As I sat and wandered the databases, the thoughts running through my head were the same being pondered by every other reasonable baseball fan. Is there a bookcase in Rob Manfred’s office that if you pull on the correct book will spin around to reveal a panel of giant levers that controls which baseballs are currently being used? And if so, will “waterlogged” stay pulled, or could it be flipped to “happy fun ball” at any given moment? If that’s the case, we might as well prepare by looking at the pitches getting the most air so far in 2022. Read the rest of this entry »

Nestor Cortes announced himself to much of the baseball fandom last week, striking out 12 Orioles over five shutout innings while allowing just three hits and walking one in an eventual no-decision. But Baltimore, all the haters cried. Everyone knows you only get 50% credit for games against the O’s! Read the rest of this entry »

If a lifetime of watching baseball has taught me anything, it’s that you only need about a week to predict how the rest of the season will go. It’s science. Read the rest of this entry »

Ahh, an April tradition like no other. With real baseball just scant hours away, it’s time to fulfill the obligation that every good tout must provide for our loyal constituency.

Let’s get weird.

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It might be a little late but the dark days are almost over, as the love of our sporting life will soon be here again. And with it, the song in my heart can no longer be contained. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re just joining us, here are the previous ranks for first base, third base, catcher, and outfielders. We’ll get right back to our regularly scheduled programming of shortstop rankings and all the tiers you’re totally used to but first, a public service announcement.

There are many ways to improve your fantasy play, whether through strategy or player analysis but there are two (relatively) simple things that any player can do to dramatically up their game. They may not guarantee a championship but they will set you up for success by greatly raising your fantasy floor and helping shed any draft-day stress. And in your average home league with a normal distribution of fantasy expertise, this floor will often put you leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. Read the rest of this entry »

“Must…hit…publish…before nine more transactions force more revisions.” We have no time for chit-chat.

Okay, a little chit-chat. I left the high-priced guys behind for analysis and mostly focused on pockets for particular categorical values, sticking to players taken in the latter parts of drafts. If you’re just joining us, here are the ranks for first base, third base, and catcher. Read the rest of this entry »

Feeling more and more down with every bit of news regarding MLB still locking out the players? Starting to wonder whether a full cancellation of the 2022 season could actually (seriously??) really be on the table? Waking up every night in a cold sweat after yet another nightmare in which you’ve quantum-leaped yourself back to 1994 and your middle school brain just can’t comprehend that there might not be baseball any time soon?

Well, lucky for you, there is only one topic red-hot enough to get your mind off of those no-baseball blues…Splits talk!

Being bad enough against a hand to be moved into a full platoon is obviously the worst-case scenario but there is also a lot of gray area before a full timeshare where fantasy value still gets sucked away by lower spots in the order and erratic playing time. Let’s talk about a few of them.

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More than any other position, how I approach drafting catchers will depend on my current roster construction as much as the actual player. Sometimes the “best” player available (according to my values) just won’t be a viable option given the state of my team stats prior.

With that in mind, here are my top-40 catchers for 2022. If you’re just joining us, you can find the first base ranks here and third base here. Read the rest of this entry »

Briefly taking the baton from Alex Sonty, the question of whether to draft Justin Verlander certainly isn’t a binary one, as his fantasy life in 2022 will be driven by both the quality and health of his arm. And those are some pretty big questions to answer considering he’s only pitched six innings over the past two seasons. Read the rest of this entry »