We mentioned that last week’s streamers could be tough sailing, and it ended up proving to be that way. While they weren’t terrible, it was certainly one of my worst weeks of the year. That has me motivated to bounce back here, and I feel like we have a great group of streamers for this week. There are also some major discrepancies on different sites regarding ownership percentages, though, so be sure to check your waiver wires to make sure some gems aren’t sitting out there. We’ll actually include a couple of guys for shallower leagues in the consideration section because there are some studs sitting out there in way too many leagues. With that in mind, let’s talk about this week!
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Justus Sheffield
Please see our player page for Justus Sheffield to see projections for today, the next 7 days and rest of season as well as stats and gamelogs designed with the fantasy baseball player in mind.
Kris Bubic picked up his first win of the season Friday night, pitching six strong innings allowing just six base runners, one earned run and striking out five in an impressive win on the road. It was his third quality start of the year and second in his past three starts and he’s now rocking a pristine 1.52 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 29.2 innings. OK, wow, that’s pretty good, I guess. What’d you say your name was again? Bubic? Like Boob? Lol nice. OK then, time to see what all the Hub-Bubic is about here. After starting the year out of the pen, Kris got his chance to shine in the rotation and has pitched “admirably” over his past five starts going at least five innings and allowing less than 2 ER in each outing. Hmm, for all my Martin Perez stans out there, Kris Bubic sounds like he might be right up your alley. A quick glance at his next level stats show Bubic might be pitching a little over his head. The 4.25 BB/9 is especially concerning. Yo, I’m saying I’m concerned. I’m saying dude’s been luckier than Ben Affleck’s second chance at JLo. I’ve been waiting almost 20 years for Gigli 2, don’t blow this for us, Ben! Basically Bubic is walking way too many batters to remain as effective as he has been, and issues with control have been his problem in the past. It’s not as if he’s counterbalancing that control with awesome strikeout numbers either. His 6.67 K/9 is a whole lot of meh and makes me sleepier than that melatonin pen that teenager told me to buy on TikTok. In other words, Kris Bubic has had some good luck on his side to date, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s faced Detroit twice, and his most impressive performance was his first against an extremely lethargic Milwaukee offense. He’ll get a chance to show me if he’s the real deal next week in a rematch with the Twins, but for now he’s in the scary-but-slightly-intriguing streaming territory for me. The fans aren’t booing! They’re saying Boo-bic! Boo-bic! But more importantly, let’s get Gigli 2 into production asap as possible.
Here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
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This week in fantasy baseball there is no shortage of two-start pitchers. A plethora of names that are interesting and an equal amount of names I want no parts of. My prediction of Marcus Stroman “The Rubberband Man” pitching a No-Hitter did not come to fruition, he only made one start, and it was his worst of the season.
The second coming of Carlos Rodon still seems to be on track even though he was a bit shaky with control in his last start. None the less he struck out 9 over 5 innings and it would be wise to ride the horse until it starts bucking. There is a lot of games this upcoming week so let’s get to the rankings.
I will be wrong! I realize that this a very odd way to start a “suggestive” article, but it’s entirely true. I will be wrong this week, as I have been wrong the past 3 weeks. What is beautiful about this statement? The mere fact that while I may be wrong, there are going to be things that I get correct as well. Who is 2nd in the MLB at the time of writing? Mark Canha, yes, the very same Mark Canha who back in Week 1 I recommended picking up for runs. Injures shoulder patting self on back. Maybe this is how Juan Soto hurt his shoulder? With my shoulder now injured, and a trip to the IL imminent, good ole Grey has summoned me back into the on-deck circle for another AB. This time, I look at you Jay Bruce…..my shoulder is very safe from any pats on the back. He retired for crying out loud. The article giveth, and the article taketh.
What does all of this mean? What it means is that while I want to just give you all the info needed, I would love more than anything to teach you why these suggestions make sense on a week in and week out basis. You may see some redundant names here and there, but all in all, let’s find the competitive edge and dominate another week of Head to Head. Without further ado, here is Week 4.
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Shohei Shohei Shohei, How You Do That Trick?
April 14, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 494 Commentsby: Grey
The bomb to right-center, his fourth homer of the year, wasn’t even the most impressive thing Shohei Ohtani (3-for-5, hitting .364) did yesterday. He beat out a single to short with a sprint speed of 29.5 ft/sec. That’s the 5th best Sprint Speed this year, just a bit better than Ronald Acuña Jr. Uh…*looks around for forty-five minutes, looks back*…Is anyone else seeing this? Can Acuña, serious question, also throw 101 MPH and have an under 2.00 ERA? Yo, is Shohei Ohtani really Roy Hobbs? ACKCHYUALLY If you had Roy Hobbs hit a 460-foot homer, beat out a grounder to short and pitch 101 MPH speedballs, you’d be like, “I appreciate the love story, and the friendship he built with the cross-eyed bat boy that he saved from a burning supermarket, but the baseball stuff isn’t believable in this movie.” Ohtani is not believable. That’s it. He’s one of the best baseball players ever, tools-wise. Truly not believable how good he is at each tool. Unfortch for fantasy, the Angels insistence on him pitching is hurting his overall fantasy value. Sorry, I’m not being a giant idiot. I mean, I might be a giant idiot, but not in this case. You miss a game or two each week as a hitter, and your stats are going to suffer. Hopefully, he has three months’ worth of Rich Hill blisters and can’t pitch all year. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
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THERE COMES A TIME IN EVERY MAN’S EXISTENCE when he questions his very being. When, through the various comings and goings of the phantoms that call his mind home, he can be heard wondering aloud, in a primal scream, whether any of what he experiences is indeed real.
This is exactly the feeling, dear reader, one gets upon drafting AJ Pollock, as I did, in the 16th round of 42.
Please, blog, may I have some more? Top 80 Starters for 2021 Fantasy Baseball
February 10, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 93 Commentsby: Grey
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The top 80 starters for 2021 fantasy baseball is around the 225th overall mark in your drafts to about the 275th point. This is your late fourth thru the beginning of the sixth starters. This is just about it for 12 team leagues, though the last tier in this post is still in 12-team league territory, so you’ll have to wait until the next post to finish off that tier. Grey knows how to keep ’em coming back! Here’s Steamer’s 2021 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Hitters and 2021 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Pitchers. Rudy’s downloadable War Room is available to early subscribers to our Razzball Tools. As always, where I see tiers starting and stopping are included with my projections. Anyway, here’s the top 80 starters for 2021 fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more? 2020 Season Like Having 20/20 Vision During Mad Dog 20/20 Fever Dream
September 28, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 165 Commentsby: Grey
When MLB shutdown on March 13th, we all assumed the season would start up again by April. It was just down for a few weeks, we figured. Baseball would continue, as it always would. Then we were boarded-up into our homes, and baseball wouldn’t return until…June, right? June would be fine, we thought. 100 games they could play, and we could all have some semblance of a season. A distraction during darker times. Then June 1st came and went and we were like, “They can still get 100 games in if they start on that magical day: July 4th.” Of course, we thought, Rob Manfraud is secretly a genius and the season would start back on our nation’s greatest holiday. The day that saw the birth of George Washington, Ben Franklin, Rob Thomas, literally every great American’s birthday. July dot dot dot Fourth. Fireworks and baseball, and everyone would stand, one hand over their mouth, one hand outstretched so no one was within six feet, and baseball would rise from the ashes like Joaquin Phoenix. Then that passed, and it became clear MLB would start with no fans just to get in the bare minimum of a season as a precursor for their real moneymaker, the playoffs. Finally, when games began, there was a DH in the NL; 7-inning games; runners starting innings on 2nd, and teams shutting down for a week with protocol breaches. Ah, yes, wonderful, terrific protocol breaches. Yet, through all that, we preserved through the craziest fantasy baseball season on record. And on wax, if you’re old school. If you made it to this point, you deserve congratulations. Doesn’t matter if you won your league or not. You deserve kudos for just getting through this season (two months). Also, because I’m in an especially touchy-feely mood, I don’t thank all of you enough. Without you, it would just be me making stupid baseball jokes, snorting and–Well, it is all of that, but with you it makes it feel like we’re all in this together. My over-the-internet friends. Be well and safe all offseason. I’ll be here, churning out offseason content and hoping for a slightly more normal 2021. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
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Deep Thoughts: Justus League Winners Left
September 25, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball, Deep Thoughts, Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 12 Commentsby: Coolwhip
So I was talking with the boss man and found out there wasn’t going to be no buy/sell today. Of course, since there are all of 3 days left in the season, and possibly some of you are already done or knocked out (condolences). Though, take heed, I am here for you all that are playing for the championships and top 3 finishes. Fight on to victory! This is a shoutout for one final Buy of the season. And dare I say, a sneak peek sleeper pick for 2021 and possibly a dynasty hold to boot. That pick, my friends, is Justus Sheffield. So why is he a good buy for these final days and beyond?
Sheffield is top 5 in the league in lowest Barrel/BBE% among starting pitchers. Barrells is a term you hear us throw around here a lot. And I’m realizing that there might be some of you with no idea what I’m talking about. Via statcast a “barrel” is:
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Top 100 Starting Pitchers: Week 9
September 21, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Baseball, Top 100 Starting Pitchers | 4 Commentsby: everywhereblair
I’m freshly back from The Hotties, which is the annual Razzball award ceremony for the “hottest taeks” in fantasy baseball. With the sharp-toothed piranhavirus in full swing, Grey called for a “Mask-erade” ball, but the Eventbrite invitation auto-corrected it to a “masquerade” ball. Everybody showed up with the wrong parts of their face covered. I thought Grey would be upset but he seemed to take everything in stride, saying that he had been waiting for this day since “Eyes Wide Shut” was released. Is that a movie or a novel or a contact delivery service? Anyway, Grey started giggle-whispering “Fidelio!” at everybody. Hey, Grey, I get it. Fidel Castro liked baseball. Let’s get with the times!
I did manage to record Grey’s speech to all the writers and Instagram models who attended. Here’s the transcript if you want to read it:
“I’ll get right to the point: I’m proud to announce a new partnership between Razzball and the San Diego Padres. 2021 will be known as STAN DIEGO around here, and all hot taeks will involve Padres players. The top 10 pitchers? Lamet, Davis, Clevinger, and Paddack [audible hissing from the crowd]. The top 10 hitters? Tatis, Machado, Grisham, and Myers. Trevor Rosenthal is a top 30 pick. You will all write sleeper articles on Joey Lucchesi, Adrian Morejon, and yes, Eric Hosmer. [pause while Grey dodges thrown masks] Fear not, for STAN DIEGO comes with perks! You will all get a free hot dog with a purchase of an annual pass to Sea World, and you’ll get a personal tour of the tiger enclosure at the San Diego Zoo. Now, writers, start hyping Jake Cronenworth!”
At that point, all the people Grey whispered “Fidelio” to disappeared into Grey’s private grotto, which he named “50 Shades of Play” because of the underwater mini-golf course he installed. Myself? I was left standing in the foyer with a mysterious note that only said, “MacKenzie Gore, 2021 hot taek.”
Please, blog, may I have some more? Jack & Joe Dueling Like Kennedys
September 21, 2020 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 233 Commentsby: Grey
“Ask not what your fantasy team’s pitchers can do for you, but what you can do for your fantasy team pitchers.” The number one thing you can do is have your fantasy team page open and curse and scream whenever a reliever comes into the game in a non-save shituation and gives up runs, or when you have a pitcher give up five-plus in under five innings, or when you bench a guy who throws a gem. That’s the least you can do for your country and your team. Yesterday, the Kennedy curse lifted, and Jack and Joe did you right: Joe Musgrove (6 IP, 0 ER, 4 baserunners, 11 Ks, ERA at 4.68) vs. Jack Flaherty (6 IP, 1 ER, 4 baserunners, 11 Ks, ERA at 4.84). In 2021, Jack Flaherty could be underrated. Imagine he’s not a top five starter next year, because of one bad start. Sign me up for some of that nonsense. Joe Musgrove is a trickier proposition such as, “I’ll do whatever for $50.” Wait, that’s a trick’s proposition. Since Musgrove’s IL stint, his fastball velocity wasn’t quite there, but yesterday saw him touch 95 MPH, and his slider was working for him. For 2021, I could see getting sucked in again by Musgrove, which inevitably will leave me mumbling, “Era, era, my ERA is a mess.” That’s JFK struggling to the finish line of a fantasy season, like all of us. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?(NOTE: THIS POST WAS RELEASED EARLY YESTERDAY ON OUR PATREON. IT’S $5/MONTH.)
You walk into the banquet hall where your cousin, Jared Walsh, is having his bar mitzvah, and the first thing that hits you is the macho-aggressive tones of Kenny Loggins. Kenny shouts at you a question, “Are you gonna wait for a sign, your miracle?” Down by your side, you snap your fingers, and quietly answer, “Stand up and fight.” As if he’s talking directly to you, Kenny’s pulsating voice hits you with another command, “Make no mistake where you are,” and under your breath you quietly respond, “This is it.” Kenny, “Your back’s to the corner.” You slide your back against a wall and louder now, “This is it.” Kenny’s fighting you to be better, “Don’t be a fool anymore.” You, fighting back tears, “This is it.” Then your aunt comes over and asks you if you’re still dating that goy, sees tears streaming down your face and uncomfortably waits for you to compose yourself. Kenny’s back, “The waiting is over,” you run to the stage, but Kenny sings, “No, don’t you run.” Finally, you get to the stage where the deejay has his back to you. All you see is his Orioles’ jersey and his last name Stewart. When he turns to you, you see DJ Stewart, the epitome of cool, and not just because he’s in front of a wind machine. He leans down and says with the wisdom of a great sage, “I’m just a hot schmotato, you’re the real star.” He’s right, of course. That’s all you need for the final ten days. Jared Walsh looks like a Quad-A player, but he’s hitting in front of Mike Trout, and it doesn’t get any better. I’m grabbing Walsh, DJ Stewart and everyone from this bar mitzvah — even you, Aunt Marilyn! Also, everyone is expendable (except Aunt Marilyn, bless her heart). Play only hot hands. You need to play footloose and fancy free with your teams in this final stretch. “Did someone say Footloose?” That’s DJ Stewart readying up the next Kenny Loggins. Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?