A Very Darrelly Dynasty League

[Dr. Dinger]

Seth Smith in Camden where the left handed home run park factor is the same as Coors and Yankee Stadium!

 

That really doesn't warrant an exclamation mark.

[Laika]

Well I had no idea Seth Smith was even an Oriole, tbh.

 

I guess that's a thing.

[Cyborg]

That really doesn't warrant an exclamation mark.

A projected .343 wOBA is really hard to come by in a waiver draft. .350/.450 is you prefer slash.

[Dr. Dinger]

A projected .343 wOBA is really hard to come by in a waiver draft. .350/.450 is you prefer slash.

 

Platoon guy + Buck Martinez, got it.

[Cyborg]

Well I had no idea Seth Smith was even an Oriole, tbh.

 

I guess that's a thing.

They're probably going to give him way too many PA vs. LHP since apparently he's the full starter with his only platoon possibility being Rickard in AAA.

[Laika]

They're probably going to give him way too many PA vs. LHP since apparently he's the full starter with his only platoon possibility being Rickard in AAA.

 

Rickard and their Rule 5 guy (shhhh) probably break camp

[Laika]

I think waiver priority is now correct. Can someone else please double check?

[z3r0s]

waiver order looks good to me

[TRM]

Can a commish add Crawford to my roster? I put Blanton on NA to make room.

[z3r0s]

done

[Dr. Dinger]

Ohhhh s***, according to BP Yusniel Diaz's stock is hot hot hot!

 

Dinger, even though he's eclipsed miniVlad in the dynasty rankings I'll still 1 for 1 since I'm a real sport...

 

The same dynasty rankings that have Nick Williams above Gleyber Torres? Sounds like a good source of truth.

[Boxcar]

How does Bret Sayre still do what he does? Does BP have no concern for content quality since they make people pay for it?

[Dr. Dinger]

How does Bret Sayre still do what he does? Does BP have no concern for content quality since they make people pay for it?

 

It's pretty surprising. He says and writes so many boneheaded things. The rest of the team seems fairly adequate at what they do, but he's a goddamn moron.

[Dr. Dinger]

Jose de Leon @ 72!!!! lolololol

[z3r0s]

Jose de Leon @ 72!!!! lolololol

 

glad I dumped that f'n plug

 

 

 

 

 

:'(

[BTS]

Good to see Nick Williams finally get his due as a top-15 dynasty prospect!

[BTS]

Jose De Leon ceiling: a solid, safe dependable SP5

[TheHurl]

RotoExperts with some fun "Bold" fantasy predictions for each team. I'll take the Cubs one.

 

NL East

 

Atlanta Braves – Dansby Swanson finishes the year as a Top 10 shortstop: Swanson doesn’t do one thing great, but he does everything well. In a position loaded with talent, Swanson does enough across the board for the Braves to finish as the 10th-best shortstop in Fantasy.

 

Philadelphia Phillies – Tommy Joseph leads the National League in home runs: Joseph has the job to himself, plays in a great ballpark and has elite power. The Phillies will surprise people this year, and Joseph will be one of the main reasons for that.

 

New York Mets – Robert Gsellman finishes as the third-best Mets pitcher: From a skills standpoint, Gsellman would be sixth on the list, but from a health standpoint, I’m not betting my life savings on healthy seasons from Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zach Wheeler. Gsellman threw his slider 145 times last season. He allowed just five hits off of it. Chalk another success up to Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen.

 

Miami Marlins – Kyle Barraclough saves 30 games: The Marlins don’t like A.J. Ramos for whatever reason, and Barraclough had an elite K/9 last season. Ramos may start the season as the closer, but it won’t be long until the guy with the coolest last name in baseball takes the job over.

 

What will Trea Turner do for an encore in his second season? (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire)

What will Trea Turner do for an encore in his second season? Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire

Washington Nationals – Trea Turner joins the 20-20-20-20 club: OK, let’s not get extreme here. Extreme would be predicting a 40/40 season for Turner. Instead, let’s say that he becomes the fifth member of the exclusive 20-20-20-20 (doubles, triples, homers, steals) joining Frank Schulte, Willie Mays, Curtis Granderson and Jimmy Rollins as the only players in history to accomplish the feat.

 

NL Central

 

Chicago Cubs – Addison Russell finishes as the top shortstop in Fantasy Baseball: Russell quietly hit 21 home runs last season. This is your last chance to buy low on him. The average will eventually go up, and when it does, sayonara.

 

Cincinnati Reds – Jose Peraza leads his team in stolen bases: I don’t know if this says more about Peraza or Billy Hamilton.

 

Milwaukee Brewers – Keon Broxton goes 25/25: We know three things about Broxton: 1. He has power. 2. He has speed. 3. He’ll strike out one-third of the time.

 

Pittsburgh Pirates – Gerrit Cole is the fourth-best starting pitcher for the Pirates in Fantasy: Am I a Cole hater? Not really. Do I think he’s always been overrated? Yes. He’s a low-variance pitcher, and Jameson Taillon, Ivan Nova and Drew Hutchison/Tyler Glasnow all could finish higher than him by season’s end and I wouldn’t be shocked.

 

St. Louis Cardinals – Luke Weaver is a Top 40 starter: Weaver has been overlooked as a prospect thanks to Alex Reyes. With Reyes needing Tommy John surgery, Weaver’s breakout year starts now.

 

NL West

 

Los Angeles Dodgers – Joc Pederson is a Top 20 outfielder: Pederson killed in in the first half of 2015, but then he’s disappointed the past year and a half. I’m not ready to give up on him yet. 2017 is the year the speed starts to come into play.

 

San Francisco Giants – Joe Panik wins the batting title: Here’s a look at Panik’s plate discipline numbers from the past three years, but look at the last two years:

 

Panik

 

Yet he somehow went from a .312 batting average in 2015 to a .239 average last year. He’s a nice late-round second baseman to grab.

 

San Diego Padres – Austin Hedges is a Top 12 catcher: Is this bold enough? You or I might be able to be a Top 12 catcher with 450 at-bats.

 

Colorado Rockies – Tyler Anderson is a Top 50 pitcher: Anderson allowed a 28.2 precent hard-hit rate against. If he qualified, that would have been the 10th-best mark in all of baseball. Pitching in Coors Field, that’s a great thing.

 

Arizona Diamondbacks – Robbie Ray leads the NL in strikeouts: Everyone is on the Ray bandwagon, but can he actually follow through on the hype? I’m betting yes.

 

AL East

 

Boston Red Sox – Rick Porcello is out of the rotation by July: It’s my inner Porcello hater coming out. He’ll be fine … unless he’s not. The Red Sox have enough arms that if he performs poorly, they can replace him.

 

New York Yankees – Aaron Judge gets fewer than 200 at-bats: You call the Chris Carter signing detrimental to Greg Bird and Matt Holliday. I call it an excuse to send Judge to Wilkes-Barre Scranton.

 

Tampa Bay Rays – Blake Snell becomes a Top 20 pitcher: We saw the flashes from Snell last year. If he can harness his stuff, he’s going to be a must-start pitcher.

 

Baltimore Orioles – Mark Trumbo, Chris Davis and Jonathan Schoop combine for 115 homers: They weren’t too far off the mark last year, as they finished with 110 combined homers. Schoop reached his numbers in part because he played in 162 games.

 

Toronto Blue Jays – Devon Travis is a Top 5 second baseman: This is the year Travis finally is healthy. The Blue Jays lineup is a lot better than people think it is still. If the Jays pencil Travis in as the leadoff hitter, there may be no better value in drafts.

 

AL Central

 

Cleveland Indians – Jose Ramirez finishes as the top position player in Fantasy for Cleveland: His numbers this year are similar to what Michael Brantley posted when he broke out. I expect a repeat of last year with Ramirez and then some.

 

Chicago White Sox – Yoan Moncada goes 20/20: Is he going to start the season in Triple-A? Yeah, more than likely, but if Charlie Tilson’s injury – yes, Charlie freaking Tilson could be a roadblock – is serious, Moncada could contribute sooner than expected.

 

Detroit Tigers – J.D. Martinez wins the Triple Crown: Just give me a full season of Martinez, please. His power is legit in any park and he hit for .315 in 2014.

 

Minnesota Twins – Byron Buxton finishes as a Top 20 outfielder: We saw the growth last year with Buxton in September. If he can just lower his strikeout rate, the word “bust” won’t be in the discussion with him anymore.

 

Kansas City Royals – Mike Moustakas hits 25 homers. 10 against lefties: What’s this? A double prediction? Yeah, we aren’t playing around. Moustakas was on his way to a terrific season in 27 games before getting injured. The power should return, and in limited at-bats, he hit .286 against lefties last season.

 

AL West

 

Los Angeles Angels – Tyler Skaggs emerges as a Top 40 pitcher: Let’s not forget that Skaggs is a former top prospect that has had his issues with injuries. Skaggs put together as stretch of dominate outings last year in limited time. If the Angels want to be a .500 team, they need all of their pitchers to reach their maximum potential. Perhaps none of them are more vital than Skaggs.

 

Oakland A’s – Jharel Cotton finishes as a Top 20 pitcher: OK, this one I’m actually 50 percent believing will happen. Cotton’s changeup is elite, as Derek Pierson pointed out on Twitter, Cotton threw the pitch 124 times last year and allowed just one hit when throwing it.

 

Seattle Mariners – James Paxton wins the AL Cy Young: Paxton started to throw his curve again last year. Add with it the fastball that reach triple-digits, and you have the making of an ace.

 

Texas Rangers – Matt Bush earns 30 saves: Sam Dyson wasn’t that great last year, but found his way to 38 saves. Bush is the more talented pitcher, and that typically always wins … unless your name is Dellin Betances in arbitration.

 

Houston Astros – Francis Martes is this year’s Michael Fulmer: If you’re drafting one rookie pitcher this year, it’s Martes. He’s risen quickly through the Astros system with a nice three-pitch mix. If he can develop his changeup – always the million dollar question with pitching prospects – he’ll have a home in the top of the Houston rotation for years to come.

[BTS]

RotoExperts with some fun "Bold" fantasy predictions for each team. I'll take the Cubs one.

 

If Broxton goes 25-25, Hedges finishes as a top-12 catcher, and Cotton is a top-20 starter, True Cardinals fans will be dancing in the streets.

[Laika]

Omfg Nick Williams at 15 is just too much I literally can't even

[Boxcar]

can someone link these?

 

nvm, google is my friend. Assumed it was behind a paywall, but I guess they just couldn't keep some of those humdingers from being shared with the world.

[TRM]

There's definitely a playoff contender who could use an ethically questionable third baseman.

[BTS]

There's definitely a playoff contender who could use an ethically questionable third baseman.

 

What range of SP have you been offered so far?

[Dr. Dinger]

There's definitely a playoff contender who could use an ethically questionable third baseman.

 

I'm an ethically questionable contender who could use a 3B.

[jaysblue]

Shoot I traded the 2017 AL Cy Young in James Paxton in BORED, and Jose Peraza for Jason Heyward in the FC.

 

Love Tommy Joseph leading the NL in HR's, Ray leading the NL in K's and Luke Weaver becoming a Top 40 starter. This would be a nice plus for my DDL team.

[TRM]

Conceptualizing this year's preview is making me laugh.

 

I'm sorry in advance, BTS.

 

What's the theme gonna be?!?

[Laika]

Possible Waiver Draft Rule Tweak

 

Option A - The current rule in the DDL is that owners cannot hold extra MLB assets during the waiver draft. A team keeps 20 players and is given 5 waiver picks. Any additional acquired waiver picks disappear - go poof - at cutdown (unless the owner keeps less than 20 players, which has never happened.) The other application of this rule is that if trades occur during the draft a team's waiver picks that are made superfluous similarly disappear and go poof.

 

Why did I think this was a good rule? Waiver drafts are pretty boring and a bit of a pain to administer. When I first created the DDL rules I had outlined a trade "freeze" that ran for the duration of the waiver draft, so commissioners didn't have to deal with editing a whole whack of exchanged picks on the fly on a spreadsheet. With free-market trading it's easy to get unorganized and miss stuff. Our current rule is not a freeze, but it does but a bit of a damper on trades for the duration of the draft and I do think it makes the whole thing slightly easier to administer. Essentially, whenever there is a trade of MLB talent, I encourage the teams to balance it out with waiver picks or at least inform them that if they don't that waiver asset disappears.

 

Option B - The other leagues don't make your extra assets disappear. You cut down to 20 players but you can have as many waiver picks as you want and trading for MLB talent during the draft does not immediately affect your waiver picks. You are allowed to use your DL and NA slots during the draft to make additional waiver picks. Your surplus picks only disappear when they come up - if your roster is stuffed and you can't use them.

 

Why might this be worse? The draft could be a bit longer. It might be a bit less equitable - in the DDL every team leaves the waiver draft with 25 players, and then the waiver roll happens. In the other leagues a team that is lucky enough to have a few DL or NA players, and has acquired extra picks, can leave the draft with more than 25 MLB assets. There seems to be more trading of picks in the other leagues, including while teams are on the clock, which makes the thing a bit harder to facilitate for commissioners. When a pick comes up and an owner is on the clock, there is no need for anybody else to check to see if their roster is full, or wait for them to confirm - if a pick comes up you know the guy on the clock will be making that pick when he comes around.

 

Why might this be better? Arguably there is more flexibility and would be more activity during the waiver draft. Teams could use the draft to get more specific waiver assets that they want. Commissioners wouldn't have to "police" all the trades during the draft to make sure exchanged assets are equal, etc. Other reasons?

 

Let me know what you think about Option A and Option B. We might change the rules a bit for next year, if I am convinced.

 

Not a big deal IMO either way though. Small thing!

[KingKat]

Possible Waiver Draft Rule Tweak

 

Option A - The current rule in the DDL is that owners cannot hold extra MLB assets during the waiver draft. A team keeps 20 players and is given 5 waiver picks. Any additional acquired waiver picks disappear - go poof - at cutdown (unless the owner keeps less than 20 players, which has never happened.) The other application of this rule is that if trades occur during the draft a team's waiver picks that are made superfluous similarly disappear and go poof.

 

Why did I think this was a good rule? Waiver drafts are pretty boring and a bit of a pain to administer. When I first created the DDL rules I had outlined a trade "freeze" that ran for the duration of the waiver draft, so commissioners didn't have to deal with editing a whole whack of exchanged picks on the fly on a spreadsheet. With free-market trading it's easy to get unorganized and miss stuff. Our current rule is not a freeze, but it does but a bit of a damper on trades for the duration of the draft and I do think it makes the whole thing slightly easier to administer. Essentially, whenever there is a trade of MLB talent, I encourage the teams to balance it out with waiver picks or at least inform them that if they don't that waiver asset disappears.

 

Option B - The other leagues don't make your extra assets disappear. You cut down to 20 players but you can have as many waiver picks as you want and trading for MLB talent during the draft does not immediately affect your waiver picks. You are allowed to use your DL and NA slots during the draft to make additional waiver picks. Your surplus picks only disappear when they come up - if your roster is stuffed and you can't use them.

 

Why might this be worse? The draft could be a bit longer. It might be a bit less equitable - in the DDL every team leaves the waiver draft with 25 players, and then the waiver roll happens. In the other leagues a team that is lucky enough to have a few DL or NA players, and has acquired extra picks, can leave the draft with more than 25 MLB assets. There seems to be more trading of picks in the other leagues, including while teams are on the clock, which makes the thing a bit harder to facilitate for commissioners. When a pick comes up and an owner is on the clock, there is no need for anybody else to check to see if their roster is full, or wait for them to confirm - if a pick comes up you know the guy on the clock will be making that pick when he comes around.

 

Why might this be better? Arguably there is more flexibility and would be more activity during the waiver draft. Teams could use the draft to get more specific waiver assets that they want. Commissioners wouldn't have to "police" all the trades during the draft to make sure exchanged assets are equal, etc. Other reasons?

 

Let me know what you think about Option A and Option B. We might change the rules a bit for next year, if I am convinced.

 

Not a big deal IMO either way though. Small thing!

 

Some teams are activating players from the minors and don't need all their waiver picks. Other teams have N\A of DL eligible players and could use the extra picks. I think it makes sense to give teams the opportunity to move picks where they are needed though as we saw in LOD, flexible rules don't guarantee an optimal distribution of picks. You can only make it possible. You can't force it to happen. Soooooooooooo.... I guess I'm saying I'm in favour of B but I agree with you that the stakes are pretty low. Honestly, I think it's in the league's interest to opt for whatever Z3R0S prefers because, let's be honest, he's more likely than you to be the one updating the picks.

[Dr. Dinger]

Yep, I think it's fine the way it is.

[TRM]

I'd vote against changing it also.