Player Page Matches

A Ridiculously Early 2014 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Recap, Rounds 11-25

December 26, 2013 | Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy | 71 Comments

by: Jay

Before we get this post-Festivus celebration of the back-end of this mock-u-mentiful draft going, I’d like to pass along a special thanks to our very own Grey Albright and Bryan Curley of Baseball Professor for setting up this multi-site super exposition of this crazy idea, because I apparently have nothing else to with my time during the off-season. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then you can find the Round 1-5 Recap by clicking on this linkadink. For the Round 6-10 Recap, go ahead and marvel at this linkadink. For the complete results, you can check them out here. (Dat nineties website design, bro.) So let's go to the jump and get this present unwrapped. HOLIDAY THEMES!

Song Of “Yo, That’s Sick, Pence”

September 16, 2013 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 434 Comments

by: Grey

[player]Hunter Pence[/player] has the manic energy of a gangly man-bird. On average, Hunter Pence's home run trots last about 20 seconds. So in the last week, he's run for about minute and twenty seconds while the rest of the world has watched, thinking, "I wonder if he was raised by a pack of pink flamingos." One time during a trip to the zoo, Hunter Pence got separated from his human family for two hours. He was eventually found in the aviary section of the zoo chewing popcorn and spitting it into a baby bird's mouth. Those two hours were wiped from all zoo surveillance cameras so it was never accounted for, but anyone who has seen the gangly man-bird run probably can figure out that Hunter Pence was trying to reproduce with an ostrich or some other tall bird. This week he shedded more than feathers. He lost the OCD tissue boxes he's worn on his feet most of the season and went power crazy: 6 homers in the last week with two coming on Sunday. Hunter Pence said thank you to his H2H owners for believing in this half-bird creature. For next year, I think he's bound to disappoint as his speed evaporates and goes back to where it was prior to this season (the 10-12-steal range), but for now enjoy a bird/guy who was an afterthought in drafts and has turned into a top five outfielder, according to our Player Rater. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Encarncidone

September 12, 2013 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 346 Comments

by: Grey

Say it's not so News Report! News Report, "I'm sorry, Grey, your handsomeness and mustache make me want to lie to you, but [player]Edwin Encarnacion[/player] is probably being shut down for the year." Is it because anything I did? "No, you've gone above and beyond anything I could've hoped for. Thanks for the $10 marathon donation too. A real mensch, you are!" I could've done without the second reminder to donate on Facebook. "Can we discuss this privately?" So, players are dropping like flies. Not those African tsetse flies that have been known to live for six months after they burrow into your skull. They're dropping like fruit flies near your backyard bug zapper. In most leagues, I'd lose Encarnacion immediately. Blue Jays Manager said Edwin's probably done for the year, and even if he returns, he's dealing with a sore wrist, which is, ya know, not good for hitting. Comatose Blue Jays Fan, "At least he'll be ready for the playoffs! Right?" Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

RCL Update: August 27

August 27, 2013 | Our Leagues | 14 Comments

by: VinWins

Mauledbypandas is back in first place for the first time since June 3rd. His team hit .289 this week with 44 runs and 43 RBI. Their 2.43 ERA lowered their season ERA to 2.99. A Hill O’ Beans dropped to second, 1-and-a-half back. They hit .284 this week with 16 home runs, and recorded 11 saves and a WHIP of 0.97 on the pitching side. Check out the Master Standings (you can also access them via the Leagues menu up top) to see where your team ranks in comparison to the other 767 teams through Sunday. The page now includes sortable stats.

Marco Estrada No Es Tostada

August 26, 2013 | Daily Notes | 457 Comments

by: Rudy Gamble

It was about a half year ago that Grey threw all his chips into the pot on [player]Marco Estrada[/player]. Man-crushed him onto just about every team we co-manage (along with the deviated septumet) as well as his Razzball Commenter League team. Well, this looked like a lost season for ol' Marco when he went on the Disgraceful List in early June while sporting a 5.32/1.36 in 69 IP. Combined with Ryan Braun's suspension and the inevitable 2nd half regressions for Gomez/Segura, Milwaukee has been as relevant to fantasy baseball fans as the city is for travelers intolerant of lactose, cheap domestic beer, and drag queens masquerading as a young Penny Marshall. Under this shroud of yawnonymity, Marco Estrada's season is beginning to rise from the ashes like Bud Selig's toupee at that fateful windy hometown barbecue that's now annually celebrated as Furrywurst Day. Estrada went 7 IP in a tough matchup (@CIN) and gave up 3 baserunners (1 H, 2 BB) and K'd 9 Reds. That's his 3rd solid start in his last 4 and that includes an @TEX + home vs. STL. He's definitely worth a pickup for the homestretch if only to see if he can pitch well enough to convince Grey to double down on Estrada in 2014. In other news...

Forever Young

August 17, 2013 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 56 Comments

by: Jay

Rod Stewart knows how to pick venues. Masterful choice.

Hey now, somebody likes someone, or so says Marc Topkin, who, by-the-way, sounds like a X-Wing pilot. He has reported that there is mutual interest between [player]Delmon Young[/player] and the Tampa Bay Rays. Ooo-la-la. They should get a room to rekindle the fire that once burned. Hopefully not in Tampa, because I've been there. It has bridges and old people. That's... about... it. However, there are two things that I can say about this that are rock solid facts. First, Delmon Young is most certainly hanging out on your waiver wire. Maybe throwing bats at people. As pictured above, hopefully one of those people is [player]Luke Scott[/player]. And second, he's supposedly heading back to a team that utilizes match-ups correctly, and, most certainly, would utilize him correctly. Like if there's a bat throwing contest. Now, forget everything you know about Young. I mean, don't forget *that* much. He's still kinda stinky, in, you know, a hobo sort-of-way. And if you're wondering, there's really no downside here, since hobo's don't own computers. I think. But if you're actually wondering about why I'm talking about Delmon Young, it's not because he's hit .266/.300/.402 since 2011 and .261/.302/.397 so far this year. It's because he's hit .286/.361/.397 against lefties in 80 games. Which brings me back to the second point. Tampa Bay will play the match-ups here, and perhaps you should too. Who knows, he could get on fire, do some damage, and help your team for the stretch run. Or, you know, throw bats at people. Here’s what else I noticed yesterday…

RCL Update: August 13

August 13, 2013 | Our Leagues | 18 Comments

by: VinWins

A Hill O’ Beans is back on top after a couple of weeks in 4th place, nudging MasterofGrond down to second. They hit .311 and scored an RCL-best 60 runs, and also had an ERA under 3. There are still many teams in contention with seven weeks to go, so it should be a fun stretch run. Check out the Master Standings (you can also access them via the Leagues menu up top) to see where your team ranks in comparison to the other 767 teams through Sunday. The page now includes sortable stats.

The King Offs Beers

August 12, 2013 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 637 Comments

by: Grey

[player]Felix Hernandez[/player] is the pitcher to pitcher when you're facing more than one Brewer. *sips from frosty mug* Ah.... Almost as satisfying as a good porgasm, which is the ecstasy reached when you finally find a rest stop after you have to pee for about two hundred miles. Yesterday, F-Her threw eight shutout innings with 9 Ks, lowering his ERA to 2.28. He's not even close to how good he was his Cy Young year. He's MUCH better (caps for emphasis, not so the guy who's reading over your shoulder can see better). He has a career high strikeout rate, which is like, "Hey, this Filet Mignon can't get any better-- Oh, wait, I don't have to pay for it either?" And it's not because you cut out a chunk of your hair and put it on the plate. F-Her also has a career low walk rate and a career low xFIP, which tells us his ERA isn't even fluky. He'll probably be overshadowed by [player]Yu Darvish[/player] or [player]Max Scherzer[/player] in the offseason, but F-Her is finally coming into his own at the ripe young age of 27. In 2014, when people are going Kershaw and Darvish and Wainwright, there F-Her will be again coming at a discount because of some perceived weakness due to win potential. Bunch of Murray Chasses (Chassi?), every one of you. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Rios, Texas Ranger

August 10, 2013 | Daily Notes | 115 Comments

by: Jay

Fact: Ron Washington is a giver.

MLBtraderumors found a reason to stay significant post-trade deadline yesterday, and now it's official -- [player]Alex Rios[/player] has been traded to the Rangers for Leury Garcia. Who? Basically. (To be fair, he does have some speed, but the hit tool is a bit lacking. So close, yet Profar. HUUUUR.) You can check on the complete, gory details here. But don't complain about the lack of gore. So, what's the fantasy impact here? No, silly, I'm not asking you. Unless you know the answer, then by all means, go for it. You can't tell, but I waited a good five minutes. Thanks for nothing. Allow me. While U.S. Cellular Field can be homer happy, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is right behind in offensive park factors. I do prefer the Texas lineup, so a boost in projected runs and RBI's may occur. Grey projected a 37/10/30/.284/14 line for him in the second half, and while Rios has gotten off to a slow start, these are still achievable numbers if going into a playoff situation can get some of those juices flowing. Or there might not be any juices. I am unaware of Rios' juice levels. But let's hope its cranberry. Because that's my favorite juice. Honestly, it's just really hard to tell if a player is going to pull a [player]CC Sabathia[/player] or [player]Ryan Ludwick[/player]. Overall though, I don't see a huge change in the dynamic, but there's certainly nothing to complain about. Here's what else I noticed yesterday...

DraftKings – The Fantasy Wellness Clinic

August 7, 2013 | DraftKings | 18 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

So you're in the fantasy dumps. Maybe your team is finally a lost cause, maybe you just couldn't keep up with it (yeah - I hate Head-to-Head fantasy baseball - you know who you are) or maybe your winnings are still too far down the road for you to put down the money to pre-order Call of Duty Ghosts. I definitely fall into all three of that, score one for vanity! So how do you recover from these horrible fantasy injuries to keep your winning ways going? Luckily we've still got our RAZZBALL EXCLUSIVE CAN YOU BEAT RUDY GAMBLE contest, getting you one step closer to the $100,000 Sweet Spot for a shot at a $20,000 top prize. Tickets to the Sweet Spot are $100 otherwise, so you're winning a huge value if you can stomp on the Razzball players. It’s the usual game, $5.00 an entry, up to two per person, and you can only get in through our exclusive link. Spots 2-10 double up, and get you on the road to recovery to keep you on the fantasy playing field. Oh camon Mark McGwire with your "I woulda been just as good without steroids - it just kept me on the field." Tell that to [player]Matt Kemp[/player], the Samuel L. Jackson to MLB's Unbreakable. [player]Carlos Gomez[/player] would be Bruce Willis. He's my hero.

DraftKings – A Weekend Full Of Interleague

July 31, 2013 | DraftKings | 33 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

In what will be a wild weekend across the Majors, there will be five Interleague matchups over the weekend, throwing a wrench into a lot of Pitcher v. Batter data. Just imagine if this were last year and everyone was in Interleague at the same time minus two teams... But with even divisions of 15 these days, Interleague happens every day with this weekend amping them up to five Interleague matchups taking over ten teams. Cut to the hitters on the Padres at Yankees Stadium, "Hey, Venable, I can actually see the fences from home plate!" I generally will avoid hitters against new pitchers that are throwing well, and will tend to like pitchers more against line-ups that have never seen them. This Friday, another RAZZBALL EXCLUSIVE CAN YOU BEAT RUDY GAMBLE contest is back, opening up a few more spots to a 40 person contest, getting you one step closer to the $100,000 Sweet Spot for a shot at a $20,000 top prize. It's the usual game, $5.00 an entry, up to two per person, and you can only get in through our exclusive link. Spots 2-10 double up, and people from last week who finished 1-11 are not invited. I can't believe I got 12th last week! I was winning for a good while there with early pitchers going, but then [player]Edwin Encarnacion[/player] went bonkers off the AAA Astros pitching. But to quote the immortal Maury Ballstein, "what do we do when we fall off the horse?"

The Braun Conspiracy

July 23, 2013 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 452 Comments

by: Grey

Wow. Dot, dot, dot. I mean, WOW. Dot, dot, dot. Pause for reaction. WOW. Wow. WOW. Stunned silence. I mean, we all knew the suspension was coming, but everyone also figured he'd appeal it like Papa Smurf, you know, until he was blue in the face. The only explanation is the MLB had him dead to rights, which isn't the same as an epitaph for a pigeon you feed instant rice; that's dead to rice. [player]Ryan Braun [/player] probably realized that 1) The Brewers aren't going anywhere this year. 2) He's injured. 3) There's no three. With the suspension of the Jewish Braun by the Jewish Selig, Selig becomes the 1st Jew ever sanctioned by the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, but Selig received high marks from the Jewish Self-Deprecation League. "As Selig was suspending Braun, Bud also pointed out how he had to bring out his media-friendly toupee," said Jewish Self-Deprecation League president, Yitz Steinberg. Mr. Steinberg added, "That kind of self-deprecation is hard to pull off." Obviously, Braun is droppable in all redraft leagues, and, if you're holding onto an expensive Braun in keepers, I'd look to drop him there too, if I needed the room. The good news is you can find off of waivers what Braun has been giving you thus far this year. The bad news, now they have to add an asterisk to the Famous Jewish Athlete pamphlet. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball: