Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast

On this week's episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski and Dalton Del Don have a few debates around the (hopefully upcoming) 2020 MLB season. First up, Dalton and Scott discuss the elephant in the room, what's our confidence level on Major League Baseball settling its labor dispute and starting a season this year? (03:00) And, should we worry about the randomness and small sample size a shorter season will bring? (06:00) Should we focus on pitching or hitting in upcoming drafts? (12:25) Does the volatility of starting pitching mean we should ignore them until later or stock up early and often in drafts? (14:30) How should you draft from a deep shortstop pool? (18:13) Should you focus on younger players or established veterans in fantasy drafts? (23:23) If you've already drafted in your fantasy league, should you press the reset button once the season's schedule is established? (26:07) And finally, is it time to bump Houston Astros players up our draft boards if they will not have to contend with a bevy of boos around ballparks all season? (28:27) And we’ll wrap up the show with a draft of our favorite sports equipment, will the mighty baseball glove take the crown? (31:52) Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Fred Zinkie stops by to discuss baseball's ongoing labor dispute and what they've learned about fantasy baseball strategy from their recent retro season fantasy drafts. Scott and Fred also talk in depth about the current state of affairs and standoff between MLB and its players. Will we have an MLB season? And if so, with a likely season being shortened in some form or fashion, what are some strategies fantasy players can implement? And how should fantasy players prepare for a potential season overlapping with fantasy football draft prep? Next up, Scott and Fred describe the retro seasonal drafts they’ve been taking part in lately. If you're not familiar, you pick a season like 1999 and draft from the player pool like usual. But, since you already know the stat lines you'll be getting during the draft, strategy changes dramatically. Scott and Fred discuss how team composition and positional scarcity come into play. Finally, our experts offer up some strategies behind punting, along with what we can learn in our 2020 fantasy drafts about steals, saves, and batting average.= Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Follow Fred @FredZinkieMLB Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcast  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As Major League Baseball inches closer to a return to the field, we're taking a quick break from our usual focus on fantasy baseball for a class on sports films and baseball history. Yahoo's Scott Pianowski and Andy Behrens recently watched Moneyball, the Michael Lewis book turned Aaron Sorkin film about the 2002 Oakland Athletics and its General Manager, Billy Beane. It's worth your time if you haven't seen it, but there is a lot the book and film get wrong about the team and the time in baseball. (05:03) Though the season that inspired the book is nearly 20 years old, its legacy can still be seen in current-day baseball, with every shift of the infield, the depreciating value of relievers, and reliance on empirical data to evaluate players. (31:37) And in honor of Moneyball and Art Howe (hope you're feeling better Skip) who gets portrayed unfairly in the film, we wrap up the show with a friendly snake draft of our favorite films starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. (45:53) Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Follow Andy @AndyBehrens Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We got a bit of a throwback episode for you baseball history buffs, Yahoo’s Andy Behrens joins Scott Pianowski to talk about their draft with our friends over at Rotoworld for ‘The Greatest League.’ If you haven’t heard about the concept already, the basic idea is that you can draft the best individual seasons of any baseball player since 1980. Any player, any season, but a player can only be drafted once. Once rosters are set, Rotoworld plans on simulating an entire season on WhatIfSports. (02:12) Scott and Andy break down their first round picks, 1994 Frank Thomas and Dwight Gooden from 1985 (03:37), why the shortened seasons of yesteryear provided some of the best seasons in history, and if we can look forward to big stat lines during a potential 80-game season (16:18) And we wrap up the show with a friendly snake draft our favorite, let’s say, less famous siblings of some of the best athletes in history. Ozzie Canseco, this is your time to shine. (45:53) Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Follow Andy @AndyBehrens Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski chats with Elite Fantasy’s Vlad Sedler about the growing optimism around a 2020 MLB season, how rumors of a universal DH could impact the fantasy landscape, and some of the big picture fantasy baseball strategies they’ve relied on over the years. Leading off, Scott and Vlad look at some of the players they might bump up their draft boards if the National League adopts a designated hitter — either for the 2020 season or permanently. (01:17) If baseball adopts a one, two, or three-state plan moving all games to Arizona, Texas, and/or Florida, that means a lot of players who deal with the extreme ends of park effects are going to have their values change. We’ll look at some of the players who usually play in Coors Field in Colorado and San Francisco’s AT&T Park that’ll be moving up and down our draft boards. (09:12) Some fantasy mangers are trade tacticians, others scour the waiver wire for break out players. Scott and Vlad discuss some of their fantasy adages, like the importance of FAAB management, why it’s okay to make a mistake and the usefulness of an official co-manager. (13:53) We’ll take a look at Vlad’s cheat sheet while he tells us the guys he likes and doesn’t like in fantasy drafts, including the Dodgers’ Gavin Lux (like!), and the Twins’ Jose Berrios (don’t like!). (25:03) And we’ll wrap up the show with a draft of our all-time favorite Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, formerly knows as the Anaheim Angels, formerly known as the California Angels. A quick spoiler, this was one draft where Mike Trout did not go #1 overall. (48:48) Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rotowire's Scott Jenstad joins Scott Pianowski to talk over how a baseball season in flux is changing his draft rankings, some of the guys he likes and doesn't like at their current price tags, and debates who are the best coaches in sports since 1990 — apologies to Red Auerbach fans. Scott's standouts include a trifecta of mid-tier third basemen: Matt Chapman, Josh Donaldson and Mike Moustakas (8:00), podcast fav Cavan Biggio (13:10), former fantasy first-rounder Javier Baez (27:39), and of the newest members of the Philadelphia Phillies, Zach Wheeler (25:05). Scott also shares some of the players he won't be targeting in fantasy drafts anytime soon, like Anthony Rizzo (26:48), Adalberto Mondesi (29:22), and Victor Robles (31:17). And we wrap up the show with a friendly snake draft of the best coaches in professional and collegiate sports since 1990. Bobby Valentine, sadly, did not make our draft board (35:09). Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week, we told you about the players to eschew at each position in your upcoming baseball drafts. This week, Yahoo's Scott Pianowski and Fangraphs Editor (+ avid Twitch streamer) Paul Sporer discuss the best values on the draft board at each position. We know we don't need to tell you that Mike Trout is worth drafting, this episode is all about the mid-to-late round guys that have a chance to provide a healthy ROI on your draft pick. First Basemen (04:47) Second Basemen (09:20) Shortstops (18:00) Third Basemen (19:30) Outfielders (26:40) Catchers (34:29 Starting Pitchers (36:00) Closers (40:53) The guys close out the show by drafting their favorite logos in sports. On a related note, please sign our petition to bring back New England's Pat Patriot (47:45) Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at Apple Podcasts or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Scott Pianowski is joined this week by Yahoo's fantasy expert (and resident TV and film critic) Dalton Del Don to talk about players at every position you should consider not drafting at their current ADPs in fantasy drafts. Apologies in advance to Houston Astros fans. Starting Pitchers (02:55) First Basemen (11:31) Second Basemen (15:18) Shortstops (18:36) Third Basemen (20:56) Catchers (25:10) Closers (28:47) Outfield (33:57) The guys close out the show by drafting their favorite endings to five movies. Mild spoilers abound if you haven't seen movies like Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather. (40:00) Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Follow Dalton @DaltonDelDon Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Scott Pianowski is joined this week by friend of the pod Fred Zinkie to talk about shifting strategy in a likely shortened baseball season, a quandry most fantasy owners are facing, and Fred's recent Tout Wars and Yahoo Friends and Family drafts. The guys discuss how a shorter season could put pressure on older players who might get off to a slow start. (2:30) Fred recently wrapped up an NL-only auction draft for Tout Wars and went heavy on shortstops, drafting Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis, Jr., and Dansby Swanson. He explains why he's targeting the deep SS pool and expects Swanson to turn a solid profit. (11:30) Scott and Fred then discuss the value of punting saves, when a shorter season makes the closer landscape even more difficult to traverse this year. (14:00) Fred looks at what to expect from Arizona Diamondback Madison Bumgarner, a veteran pitcher that he thinks is being a bit overlooked in drafts. (20:15) Since Fred is based in Canada, we asked him to take a look at Toronto's youth movement, headlined by Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Bo Bichette, Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., and Cavan Biggio. (28:41) The guys close out the show drafting the five rule changes they'd most like to see in sports, including how to fix tanking for a better draft pick in both professional sports and keeper fantasy leagues. (37:40) Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Yahoo's very own Andy Behrens joins Scott Pianowski to talk over their recent Tout Wars auction draft, how to approach prospects with the possibility of a shorter season, and why Scooby Doo would make an excellent companion during isolation. The guys first talk about Andy's recent Tout Wars auction draft, a 12-team points league. Even though Andy isn't the biggest fan of points leagues, he shares why he targeted premium corner infielders like Freddie Freeman and Kris Bryant going into the draft. (4:00) Then, Scott and Andy take a look at their team power rankings in fantasy and the growing disparity between the have and have-nots in baseball which is good news for those of you who rely on streaming starting pitching. (16:15) Speaking of starting pitching, Andy took Shane Bieber and Mackenzie Gore, and explains why he expects the pair of young pitchers to turn a profit this year. (19:50) And we wrap up the show by taking a look at the greatest fantasy baseball seasons of all time, and also have a quick draft of the best historical characters to have with you during a quarantine. Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Follow Andy @AndyBehrens Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode, Gene McCaffrey from The Athletic joins our own Scott Pianowski to break down their recent Tout Wars auction draft, how to approach advanced stats and the increase in power, the Colorado Rockies latest attempt to soothe their Coors hangover on the road, and more. The guys begin with breaking down the results of their recent Tout Wars auction, a 15-team mixed league draft. Gene made a big move early taking Mets pitcher Jacob DeGrom for $50. That was $10 more than fellow ace Gerrit Cole went for, but he explains why if he had the opportunity he’d do it all over again, and even pay a little bit extra to do it. (01:50) His early expenditures on blue-chippers meant grabbing a plethora of $1 players at the end of the draft, but Scott explains why he prefers keeping budget flexibility to grab players at $2 or $3 dollars at the end of drafts. (04:30) Gene and Scott then go through some of their favorite picks in Gene’s draft, including Jesus Luzardo, Mitch Garver, and Julio Urias. (12:57) Gene’s a Colorado native and was one of the first baseball writers to notice that ex-Rockies tended to hit better when they left Colorado for a new team. They also discuss what to expect from current Rockies players like Trevor Story, Garrett Hampson, and Ryan McMahon. (25:00) They wrap up by discussing draft strategy at the end of the first round (31:30), why low-walk hitters like Tim Anderson and Javier Baez are being undervalued (34:30), and in honor of Tom Brady soon wearing a Tampa Bay jersey, have a draft of baseball players who looked really strange in a team’s uniform. (40:15) Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode, Alex Fast of PitcherList.com joins our own Scott Pianowski to break down all things pitchers.  The guys begin with their draft strategy with a delayed and truncated season and how it affects the player pool. Which guys should rise up your draft board and benefit from the delay? (3:35) Alex and Scott move to the mound and ask what is their pitcher type in fantasy? (7:50) Also, what is the best stat to evaluate pitchers and how has CSW rate changed the analytics game? (14:43) From starters to closers and relievers, how do saves present a new challenge to fantasy players (23:14) and which relievers are going to surprise us a few weeks into the season? (33:39) The guys cap the show with a draft of the best relievers in the history of the game. (52:33)  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast first, Scott Pianowski enlists Dalton Del Don to take a brief detour from their regularly scheduled fantasy advice into the world of betting and MLB futures – just in time for the 2020 regular season. The guys go division-by-division, breaking down each team's over/under win totals as put out by our partners at BetMGM. Mixing in some fantasy advice with some betting prognostication, they give their thoughts on which teams are likely to beat those win totals or fall flat: AL East (3:45) AL Central (9:45) AL West (15:25) NL East (20:40) NL Central (25:00) NL West (30:00) They wrap up the show giving some long-shot MVP and Cy Young picks (36:00), then draft their 10 favorite things about the art of gambling (39:00). Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski New users over the age of 21 in the states of NJ, WV, or IN can go to BetMGM.com/Yahoo and receive $100 in free bets with their first deposit. Terms apply. Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fantasy Baseball draft season continues and Scott Pianowski is joined this week by Rotoworld's D.J. Short to talk about a conundrum many fantasy owners are facing in the first round of their drafts: should Jacob DeGrom or Gerrit Cole be the first starting pitcher off the board? The guys discuss the case for each of the two New York pitchers and the other starters you may consider in the first round (1:45). The conversation naturally turns to the other star Mets pitcher, Noah Syndergaard. What do you do with Thor when he hasn't been able to make up for the Mets' offensive and defensive shortcomings in the same way DeGrom has? (7:20) Arizona's Ketel Marte had a breakout season in 2019, earning his first All-Star appearance and coming in 4th in the NL MVP race. Can he repeat the outstanding numbers he dropped last year or is he destined for a bit of a correction? (11:10) Tampa Bay starter Tyler Glasnow threw great stuff last year when he wasn't dealing with injuries. The guys discuss his top 10 starter upside for 2020. (16:20) Moving back to New York for a bit, they guys discuss Gary Sanchez and a Yankee lineup that's already facing some injury uncertainty and what fantasy owners should do if their league requires rostering two catchers. (19:30) Scott & D.J. talk about the Dodgers' plan with Kenley Jansen and Blake Trienen and how fantasy owners should navigate the closer market in general. (28:00) Fantasy owners can expect the unexpected with the Texas Rangers moving into a new stadium this year. The guys talk about Rangers SS Elvis Andrus and how owners can adjust to the unknown park effects resulting from the Rangers transitioning out of the offense-friendly Globe Life Park to the unproven Globe Life Field (32:30). Wrapping up the fantasy portion of the show, the guys discuss the Pirates' Kevin Newman, (35:10) as well as the Astros' Jose Urquidy and Josh James (37:20). The guys close out the show drafting their 5 favorite baseball movies. (41:15) Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy. Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Spring training play has begun in Florida and Arizona and Scott Pianowski is joined by Fred Zinkie to kick off fantasy baseball season by checking in on a disastrous offseason for the Houston Astros and Major League Baseball. Before they dive into the 2020 season in earnest, Scott & Fred discuss a change in the winds of fantasy baseball: how more and more leagues are ditching the classic rotisserie scoring and adopting head-to-head rules. Should you give a head-to-head league a try? (1:20) The guys kick off player talk by discussing Colorado Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado. Fred explains why the projected first-rounder may be over-valued. (10:15) Moving to the off-season's biggest story, the Houston Astros, Scott asks Fred if he's de-valuing any of the Astros hitters as the baseball world is still a bit blind to how these players may perform long-term without the nefarious help they've been using these last few seasons. (19:15) Looking at spring training in general, Scott & Fred discuss what to look for in box scores and storylines from pre-season play. Is there anything to glean from spring training that may help you draft or are most players locked into their roles at this point? (23:50) Closing out the baseball portion of the episode, Scott & Fred discuss whether new Astros manager Dusty Baker may direct the team to attempt more steals (31:05) and how fantasy owners should grade injured pitchers like Luis Severino, Mike Clevinger and Eugenio Suarez (36:00). Finally, the guys end the show drafting their favorite sports villains from real life and fiction (40:30). Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy Follow Scott @Scott_Pianowski Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.