Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast

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First-half fantasy takeaways at the All-Star break Jul 08, 2019

Show notes

It's the All-Star break, so with a few less games of actual baseball to focus on this week, Scott Pianowski is joined by Yahoo Sports' Fred Zinkie to look back at the trends, the swings, the misses and the big takeaways from 2019's first half.

They start the show discussing the Toronto Blue Jays' Danny Jansen and some of their most regretful drops from the first half of the season (0:40).

Next they talk about the players and trends they got right so far this season, including Kirby Yates and the strategy of going after second-tier closers, Wade Miley's season in Houston and D.J. Lemahieu's clutch season in the Bronx (4:20).

Later, because you can't brag about your Ws, Scott and Fred talk about some of the Ls they've taken over the season including being too high on Daniel Murphy and Rick Porcello and not high enough on Aldaberto Mondesí (24:15).

The guys close out the episode drafting their favorite Freds from the world of pop-culture (43:55).

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Young pitchers, trade-bait pitchers and Yankees-Sox brings the rivalry to London Jul 01, 2019

Show notes

Just in time for the USA's yearly bash celebrating their independence from Britain, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox brought some fireworks to London. Rudy Gamble of Razzball joins Scott Pianowski to discuss the wacky series that saw 50 runs scored in two games and the rest of the week that was in baseball.

First they chat about a trio of young pitchers in the Padres' Logan Allen, the Rays' Brendan McKay and White Sox' Dylan Cease (5:00).

Later they hit on that monstrous Yankees/Red Sox series in London and whether fantasy owners need to look out for future situations in which teams will be playing in unknown ballparks (11:30). Sticking with the Yankees, the guys discuss Giancarlo Stanton injury the myth of injury prone guys (20:35).

They close out the baseball portion of the show discussing Daniel Murphy and the Colorado Rockies (24:10), relief pitchers who might get moved at the trade deadline (29:50) and some thoughts on the Tampa Bay Rays (37:45).

To wrap up the podcast, Scott and Rudy draft their favorite "ownership" albums -- hidden gems that they love but are off the beaten path (40:05).

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How to juggle sanity, strategy and FAAB half-way through the season, also lots of Dodger talk Jun 24, 2019

Show notes

Baseball teams will play their 81st games this week as the majors hit their official half-way point. As the All-Star break and the dog days of summer approach quickly, Vlad Sedler of Elite Fantasy joins Scott Pianowski on the the pod to talk about how to juggle sanity and strategy at this point in the season, especially when you're in multiple leagues and best ball leagues (1:30).

Scott then asks Vlad to talk specifically about FAAB bidding strategy for mid-June (14:25) and what under-the-radar pickups fantasy owners should be targeting (19:35).

Moving out west, Scott & Vlad wonder if the Los Angeles Dodgers are peaking too early in a division that looks all-but clinched in mid-June (22:55). They chat about the curious case of Chris Taylor and if Hyun-Jin Ryu's comet of a season will ever come back down to earth. Later, they stay in the NL West to fit in some San Diego Padres talk (28:40).

Scott & Vlad also talk about which advanced stats they pay attention to and which they ignore (32:00) and the nice little season Eric Sogard is having with the Toronto Blue Jays (35:30).

They wrap up the show drafting all things related to the Los Angeles Dodgers including this excellent picture of Tommy Lasorda and Frank Sinatra (38:45).

Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy.

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Making sense of Encarnación to the Yankees and that Padres-Rockies series Jun 17, 2019

Show notes

After the dust cleared in Coors Field, 131 hits and 92 runs were tallied in the mile high air this past weekend, adding up to the most runs ever scored in a four-game series in the modern era. A great weekend for any fantasy owners starting any Rockies or Padres and a sorrowful one if you happened to trade away Charlie Blackmon last week like a certain host of this podcast.

Scott Pianowski is joined by SI's Michael Beller to discuss the latest happenings in the world of baseball, including that bonkers San Diego-Colorado series and the New York Yankees' adding another top-tier bad to their already first-place club.

Before they get to any of that, Scott and Michael check in on the Cubs and their addition of RP Craig Kimbrel to the bullpen as he looks to make his first appearance in the coming weeks (0:45).

They react to the historic start from Houston Astros OF Yordan Alvarez and compare that to the impressive rookie season from Chicago White Sox OF Eloy Jiménez (3:45)

Back to that insane series in Denver, Scott and Michael talk about Coors Fields' out-of-this-world season for offensive numbers, impressive showing's from Charlie Blackmon, Fernando Tatiís Jr and Trevor Story, and what concerned Chris Paddack owners should do (11:00)

Moving to the AL, the guys chat about the Seattle Mariners' trade that sent Edwin Encarnación to the New York Yankees (19:15). Scott and Michael also admit to taking the L on a pair of players in Seattle OF Mallex Smith and Kansas City SS Aldaberto Mondesí (24:40).

Later in the show, they discuss Los Angeles Dodgers SP Hyun-Jin Ryu and Philadelphia Phillies SP Aaron Nola, a pair of pitchers trending in opposite directions. They discuss which pitcher's outlier ERA is more sustainable and which is more likely to regress towards the norm (33:00).

In honor of Father's Day, the guys wrap up the show drafting the best fictional dads (39:40).

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MadBum's beef is good for baseball, Keuchel & Kimbrel finally sign & Cleveland is 'nothin' Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

Yahoo Sports’ Scott Pianowski is joined by fellow Yahooligan Andy Behrens to bring you the latest fantasy baseball news and analysis.

They kick the show off with a discussion about MadBum’s beef with Max Muncy and how it’s great for the game (2:00);

With the Boston Bruins on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup, Scott talks about being oversaturated with championships as a Boston sports fan (18:00);

The three hottest pitching prospects in baseball right now - A’s prospect Jesús Luzardo, Zac Gallen of the Marlins’ farm system and Rays prospect Brendan McKay (24:00);

It was a busy week for midseason free agent veterans, and the guys take a look at how Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel fit with their new teams (36:00);

Plus, everyone’s favorite segment- the non-baseball fantasy draft - this week’s draft has Andy and Scott fighting over their all-time favorite initials (47:00).

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The Mets' rotation, Julio Teheran's upside and why the Twins will continue to dominate Jun 03, 2019

Show notes

The NL East is not the greatest division in 2019, but what it lacks in great teams, it makes up for in intriguing fantasy options

Scott Pianowski is joined by Michael Salfino of The Athletic to check in on the starting rotation of the New York Mets, a sub .500 team with a pair of top-20 starting pitchers in Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard (1:20).

Michael discusses his latest column about teams with huge schedule advantages in the league-leading Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves (19:45). The Braves discussion also dives into the fantasy viability of Julio Teheran, a not-flashy pitcher on a team in playoff contention (25:30).

Scott and Michael also discuss the impressive season from Lucas Giolito (29:30), thoughts ahead of the 2019 MLB draft (34:15) and wrap up the fantasy discussion on Kevin Gausman and José Ramírez (39:30).

Scott and Michael close the show with a 5-round draft of the best athletes from the 1970s (45:45).

Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy.

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Second chance drafting the remainder of the 2019 season May 28, 2019

Show notes

Coming out of the weekend that unofficially starts the summer, Yahoo Sports' Dalton Del Don joins Scott Pianowski the day after Memorial Day for a podcast about holidays and redrafting your league right as the MLB season hits full stride.

For the bulk of the episode, Scott recounts his NFBC "Second Chance" draft which alters some rules in favor of starting a brand-new league from scratch with scoring starting on Memorial Day (0:40).

They discuss the topsy-turvy first round where Scott landed an unexpected star with the third overall pick, where the first tier of ace pitchers landed and how advanced stats should play into your selections at this time of year

Later, Dalton gets into his insane League of Leagues team where he absolutely crushed his starting pitchers with guys like Hyun-Jin Ryu, Matt Boyd, Caleb Smith, Chris Paddack and Jose Berrios. They discuss Dalton's strategy for landing them and how to track up-and-comers either in future drafts or in FAAB (27:10).

To wrap up the baseball portion of the episode, the guys discuss some later-round picks in Matt Carpenter, Miguel Sanó, Nicholas Castellanos (33:40) and a few valuable but unsexy pitchers on bad teams (38:25).

Acknowledging the Memorial Day weekend, Scott ends the show by asking Dalton to participate in a draft of the best holidays (41:20).

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Going FAAB-crazy and talking trade strategy with Fred Zinkie May 20, 2019

Show notes

After a week of call-ups throughout the majors, fantasy owners likely have their heads spinning. Yahoo Sports' Scott Pianowski and Fred Zinkie try to make things easier this week by discussing two major aspects of in-season fantasy management: FAAB bidding and trading.

But first, the guys check in on Bryce Harper. Remember him? The guy who led every hot take from November until March? Scott and Fred talk about his early season performance and ask whether it's time to pump the brakes on Harper (1:20).

Next, Scott and Fred dive deep into the slew of prospects recently called up into the majors including Atlanta's Austin Riley, Colorado's Brendan Rodgers, Houston's Corbin Martin, Texas' Willie Calhoun, and Milwaukee's Keston Hiura. They talk FAAB bidding strategy and how you should manage your FAAB through the season (6:00).

Later, Scott asks Fred to talk about a problem area for many fantasy owners: trades. They discuss how to get more out of your trades and be a better trading partner in general (23:45).

Scott wraps up the show asking Fred to participate in a five-round draft of their favorite beverages (39:15).

Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy.

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Tigers & Twins check-in, FAAB strategy & the best Michigan athletes May 13, 2019

Show notes

It's a mostly Michigan day on the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast. Michigan resident Scott Pianowski is joined by Michigan native Paul Sporer of Fangraphs and ESPN for some talk about the AL Central, FAAB strategy and some older guys calling good and bad attention to themselves in fantasy baseball.

The guys start off discussing the Detroit Tigers and a couple intriguing players in pitcher Matthew Boyd and "utility knife" Ronny Rodriguez (2:50).

Sticking with the Tigers, Scott and Paul hit on Detroit legend Miguel Cabrera and Cincinnati's Joey Votto. Is there any optimism for these fading stars who have started sluggishly in 2019 (10:40)?

Elsewhere in old-guy talk, Hunter Pence's resurgent season with the Texas Rangers comes up. The guys also discuss the slugging Joey Gallo and the Rangers' bullpen (14:35).

Moving to straight-up fantasy strategy, Scott asks Paul about how he uses his FAAB and they discuss tactics to get the most value out of free agency (26:00).

Coming back around to the AL Central, Scott and Paul discuss the division-leading Minnesota Twins and a pair of their stand-out pitchers in Jake Odorizzi and Martín Pérez (30:00).

Wrapping up the baseball portion of the podcast, Scott talks about his Vlad Guerrero Jr. FOMO and Paul outlines how Vlad's slow start could ramp up soon (35:35).

Finally, Scott and Paul close out the show drafting their favorite athletes from Michigan (40:10)

Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy.

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Have replay, rest & advanced stats gone too far? May 07, 2019

Show notes

After a weird weekend in sports highlighted by a bizarre turn of events in the Kentucky Derby, Yahoo Sports' Scott Pianowski is joined by Rotowire's Chris Liss for a larger discussion about some of the major factors complicating the fan's relationship with their favorite sports. There's plenty of fantasy baseball talk too.

They start off with the derby, "disqualification culture" and the role of replay in sports (0:50). It leads to a larger discussion about whether some of baseballs advanced stats have gone too far (8:10).

Scott and Chris dig into this fantasy season a bit to talk about April outlier teams and players and ask when is "too early" in terms of cutting ties with underperforming assets (11:15). Vlad Jr. comes up again as the guys discuss him and Cincinnati's Nick Senzel and whether the league is moving towards younger players (20:45).

Later, Scott asks Chris about his baseball viewing experience as a resident of Portugal and it leads to a larger discussion of the fan viewing experience and James Holzhauer, the Jeopardy guy (24:00).

Scott and Chris wrap up the show drafting their favorite food items (37:20).

Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice and send us your questions for future episodes on Twitter @YahooFantasy.

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