2011 Fantasy Baseball: SD

Showing posts with label SD. Show all posts

Waiver Saviors: April 27th, 2011

Waiver Saviors will be a semi-regular feature on COSFBA looking for players available in a majority of leagues (ESPN and/or Yahoo!) who are currently having a statistical impact and could/should be worth owning, if you have the need. Waiver pickups are all about filling a need with a player(s) currently hot and beating your fellow owners to the punch without destroying your current roster in the process.

Here are some players having a hot week worth taking a long look at for the short and long term, depending on your league type, too:

OF Peter Bourjos, LAA (11.1% ESPN owned; 22% Yahoo! owned) has gone 9/23 (.391 BA; 1.112 OPS) over the last week with no home runs (four extra-base hits for 16 total bases), four runs, an RBI and a stolen base. For the season, his 5x5 line is now at .321/11/2/9/2 and very worthy of an outfield slot in all leagues except the shallow ones.
OF Melky Cabrera, KC (21.9% E; 14% Y!) has gone 10/26 (.385 BA; 1.141 OPS) over the last week with one home run (five extra-base hits for 18 total bases), five RBI, four runs and a stolen base. His season's 5x5 line of .301/15/2/14/2 has to be taken seriously soon by fantasy owners or at least while he and the Royals are firing on all cylinders.
OF Ryan Ludwick, SD (2.2% E; 6% Y!) has gone 11/34 (.324 BA; 1.067 OPS) over the last week with three home runs (seven extra-base hits for 24 total bases), five RBI and four runs scored. He's 5x5 line of .209/12/4/11/1 is getting better but may only have value as a spot starter in deeper mixed leagues or very shallow NL-only ones. An encouraging sign is that three of his four home runs have come at PETCO but that unfortunately comes along with a .157 batting average at home, too.
OF Ben Francisco, PHI (26.8% E; 20% Y!) has gone 8/26 (.308 BA; .960 OPS) over the last week with two home runs (three extra-base hits for 16 total bases), six RBI and three runs scored. He seems to have settled back in as the Phillies' everyday right fielder and has produced a season's 5x5 line of .262/10/4/14/1, with is becoming more ownable in most league formats.
2B/SS Darwin Barney, CHC (41% E; 24% Y!) has gone 12/34 (.353 BA; .824 OPS) over the last week with one home run (two extra-base hits for 16 total bases), eight RBI, five runs and one stolen base. His 5x5 line of .329/13/1/13/1 makes him a great find for a MI slot in deeper leagues and a must-own in NL-only formats. He should continue to get the majority of starts at second base and hit out of the number two hole.
SS Erick Aybar, LAA (67.3% E; 16% Y!) has gone 9/28 (.321 BA; .679 OPS) over the last week. He's started at shortstop the last seven games and stolen two bases. He won't contribute much to your fantasy team unless he continues to hit for average and steal bases. Even then, his value is limited to a spot start or MI position in the deepest of leagues.
OF Kosuke Fukudome, CHC (2.9% E; 4% Y!) has gone 14/23 (.609 BA; 1.292 OPS) over the last week but that was helped by 5-for-5 and 4-for-7 performances. He's only starting against right-handed pitchers, so he may only be worth rostering to play in favorable match ups.
1B Brett Wallace, HOU (8.3% E; 10% Y!) has gone 11/21 (.524 BA; 1.260 OPS) over the last week with no home runs (four extra-base hits for 15 total bases), two RBI and five runs scored. He doesn't have the power numbers (1 HR this season) to be a primary option at first base but his overall 5x5 line of .347/14/1/8/0 makes him a target as a CI or IF candidate on deeper leagues.
OF Carlos Gomez, MIL (15.3% E; 6% Y!) has gone 10/27 (.370 BA; .861 OPS) over the last week with one home run (one extra-base hit for 13 total bases), four RBI, five runs and a stolen base. Maybe he's feeling the pressure of Nyjer Morgan being brought in and Corey Hart coming off the DL? Keep an eye on his playing time if you plan to pick him up.

Starting pitchers are harder to grab off waivers, with most only have four or five starts to show their stuff. Keep an eye on all of the "pitch and ditch" type articles regarding streaming to see if there's a gem or too hiding in there. Relief pitchers in the mix for saves should be grabbed now and dumped later if things don't pan out. You'll probably miss out if your league is worth anything when it comes to scavenging for saves.

Line of the Day: April 20th, 2011

OF Ryan Ludwick of the San Diego Padres went a combined 5-for-8 with two doubles, a home run, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk (ten total bases) in a double header split against the Chicago Cubs. It was Ludwick's second home run of the season and the five hits raised his batting average to a cool .200.

Line: 4 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; BB

Line: 4 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 2 RBI; 2 2B, HR

Fantasy perspective: Ludwick, owned in just 2.2% of ESPN leagues and 5% of Yahoo! leagues, shows no signs of ever returning to the 2008 version of himself (.299/104/37/113/4). As a member of the Cardinals, he homered 84 times in 1608 at-bats (19.1 AB/HR) compared to just 8 times in 269 at-bats (33.6 AB/HR) as a member of the Padres. If you are still rostering Ludwick at this point, be sure you are looking at him in 2011 (projections) and not 2008.

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.

Where Can I Find: Stolen Bases

I know it's just a couple weeks into the season but now is the time to evaluate your roster to see if you may have overlooked a category or two (or more) during your draft and making some roster adjustments to keep you from ~~failing~~ falling too far behind in the standings.

Below is a list of players available in a large percentage of ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues that could help you stay competitive in the Stolen Bases category early in the season:

OF Sam Fuld, TB leads the American League in stolen bases with six in just nine games played. He wasn't fantasy-relevant until Manny Ramirez retired and looks to get the majority of playing time in left field while batting leadoff. His overall line of .313/5/1/4/6 could easily help you out in three categories. He's still only 18% owned in ESPN leagues and 26% in Yahoo! leagues. And for some good laughs, check out the #LegendofSamFuld hashtag on Twitter.
3B/SS/OF Willie Bloomquist, ARI benefited from Stephen Drew starting the season with an injury and has made the most of his opportunities. He's started nine of the D'Backs eleven games and has a hit in all nine while racking up six stolen bases and accumulating quite the fantasy baseball line of .349/9/1/5/6. He's only OF eligibility in ESPN leagues but could turn into a super-utility type much like what we saw from Omar Infante in 2010. Now may be the time to commit to picking him up as his ownership numbers continue to rise (54.1% E; 72% Y!).
2B Orlando Hudson, SD is settling in quite nicely near the top of the order with his new team and showing there's still life left in his legs. Hudson has never stolen more than 10 bases in a season, so the four he has now could be an anomaly but if you are lacking at 2B or MI in a deeper league he may be worth the look. He's putting up overall numbers (.324/5/0/2/4) that make him ownable while he's widely available (3.7% E; 7% Y!).
OF Coco Crisp, OAK has averaged 31 stolen bases per 162 games in his career but his problem has been staying healthy. He already has four steals this season but is now dealing with a lower back injury. If you have the roster space to spot start him when he's healthy, you could pick up some cheap steals without much risk. His ownership numbers are currently dropping (56.9% E; 41% Y!), so you probably have some time to make a decision here.
OF Johnny Damon, TB somehow has managed three steals already and currently riding a five-game hitting streak. He'll run a lot more with the Rays than he did with the Tigers, so double-digit steals should be a reality for him again this season. I wouldn't be surprised to see him reach 15/15 in 2011. His ownership numbers are very low (25.5% E; 10% Y!) and so is his batting average but he's providing value in 4-out-of-5 standard scoring categories (.220/4/2/7/3).
C Russell Martin, NYY looks healthy and playing with passion again for the Yankees. Why his ownership numbers aren't higher is beyond me (68.2% E; 72% Y!)? A catcher with the potential to go 20/20 should be owned in 100% of all formats (minus the NL-only lovers). Martin is currently the highest-ranked catcher on both ESPN and Yahoo! with his .300/5/3/8/2 line.
OF David Murphy, TEX will be in the mix for the majority of starts with Josh Hamilton hitting the DL yesterday. Murphy stole 14 bases in 138 games in 2010 and couple provide a nice mix of power and speed over the next couple of months. He's come out of the gate hot (.313/4/1/3/2) and should see a major spike in his ownership numbers (5.1% E; 34% Y!).

I hope you find this list as useful as I have while doing the research. People always talk about how fantasy baseball leagues aren't won by the players they draft in the early rounds but by how well they did with late-round picks and how active they are in the early part of the season with waiver wire pickups. Don't be someone that sits around too long waiting for that "sleeper" to start producing or wasting a roster spot on a potential keeper for next season. I play to win now and will deal with managing potential keepers when September rolls around.

Finding Keepers: San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres may find ways to win a lot of games in the NL West this season and stay competitive but they will be doing so with very few keeper worthy players. Funny how trading 1B Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox turned him from an upper-tier option at first base into an elite one.

With Gonzalez off the roster now, the Padres highest-ranked fantasy player according to the ESPN Player Rater was CL Heath Bell. Now, in a game that most pundits will say "never pay for saves", having your closer be your best option for a fantasy keeper is not necessarily a good thing. On the plus side, Bell was 6-1 with 47 Saves, had a 1.93 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and an 11.1 K/9 ratio. So if you want to use a keeper selection on him, you'll probably get very good numbers in return for doing so. Probably? That word doesn't exactly instill confidence.

SP Mat Latos went from being virtually undrafted in most leagues in 2010 to producing an 8th-place finish in the 2010 NL Cy Young Award with a 14-10 record, 2.92 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 189 K's in 184.2 innings pitched. Those strikeout numbers translated to robust ratios of 9.2 K/9 and 3.78 K/BB. Those kinds of numbers matched with his potential for a big 2011 currently have him being drafted on MockDraftCentral.com at 72.17 with such fantasy pitching studs as Justin Verlander (66.12), Josh Johnson (72.40) and Francisco Liriano (79.91). Lock him up and enjoy the ride.

The only player on the Padres projecting to hit 20 or more home runs in 2011 is OF Ryan Ludwick. That surely doesn't bode well for a team that had the 22nd-ranked offense in 2010. Unfortunately, a 21 HR, 82 RBI, .270 hitting outfielder with no speed doesn't deserve a keeper selection but it will get him drafted as a third or fourth outfield option.

If SS Jason Bartlett was able to put up 2009 numbers again (.320/90/14/66/30) he'd be a no-brainer keeper option for 2011 at what's projecting to be a very thin position. Unfortunately, those numbers look more and more like a statistical anomaly. He'll probably get drafted in very deep, mixed leagues or NL-only leagues and could reward some owners with a decent, if not surprising, return on investment. But probably not.

Best of the rest but not keepers:

OF Cameron Maybin has yet to earn the opportunity to play a full season at the majors, so his fantasy value continues to be based on potential. Could he be a 15/15 outfielder or better? Maybe. But that potential probably comes with a .250 batting average or worse.
Let's be clear, this is not the SP Aaron Harang that won 32 games total from 2006-2007. The Padres signed the pitcher that has won a total of 18 games in 75 starts (24%) over the last three season. Some experts are targeting him as a sleeper. Look elsewhere until he proves he's even draftable.
If your league uses Holds K/9 and/or K/BB as scoring categories then you need to be targeting RP Mike Adams and RP Luke Gregerson as late-round picks. In 2010, they combined for 78 Holds, had K/9 ratios right around 10.0 and would be likely candidates to close for the Padres should Bell get hurt or be traded.

The Padres are a team based on good pitchers pitching well enough to have a strong bullpen keep them in games long enough to find ways to win. They surprisingly managed to win 90 games last season. A season that included a 10-game losing streak. Their roster might not be full of guys that are going to help you dominate your fantasy baseball league but it should be another enjoyable season for fans in Southern California.

The entire series of "Finding Keepers" articles are nearly complete and, coincidentally, just in time for me to start drafting my fantasy baseball teams (five this season). I look forward to putting my knowledge, research and passion into actual rosters and the joy and agony that is sure to ensue from now until October. It doesn't get much better than that for a true baseball and fantasy baseball fan.

2010 Fantasy Baseball Awards: 10/09/2010

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: 07/02/2010

SP Mat Latos, SD pitched eight shutout innings, allowing four hits while striking out seven and walking none. Latos moved to 9-4 on the season with a 2.62 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP and has struck out 91 in 99.2 IPs. If you were smart enough to draft (ADP 212.6) him or grab him off waivers, congrats. You get a fantasy gold star.

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

Ups and Downs: 05/29/2010

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

3B Scott Rolen, CIN (+30.7%) has 5 HR and 16 RBI over the last 15 days.
C Mike Napoli, LAA (+27.1%) is back to being the Angels primary catcher and is hitting .349 with 5 HR and 11 RBI over the last 15 days.
OF Jose Guillen, KC (+26.2%) has seen his ownership numbers fluctuate recently. He went on a 3 HR, 6 RBI two-game binge that probably caused a spike in ownership.
SP Mike Leake, CIN (+25.8%) continues to produce quality starts, strikeouts and wins (without a loss) and should be owned in all competitive leagues.
SP Mike Pelfrey, NYM (+23.7%) is 7-1 with a 2.54 ERA and 1.30 WHIP and riding a three-game win streak.
SP Brad Penny, STL (-36.8%) hit the DL and then promptly waivers. His run of four straight losses prior to the injury probably added to the mass drops. Expect him to be a nice add once he's back and proves healthy.
OF Andruw Jones, CHW (-23.3%) is no longer hitting home runs (0 in his last 13 games) and has seen his average drop down to .230.
C Ivan Rodriguez, WAS (-22.8%) went on the DL with a bad back, which is never a good sign for a 38-year old catcher, regardless of how well he was hitting (.325). Keep an eye on him when he returns if you are in need of a catcher.
RP Alfredo Simon, BAL (-22.5%) had a chance at the Orioles closer role prior to his injury. Their bullpen is a free-for-all and Simon probably lost his chance at remaining the closer.
SP Wade LeBlanc, SD (-20.9%) has been knocked around of late (0-3, 13 ER, 15.2 IP) and currently not worth rostering. He could be a nice streamer with the right match up.

Be sure to check out COSFBA on Facebook and Twitter, too.
*Statistics accurate through games played on 05/28/2010.

Box Score Beasts: 05/17/2010

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.

A Steady Stream: 05/11/2010

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

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.

Waiver Saviors: 05/03/2010

Waiver Saviors will look at players available in a majority of leagues (ESPN & Y!) that are currently having a statistical impact 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 without destroying your current roster to do so.

HITTERS (last 7 days)

OF Austin Jackson, DET (15/30, .500 BA, 8 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB) NEEDS TO BE OWNED! If he's still available on waivers in your league, then your league probably sucks. Any guy leading the league in hits going into the month of May deserves to be rostered. If you're scared away by the strikeouts (34 K in 109 AB), then why is Justin Upton still 100% owned (36 K in 98 AB)? (32% E; 57% Y!)
3B David Freese, STL (12/26, .462 BA, 4 R, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB) is thriving in the middle of the Cardinals lineup. He's heating up and could provide some very nice production if you are thin at the 3B, CI or INF positions. (7% E; 21% Y!)
C Rod Barajas, NYM (6/14, .429 AB, 6 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB) can help you in deep two-catcher while he's hot. He's got long-ball potential but could hurt your batting average (.239 career). (7% E; 24% Y!)
1B/2B/3B Ty Wigginton, BAL (6/18, .333 BA, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB) continues to get the job done and with three positions of eligibility, he's the perfect guy to have on your roster. Brian Roberts' return is still unknown and Wiggy will continue to get plenty of playing time. (41% E; 60% Y!)
OF Austin Kearns, CLE (11/25, .440 AB, 4 R, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB) is starting, is hitting and should be owned while he's hot. Cleveland's offense is struggling and hopefully Kearns continues to earn the playing time. (0.1% E; 9% Y!)
3B/SS Jhonny Peralta, CLE (9/23, .391 BA, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB) has two positions of eligibility and four multi-hit games over his last five outings. Sounds like a guy that could help out a struggling team. (6% E; 27% Y!)
2B/3B Adam Rosales, OAK (10/21, .476 BA, 3 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB) will continue to see regular at-bats while Mark Ellis is sidelined and he's making the most of the opportunity. Also has 1B eligibility on Y! (0.1% E; 3% Y!)

PITCHERS (last 15 days)

SP Jon Garland, SD (3 QS, 3 W, 20 IP, 12 H, 0.90 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 6.30 K/9) is thriving in the Padres rotation and is a guy to consider if you are looking for some pitching depth. He's never been a strikeout pitcher but recently racked up ten in six innings against the Marlins. (2% E; 15% Y!)
SP/RP C.J. Wilson, TEX (3 QS, 2 W, 19.2 IP, 14 H, 1.37 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 5.03 K/9) has successfully transitioned from reliever to starter in 2010 and could provide some nice depth to a struggling pitching staff. Also doesn't hurt that he recently gave COSFBA some love on Twitter. (25% E; 55% Y!)
SP Wade LeBlanc, SD (2 QS, 2 W, 17.1 IP, 18 H, 1 ER, 0.52 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 8.31 K/9, 4.00 K/BB) is another Padres pitcher that should be owned at this point. His next start will be at home versus Colorado. His ownership should increase if he pitches well again. (0.4% E; 16% Y!)
SP Jaime Garcia, STL (2 QS, 1 W, 13 IP, 11 H, 2 ER, 1.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 4.85 K/9) pitches at Philadelphia in his next start. This is make or break for his Waiver Saviors life. (12% E; 49% Y!)
RP Matt Lindstrom, HOU (6 IP, 5 SV, 9.00 K/9) is the closer on a bad team. Regardless, he will get whatever saves there are to be gotten in Houston and is a must-own, at this point. (60% E; 62% Y!)
RP Luke Gregerson, SD (9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 HLD, .071 OBA, 0.22 WHIP, 9.00 K/9) is racking up the Holds in San Diego and should be owned in all deep leagues with lots of RP spots to fill. (0.4% E; 10% Y!)
RP Alfredo Simon, BAL (3 IP, 2 SV, 15.00 K/9) is currently the closer in Baltimore and all closers should be owned if your league uses saves. His 2.00 WHIP could be cause for concern but his sample size is only three innings. It helps that Mike Gonzalez is on the DL and Jim Johnson was optioned to AAA. (0% E; 15% Y!)

Picking players off waivers can be the difference between winning or losing a league, as long as the timing is right. Which players on your roster are you ready to trade or dump going into the month of May?

Your League Probably Sucks: 04/30/2010

...IF players like these are still available on waivers:

1B Paul Konerko, CHW is the major league leader in HR with 10, yet is only 69% owned in Y! leagues. Can I get an invite to those other 31% of leagues?
2B Kelly Johnson, ARI is only hitting .320 with 17 R, 9 HR, 18 RBI and an OPS of 1.202. What more does a guy need to do to be owned in more than 72% of Y! leagues? Walk on water? Good luck finding any in the deserts of Arizona.
SP Kevin Correia, SD has four wins in five starts with some nice peripherals (3.86 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 8.36 K/9). His ownership numbers are baffling (13% E; 77% Y!). Yes, he's averaging less than 6 IP per start, but he's winning. Period!
RP Matt Lindstrom, HOU is the closer and should be owned, so why is it that he's only 60% owned in both ESPN and Y! leagues? Houston has put their 0-8 start behind them and are now winning ballgames. Do people not like his six saves and 9.90 K/9 ratio?
OF Austin Jackson, DET strikes out a bunch (32 K in 22 G). So what! He's hitting .330 with 18 R, 1 HR, 7 RBI and 4 SB. Those numbers aren't worth owning in more than 32% ESPN and 35% Y! leagues? Unreal.
OF Marlon Byrd, CHC. What's everyone got against a guy that's hitting .333 with 12 R, 3 HR, 15 RBI and 1 SB? Only 55% ESPN and 56% Y! owned? I have this guy on three of my four teams and enjoying the benefits.
C Miguel Olivo, COL has performed so well, the Rockies sent Chris Iannetta to AAA and gave him the starting job. So why isn't he on more fantasy rosters? Just 13 % ESPN and 60% Y! owned, he deserves better and his numbers prove it (.314 BA, 1.004 OPS, 10 R, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB).
1B/2B/3B Ty Wigginton, BAL has done nothing but produce since being inserted into the everyday lineup when 2B Brian Roberts went on the DL. His .323 BA, 11 R, 6 HR, 12 RBI and 1.064 OPS plus three-position eligibility have been fantasy gold for the 41% of ESPN and 55% of Y! managers that grabbed him off waivers. With as bad as Baltimore is playing, Wiggy will continue to play even after Roberts is activated.
SP Jaime Garcia, STL is 4-for-4 in quality starts and posting some awesome statistics (2-1, 26 IP, 16 H, 3 ER, 0.96 WHIP). What are people waiting for? Just 12% owned in ESPN leagues is embarrassing.
SP Colby Lewis, TEX has already posted two 10 K performances in only four starts. He's averaging below 6 IP per start but has managed 3 wins. If he can get his stamina up and his pitch counts down, be ready for a lot more 10 K performances. Oh, take your time picking him up. He's only 10% ESPN and 43% Y! owned (not for long).

Are there other players in your league(s) that you can't believe are just sitting there on waivers? How do you explain such low ownership rates for such highly performing players?

Any questions, comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.
* All statistics accurate through 04/29/10

A Steady Stream: 04/25/2010

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Monday, 04/25/2010 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

Dana Eveland, TOR (3% E; 9% Y!) @ home vs BOS - You may be drawn to his 1.93 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 18.2 IP, but look closer at his 9:7 K:BB and 4.34 K/9 ratios. He's hittable and BOS hits. Add in that he is facing Beckett and I want nothing to do with this matchup. RISK: HIGH
Oliver Perez, NYM (2% E; 2% Y!) @ home vs LAD - Don't be fooled by his 3.71 ERA. Look deeper at his 1.53 WHIP and 14:10 K:BB ratios in 17 IP. Perez isn't streamable until he proves he can get it done consistently. RISK: HIGH
Jeremy Bonderman, DET (2% E; 3% Y!) @ TEX - Bonderman is still trying to find his form but looked good in his last outing @ LAA (6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). His ERA (7.20) and WHIP (1.40) are high but so is his K/9 (8.40). RISK: MODERATE
Matt Harrison, TEX (0.3% E; 1% Y!) @ home vs DET - Harrison started off well until running into BOS in his last start (4 IP, 6 ER). Regardless, he still has some decent numbers (4.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, .293 OBA, 5.29 K/9). RISK: MODERATE
Mat Latos, SD (78% E; 11% Y!) @ FLA vs J. Johnson - I added Latos as a streamer simply because he's only 11% owned in Yahoo! leagues. That's a head-scratcher. The Padres are hot and this has the makings of a classic pitchers duel. RISK: LOW
Carlos Silva, CHC (6% E; 21% Y!) @ home vs WAS - No one wants to believe Silva will continue to put up the numbers he has so far (3 QS, 2-0, 19 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 12:2 K:BB, 0.95 ERA, .063 WHIP, .194 OBA), but I'm buying while he's hot. RISK: SLIGHT
David Huff, CLE (0.5% E; 3% Y!) @ OAK - Huff struggled with his control in his last start (6 IP, 6 BB, 1 K) but could benefit from pitching in spacious Oakland. Was his complete game a fluke? RISK: EVEN
Zach Duke, PIT (6% E; 13% Y!) @ MIL - I still can't recommend streaming a Pittsburgh starting pitcher. Do these numbers help (24 IP, 24 H, 10 BB, 8 K)? Duke is very hittable and the Brewers hit! RISK: VERY HIGH

Other possible streamers I'm simply avoiding:

Kyle Davies, KC (0.1% E; 0% Y!) @ home vs SEA Hernandez
John Lannan, WAS (0.4% E; 3% Y!) @ CHC
Kyle Lohse, STL (2% E; 17% Y!) @ home vs ATL Hudson

Streaming on Monday and Thursday makes sense in head-to-head leagues because there are less games and this is a nice opportunity to pick up an extra win or two, when selecting the right match up to invest in. GOOD LUCK!

A Steady Stream: 04/22/2010

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.

Ultimate Lineup: 04/19/2010

Ultimate Lineup will be a weekly column looking at the players currently ranked highest at their respective positions over the last week of action. I'll be using ESPN's Player Rater and Yahoo!'s current rankings to determine my starters and reserves based on position eligibility.

CATCHER

Starter - Ivan Rodriguez, WAS (28% E; 37% Y!) - 10/21 (.476 BA), 7 R, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB
Reserve - Bengie Molina, SF (91% E; 86% Y!) - 9/17 (.529 BA), 6 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Nick Hundley, SD (0.3% E; 2% Y!) - 5/16 (.313 BA), 4 R, 1 R, 6 RBI, 0 SB

FIRST BASE

Starter - Ty Wigginton, BAL (3% E; 8% Y!) - 8/23 (.348 BA), 6 R, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Carlos Pena, TB (100% E; 93% Y!) - 7/24 (.292 BA), 6 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 1 SB
Reserve - Michael Cuddyer, MIN (100% E; 88% Y!) - 9/24 (.375 BA), 4 R, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB

SECOND BASE

Starter - Chase Utley, PHI (100% E; 99% Y!) - 7/21 (.333 BA), 8 R, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Ty Wigginton, BAL (3% E; 8% Y!) - 8/23 (.348 BA), 6 R, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Dan Uggla, FLA (100% E; 95% Y!) - 13/28 (.464 BA), 7 R, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB

THIRD BASE

Starter - Ty Wigginton, BAL (3% E; 8% Y!) - 8/23 (.348 BA), 6 R, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Casey McGehee, MIL (90% E; 71% Y!) - 10/22 (.455 BA), 5 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Alberto Callaspo, KC (4% E; 25% Y!) - 9/27 (.333 BA), 4 R, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB

SHORTSTOP

Starter - Derek Jeter, NYY (100% E; 98% Y!) - 11/22 (.500 BA), 5 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Yuniesky Betancourt, KC (2% E; 4% Y!) - 11/24 (.458 BA), 6 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Ryan Theriot, CHC (88% E; 57% Y!) - 8/28 (.286 BA), 4 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 4 SB

OUTFIELD

Starter - Shin-Soo Choo, CLE (100% E; 96% Y!) - 11/19 (.579 BA), 5 R, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB
Starter - Matt Kemp, LAD (100% E; 99% Y!) - 8/24 (.333 BA), 8 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB
Starter - Jose Guillen, KC (60% E; 59% Y!) - 12/26 (.462 BA), 7 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB
Reserve - Ryan Braun, MIL (100% E; 99% Y!) - 11/26 (.423 BA), 5 R, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB
Reserve - Andre Either, LAD (100% E; 95% Y!) - 11/26 (.423 BA), 4 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB

STARTING PITCHER

Starter - Adam Wainwright, STL (100% E; 98% Y!) - 17 IP, 1 CG, 2 QS, 2-0, 1.06 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 5.33 K/BB, 8.47 K/9
Starter - Ricky Romero, TOR (65% E; 72% Y!) - 16 IP, 2 QS, 1-1, 1.69 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, 4.50 K/BB, 10.13 K/9
Starter - Matt Garza, TB (100% E; 94% Y!) - 16 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 0.56 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 2.00 K/BB, 5.63 K/9
Reserve - Andy Pettitte, NYY (77% E; 59% Y!) - 14 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 1.67 K/BB, 6.43 K/9
Reserve - Mike Pelfrey, NYM (7% E; 24% Y!) - 8 IP, 1 QS, 1-0, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 6.00 K/BB, 6.75 K/9
Reserve - Ubaldo Jimenez, COL (100% E; 98% Y!) - 9 IP, 1 CG, 1 QS, 0 H, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 1.17 K/BB, 7.00 K/9

RELIEF PITCHER

Starter - Fernando Rodney, LAA (24% E; 48% Y!) - 3 IP, 0-0, 3 SV, 6.00 K/9
Reserve - Jonathan Broxton, LAD (100% E; 98% Y!) - 4 IP, 1-0, 1 SV, 13.50 K/9
Reserve - Rafael Soriano, TB (100% E; 92% Y!) - 4 IP, 0-0, 3 SV, 9.00 K/9
Reserve - Mariano Rivera, NYY (100% E; 98% Y!) - 2 IP, 0-0, 3 SV, 13.50 K/9

Most of these players are owned in the majority of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues, but there definitely are waiver wire opportunities out there (Rodriguez, Guillen, Wigginton, Romero, Pettitte) to help improve your team(s). Smart, successful owners are always looking at the stats for the "last 7", "last 15" and the "last month" to see who's hot (and not) and where they can improve their team(s) off waivers.

Good luck assembling next week's Ultimate Lineup.

Ups and Downs: 04/17/2010

Ups and Downs will be a semi-regular column looking at players with the greatest percentage of adds and drops, according to ESPN's fantasy leagues (simply because that data is easily accessible to me), and the fantasy impact (positive and negative) of those decisions.

HITTER ADDS (data as of 04/17/2010)

OF Jeff Francoeur, NYM (+49.7%) - It's not hard to see why Francoeur is at the top of the ADDS list. He's currently the #5 ranked hitter on ESPN with a .457 BA, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 7 BB(!) and a 1.302 OPS. What is surprising is that he's still only 63.7% owned overall.
OF Chris B. Young, ARI (+47.7%) - Young looks to be living up to the potential people were drafting for in 2008 and 2009. A hot start (.325 BA, .989 OPS, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 1 SB) has boosted his ownership up to 89.3%. This ship has probably sailed if your league has any value at all.
SS Alex Gonzalez, TOR (+46.5%) - A .340 BA and 34 TB (2nd in MLB) easily explain why Gonzalez is such a huge ADD. Question is, "How long will this last?". As long as you don't dump an under-performing star to add him, ride this wave all the way to the shore. Was only 1.4% owned before this week.
OF Jose Guillen, KC (+44.4%) - His 5 HR, .350 BA and 1.195 OPS explain all the love being thrown his way. More incredible is the news of the off-season battle to save his life. Only 44.8% owned, you may have a chance to grab him before he hits any more bombs.
OF Scott Podsednik, KC (+43%) - Virtually undrafted unless for his SB potential, Pods is has not disappointed. His 6 SB are tied for the ML lead but the .436 BA is what can't be overlooked. Still only 50.6% owned. Get him for the steals and enjoy the peripherals while they're hot.
OF Magglio Ordonez, DET (+32.9%) - His ADP was 191.1 and for that, all he's done is give you a .341 BA with 3 HR, 8 R, 8 RBI and a 1.035 OPS. He's healthy and hitting but probably not available in any league worth being in (93.6% owned).

PITCHER ADDS (data as of 04/17/2010)

SP Ricky Romero, TOR (+46.9%) - He's started off with 2 QS, 1 W in 15 IP with a robust 16:4 K:BB ratio with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP. Still only 50.3% owned, now might be the time to pick him up and see if this is for real or not.
RP Kevin Gregg, TOR (+42.6%) - Started the season in the closer mix, he's now been anointed the Closer after Jason Frasor imploded. A must-own in all formats. Shocking he's still only 51.1% owned.
RP Neftali Feliz, TEX (+37.4%) - Another newly-crowned Closer, Feliz was a must-own even before this with his 13.50 K/9. Can you believe this guy is still only 65.1% owned? If you need saves, holds, K's or stellar ratios, get him! Get him now!
SP Dallas Braden, OAK (+33%) - Another virtually undrafted player that is off to a hot start, his 3 QS, 2 W, 2.70 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB make him ownable in all formats.
SP Carl Pavano, MIN (+25.5%) - Pavano has recorded 2 QS against two quality opponents (@LAA, vsBOS) with a 10:1 K:BB ratio. His next start is versus KC, so he should continue to succeed.

HITTER DROPS (data as of 04/17/2010)

OF Kyle Blanks, SD (-20.1%) - Blanks still has 25+ HR potential as a 4th or 5th outfielder in deep leagues but his low average (.229) and high strikeouts (13 K in 10 G) may be too much to stomach for most owners.
OF Chris Coghlan, FLA (-18.6%) - Coghlan started off poorly (.132 BA and .307 OPS) and has been battling a ribs injury. These factors may have caused the mass bails. If you have the roster flexibility, he may be a good stash (especially if he's forced to the DL) until he rights the wrongs.
C Mike Napoli, LAA (-17.6%) - Jeff Mathis somehow stole all of Napoli's ABs and it doesn't look like it will get any better. Definitely a dump in single-catcher formats. Rumors of a trade may make him ownable in two-catcher formats.
C Miguel Montero, ARI (-17.2%) - I truly don't understand this one unless your league does not include DL slots. If some frustrated owner in your league can't wait four-to-six weeks for a top 5 catcher to return from injury, get him and stash him on your DL until he's back. Some people's kids...
OF Julio Borbon, TEX (-14.2%) - Another head-scratcher here. Yes, Borbon has started off slowly (.097 BA, 1 SB), but his ADP of 144.6 means people are already giving up on a 12th round pick. Again, grab him and be patient. Texas has committed to Borbon and so should you.

PITCHER DROPS (data as of 04/17/2010)

RP Mike Gonzalez, BAL (-23.8%) - The Orioles were slow to put him on the DL, which probably caused frustrated owners (of which I was one) to dump him for RP Jim Johnson.
RP Frank Francisco, TEX (-20.6%) - Another closer that lost his job and was worth the drop unless your league utilizes Holds.
RP Matt Lindstrom, FLA (-18.8%) - Lindstrom and Brandon Lyon were expected to battle it out for the closer role but what good is a closer if you aren't winning games. Not sure he was worth the drop already, so pick him up if you are desperate for potential saves.
RP Jason Frasor, TOR (-16.2%) - Not often that a closer with three saves loses his role within the first ten games of the season, but the numbers don't lie: 2 BSV, 5.06 ERA, 2.06 WHIP, .407 OBA
SP Stephen Strasburg, WAS (-13.6%) - Not surprising that he's being dropped. The real fun is when he becomes the guy to add. Keep an eye on all news related to Strasburg's call up and jump all over the chance to own him.

What players are you adding or dumping this early in the season and why?

Easter Eggs

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?

San Diego Padres: DOs and DON'Ts

DO use your 3rd round pick on 1B Adrian Gonzalez and his attainable 100/40/100/.280 stats. Toss in 120 BBs and a .400 OBP if your league has expanded scoring categories.
DON'T miss out on OF Kyle Blanks. He has 20-30 HR potential and will be given every chance to do so batting 5th behind Adrian Gonzalez. His career .304 BA in the minors could translate into a .280 BA in the majors.
DO draft SS Everth Cabrera if you are in the need for speed but don't expect much else. He has 30+ SB ability but that could very well come at the price of a .250 BA.
DON'T expect too much out of SP Chris Young until he proves he's healthy. He's not worth drafting at this point but be ready to snatch him off waivers if he turns things around.
DO assume CL Heath Bell continues to perform like an elite closer (35+ Saves, 9+ K/9) but don't assume he finishes the season with the Padres.