Archive for fantasy baseball

It’s not easy to get strikeouts when you don’t get batters to swing much. It’s even more difficult when you avoid the strike zone.

Over the previous three years, a qualified starting pitcher has induced swings at a rate lower than 44.0 percent over the course of a season only 23 times. Of those, only Trevor Bauer, Jose Quintana and Tyson Ross have had a single season with a strikeout rate of at least 24.0 percent, and none has had more than one season with a rate that high. By contrast, there were only seven occurrences of a strikeout rate below 24.0 percent among the 23 pitcher-seasons with the highest swing rates over the same period. Bauer and Quintana both elevated their K-rates last season, and they were able to do that partly because they located their pitches in the strike zone at near-normal rates of 44.4 and 44.8 percent rates, respectively. Ross registered a 25.8 percent K-rate in 2015, even though he induced swings infrequently and displayed subpar control. However, no qualified starter was better than Ross at getting whiffs on pitches outside the strike zone that season.
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Only a few games into the season and the relief pitcher body count has already started to mount. No, none of your fantasy arms died tonight but injuries to some top rated arms seems almost unavoidable in today’s game. Earlier today the Phillies placed Pat Neshek on the 10-Day disabled list with what the Phillies are calling “Right Shoulder Strain”. This only a day after Philadelphia placed late inning reviver Tommy Hunter on the 10-Day DL as well. Neither of those two were lined directly up for save opportunities but it leaves Hector Neris on a closer island all by himself with a somewhat secure ninth inning role, even after his implosion just a night ago.

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2018 is here, and the dawn of a new year is the best time to reevaluate your overall fantasy strategy.  But before digging into the finer points of roster construction, auction value calculations, and post-post-hype sleepers, January is also the perfect time to step back and ask whether it might be time to trade in your entire fantasy experience for one of the more advanced, up-and-coming fantasy platforms around.

This is a shameless plug for Ottoneu, a fantasy sports platform so addicting that it has also launched a community of more than 1,000 hardcore baseball fans that sleep and eat baseball year round.  But don’t take my word for it.  There are many reasons why you should try Ottoneu (including some exciting new features launching in 2018), but today I want you to hear from some of the “rookies” who just finished up their first full year of Ottoneu in 2017. This growing community of raving fans is a big part of the Ottoneu experience, and their Season One feedback may help you make the final decision to drive your own league to Ottoneu in 2018.

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Dear Disengaged Owner,

This has been hard for you in the past, but please read carefully.  Today, we are officially ending our relationship.

I wish I could say it’s been fun, but I think we both know this is long overdue.  As good as your original intentions may have been when you first joined our league, this is no longer meant to be.  But don’t worry, it’s not me, it’s you.  

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The New York Mets have turned into the poster child of bad luck this season. I wish I had good news for you Mets fans, but when it comes to La Potencia, he’s facing yet another setback.

Yoenis Cespedes felt some soreness in his right quad while running the bases during his rehab assignment in Class-A and he was removed from the lineup. He hasn’t played on the active roster since the end of April.

On the Agenda

1. News and Notes
2. Adjusting Astros
3. Moose
4. Fare thee well

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Jake Lamb cannot be stopped.

@KleinschmidtJD Rake Lamb

— Kalvin Lowry (@KoLow710) May 27, 2017

He hit home run number 14 Friday night against the Brewers and is now hosting a .282/.373/.586 line with a career-high .292 ISO.

Lamb struggles big time against lefties with just eight hits in 48 at-bats. The team is continuing to be patient with him and exposing him to more southpaws (much like what the Marlins were planning on doing with Justin Bour). When Lamb spoke hesitantly on the subject it was pretty clear Torey Lovullo and the team is making sure he sees those opposite arms more. So don’t expect him to ride the pine pony when a lefty starts on the bump.

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I had to double check to make sure Xander Bogaerts indeed hit his first home run of the season, but that’s exactly what happened Wednesday night against the Rangers. He’s coming off of a 21-home run season in 2016, but this year is looking a lot more like 2015 when he hit just seven with a .320 AVG. His .335 AVG is sustaining his fantasy value right now.

Dave Cameron highlights Bogaerts’ weirdness calling him the Joe Panik of the east coast. That’s not a negative comment at all.  Read the rest of this entry »

There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and Cody Bellinger home runs. In 100 plate appearances, Bellinger has nine bombs and he’s leading the National League rookies in multiple offensive categories. He is also sitting on a 26.7% home run/fly ball ratio.

.@Cody_Bellinger is the fastest Dodger to nine home runs in franchise history (24 games). ? pic.twitter.com/BxQ06lD3b4

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 21, 2017

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Joey Gallo keeps hitting the ball, and he’s hitting the ball hard. His .188 batting average this season is kind of joke sitting next to his .500 slugging average, but he does have 13 home runs in 42 games and he’s showing more discipline at the plate. But you really can’t get worse than a 63.3% strikeout rate he left behind him last season.

Joey Gallo doing Joey Gallo things. Wow pic.twitter.com/pc3XqqQUn8

— Daren Willman (@darenw) May 20, 2017

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Marcus Stroman had a strong outing on the mound Thursday night. He tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings against a Braves lineup that was without Freddie Freeman, and in the midst of it all, hit a home run. An opposite field home run nonetheless.

Marcus Stroman crushes an opposite field home run to go back-to-back with his catcher, Luke Maile. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/RbWQziDhdS

— Andrew Hockridge (@drewhockridge) May 19, 2017

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