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Fantasy Baseball Advice

Offseason Injury Report
February 10
Rotoworld.com
 
"You'll notice that the subject matter on our player news page is slowly transitioning from rumors, trades and player signings to injury updates and a handul of players proclaiming that they are in the "best shape of their life." It's a welcome sign that pitchers and catchers are mere days away from reporting to their respective spring training sites in Arizona and Florida. On a related note, below you'll find a list of prominent players who are making their way back from injury and/or surgery. I didn't tackle all of the big names here, so be sure to track our player news page for the all the latest updates. If you want to be completely prepared leading up to draft day, be sure to get the"
Around The League: Bounce-back Hitters
February 9
Rotoworld.com
 
"Often times, fantasy owners too quickly write players off after one down season, or, at the very least, let them fall a bit too far in drafts the following spring. For one reason or another, the following hitters didn't perform up to expectations in 2011. It's probably not a wise idea to roster too many of the players below, as the reality is that not everyone will bounce back. But, many will fall farther than they should despite plenty of evidence that last season's disappointment will likely be an aberration. Consider this your opportunity to buy low. Joe Mauer, C, Twins Mauer, of course, battled physical ailments throughout the 2011 campaign. He was recovering from knee surgery during"
Santana, Napoli lead fantasy catchers
February 9
Foxsports.com
 
"As much as it pains me to leave the confetti and celebrations associated with the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, it's time to slather on the virtual sunblock and turn our attention to the boys of summer. It won't be long until we're monitoring the daily action in Arizona and Florida, pondering which of the spring heroes will earn slots in rotations or stay behind for additional work. I begin the long road to opening day with the first installment of my positional previews. Naturally, I'll slap on the chest protector and call signals for the fantasy catchers. The top names at the position have changed for 2012, and several of the celebrated and familiar options have large questions"
RotoWire 2012 Yankees preview
February 9
Foxsports.com
 
"Last season was a bit of an odd year for the Yankees. There were some big positives, such as Curtis Granderson's power surge (he finished second in the majors with 41 homers and easily led the majors in runs scored), the emergence of David Robertson as a dominant setup man, and unexpected sources of stability on the starting staff from Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon. Those positives were largely outweighed by the early-season disastrous performance and long DL stint from Phil Hughes (though he was significant better upon his return later in the year), another injury-plagued season from Alex Rodriguez, Tommy John surgery for Joba Chamberlain, and the never-ending drama that is"
Around The League: Closers In Waiting
February 8
Rotoworld.com
 
"Every baseball season there are significant transitions in bullpens around the major leagues, and 2012 projects to be no different. Getting out ahead of those promotions and demotions with smart waiver plays and late-round draft selections can pay great dividends in fantasy leagues, which is why we like to look beyond the typical Top 30 closer rankings here at Rotoworld to the up-and-comers who are next in line. For a full (and constantly-updated) Bullpen Report, check out our recently-launched Online Draft Guide. You'll also get over 1,000 player profiles and gobs of useful draft tools like cheat sheets, positional tiers, ADP reports, keeper rankings, projected lineups and depth charts."
2012 Draft Prep: Head-to-Head strategies
February 7
CBSSports.com
 
"In the beginning, there was Rotisserie -- a fun but flawed style of Fantasy Baseball that rewarded, at least for hitters, only the five most basic stats: batting average, home runs, RBI, runs scored and stolen bases. And for years, that's how Fantasy owners defined a player, with his identity based in those five categories. Melky Cabrera? He's a legitimate five-category threat. Nick Swisher? He's fine, if all you need is homers. So when the Head-to-Head style of Fantasy Baseball began -- as in the one inspired by Fantasy Football that uses points rather than categories -- it threw a wrench into the equation that Fantasy owners are still trying to fish out. Suddenly, every statistical"
2012 Fantasy outlooks: Atlanta Braves
February 6
CBSSports.com
 
"Though they didn't get as much attention as the Red Sox, the Braves suffered their own late-season meltdown in 2011, losing the wild card to the eventual World Champion Cardinals on the final day of the season after leading by 8 1/2 games in early September. Yup, they were that close in a year when just about everything that could go wrong did. New acquisition Dan Uggla was a black hole in the lineup for the first three months. All-Star Martin Prado hit under .300 -- well under .300 -- for the first time in four years. Emerging face of the franchise Jason Heyward wasn't even good enough to keep his starting job. Tommy Hanson hurt his shoulder. Jair Jurrjens hurt his knee. Brian McCann hit"
Undervalued Speed
February 4
Rotoworld.com
 
"Sure, we would all like to pick up guys like Matt Kemp and Jacoby Ellsbury that give you an abundance of both power and speed. The reality, of course, is that it's not going to happen. Somewhere along the line -- unless you plan on punting the steals category -- you're probably going to have to draft players whose primary fantasy asset is their wheels. The guys listed below could wind up returning a nice value based on where they're currently being taken in drafts. By the way, you can find projections on the following players and hundreds more in the 2012 Rotoworld Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide. It's well worth the $19.99. Trust me. Dee Gordon, SS, Dodgers Gordon has no power, having"
By the Numbers: Pitchers with a new look
February 1
CBSSports.com
 
"Every season brings surprises, and there are always a handful of players who give us a performance that is out of step with our expectations. Sometimes the difference is obvious, like when someone like Ryan Vogelsong, Vance Worley or Philip Humber suddenly becomes relevant in standard or even shallow formats. Other times, the change is more subtle, but it's still worth noting for the impact in could have on a player's Fantasy future. We looked at a handful of such hitters in the last By the Numbers column, which highlighted four players whose skill set at the plate had changed appreciably over the last two seasons. This time, we will turn our attention to a quartet of pitchers who have"
Draft Strategy: Early ADP Outliers
February 1
Rotoworld.com
 
"We're in the middle of Super Bowl week, so perhaps it's a little early to take fantasy baseball ADP (Average Draft Position) data seriously. After all, we're still a little over two months away from the start of the season. But when it's 65 degrees outside on February 1, it's difficult to resist the temptation to look toward spring and examine some early outliers. I did a column similar to this one just about a year ago, in which I detailed some of my issues with ADP data in general. It's important to remember that each site's ADP information is slightly different, so be sure to participate in mocks in multiple places to get a feel of where certain players are going. If you are drafting"
Pressing Questions: The San Francisco Giants
January 31
Yahoo! Sports
 
"With a league-best 3.36 ERA, pitching was the backbone of a 2010 Giants squad that won 92 regular-season games en route to a World Series title. But that championship squad also was at least serviceable with the stick, ranking right near the middle of the pack in runs scored and OPS. The Giants actually improved to a 3.20 ERA last season, but offense became the obvious fly in the ointment, as the team produced 127 fewer runs than the World Series group. With staff anchors Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and closer Brian Wilson, the Giants should once again be more than adequate in the pitching department. But after an offseason that saw the team fail to re-sign '11 rental Carlos"
2012 Fantasy outlooks: Seattle Mariners
January 31
CBSSports.com
 
"Coming out of the Fourth of July weekend, it looked like the Mariners would be one of the major leagues' surprise teams in 2011. Boasting a .500 record less than a week before the All-Star break, the overachieving M's proceeded to embark on a 17-game losing binge that instantly turned 2011 into another lost season. The Mariners made some moves last season to expedite the rebuilding process, such as trading Doug Fister and Erik Bedard in deals that brought back several prospects and replacing Chone Figgins at third base with Kyle Seager. However, the biggest change came this offseason, when Seattle dealt emerging star SP Michael Pineda and pitching prospect Jose Campos to the Yankees for"
Top 50 keepers for 2012
January 30
CBSSports.com
 
""My keepers are better than your keepers." Oh yeah? How can you be so sure? You don't know my league. You don't know the rules. You don't know what those players will or won't cost me heading into 2012. And vice versa. When it comes to keepers, leagues have wildly different approaches that require wildly different strategies. Some are a free-for-all, where each team keeps a set number of players and forfeits nothing in return. Some are a bargain bin, where each team surrenders draft picks relative to where each keeper was selected last year. Some are a simulation, where each team has a farm system, an annual budget and a long-term outlook. And some incorporate aspects of all three. With"
Trout highlights rookie hitters
January 30
Foxsports.com
 
""It ain't easy being green," bemoaned Kermit the Frog. While this assertion referred to the color of Kermit's complexion, the world's preeminent puppet could have easily been speculating on the arduous nature of inexperience. Nowhere is this disposition more evident than the baseball diamond, where the untested are chewed up and spit out like sunflower seeds. Rookies will emerge at various times in the season, seemingly ready to deliver fantasy fruition to astute owners who have monitored their march through the minors. Highly-touted hitter Eric Hosmer (.293, 19 homers, 78 RBI, 66 runs) produced a power jolt with his arrival in May, and the long-awaited advent of the Desmond Jennings Era"
Fantasy impact: Fielder to the Tigers
January 28
Foxsports.com
 
"In a surprising move, the Tigers signed free-agent 1B Prince Fielder to a nine-year contract earlier this week. Get the Little Caesar's/fat Fielder jokes out of your system before we move on to the fantasy impact of this move. Ready? OK, good. Fielder's fantasy value doesn't appear to be affected much by this deal. As friend of the blog Eno Sarris pointed out on RotoGraphs, Fielder's new home park will be less homer-friendly, but it shouldn't affect him too much. I've got Fielder as the fifth-ranked first baseman and 16th overall, and I'll keep him at those spots. He'll be hitting behind an excellent hitter in Miguel Cabrera, but he was already doing that in Milwaukee with Ryan Braun, so"
Boesch fantasy value impacted by Fielder
January 28
Foxsports.com
 
"While "The Descendents" starring George Clooney is up for best picture this Oscar season, "The Descendants" starring Prince Fielder is up for most shocking offseason acquisition. Heck, Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski was quoted saying he would consider bringing Prince to Detroit, but was "probably not a good fit" days before news broke on Cecil's little boy returning to Motown. After the fog of uncertainty became a reality and Fielder donned the home white jersey with the Olde English "D" over his heart, the fantasy baseball dominoes began to fall. Off the jump, the spotlight was on Miguel Cabrera and how the signing would impact him and how the Tigers incumbent first baseman would"
2012 Fantasy outlooks: Cleveland Indians
January 26
CBSSports.com
 
"Though the Indians finished with a sub-.500 record for the third straight season in 2011, they were in contention right up until September, taking a big step forward for an organization thought to be in rebuilding mode. Of course, that's kind of the problem. The Indians' out-of-nowhere breakthrough relied on so many unlikely performances from so many unlikely sources that the actual extent of the team's progress is difficult to gauge. Justin Masterson emerged as a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. Josh Tomlin continued to get by on some of the league's most hittable stuff. Asdrubal Cabrera somehow became a power hitter. And a collection of no-name relievers came together to produce the AL's"
Around The League: Tiger Tales
January 26
Rotoworld.com
 
"The Tigers' surprising signing of Prince Fielder has certainly sent shockwaves throughout baseball. It obviously makes Detroit that much more formidable in the AL Central, and there are myriad fantasy implications not just for Fielder, but for many members on the Tigers roster. As far as Prince goes, he'll certainly miss Miller Park. The rotund first baseman has an OPS of .965 there during his career (.896 on the road), and Miller Park is surpassed only by Coors Field among National League stadiums in terms of being hitter-friendly over the last three seasons (according to Baseball-Reference's three-year park factors for batters). Twenty-four of his 38 bombs this past season were hit at"
Fielder helps Tigers bats, hurts pitchers
January 25
ESPN.com
 
"The Detroit Tigers moved quickly and aggressively to replace the injured Victor Martinez, likely out for the season with a torn ACL, and in doing so, they sure stole one of the biggest headlines of the 2011-12 offseason. Martinez's replacement: One Prince Fielder, who reportedly agreed to a nine-year, $214-million contract, per ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. That means that, 20 years after Fielder's father Cecil hit 35 home runs for them, the Tigers have "Big Daddy's" son, Prince. And Prince very well should match his father's output, two decades later, and might even exceed it. Heck, during the life of Prince's contract, he'll have an excellent shot at surpassing his father's career total"
Projecting value of Braun
January 25
Foxsports.com
 
"Aw, "the reach." Nothing quite signals universal disparage and humiliation in fantasy than the time-honored tendency of erroneous early attainment. The motives for this miscalculation are varied but chronic across the drafting landscape: a unique affinity by an owner for a particular player, or, as a corollary, coveting a hometown team's star; an overabundance of hype surrounding a rookie; simply overestimating an athlete's value. The intention behind the latter's fallacy usually stems from misjudging the market; in essence, deeming others will snatch the player in question if failing to acquire his services with the upcoming pick, only to ultimately realize the newly-acquired combatant"
Tampa not the best fit for Carlos Pena
January 21
ESPN.com
 
"Cross another designated hitter candidate off the board, and, if you've been following the discussion about that position related to news surrounding the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers in the past week, surely you're disappointed to learn where Carlos Pena ended up. On Friday, Pena returned to the team with which he enjoyed his best fantasy season, that coming in 2007, as he signed a one-year, $7.25 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. Frankly, fantasy owners would've been happier had Pena landed in a place such as New York, or even remained in Chicago, considering the type of hitter he has become. In Tampa Bay, and Tropicana Field, he'll call home a ballpark that ranked among"
2012 Experts Draft
January 24
Foxsports.com
 
"Football season isn't quite over, but I'm glad we're getting into baseball. Before we do, allow a minute for this brief interlude … Longtime readers may know that I'm a lifelong New York Giants fan. I was on the season-ticket waiting list for 24 years before finally getting them in 2000. Despite moving to North Carolina awhile back, I haven't given up my tickets. When discussing today's article with my colleague Joel Beall on Monday, he asked me to "keep the G-Men references under nine." Joel, I'll keep it to one: GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GIANTS! And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. In early January, we held our first 2012 mock experts draft. It was a 12-team, 5x5 format, with"
2012 Fantasy outlooks: Toronto Blue Jays
January 21
CBSSports.com
 
"The Blue Jays went 81-81 last season, marking the sixth time in seven seasons that they won at least 80 games. And yet they haven't reached the playoffs in 18 years. Their tale isn't one of futility, though. By acquiring closer Sergio Santos in the offseason, general manager Alex Anthopoulos gave an optimistic assessment of the team's progress: After two years of purging bad contracts and accumulating draft picks, it's ready to take the next step forward. And somewhere in its tangled mess of arms and outfielders, it should have the pieces in place to do so. The Blue Jays' ongoing project this season will be to appraise the underachieving ex-prospects -- such as Colby Rasmus and Travis"
Yu Darvish has lots of fantasy value
January 19
ESPN.com
 
"If C.J. Wilson wasn't the free-agent pitching catch of the winter, Japanese import Yu Darvish just might be. And interestingly enough, the Texas Rangers, Wilson's former team, have now replaced the former with the latter. According to ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett, Darvish and the Rangers reached an agreement on a six-year, $60 million contract on Wednesday, mere minutes before the 5 p.m. ET deadline to do so. That brings the Rangers' investment in Darvish to $111.7 million; they won his rights back in December for a $51.7 million posting fee, which will now be paid to the Nippon Ham Fighters. The Rangers' hefty investment in the right-hander makes sense; Rangers general manager Jon"
Around The League: Contract Year Players
January 19
Rotoworld.com
 
"In general, the concept that players play their best in the last year of their contract is probably overblown. There's no doubt, though, that we've seen our fair share of guys with dollar signs in their eyes go out and put up big and sometimes career-best seasons. With that in mind, it's at least worth being aware of the noteworthy potential free agents for next offseason. Here they are: Catchers Chris Iannetta, Angels (club option) – Iannetta can void the Halos' option for 2013 since he was traded. Obviously leaving Coors Field for Angel Stadium isn't great news for the 28-year-old in his walk year, but he'll also be the unquestioned full-time catcher in Anaheim, something he wasn't for"
When should Darvish go in fantasy drafts?
January 19
MLB.com
 
"Within moments of Yu Darvish officially becoming a Texas Ranger on Wednesday, the tweets flowed to @fantasy411 asking about his fantasy value. In an attempt to paint the broadest picture possible, I will break down where I believe he should be drafted in a 12-team 5x5 (wins, strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and saves), mixed non-keeper league. In every mock draft I've been in, especially the three expert-league mocks I have participated in, Darvish was assumed to be with the Rangers. There was no speculation as to Darvish's value that was relative to his signing because we knew that if he didn't sign with Texas by Wednesday, he wasn't going to be drafted at all in 100 percent of non-keeper leagues"
2012 Fantasy outlooks: New York Mets
January 18
CBSSports.com
 
"The Sandy Alderson regime officially closed the book on the Omar Minaya era with the deal that sent Carlos Beltran to the Giants for prospect Zack Wheeler last July, opting to cut bait rather than fish with the roster it had inherited. When homegrown mainstay Jose Reyes then departed via free agency this offseason, the team's next step became all too clear: Let the long and painful rebuilding process begin. Fortunately for Fantasy owners, a bare cupboard means new opportunity for previous unknowns -- in other words, sleepers galore. Unfortunately for Fantasy owners, the Mets are still wading through so many bad contracts that the new blood might have to wait."
2012 Fantasy outlooks: Minnesota Twins
January 18
CBSSports.com
 
"Gross. What else can you say about a team that went from first to worst last season, ending a three-year playoff run with an AL-leading 99 losses? It'd be one thing if it was planned, if after another early playoff exit in 2010, the Twins decided they couldn't win with the roster they had in place and began a full-scale rebuilding project. But it wasn't. The roster was virtually unchanged from one season to the next. They just stunk with it this time around. So now the rebuilding project begins, and for it, the Twins brought back former general manager Terry Ryan, who orchestrated the team's return to contending status back in 2002. Ryan's first offseason back at the helm was a"
Montero, Pineda, Kuroda all gain value?
January 17
ESPN.com
 
"Silent no longer are the New York Yankees. Fourteen weeks and a day after being dispatched by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series, the Yankees, traditionally one of the most active teams during the winter, finally made a splash Friday. And boy, was it a big one -- with a capital "B" -- involving not only a trade, but also a free-agent signing. In a rare trade of youngsters, the Yankees acquired soon-to-be-23-year-old (he turns that age on Jan. 18) right-hander Michael Pineda, along with minor league right-hander Jose Campos, from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for catcher/designated hitter Jesus Montero and right-hander Hector Noesi. Then, moments later, the Yankees"
V-Mart tears ACL, out for 2012
January 17
ESPN.com
 
"The catcher position, already one of the thinnest in fantasy baseball, suffered a significant hit on Tuesday. To put the dearth of talent at catcher into perspective, only 10 cracked the top 250 overall on our 2011 Player Rater, two ranked among the top 100 and the highest-ranking backstop placed 55th. That highest-ranking catcher, Victor Martinez, is now likely out for the entire 2012 season, after the Detroit Tigers announced on Tuesday that he suffered a torn ACL during his offseason training. Martinez will be re-evaluated in a week's time, providing a slim chance at a late-2012 return if he can avoid surgery, but his keeper and prospective redraft owners should proceed under the"
Pressing Questions: The Oakland A's
January 11
Yahoo! Sports
 
"In terms of fantasy talent, the A's are the "If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" analogy. If you and your friends decided to eliminate Oakland from the player pool for your '12 fantasy draft, more than likely you'd hardly notice that anything had changed. In early drafts charted on MockDraftCentral, there are no A's players being taken on average among the top 150 picks, and only two players (CoCo Crisp and Jemile Weeks) that land among the top 200. While the Angels and Rangers have put forth their best Yankees/Red Sox impersonation this offseason, spending major bucks on Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson and Yu Darvish, the A's have begun a"
Pressing Questions: The Houston Astros
January 11
Yahoo! Sports
 
"The Houston Astros were such a flaming disappointment in 2011 that the team has actually been relegated, bumped to the American League, effective 2013. We're all anxious to see which low-power, .320-OBP scrapper will emerge as this team's regular DH, but that will have to wait. The Astros must first slog through the 2012 season as lame-duck National Leaguers. This group finished dead-last in the senior circuit in ERA last year (4.51) while scoring the third-fewest runs (615) and ranking next-to-last in total homers (95), so it can be reasonably argued that they don't do anything well. The questions surrounding this team are many, although mixed league fantasy owners probably wouldn't"
Rizzo, Cashner have upside after trade
January 7
ESPN.com
 
"The Chicago Cubs finally have their first baseman of the future, and it's neither Albert Pujols nor Prince Fielder. It's Anthony Rizzo, whom new Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein selected in the sixth round of the 2007 amateur draft, when he was general manager of the Boston Red Sox, and new Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer acquired in last winter's Adrian Gonzalez trade, when he served in the same position for the San Diego Padres. Rizzo, along with minor league right-hander Zach Cates, were acquired by the Cubs from the Padres on Friday in exchange for right-hander Andrew Cashner and minor league outfielder Kyung-Min Na. Clearly both Epstein and Hoyer hold Rizzo in high"
By the Numbers: Skill changers worth watching
January 7
CBSSports.com
 
"For the most part, we get a good sense of what type of a hitter someone is from their first season or two in the majors, if not from their minor league career. For example, Mike Stanton's power hasn't exactly come out of nowhere, Vladimir Guerrero has been a superb contact hitter since his rookie days, and Kevin Youkilis was the Greek God of Walks before he even set foot on a major league diamond. Sometimes, though, players aren't who we thought they were. They evolve into a different sort of offensive weapon, developing new skills that weren't a part of their initial profile. Featured here are four players who had all spent sizeable parts of two or more major league seasons coming into"
Bailey's value rises with Red Sox
December 29
ESPN.com
 
"The Boston Red Sox's bullpen makeover continued on Wednesday, and unlike their Dec. 14 trade for 2011 closer Mark Melancon, this deal scored them their clear ninth-inning guy for 2012: Andrew Bailey. According to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, the Red Sox acquired Bailey, along with outfielder Ryan Sweeney, from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for outfielder Josh Reddick and two Class A prospects: Third baseman Miles Head, 20, and right-hander Raul Alcantara, 19. Bailey's fantasy value scarcely changes as a result of his move east, other than the obvious instinct that the Red Sox are more likely to win 90 games than the Athletics, meaning a better chance at nightly saves. But the"
Prospective Earnings
December 29
Rotoworld.com
 
"Last week we took a look at some of the prospects that were affected in a negative way by recent transactions. This week it's time to examine those youngsters whose fantasy stock for 2012 has raised either due to moves their team has made or moves they haven't made. Lorenzo Cain, OF, Royals We examined Cain at length earlier this offseason, but it doesn't hurt to brush up. With Melky Cabrera being shipped to the Giants in the Jonathan Sanchez deal, Cain will now roam center field for the Royals in 2012. The 25-year-old is coming off a nice season at Triple-A Omaha, as he batted .312/.380/.497 to go along with 16 home runs, 81 RBI and 16 steals. The highly athletic Cain has enough pop to"
Gio Gonzalez dealt to Nats for prospects
December 23
ESPN.com
 
"As the winter's starting-pitching market continues to thin, the asking prices via trade for premium arms are getting steeper. There is no greater example than Thursday's Gio Gonzalez deal. The Washington Nationals acquired Gonzalez, giving them a young, outstanding 1-2-3 at the front of their rotation. But in order to land the left-hander, they had to pay a steep price in prospects: three of their top 10 -- No. 3 Brad Peacock, No. 4 A.J. Cole and No. 9 Derek Norris -- as judged by Baseball America, as well as Tommy Milone, a 24-year-old left-hander who managed a 3.81 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in a five-start stint for the team in September. All five names should grab fantasy owners' attention."
Projections Snapshot: When to buy on Braun?
December 26
CBSSports.com
 
"Ryan Braun, Brewers: Aside from a drop in home run power in 2010, Braun has been a remarkably steady player over the last three seasons. He has become a perennial .300-plus hitter thanks to decent contact rates and an aversion to flyballs, yet he has managed to maintain his power stats in spite of the latter trend. Fantasy owners got a bonus last season, as Braun more than doubled his stolen base attempts, and first-year manager Ron Roenicke had a little bit to do with that. In the event that Braun plays a full season, there would be no reason to expect any serious dropoff from his MVP levels of 2011. Of course, it is highly likely that he will miss nearly one-third of the season, so his"
When to buy on Braun?
December 17
CBSSports.com
 
"When it was reported that Ryan Braun tested positive for a banned substance, the news threw a wrench into the early draft plans of Fantasy owners. Of course, given that the news was reported in December, and not in March, we have plenty of time to figure out a strategy for targeting Braun in our upcoming drafts. This week's Projections Snapshot puts Braun and his Fantasy draft prospects under the microscope, making this week's installment a little different than usual. Instead of picking a cluster of similar players at a position and flushing out their differences, this week's analysis asks the question of when to draft a player who is almost certain to miss a large chunk of the season."
Yu Darvish a top-30 fantasy pitcher
December 20
ESPN.com
 
"The free-agent pitching catch of the winter might have just hit the market, and the team that won his negotiating rights was smart to do so; it was the team that lost to free agency the pitcher previously regarded the winter's top catch, C.J. Wilson. And so it is the Texas Rangers that have won exclusive rights to work out a deal with 25-year-old Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish. The Rangers are officially on the clock and have 30 days to sign Darvish. Count on them doing so. Remember, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels was one of two GMs to travel to Japan to scout Darvish this past summer -- Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos was the other -- so he clearly holds Darvish in high"
Pujols still potential No. 1 overall pick
December 9
ESPN.com
 
"Here's one pricey free agent the Miami Marlins won't sign: Albert Pujols. The ever-elusive "mystery team" landed this winter's most prized catch, and its identity? The Los Angeles Angels. According to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, Pujols agreed to a 10-year, $250 million contract with the Angels on Thursday. As would have been the case with the Marlins, for whom Gaby Sanchez was already a more than adequate first baseman, fantasy owners will react with the same question regarding Pujols' arrival in L.A.: What happens to the Angels' already present first basemen, Mark Trumbo and, if he's healthy, Kendrys Morales? The obvious answer is that one -- if not both -- might be traded, but it"
Winter Meetings: Day Four
December 9
Rotoworld.com
 
"When I wrote the summary of Day Three of the Winter Meetings, it appeared that Albert Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano, would leave Dallas without a contract for his client. Boy, were we wrong. This whole process is just the latest reminder that while the Hot Stove can be a lot of fun to follow, we really have no real idea of what will happen until it actually, you know, happens. Just sit back, take it for what it is, and before you know it, there will be baseball games again. That I do know. Let's talk about the fourth and final day of the 2011 Winter Meetings. Angels Sign Albert Pujols to Ten-Year, $254 Million Contract Just moments before the Rule 5 Draft was scheduled to begin"
Heath Bell remains valuable with Marlins
December 3
ESPN.com
 
"These Florida … er … Miami Marlins are serious about winning, and as was their strategy in 1997, "winning" apparently means dipping into the free-agent pool. But, in spite of their rumored pursuit of high-ticket names like Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes and C.J. Wilson, the beginning step to the Marlins' free-agent makeover addressed the end: Late Thursday night, the team inked closer Heath Bell to a three-year, $27 million deal, per ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Marlins' desire for a new finisher was obvious; this is a team whose former closer, Leo Nunez … er … Juan Carlos Oviedo, is tangled in legal issues related to his falsified identity. Oviedo might not even pitch in the majors in 2012, so"
Second Half Studs: Pitchers
November 18
Rotoworld.com
 
"A few weeks ago, we took a look at some of the hitters from each league that stepped up their production big-time after the All-Star break. It's important to note these performances, because often when a player finishes strong, it can catapult them into the following season, especially when it comes to younger players. Let's now examine a handful of pitchers that saw their stats trending in the right direction in the second half: Madison Bumgarner, LHP, Giants 1st Half: 3.87 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 92/27 K/BB ratio in 104 2/3 IP 2nd Half: 2.52 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 99/19 K/BB ratio in 100 IP Bumgarner kicked off his season in a rough way, as he posted a 6.17 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in April. But, aside"
Fantasy impact of Astros' move to AL
November 19
ESPN.com
 
"Brace yourselves, fantasy baseball veterans. Following the upcoming 2012 season, we're going to see our first franchise league switch in 15 years, and only the second since the American and National Leagues formed one major league in 1903. Beginning with the 2013 season, the Houston Astros will switch from the National to American League, giving each major league an identical 15 teams. Those of you in AL- or NL-only keeper leagues might be familiar with the impact of a player switching leagues, but it's rare that a franchise does it. Ubaldo Jimenez's NL-only owners this past summer can attest; those who played in leagues that do not allow a player's statistics to be carried over when he"
Weaver Won't Start, Who Will?
September 28
Rotoworld.com
 
"With Wednesday being the last scheduled day of the regular season, there's no sense in wasting words. We all know that the Braves and Cardinals and Red Sox and Rays are tied for the final playoff spots in each league, but what fantasy owners need to know above all else is who's playing, who's not playing and who's uncertain for Wednesday's season finale: NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: With the Angels eliminated, Jered Weaver has been scratched from his final regular season start. Garrett Richards will take the mound instead … Also not making his scheduled Wednesday start: Matt Cain, as the Giants plan to give Eric Surkamp another oppportunity … Matt Holliday was pulled from Tuesday's game after"
Keeper Closer Rankings
September 29
Rotoworld.com
 
"One more game and that's all she wrote. One more game and the season is over. One more game and your fantasy league standings will be final. Hopefully you won some of those leagues with our help here at Saves and Steals (and RotoWorld). But for many of you the season is not going to be completely over tomorrow, either. Many of you are in keeper leagues, and you'll be trying to decide wether or not your closers are worth rostering into next season. Most of the time, it comes down to a comparison with a position player or starting pitcher. And most of the time, the closer should come up short. There's just so much variability from year to year. So much volatility in the position means you"
Around the League: Non-Tender Tango
November 8
Rotoworld.com
 
"December 12th is the deadline for teams to decide whether to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players on their 40-man rosters. With that in mind, here is the first of two articles focusing on some potential non-tender candidates and the possible fallout for 2012. Juan Carlos Oviedo RP, Marlins Who is Juan Carlos Oviedo? Well, you may remember him better as Leo Nunez, his assumed name after being signed by the Pirates as an amateur free agent back in 2000. The Marlins' closer is currently working through some complicated legal issues in his native Dominican Republic after coming clean in September to faking his identity. He posted a 4.06 ERA and a career-high fly ball rate this"
Fantasy MVPs & LVPs
October 7
Rotoworld.com
 
"As always, the first end-of-season column focuses on the fantasy MVPs and LVPs. Awards are given to players that most over- or underperformed according to my preseason projections. I tend to give injured players a break when it comes to LVPs I also have my real MVP/Cy Young/ROY choices below. The Fantasy Most Valuable Players Catchers MVP - Alex Avila Projection: .257/.338/.405, 11 HR, 41 R, 43 RBI, 2 SB in 358 AB 2011 stats: .295/.389/.506, 19 HR, 63 R, 82 RBI, 3 SB in 464 AB More was expected of Avila after he hit just .228/.316/.340 in his first full season in 2010, but a .900 OPS? I had him projected as an above average offensive catcher, but I never thought he'd hit for so much"
Big Game for James
September 27
Rotoworld.com
 
"Remember when it looked like there wouldn't be any real drama in late-September? Funny what a couple of crazy weeks can do. After the Red Sox lost to the Orioles on Monday and the Rays topped the Yankees, we officially have a tie in the American League Wild Card race with just two games left on the calendar. Josh Beckett came up small in Monday's loss, allowing six runs over six innings, the big blow of which was a three-run inside-the-park home run by Robert Andino. The Red Sox had their chances to catch up, loading the bases in the eighth inning and bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but failed to close the gap. With the loss, Boston dropped to 6-19 in September."
Fantasy notes for Sept. 28
September 28
ESPN.com
 
"The final day of the season is the time to take a chance on loading up your rotation with as many starters as possible. Below are the best options that still might be available on your league's waiver wire. Best of luck and have a great offseason! • Ted Lilly has some interesting numbers versus the Diamondbacks this year, going 1-3 with a 5.09 ERA, but posting a strong 1.04 WHIP and limiting Arizona to a .190 average. He has not allowed more than three runs in 11 straight starts, carrying a 2.42 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over this span, and he's tallied 60 K's in 67 innings. • Brandon Morrow is finishing the 2011 season with a huge kick. In his past two starts (against the Yankees and Rays), he"
Early 2012 starting pitcher ranks
September 23
ESPN.com
 
"It was the "Year of the Pitcher, Part II." Major League Baseball continued to gravitate toward pitching in 2011, more so, in fact, than ever before. The game's 3.93 ERA in 2011 (through the games of Sept. 21) was noticeably lower than its 4.08 ERA of 2010 -- that year also called the "Year of the Pitcher" -- and in fact is its lowest number since 1992 (3.75). The ever-shifting baseball landscape has spawned countless debates about the worth of pitchers in fantasy. Are you among those who believe that, as the tides turn toward pitchers, you should follow suit and shift more of your investment to pitching? Or are you of the mind that increased richness in pitching means more bargain-bin"