Posts Tagged ‘Ian Desmond’

2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Shortstop

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 8th, 2011

Here is the fourth article in the series for 2011 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the position of shortstop. As usual the position is top of heavy with only a couple of players with possible upside in the middle tiers with Ian Desmond, Starlin Castro and Elvis Andrus.

If you are looking for steals late in the draft, there are a few players that will be able to swipe close to 20 bases, such as Erick Aybar, Cliff Pennington and Ryan Theriot.

Just a reminder that you will be able to get player projections and more player rankings in the 2011 Fantasy Baseball Tools Draft Guide which will be released on February 1.

1. Hanley Ramirez – scored under 100 runs for the first time in his career and home runs dropped for the second consecutive season. Lost out on some RBI chances by getting 97 at bats from the leadoff spot. Combination of his position plus his ability still makes him the number two pick in fantasy baseball drafts and he will go number one in some leagues depending on the number of teams, roster size, etc.

2. Troy Tulowitzki – it’s interesting that statistically his season was better in 2009 in most categories except batting average, yet his ADP looks like he will be drafted higher in 2011. Saved his season stat wise with an incredible September, hitting 15 home runs and knocking in 40 runs in 115 at bats while hitting .322.

3. Jose Reyes – held up for a whole season, but made less effort to steal bases which hurts his value. Was only 11-for-19 on stolen bases the second half of the season. He went in the second to third rounds in most fantasy drafts last year when he was injured so don’t expect to get him at any type of discount in 2011.

4. Derek Jeter – the decline is finally starting to show for Jeter at age 36. Because of his team and where he hits in the lineup, he will still be good for runs scored. His .270 batting average was a career low as was his .340 slugging percentage. Power numbers were down after the All-Star break with just two home runs in 298 at bats. Struggled against right-handed pitching, bating .246 in 341 at bats.

5. Jimmy Rollins – Just turned 32 in November and batting average has dropped for three straight years. After suffering three different injuries to his legs last year in the form of strains and muscle pulls plus with him being a free agent at the end of this season, hopefully he has hit the weight room hard in the offseason to take of those potential issues in 2011. With an ADP that currently puts him in the middle of the third round, people picking at the front of the draft and going to have a good chance to grab him.

6. Alexei Ramirez – has had a pretty solid cluster grouping in three seasons in all stat categoires except for runs scored which has edged up slightly each season. Ran more on the bases the second half of the season, stealing 10 of his 13 bases.

7. Rafael Furcal – was on his way to a comeback season before injuries struck again. Has had less than 400 at bats in two of the last three years. Still managed to put up the same amount of home runs and RBI despite having 230 less at bats and his stolen bases were over 20 for the first time since 2007.

8. Elvis Andrus – caught a break when Julio Borbon could not cut it in the outfield and moved from last to first in the batting order. Got worse on the base paths in 2010 which is a slight concern going forward. Was only 9-for-14 on steals after the All-Star break.

9. Stephen Drew – maybe the expectations are too high based on the hype and his last name that he doesn’t get enough credit for having a decent season and others take it to be disappointing. Has kind of settled in to what he is, a mid-teen power guy with a couple of stolen bases. With Reynolds and LaRoche gone, this should be the year he finally cracks 70 RBI.

10. Starlin Castro – turns 21 in March so is still a few years away from any power showing. Should be close to a .300 hitter for his career, but steal needs to work on his base running. Was only 10-for-18 on stolen bases with the Cubs and had a success rate of 65% in the minor leagues.

11. Ian Desmond – not a bad rookie season for Desmond who will be close to 15 home runs and 20 steals if he can hit a few more home runs on the road after hitting just two in 263 at bats last year. Still needs work on his plate discipline as evidenced by his 28 to 109 walk to strikeout ratio. SO far his numbers in 607 total bats have been better than what he showed in 638 games in the minor leagues in terms of batting average and stolen base success.

12. Miguel Tejada – Tejada returns to the National League and the Bay Area at 36 years of age. Like Jeter, he also suffered a drop in batting average last season. He has been consistent with playing time, getting 600 at bats or more in nine of the last 10 seasons.

13. Jhonny Peralta – power picked up after being shipped to Detroit as did his plate discipline. Qualifies at SS and 3B but has much more value at SS or middle infield.

14. Marco Scutaro - don’t expect another 600 at season from Scutaro since he will be moving from hitting first to lower in the batting order in Boston. Will also qualify at 2b in leagues with a 10 game minimum.

15. Yunel Escobar – was awful in Atlanta the first half of the year with no home runs in 261 at bats with a .238 batting average before being shipped to Toronto where he hit .275 with four home runs in 60 games. Should bounce back like Kelly Johnson did when he left Atlanta but not quite to that extent.

16. Jason Bartlett – came back to earth as his power from 2009 did not carry over and he even ran less on the bases which left him with little value. Move to PETCO Park and the nation league will impact his stats as well.

17. J.J. Hardy – a wrist injury plus the pressure of playing for a new team and trying to bounce back from a disappointing 2009 impacted his performance at the plate. Was better after the All-Star break hitting .304 in 181 at bats vs. .226 the first half of the year.

18. Erick Aybar – season ended on a down note for Aybar after hitting .206 after the All-Star break. Managed to drive in only 16 runs in 325 at bats in the first half which almost seems impossible in the American League. Was pretty much useless hitting anywhere in the lineup but first, hitting .184 in 147 at bats in other parts of the lineup.

19. Cliff Pennington - batting average and power are always going to be low, but if you need steals late in the draft, could be worth a shot. It’s a pity he cannot get on base more because when he steals, he has great success, 40-for-51 career in the major leagues.

20. Ryan Theriot – wasn’t the same player once he left Chicago. Was only 4-for-9 on steals the second half of the season. His stats at Busch stadium are not too pretty, with a .220 average in 109 at bats. Qualifies at both second base and shortstop in 2011.

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2010 Final Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Shortstop

Posted by Todd Lammi on October 23rd, 2010

Here is a look at my 2010 final fantasy baseball rankings for the position of shortstop. Several players are included in the list that did not start the year at shortstop, based either on games played or where I expect them to play in 2011.

1. Hanley Ramirez – pretty much the season that was expected from Hanley except he lost some RBI because he spent 97 at bats hitting lead off in 2010. It was the first season he slugged under .500 since his rookie year on 2006.

2. Troy Tulowitzki - has established himself as the second best shortstop in fantasy baseball given the injury issues of Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins although Tulo did miss time due to injury himself this year. A phenomenal September saved his stats with 15 home runs and 40 RBI in 115 at bats.

3. Jose Reyes - Reyes made it through the majority of the season but as expected his stolen bases were impacted. Struggled on the bases the second half of the year going 11-for-19 in stolen base attempts.

4. Derek Jeter - started to show signs of aging this season, although the sheer number of at bats he accumulated somewhat masked that fact. Hit over .300 only the first month of the season, discounting 10 at bats in October and managed only two home runs with 24 RBI after the All-Star break.

5. Alexi Ramirez – three seasons of pretty stable numbers in every single category. If Jeter signs somewhere other than with the New York Yankees next year, will be interesting to see how many people push Ramirez ahead of him on their draft boards.

6. Stephen Drew – turned on the power after the All-Star break, hitting 11 home runs in 267 at bats. Still struggles to hit home runs at home though as for the third straight season he hit more bombs on the road.

7. Alex Gonzalez – came out of nowhere to hit the second most home runs of any shortstop this season and the 23 home runs tied for his career high he set back in 2004. The power was not quite the same when he was traded to Atlanta, hitting just six home runs in 267 at bats.

8. Rafael Furcal – he was on his way to giving fantasy baseball owners the best return on their investment at shortstop before injuries derailed him, causing him to miss 1/3 of the season. Stolen bases returned after being MIA the previous two years as he went 22-for-26 on the base paths.

9. Marco Scutaro – it was a solid season for Scutaro as his numbers were similar to 2009 except for a drop in stolen bases. The runs scored were boosted by the fact he hit lead off with Jacoby Ellsbury out of action.

10. Miguel Tejada – very durable despite turning 36 this season and even managed to return to shortstop upon being traded to San Diego. Put up similar home runs and RBI in San Diego compared to Baltimore in 166 less at bats.

11. Ian Desmond – not a bad rookie campaign that will be even better in 2011. Could move up a few rounds in fantasy baseball drafts depending where he slots in the line up next year. Thrived in the two hole in 2010, hitting .326 with four home runs and 19 RBI in 184 at bats with nine steals.

12. Elvis Andrus – runs scored were boosted by the fact he hit lead off after Julio Borbon was not up to task. Didn’t run as much the second half, going only 9-for-14 on steals after swiping 23 bags in the first half.

13. Yuniesky Betancourt – a power outburst in August with seven home runs propelled him to a career high of 16 dingers, which was three more than his combined 2008 and 2009 home run totals.

14. Cliff Pennington – Pennington went crazy on the base paths with 29 stolen bases for Oakland, a team not known for its running, although the team had no choice with its struggles to score runs. Homered in only two months, going deep three times in April and September.

15. Jhonny Peralta- was on his way to another ho-hum season before being traded to Detroit where he picked up his numbers. Has been a better hitter on the road the last few years and that will not change if he is back in Detroit in 2011. Hit just .223 at Comerica Park in 121 at bats with two home runs and 19 RBI.

16. Starlin Castro – hit .300 as a rookie and will just be 21 come next March. Ran more when he hit second in the order, going 9-for-15 on stolen bases.

17. Erick Aybar - Aybar looked okay in the first half before falling off after the All-Star break, hitting just .206 with 17 runs score and 13 RBI in 209 at bats.

18. Jason Bartlett – the second biggest disappointment at shortstop from a fantasy baseball perspective. Drops across the board in all categories including only a paltry 11 stolen bases, his lowest amount since 2006.

19. Orlando Cabrera – turns 36 in November, nothing really to get excited about stats wise for mixed leagues. Has a little bit of value in NL only leagues if he re-signs in that league

20. Jimmy Rollins - the fall from grace is not pretty for speedy middle infielders as they age. Injuries limited him to only 88 games, but average has now fallen three straight years and stolen bases look like they are at the 30 level instead of 40+ going forward.

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2010 Waiver Wire – Week 1

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 2nd, 2010

With so many fantasy baseball drafts or auctions occurring before opening day, here is a look at several types of leagues with players that might be potentially available on the waiver wire to go after in week 1.

12 / 15 team mixed league:

1B – Daric Barton – it’s easy to forget that he just turned 24. Hasn’t really displayed much power in the minor leagues but with a career minor league batting average of .293 and an OBP of .407 he should be on base to score a fair amount of runs. Barton is hitting .283 this spring with 21 walks and 12 strikeouts in 67 plate appearances.

SS – Ian Desmond – Desmond claimed the starting shortstop job with the Washington Nationals and should be good for 10+ home runs and around 20 stolen bases this season. Desmond is currently hitting .333 with 15 RBI and six stolen bases.

SS – Mike Aviles – underwent Tommy John surgery last summer and seemed buried on the depth chart when spring started, but his hitting has positioned him to possibly begin the season in the starting lineup. Aviles is hitting .469 with eight RBI and a stolen base so far this spring.

3B – David Freese - won the 3B job for the St. Louis Cardinals and should have a little extra breathing room with Julio Lugo traded. Freese is hitting .294 with 11 RBI, a home run and a stolen base in spring.

OF – Michael Brantley – if you are short on stolen bases, Brantley is a nice pick up with Russell Branyan headed for the disabled list.

OF – Sean Rodriguez – should get the start at second base for the Tampa Bay Rays. Rodriguez is hitting .459 with six home runs and 17 RBI.

OF – Brett Gardner – Gardner is another option along with Brantley if your team is short on stolen bases.

SP – Jaime Garcia – won the 5th starter job with the St. Louis Cardinals with a 1.93 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.

RP – Franklin Morales – should be in line for a handful of saves in the month of April with Huston Street out of action.

RP – Jon Rauch – was recently named the closer for the Minnesota Twins, although his career save percentage of 59% does not bode well for long-term success.

American League Only:

SS – Julio Lugo – traded to the Baltimore Orioles, could see 300 at bats backing up a variety of infield positions

SP – David Hernandez – was named 5th starter of the Baltimore Orioles. He has a 3.00 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 15 innings thus far in spring.

SP – Dana Eveland – won a rotation spot with the Toronto Blue Jays

SP – Daniel Hudson – Freddy Garcia has been brutal this spring with a 10.38 ERA and 40 hits allowed in 21 2/3 innings; worth rostering for later in the season if you have space on your bench.

SP - C.J. Wilson – worth a flier with his move into the Texas rotation.

National League Only:

1B – Mike Jacobs – good source of power as he fills in for the injured Daniel Murphy.

OF – Willie Harris / Willy Taveras – they will be platooned in Washington, Harris will get you more overall counting stats while Taveras will provide stolen bases. Harris will see most of the at bats hitting from the left side.

OF – Tony Gwynn Jr. – another speed option if you need steals.

OF – Jim Edmonds – chance for 400 at bats filling in for Gomez / Hart.

SP - Nate Robertson - new Florida Marlins starter has been decent this spring. Hasn’t had a good season since 2006 but move to the NL should help his numbers somewhat.

SP – Kyle Kendrick / Jamie Moyer – I could win 10 games with the Philadelphia Phillies offense behind me.

SP – Tom Gorzelanny - has earned a job in the Chicago Cubs rotation with a 3.32 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.

SP – Mike Leake / Travis Wood – whomever claims the 5th starter job with the Cincinnati Reds.

SP – Charlie Haeger – just to say you own a knuckleballer.

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Shortstop

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 shortstop.

Tier 1:  rounds 1-3

1.  Hanley Ramirez
2.  Jimmy Rollins
3.  Troy Tulowitzki
4.  Jose Reyes
5.  Derek Jeter

Tier 2:  rounds 7-8

6.  Jason Bartlett
7.  Alexei Ramirez
8.   Elvis Andrus

Tier 3:  rounds 10-15

9.  Miguel Tejada
10. Yunel Escobar
11.  Asdrubal Cabrera
12.  Erick Aybar
13.  Stephen Drew
14.  Alcides Escobar
15.  Everth Cabrera
16.  Rafael Furcal

Tier 4:  rounds 16-20

17.  J.J. Hardy
18.  Marco Scutaro
19.  Orlando Cabrera
20.  Ryan Theriot

Tier 5:  bottom of the barrel

21.  Cliff Pennington
22.  Ian Desmond
23.  Julio Lugo
24.  Edgar Renteria

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2010 Washington Nationals Team Preview

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 22nd, 2010

This is the fifth part our series of 2010 fantasy baseball team previews looking at the National League East. The team previews will include the projected batting order, projected rotation, rookies that could make an impact in 2010 as well as each players current ADP for a 15 team mixed fantasy baseball league.

2010 Washington Nationals Projected Batting Order:

1.  CF Nyjer Morgan (ADP 125)
2.  SS Christian Guzman  (ADP 367)
3.  3B Ryan Zimmerman (ADP 35)
4.  1B Adam Dunn (ADP 71)
5.  LF Josh Willingham (ADP 249)
6.  RF Willie Harris (ADP ND)
7.  2B Adam Kennedy (ADP 355)
8.  C Ivan Rodriguez (ADP 361)

2010 Washington Nationals Projected Rotation & Bullpen:

1.  John Lannan (ADP 463)
2.  Jason Marquis (ADP 424)
3.  Garrett Mock (ADP ND)
4.  J.D. Martin / Livan Hernandez (ADP ND / ND)
5.  Scott Olsen / Craig Stammen (ADP ND/ ND)

Closer – Matt Capps (ADP 221)
Handcuff – Brian Bruney

2010 Washington Nationals prospects with potential impact this year:

1.  Stephen Strasburg – SP
2.  Drew Storen – RP
3.  Ian Desmond – SS


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Spring Training News & Notes from Tuesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 10th, 2010

Here is a look at the Spring Training News & Notes from Tuesday. The news & notes are focused on changes that affect players value as well as players coming back off of injuries or rookies that might make an impact.

Hitters:

Sean Rodriguez has been seeing time all over the diamond in spring training and could turn into a super utility player for the Tampa Bay Rays like Ben Zobrist was last season.

Garrett Jones went two-for-three with three RBI and his first home run of the spring. I like him more as a first basemen where you can get more value from his stolen bases.

Ian Desmond got a start in right field and stole his second base of spring for the Washington Nationals as he too could be looking at a super utility role backing up shortstop, second base and the outfield corner spots.

He struggled with injuries and a drop in power in 2009, but Rick Ankiel is a sneaky choice for late draft power if he can stay healthy for 450 at bats in 2010. He hit his first home run of the spring on Tuesday and should be able to hit 20+ home runs this season.

After hitting lead off 79% of the time in 2009, it looks like Ian Kinsler is set to enter the season hitting fifth in the order with Julio Borbon installed atop the lineup. It should mean an upgrade in RBI for Kinsler and push him into the 90+ range in 2010.

Pitchers:

I said last week I expect Stephen Strasburg to open the season in the major leagues and he took his first step toward doing that on Tuesday with two shutout innings and two strikeouts. Other people seem to be thinking that as well as I saw him go in the 12th round of a 15 team mock draft yesterday.

Chris Young of the San Diego Padres had an encouraging start after missing a good portion of 2009 due to surgery, tossing three shutout innings with two strikeouts.

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