Player Page Matches

Tucker: The Man And His Dreamy Speed

April 22, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 766 Comments

by: Grey

[brid autoplay="true" video="405732" player="10951" title="FantasyBaseball2019BuySellHold4"] If you said you loved Kevin Kline in the role of Cole Tucker, you wouldn't be wrong. What can't Kevin Kline do? Yo, Kevin Kline, wanna be my father? "Sir, this is a Cheesecake Factory and that's James, our short-order cook, not Kevin Kline." I'm crazy for rookie bats. As crazy as I am for rookie bats, I'm tepid on rookie arms. I don't dislike them, but roofies are real and dangerous. Rookie bats, however...*places nose right above a stick of butter, inhales deeply* So, the Pirates called up Cole Tucker. He's the sexiest Pittsburgh shortstop since....uh Jack Wilson wasn't very sexy...uh...Jordy Mercer God no...Erik Gonzalez bleh...Arky Vaughan! Arky took no crap, quitting for three years at one point because he got sore at Leo Durocher for talking to the press about a teammate. And Arky still made the Hall of Fame! Of course, he had to wait 33 years after his death. Any hoo! Besides Cole Tucker sounding like he wears Vineyard Vines, what do we know about Tucker? He has 30-steal speed. Love that. Where else are we finding that? That alone is reason to grab him in every league. Yes, every league. Next up, he made swing adjustments and is more a 17-homer hitter than the under-5 homer guy he showed before this year. In 18 spring at-bats, he hit two homers. In 57 Triple-A at-bats, he hit three homers. In his first career at-bat with the Pirates, he homered. For power, I'm going to start saying Triple-A is samesies with the majors. We'll see if my new approach pans out! So, 17/30/.250 while also taking a walk? I told you every league. The Ghost of Arky Vaughan can eat a D! (If the site suddenly goes down for three years, we know why.) Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Prospect News: Bohm Track

by: Mike

Phillies top prospect Alec Bohm went yard for the first time this week. He's off to a strong start with Lakewood in the Sally - hitting .311 with four doubles, three steals, and the dong. More importantly, he's walking at a 15% clip with a .400 on base percentage. After going 121 plate appearances in his pro debut last summer without a homer, this was a welcome display of power from the 22-year-old, who should advance quickly in the Phils system. Here's what else is happening around the minor leagues...

James Paxton Catches Latest Leg Of Boston “Slumpbustah” Tour

April 17, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 773 Comments

by: Grey

[brid autoplay="true" video="404395" player="10951" title="Fantasy Baseball 2019 Mailbag Week 4"] "After Chris Davis raved about it, I had to check it out.” said James Paxton, as he sipped maple syrup. He continued, "It was my favorite show since the last time I saw Rush." The Canadian then put on moose antlers, an orange vest and grabbed his shotgun. Before he exited the press conference, he smiled, adding, "Eh." So, James Paxton busted that slumped like Chris Davis before him and like every team that faces the Sawx. Crazy when you have Mookie Betts hitting near-.200 and Benintendi out of the lineup, what a massive hole the Red Sox become, or a Mass-hole for short. Yesterday, James Paxton went 8 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 12 Ks, ERA at 3.91, putting to doubt some concerns that he would be eaten alive by the New York lights. Paxton laughed, "It's just like downtown Saskatchewan." All the New Yorkers grinned, Paxton was already growing a tough, sarcastic sense of humor indicative of New York, when Paxton added, "Seriously, eh, there's nothing finer than Regina." Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

FanDuel: No Fooling When It Comes to These Picks

April 1, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel |

by: wander34

Although it is April 1st, this list of FanDuel picks for the first Monday of the MLB season is no joke. What might make you laugh though is the pitching options for the main slate. The pitching is very thin with few options to feel really good about. The list certainly will leave you desiring more. But while the pitching stinks, there are plenty of bats and stacks to choose from as you look to build your winning FanDuel lineup for Monday. To help you navigate those options and more, let’s dive right into the DFS picks for Monday, April 1st. New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!

Baseball Podcast: Byron Buston? More Like Byron Busty!

March 18, 2019 | Ditka, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Razzball Podcast |

by: B_Don

Drafting outfielders for the 2019 fantasy baseball season is a hot topic. There's tons of outfielders, but the top couple tiers dry up quickly. On this show, B_Don and Donkey Teeth discuss several outfielders you might consider targeting once all the top OFs are off the board.

The first of those potential targets is Byron Buxton. The juicy fantasy sausage upside that oozes from every single one of Byron Buxton's pores is both sweet and savory. Studies have also shown this ooze can cure cancer and other terminal diseases. Buxton is off to phenomenal start this spring, boasting added muscle and claims of, "The best shape of his life". Which is always true.

The guys also discuss expectations for rising star Michael Conforto and relative unknown rookie, Christin Stewart. Then some late round outfield targets are thrown around to finish up the show. Opening day is coming, make sure you get your fill of sausage, sausage juices, and the Ditka, Sausage, and Fantasy Sports shirt before time runs out!

2019 Spring Training Position Battles: The AL West

March 15, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Team Previews | 9 Comments

by: Whack Daniels

NL West | NL Central | NL East || AL West | AL Central | AL East

I don’t pay much attention to Spring Training Statistics. You never know who the statistics are coming against. Baseball-Reference did, however, have an amazing tool last year that attempted to quantify the quality of opposing pitchers or batters faced during spring training games on a scale from 1-10 with 10 being MLB talent and 1-3 being high A to low A level. This tool is great, but it averages all the Plate Appearances or batters faced. You would still need a deeper dive to see if your stud prospect smacked a donger off of Chris Sale or off of your kid’s future pony league baseball coach. So what should we watch for in March when we’re starved for the crack of the bat? Ignore “best shape of their life” stories and Spring Training statistical leaderboards. Pay attention to injuries and lineup construction and position battles!

Top 100 Outfielders for 2019 Fantasy Baseball

January 29, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 150 Comments

by: Grey

[brid autoplay="true" video="376065" player="10951" title="2019 Razzball Draft Kit Top 5 Sleepers"] We've done it! We've reached the end of the fantasy baseball hitter rankings. Give yourself a big round of applause. I'd clap for you, but I have carpal tunnel from actually ranking all the hitters and writing all their blurbs and calculating all of their projections and-- What exactly did you do? Oh, yeah, you read them. No wonder why your hands can still clap. Okay, let's get to it because this post is like 5,000 words long and I wrote it with my toes. C'mon, pinkie toe, push down the shift key! Here’s Steamer’s 2019 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Hitters and 2019 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Pitchers. All projections listed are mine and I mention where I see tiers starting and stopping. Anyway, here's the top 100 outfielders for 2019 fantasy baseball:

Top 60 Outfielders for 2019 Fantasy Baseball

January 25, 2019 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 233 Comments

by: Grey

[brid autoplay="true" video="374875" player="10951" title="2019 Razzball Draft Kit Outfielders"] The top 60 outfielders for 2019 fantasy baseball will be filled with guys you absolutely should and will own, and guys you absolutely will and should not own. Was like that last year, was like that the year before and has been like that since the dawn of time. In 6,000 B.C., a caveman scratched his butt on a stick and thought, "Hey, I wonder if I can patent a stick for butt scratching, and should I hold this top 60 outfielder or drop him?" Such is life with the top 60 outfielders. So, here’s Steamer’s 2019 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Hitters and 2019 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Pitchers. As with all of my 2019 fantasy baseball rankings, my projections are included and where I see tiers starting and stopping. Anyway, here's the top 60 outfielders for 2019 fantasy baseball:

Reds Yasiel The Deal

December 24, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 47 Comments

by: Grey

The trade of Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood to the Reds means one thing, the Dodgers are signing Manny Machado or Bryce Harper. I'm kidding, in the non-funny way. Maybe it means that, but I kinda hope it doesn't, so Muncy, Pederson and others have room to play. Not sure why the Dodgers rehired Dave Roberts, but I'm impressed the Dodgers realized that Dave Roberts had zero capacity for managing a team. "What's he doing?" "I don't know." That's two Dodgers execs watching Dave Roberts juggle three VHS copies of the movie Platoon. "I don't think he understands what we meant when we asked him to juggle platoons." "Yeah." "So, we should trade Puig?" "Maybe trade like five guys." "Okay." So, Puig goes back to the Reds, but they're no longer an island nation in the Caribbean. Now, they're in Ohio. In five years, people will be like, "I forgot Puig played for the Reds for three months." Yes, I think he'll likely be traded in July. Either way, he will get everyday at-bats and should get a nice boost in fantasy value. The Reds were surprising solid last year on offense, and I see no reason why that would end. For 2019, I'll give Yasiel Puig projections 73/27/83/.273/11 in 502 ABs. Anyway, here's what else I saw this offseason in 2019 fantasy baseball:

Kyle Tucker, 2019 Fantasy Outlook

November 5, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Rookies | 51 Comments

by: Grey

Don't feel good about this fantasy baseball rookie post at all, tee bee aitch. The Astros seem 100% in win now mode, or winnow mode if you're talking about winnowing out rookies. Tyler White seemed all ready to go once he was called up this year, and saw playing time, but hopefully that is not portending anything for Kyle Tucker, because White took six years in the minors and was 27 years old. Let's not forget other Astros rookies who seemed all but destined for playing time in the last two years. Two that come to mind: Derek Fisher and A.J. Reed. Through a personal connection (and most definitely not stalking), Rudy was at a holiday party with Jeff Luhnow and was told that Reed had the lead for the starting 1st base job -- that was two years ago! Reed did himself no favors to get that starting job, but how quickly did the Astros just go right back to a Marwin/Gattis/Reddick platoon? Quicker than you can call that platoon, Marwin Gatdick, and wonder how he gets through TSA. "Excuse me, sir, are you planning on doing a stickup or do you Gatdick?" Unlike my Victor Robles fantasy, I don't think I can just ignore the possibility that Tucker never sees real playing time this year. Wow, this is getting me so amped up in the reverse direction. Okay, before you abandon ship and go back to reading recaps of Young Sheldon, Marwin's about to walk and there's really no one worthwhile blocking Tucker, so &2b[1y29--Sorry, was crossing fingers. Anyway, what can we expect from Kyle Tucker for 2019 fantasy baseball?

Top 20 1st Basemen, 2018 Fantasy Baseball, A Recap

October 5, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 87 Comments

by: Grey

After drudging through an Andy Dufresne-type tunnel for the top 20 catchers for 2018 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, Wil Myers, no hard feelings from me, because I didn’t own you. You prolly got some splainin’ to do to your owners though. If you went right, you might’ve won your league. However (uh-oh), 1st base, well, I guess that's why we're here. To recap, this final ranking is from our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater with my comments. Anyway, here’s the top 20 1st basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball and how they compared to where I originally ranked them:

Indians Designate Lineup Drivers To Bench And Call A Kluber

September 25, 2018 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 127 Comments

by: Grey

[brid autoplay="true" video="299917" player="10951" title="Fantasy Baseball Mailbag Week 26"] Corey Kluber (7 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners, 11 Ks, ERA at 2.83, and his 1st 20-win season) just passed Trevor Bauer with 216 Ks, giving the Indians four guys with 200 Ks. They may not even win as many games as the Rays, but you're really coming for the Indians in the playoffs? I predict a red-blooded, all-American Indians-Braves World Series. "Hello, my name is Woke Wally. Yes, I'm wearing a badge that reads, 'Woke.' I received this honorary badge as a participation trophy from my wife, Margaret. Do you know what I was participating in? Citizenry! I'm here at your sheriff's office to file a formal complaint on behalf of the millions affected by a casually racist World Series." The Stream-o-Nator lines Kluber up vs. the Royals for his final game, but I can't imagine he throws more than three innings in that start, and is likely just skipped. For 2019, Kluber is once again going to be way out of reach for me, like an imaginary tassle on the end of a Braves fan imaginary tomahawk. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball: