Legendary Battle: Sam Fuld versus Jed Lowrie

Fantasy Forum

These days, if you're a fan of Major League Baseball and follow anyone on Twitter blogging about baseball, then you're surely aware of a legendary battle taking place amongst the hashtags.

First out of the gates was the #LegendofSamFuld, dedicated to Tampa Bay Rays' outfielder Sam Fuld as he burst onto the baseball scene as a result of the Manny Ramirez retirement fiasco. A recent 12-game stretch of Fuld's produced these eye-opening stats: .420 BA (21/50), 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 8 R, 7 SB, 3 BB, 3 K along with many defensive gems and a string of "legends" the likes that haven't been seen since Chuck Norris. Here's a sample of a few gems:

• Sam Fuld eats Chick-Fil-A on Sundays.
• Superman wears Sam Fuld pajamas.
• Sam Fuld can divide by zero.
• Honus Wagner bought a Sam Fuld rookie card at auction.

One of the most memorable moments during Fuld's legendary ascent was in a game against the Boston Red Sox in which he only needed a single to complete hitting for the cycle and adding his name to the Rays' record books forever decided to stretch a ninth-inning single into a double and there was no turning back from his legendary status.

While the Sam Fuld legend was growing, a new legend was being birthed in Boston for their own cult hero, Jed Lowrie, with the #LegendofJedLowrie hashtag. Lowrie is in the midst of his own eye-popping offensive assault over his last nine games: .531 BA (17/32), 2 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R, 0 SB, 1 BB, 5 K, spurring legends such as these:

• Jed Lowrie doesn't have a shadow.
• Unicorns drink Jed Lowrie's blood to stay hidden and magical.
• Harry Caray has decided to come back to announce a game with
  Jed Lowrie playing.

To get a pulse of what other baseball bloggers had to say about which side of these legends their allegiances lay, I reached out in this edition of my Fantasy Forum series to fellow Baseball Bloggers Alliance members and other friends I've made in the blogosphere, and here is what they had to say on the subject of "legendary".

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Michael Clair (@clairbearattack) of Old Time Family Baseball weighed in with:
There hasn't been a more fun story in baseball than the emergence of Sam Fuld. Fuld, a career fringe Major Leaguer, diabetic, and player who grew up obsessing over statistics, is the patron saint of the superfan. He's like us, only phenomenally gifted at playing baseball.

While his .344/.379/.525 start has been exciting and proof that he has is deserving of more Major League than given in previous years, it's not time to anoint him a fantasy god. Fuld doesn't offer enough power for a corner outfielder, having never topped six home runs in a minor league season, and his career .777 minor league OPS doesn't offer much hope either. He has an excellent batting eye, so if your fantasy league uses OBP instead of batting average, he's an great pick up. Fuld is a #Legend because he's a great guy who followed a unique career path and doesn't embarrass himself with extended playing time, something that is still a rarity. If anyone can prove me wrong though, it's Fuld.

Jed Lowrie, currently doing his best Troy Tulowitzki impression, is a different story. Three years ago Lowrie looked like the shortstop of the future for the Red Sox, hitting .258 with 25 doubles as a 24 year-old rookie and his offensive future was bright. At 27, Lowrie is just now entering his prime and with a few more good weeks, he should wrestle the starting job away from Marco Scutaro. If Francona can get him enough at-bats, and considering his home ballpark, Lowrie is a good bet to hit at least .275 with 15 or so home runs. How many shortstops managed to do both last season? Four. Troy Tulowitzki, Hanley Ramirez, Alexei Ramirez, and Stephen Drew, with Miguel Tejada just missing the cut.

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Rob Munstis (@bottomlinesox) of The Bottom Line weighed in with:
The legend of Jed Lowrie began in 2007. He tore through Double A and Triple A like Pecos Bill riding a tornado, hitting a combined .298 that year, while smashing 47 doubles, 8 triples and 13 homers while playing all over the infield. In 2008, he earned a spot on the big league roster and the Red Sox rode his bat through August, while Jed hit .284 with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 1 homer and 24 RBI in 102 at-bats.

It seemed Jed was desitined for greateness, but injuries and illness plagued the mighty Jed in 2009 and 2010... and whispers of a new "shortstop of the future" with "magic hands" began to spread through New England.

Jed returned to the field in 2011 and quietly made the team as the utility infielder, ready to wait his turn. But with the Red Sox floundering to an 0-5 start, the need for a hero grew, and Jed was ready. After a battle with the hated Yankees, Lowrie exploded onto the scene, starting 6 of the next 8 games and leading the offense with his Paul Bunyan-like lumber - hitting .465 with an 1.115 OPS, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 9 runs and 11 RBI, while players with bigger and much bigger contracts struggled to keep up.

Bottom Line: All joking aside, Lowrie is on a roll right now, and has more talent and power than Marco Scutaro. The Sox will create ways to squeeze him into the lineup, but he may struggle to log 400+ at-bats as long as Scutaro remains in Boston. Ride the wave and sell high when you can.

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Kyle Phillippi (@PiratesGab) of Pirates Gab weighed in with:
Heroes come and go, but legends stay forever. A recent surge on Twitter has dubbed Sam Fuld and Jed Lowrie 'legends.' But wait? They seem a bit young to be legends already, to be compared to the likes of Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols. In my opinion, none are legends right now, but down the road, I could see Sam Fuld being the legend. As of Thursday night, Fuld was batting .344 with a .380 OBP. That's quite impressive for anyone, let alone a three-year player.

My favorite Sam Fuld tweet: Sam Fuld can steal first base.

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Jonathan C. Mitchell (@FigureFilbert) of MLB Dirt weighed in with:
Player A - .284/.372/.401 with a 112 wRC+ and 1.3 fWAR and 1.2 rWAR in 115 games.
Player B - .267/.345/.446 with a 108 wRC+ and 4.3 fWAR and 4.1 rWAR in 182 games.

Player A - 11.9% Walk rate and 12.2% Strikeout rate and 5.9 Speed Score.
Player B – 10.9% Walk rate and 21.7% Strikeout rate and 3.3 Speed Score.

Player A - Can play all three outfield positions and is 29 years old.
Player B - Can play all four infield positions and is 27 years old.

Both “Legends” have struggled in small sample sizes and both have flourished in small sample sizes. Neither has enough experience to paint a perfect picture of which “Legend” will continue to perform at a high level of play.

Both Sam Fuld and Jed Lowrie have the ability to be contributing factors to any team. Fuld could be most team’s starting centerfielder and is a major fan favorite. I had the pleasure of talking to him last night about his “Legendary” status and he is enjoying the ride and thanking the fans along the way by signing autographs for a minimum of 20 minutes before each game. I mean, this is a guy that eats Chick-Fil-A on Sundays and had April 11th renamed April Fuld’s Day in his honor. But, due to his position, age, Fan Nation, and better minor league track record, Lowrie is more likely to be an All-Star and carry the legend on for seasons to come.

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From my fantasy perspective: I think Sam Fuld has the longer leash on job stability this season since the Rays are in a transition  year, of sorts, and that could allow him to get 600 at-bats to prove whether or not he's in their long term plans. Is a .300+ batting average with 30+ steals really that far-fetched? That's better than what Brett Gardner will put up this season.

Jed Lowrie probably has more fantasy upside, as long as he remains in the mix for at-bats. He already qualifies at 2B/SS and could be working towards some more time at 3B if the Kevin Youkilis injury is serious. He has more HR/RBI upside and could score as many runs as Fuld in a Red Sox lineup that will eventually start running on all cylinders.

As far as #Legend's go, I think the #LegendofSamFuld has more staying power. One, it comes from a place of true fandom for a player that is the epitome of gritty. And two, it's the original. Unfortunately the folks driving the #LegendofJedLowrie have taken to attacks against Fuld rather than simply promoting all that they love about their hometown hero. And that act tends to get old.

Fantasy Forum: The Bryce Harper Edition

Fantasy Forum

For this edition of Fantasy Forum, I reached out to fellow
Baseball Blogger Alliance members to get their opinions on the Washington Nationals phenom outfielder Bryce Harper and what they think is in store for the 2011 season and beyond. Here's what they had to say.

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William Tasker (@FlagrantFan) of The Flagrant Fan says:
Bryce Harper sure was fun while he lasted. All the experts say he's not ready. He needs more time. But the kid did everything right in his brief time in the Nationals' camp. He said the right things, he handled himself well. It was a blast to watch. It would have been great if the Nationals could live outside the box. The fan interest would have been huge. But we all know about the clock that the teams have to delay for financial reasons. We all know about the history and that no eighteen year old has ever played well in Major League Baseball. But there's always a first time. There's always a phenomenon waiting to happen if given a chance. And yes, this is all emotion and the voice of a fan. Sometimes it feels good to throw analytical thinking into suspension for a brief few moments. But, alas, sanity and business has trumped the dream.

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Aaron Somers (@BlogFTBleachers) of Blogging From The Bleachers says:
Ultimately I think the Nationals are taking a smart approach to Bryce Harper. Yes, we all understand that he is an immense talent and potentially an offensive standout before the age of 20 - something we have not seen since Alex Rodriguez. But, he is highly inexperienced and highly unproven to date. Allowing Harper to spend some time in the minor leagues will prove to be wise for a number of reasons. He will be able to grow and mature as a player - learning the professional game, coping with life on the road, adjusting to being an outfielder full time, and growing as a player. He'll also be able to mature as a person which can only be a good thing for anyone who is destined to be in the spotlight as much as he will be.

The Nationals have some solid building blocks in place to build around going forward - namely Strasburg and the two Zimmerman(n)s - and Harper will prove to be a nice compliment to that trio. The team is not ready to win it all right now, which further reinforces their intentions to let Harper gain some seasoning in the minor leagues rather than rushing him to the Majors. I'm not certain what their specific plan is for Harper this season, but I think we could see him on something similar to the schedule Strasburg found himself on last season. He'll begin in A ball, gain X number of plate appearances, and then he'll move up to AA. Again he'll remain there for a predetermined number of plate appearances before moving on to AAA to finish the season. This lets him gain some experience and confidence, work his way through the various levels of competition, and ultimately put Harper in a position where he can come into Spring Training in 2012 primed to win a starting role in Washington.

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Kyle Phillippi (@Kyle_Phillippi) of
GCOBB.com says:
Bryce Harper is a great story, but he'll be nothing more than "a #1 pick" this season. He certainly has all the potential in the world to make it to the majors... but not this season. There's no need for the Nationals, who most likely will not compete in 2011, to rush him out onto the field for the simple fact that he will sell seats.

Let the kid gradually enter the big leagues, just as every other prospect does. So far, Harper appears to have a good head on him, but even the slightest bit of favoritism could cause him to turn into a young, arrogant player. Washington should treat him the same way as the guy sitting next to him in Single-A.

For now, he's got all the hype in the world. His time will come, trust me.

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Dave Nichols (@natsnewsnetwork) of
Nationals News Networks says:
Bryce Harper is a phenomenal talent. He has great natural power to all fields, a good idea at the plate, and tremendous hustle and work ethic. He's an all-out baserunner with good speed, and as a plus, he displays a ridiculous arm from right field. But he needs to see more balls hit to him in the field as he adjusts to playing the outfield and learn the best time to throw to a base or hit the cut-off man.

He hit .378/.450/.556 (7-for-18) with three doubles and five RBIs in 13 spring training games, but most of those at bats came against pitchers not slated for the big leagues, as he was a replacement in each of the games he played. He more than held his own, though. He was hit with a pitch in his last appearance before being sent out to minor league camp Saturday, and after reacting to the sting, he calmly shook it off and took his base.

His spring training experience, coupled with his success playing twice a week in the Arizona Fall League, leaves most with the impression he won't need much seasoning in the minor leagues.

Before seeing him play, I had him pegged for the minors all season, as Nats GM Mike Rizzo has said on numerous occasions that they aren't going to rush Harper to the big leagues. The organization would prefer that he play everyday in the minors, learning how to be a professional player.

There's also the "old school" in Rizzo that wants Harper to ride the buses and carry his own bags and pay for his late-night dinners out of per diem like just about every other ballplayer in the history of the game.

But watching him perform during spring training, I could also see him dominating the low minors and forcing the team's hand. What Rizzo doesn't want to do is call him up and return him to the minors, so whenever he gets that call, expect it to be permanent.

Bottom line: Harper lives up to the hype. He's an exciting, energetic, powerful, dynamic player, and I expect his Major League debut as soon as the Nats feel comfortable with his defensive play in the outfield.

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Jonathan C. Mitchell (@FigureFilbert) of
MLB Dirt says:
Bryce Harper may be the most talented position player to come along since Alex Rodriguez but we have to remember that he should also be a senior in high school right now. Historically, teenagers have struggled at the highest level. Does that mean Harper will too? There is only one way to find out. The fan in me wants to see him play this year and start in center but the realist in me knows he needs to start in AA and get regular at-bats against professionals before making the unprecedented jump to the Majors.

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Scott Willis (@crazycrabbers) of
The Crazy Crabbers says:
Having gone through the torture of waiting for the anointed one to arrive last season with Buster Posey, I can certainly sympathize with Nationals fans. That being said I come down squarely in not rushing the kid. The risk of pushing him too fast into a level that he is not ready for comes with huge downside risk and very little to gain.

If he is pushed and struggles there are all sorts of bad things that could happen to him and the last thing you want is him to question his ability or plant the seed in the minds of fans that he is a bust. Look no further then Matt Wieters who is being called a bust by people that don't know much after being taped as a MVP candidate his rookie season. Patience and caution are in order here.

The reason that there is little to gain is because if he is really ready he will force his way up by tearing up the minors. If he spend a few months in the minors and shows that he is ready and makes a June or July debut it costs the Nationals a couple of wins but at this early date only the most optimistic would assume that they have a chance at contending this season. So plan for the future and don't put too much pressure on the kid and with that I would put an ETA of early 2012 on him.

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Daniel Aubain (@COSFBA) of COSFBA says:
Clearly, Bryce Harper is a special talent rarely seen in an 18 year old ballplayer but it's clear that the Nationals are going to take there time to allow him to learn being an outfielder at the minor league level rather than take his bumps and bruises in the majors. This isn't the NBA, NFL or even the NHL we're talking about, where kids out of high school can achieve immediate success in their sport. It takes time to learn the ins-and-out of the what it takes to play in the MLB. The length of the season alone is a huge adjustment for most.

Alex Rodriguez and Robin Yount are two of the most-notable modern-day players given a chance to play at the major league level as an 18 year old and neither saw measurable success until years later. Does Harper deserve to be in the same conversation as these two Hall of Famers (insert PEDs arguement here!), only time will tell.

Readers: I'd love to hear your comments and opinions of Harper and feel free to make comparisons, statistical projections and/or wild career predictions. Oh, and please visit the contributors websites and follow them on
Twitter.

Fantasy Forum: Finding Keepers: 09/20/2010

Fantasy Forum

Unfortunately for most fantasy baseball managers, the season has already come to an end and it's time to start focusing on next season and that brings us to the issue of "keepers". Now for discussion sake, we will talk about keeper leagues with the simple rule of "you get to carry over X amount of players on your roster". I've seen and been part of leagues where the rules for keepers is more complex than Euler's formula.

How do you evaluate keepers on your roster? Simply the five highest-ranked players? Do you factor in position scarcity? Does Derek Jeter become a keeper based on being the fourth-best shortstop option (statistically) even though he is ranked 102 overall (per Yahoo!)? Category balance (a HR guy, SB guy, SP ace, elite closer for SV)? Do you prefer to use keepers on the "next great thing" like stashing a Posey, Santana or Strasburg on your roster for the potential to your roster? Or do you play fantasy baseball to own all your hometown favorites (I'm talking to you Cubs and White Sox fans)?

I'd love to hear your opinion on how you go about evaluating who to keep and some strategies for managers in keeper leagues for the first time.

Over the next few weeks I am going to go team-by-team identifying keeper options (called "Finding Keepers") and why, so keep an eye out for those articles.

Fantasy Forum: 06/13/2010

Fantasy Forum

Dictionary.com defines regret as "to feel sorrow or remorse for".
And to quote the immortal Frank Sinatra, "Regrets? I've had a few..."

This edition of Fantasy Forum asks what regrets have you had so far this season? Poor draft pick? Unfortunate keeper? Bailed too soon on a gamble? Pulled the trigger too late on a waiver claim?

Looking back at a draft I had, I found two regrets. I drafted Raul Ibanez as my third outfielder with the 106th pick in the 8th round. I've never been a fan and knew last year's stats were a fluke but I panicked and made the selection. With my last pick (30th round, 414th pick), I drafted Jose Bautista. I promptly dropped him a few days later for David Robertson. The regret comes knowing I missed out on 18 home runs and 45 RBI since then.

I'm sure I'll find more regrets as I look through each of my four teams but I'm very interested in hearing yours.

I'll post more of mine on Twitter, so be sure to follow me there, too.

Fantasy Debate: 5/19/2010

Fantasy Forum

Question: Do your personal feelings regarding a player or team affect the way you draft and manage your fantasy baseball teams?

I'm interested in people's personal philosophies and how that bleeds into the realm of fantasy baseball. An example would be a Red Sox fan never drafting any Yankees players for any reason, ever! Or if you ban any player that's been involved in the whole steroids mess? Avoid Ranger pitchers because of the ballpark factor?

I'll start...I follow the stats and the stats tell me who to draft and who to avoid. That's why this game is called "fantasy baseball" and not "reality baseball". I drafted Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds back in the day along with Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez. I try to build winning teams, not politically-correct or socially-accepted ones. Do I want to go out and get a beer with Brett Myers (domestic violence incident, sports reporter tirade )? NO! But if Myers is in the midst of a nice run of games pitched and he is available on waivers, I will be the guy picking him up and streaming him.

Another example is that I tend to systematically avoid Pittsburgh Pirates' starting pitchers. How can I draft pitchers that are in the midst of a 17-season losing streak? They always seem to have pitchers with lots of potential (Duke, Maholm, Ohlendorf) but falter. Until the stats prove otherwise, I'll avoid the whole lot.

So, that's just the sort of commenting I'm hoping to gain from this debate. Chime in and be heard in this initial installment of COSFBA's "Fantasy Debate". I handed out a bunch of personal invites on Twitter and hoping many of those "experts" will give an opinion on this matter.

UPDATE: Be sure to expand the comments to see some more opinions on this topic.