As draft day comes and goes, it’s bold prediction season! We’re inching closer and closer to Opening Day and we have high hopes for our drafted players and pro teams. Here are some predictions as they relate to middle infielders this year. 1) Fernando Tatis Jr. hits at least .275 with 30+ home runs […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?Oneil Cruz
Please see our player page for Oneil Cruz 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.
I’m a big fan of the everyman. I consider myself the everyman. I’m every man’s everyman. A pioneer of normcore. Track pants and a blinking light on my car’s dashboard that either means my seatbelt isn’t on or I need oil. That is me. What better way to elevate the Everyman Culture then to take part in a tourney where no one is smarter than anyone else. Enter the RazzSlam, a Best Ball tourney. Every everyman likely knows what a Best Ball league is, but, if you don’t, it’s when you draft a team and the computer manages it for you by choosing who are your best players, and you get those stats. It’s basically one fantasy league removed from the robots taking over and killing us all. Well, the last laugh is on you robots, cholesterol is beating you to the punch! Kinda love that Razzball is putting on a tourney (hosted by NFBC — thank you!) that no one really has any clue how to strategize. A true everyman experience. Oh, I’m sure there’s a few people who think they know the correct strategy for Best Ball, and a few of them might be right, but there’s an under 1% chance they know why they’re right, and it isn’t just luck. In some ways, Best Ball leagues are a lot like Best Ball strategies. Throw a ton of them out there and a few good ones will rise to the top through sheer force of players’ performances and nothing you’re actually doing. That’s the fun. Anyway, here’s my RazzSlam, a 42-round, Best Ball 12 team draft recap:
Please, blog, may I have some more?So, went from the brutal cold of Los Angeles to the unseasonably warm NYC to take on the ‘perts of fantasy baseball in Tout Wars. As most of you, they have a bunch of leagues drafting over the weekend. Mine happens to be NL-Only, and happens on Sunday, so, after having Harold Dieterle, former Top Chef winner, on the podcast a few times, Geoff and I finally got to go out to dinner with him on Saturday night. He took us to one of New York’s most renown restaurants:
Please, blog, may I have some more?Welcome back to week three of unveiling the top 100 Hitters for the 2023 fantasy baseball season. Over the past few weeks, we have walked through the top 25 (check it here) and then rounded out the top 50 (another link) bringing us to this week. We are now entering the back half of the top 100 hitters for 2023. This portion is where the rankings start to bunch up and hitter #51 is much closer to hitter #75 than #1 is to #2. Maybe that is stating the obvious but it is key for how we handle this portion of the draft. With this group of hitters, we start to think about need, team makeup, and shortfalls in our categories to ensure we have a well balanced team rather than trying to win a single roto category by lapping the field. We all know the guy that drafts only steals or seven closers, so do not be that person! With the formalities out of the way, let us get on with the rankings.
Please, blog, may I have some more?It was a wild offseason for the National League, one highlighted by Trea Turner’s lucrative ($300 million) transition from the Dodgers to Phillies, along with fellow shortstop Xander Bogaerts’ introduction to the NL, via the San Diego Padres and $280 mil of his own. Two of the absolute best shortstops in the game are anchored […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?It’s been a good time to be an MLB shortstop, given the overall depth of the position and the historical off-season we’ve had thus far. Marquee free agent shortstops Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Dansby Swanson, and Carlos Correa inked deals totaling around a billion dollars. Despite two failed physicals, Carlos Correa still made out like […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?So, weird thing is happening this draft season, I’m loving all of my drafted fantasy baseball teams. I mean, I’m drafting them, so it should come as a complete surprise that I’m liking the teams, but usually I’m more skeptical of how well I’ve drafted. Like a hand model, I’m usually much more down-to-earth, accepting that my best feature is, much like the Niekros, just off the knuckles. Could I have become the worst case scenario? A hand model who thinks people may want to photograph my face? I hope not, but I am worried that my enthusiasm for my fantasy teams might be too rosy for my own good. The only people truly excited about their teams are ones who don’t know better, right? No? I can be happy? Geez, this could be glorious if I’m not being dopey and my team is actual garbage. For those not in the know, this is a weekly, 15-team, two-catcher league that lasts for 50 rounds and there’s no waivers. Anyway, here’s my NFBC draft recap:
Please, blog, may I have some more?If you are starting a team in a new dynasty league, take a look at the position breakdown of the top 200 players, using the main position for utility players except for one, who plays basically any position in the field.
What quickly jumps out is the lack of depth at second base and third base. The second and third base positions alone add up to only one more Top 100 player than the shortstop position. There are some great players at those two positions, but the overall quality lacks compared to shortstop or first base.
When it comes to catchers and relief pitchers, I can tell you right now that there are few of them ranked. There are a lot of good catchers, but many of them will get only 110 or so starts or they are getting up in age, making them less than desired dynasty options.
As for the relivers, I never chase saves (or holds if your league has them). How many players dread chasing Aroldis Chapman last year or a host of other top closers? Meanwhile, five new closer will come out the woodwork this year that you can get in the middle of the season.
Please, blog, may I have some more?On Thursday evening, Analytics Anonymous held a special meeting to evaluate how our lessons are being implemented. Specifically, I, and 11 of my new AA friends, took part in the Razzball Commenter League (RCL) #4 on Thursday evening. These RCL leagues are 12-team Rotisserie scoring leagues hosted on Fantrax and free for all (JOIN HERE). […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?This week on Knights Of The RazzTable we’re working with ADP 51-75 (https://nfc.shgn.com/adp/baseball). The easy picks are behind you as you get closer to pick 100 than pick 1. The middle rounds make are the glue of a great team. Round out your categories. Don’t completely neglect pitching. Demoralize opponents. Joining us this week are […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?What a great Valentine’s Day.
Yeah, I had a nice date night with the wife, but more importantly, pitchers and catchers in Arizona and Florida are reporting for Spring Training! Baseball is officially back.
And you know what else is back? Another edition of the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings. This week we dive into my Tier 3 players – numbers 75 to 51 on the overall list.
Young Over Old, Position Players Over Pitchers
As we count down and get closer to the final tier of players, the number of pitchers and players older than 30 will be getting smaller and smaller. This goes back to my original rules concerning dynasty leagues:
Young over old
I’m always thinking five years down the road.
Hitter over Pitcher
Since the introduction of the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, 113 hitters have been awarded the Rookie of the Year compared to 39 pitchers. In this century alone, 33 hitters have been named ROY to 13 pitchers. Young hitters perform better than young pitchers, and veteran hitters are more consistent than veteran pitchers.
In this tier, only seven of the players are pitchers, and four of those appear in the first group. While there are five players who are 30-years-old or older, there are eight players who are 25 or younger. This is a ranking for dynasty leagues, so it only makes sense for the older players to be pushed aside for the younger players with more upside and more years ahead of them to help you win.
Building With Athletes
This tier is also heavy on athletic players. The masher who plays first or third is great to have, but let’s face it, those two positions, as a whole, do not deliver everything you need to win. Speed is always good to have as well as players who can simply get on base. The players who often do that the best are outfielders and middle infielders.
So, if you have been wondering where some of the top outfielders and middle infielders have been, you are going to love this tier as there are six outfielders and seven middle infielders. And you can probably guess that the next two tiers will be heavy on these two groups of players as well.
But for now, let’s concentrate on this week’s 2023 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: Players 75-51
Please, blog, may I have some more?Well, hello Razzball Nation! It’s your favorite DFS Dad back for another year of baseball content! When Truss asked me if I’d be interested in taking over part of the SAGNOF analysis this year, I couldn’t have been happier. Writing up anything in these spaces really is an honor, and giving me some time to […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?