A Steady Stream: Probables for May 5th, 2011

SEA

A Steady Stream will be a semi-regular column that looks at probable pitchers starting games tomorrow and owned in approximately less than 50% of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues that could be "stream-worthy" if they are available in your league.

Here are my "stream-worthy" pitchers for games to be played on a shortened schedule for Thursday, May 5th, 2011:

• Colby Lewis, TEX (50% ESPN; 54% Yahoo!) @ Jason Vargas, SEA (0.1% E; 3%Y!) - Both pitchers are streaming options in this game. Lewis finally got things going in 2011 with an eight inning, six hit, one walk, six strikeout effort win against the A's his last time out and looked strong, too. He's 0-3 in five career starts with a 3.82 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched at SAFECO. Vargas hasn't faired well at home this season, going 0-2 in four starts with a 6.86 ERA in 21 innings pitched. VERDICT: Stream Lewis
• Brandon Beachy, ATL (49.7% E; 36% Y!) vs Shaun Marcum, MIL - In 36.1 innings, Beachy is just 1-1 but has recorded a quality start in each of his last three starts. His 36:10 K:BB ratio is the real deal as is his 8.92 K/9 ratio. His 3.47 ERA and 0.99 WHIP make him not only streamable but ownable. This is Milwaukee's second look at him and Marcum (3-1, 2.21 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) is a tough match up but a pitcher putting up number like Beachy deserves to be run out there every fifth day until he proves otherwise. VERDICT: Stream/Own Beachy
• John Lackey, BOS (35.1% E; 45% Y!) vs Joel Pineiro, LAA (10.6% E; 5% Y!) - Both pitchers are streaming options in this game. Lackey has strung together three straight quality starts after a miserable start. It helps his case that the Red Sox offense is producing. Pineiro made his first start of the season a good one against the Rays (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) after missing the first month of the season with shoulder issues. VEDICT: Stream Lackey at home
• Chris Tillman, BAL (0.4% E; 2% Y!) @ Bruce Chen, KC (8.8% E; 12% Y!) - Both pitchers are streaming options in this game. Something about this match up is screaming slugfest to me. VERDICT: Avoid both pitchers at all costs.

There's one match up involving a streamer which I really like:

• Jason Hammel, COL (3.9% E; 5% Y!) @ Ian Kennedy, ARI - Hammel has quietly gone 3-1 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 18:8 K:BB ratio in 30.2 innings pitched. Team have a .283 BAA (batting average against) and a perfectly average .301 BABIP, so I think what we are seeing is for real. In six career starts against the Rockies, Kennedy is 0-1 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 26:15 K:BB ration in 32 innings. VERDICT: Stream Hammel and be prepared to own him

Avoid streaming these available pitchers at all costs:

• Jake Westbrook, STL (3% E; 3%Y!) vs Josh Johnson, FLA - Johnson should have been the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter this season. His stuff has been filthy.
• Mike Pelfrey, NYM (0.9% E; 6% Y!) vs Jonathan Sanchez, SF - Pelfrey has been horrible (1-3, 7.39 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, 16:13 K:BB ratio) and until he can string together several quality starts in a row, he should be avoided.
• Rick Porcello, DET (3.3% E; 5% Y!) vs A.J. Burnett, NYY - On any given night, the Yankees offense can go crazy on a pitcher and they seem due. Porcello could easily be the next sacrificial lamb if he's not careful.
• John Lannan, WAS (0.7% E; 1% Y!) vs Roy Halladay, PHI - This is not so much anti-Lannan as it is pro-Halladay. Look elsewhere if you are desperate for a streamable pitcher.
• Homer Bailey, CIN (0.4% E; 8% Y!) vs Brett Myers, HOU - Bailey is making his first start of the season and needs to string some healthy starts together before being worth a look as a streaming option.

Some might argue that it's a little early in the season to already be streaming and that might be true for the Rotisserie crowd but head-to-head leaguers need to be looking at those match ups daily to see if there's an opportunity to win a category or two with some strategic streams.

Be sure to check back each morning to see who earns COSFBA's "Line of the Day" award and nominate your own if you disagree or had a different player of impact on your squad.

Waiver Saviors: April's Fantasy Baseball All-Stars

SEA

My Waiver Saviors articles have always been about finding players available in a high percentage of leagues (I use ESPN and Yahoo! data because those are the two sites I personally prefer to play leagues in) and are having a statistical impact at the time the article is written.

This version of Waiver Saviors will look at a lineup of All-Star performances by players either not drafted or drafted near the end of most drafts this offseason. ESPN only tracks ADP (Average Draft Position) up to 260 picks and it looks like Yahoo! is in the same neighborhood. I believe a standard 5x5 10-team league uses 26 roster spots by default.

Here are your Fantasy Baseball Wavier Saviors All-Stars through the month of April:

• Catcher Russell Martin of the New York Yankees has shown he's fully recovered from his injury and reversed the downward trend his career was taking with the Dodgers. His 5x5 line of .293/13/6/19/2 makes him the #1-ranked catcher in ESPN and Yahoo! leagues. He was virtually undrafted on ESPN (260) and while he did a little better on Yahoo! (213.5). Joe Mauer owners need to step away from the edge.
• First baseman Ike Davis of the New York Mets is showing owners he's worth all of the hype he received last season. His 5x5 line of .337/16/5/20 has him ranked 7th on ESPN and 8th on Yahoo! among such fantasy heavyweights as Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard. All this from an ESPN ADP of 210.2 on ESPN and 229.2 on Yahoo!
• Second baseman Darwin Barney of the Chicago Cubs has secured the majority of the playing time with his 5x5 line of .326/15/1/14/1, after being virtually undrafted in all formats. Jeff Baker is still in the mix for playing time, so keep an eye on things if Barney falters and Baker takes advantage of additional at-bats.
• Third baseman Placido Polanco of the Philadelphia Phillies is healthy again and thriving as a fantasy baseball hitting machine. His 41 hits in just 26 games led to a 5x5 line of .398/18/2/19/3 from a player with an ADP of 203.3 on ESPN and 229.5 on Yahoo!
• Shortstop Jed Lowrie of the Boston Red Sox is proving he deserves to be in the mix for at-bats, having already made an appearance at all four infield positions, by producing a "legendary" 5x5 line of .368/13/3/12/0 in April.
• Outfielder Lance Berkman of the St. Louis Cardinals was considered by most to be on the downside of his career but has proved everyone wrong by opening the season with a 5x5 line of .393/23/8/22/0. Could he return to the player that has averaged 33 home runs and 110 RBI per 162 games played over his 13 year career? Current fantasy owners sure hope so.
• Outfielder Jeff Francoeur of the Kansas City Royals has regained some of his 2005-2007 lightning that made him a fantasy-relevant player breaking in with the Braves. Both he and the Royals were the butt of many offseason-signing jokes but who's laughing at his 5x5 line of .314/16/5/20/3 now?
• Outfielder Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs is tied for the major league lead in home runs with 10. Let that soak in for a moment as you look at the entire 5x5 line of .258/15/10/20/0 he was able to put up in April. His average and the fact that he's not stealing bases are both negatives but, for a player with an ADP of 207.8 on ESPN and 206.6 on Yahoo!, the risk versus reward factor is proving to be low at this point. Plus if he totally tanks it from this point on, very few owners will feel bad about dropping him to waivers.

This All-Star team deserves a place for two additional stars:

• Outfielder Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals has gone from highly touted rookie to fantasy baseball bust to roto-relevant in just five seasons in the big leagues. His early 5x5 line of .339/20/2/19/2 has ranked inside the top-20 on ESPN (17th) and Yahoo! (19th), thanks to a recent 19-game hitting streak.
• Outfielder Sam Fuld of the Tampa Bay Rays became a "legend" too when called upon to fill in for the retirement-bound Manny Ramirez. A recent 0-17 streak brought his 5x5 line down to .289/17/1/8/10, but quick reacting fantasy owners grabbing him off waivers aren't complaining...yet. It will be interesting to see what his numbers look like after the month of May is over.

No All-Star team would be complete without some pitchers, so here are a few that have dominated out of virtually nowhere:

• Starting pitcher Kyle Lohse of the St. Louis Cardinals went from undrafted to a must-own with a 4-1, 1.64 ERA, 0.73 WHIP start to the season.
• Starting pitcher James Shields of the Tampa Bay Rays has provided owners that drafted him in ESPN (203.9) and Yahoo! (225.2) leagues plenty to smile about by going 2-1 with a 2.14 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 46.1 innings pitched.
• Rookie starting pitcher Michael Pineda of the Seattle Mariners has started of his career with five straight quality starts and a 4-1 record, 2.01 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in just 31.1 innings. His ADP of 225.1 on ESPN and 237.4 on Yahoo! prove there were some very savvy owners grabbing him in the last few rounds of drafts.
• Starting pitcher Justin Masterson of the Cleveland Indians went 5-0 in April with five quality starts, a 2.18 ERA and 1.12 WHIP and seems ready to live up to the hype Red Sox fans witnessed back in 2008.
• Relief pitcher Brandon League of the Seattle Mariners has stepped in brilliantly for the injured David Aardsma as closer, going 7-for-7 in saves with a 2.45 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. Could a closer controversy be brewing? It will be interesting to watch what develops as Aardsma is due back soon.
•  Relief Pitcher Kyle Farnsworth of the Tampa Bay Rays has been given the first chance to be the team's closer and has done a good job, saving his first five chances before blowing a save on the last day of April. With young arms Joel Peralta and Jake McGee and an injured J.P. Howell due back soon, you wonder how much longer Farnsworth will get the call to close games.

So there are your April 2010 Waiver Saviors All-Stars. What players were you able to grab off waivers in your leagues who've made the most difference to your success in April? Are you daily or weekly change leagues? Which do you prefer?

Did You Know?: April 29th, 2011

SEA

If you weren't already aware, know this. I am a box score guy. I love the simplicity of the story it tells with numbers. I'm also excited about all of the new baseball statistics that seem to pop up yearly and even though I'm a little late to the game in understanding their utmost importance in using them when evaluating fantasy baseball players, it doesn't mean that I'm not paying attention. I hope to incorporate more of them into my analysis as I see fit. Stay tuned.

Now on to some statistics which you may not be aware of nearly a full month into the season in the latest installment of Did You Know?:

• Adam Dunn has just two home runs and 10 RBI in 19 games this season, while Ben Zobrist accomplished those numbers in yesterday's doubleheader.
• Names I did not expect to see in the top 10 in Total Bases this early in the season: Lance Berkman (1st), Jeff Francoeur (tied 6th) and Ike Davis (tied 9th).
• Aren't stolen base guys supposed to be stealing bases? Juan Pierre has five steals and has been caught six times. Brett Gardner has four steals and has been caught three times. Chone Figgins has three steals and three caught stealings.
• Josh Johnson has allowed just 13 hits in 34 innings pitched. Batters are "hitting" .116 off of him this season.
• Austin Jackson is hitting just .167 (16/96) and has nearly twice the number of K's (31) as hits (16).
• Vladimir Guerrero is hitting .284 with a .303 BABIP with zero walks in 95 at-bats. He must like his own chances when swinging the bat. Hopefully you don't own him in an OBP league.
• Ryan Dempster has allowed 33 earned runs in 31 innings pitched. His ERA of 9.58 is higher than his K/9 ratio of 8.42.
• At age 37, Johnny Damon is on pace for 130 RBI in just 136 games played (20 RBI in 21 of Rays first 35 games). Don't forget about 26 HR/26 SB pace, too.
• Jorge Posada and Russell Martin have each hit six home runs in exactly 69 at-bats this season. Martin is batting .290 compared to Posada's .130 average.
• Huston Street leads the majors with nine saves and is on pace for 63 total.
• Matt Garza has 41 K's in just 30.2 innings pitched for a staggering 12.03 K/9 ratio yet he's 0-3 with a 4.11 ERA and an ugly WHIP of 1.47.

Are there some surprising statistics floating around out there already that have you scrambling to acquire or drop a player? If so, share them with the group, please. We all have a right to know.

Fantasy Baseball's Line of the Day: 04/27/2011

SEA

1B Justin Smoak of the Seattle Mariners was 2-for-4, homered and drove in a career-high five runs in a 10-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was Smoak's second home run in as many days and his fourth of the season.

Line: 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 5 RBI; HR, BB

My fantasy perspective: Smoak burst on the fantasy scene in 2010 as the "next great thing" at first base but struggled in Texas and Seattle to the tune of a .218 overall batting average. In 19 games this season, he's got a triple slash line of .302/.408/.571 with four home runs, 14 RBI and a 14/12 K/BB ratio. Only being 17.4% owned in ESPN leagues and 19% owned in Yahoo! leagues proves fantasy owners aren't sold that he's the real deal yet. He definitely needs to be owned in deeper mixed leagues that utilize roster positions such as CI, IF or even multiple DH or UT slots.

Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

A Steady Stream: Probables For 04/05/2011

SEA

A Steady Stream will be a semi-regular column that looks at probable pitchers starting games tomorrow and owned in approximately less than 50% of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues that could be "stream-worthy" if they are available in your league.

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Tuesday, 04/05/2011 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

• Anibal Sanchez, FLA (65.6% ESPN; 46% Yahoo! owned) @ home vs WAS (Jason Marquis) - In the first three games of the season, the Washington Nationals, as a team, are batting .209 with 1 HR and 8 Runs Scored. RISK: LOW
• Derek Lowe, ATL (58.1% E; 59% Y!)  @ MIL (Yovani Gallardo) - Reports have Lowe using his slider more and increasing his K/9 from a career rate of 5.9 to a rate of 8.6 over his last five starts of 2010. He opened 2011 with 6 K's in 5.2 IP (9.5 K/9) and faces a Brewers team that strikes out a lot but also hit home runs (7 in 4 games). RISK: MODERATE
• Gavin Floyd, CHW (24.4% E; 50% Y!) @ KC (Luke Hochevar) - The White Sox are scoring runs in bunches (8 runs per game) and Floyd should be the beneficiary of this lineup facing Hochevar. RISK: LOW
• Mike Leake, CIN (1.1% E; 4% Y!) @ home vs HOU (J.A. Happ) - As a team, the Reds are batting .350 in their first three games. Leake should be able to control an Astros offense (and I use that term lightly) that has a 28/3 K/BB ratio. RISK: LOW
• Jo-Jo Reyes, TOR (0.1% E; 1% Y!) @ home vs OAK (Dallas Braden) - Toronto is back to hitting home runs and scoring runs while Oakland is pitching well but struggling offensively. Is Reyes worth owning? This start will speak volumes about his fantasy value. RISK: MODERATE

Other possible streamers I'm simply avoiding:

• Michael Pineda, SEA (16.9% E; 31% Y!) @ Alexi Ogando, TEX (3.8% E; 8% Y!) - This could turn into a slugfest with two rookie pitchers going. I've got my eye on these two pitchers for future streaming opportunities. RISK: HIGH x 2
• James McDonald, PIT (4.2% E; 11% Y!) @ Kyle McClellan, STL (5.7% E; 30% Y!) - Again, too soon in the season to commit to either of these guys but worth monitoring. RISK: MODERATE x 2
• Chris Young, NYM (1.2% E; 17% Y!) @ PHI (Cole Hamels) - The Phillies, even without Chase Utley, can be a scary offensive team, especially at home. RISK: HIGH

Is it too early to already be looking at streaming a pitcher or two? Was that part of your draft strategy (LIMA Plan)? What are your personal feelings on streaming pitchers and the practice that may take place in your league? Are there policies in place to deter such behavior (IP limits, transaction limits, etc)? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

2011 Draft Results: First Basemen Targeted

SEA

If you are new to the world of fantasy baseball, you should be very aware that first base is traditionally a position of great depth filled with some of the most impactful players. Heading into the 2011 season, this still holds true. MockDraftCentral.com is showing 10 of the top 50 players being drafted currently qualify as first basemen. If your league uses a corner infielder (CI or 1B/3B), extra infielder (IF), designated hitter (DH) or even a utility slot (UTIL) or two, there's a great opportunity to add one or more of these highly coveted players.

I went into all of my drafts having some players within the different tiers of first basemen as targets but draft position was really going to determine who I grabbed in the early rounds and how that would shape my entire roster. I wound up drafting 1st, 6th, 8th and 7th in my four snake drafts which meant three of my four drafts would have a lot of familiar faces...so I thought.

But before getting to the snake draft results, I wanted to talk about my online auction draft, which had me aggressively biding for the players I deemed "must have" and produced some interesting results:

• Adam Dunn, CHW ($30)
• Paul Konerko, CHW ($20)
• Mitch Moreland, TEX ($4)
• Dan Johnson, TB ($1)

I was in on all of the big name first basemen (Pujols, Miggy, AGon, etc) early but wound up bailing when I realized the prices were going to go a lot higher than I was willing to go. That strategy allowed me to focus in on and win such big names as Tulo ($39) and CarGo ($34) and drop down into the next tier of players and outbid everyone for a nice Dunn/Konerko duo to fill my 1B and CI roster slots. Moreland was a definite "sleeper" target while  Johnson was simply a late-round flier to add some possible depth to my bench, IF he wins the starting job in Tampa Bay. There were 390 players drafted in this league, so I fell pretty confident in what I was able to acquire and look forward to putting this plan into action.


Snake drafts definitely allow you to focus in on player tiers a little easier than an auction because most people are choosing from the best available ranked players (minus the ones you know will be autopicked). And here are the results of my four snake drafts for players that currently qualify at first base (draft pick in parenthesis):

• Albert Pujols (1)
• Kevin Youkilis (23), Adam Dunn (34) and Brandon Belt (314)
• Adam Dunn (36), Ike Davis (204) and Brandon Belt (316)
• Adam Dunn (35), Gaby Sanchez (175) and Brandon Belt (330)

Okay, so I may have a man-crush on Adam Dunn. What's not to love about a guy that can crush 40 bombs in his sleep? The possibility of a devastatingly low batting average will always be there but I try to balance that out on my roster with a player that might offset the two categories where Dunn won't help you much these days (batting average and stolen bases). I believe so heavily in this strategy that one of the first fantasy baseball articles I ever had the opportunity to write was titled "Surviving Adam Dunn" in August of 2008.

The league where the only first baseman I drafted was the best one, Pujols, was a lot shallower than the other three and I was able to grab the versatile Michael Young (97) for my CI slot and heavily invest in quality outfielders in the early rounds; Matt Kemp (24), Ichiro Suzuki (48), Jayson Werth (49) and Hunter Pence (73).

Heavily investing three very late-round picks in Brandon Belt ("sleeper"?) seemed worth the upside risk of him becoming this season's Buster Posey. There's still a chance he will break camp with the Giants and receive a ton of playing time but, if not, June could be more realistic for his arrival. Either way, I was willing to take a shot to see how the first few weeks of the season play out and whether or not Belt will bring me any value on this relatively inexpensive investment.

Ike Davis and Gaby Sanchez are similar offensive players (.270/20/80) and the best available to fill a roster need in the middle rounds. Period. I may not be overly excited to own either but I think, at the end of the year, their steady production will prove to be valuable to the overall success of my teams.

Similarly to my catcher targets, my teams have a lot of commonalities on purpose. One, it makes it easier to manage multiple teams when it comes to injuries or slumps and two, these are the players I am most interested in following. The goal of all of my teams is to win (especially the one money league I decided to join) but I also enjoy having fun as a fan of the game of baseball.

What strategies did you use when it came to drafting players that qualified at first base? What unique settings does your league have in place that made some players more favorable than others? Do you change strategies based on a classic rotisserie league versus a head-to-head scoring league? Please feel free to comment on my players or share your personal experiences when looking back on your draft(s) outcomes.

Finding Keepers: Seattle Mariners

SEA

Even though the Seattle Mariners' 2010 offense as a whole was inept, they still managed to produce several very good individual fantasy baseball performances worthy of a keeper selection.

What little offense you do squeeze out of this team can probably be attributed to OF Ichiro Suzuki. He's led the MAJORS in hits seven out of his ten seasons since joining Seattle in 2001, while averaging 224 hits per season. He's also carrying a career .331 batting average and has hit .350 or better four times! RotoChamps.com reports his 2011 5x5 projections around .319/90/7/48/33 and ranks him as the 6th-best outfielder overall. Ichiro is one of those fantasy baseball players that you really know what you are getting when you draft (or keep) them and this season should be more of the same excellence.

Who knew that the major's worst offense would wind up being at the center of the AL Cy Young Award voting too? SP Felix Hernandez received the lowest Run Support Average of all qualifying pitchers in the majors for 2010 and it was reflected in the fact that he recorded 30 Quality Starts in 34 Games Started but produced just a 13-12 record. "King Felix" led the AL in Innings Pitched with 249.2 and the majors with a 2.27 ERA. At just 24 years old, the sky's the limit for a pitcher that deserves so much more support than the anemic Seattle Mariners offense can provide him.

2B Chone Figgins was just one of the many Mariners that had an awful offensive season, hitting a career-low .259 and scoring a career-low 62 runs. Positively, Figgins still managed to steal 42 bases and could come at a discount in auctions and new league drafts. There's talk that he'll be moved back to third base for the 2011 season, so he should gain 3B eligibility early enough in the season to give owners some nice roster flexibility with a guy that could easily produce a .280/90/2/45/40 line.

Best of the rest but not keepers:

• We all want 1B Justin Smoak to be a viable fantasy option at first base but he's yet to prove worthy of the hype. Projections on RotoChamp.com have him hitting as low as .233 with just 12 home runs and as high as .261 with 20 home runs. Get back to me in 2012.
• OF Franklin Gutierrez has 15 HR/20 SB potential but with a .260 batting average. He has value in larger, mixed-format leagues but not as a keeper.
• C Miguel Olivo was signed to be the regular catcher for his 20 HR potential. Unfortunately, he also brings a .246 career batting average.
• On the plus side, 1B/DH Jack Cust averages 27 HR per 162 games played with a career OBP of .378. Negatively, his career batting average is .245 and strikes out 197 times per 162 games played. Has much more value in leagues that use OBP instead of BA but will never be a keeper.
• 2B Dustin Ackley looks to be the future at second base and could see significant time in the majors this season but has little fantasy value at this point for 2011. Keep a close eye on him this Spring.

There's not a lot to get excited about when looking over the current Seattle Mariners roster once you get past the elites. Their farm system is currently ranked 16th out of 30, so even the near future seems dim. I'd love to hear from someone that covers the Mariners for a living or a die-hard fan on what to look for in 2011 and beyond.

I'm nearing the end of my keeper previews of all teams, so if you'd like to see what I've done so far, please check out  the article tag "Finding Keepers" at http://www.cosfba.com/search/label/Finding%20Keepers.

2010 Fantasy Baseball Awards: 10/09/2010

SEA

The 2010 regular season is now behind us and it's time to hand out some hardware. The Baseball Bloggers Alliance has new names for the awards we all know and love and I'll be handing them out from a fantasy perspective. And the winners are...

The Connie Mack Award for AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, TB

Joe Maddon manages the Rays like a true fantasy baseball god. Position flexibility is the best friend of every good fantasy baseball manager and Maddon gets the most out of his roster. Ben Zobrist played 15 games at 1B, 56 at 2B, 2 at 3B, 1 in LF, 14 in CF and 104 in RF. He used Sean Rodriguez at 1B for 3 games, 94 at 2B, 7 at 3B, 5 at SS, 5 in LF, 9 in CF and 8 in RF. He batted his catcher, John Jaso, in the leadoff spot for 169 at bats (+ 30 walks) to the tune of a .380 on-base percentage. Toss in guys like Reid Brignac (2B/SS/RF) and Willy Aybar (1B/2B/3B) and you can see why Maddon is taking home this award.
2nd Place: Ron Washington, TEX
3rd Place: Ron Gardenhire, MIN

The Connie Mack Award for NL Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox, ATL

Bobby Cox managed his Braves to the NL Wild Card and probably helped many fantasy managers win their leagues with the likes of fantasy no-names such as 1B/2B/3B Martin Prado and 2B/3B/SS/LF/RF Omar Infante. Cox is single-handedly responsible for convincing Billy Wagner to come to Atlanta to be his closer and Wagner responded big time (7-2, 37 SV, 1.43 ERA, 0.87 WHIP). Add potential NL Rookie of the Year Jason Heyward and NL Comeback Player of the Year Tim Hudson into the mix and you can see why Bobby Cox is taking home this award.
2nd Place: Bruce Bochy, SF
3rd Place: Bud Black, SD

The Willie Mays Award for AL Rookie of the Year: RP Neftali Feliz, TEX

I hate the mantra, "Don't pay for saves", because sometimes saves are worth paying top dollar for (Mariano Rivera, for one). For those owners that were able to get Neftali Feliz at the end of their drafts (ADP 222.5), they struck fantasy gold. Frank Francisco opened the season as the Texas Rangers' closer and promptly blew two saves (April 8th and 10th). Feliz recorded his first save on April 12th and never looked back, converting 40 of 43 save opportunities the season.
2nd Place: Austin Jackson, DET
3rd Place: Brennan Boesch, DET

The Willie Mays Award for NL Rookie of the Year: C Buster Posey, SF

Most people would agree that this award was a two-horse race, Jason Heyward and Buster Posey. Looking at it from a fantasy perspective, their numbers were relatively similar. The differences are that Posey put his numbers (.305/18/67) in 108 games while Heyward put up his numbers (.277/18/72) in 142 games. Also, Hayward's ADP was 114.1 while Posey was virtually undrafted. Lastly, Posey put up premium numbers for a catcher and finished 3rd overall for his position while Heyward finished as the 40th ranked outfielder.
2nd Place: Jason Heyward, ATL
3rd Place: Jaime Garcia, STL


The Goose Gossage Award for AL Top Reliever: RP Rafael Soriano, TB

Rafael Soriano was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Braves and immediately slotted to be the team's closer. Soriano responded by leading the AL in saves with 45 and proved to be an incredible fantasy value with an ADP of 161.8.
2nd Place: Joakim Soria, KC
3rd Place: Neftali Feliz, TEX

The Goose Gossage Award for NL Top Reliever: RP Carlos Marmol, CHC

The 2010 Chicago Cubs didn't have much go right for them but moving Carlos Marmol into the closer role was definitely the right move. Marmol saved 38 of 43 games while striking out an astounding 138 in just 77.2 innings pitched. That translated into an eye-popping 15.99 K/9 ratio. To put that into perspective, his 138 K's were more than big name starting pitchers such as Clay Buchholz (17-7, 120 K, 173.2 IP), Carlos Zambrano (11-6, 117 K, 129.2 IP) and Carl Pavano (17-11, 117, 221 IP).
2nd Place: Brian Wilson, SF
3rd Place: Heath Bell, SD

The Walter Johnson Award for AL Cy Young: SP Felix Hernandez, SEA

I've run a points-based fantasy baseball league for the last several years and the points for pitching categories has accurately predicted the Cy Young's (yes, even Zack Greinke). And this year's numbers spit out Felix Hernandez as the number one AL pitcher, hence the award. Where do other's fall on the list? CC Sabathia is 9th overall and 5th in the AL. David Price is 10th overall and 6th in the AL. Why isn't anyone talking about Jered Weaver (5th overall and 2nd in the AL) and Jon Lester (6th overall and 3rd in the AL) in the AL Cy Young race? Yes wins matter to a pitcher but there is more to winning this award than just wins.
2nd Place: Jered Weaver, LAA
3rd Place: Jon Lester, BOS

The Walter Johnson Award for NL Cy Young: SP Roy Halladay, PHI

This award allows for little controversy, in my humble opinion. Yes, the NL has some very worthy pitchers (Adam Wainwright, Ubaldo Jimenez, Tim Lincecum) but this award starts and ends with Roy Halladay. He lead the major leagues in innings pitched, was 5th in strikeouts, tied for 4th in quality starts, lead in complete games and shutouts...and oh, by the way, pitched a regular season perfect game (and a playoff no hitter). "Pay that man his money."
2nd Place: Adam Wainwright, STL
3rd Place: Ubaldo Jimenez, COL

The Stan Musial Award for AL MVP: 3B/OF Jose Bautista, TOR

You don't hit 54 home runs in a season and NOT win an MVP award, especially when you were virtually undrafted, such as Jose Bautista was. Statistically speaking, he produced the second-most fantasy points behind a guy you may have heard of...Albert Pujols. Most "valuable" makes more sense to a fantasy baseball award than the real-life version. "Valuable" in the real world limits the award to players on contending teams because people will argue what good are 54 home runs to a .500 ball club.
2nd Place: Miguel Cabrera, DET
3rd Place: Robinson Cano, NYY

The Stan Musial Awards for NL MVP: 1B Albert Pujols, STL

Albert Pujols had a better season, statistically, than a guy that hit 54 home runs. Enough said. He continues to put up numbers, year after year, that validate him being drafted first in all fantasy baseball formats. His 162 game career averages are mind-boggling: 123 R, 198 H, 44 2B, 42 HR, 128 RBI, 95 BB, 67 K, 8 SB, .331 BA, .426 OBP, .624 SLG. A lot of people will take a chance on a player other than Pujols with the number one pick in 2011 (CarGo, Votto, Hamilton), but not me. I'm sticking with Albert.
2nd Place: Joey Votto, CIN
3rd Place: Carlos Gonzalez, COL

So there you have them. COSFBA's official ballot for the 2010 Baseball Bloggers Alliance Awards. I'd love some feedback regarding my selections. Just remember, these were selected from a fantasy baseball perspective. Thanks for an incredible season of baseball.

Line of the Day: 09/22/2010

SEA

1B/2B/3B Jose Lopez, SEA went 3-for-4 with three home runs, four RBI and three runs scored in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Lopez was drafted by most as a second baseman for his .272/25/96 numbers in 2009 and has been nothing but a huge disappointment at .237/10/56 in 2010. Lopez will only be third base eligible in 2011 and nothing more than a late round filler for most teams. If you were unfortunate to still have Lopez on your roster, enjoy the output....and my condolences to your team.

Agree? Disagree? Nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Like what you see here on COSFBA? Think a friend or family member might enjoy it too? Please use one of the "share" options below to help spread the word about COSFBA. Much appreciated.

Line of the Day: 08/10/2010

SEA

SP Felix Hernandez, SEA pitched eight shutout innings, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out a career-high 13 against Oakland. It was his first win since July 10th. With a 2.71 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and on pace for a career-high 234, Hernandez deserves better than his eight wins, so far.

Agree? Disagree? Nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Line of the Day: 06/23/2010

SEA

SP Cliff Lee, SEA pitched his 3rd complete game in his last four starts, striking out nine and walking none. He threw 90 of his 115 pitches for strikes and has only walked four batters THIS SEASON (86.2 IP). Want more stats? How about a 19.0 K/BB ratio? And his 2.39 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP aren't too shabby either. If Lee is auditioning for a mid-season trade, teams are noticing. The Mariners are 11 games under .500 and could get a king's ransom in return for Lee. Sorry, Mariners fans, but your team just isn't getting it done. NOTE: Lee is owned in 98% of Yahoo! leagues and was starter in 88% of them yesterday. Those 10% that didn't start him should quit fantasy baseball (or probably already have).

Agree? Disagree? Nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

A Steady Stream: 05/24/2010

SEA

A Steady Stream will be a semi-regular column that looks at probable pitchers starting games tomorrow and available in a majority of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues.

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

• Mike Leake, CIN (64% E; 50% Y!) @ home vs PIT (Maholm) - Leake is 7 of 8 in quality start, 4-0 overall, 31:9 K:BB over his last six starts while carrying a 2.91 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. The Pirates offense may be in for a long day if Leake gets going early. RISK: LOW
• Doug Fister, SEA (57% E; 51% Y!) @ home vs DET (Verlander) - Fister has gone 8 IP in 4 of 8 starts and racking up some nice peripheral stats (1.96 ERA, 0.91 WHIP) but only a 3-2 record. Unfortunately, he draws Verlander tomorrow and the best to hope for is a pitcher's duel. RISK: EVEN
• Ian Kennedy, ARI (29% E; 35% Y!) @ COL (Chacin) - Kennedy is 2-1 in May with 1.93 ERA in 28 IP. Pitching in Colorado will always pose a risk, humidor or not, so tread lightly. RISK: SLIGHT
• Ervin Santana, LAA (29% E; 57% Y!) @ home vs TOR (Romero) - Santana has been up and down so far this season, so predicting this outcome could be tricky. The Blue Jays are an offense to be reckoned with right now and should be avoided. RISK: VERY HIGH
• Anibal Sanchez, FLA (4% E; 12% Y!) @ home vs ATL (Kawakami) - Sanchez is having a very good May (2-0, 24.1 IP, 19 H, 6 ER, 9 BB, 22 K) but has limited career success versus Atlanta (3-5, 4.71 ERA, 1.51 WHIP). RISK: MODERATE
• Jeremy Guthrie, BAL (2% E; 4% Y!) @ home vs OAK (Braden) - Roy Oswalt's not the only guy that should be asking for a trade. Guthrie has 7 of 9 quality starts but just two wins. His 3.86 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 3.30 K/BB ratio are all very ownable numbers, IF he wasn't on the Orioles. RISK: EVEN

Other possible streamers I'm simply avoiding:

• Randy Wolf, MIL (19% E; 58% Y!) @ home vs HOU (Paulino) - I drafted Wolf in three of four leagues and just recently dropped him in all four. I can't recommend streaming him at any risk until he pulls his head out of his ass and strings a couple of gems together.

Be sure to pop over and check me out on Twitter, too. Almost at 100 followers.

Waiver Saviors: 05/20/2010

SEA

Here are a few names of note that are widely available in ESPN and Yahoo! leagues in the latest installment of Waiver Saviors:

• 2B/SS Mike Aviles, KC (32% E; 18% Y!) was a huge steal in 2008 (68 R, .325 BA, 10 HR, 51 RBI, 8 SB) and a major bust in 2009 (10 R, .183 BA, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB). He's now back in the bigs, starting and getting the job done (16 G, .390 BA). He's definitely worth owning in deeper mixed leagues, especially if there is a MI roster position.
• C Francisco Cervelli, NYY (5% E; 10% Y!) will now be the primary catcher for the Yankees with Jorge Posada on the DL for about a month. Cervelli doesn't have the power (0 HR) of Posada but he's hitting .373 with 17 RBI and should be a nice upgrade if you are struggling at the catcher position, especially in two-catcher format leagues.
• 1B/OF Luke Scott, BAL (17% E; 20% Y!) is hitting home runs in bunches (7 HR in 13 games in May) and should get more playing time on an Orioles team lacking much of anything these days. Scott is a player that you ride while hot and dump when he cools off.
• SP Jason Vargas, SEA (16% E; 24% Y!) has recorded six consecutive quality starts and overall has a pretty nice line (3-2, 2.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, .250 OBA, 33:13 K:BB, 6.46 K/9). His line looks even batter at home (3-1, 2.00 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, .163 BAA) and could be a very nice addition to the back end of your rotation or a serviceable spot starter.
• SP Ian Kennedy, ARI (23% E; 24% Y!) is getting the chance he never got with the Yankees and making the most of it. In his last four starts (28 IP), Kennedy is 2-1, allowing only 24 H, 6 ER, 8 BB while raking up 22 Ks. He's another guy that could be a very ownable asset to any pitching staff.

This is the time of year that waiver wire guys could prove to be difference makers to savvy managers that are willing to take a chance on upgrading or filling holes in their rosters. Don't dump an under-performing veteran for a waiver pickup. Try to trade that player first to get some type of value and then dump late-round picks that haven't worked out the way you had hoped.

Want to give your opinion in COSFBA's first edition of "Fantasy Debate"? Any comments and/or feedback is greatly appreciated. Also, follow me and my comments on Twitter.

Box Score Beasts: 05/17/2010

SEA

Box Score Beasts will look at the top performers from tonight's games without much commentary. This page should give you a quick look at the players that had the most impact in their respective games.

• C Victor Martinez, BOS hit two solo home runs in five at-bats.
• 1B/3B Kevin Youkilis, BOS hit a two-run home run in the 8th inning to give the Red Sox the lead over the Yankees.
• 3B Alex Rodriguez, NYY hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 9th of Jonathan Papelbon to tie the game at 9 and end Papelbon's save streak at 22 games.
• OF Marcus Thames, NYY hit a two-run, walk-off home run off Papelbon to give the Yankees the win.
• OF Corey Patterson, BAL stole two bases. Might be a source of some quick, cheap steals.
• 1B Ryan Howard, PHI was 3/5, 2 R, 6 RBI courtesy of a grand slam.
• OF Jayson Werth, PHI had a home run and four RBI.
• SP Kyle Kendrick, PHI pitched eight innings, allowing just five hits, two earned runs, one walk and struck out four to earn his second victory of the season.
• C Joe Mauer, MIN was 3/5 to raise his batting average to .360. His power numbers may not be there but this guy is a batting champ.
• 1B Justin Morneau, MIN was 3/4 with three runs, four RBI and two home runs. His batting average is now .374.
• OF Vernon Wells, TOR had three hits and is hitting .310 on the season. He continues to get it done.
• 3B/OF Jose Bautista, TOR hit his 11th homer of the season.
• OF Corey Hart, MIL hit two solo home runs.
• SP Johnny Cueto, CIN pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits, one earned run, one walk and seven strikeouts to earn his third win.
• SP Edwin Jackson, ARI pitched eight shut out innings, allowing just four hits, two walks while striking out 12 to earn his second win.
• SS Starlin Castro, CHC went 3/5 with his first stolen base while raising his batting average to .361.
• 3B Aramis Ramirez, CHC hit a walk-off two-run home run to beat Colorado.
• SS Ian Desmond, WAS was 4/4 with a run scored.
• 1B Albert Pujols, STL was 3/3 with two runs and a walk.
• C Yadier Molina, STL stole his fifth base of the season. That's impressive.
• 2B/3B Jose Lopez, SEA was 2/4 with three RBI and a stolen base.
• 1B Daric Barton, OAK was 3/3 with two runs, an RBI, a double and triple.
• 2B/3B Blake DeWitt, LAD was 2/4 with a run, two RBI and two triples.
• SP John Ely, LAD pitched seven innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs, zero walks with eight strikeouts to earn his second victory.
• SP Clayton Richard, SD pitched seven innings, allowing just three hits, one run, walking three and striking out five to earn his third win.
• SS Jason Bartlett, TB successfully executed a walk-off squeeze bunt to win the game.

Man, I loved digging through all of tonight's baseball games to find these top performers. Hopefully you won't have to do the same now that I've listed all the gems.

Ups and Downs: 05/14/2010

SEA

This edition of Ups and Downs will look at the players being added and dropped the most (according to ESPN leagues) by position and the possible reasons why.

C John Buck, TOR (+30.3%) is riding a 6-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .450 (9/20) with 3 HR, 6 RBI and 7 runs.
C Miguel Olivo, COL (-20.9%) was mired in a 2/28 (.071) slump and rumors of Chris Iannetta being brought up from AAA started to surface. Owners probably jumped off the Olivo bandwagon and onto the Buck bandwagon. Olivo answered with a 5/5, 1 HR game and probably will be a big add again soon.

1B/3B Troy Glaus, ATL (+16.5%) was thought to be a nice late-round pick but hit only .194 in April and promptly dumped by most teams. He's turning things around in May (.386 BA, 2 HR, 14 RBI in 11 games) and is definitely worth the pickup.
1B Todd Helton, COL (-14%) is only hitting .257 with 0 HR this season. Owners can't sit around and wait to see if he will heat up at this point. I'd stash him on the bench if I had the roster space but his dumps are understandable.

2B/3B Alberto Callaspo, KC (+12.6%) continues to validate being an everyday fantasy player (.304 BA, 13 R, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 2 SB) and should be owned in most formats.
2B/3B Jose Lopez, SEA (-16.3%) is definitely part of the reason why the Mariners offense has been so terrible this season (.216 BA, 8 R, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 2 SB) and should be dropped in shallow leagues for anyone on waivers with a pulse.

3B David Freese, STL (+15.1%) has tapered off a bit but definitely is worthy of all the adds (.310 BA, 13 R, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 1 SB). Owners usually hope for more power from the corner infield positions but Freese is providing plenty of reasons to be rostered.
3B Chipper Jones, ATL (-16.5%) is doing exactly what Chipper Jones has done in recent years; being drafted too high and then disappointing owners when he inevitably gets injured. If your roster can support him on the bench, he could be a nice add to stash away for when he heats things up when healthy.

SS Starlin Castro, CHC (+58.8%) burst on the fantasy scene and has lived up to the hype (.364 BA, 3 R, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB) through six games. If he's still available in your league, your league probably sucks and is way too shallow. Just saying.
SS J.J. Hardy, MIN (-16%) went on the DL and was promptly dumped by some teams. There definitely are better options out there (see Castro), especially if your DL spots are currently full. Could be a nice add once he returns from his injury in leagues that utilize a MI roster spot.

OF Aaron Rowand, SF (+27.7) roared off the DL with a 7-game hitting streak (11/32, .344 BA, 6 R, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB), validating the adds but has since gone 0/12 with zero runs, homers or ribbies. Look for him to be a popular drop soon.
OF Jose Guillen, KC (-19.8%) has one home run in has last 17 games and seen his average drop 100 points (.346 to .246). He was a hot early season add but I guess playing for the Royals finally caught up to him. Could Scott Podsednik's decline be on the horizon?

SP Jon Garland, SD (+43.4%) has never been considered much of a fantasy asset because of his low career K/9 rate of 4.7, but he's now 4-2 with a 1.71 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He's only allowed 2 ER is his last five starts (32 IP) and his season's K/9 stands at 5.4. Pitching half of his games at PETCO make him a nice addition to any deep pitching staff.
SP Brian Matusz, BAL (-21.7%) pitches for the Orioles and most fantasy leagues use wins as a scoring category. Expect his drop rates to increase the more times he gets thumped by the rest of the AL East.

RP Alfredo Simon, BAL (+24.2%) is Baltimore's closer and whatever wins there are right now should be his to save. Until he implodes, he should be owned.
RP Franklin Morales, COL (-20.7%) was the Rockies closer until he went on the DL. He has no values if he's not closing games. Manny Corpas steps back into the closer role until Houston Street is ready to come off the DL. Corpas should show up as a popular add shortly.

How valuable, if any, is this information or can you easily find it on your own and I am just wasting everyone's time reporting it? HA! I'm just trying to garner comments and feedback as I continually try to find what, if any, value this blog has other than to feed my own addiction and need for personal validation. (Sounds like someone has "mommy" issues.)

Did You Know? 05/04/2010

SEA

This edition of "Did You Know?" focuses on some more statistical* randomness regarding hits, walks and strikeouts.

Players with more walks than hits:

• 1B Nick Johnson, NYY - 9 H, 22 BB, .134 BA
• 2B/3B Chone Figgins, SEA - 18 H, 21 BB, .209 BA
• 3B Chipper Jones, ATL - 14 H, 18 BB, .206 BA
• 1B Mark Teixeira, NYY - 17 H, 18 BB, .181 BA
• C Carlos Ruiz, PHI - 17 H, 18 BB, .270 BA
• OF Jason Kubel, MIN - 16 H, 17 BB, .203 BA
• C Brian McCann, ATL - 16 H, 17 BB, .242 BA

Players with more strikeouts than hits:

• OF Justin Upton, ARI - 23 H, 38 K, .225 BA
• 2B Richie Weeks, MIL - 26 H, 33 K, .252 BA
• 1B/3B Mark Reynolds, ARI - 23 H, 33 K, .253 BA
• OF Cameron Maybin, FLA - 24 H, 32 K, .247 BA
• OF Kyle Blanks, SD - 14 H, 32 K, .194 BA
• OF Jason Bay, NYM - 24 H, 30 K, .255 BA
• 3B David Wright, NYM - 25 H, 30 K, .281
• OF J.D. Drew, BOS - 22 H, 29 K, ,247 BA

I was very surprised to see how low player's batting averages were that walked a lot compared to how much higher player's averages were that strike out a lot. Are "free swingers" more valuable to a fantasy roster's batting average than "patient" hitters? Anyone else surprised by that information? Share your opinions on the matter.

* Stats are accurate through games played as of 05/03/2010.

A Steady Stream: 04/22/2010

SEA

A Steady Stream will be a semi-regular column that looks at probable pitchers starting games tomorrow and owned in approximately less than 50% of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues that could be "stream-worthy" if they are available in your league. My goal is to revisit the streamers to see how accurate (or not) my assessment of the risk was.

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Friday, 04/23/2010 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

• Carl Pavano, MIN (30% E; 38% Y!) @ KC - Pavano was lit up for 11 H and 7 ER in just 3.1 IP in his last start at home against KC, so there is some hesitation to stream him again against the same opponent on the road. He's also not fared well in his career against KC (10 G, 7.84 ERA, 1.61 WHIP). I like his 12:1 K:BB ratio so far in 2010 but KC seems to have this guy's number. RISK: HIGH
• Scott Feldman, TEX (29% E; 46% Y!) @ home vs. DET - Feldman started the year off with two quality starts but ran into NYY and was pounded for 4 ER and 7 H in just 2.1 IP. DET sports a top 5 offense and it could turn into a slugfest in Arlington. His career numbers against DET are frightening too (16.1 IP, 16 ER). RISK: VERY HIGH
• Ervin Santana, LAA (14% E; 55% Y!) @ home vs. NYY - Santana looked strong in his last start, pitching a CG, 1 ER game at TOR. He has nice career numbers at home (70 GS, 3.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) too but this is a Yankee lineup that pounded him for 5 ER in 5.2 IP on 4/13. RISK: MODERATE
• Justin Duchscherer, OAK (12% E; 61% Y!) @ home vs. CLE - Cleveland owns the worst-ranked offense in MLB and Duchscherer is riding a scoreless streak of 13 IP. 'Nuff said. RISK: LOW
• Jaime Garcia, STL (8% E; 27% Y!) @ SF vs. Lincecum - Matching up against Lincecum comes with a certain level of risk, but Garcia has been phenomenal in his two starts so far in 2010 (13 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 10 K) and I'm buying what Dave Duncan is selling. RISK: EVEN
• Kevin Correia, SD (5% E; 73% Y!) @ CIN - Correia needs to go deeper into games to be more widely recognized as a quality starting pitcher (6 IP, 5.2 IP, 5.2 IP) but 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 8.83 K/9 are all very ownable statistics. RISK: LOW
• John Maine, NYM (5% E; 12% Y!) @ home vs. ATL - I want John Maine to be fantasy-relevant again, but so far it's not looking that good (13 IP, 21 H, 15 ER, 10.38 ERA.449 OBA, 2.23 WHIP). Maine is now pitching simply to stay in the Mets' rotation. Good luck. RISK: VERY HIGH
• Jeremy Guthrie, BAL (0.7% E; 2% Y!) @ BOS vs. Lester - Guthrie hasn't pitched as badly as his record indicates (0-2, 3 QS) and has put up decent ratios (3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 14:3 K:BB) so far.  He's never pitched well against BOS (11 GS, 1-5, 4.74 ERA, 1.68 WHIP) and even worse at Fenway. RISK: DANGER!

Other possible streamers I'm simply avoiding:

• Johnny Cueto, CIN (9% E; 45% Y!) @ home vs. SD
• Kenshin Kawakami, ATL (1% E; 42% Y!) @ NYM
• Ryan Rowland-Smith, SEA (1% E; 35% Y!) @ CHW
• Paul Maholm, PIT (0.8% E; 22% Y!) @ HOU vs. Oswalt
• Greg Smith, COL (0.4 % E; 2% Y!) @ home vs FLA Nolasco

Would love to hear if you've already resorted to streaming in your Rotisserie league to make up points or in your Head-to-Head league to capture a category victory. Also looking for opinions (for and against) the practice of streaming pitchers.

Waiver Saviors: 04/21/2010

SEA

Waiver Saviors will look at players available in a majority of leagues that are having a statistical impact over the last 7 days and could be worth owning, if you have the need. Waiver pickups are all about filling a need with a player(s) that is currently hot and beating your fellow owners to the punch. The stats in parenthesis are a summary of the past week's data.

HITTERS

• 2B Alberto Callaspo, KC (9/25, .360 BA, 4 R, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB) continues to perform and should see regular playing time while Chris Getz is on the DL. 3B eligibility in Yahoo! leagues. (9% E; 31% Y! owned)
• 1B/3B Ty Wigginton, BAL (7/23, .304 BA, 6 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB) is making the most of his playing time as a fill-in for Brian Roberts and Miguel Tejada. 2B eligibility in Yahoo! leagues. (15% E; 29% Y!)
• C Ivan Rodriguez, WAS (12/26, .462 BA, 7 R, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB) is hitting. Any catcher that is hitting should be owned! If you are hanging onto a guy like Ryan Doumit, why not bail on him and take a shot at where Rodriguez goes. Odds are no one is dying to pick up Doumit, at this point. (43% E; 53% Y!)
• 2B Mike McCoy, TOR (6/15, .400 BA, 4 R, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 SB) is filling in for the injured Aaron Hill and making the most of his opportunities. If your team is decimated by injuries or you play in a very deep mixed league with large rosters and positions like INF, MI or 2B/SS, McCoy could be a nice temporary filler. (0.1% E; 0% Y!)
• OF Josh Willingham, WAS (5/22, .227 BA, 7 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB) has walked 9 times over his last 7 games and continues to produce. Definitely worth owning at this point. (61% E; 55% Y!)
• 3B/OF Jose Bautista, TOR (7/23, .304 BA, 4 R, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB) has been dropped to 6th in the Blue Jays lineup, leading to more RBI opportunities. (1% E; 4% Y!) 
• OF Jim Edmonds, MIL (7/18, .389 BA, 5 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB) keeps stealing at-bats from Corey Hart and making the most of those opportunities. Hopefully he finds his power stroke soon. (1% E; 2% Y!)
• SS Cristian Guzman, WAS (11/27, .407 BA, 5 R, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB) is getting playing time at SS and 2B and making it count. Either Ian Desmond or Adam Kennedy could be in danger of losing their starting job if Guzman continues to perform. Already 2B eligible in Yahoo! leagues. (2% E; 23% Y!)
• DH Andruw Jones, CHW (6/16, .375 BA, 3 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB) is performing and could be a nice source of cheap power while he's hot. He's a little more versatile in Yahoo! leagues, having already become OF eligible. (3% E; 11% Y!)
• 1B Casey Kotchman, SEA (6/18, .333 BA, 4 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB) is the only Mariner hitting right now. He accounted for both of the teams only HRs this past week (let that settle in) and should be owned in deeper leagues with a CI position. (5% E; 8% Y!)

PITCHERS

• SP Jason Vargas, SEA (13 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 2.08 ERA, .204 OBA, 0.77 WHIP, 7.62 K/9) is doing his best to stay in the rotation once Cliff Lee is activated from the DL. (0.3% E; 1% Y!)
• RP Fernando Rodney, LAA (5 IP, 1 H, 5 SV, .063 OBA, 7.20 K/9) did an incredible job filling in for Fuentes as the closer and shouldn't be dropped until Fuentes proves he's healthy or if your league uses Holds. (31% E; 51% Y!)
• CL Matt Lindstrom, HOU (4 IP, 3 SV, 13.50 K/9) is raking up the saves quickly (3 in the last 3 games) and has a firm hold on the closer role, for now, ha. (44% E; 41% Y!)
• SP Mike Pelfrey, NYM (15 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 0 ER, .236 OBA, 0.87 WHIP, 7.20 K/9, 1 SV) has done it all this week and looks to be living up to fantasy expectations. Stream him if you are afraid to lock him up as a starter on your staff. (17% E; 43% Y!)
• SP Randy Wells, CHC (12.1 IP, 1 QS, 0-0, 3.65 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 8.76 K/9) has gone at least six innings in all three starts this season and has some nice potential. (11% E; 74% Y!)
• RP Kevin Jepsen, LAA (3 IP, 4 HLD, 15.00 K/9, 5.00 K/BB) is a must-own if your league uses Holds and worth keeping an eye on for your bullpen with a 10.29 K/9 this season. (0.1% E; 4% Y!)
• SP Brad Penny, STL (14 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 1.29 ERA, .231 OBA, 0.86 WHIP, 5.79 K/9, 9.00 K/BB) is flourishing in St. Louis, having thrown 7 IP in each of his 3 starts this season with a 13:3 K:BB ratio. (49% E; 51% Y!)
• RP Burke Badenhop, FLA (3.2 IP, 0 H, 1 SV, 1 HLD, 9.82 K/9) is working his way into the bullpen mix for Holds and opportune Saves. Deeper, mixed leagues using Holds are made for guys like this. (0.4% E; 6% Y!)
• SP Jaime Garcia, STL (7 IP, 1 QS, 0-0, 1 H, 0 ER, 6.43 K/9) is proving he's legit with his 13:5 IP:H ratio. He's flying under the fantasy radar for most, so now is as good as time as ever to give him a start. (7% E; 21% Y!)
• RP Joba Chamberlain, NYY (4.2 IP, 2 HLD, .188 OBA, 0.64 WHIP, 13.50 K/9) is back to his old self as the Yankees' setup man and should be owned in leagues utilizing Holds. Would be next in line for Saves if Mariona Rivera can't go or suffers an injury. (30% E; 28% Y!)

Any other guys out there that you've picked up off waivers recently that are paying off dividends?

Easter Eggs

SEA

Dictionary.com defines an "Easter egg" as a "hidden feature in computer software, a DVD, or a video game." I'll use some poetic license in applying the theory of an "Easter egg" to fantasy baseball as a "hidden or unknown statistical gem based solely on hope."
Here are some of the Easter eggs I hope to find in my fantasy baseball Easter basket this year from guys I'm heavily invested in:

• 30 HRs, 20 SBs, .280 BA from NYY OF Curtis Granderson
• 40 HRs, 100 RBI, 90 Rs, 100 BBs, .270 BA, .400 OBP, 10 SBs from WAS 1B Adam Dunn
• A Cy Young award from SEA SP Felix Hernandez
• 10 HRs, 10 SBs, 100 Rs, 70 RBI, .310 BA from PHI 2B/3B Placido Polanco
• TB 2B/OF Sean Rodriguez becomes this years Ben Zobrist
• 20 HRs, 20 SBs, .290 BA from CHW OF Alex Rios
• BAL CL Mike Gonzalez stays healthy and delivers 30+ Saves
• 30 HRs, 90 RBI, .280 BA from SD OF Kyle Blanks
• 32 GS, 22 QS, 15 Ws, 170 Ks, sub 3.50 ERA for MIL SP Randy Wolf
• 20 HRs, 70 RBI, .300 BA from BAL 3B/SS Miguel Tejada
• TB 2B/OF Ben Zobrist performs like he did in 2009
• 15 HRa, 70 RBI, 70 Rs, 15 SBs, .275 BA from TOR OF Vernon Wells
• .275 BA, 15 HRs, 65 RBI, 65 Rs from OAK C Kurt Suzuki
• 15 HRs, 15 SBs, .275 BA, 90 Rs, 50 RBI from MIL 2B Richie Weeks
• 25 HRs, 80 RBI, 90 Rs, 15 SBs, .290 BA from COL OF Carlos Gonzalez
• 20 HR, 70 RBI, 70 Rs, .290 BA from ARI C Miguel Montero

Who are some of the guys you're heavily invested into for the 2010 season and what are your statistical expectations?

Injury Bug Bites Hard This Spring

SEA

Many teams are fighting the injuries this Spring (none harder than the Mets) and all have fantasy baseball impact. Here's a look at some of the more significant injuries and the replacement players that may benefit in the short-term.

• CL Joe Nathan, MIN (elbow) - Nathan is done for the year. No surprise here. There was speculation that SP Francisco Liriano would step into the closer role until he came out and said he didn't want it. The surprise is that in a matter of days, manager Ron Gardenhire went from a "closer-by-committee" approach including RHP Matt Guerrier, RHP Jon Rauch and LHP Jose Mijares to "officially" naming Jon Rauch the closer. Rauch needs to be 100% owned.
• 1B Lance Berkman, HOU (knee) - Not a good sign when the player says he's not sure he'll be ready to come off the DL when eligible. Hopefully he only misses a couple of weeks, but be prepared for this injury to linger if he rushes back. Rotowire.com says, "The plan calls for 3B Pedro Feliz to stay at third against righties with UTL Geoff Blum playing first base. When the Astros face a lefty, rookie 3B Chris Johnson will start at third with Feliz shifting over to first."
• OF Carlos Beltran, NYM (knee) - Beltran could be out until June. Hopefully you were aware of this fact when you drafted him and planned your outfield accordingly. OF Angel Pagan and OF Gary Matthews Jr. are expected to pick up the slack until Beltran returns. Neither is a viable fantasy option unless one of them gets off to a hot start.
• SS Jose Reyes, NYM (thyroid) - Reyes had already slipped down many fantasy draft boards after his horrendous 2009 season and the discovery of a thyroid condition this Spring isn't helping his value. Not officially on the DL yet, it's hard to figure out what to do with him on your roster. A wait-and-see approach will provide you with nothing but waiver fodder. I hope you planned ahead or just avoided Reyes all together for 2010. MI Alex Cora is expected to fill in during the Reyes absence.
• SP Cliff Lee, SEA (abdomen) - A timetable hasn't been determined for his return and a trip to the DL hasn't been ruled out. Toss in a "pending" five-game suspension and it could be a while before Lee returns. Not wait Mariners fans and Lee owners were hoping for in 2010.
• 2B Ian Kinsler, TEX (ankle) - Kinsler hasn't participated in drills recently and there is no timetable set for his return. Assume a few weeks unless positive news starts coming out of Texas.
• CL Brad Lidge, PHI (elbow) - Reports are that he'll be out until "at least" mid-April. RHP Ryan Madson has been named the interim closer and could claim the job long-term if Lidge comes back and falters like he did in 2010. Sleeper closer candidate - RHP Danys Baez averaged 32 saves over 2003 - 2005.
• SP Joe Blanton, PHI (oblique) - He's expected to miss 3-to-6 weeks. RHP Kyle Kendrick is the beneficiary of Blanton's injury but has limited fantasy value other than a spot start for a possible favorable match-up.
• OF Coco Crisp, OAK (finger, hamstring) - Crisp was dinged up before fracturing his pinkie. OF Travis Buck makes the team but it's unclear who benefits from Crisp's injury.
• 1B Russell Branyan, CLE (back) - Branyan was nothing more than a late round flier at best but his injury ensures OF Matt LaPorta gets a chance to shine and could be a very valuable late roound/waiver wire pick up.
• 3B Alex Gordon, KC (thumb) - Gordon is a favorite "bounce back" candidate for 2010 and shouldn't miss much time. Stash him on the DL and pick up anyone that won't hurt your team in his absence (as if someone could do worse than him).
• SP Scott Kazmir, LAA (back, hamstring) - Scott should only miss one start as he looks to regain strength. He's owned in 100% of ESPN leagues because everyone keeps hoping he reaches his potential. Grab him if he was dropped and stash him.
• SP Gil Meche, KC (shoulder) - Meche shouldn't be out long and is the perfect guy to spot start with favorable match-ups, at best.
• SP Erik Bedard, SEA (shoulder) - Bedard could have been had cheap in the late rounds or even better, off waivers after drafts. He won't be ready to go until June, at best, but could be a valuable starter down the stretch, if healthy. Stash him on the DL and be patient.
• CL Houston Street, COL (shoulder) - The Rockies recently shut him down and that can't be good. Estimates originally had him returning by May. Pay close attention to his rehab process if you own him. In the mean time, LHP Franklin Morales and ex-closer RHP Manny Corpas should be owned by someone in your league.
• 2B Freddy Sanchez, SF (shoulder) - He's expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks but has little to no fantasy value except for his batting average in a deep mixed league with a middle infielder roster spot. 2B/3B/SS Juan Uribe benefits from Sanchez's injury but also has limited fantasy value in deep mixed leagues.
• 1B/OF Daniel Murphy, NYM (knee) - Murphy was shaping up to be a nice late round pick until being sidelined 2-to-6 weeks with a knee injury. 1B Mike Jacobs and 1B/3B/OF Fernando Tatis are expected to platoon in his absence.

Are there other injuries (large or small) that are impacting your team(s) or have you benefited from a waiver pickup at some other managers expense?