Archive for the 'The Game' Category

Things we can count on after one week

This week's ESPN Insider column, appearing every Friday.

This is the week for eternal optimism. Clayton Kershaw and Bryce Harper look vintage. Greg Holland and Jeanmar Gomez really did get saves. Khris Davis' owners are downright giddy over their eighth round bargain.

Everyone is still in or near first...

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PLAYER PREMONITION #170403

Every so often, something about a player will rise to my consciousness. A hidden indicator. A revelation that wakes me up at night. I'll call these periodic posts Player Premonitions.

We'll  open this new feature with a starting pitcher. Seven years ago, this pitcher won 18 games with a 2.97...

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Premonitions, and other final brain flakes

At this time of year, everyone is out with their bold predictions. For some writers, it's an exercise in tossing spaghetti against a wall to see what sticks. At Baseball HQ, I used to conduct what I called a Longshot Caucus, which was a bit more analytically sound, linking together...

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The changing game and the 10-day DL

This year, members have access to all the columns I write for ESPN Insider. They appear here every Thursday or Friday. Many will include a BABS-relevant postscript. Enjoy.

Over the past three decades, changes in the real game have had slow but subtle effects on the fantasy game. These changes...

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No path to playing time

This year, members have access to all the columns I write for ESPN Insider. They appear here every Friday. Many will include a BABS-relevant postscript. Enjoy.

Living in Port St. Lucie, FL, I have been able to follow the career of Michael Conforto since he played for the Class-A St....

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The skewed value of sophomores

This year, members have access to all the columns I write for ESPN Insider. They appear here every Thursday or Friday. Many will include a BABS-relevant postscript. Enjoy.

Trea Turner posted an amazing set of numbers in just 307 at-bats last summer. He is being selected in the...

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Deconstructing the Foundation Rounds

This year, members have access to all the columns I write for ESPN Insider. They will appear here every Thursday or Friday. Many will include a BABS-relevant postscript. Enjoy.

The foundation of your fantasy baseball roster starts in the first three rounds, or with players purchased for $20-plus in...

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Hobbled players offer profit opportunities

Here are some startling stats:

In the complete BABS database that contains over 1,300 players, 33 percent of them are currently tagged with some level of elevated injury risk. That's 32 percent of batters; 36 percent of pitchers. About 18 percent have major risk (INJ), split as 17 percent...

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Dangers of chasing profit

The latest BABS Master List Update is now online in the Members Only CONTROL CENTER.

Our goal in playing this game is to try to find players whose productivity exceeds our investment. Player projections attempt to place a metric...

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The Need for Speed

In the upcoming edition of the Baseball Forecaster, you will read about the ever-changing shifts in the statistical landscape. By now, it's common knowledge that home runs left ballparks at historic rates last year, and stolen bases took the opposite path. If you were to assume that...

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