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American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
CLEVELAND INDIANS
Ryan Garko has started the last six games at first base, four of which were against right-handed pitchers. The early returns look good, 3 home runs, 12 RBIs, and a .326 average in his first 46 AB. With regular playing time, he can be used in AL-only leagues for a power boost. Just be aware that he had an 82% contact rate and a .247 batting average in 364 Triple-A AB, so there can be some serious batting average downside. When Casey Blake returns, it should also cut into his playing time.
If the Indians closer situation wasn’t confused enough, Thomas Mastny pitched 2 innings for the Indians only successful save conversion of the week. Mastny earned a promotion to the big leagues with a 2.61 ERA and a 10.9 K/9 in 38 Triple-A innings. Since coming to the Indians, he has 8 K’s, 2 BB’s and I ER in 6.1 innings. With no one else stepping up in the bullpen, he might be worth taking a flyer on if you are desperate for saves.
In just his second full season, 24-year old Grady Sizemore has shown improvement across the board. He is four home runs away from matching last year’s total of 22, has already hit four more doubles than last year and has 9 triples. As his power matures some of the 41 doubles that he has this year will turn into home runs, which gives him 30+ home-run potential. After going 22 of 32 in steals last year, he has improved to 18 of 21 so far this season. His batting eye of .54 is also up from last year’s 39. That number is also a bit deceptive because with an 11% BB rate, he is working counts well. His batting eye would be higher if he made better contact. Sizemore is a 30/30 potential player and a candidate to be a top fantasy performer in the coming years.
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American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. East
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
NEW YORK YANKEES
Johnny Damon picked a good time to decrease his G/F ratio to a career low 1.04, down from last year’s 1.29. Last season he played his home games in Fenway Park, which reduces left-handed batting power by 18%. This year he moved to Yankee Stadium, which increases lefty power by 7%. By fully taking advantage of his new surroundings, he has already tied his career home run mark with 20. Expect the power to continue.
Bobby Abreu’s power was in decline when he still in Philadelphia, but since coming to the Yankees it is even more pronounced. He has just 1 home run in 78 AB since the trade that brought him to New York. With a G/F ratio of 1.86 with the Phillies, it was not a surprise that he only had 8 home runs in 339 AB. With the Yankees his G/F ratio is 1.00, so he is hitting the ball in the air more often. At just 32 years of age, it is hard to believe that he has lost the strength to get the ball over the wall. If he continues with a G/F in the 1.00 to 1.20 range, the balls will begin to leave the park at a higher rate. At least he is not letting it affect other parts of his game. With the Yankees, he is a perfect 7 for 7 in steals and is batting .397.
On the surface, Mariano Rivera still looks as dominant as ever with 31 saves in 34 tries and a 1.91 ERA. But below the surface, there is a warning sign that he could be starting to show his age. His K/9 of 6.0 is down from a 9.0 mark last season and is on the low side for a closer. His ability to induce ground balls still makes him effective, but at age 36 he may not be dominating hitters much longer.
Andy Phillips was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained ribcage muscle. He has been a non-factor in fantasy baseball since the Yankees acquired Craig Wilson.
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American League Fantasy League: A.L. West
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Orlando Cabrera, who is batting .248 since the All-Star break, revealed that he has been playing with a sore thumb for over a month. It seems to be affecting his power and ability to make contact.
Juan Rivera now has 20 home runs, 67 RBIs and a .301 batting average. His high G/F ratio of 1.36 suggests the pace of home runs will slow down
Adam Kennedy drew a suspension of four games for charging the mound against Texas on Wednesday night. Because the Angels are scheduled to face three southpaws in the next four games, Kennedy will forego the appeals process and begin serving his suspension immediately.
Dallas McPherson suffered an injured ribcage in a minor league rehab game. This should keep him out of the majors for another few weeks. With Maicer Izturis playing well, he probably won’t even have his starting job back when he returns.
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Sporting News Fantasy Football Magazine Review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, NFL,
Sporting News Fantasy Football
Sporting News Fantasy Games
Edited by Bob Hille, Dale Bye, Bill Marx, Mike Nahrstedt
$7.99 US, 152 pages, no sexy ads. Cover features Larry Johnson and Shaun Alexander.
This magazine loves the athletes – every picture is a shot of player, usually in action. It kicks off with an odds and end collection of draft day tips, then jumps right into a long expert’s mock draft section. Every pick gets a write-up, but the length of the comments vary greatly depending of how controversial they are (several paragraphs devoted to Matthew Berry’s choice of Thomas Jones late in round one, for example.)
Then Sporting News gets a little schizophrenic – it turns out that the opening article is a preview for what’s to come. Good advice, backed with numbers, but dispensed in chicken nugget-sized snippets. It’s very basic too, covering fundamentals of play – probably written to appeal to beginners. The Overall Rankings list 204 players divided into “tiers” of 12 (for a seventeen-round, twelve-owner draft.)
The position intros are very good – lots of information in a concise package. Players are listed alphabetically (within their position) in an extremely abbreviated format. Their rank, according to Sporting News’ Cheat Sheet, is included. Notes and Q&A are sprinkled through these sections. Coaching and player changes are covered, briefly, as is strength of schedule.
Team analysis and stats round out the issue and are (as you would expect) bare bones. This magazine covers everything but does so without a lot of depth. A great choice for someone whose pressed for time, and would work well as an introduction for beginners. For them, it’s recommended. More experienced (or obsessive) players might be disappointed with the brevity.
That’s it for now. Check back soon for the next installment, and remember to always take two Running Backs in the first three rounds. Always.
American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
DETROIT TIGERS
Placido Polanco was placed on the 15-day DL and could miss the rest of the season with a separated shoulder. Omar Infante steps in as the starting second baseman. Still just 24 years old, Infante has the potential to be a power/speed type player. With a G/F ratio of .66 last year and .81 this season, he hits a lot of fly balls. A problem is that his power is still developing and he plays half his games in a stadium that suppresses right-handed batting power by 15%, so many of those fly balls are falling for outs. Another problem is that with his free-swinging ways and increased playing time, his batting average of .264 will take a hit. He needs to show improvement in his 78% contact rate and .19 batting eye.
Magglio Ordonez’s power has gone AWOL since the All-Star break. After hitting 16 home runs in the first-half of the season, he has gone homerless in 112 post-break AB. Playing half his games in Coamerica Park and with a G/F ratio of 1.21, the first-half power was over his head. He is obviously not as powerless as his second-half numbers show, but don’t expect the home runs to start flying out like they did earlier in the season.
Mike Maroth has not looked good in his two rehab starts, allowing 7 runs in 8 innings. In nine major league starts this year, Maroth has a 5-2 record, with a 3.56, despite having an underwhelming K/9 of 4.2 and G/F of 1.16. He will only get a shot in the rotation if Zach Miner falters or if Justin Verlander’s arm gives him more trouble.
Curtis Granderson is having a rough August, batting just .174. A troubling sign is the erosion of his plate patience and contact rate. From April to June his batting eye was .51 and contact rate was 79%. From July to the present, his batting eye is .24 and contact rate is 69%. He is still a young hitter so it could be that he is pressing because of a slump or it could be that major league pitchers are catching up with him. Either way, if he continues to struggle, he will lose playing time in a crowded Detroit outfield.
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>“This is 10% luck, 20% skill. 15% concentrated power of will. 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and 100% reason to remember the name.” Lyrics to “Remember the Name” by Fort Minor
Every drafted player strives to make a name for themselves. It takes concentrated effort and sacrifice; sometimes we see results right away. Other times a player is still trying to learn the ropes a couple of years into their career. In basketball, finding these young and rising stars just before they hit the big time is a vital edge in bringing home the fantasy glory. Welcome to the first edition of a new feature here on Dropping Dimes. In “3-2-1 Impact,” comparisons between a third year player, a second year player and a rookie are forged. Fantasy impact takes the spotlight. Hopefully by season’s end, your league mates will have all the reason to remember your name…because it will be engraved in gold on your trophy!
For more, click here to go this special article to EndScore from Dropping Dimes.
As we get deeper into August fantasy football becomes the number one conversation point for men between the ages of 22 and 45… or maybe just all men I know between the ages of 22 to 45. I’ll be taking an in-depth look at some of the more unique angles to the upcoming fantasy football season.
A solid, dependable young running back is gold on a fantasy football roster. This is twice as true if you are playing in a keeper league. Drafting for the future at running back often results in paying a high cost with an early round draft pick. Rookies with very high expectations traditionally seems to fall in the second or third round, and rookies with high promise will tend to be drafted in rounds 4-8. This is a large cost to pay for a player who is new to the increased level of competition as well as the system they will be playing in. However, with great risk comes the potential for great reward.
The class of 2005 turned out to be one of the more solid classes in recent memory. Granted there were surprises and disappointments and a couple of players who haven’t yet had adequate playing timeJJ. In terms of potential value this upcoming season most experts have pegged the top 5 second year backs in the following order:
- Ronnie Brown
- Cadillac Williams
- Ced Benson
- JJ Arrington
- Marion Barber
This begs the question: how valuable will Reggie Bush be this year, and next?
NEW YORK YANKEES
Jaret Wright has not lasted more than 6 innings in any of his 21 starts this year. However, he has gone at least 5 innings in 18 of those starts. His underlying stats are pedestrian, a K/9 of 5,4, a BB/9 of 3.4, and a G/F ratio of 0.98. But pitching for major league’s third best offense, he has stuck around long enough to get 9 wins. This makes him a decent bet for those chasing wins without doing too much damage to your ERA or WHIP.
With a little more bullpen support, Randy Johnson’s ERA could be at least a full run lower. He has consistently been good for 5 to 7 innings per start and has a powerful Yankee offense behind him. Use him with confidence the rest of the way.
Carl Pavano finally threw in a minor league rehab game, allowing 3 runs in 2.2 innings against Single-A competition. He is due to make five to six more rehab starts before the Yankees activate him. Don’t count on him for any help this season.
Gary Sheffield took groundballs at first base and is hoping for an early September return, though mid-September seems more realistic. Hideki Matsui has yet to be cleared to take batting practice. It is looking like a mid-September return at the earliest for him.
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Fantasy Football Magazine Review: Fantasy Football Weekly 2006 Annual Guide
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, NFL,
Hey fantasy football winners I hope you haven’t drafted your team yet—because there’s still plenty of pre-season to go before you get serious about committing to your 2006 roster. To help you with your draft day the football intelligentsia produces a bewildering array of magazines to choose from – but which is right for you? This series of articles is intended to help.
We’ve included a summary of the magazine’s content, speculation on it’s intended audience and even counted the number of sexy ads in each one (in case that’s a factor in your decision – one way or another.) Ultimately I hope that the guide you choose is the right one for you. Today we take a look at Fantasy Football Weekly 2006 Annual Guide.
SEATTLE MARINERS
There is a chance that Jeremy Reed will be able to return from his broken right thumb in early September. With Adam Jones and Willie Bloomquist currently playing in centerfield, he should have no problem resuming his starting role when he returns.
With a .327 batting average and 34 steals, Ichiro Suzuki is in the upper echelon of fantasy performers. He combines a high contact rate of 90% with a high G/F ratio of 2.04 to put the ball in play often and fully take advantage of his speed. A solid batting eye of .79 also gets him on base for SB opportunities. As long as the speed is there, he will hold a high fantasy value.
24 year-old, Yuniesky Betancourt is having a fine sophomore season. Although he has some work to do, he is positioning himself to be a very productive fantasy middle infielder in upcoming years. His 2005 G/F ratio of .76 led to a lot of fly ball outs. In 2006, he has changed his approach, raising his G/F ratio to 1.37 to better take advantage of his speed. The results are his average is .295 this year, compared to .256 last year. His strong contact rate of 91% also takes advantage of his speed. With 7 caught steals in 17 attempts, he needs to work on his technique and improved plate patience would help him become a consistent .300+ hitter. Despite that, the seeds are there for a solid future fantasy performer.
Jose Lopez’s 7 triples prove that there is speed in his legs. The 3 steals in 5 attempts shows that he has some work to do on his technique. Don’t expect it to happen this year, but down the road, he has a chance to be a middle infielder with a power/speed package.
J.J. Putz’s strong K/9 of 11.8 has now held up for almost 2/3’s of a season. Sustaining it over that long of a time frame means it could legitimately represent a skill growth. A K/9 that high, combined with a low BB/9 of 1.5 and solid G/F ratio of 1.55 is the stuff of an elite closer. That is exactly what he has been this year with 25 saves in 29 opportunities, while sporting a stingy 2.13 ERA
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