You’d think with a lineup featuring Prince Fielder, the Alfredo would go down fast and leave a mess for someone to clean up. I mean, I know Fielder is a vegetarian so maybe there were too many meatballs? How else can you explain it? It wasn’t Sunday so ‘Any Given Sunday’ need not apply and Any Given Thursday just opens the door for all the days of the week to claim coincidence as its catch phrase. We can’t have these things, there must be a reason! Yeah, there are no reasons. To the antithesis of all baseball nerd reasoning, Alfredo Simon pitched a complete game yesterday against a reasonably good Texas Rangers offense, only giving up one hit and two walks in the process while K’ing five in the shut out. Alfredo was giving up 1.45 HR/9 to go with a .383 wOBA to lefties on the year going into last night and faced a team that had five reasonably good lefty bats in their lineup. Let’s just stuff this one away in Gray’s Sports Almanac and move on with our lives without giving it a second thought, shall we? Yes, let’s. So without further ado, the guy who isn’t Grey will lead you through the rest of what he saw from yesterday for 2015 Fantasy Baseball…
Chris Archer – What, just because Archer had a more impressive complete game shut out, you expected him to be the lead? Tigga please! He’s 96.8% owned in ESPN leagues and I don’t think the 3.2% who don’t read this blog would read cuz I made him the lead. He was able to glide through the Astros lineup to the tune of 11 K, FTW. Phrasing, you say? Alright, Archer was sterling.
Marlon Byrd – Was traded to the Giants for a relief pitcher. Much like what Walt has done to Grey’s WS bet on the Reds this year, Jocketty is flipping the Byrd. This frees up some outfield space for Jason Bourgeois and perhaps a Jesse Winker siting in September. Outside of that, if you own Marlon, it’s probably a good time to drop him. PS, that note is for both Byrd owners and Wayans brothers.
Marcell Ozuna – Bae…Ozuna is back in style going for the slam & legs special, finishing the night going 2 for 4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs. There’s no monetary reason for Loria to futz with him again this year so pick up your doge-tionary and learn how you ‘Must Ozuna!’.
Martin Prado – Also went yard for the Marlins as Jerome Williams played the part of the reverse splits pinata he’s been all year. Fun fact! Jerome Williams backwards is Smailliw Emorej. Hrm, that’s not really fun but it is a fact. Better fun fact! Start righty bats against him despite your natural inclination.
Chris Owings – In a battle for sublehmacy for middle infielders in Arizona, Owings went 3/4 with a HR and 2 RBIs. It was against a lefty in a righty favorable park and he gets another lefty today. I heard that slide flute, you calm down mister!
Charlie Morton – Went 6.2 IP, K’ing 8 while not giving up a run for the win as the Pirates went on to shut down the Giants. Much like Simon’s start, there was no good reason to think this would go as well as it did and yet it did. Much like that Frozen song about eating bean burritos and being trapped in an elevator with your GF’s parents, let it go. Sorry if that’s inaccurate, I don’t have kids to force me into watching that movie.
Starling Marte – After opening the season looking like he was gonna go 30/30, Marte has slowed dramatically to return to what we were all expecting: a near 15/30 season. After nabbing 2 more bases on Thursday, he’s on pace for 19/33. Yup.
Alex Rodriguez – Gets the Denny’s senior citizen’s discount for his own slam and legs going 2/4 in the Yankees loss. Seriously, how do we not have a Denny’s sponsorship at this point? I mean, I won’t drink their coffee but I’m all about the Grand Slam Slugger meal. Grey, get the Cougs on the rotary phone and make this happen!
Miguel Sano – Hit his 10th HR on the year, going 2/4 with a walk, 3 runs, and 3 RBI while doing his best to make you draft him too high in 2016. He’s 22 and strikes out 34% of the time. To put that number in perspective, Chris Carter Ks 33% of the time in 2015. I know, I know, slide flute down sound. Obviously still a great keeper option, just don’t overpay in 2016, folks.
Joe Mauer – Goes 1/3 with 2 runs as he tries to prove that corners without power are still worthwhile in fantasy. He’s losing the fight. I can’t take an hour on the tower of Mauer, personally.
Kurt Suzuki – Went 3/5 with with 2 RBIs and 2 runs as the Twins demolished the Orioles, scoring 15 runs. Name a Twin and I’ll describe a good day. Eduardo Escobar? Check. Trevor Plouffe? Check. Byron Buxton? Ha, Ticker Tease! Ok, 1/6 with a run isn’t the worst thing to happen but it wasn’t what you were expecting from the leadoff hitter from the team with 15 runs. I stand by my Buxton Bias and double down at this point.
Jake McGee – For those worried about Brad Boxberger losing his closing role to McGee, your fears can subside…about Jake doing it, I mean. McGee may still be the bee’s knees but deez knees needz season ending surgery…z. Imagine if Pat Boone didn’t stop at trying to ruin metal and tried his hand at freestyle? You just got a mental taste of me spitting hot fire, friends; savor it. This bumps Xavier Cedeno and Steve Geltz up the bullpen depth chart and that’s the order I’d grab them in if I were stumping for some saves.
John Lamb – The line won’t look as pretty as it could’ve but John mostly shut down the Diamondbacks on Thursday, going 5 and 1/3 before giving up his final 2 runs while striking out 8. Lefties sometimes take time to develop and hit the majors so I wouldn’t silence this Lamb for future stream possibilities.
Mark Teixeira – Remained out of the lineup on Thursday due to to a bone bruise while Greg Bird continued to man first. Doctor Thorogood was unavailable for comment on just how bad to the bone the bruise was but it sounds like Bird could go from sitting pretty on the perch to a canary in a coalmine in a hurry.
Josh Tomlin – Held the Yankees to just one run over seven innings while striking out 6 and earning the win. Have you ever seen the movie Multiplicity? If you have, think of Tomlin as Doug Kinney #4. To clarify, Corey Kluber is Doug Kinney, Carlos Carrasco is copy #2, Danny Salazar is copy #3 and Trevor Bauer is a copy of Nuke Laloosh (planned for Multiplicity 2: Electric Baueraloo). Moving forward, I could see starting Josh in the right matchups but I wouldn’t be scrambling to grab him after this start.
Anthony Rizzo – Went 1/3 with his 24th HR, driving in three RBIs off rookie arm Mike Foltinewicz. Folty – as I call him because I’m too lazy to pronounce nor type more than three consonants often – gave up 7 ER but also K’d 6 through 4.2 IP. Wanna know what Folty reminds me of? A young Scherzer. Power fastball, lack of control and all the talent in the world. Will he harness it? Well, 2015 isn’t the time to decide but I can promise you he’ll a sleeper on a million sites heading into 2016.
Junichi Tazawa – Earned his second save in a row after Boston had initially declared Jean Machi the closer when Tazawa crapped on my RCL Perts stats and forced me to drop him. Don’t cry for me Argentina, I had Tommy Kahnle go in for the finishing move later. I’m all better now in a ‘you can’t kill me, I’m already dead’ kind of way.
Hector Olivera – Returned to the Atlanta AAA lineup on Thursday which sounds like I’m making fun of the Braves lineup (and I kinda am) but I really mean he returned to their AAA affiliated team. Grey put Hector down as a buy as recently as last Friday (which unless you’re referring to the movie was a mere 7 days ago) and I stand by his assessment if you’re in need of corner infielder help at ESPN or a sanity check on whether you can spell his name right on Yahoo…yeah, he doesn’t exist there.
Tyler Duffey – Went 7.2 IP while striking out 10 and walking none while giving up 10 hits that lead to 2 ERs in the win over Minnesota. I see Tyler the same way as I see Scuzzlebutt and his Patrick Duffy leg, i.e. there ain’t nothing real here. Stream at your own risk.
Yohan Flande – Won the pitching duel in Coors vs Max Scherzer. Say that five more times and it still won’t make sense to you. Both the Rockies and the Nationals offense have been softer than pillsbury dough of late. Streaming against them in any environment outside of anti-gravity chambers might be the best for you.
A.J. Pollock – Went 3/4 with an RBI and a steal as he slowly but surely becomes the cheap Starling Marte that Grey dreamed of in his Cryogenic chamber way back when in his A.J. Pollock Sleeper post. I’d talk up my Diamondback sleeper post here but Rubby De La Rosa just ain’t doing it right now.
John Axford – Earned the save in his return to the closer role going an inning while striking out the side, albeit with a walk and a hit. As a former Axford owner this year, enjoy a couple of saves, a lot of heartache, and alot more whip/ERA inflation down the road.
Anibal Sanchez – Will go on the 15 day DL with right rotator cuff inflammation which surely read as ‘slight rotisserie ERA inflation’ by his owners. He has a 4.99 ERA this year, so really the only reason to talk about him was the bad joke in the first sentence. Carry on.
Patrick Corbin – Went just 2 innings, giving up 8 hits while giving up 4 ER. If you were enjoying his return from TJS, stop it. This kind of thing takes time and I’d play Corbin Bernsen at 3rd before I played Patrick at this point.
Eugenio Suarez – Went 3/4 with 2 RBIs from the two spot to follow up his 2/4 with an RBI from Wednesday. He’s the hottest of middle infielders or in deep league thoughts speak, your number one waiver wire choice. There’s nothing to fall in love with here. Much like Bill Hicks would tell you, it’s just a ride. Enjoy it, don’t take it too seriously, and feel free to hop off when it’s no longer fun. Oooh and personal note, make sure to buy an elephant ear! They’re the best!
Aaron Altherr – Scored a run while going 1/4 with a double and a walk. Wanna know what prospect could be your OF5 down the stretch and play like an OF3? This guy. Wait, no, not me. I mean the guy bolded at the start of this blurb. Y’all take me too literally, therein lies the first problem.
Jose Abreu – Put his 49.3% GB rate to the max, producing 3 RBIs from a mere 1/5 night. This takes me back to a simpler time when I told you not to draft Danny Santana nor Kennys Vargas while simultaneously telling you not to overdraft The Grande Dolor due to BABIP Regression Fairies. OK, Grey added the fairies. He’s like the John Woo of fantasy baseball but replaces the doves with people smaller than him (but just barely).
Miguel Cabrera – Went 2/2 with 2 walks, 2 singles and 2 runs scored with an RBI. Really had zero reason to type any of that other than people keep trying to tell me Mike Trout is the best hitter in baseball and then I see him go 0/4 with 4 Ks and fart while laughing. We’re all gonna be feeling very Cinderella when the time comes…
Guido Knudson – Got called up by the Tigers yesterday to target the apparently large Scan-douche-navian population in Detroit that appreciates GTL and covering everything with lingonberry jam.
Sky!!
Top shelf performance, bro. First star among many, at least three.
a. I see JB’s sleeper pick finally got a win. Good for Tomlin fantasy owners everywhere.
b. Not much happening. I hope Abreu can play better than he has from here on out.
c. NORM MACDONALD quote of the day:
‘Dance like nobody’s watching, sing like nobody’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt before and f*kc like a retard.’
Happy TGIF.
Cheers,
Ante
HA! Notice Norm is now the Colonel for KFC commercials? Not sure if you get those where you’re at but jarring doesn’t begin to describe it.
@Sky: is he really, I thought it was darrell hammond?
Very random, weird shift this month. Not sure of the full details. Maybe it was their plan to cycle through former SNL guys all along? Just as long as it’s not Chris Katan, I am fine with this.
@Sky: if norm is in the background while katan’s going it might even be better as long as they have sensitive enough mics and don’t do a retake.
I stand by my anti-Katan bias
@Sky: Katan could play the chicken in the commercial.
HA
Sano 10th* homer
Oops, fixed!
Sky, I got a kick out of you taking care of the fangraphs commenter earlier this week!
McGee being out hurts me in my holds league. He’s been great. In a holds league do you still like cedeno over Geltz? My bullpen has been great and I just read that Chapman may have a shoulder issue as well. Have you heard this at all?
Thanks!
Ha, *tips cap*
Chapman news came later than I wrote last night but I’m seeing it now. Hoover the stash there. Geltz may have more holds upside
ROS – How would you rank:
Axford
Rondon
Tazawa
@Mr. Rickey: taz, ron, ax
Rondon/Tazawa/Axford
@Sky: that took care of half a question below.
Corbin, Wood, Chen, Smyly, and Rubby
Pick one for ROS
Chen
@Kendrick Llama: they are streamers
What up Sky?
Nice to see you filling in.
You trusting Rodon this weekend @SEA? This league has a ton of ratios(K/9, BB/9, K/BB) as categories, makes me nervous, but I could use the start.
I’m also streaming Rasiel on Sunday, though it’s against the Diamondbacks and they are always dangerous
Yo and thanks! I don’t trust Rodon at all this year so I’d sit him or drop him if it’s not a keeper. Raisel has been nice on the K side of things.
@Sky: Yes Rasiel has been good for a while now.
So , with Rodon, I have some not so fun choices this weekend, and I need starts.
Heaney vs. TOR
Ventura @ BOS
Rodon @ SEA
which 2 are least likely to drop a nuclear bomb on my ratios? I’m not pleased with my choices, of course, but such is life.
Yuck…if I had to sit one and not all I’d have to sit Heaney
@Sky: Yuck indeed. Thanks, Sky. Have a good weekend!
No worries and good luck!
There are two weak spots on my roster that I’d like your opinion on:
12 team H2H 7×7 (league includes OBP/K & QS/L)
Replace Revere (seriously no steals???) with any of these guys:
Bradley
Shaw
Beltran
Asdrubal
Alvarez
Dyson
Blanco
Replace Heston with:
Raisel Iglesias
Niese
Karns
DeSclafani
Miley
Eovaldi
Replace Bruce Rondon with:
Tazawa
Doolittle
Romo
Pomeranz
Thanks!
@ashtray: Also include Ozuna and John Lamb in there.
Thanks again
same issue as before re: Ozuna vs Revere and what is it you’re trying to do. I’d go Ozuna then.
Lamb is a stream like all the others.
@ashtray: And Buxton.
I’m freakin annoying.
No worries, I stand by what I said above. Your league is very thin, you shouldn’t worry about grabbing and holding, you should be playing matchups.
Really a question of what are you trying to replace Revere with, i.e. what cats are you expecting. Those are all very different players with different uses. In a vacuum, I’d go Bradley
They’re all stream arms, re: Heston. Should play matchups. Like Karns the most out of them all, though.
Re: Rondon, Pomeranz
Beef Wellington is letting me down. Time to cut bait? He was OPS’ing for me gloriously for a couple of weeks.
@Elliot: I’d bailed on him last night.
You can
Was the Tazawa line a veiled Undertaker shout out? Who ya got, Taker or Lesnar on Sunday?
Ha, not a wrestling fan so no. Got nothing for ya, sorry.
Hey Sky,
Shallow 10 Teamer
a) I’ve got Kolten and Rendon (even Hanley) stinking up the joint.
Do you have faith in them righting the ship this season, or should I begin looking elsewhere?
The wire includes (position eligibility shouldnt be an issue):
Ozuna, Odor, Fowler, Shaw, Maybin
b) Thoughts on Corbin going forward?
Like any of these guys over him:
Iglesias, Rodon, Smyly, DHolland, EROD
Or I could grab one of the bats mentioned above and roll with an extra batter until I sort that situation out.
Thanks!
@J:
a) Hold
b) Meh…I’d roll with an extra batter (i.e., Ozuna) till you found a match-up you liked.
a) I have faith in Kolten still. Hanley is just lazy and Rendon just never got in a groove this year; Fowler/Ozuna/Odor/Maybin/Shaw
b) He’s coming back from TJS and he’s not Jose Fernandez. I wouldn’t touch him and I’d take any of those guys over him at this point. I’ll take DHolland for now
Roger Dorn almost messed the whole thing up for the Tribe back in ’89! Dudes a douche. Anythehoo, yeah Corbin didn’t look so good yesterday. The SON liked him quite a bit, but Dr. Andrews said their would be days like this, and yesterday just happened to be one of them. I would say he’s fine to drop & stream in the 10-Teamers or shallower, but I’d have him on a short leash as he can be filthy on any given night.
There was an informal poll this week about Sano’s 2016 ranking, I’m too lazy to go back and check the archives, but I think he fell somewhere after Adam Jones, but before Kyle Schwarber. Is that about right? Yes, or sano’?
Appreciate the write-up.
@Slim Nincompoop: Ha, good ‘ole Dorn…the jerk! Agree with you on Corbin, just no reason for anyone to get overly invested outside keeper leagues at this point.
Ha, not sure on the informal poll, didn’t catch it. All I can say is yikes. If his stats settle over the remaining 5 weeks, I might change my mind.
Thanks for reading!
Believe it or not, that 2 IP game was not his shortest start even this month.
@Fungazi: ^ Corbin that is
@Fungazi: oh I believe. I think I streamed the shorter stint.
isn’t John Woo the one with the pigeons?
I dropped Vogt for Castillo a while back but Wellington has been more “where’s the beof” than the answer to that question. if you were me would you make things right with Vogt or try to find greener pastures with realmuto or swihart or pierzinski?
@farcus: Dah, originally off the cuff wrote Ang Lee then googled it and only half edited. Fixed now, thanks!
Unless you have extended waivers, I’d just play matchups or pick up the hottest bat of the five. No reason to get married to your catcher at this stage.
Wow, two Wellington questions already. It’s going to be an exciting Friday.
@Cram It: It’s always exciting when you’re here, Cram.
@Sky: I’m the Jerry Lawler to your Michael Cole. Or something. I don’t know, I don’t watch wrestling.
You and me both. Thought you were referencing a law firm with those names.
@Sky: Those aren’t Jew names. (I can say Jew, I’m half Jewish.)
How are you doing in NFBC? I remember you started strong.
Ha just the sound of the names. Is being Jewish part of passing the bar exam?
I’m still in first by 10 but I’m not running away with it by any means. You?
@Sky: I don’t think you’re allowed to take it unless you’ve had a Barmitzvah.
Nice brah! Impressive. I’m in the middle of the pack and will probably stay there. I can’t maximize AB’s because half my offense has been demoted or DL’d. Thought my pitching would be my strength but it’s been a major disappointment.
Yeah, I can easily say this format has its skill requirements but overall, there’s too much talent not rostered with the no FA rules. I get the premise but the big thing about my team is that it’s stayed healthier than most and I have a deep enough pitching staff where I don’t have to panic. I don’t think I’ve had one week where I’ve had to start a DL’d guy or have a major empty roster spot. Now watch my team crap the bed for the next 5 weeks…
@Sky: Skill for sure. Takes a lot of keen drafting. I thought late round picks like Miguel Castro, Folty, Grichuk and Rosario seemed like real coups at one point or another. But yeah, the luck with avoiding the injury bug is more key than anything else as far as I can tell.
Yeah, I had zero upside on my bench outside of Billy Burns and most of my upside arms I drafted late are on the DL right now. I mean, Logan Forsythe in round 50 has been my big steal. Consistent ABs win out vs going for youth/upside from what I’ve seen. Unless, of course, you can stay healthy the whole way then your team could be monstrous.
@Sky: You better have gotten Burns! You talked about him enough preseason. I do see where I could improve after the first go ’round. Take it easy on the upside guys and not waste 5 or 6 spots on MR’s. It’s obvious now how useless those guys.
Burns had the opportunity built out before him; he just needed to capitalize and he’s already paid back his asking price, I’d say.
Yeah, I took some pointers from Rudy about MRs. I only took 3 relievers in Jansen/Robertson/Walden. They just don’t give you enough innings in a league like this to affect your bottom line enough plus they really hurt trying to build out pitching depth since they waste a roster spot.
Upside here and there is fine but I saw it go way too early and way too often in my draft. I mean, Grady Sizemore wasn’t a sexy draft pick but he’s got way more ABs so far this year than Corey Seager.
What do you guys think about Polanco’s draft position next year? He’s been on fire. Seems like he could be very similar to Marte next year.
@Random Dude: Haven’t scoped that far ahead personally but I could see him being a top 75 pick, perhaps a top 50 if someone were being bold.
@Random Dude: I hope he is, just acquired him in a keeper for crazy cheap. I think at worst he is two years from “arriving”. He’s showing flashes though which is a good sign.
Sit/start this weekend?
Carrasco @ NYY
Rubby @ CIN
Smyly @ OAK
Erasmo @ OAK
Harvey @ COL
Gausman vs MIN
Iglesias vs ARI
Zimmermann vs MIL
@Jon:
Carrasco @ NYY Start
Rubby @ CIN Sit
Smyly @ OAK Sit
Erasmo @ OAK Start
Harvey @ COL Sit
Gausman vs MIN Start
Iglesias vs ARI Start
Zimmermann vs MIL Start
Nice work Sky, I always enjoy your write-ups when you fill-in.
Fixed the Jerome Williams blurb for you here though:
“Better fun fact! Start ALL bats against him.”
So, has Salfino really “had fun with you all in a month with Burns”? Still playing daily, still doing what he does. He’s arguably the best pick-up I’ve made in the ECFBL this year. I was dead last in SBs as of May 3rd. That’s the day I added Burns, currently I’m 2nd in the category. He’s not the only reason, surely, but he hasn’t hurt any.
@MattTruss: Ha, poor Jerome! It’s all true.
Ha, at the time, Buxton wasn’t injured so it’s hard to say what the state of that might’ve been. I’m just not a Buxton guy, wasn’t coming into the year. Burns has been an OF savior for my NFBC team. In the draft I was told that I didn’t have enough speed to keep up in steals based on projections. Pretty sure I’m currently at least 3rd if not second.
Shaw, pisscotty, maybin….
11 team roto
All three are util guys for me but I need to drop one. In first in a few batting categories except RBI, AVG, Steals. Need these categories the most. Who would you drop of the 3?
@Knucks: I also have C. Hernandez for steals. Was thinking more RBI from pisscotty/shaw and steals from Hernandez maybe make maybin most expendable? What do you think on maybin vs Caesar for steal rest of the way? Who has more and is it close?
@Knucks: wanted to add ozuna over pisscotty, shaw, maybin, c Hernandez I guess is what I’m really asking.
@Knucks: add Ozuna over Shaw
Bill Hicks drops? Electric Bauerloo? A classic sky twitter discussion? Reninding us how short Grey is? Closing out with Cinderella video? I feel like this was written just for me. Please tell me I’m not in the Skytrix. Great coverage today.
@J-FOH: When the hot latina with the big booty walks by and then the face glitches and turns into me, you’ll know. And thanks!
@Sky: I thought I knew those smells from somewhere before
Actually, Corbin’s shortest outing was on 8/6 when he blessed my team with 3 ER, 6 hits and 2BB over 1 and a 3rd
@I love You Wong Time: Yeah, I think I got to enjoy that myself.
Here is my roster conundrum: I typically start 2 RPs from the group of Giles, KRod, Perkins. This upcoming scoring period, I have many 2-start SPs and have to decide between starting J. Garcia and Liriano with one RP or simply Liriano and two RPs. I can’t sit Liriano because of bench salary cap unless Perkins is healthy…which I am not too clear on. Do I roll with just one RP…probably KRod…or sit Garcia?
Thanks.
@Oranje: Not sure of either guy’s matchup so it’s hard for me to answer this in full. In a vacuum, I’d go Liriano and 2 RPs
Permission to drop Gardner for Inciarte? Gardner has been so bad, but I just know someone will pick him up and he will get hot for the fantasy playoffs in a couple weeks. scratching to try to get a bye in the playoffs. I’m 4.5 GB the last bye and have a matchup against that team next week. Inciarte has a full seven games at home next week, including matchups against RHPs on Monday and Thursday (when I would definitely start him, since those are short schedule days).
@F.K.A. Ralph: Sounds like a relatively thin league, go for it.
@Sky: 10 TM, 30 man rosters with 12 starters on offense (4 OFs and 2 Util). Most teams have 1-2 bench hitters. my bench right now is Rendon and Gardner. I’m starting Schoop at 2B and McCutchen, Blackmon, Fowler, Khris Davis, and Pederson in my OF and Util slots.
Gotcha. If that’s the case I wouldn’t do it. Inciarte is part of the OF carousel
I am in a strange spot where the two categories in which I have the best shot of picking up quick points are SB and OPS. Right now my lineup is as follows:
C- Santana
1B- Goldschmidt
2b- Betts
3B- Alvarez
SS- Bogaerts
OF- Upton
OF- A. Jones
OF- Calhoun
UTIL – Encarnacion
Bench – Bruce, C. Hernandez
I am thinking of maybe swapping Alvarez for a better speed option. I can play Bogaerts at 3B and am thinking of either playing Hernandez full-time at SS or picking up Lindor or A. Ramirez and dropping Hernandez. I could also wait for Herrera to clear waivers and grab him to play short.
With respect to OF, I am thinking of dropping Bruce and picking up either Polanco, Fowler or Eaton to rotate with (or replace) Calhoun.
Again, sort of a strange position to be in. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.
@tank1: If you need steals, pick up Polanco. Rotate Pedro to your bench. Fowler over Calhoun for some added SB help.
The owners in my league appear to be asleep at the wheel when it comes to new closers. I just picked up Tazawa to replace my lost McGee, and now I have Tazawa, Boxberger, Robertson, Papelbon, Giles, and Jepsen. Pomeranz is also available, so do I drop Jepsen for him?
@Dingbat: Go for it
Sky, Nice write up. I sure hope Byrd gets regular PT in SFO as I need him in our NFBC league (I am in 2nd place, but I doubt I will catch you).
In another league, I need to start thinking about keepers next year. It’s a 6×6, 12-team league (we don’t use AVG, but OBP and SLG), and there is no cost to keepers, but we have to keep only 6 (at least two must be pitchers).
Looks like I will be keeping Encarnacion and Polanco again, my other two hitters are a mess. Which two would you consider of these:
Maikel Franco
Marcell Ozuna
Jorge Soler
Randall Grichuk
Wil Myers
Joey Gallo
Matt Duffy (Hensley Meulens must be a genius or something!)
Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Thanks Kirk! I wouldn’t say that so fast, RE: NFBC. I’ve had health on my side all year is all. If your team gets healthy and hot down the stretch, anything could happen.
Ooph yeah, I see what you mean. I’d go with Ozuna and Soler, personally. Duffy has been great, but I wouldn’t call him keeper material.
@Sky: Thanks, but there is one more name I forgot to mention…Addison Russell. Is he keeper worthy yet?
Right now no, but let’s see how the final month plays out for him.
Ten years from now after he has turned your cities into ruins and laid waste to your sanctuaries, Miguel Sano will look down upon you from his perch as an annual first-round fantasy pick and smile at your evaluations.
Ha, he’ll still try and smite thee 3 times before actually making contact, though!
@Sky: Hehe
Ozuna or Carlos Gomez the rest of the way?
Still like Gomez just a hair
@Sky: Has CarGom fallen that far to be “only a hair” over a recently called-up Ozuna? Sheeesh.
Yeah, last podcast *I was on* we talked about him. Just hasn’t stayed healthy this year. Just one of those things.
Domingo Santana getting the call today. With one eye open I added danny santana everywhere, then realized, hey wait domingo dont play no short
You might be better off playing Danny anyway
@Sky: Let me ruin my team with the new Baez
The new adventures of the old Baez
@Sky: very underrated show, her ex-husband was quite funny
I honestly never watched it, just always thought the title was funny. Have no doubt Elaine had herself a good show, though. Very talented.
@Sky: it had its moments, the guy from agents of the shield was her ex
Nice, I don’t watch many tv shows unless I can stream them.
@Sky: I recently splurged and got a nicer tablet and have been balls deep in netflix
Don’t lie, you’re balls deep in Pornhub
I said tablet, PH is on the laptop
@J-FOH: Ha!
Do you like Conforto or Cuddyer for the Mets at Coors?
Id expect Cuddy in vs lefties so it will depend on who the Rockies are throwing out there
@Sky: The Rockies are not doing us any favors by starting a rightie, then a leftie. How inconsiderate!
@Scott: Ha, jerks! All of’um!
Sky,
Yeah the Simon thing is a total mind F*uck. I did a Cubby’s & Rangers’s LH stack last night and needless to say it was an embarrassment. It was a complete loss as Arrieta & Archer got it done on the bump, but man Simon giving up 12 of his 14 HR to lefties and the way he was pitching I thought was a slam dunk, but apparently it was more like a Shaq free throw…. BRICK!!!…… Oh well, stay calm and carry on, who you got today?
Yeah, I didn’t have time to build my Marlins stack so I had lots of Cubby exposure (sans Rizzo) and Corbin so my night finished pretty early anyway. Haven’t fully looked into the slate but right now, I’m looking at the Nats vs Brewers. Like both pitchers, will be a price point question. For contrarian GPP goes, I’m considering Chris Davis (he has some tasty reverse splits) and I’d like a little Colby Lewis exposure if I’m building multiple lineups. His stats border on elite vs right handed bats.
@Sky: Yeah Corbin hurt me in my weekly league. Lots of good pitching tonight, I’m hoping Lackey in SD is an under the radar pick and I like me some Sano vs Chen. Having trouble with 2b & SS, not feeling a whole lot. Wong at $3,100 seems decent
So many big name arms tonight, Lackey probably will go underowned. Not a personal target of mine, actually looking at going off the rails a bit and taking Rubby. Gio or Nelson are my SP1s in GPP tonight, that’s all I can say on that front. I kinda like Bassitt but trying to listen in and see if he’s under the radar or not. Haven’t heard any buzz on him.
2B I’m kinda paying up. Looking at taking Zobrist at his price point because anyone with $4,400 will pay for Daniel Murphy without thinking. SS I currently have Alcides but will probably change that once lineups come out and I see where certain guys are in the LU.
@Sky: I like Nelson too and Gio has been dealing as of late. I’ve never rostered Tanaka, so I’m going to jump in on him tonight and pair him with Jimmy boy, I need to mix it up cause I’m a little cooler than I like to be on the week. I liked Zobrist match-up, but I at $4,400 I ended up skimping on 2b to go with Machado as I ended up going with Goldie over Crush.
Nelson
Tanaka
Posey
Goldie
Owings
Sano
Drew
Blackmon
Byrd
Paulsen
Sale
Lackey
Ramos
Paulsen
Rendon
Machado
Tomlinson
Blackmon
Byrd
Tomas
Interesting, I have a lot of Byrd exposure, too. Here’s my current rendition:
Price
Nelson
Hundley
Davis
Zobrist
Kelly Johnson
Tomlinson
Byrd
Cruz
Tyler Collins
@Sky: Byrd is the Wyrd! I took Cruz in the late night set, LAA has been awful and Price looks to cash in on that.
When I have time to fully research, I go look at how guys are doing in wRC+ over a small set of time (looked at August today). For that reason, I needed Davis and Cruz in my life today. I just think Locke is trash and will wilt vs MadBum tonight. Not huge on Tomlinson but he’s pretty much min sal.
Definitely on Price. Kinda like Rubby but not sure the K upside is there with him right now.
Looking back, the Mets had this lineup vs. Jon Gray:
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. Daniel Murphy (L) 3B
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) CF
4. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
5. Kelly Johnson (L) 2B
6. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
7. Michael Conforto (L) LF
8. Jon Niese (L) P
9. Ruben Tejada (R) SS
If they’re smart, they’ll fit in as many lefty bats as they can. That lineup looks about right for tonight.
Who do you prefer ROS in a redraft: R HR RBI SB BB AVG
Michael Taylor or Joc Pederson?
Joc
Thoughts on starting him today vs Toronto? Thanks.
Assuming you’re referencing your name as who you’re starting and by ‘Santiago’ I’m assuming you mean Hector. Toronto leads the league in team wRC+ against lefties. I’ll pass.
@Sky: All of your assumptions are correct, thanks!
Word!
did dan pants quit? it’s been a few weeks with jay/sky filling in.
@Mobin Couldn’t Hack It: nevermind, today is only friday, so you’re filling in for Grey not the Sat guy. Are you doing the add/drop feature as well?
ha, sorry, was on the back end of the site and didn’t catch this. Grey will be out with his usual buy post in the afternoon.
@Mobin Couldn’t Hack It: Dan Pants MIA, Grey in NYC (hope he’s not taking a train up to Bristol), “Our pets heads are FALLING OFF”!
Dan Pants doesn’t write on Fridays. He might’ve, though, not sure.
10 team NL-only, redraft, H2H, R/HR/RBI/RC/SB/OPS points. Playoffs run through October 5th.
My bench is completely disgraceful listed:
Giancarlo Stanton
Corey Dickerson
Hunter Pence
Randal Grichuk
Howie Kendrick
Clearly Stanton stays- who can I drop? I’m starting Melvin freaking Upton right now, I guess Aaron Altherr could be a better option but I’d like to have one substitute.
Kendrick is the drop there
@Evro: Agree with Sky, Kendrick or Pence.
Kipnis for Salazar in H2H redraft?
Needs question. If you need starting pitching and can afford to give up Kipnis, sure.
12 team league with OPS and net steals over steals. I got rendon off waivers last night, with last move of the week do i
1. get odor dropping melky or avisail?
2. get ozuna dropping melky or avisail?
odor is coming of waivers too so say if i should do 2 if i can’t do 1. roster is
beef welington/ramos (2 catcher league)
rizzo
cesar H
son of donald
suarez
CI valencia
MI rendon
LF upton
CF marte
RF avisail
OF deshields
util k.davis
BN byrd/melky
I’d go with option 2/Melky
@Mike Hunt’s Honorable Discharge: just noticing that i can’t drop avisail since i’d only have 1 RF. so it’s just about whether or not melky gets dropped.
@Mike Hunt’s Honorable Discharge: also, coghlan out there, him or ozuna? i could easily bench coghlan for lefties with 2 backups.
Ozuna
Yeah, drop Melky
@Sky: sorry,another one here. cargo 2 (HOU) just got dropped and comes off sunday. he’s been terrible since joining HOU and probably still has the same hip issue he had earlier and is likely why NYM nixed trade for him (there were two rumors about why NYM didn’t finish that deal that was in place, the hip, and something about NYM being cheap, both of course could be true)
Ozuna
Sky, that Fielder bit had me on the floor.
Would you recommend Ramos or Smith for save opps and solid ratios ROS?
Haha, thanks! Glad you enjoyed and definitely.
@Sky: Cool, thanks! Do you have a preference between the two, or SAGNOF? I feel like the Mariners SPs tend to ensure more close games and save opps, but concerned about the ever-looming Rodney. MIA meanwhile, has a really nice ROS schedule against similarly bad teams.
Oops, my bad. I’d stay with Ramos
@Sky: No prob! Thanks again – makes a lot of sense, especially for my H2H playoffs, by which time Stanton should be back in that lineup.
Word, good luck!
@Sky: Thanks! Secured a first round bye in that league + sitting in first in my roto work league, both thanks solely to the Church of Razzball!
When I first started playing a few years ago, thanks to my friends not explaining the strategy to me, I drafted a team as if I were fielding a regular team (complete with long relievers, LOOGYs, backup catchers, true “utility” players, and Rickie Weeks as my starting 2B), yet literally went from last to first once I discovered Razzball in the 2nd half of the season…
Pollock now is No. 3 on the ESPN player rater, behind Greinke and Goldy. What the Pollock?!? Glad I have him.
I drank the Tropeana Juice the SON was passing out yesterday and woke up with an inflamed ERA. Need to stream a QS — trust Hendricks today against the Braves?
Ha, wish I did!
Yesterday was opposite day for pitching, I can attest to that. Hendricks can probably get the job done for a QS. Just don’t expect a big game from him and you should be fine.
@PhilOssieB: Pollock is #14 overall, but the 3rd ranked OF’d. Still good as shizz. Hendricks will be fine, but don’t expect spectacular as Sky alluded to.
woo hoo I got mentioned in the lede, well sort of….
HA!
@Sky: Good work Sky, Its nice to have you over here slumming on the baseball side for a change.
14 team H2H fighting for playoffs. losing ERA (but we’re both terrible this week and it’s competitive), whip by large margin, down 2 saves, 1 win, winning losses by 1, winning K’s by 4. i have 7 starts left this week
fiers vs LAD
hendricks vs ATL
price @ LAA
smyly @ OAK
j.ross vs MIL
nola @ MIA
hammel vs ATL
liriano vs SF
with the first 4 being today. we have 3 SP slots and 2 P slots and 2 RP slots.
Opp’s starts left for week
shelby @ CUBS
sale @ SEA
jungmann @ WAS
harvey @ COL
I seem to have enough starts left to hold onto K’s probably. esp if opp gets scared off of harvey’s @ COL. Better off benching 1 SP today (first 4 listed are today’s) for 4th closer (it’d be rondon), or making sure i try my most to win K’s and leave all of them in. Fiers or Hendricks is bench if the first (by SON numbers), but smyly hasn’t been good yet.
2. With last move left on week add Tazawa over Rondon (Rondon is only on roster in case perkins doesn’t come back, i have 5 closers right now for 4 spots) or drop J.Ross if he’s shitty again tomorrow for one of tomlin/peavy/c.anderson/happ/sabathia/rea? Ross was so good for so long SON still loves him. 6 good starts in a row vs last 2 bad.
Hendricks/Ross/Liriano/Price/Fiers/Smyly/Hammel
2) Tazawa. Sounds like you need to play matchups if you drop Ross, not really a grab and hold move there. Ross’ last start wasn’t bad to begin. The MIL matchup will be a turning point on whether or not to keep him, though.
@Sky: above i saw you rank rondon over tazawa.
so by your ranking you’d bench smyly today to play Rondon as 4th closer then? and assume my 4 K lead and 6-4 start amount would hold up my K’s i guess.
Every question has context. I don’t think that question has any bearing on your question.
@Sky: ok, so rondon for ROS, but till the likely perkins comes back tazawa. This i’m guessing is since you either think BOS gets less saves ROS vs DET, or maybe you think Tazawa has less job security than Rondon, or both.
Both bullpens are fluid but I think the Tigers want Rondon as their closer of the future so he’ll have a longer leash. Tazawa is Boston’s setup man and they seem to like him there if they can afford it.
Start shaw vs cueto, werth vs nelson, Ramos vs nelson, wong vs cashner. Pick two
Wong/Shaw
20 team league. need innings, few DL spots. annabelle has been trash, but i’m not sure buchholez comes back either. drop which to grab a SP. options are miley (very good lately, but SON hates him), peavy, tomlin, happ, sabathia or just stream from these?
Just stream
Thoughts on Mcculless ROS. Worth adding in a 14 team h2h? I would be able to use him as a last round keeper next yr too. Would probably be dropping Wood for him.
I’m fine with McCullers over Wood, worth it for the K upside
@Sky: How about Trea Turner, just saw he got the callup. Is he going to get everyday AB’s?
He’s not even in the lineup today so I doubt he gets a lot of playing time
Ozuna or Duda ROS?
How bout for next year?
Thanks!
I think Duda is hurt or was hurt and ‘lost it’. I’d give Ozuna the edge there moving forward. Better overall prospect
in NL only, with no ratios, just counting stuff. bj upton/t.turner/sweeney/blanco (PHI)/janikowski. i missed out on d.santana by minutes just now. supposedly rotoworld says janikowski will start in CF over upton, but upton’s been hitting for like the first time in 3 years or so. rest of roster
hundley
rizzo
owings
rendon (3B when pedro’s off)
rollins
MI flores
CI duda
OF marte/bruce/cespedes/piscotty
util alonso/schwarber
BN pedro/bj upton
DL franco
@Montezuma’s Revenge… right now: it was pick one of bj upton/t.turner/sweeney/blanco (PHI)/janikowski (not the kicker)
Ha, you could go Janikowski for steals and hope he plays a bunch.