Posts Tagged ‘Ron Shandler’
Assessing risk in a team context
This is my weekly article for ESPN Insider. One week into the season, there are already more than two dozen players from the ADP Top 300 who are either on the disabled list or demoted to the minors. Roster churn waits for nobody. But it reminds us that team evaluation is not just an analysis…
Read MoreThe challenge of reaching innings minimums
This is my weekly piece from ESPN Insider. Back in 2010, there were 45 starting pitchers who threw at least 200 innings, led by Roy Halladay with 250.2. At the end of that list were journeymen like Jon Garland and Rodrigo Lopez. Even they managed to throw 200 innings. By 2015, the number of 200-innning…
Read MoreBABS has some final thoughts…
For those who have not yet drafted, here are a few last-minute tidbits: Finding value in the catcher pool Earlier this off-season, we posted the following poll: What will be your approach to drafting catchers in 2018 (2-catcher leagues)? 32% Value, value, value. I’ll take it wherever it comes. 21% I will try to draft…
Read MoreTout Wars, BABS and the Changing Marketplace
Player projections are irrelevant. What you think players are worth is irrelevant. All that matters is the marketplace. Here is the description that I have used time and time again: “If you are convinced that a player is worth $25 and land him for $21, you will have overpaid if the rest of your league sees…
Read MoreFirst round risers
This is my weekly article from ESPN Insider. Most first round picks are not going to return first round value. If our goal is to roster the safest foundation players at the top of the draft, these are the only players currently ranked in the Top 15 that I would trust nearly 100 percent with…
Read MoreBABS Update: The Humidor Cometh
The BABS database and master spreadsheet are both updated with the latest player additions and moves. Last week’s poll indicated that most of you are planning to have your drafts the weekend of March 24-25 so I will get one more database update posted before then. I’m not sure if I’ll get in a spreadsheet…
Read MoreBABL Exhibition draft results
Our group of 10 intrepid explorers have begun their journey, taking BABS Baseball (BABL) out for its initial voyage. We have just completed the first leg, wrapping up our slow draft last week. As a refresher, here are the basics of this new, BABS-inspired league format: 4×4 Rotisserie draft & hold Categories are HR, SB,…
Read MoreUsing BABS in deeper leagues
BABS is great, but she’s not perfect. She works best with players who generate statistically significant performance samples. BABS likes playing time. As such, she works like a charm in most standard mixed league formats. But once we start dipping into those batters likely to see just a few hundred plate appearances, or rarely-used pitchers,…
Read MoreIdentifying first round fails
This is my weekly article from ESPN Insider. It is possible to lose your draft in the first round, so you would expect that we’d be experts in identifying those elite players. We’re not. Over the past 14 years, our success rate at projecting which players will earn Top 15 value is about 35 percent.…
Read MoreNo need to overpay for closer roles
When it comes to the BABS philosophy of players being “more alike than they are different,” there is no better demonstration of this than with relief pitchers. There are about three dozen relievers who have a shot at about 10 or more saves; about 20 who are good bets for 30-plus. However, the top dozen…
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