Posts Tagged ‘Fantasy Baseball’

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.

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2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Shortstops

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 14th, 2012

Here is the fourth article in the series for our 2012 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the position of shortstop. If you are looking for a position to grab stolen bases from then you came to the right place with eight possible options at this position that could steal 30 bases or more including one (Dee Gordon) that will make a run at the stolen base title.

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

1. Troy Tulowitzki – third straight season where he performed much better after the All-Star Break, this time hitting .356 with 13 home runs and 48 RBI in 205 at bats. If he can ever put two of those halves together, it would produce an MVP type season. Stolen bases look like they are going to hold around the double digit range but not approach 20 again, but runs scored should go up after being down in 2011 with Michael Cuddyer behind him in the lineup.

2. Hanley Ramirez – underwent shoulder surgery in September and is expected to be 100% by Openeing Day so it pays to listen closely for any news on issues during his rehab leading up to that point. We’ll throw out his batting average last season due to some bad luck, but his power looked the same as 2010 due to an increase in his groundball rate from 2009. There is also the issue of his attitude with the move to third base so while he is still athe second best shortstop, there is a little bit of risk to him.

3. Jose Reyes – healthy for the second straight year for the most part but still spent time on the disabled list with a strained hamstring. If you are going to own him, it is a good idea to make sure you have someone else on your roster than play shortstop as well for the times when he is out of action. Batting average will be lower after an inflated hit rate in 2011 but as long as he is healthy, he is a solid number three shortstop. Stole 30 bases in his first 8 games but then only nine in his last 46 contests.

4. Starlin Castro – power was nowhere to be seen until he launched five home runs in August. Steal needs to refine his work on stolen bases as he was 10-for-11 the first half and 12-for-20 after the All-Star Break. Should annually flirt with .300 given his contact rate and hit percentage.

5. Elvis Andrus – for the second straight season his stolen base attempts drastically fell off the second half of the season as did his success rate. Overall he improved his success rate on stolen bases, but it could have been even higher had he not gone 11-for-20 after the All-Star Break. Will be in the mix to lead all shortstops in runs scored in the Rangers lineup and has a great chance at cracking 40 stolen bases this season.

6. Jimmy Rollins – reversed a three-year slide of his batting average as he hit% corrected and he hit better against right-handed pitching than he did in 2010. Stolen base success rate is still holding up so there is no reason he is not around 30 steals again. Any prolonged loss of Ryan Howard in the lineup could impact runs scored.

7. Asdrubal Cabrera – how can a hitter go from six home runs to 25 home runs in a season? If you are Cabrera, you expand your strike zone, turn ground balls into fly balls and more than double your home run per fly ball rate. If the over/under on home runs is 20 in 2012, the chances of that number being over is very, very, very remote.

8. Alexei Ramirez - there is something to be said for the consistency he has showed in all four seasons in the major leagues as every stat category has been in a nice tight range. The only question is how much of a chance he is going to get to steal bases with a new manager in place in 2012.

9. Derek Jeter – almost made it to .300 again thanks to a .327 average the second half of the season. Hit the disabled list for the first time in the last five seasons and there is a better chance of that happening going forward now at age 37.

10. J.J. Hardy – healthy and over his wrist injury coupled with improvement against left-handed pitching and an increase in his fly ball percentage led him to a career-high of 30 home runs. Expect regression in 2012 but assuming full health, he should be back to his 2007-2008 levels..

11. Erick Aybar – overall stable numbers in all categories and if manager Mike Scioscia would just stick him first in the batting order and leave him there, his numbers could be even better. Addition of Albert Pujols to the lineup and a possible healthy Kendrys Morales should help boost his runs scored.

12. Dee Gordon – had 31 stolen base attempts in just 56 game in his rookie season so he has a great chance to break 50 steals assuming his fielding can hold up as he committed 10 errors in 2011. Like most young hitters, he still needs to learn patience at the plate with just seven walks in 224 at bats.

13. Jhonny Peralta – power has returned after returning to his fly ball ways and his batting average has a little better chance to be closer to .270 thanks to a reduction in his strikeout rate. Hit .323 against right-handed pitching which spiked his batting average so expect that to come back down in 2012.

14. Stephen Drew – fractured his right ankle in July and his readiness for the start of the season is still in question. Strikeout rate has risen the last two seasons and he struggled against left-handed pitching again for the second time in his last three years. Outside of 2008, he has looked like just another average shortstop.

15. Ian Desmond – had 59 more at bats in in 2011 and added six runs scored and eight more stolen bases while falling off in the other three categories. His drop in batting average was not a surprise given he was a .259 career minor league hitter. Strikeout rate rose slightly and a ground ball rate above 50% is going to make it hard for him to 15+ home runs in a season. Stole 20 bases in his first 85 games and then was 5-for-11 in steals in his last 69 contests.

16. Yunel Escobar – bounced back as expected and his numbers were more in line with his 2009 season in Atlanta. The difference in RBI between those two seasons is due to his place in the batting order. Hitting first for the Blue Jays is going to suppress his RBI numbers compared to in Atlanta when he was further down in the lineup.

17. Alcides Escobar – move to the American League plus an aggressive manager gave Escobar a chance to flash his only fantasy skill at this point of his career. Given his lack of plate discipline, it is going to be tough though for his stolen base total to get much higher than 30.

18. Emilio Bonifacio – a lot of his value is going to be tied to his playing time and with a new manager in place that does not have any allegiance to him, it remains to be seen if he is going to get 500 at bats again which is what I currently have his value based on. Multi-position eligibility makes him a little bit more attractive in non-trade leagues.

19. Rafael Furcal – has spent time on the disabled list four of the past five seasons and that doesn’t figure to change as he heads into his mid-30s. Numbers were much better in St. Louis where he hit .255 with seven home runs and four steals in 196 at bats. With that said, there are enough other options at shortstop to not get stuck with him and spend night praying for his health to hold up.

20. Marco Scutaro -missed time with a strained oblique in 2011 which impacted at bat totals. The trade of Jed Lowire means Scutaro should get one more season of 500 at bats in Boston before prospect Jose Iglesias takes over.

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.

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2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – First Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 10th, 2012

Here is the second article in the series for our 2012 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the position of first base. Right now I have Kendrys Morales and Justin Morneau ranked just outside of the top 20 because I have them projected with around 400 at bats until we learn more about their status as they work their way back from injury.

Injuries have robbed Morneau of playing time the last two seasons and he has not been the same since suffering a concussion in July of 2010. He is still experiencing concussion symptoms today which makes him a major question mark in 2012. Given the depth of the first base position, I would be looking for a much safer alternative rather than trying to roll the dice on Morneau or Morales in annual leagues.

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

1. Albert Pujols – moves to the American League and should have no issue maintaining his numbers for the next few seasons. Fell one RBI short of 100, one steal short of double digits and one hit short of batting .300. Statistically this was the worst season of his career, but he is still one of the most consistent players from year-to-year which counts for a lot given the amount of first round busts each season.

2. Miguel Cabrera – batting average has gone up for three straight seasons to a career-high of .344 and he broke 100 walks for the first time in his career. Had a few less home runs and RBI in 2011 but no reason for both of those numbers not to come up a little bit in 2012.

3. Joey Votto – now assumes the throne of the best first basemen in the National League with the move of Pujols to the A.L. All of his numbers slightly dropped in 2011 but those numbers are still at a top tier level.

4. Adrian Gonzalez – the move away from PECTO Park was expected to help his offensive numbers, but his home run total ended up being the second lowest total of his career. Given the jump in batting average and a career-high in runs scored, most fantasy owners are willing to live with that trade off. He failed to take advantage of Fenway Park, hitting only 10 home runs in 314 at bats and he only managed to hit three long balls against left-handed pitching and both of those numbers should correct in 2012.

5. Mark Teixeira – came close to 40 home runs again, thanks to a career-high 15 home runs against left-handed pitching. Batting average has dropped three straight seasons but I am not concerned about that. His contact rate has held steady as has his average against southpaws so it is has been more a matter of bad luck than loss of skill. I would expect his average to rebound in 2012.

6. Prince Fielder – average has alternated up and down all seven seasons in his career plus he has yet to hit over .300 in his career so I expect that number to be going down in 2012. Regardless of where he signs as a free agent, his power numbers should not be impacted at all..

7. Ryan Howard – two straight seasons of less than 100 runs scored and his home run total looks to be in the low 30′s going forward. The biggest issue of course is the Achilles injury that occurred at the end of the NLDS this past fall that could case him to miss part of the first month of the season. Turned 32 in November and given his injury I would be looking for other options at first base in 2012.

8. Paul Konerko – solid second tier option at first base who has seen his numbers take a step back up in his mid-30′s. Home run rate dropped off the second half of the season with one home run every 24 at bats compared to one every 15 at bats before the All-Star Break. He has been an underrated option at first base for many years, but he does turn 36 in March so a decline is going to start happening at some point.

9. Eric Hosmer – stellar rookie season that figures to only get better in his second year. Check out his second half numbers where he hit .313 in 284 at bats with 11 home runs, 44 RBI and nine stolen bases. Then look at the fact that he hit only one home run in 152 at bats against left-handed pitching in 2011. His draft status will likely be claiming the closer it gets to draft day so those in leagues that draft earlier will have a better shot at him.

10. Mike Morse – has performed better in the major leagues than he ever did in the minors and it is not too often that players close to 30-years-old all of a sudden start hitting 30 home runs. On the plus side though, if you doubled his 2010 at bats to get to his 2011 totals, all of his other numbers were right in line and held up over a full season.

11. Gaby Sanchez – made slight improvement in his plate discipline though it wasn’t reflected in his overall numbers in 2011. Needs better endurance in order to be able to put two solid halves of baseball together. Because he did not improve on his numbers last season, there is a good chance he falls a couple of rounds later than he should in drafts this season.

12. Lance Berkman – hit left-handers like he did back in 2008 and was healthy for the majority of the season which was a surprise given he moved to the outfield. The loss of Pujols puts Berkman back at first base in 2012, but given what he did last season, he is going to be overvalued this year so let someone else own him.

13. Mark Trumbo – no doubt about his power, the only question is how many at bats he is going to get if Morales is healthy. The plan was to try him at third base but he has been bothered by a stress fracture in his foot this offseason which has not allowed him to start working at the position.

14. Carlos Lee – average bounced back as expected and he still is making good contact at age 35. Runs scored are going to be low in a light-hitting Astros offense but still has decent value after the middle of the draft and he qualifies at first base and in the outfield which gives additional flexibility.

15. Paul Goldschmidt – it is easy to get caught up in his power after he his 30+ home runs his last two minor league seasons. Remember that he did jump from AA last season and he had a 34% strikeout rate in his first season. In keeper leagues, yeah, I am all in. In annual leagues, I am a little bit more cautious for 2012.

16. Adam Dunn – hard to hit the baseball when striking out 43% of the bat. His first year in the American League was a total disaster as he hit .064 against left-handed pitching and managed just three home runs on the road. It could have been simply a matter of adjusting to new the league and trying to justify the four-year $56 million contract the White Sox had given him. I expect some bounce back though not all the way to his 2010 season.

17. Adam Lind – his batting average against-left-handed pitching rebounded but it made only a little bit of difference as fewer balls fell in for hits once again. His first half was stellar with a .300 batting average and 16 home runs in 260 at bats before hitting .197 after the All-Star Break in 239 at bats.

18. Ike Davis – missed the majority of the 2011 season with an ankle injury that he failed to have surgery on at the end of the season which makes him a slight injury risk in 2012. Before the injury, he looked like he was on his way to an increase in power with seven home runs in 129 at bats. The one negative was his .163 batting average against southpaws although it was a small sample size of 43 at bats.

19. Freddie Freeman – showed a little bit more power that expected in his rookie campaign but otherwise all other numbers were in line with projections. Held up well against left-handed pitching with a .247 batting average and seven home runs in 186 at bats.

20. Aubrey Huff – the spoils of success: was out of shape physically and not in the game mentally as well and his numbers fell off a cliff in 2011. He was overvalued in 2011 and will be undervalued in 2012 making him a decent end game target for astute fantasy owners.

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.

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Oakland Trades Andrew Bailey to Boston for 3 Players

Posted by Todd Lammi on December 28th, 2011

The Oakland Athletics continued to remake their pitching staff as they rebuild with an eye on the future by dealing closer Andrew Bailey to the Boston Red Sox along with outfielder Ryan Sweeney for outfielder Josh Reddick, minor league catcher Miles Head and pitcher Raul Alcantara. The deal fills a hole in the Red Sox bullpen that Bailey will fill in the 9th inning. Recently acquired closer Mark Melancon will now move to a set up role in the 8th inning, making him a worthwhile handcuff to Bailey given Bailey’s injury history and the fact he has yet to post a 30 save season in his major league career. The left-handed hitting Sweeney is the lead candidate to start in right field in Boston, likely as part of a platoon role but he has little fantasy value even in AL-0nly formats with two home runs in his last 567 at bats.

Reddick will start in right field for the Oakland A’s and should hit close to the middle of the order given the lack of offensive talent in the lineup. Reddick has a .248 batting average in 375 major league at bats with 10 home runs and 37 RBI. Reddick turns 25 in February and will post a low average with some power which gives him value in AL-only leagues. Since he was expected to start for the Red Sox before being traded, there is really no change to his fantasy value except for less runs and RBI playing in a weaker lineup.

For fantasy baseball purposes, the biggest ramifications is in the Oakland bullpen which will now have a new closer in 2012. Veteran Brian Fuentes is still under contact for the A’s and posted 12 saves in 2011 filling in for Bailey and will see opportunities in the closer role unless he is dealt as part of the off-season purging. Grant Balfour will also see some chances to close after posting two consecutive seasons of a sub 2.50 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He has averaged closed to a strikeout per inning and his batting average against dropped for a third consecutive season.

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Colorado Rockies Trade Chris Iannetta, Sign Ramon Hernandez

Posted by Todd Lammi on November 30th, 2011

The Colorado Rockies made two moves that would make a veteran fantasy baseball owner smile had this been done in a fantasy league as they essentially swapped catchers while picking up a young starting pitcher. In their first move, the Rockies traded catcher Chris Iannetta to the Los Angeles Angels for starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood. The team then signed free agent catcher Ramon Hernandez to a two-year contract for $6.4 million.

For the Angels, they get to try fix the mistake they made a year ago when they lost an offensive catcher by dealing Mike Napoli while the Rockies can buy another year of minor league grooming for catcher Wilin Rosario if they want to and they can let Chatwood develop for a year or two in the minor leagues.

From a fantasy perspective, this is bad news for Iannetta owners as he hit .172 away from Coors Field last season, so while he may hit 10-15 home runs, he is going to crush your team’s batting average. Ramon Hernandez gets a little bump up with the move to Coors Field, but given his age and injury history, he is still just an NL-only play at this point of his career.

Chatwood was rushed to the major leagues at the age of 21 and really needs another couple of years to develop in the minor leagues and to work on his control. His walk rate is 4.9 per nine innings for his career in the minor leagues and until he gets that under control, he is going to have a hard time making it back to the big leagues.

In other news around baseball on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodges signed infielder Adam Kennedy to a one-year contract for $800,000. Kennedy basically replaces Jamey Caroll in 2012 as he can play multiple positions around the infield.

Texas Rangers first basemen Mitch Moreland is expected to undergo wrist surgery which will sideline him two to three months. The wrist which bothered him the second half of the season helped to contribute to his drop in the power department as he hit just five home runs in 199 at bats. Wrist injuries tend to impact power the first year after surgery so I would watch his progress closely in spring training to see how he is performing.

The Chicago Cubs signed outfielder David DeJesus to a two-year contract $10 million that will make him the starting right fielder. Not much change to his value from a fantasy perspective as he has been injured the last two seasons, has little power and stopped stealing bases three years ago.

 

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Starting Pitcher Strikeout Rates Per Nine Innings – Biggest Drops in 2011

Posted by Todd Lammi on November 15th, 2011

Yesterday we talked about one of the ways to look at fantasy baseball statistics when doing a year-over-year comparison is by looking at the average or percentages instead of just the raw numbers. Sometimes the raw numbers can be misleading and a starting pitcher may have had more strikeouts simply because of an increase in the amount of innings he pitched rather than an increase in performance. Here is a look at some of the starting pitcher that saw the biggest drop in their strikeouts per nine innings rate from 2010 to 2011. For reference, strikeouts per nine innings is the mount of strikeouts multiplied by nine divided by the number of innings pitched.

1. Kevin Correia – his strikeout rate fell by 2.64 per nine innings as he got away from slider and threw more fastballs and cutters in 2011. His 4.5 k/9 rate was by far the lowest of his career.

2. Roy Oswalt – his injury problems coupled with losing velocity on his fastball for a second straight season set his k/9 rate tumbling to a career low of 6.02.

3. Jason Hammel – it could be that the calf and back injuries that he suffered in the early part of the season impacted him more than we knew. He lost 2.14 strikeouts per nine innings, ringing up just 4.97 batters per nine.

4. Jhoulys Chacin – he struck out more than expected in his rookie season at 9.04 per nine innings, so the drop to 6.96 in 2011 was not that shocking. His minor league strikeout per nine rate in his career was 7.83 in 73 games so keep your fantasy baseball projections realistic for 2012.

5. Clayton Richard – his velocity was slightly down and he threw a ton more cutters in 2011 which hurt his strikeout rate as it fell from 6.83 in 2010 to 4.79 this past season.

6. Francisco Liriano – his 2010 season was the outlier in terms of his strikeout rate the last few seasons as his control was stellar for him which led to an increase in strikeouts as he was around the plate more. In 2011, his career worst walk rate of of 5.0 per nine innings caused his strikeout rate to fall by 1.93 from the previous year.

7. Ricky Nolasco – his raw stuff has been slowly falling off as batting average against him rose for the third straight season. A little less velocity and skill translated to a 1.92 drop in strikeouts per nine innings.

8. Carlos Zambrano – his pitch selection tells the story as his fastball usage continues to decline every season. A reliance on the cutter and less split-fingered fastballs helped lead to a 1.88 drop in his k/9 rate.

9.  Jered Weaver – his batting average against fell for the fourth straight season, but instead of keeping his strikeout rate up, he was more effective with his pitches which allowed him to work longer in games.

10. Joel Pineiro – his strikeout is typically low to begin with so he did not have much he could afford to lose. Rate fell by 1.6 per nine innings as he traded in fastballs for sliders.

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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.

 

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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.

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2011 Waiver Wire – Week 26

Posted by Tony Mancini on September 21st, 2011

This is the last fantasy baseball waiver wire article for 2011 with the Major League regular season ending next week Wednesday. The wildcard spot is up for grabs in both the American and National League, so it should be a fun week of baseball.

Here are some names to consider picking up for the remainder of this season and for possible keepers for your 2012 rotisserie season.

Mixed Leagues – 12/15 teams:

Eduardo Nunez and Chris Dickerson (NYY) – With the New York Yankees wrapping up a playoff spot today, I would suspect the Yankees will rest their regulars before the playoffs. Nunez has played second, third and shortstop all season long and Dickerson has enough range to fill in for all the outfielders. I would expect to see both of them play three out of the next seven games.

American League:

1B – Chris Parmelee (MIN) – Parmelee has been playing first base and hitting 4th in the Minnesota Twins lineup. In 42 at-bats, Parmelee has two home runs, eight RBI and is batting .380.

2B – Brian Dinkelman (MIN) – Dinkelman has also been playing everyday for the Twins and is currently hitting .370 through his first 48 at-bats.   If you need a roster fill in, look at the Twins roster and I’m sure you’ll find a few other Twins available on your waiver wire

National League:

OF – Jerry Sands (LAD) – Sands has also been playing regularly for the Los Angeles Dodgers and is batting over .450 with two home runs and six RBI over the last seven days.

SP – Randall Delgado (ATL) – Delgado is a rotation prospect for the Atlanta Braves next season. Delgado has a 2.70 ERA over 30 innings in six appearances this year.

SP – Anthony Bass (SD) – Bass won his second start of the season and holds an ERA under 1.70 Bass is a good keeper prospect for NL-only leagues since the Padres have a lot of question marks heading into next season in their rotation.

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2011 Waiver Wire – Week 25

Posted by Tony Mancini on September 15th, 2011

With the regular season winding down and most of us in the second round of our Head-to-Head leagues, here are a few names to consider prior to next weeks final waiver wire of the season. Continued good luck to those of you that are in the playoffs or fighting it out to win your fantasy baseball league.

Mixed Leagues – 12/15 teams:

RP - Joel Peralta (TB) – With the Tampa Bay Rays still in the wild card hunt and with Kyle Farnsworth hurting, Peralta will see the majority of the save opportunities for the Rays until Farnsworth is healthy.

American League:

SP – Matt Moore (TB) – Moore is considered the Rays top pitching prospects and one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. Even though Moore struggled in his debut last night in relief he is worth grabbing especially if you are in a keeper or dynasty league.

OF – Nolan Reimold and Matt Angle (BAL) – Reimold has been playing regularly for the Baltimore Orioles since mid July. Even though is hitting .239, if you are looking for regular at bats with the potential to hit a home run or steal a base, Reimold is a nice option. He has ten home runs and five stolen bases in 230 at bats.

Matt Angle has filled in for Felix Pie’s spot as the 4th outfielder for the O’s. He is hitting under the Mendoza Line, but has six stolen bases in 49 at-bats.

National League:

C – Wilin Rosario (COL) – The Colorado Rockies are committed to taking a long look at Rosario, which means he should see most of the playing time over Chris Iannetta the rest of the way. The 22-year-old had 21 homers in Double-A this season after hitting 19 in 2010. Rosario hit his second home run in the majors last night.

RP – Santiago Casilla (SF) – Casilla picked up his third save for the San Francisco Giants last night. Although he is not considered the full time closer in San Francisco with Brian Wilson out, he could get a few more saves when Sergio Romo is over worked, plus Casilla sports a 1.36 ERA on the season.

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2011 Waiver Wire – Week 24

Posted by Tony Mancini on September 7th, 2011

With the majority of top prospects already promoted to the major leagues, there were very few prospects that have been called up to the major leagues since September 1. Here are a few names to consider for your fantasy baseball leagues with three weeks to go in the season.

Mixed Leagues – 12/15 teams:

3B/OF - Dayan Viciedo (CWS) – Everyone was wondering why it took the Chicago White Sox so long to call up Viciedo with all the problems they have had at third base this season. Viciedo has helped out in the outfield as well with Carlos Quentin sidelined. Viciedo is hitting over .350 in his first nine games and hit .289 with 14 home runs in Triple-A this season.

RP - Jason Motte (STL) – Since St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Motte would start to see more save chances, Motte has gone 3-for-3 in save opportunities. Motte has a 1.70 ERA over 58 innings this season so grab him now if he is still siting out on the waiver wire on your league.

American League:

OF – Leonys Martin (TEX) – Martin is a top three prospect in the Texas Rangers organization and is considered one of the best hitting prospects. Martin is worth stashing and will likely play regularly once the Rangers wrap up the AL West.

C – Jose Lobaton (TB) – Lobaton is not a highly touted rookie at age 26, but the Tampa Bay Rays have said that they are going to give him an extended look for the remainder of the season to see if he can be a backup option next season. Lobaton was hitting .293 with eight home runs in Triple-A this season.

National League:

SP - Eric Surkamp (SF) – Surkamp has been filling in as the 5th starter for the San Francisco Giants since being called up. In two starts Surkamp is 1 – 0 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.

SP - Brad Lincoln (PIT) – Lincoln struggled last year for the Pittsburgh Pirates but has been solid this season and has had five quality starts in a row and currently has a 3.53 ERA. Consider using Lincoln in the right match up situation.

RP - Manny Acosta (NYM) – With Bobby Parnell being pulled from the closers role for the New York Mets, Acosta is next in line and picked up a save tonight. Acosta will likely pick up a few more saves until Parnell rights the ship and it will then likely be a closer by committee.

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2011 Fantasy Baseball Closer Report – Week 24

Posted by Todd Lammi on September 5th, 2011

It depends how depserate for saves you are over the last few weeks of the season as to whether you want to risk carrying Bobby Parnell of the New York Mets on your active fantasy baseball roster. Last week Parnell collected four saves, but it came with a price tag of a 5.79 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP.

Colorado Rockies current closer Rafael Betancourt picked up two saves last week with two perfect innings of work and it looks like he will keep Huston Street in a setup role for another week at least. Street is signed through 2013 so I would not worry about him being out of a job in 2012 if you own in him keeper leagues.

One guy who has quietly flown under the radar this year has been Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox. Papelbon has bounced back from his struggles last season and has converted 29 of 30 saves with a .90 WHIP and a .202 batting average against.

It’s much easier to carry one or two starting pitchers on your fantasy roster who aren’t strikeout pitchers when you have a stud closer that can rack up a lot of whiffs each week. For example, last week Craig Kimbrel of the Atlanta Braves finished with two saves plus 10 strikeouts in five innings. For the season, Kimbrel now has 113 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings. and he finished the month of August a perfect 10-for-10 in saves with no runs allowed in 12 2/3 innings of work.

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2011 Two Start Pitchers – Week 22

Posted by Todd Lammi on August 21st, 2011

Here is a look at the options for two start pitchers in week 22 of the major league baseball season, covering August 22 – August 28.

2 start pitchers week 22: the list below is focused on mixed leagues since in AL or NL only leagues in most cases you do not have the option to rotate starting pitchers with the smaller player pool. The pitchers below are listed in alphabetical order by team name per category.

American League:

Start them:

Justin Verlander (DET) ~ @TB (Niemann), @MIN (Pavano)
David Price (TB) ~ DET (Penny), @TOR (Morrow)
Jeff Niemann (TB) ~ DET (Verlander), @TOR (Perez)
C.J. Wilson (TEX) ~BOS (Bedard), LAA (Pineiro)

Roll the Dice:

Erik Bedard (BOS) ~ @TEX (Wilson), OAK (Moscoso)
Fausto Carmona (CLE) ~ SEA (Vargas), KC (Chen)
Carl Pavano (MIN) ~ BAL (Guthrie), DET (Verlander)
Bartolo Colon (NYY) ~ OAK (McCarthy), @BAL (Simon)
Colby Lewis (TEX) ~ BOS (Lackey), LAA (Chatwood)
Brandon Morrow (TOR) ~ KC (Chen), TB (Price)

Carmona has been solid the second half of the season with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in six starts. Colon’s five runs allowed in his last start broke a string of five consecutive starts with two runs allowed or less. Pavano has not won since July 7th, but has put together three good outings in a row after three bad ones. He has faced Detroit twice in his last six starts, allowing eight runs over 13 innings.

Sit Them:

Jeremy Guthrie (BAL) ~ @MIN (Pavano), NYY (Hughes)
Alfredo Simon (BAL) ~ @MIN (Duensing), NYY (Colon)
John Lackey (BOS) ~ @TEX (Lewis), OAK (McCarthy)
Brad Penny (DET) ~ @TB (Price), @MIN (Duensing)
Bruce Chen (KC) ~ @TOR (Morrow), @CLE (Carmona)
Brian Duensing (MIN) ~ BAL (Simon), DET (Penny)
Brandon McCarthy (OAK) ~ @NYY (Colon), @BOS (Lackey)
Jason Vargas (SEA) ~ @CLE (Carmona), CWS (Peavy)
Blake Beavan (SEA) ~ @CLE (Masterson), CWS (Stewart)

McCarthy has pitched well this year but two road starts against the Yankees and Red Sox can wreck your team ERA and WHIP for the week. Beavan was shelled shelled in his last two outings and looked more like the pitcher he was in Triple-A, giving up six home runs in this two starts. Vargas has struggled the second half of the year, with a 7.39 ERA and a 2.01 WHIP with 17 walks and 19 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings. Duensing has lost four starts in a row by allowing eight home runs and has been worse at home with a 5.71 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. Chen has struggled on the road where he has a 5.06 ERA and 1.58 WHIP for the season. If you are strictly looking for wins, then maybe you take a chance on Lackey who is 5-1 since the All-Star break despite a 4.53 ERA and 1.56 WHIP.  Guthrie had a better than 2:1 strikeout to walk ration the first half of the season at 78 to 32, but that has changed since the All-Star break with 17 walks and 17 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings.

National League:

Start them:

Ian Kennedy (ARI) ~ @WAS (Zimmermann), SD (Luebke)
Johnny Cueto (CIN) ~ @FLA (Nolasco), WAS (Zimmermann)
Zack Greinke (MIL) ~ @PIT (Karstens), CHC (Coleman)
Cliff Lee (PHI) ~ NYM (Niese), FLA (Nolasco)
Matt Cain (SF) ~ SD (Latos), HOU (Norris)
Jordan Zimmermann (WAS) ~ ARI (Kennedy), @CIN (Cueto)

Roll the Dice:

Joe Saunders (ARI) ~ @WAS (Detwiler), SD (Harang)
Jair Jurrjens (ATL) ~ @CHC (Dempster), @NYM (Dickey)
Ryan Dempster (CHC) ~ ATL (Jurrjens), @MIL (Gallardo)
Jhoulys Chacin (COL) ~ HOU (Myers), @LAD (Eovaldi)
Bud Norris (HOU) ~ @COL (Cook), @SF (Cain)
Brett Myers (HOU) ~ @COL (Chacin), @SF (TBD)
Nathan Eovaldi (LAD) ~ @STL (Carpenter), COL (Chacin)
Jon Niese (NYM) ~ @PHI (Lee), ATL (Hanson)
Jeff Karstens (PIT) ~ MIL (Greinke), @STL (Carpenter)
Chris Carpenter (STL) ~ LAD (Eovaldi), PIT (Karstens)
Kyle Lohse (STL) ~ LAD (Kershaw), PIT (TBD)

Carpenter is 6-1 in his last 10 starts and has been significantly better at Busch Stadium with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Lohse has allowed two runs or less in four of his past five starts and has not lost since July 19th. Niese has slightly higher numbers the second half of the season as he has been easier to hit, but has faced Philadelphia four times (3.42 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) and Atlanta three times (4.26 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) already this season. Myers has fared okay at Coors Field over his career with a 3.92 ERA and 1.23 WHIP, but victories may be hard to come by as he is winless since June 17th. Chacin has been slowing down, going 1-6 in his last 10 starts and has posted a 4.79 ERA and 1.48 WHIP the second half of the year. Dempster has allowed three runs or less in five straight starts and has a 3.56 ERA and 1.21 WHIP since the break with more than a strikeout per inning. Saunders has had success against both Washington (seven shutout innings) and San Diego (3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, two starts) this season.

Sit Them:

Casey Coleman (CHC) ~ ATL (Minor), @MIL (Greinke)
Ross Detwiler (WAS) ~ ARI (Saunders), @CIN (Leake)

Detwiler is a gut call as to whether to start him or not. He has pitched a little better than what I think he is and he faces Cincinnati a second time after starting against them on 8/17.

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The Minor League Report – Week 21

Posted by Todd Lammi on August 16th, 2011

Tim Beckham was promoted by the Tampa Bay Rays last week to Triple-A after hitting .275 with 7 home runs, 57 RBI and 15 stolen bases at AA. The shortstop was the top overall pick of the 2008 draft and hits AAA at the age of 21. He should be in line to have a good shot of grabbing the starting shortstop job in spring training next season.

Catcher Travis d’Arnaud has been solid for the Toronto Blue Jays at AA, hitting .326 with 17 home runs and 61 RBI. Though J.P. Arencibia has been strong in the power department with 19 home runs, he has yet to hit for average batting just .210 on the season leaving an opening for d’Arnaud next season. He was a first round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007 and was traded to the Blue Jays in the deal for Roy Halladay.

Outfielder A.J. Pollock could get a look in spring training next season with the Arizona Diamondbacks based on his performance in AA this season. A first round pick in 2009, Pollock is hitting .304 with 7 home runs, 65 RBI and 29 stolen bases.

Although he does not have a place to play in the major leagues with Albert Pujols in front of him, Matt Adams has continued to display power in the minor leagues this season with 28 home runs and 90 RBI in AA while hitting .316. Adams hit .310 in .210 and .355 in 2009 across two levels so he is not the prototypical high power low average hitter.

Left-handed starting pitcher Eric Surkamp will give the San Francisco Giants another golden arm in their rotation in sometime in the next year. Surkamp has a 2.03 ERA with 156 strikeouts in 128 1/3 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .217 batting average. Though he is a little old for the level at age 24, his numbers are at the top of the Eastern League.

Matt Moore was recently promoted to Triple-A by the Tampa Bay Rays where he has been even more dominant that he was at AA which did not seem possible. Through five starts, Moore has a 0.88 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings and a .152 batting average against. For the season, Moore has fanned 180 hitters in 133 innings.

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2011 Fantasy Baseball Closer Report – Week 21

Posted by Todd Lammi on August 15th, 2011

A big reason that the Arizona Diamondbacks currently lead the National League West is because of the 1-2 punch in the back of their bullpen. Last week the team notched five saves as J.J. Putz collected three and David Hernandez picked up two. Hernandez has 11 saves to go with 17 holds on the season and a 2.83 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP. That is not bad for a closer handcuff that when undrafted in mixed league formats. Because of the injury history of Putz, Hernandez has a little more value in keeper leagues than most closer handcuffs would have.

Closer Huston Street of the Colorado Rockies was placed on the disabled list on August 9th and could be back once his 15 days are up. In the meantime, Rafael Betancourt takes over as closer making him a solid one to two week play for teams needing a save or two to gain points in the standings. Betancourt has been unscored upon in 13 innings since the All-Star break with 24 strikeouts.

Kevin Gregg had a rough outing in a non-save situation yesterday, allowing four hits and two walks without recording an out against the Detroit Tigers. Gregg now has a 4.28 ERA and 1.58 WHIP for the season. If the Baltimore Orioles make a move at closer, Jim Johnson could see some save opportunities. Johnson has a 2.97 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP and picked up the save yesterday to bail out Gregg.

While not a closer, Glen Perkins of the Minnesota Twins was credited with two blown saves in his last two outings. Perkins has allowed runs in four straight appearances and has not picked up a hold since July 27th.

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2011 Fantasy Baseball Lineup Planner – Week 21

Posted by Todd Lammi on August 14th, 2011

Here is a look at the latest news and notes from around major league baseball to help you set your fantasy baseball lineup for week 21 (August 15 – August 21)  of the 2011 fantasy baseball season.

American League:

The Detroit Tigers placed Carlos Guillen on the disabled list with a sore wrist. The team recalled Will Rhymes from the minor leagues, giving some value to Rhymes in AL-only leagues as he should see the majority of starts at second base while Guillen is out of action.

Second basemen Alexi Casilla of the Minnesota Twins didn’t even make it through a full game coming off of the disabled list as he injured his hamstring again while trying to beat out an infield hit.

The Seattle Mariners placed first basemen Justin Smoak on the disabled list with a broken nose. The team called up Wily Mo Pena to take his place on the roster.

National League:

San Francisco Giants outfielder Carlos Beltran is not playing again on Sunday making it the sixth game in a row he has now missed. With the potential for a trip to the disabled list looming, it is best to look for another option for your outfield for next week. The Giants also placed Andres Torres on the disabled list while calling up Brandon Belt, so Belt may be an option for your lineup with the Giants now short two outfielders.

The Atlanta Braves placed starting pitcher Tommy Hanson on the disabled list with rotator cuff tendinitis. Hanson was slated for two starts next week but has now been replaced in the rotation by Randall Delgado, though it will likely be for only one start with Jair Jurrjens coming back from the disabled list. The Braves also activated Brian McCann from the disabled list so he should be active in all formats for your lineup next week.

The Florida Marlins sent outfielder Logan Morrison down to Triple-A in a move that seems more based on his comments on Twitter and in the media than his actual performance. While Morrison had been struggling since the All-Star break with a .200 batting average, he had been one of the few power sources on the team with 17 home runs for the season in 95 games.

The Arizona Diamondbacks placed Xavier Nady on the disabled list with a fractured hand and signed Lyle Overbay to take his place on the roster. Overbay is nothing more than roster filler at this point and will not have value unless you are in an extremely deep NL-only league.

First basemen Derrek Lee of the Pittsburgh Pirates will miss two to four weeks of action after suffering a fractured wrist. Garrett Jones will shift over to first base with the Pirates likely going with a platoon in the outfield.

The Chicago Cubs placed Carlos Zambrano on the disqualified list which means he will miss the next 30 days of action and there is a good chance he has pitched his last game of 2011.

To help set your pitching rotation for next week, check out the week 21, two start pitchers. The rainout of the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees game today will push back James Shields and A.J. Burnett making them two start pitchers next week. The same goes for the Phillies and Nationals who had their game postponed on Sunday, making Roy Halladay and Chien-Ming Wang two start pitchers next week.

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2011 Waiver Wire – Week 16

Posted by Tony Mancini on July 14th, 2011

Congratulations to Robinson Cano for winning the Home Run Derby and to the National League for winning the All-Star game. After a few days off from fantasy baseball, hopefully your batteries are recharged to make a strong push the second half of the season to win your fantasy baseball league. Here is a look at some players to be targeting on the waiver wire this week.

Mixed Leagues – 12/15 teams:

OF - Mike Trout (LAA) – The Los Angeles Angels called up their top ranked prospect last week due to all the injuries in the Angels outfield. Although his stay may be short, Trout is definitely worth picking up and keeping as a reserve after he is sent back down if he is still available in your league.

OF – Nate Schierholtz (SF) – Schierholtz seems to have convinced the San Francisco Giants to give him an everyday role in their outfield and he has shown some power and even batted clean-up a couple of times since then. Schierholtz is hitting .293 on the season with seven home runs and 31 RBI.

American League:

OF – Travis Buck (CLE) – With Shin-Soo Choo on the disabled list, Buck has been seeing the most time in right field. Over Buck’s last seven games, he is hitting over .370 with eight RBI. Buck is a decent fill in outfielder while he is playing and hitting.

3B – Kyle Seager (SEA) – I believe Seager may be in over his head right now since he only played 12 games at Triple-A before being recalled, but he obviously can’t be any worse than Chone Figgins at the hot corner. Seager has hit .336 between two levels with six home runs and 49 RBI.

National League:

RP – Brad Lidge (PHI) – Lidge has had some successful minor league rehab appearances and will likely make another six to nine additional rehab appearances which could put him back in the major leagues in three weeks. If you have a bench spot available and are locked in a closer battle for saves, he is worth picking up now with the hopes that he will see some save opportunities down the stretch.

SS – Zack Cozart (CIN) – With Edgar Renteria and Paul Janish struggling, the Cincinnati Reds called up Cozart four days prior to the All-Star break and he saw action in all four games. Cozart was hitting .310 in Triple-A prior to being recalled and is hitting .312 in four games with the Reds. Cozart has shown power and speed in the minors hitting 17 home runs and stealing 30 bases in 2010.

By now we’ve all heard that closer Francisco Rodriguez was traded from the New York Mets to the Milwaukee Brewers where he will share closer duties with John Axford. The big question is who is going to close games out of the Mets. This is likely going to be a committee situation to begin with but the two most likely to get the first shot at closer duties will be Bobby Parnell and Jason Isringhausen.

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2011 Waiver Wire – Week 15

Posted by Todd Lammi on July 6th, 2011

Here is a look at some players to target in your fantasy baseball league in the week 15 waiver wire including two new closer options and several players heading over to the National League.

Mixed Leagues – 12/15 teams:

RP – Joe Nathan (MIN) – Current closer Matt Capps has been struggling in Minnesota and has been removed from his two previous save opportunities. Glen Perkins picked up saves in both of those instances, but they were the first two saves of his career and Nathan has been throwing better or late and has closing experience which gives him the upper hand.

RP -David Hernandez (ARI) – With J.J. Putz sidelined, Hernandez could grab you a couple of saves in a week. Given Putz’s injury history, having Hernandez on your squad is a good hedge if you are still looking to find saves on the waiver wire.

American League:

SP – Zach McAllister (CLE) – McAllister was promoted from Triple-A to take the place of Fausto Carmona (disabled list) in the Indians rotation. McAllister was acquired from the New York Yankees last season in a deal for Austin Kearns. McAllister was 8-3 for the Columbus Clippers with a 2.97 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 97 innings and a .241 batting average against.

National League:

2B – Mark Ellis (COL) – Depending on when your league assigns free agents, there is a chance that Ellis could hit the free agent pool in your league this week. Ellis has four multi-hit games since coming to the Rockies with two home runs, seven RBI and a stolen base.

OF – Mike Cameron (FLA) – Cameron was acquired by the Florida Marlins from the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later and should take hold of the job in center field. He was hitting a paltry .149 for the Red Sox in 94 at bats with three home runs and nine RBI. If your team can take the batting average hit, he should help out in three other categories.

 

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2011 Two Start Pitchers – Week 15

Posted by Todd Lammi on July 2nd, 2011

Here is a look at the options for two start pitchers in week 14 of the major league baseball season, covering July 4 – July 10.

2 start pitchers week 15: the list below is focused on mixed leagues since in AL or NL only leagues in most cases you do not have the option to rotate starting pitchers with the smaller player pool. The pitchers below are listed in alphabetical order by team name per category.

American League:

Start them:

Justin Verlander (DET) ~ @LAA (Haren), @KC (Francis)
Dan Haren (LAA) ~ DET (Verlander), SEA (Hernandez)
Scott Baker (MIN) ~ TB (TBD), @CWS (Peavy)
CC Sabathia (NYY) ~ @CLE (Carrasco), TB (Shields)
Michael Pineda (SEA) ~ @OAK (Moscoso), @LAA (Pineiro)
Felix Hernandez (SEA) ~ @OAK (Cahill), @LAA (Haren)
James Shields (TB) ~ @MIN (Baker), @NYY (Sabathia)

Roll the Dice:

Mark Buehrle (CHW) ~ KC (Paulino), MIN (Duensing)
Jake Peavy (CHW) ~ KC (Francis), MIN (Baker)
Carlos Carrasco (CLE) ~ NYY (Sabathia), TOR (Cecil)
Charlie Furbush (DET) ~ @LAA (Pineiro), @KC (Paulino)
Brian Duensing (MIN) ~ TB (Shields), @CWS (Buehrle)
A.J. Burnett (NYY) ~ @CLE (Tomlin), TB (Price)
Trevor Cahill (OAK) ~ SEA (Hernandez), @TEX (Harrison)
Guillermo Moscoso (OAK) ~ SEA (Pineda), @TEX (Lewis)
Brandon Morrow (TOR) ~ @BOS (Lackey), @CLE (Tomlin)
Colby Lewis (TEX) ~ BAL (Jakubauskas), OAK (Moscoso)
Matt Harrison (TEX) ~ BAL (TBD), OAK (Cahill)

Harrison had three straight outing in which he allowed one earned run before allowing five runs in his last start against the Houston Astros. Lewis has turned things around since back-to-back shellackings in early June, allowing four runs over his last 20 1/3 innings. Burnett has allowed two runs or less in three of his last four starts with 25 strikeouts. Buehrle has quietly not allowed more than three runs in a start since April 22 against the Detroit Tigers, going 5-3 since that start. Morrow faces two teams he struggled against in his last start, allowing nine runs vs. Boston and six runs vs. Cleveland, so I would be fine with benching him if you have other alternatives. Duensing was much better in June, posting a 3.25 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP in five starts for the Twins. Furbush replaces Phil Coke in the Tigers rotation, and posted a 2.91 ERA in AAA with 55 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings before moving to a relief role with Detroit. Carrasco has allowed four runs in his last 36 2/3 innings, going 4-1 in that stretch.

Sit Them:

Chris Jakubauskas (BAL) ~ @TEX (Lewis), @BOS (Beckett)
Josh Tomlin (CLE) ~ NYY (Burnett), TOR (Morrow)
Felipe Paulino (KC) ~ @CWS (Buehrle), DET (Furbush)
Jeff Francis (KC) ~ @CWS (Peavy), DET (Verlander)
Joel Pineiro (LAA) ~ DET (Furbush), SEA (Pineda)
Brett Cecil (TOR) ~ @BOS (Lester), @CLE (Carrasco)

Pineiro has struggled at home where he has two starts next week with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP and he has allowed four earned runs in six of his last eight outings. Paulino has been better as a starter, posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in June with 33 strikeouts in 37 2/3, not sure I am ready to trsut him in mixed league formats just yet. Cecil did not fare well in his first start back from Triple-A, allowing six runs in 6 1/3 innings. Tomlin allowed six runs in each of his last starts against the Yankees and the Blue Jays.

National League:

Start them:

Daniel Hudson (ARI) ~ @MIL (Marcum), @STL (Carpenter)
Tommy Hanson (ATL) ~ COL (Jimenez), @PHI (Lee)
Johnny Cueto (CIN) ~ @STL (Carpenter), @MIL (Marcum)
Wandy Rodriguez (HOU) ~ @PIT (Karstens), @FLA (Volstad)
Shaun Marcum (MIL) ~ ARI (Hudson), CIN (Cueto)
Tim Stauffer (SD) ~ @SF (Lincecum), @LAD (de la Rosa)
Tim Lincecum (SF) ~ SD (Stauffer), NYM (Pelfrey)
Jordan Zimmermann (WAS) ~ CHC (Dempster), COL (Jimenez)

Roll the Dice:

Derek Lowe (ATL) ~ COL (Cook), @PHI (Worley)
Ryan Dempster (CHC) ~ @WAS (Zimmerman), @PIT (Correia)
Edinson Volquez (CIN) ~ @STL (Westbrook), @MIL (Wolf)
Ubaldo Jimenez (COL) ~ @ATL (Hanson), @WAS (Zimmermann)
Ricky Nolasco (FLA) ~ PHI (Worley), HOU (Myers)
Brett Myers (HOU) ~ @PIT (Maholm), @FLA (Nolasco)
Ted Lilly (LAD) ~ NYM (Capuano), SD (Richard)
Chris Capuano (NYM) ~ @LAD (Lilly), @SF (Zito)
Randy Wolf (MIL) ~ ARI (Duke), CIN (Volquez)
Vance Worley (PHI) ~ @FLA (Nolasco), ATL (Lowe)
Paul Maholm (PIT) ~ HOU (Myers), CHC
Barry Zito (SF) ~ SD (Richard), NYM (Capuano)
Chris Carpenter (STL) ~ CIN (Cueto), ARI (Hudson)
Tom Gorzelanny (WAS) ~ CHC (Ortiz), COL (Cook)

Carpenter picked up wins in his last two starts which were his first wins since May 10th. Gorzelanny has allowed one run over his last two starts but has yet to win since May 7th. Worley has allowed two runs in 18 innings since moving back into the Phillies rotation. Capuano is 4-1 over his last five starts with 28 strikeouts. Myers has been a little better of late with three runs or less allowed in three consecutive starts, though he has allowed a home run in eight straight starts. Nolasco has struggled since starting out strong in April, thoguh he finished strong in June with a complete game shutout.

Sit Them:

Zach Duke (ARI) ~ @MIL (Wolf), @STL (Westbrook)
Aaron Cook (COL) ~ @ATL (Lowe), @WAS (Gorzelanny)
Chris Volstad (FLA) ~ PHI (Hamels), HOU (Rodriguez)
Rubby de la Rosa (LAD) ~ NYM (Pelfrey), SD (Stauffer)
Mike Pelfrey (NYM) ~ @LAD (de la Rosa), @SF (Lincecum)
Clayton Richard (SD) ~ @SF (Zito), @LAD (Lilly)
Jake Westbrook (STL) ~ CIN (Volquez), ARI (Duke)

Richard away from PETCO Park, 5.85 ERA with a 1.78 WHIP. Pelfrey at home: 2.96 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP, Pelfrey on the road where he has two starts next week, 6.75 ERA with a 1.65 WHIP. Volstad has been trending in the right direction of late but two tough starts next week and a lack of strikeouts makes him one to bench except in the deepest of mixed leagues.

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2011 Waiver Wire – Week 14

Posted by Tony Mancini on June 29th, 2011

Many players have been recently activated from the disabled but as one comes off another one goes on.  This revolving door has created openings for players who may be available in your league to give you an advantage in head-to-head leagues, gain extra points in a standard rotisserie league or fill holes on your roster

Mixed Leagues – 12/15 teams:

RP – Antonio Bastardo (PHI) – With Ryan Madson landing on the disabled list, Bastardo is now the temporary closer for the next two weeks for the Philadelphia Phillies. Bastardo has pitched well this year with an ERA under one over 28 innings this season with 33 strikeouts.

3B -Lonnie Chisenhall (CLE) – The Cleveland Indians finally have given the reigns to one of their top prospects and will give limited playing time to Jack Hannahan at third base. Chisenhall was batting .265 with seven home runs and 44 RBI before his call up from Triple-A. Jason Kipnis could be the next top prospect to be recalled by the Indians at some point this season to help them out at second base.

American League:

OF/1B Conor Jackson - Jackson has been filling in at first base since the Oakland A’s sent Daric Barton down to Triple-A. Jackson has played 16 games at first and 35 in the outfield and is a nice stop gap if you have an injury to a regular player. Jackson is batting .261 with one home run and 20 RBI on the season.

OF – Jason Repko (MN) – With Denard Span, Jason Kubel and now Delmon Young on the disabled list, Repko is going to play most days. If you are looking for some stolen bases, Repko could help in that category.

SP -Scott Feldman (TEX) – With Alexi Ogando’s recent struggles and rumors of him being sent down to the minors Feldman who has been pitching well on his rehab assignment could be called up by the end of the weekend to replace Ogando in the rotation. Feldman has a 2.93 ERA in seven rehab starts.

National League:

SP – Barry Zito (SF) – Zito came off the disabled list last night and threw seven innings giving up four hits walking two and striking out three for a win. With Jonathan Sanchez on the disabled list, Zito will get a few starts for the Giants until they have to make a rotation decision. Zito faces two weak hitting teams in the San Diego Padres and New York Mets next week.

OF - Reed Johnson (CHI) – Johnson has played nearly everyday since being activated from the disabled list on June 14th. Johnson is a career .270 hitter, but is currently over .330 with four home runs and 22 RBI. Since he is playing everyday, Johnson is a good 4th or 5th outfielder right now.

OF/1B – Wily Mo Pena (ARI) – Pena will have some short term value and will likely DH when the Arizona Diamondbacks are playing at Oakland this weekend. Pena has opened up some eyes hitting three home run in 25 at-bats since being called up without having played in a major league game in over two years.

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