Champ or Chump - Jhoulys Chacin and Yonder Alonso

If you want to know the secret to finding unheralded fantasy assets, the answer could be as simple as looking at poor teams out west. Most media coverage centers on east coast players that the entire country is awake to see. Exceptions might be made for studs like Mike Trout or Clayton Kershaw, but no […]

Champ or Chump - Zack Cozart and Evan Longoria

Fantasy baseball has long been a game of perception. Will Player A continue his hot start or slump back into mediocrity? Are Player B's recent struggles signs of things to come or a temporary blip on the radar? An analysis of each specific player is the best way to answer these questions, but fantasy owners […]

Champ or Chump - Stephen Piscotty and Carlos Santana

As sabermetrics become more widely accepted, analytical stats such as OBP are replacing more luck-based metrics such as batting average in a lot of formats. Playing in leagues like this frequently indicates a willingness to embrace a more realistic approach to the game, but many owners fail to adjust their rankings to their new reality. […]

Champ or Chump - Ian Kinsler and Marcell Ozuna

The last day of the Winter Meetings continued the same trends that had previously categorized them. The Angels added Ian Kinsler to capitalize on the contention window opened when Shohei Ohtani decided to sign there, and Miami continued their fire sale by shipping Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals. A change of scenery should result in […]

Champ or Chump - Dee Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton

In what has become something of a South Florida tradition, the Miami Marlins are again selling everything on their roster in an effort to reduce costs. The team is unlikely to have any established names when the 2018 season starts, setting it up as a land of opportunity for fantasy owners searching for gems on […]

Champ or Chump - Mike Minor and Tyler Chatwood

Now that big names like Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani have moved, it's easy to stop paying attention to the lesser names on the transaction wire. Don't fall into that trap! The most prepared owners frequently perform the best, and everybody will have an educated opinion on guys like Stanton. Spin rate is still beyond […]

Champ or Chump - Brad Boxberger and Welington Castillo

The hot stove has been more of an ice box so far this season, as few moves have been made of any fantasy consequence. This seems poised to change in the near future, as both Shohei Ohtani and Giancarlo Stanton should provide some clarity regarding their intentions before the new year. That said, the two […]

Champ or Chump - Ryon Healy and Doug Fister

Thanksgiving is over, meaning that it is officially time to start preparing for 2018 fantasy baseball drafts! This column usually uses sabermetrics to determine whether a given player is worth his current cost, but draft data isn't reliable this early in the offseason. Instead, we'll do a deep dive on the lesser offseason transactions. Players […]

Reviewing Rick Lucks's Bold Predictions

What’s even more fun than making bold predictions? Looking back at the end of the season to see how good (or so, so hilariously bad) they were. It's my turn to determine if my preseason picks make me a Champ or a Chump. I was terrible this year, so the answer is the latter. Let's […]

Champ or Chump: Chris Archer and Justin Verlander

Way back in March, I wrote a multi-part tutorial on how to use all of the metrics cited in Champ or Chump. I concluded the series by introducing Barrels and Brls/BBE, arguing that the metrics could have been used to predict Chris Carter's 2016 HR title had they been available before the season started. Gary […]

Champ or Chump: Avisail Garcia and Andrew Benintendi

Owners in weekly formats have set their last lineup for the season. The transaction wire for daily formats has likely fallen silent with most of the teams settled into their final place in the standings as well. There are probably a few leagues out there with races going until the final day, but rooting for […]

Champ or Chump: Joe Mauer and Blake Snell

If you play in a weekly league, this weekend is likely your last opportunity to set a lineup before the winner is crowned. There is a widely held belief that you cannot move up in rate stats such as batting average or ERA this late in the season, but you actually can most of the […]

Champ or Chump: Jose Reyes and Jed Lowrie

With only two weeks left in the regular season, it is not an exaggeration to say that anything can happen. Power hitters could hit for a high batting average if the ball bounces their way. A pure speedster could win a league by hitting an unlikely pair of homers on the last day of the […]

Champ or Chump: Yolmer Sanchez & Jeff Samardzija

While it's easy enough to target stats like SB or HR if you need them from the waiver wire, counting stats are a little more challenging to predict. Runs scored in the past are a poor indicator of future performance in the category, especially if a player's real life lineup slot has changed since April. […]

Champ or Chump: Willie Calhoun & Tyler Glasnow

The minor league shuttle continues to deliver players of interest into the fantasy pool. The Rangers are taking a look at Willie Calhoun, a 22-year old bat-first prospect received in the Yu Darvish swap. Meanwhile, the Pirates summoned 24-year old Tyler Glasnow after a dominant stint at Triple-A. He was awful in his previous stint […]

Champ or Chump: Michael A. Taylor & Matt Olson

If somebody with solid season numbers is available on waivers this time of year, you can almost assume that something is awry under the hood. Every team in your league has had to deal with injuries and poor performance at this point, plucking whoever they felt was the best fill-in at the time. How could […]

Champ or Chump: JP Crawford & Cameron Maybin

The list of top prospects given a taste of the major leagues expanded by one last Tuesday night, as the Phillies decided to take a look at shortstop JP Crawford. Anybody with his pedigree deserves fantasy consideration, but his numbers figure to be underwhelming at first. It seemed like we were done analyzing players who […]

Champ or Chump: Paul DeJong & Tommy Pham

September is always a challenging month for this column, as nearly anything can happen in a month-long sample. The production expected based on underlying metrics is still the most likely outcome, but it is impossible to say that it will be realized over the next 30 days. Trade deadlines have also passed in most leagues, […]

Champ or Chump: Luke Weaver & Byron Buxton

I frequently say that the minors are the only place to find impact players on the waiver wire this time of year. That's not entirely true, as a gifted player another owner gave up on may become available to you if he starts looking better. Luke Weaver is a perfect example of the first group: […]

Champ or Chump: Mark Trumbo & Xander Bogaerts

Conventional wisdom says to stick with struggling stars early on in the season. This is sound advice, as most of them live up to the back of their baseball cards eventually. At this point in the season, however, you have to be willing to pull the plug, cut your losses, and accept that you are […]

Champ or Chump: Nick Delmonico & Lucas Giolito

It's easy to stop paying attention to the weaker teams this time of year, as the small portion of media coverage baseball gets with football starting up is devoted exclusively to the pennant races. The weakest teams are arguably the most interesting from a fantasy perspective, however, because they are trying to unearth the gems […]

Champ or Chump: Andrelton Simmons & Tim Beckham

The transactions fantasy owners make this time of year can appear odd in a vacuum, as significantly better players are sometimes dumped in favor of players who only contribute in a category or two. The roster moves make sense when you look at the standings and notice that the team in question only cares about […]

Champ or Chump: Neil Walker & Jonathan Villar

Neil Walker's recent relocation to Milwaukee proves that fantasy relevant names can still be moved after the Trade Deadline. He debuted for his new team as a cleanup hitter playing third base, suggesting that the Brewers intend to shuffle their pieces around on a nightly basis to give their Cinderella season a fairy tale ending. […]

Champ or Chump: Dominic Smith & Rhys Hoskins

Owners looking for first base help were in luck this past week, as both the Mets and the Phillies called up highly regarded prospects. Dominic Smith, age 22, has generated a significant amount of buzz with his Triple-A performance. Rhys Hoskins is a little older (24), but his minor league stat lines would play in […]

Champ or Chump: Lucas Sims & Reynaldo Lopez

If looking for hitters on the waiver wire is a dicey proposition this time of year, finding a worthwhile starting pitcher is a verifiable minefield. Everyone has been looking for pitching all season, and there just hasn't been enough of it to go around. Owners in need of arms should still look to recent call-ups […]

Champ or Chump: Amed Rosario & Ozzie Albies

Relying on the waiver wire can be a dicey proposition this time of year. All of the season's surprises have already been claimed, leaving you with your choice of the guys that nobody else wants. Outside of a closer switch, the only way for an impact player to be available on waivers now is a […]

Champ or Chump: Sonny Gray & Yu Darvish

The Trade Deadline dust has finally settled, leaving a brand new fantasy landscape in its wake. Jonathan Lucroy will try to rebuild his fantasy value at altitude, so he should be a Champ over the rest of the season despite his struggles. Alex Avila becomes a Chump with the Cubs, as he remains in the […]

Champ or Chump: Lucas Duda and Jeremy Hellickson

If teams keep completing this many trades, the actual deadline will be boring. The Mets acquired Marlins closer A.J. Ramos, whose fantasy stock now depends on whether Addison Reed gets moved to open up the ninth inning. The Rockies added Pat Neshek to their pen, a ballpark change that makes him a clear Chump. The Rays […]

Champ or Chump: Rafael Devers & Eduardo Nunez

Deals have continued coming in, with the focus again on relievers. Anthony Swarzak becomes a Chump with his trade to Milwaukee after looking like a possible saves candidate when David Robertson was moved. Kansas City acquired three arms: Trevor Cahill remains a Champ with increased win potential, Brandon Maurer becomes a Chump after losing saves, […]

Champ or Chump: Luis Castillo & Scooter Gennett

It can be tempting to focus exclusively on the trade market this time of year, but it may also be your last chance to add a significant piece via the waiver wire. Sellers are especially likely to give different players playing time over the next few weeks, creating one last wave of worthwhile waiver pickups […]