Halleberryloujah! *does sign of the Marlins, kneels* Blessed be thy lord of a Technicolor unicorn statue who graced his tight baseball pants around Giancarlo’s lower half. I won’t take too much of your time, I know you are prolly busy. Should I say probably when I’m addressing you? You know, I’m gonna move on rather than wait for an answer. I want to thank you for bringing Giancarlo Stanton into the 2017 season. I saw him in a game last week back off a changeup like he was still scared after taking the beanball off the melon. Was he scared? If he was, I wouldn’t have blamed him. I get scared too. Like when my wife says, “Hey, Grey I made plans for us to go out with my friend and her husband.” That scares me too. But now that he hit two homers, going 2-for-3 with 4 RBIs, I’m relieved. It was early, he was just getting into the swing things. Pun! What? You don’t like puns? Again, I’m fine not waiting for an answer. Okay, now I’m going to cut this short because a sprinkler is going off into my face and I’m kneeling on my neighbor’s lawn. Thank you. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
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Zach Lee
Sometimes you ask and you shall receive and in that vein, I begin this month’s Razznasty update. Now I know the two questions you’re asking, what did you ask for and receive? And which vein? First, it’s the main vein, you know the one in the middle…. Secondly, I asked our very own Hippo in the bush Matt Truss to make a push in the standings over the course of June so I could name the next update “Can’t Truss It”. Done and done. I told Mr. Truss-ah Truss that I’d dress as Flavor Flav from this video while I wrote it. Truss, that I held up my end of the bargain, picture me decked out in white tuxedo with top hat and Batman glasses. Unfortunately I can’t share with all of you due to a shortage on the correct cartridges for my vintage Polaroid Sun 600. Sorry boys, and whatever number of girls are reading this year. I believe we were up to five, but we might have lost a few after the Jose Canseco interview. There’s nothing that upsets the ladies more than invasive question about Madonna’s early 90’s sperm brokering. Enough of the bollocks, onto the Razznasty update for June. Dynasty League Baseball at it’s finest.
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2016 Minor League Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers
February 7, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 51 Commentsby: Geoff
The best way to describe the Dodgers system is “an embarrassment of riches”. Not only do they have one of the biggest budgets in MLB, but they’re also the proud owner of one of the top farms in all of baseball. With two top ten prospects in Corey Seager and the newly two eyed Julio Urias, there’s a ton of top level talent. Including top 100 darlings Grant Holmes, Jose De Leon, and Alex Verdugo. Additionally, there’s a good amount of depth in the other tiers boosted by good player development (Cody Bellinger), recent trades (Frankie Montas), solid drafting (Willie Calhoun), and an aggressive approach in the international market. One of the biggest components of the Dodgers recent success, and organizational depth, is their ability to hit on late round picks and develop prep arms. Two areas where most franchises miss the mark. With impact specs on both the pitching and hitting side, the Blue Bloods should be a pipeline of fantasy scrumptiousness for years to come.
By the way a big shout out to my Grandma Betty who turned 100 last week, and grew up not too far from “Da Bums” original home, Ebbets Field.
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Minor Accomplishments: September Call-Ups
August 23, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 113 Commentsby: Mike
All year we’ve been ranking the top prospects closest to the majors. With September call-ups quickly approaching, this post is a little different. Instead of limiting the list to players with their rookie eligibility intact, this will include any players currently in the minor leagues regardless of their at bats or innings pitched totals. There’s a catch, though. It’s only going to list players who are currently healthy and on their team’s 40-man roster. If you see a big name omitted, it’s probably because they aren’t currently on the 40-man. That can still be manipulated of course, but if a player is already on the roster, it increases the chances they’ll get a look next month. I also decided to weed through it for players that I thought could actually have some relevance in fantasy. With guys like Domingo Santana, Trea Turner, and even Aaron Altherr already up, this isn’t exactly the sexiest group. But there are some nice players in here, and if they can find playing time, they could also help your fantasy team down the stretch. When looking at who to pick up, I’d recommend focusing on teams that are out of the playoff hunt and who may be more inclined to give their younger players a look. Zeroing in on injuries (or potential ones) is also a good move. I bolded a few of the names that I think are interesting gambles…
Please, blog, may I have some more? 2015 Minor League Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers
February 11, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 31 Commentsby: Mike
Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2014 (14) | 2013 (19) | 2012 (23) | 2011 (12) | 2010 (21)
2014 Affiliate Records
MLB: [94-68] NL West
AAA: [62-80] Pacific Coast League – Albuquerque (2015: Oklahoma City)
AA: [61-77] Southern League – Chattanooga (2015: Tulsa)
A+: [65-75] California League – Rancho Cucamonga
A: [66-73] Midwest League – Great Lakes
Graduated Prospects
None
The Gist
This system is stacked at the top with arguably three of the best prospects in baseball and it only got stronger in the draft when the Dodgers selected one of the best prep arms available with their first-round pick. Already loaded with young stars like Yasiel Puig and Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers will see their top three prospects reach the majors in the next year or two. I know it sounds like I have my hyperbole machine turned on, but it really is a nice top-heavy system for fantasy prospects. The Dodgers were part of this year’s affiliation shuffle in the upper levels of the minors and now call Oklahoma City and Tulsa their homes in Triple-A and Double-A respectively.
Minor Accomplishments — Week 5
May 4, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 100 Commentsby: Scott Evans
On occasion, it works out where a notable prospect gets called-up to the bigs during the weekend, allowing me to post some notes on him before Grey gets the opportunity. That happens to be the case today, as LA has summoned 1B prospect, C.J. Cron, to the big club. Of course, when it’s me providing the spin on a call-up like this, we miss out on Grey’s clever wordplay in the title. Something like, “Angels Finally Embrace Pot Legalization, Will Roll with Cron(ic)” seems sufficient. In any case, Cron can mash. He established his power potential in 2012 at High-A, hitting 27 homers in 129 games. Then last season, he followed that effort with a puzzling 14 HR year at Double-A Arkansas, causing many to cool at the idea of Cron as an everyday 1B at the highest level. The pop appears to have returned in 2014, though: Through 28 games at Triple-A Salt Lake, Cron slugged .602 with 6 HR. At least for the short-term, there’s opportunity for the 24-year-old to earn regular plate appearances from the middle of the LA order. The upside in his stick is worth the gamble in deep leagues, especially if you’re hurting at CI.
Please, blog, may I have some more? Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for 2014
February 12, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 56 Commentsby: Scott Evans
Last week we rolled out our Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for 2014, and today we’re moving on to numbers 26-50. Remember, this is a 2014-specific list — we’re doing our best here to identify prospects who have the best chance at contributing in the fantasy game this season. A year ago, the second half of this same list included names like Christian Yelich, Matt Adams, Nolan Arenado, Tony Cingrani, Chris Archer, Michael Wacha, and Avisail Garcia. I suspect that there will be a handful of impact players found in this group, as well. Do take note.
Please, blog, may I have some more? 2014 Minor League Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers
January 8, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 48 Commentsby: Scott Evans
Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2013 (19) | 2012 (23) | 2011 (12) | 2010 (21) | 2009 (23)
2013 Affiliate Records
MLB: [92-70] NL West
AAA: [76-68] Pacific Coast League – Albuquerque
AA: [59-80] Southern League – Chattanooga
A+: [65-75] California League – Rancho Cucamonga
A: [67-72] Midwest League – Great Lakes
Graduated Prospects
Yasiel Puig (OF); Tim Federowicz (C); Scott Van Slyke (OF/1B); Hyun-jin Ryu (RHP); Stephen Fife (RHP); Paco Rodriguez (LHP)
The Run Down
After a holiday hiatus, we have returned to our MiLB preview series. To get us back into prospect mode, let’s all scream Puig on three. One, two, three, PUIG. Good, we’re back. We’re talking about the Dodgers today, a top-heavy farm, but a group that offers plenty of fantasy intrigue. There’s a lot going on here from spots one to six, but things take a turn toward the boring when we reach the last four names of the top ten. Still, Seager, Pederson, and Urias are all of the high-impact variety, while Lee, Guerrero, and Anderson should all develop into relevant fantasy pieces in their own right. Combine those six with recent grads like Yasiel Puig and Hyun-jin Ryu, and this Dodgers org begins to take shape as one that develops well and spends wisely in the international markets. That’s a particularly effective model for sustainable success.
Mid-Season Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Prospects
July 24, 2013 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 131 Commentsby: Scott Evans
Quite a bit has changed since the 2013 MiLB season began in April, and folks have been clamoring for a mid-season prospect list. Well, here it is, 50-deep. But before we get into it, a quick primer on the criteria for this top 50: There was no specific timetable considered, so the rankings below can be considered a dynasty league list. You’ll notice that the ETA’s here range from this season all the way to 2016. To prevent any overlap with lists that Grey and JayWrong put together last week, I’ve included only prospects who are currently in the minor leagues. That means I had to remove Christian Yelich and Jake Marisnick from the board after news of their call-ups — Yelich was #7, Marisnick #40. It also means I couldn’t list Carlos Martinez, who’s currently working in relief for the Cardinals — he would’ve been ranked right around #20.
Anyway, I’ll be writing notes on all of these fellas during the off-season, once the dust has settled on the 2013 season and I’ve had a chance to take a more thorough look at depth charts, injuries, etc. For now, I’ve included only a few pertinent details: age, current level, fantasy impact categories, and ETA. Each player is linked to his player card on Baseball-Reference.com, or his Razzball player card where possible. My hope is that this list will help dynasty leaguers sort out their rosters as keeper deadlines approach. Enjoy.
Please, blog, may I have some more? 2013 Minor League Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers
November 28, 2012 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects |by: Scott Evans
Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America 2012 (23) | 2011 (12) | 2010 (21) | 2009 (23) | 2008 (6) 2012 Affiliate Records MLB: [86-76] NL West AAA: [80-64] Pacific Coast League – Albuquerque AA: [73-65] Southern League – Chattanooga A+: [68-72] California League – Rancho Cucamonga A: [67-73] Midwest League – Great Lakes Arizona […]
Please, blog, may I have some more? Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for 2013 & Beyond
March 18, 2012 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 47 Commentsby: Scott Evans
I spend most of my time here focusing on prospects who’re nearing their big league debuts. Today, though, I’m gonna be discussing some guys a little further out. In these rankings, talent trumps all – although, I broke that rule a few times based on lack of experience (see Bundy, Sano, Starling). Among all of […]
Please, blog, may I have some more? Los Angeles Dodgers 2011 Minor League Review
February 19, 2012 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 10 Commentsby: Scott Evans
Los Angeles Dodgers 2011 Minor League Review Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America: 2012 (23) | 2011 (12) | 2010 (21) | 2009 (23) | 2008 (6) | 2007 (6) | 2006 (2) 2011 Affiliate Records MLB: [82-79] NL West AAA: [70-74] Pacific Coast League – Albuquerque AA: [77-62] Southern League – Chattanooga A+: [80-60] […]
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