Fantasy Baseball Blog at Razzball.com

The Razzball Podcast — The One Where Rudy Unveils The Machine

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:00:24 +0000

Hello, Razzball nation, welcome back for another fantasy baseball podcast where Nick and I talk about cruise ships. If that doesn't help you win your league, you may never. I'm sorry, knowing which countries Nick used to visit when he was a cruise ship director is dire shizz. Think of it this way: do you go with Nick Franklin or Josh Rutledge? Look at the Player Rater or the Hitter-Tron? Or go by Nick's tales of the high seas? Think the answer is pretty obvious here. I'm told there was fantasy baseball talk on the rest of the show, but first a stand-up comic and stylist to pro athletes, Robert Jodoin, joined Nick as the first ever in-studio guest. They discussed what type of athletes want what type of clothes (surprise: hockey players like flannel). Also, Robert is officially available to Razzball Nation as a style consultant. He'll help pick out what blazer to wear with your sweatpants. Then, Rudy and Nick discussed how the combination of Rudy's tools are now affectionately being called "The Machine." (I thought this was Andre the Giant in a mask, but Nick says, "Watch an episode of Person of Interest." I don't know what that is, but I'm gonna assume it's something you watch. Context clues!) And how The Machine likes Travis Snider and John Danks. Who took The Machine to Tijuana and messed up its circuits with tequila? Let's just say, the Hitter-Tron is a bad influence. Oh, and Nick sold the studio sponsorship to a divorce lawyer in Dallas. In related news, I may get married in Dallas to save myself some legwork. Anyway, here's the Razzball Podcast (now with a fashion stylist -- are we E?):

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RCL Update: June 18

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:15 +0000

That's a Shame (Bold Predictions) held on to the lead, though Slocemb If You Got Em did cut into it. In their own league, That's a Shame is sailing along with a 21-point advantage, having earned 57 points from the hitting categories. Check out the Master Standings (you can also access them via the Leagues menu up top) to see where your team ranks in comparison to the other 767 teams through Sunday. The page now includes sortable stats.

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Josh Johnson Finally Stops Putting The JJ In Vajayjay

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:10:14 +0000

Josh Johnson looked solid yesterday (7 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 7 baserunners, 10 Ks vs. the Rockies). But Colorado away from home can be an easy match-up. Hey, Rockies, try doin' it in the land of Labatt! You've been Molson Iced! JB called this one in the comments yesterday. I did not believe. Though, I do look much more animated now. Like I just stepped off a yacht in a Miami Vice cartoon. I'm snorting cartoon drugs and listening to cartoon Phil Collins play cartoon bongos. What do you think of the new avatar? I just stepped off a boat yet my hair still looks adorable, right? The new avatar rates well in the 18-25 demographic; it's the Poochie of avatars. As for Johnson, I wouldn't mess with him. So far, he's been solid vs. NL teams, but, the thing is, he kinda, sorta plays in the AL. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

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Pitcher Profile: Corey Kluber Owns Nats’ Bats

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:00:06 +0000

K:BB. Mmmm can't think of a sexier group of three letters. Double D's are nice but that's only two letters. JB is only two letters. So if you have to go to three letters, I'll take K:BB. A guy I've liked for a while now, Corey Kluber came into yesterday's matchup against the Nationals with a sparkling 57:12 K:BB ratio so far this season. Don't believe me that he's been my man crush the past month? Look at phone records to Sky or my friend Peter. Just ask the NSA, they've got them saved somewhere... Kluber has been around a while, pitching in the Minors since 2006 with consistent strikeout numbers, but other than that never has put it completely together. Now 27 years old, Kluber is suddenly owning MLB offenses. As soon as I saw Kluber's numbers last month before he was the talk of the town, I went and looked at his pitch selection. He's completely changed his arsenal from a slider as his main breaking offering into tossing a cutter as his second pitch. Does that remind you of any other Cleveland Indian who had late(r) career success? Reminds me of Cliff Lee! Ok so I'm not saying Kluber is the next Cliff Lee, they're very different pitchers, but it is interesting.

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Gregor Won’t Leave the Steals Column Blanco

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:00:23 +0000

Well, I’d like to start off this post by saying I’m sorry to the folks in Razzball nation who picked up Cameron Maybin last week in their weekly leagues. He'll be out for quite a while with a PCL tear to his knee. In the words of the Guru on Twitter, “This time wasn’t different, Mike...oops”. Maybin promised me the 8 o’clock rez at Dorsia, but then he slipped me an extra lithium and I ended up at Barcadia. Worst of all, in my weekly league, it was too late to swap him when the injury news came out. Next thing I knew it was lunch at Texarkana. Sheesh. Onward and upward, they say, and this week we have some new faces in the mix, including Gregor Blanco, who seems to have found a hot bat since stepping in for the injured Angel Pagan. Check him out and some of the other base stealing threats this week, but you’ll have to excuse me, I have a lunch meeting in 20 minutes with Cliff Huxtable at the Four Seasons.

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There’s A Wil, There’s A Ray

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:15:26 +0000

Six days ago, the Rays said they have no plans to call up Wil Myers. Six days ago, the Rays lied. They might've just lied to make Jim Bowden look stupid. While I appreciate that, Bowden rides around on a Segway, so the Rays were piling on. About two weeks ago, I gave you my Wil Myers fantasy. Lets' not recapitulate any of that, okay? Let's not talk about how Myers could hit 20 homers in two-thirds of a season. Or how Myers could hit .280 with solid counting stats. If you want to read about the risk of rookies, go to that post and read that. I'm not here to talk about how Myers is the number one prospect call-up or how he's worthwhile in all mixed leagues, but won't be Mike Trout. I'm not going to talk about any of that. Dah! I just did, didn't I? Damn, you fooled me! Myers is the kind of player that probably has the most value right now. He's going to be a top round fantasy guy. Eventually. Yes, I just did the douchey one word sentence thing. Right now, he's around a 4th outfielder. Of course, he's draped in glorious upside. You could yell at him the same way you do to a Home Depot employee, "Hey, Toolsy!" For the future, he reminds me of an in-his-prime Matt Holliday. He's a 30-ish homer, 15-ish steal guy with a solid average. Eventually. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

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Jam it or Cram it: The Platoony Tunes Edition

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 18:00:15 +0000

I recently came across the book (remember those) Sixty Feet, Six Inches by Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson at a yard sale and found my 75 cents well spent. I also picked up Judas Priest’s British Steel on vinyl for a buck. Breakin’ the law, breakin the law. It was a great day all around, but I don’t know what I’m going to do with this. Anywho, back to the book. In the rectangular thing that has words written on paper, the two Hall of Famers discuss a number of topics including gaining an edge. Here’s Reggie and Gibby discussing it on what may or may not have been an appearance on Between Two Ferns. Baseball players are all about getting an edge. Some ways are subtle: peeking back at the catcher, stealing signs, watching for tipped pitches. Some, not so subtle: an arm slathered in Coppertone, a bat full of superballs, some ground up deer antler injected directly into the brain stem. A way to gain an edge in our world of fake baseball (time to toot the Razzball horn) is using the Hitter-Tron, the Stream-o-Nator, and paying attention to lefty/righty splits with Platoony Tunes. Now someone buy Rudy a drink! I spend more time with these tools than I do with my own. Sorry ball-peen hammer. Sorry Dremel. Sorry oscillating bandsaw, but last time I used you it didn’t go so well. This week let’s look at some jammer crammer platoony types. Streaming the overlooked bat that crushes lefties or righties is a cheap source of power. Personally, I like to have an open roster spot or two and rotate hot hitters depending on matchups. If you’re in a “set it and forget it” weekly league or have a short bench, you probably don't have the room to carry a guy just to face lefties once or twice a week. However, if your roster’s big enough and managed wisely, going a bit Platoony Tunes is an easy way to pad the stats and gain an edge. Time to jam it or cram it.

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Creeper Of The Week: A Rolling Brandon Gathers No Moss

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:00:40 +0000

Do you hear that? Grrrrrrrr. Is that a bear? Grumble, grumble. Is that Grey complaining about how he traded away Manny Machado for David Price while picking up every rookie pitcher known to man? The sound you make while pronouncing Prince's weird symbol name. Ah, I know what that is. That's my gut. Not only does it tell me when I'm hungry, it speaks fluent crazy musician. True fact: it once explained G'n'R's Estranged video to me. It's quite simple really: Axl Rose is a nuttier than a bukkake video. Hrm, maybe I didn't need my gut to tell me that...anywho, my gut is now trying to tell me something about fantasy baseball for this week and it's telling me this Oakland guy named Brandon Moss will be a good play this week and is only 31% owned in ESPN leagues and 21% in Yahoo. Ok, it didn't tell me the last part, my eyes did cuz I looked him up. But I can tell you're not convinced so let's see why Moss should be a good play for week 12 of the 2013 fantasy baseball season...

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Minor Accomplishments: Week 12

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 07:15:26 +0000

First, I'm sure a good chunk of our readers are dads, so happy Fathers Day to ya! I'm not a dad, but I have one, and he's the man. I'll be hanging with him later today, watching golf and enjoying good booze. I just might even root for Phil Mickelson, even though I suspect that dude's a phony jerk -- all those fist bumps and fake smiles aren't fooling me, Mickelson! Anyway, my dad likes him, so go Phil. Now I'm tempted to write an entire post about pro golf, but some of you might consider that boring, so I'll get on with the usual prospect talk instead.

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Braun to DL With Bruised Ego, Thumb

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:59:01 +0000

It's been a rough month for Ryan Braun, you guys. A top three pick in the preseason, he's on pace for career lows in home runs and steals, he could be seriously implicated in this biogenesis business depending on what delivery service he decides to use this time (go with USPS, they guarantee to screw it up), and don't even mention the Game of Thrones "Red Wedding" to Ryan, because he's taking it all pretty hard. Braun hits the DL for the first time in his career for his thumb injury, but owners knew this was coming. The move is retroactive to Monday so he could return at the end of June. If he comes back with an comically over sized thumb and hits 20 homers and steals 20 bases going forward, we'll know everything is back to normal. Logan Schafer went 3-for-5 last night and was one of several Logan's in this weeks BUY/SELL. He's available everywhere. As long as Braun's out Schafer should see plenty of playing time. I will call him Weapon X. Berserker! He's no Hebrew Hammer, but Schafer's got some below average to decent power and speed and could be a useful fill in if you need an outfielder while Braun's on the shelf. Here's what else happened in fantasy baseball last night:

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Two-Startapalooza — Week 12

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 07:15:36 +0000

We're halfway through the H2H regular season, and for many of us, it's time to make some moves in the standings. It's not always so easy to negotiate trades, especially for those in public leagues, making additions from waivers an absolute necessity in most cases. A good method to get ahead in weekly formats is to keep up with the two-start landscape and stream the shizz out of the good options. If you've been lazy in this regard so far, it's not too late. So quit looking for the new Kanye album that leaked yesterday (it's not that great), and begin hoarding two-starters instead. I'm here every Saturday to help keep your hopes alive. As always, probable pitchers are subject to change. For a look at all fantasy baseball streamers, click that link.

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Hey, Tough Guy, This Post Is Buy Rizzo

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:00:32 +0000

The Buysellatops left this message on my answering machine (what, I'm old school), "The earth is fourteen degrees hotter per year than when I freely roamed the countryside. Back then there were T-Rex's and velociraptors and iguanas the size of houses that we simply called Biguanas. Now, I'm the only dinosaur left and I can get a nice tan while waiting in line for a smoothie. Global warming is awesome! And so is Anthony Rizzo." So, there you have our buy/sell-out dinosaur's take. My take is I agree. Who doesn't love a smoothie and a tan? Rizzo isn't a Ike Davis head case that gets into the passenger seat to drive. He's in no danger of falling completely off the map like he's taking orders from Queen Isabella. He's A) Getting unlucky B) Keeping his strikeouts and walks in check C) There's no C, why are you so greedy? With the gusts of wind and heat in Wrigley this summer, he could hit 10 homers in the matter of two weeks. If he hits less than 30 homers this year, I'll eat my hat (though I'm wearing a fruit basket on my head, so it's not so bad). To give you a few other names, he's already better than Pujols and A-Gon on our Player Rater, and I see no reason why that should stop. If you have a Rizzo owner who is worried, take your alligator blood and check raise to the bettor. Anyway, here's some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:

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Trouble With the Tulo: The Tale of how One Man ruined a Season for So Many

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:00:32 +0000

My fantasy career goes back further than LeBron's hairline, it's Beddict - I pack more nuts than Delta Airlines. Greetings! Tis I, Tehol, back again and ready to wreck shizz! Yea!!! This is going to be my greatest post of all time, I can just feel it inside my beautifully sculpted bones. Wait, hold on a second........ I just received a 911 text on my pager. What's this? "Boy Toy Troy" Tulowitzki has a broken rib? He's gonna be out 6 weeks you say? Well that's just swell! Oh and Sky already grabbed Rutledge off waivers? I will pay any of you readers the equivalent to 500 dollars in man thongs for information on his whereabouts. Sky that is, not Tulo. I know Tulo is in the waiting room at his gynecologist at this very moment, but Sky's a tough man to locate. Can Sky sue me for threatening him on razzball? Sue me for what? Man thongs? That's basically the only possession of value I own besides my chicken, an extremely rare breed.

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Rockie Horror Show

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:15:19 +0000

Looks like Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez are doing the DL Time Warp aaaaaagain. Then they started screaming for Dexter Fowler to do the DL Time Warp aaaaaagain. It's just a dive to the left, a foul ball to the right, put your hands on your hips and yell, "Ow, that smarts!" Let's do the DL Time Warp aaaaaagain. Let's do the DL Time Warp aaaaaagain. You feel your knee get tight. You can't make a pelvic thrust. Owning these guys really drives you insane. Let's do the DL Time Warp aaaaaagain. As of right now, CarGo's day-to-day after being pulled from the game with a bruised ankle after taking a foul ball off it from Pacheco. I've seen that game on Price is Right and don't recall "Knock A Top 10 Hitter Out Of The Game" as one of the outcomes. Fowler's day-to-day with a bruised finger after a poor attempt at a bunt. Using salt instead of sugar is also a poor attempt for a bundt. We'll see on him. Meanwhile, Tulo's got a broken rib. Shocker! Hopefully, he remembered his DL stamp card. He's expected to miss 4-6 weeks. That's two months in Tulo time. Hey, I told you to sell him. Of course, he's hurt. When isn't he hurt? Doode's a joke. He broke a rib diving for a ball. Are you Mr. Glass? Sorry, if I'm not terribly sympathetic because this means... Josh Rutledge is back! The Rockies beat writer, who doesn’t write about beats, rhymes & life, but about baseball, said Rutledge was hitting the melons out baseballs down in Triple-A. I say he should’ve never been sent down! Walt Weiss thinks his team would be better with eight Brendan Ryans. Weiss should be the fielding coach for the Padres. Well, whatever, he sucks. Now, go pick up Rutledge! Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

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Closer Report

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:00:49 +0000

So Donnie Baseball finally read all those free pamphlets that Mensa has been sending him. I mean it was written on the urinal wall next to that for a good time call, insert Nick Capozzi’s home phone number, message on your favorite swill factory you frequent.. Kenley Jansen takes over for the refuse dump, minus glasses, known as Brandon League. Jansen is elite in K’s, potential and arrhythmia.

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The Mystery of the Starling-Cut Desmond

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:00:47 +0000

You'll be surprised to know that on September 28, 2011, both good and bad things happened. I'm sure someone got married and someone got divorced and someone was born and someone died, and I'm sure somewhere someone was fired and someone hired, but, to be frank, I do not care about these people. Ex-girlfriends have made it fairly clear that I only really care about myself. Hopefully they're not reading this because dem chicas was whack, yo — always asking for my attention and for kisses and hugs and love and stuff. I mean, C'MON. Did they have a point? Do they still? Maybe, but that doesn't mean I want to change (not yet, at least), especially after my debauched trip to Costa Rica, which so happened to help end my fantasy baseball hopes, and which so happened to end on that fateful night in September.

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Pull Puig When Shoulder’s Tender

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:15:35 +0000

Yasiel Puig was scratched yesterday with a strained shoulder, suffering the injury during batting practice. Look at him, making himself feel right at home with the Dodgers. Next thing you know, he's going to say Brandon League is their best reliever, run at 40% and leave before the eighth inning to beat the traffic. Let's recap quickly, Puig took a fastball off his nose, wiped blood from his face and took first base. Then The Cuban did an interpretative dance with Kennedy's whole team that he called "The Bay of Puig." Finally, the next day, he hurts himself in batting practice. It's like when Jean-Claude Van Damme beat the crap out of 47 bad guys, but stopped production on Timecop because the production assistant forget to bring his hair gel to set. "Van Damme be Van Damned if his hair isn't coifed." As of right now, there's no word on how long Puig will be out, but hopefully this Puiggy doesn't go wee, wee, wee all the way home. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

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Tha Black Babe Ruth

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:00:02 +0000

One of the neat things about Negro League History is how fact turns to exaggeration; exaggeration to legend, and legend to myth. Josh Gibson hit a scorching line drive which whizzed inches above the head of Satchel Paige. The ball wound up in the center field bleachers of Yankee Stadium, well over 500 feet in the distance. It has been said that Gibson once knocked a speaker off the roof of Comiskey Park. When Gibson was with the legendary Homestead Grays, he played Babe Ruth to Buck Leonard’s Lou Gehrig. Leonard, also immortalized at Cooperstown, stated that one time Josh hit a ball “out of existence." There are many stories where the real truth of the tale is difficult to discern. But some things would be wonderful if they were true, and this nugget is certainly one of them.

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Minor Accomplishments: Week 10

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:00:17 +0000

Last week's draft poured a whole shizzload of new prospects into the realm of pro baseball, and damn near all of them carry zero fantasy relevance at the moment. Don't let Harold Reynolds fool you. Mark Appel will not be pitching for the Astros this season. Also, Harold Reynolds is dumb. Appel, however, is one of a handful of draft prospects who could offer value to fantasy teams as soon as this time next year. And in a recent Scouting the Unknown series, I took a look at nine draft prospects who appeared destined to move quickly toward the bigs -- the Michael Wacha/Kevin Gausman/Mike Zunino types of the 2013 draft. If you're interested in that sort of thing, check out part 1, part 2, and part 3 by clicking those links.

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DraftKings – Cloudy With A Chance Of Money

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:00:19 +0000

It's here! This Friday, our friends at DraftKings are throwing their huge $100,000 Punch Out with the top winner nabbing $20K. If you haven't been following our DraftKings posts and you're new, DraftKings is an industry leading daily fantasy sports site, and they hold our very own RAZZBALL EXCLUSIVE CAN YOU BEAT RUDY GAMBLE contests where the top winner gets a ticket for that shot at 20K. You can only get in by clicking that link - it's not open to the public! Unlike Grey's Mustache Rides (LLC). This week is a special feature on THURSDAY instead of Friday to not conflict with the $100K Punch Out. But even better, this time the top TWO spots get tickets into the Punch Out. And it doesn't stop there. Spots 3-10 double up to $10.00 and 11-20 break even and get $5.00, almost DOUBLING the normal prize pool. This is the week to play Razzball Nation! The contest is capped at 50 entrants, and with the increase in payouts, I expect it to fill fast so sign up soon! If you read only bold all caps words, that should be enough to spark your interest, or so our marketing crack team tells me...

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El Zunino

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:15:10 +0000

The Mariners don't play no mess. That's their motto, and not the oft-cited mottoes, "F-Her and pray for rain," or "Put the fences on wheels, so we can move them in when we're at-bat and out when the other team is," or "If we trade Chris Tillman and Adam Jones for Erik Bedard, we'll have more seats empty to fill the stadium with recliners." With the "don't play no mess" motto in full-mode, they brought up Mike Zunino. A catcher bat like Zunino only comes once in a lifetime (the lifetime is that of a guinea pig that is being cared for by a 12-year-old, so the lifespan is about 18 months. Remember, because age is rounded down to the last birthday, on average guinea pigs live a half year beyond their final birthday. They live as zombies. Zombie guinea pigs are all around us. Now, I'm scared.) Sure, the last once in a lifetime catcher bat after Buster Posey and Matt Wieters also played for the Mariners. You remember, it was the Jesus who couldn't catch or hit but could walk on water with the best of them. So, after turning to Jesus twice (Montero, Sucre), the Mariners are now turning to Rookie Zuninookie. BTW, Sucre is sugar, and Zunino sounds like Mexican artificial sweetener. You might remember Mike Zunino from such Scott, our prospect writer, sentences as, ".360/.447/.689 between Low-A and Double-A," "The third overall pick this past June has been simply incredible since signing," and my favorite, "His tools profile suggests he’ll eventually develop into a very nice big league catcher, and one you’ll want in fantasy leagues, but most people around baseball don’t see the Travis D’Arnaud/Jesus Montero/Devin Mesoraco-type ceiling with Zunino," which came when he ranked him 44th in the top 50 fantasy baseball prospects. Not to get all Chinese Calendary on you, but 2013 isn't going to the Year of the Incoming Catcher. Zunino's chances of making a huge impact seem slim to anorexic. The path to fantasy value for a catcher isn't a Sunday drive down the Henry Hudson for Will Smith in the movie, Hancock. If Zunino blows away my projections, he gets 15 homers and a .260 average. More likely, he gets 7-10 homers and a .240 average. You can probably do better. Look at me having faith in you! Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

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Hitter-Tron Improvements – June 2013

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 01:21:34 +0000

Based on feedback we received, I have made the following updates to Hitter-Tron - both the daily leagues version as well as the 7-day/weekly league version of Hitter-Tron. These changes went live late this afternoon:

Added a second $ estimate ($U) which reflects a player’s value independent of position.

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The Razzball Podcast — The One Where Comedian Steve Byrne Drops By

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:00:06 +0000

JayWrong hijacks the podcast in protest of Steve Byrne of TBS's Sullivan and Son coming on the podcast because his Razzball contract states that he's the "official" half Irish-half Korean podcast guest. However, Steve quickly showed why JayWrong shouldn't abandon his post for too long because in the ever-changing world of multimedia, the tides change quickly. Just look at how fast the environment changed compared to Al Gore's use of PowerPoint. Brooksie from Shawshank would be totally lost. SteveWrong? Maybe if he's not too careful. The "he" in that sentence can be read as either JayWrong or SteveWrong. Oh, and check out Season 2 of Sullivan and Son which airs this Thursday...Well, I was gonna say the time, but no one watches anything live, so set your DVR and watch whenever. Rudy joins the show and explains why the Hitter-Tron is so valuable right now. People have gotten accustom to streaming pitchers, but there's a market inefficiency right now for streaming hitters -- take advantage. I think if you're not using the Stream-o-Nator or Hitter-Tron you're using Razzball 1.0 and we're rolling with 3.0. Soon, when you open the site, it's gonna say, "You've got mail." Hey, curve, we're ahead of you. Also Rudy promises to provide documentation to figure out how to use all the tools optimally. I guess he doesn't realize everyone would prefer he just do a tutorial on YouTube. Who reads docs? I don't even have time to spell out the whole word for docs. Then I come on to talk about Bobby Brown and Suge Knight. Anyway, here's the Razzball podcast (now with SteveWrong):

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RCL Update: June 11

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:00:11 +0000

That's a Shame (Bold Predictions) is the new overall leader after gaining in the standings for the sixth consecutive week, dropping the mauledbypandas team (Josh Hamilton's Fake Stache) down to second. Both teams drafted Miguel Cabrera with the number 1 pick back in March. That's a Shame followed Miggy with Adam Jones and Jay Bruce, and grabbed Adam Wainwright in the fifth round for their first pitcher. Everth Cabrera in the 19th has given great value, hitting .299 with 31 runs, 24 RBI, and 28 stolen bases. TAS almost took top team honors for the third time this season with fine hitting (.299/41 Runs/13 HR/44 RBI/12 SB) and pitching (7 Wins/60 K/2.49/1.17/8 Saves) numbers. Check out the new and improved Master Standings (you can also access them via the Leagues menu up top) to see where your team ranks in comparison to the other 767 teams through Sunday. The page now includes sortable stats.

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Yo Gadrian!

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 07:15:21 +0000

The name YoGa conjures peace, calm and sneaking looks at girls in yoga pants. On the mound, YoGa conjures stress. Starting him is like asking him to be your designated driver. You really have no idea what you're going to get. He's become more predictable as of late, but not in the good way. Every game this year he's looked like someone put him in the fridge for an hour, then poured Magic Shell over him, then chiseled him out and left the fake-choco shell on the mound. I was already to drop him. I had hit my brink. So, how does he reward me? Does he pitch terrible and allow me the freedom of dropping him? You think anything's that easy with YoGa? Yesterday, Yovani Gallardo was regularly hitting 93 MPH, and looking the part of the guy that finished 11th in Cy Young voting two years ago and won 16 games with a 3.66 ERA last year. A guy that has been a solid number two fantasy starter for the last four years. He threw a near-flawless 8 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners (1 BB), 4 Ks game. Of course, it was against the MIA Marlins and only 4 Ks. Still, I can't drop him after that, but I also can't start him for his next game in Great American Ballpark. So, for now I'll hold a guy that I can't start or bench confidently. Ugh, more stress! Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

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Pitcher Profile: Hector Santiago Belongs In The Rotation

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:00:48 +0000

So while helping Scott with his prospect and two-start pitcher questions over the weekend, I got a lot of questions for the best spot starter on Sunday. I told everyone Hector Santiago followed closely by the debut of Jose Alvarez. Score one for me! I decided to write my pitcher profile on one of those guys, and since Alvarez only came up for one start (he's already back in AAA), I went with Santiago. Quick tangent - how unfair is that Tigers rotation? Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister, Rick Porcello (who everyone needs to pick up - Ks are for real, looks like it's all together now and he's only 24), then Drew Smyly who should become a starter one day soon, and now Alvarez. Yikes. Anyway, Santiago has been yo-yoed in and out of the rotation, and after Jake Peavy fell to injury yet again, Santiago should remain in the starting staff for at least the next month if not longer. He's been better as a starter than out of the bullpen this year, and has over a K per 9 this season. There's a lot of things to like with Santiago, so I broke down his start yesterday afternoon against the Athletics to monitor his repertoire and what to expect while he's in the White Sox rotation.

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Maybin This Time It’ll Be Different

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:00:27 +0000

It's always nice when you come off of the DL to find yourself in a series at Coors, but Cameron Maybin really came out of the chute with a bang. With 4 steals in 3 games through Saturday, he jumped right back on the radar as a rosterable outfielder in mixed leagues with his performance. Of course, here at Razzball he was already on your radar from Grey's BUY on Friday and my post from two weeks ago in which I said "15-20 SB ROS isn’t out of the realm of possibility, and I’m stashing him with cautious optimism"...and that's me quot- well, you know the rest. Over the past three seasons (2011-2013), Maybin is 13th on the MLB leaderboard in stolen bases with 69. He has been caught only 16 times and his 7.6 Spd rating, a metric developed by Bill James to measure a player's base running, is 7th overall in that span. Even in a pretty disappointing 2012 campaign, he managed 26 steals. The next few weeks will be a test for both Maybin's hitting as well as his base running. Three of the Padres' next four opponents (D'Backs, Dodgers, and Braves) are in the top ten in MLB for fewest steals allowed. I've always liked Maybin, and wrote about him as a potential bounce-back for 2013 in my very first article for Razzball. For right now, though, my recommendation would be to pick him up if you are in need of an outfielder, without expecting much help outside of the SB category. His speed is comparable to fellow SAGNOFs Ben Revere or Juan Pierre but he's got the most upside of the bunch.

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You Don’t Know Diddley, Moore

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 07:10:30 +0000

Matt Moore had the line of 5 IP, 8 ER, 13 baserunners, 6 Ks. But he only allowed one walk! What? Like putting frosting on a doodie cupcake? Like eating only cupcakes for three weeks, then pooping into a cupcake pan? Do you eat the cupcake ingredients separate, then let them mix in your stomach? Does it matter? Either way, Moore was crap. If you thought he was a sub-2 ERA pitcher, you were lying to yourself. Remember, it's okay to lie to others, dangerous when you lie to yourself. Moore's xFIP is egregious, which meant he had some regressing to do. His walks are out of control -- literally. His walks right now are Jonathan Sanchez bad. Yes, that made me shudder too. If you build a pitching staff house with a bunch of Jonathan Sanchezes, it'll be shuttered. Hopefully, Moore's next game vs. the Royals will stall further regression and he can cut his walks (and not just when he gets rocked). If Moore can't get it together vs. the Royals, he'll have a tough Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers stretch to get through that might need a lengthy benching, i.e. less Moore is more or less Moore. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

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Jam it or Cram it: The Sunshine Boys

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 18:00:38 +0000

Satchel Paige said, “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don’t matter.” Old Satch pitched until he was 90 I think. No? Someone ask Peter Gammons. “He pitched until he was 59.” *answers call with shoe, falls asleep in soup* Thanks, Pete. Last week a man who may or may not be 111 years old visited the Yankees on the field. Joe Girardi was tempted to start him at shortstop before Derek Jeter talked him out it. Jeter then crashed his Rascal down the dugout steps. He’s out another month. Old people are funny. Satch may be dead, but there’s plenty of other old wrinkled ballers still working their magic in the fantasy game. Mariano Rivera anyone? Looking pretty spry for 43. Did he follow Wilford Brimley into the Cocoon pool or something? He won’t get any older and he won’t ever die.

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Creeper Of The Week: Huuuuge…Tracts Of Lind

grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:00:32 +0000

Look, I know we're not friends. At least not true friends, we're internet friends. You barely know me, I barely know you. We occasionally share drink recipes and quips about reality television. But you come here every week, you read the content on this site which means you do know something about me: my fantasy baseball abilities. I heard you snickering! But for cereal, it feels like you're not listening to me. I know you're not doing it on purpose. You wouldn't flat out ignore me, would you? We're not married so I don't see why you would so I'm trying to figure out why Adam Lind is only 35% owned, with 27% of that ownership happening in the last week. I mean, I mentioned him quite clearly on this Razzball Podcast. You probably snickered then too. Admittedly, I didn't think the kid was gonna stay this hot for this long. It's getting to the point of ridiculousness on a grand scale but I am not gonna stop talking about him until he's at least 50% owned. I'm serious, take this as a threat or he's the Creeper of the Week for week 12 as well! But enough with idle threats - or are they? - I'm here to talk about why he's a creeper for this week of the 2013 fantasy baseball season...

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