A perfect example for fantasy baseball players: Marlon Byrd
Gimme some
Marlon Byrd is going to be a little under-priced in NL-only fantasy baseball leagues and overlooked completely in deep mixed versions. Thank Alfredo Aceves, a nutritionist and Muay Thai for that.
Last May, an Aceves offering struck Byrd in the head, and he spent a month and a half on the disabled list. This winter, the 34-year-old learned of some food allergies he had and altered his diet. Then, he took up the Thai martial arts discipline.
It's cliche to doubt "best shape of my life" stories, which were already cliche. Let's try not to clump them all together, shall we?
Byrd in the hand Tap your mouse here for more »
Hurry up, Tommy Hanson, before zee Germans get here
Danger: He's good
The series of unfortunate events that led to Tommy Hanson's placement on the disabled list in mid-August of 2011 and forced him to miss the remainder of the season seem to have made folks bearish on his roto stock. At Mock Draft Central, for instance, he's barely been a top-100 mixed-league pick.
In his final five starts (26 2/3 stanzas), the right-hander yielded 24 earned runs, 36 hits (eight home runs) and 11 walks. Something was wrong. Initial diagnosis: mild tendonitis in his right shoulder. Persistent discomfort led to a consultation with Dr. James Andrews and the revelation that Hanson had a small tear in his rotator cuff. Hanson shut it down in September for good.
Naturally, rotisserie managers should want little to do with such a wielder of red flags. Hanson is obviously pretty darn good - perhaps even elite - but the risk is obvious. Or is it?
It's for protection Tap your mouse here for more »
Think of the wonderful possibilities now that Michael Pineda and Jesus Montero have traded places
Savior in Seattle
It's not possible for the New York Yankees to feel the same way about Jesus Montero that the Seattle Mariners will. The Bronx Bombers play in a bandbox, their offense is rarely in crisis, and a problem in the batting order is easier to fix with moo-lah.
And Seattle probably couldn't appreciate Michael Pineda the way that the Yanks will. The M's have the kind of resource it takes to turn overachievers, busts and retreads into useful pitchers more easily than the average club.
But the Pinstripes are now in an unfamiliar position. And the Mariners don't have to toss any ol' bum into the rotation.
Cheap chumps on the bump Tap your mouse here for more »
Fantasy baseball players adore Kansas City Royals’ Eric Hosmer, but Mike Moustakas is more attractive
Moustakas is lookin' good
Don't get me wrong. Eric Hosmer is handsome. He looked better without facial hair, but his intense eyes and chiseled chin help to form the haunting mug that furnishes his dreaminess, which an indeterminately large portion of the ladies must appreciate.
Mike Moustakas is no ugly duckling, but he has nothing on his teammate. He has a by-gosh, D.B. Sweeney thing going on that appeals to no greater than a small faction of females. But if these babes are shallow, they've done their homework: He makes decent coin, and his earnings potential is ginormous.
In a charity date auction, Moustakas can't compete with Hosmer. In a rotisserie auction, the former has the goods, but even the depthless dames are disinclined to dabble. Damn, that's cold.
Show Moustakas some love Tap your mouse here for more »
Brett Gardner doesn’t grow on trees
Gardner getting greater
At MLB's Winter Meetings, the New York Yankees are busy trying to find someone to take a cement-shoed A.J. Burnett of their hands. (Tim Heaney, meanwhile, reckons that there's still reason for fantasy baseball gamers to avoid writing off the right-hander. Shazzam. Seriously, he's onto something.)
They're also receiving some inquiries about the availability of Brett Gardner. And maybe they're listening. But no rational being expects the storied franchise to part with the 28-year-old left fielder. He's one of the most valuable players in the sport, according to advanced metrics.
In rotisserie baseball, he hasn't reached that level of distinction. But he isn't far from it.
Gardner's seeds planted Tap your mouse here for more »
Justin Verlander, most veritable player
More games, most game?
Can a pitcher be a league's most valuable player?
In 2011, Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury played in 158 games and manned center field for 1,358 1/3 stanzas. He won Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.
In 2011, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander made 34 starts and pitched only 251 innings. He won a Cy Young Award.
What excludes a pitcher?
Just juxta-position Tap your mouse here for more »
David Freese: next fantasy baseball player to see playoff-propelled price hike?
Deep Freese rises to surface
The St. Louis Cardinals' victory in the 2011 World Series may not have occurred without the timely hitting and general boost to the offense that David Freese provided throughout the MLB playoffs. In 71 plate appearances, he posted a .397/.465/.794 slash line, with five home runs, eight doubles and 21 RBIs.
Some roto players have a tendency to put extra stock in a player's earnings potential because of his postseason hero from the previous fall. That's particularly true if the source is an unlikely protagonist who possesses upside but hasn't realized it for more than short stretches in the majors.
Price Freese in effect Tap your mouse here for more »
New York Mets refinancing Citi Field, ruining return on Johan Santana
The discomforts of home?
The New York Mets haven't officially announced their intentions to change the dimensions of Citi Field, but, unofficially, work has already begun. The club is shrinking the distance between home plate and the outfield wall to create a neutral setting. A little more than a month ago, general manager Sandy Alderson all but confirmed that these alterations would take place.
The focus has been the improvements with respect to offense. It's no secret that multiple Metropolitans were unhappy with the distance to the fence (as well, no doubt, the height of said fence). As a result of this project, fantasy baseball gamers might - might - renew their interest in players like the formerly displeased David Wright (if he sticks around) and Jason Bay.
Did anybody ask Johan Santana - or any Mets pitcher, for that matter - for some input?
Increasing interest, passing principle Tap your mouse here for more »
Matt Kemp’s 2012 fantasy baseball value already doubtable
Counting on Kemp as a cash crop?
Last week, Baseball America revealed its 2011 Major League Player of the Year: Matt Kemp.
Seven months ago, scorned fantasy baseball players were still cursing the son of a benchwarmer's .249 batting average, 82 runs, 28 ding dongs, 89 RBIs and 19 stolen bases (in 34 attempts!) of 2010. They'd paid damn good money for or spent too valuable a pick on the Los Angeles Dodgers' center fielder, and they weren't about to repeat that mistake.
Members of the rotisserie rejected hurled obscenities at him (for a different reason) all season. They had some not-so-nice words for his 2011 owners, too, while they were at it. But, as the two factions put the past aside, they must have similar feelings about one thing: their price point for Kemp in 2012.
Are you in the Kemp kamp? Tap your mouse here for more »
Down with others’ rotisserie rubbish – or, ORR
Boesch: future dentist?
A few weeks ago, Steve Gardner (of Fantasy Windup fame as well as the champion of AL LABR [2010] and NL Tout Wars [2011]), a participant in KFFL's fantasy baseball analysis draft and expert league, mentioned to Tim Heaney and yours truly that he'd like to see a "How I won K-BAD" piece from one of us.
That, of course, depended on which of us ended up the victor, and it was assuming that Baseball Prospectus' Joe Hamrahi didn't walk away with the title on Sept. 28. Hamrahi was in fact the defending champ, and Heaney claimed victory in 2009. Gardner, who finished fourth this year, was Heaney's primary combatant in that '09 race.
It wasn't something I thought about much at the time, especially considering that Joe and Tim had launched onslaughts on the top position I'd held somewhat comfortably for most of the summer and had thus planted a few seeds of doubt in the ol' coconut. In fact, I didn't think about it at all until a couple of days ago.
Just stash trash Tap your mouse here for more »
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