Catcher's Corner

Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome reigning Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) to discuss his detailed spring training tracker. They walk through some of the remaining starting jobs across the league that are up for grabs and could have major fantasy implications. Who is likely to win the job? Are they worth drafting? They discuss it all.

All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify

Rundown

Intro: Where can you read Mike’s work and what he focuses on in spring training

Position Battles to Pay Attention to: Who is Winning a Job?

Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcomes prospect expert and Top Chef superfan James Anderson (@RealJRAnderson) to discuss what factors determine when to draft prospects in redraft leagues. Then they run through a laundry list of prospects and discuss their potential value for 2023. 

All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify

Rundown

Intro: Where can you read James’ work

Rookie strategy: Generally, how comfortable are you taking rookies early in redraft leagues? What are the determining factors in knowing if you will or will not take the plunge?

Players we know will be good but are you in or out at ADP?

Rookie Catchers:

Rookie Pitchers:

Rookie Hitters: 

Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome reigning FWSA Baseball Article of the Year writer John Laghezza (@JohnLaghezza) to discuss his awesome new rankings site. They also discuss what matters and doesn't matter when it comes to Spring Training, look into some Spring Training tidbits to see if they care, and break down some key players from John's rankings. 

All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify

Rundown

John's rankings: what are they and where can you find them?

Spring Training discussion

Spring Training For Real or Fugazi

John’s Stats

Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) talk about pitchers who are debuting new pitches at Spring Training and if it matters to their current value. Then they use guidelines from The Process to create an ideal seven-man starting pitching corps. 

All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify

4:45 - Oswald Peraza spring HR. Is he the starting SS?

7:20 - Which SP with a new pitch interests you the most?

9:15 - Robbie Ray (Splitter)

12:30 - Dylan Cease (Changeup)

19:30 - Joe Ryan (Split-change)

23:15 - Jameson Taillon (Sweeper)

26:50 - Brady Singer (Changeup)

29:10 - Tyler Mahle (Slider)

32:00 - Brad Keller (Curveball)

35:45 - Building our ideal pitching staff with $80 for 7 spots (only $20+ pitchers and $0-$10 pitchers)

38:30 - Sami’s Aces

40:45 - Eric’s Aces

45:45 - Sami’s Remaining Staff

56:00 Eric’s Remaining Staff

Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) are back with Season Three of the Catcher's Corner. They talk about dad stuff, recent breaking news, and an under-the-radar rule change we should be focusing on. Then they dive into the main topic, which is the top-end starting pitchers who are the best bet to return value based on current ADP. 

All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify

Intro (shooting the shit)

4:00 - Why the focus on balks could be a bigger issue than we think

9:00 - What do the Yankees do without Montas?

15:30 - Jacob deGrom side tightness (can you draft him at all?)

17:50 - Lessons we learned from last season and adjustments we’re making

26:22 - break

27:00 - Pitchers with $20 projected value that we’re most AND least interested in at cost

29:25 - Kevin Gausman  (ADP: 60th)

32:15 - Carlos Rodon  (ADP: 42nd)

36:00 -  Joe Musgrove  (ADP: 80th)

38:00 - Lucas Giolito  (ADP: 148th)

44:20 -  Robbie Ray  (ADP: 101st)

47:10 - Sandy Alcantara  (ADP: 27th)

53:00 - Spencer Strider  (ADP: 32nd)

56:00 - Brandon Woodruff  (ADP: 34th)

56:50 - Gerrit Cole  (ADP: 19th)

Eric Samulski (@SamskiNYC) sits down with two-time All-Star and World Series champion Stephen Vogt to talk about his decision to retire this season and 16-year professional baseball career. They talk about the "I Believe in Stephen Vogt" chants, the final at-bat that went viral on social media, and also dive into questions on the players Vogt loved/hated to catch and hit off of and much more. 

As always, all music in this episode is produced by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose music can be found on Spotify. 

With Sami on vacation, Eric welcomes John Laghezza (@MLBMovingAvg) to talk about starting pitchers that interest them for the end of the season. They also talk about the philosophy of baseball and how to “create fishermen” in fantasy baseball by having people think about process and not just results.

All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify

TIMESTAMPS

START - Eric and John talk baseball and creating useful fantasy content. They chat about the value of discussing process: how to find the answers and what to look for and not just focusing on getting the “right” answers. They also talk about adding value to the fantasy space and the value of opening up conversations. 

15:00 - Specific player analysis starts

Second Half Stars: Players we're banking on solid end-of-season performance from (plus some we're not)

Quick Hitters: A quick list of hitters to keep an eye on

Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome Nate Marcum (@natemarcum) of Reliever Recon to discuss what the trade deadline could mean for fantasy relievers. They discuss pitchers most likely to be traded away and who to stash in their place. Then they end with some players they’re fading in the second half and others they’re actively trying to get on their teams.

All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify

Rundown

News and Notes

Trade Deadline Impact on Closers: Who is most likely to be dealt?

Second Half Fades (Players we think are in for rough second haves)

Second Half Optimism (Players we think are in for good second halves)

Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome Chris Torres (@TorresTakes) to discuss whether or not Sami is being replaced on the podcast and what to do about current breaking news, like injuries to Ozzie Albies and Liam Hendriks. Then they discuss the catcher waiver wire landscape and look ahead for which fringe starting hitters have good upcoming weekends. 

All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify

Timestamps

4:00 - Trending News Breakdown

39:00 - Catcher Landscape: We get in on the talk about the current crop of streaming catchers

48:30 - Fringe Starters with Good Weekend Schedules: Are they playable?

Sami (@Believe_Sami) and Eric (@SamskiNYC) welcome Justin Mason (@JustinMasonFWFB) to discuss recent pieces of news and then play a game of Cut or Keep followed by a game of Claim or Lame. This episode has tons of quick-hitting analysis on as many players as we could possibly fit. 

All music in this episode is made by Brooklyn hip-hop artist Dan Dillinger, whose new album can be found on Spotify

Timestamps

4:00 - Top News Stories

21:00 - Cut or Keep

53:45 - Claim or Lame