Jeff Zimmerman Fantasy Baseball Chat
| 3:00 |
: Hi everyone.
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| 3:01 |
: Assuming Carlos Rodon and Michael Fulmer are both healthy, which of the two would you prefer? Thanks!
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| 3:01 |
: Simply, I think the Sox will Win more games.
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| 3:01 |
: Do you think Josh James wins the 5th spot in the Astros rotation still? Does the shorter season make you like him any more (or less)?
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| 3:02 |
: I’m not sure how to approach him without the schedule.
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| 3:02 |
: Teams could need 6 starters.
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| 3:03 |
: Also, he could be going 4 IP with another starter going the other 4 IP.
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| 3:04 |
: He’s sort of big gamble right now but I understand why people are interested with his talent.
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| 3:04 |
: I see no love for Kolten Wong and not much more for Tommy Edman in most projections. My leagues are 12 teams, one traditional scoring, one w OBP not BA, and one Otto classic 4X4. Am I being a dope here, or are these guys interchangeable parts on a fairly good team?
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| 3:05 |
: The issue with Edman is playing time, especially in a weekly lineups league.
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| 3:06 |
: There is a chance he only plays 3-4 a week.
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| 3:06 |
: With Wong, I’m not sure he’s a good player.
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| 3:08 |
: He has Roto value with his 24 steals, but he was almost unplayable in the 1H with a .703 OPS and .244 AVG. These were inline with his 2018 stats
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| 3:08 |
: A 2H .896 OPS saved him
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| 3:08 |
: Thanks for chatting…I am going to start a dynasty league. Should I wait until we know when there will be games again, or does holding the draft now add a fun twist, and help us fill the void in a meaningful way?
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| 3:09 |
: I’d hold off until you are for sure games will be played
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| 3:09 |
: Don’t draft and then wait a year.
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| 3:10 |
: Now, you can draft now and if there are no games, redraft next year.
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| 3:10 |
: If there is a truncated season, do you think that will lead to stud pitchers pitching deeper into games, or do you think starters in general will pitch less innings per start, as bullpennning takes over? Trying to figure out what happens to starting pitcher usage in a short season…
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| 3:10 |
: I think the guys that can go long will so the bullpen can be used with the weaker starters.
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| 3:11 |
: Since we’re all bored, and maybe this is better for an article, what would an all time fantasy first round look like?
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| 3:12 |
: Too much for right now, but some of Rickey’s steals could be a major difference maker
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| 3:12 |
: Are Segura and Kieboom decent speculative grabs for their possible position eligibility at both 2B and 3B respectively?
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| 3:13 |
: I’m big on Segura. I have him about everywhere as a late add.
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| 3:15 |
: The extra flexibility is just a bonus
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| 3:15 |
: Can you believe Mark Buerhle fell 1.1 innings short of 200 innings for 15 straight years?
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| 3:15 |
: He was an innings eater.
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| 3:16 |
: Can you give a Wander Franco comp?
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| 3:17 |
: Yelich
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| 3:18 |
: Franco can and should be a five-category contributor but is lacking in power.
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| 3:18 |
: Since he plays SS, maybe Lindor.
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| 3:18 |
: My league has never done FAAB. Does that mean that you only have one opportunity to pick up free agents each week? If your 3B gets injured mid week, do you need to place like 4 different bids for 3B to make sure you get one?
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| 3:19 |
: That is how my leagues work and sometimes I put in eight if I think the demand will be high.
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| 3:22 |
: Most of players will be for min bids. Taking a zero for the week is devastating. Some leagues like the NFBC allow for mid-week subs.
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| 3:22 |
: I’m running a little low on questions, so feel free to ask away.
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| 3:22 |
: Any general draft tips for redraft only leagues?
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| 3:23 |
: I try when possible to work backwards from where I think I can get the best deals
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| 3:23 |
: This year, I try my hardest to stay away from OF and SS early on.
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| 3:25 |
: There are several guys I like late at each position, so why block them
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| 3:25 |
: Alright, back to my all time first round: Would Bonds’s 73 homer season, Rickey’s 130 steal season, or Ruth’s 60 homer, .354 average year go number 1? Or someone else?
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| 3:27 |
: I’m not sure because it would matter is the other players were going with homer-only hitters or more balanced players.
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| 3:28 |
: With the stats know, it would be interesting after the first picks to see the player type taken by teams to move up the most.
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| 3:29 |
: There would be a ton of in-draft game theory.
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| 3:29 |
: Interesting that Joe asked this. Just had a friend work on a list since 1980: http://www.fantasywayback.com/ It suggests Walker’s ’97 season was the best but that was within its own season.
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| 3:30 |
: The Walker season is crazy good.
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| 3:31 |
: 49 HR 33 SB 143 Runs 130 RBI .366 AVG
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| 3:31 |
: Over 270 Runs+RBI is crazy good
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| 3:32 |
: You guys should do it, and also invite me.
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| 3:33 |
: It should be a slow draft so people can adjust on the fly.
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| 3:33 |
: Thoughts on Griffin Canning for cheap in deep only standard leagues?
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| 3:34 |
: Only as a bench arm and be ready to quickly find a replacement.
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| 3:34 |
: I’d have no desire to rely on him since there is a decent chance he needs TJS
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| 3:35 |
: 1930 Hack Wilson – 56 HRs, 146 Rs, 191 RBIs, .356 avg
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| 3:35 |
: Slow draft and only one instance of a player can be drafted (so no 1921 Ruth and 1927 Ruth drafted).
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| 3:35 |
: That sounds like it would work
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| 3:36 |
: No way you can completely punt saves (or another category) in a shortened season, right?
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| 3:36 |
: Nice name
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| 3:36 |
: I think punting Steals can be an option this season.
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| 3:37 |
: Let me grab a link
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| 3:38 |
: Scott dump Steals and ended up second last year.
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| 3:38 |
: Bret won and was 4th in them
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| 3:39 |
: People are pushing up horrible SB threats and a ton of regular hitters are cheap.
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| 3:40 |
: Scott dump again and I’m projected for the second lowest total
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| 3:40 |
: We are Projected to finish first and second
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| 3:40 |
: Which pitcher sparks the most joy just from watching video?
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| 3:41 |
: Pedro. Jose Fernandez
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| 3:41 |
: What do you think of Austin Adams in the Seattle bullpen? Is he worth picking up given the uncertainty in that bullpen?
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| 3:41 |
: I’ve been grabbing Moreno in draft-and-holds.
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| 3:42 |
: That said, I liked some of Magill’s late season changes and didn’t mind gambling on him.
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| 3:42 |
: Any hope for Kikuchi?
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| 3:43 |
: I’m willing to let him ride the bench for a week or two until I get a read on his talent but will quickly move on.
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| 3:43 |
: Is Charley Radbourn’s 59 Wins in 1884 hindered by his weak 5.85 k/9?
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| 3:43 |
: 1.38 ERA over 678 innings though
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| 3:44 |
: K/9 is not a stat so the overall K’s would be awesome.
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| 3:45 |
: I do think the league would should pick players from a reasonable time frame. Maybe 162 game schedule or post integration.
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| 3:46 |
: Who is the last closer in each league you would be willing to roster voluntarily?
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| 3:46 |
: My standards are low
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| 3:46 |
: Magill in the AL
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| 3:47 |
: Kintzler in the NL
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| 3:48 |
: I have no problems grinding for Saves.
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| 3:48 |
: I think I’m going with 1921 Ruth. .378, 59 homers, 171 RBI, 177 runs, 17 steals
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| 3:49 |
: It’s a decent season.
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| 3:49 |
: Agree, if you don’t set a time frame the most dominant players will be pitchers from the 1800s throwing sub 2.5 ERAs over 600 innings winning 40+ games
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| 3:50 |
: Those stats are fun but would be out of whack.
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| 3:50 |
: Missed that. Yeah, 162 game season/post integration seems more than reasonable.
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| 3:50 |
: Getting the 20’s Yankees in would be fun
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| 3:50 |
: Keeper question for a 12-team H2H league. Currently keeping the following: Clevinger (5th), Castillo (6th), Eugenio Suarez (11th), and Yordan Alvarez (15th). Debating between Julio Urias (21st) and Jo Adell (15th), both who seem likely to get a big bump by the shortened season. Preference between the two?
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| 3:52 |
: If you are trying to win, Urias. I like Adell long term but I’m not sure he’ll hit the ground running this year.
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| 3:52 |
: Again, I running low on questions.
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| 3:52 |
: If you give any active player a nickname and make it stick, what would it be?
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| 3:54 |
: I think any player who misses time for domestic violence gets labeled Shitbag #1. The next, Shitbag #2.
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| 3:56 |
: I think it would be really hard to include pitchers in a draft like this. If you normalize their innings it de-values the low k/9 guys too much. Pitchers were still throwing 300+ innings as recently as the 70’s
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| 3:57 |
: But the extra innings helps the K numbers and their low rates in WHIP and ERA would really carry a team.
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| 3:58 |
: That’s it for this week and I’ll be back next week. Hopefully a path to baseball is in place.
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Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide,The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining the News series. He's won Tout Wars three times, LABR twice, and got his first NFBC Main Event win in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @jeffwzimmerman.
We played a draft like mentioned. Could take any player after 1880, minimum of 3 years in MLB. Used regular 8 position players, 5 starters, and 2 relievers. An on line randomizer was used to pick any of players seasons with 10 games minimum for pitchers and 20 for hitters(this eliminated some bad seasons at beginning or end of a career). Slow draft, no time limit. Took about 10 days. We’re going to do another one in about a week, but are only going back to 1920(Modern Era). This eliminates 1800’s pitchers(I got season with 54 wins). Try it. You’ll learn stuff and keep up with friends and family.