Hello, everybody, Welcome into the cycle. I am Ryan Warmley, joined today, not by Mike Mayor. He is off doing I think some kind of recovery from some minor whatever thing. He's fine, he's not here though. He always gives me a hard time when I'm not here, so I will return the favor in kind. I am joined as he's usually joined when I'm gone, by the one and only Kelly Kirby.
Kelly, thanks for coming on today.
Thank you so much for having me. It's nice to do this with you instead of him. But we kind of are the surgical triplets, aren't We like us and our procedures are just constantly.
There's always something, Yes, you know, we're never able to avoid whatever. I actually it's not even I'm trying to, you know, protect his private you know business. I don't actually even know what he's got going on. I just know he's out for some some minor things. So he'll be back next week. I will actually be gone next week for a family trip, so you will be filling in again. Back on the other side, you will unfortunately be stuck with Mayor again next week. But this week
we get the rare Worm and Kelly show. Really really, we could call it the zoo. It's it's worm and penguin together. So we got we've got some animals going on here.
We're by the way, Oh yeah, I mean, who would go to see a worm?
I guess like they have like little worm farms at some of like the little bug exhibits, Like I think, like my nephew might enjoy that, you know, kids like bugs, but as a general zoo, you know, exhibit that, I don't think that would be that impressive. But yeah, we're gonna be talking kind of, you know, doing what we usually do here. We're gonna be rounding the bases with some trending topics. We've got a fun little thing kind
of at the end of round of the bases. Actually, I'm hoping it will be kind of the bulk of the segment where Kelly will be going through some of her lessons learned so far. Two months into the twenty twenty five Fantasy baseball season, Kelly obviously knows a lot more about fantasy baseball than I do, and I would say that more than Mayor does too, although that is not necessarily reflected in the standings in Dan Harris's league, which you are also in and I like to bring
up because Mayor is in last place. There you, Kelly, are in second to last place, so I get to kind of hold over both of you guys for the time being in my first season in the league. But we'll be doing those lessons learned from Kelly. We'll be also talking, like I said, some trending topics, some news notes,
and injuries, all that good stuff. And as always, this is part one of three parts of the cycle for the week, so it'd be sure to check out not only this episode if you're watching, this will be the first one to drop both on audio and video, but also the other couple of segments as well.
Throughout the weekend. All right, Kelly, let's dive in.
I wanted to kind of just start with this is from a couple of days ago, obviously, but Ronald Acunya coming back like on Fire, obviously a couple of huge home runs in that weekend series, his first time back, coming off of you know, yet another long you know time being out due to injury. We talked a lot Meyer and myself in the preseason about where were ranking Acuna this year, because once he's back, we're going to
really want him in our rosters. He was a little slower coming back the last time he was coming back from Attorney ACL. Obviously it's still early, very small sample size in twenty twenty five, but certainly a great start, you know, to begin with, for him. So I wanted to kind of dispose the question to you, like a
initial thoughts and seeing him back in the field. Obviously it's fun as fantasy managers to see him back, but be now that he is back and looking like pretty much his old self, how many players are there in fantasy baseball that you would be ranking ahead of him rest of season?
Yeah, I mean not many. I think right off the top of my head. I thought of Judge, unfortunately, because I'm usually a pretty big Aaron Judge, Denier Otani, Corbyn Carroll, maybe given how he's been doing lately, But that is pretty much the list I think at this point, because if he continues what he's doing that I don't know
where you put anyone else above him. However, that being said, if we're going with what do I see as the injury risk the rest of season, I would put a couple more people ahead of him, I think, just to like I would I would still rather have Loon Soto than Akunya in terms of I think he'll be healthy and he's going to have a monster second half, but everything else a Kuney brings to the table, and he's maybe a little fresher than everybody else, like he's third fourth maybe.
Yeah.
You know, we weren't going to do a segment on Sodo, but I'm glad you brought it up because there's been you know, headlines recently about like you know, like the Mets aren't worried about him and everything, and I'm like, listen, I get that the average is really low. It's to twenty four, and the OBP is low for his standards of course at three fifty two right now ops under eight hundred. Like it has been maybe worse than you
would have expected. At the same time, like I don't, like, you know, if we're putting together like we're gonna be doing our bi lows in a future segment, like it's like mon Soda is a by low, and I think like most people are pretty reasonably confident that he's going to be, you know, continuing to be a really valuable player, and also by the way, he's stolen seven bases in his career high as twelve, so he's already over halfway there.
We're not even you know, through May yet.
So I think Sodo is a good one to bring up because I I mean, I tend to agree with you, like, given just the kind of the looming sort of damicles of Acuna's injury history looming over his head, like I would rather have some of these other guys ahead of him, just for no other reason than that. But it sounds like what you say, fourth you were it was Judge Otani maybe Carol and that was about it.
Yeah, I mean that's just kind of where I start. I mean, Bobby Witt is still there, but I'm not you know, the Royals lineup is around him isn't doing so hot, So I'm not necessarily in on his counting stats. But yeah, with Soto, I looked at him as a bilo because this is probably as low of a bye as you can get on him, right if if everything's relative like this is the only time I can remember that you can buy losa on Soto. But his expected stats, like his expected by average I think is around like
two to eighty five or something. His slug everything should come back to normal. It's just waiting that out. And if you can find a manager who doesn't want to wait that out, jump on it.
Yeah, give it a try.
Yeah, with a Kunya, what would you say he had to put a percentage chance to it? Is the percentage chance that in February of twenty twenty six next year, he is.
The number one overall pick.
And I'll say, I'm not going to say that overwhelmingly like consensus number one pick, because obviously Tany's amazing and Judge is having this awesome season, but that he is, I'll say the consensus number one. Like in ECR, he is the number one guy. What percentage chance would you give Acunya being back there a year from now?
Yeah, I think it's really hard. I mean, I feel like we should always just drop Otani from the whole conversation because I feel like I just feel like he'll be the number one like ECR, So I would give a Kunia like almost zero percent chance to be the ECR number one. But if we drop him out just for you know, posterity's sake, then yeah, I mean I think I would give it, I don't know, sixty seventy percent.
I mean pretty high. Like I'm not sure. I'm not sure who would take over, like the judge, wit Combo, maybe Carol, depend on how he finishes. Who else are you gonna like Kyle Tucker? But like he's in his contract year, so I mean, I'm not expecting he's not go I'm not expecting his big of things next year from him. So yeah, I mean I think it's pretty high if he stays healthy.
Last question on Acunya, given some of the injury stuff that you alluded to, and you know the fact that whoever has him is probably like they probably don't want to trade him obviously because they held laund him. You know, they got him at this discount and draft day, and now is the time you get to kind of reap those benefits if somebody is looking to maybe sell high and say, hey he's back, but you never know, you know, look at this great start.
You know, this is the Akunya of old.
Would you be willing to trade him for something like a guy that was going later in the first round in drafts or maybe a second rounder as part of a package, so something like Churio plus another player or Gunnar Henderson who's gotten off to really slow start plus another player somebody like that, would you be willing to move Acunya or would it have to be kind of one of these elly, like have him playing like a stud type of studs would be the only way you would move him.
Yeah, I mean I think it is the best time to sell high because he's healthy. I mean this is these are the rules and if you wanted to the first thought that I had is if I could get if I could get like a Scoobaal Jackson Merrill combo, like I like these are That's where I would start. But like, if I could pull a number one starter out right now, given how pitching looks injury wise, maybe
it's not everyone's pitching. It might just be my pitching across eight leagues, but I need help, So yeah, I would Actually I'd be okay with that, I think, depending on how you need to fill out your team.
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and to claim your prize. Jose Ramirez another name that could obviously be you know, in that conversation him versus A, can you I think I think I'd probably rather take a Ramirez in the kind of that category of thinking about the injury stuff as well.
One guy who might.
Get to this level one day is our next topic here, Roman Anthony, and he's not called up yet, has ever recorded this Thursday afternoon, but it just feels like he has to be close to call. Jeff Passon actually had an article about both him and Jack Caglione in the Kansas City's Organization. He had the article on ESPN today just kind of about like why aren't these guys up yet, Like there's some speculation of like Super two related stuff. There's you know, the fact that, like I mean the
Red Sox. One of the examples that Jeff uses in his article is that Christian Campbell has been struggling, so you never know that, you know, how a top prospect is going to come up and make that instant impact. But at the same time, it just feels so obvious that Anthony has like nothing else.
To learn at the minor league level.
You know, he is the number one prospect in baseball, and I just I just feel like the kind of ground swell of conversation about him is coming to a tipping point, and I'm assuming he's going to be up soon.
So I wanted to kind of just hit on.
I wanted people to be prepared in case it does happen, let's say, in the next week, before our next episode. I want people to be prepared with what are we doing now? He's likely rostered in a lot of leagues, just because the top prospect in baseball is going to
be rostered in a lot of leagues. But is he somebody that you have such high expectations for right off the bat that you would be interested in trying to trade for now if you didn't roster him, or in the off chance he is available, Like obviously I think you should pick him up, But you know, would you be trying to trade for him now? Would you be trying to sell before he comes up and possibly disappoints What are your general expectations for Anthony when he does get the call.
Well. I think one of the things that the Red Sox are doing is, you know, they tried to change all the rules for like the playing time manipulation situation, which once you get into this time of year with a guy like Anthony, that's your most that's Ockham's razor, right, Like that's the most logical explanation. But yeah, I mean I have pretty high expectations for him. I think he
will jump kind of in and start off hot. I also think there's no clear rookie of the year in the American League, and I feel like that is a that's another concern for Boston that if if they bring him up and he wins, that I think that they lose a year on him, I believe, or something along those lines. So he I feel like that's the issue a little bit, is they're just kind of looking for, you know, how to best do this. But you know,
I think he's gonna hit. But I also, unfortunately subscribe to the Joe piece of Pia rule, which is when they come up, that is the highest time to sell. Like once he gets to call, if there is something that you need and it's not a dynasty league, that's that's the time to go. And if there's somebody, you know, if you play play in a league with a bunch of East Coast bias, people like you know, target them because they're gonna be way probably way more excited than
you are. So yeah, I if I have him, I'm holding when he gets called up. If there's someone that's interested and I there's a piece that I need, I I basically never have trouble flipping rookies in in redraft.
Especially recently. And again this is something that I talked about a lot with Mayor Is. I mean, it is such a common thing to see play out now that these top prospects are taking longer than ever to adjust to the big leagues. Because there are exceptions, but by and large, it feels like the elite, elite guys are not hitting the ground running the way we maybe got used to.
You know, ten years ago.
The gap and pitching between the minor leagues, the upper minor leagues even and major league baseball is as wide as it's ever been. And in that article I reference Passon talks about Jackson Holliday as an example of just a year ago was the number one over prospect in baseball in Ale East organization comes up and wasn't just like not living up to the light, but was like so bad he had to get sent down in like
two weeks, Like was that bad at first? My usual takeaway from that is, Okay, well let's get the adjustment out of the way sooner rather than later and just you know, get through it. But it does mean for fantasy managers like that has to be as good of a prospect as Roman Anthony is. That has to be in the back of your mind as a possible outcome here when you.
Are looking at when you're looking at.
Top prospects who are soon to be called up, you could throw Kagalion in.
This conversation if you want to. Also, do you think about.
All the prospects who have struggled or do you do you try and look at each individual guy as this feels like the type of profile that maybe won't struggle as much because because I think that can be tricky, because I probably would have said that with Holiday, for example, as this is the type of guy who maybe the ceiling isn't going to be crazy high right after the bat, but I thought he was a floor type of guy that wouldn't have that in I thought he was going
to adjust really well because that's what he'd done his entire life. He had you know, Dad is an all star hitter. Like it seems like such an obvious this guy's going to be a good baseball player right after that, and he wasn't. So do you just look at kind of the general hole and say this guy probably isn't going to be the exception or do you say, like, oh, based on you know, Kagalian's elite power or Anthony's overall profile, you know, these guys seem like exceptions to the rule.
Yeah. I mean that's a really interesting question because I don't know how you discern it. Right, Like a couple of years ago, there was a giant like every rookie that came in like lit the world on fire, and it was so much fun for everyone because like, now you had this young stud doing what he what you expected him to. But that's just not the norm. So in terms of like looking at it, I guess I have the way I kind of I think assess it is what team are they playing on? How long of
a leash are they going to be given? Because they can sometimes hit their way out of it, right, but they have to be play, they have to get play every day or almost every day. They have to be allowed to kind of work through, do the batting practice, talk to the veterans, like and I think some organizations are just less likely to let that, like let that happen Holliday last year. I mean, he was so atrocious
that there was just no way that. I mean, at that point you start to talk about, you know, killing his confiden and considering that I thought he was like twelve years old when he got there, I'm like, well, you don't want to kill a twelve year old. It's confidence, So send him back down for a minute. But yeah, Anthony, I think is just in the unique position because I feel like the Red Sox will give him that leash, Like I think that they will let him hit his
way out of it. But as the season goes on and depending, I mean, the al YaST is super competitive. You know, I don't know if they'll leave if he does come up and struggle for a while, Like, will they leave that empty spot in the roster is you know, I feel like they're less likely, Whereas I think if Keaglione gets up, the Royals will let him fly for pretty much the rest of the year.
I think that's your spot on.
I think Kaglion will, like when he's up, he's gonna be getting every day at bats, Like I just don't see any anyway around it. Whereas Anthony yet, like it's weird because like on the one hand, the Red Sox are in fourth place, they're below five hundred. But on the other hand, like you said, like it is a really competitive, you know division for the most part, and you know, the Oriols aren't as good as expected, and the Blue Jays are also below five hundred. The Rais
are only a game above five hundred. Like there's room to make moves in the division. I wonder if I'm on Boston's side, it will be more if they would be more inclined, like if Campbell was hitting really well, for example, and like you know, if Bregman was healthy, Like you know, they probably don't want Anthony in a position where he needs to be a star right away, where he kind of would need to be right now
given the shape of that lineup. And I really wish Mayor was on this episode if we're talking poorly about Red Sox as an organization, but sadly he's not here, Let's go to Let's go to our next topic here. This is kind of where we usually do our news notes and injuries. I didn't have a ton that I wrote down, just a handful of him. If you have any others that you saw, please feel free to join in with those as well.
Renel Blanco out for the year with.
Tommy John obviously that's going to linger into next season as well. You know somebody who's had some good stretches the last couple of years, but not going to be available anytime soon. Boba Schett day to day lower back Titans. He actually hit a home run yesterday, so clearly doing you know better in that regard.
I wrote this down before the homer, but so I to keep an eye on.
I actually considered Bischett for by Low when we do that segment later on. I didn't end up picking him, but actually partially because of the injury stuff.
I didn't want to pick a guy who was hurt.
But I've been a Bichette fan for a lot of this year at his costs, so it's gonna keep an eye on.
I have a lot of him.
Stephen Kwan left the game yesterday for the Guardians with right right wrist inflammation.
That's hard to say, right wrist.
And then lastly, Colton Kowser and Jordan Westburg both have started rehab stance this week for the Orioles. I believe Kowser started yesterday and Westburg starts today if I have that right, So they are both close to returning to a lineup that boy, could they sure use an infusion of some real hitting talent right now. So obviously, again there's not much san Blanco out for the year. You know, Bishett seemingly getting better. Kwan, I don't think there's been
a ton of updates there. But Kowser and Westburg I think is a really interesting one here, just as these are two like definitely viable fantasy starting options for your lineup, you know, Westburg especially who you've been without for a lot of the year, and especially with Westburg at a position like third base give the nature of that position, I think could be a real boost to some teams.
As a person who drafted Jordan Westburg everywhere, I would like it to be a boost us to our teams. And I drafted him for that exactly for that eligibility and the power that he showed. I mean I thought, well, if I can get that at second base or third base, like, let me like he has second base eligibility in some of my leagues, Like that is perfect, let's do it. Like he was the guy. I feel like every year in fantasy there's one guy that near the end of
the season, I'm like, why didn't I go after this guy? Ever, like and Westburg last year was that guy, and so you know, then you fall in love a little bit with a player and then you draft him everywhere, and then he's injured for the first two months of the year. But yeah, I mean I think and Cowsers equally as interesting.
I mean they if they can come back and kind of resume what they were doing last year, not only is Baltimore gonna get better, but yeah, fantasy teams everyone because I assume almost everyone held onto the two of them, So yeah, they might be worth a by low before they get back. If you are looking for something, you know, again, a little bit of power and especially from a name fielder spot, so I might go after him.
I think Kowser especially talking about the power. I mean last year he in five hundred at bats, twenty four arm runs, also nine stolen bases. I think there's a room for the batting average to get better too. It was two forty two last year. Like he had that reputation in college, which was a while ago at this one, but are that reputation of being a better contact heater
than that? I think he is kind of the thumb in the middle of the lineup that the Orioles are missing, especially with Gunner like playing poorly and added playing poorly too. I just think like Kowser sliding into that four or five spot, I think that will help more than people
are giving credence to. And Westburg is just like a very good all around player, Like I am very excited to have him back in the lineup as well as a fan, But I think I agree that like like Wes, Westbroog is the one that stands out to me as like I'm more excited about that return than Kowser, like, and part of that is just the positional stuff, but part of it is, like I think he's a better
overall player. But I think Kowser's upside rest of season, if he just if he is back and fully healthy, is like actually pretty significant, and most people hung on to him but I would maybe be looking to trade for him if you could get him as like a you know, a part of a larger deal. If you can include him, I think there's real power upside for rest of season. Like it would not surprise me he's not going to reach thirty homers this year, but it wouldn't surprise me if he kind of spends the next
four months at a thirty homer pace coming back. That just the type of hittor he is. And then, and like you said, we both love Westbroog for sure. For me, it was the two guys this year that I got like pretty much everywhere because of some of the positional versatility. You know, one of them obviously more proven than the other, but I just really like both players a lot. It was Jordan Westburg and Matt Shaw, and then one of them gets hurt and the other one he gets sent
down to the minors. So it was not the most fun in April for investing heavily in those two guys.
But yeah, I'm excited.
I think Calser and Westburg are going to make a difference for fantasy rosters coming back. Do you have any thoughts on Baschet just because I didn't pick him in the later segment, so we're not gonna be really talking about him there. But like I said, he hits the home run, has this lower back tightness. He's somebody that again, I really was drafting a lot of this year because I thought it was just a really good price on
him where he was going. You know, he's age twenty seven season now, Like he's been good in the past, even if he was coming off that disastrous and injury short into your last year. You know, kind of looking at just what he's done this year, like it's not like he's been sending the world on fire, but clearly better than last year at the very least.
You know, what do you kind of make of him rest the season?
Yeah, I had high hopes for him as well, and I like that his batting average has bounced back to
I mean he's batting to seventy seven. So last year that was actually the killer for me that you kind of drafted him with the idea that he was going to hit for average and give you a little bit of power, but you know, kind of hold down some of your counting stats and and this year he seems to have bounced back a little bit harder with that the bang average and he scored twenty three runs and and the five homers is you know, obviously we'd like
it to be more. But he's also tried six stolen bases and made it four of them, so he's he's been doing a little bit more of the all around stuff. So I was I was in on him mostly because I was I was so in on Vladdie, hoping we'd go the whole year without him getting a contract, and instead he got that, and then I was like, can I undraft him everywhere? But but the two of them together, like I feel like if he can just stay healthy,
and that's just been the big problem. And low back tightness is always that's one of those weird like I don't know, that's just one of the weird ones where you have no idea how long they're going to.
Be out for everybody ever ever to have a bad back.
Ever like no, like somebody says oblique, it's like, oh that's going forever, but like a low back, it's like, I don't know where we at.
So all right, let's get into what I'm most looking forward to on this episode is Kelly Kirby's lessons learned so far in twenty twenty five. Now, I don't you have not shared these with me, so I get to kind of react to them live you. I don't even know how many you came up with. So this could be short, this could be long.
We can take this as long as you want.
I want you to dive into all your lessons learned so far this season two months in.
Yeah, so just brace yourself. I'm gonna go on for abun hour. But I'm I'm okay. So one of the things that I I got invited to participate in tell Wars this year, which it was kind of like imagine being invited to a party with like people everyone that you've ever wanted to like meet, except they're inviting you to compete against them, and and it's it was like the most intimidating thing that I've been a part of. I don't play a lot of fifteen team rotal leagues.
I don't play a lot of fifteen team rotal leagues with you know, fantasy Baseball geniuses. And the whole time I was just like, I feel like I'm a little bit out of my element here, and then I went and proved it. So and a fifteen team rotal league. One of the things I learned is it is actually important to draft saves, so there's even though there's turnover on the wire, like you gotta lock down probably at least one that you know is going to get him,
barring injury, of course. And instead, what I did was I drafted a whole lot of handcuffs, and those have gone very poorly, Like Griffin Jack's right off the top of my head, not because I thought Duran was going to get injured, but he just usually has such solid numbers, and I was trying very hard to protect my ratios in those leagues. But yeah, that didn't work out so well because I also really liked Sandy olo Contra and so those ratios are are shot. But we'll talk about
him in just a second. So yeah, that's one of the biggest things that I took away from it, where it's just like I kept passing on relievers, and even in our league with with Dan, I kept passing on relievers, and so I'm stuck with Hoffman, who's you know, locking down saves, but he has a six something ere and he's just been, you know, a mess. So that's I hate drafting saves, but it's important in road leagues. The second thing I learned, Okay, you.
Feel that way quickly, I want to ask, do you feel that way like it's pronounced in a league like towt Wars, But do you feel that way kind of going into next season in terms of like a twelve team league or like in rodo, like you just want to lock somebody down because for me, like it's it's something that I want to be good at, but it's often hard to predict year to year we're gonna be good outside of the truly elites yet, but even with
the truly elites, like I have Devin Williams everywhere this year, I thought I was locking in at the top. I thought I was locking in the number one gy honestly, Like, I could not have been more high on Devin Williams this season, and clearly that could not have It could not possibly have gone worse. So would you apply that same lesson to a more normally.
Yeah, it's not as important, but again and in head to head, I will punt saves till the end of time, Like I don't care in the least about that, But like in ROTO, it's like, yeah, I still want at least someone that I know is going to start the year as the closer and presumably has that role kind of locked down. So even when a Devin Williams happens, like you know, it's like it we started there. Like on paper, statistically speaking, he should have been good, he
should have been solid. He but I never I didn't draft him because I don't like guys who have who broke their backs. But uh, that scares me, just dismitch. But yeah, I mean like Duran out of the out of Minnesota, like I have him a couple of places, but not in Roe because it's like, well he's gonna lock it down, but and he has the job basically until someone takes it or unless he gets injured. That's the type that I want to lock in on roto. And so next year I would definitely aim to draft
one or two. But for sure, one the key is to not feel like you're overpaying, and in auction leagues, I always feel like I'm overpaid for closers. So that's my.
I ended up our work kind of insiders league that we're in with Fantasy Pros. It's a really kind of an odd league because of the nature of our company. We actually have it set to end in mid August, so we don't go the full season in this league. And that's something that you and myself and Mayor are all kind of pushing back against.
But it's the way the league is set up, and we're not the commissioner, so we don't have control over it.
And in that league, it's head to head categories, and I decided to see that. I did want to go heavy on reliever because it's a daily league too, so I figure it, Listen, if I can get three or four relievers I really like, and then I just rotate in starters every day, I'm going to be winning a lot of these pitching categories every week, and then as long as my hitting is just okay, I'll be winning most weeks. And I had Devin Williams was my big purchase,
so you know, I definitely overpaid for him. You know, I was able to pick up like Kyle fin Again. It's also a really shallow league. It's a ten team because we have multiple like versions of the league and very short benches, so it's a very There are players on the waivers in that league that people would be shocked at, but it's just the way the league kind of is, so it's it's kind of a unique system.
But that was one where I went most heavily on relievers, you know, pretty much that I did in any other league this year, and again because I picked Devin Williams as one of the guys that has burned me.
So yeah, yeah, yeah. I think the three of us have a chat that we like labeled we hate the Insiders Baseball set up, like because I feel like we talk about it a lot, and it will pick up now that we're getting into like what some people consider playoff season at our company, like we're.
Basically in the equivalent of like August for most other teams. I mean, the playoffs will start in our league. The first day of the playoffs in this league is June thirtieth.
I mean, it's insane.
It's like you can't even talk about it really because it's just nothing applies to anything else.
I always laugh too, because the logic from the people who run the league, which listen, being a commissioner's a thankless job. I get it, but like I always laugh because they're like, well, you know, people get really busy in August it's like our busiest month of the year
by a mile at the company, which I understand. But also I'm like, okay, so like six people might still be alive even if we like didn't go all the way till September, but say we finished a couple weeks early, Like, not even not all thirty people in this league are going to be alive anymore.
It's going to be like a half dozen.
I think they can handle picking some daily lineups here and not you know, have it impact with too much.
But I digress. What's your next lesson learns?
I'm like, I'm a guest on the show. That's not get me fired. But so then other thing I learned was I went into a couple drafts where I was like, I really want batting average because I feel like batting average can co you know, it can transfer to good counting stats, it can transfer to other things. And in the league that I did it the most, specifically, my team is now collectively hitting two forty nine, but they batted two oh two during April, and I was like, well,
that didn't work. So I think I'm going to go back to not necessarily ignoring batting average. But like, like you know, it'll it should correct over the year, but that it was killer. It was just awful. And I have Soto in that league, so the whole time I was just like, help me.
But well, it's one of those things.
It's kind of like pitching in general, or I always equate pitching to running backs and fantasy football. It's like those in the sense that batting average is something that I really want to be good at, but I find it very difficult to be good at a lot of the time. So I actually in the league I'm in where I'm doing best this year, I'm like, it's I'm running away with this. I mean it's early, but I'm
dominating in this roto league. And it's a like you keep five and I had just five great keepers, which went a long way. But in that league, I'm like twenty points higher than anybody else in batting average, and I think that's a real key to the reason why I'm running away with everything. To your point, like it can be a signal of how you're doing in some of the other categories as well, But it's a difficult one to get right.
Yep, for sure, And so I mean it might be worth trying but I didn't do well on that whatsoever. So so yeah, my third lesson is do not trust Mike Trout and by extension, do not trust Mike Mayor. He was so in on Trout every every draft we talked about, every draft I was in with him, it was you know, nope, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it. And it's amazing that he basically just replicated
last year where his April was. I mean, his April wasn't great in terms of like his average was terrible, but he produced right and then the same thing last year. He had like what ten home runs in April or something, and then he's gone. And it's always that just vague, like he is the ultimate you do not know what they're talking about. With his injury, like they could literally be like he stubbed his toe, he's out for two months, and then sometimes it's like he broke his wrist, but
he'll back and be back in two weeks. Like they it's like they just don't, you don't know how to do it. So I also just wanted to work in a chance to tell everyone not to trust me, like Mayor.
Well, that's been a big Mayor thing.
Too in reacting to this injury is like they're like, well, it's not that big of a deal, and yet there's no timeline for his Like we're not concerned, but there's no timeline. He's like, what does this even mean? Like those those two things do not square with one another. He's currently one hundred and twenty fourth in our rest of season consensus rankings, which by the way, is definitely too high. I know he faced live pitching yesterday and ran the bases a bit, but like even when he
comes back, like, what are you gonna do? Be you know, confident in him staying on the field.
Of course not.
So there's a reason I have him nowhere, and that's a that's an l for for mayor for sure this year.
And so then I you know, because I like to make fun, but I'll also just you know, come back with my more of my l's. Apparently I do want to take a preseason lamp. My love of Hunter Brown. My I don't think I ever stopped talking about him. I think every article where it was like who are you going after? Who are your must haves? Would picture like I was like a Hunter Brown, Hunter Roun Hunter Brown. So he's doing exactly what I thought he was gonna do.
I you know, he had a little bit of a blow upstart I think the other day, but but he doesn't concern me. I adore him. So I want everyone to remember that, and then I want everyone to forget everything I said about Sandy al Contra, just entirely all across the board. I cannot believe how bad he looks, and like, just none of his pitches are doing anything. No one's no, there's no swinging, there's no like he's just he's not. He's not fooling anybody with what is happening.
Then I don't know how he improves it. So he's a drop for me literally everywhere that I can except for that fifteen team Tellwars league where there's really nothing. So I'm just like, I guess I'll just keep running him out there. But yeah, so those are my those are my two. That's my win and my loss. I think from the pitching side.
We did we did an episode a couple of weeks ago with Mayor and myself did like kind of takeing the l's on some guys early on, and for.
Me, like Devin Williams was a big one. I did.
I had a bold prediction before the year, and if it's supposed to be bold, right, it wasn't supposed to be an obvious thing. Like you know, there's risk that bold predictions don't play out, that's the nature of them. But one of my bold predictions was that he Devin Williams, would earn multiple cy Young votes this year down ballot, but he would be you know, get votes that will.
Not be happening, certainly.
And then the other l I took was Adley Rushman, where I just kind of like you where it's like like you were just describing with al Contra, Like I just can't believe how bad he looks like it like doesn't And I know some of the expected stats for Adli are better than the counting stats, but like, I mean even just yesterday, and I know he was coming back from getting hit in the face of the ball. Like I don't say this callously or like to make a joker, like he looked concussed.
Like he looked like like if.
A concussed player was trying to swing against major league pitching. I mean, he's his first three at bats, he had like nine swings and make contact once and it was a pop up like it was just strikeout.
It just looked really bad.
So those those were my l so I can relate to kind of hoping people forget about those eventually.
Exactly, like have short memories everyone. We talked about this just briefly. But one another thing I learned, or at least had reinforces, like you always want a rookie in their second stint in the Majors. Matt Shaw has come back up, and I think I'll talk about him in the next segment. But the first one sometimes gets ugly. The second one, you know, he tends to go way better because, like you said, they go down, they prove there's nothing else to do, and then they come back up.
But since they'd already seen it, it's like there's a I think there's a level of relaxation, level of adjustment that they are much more comfortable with. And you know, I mean there's a learning curve, right, There's a learning curve when you join any new company, and I think we just have to take that in consideration with uh, with rookies for sure. So that's that's that lesson. The next one is really kind of sort of a last weekend, I went to a winery in Wisconsin because I'm right
on the border. And I walked in and it was a kind of a birthday gathering for someone. So there are people that I didn't know. And one of the people was wearing a Tiger's jersey in Wisconsin at a winery, and I was like, what in the hell is that? And all I could see was the last number was five, and so I'm like, okay, maybe a baseball fan. So I'm like cool, I'm like, are you wearing a Verlander jersey? And she was like no, She's like it's a Brandon
in jersey. And I'm like, you are kidding. I'm like okay, And so like that was my It's important to be open to all fandoms, and people get there there they fall in love with certain players for certain reasons. This is also my opportunity to tell everyone that Justin Ferlander is washed and you don't have to try to keep him on your teams. That's that's how I brought that back around.
Let me ask you this, Kelly, Yeah, what is your most obscure jersey and or shersey that you own?
You want to go with ever owned, because that's way easier like, sure, okay, Yeah, Like I was, I owned a Nick Punto jersey because for the Twins, I loved him. I don't know why, nice, I mean, I have no idea. I just thought he was, like he was just my favorite player for a little while. So I owned a Punto shirt. Yeah, And I was like, and I got the same look that I probably gave this person with the Industrants.
Yeah, yeah, I've got I've got a Ramon Hernandez Orioles suersey.
Uh, from a number of years ago.
I certainly I can't fit in it anymore, but I still own it, I think.
And then I have for jersey.
For whatever reason, my college roommate just thought it would be funny to own an Oakland Athletics Jack Cust jersey, and so we had that hanging in our college dorm. And then when we moved out, he was like, I don't really want this anywhere?
Do you want it?
I was like sure, So I just have this Cust jersey in my house.
I remember another one with Cubs. I was watching the Cubs game with my wife and and we were like, if Jeremy Burnitz gets a hit here, I will buy his jersey. And he like walked off Homer and and she looks at me and she's like, we'll order it.
Like you have to, you can't back out.
And then the te fell off. So then she had her Bernie Zu, which we laughed at forever. So then and the next two speaking of the Cubs, always remember whoever the Cub's closer is, they are only currently that closer. Go pick them up and then they will start blowing saves. And then the Cup the Cubs have a d D when it comes to trying to figure out a bullpen.
If Valencia is it, I would love that, But in my entire Cubs fandom, I can remember the amount of times we had a closer that I was like, that's our closer, So just be aware of that for fantasy. And then the last one is I would like to publicly apologize to Pete crow Armstrong. I literally in two different leagues. I was like, I can't believe that I'm gonna get stuck with him. Like I was just like, fine, I'll just take Pete kor Armstrong in the league I'm
in with my dad. He drafted him. I made fun of him because I was like, I'm like, you can't draft him there like, I'm like, that is like fourteen rounds too early, you know, blah blah blah. And I've gotten to talk to my dad a lot more this season because I feel like he wants to call me, like every time he does anything good. And he's got fifteen homers and fifteen steels, so it's a fair amount. But so that's those are the lessons I've learned so far.
I told there this recently because I had I had pee Kor Armstrong as a cell high. Not that I think he's going to be terrible, but just like, you know, get a stud if you can. And in one of my leagues, it's a two catcher roto league, and there's there's some keeper elements at play, and cal Raley is a very very good keeper value.
Even aside from the fact that he's.
A great catcher to have in a two catcher league,
he's also a good keeper value. And he got traded for PCA earlier this year, and the trade almost got vetoed because everybody was like, this is insane to give up cal Raleigh for only this, And now it almost looks like they're I mean, they're both even good to vary degrees but like it almost looks other reverse, like holy cow, you got p K. Armstrong for just a catcher, Like I mean it, it's funny how quickly that can be, you know, kind of painted in a different way, in a different.
Light just a month later.
Really yeah, I mean, and that's another it's a good story to kind of remember why you don't veto trades unless they're so I mean, they have to be sol lopsided and like in order. But if it's like if I value this guy like this, like who are you to tell me not to? Again with the exceptions, but I also wanted to just say.
The funny thing is the manager that did that quickly is really really incompetent. He's new to our league, and like I actually can't even describe to you how bad his draft was.
Is it mayir?
No, it was like I think he took Christian Campbell. So there's so there's five keepers for each team, so fifty players are off the board. But if you were drafting the first two rounds, you can't be kept, so
there are studs available. Plus you know you can only keep five guys, so like a good I had to throw back like Dever's and you know, Bregman and like guys like that, Like there were players available plus those first two round studs, and he took rookie Sasaki with the first overall pick, ahead of like Mookie Bets and
like a bunch of other people. He took Christian Campbell in the third round again ahead of like all these great like very good players still on the board, and that was like the entire draft, like like I was like, this guy seems very incompetent at this And so then he was also making the trade and we were like, okay, like he's clearly somebody's taking advantage because he's not what he's doing. But this one worked out for now he now as Speaker Armstrong as a great keeper moving forward for sure.
And I was also just gonna say, I want in the comments people to drop their most obscure ersey jersey and the story about why you own it would be even better. But I love that conversation.
So yeah, maybe we can. I don't want to promise this, but we'll ask you if we can hook up the most obscure one we find with something like you know, premium subscription or something like that.
No promises, do it just for fun?
And for the conversation, but we'll ask to see if we can get that approved as well too, So give us your best most obscure jerseys and or cherseys. We'll go ahead and wrap up rounding the bases there. We will be around for Part two and Part three, where we're going to talk about some buys and cells and waiver guys. And then of course Part three will be the the streaming pictures and our two start picture competition for Kelly.
I'm Ryan Warley for part one. Thanks for tuning in, stick around for the next episode.
Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Fantasy Baseball podcast. If you love the show, the best freeway to support us is by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow us on x, Instagram, and TikTok at Fantasy Pros, and subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube dot com slash Fantasy Pros MLB