Jonny Venters, closer? It only sounds like a setup, and it’s FAABin’ early
Venters: stuck in the eighth?
On opening day, Fredi Gonzalez sent Jonny Venters to the roto waiver wire in a league or two. I'm sure of it.
The Atlanta Braves' skipper called on his left-handed "co-closer" (so we thought, right?) in the eighth stanza of his club's victory against the Washington Nationals. Due up were Ian Desmond, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman - all right-handed hitters. That set up right-handed Craig Kimbrel, the club's other "co-closer," to face ... Adam LaRoche (lefty), Mike Morse (righty) and Rick Ankiel (lefty).
Say what?
Need to vent about Venters? Tap your mouse here for more »
Mixed feelings about my mixed Tout Wars roster
Who's up first? Only the Loney
"James Loney, $8."
That's how I got my first couple of mixed Tout Wars jeers and chuckles out of the way. I decided not to waste much time; it was my first nomination.
Spreadsheet of mixed Tout auction results | AL | NL
I had allotted about $60 combined to the first base and third base spots. About 15 minutes before the auction kicked off, I got a wise-guy idea and decided to see what might happen. Oh boy.
Down on the corners, out on the Street Tap your mouse here for more »
Regulations and innovations
Looking at Lowrie as a handcuff?
Last week, Mastersball writer and 2009 NL Tout Wars champeen Brian Walton shared his thoughts on Tout Wars rule changes, instituted this year. Specifically, beginning in 2012:
- If you finish below a predetermined points threshold, you'll begin the following season with the difference between your total and that cutoff deducted from your FAAB total.
- The previous season's standings will determine the draft order of the reserve round.
Brian's piece raised some interesting debates. I have a couple of counters. (Hopefully, Brian is compelled to respond, for the sake of discussion. And so he doesn't think I'm trying to piss him off.)
Meditating on maxims Tap your mouse here for more »
Don’t Chase Utley down path of high uncertainty
Are you laying out for Utley?
By now, you're a little scared to draft Chase Utley. So are your buddies. And then you start thinking ... Man, I'm not going to take him in the third, but if he falls a few rounds, I could have a real steal on my hands; this cat is still one of the best at his position and busts it to get back on the field.
You're right. You could. He is. He does. Except for one problem: Even then, the Philadelphia Phillies' three-hole hitter remains riddled with danger.
If Utley you believe in miracles, baby ... Tap your mouse here for more »
A rinky dinky reduction for Zack Greinke, and unscheduled saves
Skipping a couple: Greinke
Since the news that Zack Greinke sustained a hairline fracture in one of his ribs, we've updated the right-hander's projection. There isn't much different: We reduced the forecast for the Milwaukee Brewers' hurler across the board by about two starts' worth of numbers.
That's probably a liberal estimate, but part of the goal was to reflect the fact that there's no reason to be worried. MLB Hot off the Wire's fantasy baseball tip sums up the situation well:
Greinke guidance, Phuture Philly Phireman? Tap your mouse here for more »
Two first sackers? Don’t be-LABR the roto points
Cabrera plays second fiddle
Back from LABR weekend in sunny Phoenix, also the de facto hub of the Cactus League. Incredibly fun AL auction on Saturday evening - great people, tough players.
(Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports Radio broadcasted both the AL and NL events live - and later replayed them - so that roto addicts could get a feel for how the auctions unfolded. You can download PDFs of the results.)
I bought Adrian Gonzalez very early. Not a bad place to start, right? About five or 10 minutes later, my roster housed Miguel Cabrera, too. I certainly wasn't displeased.
Rolling with it, not in it Tap your mouse here for more »
Joe Mauer hasn’t fallen, and he can still get up
A little sour on Mauer, eh?
I don't think anyone has flipped the switch on the air raid siren, but a couple of people have asked me about the level of concern fantasy baseball players should have regarding Joe Mauer's left knee. He has yet to play in a Grapefruit League contest. The lubricating injections he received may be creating the perception that he won't make it through the year without pressing the panic button on his Life Alert pendant.
I also hear this from time to time: No catcher, not even Mauer, is worth a second-round pick in a mixed league.
Pffft.
A 2B's powers, worry is Mauer's, thanks to Flowers Tap your mouse here for more »
