2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Advice & Analysis
 Casper Wells (credits below) Whether you have a late-breaking trade deadline or no trades allowed, this is a huge week for you. Trades often come with open roster spots – and those backfills can be a huge ace in the hole when it comes to trading. If you can deal Miguel Montero but pick up the comparable Chris Iannetta off the waiver wire, you’ve essentially done a 2-for-1 without the other owner realizing. If you can’t trade, well, waiver wires are about to become your best friend. Herewith, Week Twenty One of (Waiver) Wired and Baked (made up of players in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues). Over the past two weeks, I’ve highlighted the Betancourts (Rafael and Yuni), Jesus Guzman, Lawrie, Giavotella, Encarnacion, Carp, Venable, and Ivan Nova, pay attention, my young Jedis… Remember to use The Quick Fix for answers to your pressing questions and be sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest info – @jessemendelson is open and ready for business. Peter Bourjos (OF, Angels) – 24%. The #4 on Yahoo’s Player Rater the past 2 weeks, Bourjos has found the combination of power and speed the Angels expected when they bumped Torii Hunter to right field for Pete. Hitting a robust .330 with 5 homers, 6 steals, 14 rbi and 21 runs since the All Star Break, Bourjos is even hotter in August, hitting .391 with 5 homers and 10 rbi. At 24% owned, he’s almost definitely available in your league. Casper Wells (OF, Mariners) – 7% owned. You want a guy no one’s looking at? Casper the Friendliest Ghost, the Friendliest Ghost in Town has 5 home runs the past weeks – virtually one every other day, and in fact, only CarGo and The Grandy Man have more homers over that span. The Mariners must have seen something in him to make him the offensive centerpiece of the Doug Fister deal with the Tigers, and maybe you need to welcome him into your clubhouse too. Mitch Moreland and J.D. Martinez (1B/OF, Rangers and OF, Astros) – 41% and 7%, respectively. If you need an infielder, take Moreland. If you need an outfielder, take a flyer on Stros’ rookie Martinez. Moreland certainly has more experience, and sports a .882 OPS in August to go with 3 homers and 13 rbi (and a very impressive 5:10 K:BB ratio), but I like Martinez. He’s got a similar .885 OPS to Moreland, with a little more power (5 homers to Moreland’s 3) and rbi (20 to Moreland’s 13), and actually owns a higher OPS away from Enron Minute Maid than at home. With a bunch of slap-hitting speedy guys batting in front of, J.D. is my man. Tony Campana (OF, Cubs) – 0%. His position really should be Pinch Runner, but if you can afford the spot (i.e. you’re comfortably ahead or behind in hitting categories), you might want to consider Campana. The generously-listed 5’8” Campana has 15 steals in just over 100 at bats, spread across 68 games. He has more steals (3) than starts (2) in August and July (4 steals, 1 start), but if you just need steals – not many guys are better. The sub-20% Ownership Hitters: Nick Hundley (C, Padres – 9% owned) – Need a streaming catcher? Hundley’s hitting .516 with power since returning from the DL 2 weeks ago. Kyle Blanks (1B/OF, Padres – 8% owned) – 6’6”, wears #88…what’s not to love? Plus, Blanks sports a .338 BA and a 1.057 OPS in August. Lucas Duda (1B/OF, Mets – 6% owned) – He’s hit .300 for two straight months with good power and rbi numbers – 6 homers 24 rbi, and a .907 OPS since July 1. The sub-20% Ownership Pitchers: Guillermo Moscoso (SP/RP, Athletics – 7% owned) – 24 IP, 20 K, 2 wins, 2.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP in August – and against the Blue Jays twice, Orioles, and Rays. Rich Harden (SP, Athletics – 20% owned) – Just gets in under the wire, always a threat to blow up but always the potential to throw an 11-K, 2-hit gem like the other night. Fausto Carmona (SP, Indians – 14% owned) – Looks like we’re back on Good Fausto. 2.63 ERA and 1.12 WHIP (and .222 BAA) since the Break, but only 2 wins to show for it. Written exclusively by Jesse Mendelson for www.thefantasyfix.com. And lo and behold, Jesse joined Twitter. Follow him @jessemendelson immediately. (August 1, 2011 - Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Waiver Wire, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, NL Only, AL Only, Jesse Mendelson Add Comment  Mike Carp (credits below) In the last week of trading in most leagues, it’s always important to monitor the ever-changing waiver wire – lots of leagues are won or lost by the owner who is savvy enough to pick up who his or her league mates passed over. And so I give you Week Twenty of (Waiver) Wired and Baked (made up of players in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues). Considering I recommended Jesus Guzman, Yuniesky Betancourt, Brett Lawrie, Johnny Giavotella and Mark Buehrle last week, you’d be well served to take heed… Remember to use The Quick Fix for answers to your pressing questions and be sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest info – @jessemendelson is open and ready for business. Rafael Betancourt (RP, Rockies) – 22%. Well, Huston Street’s annual injury is upon us, and Rafi is the new Rockies’ closer. He’s only got one save this year, but his peripherals are outstanding. He hasn’t given up an earned run since July 6, and aside from a horrendous two weeks at the end of June and beginning of July, he’s been as close to lights out as any reliever in baseball. 48 innings and 58 K’s with a WHIP of 1.06 can help you regardless, but when you factor in saves, it’s a no-brainer. Edwin Encarnacion (1B/3B, Blue Jays) – 34% owned. After another 2-hit game yesterday (and the game winning RBI, to boot), Edwin now has 21 runs, 5 homers, 14 RBI, 3 steals and a .352 average over the past month. A maddeningly streaky hitter prone to huge dips in performance (yes, he had 15 RBI and a sub .700 OPS on July 1), he’s flipped the script since July 1. He’s been better than Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Asdrubal Cabrera (among others) since the Break, and belongs on your roster. Hideki Matsui (OF, Athletics) – 39%. No one comes within 20 points of Godzilla’s .410 average since the Break and his 1.100 OPS is right behind Mr. Encarnacion’s. Contrary to popular belief (ok fine, maybe just my belief), he *is* eligible in the outfield, and now that he’s finally gotten hot, and your title on the line, insert him now. Mike Carp (1B/OF, Mariners) – 14%. Nearly 100% owned in AL-only leagues, Carp shouldn’t be relegated to single-league territory any longer. Since being promoted to a full-time starting role following the All Star break, the former Mets draftee is hitting .371 with 4 homers, 23 RBI, 13 runs, and an OPS of an even 1.000. And now that Justin Smoak has hit the DL with a broken nose and facial fractures, he’s got no one knocking down his door. Help bring up that paltry 14% ownership figure, and Give Carp a Chance! The sub-20% Ownership Hitters:
(February 20, 2009 - Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Waiver Wire, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, NL Only, AL Only, Jesse Mendelson  Jesus Guzman (see credits below) Now that the non-waiver trade deadline has passed, we’re coming up on the trading deadline in most leagues. So while it’s important to see what trades can help you out, you cannot forget the waiver wire – lots of leagues are won or lost by the owner who is savvy enough to pick up who his or her league mates passed over. To that end, I give you Week Nineteen of (Waiver) Wired and Baked. As always, all players are owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues and should be on a roster by the end of this week. Remember that you can always use Quick Fix for answers to your pressing questions and be sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest info – @jessemendelson is open and ready for business. Jesus Guzman (1B, Padres) – 17% owned. The Friars’ new first baseman has started 22 games this season and has more than one hit in 11 of them. For those of you scoring at home, that’s 50% of the time. Obviously that won’t last (can you imagine having 80 multi-hit games a year? Not even Ichiro does that), but Padre Jesus owns a .336/.376/.582 slash line with 26 RBI and 17 runs. And it’s not like the Padres have tons of great hitters waiting to take Guzman’s playing time. Brandon McCarthy (SP, Athletics) – 14%. He’s 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA in his last five starts, and owns a very good 3.31 ERA on the season. His wins aren’t great (he’s just 5-5 on the year), but the most impressive stat is the fact that he’s walked only 16 batters all year, in 108 innings. He’s always had potential, and has shown flashes of brilliance in Texas, but could never stay healthy. Maybe the move to Oakland has done him some good, and he’d do your team some too. The Call-ups: Brett Lawrie / Johnny Giavotella / Trayvon Robinson (2B and soon-to-be 3B, Blue Jays; 2B, Royals; OF, Mariners) – 29%; 0% and 0%, respectively. Lawrie is the most well-known since he was the centerpiece of the Shawn Marcum trade last winter, and has made the most of his debut. In his first 3 major league games, the converted third baseman has gone 5 for 11 with a home run and 2 RBI. He’s almost certainly gone in keeper leagues, but he should be plenty useful for this year as well. The other two – Giavotella and Robinson – were not on their teams’ 40-man rosters at the beginning of 2011, and are therefore waiver adds in Yahoo leagues (though CBS included them, as did ESPN). Johnny G has been crushing AAA pitching this year to the tune of .338 average and an OPS of .871, and hasn’t stopped since he reached the majors last week, hitting the same .455 with one home run as Brett Lawrie did in his first three games. Trayvon, acquired by the Mariners two weeks ago in the Erik Bedard deal, has seemingly flipped his stats from last season. In 2010, he hit .297 with a whopping .401 OBP, 37 steals and 9 homers in AA. This year, against AAA pitching, Trayvon hit .293 with a whopping .563 SLG (130 points higher than last season), 26 homers, and just 8 steals. So we’re still not sure what kind of player he is, but regardless of whether he steals 40 bags or hits 30 bombs, he’s worth owning, especially in keeper leagues. Yuniesky Betancourt (SS, Brewers) – 14%. Every year, Yuni goes on a hot streak where he’s eminently ownable, even in mixed leagues. With Jose Reyes straining his hamstring (again!) yesterday, Yuni becomes a worthwhile pickup. As the Brewers have gotten hot over the past month, so has Yuni. A .371 average, 12 runs, 19 RBI and 3 homers all combine to make Yuni a top 5 shortstop since July 1. Mark Buehrle (SP, White Sox) – 33%. Speaking of hot streaks, the last time Mark Buehrle gave up more than 3 earned runs was April 22. In fact, he did it three times between April 1 and April 22, and not once since. You’re running out of time to help your ratio stats (ERA and WHIP), but with ERAs of 2.57 in May, 3.06 in June, 1.85 in July, and zeros so far in August, Buehrle can help out. He isn’t pretty, and still hasn’t figured out how to strike people out, but he’s got one loss since June 1 and is pitching as well as anyone in baseball right now. AL Only Special – Frank Francisco / Mike Adams (RP, Blue Jays and Rangers, respectively) – 38% and 35%, respectively. Neither is a closer as of today, but both could be soon. Adams has the harder road, obviously, since Neftali Feliz is in front of him, but he could definitely vulture a save or three down the stretch. Francisco, on the other hand, has the dreaded “closer stuff” but has not shown he can be a consistently effective closer in the majors. He’s been lights-out since demoted a month ago (K per inning, 0.87 ERA/0.58 WHIP) while Jon Rauch has been horrible (5.56 ERA/1.56 WHIP and a rare double blown save on Thursday in Oakland). And since a save or two can make up the difference between winning and losing, he’s worth the speculative add. NL Only Special – Scott Hairston (OF, Mets) – 0%. With Daniel Murphy out for the year with a torn MCL, the Mets will need to find a starting first baseman, and I’m thinking it will be Lucas Duda (last week’s NL Only special). If Duda goes to first, Scott Hairston probably becomes the primary right fielder. With 7 homers in 110 at bats, Hairston has flashed some pop, and with regular at bats (as you know, that’s the important thing in single leagues), could be worthwhile down the stretch. Unless, of course, Nick Evans becomes the regular first baseman, keeping Hairston on the bench… Written exclusively by Jesse Mendelson for www.thefantasyfix.com. And lo and behold, Jesse joined Twitter. Follow him @jessemendelson immediately. (February 22, 2011 - Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Waiver Wire, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, NL Only, AL Only, Jesse Mendelson 2011 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Week 18: Will Jason Bourgeois "Steal" The Show In Houston? 08/01/2011
 Jason Bourgeois (see credits below) The dust has settled, and here we are – ready to begin what amounts to the stretch run in fantasy baseball. Sure, there are always non-waiver trades, but for the most part, major leaguers are set on their teams, and you should have a pretty good idea if your team is a contender or a good candidate for a fire sale. So, herewith, Week Eighteen of (Waiver) Wired and Baked. As always, all players are owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues and should be on a roster by the end of this week. Remember that you can always use the Fantasy Fix Quick Fix feature for answers to your pressing questions and be sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest info – @jessemendelson is open and ready for business. Jason Bourgeois (OF, Astros) – 13% owned. The Bourgeoisie’s ownership number is sure to skyrocket after his big game yesterday (home run, 2 steals and 3 RBI), and with the trades of Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, Bourgeois is assured a spot in the every day lineup and will steal a ton of bases. He will get on base (very respectable .380 OBP) and is a threat to steal every single time he’s on. He’s already gone in my league, so take him before he’s snatched in yours. Josh Willingham (OF, Athletics) – 19%. This is the second time this season I’m suggesting Willingham and now that the trade deadline has passed, I expect him to be a monster down the stretch. Stuck on the A’s and playing for nothing but his next contract, Willy is hitting over .300 with 5 homers, 15 RBI and an OPS over 1.000 in July. He’s sitting on 15 homers and is a lock to reach 20+ for the fourth time in his career, with 25 well within reach. Who knows, maybe he’s this year’s Cody Ross. Derrek Lee (1B, Pirates) – 29%. Though his full-season numbers look poor, Lee has actually been hot since the All Star Break. 6 homers, 19 RBI and an .805 OPS in July, and now traded to the middle of a pennant race (yes, the Pirates are in the hunt for the division title!), things are looking up for Lee. He can be useful – especially in leagues with a IF/CI spot. Brett Cecil and Rick Porcello (SP, Blue Jays and Tigers, respectively) – 8% and 15%, respectively. I am not usually one to get anywhere near Porcello, and Cecil has not exactly been the pillar of consistency throughout his career, but they’ve been fantastic in July. Porcello looks like a different pitcher than he was just two short months ago, and is now throwing his sinker for strikes and pitching deep enough into games to earn 5 wins in July. Cecil has outdueled Alexi Ogando twice in the past week, and sports a 3:1 K:BB ratio as well as a .231 BAA. And Porcello’s been even better – 5 wins in 5 starts, a 5:1 K:BB ratio and a WHIP of 1.05. Both have shown flashes of this kind of ability before, and they may come back to Earth, but while they’re conducting the gravy train, ride it! Jeff Niemann (SP, Rays) – 27%. On a lot of sleeper lists before last season, Niemann was phenomenal during the first half of 2010 – 7 wins, 2.77 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .220 BAA. Then he got hurt, saw his ERA balloon to 7.69 after the break as he pitched through injury, and saw that poor performance carry over into 2011. But he seems to have rediscovered his groove, looking Cliff Lee-esque while giving up 4 earned runs in July, which included 3 starts against the Cardinals, Yankees and Red Sox. His ERA now stands at a very respectable 3.51 with a 3:1 K:BB ratio and has finally inched his record over .500. He’s shown a great deal of potential, and it looks like he might be recapturing that. AL Only Special – Matt Albers (RP, Red Sox) – 1%. Aside from the obvious additions of Ubaldo Jimenez and Colby Rasmus, Albers is a guy who can help you down the stretch with your ratios and strikeouts. Stepping into the bullpen role originally slated for Bobby Jenks, Albers has 43 K’s in 43 innings this year, with a 2.09 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .213 BAA. He’s not a great source of holds (only 8 on the year) or wins (he sports a record of 3-3), but not many more relievers have more strikeouts and as often as he pitches, he’s a good bet to help your team. NL Only Special – Lucas Duda (1B/OF, Mets) – 3%. Now that Carlos Beltran is driving in runs in San Francisco, My Name is Luka has started every game in his place. With a .309 average and .937 OPS in July, and now assured of a starting job, this Met whose name sounds an awful lot like a Suzanne Vega song deserves more than 3% ownership. Written exclusively by Jesse Mendelson for www.thefantasyfix.com. And lo and behold, Jesse joined Twitter. Follow him @jessemendelson immediately. (June 7, 2011 - Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images North America) Today Draftstreet has a $500 guaranteed game for only $2. Click on the banner below to sign up for Draftstreet and you can get the 25% bonus by using the code "FIX". Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Waiver Wire, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, NL Only, AL Only, Jesse Mendelson TheFantasyFix.com's MLB Trade Deadline Special: Carlos Beltran & Colby Rasmus On The Move 07/27/2011
 Brett Talley ( @theRealTal) and Jesse Mendelson ( @JesseMendelson) of the TheFantasyFix.com are joined by Steve Adams (@Adams_Steve) of MLBTradeRumors.com to talk all things trade deadline and the fantasy implications of any potential moves. The fellas talk: Carlos Beltran, Zach Wheeler, Colby Rasmus, James Shields, Edwin Jackson, Heath Bell and more... Listen below, and leave us some comments to let us know your thoughts on the MLB Trade Deadline. Be sure to follow MLB Trade Rumors on Twitter ( @MLBTradeRumors) for all of your MLB Trade Deadline updates then then head back here to the Fix (or on Twitter @TheFantasyFix ) for the fantasy baseball impact and analysis of each move. Listen to internet radio with TheFantasyFix.com on Blog Talk Radio Tags: Fantasy Baseball, Brett Talley, Jesse Mendelson, Steve Adams, MLB, Trade Deadline, James Shields, Carlos Beltran, Colby Rasmus, Edwin Jackson, Leo Nunez, Edward Mujica, Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham, Andrew Bailey, Grant Balfour, Zach Wheeler  Desmond Jennings (see credits below) Here in this final week of non-waiver trades, I bring you Week Seventeen of (Waiver) Wired and Baked. So much is subject to change based on trades this week, so I’ll include a few guys who may be in for a bump in ownership. (as always, all players are owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues). AND I joined Twitter – follow me @jessemendelson asap! Desmond Jennings (OF, Rays) – 32% owned. I recommended him a bunch of weeks ago, when I thought the call-up was imminent. It wasn’t, but the Rays finally bit the bullet this past Friday and called up their top prospect. And his first two games were a glimmer of things to come – back-to-back 2-hit games with a stolen base in each. He’s got a single, two doubles, a triple, and two steals. He’s probably gone in most keeper leagues, but he can have quite an impact at the top of that Rays lineup. Danny Valencia (3B, Twins) – 28%. He’s fifth among all third basemen with 20 RBI over the past month, and his .234 average belies a very solid July, in which he’s hit .288 with an .813 OPS. If he can figure out how to hit righties (.579 OPS against righties versus a .936 OPS versus lefties), he’ll be a big-time sleeper next season. Even now, as an incredibly thin position just got thinner with Adrian Beltre going down for three weeks, Valencia is worth a look. Nyjer Morgan (OF, Brewers) – 18%. Here’s a guy whose stock could plummet this week (if the Brewers acquire an outfielder)…or skyrocket (if the Brewers stand pat). With Carlos Gomez likely out for the season, Nyjer is the every day center fielder, and is acting like its 2009 all over again. He’s hitting .327 with 31 runs, 23 RBI and 6 steals, in not even 200 at bats. He’s raised his OPS to .833 and will be given lots of opportunities to score and drive in runs in that Brewers lineup. Edward Mujica (RP, Marlins) – 7%. Earlier this week, Marlins manager Jack McKeon told reporters that if Leo Nunez is traded (which everyone expects him to be), Mujica will get first crack at saves for the Fish. After a miserable April, he’s been nearly unhittable (except for his last outing) with a .215 BAA and a .88 WHIP. Even with the recent bad outing, he’s holding hitters to a .152 BAA and sports a .60 WHIP in July. Be sure to have him on your watch list in case Nunez goes to a contender. Mike Adams (RP, Padres) – 39%. Undoubtedly the best setup man in baseball, Adams has been spectacular for four straight years now. It’s almost a lock that the Friars will deal Heath Bell, and when they do, Adams will close. Of course, Adams may be dealt too, but less likely. Adams is so good that it’s not even worth looking at only 2011. In 282 career innings, he has a 2.13 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, an obscene .195 BAA, and 291 strikeouts…but only two saves (one as a Padre this year, one as a Brewer in 2005 before he learned the cutter that makes him so good). He’s worth owning regardless, but especially if he becomes the closer. AL Only Special – Alex Cobb (SP, Rays) – 6%. Acquitting himself quite well with seven shutout innings yesterday against the Royals, the Rays’ rookie starter has forced the organization’s hand and will go with a 6-man rotation for now. In his first turn through the majors, he’s 3-0 with a very good 2.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He’s made seven starts (including one against the Yankees and one against the Rangers), and hasn’t allowed more than 3 runs since his debut on May 1. Any starting pitcher is worth a look; Cobb is worth owning. NL Only Special – Kenley Jansen (RP, Dodgers) – 5%. Although Javy Guerra is now locked into the closer role and is not a candidate to be dealt, Jansen is worth owning. His K/9 is an astounding 14.82, and he hasn’t given a run – earned or not – since May 28. In the thirteen innings he’s thrown since then, he’s allowed two hits (his BAA is .184 this season), no runs, 3 hits, 7 walks (like Carlos Marmol, his Achilles heel), and struck out 21 batters. He was horrid in April, mediocre in May, and has been positively lights out for two months. Though not a saves guy, his K’s alone make him worthy of a roster spot. Written exclusively by Jesse Mendelson for www.thefantasyfix.com. And lo and behold, Jesse joined Twitter. Follow him @jessemendelson immediately. (February 25, 2010 - Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Waiver Wire, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, NL Only, AL Only, Jesse Mendelson 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Week 15 Waiver Wire: Post-Hype Travis Snider Is Back, With A 'Stache 07/18/2011
 Welcome back to me after a 2-week hiatus, and to all of you to Week Sixteen of (Waiver) Wired and Baked – your weekly review of who shouldn’t be available in your league, but probably is (all players are owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues). Thanks to Evan Marx for filling in for me while I way away, and as always, I’ll review the top 5 players you should look to pickup this week, with an AL-only and NL-only special at the end. Hopefully you’ve heeded some of my advice throughout the season, and here are a few more that are looking good. Travis Snider (OF, Blue Jays) – 31% owned. Talk about a post-hype sleeper. It seems like Snider’s been given 3,000 chances to make it work with the Jays, and either got hurt or failed each time. 2011 looked to be no different, as Snider hit .184 with 1 homerun and a .540 OPS in April, earning himself a trip back to Las Vegas (boo hoo, I know). While in Vegas, he grew a moustache, worked on his batting stance and timing, and promptly ripped the cover off the ball. Since being recalled on July 4, he’s been tearing at a .381 clip with 11 RBI and a 1.029 OPS. He hasn’t flashed much power (only one homerun since the callup) and his K:BB ratio is still a paltry 12:1, but 16 hits in 10 games is worth noticing, and a pick up. Derek Holland (SP, Rangers) – 28%. Bracketing the All Star Break with two shutouts, Holland has finally begun to show why he was such a highly touted prospect in 2009. His overall season numbers are still mediocre, and he is prone to swings of mediocrity, but Holland averages nearly a strikeout per inning, and has shown improvement every month. His ERA has fallen every month, as have his BAA and earned runs, and only Cliff Lee has more shutouts than Holland’s 3. Maybe people are looking at his overall numbers instead of his success, but his numbers away from Arlington – 3.20 ERA, .244 BAA and 2.5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio show very clearly that Holland is the perfect spot-start matchups candidate. Andres Torres (OF, Giants) – 21%. I had recommended Torres a few weeks back before he came off the DL and wasn’t very good in May or June (.783 and .567 OPS, respectively), but July has been much kinder. He’s hit .317 with 7 runs, 4 RBI and 4 steals, plus 5 doubles…and if some of those doubles turn into home runs, he’ll definitely be worth a starting spot on your team. Josh Willingham (OF, Athletics) – 17%. He’s had his injury for the year, and I expect smooth sailing the rest of the season. He’s also in his contract year, and is prime trade bait in the next couple weeks – all signs that point to a solid contribution from this professional hitter. Since coming off the DL, he’s hitting .345 with 2 homers and slugging a ridiculous .692. If you need cheap power, Willy’s your man. Nate Schierholtz (OF, Giants) – 12%. Yes, I’m recommending two Giants outfielders! Known mostly for his defense and being a late inning replacement, Schierholtz has been given an everyday job, and is shining in the opportunity. With all the injuries to the Giants’ outfield, Nate Dogg has hit .340 with 5 runs, 3 homers, 9 RBI and 2 steals while playing almost every day over the past two weeks, and given outfield’s lack of depth and injuries this season, weeks like this are important to jump on. AL Only Special – Josh Reddick (OF, Red Sox) – 3%. Despite his low ownership figure, Reddick has been on fire since he was called up in mid-June. He’s batted .377, slugged 3 homers, knocked in 13 and scored 12, and maintained an obscene 1.100 OPS. If he’s still available in your league, please grab him before someone else does. NL Only Special – Mark Kotsay (1B/OF, Brewers) – 1%. Kotsay is certainly making it hard to keep him off the field. Though he doesn’t play every single day, he’s put his best foot forward over the past few weeks, hitting .360 with 11 RBI in just 33 at bats in July. And as good as the Brewers’ lineup is, anyone who can put the bat on the ball is worth owning, especially in NL-only. Written by Jesse Mendelson exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Find and friend Jesse on Facebook. Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Waiver Wire, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, NL Only, AL Only, Jesse Mendelson  Giants Celebrate (see credits below) Yovani Gallardo (7 IP, 4H, 1 ER, 1BB, 6 Ks) shut out the D-Backs after Kelly Johnson’s leadoff homer, winning his 10th game and lowering his season ERA to 3.76. Josh Collmenter was the hard-luck loser, hurling 6 shutout innings only to see the pen blow the game. Tampa took the rubber game of their series with the Twins, who were going to have Joe Nathan close the game if they needed a save. Instead, they lost 12-5. Michael Cuddyer continued his torrid summer in the losing effort, knocking in 3 more runs and hitting his 13th homerun. Johnny Damon left the game with a hand injury, but X-rays were negative. Evan Longoria (3-6, 2 runs, 4 RBI), Sean Rodriguez (#4) and Kelly Shoppach (#5) all went yard for the Rays, who knocked around Francisco Liriano. Adam Dunn had an RBI! (on a bases-loaded walk). Juan Pierre stole a base! The White Sox still lost to Bruce Chen and the Royals, who got 2 more RBI from Jeff Francoeur and another bomb from Eric Hosmer. With a .277 average, 8 homers and 33 RBI, Hosmania has indeed arrived. Miguel Cabrera (#18) hit the tie-breaking homerun in the 7th inning to propel the Tigers to victory in LA, salvaging one win on the Left Coast. Mark Trumbo, his Angels counterpart at 1B, hit his 14th. Guillermo Moscoso (7 IP, 2H, 1 BB, 5 K, and pronounced MosCOSCO!!!!!) now sports a 2.16 ERA and 1.04 WHIP on the season after shutting out the spectacularly anemic Mariners. Resurgent Scott Sizemore knocked in both runs, including his 3rd homer of the year, and is now hitting .316 with 10 runs and 12 RBI in 23 games as an Athletic. Eligible at 2b and 3b, he’s worth a look in deeper leagues. The complete game loss went to Jason Vargas (5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) who was excellent again. He’s got a 1.06 ERA in July after a 2.82 spot in June. A night after Carlos Carrasco got rocked at the Jake, Justin Masterson made mincemeat out of the Bombers’ lineup, holding them to 3 hits in 8 scoreless innings. Lonnie Chisenhall hit his first career homer for the Injins, and Derek Jeterinched one step closer to 3,000 hits with a double. Phil Hughes returned from the DL to toss 5 decent innings, and Mo Rivera would have been held out again with his recent tricep issue. Break up the Nationals! They’ve won 3 consecutive one-run games against the Cubs and are now 2 games over .500. All Star candidate Michael Morse knocked 2 more hits and scored the go-ahead run on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze in the bottom of the 7th. Drew Storen locked down his 22nd save, Ryan Zimmerman had 2 doubles and his 4th homer, Danny Espinosa hit his 16th homer and stole his 10th base, Carlos Pena hit his 18th, and Aramis Ramirez homered for the 8th time in the past 10 games in the loss. Bud Norris picked up his 5th win in a white-washing of the Pirates, and, well, not much else interesting happened in that game. Prior to the Red Sox beating the Jays (featuring yet another tightrope save by Jonathan Papelbon), Jon Lester hit the DL with a lat strain. It’s apparently not serious, but the Sox can ill-afford to lose another starter, even with that bludgeoning lineup. Jays’ catcher J.P. Arencibia left the game after being hit on the hand by a Papelbon fastball in the 9th inning, and more information will be known on Thursday. Meanwhile, Jacoby Ellsbury hit his 10th homer, stole his 28th base and raised his average to .310 0n the season. Congrats to whomever has him in your league. Ricky Romero (4.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 3 BB) stunk up the joint to pick up his 8th loss. Speaking of stinking up the joint, Anibal Sanchez(4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB) got hit hard for the second straight start, and the Fish overcame a 4-0 deficit to beat the Phils on Mike Stanton’s walkoff homer (#17). Shane Victorino-fill in John Mayberry Jr., hit two bombs. Without CarGo and Tulo in the middle of the Rockies lineup, it looks more like Todd Helton is visiting AAA than the other way around. They got hammered again tonight by the Braves, who put up a 9 spot to back Jair Jurrjens’ 12th win of the year. And stop the press – Dan Uggla homered for the second straight night! Not as exciting as a bases-loaded walk, but his owners will take what they can get. The Rangers swept the O’s behind 3 more hits and 3 more RBI from Michael Young, a big 3-run homerun from recently activated Mike Napoli, and a solid if unspectacular start from Alexi Ogando (now 9-3). Vlad Guerrero homered for the O’s, who saw Jeremy Guthrie give up 6 earned runs in 5 innings. A wild one in St. Louis for Albert Pujols’ return to the starting lineup. The Reds blew an 8-0 lead only to come back and win 9-8 in 13 innings. Cuban fireballer Aroldis Chapman registered his first major league save after Franny Cordero blew the opportunity in the 9th on a John Jay homer. In addition to Jay, Chris Heisey (#10), Jay Bruce (#19, but just his second since June 1), Scott Rolen (#5), Fred Lewis (#2), and Matt Holliday (#13) all went deep. Pujols went 1 for 6 with an RBI. The Mets swept the Dodgers behind another very solid start from Jonathon Niese (7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6K) and some timely hitting. Carlos Beltran hit 2 more doubles, closer-in-waiting Bobby Parnell struck out two more, and Matt Kemp stole his 25th base in the losing cause. In closer news, saves opps are so rare in Dodgerland that Donnie Baseball called on closer Javy Guerra in the 9th inning of a losing game. In San Diego, Mike Adams gave up an extremely rare run to tie the game in the 8th, and the Padres stole 4 bases (2 each by O-Dog and Bartlett) off Chris Stewart (who also committed 2 errors). The game went into extras, and in the 10th inning, Brian Wilson and Luke Gregerson completed the rarest of feats – all six batters struck out. Wilson struck ‘em all out looking; Gregerson retired all three Giants swinging. The game finished in the 14th inning when Pat Neshak surrendered a game ending blast to Nate Schierholtz (his 2nd of the game). Written by Jesse Mendelson 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 Baseball Daily News, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Tips, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Advice, The Daily Fix  Eric Thames (see credits below) Welcome to Week Thirteen (or should I say Fourteen, like some hotels) of (Waiver) Wired and Baked – your weekly review of who shouldn’t be available in your league, but probably is (all players are owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues). As always, I’ll review the top 5 players you should look to pickup this week, with an AL-only and NL-only special at the end. You may have noticed that a few of my suggestions from last week did quite well these past 7 days – Seth Smith responded with a .364 average and a 2 homers this week; Travis Hafner hit .313 with 2 homers and 6 RBI; Javy Guerra picked up a save and threw 3 scoreless innings (and with Broxton’s elbow tightness, looks better all the time); and Charlie Blackmon went 1 for 16, ostensibly to prove I’m not perfect. On to this week’s picks: Carlos Carrasco (SP, Indians) – 41% owned. He’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball since he was activated from the DL on May 11. In June, he’s got 3 wins, a 1.77 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, .203 BAA, 3:1 K:BB ratio, and 21 K’s in 35 innings. Four straight excellent starts and five of the last six with 2 or fewer earned runs deserves to be owned. Alcides Escobar (SS, Royals)– 31%. Since he changed his batting stance at the end of May, Alcides has been red hot (indeed, a top ten Mixed league shortstop!). Batting .333 (.861 OPS) with 8 RBI, 15 runs and 7 steals, especially at the paper-thin SS spot, he’s a good MI or IF guy to have while he’s hot. James Loney (1B, Dodgers) – 25%. I’ll say right off the bat that I am generally not a fan of Loney, mainly because as a 1B, he just doesn’t hit for enough power for my liking. But he’s quietly put together quite the productive month – .367 average, 12 runs, 3 homers, 13 RBI, and an OPS close to .900. Don’t bet the farm on him, but while he’s hitting well, he’s worth a flyer. Jason Vargas (SP, Mariners) – 15%. Not a sexy pitcher to be sure, but as solid as they come – and he’s proved last year was no fluke. In 104 innings, Jason’s got 5 wins, a 3.88 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, and if you think its all Safeco, he’s actually been better on the road than at home. He’s more of a matchups guy, but if its right, put him on your radar. John Lannan (SP, Nationals)– 9%. Forget his .500 record – In his 11 starts since April 25, Lannan’s given up more than two runs twice and fewer than two runs five times (leaving four turns to give up 2). His May ERA is a misleading 5.14 (because it included both of those 6-run blowups), but his June ERA is 1.44 with a .106 WHIP and .202 BAA. Like Vargas, he’s more of a matchups guy (even though he’s beaten the Phillies, Cardinals, Giants (twice), and Braves during his hot streak. Its time to give the guy some respect. AL Only Special –Eric Thames (OF, Blue Jays) – 1%. I witnessed this guy first hand in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, and was duly impressed. This kid can flat out rake – and run, and field, and throw. Called up to the Blue Jays last week, expect him to get regular playing time and fulfill some of that potential. NL Only Special – Chase d’Arnaud (SS (soon to be 3B), Pirates)– 0%. The former 4th round pick in the 2008 draft, Chase was recalled by the Pirates last week, and played all three games against the Red Sox over the weekend. And with Alvarez suffering another quad setback late last week, d’Arnaud has a chance to play the hot corner for a little while. He’s flashed a decent all around game in the minors, with 2011 being his best season – .280 average, 39 runs, 33 RBI, 17 steals and 20 extra base hits in 239 at bats. He is initially eligible at shortstop even though he’s played third this weekend (and figures to remain there with the spectacular Ronny Cedeno playing shortstop), so that infield eligibility could be a little extra value. Written exclusively by Jesse Mendelson for www.thefantasyfix.com. Find and friend Jesse on Facebook. (May 17, 2011 - Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Waiver Wire, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, NL Only, AL Only, Jesse Mendelson  Travis Hafner Welcome to Week Twelve of (Waiver) Wired and Baked – your weekly review of who shouldn’t be available in your league, but probably is (all players are owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues). As always, I’ll review the top 5 players you should look to pickup this week, with an AL-only and NL-only special at the end. This week, I’d like to hear from you if you picked up someone at the right time, or what you think of my picks. Here we go: Travis Hafner (DH, Indians) – 34% owned. Prior to going on the DL (with everyone’s favorite injury, the strained oblique), Hafner was looking like the old Pronk – batting .345 with 17 runs, 5 homers and 23 RBI in just 116 at bats. He came off the DL on Friday, and promptly doubled home a run to break the game open in the 8th inning. He’ll see virtually every day action at DH (NOTE – that’s the ONLY place he’s eligible) and as long as he keeps hitting, is very worth owning. Seth Smith (OF, Rockies) – 28%. He does not play against left-handed pitchers (and it’s a good thing – he has hit .190 against them in his career), but he rakes against righties. This year, he sports a .338 average and .980 OPS with 6 homers, 32 runs and 24 RBI against them. If you can fill in the twice-weekly days off, Sethie is your guy. And with overall stats like that, I would gladly take the leap. Joe Nathan (RP, Twins) – 31%. He’s rehabbing at AAA and close to returning, and everyone knows how great he’s been and how bad he was this year before the injury. But Matt Capps hasn’t exactly been the picture of excellence – he’s blown 5 saves, sports an ERA over 4, and gets scored upon every few appearances, like clockwork. I can’t imagine Gardy will keep Nathan in the setup role all season, so beat your leaguemates and pick up one of baseball’s best stoppers. Javy Guerra (RP, Dodgers) – 3%. Those of us who have watched Dodgers games with morbid fascination over the past month (and not to see if Frank McCourt will do something crazy mid-game) have seen Donnie Baseball sprinkle his save opportunities all over the place – first Broxton, then Padilla, then Guerrier, then Jansen, then Macdougal, then Guerra, then Hawksworth, and then yesterday, back to Guerra. The problem, of course, is that between May 19 and June 19, the Dodgers generated exactly four save chances. FOUR! But, Guerra was warming for a save chance last Saturday before the Dodgers scored 4 in the top of the 9th to ruin the save chance, and then got the next chance yesterday against the Astros, and pitched a perfect ninth inning. Yes, Hong-Chih Kuo was activated from the DL yesterday and Jonathan Broxton is about to begin a rehab assignment, but at this point, the job is Guerra’s. All hail the mighty save! Charlie Blackmon (OF, Rockies) – 18%. Called up after Dexter Fowler got hurt, Blackmon has impressed the Rockies to the point where they announced Fowler will remain in the minors even after his rehab is complete. The speedy outfielder has locked up a starting spot with an .800 OPS, .381 average, 5 steals, 6 runs and 6 RBI – with only 3 strikeouts – through his first 11 games. Yes, his .410 BABIP screams regression, and it would be nice to see him walk more than once every two weeks, and 15 of his 16 hits have been singles, but you could do worse than a speedy slap hitter in Coors Field. AL Only Special –(Tie) Josh Reddick/Tim Wakefield (OF/SP, Red Sox)– 0% and 3%, respectively. With Carl Crawford and Clay Buchholz both going on the DL this weekend, it makes good sense to own their replacements. Reddick, a solid but unspectacular outfielder who hit .385 over a few games earlier this season, started in left field on Sunday and figures to play there a good bit until Crawford comes back. Meanwhile, Wakefield just keeps hanging on. He was handed a rotation spot when Dice-K and Lackey went on the DL, then kept it over Alfredo Aceves after Lackey returned, and now slides to Buchholz’ spot as he rehabs his lower back. The Bionic Man now has 4 wins, a 4.26 ERA and 1.14 WHIP and a respectable 31 Ks in 63 innings. Good enough for AL-only, especially on a team as good as the Sox. NL Only Special – Josh Harrison (2B/3B, Pirates)– 0%. Slim pickins here, but with Pedro Alvarez on the DL for the foreseeable future, Harrison seems to have the hold on the starting spot (Brandon Wood hasn’t done himself any favors with his empty .212 batting average). Josh was a solid minor league hitter, and is hitting a respectable .286 with 4 runs, 5 RBI and a steal, with a .627 OPS that just has to improve. Right? P.S. Manny Ramirez is still owned in 5% of leagues. Brandon Lyon faces season-ending bicep surgery and has been terrible, and is owned in 31%. Ryan Franklin is still owned in 28% of leagues. Javier Vazquez and his 6.85 ERA is owned in 24% of leagues. And John Lackey and his 7.02 ERA and .5 K/9 is owned in 24% of leagues. Really? This is the best people can do??? And the weekly question – Submit a comment with some of YOUR top pickups for this week, and why? Written exclusively by Jesse Mendelson for www.thefantasyfix.com. Find and follow Jesse on Facebook. (June 16, 2011 - Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Waiver Wire, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, NL Only, AL Only, Jesse Mendelson | 
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