Latest Gear Live Videos
American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
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
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
Advertisement
First Round Summer Mock Draft
Posted by Alvin Lai Categories: Editorial, Props, Site Features, Talent,
The summer might be more about baseball, golf, tennis and fantasy football, but surely there are fellow hoopheads out there with fantasy roundball on the brain. Yes, it is SUPER early and a lot can change, but here is a walk-through of the potential first round come November.
1. Lebron James: To all focusing on upcoming football drafts, LBJ may be the fantasy basketball equivalent of Kansas City’s Larry Johnson. Both have sky-high potential for the upcoming year, but they (for now) lack the track record of their fellow superstars. In any type of league, ‘Bron is my top pick. And to all the critics out there, you can squawk about his free throw percentage, but his overall upside is too much value to pass up. Plus I expect his charity stripe numbers to improve.
Click to continue reading First Round Summer Mock Draft
American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Since the beginning of July, Brian Anderson is hitting .289. To give you an idea of how bad he was prior to July, six weeks of solid hitting has only raised his average to .211. During this run, Anderson has been making better contact and hitting the ball with more authority. It remains to be seen whether this is the beginning of something good or just a fluke. For now he is an option in AL-only leagues.
If Anderson stays hot, Rob Mackowiak will take his empty .299 average to the bench. A high G/F ratio of 1.56 limits his power and a low contact rate of 79%, coupled with a .51 batting eye point to a downward batting average correction. He is a weak option in AL-only leagues.
The White Sox are considering putting SS Juan Uribe on the DL because of a sore back. If it happens, Alex Cintron will start at shortstop. He is a contact, groundball hitter without power. With regular playing time, he will steal some bags so he has value in AL-only leagues. A weak batting eye of .35 hurts his value in mixed leagues as it prevents him from getting on base more to take advantage of his speed.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
Sargent Says: 8.9.06
Posted by Scott Sargent Categories: Atlantic Division, Central Division, Editorial, Injuries, Pacific Division, Southeast Division, Southwest Division, Talent,
Opinionated. o•pin•ion•at•ed
adj.
Holding stubbornly and often unreasonably to one’s own opinions.
Now, to me, there is a fine line between stubbornness and persistence...especially in the world of fantasy basketball. Sure, I can choose to like 28 points a game, but I can also choose to despise the four turnovers that come with it. You see, I’m not a big fan of “baggage.” I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t have to “give and take” in this sport, thus I choose to hate on certain big name players from time to time for the things that they don’t do…
With that said, I present to you, the soon-to-be (if not already!) dedicated readers of DroppingDimes.com, the first Sargent Says of the 2006-07 basketball season.
Click to continue reading Sargent Says: 8.9.06
Livan Hernandez Traded To The Arizona Diamondbacks
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, News, Trades,
There was a lot of ballyhoo about Livan Hernandez being traded to a contender before the non-waiver trading deadline on July 31, but it never happened. So, hoping to still ship off the man with a rubber arm, the Washington Nationals put Hernandez on waivers, hoping he would clear them so that the Nats could trade Hernandez to any team. However the Diamondbacks put a crimp in their plan by putting a claim in on Hernandez, so the Nationals had no choice in trading partners if the Nats really wanted to trade him.
Apparently, they did.
Click to continue reading Livan Hernandez Traded To The Arizona Diamondbacks
MLB National League Comeback Player Nominations
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, Kudos, MLB, News,
And now the N.L. nominees:
Nomar Garciaparra, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
Garciaparra, my how far his star had fallen. He was considered one of the best in the game back during his heyday with the Boston Red Sox and was even given the accolade of being the Red Sox’s best ever by Ted Williams. And the fact that the Red Sox almost traded him for Alex Rodriguez a few seasons ago, had many of Red Sox Nation up in arms. Unfortunately, Garciaparra was traded and was never the same, thanks in part to injuries. He went close to home last season by signing with the Dodgers, but got injured and didn’t play much at all for his new club. Well, Garciaparra has this season, although he’s on the D.L. currently, and he’s been wicked good when he’s been on the field.
Click to continue reading MLB National League Comeback Player Nominations
MLB American League Comeback Player Nominations
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, Kudos, MLB, News,
So, it’s not quite the Oscars or the Emmys. Heck, it’s not even the MTV Movie Awards nominees, but the MLB Comeback Player of the Year Nominees have been announced and fans get to vote for the finalists on MLB.com through September 30.
Here are your American League nominees:
Jim Thome, 1B/DH, Chicago White Sox
Coming back from injury and from the National League, Thome has had a resurgence back in the A.L. and is hitting like he did back in the day when he was part of a juggernaut Cleveland Indians offense that included Manny Ramirez and Roberto Alomar, Jr.
Click to continue reading MLB American League Comeback Player Nominations
American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. East
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Kris Benson was placed on the DL, retroactive to July 26th. He will miss at least one more start. Southpaw, Bruce Chen takes his place in the rotation. Chen has been awful this season, posting an ugly 6.97 ERA and allowing 24 home runs in just 82.2 innings. His G/F ratio of .74 is too high, especially pitching half his games in Camden Yards, which increases right-handed batting power by 10%. A K/9 of 8.16 and BB/9 of 1.88 in his last 14.1 innings offer some hope, but not enough to trust him on your fantasy team.
In his fourth Triple-A start, Daniel Cabrera stuck out 8 batters, while pitching six scoreless innings. He should be back in the rotation soon. Cabrera’s downfall with the Orioles was a BB/9 of 7.9. In 24.1 minor league innings his BB/9 was 3.32, which is too high considering the competition he was facing. Although he has talent, avoid him until he shows signs that he can harness his control.
There are some reports that Kevin Millar playing time is likely to decrease. Millar’s power is in a four-year declining trend and at 34 years old, it would seem to be age related. His contact rate and batting eye have remained stable, which leads to the conclusion that he is just not hitting the ball as hard as he did in his prime. This has also lead to a sharp decline in his batting average. He is no longer an option in mixed leagues.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. East
Dropping Dimes: Do Not Draft Amare Stoudemire!
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, Injuries, NBA,
Okay, some of you are probably still infatuated with what Stoudemire did during the 2004-2005 season and it’s nothing to sneeze at - 26.0 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.0 spg, 1.6 bpg, 55.9 FG%, and a big man that can actually shoot free throws, my word, at a 73.3% clip! And on top of all those very good numbers, Stoudemire was center eligible! That in itself elevates his value a great deal! But, did you read the subject line? I’m sure you did. What does it say? That’s right… despite all that good stuff during the aforementioned season, do not draft Amare Stoudemire.
For more, click here to go to this special article to EndScore from Dropping Dimes.
Do Not Draft Amare Stoudemire!
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, Injuries, Pacific Division, Phoenix Suns,
Okay, some of you are probably still infatuated with what Stoudemire did during the 2004-2005 season and it’s nothing to sneeze at - 26.0 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.0 spg, 1.6 bpg, 55.9 FG%, and a big man that can actually shoot free throws, my word, at a 73.3% clip! And on top of all those very good numbers, Stoudemire was center eligible! That in itself elevates his value a great deal! But, did you read the subject line? I’m sure you did. What does it say? That’s right… despite all that good stuff during the aforementioned season, do not draft Amare Stoudemire.
I know, I’m crazy, right? And I’m sure I’m going to hear from all the Suns fans, but I’m telling you, listen to Uncle Dennis, Amare will not be worth where he gets drafted and we all know that some guy (the proverbial that guy; don’t be him, I implore you) will take him in the first or second round.
Click to continue reading Do Not Draft Amare Stoudemire!
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.