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TEXAS RANGERS
With Rod Barajas nursing a sore back, look for Gerald Laird to get the bulk of the time behind the plate the rest of the way. Laird’s .330 batting average is way above his skill set of a poor batting eye of .26 and average contact rate of 80%. He has shown legitimate growth in his power skills and even provides a little speed bonus with 3 stolen bases in 4 tries.
Akinori Otsuka has proven to be up to the task of closing games with 34 saves in 37 tries and a 2.07 ERA. His K/9 of 7.0 is on the low side for a closer, but he makes up for it with pinpoint control, a 1.6 BB/9, and a high G/F ratio of 1.77. The latter two skills are needed to close games in homer happy Ameriquest Field. He will be the closer going into 2007.
In his 5 starts, Edison Volquez is not getting the job done, with a 1-4 record and a 6.75 ERA. A K/9 of 4.6 and a BB/9 of 5.9 will usually do that. He should be avoided in all formats.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
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American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Left-handed swinging Scott Podsednik is now platooning. Looking at his average split against right-handed and left-handed pitching, .272 vs. .223, it is not hard to see why.
Maybe not having to face southpaws will allow him to improve on his post All-Star break batting average of .224.
Podsednik’s leftfield platoon partner is Pablo Ozuna. After hitting an unsustainable .413 in the first-half of the season, Ozuna has cooled down considerably in the second-half with a .238 average. With his poor batting eye and declining speed, the second-half number is closer to his skill level. He probably shouldn’t be trying to steal bases, as he has been caught 6 times in 11 tries.
Since August 1st, Paul Konerko has just 4 home runs in 122 AB. The 11 doubles in that same period show that he is still generating power. Expect the pace of home runs to pick up for Konerko this month.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
BOSTON RED SOX
Relief is coming for the run-starved Red Sox. Wily Mo Pena and Alex Gonzalez started on Sunday. Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek have been activated and should return to the lineup today. There is also some talk that Manny Ramirez will start today. It sounds like David Ortiz is at least a few days away from coming back.
Kyle Snyder now has a regular spot in the rotation. After years of inconsistency, the 7th overall pick in the 1999 draft is showing some nice skills growth. With an 8.3 K/9 and a 2.9 BB/9, his ERA should be better than his current 5.94 mark. With the heavy lumber returning to the lineup and a few breaks, Snyder could be a good play in AL-only leagues.
Jonathan Papelbon is having an MRI on his right shoulder today. If all goes well he could be back in 5 to 7 days. With the team out of the playoff hunt, the Red Sox will probably limit his workload for the rest of the season. In the interim, Keith Foulke and Mike Timlin are the favorites for save chances. Injuries and age have taken a toll on Foulk’s skills. His K/9 is in a four-year downfall to a now barely acceptable 6.2 and he has gone from merely a fly ball pitcher to the most extreme possible. This has led to a gopheritis problem, as he has allowed 9 home runs in just 39.1 innings in 2006. The 40-year old Timlin has seen his K/9 drop to a below average 4.15, which would be fine if he were still a groundball pitcher. However his G/F ratio is at a career low .94. Neither is a good option to close for the Red Sox or for a fantasy team.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. East
TEXAS RANGERS
Robinson Tejada’s 4 ER in 3 innings performance on Wednesday against the Orioles shows why the fly ball pitcher should never be active when he is pitching in the bandbox called Ameriquest Field. In three home starts this year, he is sporting an absurd 14.46 ERA.
In his first 8 starts with the Rangers, Adam Eaton has been unable to recapture the groundball approach that brought him success in the first-half of last year. A right-handed pitcher with a .70 G/F ratio pitching in Ameriquest Field is a dangerous combination.
Kip Wells is done for the season with a right foot injury. John Koronka should reclaim the fifth starting pitcher spot.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Since July 31st, in 16.1 innings, reliever Brandon McCarthy has allowed 5 ER, while striking out 16 batters and walking just 5. He is finally starting to deliver on the strikeout skills that he showed in the minors. Even with veterans Jose Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, Javier Vazquez all pitching poorly since the All-Star break, it is doubtful that he will be moved into the rotation this year. But if he continues to pitch like this, he could find his way into the starting rotation in 2007.
Of the four starters previously mentioned, Javier Vazquez and Freddy Garcia have the best chances of bouncing back. Despite a 5.06 ERA, Vazquez maintains a solid skill set with a 7.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. One of his problems is inconsistency. One night he can be dominant, like on August 5th when he struck out 13 Blue Jays. Other times, he can be very mediocre, like August 15th when he managed 1 K in 5.1 innings against the lowly Royals. Another problem is that with a G/F ratio of 1.09, he is not a good fit for US Cellular Field, which increases home run power by 34%. That being said, he has the skills to put together a good month.
Garcia’s K/9 is in a three-year declining trend of 7.9/5.8/5.5. Despite a below average K/9, last year he was able to put up a solid season because of a good BB/9 of 2.4 and a career high G/F ratio of 1.60. This year, with a G/F ratio of 1.09, he has moved away from the groundball approach without an increase in strikeouts. The good news is that he has maintained good control, a BB/9 of 2.1. To get back on track, he will have to induce a higher level of groundballs.
Dustin Hermanson, who closed games for most of last season for the White Sox, is rehabbing at Triple-A and should be back with the big league club when the rosters expand. According to manager Ozzie Guillen, his back problems will prevent him from pitching for more than an inning at a time or in back-to-back days. Guillen also made it clear that the bullpen is set, so don’t expect to see Hermanson pitch in any meaningful situations.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
BOSTON RED SOX
Mike Lowell has just three extra-base hits in the month of August. He is still batting a solid .289, thanks to a strong 90% contact rate and .79 batting eye. In his disastrous 2005 season, when had just 8 home runs, his G/F ratio remained low at .66 and in-line with previous seasons. This year it has risen to a still low .88. But with 15 home runs in 460 AB this season, it is starting to look like last season’s complete power outage was not a fluke, but rather the beginning of a decline in his power.
Alex Gonzalez is out until early September with a strained oblique muscle. Alex Cora and Dustin Pedroia should share time at shortstop until Gonzalez returns. Cora is completely devoid of power. His high contact rate and good batting eye could get him on base enough to generate a few steals, but it is probably not worth the trouble. Pedroia’s defense is better suited for second base and with Mark Loretta in and out of the line-up he could pick up some starts there. As a hitter, he makes excellent contact and has a very discerning batting eye. He does not have much power and with 4 caught steals in 5 tries in Triple-A, don’t count on any stolen bases either.
Jon Lester was scratched from his scheduled start today because of a sore back. Kason Gabbard will step in for him against Oakland. He is not recommended.
Manager, Terry Francona does not seem pleased that Manny Ramirez has missed 3 of the last 4 games with a sore knee. In any event, he should be safe to use this week.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. East
Fantasy Basketball: The Business of Turnovers
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, NBA,
So, a friend of mine always seems to bring up turnovers when considering drafting a player and while I can understand why (as it is one of the nine basic categories in fantasy basketball) I can’t help but to say the following:
Who cares.
No disrespect to my friend, as he does know his fantasy hoops, but I just don’t care so much about this business of turnovers. I’m not saying to knowingly punt the category, but I am saying don’t care about it as much as you do points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, 3-pointers made, and the percentages when you draft. Why you ask?
Let me give you my $0.10.
Check the rest of the article out at DroppingDimes.com!
SEATTLE MARINERS
The Mariners ended the Adam Jones as a starting center fielder experiment by returning him to Triple-A. Ichiro Suzuki slides over to center and Chris Snelling is now in right field. Prior to this season, the injury-prone Snelling put up impressive numbers in the minors. However, in 246 Triple-A AB this year, his was hitting .216, with little power and a 75% contact rate. Those numbers should not translate into major league success.
Cha Baek was called up from the minors to replace the departed Jamie Moyer in the starting rotation. In 24 Triple-A starts, Baek had a 3.00 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and a 2.3 BB/9. He was once considered a top prospect, but now is looked at as a potential 4th or 5th starter. In his 2006 debut, the Mariners threw him to the wolves, against the high-powered Yankee offense. He held his own, allowing 3 ER in 5 innings. At best, he can be used in AL-only leagues when the match-up is favorable. A more conservative approach would be to watch his next few starts to see how he fares.
After hitting 9 home runs, 20 doubles and 7 triples in the first-half of the season, Jose Lopez’s power has gone AWOL. Since the All-Star break, he has just 5 extra-base hits, all doubles. With a G/F ratio of 1.31 the first-half power was over his head and the second-half outage is too much of a correction. Such inconsistencies can be expected with a young hitter, he is just 22 years old, with an undisciplined approach to the plate, a .27 batting eye. The pop he showed in the first-half, combined with his speed and a strong contact rate of 87%, hint that better days are ahead for him.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1 Recap
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Drafts, Editorial, Fantasy, NBA,
At the end of every round, we will be posting a round recap to let you know which players have been picked and where. Simply click on the player’s name below to see why the respective Dime Dropper chose said player.
Here’s your recap for Round One:
1. LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Dallas Mavericks
3. Shawn Marion, SF/PF, Phoenix Suns
4. Kevin Garnett, SF/PF, Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Kobe Bryant, SG, Los Angeles Lakers
6. Dwyane Wade, PG/SG, Miami Heat
Click to continue reading Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1 Recap
Fantasy Football Drafts are in full swing now with only two weeks remaining until the season kicks off.
Here are my top 10 fantasy football recievers for 2006:
- Chad Johnson: You know he is going to have yet another big year as this offense will get better and better with Carson Palmer’s maturity.
- Steve Smith: He was huge last year, and is bound to catch more balls with a servicable number 2 reciever lining up on the other side.
- Larry Fitzgerald: He’s young and as long as Kurt Warner can stay upright, he is sure to get in the end zone upwards of 10 times.
- Marvin Harrison: I dont care if he’s getting up there in years, no one is more consistent. The Colts are going to be throwing even more this year.
- Tory Holt: The other Mr. Consistency. He’ll put up good to great numbers year in and year out.
- Terell Owens: He’d be worth the risk at this point in time. Drew Bledsoe is bound to have a career year with all of his options and if Terell gets fully healthy he is as good as anyone.
- Reggie Wayne: Another Colt? Peyton is going to spread it to both of these guys again this year.
- Randy Moss: He was the best once up a time. Now he is just above average.
- Chris Chambers: Again, this guys stats depend on his quarterback. It remains to be seen how much partying Dante will be doing on South Beach this fall.
- Santana Moss: he is flat out dangerous and should get plenty of single coverage this year.
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