The Rangers have one of the deepest systems in the majors and it’s packed with upside for fantasy. Even after trading away three good prospects in the Cole Hamels deal, it’s still a beast. The appeal for our game is the type of player – toolsy, power bats, power arms…all good stuff. One of the pleasant surprises on the MLB roster was Delino Deshields, who the Rangers selected as a rule 5 pick from the Astros organization. If you’re like me, you threw Deshields on your farm for some depth and by the end of the season it was all like ‘whoa this is a solid player right here’ and then Grey’s writing a sleeper post on him and next thing you know he’s got an ADP in the teens. Grey is influential like that. Coincidentally, the Rangers also lost Odubel Herrera in the rule 5 draft to Philly, and that young man had a hell of a season too. Just goes to show that this whole prospect game isn’t always easy to peg, and you have to stay on your toes and roll with it. Back over to the Texas farm now, which features three top 50 fantasy prospects.
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All of the infield has been done for the 2016 fantasy baseball rankings. Where it says 2016 fantasy baseball rankings, that’s a link, and that link goes to the 2016 fantasy baseball rankings where there are more links to all of the positions that have been ranked for 2016 fantasy. Seamless linking! The top 20 outfielders for 2016 fantasy baseball is going to go into the top 40, top 60, top 80 and finally top 100. I love a lot of outfielders this year, and will go over this more at a later time, but I could see myself leaving the top 100 overall with three outfielders while wanting, like, twenty-five of them. Shoot (not you, Dick Cheney!), I desperately want five of the top ten outfielders and I’m not even counting the top four that are a given. McCutchen is the only outfielder in the top ten I’m kinda whatevs on. The last time I was this excited for an outfielder Ryan Klesko was delicately connecting his sideburns to his mustache. Anyway, here’s the top 20 outfielders for 2016 fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?It was a year to remember for the Amazins in 2015. Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, and Noah Syndergaard fronted the best starting rotation in MLB. Yoenis Cespedes had a 2nd half for the ages after being acquired at the trade deadline. Curtis Granderson put his forgettable 2014 season behind him and played at an all-star level. Michael Conforto made quite an impact as a rookie following his July call-up. Jeurys Familia was one of the best closers in all of baseball. Daniel Murphy got white hot in October and helped propel his team to the World Series. Who am I forgetting? Oh yeah, there’s that Lucas Duda character. Does he even play there anymore?
Please, blog, may I have some more?3rd basemen are the new Dolly Parton. They are so top heavy they haven’t seen their toes in years. After the top ten 3rd basemen, the rest are a wing, a prayer and Winger doing a cover of Living on a Prayer, which can’t hold a candle to Bon Jovi, because A) Jersey B) No one can hold a candle to Bon Jovi because of Jersey. C) There’s no C. D) Jersey! I can’t remember a position like this for any other year in recent memory, but I’ve killed my brain for years with hard drugs. If you don’t have a 3rd baseman by the 100th overall pick, you might be kissing your 3rd baseman position goodbye. Literally, smooching your computer monitor like you’re in that Spike Jonze movie with Scarlett Johansson robot-talking. By the way, Johansson is 31 years old, in nine years, she’s gonna be old. In nine years, I’m gonna be distinguished. Damn, Hollywood, you’re messed up giving me these ageist ideas! As always, my projections and tiers are noted. Anyway, here’s the top 20 3rd basemen for 2016 fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?The Razzball Baseball Podcast returns with our second off-season Pod recapping the big starting pitcher moves during the Winter. Winter finally got here if you live on the East Coast, sheesh what an awful weekend! Grey and his lavish SoCal lifestyle has no idea what perils exist over on this side of the world! But I huddle for warmth next to my love for Jeff Samardzija‘s new home, we discuss a great new park for Wei-Yin Chen and his value, and also break down the Justin Upton signing that went down since our last show. We also debunk a sleeper argument for a pitcher that is seemingly over the Hill. Do you get it?! You get the joke!? This is why I leave the comedy writing for Grey… Schwatev, here’s our latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast for 2016:
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Please, blog, may I have some more?The top 20 shortstops for 2016 fantasy baseball were once as bad as the top 20 2nd basemen for 2016 fantasy baseball that I went over the other day. Now the shortstops have had an influx of youth — or utes, if Joe Pesci is reading — and the future’s so bright I gotta wear shades, Arvid. I’m happy for the shortstops, and happier for myself. For a while, the top 20 shortstops were Tulo and those other guys. Kinda like the top 20 catchers is Posey and those other guys. Oh, and there was a top 20 1st basemen for 2016 fantasy baseball post already too (organic linking!). Hopefully, the shortstops aren’t just showing up in a librarian’s outfit with red-rimmed glasses and appearing sexy, then turning out to be Sally Jessy Raphael. As with the other top 20 rankings, I point out where tiers start and stop and my projections. All the 2016 fantasy baseball rankings can be found under that thing that says 2016 fantasy baseball rankings. Unsuccinct! Anyway, here’s the top 20 shortstops for 2016 fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?If you lurk in the comments section of any fantasy baseball blog, you’ll see a plethora of “who should I keep” type questions. Keeper leagues – no matter how many players you can protect – are eventually going to require you to choose between players on the fringe of your roster. Who you decide to keep and who you decide to set free is important, especially when your team is competing. You can always trade your fringe guys for draft picks or something like that, but then you’re still choosing between who to put on your block and who to keep for yourself. I used to agonize over these decisions. But after a while I started to see some patterns in the good choices versus the bad ones, and now it’s not such a big deal. I also started taking a lot of downers at that time, but I’m sure the two events are in no way related. If you want to ignore this and do your zag thing, go ahead. I’m just going to try to explain how I personally decide on keepers when there’s a “tie” on my list and only one seat at the table.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Each new season brings change. And this one is no different. The leaves have changed color, and they will turn back again. The reliever corps are no different, in-season or off of it. The reliever flux train has already started, and it’s just January. For some teams, it is a needed boost to a back-end unit that was piss pour last season. For most though, it is a change for the piece they were missing. While others, (cough, cough, the Yankees) just want to be greedy and make a super-unit of the three-headed variety. So today, as it being my first post in the new season, I will look at the guys who changed clubs and will most likely open the season as that teams new closer. It isn’t very dissimilar to real life, you know that ‘ole tale… for it’s as old as the sea. Some young up-and-comer arrives and thinks they can do your job better, faster and for longer, but veterans that have been an established piece for years get the respect they deserve. That’s what makes a 12 dollar salad a 12 dollar salad. So without all the soliloquy and gesturing, let’s just get to the closers who have changed clubs for the better…
Please, blog, may I have some more?To make sure I don’t miss any player in my rankings, I go through every team’s depth charts and I go through every eligible player who is projected for at least one at-bat by Steamer. After I looked through the players with at least one at-bat at 2nd base, I vomited in my mouth, then spit said vomit onto the ground and it spelled out, “Gnarly.” My vomit is right. 2nd base is not a pretty position. Shortstops got younger in the last year and some guys are coming to make it even better. The top 20 1st basemen wasn’t straight gorge, but there was plenty of talent there from veterans. The top 20 catchers are always ugly, but these top 20 2nd basemen are giving the catchers a run for their money. There’s only three guys with legit 20-homer power and three guys with easy 20-steal speed. One that will hit .300 and zero that will get 100 RBIs. I don’t know what happened to the latest crop of 2nd basemen, but I have a theory. Twelve years ago, when these 2nd basemen were learning the position, their role model was Bret Boone. Boone used to frost his hair blonde, so all the kids learning 2nd base at that time, frosted their hair too. Then their friends beat the crap out of them, and that was the end of all future 2nd basemen. Here’s the position eligibility chart for 2016 fantasy baseball. All the 2016 fantasy baseball rankings are under that linkie-ma-whosie. As always, my projections and tiers are included for the low, low price of zero dollars. Anyway, here’s the top 20 2nd basemen for 2016 fantasy baseball:
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Fact. Everybody loves January Grey. In December you get Santa Claus and in January you get Grey. Instead of the jolly fat man, you have the jolly mustache man. Well… guess who’s making his January debut, has two thumbs and loves Blow Pops? That’s right, “this guy”! I actually don’t like Blow Pops, but I wasn’t sure it would get past our editors had I said “blowjobs”. I’m sure at least two of my ten readers from last year were wondering if I’d be back in 2016. Well, the suspense is now over. December Grey offered me the opportunity to continue sharing my immature and opinionated “points” of view and I accepted. I considered taking my talents to South Beach (espn.com), but then I remembered that they suck. So do many of the other sites and blogs out there “on the line“. Razzball is where the cool kids hang out.
After the top 20 catchers for 2016 fantasy baseball, it’s all downhill. And by downhill, I mean it will pick up speed and start moving quickly. That really should be what “it’s all downhill” means. I fixed you, English language, you’re welcome. The top 10 for 2016 fantasy baseball and the top 20 for 2016 fantasy baseball were done the other day too. I think this is what they call getting you up to date. I don’t mean that as in, “We have to shave his unibrow into two eyebrows, and maybe have him wear something other than a sports jersey, so he’s ‘up to date’ a girl.” This top 20 1st basemen for 2016 fantasy baseball goes to about 60. Every year it seems like it gets longer and more unwieldy like the story you tell people on why you didn’t finish college. As always, for each player there’s my projections and where I see tiers starting and ending. There’s the position eligibility chart for 2016 fantasy baseball, and all the 2016 fantasy baseball rankings are under that linkie-ma-whosie. Anyway, here’s the top 20 1st basemen for 2016 fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?The Yankees have a strong system, and by holding on to their prospects last summer they’re going to enter the 2016 season with a lot of potential energy. Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge are poised to help the big club this year. So is Greg Bird, although he technically lost his eligibility. Because the Yankees are active in the international market, there’s a solid crop of teenagers coming up in the low minors. It’s not going to be anytime soon, but you can sort of see how this might converge into an even stronger group in the next year or two, especially when you factor in their crop of new draftees stateside. Of course not all of them will make it, but the more lottery tickets you own the better your chances, right?
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