The Season Wrap-Up Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Guest: Ian Kahn

Most memorable moments of the baseball season

Strategy Section

• Which is more important at the draft – Having better knowledge of the players, or better valuation & auction/drafting skills?
• Which is more true?
  • Leagues are won on draft day vs.
  • Leagues are won with great in-season moves & pickups
• Injury Guru’s Trivia of the Week
• Do you have to walk away with speed in the first few rounds?
  • 1st Round Pick – Bo Bichette vs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
• The Case for An Ace – Do you need to walk away with an ace (or two aces) in the first few rounds?
• Is it worth paying up for a super elite catcher (Salvador Perez / JT Realmuto)?
• Is it worth paying up for closers?
• Can you wait on corner infielders?
  • Should you disregard positions in the first few rounds?

Our successes and failures in 2021

Sandy Alcantara – Is he a top 10 pitcher for 2022?

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast (beat-the-shift): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Final Week Decisions Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

League Updates

Strategy Section

• Final Week Strategies & Decisions
  • No fear of droping players
  • Categories categories categories
  • Players in a pennant race
  • Younger players
  • Hot hand
  • Projections vs. final month stats
  • Roster flexibility in the final week
  • Go with your gut
  • Rotation schedules revamped for playoff bound teams

Injry Guru’s Trivia of the Week

Waiver Wire

Pitcher Preview

Injury Update – Reuven gives us the injury updates.

Housekeeping

• Upcoming Episode Schedule
• Thank you for listening !!!

Follow us on Twitter

• Ariel Cohen (@ATCNY)
• Reuven Guy (@mlbinjuryguru)
• Beat the Shift Podcast (@Beat_Shift_Pod)

Podcast (beat-the-shift): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Mid-September Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Strategy Section

• Last 2 weeks of the season
  • No more fear of droping players
  • Specific team schedules in the penultimate week, and lineup decisions
  • Contending teams and playing time

Waiver Wire

Pitcher Preview

Injury Update – Reuven gives us the injury updates.

Live show announcement!

Follow us on Twitter

• Ariel Cohen (@ATCNY)
• Reuven Guy (@mlbinjuryguru)
• Beat the Shift Podcast (@Beat_Shift_Pod)

Podcast (beat-the-shift): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Early September Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Waiver Wire

Pitcher Preview

Injury Update – Reuven gives us the injury updates.

League Updates

Strategy Section

• Frequency of success vs. Magnitude of success
• Avoid same team stacking in fantasy baseball?

9/11

Follow us on Twitter

• Ariel Cohen (@ATCNY)
• Reuven Guy (@mlbinjuryguru)
• Beat the Shift Podcast (@Beat_Shift_Pod)

Podcast (beat-the-shift): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Closer Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Guest: Greg Jewett

Strategy Section

Closers

• How to form a closer hierarchy
  • Pre-season
  • Mid-season
  • Closer by committee
• Injury Guru’s Trivia of the Week
• What is the optimal closer strategy for drafts?
  • Bank an elite closer?
  • Is drafting two top closers a viable strategy?
• Using FAAB resources on closers
  • How much is too much?
• Non-elite closers that may experience a saves surge in September
• What to observe in September to assist us in prep for the 2022 season
• Kenley Jansen
• Organizational & manegerial philosophy

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast (beat-the-shift): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The September Prospects Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Guest: James Anderson

Strategy Section

Prospects

• Guaging which teams will showcase prospects
• Positions and service time manipulation
• The affect of COVID in 2020 on prospects in 2021
• Will there be another Randy Arozarena in 2021?
• Impact prospects for 2022

Injury Guru’s Trivia of the Week

Prospect Discussion

• Bobby Witt Jr.
  • How will the KC Royals allign their defense in future years?
• Julio Rodriguez
• Jarred Kelenic
• Adley Rutschman
  • Catchers – High prospect failure rates
• Keibert Ruiz
• Jo Adell
• Jarren Duran
• Alex Kirilloff
• Max Meyer
• Nolan Gorman

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast (beat-the-shift): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Late August Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Waiver Wire

Pitcher Preview

Injury Update – Reuven gives us the injury updates.

Follow us on Twitter

• Ariel Cohen (@ATCNY)
• Reuven Guy (@mlbinjuryguru)
• Beat the Shift Podcast (@Beat_Shift_Pod)

Podcast (beat-the-shift): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Self-Evaluation Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Guest: Nicklaus Gaut

Field of Dreams

Strategy Section

Self-Evaluation

• For teams in contention
  • Looking at categories to make gains
• For teams not in contention
  • Evaluating what went wrong
  • Following player hot streaks in August/September
  • Trying different strategies

Injury Guru’s Trivia of the Week

• Most innings pitched in 2021

Starting Pitchers who could be limited

• Chris Bassitt
• Julio Urias
• Casey Mize
• Alek Manoah
• Trevor Rogers
  • FIP vs. xFIP

Final Month Fades

• Hitters to Fade
  • Is Nelson Cruz a Hall of Famer?
  • Francisco Lindor vs. Jose Iglesias vs. Amed Rosario
• Pitchers to Fade

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast (beat-the-shift): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Engagement Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Guest: Patrick Davitt

Strategy Section

FAAB / Waiver Wire / Roster Churn

• Distribution of FAAB dollars throughout the season
  • Does current standing matter?
• Does player aquisition strategy alter in the month of August?
• Injury rates 2021 vs. 2020 vs. 2019
• Sholud we churn our rosters more or less in the final two months of the season?
• How to decide when to cut a player in the final two months
  • Jacob deGrom case study
  • Other specific player examples

Category Movement

• Categories that are more volatile late in the season (more movement) & categories that are less volatile
  • Why ratio categories are highly volatile

Engagement

• Can you win a league if you are towards the bottom in August?
• Do you have a moral / ethical obligation to play hard until the very end in fatnasy baseball?
  • What if you play in many leagues?
• Is it right to divert time spent away from leagues that you cannot win?
• Is there an ethical difference between neglecting to set a valid lineup vs. foregoing waiver wire pickups?
• Is there an obligation to ensure that your fantasy team reaches the minimum inning requirements?
  • How should a league commissioner interviene if teams are not on pace to reach the IP threshold?
• Creating incentives to increase league engagement down the stretch

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast (beat-the-shift): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Sabermetrics Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Guest: Bill James

Personal History

Sabermetrics Section

• How has sabermetrics changed over the years?
• What metric is Bill James most proud of creating?
  • Bring your dog to the park day
• Ariel’s suggestion for Bill James’ Runs Created formula
• Undervalued statistics in today’s game
• The best defensive metrics to use
• Closer by Committee in baseball today
• Beating the Shift
• Similarity Scores

Injury Guru Trivia of the Week

• Career batting averages – Ariel vs. Bill

Baseball Across the Decades

• Greatest Players of all time
  • Hitter – Babe Ruth
  • Pitcher – Roger Clemens
• How would Babe Ruth & past baseball players stack up against 2021’s major leaguers?
• Expansion in Baseball

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast (beat-the-shift): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS