Fantasy Baseball: Ten Random Facts
1. Mat Latos is better than you think. Since joining the Reds last season, Mat Latos has an 18-4 record in 43 starts for the club. In 274.2 innings he has 240 strikeouts while allowing just 80 walks. As a member of the Reds Latos has a 3.41 ERA and a 1.169 WHIP. I went out on a limb and picked him to win the NL Cy Young this season. 2. Chris Sale's BABIP doesn't scare me. Earlier this week I released an article listing some of the more notable BABIP rates in baseball. Sale currently has a .235 BABIP and although that may seem to be a bit lucky; Sale's underlying statistics back up that he's still an elite Pitcher. Here's a break down of Sale's numbers from last season (29 starts and one relief appearance) compared to this year (9 starts): | 2012
Record - 17-8
ERA - 3.05
WHIP - 1.14
BABIP - .294
FIP - 3.27
xFIP - 3.24
BB/9 - 2.39
K/9 - 9.00
Left on Base % - 80.0
Line Drive % - 23.0
|  chicitysports.com | 2013
Record - 5-2
ERA - 2.35
WHIP - 0.92
BABIP - .235
FIP - 3.21
xFIP - 3.31
BB/9 - 2.11
K/9 - 8.58
Left on Base % - 80.2
Line Drive % - 16.8
| Even if Sale's BABIP does fade back closer to .300, there's still a great chance he'll remain a top flight Pitcher in baseball. His fastball velocity has actually increased by 0.7 MPH this season (92.3 average MPH) and he's throwing his changeup at a career high rate (17.5%). With all of that in mind I think Chris Sale will be in the running for the AL Cy Young award at the end of the year.
3. Starlin Castro isn't running like last year.
The Cubs 23 year old Shortstop has attempted three steals this season (caught once) through 48 games. In 2012, Castro was 14 for 19 in steal attempts through his first 48 games of the season. I was pretty high on Castro entering the year but at his current rate he'll be lucky to steal ten bases after swiping 47 bags over the past two years combined.
4. Wilin Rosario has pop. Rosario has played in 172 career games. In those games he has 40 home runs, 27 doubles and one triple. That means 68 of his 158 career hits have gone for extra bases (43%). Rosario's ISO Power Rates by season are as follows: .259 (16 games in 2011), .260 (117 games in 2012), and .222 (39 games in 2013). If you think he's benefiting from playing at Coors Field you'd be wrong. Of Rosario's 40 career homers, only 23 have come at home. Of his 27 doubles, only 14 have come in Colorado. Rosario lead all Catchers in Home Runs last season. |  denverpost.com | 5. Andrew McCutchen is heating up. In April, McCutchen hit .247 with three homers and six steals (97 at bats). In May, McCutchen is hitting .349 with four homers and six steals (83 at bats). If he maintains his current pace, McCutchen will end the year with 23 home runs and 40 stolen bases. 6. Starling Marte is the real deal. Last season, in 47 games, Marte hit five home runs and stole 12 bases. This year, through 47 games, Marte has hit five home runs and stolen 11 bases. He hit .257 last year with a .333 BABIP, this year he's hitting .309 with a .387 BABIP. The Pirates Left Fielder has been as advertised ever since his call-up late last season. I'm a big believer in him moving forward. I ranked him as the 61st best hitter in my most recent Player Rankings article. 7. Despite having nine Home Runs and a .314 Batting Average, Ryan Braun is having a down year. Ryan Braun has a career low 1.13 ground ball to fly ball rate this season. The 29 year old superstar is also having a down year on the base paths. Braun has been caught stealing five times in seven attempts this season. Although he's hitting a solid .314, Braun is benefiting from a career high .373 BABIP. It's important to note that he currently has a 22% strikeout rate (highest since his rookie season). Over the past four years the Brewers slugger has had at least 100 runs and driven in at least 100 runs in every season. Prior to the start of this year I predicted that streak to come to an end. Braun is currently on pace to drive in 103 runs and score just 90 this season. 8. Jose Altuve is the best player in Houston. This is true by default but Altuve has actually put together a great season. Altuve had the third highest batting average against South Paws last season and he's continued that trend hitting .346 off lefties this year. In order to prove my point I decided to compare him to two All Star caliber Second Baseman. | Jose Altuve (45 Games)
2 Home Runs
5 Steals
.307 Batting Average
21 RBI
.338 BABIP
| Dustin Pedroia (50 Games)
2 Home Runs
8 Steals
.337 Batting Average
25 RBI
.380 BABIP
| Ben Zobrist (45 Games)
3 Home Runs
3 Steals
.251 Batting Average
29 RBI
.284 BABIP
| 9. Manny Machado is really good and I'm taking all of the credit. Machado is on pace to break the single season doubles record of 67 two-baggers set back in 1931 by Earl Webb. I don't think he'll get there but 50-55 doubles is a realistic outcome for the 20 year old phenom. I've been a huge fan of Machado's for some time as I ranked him #40 in my last Keeper Rankings. I have been comparing him to a young (clean) version of Alex Rodriguez ever since he was drafted third overall back in 2010. Machado has one of the brightest futures in all of baseball. |  worldnow.com | 10. Jason Grilli is statistically the best Closer in baseball right now. The Pirates Closer is 19 for 19 in save chances this season. Among Relief Pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched, Grilli ranks 5th with a 0.74 WHIP and 10th with a 1.25 ERA. The 36 year old has pitched for six different teams in his career (1.38 career WHIP and 4.20 career ERA) but in his three seasons as a member of the Pirates, Grilli has never had a WHIP above 1.19 or an ERA above 2.91. Grilli is on pace for a 64 save season. He was one of the cheaper Closer options I mentioned in my Draft Guide. Bonus Fact: All of the above players mentioned currently reside on my Fantasy Baseball keeper league team. Alex WiesnerMay 25th, 2013 Archives
Why Miguel Cabrera Will Win Another Triple Crown
Numbers Never Lie
After 45 games this season (184 at bats) Miguel Cabrera leads the American League in Batting Average (.391), Runs Batted In (55) and is one Home Run shy of tying Chris Davis for first in the league. That brings up the question of a potential repeat Triple Crown. Miggy won last year's Triple Crown when he hit .330 with 44 Home Runs and 139 Runs Batted In. Here's a quick break down of last season's stats through his first 184 at bats compared to his numbers this season:
| 2012
BA - .310
HR - 8
RBI - 37
OBP - .369
Doubles - 9
Hits - 57
K/BB - 28/17
SLG - .489
|
freep.com
| 2013
BA - .391
HR - 14
RBI - 55
OBP - .467
Doubles - 13
Hits - 72
K/BB - 26/25
SLG - .701
| With those numbers in mind it's important to note that no player has ever won back-to-back Triple Crowns. Only two players have ever won two Triple Crowns in their career (Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams). Last year Miggy was the first Third Baseman ever to win the Triple Crown and the first player to accomplish the feat since 1967 (Carl Yastrzemski). He was the first Tiger to lead the league in Homers, Batting Average and RBI's since Ty Cobb did it in 1909. Here's a look back at Cabrera's 2012 season. | If Miguel can keep this rate up he'll end the year challenging the greatest season of all time. Statistically speaking Miggy is on pace for 198 RBI's and 50 Home Runs. I'm not sure about the 198 RBI's but he is a serious threat to win the Triple Crown as his only real threat is in the power department. Chris Davis, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Mark Reynolds and Robinson Cano are just a few of the names standing in his way; however, Davis is currently the only player ahead of Cabrera right now.
|
toledoblade.com
| I know it's still early in the season but if Miggy does repeat it would not come as a shock to me. He's clearly the best hitter in baseball as he's made even the best pitchers in baseball look average. I predicted him to win the Triple Crown last season in September and got it right, now I'm talking about the same thing this year and it's only May. That's something to think about. Barring any sort of injury I think Miguel Cabrera will win the Triple Crown again this year. Let me know what you think the chances are that Cabrera repeats in the comment section below. Alex WiesnerMay 24th, 2013 Archives
2013 NBA Mock Draft 1.0
Noel Number One... For Now
We're 35 days away from the 2013 NBA Draft. That means I have five weeks to post as many Mock Drafts as possible. We already know the order for this year's draft so there won't be much to change in terms of the Draft layout but there are still several question marks surrounding multiple Top 10 players.
As multiple players recover from surgery, this year's Draft may be more about upside than potential contributions this season. There are also some key free agents that will change the way teams approach the Draft. From Josh Smith to O.J. Mayo to Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard, this off season may be the craziest we've seen in a few years in terms of player movement. |
cnn.com
| Another thing to keep in mind is that the following teams have less than $30 million in salary commitments for the 2013 NBA season: Cavs, Jazz, Hawks, Wizards, Bobcats, Pistons, Bucks, Rockets, 76ers and the Mavericks.
Round 1 1. Cleveland Cavaliers - Nerlens Noel C Kentucky
2. Orlando Magic - Ben McLemore SG Kansas
3. Washington Wizards - Anthony Bennett PF UNLV
4. Charlotte Bobcats - Victor Oladipo SG Indiana
5. Phoenix Suns - Otto Porter SF Georgetown
6. New Orleans Pelicans - Shabazz Muhammad SF UCLA
7. Sacramento Kings - Trey Burke PG Michigan
8. Detroit Pistons - C.J. McCollum PG Lehigh
9. Minnesota Timberwolves - Alex Len C Maryland
10. Portland Trail Blazers - Dario Saric SF Croatia
11. Philadelphia 76ers - Steven Adams C Pittsburgh
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Toronto) - Michael Carter-Williams PG Syracuse
13. Dallas Mavericks - Cody Zeller PF Indiana
14. Utah Jazz - Mason Plumlee C Duke
15. Milwaukee Bucks - Kelly Olynyk C Gonzaga
16. Boston Celtics - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope SG Georgia
17. Atlanta Hawks - Rudy Gobert PF France
18. Atlanta Hawks (from Houston via Brooklyn) - Gorgui Dieng C Louisville
19. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Los Angeles) - Sergey Karasev SF Russia
20. Chicago Bulls - Allen Crabbe SG California
21. Utah Jazz (from Golden State via Brooklyn) - Jamaal Franklin SG San Diego State
22. Brooklyn Nets - Giannis Adetokoubo SF Greece
23. Indiana Pacers - Glen Rice Jr. SG D-League
24. New York Knicks - Shane Larkin PG Miami
25. Los Angeles Clippers - DeShaun Thomas SF Ohio State
26. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis via Houston) - Dennis Schroeder PG Germany
27. Denver Nuggets - Archie Goodwin SG Kentucky
28. San Antonio Spurs - Jeff Withey C Kansas
29. Oklahoma City Thunder - Tony Mitchell PF North Texas
30. Phoenix Suns (from Miami via L.A. and Cleveland) - Lucas Nogueira C Brazil
Round 2 31. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Orlando) - Reggie Bullock SF North Carolina 32. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Charlotte) - Alex Abrines SG Spain 33. Cleveland Cavaliers - Isaiah Canaan PG Murray State 34. Houston Rockets (from Phoenix) - C.J. Leslie PF N.C. State 35. Philadelphia 76ers (from New Orleans) - Tim Hardaway Jr. SG Michigan 36. Sacramento Kings - Mike Muscala C Bucknell 37. Detroit Pistons - Adonis Thomas SF Memphis 38. Washington Wizards - Mouhammadou Jaiteh C France 39. Portland Trail Blazers (from Minnesota via Boston & Cleveland) - Colten Iverson C Colorado State 40. Portland Trail Blazers - Ricky Ledo SG Providence 41. Memphis Grizzlies (from Toronto) - Tony Snell SF New Mexico 42. Philadelphia 76ers - Erik Murphy PF Florida 43. Milwaukee Bucks - Jackie Carmichael PF Illinois State 44. Dallas Mavericks (pick may be conveyed to Lakers) - Lorenzo Brown PG N.C. State 45. Portland Trail Blazers (from Boston) - James Ennis SF Long Beach State 46. Utah Jazz - Myck Kabongo PG Texas 47. Atlanta Hawks - Livio Jean-Charles PF France 48. Los Angeles Lakers (pick may be conveyed to Dallas) - Ray McCallum PG Detroit 49. Chicago Bulls - Michael Snaer SG Florida State 50. Atlanta Hawks (from Houston) - Bojan Dubljevic PF Spain 51. Orlando Magic (from Golden State via Denver & New York) - DeWayne Dedmon C USC 52. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Brooklyn) - Marko Todorovic C Spain 53. Indiana Pacers - Erick Green PG Virginia Tech 54. Washington Wizards (from New York) - Carrick Felix SG Arizona State 55. Memphis Grizzlies - Pierre Jackson PG Baylor 56. Detroit Pistons (from Clippers) - Phil Pressey PG Missouri 57. Phoenix Suns (from Denver via. Lakers) - Richard Howell PF N.C. State 58. San Antonio Spurs - Nate Wolters PG South Dakota State 59. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Oklahoma City) - Nemanja Nedovic PG Lithuania 60. Memphis Grizzlies (from Miami) - Solomon Hill SF Arizona Let me know what you think in the comment section below. I'm sure I'll be changing things around soon considering the Draft isn't scheduled to take place until Thursday, June 27. Alex WiesnerMay 24th, 2013 Archives
BABIP
Baseball's Sexiest Stat
If there's one statistic in baseball that best represents luck - it's BABIP. The BABIP statistic (Batting Average on Balls In Play) refers to a hitters batting average after the ball is put into play. An "average" or "normal" BABIP tends to hover right around .300 or so. For faster players (like Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crips, Mike Trout and Ben Revere) a normal BABIP may be slightly higher. If a player currently has an unusually high BABIP it may create a sell-high opportunity.
| Pitchers are also affected by the stat. Just like hitters; BABIP, for the most part, should stay close to .300 for the season. If a pitcher has a sub-.250 BABIP it may mean he's gotten lucky up to this point in the season. Jeremy Hellickson is one pitcher who tends to defy the statistic as he's posted a sub-.270 BABIP in every season of his career. Some would say that the Rays defense counters Hellickson's numbers and although that may be true; his statistics are not the norm. If a pitcher has a high BABIP it may create a buy-low opportunity.
|
tampabay.com
| Below is a list of player's BABIP's. It's up to you to decide whether or not you think they're a good Fantasy Baseball buy-low or sell-high.
Hitters Joe Mauer - .433
Joey Votto - .427
Alex Gordon - .411
Carlos Gomez - .405
Jhonny Peralta - .402
Miguel Cabrera - .400
Starling Marte - .391
Jean Segura - .383
James Loney - .379
Matt Kemp - .360
Drew Stubbs - .357
Paul Goldschmidt - .356
Chris Denorfia - .354
Seth Smith - .352
Gerardo Parra - .351
Marco Scutaro - .350
Justin Morneau - .347
Colby Rasmus - .346
Josh Donaldson - .346
Dexter Fowler - .342
Mike Trout - .338
Brandon Moss - .333
Eric Hosmer - .325
Alejandro De Aza - .304
Jacoby Ellsbury - .283
Desmond Jennings - .281
Bryce Harper - .277
Josh Hamilton - .270
Albert Pujols - .255
Victor Martinez - .243
Matt Weiters - .235
Edwin Encarnacion - .230
B.J. Upton - .211
Yoenis Cespedes - .209
| Pitchers Justin Verlander - .358
Anibal Sanchez - .356
David Price - .345
Doug Fister - .335
CC Sabathia - .317
Yovani Gallardo - .317
Adam Wainwright - .312
Tim Lincecum - .306
Max Scherzer - .275
Stephen Strasburg - .271
Jeremy Hellickson -.268
Cliff Lee - .264
Clay Buchholz - .263
Jose Fernandez - .258
R.A. Dickey - .257
Kris Medlen - .257
James Shields - .255
Shelby Miller - .254
Trevor Cahill - .251
Madison Bumgarner - .249
Jon Lester - .249
Yu Darvish - .248
Patrick Corbin - .246
Matt Cain - .241
Mike Minor - .240
Gio Gonzalez - .237
Jordan Zimmermann - .235
Chris Sale - .235
Jeff Locke - .224
Matt Harvey - .220
Hisashi Iwakuma - .220
Clayton Kershaw - .211
Matt Moore - .197
Travis Wood - .193
| *All stats current as of May 24th, 2013. If you have any questions or dilemmas please post them in the comment section below. Alex WiesnerMay 24th, 2013 Archives
Recapping the Maple Leafs' Season
Nothing short of an A+
After an unforgettable Game 7 loss to the Bruins it would be easy to say our season was a failure, but really – it was the exact opposite. After not making the postseason for eight straight years, the Leafs entered postseason play as a five seed and put up an impressive fight against the Boston Bruins. Despite losing the series 4-3 the Leafs played fairly well. I was thoroughly impressed with Cody Franson as the 25 year old scored three times and added three helpers in the series. Prior our playoff birth, the Leafs had been the only team in the NHL since the 2005 Lockout to not make the postseason at least once.
| Last season the Maple Leafs finished with a 35-37-10 record and allowed 264 goals (3.2 per game). The 264 goals were the second highest only to the Tampa Bay Lightning. This year, under Head Coach Randy Carlyle, the Leafs finished with a 26-17-5 record and allowed just 133 goals (2.7 per game). The biggest reason as to why the Leafs showed so much improvement defensively would be their penalty kill. Toronto had the second best penalty kill in the NHL this year.
|
thestar.com
| The sour taste of a Game 7 loss should not be forgotten. I'm expecting the Leafs to turn around and be in playoff contention again in 2014. With the emergence of Nazim "The Dream" Kadri, the Leafs will once again have a fearsome group of youthful goal scorers on the ice.
Against Divisional opponents this year the Leafs were 10-6-2.
Against everyone else the Leafs were 16-11-3.
At home the Leafs posted a 13-9-2 record.
On the road the Leafs had a 13-8-3 record.
The Leafs were 0-5 in shootouts this year.
Questions Moving Forward:
Will Phil Kessel get a contract extension? Is James Reimer the real deal between the pipes? Can top prospect Morgan Rielly come up and make an impact next season? (I sure want the answer yes to all of those questions) It was a good season Leaf's fans, I had fun. Hopefully next season will be 82 games of even more excitement - as the chemistry really improved towards the end of the year! Can this Maple Leaf's team bring the Stanley Cup back to Toronto in the 2013-2014 season? (…again, I’d love to answer yes to that question) Holly MurrayMay 22nd, 2013 Archives
Holly Murray's
MLB Power Rankings
| | In my Week 8 Rankings I tell you who WON'T be turning the Cubs season around and who CAN turn the Pirates season around. Aside from that, I made a few changes in the Top 10 and placed my Blue Jays in a position they don't really deserve to be in. I also give some love to David Ortiz for his record breaking performance this past weekend.
Week 8 Rankings 30. Miami Marlins (12-32) -1
I dare you to name three of the Marlins' everyday players. #DoubleDogDare
29. Houston Astros (12-32) +1
The Astros currently have a 0.1% chance of making the playoffs according to ESPN. I think they're giving them too much credit.
| 28. Chicago Cubs (18-25) --
Matt Garza is expected to return to the rotation this Tuesday. I doubt that will turn their season around.
27. Toronto Blue Jays (17-26) --
The Jays rank 22nd in batting average and 23rd in on base percentage; it's time to make a few changes! They really should be at the bottom of my rankings, but I'm just too nice. #PleaseGetItTogether
|
espn.com
| 26. New York Mets (17-24) --
At the quarter turn of the season Matt Harvey looks like the front runner for the NL Cy Young.
25. Milwaukee Brewers (17-25) -3
The Brewers have lost 15 of their last 19 games.
24. Los Angeles Angels (17-27) -3
The Angels are currently 10.5 games back of the Rangers in the AL West.
23. Los Angeles Dodgers (17-25) +2
Are the Dodgers the biggest disappointment in baseball this season?
| 22. San Diego Padres (20-23) +1
Not that you care but the Padres are currently 4.5 games behind the Diamondbacks for first place in the NL West.
21. Chicago White Sox (19-23) +3
Chris Sale and Jake Peavy are a combined 10-4 this year.
20. Minnesota Twins (18-22) --
The Twins go to Atlanta for a three game set this week before heading to Detroit for a four game series this weekend.
|
nbcsandiego.com
| 19. Philadelphia Phillies (21-23) --
Jonathan Pettibone is 3-0 this season. The Roy Halladay injury may have been a blessing in disguise for the 22 year old. He has not allowed more than 3 runs in any of his starts this year.
18. Seattle Mariners (20-24) --
They need to call up their top pitching prospects. I'm getting tired of watching Joe Saunders, Brandon Maurer and Aaron Harang get rocked every outing.
17. Kansas City Royals (20-20) -1
I don't know who is less excited right now in Kansas City: Royals' fans or Chief fans?
16. Oakland Athletics (23-22) -1
As long as the Halos continue to struggle the A's will remain a legit Wild Card contender.
| 15. Tampa Bay Rays (23-20) +2
The Rays have now won seven of their last ten games.
14. Colorado Rockies (24-20) -2
One week they're a mile high, the next week they're buried below sea level - and I'm just talking about how they're play on the field!
13. Baltimore Orioles (23-20) -4
Now that we've stopped talking about them they'll catch fire again. It's the Buck Showalter way.
|
baltimoresun.com
| 12. Pittsburgh Pirates (26-18) +1
The Pirates, like the Mariners, need to call up their top pitching prospects. Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon will turn this team (and franchise) around.
11. Washington Nationals (23-21) --
What happened to the Nationals? I thought they anointed themselves World Series Champs a few months ago?
10. San Francisco Giants (24-20) -6
Last season the Giants had a +11 win differential on the road. This year they are 9-12 away from home. #SomethingToThinkAbout
| 9. Atlanta Braves (25-18) -2
With Eric O'Flaherty facing elbow surgery, the Braves may be in the market for another bullpen arm.
8. Cleveland Indians (25-17) +6
The hottest team in baseball currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks (25-19) +3
On Saturday, Brandon McCarthy earned his first win since being hit in the head with a line drive last season. McCarthy threw a complete game three-hitter against the Marlins in a 1-0 victory.
|
miamiherald.com
| 6. Detroit Tigers (23-19) -3
A group of Tigers is called a streak.
A group of cats is called a pounce.
These Tigers better pounce on a winning streak pretty soon before the Indians increase their lead on the division.
5. Boston Red Sox (27-17) --
David Ortiz now has 38 multi-homer games in his career. That puts him past the great Ted Williams for the most in Red Sox history. Big Papi is still 35 multi-home run games shy of matching Babe Ruth for the most all time.
| 4. Cincinnati Reds (26-18) +4
The Reds have the best home record in all of baseball.
3. New York Yankees (27-16) +3
Nearly $100 million on the Disabled List but the Yankees are still on top of the AL East.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (28-15) -1
This team will do just fine without Jaime Garcia.
|
newsday.com
| 1. Texas Rangers (29-15) +1 Yu Darvish is clearly the best pitcher in the American League right now - and to think his contract money could have gone to Josh Hamilton! Too Soon? Let me know what you wonderful people think!! Holly MurrayMay 20th, 2013 Archives
Fantasy Baseball Hitter Rankings
May 16th, 2013
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Fantasy Baseball Starter Rankings
May 16th, 2013
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Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
May 16th, 2013
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Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
One Mo Year
After making a promise to Yankee Nation to return for one more season after going down with an ACL injury last year, Mariano Rivera has come back better than ever. Literally better than ever. Meanwhile Derrick Rose... Nevermind, I won't go there. Mo has been lights out this season posting a 0.92 WHIP and a 1.56 ERA. He's 16 for 16 in save chances while Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel are a combined 19 for 22. I predicted Rivera to save 35 games for the Yankees this year but he may actually exceed that number. As his career comes to an end I think it's important to give my readers some crazy facts about Rivera. 1. Rivera has more career Wins (76) than Yovani Gallardo (72), C.J. Wilson (59) and Josh Johnson (56). 2. Rivera ranks 9th in strikeouts in Yankee history with 1,132 K's. 3. He ranks 1st in Yankee history with a career 1.00 WHIP. 4. He ranks 1st in Yankee history with a career .210 batting average against. 5. In 1995 Rivera started 10 games. There's obviously more records that Mariano holds (all time saves leader, etc.) but those are just some that caught my eye. To me, Rivera represents excellence and professionalism in every aspect. Whether you're a Yankee fan or not you have to admire his durability over the past 19 years. We'll never see another Mo. My rankings are based on how I perceive each players current and future value for this season alone. The number in parenthesis is where they were ranked in my previous rankings.
indystar.com
#5 Addison Reed CHW Reed is 12 for 13 in save chances this season and he has 22 strikeouts in 17 innings. Addison has quickly become one of the better Closers in baseball and at age 24, the ceiling is high. #14 Edward Mujica STL In my last rankings I mentioned Mujica as a must-add. I'd say I got it right. He's now 10 for 10 in save chances on the season. #23 Kevin Gregg CHC 0.00 ERA - Worth a look. #27 Andrew Bailey BOS With Hanrahan undergoing season ending surgery it's clear that Bailey will be the Red Sox Closer once he returns. Here's a list of notable Fantasy Baseball Adds & Drops. | Top 30 Closers as of 5/16/13
1. Aroldis Chapman CIN (1)
2. Craig Kimbrel ATL (2)
3. Mariano Rivera NYY (6)
4. Rafael Soriano WSH (3)
5. Addison Reed CHW (9)
6. Jim Johnson BAL (4)
7. Jonathan Papelbon PHI (7)
8. Sergio Romo SF (8)
9. Jason Grilli PIT (13)
10. Joe Nathan TEX (5)
11. Casey Janssen TOR (18)
12. Tom Wilhelmsen SEA (12)
13. Fernando Rodney TB (10)
14. Edward Mujica STL (26)
15. Rafael Betancourt COL (11)
16. Glen Perkins MIN (17)
17. Greg Holland KC (15)
18. Chris Perez CLE (16)
19. Jim Henderson MIL (22)
20. Huston Street SD (23)
21. Grant Balfour OAK (19)
22. Ernesto Frieri LAA (24)
23. Kevin Gregg CHC (NR)
24. Bobby Parnell NYM (25)
25. Kenley Jansen LAD (28)
26. Brandon League LAD (20)
27. Andrew Bailey BOS (21)
28. Jose Valverde DET (27)
29. Steve Cishek MIA (29)
30. Jose Veras HOU (NR)
| One To Watch David Hernandez ARI With J.J. Putz expected to miss the next few weeks the Diamondbacks will turn to Heath Bell to save games for them. That essentially means we'll see David Hernandez in the Closer's role within the next few days. Back in 2011 he had 11 saves when Putz went down. If you have any questions please post them in the comment section below. Alex WiesnerMay 16th, 2013 Archives
Fantasy Baseball Starter Rankings
The Price Is Wrong
Once again I have to apologize for the delay in the release of my rankings. If you want to find out a little bit more about the delay, checkout my Hitter Rankings for the week. As for this article I will talk a little bit about what's going on with my five Fantasy teams. I'm in the three leagues for the MrFantasyFreak.com site (all can be found here) and I'm struggling. Mr. Fantasy Freak League - 6th place The Fans League - 7th place Nomar Mr. Nice Guy - 12th place Not to worry though, it's still early and if I can have a few key recoveries from Adrian Gonzalez, Jhonny Cueto and Eric Hosmer, I might be alright moving forward. I can't predict injuries but I can prepare for them so pickups like Patrick Corbin, Justin Masterson and Domonic Brown should help me tread water until I get healthy. I also joined a random public league to see how well my draft strategy would hold up with people who don't know me. I can only imagine how easy it was to draft against me in the website leagues after reading my projections, rankings and Draft Guide before the season started. I figured this would be the best way to test my strategy as opposed to playing with people who knew how I was planning on drafting. Random League - 1st place I'm also in a keeper league. This league has been going on for the past seven years. I've won two championships (back-to-back in 2010-2011) in that league. I'm now an annual contender with a core of great young players. Keeper League - Tied for 1st place With all of that in mind I think I'm going to draft first next year then publish my Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide. Just seems like it will give me a better chance to win my leagues. Call me selfish but I'm trying to win here! My rankings are based on how I perceive each players current and future value for this season alone. The number in parenthesis is where they were ranked in my previous rankings.
latimes.com
#4 Adam Wainwright STL
Wainwright was my X-Factor entering the year. Prior to the start of the season he had 11 career complete games and four career shutouts. So far this year the Cardinal's ace has already thrown two complete game shutouts. He's now 5-2 with a 2.30 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. Wainwright has allowed just four walks in 58.2 innings this year.
#18 Gio Gonzalez WSH
Gio has a 2.61 ERA at Nationals Park this year. Away from home Gonzalez has been less than stellar posting a 7.71 ERA allowing 12 runs in 14 innings. Here's the bad news: Gonzalez has a .243 BABIP. That means his 4.20 ERA should be higher as he's been getting fairly lucky this year. I still think he remains a low-end #2 Fantasy Starter.
azcentral.com
#41 Patrick Corbin ARI
With Ian Kennedy, Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy struggling, Arizona will have to rely on Corbin and Wade Miley to hold down the fort until Dan Hudson makes his return. Corbin is 6-0 with a 1.52 ERA.
#46 Justin Masterson CLE
I picked up Masterson prior to his complete game shutout against the New York Yankees on Monday. It seemed to be a smart pickup considering most of the current Yankees have had struggles against him in their careers. Masterson is now 6-2 on the season with 60 strikeouts to go along with his 3.14 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.
| Top 50 Starters as of 5/16/13
1. Clayton Kershaw LAD (1)
2. Felix Hernandez SEA (3)
3. Justin Verlander DET (4)
4. Adam Wainwright STL (8)
5. Yu Darvish TEX (6)
6. Cliff Lee PHI (7)
7. Madison Bumgarner SF (9)
8. Stephen Strasburg WSH (2)
9. Max Scherzer DET (18)
10. Chris Sale CHW (10)
11. Cole Hamels PHI (14)
12. Matt Moore TB (12)
13. Mat Latos CIN (15)
14. Jordan Zimmermann WSH (17)
15. Matt Harvey NYM (20)
16. CC Sabathia NYY (16)
17. Jon Lester BOS (19)
18. Gio Gonzalez WSH (11)
19. David Price TB (5)
20. Matt Cain SF (13)
21. Anibal Sanchez DET (23)
22. James Shields KC (25)
23. Zack Greinke LAD (43)
24. Jake Peavy CHW (24)
25. Jeff Samardzija CHC (26)
26. Johnny Cueto CIN (29)
27. Doug Fister DET (30)
28. Shelby Miller STL (38)
29. Clay Buchholz BOS (32)
30. Hiroki Kuroda NYY (36)
31. Lance Lynn STL (35)
32. Mike Minor ATL (33)
33. Alex Cobb TB (34)
34. Hisashi Iwakuma SEA (50)
35. A.J. Burnett PIT (49)
36. Jered Weaver LAA (40)
37. Homer Bailey CIN (42)
38. Hyun-Jin Ryu LAD (46)
39. Brandon Morrow TOR (28)
40. Kris Medlen ATL (22)
41. Patrick Corbin ARI (NR)
42. Ian Kennedy ARI (27)
43. Yovani Gallardo MIL (37)
44. Derek Holland TEX (NR)
45. Jaime Garcia STL (NR)
46. Justin Masterson CLE (NR)
47. R.A. Dickey TOR (21)
48. Jhoulys Chacin COL (47)
49. Paul Maholm ATL (41)
50. Wade Miley ARI (44)
| One To Watch Matt Garza CHC Garza is within a week or two of returning to the Cub's rotation. Last season Garza had a career low WHIP of 1.18 prior to going down with an elbow injury. He had a strong 8.33 K/9 strikeout rate in 2012 but the most important thing to keep in mind with Garza is that the Cubs will more than likely try to trade him to a contender once he's healthy. The Cubs actually have a little bit of offense this year as well. Between Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro and David DeJesus (yes, THAT David DeJesus) the Cubs have the 11th best slugging percentage in baseball. Last year the Cubs ranked 27th in slugging. Keep an eye on Garza moving forward. If you have any questions please post them in the comment section below. Alex WiesnerMay 16th, 2013 Archives
Fantasy Baseball Hitter Rankings
Sorry For The Delay
As you can tell there has been a slight delay in the releasing of my Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings this week. Have no fear, I'm back and better than ever. For those of you that are curious as to why the delay, I'll tell you. I changed shifts at my day job. Not all of you know what I do for a living. I'd like to keep it that way. I haven't told anyone what I do mostly because it's classified. It's not technically classified but I'm trying to keep it a secret until my book comes out. I can't give away too much detail about the book but here's a short preview. I'm also going to have to delay the release of my book until sometime next summer. What I can tell you about my job is that it's dangerous. And I know that I've joked about fighting crime before but the truth is - I'm not a superhero. Sorry kids. I do, however, enjoy my job and the perks of working the night shift. Yes, the night shift. That means I may not answer your Twitter questions from 10pm to 8am or even 9am. There's also the chance I fall asleep prior to nerding out on the computer - so be patient! I can't make a promise that I'll answer every question but I'll try my hardest. If you need immediate help feel free to talk to some of the other writers on the site. For you die hard followers and fans of the site, the new release schedule for my Player Rankings will be as follows: May 30th, June 13th, June 27th, July 11th, July 25th and then we'll see where were at. I figure towards the end of the summer I'll have to start my annual Fantasy Football preparation and that may alter some things. If you want to find out a little bit more, or if you want to find out what to expect from the site over the next few months, please follow me on Twitter. Enough catching up, it's time for the rankings. My rankings are based on how I perceive each players current and future value for this season alone. The number in parenthesis is where they were ranked in my previous rankings.
denverpost.com
#6 Carlos Gonzalez COL Here's a quote straight from my rankings and projections back on January 1st, "Over the last three seasons Cargo has hit .361 at home and just .260 on the road. He's also tallied 55 home runs at home compared to 27 on the road." Now, can anyone explain why he's hitting .284 at home and .338 on the road? Or why he's already hit six homers on the road compared to just three at home? I can't explain it - but I like it! #19 Edwin Encarnacion TOR Encarnacion is averaging one home run per every 13.7 at bats. At his current rate he'll end up with another 40 home run season.
sbnation.com
#33 Carlos Gomez MIL
Carlos Gomez is hitting .365 this year. Most of that can be contributed to his outrages .439 BABIP as he is still striking out over 20% of the time. I'm expecting some regression moving forward from the Brewers Outfielder which makes him a sell-high candidate.
#48 Dexter Fowler COL
A majority of Fowler's underlying stats lead me to believe that he can maintain his current production as he is well on his way to having a career year. A 25-home run, 15-steal season is not out of the question for the 27 year old.
mlb.com
#61 Starling Marte PIT
Marte has quickly become one of my favorite players as he's a must-own in all keeper leagues. He is on his way to having a breakout year with a .313 batting average, five home runs and ten stolen bases. My biggest worry with Marte would be his 40 strikeouts in 39 games this year. That may hold him outside my Top 50 for a while.
thestar.com
#83 Brett Lawrie TOR
For those of you that have asked me about Lawrie my response has been, and will be, to be patient with him. He's an energetic 23 year old who wants to make every out in every single ball game. He's a true athlete and has 30/30 potential, just not this year. If you want some statistics that backup my faith in him I can tell you he has a .225 BABIP and that he is taking a more patient approach at the plate himself. He's swinging 3.1% less of the time compared to last season and he's letting more pitches go that are outside of the strike zone compared to last year.
| Top 100 Hitters as of 5/16/13
1. Miguel Cabrera DET (2)
2. Ryan Braun MIL (1)
3. Mike Trout LAA (4)
4. Robinson Cano NYY (5)
5. Justin Upton ATL (3)
6. Carlos Gonzalez COL (7)
7. Andrew McCutchen PIT (6)
8. Prince Fielder DET (8)
9. Joey Votto CIN (9)
10. Troy Tulowitzki COL (10)
11. David Wright NYM (11)
12. Evan Longoria TB (14)
13. Bryce Harper WSH (12)
14. Adam Jones BAL (16)
15. Jose Bautista TOR (18)
16. Buster Posey SF (19)
17. Dustin Pedroia BOS (21)
18. Ian Kinsler TEX (17)
19. Edwin Encarnacion TOR (33)
20. Adrian Beltre TEX (20)
21. Paul Goldschmidt ARI (22)
22. Albert Pujols LAA (15)
23. Matt Kemp LAD (13)
24. Matt Holiday STL (29)
25. Starlin Castro CHC (25)
26. Jay Bruce CIN (28)
27. Brandon Phillips CIN (31)
28. Ian Desmond WSH (38)
29. Shin-Soo Choo CIN (39)
30. Carlos Santana CLE (41)
31. Adrian Gonzalez LAD (24)
32. Mark Trumbo LAA (57)
33. Carlos Gomez MIL (62)
34. Alex Gordon KC (45)
35. Jason Heyward ATL (30)
36. Chase Headley SD (56)
37. Pablo Sandoval SF (46)
38. Austin Jackson DET (26)
39. Billy Butler KC (32)
40. Ben Zobrist TB (34)
41. Curtis Granderson NYY (NR)
42. Yoenis Cespedes OAK (40)
43. Carl Crawford LAD (93)
44. Jacoby Ellsbury BOS (27)
45. Alex Rios CHW (47)
46. Giancarlo Stanton MIA (23)
47. Jose Altuve HOU (50)
48. Dexter Fowler COL (71)
49. Freddie Freeman ATL (58)
50. Michael Bourn CLE (52)
51. Allen Craig STL (48)
52. Jean Segura MIL (One To Watch)
53. Desmond Jennings TB (36)
54. Chris Davis BAL (42)
55. Elvis Andrus TEX (49)
56. Chase Utley PHI (72)
57. Anthony Rizzo CHC (65)
58. Hunter Pence SF (64)
59. Josh Hamilton LAA (37)
60. Manny Machado BAL (94)
61. Starling Marte PIT (NR)
62. B.J. Upton ATL (35)
63. Ryan Zimmerman WSH (55)
64. David Ortiz BOS (79)
65. Asdrubal Cabrera CLE (74)
66. Nelson Cruz TEX (70)
67. Yadier Molina STL (43)
68. Joe Mauer MIN (51)
69. Alcides Escobar KC (66)
70. Jimmy Rollins PHI (44)
71. Jason Kipnis CLE (84)
72. Angel Pagan SF (68)
73. Martin Prado ARI (53)
74. Torii Hunter DET (81)
75. Alejandro De Aza CHW (87)
76. Ryan Howard PHI (73)
77. Hanley Ramirez LAD (61)
78. Carlos Beltran STL (82)
79. Michael Cuddyer COL (80)
80. Brett Gardner NYY (76)
81. Shane Victorino BOS (63)
82. Todd Frazier CIN (54)
83. Brett Lawrie TOR (59)
84. Aramis Ramirez MIL (91)
85. Norichika Aoki MIL (92)
86. Howard Kendrick LAA (78)
87. Matt Wieters BAL (60)
88. Josh Willingham MIN (75)
89. Mark Reynolds CLE (NR)
90. Michael Morse SEA (69)
91. Melky Cabrera TOR (67)
92. Lorenzo Cain KC (NR)
93. Everth Cabrera SD (99)
94. Jed Lowrie OAK (77)
95. Salvador Perez KC (89)
96. Coco Crisp OAK (90)
97. Wilin Rosario COL (95)
98. Mike Napoli BOS (96)
99. Jose Reyes TOR (100)
100. Dee Gordon LAD (NR)
| One To Watch Domonic Brown PHI Once a top prospect, Domonic Brown has been forgotten about by most of us - but not me. I've been keeping a close eye on him all season waiting for him to catch fire. In his last six games Brown is 8 for 25 with one home run. In May he's hitting .300 with four home runs. The biggest concern with Brown is his uninviting walk rate (nine walks in 136 at bats this year). If he can continue to be aggressive (career high 74.2% swing rate at pitches inside the strike zone) and lay off the outside pitches (career high 33.4% swing rate at pitches outside the strike zone) he could be a great Fantasy pickup. If you have any questions please post them in the comment section below. Alex WiesnerMay 16th, 2013 Archives
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