DraftKings: Bloopers

April 24, 2015 | DraftKings | 14 Comments

I hate bloop singles. I despise watching my pitcher give up a run because a guy got jammed up inside and sent it between first base and left field. It doesn’t even feel right when my guy who is 0-3 on the day (trust me, this happens often) drops one between the infielders and outfielders on a lucky blooper. Sometimes though, it takes a blooper or 2 to have success… Like my 2 RBI bloop single in my slow pitch softball league the other night, but we won’t talk about that. What we do need to talk about though, is Lorenzo Cain. This guy is a stud. I wouldn’t doubt that he would be good at whatever sport he attempts because he is such an athlete. He now finally gets away from all these pitchers parks and gets a sweet matchup at US Cellular. Oh… and he’s getting on base at a rate of .479 on the young season and driving the ball extremely well. I look forward to rostering him today.

New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 25 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?

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See all of today’s starting lineups

#	MLB Starting Lineups For Mon 9/29
	ARI \| ATH \| ATL \| BAL \| BOS \| CHC \| CHW \| CIN \| CLE \| COL \| DET \| HOU \| KC \| LAA \| LAD \| MIA \| MIL \| MIN \| NYM \| NYY \| OAK \| PHI \| PIT \| SD \| SEA \| SF \| STL \| TB \| TEX \| TOR \| WSH

Nathan’s UCL Snaps Like A Hot Dog

April 24, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 571 Comments

by: Grey

The Tigers announced that Joe Nathan had a torn UCL and would require season-ending Tommy John surgery. This could be the end of a once-illustrious career. To commemorate all that Nathan has done for baseball, this Fourth of July, at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, they will be eating Nathan’s discarded elbow tendons. Takeru Kobayashi said, “I’ll be training on udon and Brandon Beachy tendons for the next few months, then a week before I will eat nothing but Sabathia’s knee ligaments to widen my gullet.” Gotta love that guy’s ambitious spirit. So, Nathan’s done and Joakim Soria now becomes a top twelve-ish closer with the chance of being top seven-ish by season’s close. As long as -ish don’t kill my vibe! Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Bear or Bull: Is Archer’s Aim True?

April 23, 2015 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 61 Comments

by: Big Magoo

Haven’t we been down this road before? A young, power pitcher looks poised for a breakout season only to produce inconsistent and/or mediocre results when it’s all said and done? In fact, that could easily be an accurate description of Chris Archer‘s 2014 season. Much like his blazing hot start to the 2015 season, he sprinted out of the blocks in his first two starts of last season and looked to be destined for superstardom. It didn’t quite work out that way. While his ’14 numbers were very respectable (10 wins, 3.33 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 173 SO), Archer failed to finish among the top 30 MLB starting pitchers in any of those key fantasy categories. There’s no question that a low-end #4 SP has it’s uses in fantasy, but as the old saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Or something like that. Is Archer ready to make the leap into ace territory? Or is he likely to produce similar results to years past?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Closer Report, Week 3: Wade Doing Swimmingly

April 23, 2015 | Closers, Middle Relievers | 93 Comments

by: Smokey

Imagine a world without Greg Holland. Okay, got it… because it’s here… sorta. There would be no tulip or windmill jokes and Wade Davis would basically be the freaking mac. I was interested to see what his numbers really were, since he basically became a full time reliever towards the end of the 2013 season, and up to this date thus far in the season. So over the 89 innings of relief work, he has allowed 42 hits, 9 ER, and K/BB rate of 124/28. I don’t curse very often, but holy sh*t. The best thing about him is that he doesn’t have to be all-pressured to be the closer if he doesn’t want to. Kinda like the cool kids in school, they sometime bring books to class or they just punch a juke box and say words that word normally sound like a euphemism for IBS. I am by no means wishing Greg an injury-riddled year because, irregardless, Wade is going to do what he do. He is far and away the most important reliever in baseball, argue that if you want… you will lose, but it’s fun to argue. Enjoy the week’s closer updates and rankings…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

DraftKings: Opposite Ends Of The Spectrum

April 23, 2015 | DraftKings | 6 Comments

by: waterloo

We’re looking at a day with 12 games on the schedule, but only four during the evening, so make sure that you plan accordingly. Wake up, and take advantage of the early slate of games, people! But for today’s post, we are going to take a look at the later games, where there are still some tantalizing options.

New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 20 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?

Price’s Owners Drop F-Bombs Like Bryan

April 23, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 953 Comments

by: Grey

Apparently, it was never the elevation in Coors. It was because it was cold in Colorado. Or at least that’s what the Yanks/Tigers game looked like last night while it was played in Arctic temps (granted, a hot day in the Arctic) and snow. Other teams may get some ideas that it’s all about the cold. “Let’s get Howard, Utley, Galvis and Asche on that side of the air conditioner, and the outfield on the other side. Now go straight from the AC to the batter’s box. No, don’t stop at the on-deck circle! You’re dropping to room temp!” Yesterday, David Price gave up 8 ER on 13 baserunners in 2 1/3 IP. That reminded Yankee fans of their teams from the 1950s, or when most of the current roster was teenagers. Obviously, this is just a blip, but if you can buy Price from a panicked owner, I’d consider it, even if it did seem yesterday like Price was Rocky screaming at Mickey to cut him. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Disgraces and Delights: A-Bombs From A-Rod

April 22, 2015 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 91 Comments

by: LT Murray IV

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? Have you ever wrestled an 25-foot albino crocodile with you bare hands? Have you ever had a starved mongoose released down the front of your trousers? Better yet, have you ever flung Taijuan Walker out on the mound for your fantasy baseball squadron in 2015? Yes, my friends, tis true. I’ve done each and every one of these things, the Elder Gods as my witnesses, and quite honestly, nothing gets my ticker a poundin like an automatic fire-arm (and my anxiety higher than a yacked out Lindsay Lohan), quite like Walker on the mound for my Seattle Mariners. 7.1 innings pitched with 14 earned runs on 15 hits and 6 walks? Sure, the young Jedi in training known as “Sky Walker” bounced back last night with 8 Ks and only 1 earned run, BUT, he gave up 4 free passes, so he was obviously still shakier than Tom Sizemore after a weekend bender. Honestly, I feel like I let you down… I praised this young buck, preaching that he was definitely all about that hog life when, thus far, he clearly has been less worthy than the deceased Joffrey Baratheon (Spoiler alert! Or was I supposed to say that before I wrote that he died?). From the bottom of my booming and Elder God-made pumping heart, I’d like to apologize with the upmost sincerity. I’d like to say he say he dominates from here on out, but you’ve got to be realistic about these things.

I am Tehol Beddict and this is Disgrace/Delight! Take Heed!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Using Yahoo’s API to Access Your League’s Data (Part 1 of 1000)

April 22, 2015 | Y to Z | 24 Comments

by: paul

My first piece of advice to you is: Don’t do this…

Alright, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, and seeing as how I have done this, let’s discuss. First off, you might be curious what access to the API gives you. You might even be curious what exactly an API is (still not sure). Or maybe you’re just wondering if that attractive co-worker of yours has ever hooked up with anyone in the office (she has).

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Prospect Profile: Catchers! (Gross…)

April 22, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 86 Comments

by: Mike

Fantasy owners lost two good catchers this week in Travis d’Arnaud and Jonathan Lucroy. Even in 12-team formats, you probably threw up in your mouth a little when you went to the wire and saw your replacement options. God help you if you play in a two-catcher format. But not to fear, for the rookies are here! I’m looking in your general direction Kevin Plawecki…don’t disappoint me! When I went over the Top 10 prospects for every team this offseason, I typically spat on catchers in my rankings due to their limited upside. But it’s times like these when we need to bite the bullet and take a closer look at some rookie backstops. Here are six rookie catchers currently in the majors that you may need to roster while your studs are hurt. Yes, this list is ranked in the order that I’d personally add them.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

DraftKings: Pay for Aces, Play your Aces

April 22, 2015 | DraftKings | 6 Comments

by: jasonwalker

People of Planet Earth, please, pay for your aces. On a slate that features quite a few, there is no need to tempt fate by not building around at least one solid top tier arm and a mid-tier to make it happen. Oh sure, there will that voice inside your head that says, “Hey, Kyle Kendrick fooled everyone Opening Day and was a huge bargain!”. That’s the voice that needs to be driven out into the middle of the DFS cornfields and left without cab fare back to where you are rostering players.

Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner and David Price are all on the docket, much like the aforementioned Opening Day (don’t get excited, Kendrick). Kershaw at over 12K may be too pricey to engage, but Bumgarner (9.8K) and Cueto (9.5K) might be excellent targets for your ace itch. Ace itch may not sound good, but to get a good core for your evening roster, especially with so many teams going, you may just need to stop thinking and scratch.

One more thing going into the list below: Whenever teams are in Toronto and Denver, I love the stars where you can fit them in. You’ll be harder pressed to do so if you’ve rostered aces at SP like tonight, but I didn’t want the list to go by and have you wonder, “Gee, doesn’t he like Adam Jones, Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Bautista, Chris Davis, et al.?” The answer is, yes, yes I do. Now onto the other guys.

New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 25 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?

Fantasy Gods Serve Yasmany Leg Of Lamb

April 22, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 1,025 Comments

by: Grey

Jake Lamb hit the DL with a stress reaction in his foot. Now the Diamondbacks’ defense will go from Lamb to the slaughter with Yasmany Tomas taking over. Yasmany makes Sandoval look like a gazelle. Yasmany has the agility of an extra-wide trailer. Yasmany looks like the genie in Aladdin, which means the D-Backs’s 3rd base shituation was Lamb-or-Genie, which is also a northern Italian farmer’s lamb that he hung a car medallion around its neck and rides around to swap meets. I’d look at Yasmany in all leagues (yesterday, he went 2-for-3, 1 run with only one error!), because he does have power to spare — think 27-homer power — and he could surprise people with some regular playing time. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

One Man’s Trash: In Ottavino Veritas

April 21, 2015 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 108 Comments

by: Big Magoo

The closer carousel continues to spin round and round. In the season’s first week, Joaquin Benoit’s ride ended abruptly in the fallout of the Craig Kimbrel trade and Jason Grilli climbed aboard to take his place. This week, thanks to the early season struggles of 42 year old former closer LaTroy Hawkins, Adam Ottavino (+83.9%) became the new 9th inning reliever for the Rockies and was the most added player in fantasy baseball. A Rockies reliever? Awesome! Why don’t I just pick up Kelly Gregg and put my ratios out of their misery? That’s your Coors Field park factor voice playing devil’s advocate. When you consider Ottavino’s abilities to keep the ball on the ground (62.5% GB% this season in 6.1 IP – small sample size alert!; 45.6% career), rack up the strikeouts (54.6% K% this season; 25.7% in 2014), and limit his walks allowed (4.6% BB% this year; 5.9% in 2014), the Coors concern is somewhat alleviated. He also appears to have ditched his ineffective change-up in favor of a cutter to keep left-handed hitters honest and improve his split issues against that side. Factor it all in and he looks like a potential top 10 closer this year and an early treasure for fantasy owners. “In Ottavino, there is truth…” Here are a couple of this week’s other big adds and drops in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?