Flags Fly Forever Fantasy Baseball

Latest Episodes:

Episode 308: Three Men in Action Park (with Grey Albright) Apr 27, 2024

Show notes

We kick the ass of April doldrums with the help of our Very Special Guest, the one and only Grey Albright of Razzball and ostentatious eyewear fame.
After some desultory baseball discussion we talk about New Jersey's favorite defunct libertarian tourist attraction and torture park--I speak, of course, of Action Park! (If you want to know more about this hell/heaven on earth, please watch the HBO documentary, Class Action Park.)
Other topics we cover:
Awkward middle-aged man goodbye hugs
What Grey's Reading
Internet: net gain or loss for humanity?
Why none of us are eager to travel to Florida
And many other topics
Look, if you've listened to Grey before, you know this is a chaotic shitshow, but it's also a lot of fun.
Flags Fly Forever is a Baseball Prospectus podcast. For more fantasy baseball information, visit baseballprospectus.com and click on "Fantasy" or visit our Twitter feed @baseballpro.
You can find Flags Fly Forever on Twitter @FlagsFlyBP. The hosts of Flags Fly Forever are Mike Gianella(@mikegianella.bsky.social) and Jon Hegglund(@jonhegglund.bsky.social). The producer of Flags Fly Forever is Jon Hegglund.
Special thanks to the awesome and generous Petite League for permission to use their track "Mets" for the intro and break music. Find their sweet lo-fi indie-pop sounds at petiteleague.com.

Episode 307: The Cruelest Month Apr 12, 2024

Show notes

We're getting all T.S. Eliot on you, because for us, and for fantasy basebal content, April is kind of a dead zone. Rather than overreact to fast and slow starts, we discuss some process points in evaluating your early-season roster and negotiating FAAB at this time of year. We do this through the lens of our own underperforming Main Event team (at what point does "underperforming" just become "bad"? hopefully we won't have to answer this!).
Also, find out who the player is that was inexplicably dropped in our league and our approach to FAABing for him. That's a tease, my friends!
Flags Fly Forever is a Baseball Prospectus podcast. For more fantasy baseball information, visit baseballprospectus.com and click on "Fantasy" or visit our Twitter feed @baseballpro.
You can find Flags Fly Forever on Twitter @FlagsFlyBP. The hosts of Flags Fly Forever are Mike Gianella(@mikegianella.bsky.social) and Jon Hegglund(@jonhegglund.bsky.social). The producer of Flags Fly Forever is Jon Hegglund.
Special thanks to the awesome and generous Petite League for permission to use their track "Mets" for the intro and break music. Find their sweet lo-fi indie-pop sounds at petiteleague.com.

Episode 306: The Gang Does A Main Event Apr 04, 2024

Show notes

Hey, it's actual baseball season! After the whirlwind of positional previews and draft discussion, we put a cap on the 2024 draft season by discussing the NFBC Main Event team that Mike and Jon drafted. It was the first time either of us had participated in a Main Event, and we talk about our decision to ante up, our overall strategy, our focused strategy once we knew where we were drafting (7th), and our experience in the draft (fast and furious).
While our team is off to a, ahem, slow start, we remain optimistic that good things will happen! (Watch this space for updates.)
Before our Main Event discussion, we discuss a couple of players who could prove disappointments--Esteury Ruiz, having been sent down, and Evan Carter, having not yet learned how to hit left-handed pitching (and thus in danger of losing playing time). Beyond these specific players, we are reminded that sometimes real baseball can influence fantasy baseball in unpredictable and inconvenient ways.
Flags Fly Forever is a Baseball Prospectus podcast. For more fantasy baseball information, visit baseballprospectus.com and click on "Fantasy" or visit our Twitter feed @baseballpro.
You can find Flags Fly Forever on Twitter @FlagsFlyBP. The hosts of Flags Fly Forever are Mike Gianella(@mikegianella.bsky.social) and Jon Hegglund(@jonhegglund.bsky.social). The producer of Flags Fly Forever is Jon Hegglund.

Episode 305: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Auctions (But Were Afraid to Ask) Mar 21, 2024

Show notes

We take the occasion of the recent Tout Wars auction weekend to do a deep dive on auctions--what we prefer, how we prepare, and some strategies and advice for those new to the format. We love auctions!
In this episode we discuss:

Why in-person auctions are so fun and rewarding
How preparation and strategy are different than a draft
Why you should have a Plan A and a Plan B (and possibly a Plan C)
The risks and rewards of price enforcement
How to handle the endgame
That One Time Mike Had a Perfect Auction

We also talk about the Tout Wars NL-Only League, where friend of the show Grey Albright of Razzball completely avoided starting pitchers (a gambit attributed to Mike and Doug Dennis that in fact goes back to the early days of fantasy baseball).
We conclude with a discussion of how Mike reallocates values in his bid limits when players get injured (Gerrit Cole, Devin Williams) or suspended (Noelvi Marte).
All in all, a pretty nerdy episode. You'll love it.
Flags Fly Forever is a Baseball Prospectus podcast. For more fantasy baseball information, visit baseballprospectus.com and click on "Fantasy" or visit our Twitter feed @baseballpro.
You can find Flags Fly Forever on Twitter @FlagsFlyBP. The hosts of Flags Fly Forever are Mike Gianella(@mikegianella.bsky.social) and Jon Hegglund(@jonhegglund.bsky.social). The producer of Flags Fly Forever is Jon Hegglund.

Episode 304: Tout Mixed Review + SP Strategy + Using Bid Limits Mar 08, 2024

Show notes

Bit of a mixed bag this week:
We review Mike's Tout Wars Mixed League draft from earlier in the week. (You can see the draft board here: https://www.fantrax.com/fantasy/league/1ojcq64zltc8i9la/draft-results)
We talk (again) about your strategy for drafting starting pitchers, and why Mike generally avoids the "blob" of mid-tier starters.
We also introduce Mike's auction bid limits and discuss how to use them, and how not to use them.
Finally, we talk about the risk of players who have not yet made their MLB debut, focusing in on three names for this draft season: Jackson Chourio, Wyatt Langford, and Jackson Holliday.
Flags Fly Forever is a Baseball Prospectus podcast. For more fantasy baseball information, visit baseballprospectus.com and click on "Fantasy" or visit our Twitter feed @baseballpro.
You can find Flags Fly Forever on Twitter @FlagsFlyBP. The hosts of Flags Fly Forever are Mike Gianella(@mikegianella.bsky.social) and Jon Hegglund(@jonhegglund.bsky.social). The producer of Flags Fly Forever is Jon Hegglund.
Special thanks to Petite League for permission to use their track "Mets" for the intro and break music. Find their sweet lo-fi indie-pop sounds at petiteleague.com.

Episode 303: Outfield Positional Preview Mar 01, 2024

Show notes

We talk outfielders this week, and given the size of the position, we did more of a strategy overview than deep dives on indivdual players. It's an interesting year at the position--great, five-category options up top but a fairly long tail of useful players deep into the 200s, and beyond.
Flags Fly Forever is a Baseball Prospectus podcast. For more fantasy baseball information, visit baseballprospectus.com and click on "Fantasy" or visit our Twitter feed @baseballpro.
You can find Flags Fly Forever on Twitter @FlagsFlyBP. The hosts of Flags Fly Forever are Mike Gianella(@mikegianella.bsky.social) and Jon Hegglund(@jonhegglund.bsky.social). The producer of Flags Fly Forever is Jon Hegglund.
Special thanks to Petite League for permission to use their track "Mets" for the intro and break music. Find their sweet lo-fi indie-pop sounds at petiteleague.com.

Episode 302: Reviewing the LABR Mixed Draft Feb 23, 2024

Show notes

We step away from our positional previews to discuss the LABR Mixed League draft, which Mike took part in on Tuesday, February 20. We talk about the difference between stand-alone leagues and larger multi-league competitions, strategies for the first four rounds, how to respond to early spring training injury news, building drafts around your starting pitching strategy, what to do when closers get pushed up, and so much more.
(I would like to apologize to Nick Martinez for my unkind comment around the 39-minute mark. I'm sure you're a fun guy.)
(And I would also like to apologize for my sound quality. My microphone decided to go on holiday just before recording.)
The LABR Mixed League draft board can be found here: https://www.rtsports.com/labr-mixed-draft
Flags Fly Forever is a Baseball Prospectus podcast. For more fantasy baseball information, visit baseballprospectus.com and click on "Fantasy" or visit our Twitter feed @baseballpro.
You can find Flags Fly Forever on Twitter @FlagsFlyBP. The hosts of Flags Fly Forever are Mike Gianella(@mikegianella.bsky.social) and Jon Hegglund(@jonhegglund.bsky.social). The producer of Flags Fly Forever is Jon Hegglund.
Special thanks to Petite League for permission to use their track "Mets" for the intro and break music. Find their sweet lo-fi indie-pop sounds at petiteleague.com.

Episode 301: Shortstop Preview + Draft Strategy Feb 16, 2024

Show notes

We continue our march through the positions, spending this episode on the somewhat top-heavy position of shortstop. We go through our ADP tiers, discoursing on the following players:
Bobby Witt Jr.
Trea Turner
Francisco Lindor
Corey Seager
Elly De La Cruz
Gunnar Henderson
Bo Bichette
CJ Abrams
Oneil Cruz
Xander Bogaerts
Dansby Swanson
Anthony Volpe
Trevor Story (A Very Short Story, or Five Seconds of Regret for Jon)
Willy Adames
Ezequiel Tovar
Vaughn Grissom
Carlos Correa
Zach Neto
Extremely quick hits on Tim Anderson, Javier Báez, and Marco Luciano
At some point, we Remembered Adalberto Mondesi
Then we take some time to discuss some overall tips and strategies for your draft (aka ADP can be a dangerous thing).
Mike's article, "How to Use ADP," can be found here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/article/79732/fantasy-freestyle-how-to-use-adp/.
Mike's Tiered Shortstop Rankings are here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/article/88281/shortstop-tiered-rankings-for-2024/
Flags Fly Forever is a Baseball Prospectus podcast. For more fantasy baseball information, visit baseballprospectus.com and click on "Fantasy" or visit our Twitter feed @baseballpro.
You can find Flags Fly Forever on Twitter @FlagsFlyBP. The hosts of Flags Fly Forever are Mike Gianella(@mikegianella.bsky.social) and Jon Hegglund(@jonhegglund.bsky.social). The producer of Flags Fly Forever is Jon Hegglund.
Special thanks to Petite League for permission to use their track "Mets" for the intro and break music. Find their sweet lo-fi indie-pop sounds at petiteleague.com.

Episode 300: Third Base Positional Preview Feb 09, 2024

Show notes

Our corners, we like them hot. Mike and Jon discuss just about every third baseman under the sun as we motor along with our positional previews. Featuring:
José Ramírez
Austin Riley
Rafael Devers
Royce Lewis
Manny Machado
Alex Bregman
Nolan Arenado
Josh Jung (with appropriately bad puns)
Spencer Steer
Jake Burger
Ke'Bryan Hayes
Noelvi Marte
Alec Bohm
Isaac Paredes
Max Muncy
Maikel García
Jeimer Candelario
Junior Caminero
Eugenio Suárez
Matt Chapman
Colt Keith
Wilmer Flores
Tyler Black
Isiah...Kiner-Falefa, really Mike?
Flags Fly Forever is a Baseball Prospectus podcast. For more fantasy baseball information, visit baseballprospectus.com and click on "Fantasy" or visit our Twitter feed @baseballpro.
You can find Flags Fly Forever on Twitter @FlagsFlyBP. The hosts of Flags Fly Forever are Mike Gianella(@mikegianella.bsky.social) and Jon Hegglund(@jonhegglund.bsky.social). The producer of Flags Fly Forever is Jon Hegglund.
Special thanks to Petite League for permission to use their track "Mets" for the intro and break music. Find their sweet lo-fi indie-pop sounds at petiteleague.com.

Episode 299: Second Base Positional Preview Feb 02, 2024

Show notes

Hey friends, it's keystone time, and also stick around to find out why Mike utters the sentence, "second base is our kids." Before we go full Dadcast, however, we do discuss the following players:
Mookie Betts
Ozzie Albies
Marcus Semien
José Altuve
Nico Hoerner (and the Problem of Stolen Bases)
Matt McLain
Ha-Seong Kim
Gleyber Torres
Group of Spidermen Pointing at Each Other (Stott, Giménez, Gelof, Estrada, Edman)
Luis Arráez
Nolan Gorman
Ryan McMahon
Jonathan India
Luis Rengifo
Jorge Polanco
Brice Turang
Jake Cronenworth
Brendan Rodgers
Davis Schneider
Liover Peguero
Mauricio Dubón
Our Beloved Drama-Free Children
Flags Fly Forever is a Baseball Prospectus podcast. For more fantasy baseball information, visit baseballprospectus.com and click on "Fantasy" or visit our Twitter feed @baseballpro.
You can find Flags Fly Forever on Twitter @FlagsFlyBP. The hosts of Flags Fly Forever are Mike Gianella(@mikegianella.bsky.social) and Jon Hegglund(@jonhegglund.bsky.social). The producer of Flags Fly Forever is Jon Hegglund.
Special thanks to Petite League for permission to use their track "Mets" for the intro music. Find their sweet lo-fi indie-pop sounds at petiteleague.com.

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