There are plenty of reasons why baseball is awesome, but we’ve hammered the list down to just about 50 awesome reasons… for awesomeness.
There are plenty of reasons why baseball is awesome, but we’ve hammered the list down to just about 50 awesome reasons… for awesomeness.
I recently turned 50, and I turned introspective for a bit, looking back at my long life. I thought back to when I lived on Walton Mountain (ask your parents), churned my own butter and watched TV with the aid of an antenna covered in tin foil. My sports cards meant the world to me …
Every now and then, I’ll come across a sports story that I assume everyone around me is familiar with. Then I realize, I’m an old bastard, and the guys around me are mostly in their 20s. So then I have storytime. It’s like when your grandpa tells you about the Heidi Game. I also figured most …
Free agent Pablo Sandoval declined a $15 million qualifying offer from the San Francisco Giants. He declined a three-year $40 million extension earlier in the season. Sandoval is a three-time World Series Champion, who owns a .426 BA in 47 ABs across 12 World Series games, but his career batting average of .294 is a …
A large percentage of Fantasy Baseball players have become hooked on the excitement of playing Daily Fantasy Baseball games. This daily game is essentially the next generation of Fantasy, as the game continues to evolve from Rotisserie, to Head-to-Head -- to Daily. So, of course, that’s not good enough for me. It got me thinking …
A player turns a good game into a good week, then that week into a good month. Then, before you know it, the player becomes relevant, not only in your AL/NL only twelve team league, or any other deep league for that matter, but in every league you are in. The player has become one …
There were surprises and history galore in the fourth week of the baseball season which has left an ample supply of material for this week's 3 up, 3 down. Earlier this week I was in the basement organizing and re-arranging for an upcoming garage sale, as well as finding space for winter gear/supplies and I …
Prior to 2012, the only baseball related thing that created buzz in Oakland was the blockbuster film, "Moneyball," starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. That all changed in 2012 and 2013 when the Athletics became the darling underdogs of Major League Baseball, with only Justin Verlander in the way of them advancing to the ALCS …
While there is almost zero skill when it comes to the amount of RBI a player produces, through the creation of an expected RBI metric I have found a way to look at whether or not a player has gotten lucky or unfortunate when it comes to their actual RBI total. I hope I don’t …
From a Fantasy Baseball perspective, the Mariners exceeded expectations last year. A 41-year-old Raul Ibanez led the team with 29 home runs and their starting rotation boasted two Cy Young candidates in perennial superstar Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. Iwakuma finished the year with a 138 ERA+, besting King Felix’s 121. Seattle also has a …
Before we discuss the 2014 NY Yankees, let's note that the Yankees' 2013 campaign was a Fantasy blunder. For only the second time in 19 years, the Yankees didn’t make the postseason. Able to manage 85 wins in a down year, the Yankees' front office made some big money changes in response. Last year's Yankee …
The new mock draft simulator is out! The new mock draft simulator is out! Finally, after several offseason months, the Draft Wizard Mock Draft simulator is here! And now we can all run our own Fantasy Baseball mock drafts to see where different positions get thin, and where the experts think we should draft someone. …
Before we get into the 2014 Boston Red Sox, let's look back at last season. You don’t win the World Series without ample talent, and the 2013 Boston Red Sox were no exception. Their championship roster was anchored by the only offense to surpass 800 runs (853), and they scored 7.2% more runs than Detroit’s …
The MLB Hall of Fame results came out last week, and I thought it would be interesting to take a look at Fantasy Baseball from a historical perspective. So I looked at the top Fantasy Baseball seasons of all time, and thought about how those seasons give us a glimpse into larger offensive trends and …
For the next four weeks we will look at potential bust candidates for the 2014 Fantasy Baseball season. Our attention will be focused on outfield busts this week and infield busts next week. To ascribe an analytic value to how we quantify a bust we will look at a player’s 2013 roto value and a …
If you read the first column, you can skip the first section and start to read where I go over the best streaming options. From now till the end of the season, I will go over the best streaming options available for the upcoming week; Monday’s post will have the best options for Monday through …
For all of the Fantasy Baseball players that are in daily roto or head-to-head leagues, and need a few more strong outings to take home the championship in their leagues, this post is for you. From now till the end of the season, I will go over the best streaming options available for the upcoming …
Over Saturday, I aggregated last week’s ZiPS and Steamer rest of season projections (found on Fangraphs) into one list, and then translated those numbers into Fantasy value using Jeffrey Gross’ E.Y.E.S. formula to come up with what one may consider the most thoughtful rest of season rankings. When I say, "most thoughtful," I simply try …
Last week, we held the very first Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft for the 2015 season. Oh my, we are proactive! We gathered together 12 of the very best Fantasy Baseball writers across the worldwide web, and stuck them into a time machine. We sent these to the year 2015, to hold the first baseball mock …
I love good old fashion roto fantasy baseball, but points based head-to-head leagues are my favorite. I'm in 2 local leagues and am undefeated so far, which is awesome, but now I face my brother in both leagues in week 3. What are the odds? Don't answer that smart ass, it was a rhetorical question. …
Last week I was going all 1990 on you and that was fun and all, but 2013 is here and Bryce Harper is now the best Fantasy Baseball player ever. Sorry Mr. Ryne Sandberg. Twenty-one months ago I drafted Harper in a shallow 20 team Roto 6 player keeper league. Can a 20-team league even …
This past week, I’ve really started to get into playing Daily Fantasy Baseball. And this morning, I woke up at like 7am after a long night of drinking and then some late-night pizza, and decided to jump into a bunch of games for a Saturday extravaganza … Maybe the alcohol hasn’t worn off. Then I …
Is there a more troublesome page on a Fantasy Baseball website this year than the 2013 Fantasy Baseball Reliever Rankings. I didn’t think so. (Or maybe the page that says Send Us Money! Those are troublesome, too.) But here we are – checking out who we think are the best Fantasy Relievers, which usually indicate …
Why are these 2013 Fantasy Baseball SP Rankings so important to Fantasy owners? Well, starting pitchers affect four separate categories, and usually are responsible for your ranking in each of those categories. With 14 hitters in your lineup, one or two hitters aren’t going to pace the rest of your team in four categories. But …
There are few positions where more is expected in Fantasy Baseball play than first base. These 2013 Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings are chock full of excellent power hitters, many of which are also able to hit for average and drive in runs. In 2012, the first base position saw nine 30-home run hitters (two …
You can consider the 2013 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings as Miguel Cabrera and everyone else. Miggy is considered a top-three pick in all Fantasy formats, coming off the first Triple Crown season in over 40 years. The former third baseman-turned-first baseman moved back across the diamond to make room for Prince Fielder, and he …
When looking at 2013 Fantasy Baseball DH Rankings across theInternet, you might find several spots that literally rank the designated hitters in the America League. In other words, they give you each team’s DH, and rank them from a Fantasy perspective. That’s dumb. Here’s why – most designated hitters are eligible to play at one …
The 2013 Fantasy Baseball SS Rankings are important to your Fantasy team – but not the most important. You’ll want to bulk up on corner infielders with power and slugging corner outfielders and speedy center fielders. The middle infielders generally give you little in the power categories, and are so-so in the speed categories. You’d …
These 2013 Fantasy Baseball 2B Rankings might save your life someday. OK, well, maybe not really. But they could be important for the life of your Fantasy Baseball team as you enter the 2013 season. And normally, second base is considered one of the weakest positions in the game. It wasn’t too long ago (well, …
Every season, Fantasy Baseball owners get super excited about the incoming crop of rookies – and the returning group of Fantasy Baseball sophomores are quietly placed in the toy bin with everything else. Fantasy writers, however, are usually more excited about sophomores (check auction prices in LABR and Tout Wars in any given year). I …
The 2013 Fantasy Baseball OF Rankings offer a little bit of everything to everyone, including those looking for 2013 Fantasy Baseball Head to Head Rankings. This Fantasy position is pretty unique for several reasons, which we’ll get into. The outfield rankings and starting pitcher rankings are the two positions Fantasy Baseball players debate the most. …
The 2013 Tout Wars weekend is officially over. But the second guessing has just begun! My ninth season of drafting in this league ended with a night at Foley’s, and everyone got a chance to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly. Most of what everyone discussed over beers and Irish fare will be …
Much is written about the “next big thing” when discussing Fantasy Baseball value. We look for signs of a breakout season from a youngster entering into his prime or we try to stay ahead of the curve by scooping up a hyped rookie or even a prospect. But what about the seasoned veterans? Sure, they …
The following random thoughts have been provided by Yeti Vedder. He writes for us from time to time and downloads his thoughts for our amusement. The views expressed in this article are those of the Yeti and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, David Gonos — especially when he talks …
ESPN posted a great infographic from the people at InfoGraphicWorld.com, detailing some great NFL Draft history. Some of the things that jumped out at me about this graphic are: Jay Berwanger was Bo Jackson before Bo Jackson? Neither of them signed with the teams that drafted them No. 1 overall (Berwanger-Eagles, Jackson-Bucs). I actually wrote …