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06-28-08, 08:44 AM
| #211 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak"  Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
|  Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 Wright Stuff, Wrong Kei Pujols comes back smoking, Izzy heads for the shelf and the Yankees torment their fans by activating Kei. All that and more in this week's Week That Was. Rich Harden: Rich Harden mowed down 11 in 8 shutout frames against the Phillies this week. No doubt, Harden has been all that and more while healthy. Of course, that is the rub, he is almost never healthy. That he has 83 strikeouts in 67 innings shows how well he has pitched. That he has pitched only 67 innings in 3 months shows how often he is on the shelf. Quick quiz: When was the last time Harden tossed 200 innings in a season. If you guess that is was the last time Ponch and Jon patrolled the California Highways in tight motorcycle uniforms, you were close. The real answer is . . . NEVER. Ok, seriously, if you own Harden, be happy for the 67 quality innings and sell high. Find some chump who is willing to give you a decent but healthy pitcher and another useful player and make the deal. The odds of Harden staying healthy for the whole second half of the season are slim indeed. Chris Davis: The new Texas 1B went yard Friday, justifying (at least for now) his recent call up. Davis definitely represents a chance to catch lightning in a bottle. Before being summoned to the show, Davis was hitting .333 with ten dingers and 31 RBI in AAA. Given that Chris Shelton was cut, Frank Catalanatto will not play full time and that Milton Bradley, Josh Hamilton, and Hank Blalock are hurting, there should be plenty of playing time for Davis in the couple of weeks leading up to the All-Star break. Jason Isringhausen: Jason Isringhausen had an MRI on his knee on Friday, the day after the very odd decision to ride him and his dubious health for 2 1/3-innings. If you own Izzy, blame Duncan and LaRussa. If you own Ryan Franklin, you likely have another closer on your roster for a few weeks more, so congrats to you. Other worthy tidbits from the Cards pen Chris Perez remains the closer of the future, Russ Springer remains a good bet to post quality ratios and as for Mark Mulder as a reliever well, even Scully would not be able to help him on that. Albert Pujols: Albert Pujols returned from the DL with a vengeance Thursday, going a cool 4-4 with an RBI. To state the obvious, Prince Albert should be activated in absolutely all formats. For those thinking that they should consider trading Pujols because of health issues, relax. The Cards look like they will hang around for quite some time this year and Pujols will be a major factor in that effort. I see no reason to think he will do anything other than post Pujols-type numbers in the second half. Matt Garza: Matt Garza tossed an absolute gem Thursday a one hitter with ten strikeouts to beat the in-state rival Marlins. In his last 7 starts, Garza has given up more than 3 runs only one time. In two of those starts, he has registered double digit K's. While I think the Rays will fall out of contention eventually, there is no reason to think Garza will be anything other than a solid middle of the rotation starter. Buy now before people realize that looking at last year's ugly 1.54 WHIP is misleading. Hideki Matsui: Yankees put Hideki Matsui on the DL with a sore knee. Look for Jason Giambi to DH more often with switch-hitting Wilson Betemit playing first. Betemit makes a good FAAB acquisition for those in AL leagues. As to Matsui, what can you do? He has been scalding the ball most of the year and should continue to do so once he returns. Just look for him to DH even more and play the OF even less. This also means that the Yankees will need to find someone to play LF occasionally as Johnny Damon cannot play the outfield every day anymore. Carlos Delgado: Carlos Delgado drove in nine, yes nine, runs in the first game of the two stadium subway series double header Friday. At game's end, Delgado was sporting strong power numbers --13 homers and 44 RBI. With his average under .230 and no real reason to think he will raise it anywhere near .250, now is the time to sell Delgado. Did you hear me? SELL. Call everyone in your league, talk about the 9 RBI, talk about his grand slam at Yankee Stadium, and get a more reliable player who is less likely to fade and unlikely to drag down your average. Ryan Church: Ryan Church, who has been on the shelf recovering from a concussion, looked pretty good Thursday, going 3-3 in a rehab start with the Brooklyn Cyclones. I would not read too much into that as he was facing low-A competition. However, as it turns out, I got to see Church play first hand and he did look sharp, showing quick hands and pretty good speed on the bases. One oddity from the game that I must mention the Cyclones pitcher had a no-no through 5. For some reason that was never divulged, the Cyclones manager pulled the starter. The reliever then proceeded to give up a dinger on his first pitch and clanged the second pitch off the next batter's helmet. You cannot make this stuff up. David Wright: David Wright smacked two dingers in the first game of the subway series double header Friday. Thus far, Wright has been very good, but not great and not what fantasy general managers paid for. Find one of those unhappy owners and swindle him. Wright is a bona fide superstar who will be a 5 category stud in the second half. Even if you have to pay full value in a deal, do it. 20 HR, 65 RBI and 10 SB await you in the second half. Kei Igawa: Now one might think that losing a game one to the Mets 15-6 was the worst thing to happen to the Yankees yesterday. Well, you would be wrong. In a move that defies reason, the Yankees called up Kei Igawa. Why would they do such a thing? I guess everyone needs a pitcher with a career ERA over 6. One question shouldn't he be named Homer or Line Drive, not Kei (pronounced "Kay"), the symbol for a strikeout? Frankly, given that Friday was the last time the Mets and Yankees would meet at the old Yankee Stadium absent a repeat of the 2000 World Series, I would have re-activated Billy Crystal instead better press, nicer gesture, more useful player. Final note on this topic: I know that Igawa managed to preserve the 9 run lead last night, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. And finally, more musings from the Carlton the Doorman of fantasy sports -- Schultz Says: "It would be really fun to talk about the resurgence of Sidney Ponson and discourse eloquently about how he's put his troubles behind him and like all players who end up in Yankee pinstripes find the baseball Jesus and reclaim whatever legacy they might have had. It's kind of like the Oakland Raiders of MLB only without Al Davis involved. I'm not sure whether that makes it better or worse. Anyway, Ponson looked good against the Mets last night and with a bizarre 5-1 record you may talk yourself into thinking that Ponson might be a good investment. If this is how you are thinking, step away from your computer or any other device that you may use to acquire the Aruban nightmare, you are only going to hurt yourself. This seems to be an ongoing discussion but Colton, how bout that Evan Longoria. He may not be married to the female equivalent of Tony Parker but he is headed toward 30 homers and 100 RBIs. Not all that bad for a guy who started in the season in the minor leagues. Such numbers might counteract a .275 average, eh? Might be time to start rethinking your thoughts on the AL rookie of the year, eh? If I say eh? One more time, I may have to say something nice about the Blue Jays, eh? Well take off, you hoser. Short notes: Grady Sizemore is carrying the Indians and his roto-numbers are going through the roof. That's not something that's going to change. Freddie Sanchez can hit and no one but Freddie Sanchez has a clue as to whether he's healthy. If Kevin Youklis finally has the year when he doesn't fall off a cliff in the second half, then he's made the leap into the elite echelon of first basemen. Moneyball's true star may be ready to pay off big. Josh Hamilton? I'm a believer. As long as he's not wacky on the junk, there's not a single reason why you shouldn't be excited to own this year's AL MVP. And because it has everything to do with rotisserie baseball: Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!! Response: Yes, Grady has been awesome, but even he has not helped the LABR-AL disaster Rick and I manage that mirrors the real 2008 Indians. A movie about both of those teams would be entitled "Major League Disappointment." Yes, Longoria has good power numbers, but my prediction that he will hit below .270 will come true (as he has never hit .270 in his first year at a new level). Yes, drafting Ponson would be silly. Yes, Josh Hamilton is the real deal on the diamond (something Bobby Colton told you all in this space quite some time ago). However, it is worth noting that Schultz owes me big time because in the draft of Schultz Says that I received this morning, he touted JOEY Hamilton for MVP a prediction I am confident would have fallen flat. And of course, yes, a very Happy Anniversary to mommy and daddy Schultz. |
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06-28-08, 01:08 PM
| #212 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 The Week Ahead Hey there, sports world. My name is Drew Silva and these words below make up my first column for Rotoworld. I'm the biggest fan of this website. If you want to challenge that, well you're not going to win. I'm the guy who hits refresh thirty times a day on Matt Clement's player page to see if he's still alive. I love the sarcasm found in an Eric Gagne blown save post. Reading Aaron Gleeman's Daily Dose is part of my daily routine. Shower, brush teeth, get some breakfast, Daily Dose. It's a sad, but oh-so-fulfilling way to live. Hopefully I can bring something to the table here. Maybe the predictions I make will come to fruition. Maybe the quick blurbs I put together will help a fantasy team, or just aid an information-seeking fan. All I know is that it's good to be here, and part of the coolest sports site on the planet. Now wipe those tears. Let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Two-Start Pitchers American League The Good Ones Joba Chamberlain TEX (Scott Feldman), BOS (Justin Masterson) James Shields BOS (Justin Masterson), KC (Luke Hochevar) Roy Halladay - @SEA (R.A. Dickey), @LAA (John Lackey) Justin Masterson -- @TB (James Shields), @NYY (Joba Chamberlain) Felix Hernandez TOR (Jesse Litsch), DET (Nate Robertson) Tim Wakefield - @TB (Matt Garza), @NYY (Mike Mussina) Gavin Floyd CLE (Jeremy Sowers), OAK (Greg Smith) John Danks CLE (Cliff Lee), OAK (Rich Harden) Armando Galarraga - @MIN (Glen Perkins), @SEA (R.A. Dickey) Zack Greinke -- @BAL (Brian Burres), @TB (Andy Sonnanstine) Jon Garland OAK (Greg Smith), TOR (Jesse Litsch) Mike Mussina TEX (Kevin Millwood), BOS (Mike Mussina) Greg Smith -- @LAA (Jon Garland), @CHW (Gavin Floyd) Rich Harden -- @LAA (Ervin Santana), @CHW (John Danks) The Others Nate Robertson - @MIN (Scott Baker), @SEA (Felix Hernandez) Jeremy Sowers - @CHW (Gavin Floyd), @MIN (Glen Perkins) Brian Burres KC (Zack Grienke), TEX (Eric Hurley) Radhames Liz KC (Luke Hochevar), TEX (Scott Feldman) Luke Hochevar - @BAL (Radhames Liz), @TB (James Shields) Glen Perkins DET (Armando Galarraga), CLE (Jeremy Sowers) R.A. Dickey TOR (Roy Halladay), DET (Armando Galarraga) Scott Feldman - @NYY (Joba Chamberlain), @BAL (Radhames Liz) Jesse Litsch - @SEA (Felix Hernandez), @LAA (Jon Garland) National League The Good Ones Matt Cain CHC (Jason Marquis), LAD (Clayton Kershaw) Aaron Cook SD (Josh Banks), FLA (Mark Hendrickson) Aaron Harang PIT (Zach Duke), WAS (Undecided) Ted Lilly - @SF (Barry Zito), @STL (Kyle Lohse) John Maine - @STL (Kyle Lohse), @PHI (Jamie Moyer) Roy Oswalt LAD (Eric Stults), @ATL (Jo-Jo Reyes) atlantabraves.com Wandy Rodriguez LAD (Clayton Kershaw), @ATL (Charlie Morton) Edinson Volquez PIT (Paul Maholm), WAS (Tim Redding) The Others Mark Hendrickson WAS (Tim Redding), @COL (Aaron Cook) Randy Johnson MIL (Jeff Suppan), SD (Greg Maddux) Kyle Kendrick - @ATL (Charlie Morton), NYM (Pedro Martinez) newyorkmets.com Clayton Kershaw - @HOU (Wandy Rodriguez), @SF (Matt Cain) Doug Davis MIL (Dave Bush), SD (Jake Peavy) Jorge De La Rosa SD (Greg Maddux), FLA (Ryan Tucker) Zach Duke - @CIN (Aaron Harang), @MIL (Dave Bush) Dave Bush - @ARI (Doug Davis), PIT (Zach Duke) Greg Maddux - @COL (Jorge De La Rosa), @ARI (Randy Johnson) Jason Marquis - @SF (Matt Cain), @STL (Todd Wellemeyer) Pedro Martinez - @STL (Todd Wellemeyer), @PHI (Kyle Kendrick) Charlie Morton PHI (Kyle Kendrick), HOU (Wandy Rodriguez) Tim Redding - @FLA (Mark Hendrickson), @CIN (Edinson Volquez) Eric Stults - @HOU (Roy Oswalt), @SF (Barry Zito) Jeff Suppan - @ARI (Randy Johnson), PIT (Paul Maholm) Ryan Tucker WAS (Undecided), @COL (Jorge De La Rosa) Barry Zito CHC (Ted Lilly), LAD (Eric Stults) Possible Streamers American League Wednesday, 7/2 -- Daniel Cabrera vs. KC Cabrera owned the Royals the last time he faced them. He pitched a complete game, allowing just one earned run on three hits, and fanning seven. D-Cabs is wild, but he can rack up strikeouts. He's always a high-risk, high-reward play, but in the right situation he has a good amount of fantasy value. This just might be the right situation. Friday, 7/4 Livan Hernandez vs. CLE Hernandez is hot; the Indians are not. It's a good-looking matchup. Livan has given up a total of two earned runs over his last 14 innings. He even managed five strikeouts against the Diamondbacks last time out. Play him. Just do it. Saturday, 7/5 Kevin Slowey vs. CLE After a mediocre start to the season, then a run of some awful outings in early June, Slowey seems to have figured it out. He has let up just one earned run over his last 12 innings, while picking up 11 strikeouts. I'm jumping on the Indians in this column, but it's deserved. They're dealing with injuries up and down that lineup. Take advantage. National League Wednesday, 7/2 Daryl Thompson vs. PIT Thompson had a more-than-solid debut at Yankee Stadium last weekend, tossing five scoreless innings. On Friday, things went a bit differently. Thompson let up four earned runs on eight hits over five innings in Cleveland. But, trust me; he pitched better than those numbers sound. He didn't allow a run until the fifth inning, and two of those earned runs were tallied after Thompson was pulled. Facing the Pirates, I like the matchup. He won't get more than a couple of strikeouts, but he should post a nice ERA/WHIP, and the win potential is there. Wednesday, 7/2 Chan Ho Park @ HOU If he isn't owned in your fantasy league, pick him up. Now. In two starts since moving into the starting rotation, Park has allowed just one run and seven hits. Even more impressive, he has tallied 16 strikeouts. Park should continue this run of success against the Astros this week, and maybe even into the second half of the season. Total Games American League 7: BAL, BOS, CHW, DET, KC, NYY, OAK, SEA 6: CLE, LAA, MIN, TB, TEX, TOR National League 7: ARI, CHC, CIN, COL, FLA, HOU, LAD, MIL, NYM, SF, STL, WAS 6: ATL, PHI, PIT, SD The Injury Bug For the latest on injuries around the league, check out the constantly-updated Rotoworld Injury Page Kelvim Escobar SP Return mid-July Mark Kotsay OF Return July 1 Kaz Matsui 2B Return mid-July Reed Johnson OF Return mid-July Alfonso Soriano OF Return before All-Star game Frank Thomas DH Return mid-July Andruw Jones OF Return early July Rafael Furcal SS Return mid-July J.J. Putz RP Return late July Orlando Hernandez SP Return August Chad Cordero RP Return early July Rocco Baldelli OF Return mid-July David Ortiz DH Return mid-July Brandon Inge Util Return early July Hideki Matsui DH Return mid-July Paul Konerko 1B Return early July Ian Kennedy SP Return early July Waiver Wired Check out Patrick Dahl's Waiver Wired column for advice on this week's best pickups. American League 1. Matt Garza 2. Jarrod Saltalamacchia 3. Gary Sheffield 4. Chris Davis 5. Dana Eveland National League 1. John Lannan 2. Clint Barmes 3. Jeff Keppinger 4. Ricky Nolasco 5. Daryl Thompson |
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06-30-08, 06:50 AM
| #213 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 July Shortstop Rankings Up this week are the July rankings. Players are ranked based on how I believe they will perform in 5x5 leagues over the remainder of the season. Included with the position rankings is a new overall top-250 list. Click to see other July Rankings: Relief Pitcher Rankings Starting Pitcher Rankings Outfielder Rankings Catcher Rankings First Basemen Rankings Second Basemen Rankings Shortstop Rankings Third basemen Rankings Top 250 Overall Rankings Shortstops
Rising: Orlando Cabrera (10 to 8), Cristian Guzman (15 to 13), Troy Tulowitzki (17 to 14), Mike Aviles (45 to 23), Brendan Ryan (34 to 31), Jerry Hairston Jr. (37 to 32), Marco Scutaro (NR to 36), Aaron Miles (NR to 41) Falling:: Yunel Escobar (9 to 11), Edgar Renteria (13 to 16), David Eckstein (26 to 29), Omar Vizquel (29 to 34), Ronny Cedeno (33 to 37), Tony Pena Jr. (40 to NR), Freddie Bynum (41 to NR) - Felipe Lopez is worthless as a member of the Nationals, but his ranking is relatively unchanged because of the possibility that he'll soon become the Orioles' primary shortstop. - If we learned one thing last week, it's that new Jays manager Cito Gaston is no fan of Eckstein. Even though the former World Series MVP has actually had a nice month at the plate, Marco Scutaro now seems to be the preferred option at shortstop. Fortunately for Eckstein, second base is open with no return | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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06-30-08, 08:41 AM
| #214 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 July Outfielder Rankings Up this week are the July rankings. Players are ranked based on how I believe they will perform in 5x5 leagues over the remainder of the season. Included with the position rankings is a new overall top-250 list. Outfielders Click to see other July Rankings: Relief Pitcher Rankings Starting Pitcher Rankings Outfielder Rankings Catcher Rankings First Basemen Rankings Second Basemen Rankings Shortstop Rankings Third basemen Rankings Top 250 Overall Rankings Rising: Grady Sizemore (8 to 2), Corey Hart (19 to 14), Vernon Wells (39 to 23), Jermaine Dye (37 to 30), Juan Pierre (31 to 24), J.D. Drew (52 to 39), David Murphy (67 to 46), David DeJesus (74 to 59), Marcus Thames (100 to 74), Jim Edmonds (105 to 76), Elijah Dukes (98 to 77), John Bowker (110 to 80), Ryan Sweeney (102 to 82), Jeremy Reed (NR to 85), Carlos Gonzalez (106 to 89), Cody Ross (111 to 90), Jody Gerut (NR to 91), Shin-Soo Choo (NR to 92) Falling:: Carl Crawford (1 to 6), Magglio Ordonez (14 to 20), Jeff Francoeur (24 to 33), Hideki Matsui (33 to 43), Michael Cuddyer (44 to 53), Lastings Milledge (47 to 65), Garret Anderson (62 to 78), Andre Ethier (58 to 79), Wily Mo Pena (73 to 93), Chris Duncan (79 to 95), Franklin Gutierrez (83 to 99), Jacque Jones (91 to NR), Wladimir Balentien (95 to NR) - Assuming that his knee injury is nothing serious, Pierre is set to remain the Dodgers' starting left fielder after Andruw Jones comes off the disabled list. That's the case even though Pierre has an OBP around .300 since Jones went down and has scored 30 runs in 73 games this season. Ethier figures to be the big loser in the competition for playing time, with Matt Kemp likely to start in right field most of the time. - Milledge's groin injury that put him on the DL over the weekend may have saved Pena's roster spot for now, but it still looks bleak for the former slugger. With the way hitting coach Lenny Harris has him swinging the bat, it seems unlikely that he'll start hitting homers anytime soon. If anyone out there has some real evidence that Harris is anything but a major liability in his role, I'd love to see it. - Denard Span should be a nice play in AL-only leagues while Cuddyer rests a finger injury through the All-Star break. |
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06-30-08, 03:24 PM
| #215 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 July Starting Pitcher Rankings Up this week are the July rankings. Players are ranked based on how I believe they will perform in 5x5 leagues over the remainder of the season. Included with the position rankings is a new overall top-250 list. Click to see other July Rankings: Relief Pitcher Rankings Starting Pitcher Rankings Outfielder Rankings Catcher Rankings First Basemen Rankings Second Basemen Rankings Shortstop Rankings Third basemen Rankings Top 250 Overall Rankings Starting pitchers Rising: Jake Peavy (7 to 2), C.C. Sabathia (9 to 5), John Lackey (10 to 7), Tim Lincecum (14 to 9), Cliff Lee (26 to 15), Chad Billingsley (28 to 22), Joba Chamberlain (32 to 23), Jon Lester (47 to 31), Mark Buehrle (65 to 39), Rich Harden (55 to 40), Manny Parra (85 to 43), Ryan Dempster (60 to 45), Justin Duchscherer (90 to 48), Gil Meche (78 to 55), Jonathan Sanchez (105 to 56), Wandy Rodriguez (94 to 62), Mike Mussina (92 to 70), Jorge Campillo (108 to 81), Mike Pelfrey (117 to 83), Ricky Nolasco (114 to 88), Dave Bush (NR to 90), Josh Johnson (NR to 95), Daryl Thompson (NR to 99) Falling:: Brandon Webb (2 to 8), Carlos Zambrano (4 to 10), Erik Bedard (8 to 16), Aaron Harang (13 to 20), Javier Vazquez (22 to 28), Randy Johnson (27 to 36), Pedro Martinez (35 to 50), Adam Wainwright (17 to 53), Oliver Perez (40 to 61), Ian Snell (44 to 65), Micah Owings (51 to 68), Brett Myers (39 to 77), Bronson Arroyo (68 to 87), Chien-Ming Wang (36 to 117), Jake Westbrook (41 to NR), Jeremy Bonderman (69 to NR), Homer Bailey (89 to NR) - Zambrano is set to return from an ailing shoulder on Friday, so the six-spot drop may be of an overreaction. However, everyone that overtook him (besides maybe Peavy) has been truly exceptional lately. - Harden and Duchscherer have pitched as well as anyone in the AL of late, but both remain huge injury risks going forward. They're sell-high candidates. - Pedro's discouraging outing Friday against the Yankees was supposedly the result of him tipping his pitches. However, his stuff clearly isn't as crisp as it was when he first returned from the disabled list. I'm putting him at No. 50 for now. If he doesn't take advantage of an easy schedule in his three remaining starts before the break, it'd be time to think about writing him off in mixed leagues. - David Price debuts at No. 113. I'm not all that optimistic about him making any real impact this season, but there's too much upside to ignore. With Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann putting together somewhat disappointing seasons and Jake McGee hurt, Price is the one pitching prospect in the Rays system with a chance to make a difference. |
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07-01-08, 05:34 PM
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| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 July Starting Pitcher Rankings Up this week are the July rankings. Players are ranked based on how I believe they will perform in 5x5 leagues over the remainder of the season. Included with the position rankings is a new overall top-250 list. Click to see other July Rankings: Relief Pitcher Rankings Starting Pitcher Rankings Outfielder Rankings Catcher Rankings First Basemen Rankings Second Basemen Rankings Shortstop Rankings Third basemen Rankings Top 250 Overall Rankings Starting pitchers
Rising: Jake Peavy (7 to 2), C.C. Sabathia (9 to 5), John Lackey (10 to 7), Tim Lincecum (14 to 9), Cliff Lee (26 to 15), Chad Billingsley (28 to 22), Joba Chamberlain (32 to 23), Jon Lester (47 to 31), Mark Buehrle (65 to 39), Rich Harden (55 to 40), Manny Parra (85 to 43), Ryan Dempster (60 to 45), Justin Duchscherer (90 to 48), Gil Meche (78 to 55), Jonathan Sanchez (105 to 56), Wandy Rodriguez (94 to 62), Mike Mussina (92 to 70), Jorge Campillo (108 to 81), Mike Pelfrey (117 to 83), Ricky Nolasco (114 to 88), Dave Bush (NR to 90), Josh Johnson (NR to 95), Daryl Thompson (NR to 99) Falling:: Brandon Webb (2 to 8), Carlos Zambrano (4 to 10), Erik Bedard (8 to 16), Aaron Harang (13 to 20), Javier Vazquez (22 to 28), Randy Johnson (27 to 36), Pedro Martinez (35 to 50), Adam Wainwright (17 to 53), Oliver Perez (40 to 61), Ian Snell (44 to 65), Micah Owings (51 to 68), Brett Myers (39 to 77), Bronson Arroyo (68 to 87), Chien-Ming Wang (36 to 117), Jake Westbrook (41 to NR), Jeremy Bonderman (69 to NR), Homer Bailey (89 to NR) - Zambrano is set to return from an ailing shoulder on Friday, so the six-spot drop may be of an overreaction. However, everyone that overtook him (besides maybe Peavy) has been truly exceptional lately. - Harden and Duchscherer have pitched as well as anyone in the AL of late, but both remain huge injury risks going forward. They're sell-high candidates. - Pedro's discouraging outing Friday against the Yankees was supposedly the result of him tipping his pitches. However, his stuff clearly isn't as crisp as it was when he first returned from the disabled list. I'm putting him at No. 50 for now. If he doesn't take advantage of an easy schedule in his three remaining starts before the break, it'd be time to think about writing him off in mixed leagues. - David Price debuts at No. 113. I'm not all that optimistic about him making any real impact this season, but there's too much upside to ignore. With Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann putting together somewhat disappointing seasons and Jake McGee hurt, Price is the one pitching prospect in the Rays system with a chance to make a difference. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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07-02-08, 03:48 PM
| #218 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 Checking in on Joba After totaling seven strikeouts over 6.2 shutout innings in his start last week, Joba Chamberlain took a step back Tuesday. Chamberlain held the Rangers to two runs, but lasted just four innings while throwing 91 pitches, handing out four walks and allowing five hits. He struck out six of the 20 batters that he faced Tuesday and has generally been tough to hit since shifting into the rotation, but Chamberlain clearly needs to work on keeping his pitch count in check. He's used 18.4 pitches per inning during six starts, which would rank as the highest total in the AL if he had enough innings to qualify for the ERA title. Of course, some growing pains should have been expected given that he's just 22 years old and began his MLB career with 39 straight relief outings. It may be a while before he's consistently working deep into games, but with a 2.19 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 29 innings as a starter Chamberlain looks ready to dominate once he's there. While Chamberlain gradually gets into position for a strong second-half run, here are some other notes from around baseball * Matt Garza began the year with back-to-back rough outings and then landed on the disabled list with was then a scary sounding radial nerve irritation, but rejoined the rotation two weeks later and has been fantastic since. He racked up 10 strikeouts in a complete-game one-hitter against the Marlins last week and followed that up by holding the Red Sox to just one unearned run over seven innings Tuesday. Garza is now 7-4 with a 2.94 ERA and 58-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 82.2 innings spread over 13 starts since returning from the DL. Basically swapped for Delmon Young during the offseason, Garza has displayed the same type of promise that he showed while blitzing through the minors in the Twins system and at 24 years old has the look of a long term No. 2 starter. Meanwhile, Young is hitting just .278/.327/.373 even after a strong June and has two homers in 77 games. * With 88 punchouts over 101.2 innings Brett Myers' strikeout rate has been solid this season, but he's been a mess in every other area. Myers leads all of baseball with 24 homers allowed, ranks 10th among NL pitchers in walks with 44, and has allowed opponents to bat a career-worst .284 with a .904 OPS against him. No longer willing to keep him in the rotation and apparently not interested in shifting him back to the bullpen, the Phillies optioned Myers to Triple-A on Tuesday. He agreed to the demotion despite having the ability to veto the move as a player with five years of service time. "I can't say enough about Brett's willingness to accept this assignment," general manager Pat Gillick said. "He understood and is eager to get back on track. He's struggling right now, but he's a quality major-league pitcher who we are going to need in the second half." True enough, but it remains to be seen whether he'll be needed as a starter, reliever, or trade bait. * Chris Snyder suffered a fractured left testicle after being hit by a foul tip Monday, which may be the only injury that makes Kaz Matsui's anal fissure sound tolerable. Snyder was placed on the disabled list Tuesday and no return timetable has been established, but he's entitled to take his sweet time coming back. After starting 20 of the past 62 games while backing up Snyder, Miguel Montero will now get all the playing time against right-handers in a platoon with Robby Hammock. * Manager Bobby Cox said Tuesday afternoon that he expected Chipper Jones to be placed on the disabled list with a strained quadriceps. Instead, Jones avoided the DL, started at third base against the Phillies, and went 1-for-3 with a double and a pair of walks. After hitting .410 and .417 while playing nearly every day in April and May, Jones totaled just 70 plate appearances in June while producing a .328/.443/.552 line was somehow both disappointing and MVP-caliber. * As expected, Eric Byrnes landed on the disabled list Tuesday after aggravating his hamstring injury Monday. Byrnes sat out a month with tears in both hamstrings, went 3-for-23 in six games, and now heads back to the sidelines for what figures to be more than the 15-day minimum stay. With Byrnes once again out of the picture, the Diamondbacks will replace him in the lineup with a Chad Tracy-Chris Burke platoon, moving Conor Jackson between first base and left field. * J.R. Towles hit .288/.391/.593 with five homers in 18 games since being sent back to Triple-A and will get a second chance in Houston following Humberto Quintero's concussion Tuesday. Towles was a bust after beginning the year as the Astros' starter, hitting just .145 in 42 games, but his minor-league track record has been consistently outstanding and he remains a strong long-term bet. Pick him up and hope that the Astros are willing to bench Brad Ausmus again. AL Quick Hits: With Troy Percival (hamstring) landing on the disabled list and Dan Wheeler having worked on three straight days, Grant Balfour picked up a four-out save Tuesday Eddie Guardado (shoulder) was unavailable Tuesday, but the Rangers said that he's expected to avoid the DL Francisco Liriano turned in his most encouraging outing of the year Monday at Triple-A, tossing seven shutout innings while racking up nine strikeouts After batting just 19 times in June thanks to Alexei Ramirez's emergence at second base, the White Sox are said to be openly shopping Juan Uribe Handed his 10th save chance of the season Tuesday, Joe Borowski blew his fourth lead and now sports a 7.56 ERA Freddie Bynum hit .371 following his demotion to Triple-A and will now take over as the Orioles' primary shortstop with Alex Cintron (hamstring) heading to the DL Miguel Cabrera (hip) was out of the lineup Tuesday, but flied out as a pinch-hitter Rays prospect Jacob McGee (elbow) is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery later this week and the 21-year-old southpaw will be sidelined for 12-18 months. NL Quick Hits: Rafael Furcal's (back) return from the disabled list will likely be delayed further after experiencing another setback following his first minor-league rehab game Monday Hanley Ramirez drove in a career-high five runs Tuesday, homering for the third straight game In the midst of a 1-for-22 slump that's dropped his batting average to .156, Omar Vizquel said Monday that he's "fine" with losing playing time to Emmanuel Burriss Mark Hendrickson was 7-2 with a 4.14 ERA through 11 starts, but after getting knocked around Tuesday he's now 0-5 with a 9.79 ERA over his last seven outings Adam Wainwright (finger) said Monday that he's hoping to come off the shelf shortly after the All-Star break With the Rockies in last place and Brian Fuentes a half-season from free agency, he's said to have drawn interest from the Yankees, Red Sox, A's, Mets, Phillies, and Cardinals Charlie Morton couldn't make it out of the third inning Tuesday, getting yanked after allowing six straight hits to begin the frame Ryan Zimmerman (shoulder) began light swinging drills Tuesday, but season-ending surgery remains a possibility. newyorkmets.com |
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07-02-08, 05:15 PM
| #219 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 Callups: The Need for Speed After two weeks of draft review columns and another away on business, it's time to get back to callup reviews. And it's a good time to do it, considering I just bid a whopping $27 in one league for a recent callup. I'm going to focus on the players called up in the last week since they're the most likely to still be available in the majority of leagues, though callups Chase Headley and Daryl Thompson need to have been claimed in league-specific formats over the last three weeks. Major League Callups This Week Collin Balester RHP Nationals An intriguing 4th round pick by the Expos in 2004, Balester was your typical high school right-hander with a live arm but needing refinement. Balester looked better than expected in his first full season in 2005, posting respectable numbers across the board with a 3.67 ERA and 95/42 K/BB in 124 innings for Single-A Savannah. Nothing screamed top prospect there, but Balester was 19 and had enough stuff to predict some improvement. The 6'5" right-hander posted a 5.02 ERA in High-A the next year, though his peripherals weren't nearly as different from his 2005 numbers as his ERA was. He rebounded some in 2007, lowering his walk rate to 48 in 150 1/3 innings and keeping his strikeouts right around 7 per nine innings between Double-A and Triple-A. The 2008 campaign has been more of the same for Balester, as he had a 4.00 ERA and 64/23 K/BB in 78 2/3 innings thus far. Balester just turned 22 years old and that he's doing a fine job in Triple-A is encouraging, so perhaps there's more room to grow here. However, as is Balester doesn't look like more than a back-end starter. His fastball is solid in the low-90s and his curve is above average, but his command is only average, he doesn't have an average third pitch, and his flyball tendencies have lead to home run problems (14 already this year). Roll it all up and Balester looks like someone who can eat innings and little else. Perhaps he'll improve his command or develop a better changeup down the road, and that he's been more focused on pitching the last two years is a plus in that regard, but I wouldn't count on short-term fantasy value from the right-hander. He'll get at least a month in the majors with Shawn Hill out, so NL-only leaguers should still keep an eye on him even if I don't think he's likely to succeed. Recommendation: Monitor in NL-only leagues. Rogeravin Bernadina OF Nationals Signed out of the Netherlands by the Expos way back in 2001, Bernadina is an athletic outfielder with good speed. The 6'0", 190-pound left-hander has never showed much power or batting average in the minors until this year, but fantasy leaguers certainly are intrigued by him since he stole 40 bases last season. Called up to the big club with Austin Kearns hurting, Bernadina was having by far his best year to date by hitting .323/.398/.474 as a 24-year-old for Double-A Harrisburg. Bernadina had never hit better than .276 and the isolated slugging is also the best of his career, and he continued to run with 26 steals in 35 attempts. I'd bet against his breakout being real given his age and level of competition, but there's a chance he's reestablished himself as a potential fourth outfielder. Kearns could be back as soon as later this week, but Bernadina's speed would make him worth a cheap flier in NL-only leagues if he's going to get some playing time. He's 2-for-15 with a caught stealing in three starts since joining Washington. See what the club does with Kearns before pursuing him. Recommendation: Monitor in NL-only leagues. Chris Davis 1B Rangers The aforementioned $27 bid in my AL-only league, Davis is the most likely player on this list to help a fantasy team win a title. Drafted twice previously before signing with the Rangers as a fifth round pick in the 2006 draft, Davis went right from his junior college team to Single-A Spokane and hit .277 with 15 homers in 253 at-bats. His strike zone judgment wasn't great and his swing a bit long, but it was still a quality debut for the 20-year-old. The Rangers moved Davis right to High-A Bakersfield the following season and he was even better at the plate, batting .298/.340/.573 with 24 homers and 28 doubles in 386 at-bats. A late season promotion to Double-A Frisco followed, and Davis went on a tear with 12 homers and a .294 average in 109 at-bats. The big concern continued to be his strikeout rate, as Davis struck out 150 times in 495 at-bats. That he was consistently hitting the ball so hard meant he should be expected to post a higher BABIP than normal, but that he was at .377 for Bakersfield still seemed excessive and he would need to make adjustments against higher level pitching to succeed. Of course, nobody told Davis of these concerns. The 6'3", 235-pound left-handed hitter continued mashing at Frisco to start the year, then looked even better once promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma. Between the two stints Davis was batting .333 with 23 homers, 21 doubles, and a .646 slugging percentage. He was still striking out (73 in 77 games), but advanced pitching hadn't phased him thus far. Called up to the majors this past week, Davis has shown more of the same with two homers and five strikeouts in 12 at-bats thus far. Davis is one of the best power prospects in the game, perhaps the best. Davis has the track record to support that notion, but that he's added 25 pounds of muscle since being drafted and that he possesses a strong swing with natural loft further verify his immense potential. That he's just 22 makes him one of the game's top 25 prospects, with or without the strikeouts. Davis continues to hit at every level, and does so immediately upon reaching each league, which bodes very well for his ability to translate in the majors. He's such a talented hitter that it hasn't mattered what has been thrown at him, so perhaps he'll adjust quickly in the majors too. Davis swings hard, isn't the quickest to the ball, and has trouble hitting good pitches when he's not red-hot, but that describes most power hitters. Maybe the strikeouts will catch up to him, but Davis hits the ball with such authority and so frequently squares the bat on the ball when he does make contact that I think there's a decent chance he hits .280 or better right away. Even if he hits .240-.250, he'll still be a fantasy asset due to his ability to smack 15 homers the rest of the way. He'll at least get a chance to show he belongs until Hank Blalock returns, likely in August, but the Rangers will also keep a spot open for Davis if he hits as hoped. That Davis wasn't able to handle the move to third base last season is a shame, but he has the bat for first base and the Rangers can always play him at DH. It could be a matter of days before he's batting fifth behind Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley. Davis is the most likely callup left this season to go Ryan Braun on the league. That's obviously a tall order, but Davis has the power potential, opportunity, and even the concerning strikeout rate for the comparison to work. As a result he's worth over-pursuing and hoping for the best. Recommendation: Pursue aggressively in all one-year and keeper leagues. Brett Gardner OF Yankees I once heard Gardner described as a pest, and that's really the most appropriate description. Not a big center fielder at 5'10" and 180 pounds, Gardner's game is about contact, speed, and batting eye. He's hit all of nine homers in 1389 minor league at-bats, though three have come this year, but he still manages to work counts and annoy pitchers with a discerning eye and the ability to foul off pitches he can't do anything with. His speed allows him to drop bunts for base hits and he also legs out infield hits routinely, allowing him to be a career .288 hitter (and .287 this year) despite a lack of power. One interesting development with Gardner is that he has actually shown significantly better gap power than in the past with 11 doubles and 10 triples so far this year. The ability to keep pitchers at least a little honest would help his game immensely, as it's unlikely big league pitchers would walk Gardner as much given the lack of a power threat (he's walked 61 times in 80 games in Triple-A this year). He's not going to replicate that walk rate even with good gap power and his 68 strikeouts are also a concern, but Gardner should still be able to manage a .270 average and a .330 or so on-base percentage. That won't allow him to continue attempting as many steals as he has in the minors, but he's averaged 70 steals per 162 games since the start of the 2006 season and there's plenty of room for opportunity attrition there. Gardner will get most of the starts in left field with Hideki Matsui out, which could be for another two weeks or for the rest of the season if Matsui needs knee surgery. However, it's more likely that Matsui returns or the club upgrades at the trade deadline, so Gardner can't be pursued too aggressively. Still, he's worth a modest bid in AL-only leagues, and those in deep mixed leagues in need of steals can think about putting a claim in too. Recommendation: Pursue in AL-only leagues; monitor in deep mixed leagues. David Robertson RHP Yankees A 17th round pick out of the University of Alabama as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2006, Robertson had a solid college career out of the bullpen. He posted ERAs of 2.92 and 3.03 in his two years there while striking out almost 12 batters per nine innings, though that came with a walk every other inning. The now 23-year-old right-hander debuted with Single-A Charleston last year and ended the campaign with Double-A Trenton. He posted a 0.96 ERA and 113/32 K/BB in 84 1/3 innings between the three levels, succeeding at each stop. Back at Trenton this year, Robertson continued to dominate before a promotion to Triple-A. Between the two levels he had a 1.39 ERA and 74/22 K/BB in 51 2/3 innings. Despite his big strikeout numbers, Robertson isn't your typical blow-it-by-you reliever. His fastball is more often in the 91-93 MPH range, but it's got plenty of movement both laterally and vertically and is thus hard to square. That's a large reason why he's yet to give up a homer in 140 innings of professional baseball. He gets most of his strikeouts with a hard slider that's a swing-and-miss pitch, and it looks like at times he'll take something off of it and throw it more like a curve. The total package is that Robertson should be a setup man in the big leagues down the road. I still have some concerns about how his command will hold up, but he should be able to succeed anyway if he maintains his ability to limit homers. He's a worthy claim in AL-only leagues in which middle relievers are valued. Recommendation: Claim in deep AL-only leagues. |
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07-02-08, 06:00 PM
| #220 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 Midseason fantasy all-stars By Paul Petera and Ron Shandler, Baseball HQ.com Winning in fantasy baseball is all about profit. Sure, you need to steer clear of injuries (just ask Ryan Zimmerman, Rafael Furcal or Chien-Ming Wang owners). But your main draft-day goal is to get players that will outperform relative to what your fellow owners expect. This week, we look at players who have most exceeded their preseason projected value. They are this year's Fantasy All-Stars. Some are on their way to career years; others are due to come back to earth. But if you're at or near the top of your standings, chances are a few of these guys are on your roster. American League * Catcher: Dioner Navarro, Tampa Bay. Only Joe Mauer had more RBI among AL catchers in 2008. The career-.250 hitter had also produced a .317 average this season. With below-average power, no speed and half of his batted balls on the ground, expect a batting average closer to .275 the rest of the way. Runner-up: A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago. * First base: Kevin Youkilis, Boston. Youkilis was sitting on a .313 average and had nearly set a career high in homers. His power surge has resulted in the worst walk rate of his career, so it'll be hard to sustain the average. Also, his career second-half average and slugging percentage drop 60 and 94 points, respectively, from the first half. A sell-high candidate. Runner-up: Aubrey Huff, Baltimore. * Second base: Ian Kinsler, Texas. A popular sleeper pick in some circles this season, Kinsler hasn't disappointed. He's been a five-category contributor and a $35 player, and his skill set says it's no fluke. When the season's over he'll likely be sitting on career bests in all five fantasy categories. Runner-up: Jose Lopez, Seattle. * Third base: Joe Crede, Chicago. Just a few months ago, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Crede was on his way out of Chicago. Not anymore. A .506 slugging percentage combined with more plate patience (9% walk rate) adds validity to this strong showing. With continued good health, Crede could rejoin the 30-homer club this year. Runner-up: Ramon Vazquez, Texas. * Shortstop: Bobby Crosby, Oakland. After a 22-homer rookie season in 2004, Crosby spent a combined 204 days on the DL in the three years since. It's tough to gamble on that run of bad luck. Those who did this year have the AL's second-most RBI at the position. Runner-up: Orlando Cabrera, Chicago. * Left field: Josh Hamilton, Texas. Has there been a better trade in recent years than Hamilton for Edinson Volquez? Many outfielders' names were called before his on draft day, but it's Hamilton with the major league lead in RBI. His skill set says it's legit. Runner-up: David Murphy, Texas. * Center field: Milton Bradley, Texas. If the season ended Sunday, he'd be the AL batting champ. He also sported the AL's best on-base-plus slugging percentage (OPS). Bradley's prodigious power and 17% walk rate are nearly Bonds-like. With his history of injuries and outbursts, though, you're playing with fire for the rest of the year. Runner-up: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston. * Right field: Carlos Quentin, Chicago. Drafted in many leagues as a fourth or fifth outfielder, Quentin has rewarded his owners with a top-10 OPS. Lost in the lofty numbers, however, is his gradual decline since April. His monthly slugging splits (.619-.533-.489) suggest a sell-high candidate. Runner-up: J.D. Drew, Boston. * Starting pitcher: Cliff Lee, Cleveland. Undrafted in many leagues, Lee has an 11-1 record and 2.34 ERA. He's done so by staying healthy, raising his strikeouts and lowering his fly balls. Runner-up: Joe Saunders, Los Angeles. * Reliever: Mariano Rivera, New York. There are a number of closers who are worthy, but we're going with the 38-year old with the sub-1.00 ERA and astonishing 14.0 strikeout/walk ratio. Only 20% of his pitches put into play were falling for hits (his career norm is closer to 30%), so it won't stay this good all year. Nevertheless, he's still one of baseball's elite closers. Runner-up: George Sherrill, Baltimore. National League * Catcher: Ryan Doumit, Pittsburgh. His draft-day value was suppressed due to his lack of a full-time job. Eleven hits in his first five games solved that problem. It took a broken thumb to slow him down, but his OPS was an amazing 1.013 since his return. He'll be the starting catcher for the rest of the year. Runner-up: Geovany Soto, Chicago. * First base: Lance Berkman, Houston. We knew he was good, but he was in the top three in each of the Triple Crown categories and a legitimate MVP candidate. He's also given owners $50 in fantasy value, or $15 more than any other player. Even scarier: his OPS is 100 points higher in the second half since 2005. Runner-up: Jorge Cantu, Florida. * Second base: Dan Uggla, Florida. Impatient owners were grumbling in mid-April when he was batting .167. All he's done since is slug .695 and hit 21 homers. He strikes out too much, which will eventually hurt his average, but the power is for real. Runner-up: Mark DeRosa, Chicago. * Third base: Chipper Jones, Atlanta. The NL leader in batting average has worn out opposing pitchers all year, despite some minor injuries. An absurdly high .410 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) means there will be some softening in that average. And keep in mind his propensity to get injured. Runner-up: Mark Reynolds, Arizona. * Shortstop: Ryan Theriot, Chicago. Theriot has added stronger plate discipline this year (11% walk rate) to an already good skill set. The result is a legitimate .300-plus batting average and a chance at 30 steals. Runner-up: Miguel Tejada, Houston. * Left field: Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis. The Cardinals lead the league in DL days, so they're due some good fortune, and Ludwick has played a part. He finally earned a full-time job and is hitting for both power (16 homers) and average (.285). A $6 to $8 draft day investment has netted you nearly $20 in profit. Runner-up: Skip Schumaker, St. Louis. * Center field: Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh. When spring training began, McLouth wasn't even assured a job (he was battling Nyjer Morgan). Once he won it, he never looked back, and he's been a $30 player this year. The skills support it, so enjoy the ride. Runner-up: Randy Winn, San Francisco. * Right field: Xavier Nady, Pittsburgh. While some overpaid on the likes of Hunter Pence or Brad Hawpe, you paid single digits for Nady and have gotten equal or better stats. His plate patience has never been better and his power has remained consistent. Expect continued success. Runner-up: Kosuke Fukudome, Chicago. * Starting pitcher: Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati. He's been a $30 pitcher in 5x5 leagues on what for many was a single-digit investment. But beware. In June, his strikeout rate has dropped and opponents are hitting the ball a lot harder against him than they did in April and May. Runner-up: Ryan Dempster, Chicago. * Reliever: Kerry Wood, Chicago. People have been lining up to throw dirt on Wood's career. With 446 DL days over the last four years, who wouldn't? But he's stayed healthy and thrived in this role. If you feel like pressing your luck, he could earn an NL saves title. Runner-up: Jon Rauch, Washington. |
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07-03-08, 09:49 AM
| #221 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 Give your team a check-up The best way to look at the 81-game midpoint of the baseball season is to treat it like a check-up at the doctor's office get a gauge of your team's general health to see if there are signs of distress, then determine if corrective measures need to be taken. Not that easy, you say? Yes, fantasy teams are always in a state of flux with injuries, streaks and slumps affecting their general health from day to day and week to week. That's where taking a step back and looking at the big picture helps. So get your pencil and paper out. And feel free to try Dr. Steve's method of self-analysis on your own teams. Case No. 1 NL LABR Vitals: 13-team, highly competitive 5x5 experts Roto league. Currently in third place out of 13 teams. Overview: The team has ridden the strength of its draft (Chipper Jones, Lance Berkman, Jimmy Rollins) to a solid standing in all of the hitting categories, including first overall in batting average. Injuries haven't been a major factor except for Rollins missing three weeks and Nick Johnson needing season-ending wrist surgery. The pitching staff has been built around Dan Haren and has benefited from the addition of free agent Ricky Nolasco to be among the top three in the league in wins. Brian Fuentes' elevation to closer has made up for the loss of Chad Cordero. Previous treatment: Added Taylor Buchholz to pitching staff to replace the injured Noah Lowry. Damaged ERA and WHIP by picking up Josh Fogg for several starts. Wasted $15 of Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) on Jacque Jones' ill-fated stint with the Florida Marlins. Chief complaints: Lack of production from the catcher spot, specifically rookie J.R. Towles. Inconsistent starts from Tom Gorzelanny and Adam Eaton. Areas for improvement: Despite being in a three-way tie for third place in homers, the team is below league average in RBI. In a three-way tie for third place in stolen bases, with Rollins and surging Elijah Dukes offering potential to move up. Also, its strikeout total, ERA and WHIP are in the middle of the pack. Diagnosis: Hitting is solid as long as Jones can stay healthy. Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel have provided better-than-expected numbers but are candidates to fade down the stretch. Could get a boost if Milwaukee Brewers minor-leaguer outfielder Matt LaPorta is called up. Pitching success could hinge on whether Fuentes is traded. Rx: The patient gets a clean bill of health for the stretch run. With Berkman, Aaron Miles and Brendan Ryan available to play multiple positions, it should be possible to add another hitter. The standings points available in pitching categories (and the inconsistency of Gorzelanny, Eaton, Paul Maholm and Brandon Backe) make acquiring a good starter a priority, even if it takes dealing away some offense. Case No. 2 AL head-to-head Vitals: 10-team, 4x4, AL-only keeper league. Currently 4-9 and last in its division, from which the winner and likely one wild-card team make the playoffs. Overview: Unlike in a Roto league, this team's regular season is only 22 weeks, so decisions have to be made sooner. In one of the league's quirky rules, the trade deadline is the final out of the All-Star Game. With holdovers Francisco Liriano, Dustin McGowan, Clay Buchholz and Chien-Ming Wang, the season looked bright from a pitching standpoint. That allowed for a big-ticket purchase of Miguel Cabrera on draft day. But a five-game losing streak has sent the team to the back of the pack. Previous treatment: Attempts to trade Brian Roberts or Dustin Pedroia have been unsuccessful, so Pedroia has occupied the utility spot all season. Waiver-wire additions Jeremy Sowers, Tim Wakefield and Kenny Rogers haven't filled the void left by Liriano, Buchholz and Wang. Chief complaints: It hurts everywhere. The pitching staff has been decimated by injuries and Joe Blanton has been unable to carry the load. Now Hideki Matsui is on the DL. It's also painfully obvious that Cabrera and Edgar Renteria haven't been as productive after their moves to the American League. Areas for improvement: Luck. Three losses have come in tiebreakers and another one was by half a point. With Roberts and Pedroia starting, plus Casey Kotchman and Aubrey Huff alternating at first base, there should be definite trade opportunities. Liriano and Buchholz still provide hope for the future. Diagnosis: No power, no pitching. The offense has too many base stealers with Joey Gathright and Coco Crisp on the bench and Jerry Owens in the minors. On the mound, only closer Jonathan Papelbon has been reliable. Rx: Pull the plug. Occasionally, you have a season in which absolutely nothing goes right. Papelbon, Liriano, McGowan, Buchholz and Wang are still keeper candidates (there are seven spots available). Trading one or more of them for protectable hitters is an even better idea. Doctor's orders These two cases don't cover every situation out there, but it's still possible to go through some of the same steps to determine your team's overall health. Look carefully for players who may have over- or underachieved and adjust your second-half expectations accordingly. Another reminder: Now that interleague play is over, players who feasted, struggled or were benched in games against the opposite league won't have to worry about that anymore. And if your team is one or two key players away, remember the trade deadline could bring players such as C.C. Sabathia, Erik Bedard, Mark Teixeira, Fuentes, Raul Ibanez and Xavier Nady across league boundaries and open up playing time for others. |
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07-03-08, 10:26 AM
| #222 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 123 for C.C. With rumors swirling about his availability leading up to the July 31 trading deadline, the Indians allowed C.C. Sabathia to throw a season-high 123 pitches Wednesday while allowing five runs. Sabathia left the game down 5-4 and was in position to take his ninth loss after completing eight innings, but ended up with a no-decision. He's always been a big-time workhorse, but Sabathia hadn't topped the 120-pitch mark since his final start of the 2006 season. He's now thrown 119, 106, 112, 116, 116, and 123 pitches over his last half-dozen starts, which certainly makes it seem as though the Indians have lost all interest in preserving his future value. Whether that means they plan to trade him or simply let him walk as a free agent is unclear, but my guess would be that they're listening to offers. Since beginning the season 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA, Sabathia has posted a 2.16 ERA and 109-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 14 starts. While the Indians decide what to do with the AL's reigning Cy Young winner, here are some other notes from around baseball * Matt Capps has quietly been very effective since taking over as the Pirates' closer last season, converting 35-of-43 save chances (81.3 percent) with a 2.56 ERA and 93-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 119.1 innings. Unfortunately, he landed on the disabled list Wednesday after an MRI exam on his shoulder showed bursitis and the 24-year-old admitted afterward that he's been pitching through discomfort for a while now. Capps is expected to miss two months and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Pirates simply shut him down for good if they continue to languish below .500 as September approaches. In the meantime, Damaso Marte is now the favorite for saves after posting a 3.54 ERA and 44-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 40.2 innings Capps' setup man. He's had three strong years with the Pirates and is clearly the best option for ninth-inning duties in what is now a very shaky bullpen. * Down 4-1 after six innings Wednesday against the Red Sox, the Rays stormed back to take the lead on Evan Longoria's two-run double and tacked on two more runs to go up 7-4. Dan Wheeler was brought in for a four-out save when the Red Sox scored in the eighth inning and closed out the victory, albeit after allowing a run of his own to make things very interesting late. Given how things played out, Wheeler is clearly Troy Percival's replacement. Longoria came up big as the Rays finished off a three-game sweep of the Red Sox, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Called up in mid-April, Longoria has now hit .275/.348/.528 with 15 homers, 37 total extra-base hits, 50 RBIs, and five steals through 74 games. His 70 strikeouts are a lot, but Longoria has shown excellent plate discipline for a 22-year-old rookie by drawing 33 walks in 310 trips to the plate. Only Alex Rodriguez has a higher OPS among AL third basemen. He's a stud. * Rafael Furcal has already been out for two months with a back injury that was initially expected to sideline him for just a few weeks and he's now scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday that will put his season in doubt. He'll reportedly miss at least two more months, which is a huge blow to a Dodgers team that is now waiting for Nomar Garciaparra to return from the DL so that he can take over as their starting shortstop despite not having played the position since 2005. Furcal looked like an MVP candidate through early May, hitting .366/.448/.597 with 34 runs in 32 games, but may now hit the free-agent market this winter as a major question mark. Assuming that the Dodgers don't seriously think the 34-year-old, oft-injured Garciaparra is truly a capable fill in, they could look to acquire a short-term fix like Juan Uribe, who the White Sox are said to be openly shopping. If he can avoid a setback for once, Garciaparra could return this weekend. * The Dodgers may have lost Furcal for the season Wednesday, but Hiroki Kuroda returned from the disabled list in style after missing three starts with a sore shoulder, shutting out the Astros for seven innings while using just 83 pitches. To make room for Kuroda in the rotation the Dodgers sent Clayton Kershaw back to Double-A after the 20-year-old southpaw went 0-2 with a 4.42 ERA and 33-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 38.2 innings spread over eight starts. Kershaw's spotty control and lack of high-minors experience suggested that he wasn't ready to thrive yet in the majors and sure enough he finished the sixth inning just once in eight outings. He certainly wasn't bad and simply holding his own in the big leagues at 20 was plenty encouraging, giving credence to the notion that he's among the elite pitching prospects in all of baseball. His long-term outlook remains fantastic and Kershaw may get another shot in the second half. AL Quick Hits: As expected, the A's signed 16-year-old Dominican right-hander Michel Inoa for a record $4.25 million bonus Wednesday despite what were reportedly better offers from the Reds and Rangers Ichiro Suzuki collected three hits Wednesday, pushing his batting average above .300 for the first time since April 9 Grady Sizemore got halfway to the 40-40 club Wednesday, smacking his 20th and 21st homers while swiping his 20th base Jason Giambi drove in six runs Wednesday, including a grand slam that was his first homer since June 17 David Price tossed six scoreless innings Tuesday at Double-A, making the former No. 1 overall pick 6-0 with a 1.74 ERA in 46.2 innings as a pro Facing the team that let him go last month, Sidney Ponson was roughed up for seven runs Wednesday against Texas A strained groin knocked Michael Young from Wednesday's game Joe Saunders won Wednesday to tie Brandon Webb for the MLB lead with a dozen victories Warner Madrigal coughed up six runs while recording one out in his big-league debut Wednesday, leaving him with a lovely 162.00 ERA. NL Quick Hits: Jay Bruce smacked a pair of homers Wednesday, going deep for the first time since June 13 Rickie Weeks missed his second straight start Wednesday because of the flu, but delivered a pinch-hit homer off the bench As expected, J.R. Towles returned from Triple-A and started behind the plate Wednesday, going 1-for-3 Chase Headley homered Wednesday for the fourth time in 15 games after going deep 13 times in 65 games at Triple-A Troy Glaus homered twice Wednesday against the Mets, including a walk-off shot Alex Gonzalez is slated to undergo season-ending knee surgery Monday, leaving Jeff Keppinger and Jerry Hairston Jr. to fight for playing time at shortstop in the second half Wednesday saw Chipper Jones' batting average dip to .391, but he did homer Filling in for Micah Owings (back), Yusmeiro Petit gave up one run on two hits over six innings Wednesday against the Brewers Oscar Villarreal was designated for assignment Wednesday three months after general manager Ed Wade handed him a two-year deal worth $2.85 million. |
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07-04-08, 08:15 AM
| #223 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 Trade Winds Swirling I'm way too busy trying to wrap my head around this story to come up with a proper introduction today, so while the countdown begins until Lisa Bonet is inevitably linked to Derek Jeter let's get right to the notes from around baseball * Yesterday in this space my main topic was the Indians letting C.C. Sabathia rack up huge pitch counts, with the implication being that they seemingly no longer had any interest in protecting his future value. Sabathia racking up 123, 119, 116, 116, 112, and 106 pitches over his last six starts certainly suggests that they're preparing to deal him, and sure enough a couple of juicy rumors began circulating Thursday. Not only did the Philadelphia Inquirer note that the Phillies have placed Sabathia "atop their wish list," both the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and FOXSports.com reported that the Indians have begun scouting Brewers minor leaguers in preparation for a potential deal. His overall stats aren't pretty thanks to a horrible first four starts, but Sabathia has posted a 2.16 ERA and 109-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last 14 outings and could have a huge impact if traded. * Meanwhile, a non-Sabathia report out of Cleveland notes that the Indians may finally be ready to take ninth-inning duties away from Joe Borowski. Despite his AL-leading 45 saves last season the move is long overdue given Borowski's ugly 5.57 ERA over 82.1 innings with the Indians. It's unclear yet who'll be given the first crack at replacing him after top setup man Rafael Betancourt struggled in the role previously, but for the short term Masa Kobayashi looks like the best bet. * Along with the various Sabathia rumors, Matt Holliday has been linked to the Angels in multiple reports this week. Holliday is under Colorado's control through next season, but hasn't been able to work out a long-term contract extension and is said to be available in trade talks thanks to the Rockies' 35-51 record. He's followed up last season's second-place MVP finish by hitting .337 with 10 homers and 40 RBIs through 68 games, but a trade would crush Holliday's fantasy stock. While Coors Field isn't quite the offense-inflating hitter's paradise that it once was, Holliday has benefited tremendously from calling the ballpark home. He's hit .363/.427/.655 with 75 homers and 276 RBIs in 323 career games at home, compared to .277/.340/.450 with 38 homers and 159 RBIs in 304 games on the road. That's a massive 292-point difference in OPS and on a per-game basis he's produced 46 percent fewer homers and 39 percent fewer RBIs on the road. * Jason Bartlett sprained his knee while sliding into third base Wednesday and was placed on the disabled list Thursday. His defense at shortstop has been a big part of the Rays' turnaround and his glove will definitely be missed, but as a .256/.299/.293 hitter through 77 games his offensive production won't be tough to replace. Both Ben Zobrist and Reid Brignac were called up from the minors to help replace Bartlett, seemingly making a straight platoon likely. Zobrist has batted just .207/.245/.303 in 92 games with the Rays after posting huge on-base percentages in the minors and at 27 years old projects as little more than a good utility man at this point. On the other hand, Brignac is only 22 years old and remains a quality prospect despite losing some of his shine over the past couple years. He had a huge season at Single-A in 2006, but has hit a modest .262/.323/.432 in 211 games between Double-A and Triple-A since then. * Johnny Cueto's rookie season got off to a great start before he went into a month-long slump that left him 2-4 with a 5.91 ERA, but he's quietly put together a nice 10-outing stretch since then. Cueto held the Nationals to three runs over seven innings Thursday, totaling eight strikeouts for his seventh win. He's posted a 3.64 ERA and 45-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 59.1 innings during that 10-start span, giving the 22-year-old a solid 4.68 ERA and 1.34 WHIP overall. * When the Royals demoted Billy Butler to Triple-A back in late May, my analysis referred to it as "an odd move on a number of levels" and my advice to his fantasy owners was that they "should be looking to buy low" because he "remains an excellent long-term bet." Butler went down to Triple-A and hit .337/.417/.564 in 26 games, earning a trip back to Kansas City last week. Since returning to the Royals he's 6-for-14 (.429), including a homer and a double Thursday night. AL Quick Hits: Paul Konerko (oblique) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Friday at Triple-A and could come off the disabled list early next week Angels hitters wondered if Rich Harden was hurt after he showed decreased velocity Wednesday, but the oft-injured ace blamed it on merely having "kind of a dead arm" Aubrey Huff went 3-for-4 with a pair of long balls Thursday, surpassing last season's homer total in 70 fewer games Bobby Jenks was unavailable Wednesday because of back soreness, giving Scott Linebrink the chance to blow a one-run lead in his place Kyle Davies was 3-0 with a 1.46 ERA through four starts, but after getting knocked around Thursday he's 0-2 with a 13.11 ERA over his last three outings Justin Duchscherer followed up a two-run first inning with six scoreless frames Thursday, maintaining a sub-2.00 ERA while beating the White Sox for his ninth win Meanwhile, Javier Vazquez totaled 10 strikeouts while allowing three runs in a complete-game, but fell to the A's According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are interested in David Eckstein. NL Quick Hits: Cole Hamels took a shutout into the ninth inning Thursday, but settled for 8.2 innings of one-run ball and the victory when Tom Gordon picked up a one-out save Brandon Phillips drove in three runs on three hits Thursday, giving him 15 RBIs with a .410 batting average and five steals over the past 15 games Tim Lincecum won his sixth straight decision Thursday by holding the Cubs to three runs over six innings Todd Helton was scratched from Thursday's lineup with a sore back and Jeff Baker homered while starting in his place After beginning his career 3-0, Mitchell Boggs was crushed Thursday by the Mets, giving up 11 runs Aramis Ramirez returned to the lineup Thursday after being away for the team for three days attending to a personal matter in the Dominican Republic J.J. Hardy went 4-for-5 with a homer and two doubles Thursday, giving him 11 hits over the past four games As expected, Luis Castillo (hip) landed on the disabled list Thursday, making Damion Easley the Mets' starting second baseman through the All-Star break. newyorkmets.com |
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07-16-08, 09:24 AM
| #224 |
| "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 64,496
| Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 Buy Low for the Second Half Now that one of the best All-Star games in recent memory is finally over, it's time to turn our attention to the second half with a look at my favorite "buy-low" and "sell-high" candidates for the remainder of the season. I'll tackle the sell-high guys tomorrow, but today let's focus on the buy-low targets, who can mostly be categorized as players who either a) saw their value drop during a bad first half and figure to turn things around, or b) look ready to breakout. Jonathan Broxton (RP, Dodgers) With Takashi Saito being shut down for at least six weeks with a sprained elbow ligament, Broxton will take over as the Dodgers' closer for what may be the rest of the season. He's ready for the opportunity after establishing himself as one of baseball's top setup man with a 2.86 ERA and 242 strikeouts in 198 innings spread over the past three years. Broxton has all the tools necessary to be an elite closer. A.J. Burnett (SP, Blue Jays) Burnett will begin the second half with a career-worst 4.96 ERA, but his secondary numbers are as strong as ever with a 126-to-57 strikeout-to-walk ratio and just 11 homers allowed over 127 innings. He's been unfortunate in that the defense behind him hasn't turned a high rate of his balls in play into outs and a high percentage of runners have scored on him once they reach base, but that tends to even out over time and his ERA is on the way down. Robinson Cano (2B, Yankees) Hitting .151 in April has made it tough for Cano to get his season totals respectable, but he's hitting .288 since May 1, including .295 in May, .287 in June, and .273 in July. Even those numbers are disappointing for a 25-year-old who came into this season as a .314/.346/.489 career hitter and Cano is simply too good for his OPS to stay below .700 for much longer. Expect his usual .300-plus batting average in the second half. Manny Corpas (RP, Rockies) Stripped of ninth-inning duties after blowing four of his first eight save chances while posting a 7.78 ERA, Corpas may be on the verge of reclaiming the closer job with Brian Fuentes rumored to be on the trading block. Corpas has responded very well to the demotion, tossing 26.2 innings with a 3.38 ERA and 23-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio since mid-May. If Fuentes is dealt, Corpas' value will skyrocket. Brad Hawpe (OF, Rockies) Hawpe was hitting just .231 with three homers in 42 games when he landed on the disabled list in mid-May with a strained hamstring. He returned two weeks later and has been on fire since, hitting .277/.394/.597 with 11 homers in 35 games. Hawpe had nearly identical numbers over the past two yearshitting .293/.383/.515 with 22 homers in 2006 and .291/.387/.539 with 29 homers in 2007and looks ready to post similar stats in the second half. Adam Lind (OF, Blue Jays) Injuries to Vernon Wells and Shannon Stewart clear the path for Lind to get another extended look in Toronto's outfield. He struggled when given a chance last season and went 1-for-19 in a brief stint early this year, but has hit .339 with three homers and 16 RBIs in 17 games since being recalled from the minors. As a 24-year-old career .333/.406/.525 hitter with 17 homers and 96 RBIs in 131 games at Triple-A, he has plenty of upside. Francisco Liriano (SP, Twins) Rushed back from Tommy John surgery, Liriano went 0-3 with an 11.32 ERA in April and got banished back to Triple-A. He's since become a forgotten man, but is quieting putting up great numbers again. He's posted a 24-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio during his current 20-inning scoreless streak, giving him a 3.53 ERA and 86-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 97 innings at Triple-A overall. If the Twins clear a spot, Liriano is ready to rejoin the rotation. Damaso Marte (RP, Pirates) Manager John Russell refuses to make it official, but with Matt Capps likely sidelined into September the Pirates have turned ninth-inning duties over to Marte. He converted three straight save chances to finish the first half, giving him a 3.22 ERA and 44-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 44.2 innings. He now has a 3.46 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 185 innings since joining the Pirates and there isn't another decent closer option in their bullpen. Alex Rios (OF, Blue Jays) Rios has just four homers in 89 games after a career-high 24 last year, although he's made up for it by already stealing more bases (23) than ever before. He's still a nice buy-low target, in part because he's hitting .321 since June 1 and in part because just four percent of his fly balls have gone over the fence this year. He smacked 10 percent of his fly balls for homers over the past two seasons, so you can expect Rios to start going deep again soon. Juan Rivera (OF, Angels) Rivera missed most of last year with a broken leg and barely played for the first three months of this year, but has recently gotten regular playing time at the expense of Gary Matthews Jr. Moved back into the starting lineup on June 29, Rivera has gone 11-for-31 with three homers and eight RBIs in 10 games. He fell off the fantasy radar, but is only two years removed from hitting .310/.362/.525 with 23 homers and 85 RBIs in 124 games. Nick Swisher (OF, White Sox) Moving from the pitcher-friendly ballpark in Oakland to his new power-boosting home in Chicago made Swisher a good bet for a big year, but he hit just .201 with four homers and a .640 OPS in 54 games through the end of May. He's gotten on track by batting .284 with eight homers and a .912 OPS in 39 games since June 1, and has predictably thrived at home, smacking 10 of his 12 homers there with an .869 OPS, compared to .643 on the road. Justin Verlander (SP, Tigers) Verlander's season totals remain sub par at 7-9 with a 4.15 ERA, but he's quietly been one of the AL's best pitchers since flashing significantly decreased velocity while beginning the year 1-7 with a 6.05 ERA. In 11 outings since mid-May, Verlander has gone 6-2 with a 2.71 ERA and 63-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 73 innings. His missing miles per hour have returned and Verlander's numbers are back to normal, even if not everyone has noticed yet. www.atlantabraves.ws Honorable Mentions: Joe Blanton (SP, A's); Clay Buchholz (SP, Red Sox); Billy Butler (DH, Royals); Jeff Clement (C, Mariners); Jeff Francoeur (OF, Braves); Sean Gallagher (SP, A's); Ryan Garko (1B, Indians); Andrew Miller (SP, Marlins); Freddy Sanchez (2B, Pirates); Kelly Shoppach (C, Indians); J.R. Towles (C, Astros); Javier Vazquez (SP, White Sox) |
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