Posts Tagged ‘Kevin Gregg’

2010 MLB Free Agent Signings – D. Lee, Gregg, LaRoche, Dotel, Beltre

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 5th, 2011

In case you have fallen behind in your fantasy baseball draft preparation for 2011, here is a look at some of the recent MLB free agent signings that occurred over the holidays as well as one that occurred today.

From a fantasy baseball impact perspective, the biggest moves were Kevin Gregg signing with the Baltimore Orioles for two years and $10 million and Octavio Dotel going to the Toronto Blue Jays where both are the front runners to serve as the team closers.

Gregg set a career high in saves last year with the Blue Jays, closing out 37 of 43 chances successfully. His WHIP is higher than what you would want from a closer since his walk rate tends to be high. He cured his gopher ball problem fro 2009 which brought his ERA back under four.  Some owners tend to discount him because he can have some bad blowups from time to time but with a career save percentage of 81%, he should not be overlooked.

Dotel is likely to serve as the closer in Toronto after signing a one-year deal for $3.5 million. His 21 saves with Pittsburgh last year were the most he had since 2004. Despite being 37, he still managed to strike out more than a batter per inning. Was much better after the All-Star break with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.

Adrian Beltre signed a five-year contract with the Texas Rangers today for $80 million, making it the second time in his career he was able to parlay a bust out season into a big contract. He has hit well at Rangers Ballpark in his career with a .306 batting average in 219 at bats with nine home runs and 34 RBI. The loser in the deal is Michael Young in keeper league formats as he will now likely be utility eligible only next season as he shifts to designated hitter full-time.

Derrek Lee is headed to the American League for the first time after signing a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles as the team continues to make over its infield. Not much change in terms of fantasy value for him as long as you set realistic expectations and don’t plan on him going back to his 2009 season.

Adam LaRoche signed a two-year deal with the Washington Nationals which again does little for his fantasy baseball value. He goes always in the middle to late in fantasy baseball drafts but you can always count on him for 20+ home runs and 80+ RBI.

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2010 Waiver Wire – Week 3

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 17th, 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.

12 /15 mixed league:

RP - Jim Johnson – takes over as closer in Baltimore with Mike Gonzalez headed to the disabled list.

RP – Kevin Gregg – has assumed the closer role in Toronto from Jason Frasor.

RP - Fernando Rodney – Brian Fuentes is supposed to be back from the disabled list this week  but Rodney has shown he can do the job and could get some save opportunities down the line.

American League only:

OF - Fred Lewis - traded over from the San Francisco Giants, he should see some at bats in a reserve outfielder role.

OF - Lou Montanez – with Felix Pie headed to the disabled list and Nolan Reimold not an every day player due to injuries, Montanez should get some starts in the outfield the next two weeks.

2B - Mike McCoy – getting some time at second base for Toronto with Aaron Hill on the disabled list.

SP - Doug Fister – control pitcher for the Seattle Mariners that allows hitters to put the ball in play and gets ground ball outs. With his home stadium and excellent defensive support, he has some value despite the lack of strikeouts.

National League only:

OF – Justin Maxwell – Maxwell had the chance to win the right field job in spring training after Elijah Dukes was released but failed to capitalize on the chance. Maxwell hit only .100 in spring training going 5-for-50 with 21 strikeouts. He does offer some power and speed but his lack of contact has held him back. With a career minor league batting average of just .258, don’t look for any help in the average category. He did not start the first two games after being recalled but did the start Saturday going 1-for-3 with a two-run home run.

SP – Wade LeBlanc – could see a start or two for San Diego with Chris Young going on the disabled list. Threw the ball well in spring, compiling a 1.96 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 23 innings, though he only struck out 5.8 hitters per nine in nine starts last season. He could have some value in NL only leagues if he stays in the rotation for a longer period of time.

SS - Juan Castro – starts at shortstop with Jimmy Rollins on the disabled list.

OF – Eric Hinske – could see a few more at bats at first base in Atlanta.

SP – Kris Benson – only if you play in an upside down league where you are trying to accumulate the worst stats.

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The Daily Dirt from Wednesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 14th, 2010

Through the first two weeks of the season, the biggest news to date has been the number of key players already on the disabled list plus the changing of closers so early in the season. Here is a look at both issues with the latest news.

Injuries:

Miguel Montero is only expected to miss 4-6 weeks of action which puts his return at the end of May. That makes him worth holding on to still in all fantasy baseball league formats.

Jimmy Rollins will be on the shelf for the next 2-4 weeks with a calf strain. Juan Castro will assume shortstop duties in his absence.

Closer news:

Kevin Gregg was named new closer in Toronto by manager Cito Gaston. If you own Jason Frasor, I would still hold on to him. This could be a role that flip-flops several times during the course of the season.

Mike Gonzalez of the Baltimore Orioles was placed on the disabled list with a strained shoulder. That would account for the drop in velocity we were seeing from Gonzalez this year. Jim Johnson will take over as closer until Gonzalez returns to action.

Fernando Rodney picked up his first save of the season as the fill-in closer for Brian Fuentes who was placed on the disabled list Wednesday with a strained back

Hitters:

Jose Guillen went 3-for-4 and hit his fifth home of the season giving him five home runs in his last four games.

It looks like Dustin Pedroia can talk the talk and walk the walk. After spinning tales in spring training of hitting 20 home runs in 2010, Pedroia is well on his way after banging out his 4th home run of the season Wednesday night.

B.J. Upton drove four runs on his first two home runs of the season.

Nelson Cruz hit his 6th home run of the season giving him 12 RBI on the year. If the first two hitters in the order were hitting over .200, he might have 20 RBI by now.

Chase Utley went 2-for-4 with four RBI and hit two home runs giving four overall on the season.

Carlos Quentin went 2-for-5 and drove in six runs, four of them coming on a grand slam.

Jorge Cantu hit his third home run of the season and became the first player in the history of the major leagues to chalk up at least one hit and RBI in the team’s first nine games of the season.

Pitchers:

Joel Pineiro allowed one run in seven innings with seven strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season.

David Price allowed one run in seven innings with seven strikeouts to notch his second win of the season.

Jonathan Sanchez worked eight shutout innings with 11 strikeouts to gain his first win of the season.

Colby Lewis struck out 10 in 5 1/3 innings of work while allowing two runs. The downside was it took him 117 pitches to record those outs.

John Danks allowed one run in seven innings while recording six strikeouts to get his first victory of the season.

Brad Penny tossed seven shutout innings with four strikeouts to claim his first win of the year.

Tommy Hanson evened his record at 1-1, hurling six innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts.

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The Daily Dirt from Tuesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 13th, 2010

I still don’t understand why some major league pitchers don’t realize how important having a good change up is. Watching the Toronto Blue Jays game, Ricky Romero looked to have a pretty good one and it makes it that much more difficult for the hitter to know what you are going to throw when you have three pitches you can throw for strikes. Romero took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before giving up a home run to Alex Rios. Romero finished the night with eight innings of two-run ball with 12 strikeouts. The ability to strike hitters out plus keep the ball on the ground (he recorded 10 ground ball outs to two fly outs) should help him navigate the tough line ups in the American League East.

Hitters:

Jose Guillen cracked his 4th home run of the season giving him four home runs in his last three games. Despite being 3-5, the six of the seven top hitters for the Kansas City Royals are all hitting over .300.

Carlos Pena went 3-for-5 with four RBI and delivered his second home run of the season.

Ty Wigginton went 2-for-5 with three RBI and hit his first two home runs of the season.

Brandon Phillips of the Cincinnati Reds went 4-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBI. Jonny Gomes added four RBI and his second home run of the season.

Bad boy Milton Bradley hit his second home run of the year, a three-run shot in the 8th inning to give the Seattle Mariners a 3-0 win over the Oakland A’s.

Pitchers:

Andy Pettitte worked six scoreless innings with six strikeouts to pick up his first win of the year.

Clayton Kershaw notched his first win of the season but is still having command issues, lasting only through 5 1/3 innings before hitting 110 pitches. Kershaw allowed two runs and struck out seven.

Greg Smith of the Colorado Rockies allowed two runs in seven innings with eight strikeouts to earn his first win of the season.

Brett Anderson of the Oakland A’s tossed six scoreless innings with six strikeouts but did not factor in the decision.

Closers:

Kevin Gregg picked up his third save of the season working a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts. While I don’t think there is a closer controversy yet, I thought it was interesting that Jays manager Cito Gaston did not give Jason Frasor a chance to close the game after he blew the save the previous night in which he threw only 19 pitches.

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The Daily Dirt from Friday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 9th, 2010

Rick Porcello picked up the win for the Detroit Tigers allowing two runs in five innings with three strikeouts. It is a little disappointing to see management still coddling him as he was removed after a batter reached in the sixth inning despite being at only 87 pitches. If that continues to happen, it is going to end up costing him a few wins this season. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Friday…

Hitters:

Brian Roberts left the game after the first inning after straining his abdominal muscle after stealing second base.

Drew Stubbs hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th inning to lift the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Rafael Furcal continues to turn back the clock, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and his third stolen base of the season.

Who said that Citi Field is not a home run ballpark? Jeff Francoeur and Rod Barajas both tested that theory on Friday night, by each blasting two home runs.

Chris Young went 3-for-4 with five RBI and delivered his second home run of the season. More importantly he has struck out only one time so far in 15 at bats this season.

Pitchers:

Jorge De La Rosa was stellar for the Colorado Rockies, allowing one hit in seven scoreless innings while striking out nine. He helped his cause by tossing first-pitch strikes to 18 out of the 24 hitters he faced.

Hiroki Kuroda worked eight innings, allowing one unearned run with seven strikeouts. As always, the key to his performance going forward will be his health. If you can get 180+ innings out of him on your staff, he is going to be a big help to your team ERA and WHIP.

Colby Lewis worked seven strong innings, allowing one run while striking out three. It was his first win in the major leagues since April 7, 2004.

Rodrigo Lopez looks like he has found a home in the National League, working six innings, allowing one run with five strikeouts for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Gio Gonzalez picked up a win, allowing two runs in six innings with six strikeouts for the Oakland A’s.

There was nothing to like about the performance by Bud Norris on Friday night. Yes, he can throw hard, in the 94-95 mph range at times, but he could not locate his fastball in the strike zone on a consistent basis. He still has not shown the ability to develop a change up as a solid third pitch so until he does, he his going to have nights like these. He walked four in 2 2/3 innings while allowing six hits and four runs.

Closers:

It was another bad day for Mike Gonzalez of the Baltimore Orioles as he blew his second save of the season. The only save he converted this season came after he loaded the bases and escaped out of the jam. It might be a good time to grab Jim Johnson if you own Gonzalez just to hedge your bets.

Billy Wagner surrendered a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to Edgar Renteria to blow the win for Tim Hudson.

Trevor Hoffman gave up a two-run home run on a 1-2 pitch with two outs in the ninth inning to Nick Stavinoha as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4.

Jon Rauch is making it easier for Twins fans to forget about Joe Nathan as  he picked up his third save of the season.

Kevin Gregg picked up a save for the Toronto Blue Jays with Jason Frasor given the night off after working the two previous games.

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2010 Toronto Blue Jays Team Preview

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 16th, 2010

This is the fourth part our series of 2010 fantasy baseball team previews looking at the American 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 Toronto Blue Jays Projected Batting Order:

1.  RF Jose Bautista (ADP ND)
2.  2B Aaron Hill (ADP 49)
3.  LF Adam Lind (ADP 53)
4.  CF Vernon Wells (ADP 176)
5.  1B Lyle Overbay (ADP 445)
6.  3B Edwin Encarnacion (ADP 228)
7.  C John Buck (ADP 417)
8.  SS Alex Gonzalez (ADP 468)
9.  DH Travis Snider (ADP 206)

2010 Toronto Blue Jays Projected Rotation & Bullpen:

1.  Shaun Marcum (ADP 267)
2.  Ricky Romero (ADP 301)
3.  Marc Rzepcynski (ADP 369)
4.  Brandon Morrow (ADP 386)
5.  Brett Cecil / Dustin McGowan (ADP ND / ND)

Closer – Kevin Gregg / Jason Frasor (ADP 246 / 242)
Handcuff – Scott Downs

2010 Toronto Blue Jays Prospects with potential impact this year:

1.  Brett Wallace – 1B
2.  Kyle Drabek – SP


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Fantasy Baseball – Closer Report week two

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 19th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

With two weeks now in the books in major league baseball, lets review some of the bullpen situations from a fantasy baseball perspective.

Washington Nationals:

Current closer Joel Hanrahan could be out of a job after blowing consecutive saves against the Florida Marlins on Friday and Saturday. Saul Rivera got the chance to close on Sunday and he blew that as well. Rivera was sent to Triple-A after the game. Garret Mock has been recalled from Triple-A and could see a save opportunity, although he had a 17.18 ERA in the minors so far this year. Joe Beimel could also see save chances as he has been the one decent reliever so far this year in the Nationals bullpen. A dark horse candidate is Jason Bergmann who was also recalled from Triple-A on Sunday.

Colorado Rockies:

Two days after being named closer by manager Clint Hurdle, Manny Corpas pitching in the 7th inning in the blowout loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday allowed two runs in one inning, bumping his ERA up to 6.75. Recently replaced closer Huston Street has not been any better, currently sports a 9.64 ERA. In a perfect world, Street would have been the closer until July and then traded with Corpas taking over.  Taylor Buchholz might have been an option but is still on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right elbow.  Jason Grilli could be next in line in Corpas fails to deliver when presented with a save opportunity.

Chicago Cubs:

Carlos Marmol – 1.35 ERA, got the save on Friday night and was rewarded by being brought into the game in the 7th inning on Saturday.

Kevin Gregg – 6.00 ERA, has not had a save since opening day, but is still the closer according to manager Lou Piniella.

Talent eventually will win out over stubbornness I have to believe in this case, but until Gregg blows a save or two, it looks like he is still the man.

St. Louis Cardinals:

Without doubt, the main closer is now Ryan Franklin. Manager Tony La Russa is trying to work Jason Motte into situations to be successful to get his confidence built back up. Recently recalled Chris Perez from Triple-A gives them another option in the bullpen, but for now, Franklin should see the majority of save opportunities.

Milwaukee Brewers:

Carlos Villanueva has not been the answer with a 9.00 ERA. Injured closer Trevor Hoffman is scheduled to pitch Tuesday night in Triple-A and again on Friday and if all goes well, he will be recalled the following week. Todd Coffey and Villanueva will battle for the eight inning role once Hoffman returns.

Baltimore Orioles:

George Sherrill remains the closer, but he has to keep on eye on Chris Ray. Sherrill has been getting saves, but his ERA and whip ratio make him less than an ideal closer to own. Ray has strung together three good outings in a row after two initial poor performances. Ray has struck out seven in his last 3 1/3 innings. Ray has not pitched on back-to-back days yet this season so when he does eventually take back the closer role, Sherrill will still see save chances.

Seattle Mariners:

Brandon Morrow has been perfect in his four appearances since blowing his first save. If you own Morrow, handcuff David Aardsma to him. If you don’t own Morrow, Aardsma could get you 5-10 saves the remainder of the season.

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Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt from Friday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 10th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Philadelphia Phillies starter Cole Hamels was pounded by the Colorado Rockies on Friday for seven earned runs. Hamels, who had his start pushed back due to elbow trouble in spring training, struggled with his control and his velocity. Manager Charlie Manuel suggested that Hamels could possibly miss his next start. Dexter Fowler stole his first base of the season for the Colorado Rockies. In other news around the diamond on Friday…

National League:

Jason Motte of the St. Louis Cardinals struggled again when given the opportunity for the save, allowing two hits before being replaced by Kyle McClellan. In AAA, Chris Perez threw two scoreless innings. Kevin Gregg blew a save for the Chicago Cubs, costing Rich Harden a win. Harden struck out 10 batters in six innings. Cubs manager Lou Piniella said catcher Geovany Soto should be ready to play in a few days. Matt Lindstrom blew a save for the Florida Marlins, but was bailed out when Jorge Cantu singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. John Maine and Anibal Sanchez both turned in good starts for the New York Mets and Marlins respectively…..James McDonald struggled in his first start for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Matt Kemp stole his first base of the season. Hiroki Kuroda was placed on the disabled list with a mild oblique strain. Eric Stults has been recalled from the minors and will start against the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow. D-Backs starter Brandon Webb is scheduled to make his next start on Friday, April 17th assuming the MRI that was taken does not show anything of significance…..Chipper Jones returned to the lineup for the Atlanta Braves. Braves starting pitcher Derek Lowe was removed in the fourth inning after a two hour rain delay…..Scott Hairston hit his first home run for the San Diego Padres as he continues to see playing time against left-handed starters. Emanuel Burriss got his first stolen base of the season for the San Francisco Giants

American League:

Miguel Cabrera hit his third home run of the season for the Detroit Tigers and drove in six runs, giving him 10 RBI on the season already. Armando Galarraga turned in a nice performance on the mound for the Tigers, striking out eight in seven innings of work. Nelson Cruz hit his third home run for the Texas Rangers…..Adam Lind hit his third home run for the Toronto Blue Jays, giving him 11 RBI on the year. Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner both went yard for the Cleveland Indians as they each continue to show home run power that was missing in 2008…..Andy Pettitte got a win in his first start of the season for the New York Yankees, striking out six in seven innings. Jose Guillen of the Kansas City Royals was placed on the disabled list with a torn groin muscle. This move puts Alberto Callaspo into the starting lineup at second base, but also pushes back the eligibility time frame of Mark Teahan who now moves from second base back to the outfield…..The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Tampa Rays for the first time in their last 13 meetings, despite two home runs from Evan Longoria who now has four long balls on the young season. Outfielder B.J. Upton is expected to return from the disabled list on Monday for the Rays…..Joe Crede returned to U.S. Cellular Field, this time in a Minnesota Twins uniform, and hit a home run to propel the Twins over the Chicago White Sox. Twins starter Scott Baker, on the disabled list with stiffness in his right shoulder, had a successful minor league start in Class A, giving up one run in seven innings…..Jered Weaver had a good first start for the Los Angeles Angels, striking out eight in six and two-thirds innings. Bobby Abreau stole base number two and Chone Figgins base number three on the year for the Angels…..Rookie Brett Anderson had on average start for the Oakland As, giving up five earned runs in six innings of work. David Aardsma got a two inning save for the Seattle Mariners.

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2009 Fantasy Baseball – News & Notes

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 30th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

A lot has been happening in the last few days around the major leagues, so let’s examine some of the stories and how they relate to fantasy baseball.

Closer watch - Kevin Gregg was named closer of the Chicago Cubs over Carlos Marmol. If you have an auction league this weekend, I still bid for Marmol and assume he will get his share of saves once Gregg falters. I see Marmol ending with around 20 saves and Gregg maybe 15. Tony Larussa confirmed that Jason Motte will see save save chances, but Motte has not been officially name the outright closer. Ryan Franklin should still see time in the ninth inning. Chris Perez was sent to AAA so you can scratch him from your draft sheet. Brandon Morrow has been moved into the closer role for the Seattle Mariners. That’s good for fantasy owners who spent many a sleepless night debating between the four to five other options the Mariners had. Trevor Hoffman will start the season on the disabled list for the Milwaukee Brewers with Carlos Villanueva filling in for the first week of the year. Joey Devine could be headed to the DL with tightness in his elbow bumping up the value of Brad Ziegler for saves.

Late round fliers AL / NL only leagues - I like Casey McGehee with the Milwaukee Brewers. I would be happy with the Brew Crew letting Bill Hall and Mike Lamb go and see what McGehee could do until Matt Gamel was ready. Livan Hernadez was named the New York Mets fifth starter. I don’t care what his numbers are in spring training, stay far, far away from him. Ross Ohlendorf has secured a spot in the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation, I would be willing to pay a $1 for him.

Position Battles – Brett Gardner was named the starting cetner fielder for the New York Yankees. Gardner has a chance to steal 30-35 bases this season. Speaking of speed, DeWayne Wise looks to have secured the starting center field job for the Chicago White Sox and will be the lead off hitter. I don’t expect that to last for more than two months of the season. In the meantime, enjoy a few stolen bases while Wise is in the lineup.

Rookie Watch - Jordan Schafer took one more step closer to locking down the center field job with the Atlanta Braves with the trade of Josh Anderson to the Detroit Tigers. Brett Anderson of the Oakland A’s had a nice outing on Monday. He looks to be solid play in AL only leagues. Two words, Jason McDonald, pick him up now, he should be the fifth starter for the Los Angeles Dodgers and should put up some decent numbers.

Lineup announcements – It looks like David Murphy starts the season hitting second for the New York Mets which gives him a bump up in runs scored. Luis Castillo looks to be hitting eight which will reduce his stolen base attempts batting in front of the pitcher.

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