Flags Fly Forever Fantasy Baseball

George Bissell, Mike Gianella and Bret Sayre of Baseball Prospectus discuss Jose Altuve cementing his elite status (3:00), whether Trea Turner is worthy of a first round investment (6:00), the long-term fantasy outlook at second base (12:30), realistic expectations for Brian Dozier (14:30) and Robinson Cano (18:00), are Dee Gordon (20:00) and DJ LeMahieu (22:30) being undervalued, why fantasy owners should invest in Daniel Murphy with confidence (24:45), balancing risk with Rougned Odor (27:00), are there any reasons for concern with Ian Kinsler (30:00), Jason Kipnis (32:30) or Dustin Pedroia (34:30), the increased value of Logan Forsythe in Los Angeles (39:30), using Javier Baez or Jose Peraza at second base (43:30), and finally reveal their late round “sleeper" picks at the position (46:00).

George Bissell, Mike Gianella and Bret Sayre of Baseball Prospectus discuss the state of the position at first base. Which is more likely for Paul Goldschmidt: a rebound in home runs or stolen base regression (5:00), is Joey Votto being undervalued (9:00), Miguel Cabrera or Anthony Rizzo (15:00), the compelling case against Freddie Freeman in the second round (16:00), Edwin Encarnacion in Cleveland (21:50), a Hanley Ramirez hot take (23:00), the value of steals and realistic expectations for Wil Myers (27:30), is the best of Jose Abreu still ahead (32:00), three star options Carlos Santana, Victor Martinez, Eric Hosmer and Chris Davis (34:00), why Tommy Joseph has a realistic shot at 30 home runs (46:00), and finally potential impacts from prospects Dan Vogelbach, Josh Bell, and Cody Bellinger (51:00).

George Bissell, Mike Gianella and Bret Sayre of Baseball Prospectus kick off the 2017 position preview series with a comprehensive breakdown of fantasy catchers. They discuss the staggering lack of depth and it’s impact on draft strategy (2:00), whether Buster Posey, Jonathan Lucroy and Gary Sanchez are worth the investment at their current average draft position (5:00), reasons for targeting Yasmani Grandal (13:00), realistic expectations for Willson Contreras (17:00), playing time concerns with Evan Gattis (19:00), why Travis d’Arnaud is an incredible value (24:00), the health of Wilson Ramos (28:00), and finally make their one star speculative picks (30:00).

George Bissell and Tim Finnegan of Baseball Prospectus discuss how fantasy owners can use Statcast data like contact quality (2:00) and spin rate (11:00) to improve their player evaluations. Then senior prospect writer Jeff Paternostro stops by to provide an exclusive look at the process behind constructing BP’s Top 101 prospect list (25:00), make a compelling case for Robert Gsellman (43:00), and give his take on the future value of Gary Sanchez and Trea Turner (52:00).

George Bissell and Mike Gianella of Baseball Prospectus take a retrospective look at last year’s mixed league player valuations to analyze the importance of minimizing risk and targeting players with a broad base of skills in the first round (6:00), the impact of declining stolen base totals and the recent home run surge on valuations (9:00), newfound power and depth at middle infield (16:00), undervalued late-round veteran hitters (21:00), why drafting an elite starting pitcher is less of a risk in mixed leagues (26:00), and debate whether relievers are becoming more reliable (35:00).

This episode of Flags Fly Forever is brought to you by Pennant Wars. Pennant Wars is an online baseball simulation game where you call the shots as the GM of your own baseball franchise. Can you build a dynasty? Try for free today at pennantwars.com.

George Bissell of Baseball Prospectus and Alex Chamberlain of RotoGraphs break down the fantasy implications of recent deals involving Chris Sale/Yoan Moncada (4:00), Adam Eaton/Lucas Giolito (13:00), Wade Davis/Jorge Soler (24:00) and discuss a flurry of free agent signings including closers Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon (32:00), Ian Desmond (34:00) and Rich Hill (41:00). Finally, Jake Devereux of BP Boston joins the show to discuss the avalanche of deals involving the Red Sox (50:00), and the top dynasty prospects in fantasy baseball (1:10:00).

This episode of Flags Fly Forever is brought to you by Pennant Wars. Pennant Wars is an online baseball simulation game where you call the shots as the GM of your own baseball franchise. Can you build a dynasty? Try for free today at pennantwars.com.

George Bissell and Mike Gianella of Baseball Prospectus discuss the fantasy impact of Yoenis Cespedes re-signing with the Mets (4:00), Arizona trading Jean Segura to Seattle for Taijuan Walker (6:00), how the league-wide home run surge and decline of stolen bases effected the NL-only landscape from a retrospective player valuation standpoint (11:00), why a stars and scrubs approach to senior circuit hitters isn’t an optimal strategy (14:00), the importance of drafting an ace in NL-only (28:00), projecting Matt Harvey (39:00), and potential sleepers in Jake Thompson and Robert Gsellman (50:00).

This episode of Flags Fly Forever is brought to you by Pennant Wars. Pennant Wars is an online baseball simulation game where you call the shots as the GM of your own baseball franchise. Can you build a dynasty? Try for free today at pennantwars.com.

George Bissell and Mike Gianella of Baseball Prospectus break down the AL-only landscape from a retroactive valuation perspective (5:00), late-career renaissance of Justin Verlander (11:00), likelihood of Rick Porcello replicating his Cy Young campaign (14:00), value of elite relievers like Zach Britton and Andrew Miller (16:00), bounce-back potential for Sonny Gray and Felix Hernandez (23:00), fantasy impact of a league-wide decline in stolen bases juxtaposed by the recent home run surge (31:00), how the power uptick is diminishing the value of elite sluggers who don’t run like Mark Trumbo (42:00) and why Mike Trout, Jose Altuve and Mookie Betts are a cut above the rest in the AL (47:00).

Flags Fly Forever is brought to you by Pennant Wars. Pennant Wars is an online baseball simulation game where you call the shots as the GM of your own baseball franchise. Can you build a dynasty? Try for free today at pennantwars.com.

George Bissell, Mike Gianella and Bret Sayre of Baseball Prospectus take a break from the World Series to reflect on their expert league teams in LABR Mixed (5:10), Tout Wars NL (20:00) and Tout Wars Mixed (28:40).

This episode of Flags Fly Forever is brought to you by Pennant Wars. Pennant Wars is an online baseball simulation game where you call the shots as the GM of your own baseball franchise. Can you build a dynasty? Try for free today at pennantwars.com.

Baseball Prospectus senior prospect evaluator Mauricio Rubio joins George Bissell to discuss his experience scouting fantasy-relevant Midwest League prospects Eloy Jimenez (12:30), Isan Diaz (19:20), Yadier Alvarez (33:30), Sandy Alcantara (37:07), Franklin Perez (40:05) and more.

This episode of Flags Fly Forever is brought to you by Pennant Wars. Pennant Wars is an online baseball simulation game where you call the shots as the GM of your own baseball franchise. Can you build a dynasty? Try for free today at pennantwars.com.