Bubba and Bat Flip 106 - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Review - Benched with Bubba (Episode 423)
Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy). In tonight's episode, the guys begin their positional recaps with the shortstop position. They go over the top 15-20 third basemen according to the RazzBall Player Rater. Discuss the good and the bad of the second base position as well as answer some awesome listener questions.... Read More
2022 Fantasy Breakout Candidates - NL West
We have already broken down the top breakout candidates from the National League Central, National League East, American League West, American League East, and American League Central. In this column, we'll run down players from the National League West, one from each team, who could fit the bill and have breakout campaigns next season. One... Read More
Marcus Stroman to Cubs - Fantasy Impact
The Chicago Cubs signed veteran Marcus Stroman to a three-year, $71 million deal to anchor a veteran pitching staff on a rebuilding team. This is a good time to look back to Marcus Stroman's 2021 season and look ahead to what the 2022 fantasy baseball season might bring. Read about other free agent moves and... Read More
Projecting Power in 2022: Increases in Air% Exit Velocities
Balls come and balls go but regardless of the current offensive environment in baseball, what hasn't changed is our fantasy love of power. But after the happy fun ball days of 2019 and 2020, the MLB went back to the lab in an attempt to deaden some of the bouncy ball hijinks. And deaden they... Read More
Fantasy Baseball Strategies with THE GILDZ - Benched with Bubba EP 422
Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by NFBC Veteran Andrew Geller (@the_Gildz). The guys chat all things draft strategy. Comparing 12-team league and 15-team league strategies, FAAB strategies, going for your guys, different game plans, and much much more. It's a great off-season draft primer to get ready for the 2022 fantasy baseball season. Be sure to... Read More
Valuing Injured Players Returning In 2022
Last year's season-ending injury list is an All-Star team. It holds three of the best players in the game and plenty of other superstar adjacent players. Now, heading into the 2022 fantasy baseball season, we have to evaluate the value of these injured players. Should we be concerned about Ronald Acuna Jr? Is Jacob deGrom... Read More
Bubba and Bat Flip 105 - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Review - Benched with Bubba (Episode 421)
Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy). In tonight's episode, the guys begin their positional recaps with the shortstop position. They go over the top 15-20 second basemen according to the RazzBall Player Rater. Discuss the good and the bad of the second base position as well as answer some awesome listener questions.... Read More
Joey Votto 2021 Year-In-Review
"I want to get back to being dangerous." This is a real quote from Joey Votto prior to the 2021 season. Although never seen as a prodigious slugger, the 38-year-old Votto was still bankable for 25+ home runs in his prime. Thus, when he combined for just 27 home runs between 2018 and 2019, the... Read More
A Seam-Sifted Ranger Suárez Looks to Quantum Leap
He was a starter throughout his minor league career but Philadelphia's Ranger Suárez had only seen action from the bullpen in the big leagues before 2021 and again started this past year as a reliever. Suárez dominated from the jump, posting a 1.12 ERA (3.32 FIP) over 40.1 IP, starting as a multi-inning fireman role and... Read More
Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar to Mets - Fantasy Impact
The New York Mets have been major players in the free-agent market so far this offseason. Before the MLB lockout, they made two high-profile signings by acquiring starting pitcher Max Scherzer and outfielder Starling Marte. Not to be lost in the shuffle, the Mets also signed outfielder Mark Canha and infielder Eduardo Escobar. The acquisitions... Read More
Bubba and Bat Flip 104 - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Review - Benched with Bubba (Episode 420)
Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy). In tonight's episode, the guys begin their positional recaps with the second base position. They go over the top 15-20 second basemen according to the RazzBall Player Rater. Discuss the good and the bad of the second base position as well as answer some awesome listener... Read More
K-BB% Fallers for Fantasy Baseball - Starting Pitchers to Watch in 2022
We opened up this two-part series in this post, where we went over the K-BB gainers in 2021. Now, it's time to look at the other side of the coin and some of the most notable fallers. In the first part, I reviewed why I believe this statistic to be the most important metric to... Read More
2022 Fantasy Breakout Candidates - NL Central
Identifying potential fantasy breakout players in drafts each Spring can be crucial in building a championship-winning roster for fantasy managers. Often times the breakout players, if they do in fact break out, will significantly outperform their draft position and help you find success. It may be a late-round pick performing like a quality contributor who... Read More
Arizona Fall League 2021 Wrap Up
The Arizona Fall League wrapped up on November 20th with a Mesa Solar Sox championship over the Suprise Saguaros. In this space, we will review the 2021 Arizona Fall League by highlighting players who were the most notable risers and disappointments based on their performance from a fantasy baseball perspective. Many of these prospects won't... Read More
Starling Marte to Mets - Fantasy Impact
The New York Mets' disappointing 2021 season was followed by their delay in securing a new general manager, inability to re-sign starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard, and failure to bring back starting pitcher Steven Matz from Toronto in the early part of the current offseason. This had many fans wondering whether the Mets were destined for... Read More
Fantasy Baseball Hot Stove with Ryan Venancio - Benched with Bubba EP 419
Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Ryan Venancio (@ven_armbarn) of Fantrax and the Next on Deck Podcast. The MLB Hot Stove has been on fire in recent weeks, so the guys go over all the major moves and discuss the fantasy impacts. There may be a lockout, but do not worry as Benched with Bubba will... Read More
Marcus Semien and Corey Seager to Rangers - Fantasy Impact
The Texas Rangers made a big splash in free agency by signing Corey Seager (10 years, $350 million) and Marcus Semien (7 years, $175 million) to create their middle infield combination for years to come. This surprised a lot of baseball fans, as the Rangers traded Joey Gallo and Kyle Gibson at the trade deadline... Read More
Early One-Man Mock (Rounds 2-5) - 2022 Fantasy Baseball
I've already run through the first round of my one-man mock, which you can check out right here. Now, let's move on to the next few rounds with a look at how early drafts might shake out. I took roster construction into consideration so that a team didn't select three outfielders in the first three... Read More
Javier Baez to Tigers - Fantasy Impact
The Tigers got in on the free-agent spending spree by adding infielder Javier Baez. He signed a six-year deal worth $140 million dollars and makes the type of statement that Detroit wants the rest of the baseball world to know. “It sends a message to the rest of baseball. The Tigers are here to compete.”... Read More
Bubba and Bat Flip 103 - 2021 Fantasy Baseball First Base Review - Benched with Bubba (Episode 418)
Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy). In tonight's episode, the guys begin their positional recaps with the first base position. They go over the top 15-20 first basemen according to the RazzBall Player Rater. Discuss the good and the bad of the catching position as well as answer some awesome listener questions.... Read More
Adam Frazier to the Mariners - Fantasy Impact
In one of the more underrated moves this off-season, the Seattle Mariners acquired second baseman, Adam Frazier from the San Diego Padres. “He makes us a better, more complete team,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said of Frazier. “He does the things winning teams value.” He will head to the American League for the first... Read More
Corey Kluber to the Rays - Fantasy Impact
The starting pitching market has been on fire early in the off-season. The veteran starting pitchers have been no exception. Former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber signed a one-year, eight million dollar contract on November 27th with the Tampa Bay Rays. The veteran moves south but stays in the AL East after spending 2021 with... Read More
Jon Gray to Rangers - Fantasy Baseball Impact Analysis
The Texas Rangers are spending some money this month, making multiple big-time splashes in free agency already. One of their smaller splashes was the signing of Jon Gray, whom they signed to a four-year contract in late November. It is looking more and more like the Rangers will have an above-average offense in 2022, so... Read More
Robbie Ray to the Mariners - Fantasy Impact
The hot stove is heating up just in time for the holidays as some of the biggest names in MLB have signed massive contracts in the past few days. Max Scherzer and Starling Marte to the Mets. Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to the Rangers. Kevin Gausman to the Blue Jays. Steven Matz to the Cardinals. Robbie Ray, another big-time free agent, winds up in Seattle. The 2021... Read More
Max Scherzer to the Mets - Fantasy Impact
The hot stove is already sizzling but the heat was turned up higher with Max Scherzer signing with the Mets. Scherzer is heading to New York on a three-year, $130 million contract with an opt-out after the second season. The $43.3 million AAV for Scherzer shatters the previous record for the highest AAV set by... Read More
Kevin Gausman to Blue Jays - Fantasy Baseball Impact Analysis
The Toronto Blue Jays scored the third-most runs in Major League Baseball in 2021 while leading the league in home runs by a huge margin. Despite the clear successes on offense and finishing 20 games above the .500 mark, the Jays missed the playoffs after landing fourth in their division. The main reason this team... Read More
ADP Showdown: Byron Buxton vs Adalberto Mondesi
One of the hardest things to do in fantasy baseball for players and contributors alike is to project playing time. Games played, plate appearances, and at-bats are the basis on which we project hits, home runs, walks, and all the various counting stats that make up various fantasy baseball formats. It is where rate stats... Read More
Cedric Mullins 2021 Year-in-Review
Cedric Mullins broke out and was one of the biggest surprises in fantasy baseball in 2021. He arguably was the biggest steal in 2021 drafts with an ADP of 408th overall on average in NFBC Leagues or the best pickup off the waiver wire. The 27-year-old rewarded fantasy managers who drafted him late or added... Read More
2022 Fantasy Breakout Candidates - NL East
One of the keys to a successful fantasy baseball draft, and a subsequently successful season, is finding players who outperform their draft position. By and large, you’re more likely to find those types of players later in drafts. Sure, you’ll find those relatively early-round players who perform at an elite level – think Max Muncy or... Read More