Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome Eno Sarris (@enosarris) live from the Oakland A’s protest game to discuss his blend of traditional sports journalism and fantasy analysis. Then they dive into the Stuff+ metric, how to use it, and which pitchers Stuff+ may be over or underselling.
Players Discussed:
Tyler Glasnow
Taj Bradley
Chris Bassitt
Graham Ashcraft
Clarke Schmidt
Tanner Houck
Kyle Bradish
Zach Eflin
Michael Kopech
MacKenzie Gore
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) blend fantasy baseball analysis with fantasy baseball therapy as they discuss personal biases, blind spots, and why we create such attachments to players on our teams. They end with a therapy-style breakthrough on the best way to approach FAAB.
Through all of this, they’ll discuss Brent Rooker, Nathan Eovaldi, Pablo Lopez, Jake Fraley, Triston Casas, Jake Burger, Matthew Liberatore, and many more.
Rundown
How aware are you of your own biases and are biases just a result of managing out of fear?
What are your blind spots? Can we control our blindspots if we know they’re there?
Why do we have such blind spots for rookies? We just continually expect them to pop and we hold them too long when not many really hit.
Is there a more efficient waiver wire strategy that caters to the long-term nature of fantasy baseball?
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) go back to their roots and just talk baseball. They cover why some pitchers can be ineffective with elite stuff, why pitchers made suddenly lose feel for pitches, and what leads to hitting slumps. Along they way, they discuss a handful of slumping players and discuss when to trust what you see and when to use "the data."
RUNDOWN
- We discuss potentially coaching our kids, even though our kids are too young to be coached
- Sami is pissed that he went against his gut and dropped Bryson Stott. When do you trust what you see over the data points? If you limit yourself, which data should you use?
- Jack Suwinski tangent on how to use Statcast rolling windows
Does This Guy Suck?
Pitchers
Graham Ashcraft
Dylan Cease
Domingo German
MacKenzie Gore
Gavin Stone
Sandy Alcantara
Hitters
Willy Adames
Jorge Mateo
Brandon Marsh
Brenton Doyle
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome KC Bubba (@bdentrek) to discuss hitters who are scuffling of late. Some were early-season waiver wire darlings, others were early-round draft picks. Who should we be worried about? Who should we be trying to trade for? They dig into it all here.
News and Notes:
Luis Ortiz debut on Tuesday
Eury Perez getting the call
Matt Mervis and Christopher Morel both called up
Casey Schmitt called up
Struggling Hitters: Are we buying low or moving on?
Bryson Stott
Andres Gimenez
Ryan McMahon
Josh Naylor
Brandon Lowe
Nolan Arenado
Seiya Suzuki
Jack Suwinski
Jarred Kelenic
Wrap-up question: When do you cut bait with a waiver add hitters? How different is it from cutting bait with a hitter you drafted in the mid-to-late rounds?
Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcomes Fangraphs editor and mustache aficionado Paul Sporer (@sporer) for a starting pitching smorgasbord! They discuss all of the recent starting pitching prospects being called up and then dive into some veterans who are over-performing to decide if these starts are real or not.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Rundown
Offenses to attack? How much do you factor in opposing offense when starting a pitcher?
Hitter Call-Ups
Matt Mervis
Maikel Garcia
Ranking the Rookies. Our thoughts on all of:
Tanner Bibee
Taj Bradley
Mason Miller
Bryce Miller
Logan Allen
Louie Varland
Gavin Stone
Brandon Pfaadt
Matthew Liberatore
Bryce Elder
Are you for real?
Seth Lugo
Matt Strahm
Vince Velasquez
Eduardo Rodriguez
Domingo German
Justin Steele
Drew Smyly
Wade Miley
Some final words/advice about process and sticking to your evaluations
Eric (@SamskiNYC) and Sami (@believe_Sami) discuss early-season regrets, both with players they didn’t draft and those they did. They discuss how upset to be about your team in April and then dive into players who could be nearing a breakout.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Rundown
What can we react to in April and what should we ignore?
FOMO Regrets (Players We Don’t Have Enough Shares of)
Josh Lowe
Jarred Kelenic
Matt Chapman
James Outman
Joe Ryan
Jorge Mateo
Buyer’s Remorse (Players We Have That We Wish We Didn’t)
Lance Lynn
Manny Machado
Wil Myers
Isaac Paredes
Likely Bouncebacks: Players We’ll Regret Regretting
Josiah Gray
Jose Berrios
Jack Suwinski
Joey Gallo
Other Potential Bouncebacks
Miguel Vargas
Josh Naylor
George Springer
Jake Burger
Kerry Carpenter
Matt Carpenter
Trent Grisham
Franmil Reyes
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) to discuss recent prospect call-ups and young players who are scuffling and surging to start the year. Who should we be excited about? Who should we be worried about? They dig into it all here.
Recent Prospect Call-ups (Who’s worth adding?)
Mason Miller
Brayan Bello
Vaughn Grissom
Oswald Peraza
Brett Baty
Zach Neto
Brett Wisley
Tyler Freeman
Any of Tucupita Marcano, Jordan Diaz, Emnamuel Valdez, Lenyn Sosa worthy of 12 or 15 team rosters?
Young Players Scuffling. Should we worry?
Miguel Vargas
Edouard Julien
Anthony Volpe
Gunnar Henderson
Triston Casas
Young Players Streaking. Are they for real?
James Outman
Nolan Gorman
Josh Lowe
Bryson Stott
Josh Jung
Spencer Steer
QUICK HITTER: Chris’ Favorite Prospect Stashes in 12 and 15 team re-draft leagues
Brandon Pfaadt
Matthew Liberatore
Tanner Bibee
Logan Allen
Matt Mervis
Mark Vientos
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome fellow Brooklynite Nick Pollack (@PitcherList) to discuss hitters. Kidding. They discussed starting pitching, played some name games, and had a generally wonderful time while giving lots of fantasy advice on who to pick up or panic on, etc.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Should We Panic?
Corbin Burnes
Max Scherzer
Zac Gallen
Chris Sale
(Shane Bieber tangent)
For Real or Fugazzi:
Pablo Lopez
Mike Clevinger
Noah Syndergaard
Graham Ashcraft
Justin Steele
Zach Eflin
Claim or Lame?
Clarke Schmidt (44% rostered)
Tyler Mahle (33% rostered)
Trevor Rogers (28% rostered)
Michael Kopech (28% rostered)
Yusei Kikuchi (27% rostered)
Mackenzie Gore (19% rostered)
Dylan Dodd (15% rostered)
Jared Shuster (20% rostered)
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) premiere their inaugural Sunday Six waiver wire show where they give you six starting pitchers who are under 50% rostered in Yahoo formats that they think you should be adding on the wire. Short and sweet and oh so useful.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Rundown
Kyle Bradish
Zach Eflin
Justin Steele
Eduardo Rodriguez
Roansy Contreras
Jared Shuster
Eric (@SamskiNYC) does a solo pod breaking down his favorite waiver wire pick-ups for both shallow and deeper leagues. He covers both hitters and pitchers who are rostered in under 50% of NFBC 12-team leagues and runs through what types of leagues he believes they'll be valuable in and what you can expect from adding them.
Since these are quick-hitter type analyses, we're not going to do a rundown of all the names mentioned, but some of them were Darick Hall, Jake Cave, David Hensley, A.J. Minter, Nick Anderson, AJ Pollock, Nick Maton, Dom Smith, Mike Moustakas, Matthew Boyd, Graham Ashcraft, Shintaro Fujinami, Will Smith, and so many more
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify.
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome reigning Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) to discuss his detailed spring training tracker. They walk through some of the remaining starting jobs across the league that are up for grabs and could have major fantasy implications. Who is likely to win the job? Are they worth drafting? They discuss it all.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Rundown
Intro: Where can you read Mike’s work and what he focuses on in spring training
Position Battles to Pay Attention to: Who is Winning a Job?
Astros 2B
David Hensley vs Mauricio Dubon
Yankees middle infield
Oswald Peraza vs Anthony Volpe
Is Kiner-Falefa in OF?
Twins 2B/3B
Who plays with Jorge Polanco out and Jose Miranda banged up?
Marlins outfield
Jesus Sanchez vs Bryan De La Cruz vs Garrett Cooper
Mariners outfield
Jared Kelenic vs AJ Pollock vs Dylan Moore
Cardinals outfield
Jordan Walker vs Tyler O’Neill vs Dylan Carlson vs Juan Yepez
Diamondbacks OF/DH/3B
Lourdes Gurriel vs Jake McCarthy vs Alek Thomas vs Evan Longoria vs Josh Rojas
Rockies infield
Mike Moustakas vs Elehuris Montero
Athletics CF
Christian Pache vs Esteury Ruiz
Royals outfield/DH
Where does Franmil play?
Brewers 2B and 3B
Luis Urias vs Brice Turang vs Owen Miller vs Mike Brosseau
Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcomes prospect expert and Top Chef superfan James Anderson (@RealJRAnderson) to discuss what factors determine when to draft prospects in redraft leagues. Then they run through a laundry list of prospects and discuss their potential value for 2023.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Rundown
Intro: Where can you read James’ work
Rookie strategy: Generally, how comfortable are you taking rookies early in redraft leagues? What are the determining factors in knowing if you will or will not take the plunge?
Players we know will be good but are you in or out at ADP?
Rookie Catchers:
Rookie Pitchers:
Rookie Hitters:
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome reigning FWSA Baseball Article of the Year writer John Laghezza (@JohnLaghezza) to discuss his awesome new rankings site. They also discuss what matters and doesn't matter when it comes to Spring Training, look into some Spring Training tidbits to see if they care, and break down some key players from John's rankings.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Rundown
John's rankings: what are they and where can you find them?
Spring Training discussion
Spring Training For Real or Fugazi
John’s Stats
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) talk about pitchers who are debuting new pitches at Spring Training and if it matters to their current value. Then they use guidelines from The Process to create an ideal seven-man starting pitching corps.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
4:45 - Oswald Peraza spring HR. Is he the starting SS?
7:20 - Which SP with a new pitch interests you the most?
9:15 - Robbie Ray (Splitter)
12:30 - Dylan Cease (Changeup)
19:30 - Joe Ryan (Split-change)
23:15 - Jameson Taillon (Sweeper)
26:50 - Brady Singer (Changeup)
29:10 - Tyler Mahle (Slider)
32:00 - Brad Keller (Curveball)
35:45 - Building our ideal pitching staff with $80 for 7 spots (only $20+ pitchers and $0-$10 pitchers)
38:30 - Sami’s Aces
40:45 - Eric’s Aces
45:45 - Sami’s Remaining Staff
56:00 Eric’s Remaining Staff
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) are back with Season Three of the Catcher's Corner. They talk about dad stuff, recent breaking news, and an under-the-radar rule change we should be focusing on. Then they dive into the main topic, which is the top-end starting pitchers who are the best bet to return value based on current ADP.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Intro (shooting the shit)
4:00 - Why the focus on balks could be a bigger issue than we think
9:00 - What do the Yankees do without Montas?
15:30 - Jacob deGrom side tightness (can you draft him at all?)
17:50 - Lessons we learned from last season and adjustments we’re making
26:22 - break
27:00 - Pitchers with $20 projected value that we’re most AND least interested in at cost
29:25 - Kevin Gausman (ADP: 60th)
32:15 - Carlos Rodon (ADP: 42nd)
36:00 - Joe Musgrove (ADP: 80th)
38:00 - Lucas Giolito (ADP: 148th)
44:20 - Robbie Ray (ADP: 101st)
47:10 - Sandy Alcantara (ADP: 27th)
53:00 - Spencer Strider (ADP: 32nd)
56:00 - Brandon Woodruff (ADP: 34th)
56:50 - Gerrit Cole (ADP: 19th)
Eric Samulski (@SamskiNYC) sits down with two-time All-Star and World Series champion Stephen Vogt to talk about his decision to retire this season and 16-year professional baseball career. They talk about the "I Believe in Stephen Vogt" chants, the final at-bat that went viral on social media, and also dive into questions on the players Vogt loved/hated to catch and hit off of and much more.
As always, all music in this episode is produced by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose music can be found on Spotify.
With Sami on vacation, Eric welcomes John Laghezza (@MLBMovingAvg) to talk about starting pitchers that interest them for the end of the season. They also talk about the philosophy of baseball and how to “create fishermen” in fantasy baseball by having people think about process and not just results.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
TIMESTAMPS
START - Eric and John talk baseball and creating useful fantasy content. They chat about the value of discussing process: how to find the answers and what to look for and not just focusing on getting the “right” answers. They also talk about adding value to the fantasy space and the value of opening up conversations.
15:00 - Specific player analysis starts
Second Half Stars: Players we're banking on solid end-of-season performance from (plus some we're not)
Quick Hitters: A quick list of hitters to keep an eye on
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome Nate Marcum (@natemarcum) of Reliever Recon to discuss what the trade deadline could mean for fantasy relievers. They discuss pitchers most likely to be traded away and who to stash in their place. Then they end with some players they’re fading in the second half and others they’re actively trying to get on their teams.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Rundown
News and Notes
Trade Deadline Impact on Closers: Who is most likely to be dealt?
Second Half Fades (Players we think are in for rough second haves)
Second Half Optimism (Players we think are in for good second halves)
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome Chris Torres (@TorresTakes) to discuss whether or not Sami is being replaced on the podcast and what to do about current breaking news, like injuries to Ozzie Albies and Liam Hendriks. Then they discuss the catcher waiver wire landscape and look ahead for which fringe starting hitters have good upcoming weekends.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Timestamps
4:00 - Trending News Breakdown
39:00 - Catcher Landscape: We get in on the talk about the current crop of streaming catchers
48:30 - Fringe Starters with Good Weekend Schedules: Are they playable?
Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome Justin Mason (@JustinMasonFWFB) to discuss recent pieces of news and then play a game of Cut or Keep followed by a game of Claim or Lame. This episode has tons of quick-hitting analysis on as many players as we could possibly fit.
All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify
Timestamps
4:00 - Top News Stories
21:00 - Cut or Keep
53:45 - Claim or Lame