2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Advice & Analysis
You gotta spend money to make money. That’s the saying, right? Well this graph shows that, in baseball, spending money only leads to success if you have the ability to spend even more money when you’ve previously spent in the wrong places. The top two teams in payroll made the playoffs, but the rest of the top ten highest spending teams missed the postseason. The key seems to be to spending money in player development while leaving your team the flexibility to address your needs midseason. Four of this year’s playoff teams fit that description. Texas, Detroit, St. Louis, and Milwaukee all sit in the 10-20 range of payroll, and all made moves either in the offseason or around the trading deadline to address weaknesses. The acquisitions of Mike Adams, Doug Fister, Edwin Jackson and Zack Greinke were great additions that filled in holes around teams built primarily with homegrown talent. Tampa Bay got there purely on their unmatched ability to acquire talent via the draft, and Arizona got there by making two very smart deals that landed them young, team controlled aces in Daniel Hudson and Ian Kennedy. So yeah, you can spend money to be successful, but you better have a whole lot to spend or know exactly where and how to spend it.  Click graphic to enlarge. Infographic provided by David Fung. For more great infographs, follow him on Twitter @cobradave, and be sure to head over to his blog: http://FUNGraphs.tumblr.com Commentary provided by Brett Talley (@TheRealTal) of TheFantasyFix.com. Add Comment  Clayton Kershaw (credits below) We'll keep it simple today as the season is winding down: If the Red Sox ultimately miss the playoffs, the question will be asked, who had a swifter, larger fall from grace, the Red Sox or Charlie Sheen? The Red Sox wake up Sunday with 1.5 game lead and a doubleheader with the Yankees, if the Rays win on Sunday it will be all tied up. Top pitchers: Clayton Kershaw, Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, Derek Holland, Ivan Nova. The hottest of that group is Clayton Kershaw (3-0, 0.99 ERA, over the last 3 weeks) as he makes his push for his well deserved NL CY Young. Interestingly, one of the coldest pitchers in the league, John Lackey (0-2, 10.76 ERA, over the last 3 weeks) will be pitching in a must win game against the Yankees. Midway through the season, people always like to bash the existence of the wild card, without the wild card there would be no excitement heading into the last week of the season. The Braves and Cardinals are engaged in their own wild card drama. The Braves have not played well, but they are playing far better than the Red Sox. Unfortunately for the Braves, the Cardinals are just playing that well as they have won 13 of their last 17. The only other drama, is whether or not Matt Kemp will win the triple crown and if he does, will he win the MVP? He is certainly making a strong push for both with a .560, 4, 8 batting line over the last week. On this day in 1961, the real single season home run king, Roger Maris, tied Babe Ruth's single season home run record. Written by Chris Summers exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (September 8, 2011 - Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Daily News, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Tips, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Advice, The Daily Fix, Injury Updates  Adrian Gonzalez (credits below) It continues to crash down around the Red Sox, oh the humanity, they lose again, Gonzo is day-to-day, you would think it is 2003 all over again. Nothing makes me smile more than Red Sox fans swirling around in the toilet bowl of their own neurosis. FYI, they still lead the wild card by four with fourteen games left to play. That being said, they have Tampa coming into town for four HUGE games. At least they have Jacoby Ellsbury (.500, 3, 9, 1.498 OPS), who could win the MVP even if the '11 Red Sox turn out to be the '04 Yankees. Now for a team that DOES deserve some sympathy...the Pittsburgh Pirates. They continue their record streak with their 19th straight losing season, a record, for American sports teams. Especially sad because they held a share of first place as late as July 25th...they were the feel good story of the first half. Unfortunately, the story ends exactly the same way it has ended the previous 18. The hottest pitchers over the last three weeks going tomorrow: Cliff Lee (2-0, .36 ERA); Randy Wells (3-0; 1.26 ERA); and, Dana Eveland (2-0, 0.60 ERA). Francisco Rodriguez is unhappy with his role as a setup man despite the fact both he, and the closer John Axford are thriving. Rodriguez has gone 3-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 25 appearances with Milwaukee, while Axford has a 0.99 ERA with 19 saves since Rodriguez joined the team. Francisco is getting paid $11.5 million to be on a team with a legit shot at the World Series, he is a free agent next year, he should keep his mouth shut, enjoy the ride, and sign to be a closer next year. Instead, the selfish prima donna's words threaten to tear apart a team on the cusp of the playoffs, well played. You know you are not a very good team when your season high win streak is four games, and you hit it with two weeks left in the season. YOUR 2011 ROYALS! Written by Chris Summers exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (August 25, 2011 - Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Daily News, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Tips, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Advice, The Daily Fix, Injury Updates  Drew Pomeranz (credits below) SP- DREW POMERANZ (COLORADO) - Drew, the key piece in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade made his first major league start for the Rockies holding the Red's scoreless for five innings. Pomeranz had a 4-3 record and a remarkable 1.78 ERA in 20 starts in the minors. He should get 2-3 more starts and could be useful down the stretch for your fantasy team. SP/RP- MATT MOORE (TAMPA BAY) - Matt was recalled from Durham Sunday night by the Rays who are making a late push for the wildcard spot in the A.L. East. In 27 minor league starts he held a 12-3 with a 1.92 ERA. As for now he is expected to pitch in middle relief but may be called on to start due to a late scratch of a Ray's starter. Moore should be grabbed in all dynasty type formats and can be useful on a roto team as a middle reliever. C- WILIN ROSARIO (COLORADO) - Wilin will receive the majority of the late season starts at catcher according to manager Jim Tracy. Rosario, considered a top prospect hit 21 home runs at AA Tulsa this year. Any Rockies player is always worth a look although they only have six of their remianing 16 games at home. If you need help at catcher why not take a chance? C- SALVADOR PEREZ (KANSAS CITY) - The 21 year old Perez who is expected to be the starter next year for the Royals is hitting .295 in just under 100 AB's for the Royal's. Perez looks to be getting most of the playing time in September for the Royals and can be useful to help your team in the batting average category down the stretch. 2B- JEMILE WEEKS (OAKLAND) - Weeks is absolutely lighting it up for the A's since his call up in June. In 350 AB's this season Week's is hitting .302 with 21 stolen bases and 44 runs scored. Weeks continues to shine although fellow rookie second sacker's Brett Lawrie and Dustin Ackley still garner the headlines. Worth a look down the stretch if needed. 3B- BRENT MOREL (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) - Morel had the first multi home run game last week against the Indians. He is (7 for 14) is his last six games and has started to look much more comfortable at the plate. Brent has had a rather pedestrian season hitting only .255 with seven home runs in 355 AB's. He is still an A.L. only option at this time. Written by John Marino exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (September 10, 2011 - Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, The Rookie Report, John Marino  A quick recap of the remaining races using bar analysis: Brewers melting down? I have a friend named Greg, skinny, perky always happy and cheery up until 10:00 on a Saturday night. I always warn him not to start taking stunt men shots too early in the evening, inevitably, he doesn't listen and I'm calling him a cab at 10. Essentially, he tends to peak early. The Brewers, unfortunately seem to have the same look as Greg when he belly's up to the bar. After an incredible run from late July through the end of June they are crashing back to earth. Up six games with fifteen left would be quite the meltdown, but let's not forget we thought they had this wrapped up a few weeks ago. To continue with the bar analogies, we have the Angels and Rangers out west. The Angels are that quintessential lady that just hangs around. There is nothing sexy about her, you have no interest in her but you know that she will be around at the end of the night. Here we are, with just a few weeks left and the Angels are once again on the cusp of stealing the American League West after a victory and another Rangers loss. Like that girl you took home from the bar, the Angels won't look that sexy when you see them in the morning, but they get the job done. Finally, we come to the Tampa Bay Rays and their attempt to steal a wild card spot from one of the two evil empires, the Red Sox or Yankees. If the Rays steal the spot from the Yankees or Red Sox and they find themselves on the outside looking in, they will feel like I did after downing one too many red bull and vodka's. Namely, waking up in a strange bed, in a strange part of town, only to stumble out of bed into the bathroom and then forget what room I came from. Said simply, all would feel disoriented and wonder what the f@&! just happened? Stars of the Day: Chris Denorffia of the Padres, 4-for-5 with 2 runs and Chris Heisey of the Reds, 3-for-4 with 2 home runs and 2 RBI's. The first time since high school either of these two were considered a star. Dan Haren threw a 4-hit shutout in a must game for the Angels as that "unsexy" chic continues to make the Texas Rangers a lit hot under the collar. Tim Hudson, Jon Lester and CJ Wilson are the top starters for today. CJ Wilson's start will be pressure packed as he attempts to stop the bleeding and defeat the A's. The Rangers need a big start as they attempt to hold off the Angels over the next few days. In a year when Josh Beckett looked like that young man that defeated the Yankees so many years ago, he is going to leave you hanging in the closing weeks of the season. Just like that girl at the bar that lets you buy her a few drinks, chat her up only to leave with the guy in the BMW. The Arizona D-Backs continue to roll stretching their home win streak to 15 games. The last time they were this good was 10 years ago, speaking of... 10-years ago today, the world witnessed a barbaric act that reshaped history. Today, in the midst of the opening weekend for the NFL, everyone will be reminiscing about what they were doing on that day we shall never forget. I remember, I was a few months out of college, in that limbo between school and finding a job. My father woke me up after the first plane hit the tower, the previous night's festivities left me unable to grasp the enormity of the situation so I fell back asleep. After the second plane hit, my father came back into my room and with the gravest face I've ever seen he shouted "Get your ass out of bed, another plane just hit." My father is not a swearing man. He lived through the depression, he was alive during World War II, the look on his face told me all I needed to know. So today, remember those who died, remember those who risked their lives to try to save them and remember those boys and girls on the front lines trying to make sure my father never has to swear like that again. Written by Chris Summers exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Daily News, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Tips, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Advice, The Daily Fix, Injury Updates  Justin Verlander (credits below) Justin Verlander continues to roll, winning his 22nd of the year and making a solid case for AL MVP. He is the key to Detroit's confidence and literally keeping them in first place. Not only has Verlander only given up four runs or less in each of his last ten starts, he has won each of those games. Guillermo Moscoso of the Oakland A's just completed an amazing streak where he retired 30 straight batters over the last two starts. That included taking a no-hitter into the 8th inning against the Kansas City Royals. If Guillermo Moscoso was the pitching star, then Shelly Duncan was the hitting star after a 3 for 4 day with 2 home runs and 4 RBI's. Ian Kennedy, Ivan Nova and Cole Hamels stand above the rest of the pitchers going on Thursday. Jason Vargas, he of the 7-13 record and the 0-2, 6.62 ERA, stats over the past 3 weeks, "stands" below the rest. On this day in 1998, the baseball world reached its steroid era apex when Mark McGwire hit his 62nd home run. When he crossed home plate he was greeted by Sammy Sosa who said "I knew I shouldn't have gone with the generic brand of steroids." Years later, Sammy would lose his ability to speak English, whether or not this was related to steroid abuse or because he was scared of the baseball version of La Cosa Nostra is still up for debate. McGwire does not celebrate this historic achievement because he was not put on the earth to "talk about the past." Tim Wakefield failed once again to reach the 200 win plateau. It was not his fault this time as the Red Sox bullpen gave up five runs in the eighth inning to blow the geriatrics's chance at the magical 200 win number. With the Sox losing, the Yankees still stay 2 up. The Cardinals have managed to cool down the Brewers, as they have grabbed five out of six from the formerly hottest team in baseball. We could always assume that the Cardinals would make a run, but it might be too little, too late. Written by Chris Summers exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (September 6, 2011 - Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Daily News, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Tips, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Advice, The Daily Fix, Injury Updates  Kimbrel celebrates (credits below) RP- CRAIG KIMBREL (ATLANTA) Kimbrel broke the rookie save record last week and now has 42 saves on the season. In addition he has a 4-2 record, a 1.57 ERA and 113 K's in 68 innings of work. On top of all this he has the major's longest scoreless streak at 36 2/3 innings and heads all relief pitchers in strike outs... WOW !! SP- WADE MILEY (ARIZONA) Miley has done well in his four starts going 3-1 with a 3.52 ERA. He has a high WHIP at 1.60, but that will eventually come down as he learns to pitch at the big league level. The young lefty is worth a pick up in mixed leagues if you need a decent pitcher on a first place team. SP- HENDERSON ALVAREZ (TORONTO) Alvarez pitched a gem last night against Boston as he continues to show flashes of brilliance at the MLB level. His ERA now after six starts is 2.95. In addition he has pitched 14 consecutive scoreless innings. The Blue Jays will continue to run him out there every fifth day so grab him while you can. SP- ZACH STEWART (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) Stewart tossed a gem last night throwing a complete game one-hit shutout, just missing a perfect game against the Twins. For the season he is 2-3 with a 4.56 ERA. Maybe Zach has turned it around after his last two starts, keep an eye on him. C- JESUS MONTERO (NEW YORK YANKEES) Jesus had quite a day yesterday as he hit two home runs against the Blue Jays in the Yankees win. The much heralded prospect is finally here and it remains to be seen how much the Yankees will use him in September. If you need help at catcher, take a chance, just monitor his situation to see how much playing time he will get. OF- ALEJANDRO DE AZA (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) De Aza has been raking the ball lately since his call up to replace Alex Rios in CF for the Chi Sox. In his last 12 games he has a .364 BA, with two homers and 11 RBI's. De Aza is a 10 year minor leaguer and is finally getting his chance. Ride him while he is hot and be ready to dump him once the ride is over. Written by John Marino exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (August 31, 2011 - Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images North America)  Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, The Rookie Report, John Marino 2011 Fantasy Baseball Daily Fix: It's Official, Pitching Ain't Their Strong (Pinstripe) Suit 09/01/2011
 Phil Hughes (credits below) Things do not look good for the Yankees as we head into September after a 9 to 5 loss to their nemesis, the Red Sox. The fact that they lost is not the troubling thing, the problem is that heading into September their supposedly second best pitcher has a 6.75 ERA (Phil Hughes). So heading into the playoffs is rookie Ivan Nova, their second best option? In addition, the rich get (somewhat) richer as the Red Sox picked up a bat from the A's, Conor Jackson. Ok, so he is not going to set the world on fire, but he is a pretty decent player to have on your bench. The Diamondbacks continue to streak toward the playoffs and the light on the Giants repeating as champions is fading faster than Charlie Sheen's career. The Giants are now 6 games back, it looks like Carlos Beltran was NOT the magic elixir they hoped for. In further signs of desperation, or just plain giving up, the Giants also designated Miguel Tejada and Aaron Rowand for assignment. It looks like this year "The Beard" won't make us yearn for the days before HD TV. Top Pitchers for Thursday: Tim Hudson, CJ Wilson, Yovani Gallardo, Ervin Santana and John Lester. Possibly the worst starter going on Thursday, following up on the Yankees theme, is AJ Burnett. He of the 13.86 ERA over the past 3 weeks, and essentially every time he takes the mound the Yankees start off two touchdowns in the hole. Good luck in the playoffs, if he is on the roster. I wonder if he is due a bonus for being on the post season roster. Jack Hannahan might be reaching his true potential with 3 home runs over the past two games; he only had 5 over his previous 98. Including 2 on Wednesday against the A's, his former team. Curtis Granderson is on the verge of a truly historic season. With a month left, the Grandy-Man, could become only the second player to lead the majors in home runs, RBI's and triples. The only other player to accomplish this is Jim Rice. Cliff Lee just finished off a perfect 4-0 August which also included 32 strikeouts in 31 innings and a minuscule 0.58 ERA. He extended his winning streak to 6 games. Also serving up a perfect August was Ricky Romero at 5-0 with a 2.06 ERA, he was the best pitcher in the American League over the past month. Unfortunately, going into September the only real pennant race is in the American League West. The Angeles failed to take advantage of a great game from Dan Haren and a loss by the Texas Rangers. The deficit is still 3.5 games. On this date in 2001, Sammy Sosa hit the longest (Steroid/corked bat fueled) home run in Turner Field history, a day that no baseball fan can forget...Sammy who? (August 30, 2011 - Photo by Elsa/Getty Images North America) Written by Chris Summers exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team!  Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Daily News, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Tips, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Advice, The Daily Fix, Injury Updates  Carlos Gonzalez (credits below) Just when it seemed time to write off Carlos Gonzalez and the Colorado Rockies in 2011, the sweet-swinging outfielder has propelled his team to an outside shot at division leading Arizona. Gonzalez has swung to the tune of a .423 average over the last week, driving in 12 runs through Sunday’s action. Following an April that saw Gonzalez post a .222 average, the Colorado outfielder battled through two separate DL stints before hitting at a .317 clip in August. Along with the struggle to stay healthy, Gonzalez has also struggled against lefty pitching. 2010 saw CarGo hit .320 against lefties compared to a pedestrian .250 this year. Even with such callous lefty/righty splits, Gonzalez will still finish the season as a top 10 outfielder and currently 11 games back of the Diamondbacks entering week 22 of the season. “CarGo” and the Rockies may be too late in their playoff push but a strong September will avoid making 2011 a regression for the Colorado outfielder. Gonzalez is surely one of the game’s high profile players, but he heads a list complete with other lesser names who have ameliorated wayward performances. Here’s a glance at some August rallies that have saved face for a handful of intriguing talents. Among that list is Los Angeles’ James Loney whose 2011 campaign is a career worst. After posting a .171 average in July, Loney’s August has been a stark contrast boasting a .381 average and hitting .577 (15/27) in the month’s final week. Scouts have long awaited Loney to compliment his exceptional contact rate (a mere 13% strikeouts/AB) with an infusion of power but it looks as if he will never eclipse his career high of 15 home runs as a rookie in 2007. Even with his torrid August, Loney will need a brilliant final month in order to approach his career norms and secure his job as the Dodger first baseman in 2012. Entering the spring training of 2009 there was a frenzied debate: Which rookie would you rather build a team around: David Price or Matt Wieters? Those who had seen glimpses of Wieters crush ACC pitching at Georgia Tech considered the question a no brainer. At 6’5’’ the Orioles rookie catcher seemed to be using 2009 as a launching pad to a career akin to Joe Mauer. Instead Wieters has struggled to adjust to major league pitching, but this past month has given hope that the young catcher has turned the corner. Wieters has already posted a career high with 14 big flies in 2011 and with an additional 100-110 at bats coming in September, the Orioles are finally getting what they hoped for in 2009. At only 25 Wieters is still a long ways from a finished product and his .389 average in his last seven games gives rise that perhaps David Price isn’t the runaway favorite to win the great debate of a few seasons ago. With only a few weeks until Michael Lewis’ bestselling book Moneyball hits the big screen, the films’ star of Oakland Athletics’ GM Billy Beane has gone against his own principle: pursuing athleticism and overt skill above on-base percentage and other sabermetric stats like WHIP and WAR. Oakland’s rookie second baseman Jemile Weeks offers the flash of speed and athleticism typically absent from the A’s lineup. In a mere 292 at bats Weeks has compiled a .295 average, .333 in his last 7, and 19 stolen bases to boot. Beane has long shied away from players like Weeks who offer skills like speed and power that are rewarded with a premium price opposed to skills like batting eye and contact rate which are often overlooked. The Oakland philosophy has rubbed off on the 24 year old whose walk rate has nearly doubled since the first half of the season. Getting on base will be the key to Jemile’s future in Oakland and his base-burning speed is a refreshing additional to the traditional grind of Athletics’ baseball. Written by Conor Gereg exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (August 28, 2011 - Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)  Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Conor Gereg  Dayan Viciendo (see credits below) SP-ERIC SURKAMP (SAN FRANCISCO) - Surkamp who was 10-4 with a 2.02 ERA for AA Richmond, pitched well against the Astros last week in his major league debut, giving up only one run in six strong innings. Eric is expected to pitch again September 6th and stay with the club through September. He may be a sleeper pitcher down the stretch for your team if you need pitching help, especially since he has been a dominant pitcher in the minor leagues. Keep an eye on him. SP- BRANDON BEACHY (ATLANTA) - Brandon has quietly put a stellar rookie season in for the Braves. In his last four games he is 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA. For the season he is 7-2 with 128 K's in only 114 innings. He also sports just a 3.31 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Beachy is a converted reliever and an early season DL stint should benefit fantasy owners because he will not reach his innings limit by the end of the year. RP- STEVE CISHEK (FLORIDA) - Cishek has picked up two saves in the past week for the Marlins. For the season the 6'5" righty has a .278 ERA while averaging over one K per inning. With closer Leo Nunez struggling badly right now this might just be your chance to pick up some saves for your roto team. Hard to say what the Marlins will do for the month of September but why not give Cishek a chance? 3B- DAYAN VICIEDO (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) - Viciedo made quite an impact in his first major league game of 2011 hitting a three run home run Sunday against the Mariners. Dayan was hitting .296 with 20 HR's and 78 RBI in AAA before the call up. Also he hit .308 with five HR's in limited action for the Chi Sox in 2010. This guy can hit and the White Sox are committed to playing him here on out. He is a MUST pick up if you need help at the corner position. 3B- MIKE MOUSTAKAS (KANSAS CITY) - Moose is finally coming along in his third month at the major league level. He is currently 19 for his last 39 with seven RBI's. He has raised his BA from .181 to .231. Mike is a top prospect for the Royals and he seems to be finding his stroke now. I still recommend leaving him on the waiver wire although if you are in a deep league and need help grab him while he is hot! 3B- KYLE SEAGER (SEATTLE) - Seager is currently the number one waiver wire pick up in CBS leagues following his .769 batting in a series versus Cleveland last week. Kyle is a .328 career minor league hitter and should join fellow rookie second baseman Dustin Ackley in the Seattle infield for years to come. He has a great track record and is another case of "get him while he is hot". (February 20, 2009 - Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America) Written by John Marino exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team!  Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, The Rookie Report, John Marino | 
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