Flags Fly Forever Fantasy Baseball

George Bissell and Mike Gianella banter about Rhys Hoskins hot start, Kyrie Irving traded to Boston, the solar eclipse, an intense episode of Game of Thrones, and then traverse the entire American League from a fantasy perspective.

Players covered extensively include: Andrew Benintendi (7:00), Xander Bogaerts (8:30), Mookie Betts (10:00), Gary Sanchez (14:00), Aaron Judge (17:00), Tim Beckham (21:00), Manny Machado (23:00), Chris Archer (26:00), Josh Donaldson (27:30), Marcus Stroman (30:00), Danny Salazar (34:00), Byron Buxton (39:00), Whit Merrifield (46:00), Eric Hosmer (51:30), Mike Moustakas (53:00), Miguel Cabrera (55:30), Ian Kinsler (59:00), Nicky Delmonico (1:04:00), Andrelton Simmons (1:08:00), Robinson Cano (1:14:00), Shin-Soo Choo (1:17:30) and Khris Davis (1:20:00).

George Bissell, Mike Gianella and Bret Sayre discuss the promotion of Rhys Hoskins (2:00), the league-wide reduction in starting pitcher workloads (10:30), impressive second half surges from Alex Bregman and Yulieski Gurriel (18:00), emergence of Luis Severino and Jimmy Nelson as elite fantasy starters (25:00), impact of the home run surge on draft strategy and roster construction (32:30), and finally dissect first basemen who got off to hot starts, but have faded down the stretch like Eric Thames and Ryan Zimmerman (42:00).

George Bissell, Mike Gianella and Bret Sayre discuss the fantasy implications of every major trade deadline deal including Yu Darvish (5:00), Sonny Gray (9:30), Willie Calhoun (16:00), Jorge Mateo (19:00), Jonathan Lucroy (23:00), A.J. Ramos (30:00), Derek Fisher (31:30) and Shane Greene (33:30). Then, analyze Freddie Freeman’s 2018 value after falling just short of third base eligibility (35:00), potential impact of highly touted prospects Amed Rosario (40:00) and Ozzie Albies (44:00), and finally empty the listener mailbag with questions regarding Carlos Gonzalez, Odubel Herrera, Victor Robles, Kyle Schwarber, Matt Chapman and Brian McCann (46:00).

Intro: That Fleeting World, “The Alchemist”

Outro: Silent Partner, “Chances”

Rotoworld senior baseball writer DJ Short joins the pod to discuss the fantasy impact of Clayton Kershaw’s back injury (3:00), promotion of elite prospects Yoan Moncada and Rafael Devers (7:00), his experience as a rookie in the Tout Wars Mixed expert league (16:00), the importance of staying vigilant on the waiver wire (25:00), AL/NL-only league FAAB strategies at the trade deadline (28:30), and finally speculate which players could be dealt this week including Sonny Gray, Yu Darvish, Addison Reed, Brad Hand, Zach Britton, and more (36:00).

Chris Towers of CBS Sports joins the pod to discuss the fantasy implications of the latest trade deadline moves including J.D. Martinez to Arizona (5:00), Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle to Washington (17:30), Jose Quintana to the Cubs (20:00), and Todd Frazier to the Yankees (23:00). He also discusses his affinity for Reds rookie starter Luis Castillo (28:00), TINSTAAPP (36:00), the key components and metrics he uses to evaluate young pitchers (38:00), the difference between command and control (42:00), and how to balance prepping for the upcoming fantasy football season without abandoning your fantasy baseball squad (44:00).

George, Bret and Mike deliberate several controversial rankings on the updated TDG Top 500 dynasty list including Aaron Judge (5:00), Miguel Cabrera (12:30) and Ronald Acuna (15:00). Then dive into BP’s midseason valuations update to discuss second-half expectations for Jose Ramirez (20:00), Carlos Correa (23:00), Manny Machado (29:00), Chris Sale (31:30), Corey Kluber (33:00), Jacob Faria vs. Alex Cobb (36:00), Justin Verlander (38:00), Travis Shaw (41:30), Joey Votto (44:00), Adam Duvall (47:00), Justin Turner (49:30), Trea Turner (53:30), Jonathan Villar (58:00), Zack Greinke (1:00:00), Jimmy Nelson (1:01:00), Jon Lester (1:02:00), and Brock Stewart (1:05:00).

George Bissell brings on Jeffrey Paternostro, BP’s senior prospect writer, to discuss the BP Midseason Top 50 prospects list including the meteoric rise of Sixto Sanchez (8:00), challenges associated with ranking pitching prospects (12:00), Walker Buehler’s prodigious stuff and future role (14:00), Brendan Rodgers absurd first half performance (16:00), potential fantasy superstars Ronald Acuna and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (18:30), the offensive upside and lingering questions with Bo Bichette (21:30), and why Francisco Mejia is now an elite prospect (23:00).

Then, Eric Roseberry #FriendOfThePod stops by to draft the biggest second half fantasy storylines including expectations for Mike Trout (31:00), the long-term impact of the home run surge (34:00), being wrong about Adam Duvall (37:00), the gap between Chris Sale, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw and every other starter (46:00), expectations for AJ Pollock (51:00), fantasy monster Justin Turner (55:00), potential trade deadline movers like JD Martinez and Jose Quintana (59:30), the Jimmy Nelson post-hype breakout (1:07:00), and the unexpected struggles of the Cubs (1:10:00) and Dellin Betances (1:14:00).

George Bissell, Mike Gianella and Bret Sayre of Baseball Prospectus discuss the recent promotion of Franklin Barreto (4:32) and the five players they’re each keeping an eye on over the remainder of the season: George Springer (11:00), Hanley Ramirez (18:30), Alex Wood (25:30), Anthony Rendon (30:00), Ryan Zimmerman (34:30), Gary Sanchez (40:00), Josh Harrison (44:00), Odubel Herrera (48:00), Robbie Ray (52:00), Luis Severino & Andrew Miller (56:00), Aaron Nola & Carlos Santana (1:00:00), Cameron Maybin & Chris Taylor (1:03:00).

George Bissell and Mike Gianella discuss the fantasy impact of the league-wide home run surge on the pitching landscape (5:00), how a dramatic shift in Francisco Lindor’s batted ball profile could diminish his fantasy value (17:00), realistic expectations for hot prospects Jacob Faria (23:00), Francis Martes (27:00) and Derek Fisher (45:00), and finally answer a wide variety of listener questions regarding Addison Russell (53:00), Gregory Polanco (59:00), Mike Zunino (1:05:30) and Yasiel Puig (1:07:00).

George Bissell and Mike Gianella are joined by Stacey Gotsulias to discuss the meteoric rise of Aaron Judge (5:00), whether he can sustain this level of elite production and his long-term outlook (10:00), the impact of a healthy Gary Sanchez (15:00), the sudden emergence of Aaron Hicks (18:00), renaissance campaigns from veterans Brett Gardner and Matt Holliday (21:30), the underrated contributions of Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorius (24:30), early impressions of Jordan Montgomery and Masahiro Tanaka (27:00), and finally take a look at the latest batch of expert FAAB acquisitions including Mallex Smith, Lewis Brinson, Matt Albers, Sean Newcomb and Seth Lugo (32:00).