2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Advice & Analysis
 
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Jake Peavy
Two-Start Pitchers To Start

Jake Peavy |Chicago White Sox| (65%) – Hopefully Peavy can gain some momentum from this upcoming week’s two starts.  Both starts come at home for Peavy providing a little boost from his split stats.  At home this year he has a 3.63 ERA and batters are hitting a weak .177 against him.  His first opponent of the week is the Kansas City Royals.  Against Peavy, the Royals are hitting a pedestrian .275.  His next opponent of the week, the Twins, is one of the coldest hitting teams lately.  Over the course of the last seven games, the Twins are hitting .203 with only two home runs and a .264 OBP (ranked 26th).

Joel Pineiro |Los Angeles Angels| (10.1%) – First opponent of the week for Pineiro is the Detroit Tigers.  In 11 career games started against the Tigers, Pineiro has a 7-3 record with a 3.33 ERA.  The heart of the Tigers’ lineup has been somewhat silent against Pineiro.  Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta, and Miguel Cabrera are hitting a combined .250 against Pineiro in 40 career at-bats, with no home runs.  His second start of the week is against the Mariners, home in LA.  Seattle’s recent woes at the plate should put this matchup in Pineiro’s favor.  Seattle is the second-coldest team in the majors through the last 7 days, hitting .193 and scoring only 17 runs.

Two-Start Pitchers To Sit

Brett Myers |Houston Astros| (32.6%) – Myers’ year has been disappointing in contrast to the success that he was able to achieve last year.  Fortunately for the few believers still out there, Myers has paid off over his last three starts throwing three quality starts and posting a 2.86 ERA and sub-1 WHIP.  The two opponents that he faces this week seem like he should be able to continue his current string of success.  Don’t be fooled and read too much into this recent success though.  First up for Myers are the Pirates in Pittsburgh.  Current Pirates hitters are batting .314 against Myers in 51 career at-bats.  In five starts at PNC Park, Myers has a 4.70 ERA and a 2-3 win-loss record.  His next start of the week comes against the Marlins in Florida.  Florida happens to be one of Myers’ biggest enemies.  In 150.2 innings against Florida, Myers has a 5.62 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, and he also has a .300 BAA.  These numbers get worse when pitching in Sun Life Stadium.  In 63.1 innings at Sun Life Stadium, Myers’ ERA balloons to 6.39.  Avoid Myers this week at all costs.  BONUS:  Make sure you start Andrew McCutchen against Myers, he’s hitting .615 in 13 at-bats against Myers.

Johnny Cueto |Cincinnati Reds| (100%) – Cueto has been one of the best and most underrated pitchers of the year.  This week might provide a correction for Cueto’s phenomenal numbers.  Cueto’s starts this week come against St. Louis and Milwaukee, both on the road.  Cardinals hitters (excluding Pujols) are hitting a combined .331 with a .406 OBP against Cueto in 139 career at-bats.  Cueto’s trek to Milwaukee won’t be much better.  Milwaukee hitters are batting .282 through a combined 117 career at-bats against Cueto.  Half of those hits are for extra bases.  In three starts at Miller Park, Cueto’s ERA is an alarming 7.98.  Likewise, in five starts at Busch Stadium, Cueto’s ERA is 8.10.  Furthermore, over the last seven days St. Louis (ranked 8th) and Milwaukee (ranked 5th) are two of the hottest teams around.

Written by James Bryce exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com

Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix

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Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Baseball News, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Sit Em/Start Em, James Bryce, JJ Omar, Two-Start Pitchers, Alex Rios, Jayson Heyward, James Loney, J.J. Hardy, Ryan Vogelsong, Brett Myers, Kyle Lohse, Erik Bedard
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Ryan Vogelsong
Hurlers To Start

Ryan Vogelsong | San Francisco Giants | 96.6% - Ryan Vogelsong has been one of the feel good stories of 2011. This week he is scheduled to take on the Cubs and the Tigers. 

His start against the Cubs is against a team he has has success against in his career. Against Cubs hitters, Vogelsong has a .256 BAA and has only given up 2 RBI, both coming off solo home runs. 

His next start is against the Tigers. In his career Ryan Vogelsong has only faced 3 Tigers batters but has held them to a .167 BAA without any power numbers. Included in that is the fact the Miguel Cabrerra has yet to get a hit off Vogelsong.

Erik Bedard | Seattle Mariners | 97.6% - Bedard is having resurgence. The Mariners gave a lot up in order to land the former O’s ace and it seems like it is finally paying off. This week Bedard get two teams that are ranked 13th and 16th in the NL in team average. 

First up for the southpaw is the Atlanta Braves. The Braves as a team are hitting only .239. Bedard will also have the benefit of the lefty on lefty matchup with the Braves big bats. As long as Bedard can keep the Braves in the yard he has a good chance of putting up solid numbers. 

The worst hitting team in the NL is the San Diego Padres. Bedard get to face the forced “former PCL rivals” for the second time this year. In his start against the Pads earlier in the year Bedard pitched 8 innings of shutout baseball. Combine that with the fact that current Padre hitters are hitting only .160 in 46 at-bats against Bedard and I say give him the green light. 

Hurlers To Sit

Kyle Loshe | St. Louis Cardinals | 78.5% - Consider me a Kyle Loshe skeptic. I know people like to build up Dave Duncan and how he wants his pitchers to attack hitters but his best pitchers don’t use his 2-Seam method. This week Loshe will head against two Al East foes the Orioles and the Rays. 

First Loshe gets Baltimore where he has a career 4.09 ERA at Camden Yards.  Against current O’s hitters Loshe is surrendering a .322 BAA and a whopping .962 OPS. O’s hitters have also hit 3 HR’s and 12 RBI against the Red Birds righty. 

Next on the dish is the Tampa Bay Rays. In 30 at-bats against Loshe Rays hitters are hitting .333 with 60% of the hits of the extra base variety. Also the Rays have a good .897 OPS against Loshe. 

Brett Meyers | Houston Astros | 32.8% - Brett Meyers is a mediocre pitcher on an awful team yet for some reason his own percentage is higher than pitchers have better years such as Randy Wolf, Tim Stauffer, and Jason Marquis. This week the veteran righty gets the tough task for facing two if the AL’s best lineups, the Rangers and the Red Sox. 

Against the Rangers starters, Meyers has a BAA of .281 and has given up 2 HR’s and 11 RBI in 57 at-bats.  Another red flag for Meyers owners is his home ERA of 5.56 this season. Although this means the Rangers will not be able to utilize the DH in this matchup their lineup still packs a punch with the versatility of Michael Young. 

I wouldn’t start anyone facing the Red Sox right now. The Sox are finally hitting on all cylinders and are the most feared team in baseball right now. Although current Red Sox are only hitting .250 against Meyers, which includes over 30 at-bats from Mike Cameron and Jason Varitek who will most likely be held out of the lineup.  Again this start for Meyers is at home where as I previously mentioned he’s struggles this year. 
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JJ Hardy
Sluggers To Start 

JJ Hardy |Baltimore Orioles| (98.3%) – Hardy has been as hot as anybody in baseball for the last month.  If he’s still available, now is the time to pick him up.  His first opponent of the week is the St. Louis Cardinals.  Hardy has great career numbers against the three starting pitchers of St. Louis.  Against Westbrook, Lohse, and Carpenter, Hardy is 7 for 20 with the majority of his hits being for extra bases.  He also has fairly respectable numbers against St. Louis during his career (.286 through 280 at-bats).  All three of the Braves starters that Hardy will face against the Braves are righties.  Hardy’s splits favor him batting against right-handed pitchers strongly.  Hardy is hitting 55 points higher against right-handed pitching and has seven of his nine homeruns against right-handed pitching.

James Loney |Los Angeles Dodgers| (26.8%) – Loney has been quietly sneaking back into his top-hitter form.  Over the last 30 days Loney has hit .341 with an OPS of .876.  He should be able to continue it this week against the Angels and Twins.  Against the three starters for the Angels, Loney is hitting .375 through 24 at-bats.  All of Loney’s games this week are away games.  For his career, Loney is hitting .303 on the road (34 points higher than his home average).  Two of the three Minnesota pitchers that Loney faces are righties.  Against righties this year, Loney is hitting .300 (he’s hitting .190 against lefties).  Loney’s low percentage of ownership and his current hot streak provides owners with a first base option for those who need to fill a void or need an improved bench.

Sluggers To Sit 

Jayson Heyward |Atlanta Braves| (100%) – Heyward is mired in a sophomore slump that saw him hit .098 for the month of May.  Don’t look for him to improve anytime soon.  Loney’s first opponent of the week is the Mariners.  He has to face both King Felix and the rookie-phenom Michael Pineda at pitcher-friendly Safeco Field.  If you thought that was the worst of his problems this week, think again.  Heyward will also face Bedard and Brian Matusz, two left-handed pitchers.  Against lefties, Heyward is hitting an anemic .190.  Furthermore, the games against the Orioles are at home.  Heyward’s home splits are not much better.  He’s hitting only .209 at home this year.

Alex Rios |Chicago White Sox| (74.9%) – Rios has the third-worst away splits among all hitters.  He’s hitting .168 away from U.S. Cellular Field.  Bad news for all Rios owners, this week all of Rios’ games are away games.  Also, all but one of the pitchers that Rios will face are right-handed.  Rios also has one of the worst splits against right-handed pitchers.  This year against righties, Rios is hitting .192 with a .578 OPS.  Give him some more time before making him an everyday player in your outfield.


Written by JJ Omar & James Bryce exclusively for 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, Fantasy Baseball News, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Sit Em/Start Em, James Bryce, JJ Omar, Two-Start Pitchers, Alex Rios, Jayson Heyward, James Loney, J.J. Hardy, Ryan Vogelsong, Brett Myers, Kyle Lohse, Erik Bedard
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Josh Willingham (credits below)
Sluggers to Start 

 Josh Willingham | Oakland Athletics | 34.6%  - Interleague play is back again this week and finding matchups with history just gets that more difficult. Josh Willingham has had his ups and downs this season but when you’re the only offensive threat in the lineup the blame doesn’t fallen directly on Willingham. This week Willingham gets a shot at NL East, the only other division he’s played for in his career. 

First Willingham gets the joy of hitting in the massive piece of land they call Citi Field. In 12 starts at Bernie Madoff’s old stomping grounds Willingham is hitting a decent .256 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. Those numbers are rather consistent with Willingham’s career numbers but the .368 average with 4 home runs and 10 RBI in 57 at bats against current Mets pitchers is why Willingham gets the nod this week. Additionally, if your league goes a little further in stats Willingham has a .463 OBP and 1.147 OPS against current Mets starters. 

Willingham’s second matchup of the week is against the Philadelphia Phillies. Word is the Phils are looking for a veteran right-handed outfielder so this matchup may be an audition for Willingham to become the front runner for the position.  Against current Phillies pitchers Willingham is hitting a solid .307 with 4 home runs and 16 RBI. What’s even better for Willingham owners is that in 31 starts at Citizens Bank Ballpark Willingham has hit 10 home runs while driving in 22. If this is in fact an audition, and Willingham does well, the Phillies may decide to trade for Willingham which would only increase his value. 

Gordon Beckham | Chicago White Sox | 69.9 % - So far this season it is fair to say that Beckham’s 2011 has been a bust. Expected by many to revert to the hitting ways from his rookie campaign, Beckham has seemed to catch the slump going around the White Sox clubhouse. Encouraging news for Beckham owners is that he seems to be turning the corner and has favorable matchups this week. 

In his last 21 games, Beckham is hitting .309 with 3 home runs 8 RBI and a steal. This week he will try and continue the pace against the cross town Cubs. Beckham owns Cubs pitchers hitting .435 against current Cubs hurlers and is getting on base at a .519 clip. 

His second matchup is against the Washington Nationals. Beckham does not have many at bats against Nat’s pitchers but is hitting a respectable .286 against the club. The fact that the series against the Nationals is at home for Beckham will keep the lineup in tact not having to use NL rules. 

Sluggers to Sit

Jhonny Peralta | Detroit Tigers | 100%  - Peralta has been great this year. His numbers are even better when you consider his shortstop eligibility and his draft position. But this week it seems like it’ll be a better idea to keep him on the bench. 

Peralta is first scheduled to take on the Dodgers in LA. In his career against Dodger pitchers Peralta is hitting only .188. Another difficulty Peralta may face is that the Tigers may try Alex Avila at third base and move V-Mart behind the plate during interleague play which may limit Peralta’s at bats. 

In his second series against the NL Peralta gets the D-Backs. Peralta has never played at Chase field and has a career .273 against the D-Backs. Most of that damage came off of Joe Saunders who if everything stays intact, the Tigers will miss. If you take out Peralta’s numbers against Saunders, he is hitting .148 without an extra base hit or RBI against current D-Backs pitchers.

Jeff Francoeur | Kansas City Royals | 93.3% - Jeff Francoeur has a bit of resurgence this season. He seems to be cooling off however, and in his last 11 games Francoeur hitting under the Mendoza line at .182. 

In his first series of the week Francoeur is scheduled to face the D-Backs. Against current D-Backs pitchers Francoeur is hitting under .250. I have been one of Francoeur’s biggest doubters and it seems as though he is coming back to life. 

In his second series of the week Francoeur is going to face the Cubs. Against current Cubs pitchers Francoeur is hitting .239 with 2 Home runs and 12 RBI. All the power (2 HR 9 RBI) Francoeur has against the Cubs is off Carlos Zambrano. As it goes now, they will face each other in the series but that one matchup isn’t enough to start Francoeur. 

(June 3, 2011 - Photo by Elsa/Getty Images North America) 
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Chris Narveson (credits below)
Two-Start Pitchers To Start

Chris Narveson |Milwaukee Brewers| (6.5%) – Narveson’s matchups this week favor the better of his split stats.  Both starts will be at home in Milwaukee.  At home, Narveson’s ERA is 1.07 lower than his away split.  Further helping his two-start week is the poor left-handed pitcher hitting teams he will be facing.  Tampa Bay is ranked 26th (.238 average) against left-handed pitchers and Minnesota is ranked 23rd overall (.241 average).  Also, in the month of June, batters have only hit .229 against him.  Narveson should be a good pick up, especially if strikeouts is an area your team is falling behind on.


Gavin Floyd |Chicago White Sox| (54.7%) – First up for Floyd this week is the Cubs.  In a limited 35 career at-bats against Floyd, Cubs hitters are hitting a weak .143 and striking out once every five at-bats.  The sluggers of their lineup (Pena and Soriano) are hitting a combined .167 batting average through 18 at-bats, striking out 6 times.  In two career starts against the Cubs, Floyd has a 1.20 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP.  Floyd’s second start of the week is against the Nationals who are ranked 26th overall against right-handed pitching (.241 average).  In a combined 34 career at-bats against Floyd, Nationals hitters are hitting a combined .235 with only one extra-base hit.  June just so happens to be Floyd’s best month to pitch in historically.  Throughout his career, Floyd has a June ERA of 3.22, 1.25 points lower than his career average.

Two-Start Pitchers To Sit

Charlie Morton |Pittsburgh Pirates| (25.8%) – Morton’s eye-opening season has been grounded over his last two starts (9 innings 9 earned runs).  He should continue to fall back down to earth this week against Baltimore and Boston.  Current Baltimore hitters are hitting a combined .417 through 24 career at-bats against Morton.  These at-bats come from Baltimore’s most dangerous hitters too (Lee, Guerrero, Hardy, Reynolds).  Morton will face an even more dangerous foe when he starts against Boston.  Boston’s lineup is ranked 2nd overall against right-handed pitchers (.273 average).  Morton is weak against left-handed hitters.  This year left-handed hitters are hitting .370 against Morton and he has a 2.20 WHIP against them as well.  This spells trouble when Boston’s lineup has left-handed hitters like Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury.  It’s also worth noting that Morton’s ERA should undergo a correction soon.  It’s hard to have a 1.45 WHIP, 13 baserunners per 9 innings, and allow only 3 to score.

Carl Pavano |Minnesota Twins| (8.9%) – Pavano has been great over the last month posting a sub-3 ERA.  However, don’t be one of the desperate owners willing to ride Pavano’s streak.  Both of Pavano’s starts come on the road this week where his splits are horrendous.  Pavano’s away Era is 5.58, compared to his home ERA of 2.64.  His first opponent of the week is the Giants.  In 64 career at-bats, Giants hitters are hitting .313 against Pavano with 9 extra-base hits.  In 7 career starts against the Giants, Pavano has an ERA of 4.89 and a WHIP of 1.63.  His second start of the week comes against the Brewers.  In 90 career at-bats against Pavano, Brewers hitters are hitting .311 with a .344 OBP.  In 18 innings at Miller Park, Pavano has an ERA of 5.00.

(April 14, 2011 - Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America)

Written by JJ Omar & James Bryce exclusively for 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, Fantasy Baseball News, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Sit Em/Start Em, James Bryce, JJ Omar, Two-Start Pitchers, Gavin Floyd, Chris Narveson, Josh Willingham, Carl Pavano, Jhonny Peralta, Gordon Beckham, Charlie Morton
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Mat Latos
Start ‘Em 
Mat Latos, San Diego Padres (97.1%) – Mat Latos has had an unusual season so far. The young ace had problems in spring training that led to him starting the season on the DL. Since then he has been inconsistent and trying to return to form. Hopefully his last start (W. 8 IP 1 ER 7 K’s 0.75 WHIP) against a good Cardinals team is indication that he’s regaining his command.

Luck is a part of baseball and Latos is running into some good luck in his first start this week. Latos gets the Braves without two players that have owned him. Nate McLouth and Jason Heyward are both hitting .400 against the Padres ace but will miss the game because of DL stints. Combine that with excellent career numbers (2.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 5.7 K/9) against the Braves and hope for run support to get Latos the victory.

In his second start Latos is set to face the Houston Astros. The Astros are one of the worst teams in the bigs and their lineup is a big reason why. Latos has already had a start against the Astros this season (L. 6.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 K, .947 WHIP) and had the bullpen been able to strand runners his numbers would have been good. Latos career numbers against the Astros are very good. In three starts (including the start this season) Latos has compiled a 2-1 record with a 2.01 ERA, a K/9 ratio of 8.9 and a WHIP of 0.537. Of the Astros regulars only Carlos Lee is hitting over .250. I feel like this is the week Latos gets back on track.


C.J. Wilson, Texas Rangers (100%) – Considering that I have been a big doubter in Wilson, this pick is a surprise to me. In only his second season as a starter Wilson has improved his numbers while being the ace of the rotation. Looking up career numbers for Wilson can be misleading because of his previous work in the bullpen but I sifted through all his number to come up with this suggestion.

In his first scheduled start, Wilson has a matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays. Wilson has one regular season start against the Rays in his career. In that start Wilson gave up three earned runs in five innings. Those numbers are not special by any means but here is where the suggestion comes from. The big bats for the Rays have awful numbers against Wilson. Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist are a combined 2-25 against him. Also the Rays hottest bat, Matt Joyce, has never faced Wilson and I always give the advantage to the pitcher when it’s the first encounter.

For his weekend series start, Wilson has a matchup against the Indians. The Indians have a lot of left handed batters so the southpaw sees his first advantage there. If history is any indication of success Wilson has had one career start against the Tribe and went 6.0 IP giving up one earned run, striking out four and generating a WHIP of .667. When Austin Kerns is the player with the best numbers against you it’s a safe bet.


Sit ‘Em
Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians (9.7%) – In his first start of the week Carmona will be matched up against the hard-hitting Blue Jays lineup. In his five former starts against the Jays, Carmona has a career record of 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA 1.46 WHIP and a K/9 of 4.

Although Carmona has good career numbers against the Jays, those numbers can be misleading. Of the current Blue Jay regulars, only two (Aaron Hill and Rajai Davis) have more than 10 at-bats against Carmona. Hill and Rajai Davis are hitting a combined (.321) and having base runners for Jose Bautista and potentially Adam Lind coming off the DL could be disastrous for the Tribe.

In his second start of the week, Carmona will have the tough task of facing the newly healthy Rangers lineup. With a career 2-6 record and an ERA of 5.40 against the Rangers, this was an easy call. The biggest problem for Carmona is that both John Hamilton and Nelson Cruz are a combined 10-24 (.417) with two home runs and six RBI against Carmona. Elvis Andrus is also a pest to Carmona hitting .600 in his career against the Indians hurler. With runners on base for the big bats, the Rangers can really do damage to Carmona’s fantasy prospects.


Wade Davis, Tampa Bay Rays (38%) – Wade Davis has been very good for the Rays and is a big reason they were able to overcome their dreadful start to the season. The most glaring fantasy flaw that Davis has is his low strikeout totals. This week Davis gets the hard hitting Rangers and the not so hard hitting Mariners.

Davis’s career start against the Rangers is reason enough not to start him this week. In his career, Davis possesses a putrid 21.60 ERA against the Rangers. The Rangers have six players hitting .333 or better against the Rays righty. The only good news for Davis is that the start is at home and not in Arlington.

In his second scheduled start Davis has much better prospects. The Mariners are not the best hitting team in the league by any means but have had some success against Davis. Ichiro and Michael Saunders are hitting .500 against Davis and Justin Smoak is 2-2 with a home run. Davis is 0-1 in two starts against the M’s but has a decent 3.86 ERA and 6.2 K/9. I wouldn’t sleep on the M’s as they have the potential to put some runs on the board and with Franklin Gutierrez back patrolling center field, take some away. 


Written by JJ Omar exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com

Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix

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(February 22, 2011 - Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images North America)
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Maicer Izturus
Start ‘Em
Maicer Izturis, Los Angeles Angels (95.8%) – Izturis should be able to start the week off strong playing away from Angels Stadium and playing at Kaufman. 

In away game this year Izturis is hitting .354, third-best in all of baseball. For his career at Kaufmann Stadium, Izturis is hitting .291, but even more exciting is the five home runs he’s hit in only 20 games played there. He has a 15.8AB/HR ratio at Kaufman, yet 68.3AB/HR for his career. 16.7% of Izturis’ career home runs have been hit in only 20 games (3.3% of his career games played) at Kaufman Stadium.  

Izturis will finish up the week with a three-game series against the Yankees at Angel Stadium.  In 105 career at-bats against the Yankees, Izturis is hitting .324 with an OBP of .377. He’s also hitting .500 through 10 at-bats against the Yankees ace, C.C. Sabathia.


Yunel Escobar, Toronto Blue Jays (81.2%) – Escobar has been heating up over the last two weeks. In the last 15 games he’s hitting .320 with .926 OPS. He should also get a nice boost from starting the week off with the home field advantage that he’s been hitting with this year.  
While at home, Escobar’s OPS is 173 points higher when compared to his road hitting.  

His second opponent of the week, the Orioles, haven’t presented much of a challenge historically. In 34 at-bats at Camden Yards, Escobar is hitting .382 with two home runs and nine RBI's in nine games. In 33 career at-bats against Baltimore pitchers he’s hitting .303.


Sit ‘Em
Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals (100%) – Werth starts off the week facing the murderer’s row of pitchers. For the first three games of the week Werth will face Halladay, Lee, and Oswalt. Combined against the three, Werth is hitting .242 while striking out in more than half of his at-bats.  

The next stop for Werth presents a different challenge. It’s not the pitchers that he faces as much as it’s the park that he’ll be hitting in. In 22 games at Chase Field, Werth is hitting .243, 27 points lower than his career average. He’s also hitting .231 on the road this year, 59 points below his home average.

Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers (100%) – The Rangers will be playing all seven of their games this week on the road. This spells bad news for Cruz.  

Away from the Ballpark in Arlington, Cruz is only hitting .160 with a .246 OBP. Even more discouraging, Cruz will be facing six right-handed starting pitchers this week. Cruz has the second-worst batting average against right-handed pitchers this season (.154 AVG).

Written by James Bryce exclusively for 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.

(May 19, 2011 - Photo by Harry How/Getty Images North America)

ALL OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGES FROM ESPN.COM
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Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Baseball News, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Sit Em/Start Em, James Bryce, JJ Omar,
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Yovani Gallardo
Two-Start Pitchers to Start

Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers (100%) – I was surprised to see Gallardo’s ownership at 100%.  His season totals of a 4.70 ERA and 1.48 are unattractive when pitchers like Hellickson and Ogando are owned less and impress more with their stats. 

I can however, see why so many stick with Gallardo. He’s a Jekyll and Hyde, day-and-night, good cop/bad cop pitcher. In other words, when Gallardo’s good he’s amazing. But, when he’s bad, he’s a one-man fantasy team wrecking crew.  

Gallardo should be able to harness his good side this week against the Nationals and Giants.  Both of Gallardo’s games come at home this week. During his career, Gallardo has an ERA that is .70 lower at home and his batting average against is 26 points lower at home as well. 

Both the Nationals and the Giants are two of the worst teams when it comes to hitting right-handed pitching. The Giants are ranked 22nd (.243 avg.) and the Nationals are ranked 27th  (.235 avg.) overall. Coincidentally, the Giants are ranked 20th (.239 avg.) overall when hitting away and the Nationals are ranked 29th (.215 avg.) overall when hitting away.  

Gallardo has been able to hold current Giants hitters to a .225 career average against, along with a .278 OBP through 89 at-bats. The National’s numbers against Gallardo are nearly identical. Through 68 career at-bats, the Nationals are hitting .221 with a .250 OBP.

Bartolo Colon, New York Yankees (23.4%) – A few weeks ago I said to get Colon off the waiver wire but wait to see how he does before starting him. Now is the time to start him. This week he faces the Jays in New York and then the Mariners in Seattle.  

Jay’s hitters are hitting an anemic .227 against Colon through 44 career at-bats. Colon has also been able to keep slugger Jose Bautista in check, limiting him to just one hit in 5 at-bats and striking him out twice. The Jays lineup features only 2 left-handed hitters. Colon has feasted on righties this year, holding them to a .204 average.  

Colon’s trip to Seattle should be a breeze. Seattle is the league’s worst hitting team when it comes to right-handed pitching (.216 average against). Bartolo has a 9-1 win-loss record at Safeco for his career. He’s pitched 77.2 innings at Safeco and has a 2.09 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.


Two-Start Pitchers to Sit

Ricky Nolasco, Florida Marlins (100%) – Nolasco has benefited a lot from home field advantage this year. Unfortunately for him, both of his starts come on the road this week. 

First he faces the Giants and then the Dodgers. On the road, Nolasco’s ERA is 1.78 higher (4.50 vs. 2.72). Giants hitters are hitting Nolasco to the tune of .277 average with a .327 OBP and 4 home runs in 94 at-bats. Likewise, the Dodgers are batting .286 against Nolasco with a .337 OBP through 77 at-bats.

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies (100%) – Hamels faces a tough test this week facing the hard-hitting Reds and then facing the Mets team that scorched him earlier this year. 

The Reds are the best hitting team when facing left-handed pitching this year. As a team they’re hitting an astronomical .319 with a .921 OPS. Hamels then faces the same Mets team that torched him for 6 runs in 2.2 innings earlier this year. Hamels has a career 0-3 record at Citi Field and a 4.07 ERA through 24.1 innings.  Current Mets are hitting .302 with a .354 OBP against Hamels in 116 career at-bats.  

Bonus: Carlos Beltran has 3 home runs and a .303 average in 33 career at-bats against Hamels. Think about starting him in this matchup.


SWATTERS

Start 

CoCo Crisp, Oakland Athletics (80.1%) - CoCo Crisp is basically a two-category fantasy player. Against the two teams he’s facing next week those categories should be satisfied. His first matchup this week Crisp gets the division rival Angels. In his career Crisp is hitting .291 with 16 stolen bases. As a team the Halos are throwing out only 20% of potential base stealers well below the league average of 28%. 

His next stop is in Baltimore. Defensively the Orioles are solid behind the plate when Matt Wieters is behind the plate, but awful when Jack Fox is behind the dish. It does not matter who is behind the plate Crisp will be given the green light. In his career against the Orioles Crisp is hitting .279 with a .380 OBP and 15 stolen bases. This will be an interesting matchup as Wieters is throwing out a stellar 46% of would be base stealers. I think Crisp is up to the task and would be a great pickup in a head to head league. 

Orlando Cabrera, Cleveland (84.3%) - Ok so the matchups this week aren’t great, but if you want to get down to the nitty-gritty we can. Cabrera is eligible at both second base and shortstop in ESPN leagues and has numbers that are consistent with his career averages. 

In the first series of the week, Cabrera is scheduled to take on the Boston Red Sox. The Sox are fighting the injury bug bag in their rotation which may benefit the Tribe in this matchup. In Cabrera’s career against his former team he is hitting .279 with 6 HR, 25 RBI, and 9 stolen bases. 

Against the Rays his numbers are equally as good .280 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, and 29 stolen bases. Cabrera’s a good player and with the lack of depth at shortstop he can be a good pickup. 

Sit 

Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals (100%) - So far this season Rasmus has had good numbers. Next week Rasmus visits Petco Park (where hitters go to die) and Coors Field (where home runs are aplenty). The Padres are ranked 5th in the NL in ERA and some of that can be contributed to their home ballpark. This is where things look bad for Rasmus owners. In his career at Petco Park, Rasmus is only 2-15 with no extra base hits and a single RBI. Rasmus has also stuck out in five of his 15 at bats at Petco. 

His career stats do not look much better at Coors Field either. Rasmus is 5-24 (.208) with only one RBI in Denver and is without a home run or a walk. To this point it is tough to know the severity of the injuries to Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, so the Cardinals may have to rely on Rasmus’ bat. If they are both healthy look for Rasmus to ride the pine as Tony LaRussa likes to change his lineup more than any other manager in the league. 

Mike Napoli, Texas Rangers (65.3%) - It’s hard to suggest to sit a player about to face a team with second worst team ERA in the AL, but that’s what I am going to do. Napoli’s numbers are absolutely awful against the Royals. In over 131 at bats, Napoli is hitting only .185. If you’d like to look at things in the half full perspective, 30% of his hits have been home runs. But I won’t look at it that way because his next opponent absolutely owns him. 

The White Sox have put Napoli in the corner and have made him put on the dunce cap. In the 24 games he has started against the White Sox, Napoli is hitting .143 with one home run and seven RBI. Napoli has always been an all or nothing type of hitter, and next week he is definitely the latter. 


Written by James Bryce & JJ Omar exclusively for 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! 

(May 6, 2011 - Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images North America)
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Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Baseball News, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Sit Em/Start Em, James Bryce, JJ Omar,
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Matt Joyce
SMASHERS

Start ‘Em

Matt Joyce, Tampa Bay Rays (90.2%) – The Tampa Bay outfielder is finally making his presence known around the league with his current hot streak. Look for him to continue this week under historically ideal conditions for Joyce. With a minimum of 75 plate appearances this year, Joyce is the second-best hitter when facing right-handed pitching. In 94 at-bats he’s hitting .394, a 433 OBP, 11 doubles and 4 home runs as well.

This week he’ll be facing 5 right-handed starters. Joyce will play two games at home where he hits 83 points higher and has an OPS higher by 156 points. Then he should get a little boost with two games at the 6th homer-friendliest ballpark around, Rogers Centre. Also, over the last 15 games, Joyce is hitting .457 with a 1.295 OPS, astronomical figures for an outfielder not owned in 100% of leagues.

Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles (100%) – Jones faces a favorable week ahead with his strong home splits and great career batter vs. pitcher stats. He begins the week against Boston where his split stats don’t vary much from his career average. The next five games (coming at home) are what will make his week. Jones has hit all of his home runs at home in Camden Yards this year, is hitting 52 points higher and has a home OPS that’s 413 points higher! 

Jones has historically done well against the two Yankees pitchers that he will face. Against both Colon and Sabathia, Jones is hitting .359 in 39 at-bats. The remaining three games of the week will be played against the Nationals. Against the capital city’s team, Jones has hit .400, posted an OBP of .440, an OPS of 1.097, and slugged 4 home runs in 70 at-bats.

Sit ‘Em

Chris Coghlan, Florida Marlins (98.4%) – Chris Coghlan has been struggling against left-handed pitching this year. In 41 at-bats he’s hitting .122 with a .163 OBP. This week he’ll be facing 3 left-handed starters. In 47 at-bats against the Mets, Coghlan is hitting .255, 40 points lower than his career average. Sit Coghlan this week in favor of any reserve outfielders that you might have, especially when he’s facing left-handed pitching.

Aubrey Huff, San Francisco Giants (69.5%) – Huff has yet to find the magic he had at the plate with last year’s world championship team. This upcoming week suggests that this trend will continue. Huff will face 4 right-handed starting pitchers this week of which he is only hitting .174 against this year.  That’s bad enough for 4th-worst amongst batters with at least 100 plate appearances.  

His first two games come at Coors Field which might offer a glimpse at some production.  However, he faces Ubaldo Jimenez for his first game and he is hitting only .176 against him lifetime. 

The next two games come at Dodger Stadium against Kershaw and Billingsley. In LA, Huff is hitting .239 in 13 career games, and against Kershaw and Billingsley combined, Huff is hitting .216. 

The last stop of the week comes in Oakland where Huff is hitting .238 with a .298 OBP in 33 career games. Against the three starting pitchers for Oakland, Huff is batting .231.



THRASHERS

Start 'Em

AJ Burnett, New York Yankees (96.2%) – Burnett has had a renaissance of sorts this season. Next week he is scheduled to face two teams he’s had some success against, The Rays and The Mets. In Tampa, Burnett has stellar numbers. In his career A.J. has a 2.09 ERA a 0.92 WHIP and a 6.3 K/9 at the Trop. against the Mets, Burnett has a 3.36 ERA a 1.09 WHIP and a 9.2 K/9 ratio. Even better news for Burnett is that he has good numbers against Jose Reyes and David Wright. Reyes is 0-17 lifetime against Burnett and Wright has hit just .167 with only one extra base hit. I can’t believe I am going to say this but start Burnett with confidence.

Joel Pineiro, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (24.6%) – This week Joel Pineiro faces two teams that are struggling to hit the baseball. His first opponent is the Oakland A’s. As a team, the A’s are hitting a dismal .233 so far this season. Combine that with the start coming in Oakland (the best pitching park in the AL) and the hot start Pineiro is having (1.33 ERA in three starts) and Pineiro is almost a lock to start. In his second scheduled start, Pineiro is to start against the Braves. In interleague play Pineiro has a 3.34 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. The Braves as a team are only hitting .240 and Pineiro is a groundball pitcher. To me this is a winning combination.

Sit 'Em

Brett Myers, Houston Astros (48.2%) – Being a former Phillies hurler, Myers has a lot of stats against the Braves. Unfortunately, those stats are not very good. In his career Myers owns a 4-10 record a 4.49 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP against the Braves. Another discouraging stat against Myers is that his ERA at Turner Field is 5.07. Myers second scheduled start is against the Blue Jays. Myers has faced only a few Blue Jays in his career, but I personally do not trust him especially at the Rogers Center where home runs come aplenty.

Homer Bailey, Cincinnati Reds (36.9%) – Since his return from the DL, Bailey has been amazing for the Reds. This week, however, he is facing teams in which his ERA is hovering over seven. His first scheduled start is against the Cubs. In his career, Bailey has a 7.65 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP. The only positive is that Bailey has a very good 8.6 K/9 against the Cubs. Bailey’s second start of the week is against fellow Ohioans. Against the Tribe Bailey has only been able to accumulate 16.2 innings pitched in four starts. Bailey’s other stats are similarly bad. His ERA is at 7.56 his WHIP is 1.98. Bailey’s K/9 against the Indians is only 4.9, the second lowest ratio against an opponent.


* Ownership percentages taken from ESPN.com
(February 25, 2010 - Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images North America)

Written by James Bryce & JJ Omar exclusively for 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, Fantasy Baseball News, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Sit Em/Start Em, James Bryce, JJ Omar, Matt Joyce, Adam Jones, Homer Bailey, Brett Myers, AJ Burnett
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Two-Start Pitchers To Start

Brandon Morrow, Toronto Blue Jays (100%) – Morrow has a good matchup in his first start of the week. Tiger’s hitters are only batting .206, along with a .263 WHIP against Morrow. This start also takes place at home for him where his stats are a night and day difference. At home Morrow has a career 2.97 ERA. On the road he has 5.31 ERA and 1.71 WHIP. Fortunately his road start this week comes in Minnesota, arguably one of the most pitcher-friendly fields in baseball. Along with the field, Minnesota hitters have struggled so far against righties. For the season, the Twins are hitting .227 against righties, good enough for 28th overall.

Jake Arrieta, Baltimore Orioles (5%) – Arrieta might be a good play if your staff has been decimated by injury or if you’re in a deep league. He faces Seattle at home and then Tampa Bay on the road this week. Much like Morrow, Arrieta will be facing one of the weaker right-handed-pitcher hitting teams with Seattle (their .220 BAA is 2nd weakest to only San Diego). Tampa Bay has hit a weak .233 with a .266 WHIP against Arrieta in the limited 30 at-bats against him.

Two-Start Pitchers To Avoid

Ervin Santana, Los Angeles Angels (31.3%) – Santana has only given up 1 run in his last 11 innings and was on his way to a gem last week when the weather shut him down. He faces two opponents this week that might make his hot-streak short-lived. Over the last 3 years against the White Sox, Santana has pitched mediocrely. In that time frame he has a 4.34 ERA and is 2-2 in 5 starts, while White Sox hitters are hitting .280 against him. The trouble gets worse as the week goes on for Santana. His next opponent is the Texas Rangers. The Rangers hitters have dominated Santana for his whole career. In 265 career at-bats against Santana the Rangers are hitting .309 with 14 home runs.

Kevin Correia, Pittsburgh Pirates (35.7%) – Correia has been surprisingly dominant to start the year, giving up more than 2 runs in a start only twice. Don’t buy into his streak just yet though.  This career 4.47 ERA pitcher faces a huge wall this week. He faces his nemesis team, the Dodgers. They have belted Correia for 4 home runs in 97 career at-bats while keeping an average of .330 against him. The change of scenery in the week won’t bring any relief to Correia. His second start comes against the Brewers in Milwaukee. At Miller Park, Correia has a 4.97 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP in 25.1 innings pitched.

Start ‘Em

Jason Bay, New York Mets (87.3%) – This week Bay will benefit from hitting in two strong hitter’s parks and against a couple staffs that he has historically fared well against. Bay will benefit from the first series of the week in the home run manufacturing thin air of Coors Field.  In 66 career at-bats at Coors Field, Bay has a .303 average and .912 OPS to match. The next series for him is even more favorable for Bay owners. In 109 career at-bats against the Astros, Bay has a .303 average and 1.005 OPS along with 10 home runs. Look for him to possibly get a boost in his power stroke this week.

Mike Napoli, Texas Rangers (86.4) – Starting Napoli’s week off is a matchup against 2 left-handed pitchers. Against lefties in his career, Napoli is hitting 50 points higher than righties and has an OPS 150 points higher. Fortunately Napoli gets to play the entire week at home in Texas.  Napoli’s career at Texas consists of 10 home runs in 120 at-bats, hitting .292 with a .406 OBP.  To top his week off, he’s got a chance at retribution against his old team.

Sit ‘Em

Justin Smoak, Seattle Mariners (88.7%) – Smoak has shown a substantial amount of improvement over last year’s numbers, especially while playing in spacious Safeco Field. Most of his improved numbers are from his ability to crush left-handed pitchers this year. Against lefties Smoak is hitting 56 points higher. Ironically, at home Smoak is hitting 121 points higher with an OPS 344 points higher. This week all of Smoak’s games will be on the road and all but one will be against right-handed pitching. Look at your other options at first base.

Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox (100%) – Not only is Konerko a player to be cautious about starting this week, but the entire right-handed hitting lineup for the White Sox should be scrutinized to start with caution. The White Sox go up against the 2nd and 3rd-best teams against right-handed bats this week; The Angels and the A’s. Both series take place on the road this week for Konerko, which should spell more trouble ahead. In exactly one-third of a season, 51 games at Angels Stadium, Konerko has only 6 home runs. Even worse, in 184 at-bats in Oakland, Konerko is hitting .196 with 4 home runs and .589 OPS. Take caution with Konerko and the rest of the right-handed hitters for the Sox this week.


Written by James Bryce exclusively for 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! 


(May 15, 2010 - Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images North America)
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Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Baseball News, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Sit Em/Start Em, James Bryce

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HURLERS

Start ‘Em

Josh Tomlin, Cleveland Indians (45.4%) – Tomlin has had some surprising success this year and has dominated lefties so far in his short career. In 228 at-bats facing Tomlin, lefties are hitting .216 against him. Fortunately for Tomlin, both of his opponent’s lineups (Angels and A’s) are predominantly left-handed or switch-hitters. If Tomlin runs into any trouble he has the backdrop of the Coliseum and Angel stadium to help him out. Oakland’s notorious for being a pitcher-friendly park, and Angel Stadium is the most homer-friendly park in baseball so far this year, surrendering only one home run for every three that would be hit elsewhere.

Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta Braves (97%) – This advice may come as a bit of a shocker while facing the Brewers and the Phillies. Jurrjens first start comes at home where he has shined historically.  For his career at Turner Field he has a 21-13 record and sports a safe 3.30 ERA. Jurrjens has dominated the Phillies lineup. In 9 starts against the Phillies, Jurrjens has a 2.56 ERA and has held Phillies hitters to a .190 average.

Sit ‘Em

Bartolo Colon, New York Yankees (14.8%) – Colon’s recent string of success may have some desperate fantasy owners fooled. He’s worth holding on to, but wait for more consistency before you start him every time. The Tigers players have hit him well over his career. Currently they are hitting a combined .311 against Colon through 103 at-bats, while racking 4 home runs along the way. Texas hitters have nearly identical numbers against Colon with Adrian Beltre and Michael Young doing most of the damage (combined .322 average in 87 at-bats). If you’re a desperate owner clamoring for pitching, then it might be a good acquisition to get Colon, but wait a while before you start him. There’s no sense in getting into a bigger hole than the one you’re already in.

Kyle McClellan, St. Louis Cardinals (55.1%) – Transitioning from reliever to starter can be a very difficult and long process with mixed-success. McClellan’s numbers point to just that, mixed-success. While you may be tempted to start him, you should heed the warning signs that he’s posted. While his ERA has been a superb 3.23, his 1.43 WHIP is pointing to something else.  He might be a beneficiary of luck. While batters are getting on base against him, they are not scoring. This could eventually catch-up with him. McClellan’s .256 BABIP against lefties further suggests his luck on the mound this season. Also, right-handed hitters are hitting .329 off of him. He’ll see plenty of righties this week against the Marlins and Brewers.

SLUGGERS

Start ‘Em

Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians (6.5%) – Michael Brantley is a player I like a lot. With all the injuries to Grady Sizemore the past few seasons, Brantley was forced to the show a bit prematurely. At 23, Brantley seems to have picked up hitting in the big leagues. Although he’s not much of a power threat, he still possesses value. The upstart Indians take on the Angels and Athletics. In his brief career, Brantley has had success against both clubs. Against the Halos, Brantley has a career average of .341 with a RBI and four stolen bases in nine games. Against the A’s, Brantley is hitting .286 with two RBI. With the way Sizemore hits, it’ll be interesting to see if at some point the Indians move him out of the leadoff spot and move Brantley there making him a much bigger threat on the bases. 

Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals (62.8%) – The Nationals first baseman has had a tough start this season. Being a veteran of the NL East, LaRoche almost has a season worth of starts combined played against the Phillies and Marlins. In his career against the Phils, the elder LaRoche has a career average of .304 with 11 home runs and 31 RBI. LaRoche has similar numbers against the fish. Against the Marlins, LaRoche is hitting .301 with eight home runs and 40 RBI. With the news that Ryan Zimmerman is probably going to need surgery to repair a sports hernia LaRoche is going to have to step up for the Nationals. 

Sit ‘Em

Dexter Fowler, Colorado Rockies (60.7%) – In most leagues Fowler is a trendy pick up which is a bit puzzling. So far this season Fowler is having typical year for his standards (.261 AVG, 19 R, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 2 SB). This week, Fowler faces two NL West opponents. His first stop is against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. In his career, Fowler has struggled putting the ball in play at Chase Field. He enters the series hitting .189 with one home run four RBI and a stolen base. In the weekend series against the Giants, Fowler is up against one of the toughest pitching staffs in baseball. At AT&T Park Fowler is hitting a dismal .209 with zero home runs or RBI and only one stolen base. I know Fowler is still young (25) and has potential but I’d steer clear this week. 

Brett Gardner, New York Yankees (74%) – With Gardner hitting two home runs this week people may not like this pick. The fact of the matter is Gardner’s true value comes on the base paths. Last season he started hot and that has inflated his value this season. For a guy who is on your team to steal bases, it is a bit hard to do so when his OBP this season is .254. Gardner is a player I’d have riding the pine until I see some consistent production from him. 

* Ownership percentages taken from ESPN.com

(April 14, 2011 - Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America)

Written by James Bryce & JJ Omar exclusively for 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! 

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PITCHERS

Start

Chris Narveson, Milwaukee Brewers (43.8%)
With all the moves the Brewers made to their rotation in the offseason Narveson has been lost in the shuffle. Truth be told, at this point in the season he has been the Brewers best and most consistent hurler.

This week Narveson is scheduled to face the Reds and the Astros. Against the Reds, Narveson holds a 2.93 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP and 11 K’s in two starts. Narveson gets the Astros in his second start of the week. In his four starts against the Astros Narveson has compiled an ERA of 3.43 a 1.43 WHIP and a K/9 of 8.6.

With LaTroy Hawkins coming off the DL, hopefully the Brewers bullpen can settle itself and the bullpen can actually help the Brewers’ starters.

Jorge De La Rosa, Colorado Rockies (86.1%)
There isn’t a two-start pitcher this week who owns a team like De La Rosa owns the Cubs. In six career starts against the Cubs, De La Rosa is 3-0 with a stellar 1.74 ERA a 1.47 WHIP and a K/9 ratio of 11.3. Although the WHIP is a bit high it’s hard to ignore the other numbers De La Rosa has against the Cubs.

In his second start of the week De La Rosa is to face the Pirates. His numbers are not as good against the Bucs (3-2, 4.01 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 9.3 K/9) but the fact is the team as a whole is struggling at the plate right now and De La Rosa is in a good position to take advantage of that.

While his WHIP is always going to be a bit high, against these teams he’s a strikeout machine. Start De La Rosa with confidence, and if it doesn’t work out you can always just blame me.

Sit

Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta Braves (77.4%)
Jurrjens has been very good this season since coming off the DL for the Braves, giving up just one earned run in 13 innings.

Heading to Petco Park this week having him as a pitcher to sit may have Jurrjens owners scratching their heads. In the 25-year olds young career, the Padres have owned Jurrjens at Petco. At Petco Park, Jurrjens has an inflated 21.60 ERA against the Padres with an incredibly low K/9 of 2.7.

Jurrjens second scheduled start of the week is again the Cardinals. In his career against the red birds, Jurrjens has a 1-4 record with an ERA over five and a WHIP of three. Combine that with the hot bats of Albert Pujols, Matt Holiday, Colby Rasmus and the reincarnation of Lance Berkman, I’d stay away from the young hurler from Curacao.

Ricky Nolasco, Florida Marlins (99.6%)
This may be a surprise to fantasy baseball player as Nolasco is on the fringe of pitchers you want to start every week. This week I’d say go against conventional wisdom.

Nolasco gets a duo of teams he hasn’t fared well against this week. First he faces baseball’s team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since the team was taken over from the McCourt family, the Dodgers are undefeated and have good numbers against Nolasco going into their series. In his career against the Dodgers, Nolasco has an ERA of 6.00 in two starts. On a bright side he does have a respectable 7.5 K/9.

His second start of the week is against the Reds. In five starts against the Reds, Nolasco is 1-1 with a 5.58 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP and has given up six home runs. Again the K/9 ration is good at 8.2 but it does not excuse the rest of his numbers.   



BATTERS

Start

Adam Lind, Toronto Blue Jays (92.8%)
Lind, much like another one of the players on this week’s list, has been looking to regain the magic that he had in the 2009 season. However, with Lind, patient owners might finally get rewarded for their time. 

First up for Lind this week is the Rangers at The Ballpark in Arlington. In 16 career games at the ballpark, Lind has an astonishing 7 home runs, hitting .313 and slugging .734. In 16 games at Yankee Stadium Lind has 4 home runs. 

These two stadiums are also some of the top HR-friendly stadiums in baseball. Arlington ranks at #5 and Yankee Stadium ranks at #8.  His strong power history in these shallow ballparks should make for a great week for Lind.

Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies (11.7%)
One of the greatest hitters of this generation is performing like his was 10 years younger without the power. Helton has been a DL magnet for the past few years. When he’s healthy though, he’s another hitter all together, much like he’s been this year. 

For the past three years Helton has been hitting .357 in 28 at-bats. More than half of those hits were for extra bases and 3 were home runs. His next stop in Pittsburgh this week is statistically nearly as good. In his 14 at-bats there in the past three years, Helton has an OPS of .944 and OBP of .444. 


He might not boost your team’s standings in the power categories like previous years, but Helton can still definitely be a positive influence on hitting for average and on-base percentage if your league values it.

Sit


Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays (97.8%)
Zobrist has yet to recapture the magic he had in his 2009 season. Surprisingly for a player that has had only one good year, over a year ago, Zobrist is still widely owned.  If you are one of those managers reluctant to let him go you should at least let him see the bench this week. 

Zobrist’s first opponent of the week comes at Target Field against the Twins. Target Field this year has been worse than last for home runs.  For every one home run hit at Target Field, three are hit at the rest of MLB’s ballparks.  Zobrist is only hitting .182 against the three starters for the Twins that he’ll be facing. 

Zobrist’s next stop of the week is at home against the Angels.  Against the entire Angles staff, Zobrist is hitting a meager .176 with a .226 OBP for his career (3 for 27 against Haren and Weaver combined).

Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers (100%)
Andrus faces a real challenge this week facing two teams of which he has little historical success against.  In 45 career at-bats against the Blue Jays, Andrus is hitting the Mendoza line exactly coupled with a .280 OBP.  His numbers against his next opponent are even worse.  Playing in Oakland, Andrus is hitting only .194 in 67 career at-bats.  Against the three Oakland A’s starting pitchers that Andrus will face, he sports a career .209 average in 43 at-bats with only 1 extra-base hit.

• Ownership percentages taken from ESPN.com

Written by James Bryce & JJ Omar exclusively for 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!

(April 3, 2011 - Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America)
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Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Baseball News, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Sit Em/Start Em, James Bryce, JJ Omar
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Carl Pavano
Two-Start Pitchers To Start 

Carl Pavano | Minnesota Twins | (25.6%)– The longtime veteran has only given up 1 run in his last 16 innings. The weak lineups and strong history for Carl Pavano are further evidence that should compel fantasy owners to start him this week. 

The entire Baltimore lineup is only hitting .244 with an OBP of .279 in a whopping 127 career at-bats. In the 55.2 innings that Pavano has pitched against the Orioles in his career, he has kept a solid 2.75 ERA. His second opponent of the week will be the Indians. Pavano has held the Indians batters to a .260 average in the 123 at-bats they have against him. In those 123 at-bats, Pavano has only allowed 11 extra-base hits, a ratio that should shrink even more with the black hole of Target Field supporting him this weekend.

 John Lackey | Boston Red Sox | (38.8%) – John Lackey has had as miserable start to a season as anyone that comes to recent memory. However, if he hasn’t burned too many bridges with your team in the past, look for him to get you some cheap quality starts this week. 

First, he pitches against the A’s in the pitcher-favorite Oakland Coliseum. His career numbers there are pretty impressive. In 16 starts, Lackey has an 8-4 win-loss record, a 2.92 ERA, and a 1.10 WHIP. In 228 career at-bats, the Oakland lineup is only hitting a .250 average. The next opponent for Lackey this week is his old team, the Angels. Look for Lackey to get redemption against his old employer. Against the 2, 3, 4, and 5 hitters of the Angels (Kendrick, Abreu, Hunter, and Wells), Lackey has kept them to a .229 average in 118 at-bats, limiting them to only 10 extra-base hits in those at-bats, striking them out 26 times.

 Two-Start Pitchers to Sit 

Ricky Romero | Toronto Blue Jays | (100%) – Ricky Romero has been off to a great start this year, truly living up to his potential as a front of the rotation starter. This week could be a hiccup for his strong start to the season. Romero will be facing the Red Sox first in Boston and then he’ll face the Rays at home in Toronto. 

Romero’s numbers against the Red Sox will scare even the most veteran of fantasy owners. In 43 innings, Romero has a 7.42 ERA and has a 2-4 record. Red Sox batters are hitting .346 against him. The heart of the Red Sox lineup has been doing the most damage. A-Gon, David Ortiz, Youkilis, Ellsbury and Pedroia combine for a .521 average in 48 at-bats, while hitting 4 HRs and collecting 17 RBIs. Romero’s career numbers against the Rays aren’t nearly as bad, but still warrant concern from fantasy owners. Over his career Romero sports a 4.45 ERA over 32 innings against the Rays. Also, lefties are hitting 35 points higher than righties against Romero. The majority of the Rays lineup consists of left-handed hitters.

 Jonathan Sanchez | San Francisco Giants | (100%) – This week’s matchups for Jonathan Sanchez pose a couple of historical threats against his strong start to the season. 

His first start comes in the HR machine of Coors Field. His career numbers at Coors Field include a 5.26 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP in 37.2 innings. Tulowitzki is on a tear and should continue his streak against Sanchez whom he’s hitting .412 against in 17 career at-bats against. Sanchez won’t be able to seek any shelter in his next start at home against the Braves. The starting lineup has 48 at-bats against Sanchez in which they are hitting .333 with a .411 OBP, and a .973 OPS. Historically, in 27 innings against the Braves, Sanchez has a 6.00 ERA, a 1.52 WHIP and 3 losses in 5 starts.

 Hitters to Start 

Travis Hafner | Cleveland Indians | (11%) - Hafner was once a fantasy stud, providing a ton of power. Injuries have hampered Hafner since the 2007 season. Healthy, and flying well below the radar, Hafner is having a decent season so far. 

With a 1-2 performance on Friday, Pronk’s season average is up to .292 with 3 homers and 8 RBI.What makes him a player you should start this week are his number verses the Indians opponents next week. Against the Kansas City Royals, Hafner has career numbers of .294 AVG, 17 HR’s , and 63 RBI. His power numbers are even better against the Twins. Against Minnesota, Hafner is hitting .293 with 23 HR’s and 67 RBI. Expect a good week from Hafner even though he’s heading to Target Field.

 Aaron Hill | Toronto Blue Jays | (97%)- Hill has good numbers against his division rivals and with the Rays and the Red Sox pitching staffs struggling; I see no reason not to start Hill. 

Against the Red Sox, is hitting a modest .275 with 7 home runs, 36 runs batted in and 3 stolen bases. Not to mention Hill gets a crack at Dice-K who looks like he is throwing batting practice out there. Look for Hill to try some stolen bases against the Red Sox as they have a hard time throwing out base stealers. Against the Rays Hill is hitting .287 with 13 homers and 37 runs batted in. Since the retirement of Manny, the Rays offense has been playing better baseball, but the pitching is still a bit suspect.

Hitter to Sit 

Stephen Drew | Arizona Diamondbacks | (100%) - It isn’t often one would want to sit someone who is about to play at the Great American Ballpark but that’s what I believe Drew owners should do. 

Against the Reds, Drew is hitting a mere .232 with one home run and seven RBI. Then Drew travels to Citi Field where hitters go to die. In five career games at Citi Field, Drew is hitting .217 with a home run and two RBI. Another thing that hurts Drew’s value is the play of Willie Bloomquist. Coming off injury, I don’t think manager Kirk Gibson is going to push Drew too much.

 Nyjer Morgan | Milwaukee Brewers | (11%) -  A lot of this pick isn’t Morgan’s fault as he’s had a good start to the season (.473 AVG). This pick is a combination of things. With Mark Kotsay getting the starting job while Corey Heart is out, and Corey Heart going out on rehab assignment this weekend it is hard to see where Morgan fits in Brewers plans. 

Personally I think he is a better player than Carlos Gomez, but the Brewers seem to want to start Gomez. So although I think the move to the Brewers would’ve improved Morgan’s numbers, the lack of playing time limits his fantasy value. Keep an eye on Morgan though, as the Brewers may grow frustrated with Gomez.

• Ownership percentages taken from ESPN.com

Written by James Bryce & JJ Omar exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com

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(February 26, 2011 - Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images North America)


Tags: 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Sit Em Start Em, Week 3, Lineup Tools, Two Start Pitchers, Carl Pavano, Ricky Romero, John Lackey, Jonathan Sanchez, Travis Hafner, Aaron Hill, Stephen Drew, Njyer Morgan, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Fantasy Baseball Advice
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