Fantasy Baseball Advice: Pro Sports Daily

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March 14

FantasyBaseball.com

columnist Fred Zinkie

"Zack Greinke Is Still Really, Really Good Greinke has thrown six scoreless innings this spring and has allowed just two hits, reminding fantasy owners that he is one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. I know that some owners won't want to choose Greinke as their staff ace because of a possible low win total in Kansas City. I think this is a foolish plan. As we all know, wins are the most fickle fantasy statistic. Greinke could win 20 games this year while the team only wins 70. I'm not predicting 20 wins, but I'm not predicting 20 wins for any other starters either. All starters are sometimes at the mercy of their offense and bullpen. The Royals have a really talented ..."

Who To Target: Rounds 13-15

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March 14

FantasyBaseball.com

columnist Lane Rizzardini

"And that's why you don't draft until the end of March. Joe Nathan was being drafted by some as the #1 closer, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran were finally going to overcome the Mets' training staff, and Brandon Webb poised for a big rebound season. And now they appear to be headed to the DL to start the year. That's a big dagger to a lot of fantasy owners, especially keeper leaguers who have gone out and bought low on some of these guys in the offseason. As previously documented I was very high on Reyes to start the season. Now I think I'm going to wait on him a bit. This means I owe you guys a replacement. Jimmy Rollins has grown on me as of late, and the much-hyped Justin Upton would be a ..."

2 Up, 2 Down – Catcher Edition

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March 14

Fantasy Baseball Cafe

columnist Ken Kesterson

"Welcome back as the Cafe kicks off the Fourth Annual Two Up, Two Down series. If you're new to the series, what we attempt to do is profile two players at each position who we feel are being undervalued and will exceed expectations, and two more who are being overvalued and will disappoint and frustrate over the course of the season. If you're familiar with the series then you know that this is a handy tool for creating your cheat sheets. You also know that I am not one to target a catcher with a high draft pick or big money. Once you get past the top three of Mauer, McCann and Martinez, all the catchers merge into a third tier that runs 8-10 players deep, so I plan on using an end pick ..."

2010 Draft Prep: Undervalued and underrated

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March 13

CBSSports.com

columnist Scott White

"Everybody wants more for less -- even in Fantasy. Fortunately, the nature of the game allows you to get exactly that. Well-intentioned participants develop biases that form opinions that make up, for better or worse, public perception. Quite simply, Fantasy owners often downgrade players for all the wrong reasons, allowing us discerning types to swoop in and gobble up the bargains. Middle-round sleepers, you could call them -- and, in fact, should call them for the purposes of this column. Don't expect to see any late-rounders here. They get their own separate piece. Don't expect to see an all-inclusive list either. Believe me: I didn't like excluding two of my favorite middle-round ..."

Draft Debates – Justin Morneau vs Kevin Youkilis

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March 13

FantasyBaseball.com

columnist Ed Lilly

"Morneau has his season cut short by back problems and is 100% ready to start the season while Youkilis is solid, averaging 143 game a year for the past three seasons. He has position eligibility at two positions (1B-3B) a big plus especially when it looks like 3B is a weak position in your upcoming draft. HOME RUNS: Morneau has averaged seven more homers a year over the last four seasons but Youkilis has hit three more homers the last two seasons (56-53). Both have power but a slight edge goes to Morneau . The unknown here is the Twins and Morneau switching from indoors to outdoors and how the new stadium will play. RUNS: Over the last four seasons Youkilis has scored 375 runs to Morneau's ..."

2010 Draft Prep: Top contract-year targets

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March 13

CBSSports.com

columnist Eric Mack

"Hilarious. It is quite hilarious how much people despise yours truly for ruining their Fantasy Baseball team because we recommended a 27-year-old like Grady Sizemore or a third-year starting pitcher like Mike Pelfrey last year. Both went bust, big time. And we caught grief, rightly so. But not one -- not one -- criticized us for the disappointments in our annual Free Agents-to-Be list, which outlines the players who are playing for a big contract. Check out the '09 edition. If not for a couple of streaky halves by Matt Holliday and Jason Bay -- the top two on our list last year -- the contract years Top 10 could have been considered more of an All-Bust Team. People are a bit too ..."

AL-Only Pitching Sleepers

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March 13

Rotoworld.com

columnist Aaron Gleeman

"My previous two columns highlighted AL-only and NL-only hitting sleepers, so now I'll shift to the pitching side of things with my favorite AL-only sleepers today and my NL-only picks next time. It's important to note that NL-only and AL-only leagues are far different than mixed leagues and require dipping much deeper into the player pool, so the players who qualify as "sleepers" are much smaller names. In fact, in order to qualify for my AL-only and NL-only sleeper lists a player can't be among the top 250 picks in mixed leagues according to the constantly updated Average Draft Position data found in our Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide. In other words most of these guys are going completely ..."

Position Primer: Starting Pitcher

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March 13

Yahoo! Sports

columnist Andy Behrens

"This position is really unique in the fantasy world, in that it's the one roster spot where the expert community won't even pretend that we can predict future performance with great accuracy. Instead, we simply tell you to spend fewer auction dollars on pitchers than you spend on hitters, and to draft pitchers in the middle or late rounds. Because we don't really know what any of them are going to do. It's humbling, to say the least.* Of course the pitching categories account for half of the total scoring in standard leagues, so if you knew nothing else about the position, you might assume that a 50/50 spending split on hitters and pitchers would be the norm. And if you also knew that ..."

Infield sleepers: Catch the rising stars

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March 12

Foxsports.com

"Fantasy owners are busting out their Sharpie variety packs, as we enter drafting season and roll through spring training. I know.You simply click for a different color on the Excel toolbar and shuffle lines on your draft spreadsheets. But still, isn't there something to printing out your lists, circling data points and drawing arrows as if you were operating an offline Telestrator? Throw in the "boom," "pow" or whatever sounds effects or expletives you need. Adjusting our rankings and re-tooling our projections following those late additions to a batting order or rotation is one of the rites of spring. You marvel at how high or low you ranked a particular player. You double-check the ..."

Spring position battles: Chapman competing to start

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March 12

Foxsports.com

"Today, I'm rolling through several of the big stories in fantasyland. We'll be revisiting the positional battles throughout the spring and watching the players competing for final spots in rotations league-wise and, well, those horrid injuries that pop up from time to time. Here are fantasy's current top nine position battles looming in spring training. 1. Minnesota's closer Obviously, our attention is fixed on Twins camp, as Ron Gardenhire tries to figure out the back of the bullpen. Joe Nathan tore his ulnar collateral ligament, and a surgical date with Dr. James Andrews (I get a chill down my spine every time I type his name) appears imminent. Yes, the team is going to have him rest and ..."

Catcher preview: Mauer, Martinez rank 1-2

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March 12

Foxsports.com

"The catcher position ranks as perhaps the most difficult to assess coming into spring training. Sure, we have the steady and dominant performers like a Joe Mauer or Victor Martinez at the top of the pack, but it trails off mighty quickly. • Some pitchers have their favorite backstops. • Injuries are frequently part of the mix, as wear and tear on these players' bodies is undeniable. • Managers try to strike a balance between the "defensive" option and the power broker. For fantasy owners, it's the worst of all worlds. If you don't select one of the players in the first or second tiers, you might just be forced to find ride out streaks and shuffle the position with some regularity while ..."

30 Questions: St. Louis Cardinals

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March 12

ESPN.com

"Is Colby Rasmus a mixed-league option? I'm sitting here looking at the 2008 version of Baseball America's Prospect Handbook. It has Jay Bruce, Clayton Kershaw, Cameron Maybin and Franklin Morales on the cover, and on the most coveted lists at the books' front -- the "Top 50 Prospects" as submitted by BA's four experts -- another name is a constant in everyone's top 10: Colby Rasmus. Remember him? Only Bruce and Evan Longoria were consensus better overall future players than Rasmus back in '08. Rasmus was the St. Louis Cardinals' clear No. 1 prospect, and BA touted the fact that he set an Alabama schoolboy record for homers in a season (previously owned by Bo Jackson), called him a ..."

Backup closers: Finding save candidates

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March 12

Foxsports.com

"There are three closer battles going on right now – only the Astros (Matt Lindstrom/Brandon Lyon), Blue Jays (Scott Downs/Jason Frasor/Kevin Gregg) and Twins (picking through the post-Joe Nathan wreckage) haven't settled their ninth innings. Every other team has an easily identifiable closer. But if those closers go down or get traded, who will you quickly need to grab from the free-agent wire before everyone else joins the fray? Read on and find out. American League Baltimore Current closer: Mike Gonzalez Backup closer: Koji Uehara Jim Johnson closed last year after George Sherrill got traded, but … no way. Uehara and his terrific control form the best backup plan here. Boston Current ..."

Spring training battles: Reyes could miss opening day

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March 12

Foxsports.com

"Let's hit the cages for some top stories — and position battles — around the league. 1. New York Mets' shortstop Jose Reyes has been shut down indefinitely and could miss opening day or more because of his hyperthyroid condition. On Thursday, a media briefing was conducted by the New York Mets to advise of the status of Reyes. As is quoted from the briefing, "(Reyes) to rest, refrain from athletic activity and make changes in his diet." This period of inactivity will range anywhere from 2-8 weeks. Note that the 2-8 weeks isn't a notice of when Reyes can return to action. No, that is the range of the expected inactivity (read: video game playing and rolling through the Netflix queue) before ..."

First base preview: Pujols leads all

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March 12

Foxsports.com

"When you think about first basemen in the annals of history, where does your mind drift? Do you roll back to the 1930s and conjure images of Lou Gehrig? Do you swirl back to the late-'70s and '80s with Willie Stargell, Keith Hernandez, Leon Durham (WGN had its influence, without a doubt) or Bill Buckner (sorry, I had to do it)? Or, are you thinking about modern heroes? For me, you mention the position and I think about the man who is generally accepted as the game's greatest current hitter, Albert Pujols, and the recently retired Frank Thomas, who put up Ruthian numbers of his own during the early part of his career. Of course, I think of them and it immediately brings to mind Mark ..."

Proceed with Caution on Sandoval

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March 12

Fantasy Baseball Cafe

"In his first full season, Pablo Sandoval was a glimmer of offensive hope in an otherwise dismal San Francisco Giants lineup. Sandoval finished out the '09 campaign batting .330/.387/.556 in 572 at bats, ensuring that he will be in high demand on draft boards this upcoming season. But when I look at a guy like Pablo Sandoval I don't see a high batting average, or even a great slugging percentage, I see a lack of plate discipline, a ton of it. At first glance, everything looks great. Sandoval ended 2009 with a .387 OBP, a number 57 points higher than his batting average. However, 13 of those 52 walks were intentional. This was a product of his great season, no doubt, but it is worth pointing ..."

Down Goes Joe Nathan

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March 11

Rotoworld.com

"Let's get down to business. The four biggest stories of the week thus far... Joe Nathan has a torn UCL, considering Tommy John surgery. In a somber meeting with the media Tuesday morning in Twins camp, closer Joe Nathan acknowledged that he has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament and may require Tommy John surgery. It's a tough blow for fantasy owners and Twins fans alike. Nathan was widely considered the top fantasy option at closer this season, but there's a strong chance that he won't throw another pitch until 2011. Nathan, 35, has been a model of consistency since taking over ninth-inning duties for Minnesota back in 2004 and will be sorely missed if he is unable to ..."

Fantasy Team Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers

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March 11

Foxsports.com

"Review LA's projected lineup and rotation, and check out the top five fantasy tips and more about the Dodgers. Los Angeles Dodgers 1. SS – Rafael Furcal 2. CF – Matt Kemp 3. RF – Andre Ethier 4. LF – Manny Ramirez 5. 1B – James Loney 6. 3B – Casey Blake 7. C – Russell Martin 8. 2B – Ronnie Belliard / Blake DeWitt / Jamey Carroll 1. SP – Chad Billingsley 2. SP – Hiroki Kuroda 3. SP – Clayton Kershaw 4. SP – Vicente Padilla 5. SP – James McDonald / Eric Stults CL – Jonathan Broxton Five fantasy tips 1. Some people are arguing for Kemp over Ryan Braun as fantasy's top outfielder. He's very, very good. 2. Recent quote from Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus: "Clayton Kershaw is an ace in ..."

Fantasy Team Preview: Arizona

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March 11

Foxsports.com

"Review Arizona's projected lineup and rotation, and check out the top five fantasy tips and more about the Diamondbacks. Arizona Diamondbacks 1. SS – Stephen Drew 2. LF – Conor Jackson 3. RF – Justin Upton 4. 3B – Mark Reynolds 5. 1B – Adam LaRoche 6. C – Miguel Montero 7. CF – Chris Young 8. 2B – Kelly Johnson 1. SP – Dan Haren 2. SP – Brandon Webb 3. SP – Edwin Jackson 4. SP – Ian Kennedy 5. SP – Billy Buckner CL – Chad Qualls Five fantasy tips 1. Upton is going in the late second/early third round of mixed league drafts so far. He's going to make a nice leap forward – think 30-30 – and everyone knows it. If he was your first pick in a dynasty league, I wouldn't argue. 2. You realize ..."

Fantasy Team Preview: Colorado

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March 11

Foxsports.com

"Review Colorado's projected lineup and rotation, and check out the top five fantasy tips and more about the Rockies. Colorado Rockies 1. LF – Carlos Gonzalez 2. CF – Dexter Fowler 3. 1B – Todd Helton 4. SS – Troy Tulowitzki 5. RF – Brad Hawpe 6. 3B – Ian Stewart 7. C – Chris Iannetta 8. 2B – Clint Barmes 1. SP – Ubaldo Jimenez 2. SP – Aaron Cook 3. SP – Jorge De La Rosa 4. SP – Jason Hammel 5. SP – Jeff Francis CL – Huston Street Five fantasy tips 1. Jimenez finished 12th among MLB starters in strikeouts, 23rd in ERA and 23rd in WHIP. He's only 26, and he regularly throws in the high 90s. Look out. 2. The whole world is on the Tulowitzki bandwagon, so if you want him that bad, take him no ..."

30 Questions: Los Angeles Angels

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March 10

ESPN.com

"Is Brandon Wood fantasy-relevant? That's a question we've asked around this time of year for three straight years now. For the past two years the only answer anyone -- probably even Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia -- could provide was a shrug and a guess. But this year he's slotted to start, or at the very least to remain in the big leagues and get a fair shot at playing regularly. This is the year he gets to work out of his struggles, instead of immediately heading to the bench because of them. This is the year he doesn't have to worry about being sent down if he falls out of favor. This is finally the year, right? Nope, sorry, it's not. Don't get me wrong; he can help in AL-only ..."

30 Questions: White Sox

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March 10

ESPN.com

"Can Jake Peavy still be a fantasy ace? Jake Peavy's is a curious case, as this might be an entirely different question had he not made it back from a torn tendon in his ankle and won all three of his late-season starts for the Chicago White Sox. Funny what a best-case scenario recovery can do for a pitcher, isn't it? When the White Sox traded for him July 31 -- the second time they had attempted a deal for him last season -- Peavy appeared to be no guarantee to throw another major league pitch in 2009. He had already spent seven-plus weeks on the disabled list and had yet to begin a rehabilitation assignment with only five-plus weeks to go in the minor league season, meaning his margin for ..."

30 Questions: San Francisco Giants

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March 9

ESPN.com

"When will Buster Posey get here and what will he do? Bengie Molina saw the writing on the wall. He'd heard all about Buster Posey, the San Francisco Giants' "catcher of the future." He knew the team had selected Posey with the fifth overall pick in the 2008 draft, and invited him to spring training in 2009 before eventually sending him down to the minors for seasoning. Posey's college career had been more than impressive. After converting to catcher from shortstop at Florida State, he won the Golden Spikes Award -- the best player in amateur baseball -- following his junior season, hitting .463 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs for the Seminoles. In his first full year with the Giants' ..."

30 Questions: Cleveland Indians

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March 9

ESPN.com

"Whither Grady Sizemore? Like clockwork, it happened every year. The powers-that-be at ESPN Fantasy would convene a fantasy baseball summit in January. We'd all converge into a cozy conference room to sift through myriad projections and rankings. We'd have civil debate along with tons of snarky comments. And I'd dis Grady Sizemore. I never bought the guy as a top-5 outfielder. I certainly never bought the guy a borderline first-round fantasy pick. There was no questioning the raw athletic skills, I said, but his statistical trends told me that he was a "tradeoff guy," someone who would hit for power only if he didn't hit for average and would hit for average only if he didn't hit for power. ..."

Spring training battles: Who is fighting for PT?

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March 9

Foxsports.com

"There are one million and one stories and events to follow on the sporting landscape right now. The NCAA Basketball regular season is winding to a close. We've got boxing women in Texas hoops, the Olympics afterglow, Favre on Leno, the stretch runs for both the NHL and NBA seasons, the 19th or 20th iterations of our NFL mock drafts and the opening of NFL free agency. Don't tell me that you're not tapped into the rumors, conjecture and speculation surrounding your favorite team. Oh, and in Arizona and Florida, the first sounds of cracking bats and popping gloves have us giddy. We've begun to tweak those initial rankings, as information about the rehabilitation efforts of would-be fantasy ..."

Adams, Perry among sleepers for saves

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March 8

ESPN.com

"Stop me if you've heard this one before: Never pay for saves. Sure you have. It's only one of Matthew Berry's mantras said annually in his Draft Day Manifesto. Plus, it is repeated no fewer than 1,000 times by many of our ESPN Fantasy columnists throughout the year. Amazingly, some fantasy owners still haven't taken the tip to heart. You'll still see a few people grabbing Mariano Rivera in the fifth round, perhaps doubling up on "elite" closers -- if there is such a thing -- before the 10th. To each his (or her) own, and such a strategy might make sense in a small percentage of creative league formats, but the primary reason we advise you to take a conservative approach to saves searching ..."

Save leaders: Cordero ranked first

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March 8

Foxsports.com

"The ranking process is a long and arduous task. Spreadsheets are strewn about rooms and Sharpies are worn to nubs. At times, you'd think that you were scripting the next Presidential address or working spin for the latest PR scandal. Lines are drawn everywhere as you re-order names, stats and update data. It's nothing that important on a national scale, but in our own individual worlds, it's everything. Domination is the order of the day. When we review closers each spring, we naturally have to consider the CIW. That is to say, we need to evaluate the "closers in waiting" and make our assessments of the incumbent's job security. That forces us to re-work our rankings and shuffle things as ..."

Spring Training Notes

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March 7

FantasyBaseball.com

columnist Fred Zienke

"Injured Closers Everywhere Joe Nathan had some tightness with his surgically repaired elbow on Saturday and was pulled from the game. He and the team both said that it is not a concern right now. I will take their word for it for now but if Nathan isn't back on the mound by the end of the week then I will start downgrading him a little bit. He said that elbow tightness is normal at this point in spring training but since he is coming off surgery it is a greater concern. Octavio Dotel has some tightness in oblique and is behind schedule. Pittsburgh has no other options for their closer, especially with Joel Hanrahan likely to start the year on the DL. They said that they expect Dotel ..."

30 Teams in 30 Days: Seattle Mariners

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March 7

Fantasy Baseball Cafe

columnist Michael Stevens

"How do you go from the laughing stock of the American League to a contender for the divisional crown in two short seasons? Spend a truckload of money and pay off all the best players money can buy? No, we're not talking about the free-spending New York Yankees, we're talking about the Seattle Mariners! The Ms solved their myriad of issues in 2008 by making a very simple move last season, followed by a handful of sensible ones. Seattle replaced general manager Bill Bavasi with Milwaukee Brewers front office man Jack Zduriencik and they haven't looked back to their 101-loss season since. "Jack Z" made a splash this offseason, bringing in the talented bats of Chone Figgins and Milton Bradley ..."

Draft Debates – Grady Sizemore vs Justin Upton

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March 7

FantasyBaseball.com

"Choosing between Grady Sizemore and Justin Upton isn't easy, but looking at five different factors, Upton gets just the slightest edge. ADP vs. Actual Projected Stats: Sizemore is being chosen number 28 and Upton number 24 on average at Mock Draft Central right now, so the general consensus is also in agreement that Upton should be the first option. If the projected stats are realized by both players, the owners that select Upton ahead of Sizemore will be rewarded. Here's where Bill James' projection have both players ending up. Upton: 28 HR 93 RBI 90 Runs 19 SB .293 AVG Sizemore: 25 HR 78 RBI 101 Runs 21 SB .272 AVG Since Upton takes three out of five categories he is the better pick, but ..."

Save leaders: Cordero ranked first

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March 6

Foxsports.com

columnist Mike Harmon

"The ranking process is a long and arduous task. Spreadsheets are strewn about rooms and Sharpies are worn to nubs. At times, you'd think that you were scripting the next Presidential address or working spin for the latest PR scandal. Lines are drawn everywhere as you re-order names, stats and update data. It's nothing that important on a national scale, but in our own individual worlds, it's everything. Domination is the order of the day. When we review closers each spring, we naturally have to consider the CIW. That is to say, we need to evaluate the "closers in waiting" and make our assessments of the incumbent's job security. That forces us to re-work our rankings and shuffle things as ..."

AL-Only Hitting Sleepers

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March 6

Rotoworld.com

columnist Aaron Gleeman

"I'll be spending the next couple weeks highlighting my favorite sleepers, devoting one column apiece to NL-only hitters, NL-only pitchers, AL-only hitters, and AL-only pitchers. It's important to note that NL-only and AL-only leagues are far different than mixed leagues and require dipping much deeper into the player pool. Because of that the players who qualify as "sleepers" are much smaller names. In fact, in order to qualify for my AL-only and NL-only sleeper lists a player can't be among the top 250 picks in mixed leagues according to the constantly updated Average Draft Position data found in our Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide. In other words most of these guys are going completely ..."

Spring training battles: Who is fighting for PT?

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March 6

Foxsports.com

columnist Mike Harmon

"There are one million and one stories and events to follow on the sporting landscape right now. The NCAA Basketball regular season is winding to a close. We've got boxing women in Texas hoops, the Olympics afterglow, Favre on Leno, the stretch runs for both the NHL and NBA seasons, the 19th or 20th iterations of our NFL mock drafts and the opening of NFL free agency. Don't tell me that you're not tapped into the rumors, conjecture and speculation surrounding your favorite team. Oh, and in Arizona and Florida, the first sounds of cracking bats and popping gloves have us giddy. We've begun to tweak those initial rankings, as information about the rehabilitation efforts of would-be fantasy ..."

Fantasy player spotlight: Juan Pierre

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March 6

Foxsports.com

columnist John Halpin

"As pointed out earlier this week in the ADP article, there are a number of players who are being chosen either too high or too low early in the fantasy draft season. Among these, the one who might bring you the most value is a very speedy outfielder in Chicago. Juan Pierre's been a prolific basestealer during his career. In fact, he's MLB's active leader with 459 steals, and he averaged 54 from 2001-07. His numbers fell off in 2008 and 2009, but only because Manny Ramirez took his job. When he did play, he was as fast as ever on the basepaths. 2007: Stole 36 of his 40 bases before Ramirez was acquired in late July 2008: Stole 21 bases during Ramirez's 50-game suspension At age 32, Pierre ..."

30 Teams in 30 Days: Oakland A's

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March 6

Fantasy Baseball Cafe

columnist Daniel Wilson

"30 in 30 next travels to Oakland, home of bus brawls and Billy Beane. The "allegedly" soon-to-be San Jose A's were horrendous in the first half of 2009 and eventually sold everything not nailed down. Manager Bob Geren had the responsibility of shepherding a nearly all-rookie rotation, with guest starring roles from such luminaries as Brett Tomko and Dana Eveland. The only way to go is up from here, and the 2010 vintage A's are prettier to look at fantasy-wise then their '09 brothers (if you look hard enough). Unsettled: First Base and Outfield. Can Daric Barton hit enough to hold off the cast of thousands waiting to take his spot? What happens in the outfield when Carter and Taylor are ..."

Fantasy player spotlight: Juan Pierre

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March 5

Foxsports.com

"As pointed out earlier this week in the ADP article, there are a number of players who are being chosen either too high or too low early in the fantasy draft season. Among these, the one who might bring you the most value is a very speedy outfielder in Chicago. Juan Pierre's been a prolific basestealer during his career. In fact, he's MLB's active leader with 459 steals, and he averaged 54 from 2001-07. His numbers fell off in 2008 and 2009, but only because Manny Ramirez took his job. When he did play, he was as fast as ever on the basepaths. 2007: Stole 36 of his 40 bases before Ramirez was acquired in late July 2008: Stole 21 bases during Ramirez's 50-game suspension At age 32, Pierre ..."

Top 200 Keeper League Rankings

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March 5

ESPN.com

"Redraft fantasy baseball leagues (those in which you draft a new team from scratch every year) are a heck of a lot of fun. No complaints; I thoroughly enjoy every one of the more than half-dozen in which I play. But if you're looking for a next-level fantasy baseball experience, the "I want an experience that's even more like a real baseball general manager's," then a keeper or dynasty league is perfect for you. Unlike in redraft formats, you get the fun of dealing in player contracts (usually auction prices that must fit under a team salary cap, or specific draft picks that must be spent to retain players), accounting for the impact of the aging process, long-term injuries and pitching ..."

30 Questions: Minnesota Twins

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March 5

ESPN.com

"Welcome to the Island of Misfit Toys, better known as the Minnesota Twins outfield. It's a home of expensive playthings, tempting for their possibilities but just a little bit underwhelming as far as the joy they actually spread to Fantasy Nation. On most days, the Twins will field three former first-round picks in left, center and right field, players who at one time or another have caused fantasy baseball owners to salivate. Over there in right is Michael Cuddyer, the ninth-overall pick in the 1997 draft, who blasted a career-high 32 homers last season but didn't even manage an .800 OPS the two years before that. In center is Denard Span, the 20th pick in the '02 draft, who took six ..."

Pierce, Thomas impressive Wednesday

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March 4

ESPN.com

"In his second game back from injury for the Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce had a great game against the Charlotte Bobcats, going for 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the floor in just 26 minutes Wednesday. Most encouraging, he had his 3-point stroke going (4-for-6) against the league's sixth-best 3-point defense and best scoring defense. For fantasy owners, the hope has to be that Pierce is turning a corner toward the playoffs and will be good to go the rest of the season. Note that Pierce was absolutely phenomenal in March and April last season, averaging better than 21 points on nearly 50 percent shooting from the floor. To be fair, his numbers across the board were better last season, ..."

Risers and fallers

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March 4

Foxsports.com

"New additions Troy Glaus, 3B, Braves (Overall rank: 176) – Glaus will start at first base for the Braves, but he qualifies only at third in most leagues. The 33-year-old slugger missed most of 2009 due to a shoulder injury, but if he can stay reasonably healthy, he's probably got a 25-homer season in him. Russell Branyan, 1B, Indians (Overall rank: 204) – Branyan's expected to play most days for the Tribe, and even if he struggles he'll at least be the lefty half of a platoon at first base. He has big-time power, but his career batting average is .234, so be careful. Kevin Correia , SP, Padres (Overall rank: 244) – Correia was an inexplicable omission from the initial ranking list. He ..."

Braves take risk with injured veterans

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March 4

ESPN.com

"The Atlanta Braves have a lot to be excited about heading into 2010, including a hot young hitter named Jason Heyward. Like any team, their success hinges to some degree on the health of their players. Since the Braves added a few folks to their roster who are coming off injury, it appears their moves involved some calculated risk. Naturally they expect the reward to outweigh that risk. Here's a look at four Braves players, three of them new to the team this year, whose injury concerns are a topic at spring training. Billy Wagner: The Braves signed the veteran closer to a one-year, $7 million deal in December and are depending on him to be their ninth-inning guy. The decision not only to ..."

30 Questions: Atlanta Braves

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March 4

ESPN.com

"How good is Tommy Hanson? I am notoriously slow to come around on young players in fantasy baseball. Mostly, it's a matter of value versus hype. We hear so much about the "next big thing" that we begin to salivate at the notion of what a Matt Wieters or Phil Hughes might do, and suddenly we're drafting them way too high. For every Tim Lincecum who became a fantasy star by his second big league season, I'll wager there are 10 David Prices or Clay Buchholzes or Homer Baileys: guys who need more than just a year or two to reach their potential, and who may in fact never live up to their hype. So if you peruse our starting pitching ranks this spring and happen to notice the Atlanta Braves' ..."

Circling The Bases – Catchers

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March 4

FantasyBaseball.com

"March 1 and spring is in the air. I love this time of year. Pitchers and catchers have reported and it won't be long until they start to play games in Florida and Arizona. That being said it won't be to long until you start drafting for your fantasy leagues either. With that in mind we will begin with our first in a series of columns about positional rankings. Today catcher is on tap. We will rank our top 15. Now catcher is certainly not to deep a position, matter of fact after the top three, there is a certain drop off, and after the top eight, there are some major warts. When it comes to drafting a catcher I'm not a big believer in drafting one early. Catchers don't play as many ..."

Risers and fallers

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March 3

Foxsports.com

"Our initial ranking lists were published in early February, and due to free-agent signings, injuries and changes of heart on certain players, we thought they could use a sprucing up. The updated rankings are available, and below are explanations regarding some new additions and big movers. Risers and fallers are ranked in order of how many spots they moved up or down. Questions, comments or insults should be posted at the bottom of the page. New additions Troy Glaus, 3B, Braves (Overall rank: 176) – Glaus will start at first base for the Braves, but he qualifies only at third in most leagues. The 33-year-old slugger missed most of 2009 due to a shoulder injury, but if he can stay ..."

Peavy a bargain?

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March 3

Foxsports.com

"In my last contribution, I reviewed a number of players working to get back to basics and regain their former status as fantasy studs. It's a list that was cut for the sake of brevity. The idea was to get your minds wrapped up in distinguishing between true, unavoidable and unstoppable downturns in production and blips on the back of a player's trading card. Naturally, that list scrolls on for pages when we begin to consider the myriad of injuries that befall players and negatively impact their final stat lines. In this entry to our spring training fodder, I'm reviewing a number of players working to return to domination following injuries that beset their 2009 campaigns. Let's start in ..."

30 Questions: Rockies

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March 3

ESPN.com

"Can Ian Stewart deliver on his promise as a full-timer? It's just that batting average, that's all. Let's say you were confronted with this player's 2009 season stats: Player X: 24 years old, 25 homers in only 425 at-bats, 70 RBIs, 74 runs, seven steals, .464 slugging, qualifies at both second and third base. You'd be salivating, right? But then toss in the fact that said 24-year-old is Ian Stewart, and he hit just .228 last season, and owners get out the red pen to strike him from their wish list. "Oh boy, no can do. I gotta have Derek Jeter or Ichiro Suzuki just to make up for that." Fair enough; .228 is pretty bad. A poor batting-average guy can hurt you, especially in mixed leagues. ..."

Will Franklin Gutierrez Be a Fantasy Baseball 27-Year-Old Breakout?

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March 3

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

columnist Eric Stashin

"Franklin Gutierrez appears to be flying under the radar for most, though there are plenty of reasons to think that he could be on the verge of the prototypical age 27 breakout campaign. Why? Let's take a look: First, his 2009 statistics: 565 At-Bats .283 Batting Average (160 Hits) 18 Home Runs 70 RBI 85 Runs 16 Stolen Bases .339 On Base Percentage .425 Slugging Percentage .333 Batting Average on Balls in Play First of all, he's going to be given the opportunity to excel. The Mariners lineup was not very potent in 2009, but two of the biggest bats, Adrian Beltre and Russell Branyan, departed in the offseason. That leaves a gaping hole in the middle of the lineup that Gutierrez, who was ..."

First- and second-half all-stars

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March 2

ESPN.com

"What is it about the All-Star break? Three days' rest might seem insignificant, but for some baseball players, it represents a turning point in their seasons. For some, perhaps it's lengthy enough to halt their momentum, leading to a downturn in performance for the remainder of the season. For others, maybe it's enough of a breather to refresh for a second-half push. Or, perhaps, certain players simply have a tendency to either start or finish strong regardless of relation to the midpoint of the year. To put it another way: There are morning people, and there are afternoon people. Draw a line at, say, noon, and comparing a person's performance before and after that "midpoint" might ..."

Debunking the second-half-surge myth

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March 2

ESPN.com

"After the All-Star break last season, Kendry Morales was one of the game's most feared sluggers. He ranked fourth in the majors in home runs (19) and RBIs (59) and batted .330 with a .989 OPS in the season's traditional "second half." With that knowledge, might you push Morales a few spots higher in your rankings, following the long-held belief by countless fantasy baseball owners that a second-half surge often portends greater things to come the next season? Here's some news for you: It's not always the case. The rationale behind heavily incorporating second-half stats into the next year's projections might seem sound: They're the most recent data with which to evaluate a player, and when ..."

Top comebacks: Watch Nolasco closely

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March 2

Foxsports.com

"Fantasy owners are circling the draft boards and reviewing ADP (I'll be doing that on these pages in short order) to find the potential bargains. The draft season hasn't officially gotten into high-gear. That will happen around the time we complete our NCAA tournament brackets and start to get notices about the victors and losers for fifth spots in rotations or outfield slots. Naturally, there's an extensive run of players, particularly pitchers, who seek to regain their form following injuries. I'll start what could be a laundry list of players of this ilk tomorrow (think: NFL injury reports). For now, I'm reviewing a number of players who seek to return to past glory. Perhaps there was ..."

30 Questions: New York Yankees

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March 2

ESPN.com

"Is Javier Vazquez Really A Top-15 Starting Pitcher? Picture this. A starting pitcher posts a 2.87 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP, strikes out 238 batters in 219 1/3 innings and allows a .226 average to opposing hitters, then before the 2010 season gets traded to the defending world champions. Pretty good, right? So why in the wide, wide world of sports does newly minted New York Yankees hurler Javier Vazquez give me the howling fantods this year? As a group at ESPN Fantasy, we rate Vazquez the 14th-best starting pitcher you can draft this spring. At MockDraftCentral.com, his average draft position has him going at the top of the seventh round, 61st overall, the 12th starter selected. And to all this ..."

30 Questions: Milwaukee Brewers

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March 2

ESPN.com

"Is Yovani Gallardo a fantasy ace? For Yovani Gallardo, it's never been a question of "if" he would become a fantasy ace. It's been a question of "when." The time is now. Yovani Gallardo will be a top-10 fantasy pitcher in 2010, and thankfully for you, you won't need to draft him as one to enjoy the fruits of his labor. The first "must have" for an elite fantasy pitcher? Strikeouts. No matter how good your ERA or WHIP is, if you're not getting bushels of K's, you're not to be considered among the elite. Gallardo was the only pitcher in the majors who managed more than 200 strikeouts in fewer than 200 innings. His 204 punchouts were 10th in the league and the 9.89 strikeouts-per-nine rate ..."