Archive for the ‘By Position’ Category

2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Starting Pitchers 21 – 40

Posted by Todd Lammi on February 4th, 2012

Here is the tenth article in the series of our 2012 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the next 20 starting pitchers. In this group you will find several starting pitchers coming off of injury from last season. While they have performed well in past season, many of them will be on an innings restriction in 2012 which will keep them from reaching their full value like they would in a normal season.

Here is a look at the fantasy baseball starting pitchers I have ranked for 2012 with my comments. A longer list with 2012 fantasy baseball projections is available in the 2012 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide which is on sale now.

21. Stephen Strasburg – there is a limit to his upside as he will likely face an innings limit in his comeback from Tommy John surgery like Jordan Zimmermann did last season.

22. Mat Latos - struggled the first half of the season before turning it around after the All-Star break with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. The move from PETCO Park to Cincinnati should elevate his ERA a little bit.

23. Michael Pineda – should get a couple more wins in New York while ERA and WHIP will be slightly impacted from the move away from SAFECO Field where he had a 2.92 ERA and 1.01 WHIP compared to 4.40 and 1.17 on the road.

24.  Ricky Romero – continues to dominate right-handed hitters which led to a .216 overall batting average against. Lower than normal hit rate and great bullpen support pushed his ERA under 3.00 so expect that to rise in 2012. Numbers slid in the second half of the season for the second year in a row. In his career, ERA is 3.29 and WHIP is 1.27 the first half and 3.95 and 1.33 the second half of the season.

25. Josh Beckett – while 2010 was to one extreme for his hit rate and lack of bullpen support, 2011 was all the way to the other extreme as both of those numbers over corrected. Expect something closer to his 2009 season in 2012.

26. Matt Moore – should be among the league leaders in strikeouts despite being on an innings limit. Struck out 12.7 batter per nine innings over his minor league career. Only concern is his walk rate which was 3.1 in nine starts at AAA.

27. Gio Gonzalez – boosted his strikeout rate and it should go even higher this season with the move to the National League. Walk rate of 4.1 per nine innings is still an issue that needs to be ironed out to take the next step.

28. Brandon Beachy – will carry a higher than usual ERA from time-to-time based on his skills because he is a fly ball pitcher and is prone to variances from season-to-season. Strikeout rate of 10.7 per nine innings is going to be hard to repeat in his second season.

29. Matt Garza – big jump in strikeout rate with the move to the National League. Also saw a nice increase in his ground ball rate which gained 10 percentage points from 2010 which helped to keep his ERA low.

30. Tommy Hanson – last pitched on August 6th and was then shut down for the season with shoulder issues. Not a good sign when the team is expecting him to be healthy for the start of 2012 but they are still not 100% certain.

31. Josh Johnson – still has only one season of 200 or more innings pitched after making through only 60 1/3 innings in 2011 before shoulder issues forced him to the sidelines. Not worth the risk given his injury history regardless of how good his stuff is.

32. Adam Wainwright – coming back from Tommy John surgery, it may take him half of a season to find the groove so keep expectations realistic.

33. Yu Darvish – the best Japanese starting pitcher comes to Texas at the age of 25. In 2010, he had a 1.78 ERA with 2.1 walks and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Pitched 200+ innings in four of the last five seasons so durability should not be a concern.

34. Jordan Zimmermann – first season back from Tommy John surgery and he came back with improved control and he picked up his strikeout rate the second half of the season. Only downside is if the team limits his innings any in his second season after surgery.

35. Chris Carpenter – turns 37 in April and is coming off a second straight season of a falling ground ball rate and a rising batting average against. Too many good young pitchers out there to take the risk on drafting him.

36. Jeremy Hellickson – it looked like a solid rookie season, but his strikeout rate of 5.6 was far off from his 9.8 per nine innings in the minor leagues. His ratios were also helped out by a 23% hit rate this is going to correct as well as great support from his bullpen. Expect higher ratios, but a few more strikeouts in 2012.

37. Shaun Marcum – one of the few pitchers who has not seen an increase in his strikeout rate with the move to the National League. Seemed to fade down the stretch after striking out 8.1 hitters per nine innings the first half of the season, it fell to 5.8 after the All-Star break. Ended the season at a low point with a 5.17 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in September.

38. Cory Luebke – so far in 157 major league innings, he has been outpitching his minor league numbers in every category and without the benefit of PETCO Park as his numbers have been better on the road. Posted a 3.76 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP after the All-Star break in 14 starts.

39. Colby Lewis – fly ball pitchers are always at risk for balls flying over the fence at a higher rate from season-to-season which is what happened to Lewis in 2011.On a positive note, he did cut his walk rate and for the second straight season, he gave right-handed hitters fits.

40. Anibal Sanchez – took a big step forward in 2011 with a second year in a row of good health, a slight decrease in his walk rate and his strikeout rate went from 7.2 per nine innings to 9.3. Just needs to get a little more run support now to boost his win total.

Instead of spending money on outdated magazines written by fantasy owners with no experience of winning fantasy baseball leagues, order the 2012 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide today so you can start dominating the competition in your fantasy baseball league.

Buy Now

 

Read More »

2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Starting Pitchers 1 – 20

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 31st, 2012

Here is the ninth article in the series of our 2012 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the top 20 starting pitchers. Fantasy baseball rankings for pitchers will vary from year-to-year and site to site because two of the four categories that determine a starting pitchers ranking are ratio categories which many people have a tough time converting into a number. So while position players have more variance between each ranking, pitchers tend to be grouped much closer together. Missing out on the number one ranked pitcher is not quite the same as missing out on the number one ranked shortstop or catcher.

Here is a look at the fantasy baseball starting pitchers I have ranked for 2012 with my comments. A longer list with 2012 fantasy baseball projections is available in the 2012 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide which is on sale now.

1. Roy Halladay – batting average against fell for the second straight season as he put up similar stats to 2010 plus he cut his home runs allowed from 24 to 10. One of the top three starters in fantasy baseball but I still like him number one.

2. Cliff Lee - what a difference the National League makes. His six shutouts were more than he had for his 11-year career. His 230 strikeouts were 53 more than his previous career high. I have him slightly ahead of Verlander.

3. Justin Verlander – three straight seasons of a declining ERA, WHIP and batting average against so expect a little regression in 2012.

4.  Clayton Kershaw – had always been hard to hit in his career and then solved his control issues in 2011, while pitching even better the second half of the season with a 1.31 ERA and a .89 WHIP with 19  walks in 102 2/3 innings.

5. Felix Hernandez – strikeout rate per nine rose for the third straight season. Seemed to tire down the stretch as he allowed a .228 batting average the first half of the season and then .277 after the All-Star break when he posted a 3.91 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.

6. CC Sabathia – strikeout rate was up after a two year decline, given him his second highest strikeout total of his career. Batting average against rose for the second year in a row. Better in the first half with a 2.72 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP compared to a 3.44 ERA and 1.33 WHIP after the break.

7. Tim Lincecum – walk rate was up for  a second straight season while strikeout rate fell for the third year in a row. Still a top five-seven pitcher, just no longer a top-3 best fantasy pitcher.

8. Cole Hamels – ground ball rate increased for a second straight season to 52%. Pitching for a new contract at the end of the season plus the improvement in walk rate should give the highest win total of his career in 2012.

9. Jered Weaver – strikeout from 2010 looks like an outlier now after his numbers returned to 2008-09 levels. ERA and WHIP both will regress in 2012 after a lower than normal hit rate last season but there is still a lot to like here.

10. David Price – walk rate fell for the second straight season while his strikeout rate is steadily rising. If not for pitching in the AL East, we would be looking at a sub 3.00 ERA every season.

11. Dan Haren – strikeout rate was the lowest that it had been in five years though it was somewhat masked by his career high in innings pitched. Ultra low walk rate gives him a somewhat stable WHIP regardless of any variations in his hit rate from year-to-year.

12. Zack Greinke – strikeout rate jumped with the move to the National League. Wins may be harder to come by with a lineup missing Fielder and possibly Braun.

13. Jon Lester – strikeout rate fell for the second year in a row. Walk rate plus the fact he throws only around 200 innings per seasons keeps him out of the top tier of pitchers.

14. Yovani Gallardo – has made big strides the last two seasons with his walk rate, going from 4.6 to 3.6 to 2.6 last season. If he can keep his gains in his ground ball rate from last season and his home run per fly ball rate normalizes, he should post the best ERA of his career in 2012.

15. Matt Cain – third straight season of improvement against left-handed hitters. ERA should rise a little bit after a suppressed home run rate in 2011. Will be one of the top free agent pitchers on the market next season if the Giants don’t get him signed to a contract.

16. Ian Kennedy – cut his walk rate by one batter per game while slighting raising his strikeout rate. His 21 wins from 2011 is going to drive his price a little higher than it should be this season.

17. Madison Bumgarner – slight uptick in velocity on his fastball and a higher usage of his slider helped to boost his strikeout rate. Was stellar the second half of the season with a 2.52 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP with 99 strikeouts in 100 innings.

18. C.J. Wilson – second season as a starter was even better with a decreased walk rate and an increase in his strikeout per nine number. Maintained his ground ball rate at 49% which helps to limit his home runs allowed total.

19. Dan Hudson – love to see that type of walk rate from a young pitcher and he showed improvement the second half of the season with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Strikeout rate should be slightly up in 2012 with a full major league season now under his belt.

20. James Shields – good news is that he kept his strikeout rate gains from the previous season. Bad news is his ERA and WHIP are both going up after an extreme correction to his hit rate percentage in 2011. He is going to be overvalued based on 2011 so while he is a solid pitcher, don’t pay a stud pitcher price for him.

Instead of spending money on outdated magazines written by fantasy owners with no experience of winning fantasy baseball leagues, order the 2012 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide today so you can start dominating the competition in your fantasy baseball league.

Buy Now

 

Read More »

2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Utility Players

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 28th, 2012

Here is the eighth article in the series for our 2012 fantasy baseball rankings looking at utility players. Utility players are players that don’t have enough games to qualify at any position on a fantasy baseball roster so they are confined to the utility spot. Personally, I don’t like drafting or buying these players in an auction because I think it tends to restrict movement on your roster and if can impact your ability to grab free agents on the waiver wire as well. Outside of Jesus Montero this year who might earn catcher eligibility at some point, I would rather have a position player in my utility spot.

Here is a look at the fantasy baseball utility players I have ranked 2012 with my comments. A longer list with 2012 fantasy baseball projections is available in the 2012 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide on sale now. I don’t have Johnny Damon Vladimir Guerrero or Hideki Matsui currently ranked since they are free agents and unsigned.

1. David Ortiz – reversed two years of an increasing strikeout rate and hit .329 against left-handed pitching which helped boost his batting average. Average also helped by the fact he hit .342 at Fenway Park compared to .273 on the road. Age and the fact he can only be used at a utility position on your fantasy roster gives him some downside.

2. Billy Butler - still waiting for that 25+ home run season from him. Lots of doubles again with 44, but unless you play in a league that counts total bases, it doesn’t quite get the job done for fantasy purposes. Hit 13 home runs in 284 at bats after the All-Star break vs. only 6 in his first 313 at bats of the season.

3. Jesus Montero – hit .306 for his minor league career and if he does get to catch a couple of games a week in Seattle, his value is going to get a big boost with catcher eligibility. If he did qualify at catcher, I would have him ranked right ahead of Matt Wieters.

4.  Travis Hafner – has not had 400 at bats in a season since 2007, is now 34 and has not hit left-handed pitching three of the last four seasons. No real reason to own him except in AL-only leagues and you are an Indians fan.

5. Jim Thome – move to the National League limits his at bat number with no designated hitter slot. Could see a start or two a week at first base if Ryan Howard is out for a prolonged period of time.

Instead of spending money on outdated magazines written by fantasy owners with no experience of winning fantasy baseball leagues, order the 2012 FBT Draft Guide today so you can start dominating the competition in your fantasy baseball league.

Buy Now

 

Read More »

2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Outfielders 21 – 40

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 27th, 2012

Here is the seventh article in the series for our 2012 fantasy baseball rankings looking at outfielders ranked 21-40. There is quite a bit of speed in this grouping so if you miss out on stolen bases at another position, this is a spot where you can find them.

Here is a look at the fantasy baseball outfielders I have ranked 21-40 for 2012 with my comments. A longer list with 2012 fantasy baseball projections is available in the 2012 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide which is on sale now.

21. Ryan Braun – assuming the 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs holds up, you are looking at a maximum of 112 games if he plays every day. Given it might take him a couple of weeks to get adjusted again to major league pitching once he is reinstated as well as dealing with the possible booing and other responses he receives at visiting ballparks, I am projecting him for 90 games worth of full stats right now.

22. Brett Gardner – value is tied to his stolen base total which could have been higher in 2011 had his walk rate and batting average both not decreased. Tailed off the second half of the season as he batting decreased month-over-month the last three months of the year. Closer to a .260 hitter than a .280 hitter unless a lot of luck is involved.

23. Chris Young – stats were pretty similar to 2010 with a few less home runs and stolen bases. Has hit over .250 only once in his career which was in 2010 so that is his maximum upside for batting average. Yes, 20-20 players are nice to own but you need several high average hitters on the rest of your team to cover for his low number.

24.  Adam Jones – hit more ground balls in 2011 but the fly balls he did hit flew over the fence at a higher rate last season. Has hit .290+ against right-handed pitching the last three seasons but has struggled more against left-handed pitching. If he could correct that, he could see a slight improvement in batting average.

25. Drew Stubbs – RBI total was lower in 2011 as he hit first in the lineup for the majority of the season. Strikeout rate remained in the 33-34% range which severely limits his batting average. Much better hitter at home where he has hit .277 in his career compared to .226 on the road. His fly ball rate was much lower in 2011 which contributed to his decrease in home runs from the previous season despite having 90 more at bats.

26. Jayson Werth – another player that struggled in the first year of a large contract with a new team. Hit .215 the first half of the season in 326 at bats and also struggled on the road all season long with a .215 average. Failed to hit left-handed pitching as well with a .184 average in 114 at bats.

27. Nick Markakis – three consecutive seasons of a declining slugging percentage does not bode well for a return to 20 home runs. Too many people are still drafting him remembering his 2008 season, but the underlying stats show he is not that player anymore.

28. Cameron Maybin - ground ball rate and home games at PETCO Park limit his home run potential for now. Hit seven of his nine home runs on the road in 2011, where he also batted .294 compared to .231 at home. Improvement in his contact rate got him on base more and gave him more opportunities to steal.

29. Andre Ethier – had a 30-game hitting streak that ended early in May and after that had issues with elbow, back and knee, the latter of which he had surgery on in September, which helped to contribute to his highest groundball rate since 2007. No reason not to expect a return to previous season levels as long as his knee is okay.

30. Michael Cuddyer - he has two things going for him in 2012, one is the move to Coors Field and secondly in leagues where 10 games is the minimum for position eligibility, he also qualifies at second base. Solid third outfielder for your fantasy team.

31. Nick Swisher  – three things you can count on in life, death, taxes and Swisher’s stats. Yes, there is not much upside like some of the younger players, but there is also a lot less volatility from year-to-year with owning him as well.

32. Ichiro Suzuki – ground ball rate was the highest of his career and with speed slowing down as he gets older, batting average follows. Infield hits fell from 64 in 2010 to 42 in 2011 which was his lowest total since 2006. With his value built around two categories, average and stolen bases, there is a lot of risk and no upside.

33. Angel Pagan – made small gains in walk rate and contact rate in 2011. With most of his value tied to his stolen bases, it is a question of how much new manager Bruce Bochy is going to let him run that will drive his value.

34. Carlos Beltran – skills have remained relatively stable in his mid-30s but the injury risk he carries affects his draft value more than anything. I have him down for 500 at bats and even that might be shooting too high.

35. Torii Hunter – age has slowly robbed him of his speed has he has went 14-for-33 on stolen bases the last two seasons. At risk for fewer at bats in 2012 due to the depth of the Angels offense and another year of wear-and-tear taking a toll on him from playing the outfield.

36. Coco Crisp – made it through 130+ games for the first time since 2007. It all depends how desperate you are for stolen bases whether you want to own him and deal with his injury issues. A declining walk rate and weak Oakland offense cuts his runs scored potential.

37. Jeff Francoeur – this was much like his 2007 season in Atlanta with a lot more stolen bases thrown in. With a higher hit rate, fly balls going over the fence more, it combined to give him a season beyond expectations. Add to the equation an aggressive manager on the bases and it made him one of the top outfielders in 2011. Don’t pay for a repeat in 2012.

38. Alex Rios – bad luck impacted batting average which in turn affected his stolen base total. Hit just .203 on the road in 295 at bats and really struggled in every month until September when he hit .307 with five home runs and 11 RBI. He is too inconsistent from year-to-year for me to ever roster him on my team.

39. Melky Cabrera – 2011 bust out season fueled by elevated hit rate and more playing time. Runs scored will drop with the move to the National League and stolen bases will likely as well with a less aggressive manager in San Francisco.

40. Jason Heyward - the one knock on Heyward in the minor leagues was that he was missed time due to injury and we have seen that in his first two major league seasons. His groundball rate still ran high in his second season at 54% so the chance for 20+ home runs is greatly diminished. Batting average last season was due to bad luck so we will discount that, but all other categories we can’t expect to be a lot better than 2010 yet.

Instead of spending money on outdated magazines written by fantasy owners with no experience of winning fantasy baseball leagues, order the 2012 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide today so you can start dominating the competition in your fantasy baseball league.

Buy Now

 

Read More »

2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Outfielders 1-20

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 25th, 2012

Here is the sixth article in the series for our 2012 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the position of outfield. Lots of change in position of the top 20 outfielders from last season as several players had comeback seasons and others suffered injuries which impacted their performance.

Here is a look at the top 20 fantasy baseball outfielders for 2012 with my comments. A longer list with 2012 fantasy baseball projections is available in the 2012 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide which is on sale now.

1. Matt Kemp – number of at bats the last four seasons, 606, 606, 602, 602 so that number to project is the easy part. His 2011 season was magical in every category but I don’t think he maintains that rate in 2012 as his fly ball rate and home runs per fly ball jumped from past seasons. He should be right in between 2010 and 2011 in terms of power with lots of stolen bases. I have him almost dead-even with CarGo so I am comfortable with flip-flopping them between now and draft day.

2. Carlos Gonzalez – his numbers weren’t quite as far off from 2010 as one might think since he had 106 less at bats. Hit much better at Coors Field again with a .331 average compared to .252 on the road. Home run rate picked up the second half of the season when he hit 13 in 163 at bats. Neck-and-neck with Kemp for the first outfielder to go off the board.

3. Jacoby Ellsbury – his home run total was a surprise as the rate for his fly balls going over the fence was so much higher than any other season it would be unrealistic to expect something similar in 2012. More home runs of course means less time on the bases which yields less stolen bases so you need to adjust those two numbers accordingly depending on how many home runs you expect him to hit in 2012. Hit 21 home runs after the All-Star Break with 11 stolen bases.

4.  Curtis Granderson – he ended 2010 with 17 home runs in 241 at bats after the All-Star Break and he was able to carry that same home run rate over the course of the entire 2011 season. His strikeout rate has risen for three straight seasons as he has swung for the fences more and he has enjoyed hitting in Yankee Stadium where he now has 36 home runs in 523 at bats there. His fly balls flew over the fence at a much higher rate in 2011 so expect that to pull back slightly.

5. Justin Upton – biggest reason for improvement in 2011 was good health and he was able to drastically cut his strikeout rate by 10 percentage points. Crushed the ball at home with 20 home runs and a .333 batting average at Chase Field. Increased his power output the second half of the season with 16 home runs in 244 at bats.

6. Josh Hamilton – numbers were in line with 2010 as was another season with time missed due to injury. Has one season with more than 518 at bats in four years which limits his chances to ever exceed his projected dollar value knowing he his bound to miss time at some point during the year.

7. Matt Holliday – nagging injuries impacted him at the plate as his strikeout rate was up five percentage points, but from a counting stats perspective, he would have outperformed his 2010 numbers if he had reached the same number of at bats as he had in 2010. Likely goes a few picks later in drafts this year since he missed time with injury which gives you a chance for a little profit.

8. Mike Stanton - showed what you want to see from a player in his first full season with growth the second half of the year. All numbers were higher the second half of the season including his walk rate which was significantly higher. Hit .271 in 214 at bats with 16 home runs and 36 RBI while drawing 40 walks after the All-Star Break.

9. Andrew McCutchen – traded contact for power which resulted in a lower batting average but more home runs. More at bats hitting third in the lineup than the previous season helped to boost his RBI total. Hit just .216 the second half of the season as strikeout rate ratcheted up.

10. Carl Crawford – a miserable first season with the Red Sox as he looked lost at the plate and when he did get on base he wasn’t running with only 24 stolen base attempts for the season. It was just recently announced that he had left wrist surgery which could impact his readiness for Opening Day. Struggled against left-handed pitching batting just .195 in 164 at bats. It stands to reason for a bounce back season in his second year of a massive contract but not all of the way back to 2010 levels as his strikeout rate has risen the last three seasons..

11. Hunter Pence  – the move mid-season to the Phillies led to an increase in all of his numbers except for stolen bases as he attempted just two steals in 54 games with his new team. Has hit .318 in his career at Citizens Bank Park in 129 at bats with three home runs and 18 RBI. Expect more home runs in 2012 and fewer stolen bases than in past seasons.

12. Jay Bruce – it looked like he made improvements in 2011 but really the main ingredient was an additional 76 at bats then the previous season. His RBI total was helped by hitting a spot higher in the lineup in 2011. Was better when hitting 5th (15 home runs, 46 RBI) vs. 4th (10 home runs, 33 RBI) in the batting order.

13. Shin-Soo Choo – injuries limited to half of a season in 2010. Nothing in his stats showed much change so there is nothing to suggest he won’t be at his 2009-2010 levels in 2012. He has been getting knocked lower in mock drafts which is good news for astute fantasy owners.

14. Nelson Cruz – injuries have held him under 476 at bats the last three seasons. Massive difference when he hits at home compared to the road. He hit .293 vs. .233 (2011), .371  vs. .267 (2010) and .286 vs. .232 (2009). Given the amount of time he misses each season, you need to have a good outfielder on reserve to fill in for him.

15. Desmond Jennings – hit .294 for his career in the minor leagues with an 85% success rate stealing bases. He is not a 20 home run hitter yet so don’t make the mistake of pro-rating his power numbers out over the course of a full season. Should be in the low teens in terms of power and should be close to 40 stolen bases for the season.

16. B.J. Upton – batting average tanked at home with a .209 average in 273 at bats at Tropicana Field. Strikeout rate remained the same which limits his batting average. Would really like to see him get a full season hitting second or third in the batting order where he has hit much better in his career. If that happens, bump his value up a notch or two.

17. Michael Bourn – stolen bases did not fall off with the trade to Atlanta last season as he had 29 attempts in 53 games. Should be close to 60 steals again but his batting average will be lower after an inflated hit rate in 2011. Has hit .273 with a home run and 11 RBI in 43 games at Turner Field in his career.

18. Shane Victorino – reversed decline against right-handed pitching from the previous two seasons which helped to boost this batting average back up.  Stolen bases were under 20 for the first time in the last five seasons, but that was due more to a lack of attempts rather than a decline in skill.

19. Corey Hart – better second half than first when he hit .297 with 16 home runs in 266 at bats. More than half of his at bats came hitting first in the batting order which reduced his RBI total so that should be headed up as he moved lower in the order in 2012.

20. Alex Gordon - magical season in 2011 but don’t pay for a repeat. Batting average was propelled by some luck, plus the fact he finally hit left-handed pitching. Kansas City was aggressive on the bases last season which drive his stolen base total.

Instead of spending money on outdated magazines written by fantasy owners with no experience of winning fantasy baseball leagues, order the 2012 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide today so you can start dominating the competition in your fantasy baseball league.

Buy Now

 

Read More »

2011 Final Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Closers

Posted by Todd Lammi on October 30th, 2011

Here is a look at the final 2011 fantasy baseball rankings for closers. I used the criteria of a minimum of 10 saves as the threshold for the player pool in determining the final rankings.

1. Craig Kimbrel - head and shoulders above all other closers from a fantasy baseball perspective, striking out 127 in 77 innings and posting 46 saves. The heavy workload seemed to catch up to him by the end of the season as he converted 5-of-8 saves in September with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.

2. John Axford - gets bonus points for his mustache as well as for converting 46-of-48 save chances while posting a 1.95 ERA. Was dominant the second half of the season with a 0.84 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP while converting all 23 save chances.

3. Mariano Rivera - at 41-years-old he is still going strong, posting another 40+ save season with another year of an ERA under two and a WHIP under one. Converted all 23 save chances at home with a 1.36 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP.

4. J.J. Putz – his numbers were pretty much in line with his 2010 season except he posted 45 saves back in the closer role. If you owned him, be thankful he held up for most of the year. He had a minuscule 0.36 ERA on the road and a 0.69 WHIP.

5. Jose Valverde – led the league in saves, going a perfect 49-for-49 but ranked 5th at closer mostly due to his higher WHIP ratio. His innings pitched total was a career high and it was the third time in his career he collected 40+ saves.

6. Drew Storen – struggled in spring training but was lights out once the regular season started. Averaged more than a strikeout per inning after the All-Star Break with 40 k’s in 29 innings. Had a more difficult time in day games where he had a 3.96 ERA and 1.20 vs. night games where he was at 2.15 and 0.93.

7. Joel Hanrahan – came into the season with 20 career saves in four seasons and posted 40 saves for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After being homer prone early in his career, he only allowed one long ball in 68 2/3 innings in 2011.

8. Jonathan Papelbon -  save total went down for a third straight season but it was due to opportunity and not performance. His control rebounded from the past two seasons and his 87 strikeouts were a career high.

9. Heath Bell – notched 40+ saves for the third straight season. Only negative was the drop in his strikeout rate as he fanned less than a batter an inning.

10. Fernando Salas – he did on start the season as closer or end the year as closer, but still managed to rank 10th based on his performance in the middle part of the season. Was better at Busch Stadium where he had a 1.80 ERA and 0.69 WHIP compared to 2.79 and 1.18 on the road.

11. Francisco Cordero – despite his lack of strikeouts, he finished the season strong, converting 20-of-21 save chances the second half of the season. Had a 1.34 ERA at home and a 3.50 ERA on the road.

12. Brandon League - David Aardsma’s injury opened the door at closer and League took advantage, converting 37 of 42 saves. Loved pitching at SAFECO Field, putting up a 1.27 ERA and 0.79 ERA versus 4.85 and 1.46 on the road.

13. Ryan Madson – got a chance to be the full-time closer for most of the season for the first time in his career, which was good timing for him as he now heads into free agency. Put up an ERA of 1.64 at home vs. 3.25 on the road.

14. Sergio Santos – good strikeout numbers, but a combination of walks and home runs hiked up his ERA. Really struggled at U.S. Cellular Field with a 5.51 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.

15. Kyle Farnsworth – posted a career year at age 35 in the closer role for the first time. His ERA and WHIP were the lowest they had been since 2005.

16. Neftali Feliz – less strikeouts and more walks in 2011 which is a bad combination for a pitcher in any type of role. Was better the second half of the year with a 2.22 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.

17. Jordan Walden – a solid rookie campaign with five wins and 32 saves. His ratios are going to run higher than the top tier closers until he gets his control straightened out.

18. Carlos Marmol – blew 10 saves as control continues to be his nemesis. Ratios were good the first half of the year and then he struggled after the All-Star Break with a 5.91 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.

19. Chris Perez - strikeout rate fell off and he had problems pitching on the road, going 0-3 with a 5.81 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.

20. Juan Oviedo - formerly known as Leo Nunez, Oviedo posted a second straight season of 30 saves, but was susceptible to the long ball once again which propelled his ERA over four.

 

Read More »

2011 Final Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Outfielders

Posted by Todd Lammi on October 14th, 2011

Here is a look at the final 2011 fantasy baseball rankings for outfielders. I used the criteria of 400  at bats as the threshold for the player pool in determining the final rankings. If you are a Kansas City Royals fan and you loaded up on all of their outfielders in your fantasy baseball draft, chances are you finished in the money in your league as all three outfielders ranked in the top 20.

1. Matt Kemp – a more focused Kemp bounced back from his sub par 2010 campaign and came a home run short of joining the 40-40 club. He set career highs in every fantasy category except for batting average as he hit .342 back in 2007.

2. Curtis Granderson – he had a monster season from a power standpoint, besting his career high in home runs by 11 and driving in more than 100 runs for the first time in his career. His splits between home and away were almost identical with 21 home runs at home and 20 on the road but he made a big jump in his output against left-handed pitching with 16 home runs in 191 at bats.

3. Jacoby Ellsbury – won the MLB comeback player of the year award after an injury plagued 2010 season. Traded stolen bases for home runs which I am sure most fantasy owners would not complain about. Hit 21 home runs after the All-Star break in 299 at bats compared to 11 in 361 at bats before the break.

4. Ryan Braun – if you are looking for consistency in a first round pick in the draft, look no further than Braun who delivered his third straight season of 100+ runs scored, 4th consecutive season of 100+ RBI and also hit over .300 for the fourth time in five seasons. The cherry on top was his 33 stolen bases which were 13 more than his career high.

5. Justin Upton – bounced back to his 2009 level with a few more runs scored thanks to additional at bats and a little better offense around him. Was much better at Chase Field with a .333 batting average and 20 home runs compared to .246 and 11 home runs on the road.

6. Alex Gordon – finally the Kansas City Royals just left him alone and gave him 600 at bats and he produced. Hit .329 at home with 11 stolen bases compared to .275 on the road with six steals. Made big strides against left-handed pitching, hitting .278 with eight home runs in 187 at bats.

7. Carlos Gonzalez – had another big season at Coors Field, hitting .331 with 16 home runs compared to .252 on the road. Flashed a lot of power after the All-Star Break with 13 home runs and 41 RBI in just 41 games.

8. Melky Cabrera – set career highs in every offensive category and was much better on the road with a .321 average and 12 home runs compared to .289 and six home runs at home. There is a good chance Cabrera will after a new home in 2012 arbitration eligible and could cost more than what the Royals are willing to pay after his stellar season.

9. Lance Berkman – seemed to be on the downside of his career after battling nagging injuries and the move to the outfield was not a good omen, but he ended up hitting .300 for the first time since 2008 and managed to play in 145 games.

10. Hunter Pence – put up big numbers after going to the Philadelphia Phillies that would have put him on pace for a 30+ home run and 100+ RBI season if he had been there the whole year. The only downside to the trade there was one stolen based in 54 games.

11. Jay Bruce – at bats went up for the second straight season and so did all of his numbers. Still strikes out too much to hit more than .280 ever in a season without a lot of luck involved. Hit 12 home runs in May with 33 RBI which shows you what he could do if he ever gets on a prolonged hot streak.

12. Andrew McCutchen - added seven more home runs and 33 more RBI thanks to a move lower in the batting order. Lost 10 stolen bases and his batting average dropped by 27 points as his strikeout rate jumped from 2010.

13. B.J. Upton – turned some of his 2010 doubles into home runs and added 19 more RBI than his previous season totals. His average stayed in the .240 range for the third straight season thanks to no improvement in his plate discipline.

14. Michael Bourn – set career highs in batting average and RBI to push into the top 15 rankings. His caught stealing rate picked up in Atlanta as he was caught seven times in 53 games, compared to getting thrown out seven times in 105 games with the Houston Astros.

15. Josh Hamilton – batting average came back down closer to his career number and he missed close to 40 games after missing close to 30 in 2010. If you own him, you should have David Murphy as a backup on the bench.

16. Jeff Francoeur – how is hitting coach Kevin Seitzer not the highest paid position coach in baseball after what the Royals outfielders did last season? Playing for his fourth team in four years, Francoeur almost tripled his career high in stolen bases finishing with 22 and hit 20 home runs for the second time in his career.

17. Mike Stanton – lots of power with 34 home runs and lots of strikeouts with 166 which is going to keep his batting average in the .250 to .260 range going forward. Hit 16 home runs in 214 at bats with a .271 batting average the second half of the year.

18. Carlos Beltran – turned back the clock to 2008 following two injury plagued seasons. Slugged .551 in 44 games with the San Francisco Giants which was his highest number since 2006. Hit .325 after the All-Star break with nine home runs in 194 at bats.

19. Shane Victorino - his power numbers held up from 2010 but he gave back 15 steals as he did little running after the All-Star break with just six stolen bases. Set a career high with 16 triples which helped him to the highest slugging percentage of his career at .491.

20. Adam Jones - slightly was up in three of five offensive categories as compared to a year ago. Did most of his damage at Camden Yards where he hit 19 of his 25 home runs and drove in 55 of his 83 runs.

Read More »

2011 Final Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Third Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on October 10th, 2011

Here is a look at the final 2011 fantasy baseball rankings at third base. I used the criteria of 350 at bats as the threshold for the player pool in determining the final rankings. There were a lot of under performers this season as several of the top players at the position missed time due to injury such as Alex Rodriquez, David Wright and Ryan Zimmerman.

1. Jose Bautista – outperformed expectations again in 2011, hitting 43 home runs, driving in 103 and batting .302. He also walked 132 times to give him a .447 on base percentage. Was on fire the first half of the year with a .334 average and 31 home runs in 299 at bats.

2. Adrian Beltre – put up roughly the same numbers as he did in 2010 with the Boston Red Sox and did it in 102 less at bats. His batting average dropped as expected, but his 32 home runs were the most he hit since 2004. Loved hitting Rangers Ballpark where he hit .326 with 23 home runs compared to .271 and nine home runs on the road.

3. Michael Young – home runs dropped by almost 50% but he offset that by driving in over 100 runs for the second time in his career and by hitting a career high .338. Like Beltre, he benefited from his home park where he hit 10 of his 11 home runs and batted 31 points higher.

4. Mark Reynolds – bounced back to his 2009 level with a few less home runs and RBI due to less at bats. Struggled hitting at Citizens Bank Park with a .238 average compared to .297 on the road.

5. Aramis Ramirez – after two injury prone seasons, Ramirez was finally healthy in 2011. He got his batting average back up over .300 and hit 26 home runs with 93 RBI. For the fifth straight season, he hit much better at Wrigley Field, batting 50 points higher than he did on the road.

6. Evan Longoria – missed 25+ games and still managed to hit over 30 home runs and drive in 99, but a 50 point drop in batting average and a lack of stolen bases caused him to drop in the final rankings. Hit 20 home runs after the All-Star Break in 261 at bats with 57 RBI.

7. Kevin Youkilis – for the third straight season he missed 20 or more games due to injury. His .258 batting average was a career low since hitting .260 in his first season in the major leagues back in 2004. Hit .320 at Fenway Park compared to just .191 on the road.

8. Pablo Sandoval – lost a good amount of weight in the off-season and his batting average came back over .300 at .315. Missed 40 games or so due to injury and still managed to hit out 23 home runs with 70 RBI. Hit 15 home runs with 41 RBI in 231 at bats after the All-Star Break.

9. Edwin Encarnacion – did most of his damage the second half of the season, hitting .291 with 11 home runs, 36 RBI and seven stolen bases in 234 at bats. Will qualify at first base and third base in 2012.

10. Alex Rodriguez – missed one third of the season, otherwise his numbers were on pace for previous seasons except for home runs which were headed for the 22-25 range. Returned to action and hit just .191 after the All-Star Break in 68 at bats.

11. David Wright – just like A-Rod, missed 1/3 of the season and power numbers were off as well from his 2010 pace. Hit only .239 at home with five home runs in 51 games.

12. Chipper Jones - numbers were close to his 2009 season when he last had 455 at bats. Still has slight value in mixed league formats as long as you have a capable backup for the days / weeks when he misses time due to injury.

13. Danny Valencia – numbers were in line with 2010 if you had pro-rated his stats except for the batting average fell off a cliff. Right-handed pitching ate him up in 2011 as he hit only .224 in 415 at bats.

14. Martin Prado – like many other third basemen on the list, battled injuries in 2011 as his stats suffered across the board. His .260 batting average was the lowest of his career and his runs scored took a hit thanks to an anemic Atlanta Braves offense.

15. Ty Wigginton – picked up more at bats that the Colorado Rockies were expecting as he took over at third base for Ian Stewart. His eight stolen bases were the most for him since 2003.

16. Ryan Zimmerman – see A-Rod / D. Wright. Missed 1/3 of the season, power was down, but at least he supplied some batting average.

17. Scott Sizemore – provided the Oakland A’s with some offense but doesn’t do much for fantasy league owners unless it is an AL-only format.

18. Casey McGehee – unlike most of the guys ranked above him, he doesn’t have an injury to blame for his lack of performance. Average went from .285 in 2010 to a meager .223 this past season.  Showed a little more power after the All-Star Break but his average never broke .280 any month of the season.

19. Chase Headley- what little value he has is tied up in his double digit stolen bases. Bumped his average up to .289 which helped him make the top 20 rankings.

20. Maicer Izturis - more of an AL-only player, but offers nice versatility by qualifying at second base and at third base plus shortstop in leagues were 10-15 games is the minimum.

Read More »

2011 Final Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Shortstop

Posted by Todd Lammi on October 9th, 2011

Here is a look at the final 2011 fantasy baseball rankings at shortstop. I used the criteria of 350 at bats as the threshold for the player pool in determining the final rankings. Missing from the list that you might normally see due to their lack of at bats were players like Hanley Ramirez, Rafael Furcal, Stephen Drew and rookie Dee Gordon.

1. Troy Tulowitzki – knocked in 100+ runs for the first time in his career and batted over .300 for the second season in a row to put him atop the fantasy baseball shortstop rankings. For the third season in a row he was much better the second half of the year, hitting .356 with 13 home runs in 205 at bats.

2. Asdrubal Cabrera – hit 25 home runs surpassed his career total of 18 coming into the season through 387 games. His power was pretty consistent from month-to-month, hitting 5,5,3,4,4,4, home runs. Went 12-for-13 on stolen base attempts the first part of the year before finishing 5-for-9 after the All-Star Break.

3. Jose Reyes – won the National League batting title with his .337 batting average which was the third time he hit .300 in a season. Has missed 25-30 games each of the last two seasons so don’t expect a return to his 2008 numbers when doing your fantasy baseball projections for 2012.

4. Jimmy Rollins – bounced back to his 2009 level with a few less home runs and RBI due to less at bats. Struggled hitting at Citizens Bank Park with a .238 average compared to .297 on the road.

5. Starlin Castro – powered up the second half of the season hitting eight home runs in 293 at bats versus two home runs in 381 at bats the first half of the year. Hit .307 both halves of the season, but stolen base success rate dropped after the All-Star break as he was successful on only 12 of 20 attempts.

6. Elvis Andrus – pretty much in line with 2010 except he went from zero to five home runs. Needs to improve his success rate on the base paths to crack the 40 steal mark. Was 11-for-20 on stolen base attempts the second part of the year.

7. J.J. Hardy – set a career high in home runs with 30 and tied his career high in RBI with 80 he had set in 2007. After struggling in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Hardy was finally healthy this season and the results bore that out.

8. Johnny Peralta – another shortstop who had a bounce back season in the power department as he hit more than 20 home runs for the first time since 2008. His .299 batting average was a career high, seven points higher than when he hit .292 in 2005.

9. Erick Aybar – stolen bases went up second straight year as a full-time starter and he doubled his home run output from 2010 going from five to 10. His lack of runs scored and fluctuation in his batting average keeps him out of the second tier of shortstops.

10. Emilio Bonifacio – the biggest fantasy baseball surprise at shortstop in 2011 as injuries around the diamond for the Florida Marlins allowed Bonifacio to chalk up 565 at bats. His .296 average best his season high of .261 set the previous season. Qualifies at shortstop, third base and in the outfield in 2012.

11. Alexei Ramirez – you pretty much know what you are going to get from Ramirez has his numbers have been clustered in tight range from season-to-season. The only drop for him this season was going from 13 to seven stolen bases and a 13 point drop in batting average.

12. Derek Jeter - home runs dropped for the second straight season, though if you remove his 2009 season when he hit 18 home runs which looks to be an outlier, his home run total has really been slowly trending down since 2005. Hit .327 after the All-Star break to boost up his value a little bit.

13. Ian Desmond – didn’t really take a step forward in 2011 except for in stolen bases which went from 17 to 25, but he also had an additional 59 at bats. Until he is able to improve his plate discipline, the batting average ,s always going to sit in the .25o to .260 range.

14. Yunel Escobar – put his brutal first half of 2010 in Atlanta behind him and 2011 looked close to 2009 with 28 less RBI because he hit first in the order with Toronto com,pared to 2009 when he hit second, fifth and sixth in the lineup.

15. Alcides Esocbar – value is strictly in stolen bases at this point in his career as he went from 10 steals in 2010 to 26 this past season. Was much better on the road where he hit all four of his home runs and batted .275 vs. 231 at home.

16. Cliff Pennington – hit a couple of more home runs and drove in a few more runners, but stolen bases were sliced in half which was his main source of value in mixed league formats. Hit .303 the second half of the season after hitting .235 before the All-Star break.

17. Yuniesky Betancourt – numbers were pretty much identical to what he did with the Kansas City Royals in 2010 with a few less runs scored and RBI with the move to the National League.

18. Marco Scutaro – career high batting average of .299 helped him make the top 20 cut despite having only 395 at bats. Managed two drive in only two less runs that he did in 2010 despite having 237 less at bats.

19. Alex Gonzalez – power came back to earth after hitting 23 home runs in 2010. Nothing more than an injury fill-in in mixed league formats.

20. Jason Bartlett - stolen bases came back as he ran more, but power was non-existent with two home runs in 554 at bats. Hit .224 at PETCO Park and .265 on the road.

Read More »

2011 Final Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Second Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on October 5th, 2011

Here is a look at the final 2011 fantasy baseball rankings at second base. I used the criteria of 350 at bats as the threshold for the player pool in determining the final rankings. The list dropped off pretty quickly after the top 15 as players like Ryan Raburn and Gordon Beckham could not even crack the top 20.

1. Ian Kinsler – his .319 batting average from 2008 looks like a major outlier as he has not hit higher than .286 since that time. Finished 2011 with numbers pretty close to 2009 with a few more runs scored thanks to a stacked Rangers offense. Ended the year  on fire with 11 home runs and eight stolen bases while hitting .330 in September.

2. Dustin Pedroia – it was a banner year for Pedroia as he set career highs in home runs, RBI and stolen bases while hitting over .300 for the third time in his career. Pedroia crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of a .358 average with seven home runs in 179 at bats.

3. Robinson Cano – he scored 100+ runs for the third straight season and knocked in 118 runs while adding eight stolen bases. His career batting average now stands at .308.

4. Ben Zobrist – bounced back from his disappointing 2010 season as he fell a stolen base short of the 20-20 club. Really struggled with his batting average at home, hitting .221 vs. .31 on the road.

5. Brandon Phillips – hit .300 for the first time in his career and his RBI were up from 2010 with more time spent hitting fourth in the batting order. Managed only four home runs on the road in 327 at bats.

6. Ryan Roberts – the biggest surprise of the season at second base as he posted 19 home runs and 18 stolen bases in 482 at bats. Hit .274 in his minor league career so don’t expect much upside to his batting average in 2011.

7. Howie Kendrick – amazingly has now put together two healthy seasons in a row and posted a career high with 86 runs scored and 18 home runs. Hit 123 home runs on the road where he it .299 vs. 270 at home.

8. Dan Uggla – the power numbers were there by the end of the season but the batting average never fully recovered from the hole he dug himself into the first half of the year. Uggla hit 21 home runs while hitting .296 after the All-Star break in 260 at bats.

9. Danny Espinosa – turned in a solid rookie campaign but really struggled the second half of the season, hitting .227 with five home runs and a paltry 14 RBI in 247 at bats. Hit .256 at Nationals Park and .216 on the road.

10. Neil Walker – had 170 more at bats in 2011 but could not make any increase to his home run total from the previous season. Added nine stolen bases which gave him a slight boost in value.

11. Kelly Johnson – never quite got untracked at the plate, hitting .209 for the Arizona Diamondbacks before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays where he hit .270 in 33 games. Expect a season in 2012 between the numbers from the last two seasons.

12. Rickie Weeks - missed time with an injury again which cut his stats by one third. Hit .293 at Miller Park and .249 on the road.

13. Aaron Hill – the  21 stolen bases came out of nowhere as he entered the season with only 23 for his career. That was the only saving grace to his season after managing only eight home runs, which was a far cry from the 26 he hit in 2010. Hit .315 with the Diamondbacks in 124 at bats with just two home runs.

14. Jemile Weeks – a nice rookie campaign with a .303 batting average in 406 at bats to go with 22 stolen bases. Hit both of his home runs in September while batting .323 for the month.

15. Chase Utley – turns 33 in December and has played less than 120 games the last two seasons. Had only 27 less at bats from 2010 but numbers were significantly down outside of stolen bases.

16. Orlando Hudson – batting average fell for the third straight season, but his value was saved by his career high 19 stolen bases, nine of which came in April.

17. Daniel Murphy – value driven by his .320 bating average as his season ended early due to injury at 391 at bats. Will qualify at first base, second base and third base in 2012.

18. Robert Andino – filled in for the injured Brian Roberts and contributed 13 stolen bases, but his value his more in AL-only leagues than in mixed formats.

19. Mark Ellis – performed much better after going to Colorado where he hit .274 in 263 at bats with six home run and stole seven bases. Will be looking for a new home in 2012 as a free agent.

20. Darwin Barney - hit .306 the first half of the season and then came back down to earth after the All-Star break, batting .238 in 235 at bats.

Read More »

2011 Final Fantasy Baseball Rankings – First Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on October 4th, 2011

Here is a look at the final 2011 fantasy baseball rankings at first base. I used the criteria of 400 at bats as the threshold for the player pool in determining the final rankings. The top four players I had ranked within percentage points of each other so depending on what type of ranking system you use, the order could be flipped around many different ways.

1. Albert Pujols – failed to hit over .300 for the first time in his career although .299 is as close as you can get. Also failed to drive in 100 runs for the first time in a season as well, although he fell just one RBI short of that mark. The big question mark will be which team he is playing for in 2012 though that should not have any impact on his fantasy baseball performance.

2. Prince Fielder – bounced back to his 2009 level just in time for free agency in the winter. He walked more than he struck out for the first time in his career, but he is going to miss hitting at Miller Park where he batted .326 this season and hit 24 of his 38 home runs.

3. Miguel Cabrera -scored more than 100 runs for the second straight season and walked more than 100 times for the first time in his career giving him a .448 on base percentage for the season. Has hit .320 or higher in six of his last seven seasons and batted .385 after the All-Star break.

4. Adrian Gonzalez – well at least one free agent signing worked out for the Boston Red Sox this season. Gonzalez set a career high in batting average at .338 while setting a career high in runs scored at 108. He also added 45 doubles, 27 home runs and 117 RBI. The move from PETCO Park did not help his home run total as he managed just 10 long balls at Fenway Park.

5. Joey Votto – it was a solid season for Votto as he was just under his numbers from 2010 in all categories. Picked up his power toward the end of the season, hitting 15 home runs in July and August.

6. Mark Teixeira -will always score runs and drive guys in playing for the Yankees and the power was nice at close to 40 home runs. But a batting average drop for the third straight season pushes him out of the top tier and into the next group with Ryan Howard.

7. Ryan Howard – was pretty much the same player as he was in 2010. Gone seem to be the days of 100+ runs scored and 40+ home runs. Turns 32 in November so his best days are likely behind him. Still a solid second tier first basemen though.

8. Paul Konerko – still going strong at age 35 as he hit over .300 for the second straight season. Home runs came back down as expected which impacted his runs scored total as well as a weaker White Sox lineup.

9. Michael Morse – if you pro-rate his numbers from 2010 he was pretty much as forecasted in 2011 with a higher than expected batting average at .303. Did most of his damage on the road where he hit 20 of his 31 home runs. Will qualify at first base and in the outfield in 2012.

10. Mark Reynolds – the move to the American League left him with similar results to what we saw in 2010. Lots of home runs, lots of strikeouts and a low batting average. Batting average was much better on the road (.264) than at Camden Yards where he hit only .176.

11. Mark Trumbo – took advantage of Kendrys Morales being out of action and never looked back, posting 29 home runs and 87 RBI. Stole eight of his nine bases the first half of the season and still has some work to do on his plate discipline with 25 walks and 120 strikeouts.

12. Billy Butler -was closer to his 2009 season which was a good thing, but still doesn’t score enough runs or hit enough home runs to justify where he gets picked in fantasy drafts. Each year people keep thinking this is the year he breaks out and hits 30 bombs but so far it has not happened.

13. Eric Hosmer – a very nice rookie campaign that saw him improve as the season wore on. Hit .313 after the All-Star break with 11 home runs, 44 RBI and nine stolen bases.

14. Carlos Pena – stat line was pretty close to what he posted the year before in Tampa Bay. Now a free agent, he will hope to catch on a starting first baseman with a team that misses out on Pujols or Fielder.

15. Carlos Lee – batting average rebounded a little bit, but his home run total dropped for the fourth year in a row. Has scored under 70 runs for four consecutive seasons as well and that does not figure to change with the Astros lineup in 2012. Will be in the final year of his contract next season at age 36.

16. Michael Cuddyer -hit 20 home runs for the third time in his career and hit double digit steals for the first time in a season. His versatility is going to make him a wanted man on the free agent market and he should land a decent szied contract this winter. Played 17 games at second base so he has extra value in leagues where the position minimum is 10 or 15 games.

17. Freddie Freeman – solid rookie season and showed a little bit more power than many anticipated. Hung tough against left-handed pitching with seven home runs in 186 at bats.

18. Adam Lind – batting average does not seem likely to rebound to anything close to his 2008 season until he is able to improve his plate discipline. Fell apart the second half of the season, batting just .197 in 239 at bats.

19. Gaby Sanchez – did not take a step forward in 2011 as he had a mirror season of 2010 with identical at bats, runs scored and home runs. Hit just .225 after the All-Star Break with six home runs in 231 at bats.

20. Kevin Youkilis- fell short of 500 at bats for the third straight season and hit the lowest mark of his career, batting .258. Turns 33 in March so rank him accordingly to his age and injury history.

Read More »

2011 Final Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Catcher

Posted by Todd Lammi on October 3rd, 2011

Here is a look at the final 2011 fantasy baseball rankings at catcher. I used the criteria of 250 at bats as the threshold for the player pool in determining the final rankings so players like Buster Posey will not be included.

1. Mike Napoli – the steal of the off-season for the Texas Rangers when they acquired Napoli from the Los Angeles Angels for relief pitcher Frank Francisco. The power was as expected but the .320 batting average is more fluky than the norm, powered by a .383 batting average in the second half of the season.

2. Carlos Santana -it was a very positive season for Santana in his first full season as catcher in Cleveland outside of the .239 batting average. He led all catchers in runs scored with 84 and was second to Napoli in home runs with 27. Hit .318 against left-handed pitching but just .201 against right0handers.

3. Victor Martinez -Martinez seemed to thrive in his move to Detroit and to the designated hitter role on a more permanent basis, knocking in over 100 runs for the third time in his career. The 12 home runs were the lowest in his career since he hit 16 in 2006.

4. Alex Avila -the biggest surprise at catcher in 2011, Avila hit .295 with 19 home runs and 82 RBI. His two halves of the season were pretty consistent, hitting .286 with 10 home runs and 46 RBI in 245 at bats before the All-Star break and then hit .306 with 9 home runs and 36 RBI in 219 at bats after the break.

5. Miguel Montero -after missing time with injury in 2010, Montero came right back to his 2009 levels in terms of performance. He still struggles against southpaws, hitting just .195 in 113 at bats with only one home run.

6. Matt Wieters -he is getting closer to the type of season many people have been expecting from him, hitting 22 home runs with 68 RBI. He finished the season strong with 12 home runs the last two months of the year.

7. Brian McCann -fourth straight season of 20+ home runs. The only thing to nitpick would be his runs scored which has slowly been trending down the last few years.

8. Russell Martin -Martin’s 18 home runs were the second most of his career, but his batting average declined for a third straight season and the stolen bases have yet to come back to double digits. He did the majority of damage in two months with seven home runs in August and six in April.

9. Yadier Molina -Molina set a career high, hitting double digits for the first time with 14 home runs to go with 65 RBI. He also hit over .300 for the second time in his career and scored 50+ runs for the first time in a season.

10. J.P. Arencibia -not a bad rookie campaign for Arencibia as he flashed lots of power with 23 home runs and also chalked up 133 strikeouts. The .219 batting average is a killer though for a fantasy baseball team.

11. Miquel Olivo – Olivo’s stats lined up pretty close to Arencibia’s and his average is always going to float in the low .200′s as well with his 20 walk to 140 strikeout ratio.

12. Chris Iannetta -Iannetta made some small gains in 2011 with a jump in his walk rate and six stolen bases in nine attempts. Hit better when batting seventh where he hit .286 compared to .229 when batting in front of the pitcher.

13. Jarrod Saltalamacchia -some power and runs scored, but lack of discipline at the plate puts him in that sub .240 range for batting average.

14. Wilson Ramos -Ramos will be moving up several spots on the list when it comes time for the 2012 fantasy baseball rankings as he should see another 75 at bats or so than what he received in 2011. He put together a solid rookie season and now needs to improve his numbers on the road where he hit .222 compared to .319 at Nationals Park.

15. Jonathan Lucroy -another guy who should be moving a couple of spots in 2012. He needs to improve his plate discipline after just 29 walks against 99 strikeouts in 430 at bats.

16. Geovany Soto -his power numbers were the same as they were in 2010 except he had an additional 100 at bats so it should have been better. His walk rate was down and his strikeouts were up in 2011 which does not bode well for 2012.

17. Kurt Suzuki -another catcher who seems to trending in the wrong direction, as he managed only 44 RBI, exactly half of what he had in 2009 and his batting average fell for a third straight season.

18. John Buck -his batting average came back down to earth but he walked a little bit more so his on base percentage was up for the second year in a row.

19. Carlos Ruiz – his .283 batting average gives him a little boost as he is just barely average in the other three categories.

20. A.J. Pierzynski – his batting average stayed near his career number, but runs scored dropped for the third straight season and home runs were under double digits for the second year in a row.

Read More »

2011 LABR Results – American League

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 8th, 2011

The 2011 LABR (League of Alternative Baseball Reality) auctions were held this past weekend in Arizona with 12 different “experts” from the fantasy baseball industry partaking in the American League only event. Here is a look at the American League LABR prices by position along with some comments for each position.

Catchers:

Surprised to see that Mike Napoli went for $20, making him the third highest priced catcher and just $2 less than Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez. With Michael Young still in Texas, Napoli is going to miss out on some at bats. Who knew the Kansas City Royals had such a potent catching position, as they had three catchers selected.

Rank Name Price
1 Joe Mauer $22
2 Victor Martinez $22
3 Mike Napoli $20
4 Carlos Santana $17
5 Kurt Suzuki $16
6 Matt Wieters $15
7 Jorge Posada $12
8 J.P. Arencibia $10
9 John Jaso $9
10 A.J. Pierzynski $9
11 Jarrod Saltalamacchia $7
12 Russell Martin $6
13 Hank Conger $6
14 Yorvit Torrealba $5
15 Alex Avila $5
16 Jesus Montero $5
17 Miguel Olivo $4
18 Brayan Pena $3
19 Kelly Shoppach $3
20 Ramon Castro $2
21 Jeff Mathis $1
22 Tyler Flowers $1
23 Jason Kendall $1
24 Lucas May $1

First Base:

Kendry Morales and Justin Morneau went at a discount at $18 and $16 respectively base don their current injury statuses. Mark Trumbo is a decent $1 0play as he could see at bats the first month of the season if Morales has to start at designated hitter.

Rank Name Price
1 Mark Teixeira $36
2 Miguel Cabrera $35
3 Adrian Gonzalez $34
4 Kevin Youkilis $33
5 Adam Dunn $26
6 Paul Konerko $23
7 Billy Butler $22
8 Kendry Morales $18
9 Derrek Lee $17
10 Justin Morneau $16
11 Daric Barton $13
12 Mitch Moreland $12
13 Kila Ka’aihue $12
14 Justin Smoak $11
15 Matt LaPorta $10
16 Eric Hosmer $4
17 Chris Davis $1
18 Mark Trumbo $1

Second Base:

Dustin Pedroia was great value, going $9 less than Robinson Cano and $2 less than Ian Kinsler. The “experts” liked several rookies at this position with Dustin Ackley of Seattle going for $7 and Jason Kipnis of Cleveland going for $4.

Rank Name Price
1 Robinson Cano $35
2 Ian Kinsler $28
3 Dustin Pedroia $26
4 Ben Zobrist $20
5 Aaron Hill $17
6 Gordon Beckham $17
7 Chone Figgins $17
8 Brian Roberts $15
9 Howie Kendrick $15
10 Mike Aviles $15
11 Tsuyoshi Nishioka $15
12 Sean Rodriguez $12
13 Maicer Izturis $8
14 Dustin Ackley $7
15 Scott Sizemore $7
16 Mark Ellis $6
17 Chris Getz $5
18 Jason Kipnis $4
19 Don Kelly $3
20 Carlos Guillen $1
21 Adam Kennedy $1
22 Felipe Lopez $1

Shortstops:

J.J. Hardy seemed the one guy of of whack with his price point at $18, making him the fourth highest priced shortstop. Jed Lowrie seems to be getting a lot of love in spring training as he went for one dollar less than starter Marco Scutaro.

Rank Name Price
1 Derek Jeter $23
2 Alexei Ramirez $22
3 Elvis Andrus $20
4 J.J. Hardy $18
5 Jhonny Peralta $15
6 Erick Aybar $14
7 Alexi Casilla $14
8 Yunel Escobar $13
9 Alcides Escobar $13
10 Asdrubal Cabrera $12
11 Cliff Pennington $12
12 Marco Scutaro $9
13 Reid Brignac $9
14 Jed Lowrie $8
15 Orlando Cabrera $6

Third Base:

Big surprise was Kansas City Royals top prospect Mike Moustakas going for $13, ahead of players such as Kevin Kouzmanoff and Danny Valencia.

Rank Name Price
1 Evan Longoria $37
2 Alex Rodriguez $37
3 Jose Bautista $29
4 Adrian Beltre $23
5 Michael Young $19
6 Mark Reynolds $18
7 Edwin Encarnacion $14
8 Mike Moustakas $13
9 Kevin Kouzmanoff $11
10 Danny Valencia $8
11 Brent Morel $8
12 Alberto Callaspo $8
13 Brandon Inge $7
14 Mark Teahen $5
15 Dayan Viciedo $5
16 Jayson Nix $4
17 Wilson Betemit $4
18 Brandon Wood $2
19 Lonnie Chisenhall $2

Outfielders:

Carl Crawford was the highest priced player in the AL LABR at $40, $10 higher than then next two players, Josh Hamilton and Jacoby Ellsbury. Juan Pierre and Ichiro Suzuki went for the same price at $24. Grady Sizemore, looking to come back from injuries was relatively low at $13.

Rank Name Price
1 Carl Crawford $40
2 Josh Hamilton $30
3 Jacoby Ellsbury $30
4 Nelson Cruz $29
5 B.J. Upton $29
6 Shin-Soo Choo $28
7 Alex Rios $27
8 Ichiro Suzuki $24
9 Juan Pierre $24
10 Nick Markakis $22
11 Curtis Granderson $20
12 Torii Hunter $20
13 Delmon Young $20
14 Bobby Abreu $19
15 Nick Swisher $19
16 Rajai Davis $19
17 Vernon Wells $18
18 Adam Jones $18
19 Brett Gardner $18
20 Austin Jackson $18
21 Carlos Quentin $17
22 Michael Cuddyer $17
23 Denard Span $17
24 Manny Ramirez $16
25 Jason Kubel $16
26 Ryan Raburn $16
27 Coco Crisp $15
28 Grady Sizemore $13
29 Magglio Ordonez $13
30 Franklin Gutierrez $12
31 J.D. Drew $12
32 Travis Snider $12
33 Peter Bourjos $12
34 David Murphy $12
35 Julio Borbon $11
36 Josh Willingham $10
37 Michael Brantley $10
38 Juan Rivera $10
39 Matt Joyce $10
40 Alex Gordon $9
41 Johnny Damon $8
42 David DeJesus $8
43 Lorenzo Cain $8
44 Desmond Jennings $6
45 Scott Podsednik $6
46 Corey Patterson $6
47 Melky Cabrera $6
48 Michael Saunders $5
49 Felix Pie $5
50 Jeff Francoeur $4
51 Andruw Jones $4
52 Mike Cameron $4
53 Brennan Boesch $2
54 Nolan Reimold $2
55 Ryan Sweeney $2
56 Casper Wells $2
57 Conor Jackson $2
58 Milton Bradley $1
59 Ryan Kalish $1
60 Lastings Milledge $1

Starting Pitchers:

Top prospect Michael Pineda of the Seattle Mariners went for $11, which was a dollar more than John Lackey and Gavin Floyd. Lots of people on the Brandon Morrow bandwagon as he went for $16, tying him for 11th place for the highest paid starting pitcher.

Rank Name Price
1 Felix Hernandez $30
2 Jon Lester $27
3 CC Sabathia $26
4 Dan Haren $23
5 Justin Verlander $21
6 Jered Weaver $21
7 David Price $20
8 Max Scherzer $19
9 Francisco Liriano $18
10 Colby Lewis $17
11 Clay Buchholz $16
12 Brett Anderson $16
13 Brandon Morrow $16
14 John Danks $15
15 Josh Beckett $15
16 Gio Gonzalez $15
17 James Shields $14
18 Jake Peavy $14
19 Phil Hughes $13
20 Jeremy Hellickson $13
21 Ricky Romero $13
22 Edwin Jackson $13
23 Brian Matusz $13
24 Trevor Cahill $12
25 C.J. Wilson $12
26 Ervin Santana $12
27 Michael Pineda $11
28 John Lackey $10
29 Gavin Floyd $10
30 Joel Pineiro $9
31 Scott Baker $8
32 Kevin Slowey $8
33 Dallas Braden $8
34 Brian Duensing $8
35 Wade Davis $8
36 Brett Cecil $8
37 Rick Porcello $8
38 A.J. Burnett $8
39 Carl Pavano $7
40 Erik Bedard $7
41 Jeff Niemann $6
42 Jeremy Guthrie $5
43 Derek Holland $5
44 Carlos Carrasco $5
45 Jason Vargas $5
46 Justin Masterson $5
47 Fausto Carmona $4
48 Kyle Drabek $4
49 Mark Buehrle $4
50 Brandon Webb $3
51 Daisuke Matsuzaka $3
52 Brad Penny $3
53 Ivan Nova $3
54 Jeff Francis $3
55 Luke Hochevar $3
56 Phil Coke $3
57 Tommy Hunter $2
58 Justin Duchscherer $2
59 Mike Montgomery $2
60 Brandon McCarthy $2
61 Chris Tillman $1
62 Doug Fister $1
63 Jake Arrieta $1
64 Nick Blackburn $1
65 Rich Harden $1
66 Marc Rzepczynski $1
67 Kyle Gibson $1
68 Josh Outman $1
69 Kyle Davies $1
70 Brad Bergesen $1
71 Bartolo Colon $1

Relief Pitchers:

Several things stand out looking through this group, such as Brandon League ($10), going for more than David Aardsma ($7). Jake McGee ($12) went for more than Kevin Gregg ($10) and Fernando Rodney ($7).

Rank Name Price
1 Joakim Soria $22
2 Mariano Rivera $22
3 Neftali Feliz $21
4 Jonathan Papelbon $20
5 Andrew Bailey $19
6 Chris Pérez $18
7 Matt Thornton $17
8 Joe Nathan $16
9 José Valverde $15
10 Frank Francisco $14
11 Jake McGee $12
12 Kevin Gregg $10
13 Brandon League $10
14 Rafael Soriano $8
15 David Aardsma $7
16 Fernando Rodney $7
17 Chris Sale $7
18 Koji Uehara $6
19 Scott Downs $6
20 Daniel Bard $5
21 Alexi Ogando $5
22 Kyle Farnsworth $4
23 Joba Chamberlain $4
24 Jordan Walden $3
25 Matt Capps $3
26 Brian Fuentes $3
27 Joel Peralta $3
28 Joaquín Benoit $2
29 Darren O’Day $2
30 Grant Balfour $2
31 Kevin Jepsen $2
32 J.P. Howell $1
33 Bobby Jenks $1
34 Craig Breslow $1
35 Hisanori Takahashi $1
36 Jesse Crain $1
37 Joey Devine $1
Read More »

2011 LABR Results – National League

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 7th, 2011

The 2011 LABR (League of Alternative Baseball Reality) auctions were held this past weekend in Arizona with 13 different “experts” from the fantasy baseball industry partaking in the National League only event. Here is a look at the National League LABR prices by position along with some comments for each position.

Catchers:

Prices for the top catchers seemed to be a couple of dollars lower than usual. Interesting to see that Brian McCann ended up going for $5 less than Buster Posey did. Rod Barajas at $3 seems pretty low for a catcher that has a starting job and can hit double digit home runs.

Rank Name Price
1 Buster Posey $24
2 Brian McCann $19
3 Geovany Soto $15
4 Miguel Montero $14
5 Yadier Molina $11
6 Chris Iannetta $10
7 Carlos Ruiz $10
8 John Buck $9
9 Nick Hundley $9
10 Ryan Doumit $8
11 Chris Snyder $6
12 Josh Thole $6
13 Ryan Hanigan $6
14 Jonathan Lucroy $5
15 Ramon Hernandez $5
16 George Kottaras $4
17 Rod Barajas $3
18 Ivan Rodriguez $3
19 Humberto Quintero $3
20 Wilson Ramos $2
21 John Baker $2
22 Ronny Paulino $2
23 Jesus Flores $1
24 Devin Mesoraco $1
25 Dioner Navarro $1
26 J.R. Towles $1

First Base:

I am surprised to see that Albert Pujols was not closer to the mid $40′s for his price tag. Joey Votto ended up going for only one dollar less. There is a group of six guys in that $15 to $19 range so you really have a chance to get the guy you like best if you miss out on one of the top guys at the position.

Rank Name Price
1 Albert Pujols $40
2 Joey Votto $39
3 Ryan Howard $33
4 Prince Fielder $31
5 Aubrey Huff $19
6 Gaby Sanchez $19
7 Adam LaRoche $19
8 Carlos Pena $17
9 Ike Davis $16
10 James Loney $15
11 Freddie Freeman $13
12 Lance Berkman $12
13 Lyle Overbay $8
14 Brett Wallace $8
15 Xavier Nady $7
16 Todd Helton $5
17 Russell Branyan $5
18 Daniel Murphy $4
19 Brandon Belt $4
20 Jorge Cantu $3
21 Eric Hinske $3
22 Jason Giambi $1

Second Base:

Chase Utley’s injuries in spring training knocked his price down to third place at second base. Rickie Weeks has been going ahead of Martin Prado in mixed drafts but Prado went for a dollar more in the auction.

Rank Name Price
1 Brandon Phillips $26
2 Dan Uggla $25
3 Chase Utley $24
4 Martín Prado $21
5 Rickie Weeks $20
6 Kelly Johnson $19
7 Neil Walker $18
8 Omar Infante $16
9 Juan Uribe $15
10 Danny Espinosa $13
11 Ty Wigginton $11
12 Orlando Hudson $10
13 Freddy Sanchez $10
14 Skip Schumaker $9
15 Bill Hall $7
16 Clint Barmes $6
17 Eric Young $6
18 Jeff Baker $4
19 Blake DeWitt $2
20 Luis Castillo $2
21 Jamey Carrol $2
22 Brad Emaus $1

Shortstops:

Hanley Ramirez ended up as the highest player in the auction at $41. Rollins has drastically come down in price the last couple of seasons and could be a bargain if he is 100% healthy this season.

Rank Name Price
1 Hanley Ramirez $41
2 Troy Tulowitzki $35
3 Jose Reyes $29
4 Jimmy Rollins $25
5 Stephen Drew $21
6 Rafael Furcal $19
7 Starlin Castro $18
8 Ian Desmond $17
9 Miguel Tejada $16
10 Ryan Theriot $14
11 Jason Bartlett $12
12 Alex Gonzalez $11
13 Yuniesky Betancourt $7
14 Ronny Cedeno $3
15 Edgar Renteria $2
16 Paul Janish $2
17 Everth Cabrera $1
18 Jeff Keppinger $1
19 Geoff Blum $1

Third Base:

Pablo Sandoval seems to be moving up in drafts and in auctions with his results so far in spring plus his weight loss as he was the third highest third baseman at $23. Surprised to see Jose Lopez go higher than several other names at third base. Scott Rolen looks like a decent buy at $8 even with some injury risk.

Rank Name Price
1 David Wright $32
2 Ryan Zimmerman $30
3 Pablo Sandoval $23
4 Pedro Alvarez $20
5 Casey McGehee $19
6 Aramis Ramirez $18
7 Jose Lopez $16
8 Ian Stewart $15
9 Chase Headley $15
10 Chris Johnson $14
11 Placido Polanco $13
12 David Freese $9
13 Scott Rolen $8
14 Casey Blake $5
15 Chipper Jones $5
16 Melvin Mora $5
17 Matt Dominguez $2
18 Juan Francisco $2
19 Miguel Cairo $1
20 Wes Helms $1

Outfielders:

As usual in NL or Al only leagues, speed tends to go a little bit higher as owners try to ensure they don’t fall short in stolen bases. There is a cluster of guys that can run in the mid teens as Carlos Gomez ($16), Cameron Maybin ($15), Will Venable ($15), Nyjer Morgan ($15), Andres Torres ($13) all were purchased. The injury to Domonic Brown has raised the stock of Ben Francisco in Philadelphia as he went for $12.

Rank Name Price
1 Ryan Braun $37
2 Carlos Gonzalez $37
3 Matt Kemp $32
4 Andrew McCutchen $32
5 Matt Holliday $30
6 Justin Upton $29
7 Hunter Pence $29
8 Andre Ethier $28
9 Jayson Werth $27
10 Jay Bruce $27
11 Michael Stanton $27
12 Shane Victorino $26
13 Jason Heyward $25
14 Drew Stubbs $25
15 Chris Young $24
16 Colby Rasmus $23
17 Michael Bourn $23
18 Corey Hart $22
19 Carlos Lee $20
20 Angel Pagan $19
21 Dexter Fowler $19
22 Jose Tabata $18
23 Logan Morrison $18
24 Jason Bay $17
25 Raul Ibanez $16
26 Alfonso Soriano $16
27 Seth Smith $16
28 Chris Coghlan $16
29 Carlos Gomez $16
30 Carlos Beltran $15
31 Cameron Maybin $15
32 Will Venable $15
33 Nyjer Morgan $15
34 Marlon Byrd $14
35 Andres Torres $13
36 Garrett Jones $13
37 Jonny Gomes $12
38 Roger Bernadina $12
39 Cody Ross $12
40 Ben Francisco $12
41 Tyler Colvin $11
42 Nate McLouth $10
43 Michael Morse $10
44 Ryan Ludwick $9
45 Domonic Brown $9
46 Brad Hawpe $8
47 Kosuke Fukudome $8
48 Jay Gibbons $7
49 Pat Burrell $6
50 Gerardo Parra $5
51 Mark DeRosa $5
52 Ryan Spilborghs $5
53 Fred Lewis $5
54 Marcus Thames $3
55 Jon Jay $3
56 Scott Cousins $3
57 Matt Diaz $2
58 Aaron Rowand $2
59 Scott Hairston $2
60 Chris Denorfia $2
61 Kyle Blanks $2
62 Allen Craig $2
63 Chris Heisey $1
64 Rick Ankiel $1
65 Jason Michaels $1
66 Tony Gwynn Jr. $1
67 Fernando Martinez $1
68 Nate Schierholz $1

Starting Pitchers:

No surprise that Roy Halladay was the top starting pitcher, but it was a little surprising to see Zack Greinke end up second high at $28. Ubaldo Jimenez was a relative bargain at $19 as the 12th highest starting pitcher. Jordan Zimmermann has been getting a lot of buzz in spring training, but $13 seems a little too high over proven pitchers like Ryan Demspter ($12), Matt Garza ($13). Edison Volquez went for $18 as a result of a bidding war / price enforcing.

Rank Name Price
1 Roy Halladay $30
2 Zack Greinke $28
3 Tim Lincecum $27
4 Clayton Kershaw $25
5 Tommy Hanson $24
6 Cliff Lee $23
7 Mat Latos $22
8 Cole Hamels $21
9 Yovani Gallardo $21
10 Josh Johnson $20
11 Roy Oswalt $20
12 Ubaldo Jimenez $19
13 Matt Cain $19
14 Chad Billingsley $19
15 Shaun Marcum $19
16 Edison Vloquez $18
17 Dan Hudson $17
18 Chris Carpenter $16
19 Jonathan Sanchez $16
20 Ted Lilly $16
21 Wandy Rodriguez $15
22 Tim Hudson $14
23 Madison Bumgarner $14
24 Matt Garza $13
25 Hiroki Kuroda $13
26 Ricky Nolasco $13
27 Jhoulys Chacin $13
28 Jordan Zimmermann $13
29 Ryan Dempster $12
30 Homer Bailey $12
31 Javier Vazquez $11
32 Ian Kennedy $11
33 Johnny Cueto $11
34 Brett Myers $10
35 Travis Wood $10
36 Jaime Garcia $9
37 Mike Minor $8
38 Anibal Sanchez $8
39 Jair Jurrjens $7
40 Jorge De La Rosa $6
41 Jonathon Niese $6
42 Carlos Zambrano $6
43 J.A. Happ $5
44 James McDonald $5
45 Derek Lowe $5
46 Mike Pelfrey $5
47 Joe Blanton $5
48 Tim Stauffer $5
49 Cory Luebke $5
50 Jon Garland $5
51 Bud Norris $5
52 Kyle McClellan $5
53 Clayton Richard $5
54 Bronson Arroyo $4
55 Johan Santana $4
56 Aaron Harang $4
57 Simon Castro $4
58 Randy Wolf $3
59 Jake Westbrook $3
60 R.A. Dickey $3
61 Barry Zito $3
62 Chris Volstad $3
63 Chris Young $3
64 Randy Wells $2
65 Mike Leake $2
66 Tom Gorzelanny $2
67 Jason Hammel $2
68 Kevin Correia $2
69 Julio Teheran $2
70 Jordan Lyles $2
71 Chris Narveson $1
72 Joe Saunders $1
73 John Lannan $1
74 Carlos Silva $1
75 Aaron Heilman $1
76 Jarrod Parker $1
77 Ross Detwiler $1
78 Dillon Gee $1
79 Vincente Padilla $1
80 Brandon Beachy $1

Relief Pitchers:

It doesn’t look like the “experts” have much faith in closer Francisco Cordero as he went for the same price as Aroldis Chapman did at $10. Jonny Venters was second in price for current non closers at $9 followed by Hong-Chih Kuo and Luke Gregerson at $6.

Rank Name Price
1 Brian Wilson $20
2 Carlos Mármol $20
3 Heath Bell $19
4 Francisco Rodríguez $17
5 John Axford $16
6 J.J. Putz $15
7 Joel Hanrahan $15
8 Huston Street $14
9 Jonathan Broxton $14
10 Craig Kimbrel $14
11 Drew Storen $14
12 Ryan Franklin $13
13 Brad Lidge $12
14 Leo Núñez $11
15 Francisco Cordero $10
16 Brandon Lyon $10
17 Aroldis Chapman $10
18 Jonny Venters $9
19 Hong-Chih Kuo $6
20 Luke Gregerson $6
21 Evan Meek $5
22 Clay Hensley $5
23 Ryan Madson $4
24 Tyler Clippard $4
25 Jason Motte $4
26 Andrew Cashner $4
27 Mike Adams $3
28 Sean Burnett $2
29 Kenley Jansen $2
30 Kerry Wood $2
31 Rafael Betancourt $2
32 Sean Marshall $2
33 Mark Melancon $2
34 Ryan Webb $2
35 Matt Lindstrom $2
36 Takashi Saito $1
37 Sergio Romo $1
38 Edward Mujica $1
39 Matt Guerrier $1
40 Nick Masset $1
41 David Hernandez $1
42 Jenrry Mejia $1
43 Bobby Parnell $1
44 Chad Qualls $1
45 Joe Thatcher $1
46 Emil Rogers $1
47 Wilton Lopez $1
48 Matt Belisle $1
Read More »

2011 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Second Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 4th, 2011

As you are preparing for your fantasy baseball draft or fantasy baseball auction, there are several items you can use to help you determine where the value lies at each position and where a drop off can suddenly occur leaving you short at a thin position. We have already looked at the fantasy baseball ADP results for the different positions, now it is time to examine the fantasy baseball tiers for each grouping.

Here is a look at the 2011 fantasy baseball tiers for second base.

Tier 1: (rounds 1-3)

1. Robinson Cano
2. Chase Utley
3. Dustin Pedroia
4. Dan Uggla
5. Ian Kinsler
6. Brandon Phillips

Second base is a pretty deep position so despite six players going in the top 50 picks, there are still plenty of good options in the next few rounds of a fantasy baseball draft. I would have no problem taking Pedroia over Utley with Utley’s injury issues so far in spring training.

Tier 2: (rounds 4-8)

7. Rickie Weeks
8. Ben Zobrist
9. Brian Roberts
10. Aaron Hill
11. Martin Prado

Most of these players here were in Tier 1 last season, but were either injured or under performed in 2010. Some people might have Weeks in Tier 1 and if he gets 600+ at bats it could be possible but I need to see him do it again before I put him in that group.

Tier 3: (rounds 9-14)

12. Howie Kendrick
13. Kelly Johnson
14. Gordon Beckham
15. Neil Walker
16. Chone Figgins
17. Danny Espinosa
18. Mike Aviles

Again you can see that the depth this position offers with 18 second basemen gone by the end of round 14. Figgins is going about the same place in fantasy baseball drafts as he did in 2009, but the offense he has in Seattle is quite a bit different than with the Angels, which is a big impact to his runs scored total. Espinosa should push 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases but will be a drag on the batting average.

Tier 4: (rounds 15-20)

19. Juan Uribe
20. Omar Infante
21. Sean Rodriguez
22. Tsuyoshi Nishioka

I  like Rodriguez best in this group. If he can get 500+ at bats, he could put up some numbers similar the players listed above him in Tier 3.

Read More »

2011 Fantasy Baseball Closer Report – National League West

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 1st, 2011

Following up on our article earlier in the week on fantasy baseball strategy for drafting closers, here is a look around the National League West at the current closer situations for each team.

Arizona Diamondbacks:

1. J.J. Putz - showed what he can do when healthy as his ratios were back to 2006-2007 range. Turned 34 in February, will be pitching for his fourth team in four years.
2. Juan Gutierrez – has somehow managed to convert 24-of-27 saves over the last two seasons despite an ERA in the mid 4′s and a WHIP close to 1.38.
3. David Hernandez – should be able to rack up a few more strikeouts in his move from the rotation to relief as well as switching over to the National League.

Colorado Rockies:

1. Huston Street - has closed for six seasons but only has 149 career saves to show for it, due to injuries, poor performance and lack of opportunities.
2. Matt Lindstrom – closer experience with 80% save conversion rate, but ugly ratios.
3. Rafael Betancourt – good ratios but has no interest in closing.

L.A. Dodgers:

1. Jonathan Broxton - gets his job back as closer to start the season but of bigger concern should be his career 71% save conversion rate.
2. Hong-Chih Kuo – toughest man to hit in all of baseball last season with 60 or more innings pitched. If Broxton loses his job, Kuo is next in line though he would likely lose some saves being held out of some save chances on consecutive nights due to previous arm injuries.
3. Kenley Jansen – converted position player still needs more experience with only two years of pitching, but strikeout rate is off the charts.

San Diego Padres:

1. Heath Bell - top 3 closer.
2. Luke Gregerson – led major leagues with 40 holds in 2010. Gets shot to close only if Padres cannot sign Bell to extension and end up trading him.
3. Mike Adams – finished second in major league in holds with 38 in 2010.

San Fransisco Giants:

1. Brian Wilson - strikeout rate up for the third straight year in 2010.
2. Sergio Romo- had 21 holds in 2010, plus five wins for the second straight year.
3. Santiago Casilla – moved over to the other Bay Area team and stepped up his performance.

Read More »

2011 Fantasy Baseball Closer Report – National League Central

Posted by Todd Lammi on February 28th, 2011

Following up on our article earlier in the week on fantasy baseball strategy for drafting closers, here is a look around the National League Central at the current closer situations for each team.

Chicago Cubs:

1. Carlos Marmol - finished with 34 more strikeouts than the next relief pitcher. Second hardest pitcher to hit against in 2010 after Hong-Chih Kuo.
2. Kerry Wood – returns to the Cubs where he saved 34 games in 2008, has career save conversion rate of 79.5%.
3. Andrew Cashner – first round pick in 2008 converted from a starter to relief pitcher upon promotion to major leagues. Still needs to refine his control with over four walks per nine innings in both the major and minor leagues.

Cincinnati Reds:

1. Francisco Cordero - has registered 39+ saves three of the last four seasons and has career save success of 82%.
2. Aroldis Chapman – should be near the top of the list for strikeouts among relief pitchers.
3. Nick Masset – picked up 20 holds each of the last two seasons.

Houston Astros:

1. Brandon Lyon - has pitched for three different teams in the last three years and has a career save conversion of just 75%.
2. Wilton Lopez – WHIP held in check thanks to five walks allowed in 67 innings in 2010.
3. Mark Melancon – has experience finishing games in the minor leagues, worth a look in NL only leagues as a reserve hedge pick if you own Lyon.

Milwaukee Brewers:

1. John Axford - has struck out 11.7 hitter per nine innings with one home runs allowed in 66 innings in his major league career.
2. Takashi Saito – career 2.19 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 87% save success rate.
3. Zach Braddock – will rack up strikeouts but walk rate is going to keep his WHIP high.

Pittsburgh Pirates:

1. Joel Hanrahan - named the closer, but career high for saves is 9 and save conversion rate is 60%.
2. Evan Meek – career batting average against of .198, just needs to cut back on his walks.

St. Louis Cardinals:

1. Ryan Franklin - turns 38 this week, career save success rate of 77%.
2. Jason Motte- more value in keeper leagues where he may get shot to close in 2012 when Franklin’s contract is up.
3. Mitchell Boggs – seems much better suited for relief than in the rotation.

Read More »

2011 Fantasy Baseball Closer Report – American League West

Posted by Todd Lammi on February 26th, 2011

Following up on our article earlier in the week on fantasy baseball strategy for drafting closers, here is a look around the American League West at the current closer situations for each team.

Los Angeles Angels:

1. Fernando Rodney - will start the season as the Angels closer, but whether he finishes the year in that role is the question. His 2009 season was magical with only one blown save in 38 chances despite a 1.47 WHIP. Batting average against him has risen the last two years and he walks a few too many hitters to replicate his 2009 success.
2. Scott Downs – ERA has been under 3.10 each of the last four years though WHIP has shown a little more fluctuation. Career high of saves of nine in 2009.
3. Jordan Walden – shifted from the rotation to the bullpen in the minor leagues in 2010 and earned a promotion to the big leagues by the end of the year. Like Rodney, faces some control issues with 3.4 walks per nine in the minor leagues. Strikeout rate of 13.5 per nine innings was much better than what he showed in Double-A at 8.0.

Oakland Athletics:

1. Andrew Bailey - only concern is health after having surgery on elbow in September.
2. Brian Fuentes – career save percentage of 84%. May be tougher to get as a handcuff with Bailey coming back from injury.
3. Grant Balfour – has been stellar two of the last three years, but if the A’s get down to their third closer, they have more options to close than others team in baseball so Balfour is not a lock.

Seattle Mariners:

1. David Aardsma - coming back from hip surgery, could miss the first couple of weeks of the season.
2. Brandon League – could see double digit saves this season with Aardsma working his way back from surgery and also the chance Aardsma gets moved at the trade deadline.
3. Dan Cortes – another starting pitcher that struggled in that role and was shifted to the bullpen in the minor leagues in 2010 where is lack of control combined with pure power makes him better suited for relief.

Texas Rangers:

1. Neftali Feliz - assuming he does not move into the starting rotation.
2. Darren O’Day – career ERA of 2.63 with 1.08 WHIP and 20+ holds each of the last two seasons.
3. Mark Lowe – Rangers seem to be high on him, despite career 4.09 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. Has converted four of 18 save chances in the major leagues.

*3. Alexi Ogando – also trying for the rotation, but could end up closing or serving in a set up role. Had 2.05 ERA with .82 WHIP and 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings between two stops in the minor leagues in 2010.

Read More »

2011 Fantasy Baseball Closer Report – American League East

Posted by Todd Lammi on February 24th, 2011

Following up on our article earlier in the week on fantasy baseball strategy for drafting closers, here is a look around the American League East at the current closer situations for each team.

Baltimore Orioles:

1. Kevin Gregg - not many fantasy baseball owners seem to like him, but he has 121 saves over the last four seasons and a save conversion percentage of 81%
2. Koji Uehara – team reporters expect Uehara gets first crack at saves but Gregg has the proven track record.
3. Mike Gonzalez – has only thrown more than 55 innings only one time in his career, coming in 2009. Injuries have landed him in a set-up role.

Boston Red Sox:

1. Jonathan Papelbon - fantasy baseball owners seem to have erased his 2010 season from their memory banks as he is currently the number seven closer based on ADP.
2. Daniel Bard – much more value in keepers leagues or dynasty leagues as 2012 looks to be his year.
3. Bobby Jenks – longshot to see saves despite having closer experience as his stuff is not as good as Bard’s.

New York Yankees:

1. Mariano Rivera - now 41 and showing no sign of slowing down, though last year was the first time he struck out less than one batter per inning since 2006.
2. Rafael Soriano – getting paid closer money plus some extra change to serve as a set-up man.

Tampa Bay Rays:

1. Jake McGee - was a starter all throughout the minor leagues until he was promoted to Triple-A in 2010. Power arm that struck out 10.4 hitters per nine innings in his career and blew hitters away at Triple-A in a relief role with 27 K’s in 17 1/3 innings. Walk rate is going to be biggest challenge as he tries to win the role after walking 3.6 hitters per nine in minor leagues.
2. J.P. Howell – will likely be out of action until May as he comes back from shoulder surgery. Was 17-for-25 in save chances back in 2009.
3. Kyle Farnsworth – look at his numbers with Atlanta in the National League compared to his numbers in the American League over the last six years and then realize he is back in the American League again.

Toronto Blue Jays:

1. Frank Francisco - recently acquired from the Texas Rangers, will battle Octavio Dotel for the closer role. Was 25-for-29 in saves in 2009.
2. Octavio Dotel – was 21-for-26 in save opportunities with Pittsburgh last season. His previous high in saves before that was 11 back in 2007.
3. Jon Rauch – went 21-for-25 in save chances for Minnesota last season but fell apart the second half of the year, posting a 4.18 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP.

Read More »

2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Closers

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 29th, 2011

Here is the eighth article in the series for 2011 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the position of closers. There are still several jobs where the closer is still to be determined so those story lines will be worth following in spring in places such as Tampa Bay, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Florida.

1. Joakim Soria – if he played on a team other than Kansas City, he might be the first or second closer taken. Gets 40+ saves and has top ratios to boot.

2. Brian Wilson – averaging over 40 saves the last three years and has cut his walk rate three years in a row while bumping up his strikeout rate each season.

3. Heath Bell – was solid in his first year as closer in 2009 and even better in 2010. Added bonus is the six wins each of the last two seasons.

4. Neftali Feliz – forget the talk of him being a starter, was dominant as a closer converting 40-of-43 save chances.

5. Carlos Marmol – wildly effective enough to hold hitters to a career .174 batting average against. The downside to watching him pitch is the walks, with six per nine innings in 20010.

6. Mariano Rivera - eventually all of us get old at some point. Turned 40 in November and the first chinks in his armor started to appear last year. If you get Rivera, you are going to want to grab R. Soriano as his handcuff..

7. Jonathan Papelbon – not likely to break 40 saves with Jenks and Bard in the mix. Walk rate has taken a drastic jump the last two years combined with an extra home run or two per year is a bad recipe for his ERA.

8. Francisco Rodriguez – cut his walk rate to his lowest level since 2006 and his WHIP followed. Has been going a little bit later in mock drafts which is a good opportunity for savvy owners.

9. Andrew Bailey – should set a career high in saves this year assuming he is healthy.  Second consecutive year with an ERA under 2 and a WHIP under 1.

10. Huston Street – when healthy, just outside of the top tier of closers. Has yet to have back-to-back 30+ saves in his career..

11. Jose Valverde – injuries the last two years have kept his save totals in check. Strikeouts slowly starting to fall off but he has compensated by getting more ground ball outs.

12. John Axford – ERA is in for a correction in 2011 after allowing only one home run in 58 innings last season. Control issues are something to be aware of as his walk rate was Marmol like in the minor leagues.

13. Chris Perez – ERA was stellar the second half of the year thanks to no home runs allowed in 28 2/3 innings. Don’t go wild with projection as part of his stats were due to some hit luck.

14. Jonathan Broxton - was not the same pitcher after the Yankees beat him down for four runs In an inning on June 27th. ERA and season just spiraled out of control from that point. Should start the season as the Dodgers closer again but they have other options if he struggles again.

15. J.J. Putz – throw out his 2009 season and it looks like he did not miss a beat numbers wise. Should be good for 30+ saves in Arizona assuming health is good..

16. Joe Nathan – returning from Tommy John surgery, no reason he can’t get back close to his form, though he now has Capps to contend with for saves..

17. Matt Thornton – with Jenks out of the picture, will battle youngster Chris Sale for the closer role. Despite his stellar stats, save conversion is just 45% in his career.

18. Craig Kimbrel – will get the shot to take over as closer in Atlanta with the retirement of Billy Wagner. Skill set is Marmol like with lots of walks and strikeouts. Walk rate of 5.7 per nine innings in the minor leagues with 14.4 strikeouts per nine.

19. Francisco Cordero - age, high walk rate, losing strikeouts and Aroldis Chapman lurking in the bullpen, not good signs for 2011.

20. Brad Lidge – now 34 and injuries have started to set in. Walk rate continues to be an issue and too many of his fly balls allowed seem to turn into home runs.

If you are looking for 2011 fantasy baseball projections for closers as well as more player rankings and capsules, then check out the 2011 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide is now on sale for just $9.99. You can view a sample here to see the template for the top 10 catchers and top 10 starting pitchers from 2010.

Order now to get the information you need to dominate the competition!!!

Buy Now

The guide includes the following:

  • 450+ player projections using the standard 5 x 5 categories
  • 450+ player capsules
  • Players ages as of April 1, 2011

In addition, once you have purchased the guide, you will receive weekly email updates until the start of the season as well as weekly articles relating to fantasy baseball that will not be published on the site.

Why buy magazines that have out of whack projections and are behind in their player news and relevancy? Get something that is going to help prepare you for your fantasy baseball draft or auction done by someone who has had success winning fantasy baseball leagues and has been in the trenches. This guide that you can use easily during the draft to help you win and beat your other fantasy baseball owners.

This is the best money you will ever spend for fantasy baseball. Order the draft guide now and start reaping the rewards!!!

Buy Now

Read More »
« Older Entries

 

Designed by: Free Cell Phones | Thanks to Highest CD Rates, Domain Registration and Registry Software