July 29th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Tyler Norton
By: Matt “The Real” Diehl
Of all the teams making splashes in the proverbial trade pond, the Indians almost undeniably have made the most wake in the past month in all of baseball. From their unwavering declaration to deal certain players to their eventual execution of these plans, their mid-season transaction portfolio draws parallels to that of Hamilton Porter’s famous “cannonball” in The Sandlot. They’ve doused onlookers (and sparked rebuttal trades) and provided trade partners with essential assets for their respective stretch runs, all the while bringing their farm system to a level that it hasn’t seen since…well since it held Sizemore, Martinez, Hafner, Carmona, Peralta, Phillips, among others.
July 7th
Brewers get: CC Sabathia (about 16 starts), two top-50 players from the 2009 player entry draft
Indians get: Matt LaPorta (OF), Zach Jackson (LHP), Rob Bryson (RHP), Taylor Green (3B) – player to be named
The Skinny: Read more…
Posted in: Fantasy Baseball
Tags: Anthony Reyes, Carlos Santana, Casey Blake, CC Sabathia, Cleveland Indians, Jon Meloan, Los Angeles Dodgers, Luis Perdomo, Matt LaPorta, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Taylor Green, Zach Jackson
July 24th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Tyler Norton
By: Matt “The Real” Diehl
Halfway through the season is a just time to give recognition for the first half statistical studs; the All-Stars. But what with those of us that are stuck in the dingy cobweb-ridden cellars of our leagues with nothing to show for our season but a handful of players on the DL and a lost sense of self? Here’s a list of guys whose fantasy value has plummeted faster than Prince Fielder’s meat allowance:
Un-snubs
C: Victor Martinez – those of us who defended our early drafting of a catcher by proudly declaring “he’s also eligible at first” were not expecting zero HR in almost 200 AB.
1B: Paul Konerko – leaves owners thinking “God, I swear I could hit .215”. Read more…
Posted in: Uncategorized
July 24th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Tyler Norton
By:Chase Fiebig
After a slow start to the 2008 season, the Milwaukee Brewers have stormed
back into contention in the suprisingly strong NL Central. Brewers fans can
remember a dissapointing 2007 season marred by streaky hitting amd
inconsistent pitching. Although figured to be in the mix of things coming
into this season, most would have predicited them to be a
middle-of-the-pack team at best sitting behind the Cubs, Astros, and
possibly the Cardinals. This is the way things were panning out two months
into the season when the Brewers were sitting at 29-28 behind all three of
those teams, and struggling to win a series.
Turning a new leaf (and removing the pitcher from the 8th spot in the
order), they have become one of the hottest teams in the National League
since, all while motivating GM Doug Melvin to, as he put it, “go for it”. Read more…
Posted in: Fantasy Baseball
Tags: CC Sabathia, Cleveland Indians, Matt LaPorta, Milwaukee Brewers
July 15th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Tyler Norton
By: Matt “The Real” Diehl
For six years now the All-Star Game has “counted”. Coincidently, you can probably count on one hand (and yes, Bob Wickman’s 4 fingered hand will suffice) the number people that believe this Selig invention is far from asinine. The number’s probably most comparable to the Senior Circuit’s win total since the 2003 inception of this rule: yep, zero. As the balloting totals and subsequent TV ratings no doubt illustrate, people care about who’s being voted onto the rosters, not the result of the game. Read more…
Posted in: Uncategorized
Tags: All-Star Game
July 10th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Tyler Norton
By: Brett
The Athletics have a long standing tradition of dealing their top talent when they are going to be getting a new contract and plucking talent from other clubs in the process to add to an already deep minor league system. This is commonly know as Money Ball(loose definition). In this one I think they could have done better than what they got. Yes Rich Harden is injury prone but he always puts together respectible if not dominant numbers for at least 140 IP a season. Lets face it Starting Pitchers main concern is keeping runs off the board and eatting up crucial innings. I’m going to break down the players the Athletics received and what tools they can bring to the Athletics organization.
Sean Gallagher Starting Pitcher. A 22 Year Old 6”2 225 lbs righty with 2 plus pitches and 2 other usable pitches. Read more…
Posted in: Uncategorized
Tags: Brett Anderson, Eric Patterson, Fautino De Los Santos, Josh Donaldson, Matt Murton, Oakland Athletics, Sean Gallagher, Trevor Cahill, Vincent Mazzaro
July 10th, 2008 / 3 Comments » / by Tyler Norton
By: Aaron
Still 3 weeks until this year’s trade deadline and already the NL Central is the talk of the league. Of course you know about the CC Sabathia and Rich Harden deals this past week, but let’s go through a team-by-team look at how the trade deadline looks to reshape things in the NL Central.
Chicago Cubs: A panic trade perhaps or a great risk/reward move? I say it’s too early to tell. Obviously if Rich Harden pans out and stays healthy he’ll be a force (his contract is cheap and ends after the 09 season) but how likely is that? Aren’t Cubs fans tired of DL bound pitchers? The real steal in the deal is Chad Gaudin. If something should (and probably will) happen to Harden then he will be plugged into the rotation. Seeing as how Gallagher was the emergency 5th starter, I see it as an upgrade. The only thing that worries me for the Cubs is that now they have zero outfield depth. Currently Mark DeRosa is their starting Left Fielder (until Soriano returns) and their only other outfielder of any significance is Reed Johnson. Before, the Cubs couldn’t afford any pitching injuries, now they can’t afford any position player injuries. I guess if pitching wins championships then that’s the way to go. Read more…
Posted in: Uncategorized
Tags: Adam Dunn, Bronson Arroyo, CC Sabathia, Chicago Cubs, Colby Rasmus, Ken Griffey Jr, Mark DeRosa, Matt LaPorta, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Reed Johnson, Rich Harden, Sean Gallagher, St. Louis Cardinals, Xavier Nady
July 9th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Tyler Norton
By: Kyle
I’m more than happy to kick off my Player Spotlight section with one of my own, Red Sox third baseman, Mike Lowell. Or, as I also like to call him (for some inexplicable reason), Mikey Fresh. Go ahead, try not to call him that now. It’s catchy.
Anyway, here is a guy who hardly needs an introduction. A huge part of the Red Sox World Series success last season, he hit .324 with 21 home runs and whopping 120 RBI. Big time numbers from a big time player. We all know he re-signed with Boston in the off season and we all expected to see those same type of numbers come 2008.
Then… he got hurt. Read more…
Posted in: Fantasy Baseball
Tags: Boston Red Sox, Mike Lowell
July 7th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Tyler Norton
By: Matt “The Real” Diehl
With next week’s Midsummer Classic there’s no more appropriate time to bring recognition to the hard work and excellence that the A.L. Central has produced thus far this season. So with no further ado, here are your 2008 A.L. Central All-Stars:
All-Stars
C: Joe Mauer – can’t argue with .325, especially at the catcher spot. Owners can only hope that his 22 first half doubles turn into HR in the future. Read more…
Posted in: Fantasy Baseball
Tags: Alexei Ramirez, Bobby Jenks, Carlos Guillen, Carlos Quentin, CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Gavin Floyd, Jermaine Dye, Joakim Soria, Joe Crede, Joe Mauer, Joe Nathan, John Danks, Jose Guillen, Justin Morneau, Zack Greinke
July 7th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Tyler Norton
By: Matt “The Real” Diehl
Just recently I was afforded the chance to watch the top prospect in the Royals organization first hand. Mike Moustakas’ Burlington Bees (of the Low-A Midwest League) came to visit the nearby Timber Rattlers for a four game series toward the end of June.
As the #2 overall selection of the 2007 draft Moustakas was claimed just after highly-touted hurler David Price but before the likes of fellow California high school sluggers Josh Vitters and Matt Dominguez (the latter a high school teammate) and collegiate studs Matt Wieters, Ross Detweiler, and Matt LaPorta. At 6’0” 195 lbs this high school shortstop (who also reportedly boasts a 97 mph heater) ripped 24 HR and 18 doubles his senior year in just 97 AB (have fun converting that to a 600 AB pro season). After only 11 professional games Moustakas was named by Baseball America the Royals best hitter for average and power as well as (not surprisingly) lugging the best infield arm.
Read more…
Posted in: Fantasy Baseball
Tags: Kansas City Royals, Mike Moustakas
July 3rd, 2008 / No Comments » / by Tyler Norton
Written By: Aaron
This is where you win championships. I’m a firm believer that no one on your team should be “untouchable” or “untradeable”. Right now you are one of 3 teams: 1. Waiting patiently for the playoffs to start and your real season begins. 2. Fighting to get in to the playoff hunt. 3. Playing for next year. If you’re team 1 you’re probably going to stay put, team 2 will be the team most likely to deal, and team 3 will either be staying put or working to deal for better keeper type players. In reality, you should all be dealing! Every team has someone over-performing or under-performing. Finding these players and getting maximum value for them is the best way to ensure your team is always near the top of your keeper league. Here are some buy low/sell high candidates to consider for the post All-Star season.
Sell High
Chipper Jones - The last five years Chipper has been nicked up. If he’s on your team you cringe every time he tries to score from 1st on a double. Chipper is one of the players that I have vowed to never have on my team. He puts up nice stats but you never know when he’s going to go. If you’re a cellar dwelling team you should be trading him for younger players. If you’re up at the top, you could get a nice pitcher and replaceable 3b for him easily.
Read more…
Posted in: Fantasy Baseball
Tags: Atlanta Braves, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Marmol, Carlos Quentin, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chipper Jones, Cleveland Indians, Jason Giambi, John Danks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Max Ramirez, Michael Cuddyer, Milton Bradley, New York Mets, Rafael Betancourt, Randy Wolf, San Francisco Giants, Solomon Torres, Ted Lilly, Texas Rangers
