Posts Tagged ‘Chase Utley’

2011 Fantasy Baseball – Players Losing Value

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 17th, 2011

Now that we are hallway through spring training, there have been numerous injuries and news that have come out in regards to certain players that should have you adjusting your fantasy baseball cheat sheets to make sure they are up to date before your next fantasy baseball draft or auction. Here is a look by position at some of the players that have lost or will be losing value heading into 2011.

Catcher:

The news today that rookie J.P. Arencibia is only going to catch every three of every five starts in Toronto knocks his value down a little bit as it puts him at 100 projected games for the season. Jose Molina is expected to catch Kyle Drabek and Brandon Morrow for the majority of their starts.

First Base:

It looks like Kendrys Morales could be headed to the disabled list to start the season for the Los Angeles Angels as he is still recovering from his broken leg suffered in 2010. In 15 team mixed leagues, I think he should be knocked down at least two rounds off of his current ADP, just in case he misses more time at the start of the year or needs to miss games during the season due to soreness.

Lance Berkman finally got some live outfield action this week for the St. Louis Cardinals, but has already been bothered by calf and elbow issues in spring and there is no designated hitter spot in the National League. Hard to see how he is going to be able to hold up for an entire season roaming the outfield given his age and injuries the last few seasons.

Second Base:

Chase Utley has been out of action in Philadelphia due to tendinitis in his knee. He has been to a rehab specialist and received a cortisone shot in the past week and there has been no timetable for his return. The worst case scenario would be has to undergo surgery at some point. With so many options at second base, there is no point risking a pick on him in a one-year draft.

Brian Roberts has been out with a back injury for Baltimore although he claims it is not as bad as last season. Back injuries tend to have a habit of lingering throughout a season and Roberts could be running less whenever he is ready to play where a good portion of his valued is tied. Same advice applies to Roberts as it does to Utley, let someone else have him in a one-year league.

Outfielders:

The Washington Nationals have a three man battle going on for the center field job between Nyjer Morgan, Rick Ankiel and Roger Bernadina. No one expected that Ankiel was actually in the running for a starting job, but it looks like he has created a battle by hitting three home runs with nine RBI thus far in spring, despite hitting .216. Bernadina is hitting .263 with two stolen bases while Morgan is batting .222 with five stolen bases.

Peter Bourjos could be the odd man out in the Angels outfield if Kendrys Morales starts the year at designated hitter. That would put Bobby Abreu back in the outfield and leave Bourjos as the 4th outfielder until Morales returned to the field.

Utility:

Dan Johnson is off to a slow start in Tampa Bay where he is hitting .167 this spring with two home runs. The Rays can shift Ben Zobrist over to first base if they feel that Johnson is not the answer and insert Matt Joyce into the outfield or they could give time to Casey Kotchman who is off to a good start this spring hitting .394.

Closers:

Matt Thornton was pronounced the closer for the Chicago White Sox which leaves Chris Sale in a setup role for the time being. Thornton has never been closer for a full season so don’t drop Sale, just realize you will need to reserve him and find yourself another closer in the meantime.

Andrew Bailey survived a scare for the Oakland Athletics this week when it turned out he just had a forearm strain and not something more serious. Regardless of the outcome, given his past injuries, you want to make sure that you have Brian Fuentes as a handcuff if you own Bailey.

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Second Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 25th, 2010

In a fantasy baseball draft or auction, it is helpful to use average draft position reports along with tiered rankings in order to make sure you get a player you want from each group before there is a statistical drop off.

Here is a look at the 2010 fantasy baseball tiers for second base.

Tier 1:  rounds 1-2

1.  Chase Utley
2.  Ian Kinsler
3.  Brandon Phillips
4.  Dustin Pedroia

Tier 2: rounds 3-4

5.  Brian Roberts
6.  Robinson Cano
7.   Ben Zobrist
8.   Aaron Hill

Tier 3:  rounds 7-8

9. Dan Uggla
10. Jose Lopez
11. Howie Kendrick

Tier 4:  rounds 12-15

12.  Rickie Weeks
13.  Kelly Johnson
14.  Placido Polanco
15.  Martin Prado

Tier 5:  rounds 17-23

16.  Clint Barmes
17.  Scott Sizemore
18.  Orlando Hudson
19.  Mark Ellis
20.  Luis Valbuena
21.  Kasuo Matsui
22.  Luis Castillo
23. Akinori Iwamura
24. Alberto Callaspo
25. Adam Kennedy

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Second Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 29th, 2010

by Todd Lammi

This is the third report in the series of fantasy baseball rankings looking at the position of second base. In 2010, second base and third base seem to be two of the thinnest positions to draft from. After the top 10 second basemen are off the board, there are some questions associated with quite a few of the players from that point forward.

Your best bet is to make sure you have secured a second basemen early in your fantasy baseball draft and not be worried about looking through the waiver wire during the course of the season because your player has either lost his job or is under performing.

Let’s take a look at the 2010 fantasy baseball rankings to see how the position stacks up.

1) Chase Utley – it was another solid season for Utley in 2009 as he stole a career-high 23 stolen bases. ADP has him as high as number three and as low as seven so if you are picking after the middle of the first round, don’t expect to see him sliding to you.

2) Ian Kinsler – he was the only 30-30 player in all of baseball last season. Home runs took a big jump as he raised his fly ball percentage 11 points. Batting average and his propensity to get injured are the two things that have him teetering on the edge of a first round status in fantasy baseball drafts.

3) Brandon Phillips – a lock for a 20/20 season in 2010 and this is the year he should break 100 RBI for the first time in his career with an improved lineup around him.

4) Dustin Pedroia – I have him rated very close to Phillips. Pedroia offers more runs scored and a better chance for a .300 batting average compared to the extra power and a few more steals that Phillips brings to the table.

5) Brian Roberts – the stolen bases are dropping each year he gets older, going from 50 in 2007 to 40 in 2008 and 30 last fantasy baseball season. Still should be good for 25-30 for another season or two.

6) Ben Zobrist – took advantage of injuries last season and became of one of the hottest free agent pickups of the season. Provides the extra flexibility of qualifying in the outfield in the 2010 fantasy baseball season. The stolen bases are not a surprise as much because Tampa Bay is a running team. I would expect some regression in his power numbers. In 1,330+ minor league at bats, he had a total of 23 home runs.

7) Robinson Cano – his new stadium helps the power numbers as a left-handed hitter although his splits were close in 2009 with 14 home runs at home and 11 on the road. Was consistent every month last year, hitting at least .270+ with three or more home runs.

8.) Aaron Hill – turned in a magical age 27 fantasy baseball season last year, by more than doubling him home run output from 2007. Turned some of those 47 doubles from ’07 into more home runs in ’09. Don’t pay for 35+ home runs in 2010; project him for the 25-30 range and you will be much better off.

9) Dan Uggla – as consistent as they come at second base. You can annually pencil him in for 30 home runs and 90 RBI. Needs to improve against left-handed pitching to get his average back up, hitting in the low .200′s the previous two years against southpaws.

10) Jose Lopez – continued to grow last season as he bumped up his home run total for the third straight year. Second year of 40+ doubles and he increased his home run output by eight. He is a great value pick, going a full two rounds later than Uggla in fantasy baseball drafts.

11) Howie Kendrick -  continues to tease fantasy baseball owners by putting up some nice stats in 375 at bats. Was sent to the minor leagues for a stretch last season but came back on fire, hitting .358 with six home runs and 36 RBI in only 165 at bats after the All-Star break. Always is drafted much higher than what his value really is.

12) Rickie Weeks – was off to a strong start before a wrist injury and surgery ended his 2009 season. Much like Kendrick, Weeks’ numbers look enticing if you project him out to 600 at bats, but injuries have held him back through his short career. Power usually suffers the following season after wrist injuries so don’t pro-rate out his 2009 numbers as a new home run level for him.

13) Kelly Johnson – great value pick because he will go after another 5-10 players on my fantasy baseball rankings based on current ADP numbers. Unfortunately too many fantasy baseball owners focus just on previous season’s numbers when forecasting stats and don’t look at a player’s body of work as a whole. Yes, he he had a rough year last season and eventually lost his job, thanks in part to some bad luck as evidenced by a nine percentage point drop in his hit rate last season. With the change of scenery to Arizona, look for him to return to his 2008 level.

14) Clint Barmes – doubled his home runs totals in 2009 as he swung for the fences. Strikeout rate has increased by a total of eight percentage points over the last two years as he looks for the long ball. Still should be good for another year of double digit home runs and stolen bases.

15) Placido Polanco – pretty stable numbers year-to-year which should continue with the high powered Philadelphia Phillies lineup. Will qualify at third base around the second to fourth week of the season depending on the position eligibility rules of your fantasy baseball league.

16) Scott Sizemore – heads into spring training as the starting second basemen for the Detroit Tigers. Should be good for double digit home runs and steals in his rookie season.

17) Martin Prado – qualifies at second base, shortstop and third base. Took over as the starting second basemen and never looked back last year. Nice to have as a middle infielder to support batting average. Prado holds a career batting avergae of .300 in the minor leagues and .307 in the Show.

18) Mark Ellis – should be able to reach double-digit home runs and steals assuming he can muster 450 at bats. In the last year of his contract with a club option for next season, there is a chance he could be dealt at the trade deadline if Oakland is out of the race.

19) Orlando Hudson – currently a free agent but should have a starting job by the time spring training starts. Does not stand out in any one category but is pretty solid across the board

20) Felipe Lopez – see Orlando Hudson

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Next up in the series for 2010 fantasy baseball rankings will be shortstops.

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The Daily Dirt for Wednesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 10th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Chase Utley delivered two solo home runs, including the game winning home run in the 11th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 win over the New York Mets. Utley now has 15 home runs on the season with 41 RBI. Ryan Madson picked up his third save of the season, in place of the injured Brad Lidge. David Wright went 3-for-5 for the Mets with two stolen bases. Wright is now batting .354 with 16 stolen bases on the season. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Wendesday…

Hitters:

Mark Teixeira went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and delivered his 19th home run of the season. Teixeira is up to .296 on the season with 52 RBI, including 12 in his last 10 games.

Jose Lopez belted two home runs and collected three RBI, to give him 35 runs batted in on the season. Lopez has homered three times in his last four games, giving him eight home runs on the year.

Colby Rasmus went 2-for-5 with three RBI and slugged his 7th home run of the season. Rasmus has a nine game hitting streak that has raised his batting average 40 points during that time. Teammate Rick Ankiel went 3- for-5 with three runs scored and his fourth home run of the year. Ankiel has now driven in six runs in his last six games.

Alberto Callaspo went 4-for-4 and drove in four runs on a grand slam, giving him three home runs on the year. The home run ended an RBI drought for Callaspo going back to May 16th.

Willy Aybar went 2-for-3 with three RBI, including his fifth home run of the season. Aybar has homered twice with six RBI over his last three starts.

Bengie Molina went 2-for-5 with three RBI and hit his ninth home run of the season. It might be tough for Molina to get his batting average above .260 the rest of the season unless he turns his strikeout rate around. Molina’s strikeout total is currently on pace to double from 2008.

Catcher Chris Ianetta returned from the disabled list and went 0-for-2 for the Colorado Rockies. He should be safe to activate for your fantasy baseball lineup next week.

Pitchers:

Justin Verlander earned his seventh win of the season, tossing a complete game with one run allowed while striking out seven. Verlander, who has not lost a start in almost two months, currently leads the major leagues with 106 strikeouts.

Gil Meche hurled seven scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts to pick up his third win of the year. For Meche, it was his first victory in his last seven starts. He has now allowed three runs in his last 20 innings of work.

Felix Hernandez allowed one run in seven innings with five strikeouts to up his record to 6-3 on the season. Hernandez has allowed three runs in his last 28 2/3 innings.

Carlos Zambrano allowed one run in eight innings with three strikeouts in a no decision. Zambrano has allowed two earned runs in his last 21 innings. His counterpart Wandy Rodriguez allowed one run in seven innings with six strikeouts.

Aaron Harang pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings with two strikeouts in a no decision. The outing marked a second consecutive good start for Harang, as he had previously allowed 14 runs in his previous 17 1/3 innings.

Jair Jurrjens allowed two runs in six innings with seven strikeouts, but suffered his fourth loss of the season. It is the second loss already for the month of June for Jurrjens. who was a perfect 3-0 in May.

Recently traded Charlie Morton got the start against his old team the Atlanta Braves, making it through only one inning before being removed with tightness in his hamstring.

Closers:

Francisco Cordero blew his first save of the season, allowing two runs in the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals.

Chris Sampson is someone to keep an eye on in National League only fantasy baseball leagues. After picking up his third win Wednesday, Sampson is a perfect 3-0 with three saves and a 1.70 ERA. With the possiblity of Jose Valverde and or LaTroy Hawkins getting traded if the Houston Astros don’t improve their position in the standings, Sampson, could be in line for some saves the second half of the year.

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Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Tuesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 28th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Jorge Cantu was a one man wrecking crew for the Florida Marlins, going 3 for 3 with two home runs and 5 RBI, to snap the teams’ seven-game losing streak. Hanley Ramirez missed the game for the Marlins after being hit by a pitch on Monday. Catcher John Baker slid into the third spot in the batting order with Ramirez out and Cameron Maybin was bumped up to the number two hole. In other news around major league baseball on Tuesday…

Hitters:

Colorado Rockies rookie center fielder Dexter Fowler has been named the full time starter by manager Clint Hurdle. The move means that Seth Smith will lose out on the majority of at bats, and Ryan Spillborghs will see a slight reduction in at bats for the days that Smith plays.

Edwin Encarnacion was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Cincinnati Reds with a fracture in his wrist. Adam Rosales was recalled from Triple-A and should see time at third base along with Jerry Hairston Jr.

Russell Branyan went 5 for 5 in the second game of the Seattle Mariners doubleheader and is now hitting .358 on the season.

Chone Figgins went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. The stolen bases were his first in the last 10 days.

Mark DeRosa went 4 for 5, including his fourth home run of the season and scored four runs. He has made his hits count this year, despite batting only .235, he has driven in 17 runs on the season.

Chase Utley continues to reward those fantasy baseball owners that took him in the first round of their drafts with two more home runs on Tuesday. Utley is hitting .357 on the season with 20 RBI.

Alfonso Soriano hit his 7th home run of the season and drove in four runs. The one downside to having a guy with that much power of course is the limitation to his RBI numbers. Soriano only has 14 RBI for the year to go with his seven home runs.

Pitchers:

Felix Hernandez moved to 4-0 with eight innings of shutout work and nine strikeouts. Hernandez took over the American League strikeout lead with 36 now on the season.

Jo-Jo Reyes allowed one run in seven innings with seven strikeouts. His start means that Tommy Hanson will most likely remain in Triple-A for a little longer.

Kyle Lohse continued the magic for another week, tossing six shutout innings with six strikeouts. Lohse is normally a fly ball pitcher, but benefited from getting 10 ground ball outs compared to only two fly outs.

Phil Hughes returned to the major leagues, tossing six shutout innings with six strikeouts. Hughes recently recalled from Triple-A is currently replacing the injured Chien-Ming Wang in the rotation.

Edwin Jackson pitched six shutout innings with four strikeouts. Lucky for his fantasy baseball owners he was gone the inning before the New York Yankees put a 10 spot on the board in the 7th inning.

Wandy Rodriguez hurled seven strong innings, allowing one run with five strikeouts. It marked the fourth time in five starts he has allowed one run or less.

Cole Hamels lost out on a chance for a victory when he left his start in the fifth inning with a sprained ankle after trying to field a bunt. Hamels had went 4 1/3 scoreless innings before leaving the game.

The amazing success story of  Scott Richmond continued after moving to 3-0 against the Kansas City Royals. Richmond, a 29-year-old rookie who two seasons ago was pitching in the independent leagues, allowed one run in seven innings with five strikeouts.

Chad Gaudin got the start for the San Diego Padres and tossed five scoreless innings with five strikeouts. He is someone worth grabbing in NL-only leagues pitching in Petco park.

Closers:

Frank Francisco has quietly been one of the more effective closers in the American League so far this season. Francisco picked up his sixth save of the season in six chances for the Texas Rangers Tuesday night. He has allowed only six base runners in 10 2/3 innings on the season.

Brian Fuentes picked up his fourth save of the year but has been less than dominant this season. He has not had a 1-2-3 innings since opening day and allowed a solo home run tonight.

Trevor Hoffman fresh off the disabled list got his first save of the season for the Milwaukee Brewers. Todd Coffey set him up with a scoreless eighth inning.

Joel Hanrahan has been removed as closer of the Washington Nationals. Julian Tavarez and Kip Wells could form part of the closer-by-committee to try and get the job done.

Brad Lidge could be looking at potential time on the disabled list if his right knee does not get better. The pain is in the same knee that he had surgery on twice before the start of the 2008 season. If Lidge has to miss any time, Ryan Madson would take over as closer.

Jose Valverde was place on the 15-day disabled list with a strained calf. LaTroy Hawkins will take over as closer for the next two weeks.

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