Sam Chinitz

I am a lifelong baseball fan and six-year fantasy veteran with an interest in sabermetrics and advanced analytics. My knowledge and passion for baseball has given me an edge and made me a consistent top tier manager in a competitive fantasy league. @fbb_sc

  • Entertainment
    AL Player Analysis - April 15, 2021

    Kenta Maeda (SP - MIN) Maeda was solid on Wednesday, allowing three runs (one earned) over 4.1 innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Although Maeda hasn't been quite as dominant as he was last season so far this year,...

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    AL Player Analysis - April 7, 2021

    Robbie Grossman (OF - DET) Grossman picked up a pair of hits and walked once against the Twins on Tuesday, picking up his first hits of the season. It's still very early, but Grossman's (relative) power burst from last season...

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    NL Player Analysis - April 3, 2021

    Pablo Lopez (SP - MIA) Lopez pitched well on Friday, shutting the Rays out over five innings with four strikeouts. The Marlins had somewhat of a quick hook for Lopez on Friday as he was removed after 77 pitches, and...

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    Preseason Prep - March 12, 2021

    Houston Astros Will Yuli Gurriel Bounce Back? Gurriel has had a streaky MLB career since his first full season in 2017, with his two most recent seasons highlighting his volatility. Gurriel was one of the more productive MLB hitters in...

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    Preseason Prep - February 25, 2021

    Seattle Mariners 2020's Silent Starting Pitcher Breakout I wrote about Kikcuhi's potential 2020 breakout, subsequent performance, and 2021 takeaways at various points last season, and my overall thoughts haven't changed much since then. Kikuchi finished the 2020 season with an...

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    Preseason Prep - February 16, 2021

    Myles Straw, Starting Center Fielder? Myles Straw (OF - HOU): Stolen bases have become extremely scarce in fantasy baseball relative to other categories, and that's especially true in later rounds. Myles Straw is an outlier in that regard, owning a...

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    NL Player Analysis - September 24, 2020

    Orlando Arcia (SS) - MIL Arcia went 1-for-3 with a double against the Reds on Wednesday. I wrote about Arcia and his silent breakout on offense two weeks ago, and he's worth revisiting before the end of the season. Arcia's...

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    AL Player Analysis - September 19, 2020

    Alex Verdugo (OF) - BOS Verdugo went 1-for-2 with a single and a strikeout before leaving Friday's game with a hamstring injury that may sideline him for the remainder of the season. Verdugo has played well so far this season...

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    AL Player Analysis - September 14, 2020

    Hunter Renfroe (OF) - TB Hunter Renfroe went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and a strikeout against the Red Sox on Sunday. Renfroe has struggled all season with a .160/.234/.420 slash line coming into Sunday's game, and he'll have...

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    NL Player Analysis - September 10, 2020

    Trevor Bauer (SP) - CIN Bauer was fantastic against the Cubs on Wednesday, holding the team to only three hits (no walks) over 7.2 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts while bringing his ERA down to a minuscule 1.74 for the...

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    AL Player Analysis - September 5, 2020

    Ross Stripling (SP) - TOR Stripling allowed three runs (two earned) over 4.1 innings against the Red Sox on Friday. Stripling has struggled so far this season with a 5.61 ERA through his first seven starts, and his curveball has...

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    AL Player Analysis - August 31, 2020

    Jose Iglesias (SS - BAL) Iglesias went 2-for-5 with an RBI against the Blue Jays on Sunday. A brief stint on the injured list is the only blemish on what has otherwise been a terrific season at the plate from...

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    NL Player Analysis - August 27, 2020

    Josh Bell (1B - PIT) Bell's miserable start to the season continued on Wednesday with the first baseman going hitless with two strikeouts over four at-bats. Wednesday's performance brought Bell's batting average down to .189 and his OPS down to...

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    AL Player Analysis - August 22, 2020

    Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B/3B - TOR) Guerrero clubbed a 116 mph home run against the Rays on Friday. Guerrero fell short of lofty expectations last season with a .772 OPS over 123 games, and he's struggled so far this season...

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    AL Player Analysis - August 17, 2020

    Edwin Encarnacion (1B - CHW) Encarnacion's poor start to the season continued on Sunday, with the 37-year-old going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts while bringing full-season batting average down to .149 and his OPS to .460. Nothing is encouraging...

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    NL Player Analysis - August 13, 2020

    Kole Calhoun (OF - ARI) Calhoun continued his productive play on Wednesday with a 3-for-6 game, bringing his full-season OPS to .834. Quietly a solid power hitter, Calhoun clubbed 33 home runs last season and is probably under-rostered with an...

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    AL Player Analysis - August 8, 2020

    Christian Vazquez (C - BOS) Vazquez went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts against the Blue Jays on Friday. Vazquez has been off to a hot start this season, but fantasy players should expect a sharp decline in his performance...

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    AL Player Analysis - August 3, 2020

    Carlos Santana (1B - CLE) Santana was one of the best values in fantasy baseball last season with a .281/.397/.515 slash line, but he's struggled so far this season with a .188 batting average and .631 OPS after a hitless...

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    NL Player Analysis - July 30, 2020

    Madison Bumgarner (SP - ARI) Bumgarner turned in a decent performance on Wednesday with two runs and five strikeouts over 5.1 innings, but fantasy owners should be concerned with the 30-year-old's velocity. Bumgarner's fastball averaged just under 88 mph and...

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    AL Player Analysis - July 25, 2020

    Hyun-Jin Ryu (SP - TOR) Ryu rode elite batted ball quality and control to a 2.32 ERA last season but pitched poorly on Friday, allowing three runs and seven baserunners over 4.2 innings. Ryu's reliance on defense might worry some...

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    Preseason Prep - July 17, 2020

    Seattle Mariners Yusei Kikuchi Kikuchi left a lot to be desired in his rookie season with a 5.46 ERA and a 5.71 FIP over 32 starts, but several factors are in place for the 29-year-old to break out in 2020....

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    Preseason Prep - March 10th, 2020

    Houston Astros Lance McCullers Jr. McCullers has never pitched in more than 130 innings in a season, but it's hard not to get excited about his career 3.24 FIP and 17.3% K-BB%. Over the past couple of seasons, McCullers introduced...

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    Fantasy Baseball Player Notes - February 27, 2020

    Houston Astros Jose Altuve Altuve managed to post a .298/.353/.550 slash line last season, but his 33 ADP is nearly 20 picks later than it was last season. While Altuve may not be as good as he was in 2017...

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    Preseason Player Notes - February 18, 2020

    Taijuan Walker Walker lost nearly all of the past two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he has a real chance to produce solid fantasy value with the Mariners. Walker posted his best full season as a starter in...

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    NL Player Analysis - September 26, 2016

    Joey Votto Votto went 0-3 with a pair of strikeouts against the Brewers on Wednesday. Votto has had a relatively forgettable 2019 campaign, and the 35-year-old is set to post his first major league season with an OPS below .800....

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    AL Player Analysis - September 21, 2019

    Hunter Dozier Dozier went 1-4 against the Twins on Friday. A popular sleeper pick entering the season, Dozier has paid off for fantasy owners and took an .884 OPS into Friday's game. Dozier pairs solid contact skills (90.6% z-contact rate,...

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    NL Player Analysis - September 14, 2018

    Eric Thames Thames went 0-3 with a pair of strikeouts against the Cardinals on Friday. Thames has struggled lately (.536 OPS in the last week) and tends to sit against lefties, but fantasy owners should be buying into him as...

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    NL Player Analysis - September 7, 2019

    Zach Eflin Eflin allowed two runs over five innings with six strikeouts and no walks against the Mets on Friday. Eflin has bounced in and out of the Phillies' rotation this year, and the 25-year-old took a middling 4.33 ERA...

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    NL Player Analysis - September 3, 2019

    Gavin Lux Lux made his major league debut on Monday with a 2-5, three-run performance, and the top prospect is generally expected to enjoy a strong month with the Dodgers. Although the Max Muncy injury probably didn't hurt Lux's chances...

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    NL Player Analysis - August 29, 2019

    Nick Castellanos Castellanos went 1-4 with a home run against the Mets on Wednesday. Castellanos has had a solid season so far but has been particularly hot since joining the Cubs at the trade deadline and owns a 1.114 OPS...

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    AL Player Analysis - August 24, 2019

    Matthew Boyd Boyd had his start pushed back to Sunday after the Tigers shuffled their rotation. Boyd owns a middling 4.24 ERA on the year, but his stellar 31.4% and 5.8% strikeout and walk rates, respectively, have kept him fantasy...

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    NL Player Analysis - August 17, 2019

    Kris Bryant Bryant went 1-4 and struck out against the Pirates on Friday. Bryant has played well this year and took a .921 OPS into Friday's game. Daily players may want to avoid Bryant in the near future though, as...

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    NL Player Analysis - August 10, 2019

    Fernando Tatis Jr. Tatis Jr. went 1-3 with two walks, two RBI, and a strikeout against the Rockies on Friday. Tatis Jr. has been as good as anyone could've hoped so far this year, and the rooke took an impressive...

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    NL Player Analysis - August 6, 2019

    Will Smith Smith went 1-4 and walked against the Cardinals on Monday. Smith has mashed for the Dodgers when given a chance to play this year, and the 24-year-old took an impressive 1.198 OPS into Monday's game. As a hitter,...

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    AL Player Analysis - July 27, 2019

    Chad Pinder Pinder has been underwhelming for the A's this season, but the 27-year-old has made some encouraging adjustments this season and bears a look from fantasy owners. Pinder has cut his o-swing rate to 33% (which could still use...

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    NL Player Analysis - July 20, 2019

    Justin Turner Turner went 0-3 with a strikeout against the Marlins on Friday. Turner's performance caught up with his underlying numbers over the first half of the year after a slow start, and the 34-year-old should be expected to play...