2020 All-Stars

2020 All-Stars (s5e18) - Panic at Chavez Ravine

Mon, 04 Sep 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Are we panicked about the Dodgers slide? We talk about a bunch of things that have very little to do with the fantasy baseball season. We jump all over the place in this episode. Probably best to just download it and then rate and review us.

If you want one name for next year, Ronald Acuna. He could be the next big thing.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 18 (40:01)

2020 All-Stars (s5e17) - The Byron Buxton Dilemna

Mon, 04 Sep 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Angels in the outfield and the infield! We discuss the big moves by the Angels. They added Justin Upton and Brandon Philips to their offense and Houston added Justin Verlander. But we also waste a lot of time on smaller deals like Cameron Maybin and Mike Cameron’s son. Don’t worry, we keep it obscure. We also discuss the recent surge by Byron Buxton. I’ll ruin the suspense. Todd still believes. I still don’t believe. Fool me once…

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 17 (49:00)

2020 All-Stars (s5e16) - Post All-Star break

Mon, 21 Aug 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Things went awry with both our team and our young pitchers. But we begin with a chat about Yu Darvish. Short story short, he’ll be who we thought he was. Talking of big stars, we discuss the Bryce Harper injury. Of course, I had a similar injury so we pretend to think we know what we are talking about because something similar happened to us. Todd loves the big name pitchers. The beginning of this pod is all over the place.

We go back to our bread and butter with a chat about under 50% owned guys.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 16 (48:39)

2020 All-Stars (s5e15) - The Kids are Coming

Mon, 24 Jul 2017 12:00:00 +0000

We discuss the two newest young third basemen that came up this week. Yoan Moncada and Rafael Devers were called up this week. We actually discussed these guys a few weeks ago. Todd thought Moncada was going to get more ABs, and I was higher on Devers… Now? You gotta listen to find out.

The next subject is the injuries to big stars and their replacements. Carlos Correa went down with a torn thumb ligament. There are surprising a lot of guys out there to talk about as replacements on the wire and even on the Astros themselves.

Final subject… oldie but goodie, Closerpocalypse.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 15 (45:50)

2020 All-Stars (s5e14) - Back From the Break

Mon, 17 Jul 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Sorry, this one is coming late. We chatted about change you can believe in coming out of Chicago and Washington putting out a wild dumpster fire. What? Baseball? Baseball… barely.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 14 (45:41)

2020 All-Stars (s5e13) - Real All-Stars Announced

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 12:00:00 +0000

The real all-star team has been announced and we discuss the surprises. Where there is Smoak, there is fire! We discuss Yonder Alonso vs Justin Smoak and who we think is more for real / more surprising. We also discuss the return of Freddie Freeman once again. In the NL, we discuss the middle infielders that were surprises. Later on in the pod, we continue with post-hype guys like Kevin Gausman.

We then meander around the subject of a bunch of speed guys. Billy Hamilton, Elvis Andrus, Brent Gardner, Dee Gordon, Trea Turner.

The kids are coming up. We discuss the two big outfielders that got the call, Nick Williams and Clint Frazier.

Lastly, Closerpocalyse. Same ole, same ole.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 13 (48:15)

2020 All-Stars (s5e12) - Dodger lefty down for the count

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 12:00:00 +0000

We talk about the Julio Urias injury. He’s got a shoulder injury and he done. Pretty much a drop everywhere and we discuss possible replacements. Rick Porcello vs Alex Cobb, Trevor Bauer vs Mike Montgomery, Andrew Moore, Dutch Oven… does that sound exciting? Hey, it’s bleak out there.

On the offensive side, we chat Judge vs Bellinger. We are squarely in the Bellinger but Todd throws out the first rounder talk. Where does Bellinger rank among the league’s elite first basemen? I’m not ready to crown him, but Todd’s take is coming in hot. On the Judge side, we both agree on selling the hype. Are any of these guys as good as Matt Adams? ha, jk.

We end the pod with Closerpocalypse. Alright, enjoy!

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 12 (47:46)

2020 All-Stars (s5e11) - Wood vs Berrios

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Pretty quiet week, so we chat about pitchers young and old. Alex Wood vs Jose Berrios vs any random name we can think of. We also rehash a bunch of articles on Fangraphs this week. Like we said, it was slow. Another subject on the docket is how has the flyball era effected how pitchers pitch. Finally, we touch on the current Closerpocalypse. Good times.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 11 (46:20)

2020 All-Stars (s5e10) - Fresh Fish

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 12:00:00 +0000

We chat about the Astros lastest call up. Derek Fisher has had a monster season in the minors this year, but is this sustainable? Is he a legit 25/25 guy? Todd worries that the steals won’t translate to the bigs, but I’m more optimistic. We compare Fisher with our favorite rookie, Cody Bellinger. Which leads to the AGon injury. We are very worried about his prospects for the rest of the season, but that is good for the Dodgers prospects.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 10 (47:47)

2020 All-Stars (s5e09) - Off the rails

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Off-topic is the name of the game this week. We get a little political, although don’t worry, it’s still our wacky takes on things. The environment, gender equality, basketball… there just isn’t a lot going on in baseball, so we stray. Hey, what can you do?

We start off with our favorite subject, the Dodgers. The outfield started off hot and now looks a bit like a dumpster fire. Todd suggests that Ryan Braun could make his way to the City of Angels. Matt Adams has had two good games, so we visit the short sample size theater. Speaking of the short sample size theater…

David Price had a good second game. Todd is ready to crown him. I’m actually ready to sell. We throw out a bunch of names but can’t really put a good value on Price.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 9 (46:49)

2020 All-Stars (s5e08) - Go Fish

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Trout. Thumb. Us. Tears.

That’s pretty much the first 10 minutes of the podcast. We discuss waiver wire guys that are out there, but none of these guys are Trout. Not even close. So yea, probably best to just replace Trout with tears. The big question is: Is Mike Trout gettable now? If someone is in a win now mode, Todd thinks that Trout is gettable.

We discuss pitchers next. David Price is back and we give our thoughts on him. Todd seems more optimistic than I am. Todd ambushes me with some recent call ups.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 8 (53:44)

2020 All-Stars (s5e07) - What's up, Joc?

Mon, 22 May 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Was this our best effort? … ýou can be the judge. We chat about Julio Urias. He had another bad outing and was sent back to the minors. Todd still has the faith and believes this guy will still a be a star. But for a keeper league, we discuss whether you should hold onto him. But it’s not all bad news, we discuss some guys that have been pretty good lately and what we expect from them in the future.

What’s going on this week in the nation’s capitol? We discuss the closer situation and we’re definitely not in agreement on this. Koda Glover looks to be the guy right now, but we suspect that’s going to change.

Todd is worried about Joc Pederson. Note this was before his collision with Puig. Speaking of worried, we discuss some stalwarts that are off to a slow start.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 7 (43:04)

2020 All-Stars (s5e06) - Prospect of the Podcast 2017...

Mon, 15 May 2017 12:00:00 +0000

The big news of the week is the Aroldis Chapman injury. Although it’s big news, there is really no corresponding move because Betances should have already been owned. KRod lost the gig and Josh Wilson steps into the role. The next KRod looks to be Fernando Rodney, but who will be the next guy? JJ Hoover? Not exciting. The Washington situation is completely off the wall. How long can they keep letting these guys blow wins? Santiago Casilla and Brad Brach are guys that had bad weeks that we aren’t panicked about.

We move from the guys that end games to guys that start them. Todd picked up Jose Berios and we talk about Berios vs Urias. Todd + Kool Aid = Urias Apologist. What do y’all think?

ALERT: We announce the official Prospect of the Podcast for 2017. * dramatic pause * Kyle Tucker! This 3B in the Astros systems, but this guy is absolutely mashing. He’s got speed, power, average, and youth. This guy looks like the real deal. Will he be up this year? It’s doubtful, but we want to believe. While the Astros are stacked, the left fielder is a weak spot. Could Tucker come up and play left?!? Only time will tell. Another prospect that we were pumping earlier but said was not going to get called up, got the call this week. Ian Happ has a chance to stick with the Cubs although we aren’t sure where he’ll play. He’s got the bat that plays, but where would he slot into the Cubs big league squad. We wonder if Kyle Schwarber’s struggles could open up a spot for Happ.

We end the pod with what we do best. Rummaging through the dreck looking for diamonds in the rough. I’ll let y’all listen to see what we dig up.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 6 (50:22)

2020 All-Stars (s5e05) - Ennyone Out There?

Mon, 08 May 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Another week, another set of big names going down. Not sure how we got there, but we begin with Closerpocalypse. We go through a bunch of the guys that have recently gotten saves, but may not stick around in the gig. Crappy closers are basically our bread and butter, so listen for big names like Brad Brach, Bud Norris, and Enny Romero. My German style “ch” with these German names is strong this week.

I obsess over Chris Carter for no obvious reason. The guy has done absolutely nothing this year, but that doesn’t stop me from pushing him like your local used car salesman. Not to be outdone, Todd once again pushes Kennys Vargas. Where else are you going to get a Chris Carter vs. Kennys Vargas discussion?

Speaking of Minnesota Twins, Todd gives us his opinion on former Yankees, Jose Berios. We somehow jump from Berios to young guys who have been disappointing so far. Todd tweeted about Ozzie Albies, so we discuss whether he should get in there for Dansby Swanson.

But not all the rooks are struggling, because Cody Bellinger looks like he belongs in the bigs. I am a bit more caustious than Todd based on an inflated average. But he’s gonna get some run and he’s got the power to do some damage. Todd tells his own story about Golfer’s Elbow, so who knows how long Gonzalez will be out. Todd’s injury took 6 months to heal. False equality or cold hard truth?

What’s the drama with Matt Harvey? We make wild speculations about what happened and the future of Harvey and how you should handle him if he’s on your squad.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 5 (47:11)

2020 All-Stars (s5e04) - Everybody Hurts. Some Times.

Thu, 04 May 2017 12:00:00 +0000

You came for baseball, but you’re staying for the basketball talk! This episode when way off the rails, but moved along quite nicely. On this May 4th, Star-Wars day, we begin our discussion with the Noah Syndergaard injury, how the 10-day DL is being used, and replacements for your squad. Lots of ghosts Christmas past in our list. Charlie Morton, Derrick Holland, Ervin Santana, Trevor Cahill… Welcome to the 2012 All-Stars! Todd goes on a rant about Julio Urias.

We get into Dodger prospect talk. Alex Wood is one of our replacement guys of interest. Cody Bellinger looks like he’s here to stay. Todd predicts a .275 average with some pop and speed. But with all the injuries on the Dodgers, we think he’ll stick around. I want to pronounce Cody Bellinger as the 2017 prospect of the podcast, but Todd thinks it’s a little late.

Aaron Judge, who is this guy? Are we ready to crown this guy? His popcorn numbers are eye-popping but beneath the surface lies some things to worry about. We comp him to Joc Pederson’s rookie year. Joc was on super fire for a bit and then he got figured out and had a historically terrible second half. The walk rate seems too high, the strike out rate a bit high. We compare him to everyone’s darling, Eric Thames, and the answer may surprise you. We discuss guys that you might want to target if you want to sell high on the Judge.

Kennys Vargas isn’t on the radar anywhere except here. Todd loves Kennys! He goes as far to say that Kennys Vargas will outperform Ryan Zimmermann. Todd worries about RZ’s glass chin.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 4 (1:00:30)

2020 All-Stars (s5e03) - Mad Bummed-out

Mon, 24 Apr 2017 12:00:00 +0000

The big news in the past couple days is the Madison Bumgarner’s dirt bike injury. Blessing in disguise? Cheap young talent on the wire to replace him? We discuss these topics.

Once again, we chat about closers. Same song, different verse, only this time just a little bit worse.

In case you weren’t tuning out early, we stepped up the non-sense with catcher talk. Robery Chirinos, Jett Bandy, … need I say more?

In small sample size theater, we discuss Eric Thames. Who is Eric Thames? We think we know who he is.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 3 (44:00)

2020 All-Stars (s5e02) - what glitters is not always gold

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 12:00:00 +0000

The big news of the week was Starling Marte getting slammed with an 80-day PED suspension. We discuss what to do with him, what are the long-term ramifications of this? In what types of leagues do you keep Marte and where can you let him loose? Also we do some replacement talk, although with a guy of Marte’s caliber, you’re not gonna find someone on the wire to solve all your problems. Travis Jankowski and Jarrod Dyson are the speed guys that we mention. If you’re fishing for upside, Austin Meadows is an interesting name. His profile is what has the scouts drooling, but his numbers aren’t bananas.

The news that affects us is Marcus Semien’s broken wrist. Todd threw out a couple of nice sleeper names that you’ll want to listen for. I have my doubts about Jose Peraza, so we chat about the Reds situation for a bit.

Our favorite topic, Closerpocalypse, rears it’s ugly head. Matt Bush looks to be the guy in Texas. Zach Britton got hurt and Brad Brach looks to be the guy. The National’s situation is dicey; Todd thinks it’s Kelley and I’m in the Koda Glover camp. Which crappy closer would you want?

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 2 (51:35)

2020 All-Stars (s5e01) - And we're back!

Tue, 11 Apr 2017 12:00:00 +0000

We kick off a bit of rust with the first episode of the season. Mostly chatting about old flames such as Wil Myers and George Springer. Was it our best effort? Best of 2017 so far is how I’d describe it…

We get into a discussion about the Padres for way longer than we should. We talk about a bunch of young pitchers such as James Paxton and Dylan Bundy. Ending things with the Closerpocalypse, which is starting early this year.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 5 Episode 1 (35:54)

2020 All-Stars (s4e18) - Alex Bregman is Free!

Fri, 19 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Turner vs Bregman. Todd likes Turner’s steals potential and the general lack of steals in the league. Turner is definitely the burner of the two, but I’m worried about his OBP. Bregman is finally turning it on and Bregman has shown his potential to be a high average guy. The lineups of both guys look like they’ll be solid and we’re split on this so take your choice. We ponder if Billy Hamilton could get 100 steals next year. We both agree that the second coming of Vince Coleman would be awesome.

Our earlier discussion winds it way into something about steals and the middle infield in general. But there are just a ton of options out there. Todd is ready to crown Corey Seager as the next big thing. Number 1 Shortstop 2017. I don’t believe it but I do like Seager. We discuss all the other SS’s as well. Speaking of #1, we discuss if Mookie Betts should be the #1 overall pick.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 18 (48:44)

2020 All-Stars (s4e17) - Disco3000

Wed, 10 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the 2005 All-Stars podcast! We discuss a lot of the old guys that are in the news this week. Ichiro got his 3,000th hit. Ichiro has had a sneaky good average but he’s not really putting up the counting stats to be fantasy relevant. Next we discuss the fantasy implications of the Prince Fielder news. Mitch Moreland? Jurkson Profar? Joey Gallo?

We discuss a couple hot guys in the news. I go on a diatribe about how I don’t think David Dahl is for real. Not that he’ll be bad, but his current pace feels completely unsustainable. We give a little more love to Max Kepler. Is he the ROY or could it be someone else? We jump on the Joe Musgrove train. I’m not sure who he is, but he’s been pitching well recently. We discuss the end game strategy of riding the hot hand and how you should treat the of the season.

The Closerpocalypse has hit our first love, Wil Harris. He lost the gig to Ken Giles after blowing a few saves and Giles looking solid. We also love Edwin Diaz. Is he the next Aroldis Chapman? We like him a lot more than a guy like Kimbrel. Adam Ottovino could be back in the chair.

Also, check out my statistics project over at Github.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 17 (52:19)

2020 All-Stars (s4e16) - Yank me this way and that

Sun, 31 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

We discuss a bunch of the trades that went down. Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman… They are both good. We lament what could have been if Chapman was a starter. Oh, the things he would have done. Would it just be one 100 mph fastball after another? One of the great what-ifs in baseball. But yea, he makes the Cubs look like the (dare I say) favorites. Todd professes his love for David Price once again. Speaking of big name pitchers that are struggling, Jake Arrieta has been not his usual dominant self.

Todd thinks Chris Archer would be a 300K guy in the NL. I wanted to say that we said the same thing about Doug Fister, but his name escaped me. Would Archer be a star on the Dodgers? We will probably never know. We also speculate on other trades, but since I’m releasing this a week late, I won’t pontificate about all of them here.

We end with a calm discussion about Alex Bregman’s slow start. Yes, he did not light the world on fire, but he’s no Byron Buxton.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 16 (35:13)

2020 All-Stars (s4e15) - The Price is Right?

Sun, 24 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Panic!!! RUN!!! AHHH!!! Ok, deep breathes. Stay calm… As you can see, we running through the gambit of emotions. After another bad start from David Price, we discuss what owners should do with him. Who could you get for him? And should you deal him? Also in the world of aces, we lament about Kershaw’s setback. We still like him but this definitely shows that he’s mortal.

But enough with the bad news, #FreeAlexBregman has finally happened. This Monday Bregman will be seeing his first action for the big league club. We discuss his prospects and Todd goes into whose got next.

Hope you enjoy the episode and we apologize for the delay between episodes.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 15 (43:46)

2020 All-Stars (s4e14) - Where we learn about ourselves from baseball...

Sun, 19 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

So we learned something this week. I have turf toe. How did I learn this? Because Jose Bautista has turf toe. Baseball, what would we do without you?

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 14 (28:03)

2020 All-Stars (s4e13) - CC or Tiny Tim?

Sun, 19 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

We had a special live episode today. More of the usual. Prospects, fantasy zombies, closerpocalypse. Thanks for listening and apologies for the late post.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 13 ()

local({r <- getOption(“repos”); r[“CRAN”] <- “http://cran.cnr.berkeley.edu/”; options(repos = r)})

2020 All-Stars (s4e12) - Is Adam Jones Back?

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

No description… running to the airport :-) Viel Spaß!

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 12 (29:58)

2020 All-Stars (s4e11) - #FreeAlexBregman

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Bad puns kicks off our discussion. James Shields got traded to the White Sox. The only thing that it really tells us is that the White Sox are in it to win it. Perhaps they’ll bring up Tim Anderson to replace Jimmy Rollins at SS, but the prospects in the deal are lotto tickets. Perhaps in 2020 we’ll be talking about Fernando Tatis Jr, but he’s certainly not a sure thing.

A lot of the prospects that we have been chatting about the past couple of months. Trea Turner has been freed and he’s batting 1.000. How can they send this guy down? We love Trea, but could there be someone we like more? A blast from the past in Texas has made his way up to the bigs. Yes, I have been all over Turner, but even I admit this mystery man might have a better opportunity than my boy, Trea. But both guys have the potential to make an impact on fantasy teams this year. Prince Fielder owners might have something to worry about.

The stars of the last generation are falling one by one. The Dodgers DFA’d Carl Crawford, which opens up a spot for our boy, Trayce Thompson. Guys that we put in the Trayce Thompson ballpark are Wil Myers and Corey Dickerson. Byron Buxton is back in the bigs after absolutely annihilating the baseball. He’s still striking out too much, but the potential is on display. Meadering on through shortstops around the league leads us to the vanguard of the Alex Bregman era! Let’s make this happen. Get on the Twitter machine and let’s get #FreeAlexBregman going.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 11 (48:23)

2020 All-Stars (s4e10) - This Kershaw guy might be good...

Mon, 30 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Kershaw or Strasburg? I try to make a case for Stephen, but it pretty much all hinges on wins. It’s not really a defensible position, but it’s something to chat about. But speaking of super prospects, JULIO!!!!! JULIO!!!! JULIO! Julio Urias made his debut and it was rough. He got rocked, but this looks like it presents a buying opportunity. The other super prospect we talk about is Giolito. We’re predicting a September Callup.

From the other side, I have completely given up on Yasiel Puig. Listen to see how much faith I’ve lost.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 10 (43:32)

2020 All-Stars (s4e09) - Is Melvin Upton Jr back?

Sun, 15 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

We had a relatively quick podcast this week because Todd had to get to a golf lesson to practice for his upcoming round at the famed Pebble Beach. We quickly go around the league and discuss some hot players, some not, and finally return to our bread and butter with rookies who could make an impact before the AS break. The young names that we talk about are Alex Bregman, Jameson Tailon, and Trayce Thompson.

Also shout out to the mom of podcast’s newest darling, Jackie Bregman, for liking one of our tweets about her son.

Finally, Todd mentioned The Best Team Money Can Buy by Molly Knight.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 09 (38:37)

Season 4 Episode 08 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 15 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Well, I got hit by a car but no DL stint for me! We have a quick hitter here. We blow through the weeks news. The #FreeTreaTurner talk is heating up and so is #BuxtonWatch2016.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 08 (38:58)

Season 4 Episode 07 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 08 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Mother’s Day podcast. Like the pod, I’ll make this summary quick hitting.

Garrett Richards goes down with a torn UCL. The super sleeper name that Todd likes is Nate Smith. Another guy in the minors that Todd likes is James Taillon. Of course, the rest of the internet is on the Tyler Glasnow train. Glasnow has a higher K-rate but also a much higher BB rate. I just worry that people fall in love with Glasnow’s physique and really discount the control issues.

We quickly discuss who could be the #1 overall fantasy pick next year. Arrenado, Stanton, Altuve are all in the mix on the hitting side and Kershaw or Arrieta on the pitching side.

Apologies to Heath Capps whose name escaped me during the podcast. He is ready to move on from Adam Jones. I asked him about Yelich and Todd and I surprisingly take Yelich over a few big names players out there.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 7 (39:15)

Season 4 Episode 06 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 01 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

The big news of the week is Dee Gordon’s 80 day suspension for PEDs. We lament about this because he’s the third keeper that we’ve lost for a significant chuck of the season already. We do a decent job of holding back the tears, but this was probably the nail in the of our 2016 fantasy season in our big league. What does that mean for you? Well, we might start selling out for prospects so the podcast might lean that way as well. Stay tuned.

Speaking of… Brandon Drury feels like he might be more than a flavor of the week. If you want more of a retread, we like what we see from Jed Gyorko in St Louis. On the flipside, fellow Asian American Kolton Wong looks like he might be in danger of losing his gig once Peralta comes back. It also looks like Chase Utley has found the fountain of youth. He’s hitting for an empty average at the top of a good lineup, which is worth something. If you’re looking to replace the speed, you’re gonna have to dig pretty deep. Our suggestion is really just stream in a fast guy against Jon Lester (Cubs) or Hank Conger (Rays).

The bad news train continues while we discuss Byron Buxton’s demotion. Todd is keeping the faith. That whole situation feels like something is in his head. Hopefully, he can figure things out with his swing and get back to the bigs. Even though I made a negative prediction on him, I still don’t like to see guys fail. Speaking of top prospects that failed in his first taste at the top, Todd suspects Jurickson Profar could make his way back up sooner rather than later.

The discussion ends with pitcher talk. A couple of the young guns are making there way into the bigs. Jose Berrios and Sean Manaea are the big names that have come up lately. Both guys look like good hold or keeper league guys. Langfristig as they say in German. Lastly, what do you all think of the Arizona Diamondbacks? Questions are abound about what that organization is doing.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 6 (43:06)

Season 4 Episode 05 - 2020 All-Stars

Mon, 25 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Jake Arrietta, the #1 overall pitchers? Noah Syndergaard, next big thing? We start this fireside chat with a discussion of the big name pitchers. Kenta Maeda also works his way into the discussion. Todd watches the Dodgers a lot and likes what he sees, but cautions our listeners about going all-in on him. Definitely a useful player, but he won’t be a sub-1 ERA guy all season.

The #Closerpocalypse segment makes a mini-return. I rant about how I’m worried about Cody Allen. He had a bad spring and he’s followed it with a less than dominant start. He doesn’t seem in jeopardy to lose the gig, but nobody seems to even consider that he’s had a weak start. I threw the name Joba Chamberlain against the wall. Todd couldn’t say no fast enough. Yes, saves are a category, but are they always worth it? We think not especially when it comes to the Reds and Minnesota. Lots of problems in Closerland in the midwest.

Todd takes over the pod while we go into guys on the farm. This is really our bread and butter so don’t miss out on it. There are two big arms that could make an impact this year, so we discuss those guys.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 5 (45:49)

Season 4 Episode 04 - 2020 All-Stars

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Public Service Announcement: Our internet connection was crap. We had a bunch of drop outs and ended up recording this episode in two parts.

We play the game, Panic or Patience. We begin with two young guys on Minnesota. Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano have been struggling and we discuss it. What worries both of us is the K-rate of both guys. Todd thinks Buxton will make adjustments and I have my doubts. But we do both agree that the Twins have nothing to play for so they can be patient with these guys. A guy that we both are worried about is Byung Ho Park. He hasn’t gotten off to a great start and he doesn’t have the pedigree of the other two.

Our next stop on the panic train is the Vets. Tulo has Todd concerned that his days as an elite fantasy SS is over, while I think he could play enough games to be a factor at the position especially regarding the power numbers. Should one trade Tulo for Trevor “Babe Ruth” Story? My prediction is .250 with 27 homers in 140 games and Todd like .270 average with 18 homers. We cast some doubt as Lindor as a fantasy beast, which is a bit of a contrarian opinion. Our thoughts trend towards “better real life player than fantasy player”. Unfortunately, defense generally doesn’t cut it in fantasy. Is he an Andrelton Simmons type?

What should you do about Prince Fielder? Big guys tend to have steep declines. The power has been declining and the strikeout rate is on the rise. Not a full blown panic, but if you can still get full value in a trade then go for it. Age or small sample size theater? It could go either way, but we have our thoughts.

Pitchers, you say? Zack Greinke has Todd a little worried. We both agree that he won’t repeat his performance on the Dodger. I totally lost my train of thought trying to come up with Dallas Keuchel. We compare Greinke with Matt Harvey who has also struggled to start the season. The guy that has us most worried is Adam Wainwright. He’s just got too much going against him to continue to be an elite fantasy option. A definite Panic. Archer confounds us. His walk-rate is crazy high, but so is his home run rate. Is this sustainable? Cautious buy low candidate? Keep an eye on it.

After the break, we get back to chatting about prospects. A good pouporri for you on that front. Hope y’all enjoy it!

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 4 (50:48)

Season 4 Episode 03 - 2020 All-Stars

Mon, 11 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Were you interested in hearing about the 80s classic The Goonies? Well, we went there. But we needed something positive to talk about and baseball simply wasn’t providing that positivity. We discuss all the injuries. The big name is Kyle Schwarber. We discuss who on the Cubs could benefit from that. In the outfield, we like Colby Rasmus, Nick Markakis, Michael Saunders and Drew Stubbs as possible replacements.

Other injuries that we talk about are Robinson Chirinos, Shin-Soo Choo, Carl Crawford, and DeGrom. On the batting side, there were a couple kids to think about. For keeper leagues, Gary Sanchez and Wilson Conteras are interesting catchers. In the outfield, Max Kepler nad Mallex Smith got the call and have interesting tools.

But if you do one thing, PICK UP NICK MAZARA. Todd thinks he’s going to be an instant superstar and in his first game, he went 3 for 4 with a homer. This guy can help you immediate, run do not walk to go pick this guy up. Todd’s bold call is ROY, future all-star, “next big thing”, just do it. Mazara’s bat intrigues all the scouts. Todd likes him as a 35hr - .300 average guy. Perhaps not this year, but he’s got that kind of potential.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 3 (41:43)

Season 4 Episode 02 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 03 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Always something new for y’all on the 2020 Allstars. I (David) was homeless for the month of March. Instead of scrambling to find a place in Berlin, I decided to travel to Egypt. So this weeks episode comes to you from Cairo. As such the audio quality isn’t quite up to snuff, but you’re probably not here for that anyway.

We discuss the AJ Pollock injury and some guys that could put up “AJ Pollack”-like numbers. Or what you could do to make up the power and the steals, although there really isn’t a 20/40 guy just sitting out there. Names like Joey Rickard and Travis Shaw get bandied about.

But the purpose of this show is our bold predictions for 2016:

Socrates Brito! Looks like he will get a shot with AJ Pollack being injured. He’s shown double digit pop and 30+ steals in the minors. Tood sees a 15/20 season in 2016. We’re also hoping for this because we picked up Brito. Why not?

My first prediction is Pedro Alvarez as a top 7 1B with 35+ homers and an average north of .250. I did a little “analysis” and the park factors to lefties leans strongly in Alvarez’s favor. I also wanted to throw Jonathon Schoop into this one. Alvarez + Schoop over 60 homers?! They don’t call them bold predictions for nothing.

Justin Turner makes the leap to become a top 7 3B. He was on pace last year until he got injured so is it crazy? His ISO seemed a bit high last year and Todd thinks this power surge will continue. I like him too, but I’m not sure about the power numbers.

Trevor Bauer top 15 closer! He finally becomes the guy we thought he could be. Cody Allen’s spring numbers have me a little worried. The control is not there… if there are velo issues then this one could pay off. Todd suggests that he just needs the closer glasses and everything will be good.

Nick Williams wins the NL Rookie of the Year. I throw out the comparison to Adam Jones. He’s a swinger, but with some plate discipline so he doesn’t strike out at a crazy rate. 21/12 with a .275 average is what Todd likes on the high end as long as things fall into place.

Speaking of prospects, I’m way down on Bryon Buxton. He’s touted as the next big thing, but I just don’t see it. My bold prediction is that his bat forces the Twins to send him back to the minors. Todd counters that Buxton’s defense will keep him in the league. It’s a good point, but if Buxton keeps hitting .200 then he’s out of there. I wanted to compare him to Brandon Wood, but I forgot Wood’s name.

Ryan Madson gets 20 saves. Sean Doolittle is doing everything he can to lose the job.

Ryan Raburn, .300 average and 18hrs in like 250 ABs. He’s now in Colorado and he’ll mash lefties. I have been a Raburn fan for a long time so take this one with a LARGE grain of salt.

Todd’s final bold prediction… Zack Wheeler comes back strong after the AS break. Todd is looking for about a strikeout per inning and good ratios.

My final bold prediction is that Marcus Stroman is in the Cy Young discussion. Tons of wins, sub-3 ERA, 8.5 K/9. Plus Todd tweeted last year “Marcus Stroman, Cy Young 2016”, so I’ll run with it as well. Let’s see if Todd was prophetic.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 2 (49:58)

Season 4 Episode 01 - 2020 All-Stars

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Alright guys, we started off shaky and there are 10 minutes that will never see the light of day. We begin our conversation with the young Chicago Cubs. The squad, we love, but the prices not so much. With so many players will there be enough playing time for everyone? We even have concerns about one of our favorites from last year.

Next we wander into the topic of pitchers that got moved over the off-season. Is Jeff Samardzija ready for a breakout year? What happens with David Price? Is Grienke mortal? We address all these questions and more.

Third basemen worries us much wore. We regret to say that the days of Even Longoria as a star might be over. Would he be better if he played less? We also talk about other guys that you want to target instead of the once mighty Longoria.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 4 Episode 1 (54:19)

Season 3 Episode 26 - 2020 All-Stars

Wed, 09 Sep 2015 12:00:00 +0000

We did not watch a lot of baseball this week. Instead of doing our normal recap, we discuss who are next years breakouts. We begin with our favorite AJ Pollock. Todd brilliant pulls Christian Yelich’s name out of a hat. Man, I love that call and wish that I had thought of it. I actually think Yelich could be the next Dexter Fowler, but Todd throws Aaron Hicks’s name out there. I argue that Hicks doesn’t have the OBP to get runs like Fowler.

That degenerates into a discussion about the Minnesota Twins lineup. They’ve actually got a surprisingly good/intriguing lineup. Our disagreement comes with Byron Buxton. I’m not going to annoint Buxton the next Ken Griffey Jr. Yea, maybe you want the guy to learn, but he’s shown nothing that says he deserves to be at the top of the lineup. How that all shakes out?

Biggest power comeback? Devin Mesoraco. We pin him as a 20-25 hr guy next year. Another bounceback candidate is Corey Dickerson. Two guys coming back from injury whose injuries are not the lingering type. My guy to turn it around is another catcher, Jon Lucroy. I’ve got him as a fringe top 5 catcher.

Our next topic is the Houston power hitter situation. Jon Singleton, Chris Carter, and Evan Gattis all seem like the same guy and not the type of guy that you want three of. On the topic of power, we talk about “old guy” comeback player for next year. I wanted to find a guy in his mid-30s, but we sort of settle on Evan Longoria. If you want the deep league name, it’s Justin Morneau.

Todd <3 Noah Syndergaard. He’s looking for something big from this guy. 3-ish ERA, 200 IPs, 200Ks, 1.14-ish WHIP. You heard it here first. I go back to 2020 All-Star oldie but goodie, Taijaun Walker. He’s still bringing the heat and if he can bring down his HR/9 down then he could be a star. We even put 10 doge on it.

The big name prospect pitchers that we like are Lucas Giolito, Tyler Glasnow, and Luis Severeno. On the hitting side, it’s Jessie Winker and Bradley Zimmer. As always we get rambly: AJ Reed, Nick Williams, Hunter Renfro, and Austin Meadows.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 26 (44:56)

Season 3 Episode 25 - 2020 All-Stars

Mon, 31 Aug 2015 12:00:00 +0000

The future is now! We are coming up on September. What does this mean? If you’re in a holds league then it’s time to make your big run! But before the baseball comes the food, thus we needed to discuss grilling in Germany. Todd is disgusted that we grilled without a Weber Grill. Jamacian style cooking folks. Want a YouTube video? Sure… what?!? It doesn’t exist. I just spent 20 minutes looking through youtube videos and couldn’t find this method. Basically, you use a super high heat and over-marinate the chicken. Especially important is a ton of herbs. Then you stack all the chicken (skin on!) into the middle of the grill, this is really counter-intuitive to every grill rule you’ve ever learn, but trust me. The marinade/herb mixture drips into the fire creating a ton of smoke. The chicken pieces at the bottom will get pretty dark pretty quickly. The key is to rotate the chicken every couple of minutes and put the ones on the top to the bottom to char. The ones at the top continue to cook indirectly from the heat coming off the pieces on the bottom. If done correctly, you’ll end up with chicken that has a nice black char, but still is moist inside.

We had a great idea in the beginning of the season refer to Jung Ho Kang’s power as K-Pop. Darnit, why we didn’t follow up on this will remain one of the great tragedies of the 2015 season? This leads us into a discussion about the middle infield. In typical 2020 All-Star fashion, we wander into a discussion about no pop, speed guys like Anthony Gose. Pop-speed-pop, a new form of EDM? No, we go back to guys with power and discuss the two big boppers at the corners, Sano and Bryant. Todd likes Sano’s power and I like Bryant’s sneaky speed. And speaking of power, we go to Top 5 3Bs for next year. We’re really going all-in on the young guys at the hot corner. Same discussion with the outfield. Is Mike Trout still #1 overall? Four of the top 5 are pretty standard, but the fifth is a long-time favorite of the podcast that might surprise you.

Queue Scary Music: CLOSERPOCALYPSE! The Boston situation is ugly. Jean Machi is the guy, but probably best to just leave him to someone more desperate. The Oakland situation seems like Drew Pomeranz is the guy. We like him a ton more than Machi (so he’ll probably lose the gig tomorrow). The best of the bottom of the barrel prize goes to Tom Wilhelmsen. He’s solid and the other guys in Seattle are having issues. Greg Holland doesn’t really scare us too much. But the guy to own there would be Wade Davis, but he’s good enough that he should have been owned already. Addison Reed? Not a closer, but he got traded to the Mets. Can the Mets fix him? We’re not hopeful, but you never know.

September Callups Lighting Round: Corey Seager, Jesse Winker, Urias, Nick Williams, Javy Baez.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 25 (42:56)

Season 3 Episode 24 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 23 Aug 2015 12:00:00 +0000

In true 2020 All-Star fashion, we have a nice little false start. We re-begin the podcast with a discussion of Trea Turner. He doesn’t necessarily have a lot of opportunity for playing time, but he’s definitely a stashable guy in keeper leagues. We move onto the Chase Utley trade. We don’t necessarily see a lot of value, but we discuss some of the other guys that you can get. This leads to more Dodger talk and in particular the team’s bullpen situation.

Speaking of bullpens, we bring back your favorite segment, Closerpocalypse. We tell you that Junichi Tazawa is definitely the guy. Of course, later in the night he blows a save is spectacular fashion.

My roommate comes home so we quickly blast through the news of people who hit the DL. There were a ton of guys that hit the DL, including one pitcher who hit a homer then hurt himself. Then we just abruptly and awkwardly wrap up the whole thing. Nothing but the best for all of you. We apologize for those of you who enjoy our food segments. This week we didn’t get to that.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 24 (36:59)

Season 3 Episode 23 - 2020 All-Stars

Tue, 18 Aug 2015 12:00:00 +0000

We are off and running with classic 2020 All-Star material in discussing Randal Grichuk’s elbow injury. Names like Aaron Hicks and Chris Coghlan are bandied about. We move on to King Felix’s troubles. I’m a little more worried than Todd, but the more interesting discussion is should you try to move Felix if you’re looking to rebuild? Next we delve into a weird discussion about borderline playable OFs. The name on the bottom of my list might surprise you. Finally, Todd goes on a rant about how Billy Hamilton is actually Willy Mayes Hayes and the manager should implement a 10 pushups for every flyball rule. It would kind of be great to watch a guy drop down and do 10 pushups during a game ala Major League, right?!?

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 23 (44:33)

Season 3 Episode 22 - 2020 All-Stars

Mon, 10 Aug 2015 12:00:00 +0000

This week is pretty special. We’re going back in time to check out some of our predictions from our inaugural episode of Season 3. Below are the notes that we are referring to:

D: Miguel Cabrera will be a “bust” - Either .275 hitter or “is good but plays only 110 games”

D: Anthony Rizzo is the #1 overall 1B. 10 steal speed.

T: Robinson Cano is going to have another rough season. 15-18 hr season. “behind Rendon and possibly Jose Altuve”

D: “I like Kipnis. I would buy Kipnis.”

T: Top 5 2Bs some conglomeration of “Rendon, Altuve, Cano, Kinsler, Kipnis, and perhaps Dee Gordon sneaks in there.”

D: “Bryce Harper or Josh Donaldson as jumping into the top 25”

D: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Jorge Soler jumped into the top 25”

D: “Are you really taking Nelson Cruz over [Jorge Soler]?”

T: “Yasmany Tomas could jump into the top 25”

T: “We love Kyle Schwarber”

T: “What do you think about this Kang guy?”

T: “He might be the best middle infielder [on the all Asian team]”

T: “I’m not sure the 40 homers are going to translate directly to the MLB”

D: “I’d rather have a guy like Jed Gyorko or Andrelton Simmons”

T: “I was all over Xander Boegarts and I can’t quit him. He completes me. .280 25 homer bat.”

T: “Not a big fan of Pedroia, Panda, Hanley or Napoli”

T + D: “I think Pedroia will be droppable by the end of the year”

D: “Pedroia at 2B or Wright at 3B?”
T: “Can I take neither?”

T: “Brett Lawrie: 15-20 pop, 15-20 speed, .280” (38/10/45/5/.268 now)

D: “Switch hitting superstar, Chase Headley”

D: “They’re not going to give the reigns to ARod again, are they?”
T: “No, I don’t see that at all”

Dogebet: Lawrie vs Headley

T: “This is the year for Jed Gyroko. I’m all-in on him. .265, 30 hrs”

T: “SD has 4 players with more than 25 hrs”

D: “Khris Davis gets to 30 hrs”

T: “Does Khris Davis hit over .238?”
D: “No, no, probably not.” (he’s hitting .237 right now)

D: “20/20 season for Gardner”

T: “I think Charlie Blackmon is for real”

T: “Travis Snider hits 25+ hrs”

T: “[Schwarber] is going to have video game numbers in the minors”

D: “Impact rookie will be Kris Bryant”
T: “Yea, we were already all over him last year”

T: “Joc Pederson can have a big impact. He’s got 20/20 type talent. The 40/40 was a PCL mirage.”

T: “Aaron Sanchez is a guy that I like”

T: “I think Harvey is going to be a star. 3.30, 8.5K/9, 1.23 WHIP”

T: “Jose Fernandez comes back around July 15th”
***

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars, Instagram 2020AllStars, and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 22 (46:59)

Season 3 Episode 21 - 2020 All-Stars

Tue, 04 Aug 2015 12:00:00 +0000

There are times you know you are witnessing magic, like when a pitcher is in the middle of throwing a perfect game. The ball is dancing around, every pitch hits it’s spot, the ball is coming out seemingly a few mph faster with every pitch. You watch this feat and you can just tell something special is happening. You’re giddy with excitement that you can be a part of it.

And sometimes you’re the hitter on the other end of that magic. Baffled, off-balance, defeated.

Well folks, this week Todd and I were on the wrong side of a preverbial perfect game. This was not our best effort. An extra long chat about food forbodes the lack of intelligible baseball chatter to come. We botch names, carry on dialogues that are seemingly unrelated, and throw in the occassional awkward pause for good measure. It’s not pretty, but every prospect takes their lumps.

We start off talking about all the big trades that went down. What does the David Price trade mean for his value? We discuss. Price vs Hamels. Price vs Cueto. Somehow we wander into alternative stat leagues, Dexter Fowler, then back to the trade world with Mat Latos. I could continue to give you the play by play, but then this blog post would be like a Fellini film. Some of the highlights include:

“I really love guys named ‘Paco’.”

“That’s Joc Pederson not Jace Pederson. awkward silence” (I confused Jose Peraza and Jace Pederson)

“Who is the guy who hurt himself playing Guitar Hero?”

“The love child of Fernando Rodney and KRod.”

“Kang-am Style”, “Going, going, Kang!”

“Do you think he moved his van?”, “I’d be terrified to live in a van in Detroit.”

“I think that’s a lot of petina.”

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 21 (45:11)

Season 3 Episode 20 - 2020 All-Stars

Mon, 27 Jul 2015 12:00:00 +0000

Trade season is upon us. We delve into the moves that have already been made and also discuss some injuries this week.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 20 (34:45)

Season 3 Episode 19 - 2020 All-Stars

Mon, 20 Jul 2015 12:00:00 +0000

We’re working our way back to form. We’ve got about 30 minutes of goodness for you this week. We chat about keeper league values and specifically, selling stud pitchers for youthful bats. Todd tends to side with the bats and I say throw something against the wall and see what happens. The other trade pieces to offer are the once-young studs that are beginning to fade (i.e. Evan Longoria and Jay Bruce). Really interesting to hear how our opinions differ on trading in general. Todd tends to discount pitching and older hitters, while I conjecture that you might as well offer the deal. What’s the worst that can happen?

In prospect talk, keep an eye on Nick Williams. We really love this guy. He’s cut down his K-rate and still showing speed/power potential like the good version of Alex Rios. Tyler Glasnow in the Pirates system looks like a stud pitcher in the making. If you’re looking for a deep league name for next year, check him out. We are also fans of Julio Urias, who probably won’t be up, but could make a real-life impact in September in a relief role.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 19 (30:05)

Season 3 Episode 18 - 2020 All-Stars

Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:00:00 +0000

It’s been two weeks and we have a mini-pod for you. We basically run through the injuries of the past two weeks and lament about the Greek Crisis. Miggy, David Wright, Dee Gordon, Strasburg, etc, etc. That wanders into a little bit of closer chatter and old guy talk. There is a rookie of note that got the call to the bigs so we discuss… Robert Refsnyder! and Miguel Sano’s future prospect. Will Sano be better than our man-crush, Kris Bryant? The answer might surprise you.

Alright, this coming week we should have a full podcast for y’all. Cheers!

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 18 (15:29)

Season 3 Episode 17 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 28 Jun 2015 12:00:00 +0000

This week, we stray from our normal banter about food to talk about gay marriage/LGBT rights. This past Friday, the Supreme Court decided that states could no longer ban or not recognize gay marriages. Huge win for equal rights in America! We even dabble into German gay marriage politics for the briefest of moments. Although the laws here haven’t changed yet, there was a lot of positive energy from everyone this weekend, so hopefully they’ll follow the US’s lead soon enough. But not to disappoint, we quickly moved the conversation onto food. Todd and I have discussed a food podcast in the offseason where each of us has to make a local specialty of where the other is living. The dish that Todd couldn’t pronounce is Sülze and my challenge would be to make chili cheese fries complete with cheddar cheese.

What? You want baseball news? Maybe you don’t after you hear what we have to tell you… Giancarlo Stanton went down with a hand injury that he sustained while swinging. We discuss whether he deserves the dreaded “injury plagued” tag. He’ll be a first round guy, because you just can’t find Stanton power outside of Stanton. But is he the new Tulo? We are a bit worried about that. The most interesting name that we throw out there is Randal Grichuk. He’s got some lightning-in-a-bottle potential.

Speaking of stud outfielders, we discuss what is the value of Yasiel Puig and what is the production. In my opinion, Puig’s value far outstrips his production. He could be a sell high guy now that he is back in the majors. We throw out some names that you might be able to get in a trade involving Puig. Joc Pederson might be a guy one could get for Puig. Jacoby Ellsbury, Encarnacion, Bautista? It seems like anyone that you could get for Puig has question marks, but the gamble is what makes fantasy great.

Another big injury is Anthony Rendon going back on the DL. Second base has been really interesting/disappointing this year. Rendon, Cano, and Kinsler have all disappointed this year, but Kipnis, Addison Russell, and Justin Turner have surprised to the upside. We discuss what to do with those guys and if you want any part of them as buy-low candidates. Bottomline, GET JUSTIN TURNER!

Steven Matz? Steven Matz? Anyone? We like his stuff, but wonder if he’ll get full-time innings this season.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 17 (45:32)

Season 3 Episode 16 - 2020 All-Stars

Mon, 22 Jun 2015 12:00:00 +0000

We start off our chat about the Sunday holidays. Fête de la Musique in Germany and Father’s Day in the US. The big news of the week was Max Scherzer, so we start off our discussion with Justin Turner. What is his value? What can you get for him in a trade? We think you’ll be surprised at the names that we throw out there.

We declare Kyle Schwarber will be the next big thing. He had his cup of tea, drank it, and asked for another… nay, just took another without asking. Schwarber had a great week in the majors as a DH, but he’s already been sent down. We discuss what we think of his prospects this year and the future. There is a Mike Piazza reference! Mullets!!!

Byron Buxton owner? Stay calm! Alles ist gut! He’s a rookie, so it’s not out of the question that he struggled. But that isn’t the case with everyone, because Carlos Correa looks really good. We pretty much annoint him a top 5 fantasy SS and even go as far putting him in the discussion as #1 at the position!?! Welcome to the Small Sample Size Theater. Stay as long as you like. Among the three big time SS prospects (Correa, Corey Seager, and Addison Russell), we like Correa the most for those thinking long term. Correa is part of a great Astros squad that we think is playoff bound as soon as this year.

There are some guys coming off the DL. Most notably Jose Fernandez. We chat about his outlook for this year. And speaking of really good pitchers, Max Scherzer is #1. Better than Kershaw? Better than a Dodger? Recency bias overwhelming points us in that direction. More interestingly, we ponder whether Kershaw is gettable and what is his value? Another favorite of ours is coming back in Devon Travis. We spend an inordinate amount of time ranking him among other middle infielders. My super bold prediction is that Devon Travis is better than Brandon Crawford the rest of the way.

Prospect Talk:

Aaron Nola - SP (Philly - AAA)
Michael Conforto - OF (Mets - AA)
Trevor Story - SS (Rockies - AA)

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 16 (51:34)

Bonus: Checkout my mullet!

Bonus 2: Checkout the french fries blog with my fries (german language) that we mentioned last week. I’m the anonymous good samaritan fry expert in the story.

Season 3 Episode 15 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 14 Jun 2015 12:00:00 +0000

Ok guys, this is becoming a food podcast. For the first three minutes, we discuss making french fries, pommes frites, whatever you call them, from scratch and then turning those into the Quebecois specialty, Poutine.

As for actual fantasy baseball talk, we discuss the recent call-ups. What do we expect of Byron Buxton, Francisco Lindor, and Joey Gallo? Also, who is next to be called up (#freekyleschwarber)? There’s more but perhaps you should just listen instead of reading about it. :-)

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 15 (37:54)

Season 3 Episode 14 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 07 Jun 2015 12:00:00 +0000

So I, David, was in Israel last week, so we missed a week. Deep-league discussion? It gets no deeper than this. Pat Venditte! Switch pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. Is he fantasy relevant? Not really. But is it awesome that he can pitch from both sides? You need to listen to find out.

We go into homer-mode and discuss the Dodgers and specifically Yasiel Puig’s return to the Dodger lineup and how that affects the rest of the guys in the Dodgers outfield. On the other hand, we chat about what the Jorge Soler injury does to the Cubs outfield. Looks like the Cubs are also experimenting with Kris Bryant in the outfield. More generally speaking, the Cubs strikeout a lot and we generally go into a rant about strikeout rates and guys that strike out a lot.

There are a lot of young pitchers making some noise lately. We discuss them and rank them all relative to each other. Sticking with pitchers, we discuss the Closerpocalypse in Seattle and Tampa Bay.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 14 (43:56)

Season 3 Episode 13 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 24 May 2015 12:00:00 +0000

I’m not going to sugarcoat this one. We slapped this episode together pretty quickly. I’m heading off to Israel in 4 hours, so apologies for the curtness. However, we still have 45 minutes of podcasting goodness for you. Enjoy!

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars and iTunes.

Season 3 Episode 13 (44:31)

Season 3 Episode 12 - 2020 All-Stars

Mon, 18 May 2015 12:00:00 +0000

So Corey Kluber might be good. We chat about his game for a moment and then discuss his place among the pantheon of other elite pitchers. This leads into some concerns we have about David Price. We discuss some potential fantasy trades with him and what we think of his value. Continuing a pitcher discussion, we move to a former 2020 All-Star favorite, Yordano Ventura. Is he better than some “Whack or Back”-type guys?

The Closerpocalypse is upon us. Neftali Feliz looks like he is out. Shawn Tolleson seems to be the man and the guys behind the guy is Tanner Scheppers and Keone Kela. The other guys that we are worried about are the Axman and Addison Reed. Listen to hear what we say about their replacements.

Finally, we scrape the bottom of the barrel in the middle infield.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars and iTunes. In a programming note, our episode next week is up in the air because I’m going further into the future. Hopefully, we’ll get it to you, but keep abreast with us on Twitter to keep informed on when that’s happening.

Season 3 Episode 12 (36:31)

Season 3 Episode 11 - 2020 All-Stars

Mon, 11 May 2015 12:00:00 +0000

Bryce Harper is living up to the hype. We briefly discuss his 6 homer week. The guy is still 23 years old and the sky is the limit.

We also talk about the big name pitchers that are off to slow starts. Is Kershaw somehow a buy-low candidate? Todd still thinks he’ll be the best pitcher in baseball. Jordan Zimmermann’s struggles have us a little more worried. Chris Sale is another guy that’s run into some tough luck in the early going.

Kris Bryant is well on his way to passing Barry Bonds on the all time homer list. Yes, it took him 21 games to get his first one, but obviously he’s going to hit 100 the rest of the way. Todd is a little bit less optimistic than I, but we’ll see. It’ll be interesting to see where he goes the rest of the year. Who is the NL ROY, Kris Bryant or Joc Pederson? Todd is drinking so much of the Joc Pederson Koolaid that his judgement might be mildly clouded. The good news is that Joc Pederson might be Babe Ruth.

Sticking with the young guys, we discuss the crop of young middle infielders that have become fantasy relevant. We then move onto young pitchers and finally end the podcast with the Closerpocalypse.

As always, check us out on Twitter @2020AllStars. In a programming note, I broke our iTunes link a couple weeks ago, but I fixed it. So if you tried to subscribe and it didn’t work, you can try it again now.

Season 3 Episode 11 (52:01)

Season 3 Episode 10 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 03 May 2015 12:00:00 +0000

We have a quick pod for you this week. There was a lot of prospect news to get through. We chat about what we think about these young guys for this year and the future. We also discuss hot teams. What are we to think of the Astros? We get into that and let you know what to expect. Next the discussion meanders into cheap power outfielders. Khris vs. Chris. Davis vs. Young. I can’t quit Khris Davis, but Todd loves Mr. Young. We end with our weekly love for Devon Travis. We are seriously considering renaming the podcast in honor of this guy. ROY seems in the bag, but can he be a top 5 2B?!?! We are drinking the Koolaid.

As a bonus, I even sing some Journey for y’all. Yup, you came for the fantasy baseball analysis but are staying for the quirky antics.

As always, check us out on iTunes and Twitter @2020AllStars. Also, you can checkout our instagram account for mostly non-baseball related photos.

Season 3 Episode 10 (37:09)

Season 3 Episode 9 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 26 Apr 2015 12:00:00 +0000

What to do about Adam Wainwright? In typical 2020 All-Star fashion, we talk about guys that are nowhere near his caliber, but that’s what you’ve come to expect from us. A change of pace, we discuss old guys that you could replace him with in an impromptu Whack or Back. Our love affair with former UCLA superstar, Trevor Bauer, bubbles to the surface. Another big name that we’re worried about is Iwakuma. Without any evidence, we really suspect something more than meets the eye is here.

We also discuss some middle infield names. Seems like there are a lot of buzzy names in the middle infield, but not anyone actually really great. What to do with former #1 overall player, Tim Beckham. Yea, the other podcasters are not talking about this guy, but that’s why you’re here.

Todd had to go so we have a super awkward ending to this with the Closerpocalypse. Joe Nathan went down. Chad Qualls is back in the circle of trust. Miguel Castro might not be long for the gig as closer.

Breaking News… man, this podcast was bootleg. There are self-made sound effects, jump cuts, really, it’s all there. We even have a bonus five minutes for you after the gong. Check it out!

As always, check us out on iTunes and Twitter @2020AllStars. Also, you can checkout our instagram account for mostly non-baseball related photos.

Season 3 Episode 9 (42:52)

Season 3 Episode 8 - 2020 All-Stars

Sun, 19 Apr 2015 12:00:00 +0000

On the 8th day the Lord created Kris Bryant and he cometh with great fury to The Show! We chat about Bryant and the Cubs in general. Then we get into the Closerpocalypse. Next up is injury news and finally prospects. Hope y’all enjoy this week.

As always, check us out on iTunes and Twitter @2020AllStars.

Season 3 Episode 8 (55:10)

Season 3 Episode 7 - 2020 All-Stars

Sat, 11 Apr 2015 12:00:00 +0000

There was a lot of baseball to discuss. I promise you that we had sketched out a plan to cover it all, but like a young buck getting his first taste of big league pitching, we panicked and threw that out the window. Not to say the quality of the podcast is sub-par, but we wandered, Henry David Thoreau wandered. It’s certainly enjoyable though.

The view from 10.000 meters… I mean, 30,000 feet, is Small Sample Size Theater, Closerpocalypse, and our new segment called “Whack or Back”. We start with the young guns. Anthony Gose might be legit, but he definitely does not play on Toronto. But there is a young whipper snapper in Toronto that we like, Devon Travis. We’re bullish that he’ll move up in the lineup and become an ownable middle infielder. Drew Pomeranz is a guy that you want to keep on your roster. We are less bullish on Trevor Bauer, but he’s also an interesting name to follow.

The Closerpocalypse is upon us. Surprisingly, we’re a little skeptical of the young guys in Toronto, but they make interesting prospects if you want saves. The situation there is fluid to say the least. Chris Hatcher got a cup of tea, then dropped it and Joel Peralta picked it up. There is also the Yankee situation. We like Andrew Miller, but Todd likes him a bit more than me. If you’re looking for a name to speculate on someone that no one else is talking about, Junichi Tazawa. Without any evidence, I speculate that he’s the guy behind the guy in Boston. I boldly predict 15 saves. In other big city closer news, we discuss the Mets. However, moments after finishing the podcast, it came out that Jennry Mejia was suspended 80 games for PEDs. Todd likes Bobby Parnell. I boldly predict “other”.

Whack or Back. David Wright! He is back!!! or is he whack?!? Joey Votto is unequivocably back! We think he’s a guy that you want to buy into. We wander into a discussion regarding Jon Lester’s woes throwing to first base. Then our most divisive player… Alex Rodriguez. He’s won my heart back, but Todd is squarely in the whack camp. Another disagreement comes up with Tim Lincecum except exactly the opposite.

We end with some chat about young corner infielders in Mike Moustakas and Mark Canha. We believe! Alright, as always, check us out on iTunes and Twitter @2020AllStars. Tschüssi!

Season 3 Episode 7 (1:03:57)

Season 3 Episode 6 - 2020 Allstars

Mon, 06 Apr 2015 12:00:00 +0000

We discuss the big Craig Kimbrel trade. For Kimbrel, this means more opportunities, because the team is better. On the downside, you have Joaquin Benoit, who loses the closer gig. Bummer for fantasy owners who have him. We then discuss the implications to the Braves lineup. Todd likes Eric Young Jr… EY may not have proven much in the past, but he’ll have the opportunity and he’s fast.

Is Devon Travis worth talking about? We thought so. He’s got a bit of speed. If you want someone who might be a little better and also have speed, Micah Johnson, is a name you want to look out for. Speaking of middle infielders, the ghost of Christmas past, Dan Uggla, has a shot at playing time with Anthony Rendon on the shelf. In one category name guys, I sorta love Billy Burns. He made the squad and might run into a few steals.

We end up with a chat about some up and coming young guns. Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris. I’m super skeptical because Daniel Norris lives in a van. But Todd has made a bold prediction on the guy. 180 IPs, 190 Ks? Warum nicht! He has stuff.

We’re blowing up on the Twitter @2020Allstars. Almost up to triple digit followers. Feel free shoot us questions there and we’ll answer them on-air. Finally, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes below.

Season 3 Episode 6 (3316.0)

Bonus Fact: Tanzverbot - your fun fact of the day about Germany. :-)

2020 Allstars - Season 3 Episode 5

Sun, 22 Mar 2015 12:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone, we have a great episode for you. We put our two cents into the Kris Bryant discussion. Bottomline, I love him and Todd has more tempered expectations. The world knows about Bryant, but how do you take advantage of this? We suggest some names that you could offer him for if you have already drafted. Buy the rumor, sell the hype.

This is the 2020 All-Stars, so we discuss some deeper names that we are looking at in our draft. Which Alex Rios shows up this year? We discuss him for a bit and we actually drafted him in the 4th non-keeper round (192nd pick). Editors note, we really underestimated how far pitchers would fall this year. Man, we thought Paxton could be a 20th rounder and he went in the 23rd round. Want a real deep-leaguer? Toni Cingrani middle reliever! We annoint him Johnny Venters 2.0.

Next, we have a mini-closerpocalypse session. What do y’all think of Brett Cecil? We like him and I hope he does well, because we got him in the 3rd non-keeper round (180th).

We basically drafted half the guys that we talked about. So hopefully we’re right on these guys.

Feel free to get in touch with us on twitter @2020Allstars and don’t forget to subscribe on itunes below.

Season 3 Episode 5 (48:34)

Bonus: Here’s our team.

####2015 All Stars

(kept) Mike Trout (LAA - OF)
(kept) Paul Goldschmidt (Ari - 1B)
(kept) Adam Jones (Bal - OF)
(kept) Anthony Rendón (Was - 2B,3B)
(kept) Albert Pujols (LAA - 1B)
(kept) José Reyes (Tor - SS)
(kept) Dee Gordon (Mia - 2B)
(kept) Jonathan Lucroy (Mil - C,1B)
(kept) Kyle Seager (Sea - 3B)
(kept) Evan Longoria (TB - 3B)
(kept) David Price (Det - SP)
(kept) Zack Greinke (LAD - SP)
(156) Garrett Richards (LAA - SP)
(168) A.J. Pollock (Ari - OF)
(180) Brett Cecil (Tor - RP)
(192) Álex Ríos (KC - OF)
(204) Brad Boxberger (TB - RP)
(216) Chris Archer (TB - SP)
(228) José Quintana (CWS - SP)
(240) Michael Pineda (NYY - SP)
(252) Dexter Fowler (ChC - OF)
(264) Steve Pearce (Bal - 1B,OF)
(276) Chad Qualls (Hou - RP)
(288) C.J. Cron (LAA - 1B)
(300) John Jaso (TB - C)
(312) Trevor Bauer (Cle - SP)
(324) Anthony Gose (Det - OF)
(336) Derek Holland (Tex - SP)
(348) Kyle Schwarber (ChC - C,OF)

2020 Allstars - Season 3 Episode 4

Sun, 15 Mar 2015 12:00:00 +0000

The technical difficulties episode. You came for fantasy baseball chatter, but you’re staying for the paella. We begin this podcast with a mini-food segment about everyone’s favorite Spanish rice dish. Then we gush over how good Kris Bryant is and where he might go in your dynasty league’s draft. Next we answer the following questions:

Does Jayson Werth’s injury scare us? Yea, a little.
The CarGo question. Is he good and do you want to pay for him? Really interesting thoughts there.
What does the Marcus Stroman injury mean for the rest of the Toronto rotation? Although a big loss, we think Toronto can weather the blow.

Finally, we wander around aimless for a couple minutes before deciding that we should end the podcast. We hope you are enjoying the podcast. Feel free to get in touch with us on twitter @2020Allstars and don’t forget to subscribe on itunes below.

Season 3 Episode 4 (42:40)

Bonus: Alton Brown’s Paella Recipe

2020 Allstars - Season 3 Episode 3

Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:00:00 +0000

The spring has begun! We chat about some of the injuries that have already happened. The big one being Yu Darvish. Bottomline, we are woooooorried. The question isn’t about this year, but more whether or not you should keep him in a keeper league. In other bad news, we discuss Josh Hamilton. However when one door closes, another opens. Does Hamilton’s looming suspension give C.J. Cron the opportunity he needs to become mixed-league relevant? we discuss that. We also go into a bit about the comeback guys. Who is this year’s retread? The answer may surprise you as it includes a George Clooney reference. Lastly, we babble about prospects that you have never heard of. Were you interested in Micah Johnson? Probably not, but now you’ve heard of him.

Enjoy!

Season 3 Episode 3 (55:07)

Bonus: The Matt Harvey Interview

2020 Allstars - Season 3 Episode 2

Mon, 23 Feb 2015 12:00:00 +0000

Episode 2 of the 2015 season… honestly, not much to talk about. But we somehow filled up 45 minutes with nonsense and misinformation. There was even talk about BJ Upton’s name change. Closerpocalypse is upon us once again. We discuss a lot of Dodger news including the “big” injury to Kenley Jansen. We are relatively worried about this injury. Basically, we just don’t want to have to pay for Jansen when we could get someone cheaper in a later round. We have no idea who the replacement is but if you need a name, we went with Brandon League. Also in Dodger land, we discuss Greinke’s oiling his elbow.

We discuss a bunch of deep league guys like Mike Moustakas, Billy Butler, and James Loney. Is Steven Souza legit? We wander around this question for a bit and about the Tampa Bay’s offense in general. We were struggling to talk about anything. We end off with a Dalton Pompei vs Anthony Gose vs Jarrod Dyson in a “last round speed only” guy.

Enjoy it!

Season 3 Episode 02 (46:20)

2020 Allstars - Season 3 Episode 01

Sun, 15 Feb 2015 12:00:00 +0000

We are back for the 2015 season! We start off the year with a discussion of sleepers and busts. We love everyone who plays on Chicago. We don’t love anyone in Seattle. There are big names that we don’t love and some no-names that we do. But that’s pretty much par for the course around here.

We even discuss coaching changes and bringing in the walls in Citi Field. We had a plan but it is clear we need Spring Training to get back into the groove.

Also, just wanted to tell you all that we’re going to try to be more active on Twitter this year. Check us out at @2020AllStars. If you have any questions, we’ll try to answer them all there.

Cheers!

Season 3 Episode 01 (58:35)

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 26

Thu, 25 Dec 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Alright, you waited. Then you waited some more. Then? Well, we finally made a podcast! But it wasn’t what we said it was about because we waited so long. Instead we discuss the offseason moves and how we predict those will affect things next year.

On a fun programming note, this was the first podcast Todd and I did in person. Not sure when the next one will be but this was a good experience. Also, I posted this 3 weeks after we made it. But luckily nothing has changed in that time.

Season 2 Episode 26 (52:11)

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 25

Tue, 23 Sep 2014 12:00:00 +0000

We are at the endgame. Lots of keeper implications, a lot of discussion about next year… back to our roots looking towards the future. Some of the names that we mention are Josh Hamilton, Jake Arrieta, Anthony Rendon, and Jorge Soler.

Next week, we are going to have our yearly top 30 draft. Thanks for sticking with us all year.

Season 2 Episode 25 (51:56)

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 24

Mon, 08 Sep 2014 09:42:48 +0000

Short, sweet. That’s what you’ve got this week. We shortly discuss the lack of news besides Closerpocalypse, then we move on to Closerpocalypse. That’s it. Enjoy!

Season 2 Episode 24 (31:24)

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 23

Wed, 03 Sep 2014 13:04:06 +0000

What the heck is happening to pitchers? They aren’t getting hurt anymore, but a lot of big names are getting hit hard lately. We discuss whether you should worry about these guys and throw out some names of guys that you might want to consider in lieu of the bigger names.

Speaking of big names, we delve into the topic of name-value vs. production-value. There are a lot big names that we think you should avoid unless you can get a good value on them. Again, we don’t think these guys will kill your team, but for the price, you can find better value. The alternatives are bandied about for your listening pleasure.

Thanks for sticking with us this far and hope to see you guys for the rest of the season.

Tschüssi!

Season 2 Episode 23

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 22

Sat, 30 Aug 2014 13:10:58 +0000

He is who we thought he was! Jorge Soler! He came. He saw. He popped a homer. We discuss Jorge Soler’s comps. We also talk about Kennys Vargas and find some really interesting comps for him.

Then we get into our first semi-heated debate of the 2020 Allstars. We have our own opinions on a certain LA Dodger and can’t seem to agree on how good he is.

Then we discuss some of the trades that have gone down and how we are just not as smart as some of the better GMs out there.

Season 2 Episode 22 (47:58)

Twitter, Facebook, oh my!

Thu, 21 Aug 2014 15:41:43 +0000

In case, you didn’t know here are all of our relevant addresses around the web:

https://www.twitter.com/2020Allstars https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/2020-all-stars-podcast/id679001606 https://www.facebook.com/2020AllStars

I would say in that order too.

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 21

Thu, 21 Aug 2014 15:08:36 +0000

Well, the reprieve is over. Closerpocalypse is BACK! We saw a lot of shaky performances this week and a lot of potential injuries in the backend of bullpens this week. We go through all of them and give you our thoughts on who we like going forward. Also for those people playing in leagues that give you points for incredible facial hair, we have some insights for you as well.

Next we talk about some of the pitching injuries. Should you hold onto these guys or are there other names out there?

Last we talk about a few guys that have been hot and a few guys whose ship may have sailed (at least for this year).

Alright, remember to check us out on twitter @2020Allstars. Tschüssi!

Season 2 Episode 21

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 20

Tue, 12 Aug 2014 05:48:00 +0000

This week we have a ton of news. We start off with some chatter about future 2020 allstars. The big name is Javy Baez. Could he get 10 more homers the rest of the way? Could he strikeout 30% of the time while doing so? We discuss these questions and all the other Cubs prospects.

Then it was a week of injuries. Hanley Ramirez went to the DL. The news on other guys wasn’t good. We discusss possible replacements, including guys that are coming off the DL.

Season 2 Episode 20 (58:16)

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 19

Thu, 07 Aug 2014 07:55:15 +0000

We chat about the trade deadline, the new injuries, and kids you can look forward to for the future. Goldy, McCutchen, man… these are first rounders! Son of a… Ok, we move onto the trade implications quickly and end up with a discussion of who could get the next call into the bigs.

Season 2 Episode 19 (35:48)

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 18

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:21:22 +0000

This week we chat about the Tulo injury and possible replacements. Is Josh Rutledge the answer? Is Danny Santana? Is crying into your pillow going to do it? Probably all three. In positive news, an old friend is coming back to the NL West.

We also openly worry about the situations in KC and Houston. There is more talk about the minor league system in Chicago. Closerpocalypse? No, but we do talk about a potential trade in Philly that could bring a new closer to the forefront. Then some east coast / west coast trades. Will some of the big names go across the country?

Season 2 Episode 18

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 17

Thu, 24 Jul 2014 12:13:00 +0000

We begin with Closerpocalypse 2014. Although things are not so bad this time. There were a couple trades so we discuss the fantasy implications of those. Who are our second half studs? We like a couple of guys in new situations, some guys in old situations, some guys we don’t agree on. A little bit of everything.

We are going to try to be a little more active on The Twitter so hopefully you’ll follow us there.

Bis nächstes mal! Tscüss!

Season 2 Episode 17

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 16

Wed, 16 Jul 2014 20:29:00 +0000

Short. Sweet.

First Half Allstars… GO!

Season 2 Episode 16

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 15

Mon, 07 Jul 2014 10:28:04 +0000

We begin our week with 1Bs for the second half including a big name that we are down on. Namely, we discuss Brandon Belt vs a slew of names. Spoiler, we like Belt. Then we move on to what to do with Cliff Lee, will he come back strong or is it time to sell? There is a bit of discussion about our favorite topic, Closerpocalypse 2014. Hopefully, you moved on my Santiago Casilla suggestion as he was announced as the guy on Sunday.

Onto the big trade this week. You would think we would have a long segment about Oakland and Chicago, but instead we meander into a discussion of the 1977 Dodgers. That’s what happens when you get a couple kids from LA talking baseball.

Season 2 Episode 15 (52:15)

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 14

Mon, 30 Jun 2014 10:12:19 +0000

This week, we chat about the past week’s no-hitters and if we think those pitchers are legit. Bottomline, we like the guys in SoCal over the guys in NorCal, whodathunkit coming from a couple kids from LA. Specifically, we discuss whether Josh Beckett is worth a roster spot. We talk about the Closerpocalypse in Chicago, Tampa Bay, and San Francisco. We finish off with a chat about some deep league fodder that is new to the Show.

Season 2 Episode 14 (54:34)

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 13

Mon, 23 Jun 2014 13:05:27 +0000

We are back and in true 2020 Allstars fashion, we go all over the place. But luckily, the week in fantasy baseball was mostly good. We begin with a discussion of vacation spots along the Adriatic for those looking for a summer getaway. Next, we discuss Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter and his status among other pitchers in fantasy baseball. We move to discussing whether Matt Kemp is “back”.

Who is the #1 2B in fantasy baseball? This is a question that we discuss at length and the answer may surprise you. As this is the 2020 Allstars, we wander a bit into minor league players whom you should look out for. Somehow from there, we start discussing the Tampa Bay Rays. As for our final fantasy baseball subject, we talk about Closerpocalypse 2014.

Season 2 Episode 13 (1:00:40)

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 12

Fri, 13 Jun 2014 08:36:33 +0000

Another week, another rash of injuries. We talk about how hits the dl this week, but the news is not all bad. There were also a bunch of people coming off the DL and one particularly interesting situation where a star has gained some useful position flexibility. We end off the pod with discussion of Closerpocalypse 2014. It’s the nightmare that you never wake up from.

Season 2 Episode 12 (39:51)

2020 Allstars - Season 2 Episode 11

Tue, 03 Jun 2014 13:07:42 +0000

We are back. Time certainly flies quickly, doesn’t it? This week we talk about a rash of injuries (again) and some guys that you can pick up as replacements. Next we talk about the Closerpocalypse. Some guys seem to be tightening their grasp on formerly shaky situations and other situations are falling apart. We also go into good middle relievers and whether you want those guys instead of the a shaky closer. We kept it short this week because of family stuff, but we’ll be back next week. See you soon!

Season 2 Episode 11 (48:24)

2020 All Stars - Season 2 Episode 10

Mon, 26 May 2014 11:38:00 +0000

Another week, another slew of injuries. We talk about the major injuries again, some hot starts, and of course, Closerpocalypse 2014. Perhaps next year the fantasy baseball world should just agree to re-drafting after 2 months? Teams, real and fantasy, are just getting decimated by injuries this year.

This week, Prince Fielder goes down for the season with a neck injury, Nolan Arenado breaks his figure, and Cliff Lee has some elbow trouble. Our hot starts dicussion involves VMart, Dozier, Lucroy, and Josh Beckett. Closerpocalypse saw Ronald Belasario get the gig and then proceed to implode. Zach Britton looks to be the guy in Baltimore and the best actionable move if he’s still out there. The flyers that we like are Daniel Webb and the artist formerly known as Leo Nunez (Juan Carlos Oviedo).

Finally, we’ve got another dogecoin contest, so listen and check that out! Bis nächste Woche!

Season 2 Episode 10 (51:17)

2020 All Stars - Season 2 Episode 9

Tue, 20 May 2014 13:53:28 +0000

Ugh, so our prediction for best starting pitcher in fantasy baseball will not come through this year. Just as we jumped on the Jose Fernandez bandwagon, things went terribly awry. We talk about possible replacements for JF, then some hot batters at the corners, and seemingly as always, Closerpocalypse 2014.

Season 2 Episode 9 (59:14)

2020 All Stars - Season 2 Episode 8

Tue, 13 May 2014 07:47:42 +0000

Hey folks, we are back this week with some Closerpocalypse 2014 news! The good (Chapman), the bad (Balfour), and the ugly (Farnsworth). On a more positive note, we look at some of the possible callups near the Super 2 “deadline”. We go through some of the big names that we’ve talk about before such as Gregory Palanco on the Pirates and Andrew Heaney on the Marlins, but also some smaller names. Finally, we are starting a new giveaway contest for our listeners. Inspired by their charitable givings, NASCAR sponsorship, and general happy-go-lucky attitude, we decided to join the dogecoin community! This week (and every subsequent week), we will ask a question to our viewers and give away doge to one lucky listener that gets the question correct. I won’t give away the question, but if you are a doge enthusiast, you should make sure to pay careful attention around the 39 minute mark. ;-) Have a good week and see y’all soon!

Season 2 Episde 8 (48:13)

2020 All Stars - Season 2 Episode 7

Wed, 07 May 2014 08:01:31 +0000

We are back on track! A week without dicussing the Closerapocalypse 2014?!?! Well, we thought we should keep it positive this week. So we discuss a lot of the hot starts from around the league. We also talk about some guys in the minors that seem intriguing. As always, we have a bit of color spread thoughout with topics ranging from global warming, ballpark factor, to the latest rage in cryptocurrencies. There is nothing we won’t take on.

Season 2 Episode 7 (52:32)

2020 All Stars - Season 2 Episode 6

Mon, 05 May 2014 05:56:00 +0000

Sorry about coming to you a little late this week. On this week’s show we talk about the major injuries, guys in the minors who might get the call soon, and a tad about Closerpocalypse 2014. Season 2 Episode 6 (49:15)

2020 All Stars - Season 2 Episode 5

Sat, 19 Apr 2014 20:42:56 +0000

Welcome back! We took a little bit of a break, but there is a lot to talk about. We chat about Closerpocalypse, hot starts, and buy low candidates. Plus, I am actually in Los Angeles! So we do not have a report on the future this week. Sorry folks, but next time, we’ll get that to you.

Season 2 Episode 5 (51:20)

2020 All Stars - Closerpocalypse continues!

Sat, 05 Apr 2014 11:18:44 +0000

Closerpocalypse continues! We discuss the closer madness that has gone down this first week (Mets, Astros, Brewers, Reds, White Sox). Bottomline, we hope you didn’t pay for saves towards the end of a closer-run in your draft. Next, we decide if the current drop of hot hitters are Chris Shelton (duds) or Chris Davis (studs). The results may surprise you. Finally, we talk about some potential breakout pitchers and some pitchers that we may be worried about. Season 2, Episode 4 (40:11)

2020 All Stars - Season 2 Episode 3

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 19:41:52 +0000

How’s it going? Not well, if you are a Texas Ranger, a Texas Ranger fan, or a fantasy owner with a Texas Ranger. We discuss the injury woes of that particular organization and the fantasy implications of all the injuries. Next we introduce “Closerpocylpse”, which will probably become a weekly segment on the latest news in crappy closers gaining or losing the closing job. Finally, we end with a discussion of fifth starters that may be fantasy relevant. If you are in a 10 team mixer with shallow benches, you might want to listen to the other podcasts that tireless tell you that Mike Trout will be good. Yea, we get it. But that’s not gonna help the other 9 teams in the league.

Season 2 Episode 3 (43:26)

2020 All Stars - Season 2 Episode 2

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 12:09:33 +0000

We had an extended break, so there is a ton of news to talk about. Unfortunately, a lot of it is bad. We go over the rash of Tommy John surgeries that have swept through the league and what the fantasy/keeper implications are with those. Then we swing to the positive and look at the surprises of spring training. Finally, we end it with a short discussion about a new 10-team mixer that we joined.

Season 2 Episode 2 (44:12)

2020 All Stars - Season 2 Episode 1

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 11:59:50 +0000

Wir sind wieder da! (We are back!) I am still in Deutschland, but that hasn’t stopped us from continuing the podcast. A lot of things happened this offseason and we try to get through as much as we can. Of course there is the normal smattering of prospect news. And we end the podcast off with BOLD predictions. Not the garbage you hear on every other podcast, but out of this world stuff that might make you look like a genius… or a fool. Fun stuff. Enjoy and LOS GEHT’S!

Season 2 Episode 1 (55:23)

2020 All Stars - Episode 15

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 09:48:58 +0000

Here is our mock draft of the first three rounds for 2014. We went a little crazy (spoiler alert: Puig is in the top 30), but also played closer to the vest than you might think. Enjoy and we’ll see y’all next season!

Episode 15 (47:13)

2020 All Stars - Episode 14

Sat, 21 Sep 2013 17:08:50 +0000

Dumpster diving for talent. Enough said.

Episode 14 (36:07)

2020 All Stars - Episode 13

Thu, 12 Sep 2013 19:07:41 +0000

It was a slow week in baseball so we delved into a fictional all-rookie squad. With an eye on winning right now, but also tips for who to keep if you’re in it for the long haul. Episode 13 (42:40)

2020 All Stars - Episode 12

Tue, 03 Sep 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Short and sweet folks. We talk about some September call ups that you might want to look at especially if you’ve got the need, the need for speed. Post-deadline trades? We have you covered. Then a mini-discussion about young arms and whether they should be in the bullpen or in the rotation. Yup, super gut and under 31 minutes.

Episode 12 (30:49)

2020 All Stars - Episode 11

Wed, 28 Aug 2013 22:00:00 +0000

It’s a dark day in fantasy and real baseball. We stay strong and hold back our tears for Matt Harvey’s torn elbow, but just barely. We babble about possible replacements, but our dispair is thinnly vailed. Next, we move on to some young guys that are getting called up. And that’s pretty much it. Hope y’all like it and remember to sign up to our podcast on iTunes.

Episode 11 (30:55)

2020 All Stars - Episode 10

Tue, 20 Aug 2013 22:00:00 +0000

What do you do if you had Jose Bautista? We don’t know, but that doesn’t stop us from giving you our opinion. The Mike Trout injury worries us a little bit (aka we are terrified). Xander Bogaerts got the call! Todd remises about the the next great offensive shortstop era. Then for the main event, we create the all-time all-asian/asian-american fantasy team. It’s silliness that won’t help you now, but hey, we are who we said we are.

Episode 10 (45:48)

2020 All Stars - Episode 9

Sat, 17 Aug 2013 22:00:00 +0000

The big news of the week was the Alex Rios trade. Next the chatter moves to a couple young guys that are getting the call that might be of interest on your squads down the line. Fawning over Eric Hosmer follows that and of course we ride the closer carousel. We end it all with further discussion of how far Yasiel Puig can go for this year and in the future.

Episode 9 (32:20)

2020 All Stars - Episode 8

Wed, 07 Aug 2013 14:28:00 +0000

This week we talk about the Biogenesis implications and mention some deep league names that you can pick up to replace any of the guys you may have lost. We also get on the closer carousel. Finally, don’t forget to check us out on iTunes.

Episode 8 (32:53)

2020 All Stars - Episode 7

Tue, 30 Jul 2013 22:00:00 +0000

This episode we begin with a little trade talk. Xander Bogaerts just got a little more interesting. We also discuss the Albert Pujols injury and the future of Pujols in fantasy leagues. Obviously we have a small bit about closers. Finally, we’ve peppered the podcast with talk about German white wines, so we’ve really covered it all. Bis bald! Episode 7 (35:00)

2020 All Stars - Episode 6

Tue, 23 Jul 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Madness in the MLB. Scandal, trades, prospect talk, injuries, contributions from David. It all happens this week. We got a little long while keeping the awkward pauses to a minimum. Also, now we are on iTunes. Enjoy! Episode 6 (48:24)

2020 All Stars - Episode 5

Tue, 16 Jul 2013 22:00:00 +0000

On this week’s episode we take a look at the Futures Game. Specifically, a bunch of young arms on the American squad. Then we move on to a brief discussion where we drop our weekly Will Harris reference. Finally, we talk about bold predictions for the second half. Not “bold” like the other guys do it. This is full on crazy that may completely bust or may win you the league. Fun stuff! Episode 5 (38:34)

2020 All Stars - Episode 4

Tue, 09 Jul 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Another week, another podcast. This week we begin with a discussion of the all star snubs. Then we talk about Matt Kemp’s injury and what the repercussions are for keep leaguers. Then we move onto a discussion about youth in the Future’s game and Josh Phegley. Finally there is a bit of Dodger talk with Ricky Nolasco, more injury talk about Teixeria and Ryan Howard and Howard’s replacement Darin Ruf. 2020 All Stars - Episode 4 (37:10)

2020 All Stars - Episode 3

Tue, 02 Jul 2013 22:00:00 +0000

On this week’s episode, we start off discussing whether Yasiel Puig should be an all-star. Then we delve into the dark world of post-hype sleepers. Finally, we end it with a little closer talk. We have mentioned Diamondbacks 6th inning guy, Will Harris, in two of our three podcasts. If this podcast ever becomes a success, I’m giving Mr. Harris all the credit. Episode 3 (36:17)

2020 All Stars - Episode 2

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 22:00:00 +0000

We made it past the first week. In this episode, we talk about young Dodger phenom, Yasiel Puig, a bunch of old guys on the Yankees, a discussion about the top 5 first basemen, and obviously some talk about some guys in the low minors. Last week, we had 4 listens, which means that both our parents were the only ones to listen to the podcast, but the advanced stats love our game. Enjoy! Episode 2 (40:50)

2020 All Stars - Episode 1

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Our first episode. A twisted journey into the heart of fantasy baseball. We told you to keep an eye on Will Harris, 6th inning guy on the Arizona Diamondbacks. That’s all you need to know. Episode 1 (48:24)