Archive for Head to Head

Roto Riteup: August 31, 2016

Today’s Roto Riteup is brought to you by Tebow Time!


He Has How Many Home Runs?!?!

Back in mid-June, I discussed a handful of hitters who had hit a shocking number of home runs at that point in the season. Since it was fun, and you no doubt enjoyed it, let’s do it again. Obviously, there are more surprises than just this short list, so feel free to use the comments to, ya know, comment on such lads.

Here are five of the biggest surprises, all of whom I chose for different reasons. I included some relevant metrics from 2016 and compared them to their 2015 rates so we have a better idea of what’s fueling the home run surge.

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Gary Sanchez Homers His Way Into History

Shockingly, it has been nearly 100 plate appearances since Gary Sanchez was recalled by the Yankees for a full-time role and this is his first dedicated RotoGraphs post. Of course, in itself, not talking about a recently recalled prospect 24 games into his career isn’t noteworthy. Except, when that career begins the way Sanchez’s has.

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Roto Riteup: August 29, 2016

Today’s Roto Riteup is dedicated to my daughter, who turned six yesterday and is a huge San Francisco Giants fan because she has awesome parents. Read the rest of this entry »


A Template for a Fantasy League Charter

I’m going to do something a little different today and step away from fantasy analysis and try to leave you with something that is simple, very practical, and hopefully helpful.  With a shout out to my fellow commissioners out there, I’d like to give you a template for creating a fantasy league charter.

I’ve been playing fantasy baseball for 20 years now and I’ve had the honor of commissioning for most of that time too.  It can be a fun job but for those that have done it you know that it can also be a little rough sometimes.  No one enjoys stepping into the middle of heated league debates, trade meltdowns, or finding replacement owners, but if you’ve commissioned a league in the past odds are you’ve dealt with a few issues here and there.  While there’s no way to foresee or avoid every issue that can derail a fantasy league (and since there’s no substitute for having great owners as your foundation), a rock solid league charter can go a long way in setting both the tone and direction of your league long term.  In my opinion, it’s a must-have.

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Marcus Stroman, Best Pitcher in Baseball?

It’s not an outlandish question to ask. Over the last 30 days, which spans five starts and 32.1 innings, Marcus Stroman has posted the third highest strikeout rate in baseball and the lowest SIERA. Five starts is a tiny sample size, of course, but you can’t fake a high strikeout rate. Let’s go back a little further. Since my cherry-picked date of June 14, he has made 12 starts and has posted a strong 25.2% strikeout rate, low 4.2% walk rate, elite 61.5% GB%, and impressive 2.82 SIERA. You know who else has combined that type of strikeout ability, pinpoint control, and serious ability to induce grounders? Nobody.

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Ottoneu 101: Trade Deadline

“The trade deadline is fast approaching.” – Hard to believe that time is here.  This season has flown by, hasn’t it? With just one week before rosters solidify for the final stretch, now is as good a time as ever to ensure new Ottoneu owners are fully prepared for the future, which is now fast becoming the off-season.  Joe recently outlined the mindset that’s needed to approach the trade deadline strategically, depending on your place in the standings, but since it’s also my job to cover Ottoneu on these pages, I’ll take a more mechanical look at what happens at this critical point in the season.

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Mitch Haniger & Xavier Scruggs: Deep League Wire

If you’re still fighting for a money finish (and you should be because we give you the best advice here, duh), then here are two thrilling recommendations for your deep leaguers.

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The Coldest Drops This Week 8/23: Yay or Nay?

Checking in on the hottest pickups this week is boring, because the players are already owned! More interesting, perhaps, are the players CBS fantasy owners are dropping en masse. Are owners overreacting to cold streaks or just dropping duds? I will exclude players on the DL.

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The Hottest Pickups This Week 8/22: Yay or Nay?

Let’s take another gander at the week’s most popular pickups in CBS leagues. Are you fantasy owners crazy or uncovering diamonds in the rough?

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