Bye, Bye Manny...Hello Sammy

Sam Fuld was the throw-in player in the Garza to the Cubs trade last January. For the Cubs he was an exciting, balls out, speedy outfielder. In his 6 years in the minors he compiled 24 HR 104 SB and a .285 BA .386 OBP. Sounds like a decent lead-off hitter for any team. Well, that team needing a lead-off hitter may have found one, the Rays.
Fuld was never considered a top prospect and was never given a solid look. He got his shot in Chicago after Cory Patterson missed a stretching workout and was then sent down. He instantly became a fan favorite with his all out style of play. Now in Tampa he may have never gotten  a look unless Manny shoots him self in the foot...or um continually in the the ass I guess. This is the exact type of opportunity or paths to the majors that has that feel  good storyline. Now that he gets his chance what does he do? How about 11 total bases last night and a chance at hitting for the cycle. He batted in the 9th only needing a single for the cycle but rapped a double at Crawford in the corner.
Going forward should you own him? Well, if you need a lead-off hitter with some speed he may be worth a look to stash on your bench. He will not get playing time everyday but when he is playing he has value. Could finish the season with 5HR and 20 SB.  He is an above average OF with no fear of injury. If not starting look for defensive replacement and the ability to possibly squeak out an at-bat when not starting. Whether I own him or not he will be someone I root for this season.

Early Closer Report

With nearly 10 games in the book after tonight, it’s time to look at the Closer situations for the league. Some teams have made changes, some teams stated they would use a committee but have reverted back to having just “the man” in the Closer role, and others may still be looking for someone to send out there in the 9^th.
Did any of you use my Closer Strategy I posted back in March? If you did you should be leading your league in saves. For me; six teams with five 1^st or tied for 1^st and one with 3rd place in leagues for saves. Easy points boys.
So far this year we only have only 3 true vulture RP with saves. One each from Marshal CHC, Boyer NYM (who was just designated for assignment), and Lindrstom COL. Sale CHW got one in an extra inning game, Ramirez SFG picked one up while the bearded one was on the DL and Rodney LAA had one before being demoted, then picked up one last night after that 14 inning marathon.  The only two Closers without a Save would be Wilson SFG and Thornton CWS. Here is what the league situation looks like at the moment.

AL EAST

Yankees - Mariano Rivera  - 4 Saves-No competition.

Red Sox - Jonathan Papelbon – 1 Save-No competition but no chances either.

Rays –Kyle Farnsworth- 1 Save -Jake McGee has the promise to eventually take the job but has not been all that impressive so far. At one time this was supposed to be a committee in TB but the team is so bad Saves are going to be few and far between.

Orioles - Kevin Gregg – 1 Save- Koji Uehara could still get chances every week and probably is the better pitcher. With the O’s actually playing good ball, either RP can be of value in the near future.

Blue Jays – Jon Rauch -2 Saves- Frank Francisco got roughed up in his rehab start so not sure what to make of this when he returns. Stick with Rauch going forward.

AL CENTRAL

White Sox - Matt Thornton - 0 Saves-It's clear that both Sale and Thornton have the skills to close but with Thornton’s new 12M contract I think the decision has been made for the next 2 years. But with Ozzie who knows plus Chris Sale has the only White Sox save.

Indians - Chris Perez – 4 Saves-No competition.

Royals - Joakim Soria  – 3 Saves- No competition but has an ERA over a touchdown and a WHIP at a buck and a half.

Twins - Joe Nathan -3 Saves-He’s healthy so Matt Capps is nothing more than a vulture guy at this point.

Tigers - José Valverde – 2 Saves- No competition but will be on a pitch limit this year. After a 60 pitch outing post All-Star break Valverde went downhill.  Joaquín Benoit is a fantastic Holds pick-up and may get a chance or two every month.

AL WEST

Angels - Jordan Walden – 1 Save- He was lurking and is now the man for the Halos.  Fernando Rodney must pitch lights out to even be considered again as the Closer. Rod

A’s – Brian Fuentes – 3 Saves- has done a solid job in place of Andrew Bailey.  Don’t look to see Bailey back for another 2 weeks.

Mariners - Brandon League – 1 Save- David Aardsma is expected to return to the Seattle bullpen in late May now. No rush on his return so stay with League for the time being.

Rangers - Neftali Feliz – 3 Saves- He was the closer, is the closer and will be the closer all year.

 NL EAST

Nationals - Sean Burnett – 2 Saves- Finally emerged as the one to close out the few and far between Nationals games.

Phillies –Jose Contreras – 2 Saves- Brad Lidge is out for 3 months…drop him now he will be useless going forward.

Mets - Francisco Rodríguez – 1 Save- No completion but still completing anger management classes.

Marlins - Leo Nunez – 3 Saves- lost it to Clay Hensley late last year and may do so again after a couple of Blown Saves.

Braves –Craig Kimbrel – 3 Saves- Jonny Venters was thought of as half the combo to close in Atlanta but the decision has been made to keep Kimbrel full time in the 9^th.

NL CENTRAL

Cubs - Carlos Marmol – 3 Saves- No competition but will not pitch 3 consecutive days it looks like.

Reds - Francisco Cordero  - 1 Save- No competition.

Brewers - John Axford – 3 Saves- No competition but an early season shellacking gave owners worries. He still has a ERA over 10 but has pitched better lately.

Astros - Brandon Lyon –1 Save- No competition and I mean NONE. Their bullpen is that bad even with Lyon having an ERA above 12.

Pirates - Joel Hanrahan – 4 Saves - He also leads all RP in Ks so far this year. I own this guy in 5 of 6 leagues…thanks me…you drafted well.

Cardinals - Ryan Franklin – 1 Save- Has blown 3 Saves now and will be the next to get demoted. Be ready to pick up Jason Motte this time next week.

NL WEST

D’Backs - J.J. Putz – 3 Saves- No competition.

Dodgers - Jonathan Broxton - 5 Saves - Leads all Closers with 5 Saves. Pitching well and has no competition unless he completely implodes.

Giants - Brian Wilson – 0 Saves- Came back shaky in both appearances but will be the man all year, sink or swim. You have to read his tweets on Twitter.

Padres - Heath Bell –2 Saves- No competition. Keep in mind he might get traded if the Pads fall out early.

Rockies – Huston Street – 4 Saves- Thanks to Kris "Conehead" Neisen for pointing out my omission of Street in the past. Street had a beautiful 3 inning outing this week. Just a solid pitcher so far with no competition.

2 Start SP...Time to Stream

Many choices this week to stream your 2 start SP. If you look further many listed here have RP eligibility. If you are clever enough to rotate in/out your standard RP with a few of these choices you could have a monster week in Ks. All players listed here have less than 30% ownership so it’s first come first serve. Ownership in these SP will grow by next week after some quality starts become more relevant. Keep particular close to Esmil Rogers. Very interesting pitcher. Not much info on him from scouts so he could be dominate for the next few weeks until he is figures out by the league.
American League

Chris Tillman (BAL) ~ @NYY (Burnett), @CLE (Talbot)
Brad Penny (DET) ~ TEX (Wilson), @OAK (Cahill)
Daisuke Matsuzaka (BOS) ~ TB (Hellickson), TOR (Litsch)
Mitch Talbot (CLE) ~ @LAA (Haren), BAL (Tillman)
Jesse Litsch (TOR) ~ @SEA (Pineda), @BOS (Matsuzaka)
Mark Buehrle (CHW) ~ OAK (Braden), LAA (Haren)
Jeff Francis (KC) ~ @MIN (Pavano), SEA (Hernandez)
Dallas Braden (OAK) ~ @CWS (Buehrle), DET (Verlander)
Michael Pineda (SEA) ~ TOR (Romero), @KC (Mazzaro)
Alexi Ogando (TEX) ~ @DET (Verlander), @NYY (Burnett)

National League

Esmil Rogers (COL) ~ @ NYM (Niese), CHC (Dempster)
Jason Hammel (COL) ~ @NYM (Pelfrey), CHC (Coleman)
Jonathon Niese (NYM) ~ COL (Rogers), @ATL (Lowe)
Kevin Correia (PIT) ~ MIL (Marcum), @CIN (Volquez)
Clayton Richard (SD) ~ CIN (LeCure), @HOU (Myers)
Barry Enright (AZ) ~ STL (McClellan), SF (Bumgarner)
Nelson Figueroa (HOU) ~ CHC (Dempster), SD (Latos)
Kyle McClellan (STL) ~ @ARI (Enright), @LAD (Billingsley)
Liván Hernández (WAS) ~ PHI (Halladay), MIL (Marcum) 

Going With the Unknown…Owning Rookies

I posted this earlier in the week over at Pro Fantasy Baseball before Tsuyoshi Nishioka the injury but it still has relevance...even on defense.

Many rookies were drafted this year in fantasy baseball. Personally I shy away and would rather have a proven commodity on my team. I think what happens is people feel they have been burned on a player the previous year and instead of re-drafting that player they take the plunge into the unknown…the rookie. To me it’s like giving the rake at the poker table, the vig on a craps bet, or the long shot at the track. You are giving up something hoping to score big, that chance at greatness. Remember that baseball is a 162 game season. During that time your weaknesses will be exposed and uncovered. My advice Stick with solid, consistent performers that you can always count on to achieve fantasy baseball success. Let’s look at a few of the highest drafted rookies this year.

Jeremy Hellickson who is now pitching on a very poor team did not show much his first outing against the Angels. 5.2 IP with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He did accumulate 10 impressive Ks which will be his saving grace if you own him. Remember he pitches in the toughest Division in baseball and will continue to kill your ERA and WHIP if you continue to start him. Look to trade him now on his name recognition alone.

Brandon Belt was incredibly hyped in spring training but is probably a year away from being a contributor in fantasy baseball. I did draft him last year in my Dynasty league but have no intentions of bringing him up this early. Here is his current stat line: 1HR 4R 4RBI and hitting .182 so far with a K rate of 23%. On a peripheral note, since he made the opening day roster Huff is now in RF looking like clown catching water balloons. If you own any of SF SP his defense will hurt you at times.

Freddie Freeman even looks worse than Belt. He is now batting 8th in Atlanta with a stat line that I could put up. 0HR 1R 1RBI and hitting .105 for your team with a K rate of 27%. Glad you drafted him as your CI trying to out think your fellow managers?

Tsuyoshi Nishioka the former batting champ in Japan has shown little plate discipline with a K rate of 35%. Here are his overall numbers; .250 BA 0HR 2RBI 1R 1SB. Is this why you punted 2B to pick up this quality sleeper?

Of course it is early and these are small sample sizes but you can lose your league during the month of April. Use the hype machine to lure your fellow managers into wanting these players if you own them. They may be a good investment for your Dynasty League, hidden away to be used later, but not your current rosters. So be aware of why they are called Rookies in the first place.

Early Stat Masters…Stolen Bases

It’s entertaining this early portion of the season to see who is surprising us in each of the fantasy baseball stats. Baseball always has been and always will be a game driven by numbers. For me the first axiom of all fantasy sports...homework is your friend. So, I am here to let you cheat off me. My homework is done, ready to be graded and I am expecting an A+. As always you are just a click away from researched knowledge. Let’s start with SB and who is surprising us. Today’s leader is The- Willie Bloomquist (I will continually refer to him as the modern day name with sexual overtones, following such greats as Pete LaCock and Dick Pole) with 5 to date. Next in line is someone without an AB this season, yep not a one, Jarrod Dyson. KC will use him to PR every chance they get but at this time he has no fantasy relevance. Ichiro Suzuki and light hitting Jack Wilson also have 3 swipes apiece. Bloomquist just gained SS eligibility and his % ownership numbers have tripled this week. With super utility usage and raking up the SB he is worth picking up to at least block your completion from using him.

This next group I consider bonuses. SB was not why we drafted them in the first place. They all have 2 steals to date and may have surprised owners by leaping them to the top of their SB category. Russell Martin may be back to 2007 form when he swiped 21 bags. Well maybe not, but 15 from your C would be awesome and he is still available in half of all leagues. If you have a 2C format you need to scoop him up now. Jay Bruce was drafted for his bat not his legs, but he is running like the rest of The “New Version” Big Red Machine. He may be that 20/20 guy he was projected to be in the minors. Then you have a pair of Royals that nobody owns; Jeff Francoeur and Chris Getz. Both are worth a flier because it looks like the KC plan this year is to run, run and then run some more. I read an early quote from their manager back in February that he even wanted Billy Butler to steal a few bags this year. I have always wondered why a team would not take advantage of the SB more when they have no chance to out slug the other teams. “Run Forrest..I mean Billy, Run!”

Of course your Pierres, Gardners, and Bournes (oops he went down with a bad groin) are going to get you where you want to be, but be sly and rotate some guys into your line-up that can help your SB. Especially against Righties with slow deliveries and C with no arm.   

New Closer to Grab

Jordan Walden is now the man in Anaheim. Scioscia told reporters that Walden is Angels closer for now after picking up the save tonight. The 23-year-old has hit 100 mph on the radar gun consistently and finished tonight with a perfect 9^th that included a punch out. Go grab him before crazy Scoscia changes him mind.

Early Damage Control From The Mound

I think the year of the pitcher has come and gone in the time it takes me to eat a dog and drink a beer in the bleachers. There are still 12 teams in baseball without a Save and 4 teams without a Win. Two of those four were actually predicted to go to the World Series by some, Boston and Milwaukee.  Yes, I know that only 2% of the season is in the books but still we need to examine what has taken place to date. Are the elite aces contributing coming out of the blocks?  A few are and a few have ERAs in double digits. These “aces” of your staff all have ERAs over a touchdown and an extra point.  Rah Team!

Jon Lester

Ubaldo Jiménez

Tommy Hanson

Francisco Liriano

Max Scherzer

Phil Hughes

Edinson Vólquez

Javier Vázquez

John Lackey

Carl Pavano

Wandy Rodríguez

Ted Lilly

I’m not saying dump these guys but be aware of their next couple of starts. If these aces are not garnering you an ERA well under 4.00 their 200 IP can cost your team ERA 0.25 points. Now look back at last year’s league you were in and see how far you can climb or fall with a 0.25 point jump in ERA. Now look back at your staff and say crap.  If they continue to struggle through April bench them for a period of time and check out some other SP with favorable match-ups. Here are some fresh SP just out of the wrapper. Most have a Win under their belt and all have an ERA under 1.60…that does sound tasty.

Matt Harrison

R.A. Dickey

Zach Britton

Brandon Beachy

John Lannan

Jason Vargas

Randy Wells