Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast

Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast

Yahoo Sports

Human sports encyclopedia Scott Pianowski is joined friends, pundits and Yahoo Sports' cast of experts for a lively, informative and not-too-serious weekly discussion on fantasy strategy and the major happenings in the world of baseball. The award-winning Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast drops every Monday throughout the baseball season.

The biggest questions heading into 2021

The biggest questions heading into 2021

On this season's final episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, The Athletic's Derek VanRiper joins Scott Pianowski to look back at the 2020 MLB Season and the big questions we have heading into next season.We lead off with a look back at the 2020 season and how the Universal DH changed fantasy baseball strategy going into the season. Will the bullpen breakout of 2020 remain here in baseball for good? Scott and Derek share their thoughts on drafting relievers next year. We look at some of

Sep 30, 2020 • 1:09:54

Lessons learned from an abnormal baseball season

Lessons learned from an abnormal baseball season

On this episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, USA Today's Steve Gardner joins Scott Pianowski to look back at the 2020 MLB Season and discuss where baseball goes from here.We're not the first people to notice that the 2020 MLB Season was unlike any other as the regular season winds to a close. But that got us wondering, what will the 2021 baseball season look like? Will we see the return of the traditional 8-team playoff format, designated hitters who live only in the AL and starting pi

Sep 22, 2020 • 0:01

Tips for your playoff run

Tips for your playoff run

On this episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Yahoo's Fred Zinkie joins Scott Pianowski to talk playoff strategy, pickups and our favorite no-hitters in history.[Create or Join a 2020 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball League for free today!]Congrats to those of you who made your head-to-head playoffs! Fred and Scott get you prepped for the next two weeks with ideas for pickups and schedules to exploit (the Cardinals play *TEN* times this week), end-of-season strategy for roto leagues, tips for tho

Sep 15, 2020 • 0:00

Trade deadline winners and losers, tips for trading in your fantasy league

Trade deadline winners and losers, tips for trading in your fantasy league

On this episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Rotowire's Jeff Erickson joins Scott Pianowski to discuss the fallout from MLB's trade deadline, keys to make trades in your own fantasy league and their favorite San Diego Padres of all time![Create or join a 2020 Yahoo Fantasy Football League for free today] With 2020's MLB Trade Deadline behind us, Scott and Jeff look at the winners (Mike Clevinger, Bobby Dalbec) and losers (Francisco Mejia, pretty much every fringe Rockies hitter) from t

Sep 1, 2020 • 1:01:38

FAB strategy, the trouble with closers and best Radiohead songs

FAB strategy, the trouble with closers and best Radiohead songs

On this episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Yahoo's Scott Pianowski and Dalton Del Don discuss how they're handling free-agent pickups, why the struggle for saves is even more difficult this year and their favorite Radiohead songs in our silly draft.[Create or join a 2020 Yahoo Fantasy Football League for free today] Scott and Dalton look at the FAB waiver period that typically goes through Sunday night in their leagues to see if they should shift their strategy to deal with the short

Aug 25, 2020 • 59:38

Players you should cut, breaking down break outs and more with Paul Sporer

Players you should cut, breaking down break outs and more with Paul Sporer

On this episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Yahoo's Scott Pianowski chats with Paul Sporer of Fangraphs about the renewed sense of optimism surrounding baseball completing a season, players you should consider cutting and why we missed some of the biggest breakouts in 2020.[Create or join a 2020 Yahoo Fantasy Football League for free today] If you're debating whether or not you should hold onto players that have been lackluster so far in 2020 like Andrew Benintendi or Khris Davis

Aug 18, 2020 • 0:01

Tatis, Nuñez, Aguilar — Are we buying their hot starts?

Tatis, Nuñez, Aguilar — Are we buying their hot starts?

On this episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Yahoo's Fred Zinkie joins Scott Pianowski to discuss the hot starts and strategy changes that have jumped out in the early part of the 2020 MLB season.[Create or Join a 2020 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball League for free today!]The early few weeks of the 2020 MLB season has brought us 7-inning doubleheaders, middle relievers stealing wins from starters, dwindling steals and relievers splitting up the saves. Scott and Fred discuss how to adapt your f

Aug 11, 2020 • 1:06:37

What to learn from small sample sizes and finding the next edge

What to learn from small sample sizes and finding the next edge

Hello and welcome to the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast! Yahoo's Scott Pianowski and fantasy baseball pioneer Ron Shandler discuss what to focus on and what to ignore when it comes to stats in a short season, what predictions get wrong and their favorite out of nowhere fantasy seasons..[Create or Join a 2020 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball League for free today!]Since the season is 60% shorter, it's tough to ignore early slumps when it comes to players. Scott and Ron discuss what to focus on and what to

Aug 4, 2020 • 0:01

Early returns, closer conundrums, and baseball is back, but for how long?

Early returns, closer conundrums, and baseball is back, but for how long?

Hello and welcome to the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast! Yahoo's Scott Pianowski and baseball writer Joe Sheehan from Sports Illustrated and Baseball America discuss the first (only?) week of the 2020 MLB Season, what the Miami Marlins situation could mean for the rest of baseball, what teams stand out early and whether the closer role is slowly going away for good.[Create or Join a 2020 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball League for free today!]Is it over before it began? With the Miami Marlins facing an ou

Jul 29, 2020 • 1:13:32

Season Preview: 30 teams in 30ish minutes

Season Preview: 30 teams in 30ish minutes

On this episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Yahoo's Scott Pianowski and Dalton Del Don take a trip around the horn to preview every single team in Major League Baseball for opening week.[Create or Join a 2020 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball League for free today!]NL East, are we undervaluing the defending champions in Washington? (02:10)NL Central, Ryan Braun is not the only sleeper hitter in Milwaukee. (10:00)NL West, even in a short season, the Dodgers look like a lock for another playoff ru

Jul 21, 2020 • 0:01

Cold feet around starting pitching and injury-prone players

Cold feet around starting pitching and injury-prone players

On this episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Yahoo's Fred Zinkie joins Scott Pianowski as we make our way toward opening day of the 2020 MLB Season to talk rule changes they're implementing in a short season, why the recent focus on starting pitching early in drafts might be wrong and how they'll handle players who are recently injured.[Create or Join a 2020 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball League for free today!]To re-draft or not re-draft your leagues, that is the question. Scott and Fred disc

Jul 14, 2020 • 0:01

Ranking Mike Trout, league changes, pitching strategy and bold predictions

Ranking Mike Trout, league changes, pitching strategy and bold predictions

On this week's episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podast, Yahoo’s Andy Behrens sits in for Scott PIanowski and is joined by Razzball's B_Don to discuss what to do about Mike Trout in the rankings, league rules to consider changing during a shortened season, why relievers might be more valuable in 2020 and a few bold predictions.[Create or Join a 2020 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball League for free today!]With the news that perennial MVP candidate Mike Trout could miss at least a portion of a

Jul 7, 2020 • 0:00

Winners and losers in a short season

Winners and losers in a short season

On this week's episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski and Mike Oz, Yahoo Baseball Writer and proud Fresno resident, discuss the winners and losers from a proposed short baseball season, how they're shuffling the top of their starting pitching rankings, Mike's Old Baseball Card series, and more.And with a nod to Mike Oz's radio show, we’ll wrap up the show with a draft of our favorite rap artists in history.Please remember to rate, review and subscribe on

Jun 30, 2020 • 0:00

Can baseball be fixed?

Can baseball be fixed?

On this week's episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Scott Pianowski and Yahoo's national baseball writer Hannah Keyser discuss the long and winding road to the 2020 MLB season, whether the increased focus on home runs is ruining the sport, why starting extra innings with a runner on second base is a terrible idea and how Sex and the City exemplifies our relationship with baseballAnd we’ll wrap up the show with a draft of our favorite condiments. Do not be fooled by ketchup's

Jun 23, 2020 • 0:01

Baseball's elephant in the room and greatest letters draft

Baseball's elephant in the room and greatest letters draft

On this week's episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski and D.B. Firstman, author of Hall of Name, discuss how they got started in their writing careers and broke into writing about baseball, fantasy baseball alternatives like scoresheet, how baseball can be more inclusive toward people of all genders and whether or not we'll see baseball before the year 2022 at this point.And we’ll wrap up the show with a draft of our favorite letters. We promise it'll be more fun

Jun 16, 2020 • 1:01:11

Short season debates, what to learn from football and best sports gear

Short season debates, what to learn from football and best sports gear

On this week's episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski and Dalton Del Don have a few debates around the (hopefully upcoming) 2020 MLB season.First up, Dalton and Scott discuss the elephant in the room, what's our confidence level on Major League Baseball settling its labor dispute and starting a season this year? (03:00)And, should we worry about the randomness and small sample size a shorter season will bring? (06:00)Should we focus on pitching or hittin

Jun 8, 2020 • 0:00

Baseball's labor dispute and retro draft strategy

Baseball's labor dispute and retro draft strategy

On this episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, Fred Zinkie stops by to discuss baseball's ongoing labor dispute and what they've learned about fantasy baseball strategy from their recent retro season fantasy drafts.Scott and Fred also talk in depth about the current state of affairs and standoff between MLB and its players. Will we have an MLB season? And if so, with a likely season being shortened in some form or fashion, what are some strategies fantasy players can implement?And how sh

Jun 2, 2020 • 50:07

Dissecting Moneyball's legacy and the best Philip Seymour Hoffman movies

Dissecting Moneyball's legacy and the best Philip Seymour Hoffman movies

As Major League Baseball inches closer to a return to the field, we're taking a quick break from our usual focus on fantasy baseball for a class on sports films and baseball history.Yahoo's Scott Pianowski and Andy Behrens recently watched Moneyball, the Michael Lewis book turned Aaron Sorkin film about the 2002 Oakland Athletics and its General Manager, Billy Beane. It's worth your time if you haven't seen it, but there is a lot the book and film get wrong about the team and the time in basebal

May 19, 2020 • 56:51

The 'Greatest League' and the less great siblings

The 'Greatest League' and the less great siblings

We got a bit of a throwback episode for you baseball history buffs, Yahoo’s Andy Behrens joins Scott Pianowski to talk about their draft with our friends over at Rotoworld for ‘The Greatest League.’If you haven’t heard about the concept already, the basic idea is that you can draft the best individual seasons of any baseball player since 1980. Any player, any season, but a player can only be drafted once. Once rosters are set, Rotoworld plans on simulating an entire season on WhatIfSports.

May 14, 2020 • 0:01

A universal DH, the Rockies outside Coors, and fav fantasy strategies

A universal DH, the Rockies outside Coors, and fav fantasy strategies

Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski chats with Elite Fantasy’s Vlad Sedler about the growing optimism around a 2020 MLB season, how rumors of a universal DH could impact the fantasy landscape, and some of the big picture fantasy baseball strategies they’ve relied on over the years.Leading off, Scott and Vlad look at some of the players they might bump up their draft boards if the National League adopts a designated hitter — either for the 2020 season or permanently. (01:17)If baseball adopts a one, two, or

May 5, 2020 • 1:01:37

Guys I like and don't like with Rotowire's Scott Jenstad

Guys I like and don't like with Rotowire's Scott Jenstad

Rotowire's Scott Jenstad joins Scott Pianowski to talk over how a baseball season in flux is changing his draft rankings, some of the guys he likes and doesn't like at their current price tags, and debates who are the best coaches in sports since 1990 — apologies to Red Auerbach fans.Scott's standouts include a trifecta of mid-tier third basemen: Matt Chapman, Josh Donaldson and Mike Moustakas (8:00), podcast fav Cavan Biggio (13:10), former fantasy first-rounder Javier Baez (27:39), and of the

Apr 28, 2020 • 59:10

20 players to target in your fantasy drafts

20 players to target in your fantasy drafts

Last week, we told you about the players to eschew at each position in your upcoming baseball drafts. This week, Yahoo's Scott Pianowski and Fangraphs Editor (+ avid Twitch streamer) Paul Sporer discuss the best values on the draft board at each position. We know we don't need to tell you that Mike Trout is worth drafting, this episode is all about the mid-to-late round guys that have a chance to provide a healthy ROI on your draft pick.First Basemen (04:47)Second Basemen (09:20)Shortstops (18:0

Apr 20, 2020 • 0:01

20 players to avoid in your fantasy drafts

20 players to avoid in your fantasy drafts

Scott Pianowski is joined this week by Yahoo's fantasy expert (and resident TV and film critic) Dalton Del Don to talk about players at every position you should consider not drafting at their current ADPs in fantasy drafts. Apologies in advance to Houston Astros fans.Starting Pitchers (02:55)First Basemen (11:31)Second Basemen (15:18)Shortstops (18:36)Third Basemen (20:56)Catchers (25:10)Closers (28:47)Outfield (33:57)The guys close out the show by drafting their favorite endings to five movies

Apr 13, 2020 • 0:00

Punting saves, SS saviors, and Toronto's Youth Movement

Punting saves, SS saviors, and Toronto's Youth Movement

Scott Pianowski is joined this week by friend of the pod Fred Zinkie to talk about shifting strategy in a likely shortened baseball season, a quandry most fantasy owners are facing, and Fred's recent Tout Wars and Yahoo Friends and Family drafts.The guys discuss how a shorter season could put pressure on older players who might get off to a slow start. (2:30)Fred recently wrapped up an NL-only auction draft for Tout Wars and went heavy on shortstops, drafting Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis, Jr., a

Apr 6, 2020 • 58:12

The greatest seasons of all time, short season strategy, and more

The greatest seasons of all time, short season strategy, and more

Yahoo's very own Andy Behrens joins Scott Pianowski to talk over their recent Tout Wars auction draft, how to approach prospects with the possibility of a shorter season, and why Scooby Doo would make an excellent companion during isolation.The guys first talk about Andy's recent Tout Wars auction draft, a 12-team points league. Even though Andy isn't the biggest fan of points leagues, he shares why he targeted premium corner infielders like Freddie Freeman and Kris Bryant going into the draft.

Mar 31, 2020 • 52:12

Breaking down auction drafts, the Coors effect and more

Breaking down auction drafts, the Coors effect and more

On this episode, Gene McCaffrey from The Athletic joins our own Scott Pianowski to break down their recent Tout Wars auction draft, how to approach advanced stats and the increase in power, the Colorado Rockies latest attempt to soothe their Coors hangover on the road, and more.The guys begin with breaking down the results of their recent Tout Wars auction, a 15-team mixed league draft. Gene made a big move early taking Mets pitcher Jacob DeGrom for $50. That was $10 more than fellow ace Gerrit

Mar 23, 2020 • 49:31

Drafting Pitchers & Players Who Benefit From the Delayed Season

Drafting Pitchers & Players Who Benefit From the Delayed Season

On this episode, Alex Fast of PitcherList.com joins our own Scott Pianowski to break down all things pitchers. The guys begin with their draft strategy with a delayed and truncated season and how it affects the player pool. Which guys should rise up your draft board and benefit from the delay? (3:35)Alex and Scott move to the mound and ask what is their pitcher type in fantasy? (7:50) Also, what is the best stat to evaluate pitchers and how has CSW rate changed the analytics game? (14:43)From st

Mar 17, 2020 • 58:03

2020 win total over/under best bets and Cy Young & MVP long-shots

2020 win total over/under best bets and Cy Young & MVP long-shots

In a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast first, Scott Pianowski enlists Dalton Del Don to take a brief detour from their regularly scheduled fantasy advice into the world of betting and MLB futures – just in time for the 2020 regular season.The guys go division-by-division, breaking down each team's over/under win totals as put out by our partners at BetMGM. Mixing in some fantasy advice with some betting prognostication, they give their thoughts on which teams are likely to beat those win total

Mar 9, 2020 • 0:00

DeGrom vs. Cole, Yankees lineup uncertainty & Dodgers' dual closers

DeGrom vs. Cole, Yankees lineup uncertainty & Dodgers' dual closers

Fantasy Baseball draft season continues and Scott Pianowski is joined this week by Rotoworld's D.J. Short to talk about a conundrum many fantasy owners are facing in the first round of their drafts: should Jacob DeGrom or Gerrit Cole be the first starting pitcher off the board?The guys discuss the case for each of the two New York pitchers and the other starters you may consider in the first round (1:45). The conversation naturally turns to the other star Mets pitcher, Noah Syndergaard. What do

Mar 3, 2020 • 52:49

Spring training fantasy questions: avoiding the Astros & Nolan Arenado?

Spring training fantasy questions: avoiding the Astros & Nolan Arenado?

Spring training play has begun in Florida and Arizona and Scott Pianowski is joined by Fred Zinkie to kick off fantasy baseball season by checking in on a disastrous offseason for the Houston Astros and Major League Baseball.Before they dive into the 2020 season in earnest, Scott & Fred discuss a change in the winds of fantasy baseball: how more and more leagues are ditching the classic rotisserie scoring and adopting head-to-head rules. Should you give a head-to-head league a try? (1:20)The guy

Feb 24, 2020 • 51:55

Closing out the season, playoffs preview and top 10 Yankees

Closing out the season, playoffs preview and top 10 Yankees

162 games for each team are in the books and most fantasy trophies have been handed out; the only suspense left in the 2019 season is who will take the World Series?Joe Sheehan of Sports Illustrated joins Scott Pianowski for a final debrief of the 2019 season. They begin by questioning the shape of the game in 2019 as well as the shape of the baseball (1:25). Is the juiced-ball era a blip on the radar or an evolution towards something different?Moving from real-life baseball to fantasy baseball,

Sep 30, 2019 • 59:01

2019 takeaways and a 2020 mock draft

2019 takeaways and a 2020 mock draft

As the 2019 MLB regular season and most fantasy leagues draw to a close, Scott Pianowski is joined by Gene McCaffrey of The Athletic to take a look back at the year that was and set sights on the year ahead. This episode, Scott & Gene deliver some of their major takeaways from the 2019 season including:- why you shouldn't over-react to off years from good pitchers (3:50)- taking note of the growing divide between the good teams and bad teams (8:00)- why you should potentially invest in riskier m

Sep 16, 2019 • 52:59

Verlander's no-hitter and projecting next year's best pitchers

Verlander's no-hitter and projecting next year's best pitchers

In a crazy holiday weekend across sports as pro and college football began their autumn grasp of the American sports fan's psyche, the performance of the weekend was on the mound. Scott Pianowski is joined by Paul Sporer of Fangraphs to discuss Justin Verlander's no-hitter on Sunday in Toronto (0:50).The pitcher talk continues as Scott asks Paul to run through his preliminary top 30 pitchers list for 2020 and in addition to Verlander, the guys discuss Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole, Noah Syndergaard

Sep 2, 2019 • 0:01

Combating late August fantasy fatigue and replacing José Ramírez

Combating late August fantasy fatigue and replacing José Ramírez

We're a week away from Labor Day and for lots of fantasy owners, football is becoming more top of mind. Inspired by the boredom the Los Angeles Dodgers displayed over the weekend against the New York Yankees, Scott Pianowski is joined by Yahoo's own Fred Zinkie to discuss ways to combat the late-summer boredom that strikes fantasy baseball owners (2:50).Next, Scott & Fred chat about the Indians' José Ramírez and his broken hand that will sideline him for the rest of the season. How does that

Aug 26, 2019 • 0:01

Toronto's young bats & Kershaw's old arm

Toronto's young bats & Kershaw's old arm

With the 2019 regular season winding to a close and September call-ups looming, Scott Pianowski is joined by Rob Silver of Baseball Prospectus and the Launch Angle Podcast to look back at the year's most discussed rookie: Vlad Guerrero, Jr.The guys talk about how his draft value panned out for fantasy owners, what his 2020 could look like and also take a look at the Blue Jay's emerging young bats in Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio and Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. (10:00)Transitioning to the NL, Scott & Rob di

Aug 19, 2019 • 1:02:15

Evaluating Statcast numbers and updating projections for Leake, Greinke and Bauer

Evaluating Statcast numbers and updating projections for Leake, Greinke and Bauer

With Scott Pianowski hitting the links this weekend on a much-needed vacation, Yahoo Fantasy's ultimate utility guy Dalton Del Don takes over the podcast for the week.He's joined by Derek Carty of ESPN and RotoGrinders and the creator of The Bat projection system to talk about some of the trends he's been seeing this season and how he's updated some of his projections since his last podcast appearance.First, they chat about the crazy numbers put up this weekend by Lucas Giolito and Aristides Aqu

Aug 12, 2019 • 46:27

Recapping the trade deadline, plus boons and banes from both leagues

Recapping the trade deadline, plus boons and banes from both leagues

With the trade deadline in the rear view mirror, fantasy owners can focus on their own league trade deadlines (if they haven't passed already) and settle in for the home stretch of the season.Patrick Davitt of BaseballHQ joins Scott Pianowski this week to discuss how the majors reshuffled last week and then gives some hitters and pitchers from both leagues that could be a boon or a bane this upcoming week.Before they dive into the players who actually moved this year, Scott and Patrick chat abou

Aug 5, 2019 • 1:03:07

"Selective aggression" and how to play fantasy baseball like a poker pro

"Selective aggression" and how to play fantasy baseball like a poker pro

Despite the fact that the 2019 MLB trade deadline is a mere days away, the teams have been suspiciously quiet on the transaction market. With far too few trades to report on, today's episode is devoted to the game theory aspect of fantasy baseball.Scott Pianowski is joined by Sammy Reid of RotoGrinders to talk about his experiences playing poker full-time and how all fantasy owners can apply poker strategy and game theory to their seasonal leagues (2:15).Next, Scott and Sammy talk about fantasy

Jul 29, 2019 • 1:00:38

Bay Area updates: A's pitching check-in and will the Giants buy or sell?

Bay Area updates: A's pitching check-in and will the Giants buy or sell?

With the trade deadline fast approaching for both major league teams and fantasy teams, Scott Pianowski welcomes Bay Area native and Rotowire columnist Scott Jenstad to the show to update on the Giants and A's, two teams that could be active as they make their final playoff pushes.Before they get to the NorCal teams, they first dip down to San Diego to chat about Manuel Margot, Wil Meyers and the crowded Padres outfield (2:30).Next Pianow talks about his rough summer on the Kevin Gausman roller

Jul 22, 2019 • 1:15:04

Trading season is upon us and solving the anomaly of starting pitching in the juiced ball era

Trading season is upon us and solving the anomaly of starting pitching in the juiced ball era

The 2019 All-Star break is over, commemorating baseball's unofficial mid-way point and that means one thing for fantasy owners and real GMs alike: it's trading season.Scott Pianowski invites Yahoo Sports' very own lead NFL connoisseur Frank Schwab to shed the pigskin for the day and talk some fantasy baseball before the football season kicks into full gear. They start the conversation with the major strategic differences between fantasy baseball and football and why baseball tends to reward more

Jul 15, 2019 • 1:22:59

First-half fantasy takeaways at the All-Star break

First-half fantasy takeaways at the All-Star break

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 s

Jul 8, 2019 • 1:03:54

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

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

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

Jul 1, 2019 • 0:01

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

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

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 p

Jun 24, 2019 • 58:16

Making sense of Encarnación to the Yankees and that Padres-Rockies series

Making sense of Encarnación to the Yankees and that Padres-Rockies series

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 b

Jun 17, 2019 • 55:39

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

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

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

Jun 11, 2019 • 0:01

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

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

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

Jun 3, 2019 • 1:24:45

Second chance drafting the remainder of the 2019 season

Second chance drafting the remainder of the 2019 season

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 u

May 28, 2019 • 1:08:21

Going FAAB-crazy and talking trade strategy with Fred Zinkie

Going FAAB-crazy and talking trade strategy with Fred Zinkie

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

May 20, 2019 • 0:00

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

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

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 Detroi

May 13, 2019 • 1:10:31

Have replay, rest & advanced stats gone too far?

Have replay, rest & advanced stats gone too far?

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 bas

May 7, 2019 • 0:00

Checking in on the AL East with Jonah Keri of The Athletic & Sportsnet

Checking in on the AL East with Jonah Keri of The Athletic & Sportsnet

Yahoo Sports’ Scott Pianowski is joined by Jonah Keri of The Athletic and Sportsnet to take a closer look at one of the most puzzling divisions so far this season - the AL East.First off, in Toronto, it’s time for VLAD VLAD VLAD VLAD. Also, is this the Marcus Stroman year we’re been waiting for? (3:40)They check in on one of baseball’s most pleasant surprises, the Tampa Bay Rays. Scott wonders why he doesn’t take their over every single year, plus Diaz, Lowe, the bullpen, Glasnow… (18:

Apr 29, 2019 • 0:01

Time to panic about struggling aces?

Time to panic about struggling aces?

It was a rough weekend if you were in a particular group of major league pitchers...or if you owned one of them in your fantasy league. Jacob deGrom gave up 3 runs in 5 innings to the Braves, then thought he needed an MRI, then didn't. Max Scherzer got lit up by the Marlins. Gerritt Cole was blasted into a different dimension by the Rangers.Scott Pianowski is joined by Jeff Erickson of Rotowire to grade how panicked fantasy owners should be if they own the likes of deGrom, Scherzer, Cole and Sal

Apr 22, 2019 • 56:19

Are Alonso, Matz and the Mets for real?

Are Alonso, Matz and the Mets for real?

After the 2018 New York Mets got off to a hot start, they cooled into one of the more disappointing teams of last season. Scott Pianowski is joined by D.J. Short of Rotoworld and NBC Sports to discuss the 2019 Mets and if the impressive Aprils out of Pete Alonso and Steven Matz are for real (1:40). They also discuss the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals and what appears to be a crowded NL East race (6:30).Later they dive into D.J.'s latest Waiver Wired column and discus

Apr 15, 2019 • 53:32

How to manage in the era of surging home runs and strikeouts (with SI's Joe Sheehan)

How to manage in the era of surging home runs and strikeouts (with SI's Joe Sheehan)

One of the most dominant trends in the last few years of baseball has been the giant surge in both home runs and strikeouts. As both hitters and pitchers have become more effective at what they do, a sort of boom-or-bust game has emerged. Scott Pianowski is joined by SI's Joe Sheehan to talk about the surge in slugging, expanding rotations and how to manage your fantasy team in this new era (0:55).Later, as the league hits the roughly 10-game mark, Joe talks about this rule of three starts and w

Apr 8, 2019 • 56:11

Chris Sale's rocky opening day, plus 2019 bold predictions with Derek Carty

Chris Sale's rocky opening day, plus 2019 bold predictions with Derek Carty

Opening Day 2019 is in the books and after the first weekend of real MLB action, there are some small sample sizes to ponder over and bold predictions to make. Scott Pianowski is joined by Derek Carty of ESPN and RotoGrinders to talk about the first few games of the season and the methodology behind Derek's projection system, The Bat.They open the show taking a look at the new-look San Diego Padres and the issues with projecting younger players like SS Fernando Tatís Jr.

Apr 1, 2019 • 0:00

Navigating the annoying world of saves, plus the ATL, CHC and LAD starting rotations with Fred Zinkie

Navigating the annoying world of saves, plus the ATL, CHC and LAD starting rotations with Fred Zinkie

MLB Opening Day is just a couple short days away and there's still time to draft your fantasy team (or draft your second, third or fourth one).  Scott Pianowski is joined by Yahoo Sports' resident Canadian, Fred Zinkie, for a conversation about some last major news items and strategies to consider before the first pitch is thrown out on Thursday.[Batter up: Join or create a 2019 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for free today]They start off discussing the newly announced closer for the Arizona Diam

Mar 25, 2019 • 50:50

Auction strategy, the Colorado Rockies and the Cubs and Astros pitching staffs with The Athletic's Gene McCaffrey

Auction strategy, the Colorado Rockies and the Cubs and Astros pitching staffs with The Athletic's Gene McCaffrey

The Athletic's Gene McCaffrey joins Scott Pianowski this week on the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast coming out of their Tout Wars mixed league auction draft over the weekend. They start the episode off with some general auction strategy (0:30) and how it pertains to pitchers like Max Scherzer and Jacob DeGrom (3:50).Also on the show this week:- The differences between fly ball pitchers and ground ball pitchers (8:10)- Breaking down the 2019 Colorado Rockies (9:55)- A deeper look at the Chicago C

Mar 18, 2019 • 49:10

Starting pitcher deep-dive: injuries, strategies and questions galore

Starting pitcher deep-dive: injuries, strategies and questions galore

As April draws near, the list of players who wont be ready for the start of the season seems longer and longer. Clayton Kershaw is very unlikely to make his customary opening day start and on Monday, the Braves confirmed Mike Foltynewicz won't be ready by opening day either. Meanwhile, starting pitchers in general are playing fewer innings overall, which inspired Scott Pianowski and his guest Dalton Del Don this week to dive heavily into some overall pitching strategy for the 2019 fantasy season

Mar 11, 2019 • 51:57

Bryce Harper a Phillie, what to do with Vlad, Jr. and exploring closers and stolen bases

Bryce Harper a Phillie, what to do with Vlad, Jr. and exploring closers and stolen bases

The Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast is finally here and Bryce Harper is finally a Phillie. The 2019 MLB season may now commence.Scott Pianowski is joined by Yahoo Sports' Andy Behrens to discuss what the Philadelphia lineup might look like with the addition of Harper and where he should be drafted now that the uncertainty of where he might play has disappeared (1:50). The guys talk about Blue Jays 3B Vlad Guerrero, Jr., when fantasy owners should draft the prospect and compare him to a young Kris

Mar 4, 2019 • 54:21

The Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast premieres March 4th

The Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast premieres March 4th

Human sports encyclopedia and Yahoo fantasy expert Scott Pianowski hosts The Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Podcast, premiering on Monday, March 4th. Scott will be joined by Yahoo Sports' Andy Behrens and Dalton Del Don, plus a rotating cast of experts and friends from all round the world of fantasy baseball.Subscribe now to download the first episode when it premieres on March 4th and catch new episodes with Scott and the crew every Monday.While you're at it, there's still plenty of time to join a leag

Feb 15, 2019 • 0:47

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