2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Advice & Analysis
 Why to go with Uggla It’s difficult to find a player at any position who has been more consistent in the power department from year to year than Dan Uggla. In five full seasons, Uggla has averaged nearly 31 HR and 93 RBI. He put up these numbers playing half of his games in front of fans dressed as empty seats and hitting in a lineup with little to no protection. In fact, Uggla was the protection for the Marlins’ star player Hanley Ramirez. In addition to his impressive power numbers, Uggla managed to post career-highs in batting average (.287), on-base percentage (.369) and OPS (.877). This was all accomplished while playing in 159 games last season. In fact, he’s only missed a total of 34 games in five full seasons, proving to be quite durable. As for Pedroia, he missed 87 games last year and another 36 in his three previous full seasons. His highest power output was in ’08 when he hit 17 HR’s with 83 RBI. Furthermore, Pedroia’s averages for the previous four seasons are 13 HR and 61 RBI. Pedroia does hold an edge over Uggla in the stolen bases category. Of course, at 5’ 11’ and 207 lbs., Uggla certainly is no threat on the base paths, posting a high of six stolen bases back in ’06. But then again, neither are most power hitters who bat in the middle of the lineup. In addition, Pedroia’s career batting average sits at .305 versus Uggla’s .263. However, last season they hit .288 and .287, respectively. Uggla’s increasing walk rate and OBP over the past few seasons suggest that he should be able to maintain a higher batting average. Also, the move to Turner Field, where Uggla owns a career .354 BA and a ridiculous OPS of 1.051 can only benefit him. As will hitting in a lineup with some “real” protection (McCann, Jones, Prado, Heyward and Freeman). In summary, among all major league 2B, Uggla was the leader in home runs, was 2nd to only Robinson Cano (by 4) in RBI, was 6th in BA, 4th in OBP and 2nd in SLG % as well as OPS. This performance, on top of his impressive career track record, his durability, and upside potential with the move to Turner Field, makes him the clear choice over Dustin Pedroia. Written exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com by Rosti Satanovsky Why to go with Pedroia Thirty picks into your draft you'll come to a cross roads. At this point in the draft you've probably locked up two batters that are going to contribute in home runs and runs batted in. With so many great players still on the board, it is easy to think you can't go wrong with your pick. But don't be fooled, this is a great opportunity to fine tune your team with some balance that is tough to find. You need to add someone to your lineup that is going to lead the league in runs, hit for average, and steal bases. Say hello to Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia sits right outside the top ten in total runs scored over the last three seasons, yet he missed more than half of 2010 with a broken foot. Packing a career .305 average with 20+ SB potential, he offers the balance that your lineup needs. Then take into account that we've only discussed his previous production without evaluating his potential production in a new look lineup, the case to take Pedroia starts to make more sense. The signing of Carl Crawford plus the trade for Adrian Gonzalez mean nothing but good things for Dustin Pedroia's fantasy value. There are arguments for Pedroia to hit first, second, and even fifth in the new look Red Sox batting order. This new lineup flexiability could have Pedroia hitting in spots with more runners on than before, if for example Pedroia hits second with Ellsbury hitting ninth and Crawford first. However, it is most likely that with a career OBP of .369, Pedroia should see a significant time hitting lead-off. Then combine Pedroia's teammates ability to drive in runs ability to get on base with his teammates ability to drive in runs.... Everything is lining up for Pedroia to score a ton of runs this year. Written exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com by James Weston Tags: The Fantasy Fix Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, 2011 Rankings, First Base, Fantasy Baseball Draft, Rosti Satanovsky, James Weston, Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox, Dan Uggla, Atlanta Braves 2 Comments As fantasy leagues wind down and head into playoff mode, most owners generally have similar goals in mind at this juncture. Some owners are right smack in the middle of a battle for playoff position while others are looking forward to next season and the opportunity to start over. What you can expect to find in this week’s edition is a smattering of young players trying to impress their club and hopefully cement a spot on next year’s big league team. The three players in this week’s spotlight also happen to be the top three most added free agents in CBS Sportsline leagues. Leading off is Mr. Number Three…  Jhoulys Chacin, SP – Colorado Rockies – Owned in 45 percent of CBS leagues Jhoulys (pronounced Yo-lease) has been up from the minors, pitching primarily in the Rockies’ rotation for most of 2010. The spotlight shines brighter on him now mainly because he has begun to exhibit the skills to be a top-of-the-rotation type of pitcher for years to come. In Chacin’s last four starts he is 3-1 and has allowed only four runs in those starts for an ERA of 1.38. He has also recorded 24 strikeouts while walking only eight batters. His ERA now stands at 3.65 on the season. He is showing that he belongs in the rotation for the remainder of the season as well as next season. The 22-year old Venezuelan righty was signed back in 2004 by the Rockies. He has ascended through the organization starting in rookie ball and all the way up. Last season for AA-Tulsa he started 18 games and was 8-6 with an ERA/WHIP of 3.15/1.18. Chacin also had an 86:35 K:BB ratio in those starts. His ownership will rise to 56 percent and with the Rockies holding onto an outside shot of earning a wild card berth, it’s time to strike. The Rockies are riding a nine game winning streak and they will continue to lean on Jhoulys to anchor the back-end of their rotation. You can add him with confidence, especially in keeper leagues as Chacin has proven that he belongs.  Danny Espinosa, 2B – Washington Nationals – Owned in 6 percent of CBS leagues Mr. Number Two in the spotlight this week has exploded onto the scene in Washington after being called up on September 1. Espinosa had a hit in his first game and a HR in the second. His coming out party was against the Mets on Sept. 6 when he went 4-5 with two HR’s, six RBI and 11 total bases. Espinosa is simply crushing NL pitching with an obviously unsustainable .355 average, and if you think that number is gaudy, how about his 1.079 OPS?? Allow me to clarify why these numbers are unsustainable (outside of the common sense factor). Espinosa has less than two full seasons of professional ball under his belt after being drafted in the third round in ’08. In ’09 Espinosa batted .264 and before his call-up he batted .264 this year. The power numbers however are different story because he did hit 18 bombs and drove in 72 runs in ’09 and 22 HR’s this year with 69 RBI. Besides the power, Espinosa adds speed to his repertoire as he showed by swiping 29 bases in ’09 and 25 this year. Washington has an obvious void at second base and will give Espinosa every chance to nail it down with a strong performance in the remaining games. His ownership rate will rise 13 points to 19%. This number is still quite low, especially if you need some pop from the 2B/MI positions. Espinosa is another no-brainer in keeper leagues.  Chris Narveson, SP – Milwaukee Brewers – Owned in 9 percent of CBS leagues Number one this week’s list, as well as CBS’s list, is the 28-year-old journeyman pitcher for Milwaukee. While his overall numbers may not blow you away (11-7 and a 5.20 ERA), his recent stretch has been quite impressive. He has not lost since July 28th. In his last seven outings, Narveson is 3-0 and has allowed a stingy 15 runs over 40 innings while posting a 3.38 ERA. Since the all-star break, he has posted a 3.95 ERA with 44 K’s and only 14 walks issued. Impressed yet? If not, consider this, opposing batters are hitting .237 against him in that span. I am not about to try to blow you away with impressive minor league stats. I will only mention that Narveson has posted an ERA as low as 1.98 and as high as 5.77 in nine minor league seasons. The range on his WHIP will not give you any better of an insight into his skills as those numbers ranged from 0.860 to 1.602. So you will have to go by this year’s stats and the fact that he has never had as much of an opportunity as he has this season. Narveson has logged 143 innings and started 24 games for the Brew Crew. With little pressure on him for the remainder of the season and with teams constantly searching for pitching help, Narveson‘s ownership will surge to 28 percent. He may not be a strong keeper candidate, but he can help fantasy teams in the final weeks. Honorable Mention: Mike Morse – 1B/OF – Washington Nationals – Owned in 9 percent of CBS leagues Snuck into the OF picture for the Nat’s. Batting .484 in his last eight games. As long as he’s getting regular AB’s, you can take a flyer on Morse. Dillon Gee – SP – New York Mets – Currently owned in 0 percent of CBS leagues Gee had an admirable first outing for the Mets – 7 IP, 2H, 1 ER, 4 K’s – and earned the win against Washington. He lines up to be a two-start pitcher if the Mets don’t limit his innings (168 innings total in ’10) Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter@TheSportsFariah Who are your NL waiver wire gems of the week? Leave a comment and let us know, or reply to us on Twitter@TheFantasyFix Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Sports Blog, MLB, Fantasy Baseball, NL Only, Waiver Wire, National League, Jhoulys Chacin, Danny Espinosa, Chris Narveson, Mike Morse, Dillon Gee, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Milawaukee Brewers, New York Mets Fantasy Baseball NL-Only Waiver Wire 09/04/2010
My team recently lost the services of Manny Ramirez, who Ihad to replace with Jeff Keppinger (came off DL)…talk about desperation. So if you still have something to play for, check out the players in this week’s edition. You never know who you might uncover…  Cory Leubke Cory Leubke | SP | San Diego Padres | Owned in zero percent of CBS leagues You may be wondering (out loud or to yourself) how in the world could anyone recommend picking up a pitcher who is owned by NO ONE in all of CBS leagues?? Well, the simple explanation is that the Padres are in desperate need of a fresh arm in their rotation, and Leubke was tearing through the minors. The issue with the Pads’ rotation start with the inning ceiling for their young pitchers. The 22-year-old phenom Matt Latos has already logged almost 150 innings on the season. Clayton Richard is at his career high of 167 innings. Throw in Wade LeBlanc, also at a career high of 143 innings, and has had a horrific August posting a 3-3 record with an abysmal 6.47 ERA. Lastly, let’s not forget to mention Kevin Correia, who managed to one-up LeBlanc by also going 3-3 in the month of August, but with an ERA of 7.20. Oh, there’s one more arm in the Pads’ rotation. How could I overlook Jon “The Savior” Garland? With 13 wins (good for 8th in the NL) and a sleek 3.29 ERA, Garland has provided the Padres a solid 164 innings of pitching. He seems to be the only one not wearing down. [Queue the Superman music]… and flying in to save the rotation, Mr. Leubke. He has the distinct honor of being drafted three times (18th round in ’04 – PIT; 22nd round in ’06 – TEX; 1st round in ’07 – SD). He also threw a near perfect game against Team Canada while pitching for Team USA in the ’09 Baseball World Cup. Leubke has only logged a combined 114 innings on the season through two levels of the minor leagues. He’s posted an impressive 10-1 record in 17 starts with a 2.68 ERA/.982 WHIP. While not a dominating strike-out pitcher, Leubke managed to post a very solid 3:1 K:BB ratio. There is enough upside here to take a chance, especially since SD couldn’t be more in the thick of the playoff race.  Carlos Zambrano Carlos Zambrano | SP | Chicago Cubs | Owned in 61 percent of CBS leagues I would venture to guess that everyone pretty much knows what they need to know about Big Z at this stage of the game. To say he’s had some ups and downs this season would be tremendously under-stating what’s happened thus far. So let’s take a step back and concentrate on the present. Since being reinserted into the starting rotation, Z is 3-0. For the month of August he has posted a 2.23 ERA, which includes two relief appearances in 32.1 total innings. In addition, he has 25 K’s (the bright side), but also has 23 BB’s. Granted, these are numbers that do not make fantasy owners very comfortable, but at this point, we’ll take the wins and strike-outs. By next week, Zambrano’s ownership will rise to 71 percent in CBS leagues so owners are definitely taking notice. If he happens to be available in your league, and you have a spot open on your roster, you can ride Big Z to the finish line. The hard-luck Cubbies have very little left to play for, so hopefully he will thrive in friendly confines.  Freddy Sanchez Freddy Sanchez | 2B | San Francisco Giants | Owned in 18 percent of CBS leagues Here’s another example of a wily veteran who is coming on strong towards the end of the season. He’s flown under the radar most of the season, starting ’10 on the DL and not joining the Giants until May 19. Sanchez started off on the right foot, hitting .317 after his return in May. He followed that up by hitting .280 in June with 12 RBI. However, things took a turn for the worse and the wheels completely came off in July. Sanchez hit .231 with only 28 total bases in 108 AB’s. Of course just when owners began to write him off, Sanchez put together a very solid month of August. He hit .356 along with a very impressive OPS of .902. He also had 45 total bases in the same number of games – 28, as he played in the previous month. Sanchez does not provide a lot of home runs or RBIs, hitting out of the number two slot in the lineup, but can certainly help with your average and runs scored. He’s number five on the Most Added list for next week with his ownership jumping to 27 percent. Honorable Mention: Xavier Nady | 1B/OF | Chicago Cubs | Owned in 7 percent of CBS leagues After Lee was traded to the ATL, Nady has become an everyday player. He hit .320 in August and had an OPS of .853. He could put up decent stats flying under the radar in Chicago. Scott Podsednik | OF | |Los Angeles Dodgers | Owned in 65 percent of CBS leagues The Manny-wood production is shutdown in La-La land and Podsednik will benefit the most. He hit .304 in August after hitting .346 in July. He will get on base, score runs and steal some bases. Logan Morrison | 1B | FLorida Marlins | Owned in 27 percent of CBS leagues Morrison’s ownership has been slow to rise. He doesn’t hit for a lot of power for a first baseman but has been hitting for a good average - .303 in August, and managed a .864 OPS. He will continue to get regular AB’s and is worthy of a roster spot in NL leagues. Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter@TheSportsFariah Who are your NL waiver wire gems of the week? Leave a comment and let us know, or reply to us on Twitter@TheFantasyFix Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Sports Blog, MLB, Fantasy Baseball, NL Only, Waiver Wire, National League, Logan Morrison, Scott Podsednik, Xavier Nady, Freddy Sanchez, Carlos Zambrano, Cory Leubke Welcome back for this week’s edition of the NL Wire. Last week’s edition was focused mainly on a group of older, somewhat grizzled group of veterans. So for this week, I decided to return to the fountain of youth, so to speak. This week’s selections are focused on a trio of youngsters, two of whom are returning for another go-around with their big league club, while the other is in the process of transforming himself from a top prospect to a solid rotation contributor. Check ‘em out…  Homer Bailey, SP – CIN –Owned in 27 percent of CBS leagues Homer (the pitcher, not the poet) has been on quite an odyssey thus far in his professional career. He’s been given the opportunity to stick in the Cincy rotation for four seasons, starting in 2007. At one point, he was a highly touted prospect who began his tenure in the Reds’ system at 18, after being drafted seventh overall in 2004. Prior to the 2007 season, Bailey was named the top prospect in the Reds’ farm system by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. Since then, very little has gone Homer’s way in the majors. His first shot came in June of ’07 after 12 starts for AAA-Louisville where he went 6-3 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. However, in only nine starts split between June/July and a September recall, he was 4-2 with a 5.78 ERA and 1.57 WHIP. Bailey surrendered 43 hits in 45 innings and had an underwhelming K:BB ratio of 28:28. His fortunes did not turn around until the tail end of the ’09. He finished the season with a 4.53 ERA in 113 innings with 86 K’s while posting a record of 8-5. Subsequently, he made the Reds’ rotation out of spring training, but his good fortunes came to an end. Bailey was forced to the DL in May and the Reds considered moving him to the bullpen during his rehab. However, a few weeks ago he was summoned back to the big league club and given another shot at the rotation. In his two starts since returning, Bailey is 2-0 and has allowed one ER in 13 innings with ten K’s and only two BB’s. He managed to lower his ERA by one full point in only two starts. We can only hope that Homer has finally found his way at the ripe old age of 24 and that he continues his hot streak. Bailey has always had the tools to succeed, but never seemed to stay on-track long enough. As a fresh arm for the playoff-contending Reds’, Bailey’s value is on the rise for this season (already up 12% this week), and surely for next season in keeper leagues.  Eric Young, 2B – COL – Owned in 10 percent of CBS leagues EY2 was summoned from AAA-Colorado Springs on August 14 and has started every game since. He had a previous stint for the Rockies in ’09 which lasted 30 games, but he was in the starting lineup only 11 times. The speedster led all minor leaguers back in ’06 with 87 stolen bases, but at 25 is hardly a top prospect. Throughout his minor league career, Young’s batting average has hovered between .290 - .300 and his OBP between .359 - .407. In addition, he’s been a legit stolen base threat compiling 303 SB’s in 5+ seasons. He’s been a consistent run-producer scoring over 100 runs twice and driving in as many as 63 runs. Needless to say, he’s a well-seasoned minor leaguer ready for an opportunity. The Rockies would like to get a long look at Young through the rest of the season and give him that long-awaited opportunity. They are hoping he can be the spark-plug and offensive catalyst teams look for in the leadoff spot. In ten games since his recall, Young has 12 hits, five stolen bases and a .293 average. His on-base percentage is a respectable .341 and he has been crushing right-handed pitching with a .417 overall batting average in 19 total games this season. Young is garnering attention in mixed leagues as well as NL-only leagues. His ownership will jump to 18% next week, but is still low enough that he’s flying under the radar in most leagues. Whether you play in a rotisserie league or a H2H points league, Young can be a valuable contributor down the stretch. He will be firmly entrenched in the leadoff spot and will be playing his home games at Coors field where he’s hitting .333 on the season.  Bud Norris, SP – HOU – Owned in 22 percent of CBS leagues David Norris, more commonly known as “Bud” in baseball circles, was previously considered the top pitching prospect for the Astros. He was drafted in the 6th round in 2006 and got his first taste of the majors in 2009. That audition lasted only ten starts before he was shut down to prevent injury after logging 175 combined innings. Bud did manage to garner national attention when he was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year after leading the league with a 2.63 ERA. In 19 starts he posted only four wins but he had a 112:53 K:BB ratio in 120 innings to add to his league-leading ERA. His performance clearly earned him a shot at the Astros’ rotation to start the ’10 season. Norris has had a rocky season thus far for the lowly Astros. In 18 starts he has only five wins and a 5.42 ERA to go along with his mediocre 1.50 WHIP. On the bright side, he has 108 K’s in 99.7 innings. Norris seems to struggle the second and third time against the opposing lineup posting a 5.86 ERA versus 3.69 the first time through. Norris appears to be turning the corner as of late going at least six innings in seven straight starts. In his last three starts, he hasn’t allowed more than two runs and has thrown in a 14 K effort against the Pirates. Since the All-Star break, he is 4-1 with a 4.14 ERA and 43 K’s in 43 innings with an opponents’ batting average of .232. It’s time to strike while the iron is hot and pick up Norris. He’s putting together a nice run of starts and has logged slightly less than 100 innings. He’s in no danger to be pulled from the rotation as the Astros have very little left to play for this season. Norris should be a mainstay in the Astros rotation for years to come. Honorable Mention: Joe Blanton, SP – PHI – Owned in 40 percent of CBS leagues Blanton is 4-1 since the break with a 3.63 ERA. He has 44 K’s in 52 innings and is a solid starter for a playoff-contending team with a potent offense. Randy Wolf, SP – SF – Owned in 50 percent of CBS leagues Wolf is 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA in the month of August and a 20:6 K:BB ratio over that span. He seems to be finally finding his groove in Milwaukee. Blake DeWitt, 2B – CHC – Owned in 13 percent of CBS leagues DeWitt has been hitting leadoff for the Cubs recently and is batting .338 with three HR’s in 22 games since his trade from LA. He’s batting .304 since the break – solid production from the 2B position. Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter@TheSportsFariah Who are your NL waiver wire gems of the week? Leave a comment and let us know, or reply to us on Twitter@TheFantasyFix Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, Fantasy Sports Blog, The NL Wire, Waiver Wire, Homer Bailey, Eric Young, Bud Norris, Joe Blanton, Randy Wolf, Blake DeWitt, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs | CategoriesAll NJ SEO Company
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