Archive for the ‘Rising / Falling’ Category

Rising / Falling – Week 6

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 14th, 2010

Remember that the key to free agency is determining what player is going to have value down the line and picking up that player a week or more before his value changes. That is what is going to make your FAAB money last the most throughout the season, buying a playing for $4 the week before his value changes, compared to spending $250 on that same player once the manager announces his new role.

Here is a look at players that are rising or falling in value in week six.

Rising:

OF – Michael Saunders – with Milton Bradley suspended, Saunders is taking advantage of some extended playing time in the outfield. After starting off the season slowly in Triple-A, Saunders has hit two home runs with five RBI in 18 at bats. With the Seattle Mariners struggling to score runs, Saunders could see quite a few at bats if he stays hot at the plate.

OF – Corey Patterson – takes over in the outfield with Nolan Reimold going down to Triple-A. Patterson was hitting .368 in 57 at bats with three stone bases for the Norfolk Tides.

OF – Brennan Boesch – Boesch looked like nothing more than a part-time fill in a few weeks ago when he was called up for the injured Carlos Guillen, but with an RBI in every 2.8 at bats, Boesch is making a care to keep his job when Guillen returns. Boesch is hitting .368 with three home runs and 16 RBI in 57 at bats and Jim Leyland seems to be growing more fond of him every day. Boesch had been hitting .379 with three home runs and 17 RBI in 58 at bats in Triple-A when he was called up.

OF – Fred Lewis – Lewis has been on a roll since coming over from San Francisco, and is hitting .345 in the last two weeks with eight runs scored, two home runs and 12 RBI.

SP - Derek Holland – Holland threw a gem in his first start, working six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and only walking one hitter. Holland was 4-1 with a .93 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP ratio with 37 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings before being recalled from Triple-A.

Falling:

RP – Manuel Corpas – in his first game as unofficial closer, Corpas surrendered four runs in one inning. With Huston Street quickly working his way back from rehab appearances, Corpas will soon fall back into a set up role.

SP – Max Scherzer - Scherzer started the season as one of the top young pitchers many were expecting a breakout for. He is currently getting pounded tonight with three home runs allowed in five innings which will allow him to take over the major league lead in home runs allowed this season with a whopping 12.

RP – Brad Lidge – Lidge has been struggling with a sore pitching elbow, opening the door for Jose Contreras to possibly get some saves. Even if Lidge resumes throwing, there is a good chance he won’t be used in back-to-back games for awhile giving Contreras some decent value.

SP – Jair Jurrjens - Jurrjens re-injured his hamstring while jogging in the outfield and is likely now out until the end of June. It has been a tough season for Jurrjens who battled through shoulder problems in spring training as well.

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Rising / Falling Week 5

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 5th, 2010

Remember that the key to free agency is determining what player is going to have value down the line and picking up that player a week or more before his value changes. That is what is going to make your FAAB money last the most throughout the season, buying a playing for $4 the week before his value changes, compared to spending $250 on that same player once the manager announces his new role.

Here is a look at players that are rising or falling in value in week five.

Rising:

RP – Alfredo Simon – see the closer report for week 5

SP – Jhoulys Chacin – if you have been following the weekly minor league tracker, hopefully you had been tracking Chacin. With recent injuries to the Colorado Rockies rotation, Chacin stepped in and looked good in his first start, tossing seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts. He still needs to work on his control and I would watch how he does in his start at home before activating him, but he does have upside and the ability to get strikeouts.

SP - Brett Cecil – Cecil has been impressive in his three starts since being recalled from Triple-A, compiling a 2.61 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings. The caveat of course is running through the American East gauntlet on a weekly basis, but the strikeout numbers are worth owning if you can sport start him.

SP – Kris Medlen – takes over for Jair Jurrjens, who was placed on the disabled list, and should get three to five starts over the next few weeks in the Atlanta rotation. Definitely worth a pick up in NL only leagues although he faces Philadelphia in his first start on Saturday.

2B – Reid Brignac – has value in American League only leagues, collecting 30 at bats over the last two weeks compared to only 20 for Sean Rodriguez, hitting .200 with one home run and 10 RBI.

2B - Chris Getz - back from the disabled list so he still might be sitting out on the waiver wire in your league. Good guy to grab if your team is short on stolen bases.

DH – Jim Thome – those that missed out on designated hitter Andruw Jones the last two weeks in free agency might want to snatch up Thome if you are looking for some power in your line up. Although he only qualifies at utility, he has hit five home runs with 15 RBI in only 57 at bats this season.

OF – Nate Schierholtz – he has assumed a starting job in the San Francisco outfield thanks to a .350 batting average in 60 at bats. The power has not translated in his limited time in the major leagues over the past few seasons in part-time work as he has worked to reduce his strikeouts and make better contact.

Falling:

RP – Franklin Morales – with Huston Street a week or two away from returning to action, Morales is running out of time to rack up saves for your fantasy baseball team. By no means drop him, as Street still has to prove he is healthy, but set realistic expectations for saves going forward for your team.

OF – Milton Bradley - it was only a matter of time until he imploded. It is funny how major league teams still want him each season (again, goes to my thoughts on why teams need a common sense executive in the front office to stop these type of signings) and think they are going to be able to change him around. The Seattle Mariners are in desperate need of some offense. With Bradley and Ken Griffey Jr. not getting it done, keep an eye out for Jermaine Dye.

SP – Justin Duchscherer - another season, another injury for Duchscherer who cannot seem to stay healthy. An injury to his left hip that is similar to the injury to his right hip that he twice underwent surgeries on is not a good sign. Knowing his injury history, hopefully he was the last guy in your rotation or else a swing starter when he had two start weeks so there is little impact to your team.

Middle infielders – not a good week if you own Everth Cabrera, Rafael Furcal or Yunel Escobar as all three shortstops are currently on the disabled list.

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Rising / Falling – Week 4

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 28th, 2010

Remember that the key to free agency is determining what player is going to have value down the line and picking up that player a week or more before his value changes. That is what is going to make your FAAB money last the most throughout the season, buying a playing for $4 the week before his value changes, compared to spending $250 on that same player once the manager announces his new role.

With almost a full month worth of stats in the book, here is a look at the fantasy baseball players who are rising or falling in value as of week four.

Rising:

C – Ryan Hanigan (Reds) – Hanigan has produced in limited at bats, with a .353 average and 10 RBI in 29 at bats. His counterpart Ramon Hernandez is hitting .250 in 40 at bats with zero home runs and four knocked in. We saw one change on Colorado already this week at catcher and another one may be coming in Cincinnati.

C – Max Ramirez / Matt Treanor – if you are looking for a catcher in the American League, you have these guys to pick from as the new catchers on the Texas Rangers roster. Jarrod Saltalamacchia came off the disabled list and was sent to Triple-A and Taylor Teagarden was optioned there as well.

C – Miguel Olivo – newly minted as the starting catcher in Colorado with Chris Ianetta being sent to Triple-A, Olivo is a good power play going forward. He is a hacker, striking out 36% of the time this season, so don’t expect his .300 batting average to last too long.

2B – Eric Young Jr. -recently called up by Colorado, it remains to be seen how much playing time he gets. With Clint Barmes struggling at second base, hitting .189 with a home run and seven RBI, a hot streak by Young could get him extended playing time. Young was off to a slow start in Triple-A, hitting .228 with three stolen bases at the time of his promotion.

3B – Mike Lowell – with David Oritz hitting .154 and striking out in 37%, Lowell is starting to see some more action. If nothing else, it boosts his trade for Boston by getting additional at bats and being able to perform.

OF – Austin Kearns - Kearns has been one of the few bright spots in the Cleveland Indians line up, hitting .386 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 44 at bats. With Matt LaPorta struggling, hitting only .211 with no home runs and one RBI in 57 at bats, the Indians are opting for Kearns to try to help generate offense for a team that is next to last in the American League in runs scored.

RP – Koji Uehara – currently on a rehab assignment in Double – A, Uehara has a chance to sneak into the closer role when he arrives back in Baltimore. Jim Johnson pitched the 8th inning in the last game with Alfredo Simon closing. The 28-year-old Simon was recently called up from Triple-A where he had a 1.59 ERA in 17 innings with 14 strikeouts.

Falling:

3B – Garrett Atkins – it always amazes me why professional sports teams don’t have a common sense executive on their staff. Someone that a general manager or manager would have to go to run by a trade or free agent signing and the common sense guy would approve the deal or say, no, that is just plain dumb. Which leads me to Garrett Atkins. Why the Baltimore Orioles thought he would be any better after not performing in Colorado’s hitter haven is beyond me. With a .220 batting average, no home runs and a paltry five RBI in 59 at bats, he is now relegated to bench duty in favor of Rhyne Hughes. Although Atkins might see some spot starts against left-handed pitching, he is basically worthless at this point.

RP - Chris Perez - Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta is talking like Kerry Wood is going to come back as the closer when he returns to action in two weeks. Perez had the chance to lock down the job in Wood’s absence, and while he has saved four of five chance, his ERA of 4.05 and WHIP of 1.65 leaves something to be desired. If you own Perez and he does lose the job, he is still worth holding on to. Wood is no sure thing at closer, he could very well get injured again or traded at the deadline in the fall.

RP – Ryan Madson – Madson finds himself in the same position as Chris Perez. Filling in for injured closer Brad Lidge, Madson has failed to put a strangle hold on the role, with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. Lidge is due back from the disabled list on Friday and will resume his role as closer. Again, just like Perez, Madson is still worth holding on to for the same reasons, outside of the trade possibility.

RP – Trevor Hoffman – before people panic about him losing it at age 42, he did have a somewhat similar start to his season in 2008 when he posted a 6.52 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP in April. That being said, it was interesting to note his lack of change ups thrown in his outing last night when he gave up five runs in the ninth inning against Pittsburgh. That has always been his money pitch and if he lost that for some reason, it could spell trouble. LaTroy Hawkins would be the handcuff but he has been knocked around as well to the tune of a 8.64 ERA. The best pitcher in Milwaukee’s bullpen so far has been Carlos Villanueva, who is unscored upon in 11 innings with 14 strikeouts.

SP – Jorge De La Rosa / Brett Anderson – both southpaw starters were placed on the disabled list this week and will miss anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks worth of action.

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