafted my Razzball Commenter League team (last call for fantasy baseball — I’m saying that so it rhymes with alcohol), and now I’m ready for the season. All those other drafts — like Tout, Friends & Family, Scout, yadda-whodoodie — are in the past. They were prep for this draft. This draft is the one that matters, because I’m going against, like, a thousand of youse. And youse are the ones that matter. Well, a few of youse matter more than a few of the other youse. Just assume you are part of the favorable youse. In this league was Tim McLeod from RotoRob, Mike Gianella from Baseball Prospectus, Dalton Del Don from Yahoo, and from Razzball: Rudy, JayWrong, Big Magoo, Smokey, J-FoH, Tehol, Prospector Ralph, JB and yours truly. All of these people make me very thankful (that it wasn’t an in-person draft). I was drafting out of the twelve-hole (which is porn-speak for the right nostril), and I knew after all those preliminary drafts that I was finally going to take guys that I really, really wanted from my 2016 fantasy baseball rankings (clickbait, snitches!). Well, until around the 5th round, then shizz went to hell. Okay, enough hubbub on the tomfoolery, let’s get to it! Anyway, here’s my RCL draft (5×5, roto, mixed league, 12 team, 5 OFs, etc.):
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Ah yes, so we meet again… wait, did we actually formally meet? I mean, technically, we’re meeting again, this is the third year we’ve done this… but did we really meet? Of course I’m an existential crisis waiting to happen, but that’s only because clinical depression requires so much work. I mean, I’d rather jog than emo, ya know? But back to where we started, this is your (and our I suppose) official 2016 Razzball picks. Or selections. Or whatever nomenclature you prefer. I guess whatever it takes for me not to force you to read word “nomenclature” over and over again. We do this because, frankly, we just can’t write about everyone and everything that we love or hate. I mean, we’re talking about 853 players here (source). And so this is the quick and easy “viewer-friendly” version that allows you to quickly see our likes/dislikes/predictions for all of you to promptly point and giggle at. And for added humor, here are last season’s picks, with the bonus value of us again being able to pick on Rudy for choosing Kris Bryant as his sleeper. I’m assuming he thought Bryant was just sleepy and needed a nap, but you might want to ask him about it. Regardless, here are your (and our!) Official 2016 Razzball Picks!
Ever wanted to have a Razzball Podcast devoted to Game of Thrones? No? Oh. Never mind then. But for those of you with an open mind, we have just that for you. Check out our very first episode here!
Please, blog, may I have some more?Fret not, Razzball nation. The wait is almost over. As of today, we’re now just three short days away before the official start of the MLB regular season. Pretty soon, you won’t be refreshing your fantasy team’s live stats page and wondering why DeShields hasn’t stolen a base yet. They’re coming! In the meantime, let’s take a quick look at one of the most surprising rookies from the 2015 season, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Randal Grichuk. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the bear/bull series, here’s the deal. Each week, I’ll be highlighting a different fantasy-relevant player and creating a framework of where that player is trending in fantasy terms. After some background analysis, number crunching, and sometimes even a player comp or two, I’ll reveal whether I’m bearish (pessimistic) or bullish (optimistic) on the near future of the player in question. So essentially a one player buy/sell. Dig it? Awesome. Now let’s take a look at this week’s player under the microscope…
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Sam Travis, 2016 Fantasy Baseball
March 31, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 21 Commentsby: Geoff
“OMG, seriously Ralph, could you be more of a SAWX homeah? Your first player profile of the season is Sam Travis? What’s next 20,000 words on the benefits of Travis Shaw?” That’s all of you non-nation members upon seeing that I chose to dig deep on the up and coming Red Sox first baseman, but I feel it’s an appropriate time on the heels of his spring training performance that’s drawn rave reviews, and pumped a bit of helium into his prospect status. After all outside of the actual skill set Travis possess three qualities that I find endearing in all ballplayers. 1) He doesn’t wear batting gloves, leaving me to wonder if he urinates on his hands Moses Alou style to make them strong like bull. 2) He has two first names, making his name easy to pronounce and without need for fine-tooth comb spell checking. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Travis, you done well. Third and most important for our purposes (insert Grey dolphin joke here) he’s an up and coming corner infielder with some boom-boom. As I’ve said on many occasions over the off-season the upper minors are devoid of impact corner bats. So it’s important us dynasty leaguers try our best to horde them before someone else swoops in and does the same. So let’s take a look at Sam Travis, for 2016 Fantasy Baseball (SEO sleeper hold)
Please, blog, may I have some more?“With my last trick, I will make Paul Simon six feet tall, while throwing a 94 MPH fastball with pinpoint control.” Then Ray Searage waved a fancy-style cape in front of the audience. It didn’t block their gaze, but it was such an exotic-looking garment, they were distracted enough to not notice a six-foot-tall Paul Simon walk onto stage, towering over Art Garfunkel. Simon then threw a brushback pitch while singing Home Plate Bound. Prior, of course, Searage made the seemingly all-over-the-map Juan Nicasio into an ace. Or at least an ace in spring training. Do I believe Nicasio is fixed because of some spring training stats? Actually, yeah, he could be, and is worth a flyer. Last year, he averaged 95 MPH on his fastball, and his undoing was always his control, which Searage has helped other pitchers conquer. Bring Searage your stuff, and he’ll make it work. I added Nicasio into the top 80 starters and gave him the projections of 8-10/3.81/1.33/148 in 165 IP. Anyway, here’s what else I saw in spring training for fantasy baseball:
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2016 Disgraces And Delights: Starting Pitchers
March 30, 2016 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 51 Commentsby: LT Murray IV
And so it begins… are you ready? I SAID, ARE YOU READY!?!?!? Put on your finest man-thong, blaze up a fatty, blare THIS at max volume, and get hyped for opening day. My red eye is gushing so hard right now that I truly need a supersize man-pon. I fully expect this to be the greatest season in MLB’s wondrous history, with my contributions changing the face of fantasy baseball for our children’s children. Remember me for what I become, not for what I am… Or is the other way around? Either way, the season is on the verge of commencing and I’ve yet to lavish upon you my opinions on who will implode and who shall conquer. Fantasy baseball isn’t a game, for it’s a lifestyle and I chose this LIFE. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I am Tehol Beddict, and this is Disgrace/Delight, Pitcher edition. TAKE HEED!!!
Be sure to check out my Football prowess over at the Razzball Football pod (with the OFFICIAL RAZZBALL Game of Thrones podcast starting tomorrow!)
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We are now so close Opening Day that I can taste it. Cold beer, processed meat, and mustard, it doesn’t get much better than that. This time next week we’ll all be in a full on panic over why our first round pick hasn’t hit a HR in the first two games and how we can possibly be in last place with THIS team. We’ll talk you off that ledge when the time comes. However, this week I want to go over a few last tidbits before you dive into you RCL career. I have one last note on the draft as well as a loophole you should know about and take advantage of. These are the last couple of things I couldn’t cram into my other posts but I think are too important to just let go. I’ll also be sharing the newest week’s worth of draft data with you. We’ve had so many drafts the past week and we’re up to a total of 57 drafted leagues and counting. Come check out the latest and greatest numbers as you prepare for the final draft weekend before shizz gets real. We have RCL drafts going off all during the final weekend. You can even create a last minute league like VinWins and I and draft over a cup o’ joe and a bowl of Cap’n Crunch at 7 AM EST Saturday morning. Doesn’t that sound like fun? So go on, go create a league and/or fill one that needs filling. This post will still be here when you get back and then we can talk about your upcoming draft.
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2016 Position Battles To Watch: AL Central
March 30, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Team Previews | 7 Commentsby: Max
Today we’ll take a look at the AL Central. Honestly, this division bores the hell of out of me and provides no pizzazz or oomph. The most fun part about this division is the lack of honor the White Sox have when asking Adam LaRoche to not bring his kid home when he had explained specifically before signing that it was a requirement. So the contract said “Kid A” must be allowed to come to work with me. My motto in life, specifically in any leadership role like coaching is: “Family over everything”. I back LaRoche’s decision and I expect the White Sox organization to fall apart as their players continue to be discontent with management. What was once a promising season ahead with a vastly improved offense, I believe will turn into a huge disappointment comparable to some dumb reality TV show. Good luck to the White Sox. On to the position battles! Snooozee….
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Buzz Is Strong With Fantasy’s New Toy, Story
March 30, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 480 Commentsby: Grey
The Rockies made official what seemed inevitable for the last week, Trevor Story will be the starting shortstop in Colorado. As a visiting dignitary gets a key to the city, Story earned the shortstop job and was handed one of Tulo’s old hamstrings. “May your hamstrings stay forever young.” That’s Rod Stewart doing the honors. No idea why Colorado hired Rod Stewart to handle that ceremony. I upped Story in my top 20 shortstops, and cranked up his projections. His Ks have been a problem in the past, but it’s Coors, so how bad could it be? “Should I answer?” No, Josh Rutledge, it’s a rhetorical question. I’m fascinated to see what the Rockies are going to do with Jose Reyes. He’s owed a lot of money to become a straight bench player. Maybe the Rockies will just cut him. Maybe MLB will suspend Reyes for the season. Maybe the Rockies will hire Mo’nique to throw Reyes threw a glass door. Maybe if I had dollars instead of maybes I’d be rich. Anyway, here’s what else I saw in spring training for fantasy baseball:
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Razzball Season-Long & DFS MLB Tool Update + Sales Pitch
March 29, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball DFS | 46 Commentsby: Rudy Gamble
Draft season is almost done. I hope Grey’s voluminous rankings/advice posts, my advice/projections (w/ Steamer), and the rest of the teams’ work has set you up with some solid rosters.
(Or, if you just play DFS, I hope March basketball kept you entertained.)
We’ve been hard at work improving the Razzball MLB tools for 2016 to help manage your team(s) in-season and in the top Daily Fantasy Sports sites. We have updated FAQs on our streaming pitcher (Streamonator), hitter (Hittertron), and DFS (DFSBot) tools. There are even videos for Streamonator and Hittertron if you cannot process screenshots and text.
If you are unfamiliar with our tools and play season-long or daily fantasy baseball, I IMPLORE you to go to our Subscriptions page and read up on them. The tools are easy-to-use (no math skills required) and will help you make quicker and more effective player decisions no matter what format you play. We even have options where you can try it out by the day. You will not find a site out there that delivers a better bang-for-the-buck subscription or is more transparent/accountable than ours.
Below are the kick-ass improvements for 2016:
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One Man’s Trash: The NeverEnding Story
March 29, 2016 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 91 Commentsby: Big Magoo
It’s been a long offseason, but now that we’re less than a week away from the start of the 2016 MLB regular season, it’s time to dust off the trash/treasure column and take a look at a few of the players who have made fantasy owners take notice in recent weeks. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this series, the concept is pretty straightforward: identify a few of the players who have experienced the largest change in ownership percentage over the previous week and determine which of these players are deserving of their sudden gains or declines respectively. The players who I believe carry limited value moving forward will be deemed TRASH while the potential waiver wire gems will have the coveted TREASURE label bestowed upon them. Dig it? Cool. Now let’s take a look at some of the buzzy Spring Training names as Opening Day approaches…
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Podcast: “Did I Tell You How Late I Got Albert Pujols?!'”
March 29, 2016 | All Podcasts | 64 Commentsby: JB Gilpin
Less than a week away! I’m more excited than that feeling in Grey’s pants when he drafts Delino DeShields… I think I shaved it down to 3 references today! I bet if you were reading quickly and saw “in Grey’s pants” and “shaved”, you mighta thought something different was happening! On today’s show we break down my anti-SP RCL draft from a week-and-a-half ago, and also chat Grey’s draft in the Yahoo F&F (which you can follow along and read more in-depth here). If you didn’t pick it up from the description, Grey was super pumped about someone who fell in the draft! We also go over some notables from Spring Training, including a starting OF Grey hit on in his Spring analysis (in that he got it right, not that he shouted catcalls at him!) and a new starter in Seattle. Here’s our latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:
Be sure to check out the first Podcast of the Fantasy Football season here! (With a Game of Thrones special Pod coming this Thursday!)
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