It seems that ever since the Giants lost their big name slugger, Barry Bonds, there just hasn’t been a lot of reasons to watch this miserable squad play baseball.
Lost in the mediocrity of the Giants squad has been some of their stellar pitching. In fact, the Giants offer multiple pieces in their rotation and bullpen that are useful for fantasy owners.
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Here are some of the latest breaking headlines in the fantasy baseball world.
Evan Longoria (TB) Comes Off DL: This is some big news for fantasy owners. The news is even bigger for those following the MLB Playoffs (sorry, Nationals fans!). Longoria is one of the league’s brightest young players and will instantly provide a spark to a Rays team that is 1-4 in it’s last five games. If you are in a weekly league, don’t be in a rush to activate him: Maddon has said that he wants to get him some BP before he steps up to the plate. Look for him on your free agent wire in case some smart guy dropped him.
Alfonso (CHC) Bolts Three: Soriano had a fine game today against the Cincinnati Reds, sending three into orbit. He is a great fantasy player and could be on the verge of a power tear for the last three weeks of the season. A .342 OBP shows that he is seeing the ball fairly well and his average is remaining serviceable at .284. With that power-speed combo, you can’t deny his great fantasy value.
Ben Sheets (MIL) Tosses Shutout Against Padres: When his groin is on, Sheets is on. Okay, let me clarify: this injury prone pitcher has the raw stuff to dominate, but his injury history has to bother fantasy owners. He reminds me a lot of Rich Harden: you have to wonder if these pitchers are crybabies in real life. Be careful with Sheets if you select him in next year’s drafts: grab some insurance SPs just in case he goes out for an extended period of time.
Oswalt (HOU) Too: This just in, the Colorado Rockies will not go on a ridiculous run this year. They simply haven’t been hitting well as of late. Oswalt is a fine pitcher who many doubted at the beginning of the year…did he really try to learn a knuckleball? All that aside, he was dominant and efficient (102 pitches). He should be good to go for the rest of the year.
Whos hitting in Seattle?: Big Raul Ibanez, that’s who! With his stellar game against the Yankees (2-3, HR, 4 RBI), he now has four 100 RBI seasons in a row. Ibanez is often overlooked in fantasy, and he could be severely undervalued next year. With a stellar .369 OBP and 22 HRs, he looks like Alfonso without the speed.
CLOSER ALERT: Steven Shell got the save for the lowly Nats tonight after they played ten innings. Fernando Rodney got his ninth with the Tigers tonight, against the Twins. Surprisingly, he is rated #23 in Razzball’s latest closer rankings, despite being the only able reliever in his pen. Kyle Farnsworth? Give me a break!
Attention to all fantasy owners out there: this is your time to make a move if you are in a winning position in your league.
With college football and the start of the NFL season dominating the ESPN Headlines, many fantasy owners are starting to take their eyes off their fantasy baseball teams. Call it ignorance, missed attention, even neglect! But if you can capitalize on these next few weeks, you would be surprised at how far up your team can rise in the standings.
Dodger Stadium, Credit: brett.wagner, Flickr
Tonight, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks will go all out in an important three game series. Currently, the Diamondbacks are ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West race, 1 1/2 games ahead. Here are a few of the fantasy names you should watch out for and consider starting as these games are played.
"September is the time of baseball magic", Credit: Kevin Dooley, Flickr
This year, I looked for a new fantasy baseball site to play my leagues. I ended up picking the heavily advertised CBSSportsline.com to host my leagues. Even though I have had a fairly enjoyable experience playing in their leagues, there are a few things that you should consider before you sign up to play their leagues (or any fantasy baseball league, for that matter).
I had the privilege of attending the Phillies vs. Nationals game tonight with a good friend of mine. Sitting up in the top bleachers, we talked a lot about life, as well as some other topics regarding modern baseball. As I looked down on the players and fans below me, I started to wonder exactly what impact fantasy baseball has on any given MLB fan base.
Credit: Mike Babcock, Flickr
You’ve just made one big decision: to play fantasy baseball online for fun. A great decision, if I may say so myself! One question you may have in mind, however, is where to play fantasy baseball and get the best overall experience. Here, I will highlight a few of the free websites you should consider playing at.
As the dog days of August continue on, many fantasy owners are scrambling around to their waiver wires to find players who can help in saves. Here are some hot values who I believe could turn a nice profit over the final two months of the season.
Catchers are tricky skill sets: many catchers have low batting averages and do little to help out significantly in any statistical area. However, if you pick the right catchers down the stretch, the small numbers they contribute could become the difference between finishing first and second in your fantasy baseball league.
As we roll into the middle of August and football season starts up, it is easy to forget about our fantasy baseball teams. The NFL is marketed very well and can easily turn a half-hearted fantasy baseball owner away from the great game. There are a lot of things that one can do to refocus strategy to win their league.
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