 Make sure to join the Fantasy Fix's $250 FREEROLL on DailyJoust.com today! It's a $1 million dollar roster and it's FREE so... Click to enter.This is why you shouldn't worry about an innings cap on Stephen Strasburg. In six innings against the Pirates on Thursday, the Nationals ace struck out 13 (including seven straight), allowed one run, and picked up a victory while throwing 103 pitches. It's proof that even if the Nats limit him to around 175 innings in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, he will produce more in those innings than 90 percent of other starters will in 225 innings. So don't buy into the fear that you should trade Strasburg before he gets shut down before the end of the season. Hang onto him, don't expect him to go eight or nine innings in a game, and hope the Nationals stay in the pennant race so they are pressured into keeping him on the mound late in the year. Don't trade Josh Hamilton either. You probably knew that though. He followed up his four-homer night with just one bomb against the Orioles, his 15th of the year. Two nights after Hamilton hit four homers in one game, Baltimore had five players hit one homer in a game. Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and Wilson Betemit all went deep off Colby Lewis, who became the first pitcher in nearly 100 years to give up five homers and strikeout 12. In seven innings, he did not allow a single, double, or triple, just five homers. Some other highlights from the night: - Yunel Escobar went 4-for-4 to raise his average from .242 to .265 while Henderson Alvarez continued to look good on the mound for the Blue Jays, allowing one earned run in seven innings. - Josh Beckett came back from injury, but the Red Sox and his fantasy owners wish he had waited a bit longer. Beckett gave up seven earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. Michael Brantley had four hits for Cleveland. - C.C. Sabathia threw eight innings with no earned runs against Tampa Bay and when it came to the ninth inning, it was Rafael Soriano, not David Robertson, getting the save. Robertson had pitched two night in a row and gave up four runs in the previous game, so he may have been getting a mental and physical break. For now, assume both Robertson and Soriano will get saves for the Yankees. - Andy Dirks and Miguel Cabrera both had four hits for the Tigers
 Thursday was another crazy one for closers.
The most bizarre story came when the greatest of all time, Mariano Rivera, slipped while shagging fly balls in batting practice and suffered what first appeared to be a twisted knee, but now is expected to be a season-ending torn ACL. A brutal blow to Rivera owners and a horrible way for his career to end if he calls it quits after this season.
David Robertson is the likely replacement when Rivera goes on the DL and is a solid pick-up. Rafael Soriano is another speculative pick-up for saves.
Rafael Dolis and Edward Mujica could also be worth a pick-up as potential closers in the near future.
It was another Carlos Marmol meltdown in Chicago when he entered the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead and gave up three walks and one single without recording an out before being yanked for Dolis, who got the Cubs out of that jam but then gave up an unearned run in the 10th to lose the game against the Reds. It's possible that Marmol, whose ERA is now 6.23, could lose the closer job to Dolis, or possibly James Russell.
Heath Bell's struggles and heavy workload caused Miami manager Ozzie Guillen to go to Mujica in the ninth and he got his first save of the season in a 3-2 victory.
Joining Mujica on the list of closers who were not drafted in most leagues just a month ago but earned a save on Thursday were Henry Rodriguez, Jonathan Broxton, and Fernando Rodney.
Rodriguez got his sixth save after taking over for the injured Drew Storen and Brad Lidge while Rodney now has nine saves as the replacement for injured Kyle Farnsworth. Broxton entered with a 4-3 lead and put the first two Yankees he faced on base, but survived for his fifth save.
Marmol ruined a great start by Ryan Dempster, who threw eight scoreless and struck out six while allowing six hits. Dempster should have done what Joe Blanton did, which was finish off a shutout rather than turning it over to the bullpen. Blanton also had six strikeouts and allowed three hits, but got the win. Brandon Morrow also tossed a three-hit shutout for the Blue Jays with eight strikeouts.Got the itch for daily fantasy baseball? Check out these highly recommended sites!
Ross Detwiler allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings to get the victory over Ian Kennedy, who gave up two runs in seven innings. Bryce Harper had an RBI double for the Nationals after moving up to third in the order, which should thrill his fantasy owners.
Gregor Blanco got another start for San Francisco and went 3-for-3. His speed makes him fantasy relevant if Bruce Bochy keeps putting him at the top of the order.
Conor Gillaspie will be the hot pick-up of the week after replacing Pablo Sandoval, who suffered a broken bone in his hand for the second straight year. It's a tough loss for fantasy owners because Sandoval was hitting .316 with five homers and 14 RBIs, but will now be out for more than a month.
Gillaspie was a first-round pick out of Wichita State in 2008 and the 24-year old has been one of San Francisco's top prospects. He got a bit of time in the big-leagues last year, but should get the bulk of the playing time in Sandoval's spot and was hitting .362 with three homers in Triple A Fresno. Gillaspie had a single in his season debut with the Giants.
Jeff Keppinger is another possible free-agent find in fantasy after going 2-for-2 with a start at third base for Tampa Bay. The Rays don't have a set replacement for Evan Longoria, so Keppinger could get quite a few starts if he hits.
Philadelphia's Laynce Nix is another potential pick-up to get starts until Ryan Howard returns. Nix went 2-for-3 with a homer to raise his average to .342.
Anibal Sanchez continued his strong season by allowing one earned run in seven innings to drop his ERA to 2.43. Coincidentally, his counterpart, Ryan Vogelsong, has the same three digits in his ERA that is at 3.42 after giving up one earned run in seven innings.
Pedro Alvarez continued to crush the ball, going 2-for-4 with his seventh homer of the year. Same for Bryan LaHair, who was 2-for-4 with his seventh homer.
Derek Jeter moved back over .400 with a 4-for-5 night.
 Whether new to the job or an experienced veteran, closers had a hard time filling that job description on Thursday.
Heath Bell, one of the most consistent closer in recent years, had one of his worst performances when he walked four batters and gave up a hit to allow two runs in the ninth inning of a 3-2 loss to the Mets. Bell may need some time to get over that game both mentally and physically after throwing 46 pitches while watching his ERA rise to 9.53.
Jordan Walden is almost at that same mark after giving up a two-run, walk-off homer to Brandon Allen in Tampa's 4-3 win over Anaheim. Walden gave up a hit and a homer to watch his ERA rise to 8.31.
Cincinnati's Sean Marshall took over as the closer when Ryan Madsen suffered a season-ending injury and he gave up a three-run homer to Angel Pagan in the ninth inning to blow a 6-5 loss for the Reds. Marshall gave up three hits and a walk while pushing his ERA to 6.14.
The most impressive ninth-inning pitching came from an unexpected source when Baltimore's Luis Ayala picked up his first save with his ninth scoreless inning on the season. He could be an interesting pickup with regular closer Jim Johnson in the hospital with a bacterial infection and out indefinitely.
Seattle's Brandon League gave up two hits in the ninth, but saved a 5-4 win over Detroit for his seventh save. Jonathan Broxton got his second save for Kansas City much to the relief of his fantasy owners hoping he can keep that role and Huston Street got a save for the Padres. _______________________________________________________________________________________
We have partnered with DailyJoust.com to give our users an opportunity to compete in Daily Fantasy games this baseball season and they have a $250 MLB Baseball Freeroll Tournament Friday April 27th starting at 7pm EST. Click to enter.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Some young pitchers who have struggled this year got things turned around as Baltimore's Brian Matusz tossed six scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 5.66 while Matt Moore of Tampa Bay gave up two runs in 5 2/3. It was a different story for Detroit's Rick Porcello, who gave up five runs in 6 2/3 to Seattle, and Josh Tomlin, who gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings.
If you picked up Philip Humber after the perfect game, you were too late. He gave up nine runs in five innings against Boston.
Ricky Nolasco gave up one run in seven innings and Jon Niese gave up two in seven innings, but neither factored in the decision. It was a similar story in San Diego where Edinson Volquez gave up one run in seven innings and Edwin Jackson threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings, but neither got a decision.
Your offensive fantasy stud of the day was Boston catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who had a pair of homers. Kevin Youkilis had three hits and four RBIs for the Red Sox.
Adam Jones went 2-for-4 with his sixth home run to raise his average to .316 and teammate Nick Markakis was 3-for-4. Jay Bruce had three hits and a homer while Mark Trumbo had two hits and a homer. There were signs of life from Brandon Belt, who took advantage of a start to get two hits.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis should continue to be a hot pick-up after getting three hits to raise his average to .333.
And Albert Pujols broke his longest hitless streak at 21 at-bats with a single, but still no homer this season for Pujols.
 Curtis Granderson had a pretty good week in just one night.
The Yankees' center fielder had the fantasy performance of the season, going 5-for-5 with three homers, three runs scored, and four RBIs. He began the day hitting .208 with three home runs and six RBIs before boosting his average by .075 and doubling his home-run total and nearly doubling his RBI total.
If there was a disappointment, it was that after homering in his first three at-bats, he failed twice to hit a fourth homer and instead singled each time.
It was a another ho-hum performance from Matt Kemp, who was 2-for-5 with his seventh homer of the year for the Dodgers.
Cincinnati's Drew Stubbs broke out of a season-long slump by going 3-for-5 with his first home run of the season. Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and Ryan Ludwick are also struggling Reds who had two hits against Adam Wainright, whose ERA is at 9.88 after allowing four earned runs in five innings.
Adam Jones continued his stellar season with two hits and three RBIs, including his fifth home run.
Jason Hammel has found a nice home in Baltimore and allowed two runs in six innings to win his second game and move his ERA to 2.37.Enter today's Fantasy Fix's FREEROLL hosted by DailyJoust. We've got $250 in cash prizes and best of all, it's FREE to enter. Click here to sign up.
Pretty much everyone on Texas is hot at the plate these days as Mike Napoli went 2-for-5 with his fourth homer in three days. Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, and Michael Young had three hits apiece while Elvis Andrus, Craig Gentry, and even Yorvit Torrealba had two hits apiece.
Houston caught a little of the Texas heat as Brian Bogusevic and Jason Castro each had three hits, Jose Altuve had a double and a triple and two RBIs, while J.D. Martinez, Carlos Lee, and Matt Downs all had two hits apiece.
Evan Longoria had three hits and four RBIs with a home run for the Rays.
Minnesota's Ryan Doumit was 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs, and a homer while teammate Chris Parmelee is becoming fantasy relevant with his second straight two-hit game. In his first start of the season, Milwaukee's Travis Ishikawa had two hits and two RBIs, but he remains fantasy irrelevant.
The tough-luck line of the night went to Felix Hernandez, who struck out 12 in eight scoreless innings before leaving after throwing 126 pitches. Brandon League needed only 20 pitches to blow the lead and the save for Hernandez. That made a winner out of Josh Tomlin, who gave up one run in eight innings.
Philadelphia's Vance Worley threw seven scoreless innings to beat San Diego's Joe Wieland, who gave up just one run in six innings. Mike Minor was another young pitching prospect who came up big, allowing one run in eight innings.
Freddie Freeman was 3-for-5 with five RBIs and a homer for Atlanta.
Albert Pujols had his first three-hit game as an Angel, but remains homerless in 54 at-bats.
 Zack Greinke's ugly home/road splits are back. Greinke frustrated fantasy owners last year when he was so good at home and so bad on the road, and this year has started out the same way. After throwing seven scoreless innings in his first start of the year at home, Greinke gave up eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings at Chicago. The good news is that Greinke's next two starts come at home, but the bad news is that those numbers will even up through the course of the season. Matt Garza had the kind of start that Greinke owners were expecting from their guy. Garza threw 8 2/3 scoreless innings and missed out on a shot at a shutout when he committed an error in the ninth that extended the game and took him out of the game with 119 pitches. Joe Blanton is the forgotten starter for the Phillies and went undrafted in many leagues, but could be a popular FAAB pick-up after giving up one run in seven innings against Miami. San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner bounced back from a rough first start to give up one run in 7 1/3 innings. His victory almost went away when Brian Wilson gave up three hits and one earned run in the ninth, but he held on to get his first save of the season. Gio Gonzalez wasn't as lucky as Bumgarner as his seven shutout innings weren't enough for a win when Brad Lidge blew the save by allowing two runs in the ninth. Henry Rodriguez looks like a good bet to get the next save opportunity for the Nats. Ian Kennedy looked to be in for a rough night when the first three Padres got a hit, but he got out of the inning by allowing just one run and then he finished up with five scoreless innings. Mike Adams picked up a rare save for the Rangers, but that could be a sign of things to come after Joe Nathan blew a save the night before. Javy Guerra got his fifth save in seven games for the Dodgers. Drew Smyly of Detroit has been a hot pick-up and he gave up one run, but threw just four innings after tossing 90 pitches. Ian Kinsler and Michael Young continued their hot starts for Texas with three hits apiece. Minnesota's Josh Willingham is hitting over .400 after going 3-for-5 while Joe Mauer was 3-for-5 with his first homer. Adam LaRoche has been another early surprise and had two hits and two RBIs to raise his average to .345. Andrew McCutchen was 3-for-3 for the Pirates to push his average over .400. Melky Cabrera is proving last year was no fluke as he went 2-for-4 to raise his average to .385. Fantasy owners who hoped for a breakout year from Ian Stewart with the Cubs are being rewarded. He had two hits to raise his average to .292. On the other end of the spectrum, Miami's Gaby Sanchez is hitting .125 and Logan Morrison is at .188. Got the itch for daily fantasy baseball? Check out these highly recommended sites!
 Yum, baseball is back! Hope you had a starting pitcher going on Thursday. Just about any one will work.
Most of the Opening Day aces lived up to their billing on the first full day of the baseball season.
Roy Halladay and Justin Verlander proved they are still the best pitchers in fantasy baseball by tossing eight scoreless innings apiece. Halladay shut down the Pirates while Verlander kept Boston scoreless. Johan Santana showed he may be ready to once again join the list of elite starters with five scoreless innings against the Braves while Atlanta's Tommy Hanson gave up one run in five innings.
Stephen Strasburg and Ryan Dempster faced off in a pitchers duel with Dempster giving up one run in 7 2/3 innings while Strasburg gave up one in seven innings.
Johnny Cueto showed last year was no fluke as he tossed seven scoreless innings against Miami. Jon Lester got the year off to a good start as he gave up one run in seven innings and Justin Masterson gave up one run in eight innings. Erik Bedard was solid in defeat for the Pirates, allowing one run in seven innings.
Last year's NL Cy Young winner, Clayton Kershaw, also did not give up a run, but he left after only three innings due to sickness.
It was not such a good day for closers as Carlos Marmol gave up one run in one inning and Jose Valverde allowed two runs in one inning but got a victory. The worst line for a closer came from Chris Perez, who gave up three earned runs in 2/3 of an inning for Cleveland.
A couple of relievers who moved from the American League to the National League picked up a save as Jonathan Papelbon threw a perfect inning for Philadelphia and Frank Francisco was perfect in an inning for the Mets. Got the itch for daily fantasy baseball? Check out these highly recommended sites!
Brad Lidge emerged as Washington's closer while Drew Storen is hurt and he got a save. Any doubts about the Dodgers' closer went away when Kenley Jansen pitched the eighth inning and Javy Guerra came on to get a save in the ninth.
While pitching dominated the day, a couple of offensive studs came through with nice openers. Jose Bautista was 3-for-4 with a home run and Matt Kemp was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a homer.
Shortstops Jhonny Peralta and Ian Desmond had three hits apiece.
Those expecting a breakout season from Cameron Maybin had to be encouraged by his opener when he had two hits, including a homer. David Wright started what could be a bounceback year with two hits and an RBI.
The fantasy dud of the day was Toronto's top prospect, Brett Lawrie, who was 0-for-6.
The biggest injury of the day occurred when Andres Torres suffered a calf strain in the seventh inning and was placed on the disabled list by the Mets. Kirk Nieuwenhuis is expected to replace Torres and is a solid pick-up in NL-only leagues. He's one of the Mets top prospects and had double-digit steals and homers in 2010. Last year, he was limited to 53 games in Triple-A last year and hit .298 with six homers and five steals. Written by Steve Mims exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Steve on Twitter @nwsportscards
Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix
or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team!
 Mat Latos (MLB.com credit) Cincinnati made the boldest move of any team in the NL Central to upgrade its starting rotation in the offseason.
The Reds gave up four players, including veteran starter Edinson Volquez and a few top prospects, to get Mat Latos from San Diego. At only age 24, Latos has electric stuff as shown by his 413 strikeouts in 429 career innings and a 3.37 ERA in 72 career starts.
Latos has been durable, making 31 starts in each of the past two seasons.
There have been concerns about Latos including worries that the Padres overused him early in his career. More than 400 innings pitched before turning 24 is a lot and San Diego seemed to annually debate shutting him down early once it was eliminated from contention.
Still, he's worth a bundle in fantasy baseball even though moving from Petco Park to Cinci could result in an increased ERA. He should get more wins with the Reds as well. He's an ace-in-the-making and is worth an early pick in all fantasy formats.
Latos could be joined by another heavily-hyped prospect making his debut in the rotation this year if the Reds follow through on the plan to make Aroldis Chapman a starter. He's been sensational out of the bullpen with a 3.27 ERA in 69 appearances, but he was brought to Cinci to be a starter.
If he does get a spot in the rotation, he doesn't become a fantasy stud right away. He will almost certainly have his innings limited because he has thrown barely 60 major-league innings, so don't expect him to toss 200 this year.
I think he'd likely start out throwing about six innings a night and could be skipped a couple times to give him a break during the season when the Reds have a day off. The hype surrounding him will likely make him go higher in drafts than he should, so be careful jumping in to soon on Chapman.
Johnny Cueto finally lived up to his billing as a staff ace last year when he 2.31 ERA in 24 starts, although that resulted in only nine wins. He dealt with a strained lat late in the season, but should be fine for spring training. Cueto's ERA has dropped in each of his past three seasons and although last year's number will be tough to beat, he should be around 3.00 with more wins this year, so a solid fantasy starter.
Bronson Arroyo has become as hard to predict as any pitcher in the National League. His ERA went down nearly a full point from 2008 to 2009 and then stayed about the same in 2010 before rising more than a point to 5.07 last year.
You have to think last year was a bit fluky and he should be back around 4.00 this year and back into double digit victories.
Mike Leake could be one of the most improved pitchers this year because the Reds may finally lift the innings cap they seemed to put on him during his first two seasons. His 12 wins and 3.86 ERA last year were nice and I think those numbers get even better this season.
Homer Bailey has never lived up to his hype as a top prospect. In five seasons, his ERA has never been below 4.40 and his career ERA is getting close to 5.00. At 25, there is time for a turnaround and thus he's worth a cheap flyer late in a draft or auction, but don't expect much considering his track record.
Jeff Francis signed with the Reds, but there does not look to be any room in the rotation for him. The former top prospect of the Rockies has battled inconsistency and injury, so he's got no fantasy value at this time.
Sam LeCure looks to be back in the bullpen this year, but his value increases if the Reds need him in the rotation. Written by Steve Mims exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Steve on Twitter @nwsportscards
Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix
or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team!
 Matt Garza (see credits below) The Chicago Cubs starting rotation will have a different look this season.
For the first time since 2001, Carlos Zambrano will not be a part of the rotation after being dealt to Miami.
That was one of a few deals that the Cubs made to acquire starting pitchers who could be cheap finds in fantasy baseball if they can live up to their billing.
Paul Maholm was signed from Pittsburgh where he had been a mainstay in the Pirates rotation for six seasons. The lefty had an up-and-down run with the Pirates, but had a 3.66 ERA last year and that should result in more than the six wins he got last year. Although his ERA had been over 4.40 in his two previous years, I think Maholm is a nice add if you can get him near the end of a draft.
Travis Wood came over in a trade for the Reds after a disappointing season with a 4.84 ERA in Cinci. He's a former top prospect who impressed in his debut in 2010 with a 3.51 ERA and I think the 25-year old can get close to those numbers again, so another good bargain.
Chris Volstad was the player acquired for Zambrano after posing an ERA above 4.50 in each of the last three seasons. He's another former top prospect, but not one that I want to touch after struggling for three years in a row.
Andy Sonnanstine signed with the Cubs from Tampa Bay where he pitched mostly in relief the past two years. His career ERA is 5.26 in 132 games, so no reason to think that will come down much.
The two returnees at the top of the rotation are Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster.
Garza had a nice debut with the Cubs last year, winning 10 games with a 3.32 ERA. He's a reliable starter who has had an ERA under 4.00 in each of his past five seasons. He's not the ace of your fantasy staff, but a solid starter.
Dempster had bright spots last year, but finished with a 4.80 ERA, his worst in nearly a decade. He's a nice buy-low candidate because he posted three straight seasons with double digit wins and an ERA under 4.00 before his steep drop last season. I'll take a chance on him late in a draft or cheap in an auction.
Randy Wells is one of those guys who always seems to be on the waiver wire when you need pitching depth, but the waiver wire is where he belongs. After a good rookie season in 2009, he has been disappointing and has no guarantee of a spot in the rotation.
Jeff Samardzija always seems to be in the mix for a starting spot, but is never able to hold on, and at age 27, he looks destined for a career in the bullpen.Written by Steve Mims exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Steve on Twitter @nwsportscardsFollow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfixor for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team!(September 26, 2011 - Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images North America)
 Jeff Karstens (credits below) The Pirates always seem to have a pitcher or two you can find in the bargain bin who turns out to have fantasy value.
James McDonald and Paul Maholm are among the pitchers who have posted good fantasy numbers on a bad Pirates team in the past few years.
Last year, it was Charlie Morton and Jeff Karstens who rewarded those fantasy owners who likely took them in the final rounds of a draft or picked them up from the free-agent pile.
Karstens may be the ace of Pittsburgh's shaky staff this season after posting a career-low 3.38 ERA in 30 games, including 26 starts last season. That came after two seasons of ERAs close to 5.00.
He'll continue to be an innings-eater for Pittsburgh, but I see his ERA flying back up north of 4.00 this season while struggling to match even his nine wins from last season.
Morton is another guy that surprised early last season before injuries wore him down late.
There was some pre-draft hype last year that Morton was trying to model the mechanics of Roy Halladay and he did make a big improvement with 10 wins and a 3.83 after never having an ERA under 4.50 in his first three seasons.
Since there seemed to be a cause to his improvement, a change in his mechanics, I tend to trust that he can continue to post numbers similar to last season and maybe even better, since his numbers got worse late due to a hip injury.
That injury remains a question as Morton is questionable to be back for Opening Day, but if he gets a good medical report, I'd keep an eye on him as a cheap starter who could pay big dividends.
McDonald was a disappointment last year in his first full season with the Pirates with a 4.21 ERA. His biggest problem was consistency as he would give up one run in seven innings and then get rocked the next time out.
He's got big-time potential and at 27, it is time to show it. He's another guy I will take a shot on late in the draft, but if somebody wants to take a chance on him higher, they can have him.
Pittsburgh's big addition this offseason was Eric Bedard, who becomes available for the first time in National League-only leagues.
He continues to be a risk or reward guy as he's good when healthy, but never seems to be healthy for a full season. However, he made 24 starts last year, his most since 2007, and had a 3.62 ERA. He hasn't had an ERA above 4.00 since 2004 and moving to the National League should only help him.
He will be the Pirates' best pitcher if he stays healthy, but that is too big of a question mark for me to treat him in drafts like the stud he can be.
The back end of Pittsburgh's rotation can be ignored in fantasy drafts including Kevin Correia, who got off to a fast start last year but finished with an ERA over 4.70 for the second straight season. Former top prospect Brad Lincoln is expected to contend for a spot in the rotation, but he's had his chances before and 5.74 ERA in the past two seasons.
Jeff Locke is another prospect who struggled in a short major-league stint but could contend for a rotation spot. Jo-Jo Reyes signed with the Pirates in the offseason, but I want no part of his 6.05 career ERA in 70 big-league games.
The best starters this spring for the Pirates won't make the major-league roster, but plenty of eyes will be on Gerrit Cole, last year's No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and Jameson Taillon, another former first-rounder. Grab them if you can in dynasty leagues.Written by Steve Mims exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Steve on Twitter @nwsportscardsFollow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfixor for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team!(August 9, 2011 - Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images North America)
 Bud Norris (credits below) For those of us in National League-only fantasy leagues, its our last shot at picking Houston Astros.
Pardon me if I pass on their starting pitchers.
The Astros had a team ERA of 4.51 last year and that included an ERA of 4.46 or worse from three of their regular starting pitchers.
As for the offseason, Houston's big addition to the rotation was Livan Hernandez. Yup, he's still alive...and playing.
The rotation will look similar to last year led by Wandy Rodriguez, who was the ace of the staff with 11 wins and a 3.49 ERA. Rodriguez has been the only consistent starter for Houston since Roy Oswalt departed and he has had an ERA of 3.60 or below for four straight seasons, but unfortunately has won more than 11 games just once during that span.
His strikeouts have dipped a bit in each of the past three seasons and I think at age 35 his stats will start to regress a bit, so I'm not as high on him this year.
If you are going to target an Astros starter, take a shot on one of their guys with greater upside.
I got Bud Norris a couple years ago when he was a rookie and held on to him for two shaky seasons before he finally had a breakthrough last year.
The hard-throwing right-hander would be my top pick among their starters this year after he had a 3.77 ERA in 31 starts last year. The wins weren't there, only six, and while that will increase a bit, don't expect more than 10 for any Houston starter. His ERA dropped a full point last year and he continued to strike out about one batter per inning, so his numbers should only get better this year.
Jordan Lyles was one of the top prospects last season and his call-up from the minors excited fantasy owners, but his debut was a dud. He had a 5.36 ERA in 20 games, including 15 starts. His numbers will improve and if you can get him cheap, take a shot, but don't invest too much in him because at 21 he is not a lock to be in the starting rotation, or even the majors, to begin the year.
Brett Myers was a pleasant fantasy surprise in 2010 when he had 14 wins and a 3.14 ERA in his first year with the Astros, but followed it up with seven wins and a 4.46 ERA. Like all the Astros starters, he is tough to trust so only worth a flyer if he drops in drafts or auctions.
J.A. Happ has hit the skids after thrilling fantasy owners as a sleeper in 2009 when he went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA for Philadelphia. His trade to the Astros has slowed his development and last year was a disaster as he went 6-15 with a 5.35 ERA. For a guy who was not a top prospect and surprised many with his 2009 season, it is hard to imagine he gets close to his numbers from that year again.
Kyle Weiland is generating some buzz as one of the top rookies this season after being traded in the offseason from Boston. The 25-year old had good numbers in the minors but struggled in a short stint with the Red Sox last season.
He will get a shot to be in the rotation and considering his competition for those spots, he could be there and worth a risk late in a draft or auction.
Henry Sosa is another contender for the rotation, but after going 3-5 with a 5.23 ERA in 10 starts, he's not worth a look in fantasy.
Aneury Rodriguez is also in the mix to start, but he's another guy to avoid after posting an ERA north of 5.00 last year.
So with all those less-than-desirable options to start, what about Livan Hernandez? Some fantasy owners who had him in 2010 when he had a 3.66 ERA may be willing to buy in again, but before you do, note that his ERA has been above 4.40 in the other four of his past five seasons including 4.47 last year with Washington.Written by Steve Mims exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Steve on Twitter @nwsportscards
Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix
or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team!(August 22, 2011 - Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images North America)
|
RSS Feed