2016 Minor League Preview Index

October 21, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 35 Comments

This index is meant to help you navigate through all of the minor league previews from both this season and last season. All of the reports from last year are already linked, including the preseason and midseason Top 50 fantasy prospect lists. Links to this year’s previews will go live as each report is published, beginning with the Phillies and ending with the Cardinals (we’re using the 2016 MLB draft order as our guide this year). By the spring, this index should make it easy for you find a specific team’s preview and compare the changes from year to year in both the organizational and overall prospect rankings.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Learn more about our 2025 Fantasy Baseball Subscriptions!

The best daily/weekly player rankings/projections (hitters, starters, and relievers) for each of the next 7-10 days + next calendar week starting Friday. Kick-ass DFS lineup optimizer and projections for DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo!.

I don’t have enough spam, give me the Razzball email newsletter!

Weekly Razzball news delivered straight to your inbox.

See all of today’s starting lineups

#	MLB Starting Lineups For Mon 8/4
	ARI \| ATL \| BAL \| BOS \| CHC \| CIN \| CLE \| COL \| DET \| HOU \| KC \| LAA \| LAD \| MIA \| MIL \| MIN \| NYM \| NYY \| PHI \| PIT \| SD \| SF \| STL \| TB \| TEX \| TOR \| ATH \| CHW \| OAK \| SEA \| WSH

NFBC 2015 Recap: I’m A Driver, I’m A Winner

October 20, 2015 | Our Leagues | 37 Comments

by: Sky

Things can start simply and end up a classic. Or at the very least, well remembered…ok, just remembered. I don’t know, it’s Beck, you view him as you see him. I liked him but never thought he was going to be a superstar. How does a guy win a Grammy when the first lyrics people heard from him contain, ‘With the plastic eyeballs, spray paint the vegetables, dog food stalls with the beefcake pantyhose?’ Even people tripping on acid would say he’s too far gone with that kind of writing. Either way, here we are over 20 years after his break into the industry and he has some hardware on his mantle for his 12th studio album. I’m sure some would say the industry was just saying ‘We didn’t get it 20 years ago’ by giving him the prize now and by ‘some’ I mean ‘Kanye.’ Regardless, we’re not here to talk about Beck but in keeping with the Grammy theme, I just won myself Best New Artist of the NFBC $150 Draft Champions league I was in. Yup, you can put me up there with the big names now like Hootie & The Blowfish, Paula Cole, Esperanza Spalding…ok, maybe/hopefully this isn’t a trend as I’d love to win more than one in my currently illustrious NFBC career. It was an interesting league to be a part of and I will break down how I done won it below. Join me, will you? (BTW, you might know me as the DFS guy on the site. You might also know DFS is getting hit hard by people (legislators) trying to get FanDuel and DraftKings to cut states into their kitty. I’m all about putting hands in the kitty, but not this way. To offer support, fill out this petition.) Anyway, here’s a recap of how I came out a champion in my 15 team NFBC league for 2015 Fantasy Baseball…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Top 20 Outfielders for 2015 Fantasy Baseball, A Recap

October 19, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 306 Comments

by: Grey

Went over the catchers, 1st basemen, 2nd basemen and shortstops and top 20 3rd basemen for 2015 fantasy baseball. Guess what’s next! No, not pitchers. Read the title, man. In 2010, there were only 5 outfielders that hit 30 homers, in 2011 there were 9, 14 in 2012, in 2013 there were 3, a small bounce back with 6 in 2014 and this year there were eight. Going the right way, for sure. Though, steals were basically gone. There were 14 outfielders who stole 30 bases in 2012, 10 in 2013 and there were 11 in 2014. This year there were only five outfielders who stole 30 bases (only seven players total). Five outfielders with 30 steals! Dubya tee eff, we need Ron LeFlore and his cocaine, stat! As before, these rankings are from our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater with my comments. Anyway, here’s the top 20 outfielders for 2015 fantasy baseball and how they compare to where I originally ranked them:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Get Down Low And Hit The Quinn

October 18, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 26 Comments

by: Mike

Winter leagues are starting up with notable prospects playing in most of them. One player who’s just happy to be back on the field is Roman Quinn. The Phillies’ switch-hitting outfielder was off to a great start in 2015, and was even named an Eastern League All-Star, but a hip flexor tear essentially ended his season. Quinn’s not a blue chip prospect, and he likely won’t be relevant until 2017 at this point, but he’s a prospect I’ve always personally liked and have wanted to see succeed. His best tool is his elite speed, but in the first half of 2015 he seemed to have figured something out with his bat as well – hitting .306 with four homers. He could eventually be a top-of-the-lineup runs and steals producer for fantasy teams, with a little bit of pop sprinkled in (~8 homers) but that will hinge squarely on how his hit tool progresses. He’ll play for Licey this offseason, and I’m hoping that the improvements he made in 2015 have carried over. Things went well for him in his debut – going 3-for-5 with a triple and a steal. Here are some notes on other prospects playing in the offseason leagues…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Top 20 3rd Basemen for 2015 Fantasy Baseball, A Recap

October 16, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 193 Comments

by: Grey

For those looking for pictures of ballplayers taking off their ballcap and recapping themselves, you’re in the wrong place! Though, sometimes I get the sense people in the comments aren’t wearing pants, so if that does it for you, there ya go. Oh, who are we kidding, I’m not wearing pants. Pants are for conformist sissies! So, after going over the top 20 catchers, top 20 1st basemen, top 20 2nd basemen and top 20 shortstops, which brings us to…Hold on, I have to scroll up to the title. It’s the 3rd basemen? Oh, awesome! Pound for pound, the 3rd basemen were as good, if not better than any other position, and that’s not a Sandoval crack. Trust me, I wouldn’t force my worst enemy to look at a Sandoval crack, or anything stuck in his crack either. This final ranking is from our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater with my comments. The Player Rater allows me to be impartial while looking at how I ranked players in the preseason. I look forward to the random comment about how I’ve left off so-and-so. This is not for next year. Lisa Simpson groan. Oh, they’re not reading this intro either. Anyway, here’s the top 20 3rd basemen for 2015 fantasy baseball and how they compare to where I originally ranked them:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Top 20 for Shortstops, 2015 Fantasy Baseball, A Recap

October 15, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 191 Comments

by: Grey

We’ve (Me’ve) have already gone over the top 20 catchers, top 20 1st basemen, top 20 2nd basemen and now it’s time for the top 20 shortstops for 2015 fantasy baseball. It’s fun to see how many people read this in a way that makes them think this is for next year. Let’s read it like them real quickly, “Top 20 shortstops…Tulo too low, Andrus too high, Lindor too low, how do I make a comment that illustrates my snideness about what an idiot I think Grey is without incurring the wrath of others so I can still ask a trade question in two months without any hard feelings? Maybe I’ll just say a name with a question mark and that’ll be enough to inform Grey that I think he’s a moron, but vague enough to not set off others.” Those people, who I’m sure aren’t reading this opening, are the true highlight of the offseason. Here’s a comment for them to post, “Yunel???” To recap, this final ranking is from our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater with my comments. The Player Rater allows me to be impartial while looking at how I ranked them in the preseason. Anyway, here’s the top 20 shortstops for 2015 fantasy baseball and how they compare to where I originally ranked them:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Scouting Fantasy Baseball Prospects

October 14, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 42 Comments

by: Mike

A more accurate title for this post would have been “interpreting scouting reports of prospects for the purposes of fantasy baseball” but that’s a bit too much. I did a similar primer on fantasy prospects last year, and while some of this info will be the same, it’s always good to take a deep breath and look at the big picture before diving into the heart of the prospect season. This year’s minor league previews will (hopefully) be even more useful for fantasy players than last year’s. If you’re a baseball fan, you’ve likely seen a traditional scouting report and have a general idea of how the 20-80 (or 2-8) scouting grades work. You’ve also probably heard of the “five tools”, which are hit, hit for power, run, field, and throw. Baseball reality is concerned with all of those tools, but fantasy players probably don’t care much about the last two on that list. There’s a ton of scouting information out there for the public now. So the question becomes how we can get down to brass tax and glean a quick fantasy profile from a traditional scouting report. Here’s a few thoughts on that…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

RCL Final – Cram The Grand Champion Up Your Cramhole!

October 13, 2015 | Our Leagues | 119 Comments

by: J-FOH

I had a dream the other night. I was riding a Donkeycorn through the clouds going to Cram’s house to deliver his radiantly white championship hoodie. My beard was flowing in the wind and I wasn’t wearing any pants, when I had a thought. Why waste a day with a flying Donkeycorn to do what the post office could accomplish in 5 to 7 business days? So I landed at the local post office, shipped it and took off for the Greek Isles to get drunk on ouzo and do some island hopping. When you’re not wearing pants, you may as well go somewhere tropical. Any the hoo, I woke up, sent Cram an email, and went back to bed. Cram’s prize is after the jump (talk about anticipation!):

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Top 20 2nd Basemen, 2015 Fantasy, A Recap

October 12, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 292 Comments

by: Grey

We already went over the top 20 catchers and the top 20 1st basemen for 2015 fantasy baseball. Today, we dip our big toe into the top 20 2nd basemen pool. Okay, it was actually a lukewarm puddle where lots of amoebas grew, and I don’t mean a giant San Francisco-based record store where the cashiers know more about an REM B-side from their unreleased first album than hygiene. It’s a little scary, for unstints (how I say it), that there were only six 2nd basemen that you wanted to own all year, and even the sixth man (not Marlon Wayans) had his share of “Meh, I guess he’s okay.” Pretty appropriate that the first 2nd baseman off the board in a lot of leagues didn’t even make the year-end top 20. Thank you very much, Anthony Rendon! To recap this crap (rhyme points!), this final ranking for last year is from our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater with my comments. The Player Rater allows me to be impartial while looking at how I ranked them in the preseason. Anyway, here’s the top 20 2nd basemen for 2015 fantasy baseball and how they compared to where I originally ranked them:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2015 TDGX Dynasty Recap

October 11, 2015 | Our Leagues | 22 Comments

by: Mike

A couple of years ago Bret Sayre invited me to participate in his dynasty league – The Dynasty Guru Expert League, or TDGX. At the time I was writing for him at his site, and while I don’t anymore, I’ve been allowed to remain in the league as a representative of Razzball. I’d like to say my team has been killing it, but that hasn’t been the case in the first two years. The league is a lot of fun, and there are representatives from sites like Baseball Prospectus, Fangraphs, Baseball HQ, and CBS. It’s deep and it’s challenging. Tim McLeod and Ian Khan took the championship in each of the first two years, so major kudos to them.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Top 20 1st Basemen, 2015 Fantasy Baseball, A Recap

October 9, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 173 Comments

by: Grey

After drudging through an Andy Dufresne-type tunnel for the top 20 catchers for 2015 fantasy baseball, I find myself with a group that actually really hurt or helped your team depending on how you drafted. If you went wrong with your 1st baseman, it could kill your season. Hey, Freddie Freeman, no hard feelings from me. We are totally fine since I knew to not draft you. If you went right, you might’ve won your league. If you’re looking at the top 20 1st basemen in a vacuum, it appears that offense is making a comeback. And my what a big vacuum you have! Lots of guys on this list not only did well, but did better than their preseason projections. In fact (Grey’s adding on!), if you followed my rankings (saying to avoid V-Mart and Freeman), you did just fine at 1st base. To recap, this final ranking is from our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater with my comments. Anyway, here’s the top 20 1st basemen for 2015 fantasy baseball and how they compared to where I originally ranked them:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Top 20 Catchers, 2015 Fantasy Baseball, A Recap

October 8, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 121 Comments

by: Grey

It feels like just the other day the baseball regular season started. You wrote “I heart baseball” in permanent marker on your arm, then you met a girl who wrote “I heart guys who heart baseball” on her arm, then, during sex in August, you screamed out “I love you, Arenado!” and now you don’t have baseball or a girlfriend. C’mon, calendar, make like a soldier and turn to March. The only cure for the post-baseball season blues — recapping the preseason top twenty lists and being hand-fed Doritos. First up, Cool Ranch and our preseason Top 20 Catchers for 2015. It’s important to look back before we look ahead to 2016. To paraphrase the one and only B-Real, “How do you know where you’re at, if you don’t know where you’ve been? Understand where I’m coming from?” It wouldn’t be fair for me to preseason rank the players, then rank them again in the postseason based on my opinion, so these postseason top 20 lists are ranked according to our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater. It’s cold hard math, y’all! Please, for the love that all is holy, don’t ask me if this is for next year. Anyway, here’s the top 20 catchers for 2015 fantasy baseball and how they compared to where I originally ranked them:

Please, blog, may I have some more?