Agenda

1. …And we’re back
2. DFS for Today
3. Fantasy for Tomorrow
4. Table

Read the rest of this entry »

I chose a bad day to write about shifting projections in a very marginal way by examining a day’s lineup. Thursday has 11 games, but you’ll be hard pressed to set a lineup where you know for sure who is playing and who is hitting where. That’s because there are six early games with slightly staggered start times – you may be able to see lineups for five of them by the time rosters lock – and then five late games, only four of which you’ll probably know the lineups for at roster lock.

Anyway, I pulled the numbers, so bookmark this one for a day when you’re selecting rosters from a largely “known” lineup pool.

Read the rest of this entry »

Given his top prospect pedigree and strong minor league results pre-2013, Tyler Skaggs was already a trendy sleeper heading into spring training with his new American League ball club. Then reports hit that Skaggs’ fastball velocity was way up and suddenly he was no longer just a potential undervalued asset, but a legit breakout candidate. And so far with a 3.21 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, his performance has been everything us owners could have hoped for. Except that the way he has achieved such performance is nothing like we expected. Meet the new Tyler Skaggs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Guess what day it is, Roto Riteup readers?! It’s two days after Earth Day, when I take an even bigger bag of paper and shove it into the garbage can to offset all the good everyone did because I don’t like change.

On today’s agenda:
1. Michael Pineda feels justice
2. Clayton Kershaw’s rehab scheduled
3. Fun with tons of arbitrary endpoints
4. The Fast Five

Read the rest of this entry »

• Ernesto Frieri may be pushing himself out of the ninth inning in Los Angeles. A homer, then single, walk, and a double and the Angels’ closer bought himself another blown save (in a game the team would eventually lose 5-4 on another walkoff homer). Frieri actually continues to own a decent 3.30 xFIP but an ugly 8.80 FIP. So it comes down to homers (xFIP assumes league average HR/FB, FIP does not). The righty has given up a longball to 5 of the 42 batters he’s faced this year. That’s an unsexy 38.5% HR/FB%. Wow. Read the rest of this entry »

When I’m determining what I’m going to spend on players during my leagues’ FAAB runs, I think about the long term. We all do, right? In my experience, however, most fantasy players tend to base their bids on the here and now: The players on hot streaks fetch the most dollars. The exceptions include recently named closers and promoted prospects of great esteem, among others, but you get the idea.

I’ll talk more about FAAB strategy in future columns, I’m sure, but I wanted to plant the seed: Bid according to what kind of returns you figure to receive from the player for the rest of the season, regardless of recent performance. A player’s latest feats can factor in a little, sure, especially if characteristics of them indicate skills growth. In the latter instance, though, you’re already wisely influenced by possible long-term gains.

Read the rest of this entry »

So, it’s the day after #JoseFernandezDay. It’s so unfortunate that we’re only treated to one, or if we’re really lucky, two of those per week. Unfortunately, we can’t have nice things. The baseball gods knew Fernandez’s next start was today, so apparently they decided us mortals shouldn’t be treated to a Chris Sale start as well.

Read the rest of this entry »

Shelby Miller looked broken after his first two starts of the year. Though it’s tough to overreact to just two starts, Miller did come with some concerns entering the season. After struggling down the stretch in 2013, and disappearing in the playoffs, Miller saw his fantasy draft stock take a tumble in late-March. After two straight tough games to open the year, it looked like those concerns were legitimate. But things took a turn in the right direction the last two times he’s taken the mound. Miller has given up one run over his last two outings with 14 strikeouts. While it’s just two starts, there’s some evidence that Miller might be alright moving forward.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s edition of the deep league waiver wire is for those with a truly barren free agent pool scrambling for an injury replacement. Even better, both have dual position eligibility, which is extremely helpful when you’re faced with so few pickup options.

Read the rest of this entry »

Guess what day it is, Roto Riteup readers?! It’s the day after Earth Day, when I take a giant bag of paper and shove it into the garbage can to offset all the good everyone did yesterday because I don’t like change.

On today’s agenda:
1. Gordon Beckham on the mend
2. Hishashi Iwakuma’s almost ready
3. Another SP lost to TJ
4. Manny Machado begins rehab assignment
5. The Fresh Five

Read the rest of this entry »