Posts Tagged ‘Justin Smoak’

2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – First Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on December 23rd, 2010

Here is the second article in the series for 2011 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the position of first base. This is a loaded position at the top of the draft with not many players with upside later on. If you are looking for players late in the draft, you are going to looking at players like rookie Freddie Freeman of Atlanta or hoping for progress from guys like Justin Smoak in Seattle or Matt LaPorta in Cleveland.

1. Albert Pujols – only quibble is his batting average has dropped for two straight years, but is still easily sits in the .300 range. Stolen bases remained in double digits which is a good sign. Still the landslide number one pick in fantasy baseball drafts.

2. Joey Votto – it was a breakout year for Votto with 37 home runs, 113 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Improving plate discipline coupled with his ability to swipe double digit steals will make him the second first basemen drafted after Pujols in 2011.

3. Miguel Cabrera – scored 100+ runs for the first time since 2006. Something to be said for his durability and consistency, driving in 100+ runs for the 7th straight season. Now has a career batting average of .313.

4. Adrian Gonzalez – the trade to Boston, plus the move away from Petco Park should mean a banner year for Gonzalez in 2011. Only small negative compared to the top tier first basemen is his batting average which has only once been over .300.

5. Mark Teixeira – has had significant fluctuations in batting average the last two years since coming back to the American League due to a struggle against right-handed pitching. Has hit 30+ home runs every season since 2003. Hit much better at home last season at .288 vs. only .227 on the road.

6. Ryan Howard – ended his streak of 40+ home run seasons at four. Power dropped off against right-handed pitching for some reason. The batting average was okay, but losing 14 home runs for a guy that was a first round pick in most drafts was tough to swallow.

7. Prince Fielder – ended the season with okay numbers but not what you needed from a guy that was a first round pick. Looming free agency seems to be impacting his performance at the plate. Drops across the board in power, RBI and batting average. Biggest problem was his struggles against left-handed pitching, hitting only .226 with a measly 19 RBI in 199 at bats.

8. Justin Morneau – was headed for his fourth 30+ home run season in his last five years before injuries hit. His .345 batting average was  24 points higher than his previous best. He has alternated batting over and under .300 his last five seasons so if he continues that trend in 2011, expect something in the .280 range. Struggled to hit home runs in his new ballpark, hitting only four of his 18 home runs at Target Field.

9. Kevin Youkilis – injuries ended his 2010 season early, otherwise he was in line for a season comparable to previous years. With the signings of Carl Crawford and the trade for Adrian Gonzalez, he might be hitting a spot or two lower in the lineup after hitting cleanup in 2010. Scores a ton of runs thanks to an on base percentage close to .400. Has played in less games every year since 2006 so there are some durability issues with owning him.

10. Kendry Morales – season ended early after suffering an injury in a home run celebration. Before that, he was on his way to duplicating his 2009 season. Draft ranking should be much the same as it was last season.

11. Adam Dunn - move to the Chicago White Sox in the American League should help him the next few years with the ability to DH and play in a better lineup. Has hit 38 or more home runs every season since 2004.

12. Paul Konerko – his 39 home runs were the most since 2005 and his .312 average was the best since 2006, so in other words don’t expect a repeat in 2011. Was on fire at home, hitting .342 with 26 home runs and 64 RBI in 260 at bats.

13. Billy Butler – the breakout season that many were expecting never came. Still hit a ton of doubles (45), but lost six home runs and drove in less baserunners. Will be only 25 the first month of the season so there is still some room for growth in the power department.

14. Aubrey Huff – enjoyed his first season with the San Francisco Giants and was rewarded with a two-year contract. Power dropped off in the second half of the season, hitting 17 home runs before the All-Star break and only nine after it.

15. Gaby Sanchez – became the starter at first base at age 26. Tailed off the second half of the season, hitting only .237 after batting .302 before the All-Star break. Also hit much better at home, batting .304 vs. .234 on the road.

16. Ike Davis – not a bad rookie campaign for Davis who was just a first round pick of the New York Mets back in 2008. Good to see him fare well as a young player against southpaws, hitting .295 against them in 122 at bats.Power and batting average were pretty similar in both the first and second half of the season.

17. Derrek Lee – had a predictable drop-off from his bust out 2009 season. Was better the second half of the season hitting .298 vs. .233 in the first part of the year. Still looking for a new team in 2011 as a free agent.

18. James Loney – hard to own him with little power and a lack of runs scored. His stolen bases plus his batting average has held up his value so far but is close to being replaced either through a trade or through a prospect if he cannot hit for more power. Only bright side was his 41 doubles, if a few of those can turn into home runs in 2011, he should have a bit more value. Hit just .211 after the All-Star break with 25 RBI in 251 at bats.

19. Carlos Pena - batting average has dropped for three straight years and if he is hitting less than 30 home runs, then he becomes just another guy. Moves to the National League for the first time so no guarantee that his average is going to rebound despite moving away from the American League East.

20. Adam LaRoche – looking for a new home as a free agent which means it will be his fifth team in the last three seasons. Despite his movement, he is pretty consistent with mid 20 home runs and 80 to 90 RBI every season.

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2010 Waiver Wire – Week 4

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 24th, 2010

Here is a look at some potential players to target in your fantasy baseball league that might be out there on the waiver wire in week 4.

American League only:

1B – Justin Smoak – got the call up from Triple-A this week by the Texas Rangers replacing Chris Davis. Smoak has hit 6th in the line up and is currently 0 for 5 with three walks and one strikeouts.

2B – Adam Rosales – Rosales takes over at second base for the Oakland A’s with Mark Ellis going on the disabled list. Rosales is hitting .244 on the season with one home run and seven RBI. Played 57 games at third base in 2009 and 11 games at first base so if your league has a 10 game limit, he would currently qualify at three positions. If the limit is 20 games, then he can only be used at first base.

SS – Matt Tuiasosopo – currently filling in for Jack Wilson at shortstop for the Seattle Mariners. Although the x-rays on Wilson’s thumb did not show a fracture, Tuiasosopo could be good insurance just in case Wilson tweaks it again when he comes back.

C - John Jaso – Jaso will see a few at bats each week as the back up catcher in Tampa Bay with Kelly Shoppach sidelined for four weeks. Jason has a career minor league batting average of .290 with good plate discipline so he should not harm your team’s batting average like most second catchers would.

OF – Brennan Boesch – getting the start in the outfield for the Detroit Tigers with Carlos Guillen going on the disabled list this week. Boesch hit .275 with 28 home runs and 11 stolen bases in Double-A last season.

OF – Austin Kearns - with little production from the Cleveland outfield this season, Austin Kearns has been getting more time in the last two weeks. Kearns is hitting .355 with four RBI and a stolen base on the season.

OF – Darnell McDonald – filling in for Jacoby Ellsbury / Mike Cameron, McDonald is hitting .417 in 12 at bats with two home runs and four RBI.

National League only:

1B - Ike Davis – probably owned in almost every NL only league but just in case he isn’t. Should see the majority of starts until Daniel Murphy returns and even then he has a good chance of staying on as the starter throughout the end of the season. Seems to have give the New York Mets a spark as the team has won 5 of 6 games since his promotion from Triple-A. Currently hitting .350 in 20 at bats with one home run and two RBI.

OF – Brett Carroll – has shown a little bit of power and is getting some extra at bats in Florida with Chris Coghlan off to a slow start. Carroll is hitting .350 in 20 at bats with two home runs and four RBI.

OF – Gerardo Parra – will see the majority of at bats in the outfield for Arizona while Conor Jackson is on the disabled list.

SP – Nelson Figueroa – should get another start or two with J.A. Happ on the disabled list. Figueroa got the start on Saturday and allowed two runs in five innings with four strikeouts.

12 /15 mixed league:

1B – Justin Smoak and Ike Davis - see above

SP – Barry Zito – Zito picked up his third win of the season on Saturday and is off to a great start, currently 3-0 with a 1.32 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP ratio. Batters are only hitting .161 against him.

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The Daily Dirt from Thursday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 22nd, 2010

I wrote just a few days ago in the Minor League Report that Chris Davis had maybe three more weeks until we saw Justin Smoak. It turned out to be actually only three more days as the Texas Rangers have recalled Smoak and designated Davis for assignment. No real big surprise with Davis hitting .188 with no home runs and striking out 35% of the time.  Smoak was hitting .326 with two home runs, but more importantly 16 walks with only five strikeouts.

Speaking of non-hitting first basemen, Troy Glaus has to be next up on the possible cut block. Freddie Freeman has started to heat up in Triple-A for the Atlanta Braves with three home runs in his last two games and six RBI and will be eventually knocking on the door if Glaus continues to struggle. Glaus went 0-for-4 Thursday with three strikeouts and is now hitting .170 on the season.

On the other side of the diamond, it is time for Brandon Wood to also go pretty soon I think. Wood is hitting .087 with zero home runs or RBI and only two runs scored in 46 at bats. Not helping matters is still his lack of plate discipline with two walks and 15 strikeouts. If Maicer Izturis is a free agent in your league and you need middle infield help, I would pick him up in advance of something happening.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is supposed to return from the disabled list and could get the start either Monday or Tuesday in Toronto, making him potentially a two-start starter in week 4 with the second start coming at Baltimore. In three starts in Triple-A, Matsuzaka had a 1.62 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP with 13 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.

Ubaldo Jimenez picked up a win Thursday night with 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball with five strikeouts. He is now 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. While all that is well and nice, he has rang up pitch counts of 115, 128 and 121 in his last three starts. Those are some awfully high numbers and we’re not even into May yet. His trade value is never going to be higher and with his recent pitch count numbers, there is no better time to trade him.

Aroldis Chapman worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings in Triple-A, allowing three hits with five walks and striking out eight. Until he gets his control in order which is going to enable him to pitch past the fifth inning and not blow out the bullpen on days he pitches, he is going to be stuck in Triple-A for awhile.

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The Minor League Report – Week 2

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 19th, 2010

We have seen two minor league top prospects get promoted in the past week with Justin Maxwell getting recalled by the Washington Nationals and first basemen Ike Davis getting the call up from the New York Mets today and starting at first base. Davis went 2-for-4 in his major league debut with an RBI and should see the majority of starts at 1B until Daniel Murphy returns.

I have created a Minor League Tracker spreadsheet that shows all of the year-to-date stats for players that I highlighted in my team-by-team Triple-A minor league reports so you can easily keep an eye on possible players to target on the waiver wire in future weeks.

Here is a look at some of the top hitters and pitchers through week 2 in Triple-A. I have color coded them green (good start) and red (bad start) so you can quickly glance through to get an update on how your player may be doing.

Hitters:

Catcher Carlos Santana (Clev.) looks like he is ready now, although I am sure the Indians will hold off on promoting him for awhile. Santana is hitting .375 with four home runs and 14 RBI.

First basemen Brett Wallace (Tor.) is off to a good start hitting .289 with four home runs and five RBI. With Lyle Overbay hitting only .115, Wallace may not be that far away from making an impact.

First basemen Justin Smoak (Tex.) has to be making Chris Davis owners a little nervous, as Smoak is hitting .342 with two home runs and five RBI, but more importantly 11 walks against only five strikeouts. Davis is currently hitting .222 with one RBI and is already being platooned with Ryan Garko so he might have another three weeks or so to turn it around or risk being sent down.

Third basemen Pedro Alvarez (Pitt.) has some work to do with his batting average but is showing power, with four home runs and 11 RBI. With Jeff Clement hitting .103 and Andy LaRoche hitting .222, it is only a matter of time before Alvarez appears.

Second basemen Eric Young Jr. (Col.) has gotten off to a slow start, hitting .083 with no RBI or stolen bases so far this year.

Third basemen Josh Bell (Balt.) has found Triple-A pitching difficult so far, hitting .186 with 15 strikeouts in 43 at bats.

Pitchers:

Jeremy Hellickson (Tampa) has been dealing in his three starts with a 1.42 ERA and a .79 WHIP, He has struck out 21 hitters in 19 innings. With Tampa Bay off to a great start and all of the pitchers throwing well, he won’t be up for awhile barring injury despite his talent.

Brad Mills (Tor.) racked up nine strikeouts in each of his first two starts, compiling a .79 ERA and .88 WHIP ratio.

Jake Arrieta (Balt.) in what seems like a long line of good young Baltimore pitching has started the year with 12 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.

Something has to be wrong with Madison Bumgarner (SF). After his drop of velocity in spring combined with his first two starts at Triple-A, 21 hits allowed in seven innings and 11 earned runs, maybe he is hiding an injury.

Trevor Reckling (LAA) has been having some control problems leading to a 6.28 ERA and 1.95 WHIP. Reckling has walked 10 in 14 1/3 innings while allowing 18 hits.

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2010 Texas Rangers Team Preview

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 14th, 2010

This is the second part our series of 2010 fantasy baseball team previews looking at the American League West. 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 Texas Rangers Projected Batting Order:

1.  CF Julio Borbon (ADP 151)
2.  3B Michael Young (ADP 90)
3.  LF Josh Hamilton (ADP 53)
4.  DH Vladimir Guerrero (ADP 134)
5.  2B Ian Kinsler (ADP 16)
6.  RF Nelson Cruz (ADP 63)
7.  1B Chris Davis (ADP 158)
8.  C Jarrod Saltalamacchia (ADP 409)
9.  SS Elvis Andrus (ADP 149)

2010 Texas Rangers Projected Rotation & Bullpen:

1.  Rich Harden (ADP 224)
2.  Scott Feldman (ADP 316)
3.  Colby Lewis (ADP 422)
4.  Tommy Hunter (ADP 461)
5.  Derek Holland / Brandon McCarthy (ADP 411/ND)

Closer – Frank Francisco (ADP 208)
Handcuff – Neftali Feliz / C.J. Wilson

2010 Texas Rangers Prospects with potential impact this year:

1.  Justin Smoak – 1B
2.  Martin Perez – SP


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Fantasy Baseball Minor League Report – week 4

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 1st, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Tommy Hanson picked up his first win of the season Thursday, tossing six shutout innings with nine strikeouts. Hanson threw 92 pitches, 58 for strikes, and allowed an even split of four ground ball and four fly outs. He is just waiting for the Atlanta Braves to make the call as he is major league ready right now. Other top prospects making a mark in minor league baseball in week 4…

Gordon Beckham has been in the news quite a bit recently with questions being asked of Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen about the potential for a Beckham call up. Beckham is hitting .300 in AA with two home runs and 10 doubles, plus a stolen base. He still has some work to do defensively before he is promoted to the major leagues.

Justin Smoak – the way he has been hitting, you might as well change his last name to Smoke. Currently in AA for the Texas Rangers, Smoak is hitting .351 with four home runs in 76 at bats. More importantly, check out the walk to strikeout ratio. With 16 walks against only 10 strikeouts, Smoak is displaying a great eye at the plate.

Jake Arrieta - in AA for the Baltimore Orioles, Arrieta struck out six in six innings for his last start. On the season, Arrieta has a 2.00 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Madison Bumgarner – Bumgarner, part of the loaded team that is the San Jose Giants is off to a good start in 2009 with a 1.40 ERA, with 19 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings. His last start was the first time he allowed more than one run.

Buster Posey – Bumgarner’s teammate in San Jose, the catcher is hitting .366 with five home runs and an 11 to 13 walk to strikeout ratio.

Jarrod Parker – Parker made a quick move this season, blazing through high Class A up to Double-A for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Parker in his four starts in A ball, had a 0.95 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 19 innings.

Gerardo Parra – among the leaders in batting average in AA for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Parra is hitting .342 with a home run and five stolen bases. He has shown good plate discipline with 15 walks versus nine strikeouts.

Bud Norris - could be next in line when the Houston Astros need a starting pitcher. Norris has a 2.28 ERA in AAA with 25 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. He still needs some work on his control, with 15 walks on the season, including six in his last start.

Dayan Viciedo – Viciedo was hot in spring training and there was some that thought he was close to the major leagues for the Chicago White Sox. The team sent him to AA and he has struggled there so far in the first month of the season, batting .221 with 20 strikeouts in 77 at bats.

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