Line of the Day: May 3rd, 2011

MIN

SP Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins pitched the majors first no-hitter of the season, a 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox. He walked six, struck out two and needed 123 pitches (66 strikes) to pitch the first complete game of his career and the fifth no-hitter in the history of the Minnesota Twins franchise.

Line: 9 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 2 K; W, QS, CG, SHO, No-Hitter

My fantasy perspective: Liriano had been less than stellar in his five previous starts (18:18 K:BB ratio), allowing 27 hits and 24 earned runs in 23.2 innings pitched with a 1-4 record, 9.13 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP. Ouch! His ownership numbers were down to 68.4% (-27.2%) in ESPN leagues. How do you think those owners feel about dumping him prior to a no-hitter?

This is the kind of outing Liriano needed to get some confidence back and keep his spot in the Twins' rotation (Kevin Slowey is lurking) but is 123 pitches too many for a young, struggling pitcher several years removed from Tommy John surgery? I'm glad he got his piece of history but also hope it wasn't at his own expense.

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.

2011 Draft Results: Catchers Targeted

MIN

This season, I participated in five fantasy baseball leagues of varying types of formats but, for the most part, the players I targeted were pretty much the same. Now, that doesn't mean that I got all the same players in all five leagues but there were some commonalities.

I also want to go on record as saying I think two-catcher leagues of any type are ridiculous. Why as a commissioner would you want to force managers to carry what in my opinion are statistically the worst offensive bunch of players in the game? That being said, the first draft I participated in this season was an "experts" league with an online auction draft and wouldn't you know it...a two-catcher league. The difficulty level was escalated by the fact there are 13 teams and 30-man rosters per team (equals at least 26 catchers being drafted).

My strategy for this league was to get involved in the bidding for the two catchers I valued as being the best (as do most), Joe Mauer and Buster Posey, and hope to walk away with one and spend a little money later in the draft on a guy like Miguel Montero or Carlos Ruiz. Both Mauer and Posey were thrown out early and I was pretty aggressive in the bidding as planned, assuming each would go in the $20-$30+ range in this format. Well, when the dust settled, here's what my two-catcher strategy yielded:

•  Mauer ($24) and Posey ($20)

Now, I'm not shedding any tears over having this duo on my roster, unlike the owner who's rostering Josh Thole and Devin Mesoraco (um, who?). I regret being so aggressive and using $44 of my $330 budget (13%) on a position I was hoping to get bargains but I'm very excited to see what these two can do, offensively, this year.



My four remaining drafts (three of which I am the commissioner) were all single-catcher formats but I went in to each with the strategy of trying to get an upper-to-middle tier catcher early, depending on my draft position, and grabbing a second catcher at the end of the draft for bench depth and spot starts. Here's what that strategy wound up producing (draft pick in parenthesis):

• Miguel Montero (145) and Russell Martin (264)
• Miguel Montero (146) and Carlos Ruiz (359)
• Geovany Soto (120) and Russell Martin (329)
• Russell Martin (315) and John Jaso (343)

In all four of these leagues, I went in targeting Soto as my primary catcher but he only fell to me once. My backup plan for a starter was Montero and that worked well for me twice. I can live with that to start the season. My biggest failure at catcher came in my last draft of the season. Soto, Montero and even Ruiz were all gone before the 140th pick and I passed on Mike Napoli with the 190th pick, only to see him taken with the 191st pick.

So I am left hoping Montero and Soto provide me with with enough offensive production to make the backup catcher a position I don't have to carry the entire season. My problem is that I am heavily invested in Martin returning to some level of his old self. Will having Joe Girardi and Jorge Posada as influences be a good or bad thing? I'm hoping he can provide a .270/60/10/60/10 line at the bottom of the Yankees lineup. I guarantee you I won't be in the Russell Martin business very long if it looks like he won't be effective. I'll be searching the waiver wires for who's hot and dumping who's not.

How did you go about drafting catchers this season? Do you have a preference for one or two-catcher formats? In hindsight, did you overly invest in specific players across multiple drafts like I did? Use the comments section to share your thoughts of my catcher targets and your strategies during your 2011 drafts.

Finding Keepers: Minnesota Twins

MIN

Question: Who was the top-rated fantasy player on the 2010 Minnesota Twins? Mauer? Morneau? Liriano? Capps? Cuddyer? Span? Pavano? Thome? Answer: None of the above.

OF Delmon Young was the Twins highest-ranked player on ESPN's Plater Rater, coming in at 56th overall, with a .298/77/21/112/5 line and even garnered some MVP love with a 10th place finish in the balloting and receiving as high as a fourth place vote. At just 24 years old, Young's potential is enticing enough to keep him on your team's roster for the 2011 season and hope for even better numbers to come.

C Joe Mauer continues to be the most productive catcher in baseball even though his home run total dropped significantly in 2010. Mauer has only reached double-digits in two season: 13 in 2006 and 28 in 2009. His career average for home runs per 162 games played is 16, which is fantastic for a catcher with a career batting average of .327. Lock him up as a keeper and enjoy being the envy of the owners that are struggling to draft between Chris Iannetta and Mike Napoli.

Is this the season that SP Francisco Liriano breaks out to become the fantasy baseball stud we all envisioned after his incredible 2006 season? Here are some encouraging stats that make me think so. In 2010, Liriano made a career high 31 starts covering 191.2 innings pitched and produced 14 wins. He stuck out 201, allowed 184 hits and only surrendered 9 homers. His 3.62 ERA and 1.26 WHIP were both below his career averages for those stats. He's 2+ seasons removed from Tommy John surgery, still just 27 years old and plays for a team that wins ballgames. I see no reason why Liriano can't 16 or more games in 2011 and validate using a keeper selection on him.


It's a shame that a head injury put an early end to what was turning into an incredibly productive season for 1B Justin Morneau. In 81 games, Morneau accumulated a slash line of .345/.437/.618 with 18 HR, 56 RBI and 53 Runs. WOW! Here's hoping Morneau is able to return to the field of baseball with no ill effects from what can only be summed up as a horrific concussion.

Best of the rest but not keepers:

• CL Matt Capps had a very good season as the closer for the Twins (5-3, 42 SV) as a replacement for the injured Joe Nathan but closers are very rarely going to be keepers unless your league utilizes stats like K/9 and K/BB. And a healthy Joe Nathan means Capps' role will be redefined unless traded to another team.
• 1B/3B/OF Michael Cuddyer's value goes up by being eligible at three positions but his statistics are far from the elite at any of them. He'll be a very nice fantasy asset in the early to middle rounds but not a keeper.
• OF Denard Span may have over 14,000 followers on Twitter and can steal nearly 30 bases but the Astros' Michael Bourn and White Sox' Juan Pierre can double those stolen base numbers and neither of those are definite keepers either.

So there's my fantasy assessment of the Twins roster as it stands today. Did I miss anyone or does your league go much deeper with keepers than the normal 50-60 league-wide? I'd love to hear from you if you are in a league like that heading into 2011. I'd also love to hear from Twins fans about how well or poorly I did with your team.

Click here if you're interested in seeing all of the other teams I've covered so far in my "Finding Keepers" series of articles. I hope first time visitors will take a little time to click around this site and see all of the things I accomplished in 2010 and what you have to look forward to (and more) in 2011. As a new blogger within the Yardbarker Network, I'm very encouraged by the exposure COSFBA is getting this offseason and extremely excited for what the new season of fantasy baseball has to offer us fans.

Thanks,

Daniel

Thankful

MIN

This is the time of year where everyone takes a moment to voice all that they are currently thankful for, reflect on the past year and look towards what the future has in store. COSFBA is no different. The following are the Top 10 things COSFBA is very thankful for this holiday season:

10. Players with multi-position eligibility. These are the types of players that make every fantasy baseball roster better. Martin Prado (1B/2B/3B), Jose Bautista (3B/OF), Omar Infante (2B/3B/SS/OF), Ben Zobrist (1B/2B/OF) are just a few valuable players whose positional flexibility kept them in the lineup.
9. Bryce Harper. What's not to love about the future of the Washington Nationals? From the ridiculous amounts of eye black to tearing up the Arizona Fall League, this guy will keep fantasy baseball writers busy for years to come.
8. Perfect games and no hitters. Ubaldo Jimenez. Dallas Braden. Roy Halladay (x2). Edwin Jackson. Matt Garza. Sign me up for more of the same in 2011.
7. The Hot Stove season. Rumors. Signings. Trades. This time of year is why I gave up on fantasy football several years ago. Who needs football when baseball is now truly a 12-month sport. Twitter has been a phenomenal source of great information if you know who to follow.
6. Statistics. I'm a huge fan of advanced baseball statistics but will admit I'm a little late to the game. You won't see me quoting a whole lot about BABIP, FIP, WAR, VORP or wOBA but I'll be sure to make reference to resources I find valuable in my hunt to become more SABR-literate.
5. Awards. Starting with the Derek Jeter Gold Glove fiasco and ending with Josh Hamilton's AL MVP, the 2010 awards gave bloggers plenty to talk about and COSFBA got in on the action, too.
4. Albert Pujols. I'm sorry, but Pujols is fantasy baseball royalty and until he proves to be less than superhuman, he's the number one pick in all fantasy baseball formats.
3. Impact Rookies. Here's hoping 2011 brings another crop of rookies as good as Buster Posey, Jason Heyward, Neftali Feliz, Austin Jackson, Jaime Garcia, Danny Valencia, Gaby Sanchez, Neil Walker and more.
2. Closers on the cheap can change the fantasy baseball landscape of any league. Guys like John Axford, Kevin Gregg and Chris Perez will be the poster boys for next season's "never pay for saves" reasoning.

And the number one reason COSFBA is thankful this holiday season is...
1. Pitchers and catchers report to camps on February 13, 2011. Valentine's Day will come a day early this year and I will be sure to mark the 13th with a heart because "I Love You, baseball season". Just don't break my heart.

What are some of the baseball-related things you were thankful for in 2010 and hopeful for in 2011?

2010 Fantasy Baseball Awards: 10/09/2010

MIN

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: 09/04/2010

MIN

DH Jim Thome, MIN was 2-for-2 with two home runs, four RBI, three runs and two walks in a 12-4 win over the Texas Rangers. Thome's first home run of the game tied him with Mark McGwire for ninth place on the all-time list with 583 and the second homer of the game him sole possession of ninth place at 584. He's now quietly reached the 20-home run plateau for the 16th time in his career and has helped the Twins survive losing Justin Morneau to injury.

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: 08/18/2010

MIN

C Joe Mauer, MIN was 4-for-5 with a double, home run, two RBI and two runs. The home run was only his eighth of the year and surprisingly, his first at the new Target Field. Mauer is on pace for 11 homers this season, a far cry from the 28 he hit last season and what most people expected while drafting him 12th, on average. It's hard to feel any sympathy for those managers that are getting a .335 average, 91 RBI and 99 Runs from the catcher position. Over the last 15 days, Mauer is lighting it up with a .451 average (23/51), two homers, nine RBI and 11 runs.

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

Line of the Day: 08/15/2010

MIN

SP Kevin Slowey, MIN pitched seven innings of no-hit ball while striking out five, walking three and earned the win. Slowey has been dealing with an elbow injury and was pulled after 106 pitches. Congrats to manager Ron Gardenhire for having the balls to put the team's needs over the personal milestones of a player. Slowey needs to be healthy for the Twins to make a run at any post-season success. Feel free to add him to your pitching staff or stream him if he's still available in your league (50.7% E; 62% Y! owned).

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

Ups and Downs: 08/03/2010

MIN

This edition of Ups and Downs looks at a few players being added and dropped the most (according to ESPN leagues) and the possible reasons why.

• RP Drew Storen, WAS (+33.8%) was considered by many to be the new closer in Washington after Matt Capps was traded to Minnesota but it now looks like he will be eased into the role by sharing save opportunities with Tyler Clippard and Sean Burnett. Storen is definitely the future closer for the Nationals and should claim that role as soon as he proves able to handle the pressure.
• SP Brett Myers, HOU (+28.9%) extended his franchise-best streak to 22 consecutive starts of six or more innings to start the season and fantasy owners are starting to take notice. Myers is only 8-6 for the lowly Astros but is sporting a 3.10 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP with 117 strikeouts in 151 innings pitched. The wins may not come but he shouldn't hurt your ratios this late in the season.
• OF Andres Torres, SF (+26.1%) is 11/25 (.440 BA) with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R and 2 SB over the last 7 days and a solid .286, 10 HR, 42 RBI, 58 R and 19 SB on the season. Torres continues to be waiver-wire gold for owners that grabbed him early.
• RP Jon Rauch, MIN (-32.2%) was an unfortunate fantasy casualty at the trading deadline. The Twins brought in Matt Capps and demoted Rauch to a setup role. Rauch owners are left scratching their heads as to why since he was 21 of 25 in converting saves with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Rauch definitely has value if your league counts Holds and could pick up a few more saves if Capps struggles moving into the American League.
• SP Joel Pineiro, LAA (-29.2%) is out 6-to-8 weeks with an oblique injury that may keep him out the entire season. No sense stashing him in a DL slot at this point and he has no keeper value, either. Time to part ways.
• OF Brennan Boesch, DET (-27.7%) struggled in July (.209, 0 HR in 91 AB) and is currently mired in a 4-for-52 (.077 BA) slump and hasn't homered since June 27th. It may have been premature to hand him the AL ROY in June.

Keeping an eye on late-season call-ups and injury replacements could mean the difference between winning and losing a league. Stay active! If you're more concerned with your upcoming fantasy NFL draft(s), the MLB season may be way too long for you.

Line of the Day: 07/03/2010

MIN

DH Jim Thome, MIN was 3-for-4 with a double, two homers, three RBI and three runs. Thome is no longer a fantasy-relevant player (1.1% E; 4% Y! owned) but continues to rack up impressive career numbers. His two homers moved him past Hall of Famer and former Twin Harmon Killebrew into 10th place on the career list with 574.

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

Line of the Day: 06/29/2010

MIN

OF Denard Span, MIN was 4-for-4 with THREE TRIPLES, five RBI, two runs and a walk. Span continues to be a solid fantasy baseball outfielder and projects at 191 hits, 104 runs, 72 RBI and 32 stolen bases.

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

Line of the Day: 06/26/2010

MIN

SP Carl Pavano, MIN pitched a three-hit shutout for his second consecutive complete game. He walked one and struck out four. He's now won for consecutive decisions and becomes the first repeat winner of Line of the Day. Still only owned in 49% of ESPN leagues.

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

Line of the Day: 06/20/2010

MIN

SP Carl Pavano, MIN tossed a complete game four-hitter at Philadelphia versus Roy Halladay. Complete games are a thing of the past and deserve recognition, especially against Halladay and the Phillies lineup. Pavano has gone at least seven innings in 10 of his last 11 starts. He doesn't normally strike out many batters (5.14 K/9) but doesn't walk many either (1.31 BB/9). He will take a lump or two pitching to as much contact as he does, but Pavano is proving a worthy fantasy baseball asset this deep into the season that should be owned (36% E; 38% Y!) in almost all league formats.

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

Line of the Day: 06/16/2010

MIN

SP Scott Baker, MIN pitched seven shutout innings against Colorado, allowing only two hits, one walk and struck out a career high 12 batters, and received the win. Owners of Baker have a pretty solid mid-tier pitcher that should continue to give them good value.

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

Ups and Downs: 06/13/2010

MIN

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

• OF Michael Stanton, FLA (+67.2%) deserves being added in all formats, especially after starting off 7/19 (.368 BA) with four RBI and two stolen bases in his first five games. Everyone is waiting for the power to come, but it's nice to see that he can do more than just hit the long ball.
• SP Brett Cecil, TOR (+34.9%) is now 7-2 with a 3.22 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. He's won his last five starts (the last two being against TB and NYY) and each was also a quality start. Only 65% owned in ESPN leagues, he could be a nice addition to your staff.
• C Carlos Santana, CLE (+29.1%) is another rookie that just got the call and didn't disappoint, homering in his second big league game. Immediately inserted into the number three slot in the Indians batting order, look for him to be given every opportunity to succeed.
• SS Starlin Castro, CHC (-23.7%) is hitting only .229 in June and has just two RBI in his last 18 games.
• SP Johnny Cueto, CIN (-21.1%) was a hot add not too long ago. In his last three starts, he's given up 17 ER and 25 hits in just 17 IP. UGH!
• 2B Orlando Hudson, MIN (-21.0%) seems to simply be a casualty of roster space. Prior to going on the DL, he was hitting .305 with 39 R, 3 HR, 16 RBI and 4 SB in 49 games. Could be a nice add if you have the roster space and need.

What other players have you finally given up on? Does your league's keeper rules force you to hold onto a player longer than you want for the sake of next season?

COSFBA Quick Poll: 05/21/2010

MIN

Who is your Quarter Season MVP?
	OF Ryan Braun MIL
	OF Andre Ethier LAD
	3B Evan Longoria TB
	OF Brett Gardner NYY
	SP Ubaldo Jimenez COL
	1B Justin Morneau MIN
	SP Roy Halladay PHI
	DH Vladimir Guerrero TEX
	OF Vernon Wells TOR
	SP Tim Lincecum SF
	Someone else

Use the "Comments" section to plead your case for someone on the list or if you think someone else deserves recognition. (I pulled this top-10 list from the ever-changing ESPN Player Rater.)

Box Score Beasts: 05/17/2010

MIN

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

MIN

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.)

A Steady Stream: 05/11/2010

MIN

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 my assessment of the risk was (or not).

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Wednesday, 05/12/2010 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

• Edwin Jackson, ARI (45% E; 55% Y! owned) @ home vs LAD (Kuroda)- Jackson has been horrific over his last three starts (13.1 IP, 28 H, 21 ER, 7 BB, 9 K, .500 OBA). Until he shows he's righted the ship, I'm avoiding him. RISK: HIGH
• Carl Pavano, MIN (42% E; 45% Y!) @ home vs CHW (Danks) - Why isn't Pavano owned in more leagues? Over his last three starts, he's gone 23 IP, 17 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 18 K but only 1-2 with 3 QS. He's getting hit hard at home this season (5.14 ERA) but has nice career numbers against the White Sox (5 GS, 3-2, 2 CG, 2 SHO, 2.86 ERA, 0.95 WHIP). RISK: LOW
• Derek Lowe, ATL (37% E; 53% Y!) @ MIL (Gallardo) - In Lowe's seven starts in 2010, he's managed only 38 IP and 1 QS. Need more reason to avoid Lowe? How about a 23:19 K:BB ratio. Look elsewhere! RISK: DANGER!
• Fausto Carmona, CLE (28% E; 31% Y!) @ KC (Davies) - Carmona has been good, so far, this season. He's recorded 5 QS in 6 GS but a troubling 17:18 K:BB ratio. He has poor career numbers against in 11 G versus KC (59 IP, 72 H, 4.73 ERA, 1.59 WHIP). RISK: MODERATE
• Carlos Silva, CHC (16% E; 27% Y!) @ home vs FLA (Volstad) - Silva was streaming along quite nicely, as proven here and here, until his last two starts (10 IP, 18 H, 9 ER). He's also battling tightness in his neck. RISK: HIGH
• Gio Gonzalez, OAK (9% E; 18% Y!) @ TEX (Holland) - Gonzalez is good and only getting better but his talent is still very raw (35.2 IP, 26 H, 19 BB, 34 K). I don't like this match up in Texas. I'm avoiding him. RISK: HIGH
• Clayton Richard, SD (2% E; 21% Y!) @ SF (Cain) - In his last two starts, Richard has gone 11 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 8 BB, 13 K. The 13 K is 11 IP is nice but the 8 BB are troubling. Not sure he pulls out a win, but I like Richard to pitch well. RISK: EVEN
• Chris Volstad, FLA (8% E; 8% Y!) @ CHC (Silva) - Volstad is coming off two stellar pitching performances (16 IP, 8 H, .193 OBA, 12:3 K:BB), but both were against the Nationals. I like Volstad because I don't like Silva (see above). RISK: LOW

Other possible streamers I'm simply avoiding:

• Jamie Moyer, PHI (5% E; 8% Y!) @ COL (Hammel)
• Tim Wakefield, BOS (3% E; 4% Y!) @ home vs TOR (Marcum)
• Zach Duke, PIT (2% E; 7% Y!) @ home vs CIN (Bailey)
• Kyle Lohse, STL (2% E; 16% Y!) @ home vs HOU (Rodriguez)
• Jeremy Bonderman, DET (1% E; 2% Y!) @ home vs NYY (Hughes)

Not a great day to be streaming pitchers, so be careful out there. GOOD LUCK!

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)?

Did You Know? 05/04/2010

MIN

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.