It's been a while fellas, between work and working on my tennis game I haven't been writing a lot of articles since the trade deadline. So we come back with an article today on Strasburg and potential September call-ups. For all of you with chances to win your leagues or finish in the money do everything you can between now and the end of the season to pick up as much stats as you can while protecting your percentage categories (Avg, ERA & Ratio).
Stephen Strasburg:
While Strasburg only had 11 starts for the Nats this summer he did not disappoint other than the fact he only made 11 starts. In those starts, Strasburg had 5W, 2.97 ERA, 1.115 Ratio, 86K (vs 17 walks) in 63 2/3 IP. Strasburg showed he can be an ace next season, obviously pitching for a last place club in the Nats will hurt Strasburg wins. Strasburg showed polish and poise with four nasty pitches which he throws for strikes. As long as he stays healthy, and he had a couple of red flags this summer with the shoulder and now the forearm, Strasburg will be a huge pitcher starting next year and years to come. The problem will be because of the hype and enormous potential starting with next years draft you will always have to overpay to land Starsburg in your NL only draft.
September Potential Call-Ups to Watch Out for:
If you are in keeper leagues keep an eye on the following guys if the get called up in September as potential cheap keepers for 2011 (if you can grab them off your waiver wire - free agency for cheap dollars do it). The players to watch out for are: Aroldis Chapman (Cinn, SP), Freddie Freeman (Atl, 1B), Brett Lawrie (Mil, 2B), Jordan Lyles (Hou, SP), Yunesky Maya (Wsh, SP) & Wilson Ramos (Wsh, C).
This Off-Season from the NL King:
This will be my last article until after labor day but I should have a couple of September articles for the home stretch. This off-season I plan to have a bunch of articles to get you guys ready for 2011 season. Have a lot of articles planned and looking forward to writing them.
NL King - C.Lizza
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Fantasy Man - The Art of the Keeper Trade
It's your typical art of the trade article for fantasy baseball but I like to add in some twists to actually make these deals happen. I have real lifetime experience negoitiating deals and to be honest, those skills work in my fantasy leagues. Here's a story that just happened yesterday on how to get keepers for your non-keepable studs in an auction league. I'm hoping you'll find these tips useful.
When dump trading stars for keepers, remember, if you have a manager hooked on a player, don't let them use the "okay, well, I'll just keep who I have" tactic. They want your players but they're just feeling you out to see what they can get. The object for a smart manager in a dump trade is to get your stars AND still try to get some kind of keepable player back in the deal.
For example, I just did a trade in an auction league where I traded....
Robbie Cano $6.00
Max Scherzer $3.60
Wandy Rodriguez $2.40
Kevin Slowey $1.00
Chris Johnson $2.00
For
Justin Upton $4.40
Clay Buchholz $2.20
Justin Smoak $2.00
Travis Snider $2.40
Carlos Guillen $2.00
These are next years prices. I tanked my team this year for keepers. So here I traded Cano along with 4 other players I know I won't have room to keep. My main goal was to get Upton/Buchholz here but pulling in Smoak and even Snider can prove valuable later on if I want to flip them. What got this deal done was the fact that the other guy could keep Cano plus, we went back and fourth until I finally caved in and gave him Slowey and Johnson, who I probably don't have room to keep anyway. He clearly gets the best player in Cano, but what do I care?..... I'm in last place. I pulled in 4 tradeable and/or keepable players all with extreme upside. For me, I get Buchholz and Upton, Smoak who is in the minors but a call up and a hot streak away from being a top keeper, and Snider who has the potential to be a superstar as soon as next year but who the other manager had sitting on his bench. Then I took Carlos Guillen for giggles so he'd feel like he won the deal, which he definitely did! He got his Cano (keepable), Wandy/Scherzer instantly upgrade his pitching, Slowey he can keep next year at a buck and Chris Johnson can help now as he's super hot.
The trick is to make the other owner need your deal. In order for his other deals to go through he needed this deal to fall in place. When he became stingy and didn't want to give me Travis Snider, he said "fine no deal, I'll just wait for my Dustin Pedroia to come back". So I said, "okay, no problem, I'll pass too". We already had Cano/Wandy/Scherzer for Buchholz/Upton/Smoak settled. Then he got all upset, "dude, why you being stingy.....", blah bla blah haha. So I said, "look, take a pick from any of these players. I'll throw in Sandoval, Slowey, Chris Johnson, etc., and I'll even take back your crappy Carlos Guillen, all I want is Snider who is sitting on your bench". See, the object here is to make the other owner feel like they're getting value back, value that you don't care about. So I threw in Chris Johnson who I picked up off the waiver wire 4 days ago and Slowey at $1.00 and it was a done deal.
So then, the other owner goes and trades his Chase Utley to a crap team who wanted keepers. He had Utley and Pedroia on the DL so he needed my Cano to fill his roster but so he could also flip Utley for better players. So see, he needed my Robbie Cano and he wasn't going to let the deal go by because of some of the crap backend players. Point here is, trust your patience. Don't be overly agressive. Let the other owner come to you. Here's a quick step by step....
- Put your stud on the trade block.
- Wait for an offer to work off of.
- If you put the best hitter on the planet (Cano is one), you should expect the best keeper in the league or a package of 2-3 solid keepers. In my case it was either a $.40 Pedro Alvarez or the Upton/Buchholz deal.
- Let the owner know what it will take to get that stud (remember, they desperately want that player)
- Start throwing in players that will help fill holes and deepen the bench, that's what a championship bound team is looking for. Either players to upgrade or holes to fill. In my case, I bolstered his pitching staff tremendously plus he added Cano who he then was able to flip Utley for more players.
- Don't be shy about taking back the worst player on his team, who cares, your in last place. Your just rostering that player until years end just to get the deal done. It's okay to take the best keeper and 3 crap players. Who cares, you have your keeper!
- Remember, a star player in a deal that's 75% complete is like money already in the bank. If you put the fake skids on a deal, you'll get this guy all nervous and crazy. He's already been day dreaming about these players in his lineup.
- When that happens, simply slide a new player in the deal that has keeper value that you don't care about, give a few options, and the deal to you is now money in the bank.
Keep in mind, a deal can always get done. You have to cater to the other managers needs while still being agressive to get what you want. Don't settle because the other guy is tough to deal with. He's only being tough because he doesn't want to be the "loser" of the deal and he wants to fill his needs. All you want is the keeper. You can care less who "wins" the deal. Don't be afraid to let go of players you don't need and always try to offer players with keeper value. If your league keeps 5 players and you have 15 possible keepers, let those backend keepers go to get the big one.
Hope that helps. Good luck as the trade deadline is fast approaching still in some leagues.
The Fantasy Man
When dump trading stars for keepers, remember, if you have a manager hooked on a player, don't let them use the "okay, well, I'll just keep who I have" tactic. They want your players but they're just feeling you out to see what they can get. The object for a smart manager in a dump trade is to get your stars AND still try to get some kind of keepable player back in the deal.
For example, I just did a trade in an auction league where I traded....
Robbie Cano $6.00
Max Scherzer $3.60
Wandy Rodriguez $2.40
Kevin Slowey $1.00
Chris Johnson $2.00
For
Justin Upton $4.40
Clay Buchholz $2.20
Justin Smoak $2.00
Travis Snider $2.40
Carlos Guillen $2.00
These are next years prices. I tanked my team this year for keepers. So here I traded Cano along with 4 other players I know I won't have room to keep. My main goal was to get Upton/Buchholz here but pulling in Smoak and even Snider can prove valuable later on if I want to flip them. What got this deal done was the fact that the other guy could keep Cano plus, we went back and fourth until I finally caved in and gave him Slowey and Johnson, who I probably don't have room to keep anyway. He clearly gets the best player in Cano, but what do I care?..... I'm in last place. I pulled in 4 tradeable and/or keepable players all with extreme upside. For me, I get Buchholz and Upton, Smoak who is in the minors but a call up and a hot streak away from being a top keeper, and Snider who has the potential to be a superstar as soon as next year but who the other manager had sitting on his bench. Then I took Carlos Guillen for giggles so he'd feel like he won the deal, which he definitely did! He got his Cano (keepable), Wandy/Scherzer instantly upgrade his pitching, Slowey he can keep next year at a buck and Chris Johnson can help now as he's super hot.
The trick is to make the other owner need your deal. In order for his other deals to go through he needed this deal to fall in place. When he became stingy and didn't want to give me Travis Snider, he said "fine no deal, I'll just wait for my Dustin Pedroia to come back". So I said, "okay, no problem, I'll pass too". We already had Cano/Wandy/Scherzer for Buchholz/Upton/Smoak settled. Then he got all upset, "dude, why you being stingy.....", blah bla blah haha. So I said, "look, take a pick from any of these players. I'll throw in Sandoval, Slowey, Chris Johnson, etc., and I'll even take back your crappy Carlos Guillen, all I want is Snider who is sitting on your bench". See, the object here is to make the other owner feel like they're getting value back, value that you don't care about. So I threw in Chris Johnson who I picked up off the waiver wire 4 days ago and Slowey at $1.00 and it was a done deal.
So then, the other owner goes and trades his Chase Utley to a crap team who wanted keepers. He had Utley and Pedroia on the DL so he needed my Cano to fill his roster but so he could also flip Utley for better players. So see, he needed my Robbie Cano and he wasn't going to let the deal go by because of some of the crap backend players. Point here is, trust your patience. Don't be overly agressive. Let the other owner come to you. Here's a quick step by step....
- Put your stud on the trade block.
- Wait for an offer to work off of.
- If you put the best hitter on the planet (Cano is one), you should expect the best keeper in the league or a package of 2-3 solid keepers. In my case it was either a $.40 Pedro Alvarez or the Upton/Buchholz deal.
- Let the owner know what it will take to get that stud (remember, they desperately want that player)
- Start throwing in players that will help fill holes and deepen the bench, that's what a championship bound team is looking for. Either players to upgrade or holes to fill. In my case, I bolstered his pitching staff tremendously plus he added Cano who he then was able to flip Utley for more players.
- Don't be shy about taking back the worst player on his team, who cares, your in last place. Your just rostering that player until years end just to get the deal done. It's okay to take the best keeper and 3 crap players. Who cares, you have your keeper!
- Remember, a star player in a deal that's 75% complete is like money already in the bank. If you put the fake skids on a deal, you'll get this guy all nervous and crazy. He's already been day dreaming about these players in his lineup.
- When that happens, simply slide a new player in the deal that has keeper value that you don't care about, give a few options, and the deal to you is now money in the bank.
Keep in mind, a deal can always get done. You have to cater to the other managers needs while still being agressive to get what you want. Don't settle because the other guy is tough to deal with. He's only being tough because he doesn't want to be the "loser" of the deal and he wants to fill his needs. All you want is the keeper. You can care less who "wins" the deal. Don't be afraid to let go of players you don't need and always try to offer players with keeper value. If your league keeps 5 players and you have 15 possible keepers, let those backend keepers go to get the big one.
Hope that helps. Good luck as the trade deadline is fast approaching still in some leagues.
The Fantasy Man
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
NL King - Mike Minor
Mike Minor, one of the Atlanta Braves' top pitching prospects made his MLB debut on Monday night August 9th in Houston. Minor fared well as he went 6 innings with 6 baserunners (only 1 walk) with 5K's & 3 ER's in a no decision. Minor has great stuff and that's why he was the 7th overall pick of the 2009 draft. Between AA & AAA this year Minor had the following numbers: 21 Starts, 6-7 Record, 120.1 IP, 3.44 ERA, 1.155 Ratio, 146K, only has given up 93 hits but did walk 46 while allowing 9 HR.
Minor will only turn 23 in December so he has a bright future ahead of him. Minor can provide your team down the stretch for 5 to 7 starts with some really good K's and couple of wins and hopefully not hurt your ERA & Ratio(remember he is a young kid).
Lots of potential here. Go grab and stash this guy if you have room in keeper leagues!
C. Lizza - NL King
Minor will only turn 23 in December so he has a bright future ahead of him. Minor can provide your team down the stretch for 5 to 7 starts with some really good K's and couple of wins and hopefully not hurt your ERA & Ratio(remember he is a young kid).
Lots of potential here. Go grab and stash this guy if you have room in keeper leagues!
C. Lizza - NL King
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Blog Hijacked for a day
I apologize to all our readers who subscribed to the email posts and received an email from the blog with spam and my name on it. Someone hijacked my account with blogger but I have since taken care of the problem... I hope.
In the future, If you can an email from The Fantasy Man's email address that is not related to fantasy baseball or The Fantasy Man, please do not open it. Every now and then our emails get hacked into.
Sorry for the confusion.
Mike
In the future, If you can an email from The Fantasy Man's email address that is not related to fantasy baseball or The Fantasy Man, please do not open it. Every now and then our emails get hacked into.
Sorry for the confusion.
Mike
Monday, August 02, 2010
Get Socially Crazy with The Fantasy Man!
I finally decided to get my butt in gear and square up all the main social media sites and get The Fantasy Man brand out in front of everyone more effectively. So here is a post with my three main social media sites that you can friend, follow and connect too! Just trying to make this all a little easier!
Sunday, August 01, 2010
NL King - Analyzing the Trade Deadline
Let's break down the MLB trade deadline and how it effects the NL fantasy landscape.
The Little Trades - Let's start with the little guys because as my friend Rodney says.... "they get no respect".
- Christian Guzman who was having a very good year as one's 3rd middle infelder leaves for the AL.
- Chad Qualls who started the season as the D-Backs closer before imploding was sent to Tampa (no big loss here).
- Blake Dewitt goes from the Dodgers to the Cubs maybe the Cubs see what DeWitt can do the last 60 games.
- Chris Snyder should now see regular AB's going to Pittsburgh but he'll kill your average.
Changing of the Bullpens:
- With Dotel getting traded to the Dodgers, obviously Dotel will no longer get saves but in Pittsburgh for now the closer duties will be shared by Joel Hanrahan & Evan Meek. One would believe long term Meek will be the closer but that the Pirates are doing this to ease Meek into being the stopper
- Matt Capps gets traded to the AL (Twins) so the closer duties in DC will be shared by Tyler Clippard & Drew Storen. Again the Nats are doing this to ease Storen into the closers role.
Leaving for the AL:
- Edwin Jackson who had a terrible year (how does he have 2 good years in the AL and then bomb in the NL?) was sent off to the White Sox.
- Jorge Cantu a real solid fantasy bat leaves the AL for Texas
- Lance Berkman while hitting in the .240's did provide some punch as he leaves for the Bronx
Not Star Names But Can help you down the stretch:
- Miguel Tejada can give you a good depth bat to fill a whole in your roster
- Brett Wallace the power prospect Houston got from Toronto takes over at 1B for the departed Berkman. Wallace in 95 games at AAA this year had 18HR, 61RBI, 64R, 1SB & .301 Avg
- Scott Podsednik can really help you in the SB category, had 30 steals for KC
- Jake Westbrook joins the Cards and can be a good back of the rotation guy for you. Dave Duncan works wonders remember
- Rick Ankiel goes to Atlanta and provides the Braves with more pop and depth. Remember Ankiel hit 25HR in 08 for the Cards.
Other Notes:
- Adam Dunn was not traded. Makes no sense but NL only owners should be happy he did not got the AL
- Ryan Ludwick stays in the NL but now his home park is Petco in SD
- Wilson Ramos who was part of the Matt Capps trade could be the Nats future #1 catcher.
Keep in mind players can be still traded through August 31st. Only now players must clear waivers to be traded. With teams watching every dollar with payroll, very few players will be blocked in August who make a decent chunk of change.
NL King - C.Lizza
The Little Trades - Let's start with the little guys because as my friend Rodney says.... "they get no respect".
- Christian Guzman who was having a very good year as one's 3rd middle infelder leaves for the AL.
- Chad Qualls who started the season as the D-Backs closer before imploding was sent to Tampa (no big loss here).
- Blake Dewitt goes from the Dodgers to the Cubs maybe the Cubs see what DeWitt can do the last 60 games.
- Chris Snyder should now see regular AB's going to Pittsburgh but he'll kill your average.
Changing of the Bullpens:
- With Dotel getting traded to the Dodgers, obviously Dotel will no longer get saves but in Pittsburgh for now the closer duties will be shared by Joel Hanrahan & Evan Meek. One would believe long term Meek will be the closer but that the Pirates are doing this to ease Meek into being the stopper
- Matt Capps gets traded to the AL (Twins) so the closer duties in DC will be shared by Tyler Clippard & Drew Storen. Again the Nats are doing this to ease Storen into the closers role.
Leaving for the AL:
- Edwin Jackson who had a terrible year (how does he have 2 good years in the AL and then bomb in the NL?) was sent off to the White Sox.
- Jorge Cantu a real solid fantasy bat leaves the AL for Texas
- Lance Berkman while hitting in the .240's did provide some punch as he leaves for the Bronx
Not Star Names But Can help you down the stretch:
- Miguel Tejada can give you a good depth bat to fill a whole in your roster
- Brett Wallace the power prospect Houston got from Toronto takes over at 1B for the departed Berkman. Wallace in 95 games at AAA this year had 18HR, 61RBI, 64R, 1SB & .301 Avg
- Scott Podsednik can really help you in the SB category, had 30 steals for KC
- Jake Westbrook joins the Cards and can be a good back of the rotation guy for you. Dave Duncan works wonders remember
- Rick Ankiel goes to Atlanta and provides the Braves with more pop and depth. Remember Ankiel hit 25HR in 08 for the Cards.
Other Notes:
- Adam Dunn was not traded. Makes no sense but NL only owners should be happy he did not got the AL
- Ryan Ludwick stays in the NL but now his home park is Petco in SD
- Wilson Ramos who was part of the Matt Capps trade could be the Nats future #1 catcher.
Keep in mind players can be still traded through August 31st. Only now players must clear waivers to be traded. With teams watching every dollar with payroll, very few players will be blocked in August who make a decent chunk of change.
NL King - C.Lizza
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Roy Osawlt and Dominic Brown Join the Fighting Phillies!
Roy Oswalt became a member of the Phillies earlier this week. Oswalt was sent to Philadelphia for JA Happ and prospects. The prospects are a couple of years away so no need to focus on them now for fantasy purposes. Oswalt goes from a bottom division team to one of the better teams in the NL and the Phillies are starting to get hot. I would imagine Oswalt will pitch as good for the Phils as he did for the Stros but I would expect more wins (has a 3.42 ERA for Houston but yet 6 Wins in 20 starts). Happ will get the ball every 5th day and we get to see what Happ is capable of being a starter. With Houston's roster the soon to be 28 year old will get a chance to prove he can be a solid major league starter. Even though Houston is a bad team if Happ is available in your league via free agency or the waiver wire could be a nice little pickup.
With the recent injury to Shane Victorino, Dominic Brown made his way to the Phillies lineup as it was reported Wednesday afternoon. Brown, back in Spring Training, was ranked 15th on Baseball America's top 100 list. But last week on Baseball America's updated mid season top 25 prospect list Brown was #1, the best prospect currently in the minors (keep in mind this list does not count any of the 2010 drafted players).
Brown is a 5 tool roto player with the potential to be a future roto stud. Between AA & AAA this year Brown has 20HR, 68RBI, 65R, 17SB, . 327 Avg, .391 OBP, .589 Slugging with also 22 doubles & 4 triples in 343 AB's. Brown has HUGE upside but like I always caution do not expect young players to burst on the scene and reach their potential immediately. If Brown can be a good player for you that's fantastic and anything above that would be gravy. Having said all that if you can land Brown via your league waiver wire - free agency go get him.
NL King - C.Lizza
With the recent injury to Shane Victorino, Dominic Brown made his way to the Phillies lineup as it was reported Wednesday afternoon. Brown, back in Spring Training, was ranked 15th on Baseball America's top 100 list. But last week on Baseball America's updated mid season top 25 prospect list Brown was #1, the best prospect currently in the minors (keep in mind this list does not count any of the 2010 drafted players).
Brown is a 5 tool roto player with the potential to be a future roto stud. Between AA & AAA this year Brown has 20HR, 68RBI, 65R, 17SB, . 327 Avg, .391 OBP, .589 Slugging with also 22 doubles & 4 triples in 343 AB's. Brown has HUGE upside but like I always caution do not expect young players to burst on the scene and reach their potential immediately. If Brown can be a good player for you that's fantastic and anything above that would be gravy. Having said all that if you can land Brown via your league waiver wire - free agency go get him.
NL King - C.Lizza
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
NL King - Logan Morrison Called Up
The Florida Marlins called up Logan Morrison earlier this week after OF Chris Coghlan landed on the DL. Before the season Morrison was ranked as the #20 best prospect by Baseball America on their annual top 100. Morrison's natural position is 1B but he will start in the OF with Coghlan on the shelf. However, a lot of rumors indicate that Jorge Cantu will be traded by the deadline and then Morrison will slide over to 1B later in the week. Word was Morrison was going to get called up anyway once Cantu got traded....assuming Cantu gets traded.
Logan Morrison Stats at AAA this year:
238 AB, 6HR, 45RBI, 36R, 1 SB, .307 Avg, .427 OBP, .487 Slugging, 17 2B & 4 3B with 35K's
Morrison who is 22 is projected as the Marlins future # 3 hitter. Morrison projects as a high average RBI machine would fit in nicely as a 3 hitter. The big question with Morrison from a fantasy stand point is how many HR will he hit? Other than A ball, Morrison hasn't broken 20 HR in any other minor league seasons but many baseball people believe a lot of his doubles will turn into HR (remember the most HR Don Mattingly hit in a minor league season was 12). In the end, Morrison should be a high on base percentage guy who will hit in the low 20's in HR while approaching 100 Runs & RBI's while hitting close to .300 as a player if he hits. There is a lot of things to like about Morrison and has a very bright future but like I say about all top prospects when they come up expect Morrison to be a good helper for the last 60 games and anything more than that will be gravy.
NL King - C.Lizza
Logan Morrison Stats at AAA this year:
238 AB, 6HR, 45RBI, 36R, 1 SB, .307 Avg, .427 OBP, .487 Slugging, 17 2B & 4 3B with 35K's
Morrison who is 22 is projected as the Marlins future # 3 hitter. Morrison projects as a high average RBI machine would fit in nicely as a 3 hitter. The big question with Morrison from a fantasy stand point is how many HR will he hit? Other than A ball, Morrison hasn't broken 20 HR in any other minor league seasons but many baseball people believe a lot of his doubles will turn into HR (remember the most HR Don Mattingly hit in a minor league season was 12). In the end, Morrison should be a high on base percentage guy who will hit in the low 20's in HR while approaching 100 Runs & RBI's while hitting close to .300 as a player if he hits. There is a lot of things to like about Morrison and has a very bright future but like I say about all top prospects when they come up expect Morrison to be a good helper for the last 60 games and anything more than that will be gravy.
NL King - C.Lizza
Sunday, July 25, 2010
NL King - Dan Haren Traded to the Angels
Finally, an NL King article! I might have a bunch for you guys between now and next Saturday the 31st on trades that effect NL fantasy baseball, so stay tuned. This afternoon it was annouced the Arizona Diamondbacks sent starting pitcher Dan Haren and his salary to the Los Angeles Angels for Joe Saunders, Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez & a player to be named later.
Sounds like the key to this deal is the player to be named later. By all indications it sounds like one of Anaheim's top prospects, but supposedly it is not outfielder Mike Trout (Baseball America just released their updated summer top 25 prospects and Mike Trout was ranked #2). However, Arizona, according to one article, is estatic over getting this player. They better be because the rest of the package doesn't overwhelm you. I have no clue why this player is not annouced yet but I will write an article on the player once it is annouced.
Joe Saunders is coming of the last 2 seasons of 16 & 17 wins. But that was a division winning Angel team. Now he goes to the last place D-Backs and while going to the NL should help Saunders ERA, nothing jumps out at you about Saunders other than his wins. He is roughly a 100K per 200 IP K guy, who has had an ERA between the high 3's & mid 4's and this year has a terrible ratio. What is weird is Saunders who will be an arbtrattion guy after the season should do very well there (make 6 to 7 million a season). But that's real life for fantasy baseball persepctive if all goes well he can be a low double digit Win guy with an ERA around 4, a ratio in the mid to high 1.3's and a little over 100K's for the season. If you have a 6 man staff for your NL team at best Saunders would be your #5 starter.
Patrick Corbin is a starting pitching prospect who is just 21 and in high A so it will be a while before we see him. Rafael Rodriguez probably heads to Arizona's bullpen as he appeared in 18 games for the Angels last year and was nothing to write home about. But with everything up for grabs in the Arizona bullpen I guess you never know.
Seems like the Angels got Dan Haren very cheap, the D-Backs better be right about this player to be named later.
NL King - C.Lizza
Sounds like the key to this deal is the player to be named later. By all indications it sounds like one of Anaheim's top prospects, but supposedly it is not outfielder Mike Trout (Baseball America just released their updated summer top 25 prospects and Mike Trout was ranked #2). However, Arizona, according to one article, is estatic over getting this player. They better be because the rest of the package doesn't overwhelm you. I have no clue why this player is not annouced yet but I will write an article on the player once it is annouced.
Joe Saunders is coming of the last 2 seasons of 16 & 17 wins. But that was a division winning Angel team. Now he goes to the last place D-Backs and while going to the NL should help Saunders ERA, nothing jumps out at you about Saunders other than his wins. He is roughly a 100K per 200 IP K guy, who has had an ERA between the high 3's & mid 4's and this year has a terrible ratio. What is weird is Saunders who will be an arbtrattion guy after the season should do very well there (make 6 to 7 million a season). But that's real life for fantasy baseball persepctive if all goes well he can be a low double digit Win guy with an ERA around 4, a ratio in the mid to high 1.3's and a little over 100K's for the season. If you have a 6 man staff for your NL team at best Saunders would be your #5 starter.
Patrick Corbin is a starting pitching prospect who is just 21 and in high A so it will be a while before we see him. Rafael Rodriguez probably heads to Arizona's bullpen as he appeared in 18 games for the Angels last year and was nothing to write home about. But with everything up for grabs in the Arizona bullpen I guess you never know.
Seems like the Angels got Dan Haren very cheap, the D-Backs better be right about this player to be named later.
NL King - C.Lizza
Thursday, July 15, 2010
NL King - First Half Lists
The second half of the major league baseball season is underway today as we've played a little more than half the seasons games already. It's been a crazy season so far but wouldn't it have been sweet to have the information below on draft day before the season started in the National League? Here's a look back...
Hitters Who Had Great Unexpected First Halves:
Marlon Byrd, Rafael Furcal, Johnny Gomes, Corey Hart, Aubrey Huff, Casey McGehee, Miguel Olivo, Angel Pagan, Martin Prado, Scott Rolen, Gaby Sanchez & Chris B.Young
Hitters Who Under Performed:
Jason Bay, Matt Holiday, Raul Ibanez, Nate McLouth, Aramis Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Chase Utley
Young Gun Arms Who Have Emerged:
John Axford, Jaime Garcia, Ian Kennedy, Mat Latos, Kris Medlen, Clayton Richard & Stephen Strasburg
Down Years for Established Starters:
Dan Haren, Edwin Jackson, Jair Jurrjens, Wandy Rodriguez
Players Who Have Emerged as Fantasy Baseball Roto Stars:
Yovanni Gallardo, Carlos Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Johnson, Carlos Marmol, Andrew McCutchen & Joey Votto
Comeback Years:
Matt Capps, Troy Glaus, Kelly Johnson, Brett Myers, Roy Oswalt, Mike Pelfrey, Carlos Silva & Rickie Weeks
NL King - C.Lizza
Hitters Who Had Great Unexpected First Halves:
Marlon Byrd, Rafael Furcal, Johnny Gomes, Corey Hart, Aubrey Huff, Casey McGehee, Miguel Olivo, Angel Pagan, Martin Prado, Scott Rolen, Gaby Sanchez & Chris B.Young
Hitters Who Under Performed:
Jason Bay, Matt Holiday, Raul Ibanez, Nate McLouth, Aramis Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Chase Utley
Young Gun Arms Who Have Emerged:
John Axford, Jaime Garcia, Ian Kennedy, Mat Latos, Kris Medlen, Clayton Richard & Stephen Strasburg
Down Years for Established Starters:
Dan Haren, Edwin Jackson, Jair Jurrjens, Wandy Rodriguez
Players Who Have Emerged as Fantasy Baseball Roto Stars:
Yovanni Gallardo, Carlos Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Johnson, Carlos Marmol, Andrew McCutchen & Joey Votto
Comeback Years:
Matt Capps, Troy Glaus, Kelly Johnson, Brett Myers, Roy Oswalt, Mike Pelfrey, Carlos Silva & Rickie Weeks
NL King - C.Lizza
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