Holland Run Down, Rondon Lollin’

September 23, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 273 Comments

Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, began yesterday, and Brad Ausmus, the Tigers manager who doesn’t believe in a manger, started atoning for his mistakes, by sending the Tigers closer, Bruce Rondon, home due to a lack of effort. This sends an interesting message. I’d guess, with a motorized scooter and knee-bypass surgery, Victor Martinez still wouldn’t be at 100% effort. Kyle Lobstein and Randy Wolf wouldn’t be at 100% effort with a pitching machine standing next to them as they mimed throwing. Shoot, I don’t know if Miggy was at 100% effort even in his Triple Crown season. Also, what does this say about Ausmus? That he’s managing a team in last place, but he’s coaching at 100% effort? Wouldn’t he be better off pretending he was at, say, 60% effort? How about this, “I sent Rondon home because he was at 40% effort. I lead by example around here, and I demand everyone give 50 to 55% effort, as I do. What? You thought I was at 100% effort and we’re in last place? Please!” Alex Wilson is the likely replacement closer, maybe Neftali Feliz also sees some saves, but he blew one last night. Then, in Kansas City, Greg Holland let the entire organization off easy by saying he had a tight elbow and is done for the year. This saves everyone from calling for Wade Davis to close while berating and belittling Holland worse than a tourist who doesn’t smoke pot and hates windmills. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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One Man’s Trash: Wham! Bam! Thank You Pham!

September 22, 2015 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 20 Comments

by: Big Magoo

Thomas Pham (+21.5%) was the most added player in fantasy baseball over the past week. No Holliday? No Grichuk? No problem! “Just call up the kid who’s name sounds like an oil filter. And change the oil in my Escalade while you’re at it.” That’s Cardinals GM John Mozeliak delegating authority while sipping on some single malt scotch in his office. Basically an afterthought entering this season, Pham has made the most of his sudden opportunity. The 27-year-old rookie has flashed little power and occasional speed in the minors since his promotion to AA ball in 2010 (single season highs of 10 homers and 20 steals in 2014), but has produced a 1.654 OPS with 4 homers and 1 steal with the Cards over the past week. Schmotato alert! His upcoming slate against the Reds and Brewers staffs is far from imposing as well. Enjoy the fling while it lasts, but be wary of a long-term commitment.

Here are a few other significant adds and drops in fantasy baseball over the past week:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

RCL Update, Week 25: The End Is Rye

September 22, 2015 | Our Leagues | 47 Comments

by: J-FOH

I won’t be winning any RCL’s this year so I need a stiff drink of something to remind me that fantasy reality is a bitter tasting b*tch. I might take two second place finishes falling short to the Big Magoo and Grey, and to be honest I can live with that *screams into pillow*. They are both great competitors… but really, who was questioning that? On a good note, unless something crazy happens, I should win Mike’s RazzNasty Dynasty league. The one and only Razzball roto dynasty league! To be fair, I played for this year (go figure) and not 2018. But enough about me winning and let’s talk about me losing. I drafted Miggy this year in the ‘perts league and regret it every sleepless night. Speaking of Miggy, did anyone know how much he likes messing with other players? He’s a little comedian, and speaking of little, watch it until the end when he picks up Altuve. Stupid YouTube rabbit hole, I ended up on this baseball clip and I’m wondering why I haven’t seen this before… maybe I did and I forgot. I even chopped it for you. Okay, enough of all this, lets get to the update and the old schoo gangsta rap I got in here today.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

DraftKings: The Verrettable Cheap Starter

September 22, 2015 | DraftKings | 12 Comments

by: MattTruss

I love when halfway decent starting pitchers are given away for practically free on DraftKings. I especially enjoy it when it happens on a Coors field day. That of course could be read as a “Coors Field” day or as a Coors “field day”, because both are true. When you’re trying to squeeze in as much Coors exposure as you can, a 4K pitcher opens up an awful lot of options. Logan Verrett sits at $4,500 tonight and gets to square off at home against one of, if not the worst hitting team in the majors in the Atlanta Braves. Jon Niese just completely shut them down. That’s the same Niese who had given up 11 runs in his previous 8 IP mind you. The Braves have the lowest team OPS in the majors and their “lead” in the category seems to grow by the day. Verrett has been a more than capable spot starter for the Mets as they try to limit every one of their young pitcher’s innings. Tonight he fills in for deGrom and should be good to go for at least 75-80 pitches, possibly more. He only threw 63 against the Marlins over 5 IP, but the Mets let him air it out for 93 a month ago at Coors field. All he did there was hold the Rockies to 1 run in 8 IP and strikeout 8. The strikeout upside is limited with the Braves as they are pretty stingy when it comes to striking out, but posting zeros works too and a win should be easily obtained. For $4,500 you can’t get too greedy. I do imagine Verrett will be fairly highly owned at this price and Coors field on the docket so despite the low price he may be more of a cash game play than a GPP. Let’s look at some more plays for tonight’s DFS slate:

New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 5 teamer of Razzball writers and friends 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?

Tigers Must Be Toast Because They Got Slathered In Samardzija In

September 22, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 265 Comments

by: Grey

“All year. All. Year. I’ve been starting Jeff Samardzija in one 15 team league. It’s an NFBC league so I couldn’t drop him (there’s no waivers). It’s not a great league to bench starters. I had options like Colby Lewis and Adam Warren. Not great options. But, finally, yesterday, I decided enough was enough. If I was going to lose, at least I would lose with Samardzija out of my lineup. So, Samardnuts goes out and throws a one-hitter (9 IP, o ER, 1 Hit, Zero Walks, 6 Ks).” That was how I concluded the story to the doctor when I first ended up in the mental asylum. Samardzija is actually easier to type while wearing a straitjacket. Coincidence? Immediately following the story, I cackled myself to sleep in a puddle of my own bodily fluids. I’m not even sure what fluid it was. I’m guessing urine, but you got me on specifics. As we know, earlier this year Oxford Dictionary replaced &@*^&*@%! that connotes a curse word with Samardzija, and I can think of nothing more fitting than screaming SAMARDZIJA! Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Come On Over And Have A Beer At Finnegan’s

September 21, 2015 | Pitcher Profiles | 12 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

Every time I think of Brandon Finnegan, I envision a long-storied lineage of Irish pub purveyors. “Have a pint, laddie!”

A very big name prospect with the Royals, the Reds hit on the luck of the Irish by dealing a really awful-looking Johnny Cueto – whose numbers are getting walloped by an ugly stick – and picking up some nice prospects with Finnegan the centerpiece. Man, both the Reds and my Brewers got some nasty returns for vets that have been atrocious in the AL… The NL Central is going to be unreal in a few seasons…

Back to the point! Hell, I’m all over the place – I’m writing this open while watching football, and while taking a break from putting together basketball ranks in position tiers. Oh yeah! Play in an RCL Basketball League, it’s like Fantasy Baseball but without rainouts! Yikes, get me some Adderral…

Even with all the hype, and even though he’s made a few relief appearances, I don’t think I’ve ever watched Finnegan pitch. So I decided to break down Finnegan’s first career MLB start at the Brewers last Friday night to see if he’s worth an add over the final two weeks, and/or a buzzy sleeper pick in 2016:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

SAGNOF Special, Week 25: MLB Games Remaining by Team

September 21, 2015 | Steals | 5 Comments

by: RotoLance

I’m going down the path of J-FOH and others here and trying to give general, “win your league” type advice these last couple weeks. I’ve decided this week that advice will come in the form of how many games each team has left, along with noting which teams have Monday and Thursday off days. It’s not only useful for stolen bases but whatever category you need. And I’ll also be noting as I did last week, some speedsters that have gained playing time recently, these are players to consider for streaming stolen bases these last two weeks. So definitely couple this advice with the stolen bases versus starting pitchers SAGNOF tool and stream, stream, stream for steals, if you are up to the task. Here’s this weeks “Names to consider” from speediest to least speedy: Sam Fuld (Athletics), Abraham Almonte (Indian), Mikie Mahtook (Rays, decent power too), Andrew Romine (Tigers), Cory Spangenberg (Padres). Some of those aren’t exactly household names, which is basically the point.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Podcast: “I’m Not Just Saying This From A Fanny Perspective”

September 21, 2015 | All Podcasts | 9 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

It’s never too early to start scouting sleepers (from the seashore) for 2016! Grey and I talk some names that could be impact late-rounders in 2016 and possible dynasty pickups as we near the 2015 finish line. We also play another round of Higher/Lower and mention a few prospects to keep an eye on. Plus a breakdown of the league leaders in BABIP! Grey constantly says “that seems high” which is probably a consensus review of this Podcast… So much high-pitched cackling! Mmmm, cracklin… Here’s the latest edition of the Razzball Baseball Podcast:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Draftkings: Dallas Kyer’s Club

September 21, 2015 | DraftKings | 19 Comments

by: Teddy Heater

It’s been a rough week to be Dallas! Last Sunday the Cowboys lost Bryant for 2-3 months and yesterday Romo went down with a broken collarbone. Tough break for the Cowboys but you’re not here for Da Boys, so let’s talk about the other Dallas. Last Wednesday night, Dallas Keuchel got shelled for 9er against a Texas lineup that’s leads all of baseball in K’s vs LHP. I for one paid up for Keuchel last week as it seemed like a no brainer. Granted his home/road splits lean towards that Houston home cooking, but I definitely didn’t see a season worst performance coming. I mean this is a guy who’s supposed to be tops on a short list of AL Cy Young candidates. The same guy that has put up 24 quality starts this year and has gone at least 6 innings in 29 of his 30 starts. In fact you’d have to go all the way back to last July to find an outing that he lasted 5 or less innings prior to last Wednesday’s Cleveland Steamer. In DFS you have to have a short memory and tonight is a perfect example as I’m doubling down and buying in big on Keuchel for $11,400. He’s third on the board tonight, but I think he’ll be a top the leaderboard with an excellent HOME matchup against the not so Angelic Anaheim club. Anaheim is limping into Houston after a 4 game set with Min, which had them play a double header on Saturday and yesterday they only put up 1 run . In fact LAA is hitting just .232 against LHP and Keuchel has owned them this year putting up 2 W’s, 21 K’s and just 4er in 18.1 innings. Luckily for this Dallas he can bounce back a lot quicker than the other Dallas team that will be licking their wounds for the next couple months.

New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 10 teamer of Razzball writers and friends 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?

Morales So Nice He Homered Thrys

September 21, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 373 Comments

by: Grey

All right all of you, hardcore, prematurely balding fantasy baseballers, who are battling in the trenches these final weeks. You people. And by “you people,” I mean middle-aged, middle class white men with their mothers on speed dial. (What? Google Analytics can tell a lot.) Let’s do this like Brutus and Tommy Artootis. (I went to middle school with Tommy Artootis; you probably didn’t know that.) Yesterday, Kendrys Morales went 4-for-4, 5 runs and three solo home runs (19, 20, 21). The Morales of the story? He’s stepping up to help you win because we prayed for this. Right after praying that Lay’s Gyro-flavored potato chips wins the new flavor contest. Show of hands: how many of you care who becomes the next president? Okay, now how many of you care what flavor wins Lay’s potato chip contest? Ya’ll bunch of liars if you didn’t vote for Lay’s. Can we just make a Trump flavored potato chip to combine all my voting into one place? Morales has done well for my Tout Wars team, but I’m gonna come up a little short like Altuve. Here’s the current standings, as you can see power was my real bugaboo. If Miggy had reached 30 homers like he did seemingly every other year, it could’ve made a huge difference. For now, let’s bask in Rudy’s dominance and hope Lay’s Gyro flavor kicks ass. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Creepers of the Week: A Fantasy Rundown with a Happy Ending

September 20, 2015 | Creeper of the Week | 40 Comments

by: J-FOH

The Big Magoo inspired todays title… don’t ask. He told me to tell you guys (and five girls) to grab Chris Carter for the lefty match-ups this week. I like the call, but wanted to give him his own space for that, and since I’m all out of creative juices, I’m just going to talk about him while I kill some space to get to what happens below, or should I say what is not below. Freedom!!! This week, I’m dropping the ranks as they have become redundant the last month. Going forward, my main goal is to help you H2H players with your playoffs and those fighting until the bitter end in roto. The list will be divided into position groups (CI, MI, OF). Many of these players have been listed in previous posts, and I will identify what match-ups are the most favorable. Oh, and I expanded the cut off to 25% owned. Alright! We cool? Moving on…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Ambulance Report, Week 25: Injuries and Ensuing Panik

September 20, 2015 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 7 Comments

by: Davidwiers

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
It was the age of 60-day DL moves,
It was the age of activations and promotions,
It was the epoch of balancing playing time options,
It was the epoch of dropping part-time players

Unless you’re playing in a head-to-head league, moving your ratio stats ahead of the other teams is tough with only two weeks remaining. With that in mind, this week’s version of the injury report is all about next year’s possibilities.

Please, blog, may I have some more?