Archive for Beat the Shift

Beat the Shift Podcast – Early September Episode

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


Beat the Shift Podcast – Closer Episode w/ Greg Jewett

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 »


Beat the Shift Podcast – September Prospects Episode w/ James Anderson

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

Read the rest of this entry »


Beat the Shift Podcast – Late August Episode

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


Beat the Shift Podcast – Self-Evaluation Episode w/ Nicklaus Gaut

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

Final Month Fades

Read the rest of this entry »


Beat the Shift Podcast – Engagement Episode w/ Patrick Davitt

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

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 »


Beat the Shift Podcast – Sabermetrics Episode w/ Bill James

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 »


Beat the Shift Podcast – Trading Episode w/ Fred Zinkie

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

Guest: Fred Zinkie

Strategy Section

Trading

  • General Trading Philosophy
  • When to look for a trade vs. playing the waiver wire
  • Identifying what to trade for, and who to trade on your roster
    • High gradient categories
  • How to negotiate trades
    • Should you make offers close to final, or low-ball with room to negotiate?
    • Sending out bad trade offers
    • Taking the time to explain trade offers to others
    • Negotiating with one team alone vs. pitting one team against the other
      • Never divulge trade negotiations directly
  • Does standings position matter for trade needs?
    • Decreasing risk / diversifying when you have a lead
    • Increasing risk when far behind
  • Fairness of Trades
    • Top teams trading with bottom teams
    • Instituting pay scales throughout the entire standings
    • Reinsurance’s take on fairness in fantasy sports
    • Moving up the league’s trade deadline

Fernando Tatis Jr.

  • Were we wrong earlier in the season advocating to trade him?
    • Recap of Tatis trade advice from earlier this season
    • Trust the process, not the results
  • Risk comparison to Luis Castillo (underperformance)
  • Risk comparison to Adalberto Mondesi (health risk)
  • League depth matters

Read the rest of this entry »


Beat the Shift Podcast – Episode w/ Jerry Blevins (Former MLB Pitcher)

The latest episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Guest: Jerry Blevins, Former Major League Pitcher

Interview

  • All-Star Game Uniforms
  • Life after baseball
  • Jerry Blevins Trivia
  • Game planning
    • Pitching to power versus contact batters
  • Thoughts on new MLB rule changes
    • 3 Batter Minimum
    • Extra Innings Rule
    • 7 Inning Doubleheaders
  • Sticky Substances Ban
  • Cheating in Baseball
  • Injury counts on the rise
  • Progression of baseball analytics throughout Jerry’s career
  • Balance of scouting & analytics in baseball
  • Pitching against childhood hero, Ken Griffey Jr.
  • The Love of Baseball
  • Philly Cheasestakes in the visiting clubhouse
  • Autograph story – Jeremy Blevins

Read the rest of this entry »


Beat the Shift Podcast – Episode w/ Howard Johnson (HoJo)

The latest episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Guest: Howard Johnson (HoJo), Former Major League All-Star & 2x World Series Champion

Interview

  • Life after baseball
  • Breakthrough moment of career
  • Being on-deck during the infamous Mookie Wilson at-bat of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series
  • Ariel’s father asks HoJo a question – Playing different positions
  • Analytics in the 1980s
  • Analytics during the coaching days
  • Davey Johnson / Sparky Anderson as coaches
  • HoJo’s closest teamate friends today
  • Comeback at age 50 with the Rockland Boulders
  • Grandson Tanner Johnson’s accident
  • The 30/30 club
  • The Dave Bergman HR game in 1984
  • HoJo is 20 in Hebrew!
  • Switching uniform number briefly to 44
  • Pete Alonso HR Derby winner
  • Participating in 2 homerun derbys
  • Beating out Barry Bonds & Will Clark for the HR & RBI title in 1991

Read the rest of this entry »