Fantasy Baseball Flash

If you are wondering who has the upper hand in today’s playoff games, take LAA and CWS.

Ervin Santana goes to the mound for LAA today against the Red Sox, and he has simply broken out.  In September and October, he posted K/BB ratios of 8.0 and 7.8, respectively.  In fact, these two months were his strongest statistical months, despite mediocre surface numbers in September.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is going to counter LAA for Boston today, but there are several warning signs on why you shouldn’t go with him.  Despite incredible surface stats, Matsuzaka walks way too many batters to be a reliable option for Boston in the long term.  No pitcher averaging 4.6 walks per 9 innings will find continued success in the league.  Matsuzaka is a deceptive pitcher who has good skills, but I would stay far, far away from him in 2009 drafts.

Scott Kazmir will be pitching for the Rays today against the White Sox, and there are some major warning signs in his skill set as well.  He had good statistical months in June and July, but has walked a high amount of batters in August and September (around 5-6 walks per 9 innings!).  This is a major warning sign that Kazmir may be burnt out, and despite being the favorite in today’s game, you have to love CWS’s chances.

Mark Buehrle takes the mound for the White Sox today, and before you dismiss him as “just another average veteran,” take a closer look at his surface stats.  Buehrle has posted K/BB ratios of 3+ over the past four months, after starting the season’s first three months with a K/BB ratio of 1.6.  Buehrle is no spring chicken, coming in at the ripe age of 29, but he has demonstrated significant skill growth.

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October 3rd, 2008 | Tags: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Ervin Santana, Mark Buehrle, Scott Kazmir | Category: Player Breakdowns | Leave a comment

The strong winds from Hurricane Ike took down a ton of power lines in and around the Columbus area, and I am just getting my power back today.  Sorry for the short hiatus!

With power around the area in flux, I decided to post today regarding who has delivered in the home runs category for fantasy owners.  Let’s take a look at some of the big time power sources from the past thirty days.

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September 18th, 2008 | Tags: Carlos Delgado, Josh Hamilton, Lance Berkman, Ryan Howard | Category: Player Breakdowns | Leave a comment

Carlos Zambrano of the Cubbies throw an incredible one-walk no hitter against the Houston Astros tonight.  It was a truly masterful performance, minus a hit batter.

Being the incredible strikeout master that he is, this doesn’t surprise me one bit.  His numbers on the season are pretty good: a 3.58 ERA, 13-5 record, and a 117-64 K/BB ratio.  Batters are hitting .250 against him and he has a modest 1.31 WHIP.

But is his stellar performance a testament to his skill, or to his luck?  Let’s take a look at Zambrano’s history and try to judge his outing.

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September 14th, 2008 | Tags: Carlos Zambrano | Category: Player Breakdowns | Leave a comment

Cliff Lee, how in the world have you done what you’ve done this season?

Okay fine, you did win 14 or more games from 2004-2006.  Despite average strikeout numbers, you were a back end fantasy pitcher who made solid contributions every now and then.

Then you go get injured, and you spend almost the entire month of August 2007 in the minors.  Come back up, make four relief appearances out of the bullpen.

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September 13th, 2008 | Tags: Cliff Lee, Esteban Loaiza | Category: Player Breakdowns | Comments (1)

While strikeouts are great for any pitcher, they can certainly limit what hitters can do.  Let’s take a look at the league leaders in strikeouts, and how all of those K’s have affected their fantasy value.

1. Ryan Howard (PHI) - 189 K

2. Mark Reynolds (ARI) - 183 K

3. Jack Cust (OAK) - 176 K

4. Dan Uggla (FLA) - 152 K

5. Chris B. Young (ARI) - 151 K

6. Carlos Pena (TB) - 148 K

7. Adam Dunn (ARI) - 146 K

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September 12th, 2008 | Tags: Adam Dunn, Chris B. Young, Mark Reynolds, Ryan Howard | Category: Player Breakdowns | Leave a comment

Credit: Sister72, Flickr

I wanted to take some time away from the fantasy baseball game today to reflect on September 11, 2001 and how it changed our world forever.  I want to extend my best wishes for those who are still struggling with the loss of loved ones, children, coworkers, friends, neighbors, whoever…from that fateful day.

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September 11th, 2008 | Tags: September 11 | Category: General | Comments (1)

Adding the right bat in September could make or break your chance for a league championship.  Let’s take a look at the hottest adds from each position, and whether you should go and roster them for your fantasy squad at this point in time.

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September 10th, 2008 | Tags: Brandon Wood, Clint Barmes, Mike Jacobs, Nelson Cruz, Pablo Sandoval | Category: Hot Values | Leave a comment

It may or may not be apparent to you, but I absolutely love playing and blogging about fantasy baseball.  I mean, what game can give the owner/blogger like myself a legitimate reason to watch anywhere from six-ten games per night?

Okay, I’ll admit that at times, it can be hard to keep up with my teams AND blogging at the same time.  But fantasy baseball is far superior to fantasy football for many reasons.

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September 9th, 2008 | Tags: Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Football | Category: Beginner Guide | Comments (2)

This may have been the last season we have seen Billy Wagner in Major League Baseball.

According to SNY, Billy Wagner will be missing the rest of 2008 and possibly all of 2009 after tearing his flexor pronator and MCL in his left elbow.  Sounds like some serious stuff.  At the age of 37, I doubt that he’ll have much value, even if he does return in 2009 or Spring Training 2010.

Owners who drafted the solid Wagner were rewarded with a nice, productive season.  In 47 innings pitched, Wagner saved 27 out of 34 total opportunities and posted a nice 2.30 ERA.  He stepped up as the clear leader of the Mets bullpen, and a lot has to be said for that.  His 52-10 K/BB ratio was even more impressive.

With Wagner out of the picture, Mets fans have to be turning their attention to the Angels’ Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, who could get some big bucks from NYM to be their next closer.  As you may know, K-Rod is currently on track to break the all-time single season saves record with the Angels.  Luis Ayala will probably not be able to sustain the pace that he has been going at, and K-Rod seems like a logical target.

Francisco Rodriguez has posted the highest strikeouts/9 innings and lowest walks/9 innings ratios in his career this season.  It has never been more apparent that this guy is at the absolute top of his game.  Durability has to come into question, but Rodriguez has certainly got the job done.  If K-Rod becomes a Met next season, he will be the first or second closer drafted.

September 8th, 2008 | Tags: Billy Wagner, Francisco Rodriguez | Category: In The News | Leave a comment