2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Advice & Analysis
 Rajai Davis A quick look at Week 8's top performing and least owned players. Max Scherzer's 14Ks, Brett Cecil on a roll and more. Who will continue the hot streak in week 9? BATTERS Drew Stubbs - 20% of Y! Leagues 6 R / 2 HRS / 6 RBI / .435 BA So when is a .235 season average a good thing? Its good when you've raised your average 32 points in the past week. Stubby move from leadoff to the bottom of the lineup has taken the pressure off and we are slowly seeing why he is one of the better 2nd year players out there. With his speed and power we should see some continued success. Angel Pagan - 20% of Y! Leagues 5 R / 1 HR / 2 RBI / 4 SB / 360 BA In 343 AB last season Angel stole 14 bases and already has 9 (4 coming this week) in only 176 AB. He can maintain close to a .300 average so as long as he can find the ABs over the course of the season, he should be able to put up decent numbers. Omar Minaya said Beltran is still 4-6 weeks away from returning giving Pagan decent fantasy value for another month or longer. Seth Smith - 5% of Y! Leagues 5 R / 3 HRS / 6 RBI / .353 BA In slightly over 300 AB last season Smith put up awesome numbers and everyone is excited to see what he can do with 500+ AB. If Smith actually gets that many at bats, he'd be on pace to hit around 30 homers and 90 runs/rbis. Like all Rockies, playing in Colorado vs Away has been night day (7 hrs .333 avg vs 1 hr .200 avg) Rajai Davis - 50% of Y! Leagues 5 R / 5SB .381 BA In less than 400 AB last year Davis swiped 41SB. In only 167 AB this year he already has 20 and is leading the league. Rajai's average dipped to a low .212 towards the end of April but he's raised it 50 points. It's beyond me why he would only be owned in half of leagues. Just having him for the 1 category should be enough. Jason Kubel - 50% of Y! Leagues 4 R / 2 HRS / 7 RBI / .375 BA Again another player only owned in 50% of leagues. A slow start had a lot of owners drop him early on but for a guy who hit 28 hrs / 103 rbis / .300 avg in '09, there isn't a reason in the world why he won't pick it up from here on out. Juan Uribe - 54% of Y! Leagues 5 R / 2 HRS / 4 RBI / .429 BA There aren't that many 3 position players to begin with and Juan is one of the deserving ones on your roster. Uribe slowed down in early may but has picked it up this past week raising his average back up to .288. Corey Hart - 50% of Y! Leagues 3 R / 3 HRS / 8 RBI / .240 BA 5 bingers in the past 8 games has gotten Hart back on the radar. His low average is a bummer and has been for the past two years but he has already matched his 12 homers of 2009 in 369 at bats less. PITCHERS Brett Cecil - 16% of Y! Leagues 15.1 IP / 2 W / 10 K / 1.17 ERA / 0.52 WHIP Brett's last two starts have been…DOMINANT. His past three starts have all been wins and only gave up 4 runs in 21 2/3 innings. Owners were starting to catch on until his blow up game against the Rangers for 8 runs in 2 innings but Brett seems to have gotten past that and is on his way to a superb season. You have to keep a radar on any guy who can strike out 10. 16% owned, come on! Carlos Silva - 44% of Y! Leagues 7 IP / 1 W / 11 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.20 WHIP Silva is 7-0 and had his strongest outing of the year against the Cardinals giving up zero runs and whiffing 11. What more does a guy gotta do to get on your team? Max Scherzer - 30% of Y! Leagues 5.2 IP / 1 W / 14 K / 0.00 ERA / 1.06 WHIP Dontrelle Willis down, Max Scherzer up. When Max got the demotion two weeks ago he had a 7.29 ERA and had only struck out 26 in 42 innings. He clearly needed to go back to basics. It was no fluke Scherzer had 174 Ks last year. 14 Ks in only 5.2 innings against the A's on Sunday! If you wait to see what he does in his next game, he might not be there. Add him now and take the risk, hopefully Max is Back! Anibal Sanchez - 21% of Y! Leagues 13 IP / 2 W / 13 K / 1.38 ERA / 1.15 WHIP Anibal is now 5-2 for the year with a sub 3.00 era. He has won 4 straight giving up 4 runs in 26.3 innings and 28K. Anibal is about as hot as any pitcher out there right now. Luke Gregerson - 15% of Y! Leagues 4 IP / 1 W / 6 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.00 WHIP If you're looking for a middle reliever to even out your numbers Gregerson may be your guy. He only has 1 win for the season but in 27 innings he's struck out 32. His WHIP is only .43 and batters are hitting a measly .109. Hisanori Takahashi - 23% of Y! Leagues 6 IP / 1 W / 6 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.83 WHIP After being promoted from the bullpen, Hisanori has pitched 12 scoreless innings, stuck out 11 and walked 1. With injuries to Niese, Maine and Perez - Takahashi has the opportunity to prove he belongs in the rotation. STILL ROLLING AND STILL AVAILABLE? SAY WHAATTT? Johnny Cueto - 69% of Y! Leagues 6 IP / 1 W / 9 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.83 WHIP I usually try to keep this under 50% or so owned but Cueto at this point should be owned in all leagues. 4 straight wins (one of them being a CG 1 hitter) has shot Cueto back to the top. The only thing we have to watch for is his performance in the 2nd half after his poor 2nd half in 2009. Mat Latos - 62% of Y! Leagues 6 IP / 1 W / 8 K / 3.00 ERA / 1.17 WHIP Another guy who just has to be owned in every league. His 1 hitter was just the beginning of good things. I expect Latos to dominate the remainder of the season. Do you think Scherzer is back for good? Will Davis lead the league in swipes? Leave a comment or reply to us on Twitter. Twitter.com/fantasyfix_evan or Twitter.com/thefantasyfix Tags: Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, The Fantasy Fix, Must or Bust Fantasy Marx, MLB, NL, AL, Drew Stubbs, Angel Pagan, Seth Smith, Rajai Davis, Jason Kubel, Juan Uribe, Corey Hart, Brett Cecil, Carlos Silva, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, Luke Gregerson, Hisanori Takahashi, Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins Add Comment  Jonathan Sanchez Tim Lincecum is king. Has been for the past two years. He dominates like no other and theoretically will only get better. But there are two stars on that rotation that easily get overshadowed and are trying to prove to the league that they should be feared too. Enter Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez. Here's the stats so far: LINCECUM 5-1 / 80K / 3.00ERA / 1.12WHIP / .205BAA CAIN 3-4 / 51K / 2.50ERA / 1.01WHIP / .197BAA SANCHEZ 2-4 / 56K / 3.00ERA / 1.09WHIP / .186BAA Two big things are putting Lincey slightly ahead this year – the fact that he is 5-1 and also that he is leading the league in Ks with 80. The truth is that Sanchez and Cain have been jipped wins with practically no run support. Cain's 1 hitter was phenomenal but it was predeceased by 2 losses which he only gave up 2 runs and received 1 run in return. In 3 of Sanchez's losses he's given up 7 hits/4runs in 22 innings and received ZERO runs! Comparatively the Giants have scored in every game Lincecum has pitched in and actually outscored opponents 58-40. Lincecum will undoubtably lead the league in strikeouts again this year. Barring any injuries I'd be shocked if he doesn't hit his 250+ mark again. Sanchez though is going to put up very respectable numbers too. He has K'd 11 twice and 10 three times in his short career and should have a very good chance to reach the 200 mark this year. Cain on the other hand has averaged slightly over 200 innings the past 4 years and the closest he has come was 186K. Forget the strikeouts with Cain though - last year his ERA dropped 87 points, his WHIP by 18 points and his BAA by 19 points. So far this year he has lowered all those categories by 49/17/35. Try to build your team with players like Sanchez or Cain who cost a quarter of the price of Lincecum but at the end of the year will hopefully give you 3/4 of the performance or better. Now I'm not telling you you're stupid to have Lincey on your team - I'm just saying be a bargain hunter. How do you think Sanchez will pitch today? Who do you think is better Matt Cain or Sanchez? Leave a comment or reply to us on Twitter. Twitter.com/fantasyfix_evan or Twitter.com/thefantasyfix Tags: Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, The Fantasy Fix, MLB, NL, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, San Francisco Giants  Clayton Richard BATTERS Edwin Encarnacion - 15% of Y! Leagues 7 R / 6 HRS / 11 RBI / .368 BA Hitting 6 homers in 6 games is what we like to call going on a tear. We're only one year removed from Edwin hitting 26 dingers. Who does this guy think he is...Jose Bautista? Adam LaRoche - 54% of Y! Leagues 8 R / 3 HRS / 8 RBI / .435 BA LaRoche has put up 5 straight solid seasons and it's really surprising he isn't owned more in leagues. He might not get you 100 runs or rbis but isn't 25/75/85 worth having on your team? Mike Napoli - 54% of Y! Leagues 5 R / 4 HRS / 9 RBI / .381 BA Well, well, well. Look who's having a John Buck week. He really hasn't done anything before this week, but his career stats are pretty solid for a catcher. Jose Guillen - 61% of Y! Leagues 8 R / 3 HRS / 6 RBI / .370 BA Guillen started off crazy hot until May when we watched his average drop over 50 points but it looks like he's making another run. Guillen has always been a streaky player so be prepared to have a strong stomach. Laynce Nix - 1% of Y! Leagues 5 R / 3 HRS / 7 RBI / .533 BA Nix had a hot week but its a matter of compiling the ABs to deserve a fantasy roster. Scott Rolen - 43% of Y! Leagues 4 R / 3 HRS / 9 RBI / .389 BA Yes he's old and hasn't put up decent numbers since 2006, but he was a proven all-star for many years. His career average is solid and he's already hit 10 homers (1 less than all of 2008). Old-man comeback award? Casey Blake - 47% of Y! Leagues 5 R / 3 HRS / 6 RBI / .423 BA Casey at the bat, had a good week but his career average seems to be around 20/80/75 so don't expect anything better this year. Could ride a spot in deeper leagues. Corey Patterson - 2% of Y! Leagues 6 R / 1 HR / 4 RBI / .276 BA He's got the job until Roberts returns and that could still be a while away. Could be a good pickup for temporary steals in deeper leagues. Corey Hart - 39% of Y! Leagues 6 R / 4 HRS / 6 RBI / .250 BA 2007-08 were great but '09 was a dud. Looks like Hart is on his way back baby. Luke Scott - 34% of Y! Leagues 8 R / 2 HRS / 3 RBI / .385 BA Scott was on my list last week and he hasn't stopped yet. Another solid week of hitting and he's raised his average to a respectable .273 PITCHERS Edwin Jackson - 53% of Y! Leagues 15.2 IP / 2 W / 21 K / 2.87 ERA / 0.77 WHIP After a stellar 2009, Jackson is making owners woozy with his up and down pitching. The only bright spot is that in the past 4 starts he's average 9Ks. Looks like its just taking some time to get used to the Diamondback's system. Gio Gonzalez - 22% of Y! Leagues 15 IP / 2 W / 9 K / 1.80 ERA / 0.73 WHIP He's certainly started off stronger than last year and went 8 innings in his last start which was his longest outing of his short career. In fact Gio only went 7 innings once last year and already has 4 games of 7 or more. He's got great potential and I think everyone is waiting for him to break out of his shell. Clayton Richard - 30% of Y! Leagues 14 IP / 2 W / 11 K / 1.29 ERA / 0.93 WHIP Let's take a ride on the Padres train. Richard and Latos are making a strong case for the best one-two punch in the national league. Clayton has only given up 4 runs in the past 3 games and all for wins. An ERA at 2.73, Richard is a must pickup in any league right now. Sean Marshall - 13% of Y! Leagues 5 IP / 2 W / 7 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.80 WHIP Need a middle relief guy to keep your ERA + WHIP down? Marshall is your guy. You'll get a win here and there too. And the topping, 30K in 23 innings. Johnny Cueto - 60% of Y! Leagues 13 IP / 2 W / 12 K / 2.08 ERA / 1.08 WHIP Cueto has had a history of up and down games but in his past three he's only given up 3 runs in 22 innings plus had 20Ks. Good pickup if he's around. Frank Francisco - 40% of Y! Leagues 5 IP / 1 W / 9 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.60 WHIP Frankie lost the closer job and most likely wont get it back unless Feliz gets injured or a house falls on him but he's looking like one of the best middle relievers at the moment. Zero runs in the past 8 games! My prediction is Francisco will end up on another team by next year and have closer duties again (probably the Orioles since they go through closers every month or two). Ian Kennedy - 35% of Y! Leagues 8 IP / 1 W / 9 K / 1.12 ERA / 0.75 WHIP Kennedy is looking better and better in 2010. He was one of the top Yankee prospects for years and it looks like he just needed a new home with less pressure. Absolute pickup. Anibal Sanchez - 34% of Y! Leagues 7 IP / 1 W / 8 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.86 WHIP Anibal the Animal has put together 6 quality starts in a row without giving up more than 2 runs. His past two starts have given him 2 wins and 15Ks. Injuries have plagued Sanchez for the past 3 years but it looks like he's trying to get back to those 2006 numbers. Octavio Dotel- 55% of Y! Leagues 3 IP / 1 W / 2 SV/ 3 K / 0.00 ERA / 1.00 WHIP Dotel started off the season about as bad as any reliever could but since has rolled out 9 solid games. Of those 9, he's given up 1 run and converted 7 for saves and 1 win. Looks like the closer job is locked for the moment. John Ely - 18% of Y! Leagues 13 IP / 2 W / 11 K / 2.77 ERA / 1.08 WHIP Ely has surprised everyone with his consistent play since replacing Charlie Haeger. Not sure if there is enough raw talent there to keep this going all season but he sure is making a case. 3 wins in a row, 2 runs each game, 17Ks. Definitely worth a shot if you have the extra roster spot. Zach Duke - 6% of Y! Leagues 13 IP / 1 W / 10 K / 0.69 ERA / 1.15 WHIP Duke is one of those guys who came up and looked like he had so much promise. After his rookie campaign, he's never been the same and this year will be no different. Stay away, you'll only get good games here and there. Who's gonna be legit? Think Encarnacion can keep it up? Leave a comment or reply to us on Twitter. Twitter.com/thefantasyfix Tags: Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, Fantasy Sports Blog, MLB, Fantasy Marx, Must or Bust, AL, NL,Edwin Encarnacion, Adam LaRoche, Mike Napoli, Jose Guillen, Laynce Nix, Scott Rolen, Casey Blake, Corey Patterson, Corey Hart, Luke Scott, Gio Gonzalez, Clayton Richard, Sean Marshall, Johnny Cueto, Frank Francisco, Ian Kennedy, Anibal Sanchez, Octavio Dotel, John Ely, Zach Duke, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Anaheim Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Oak Athletics, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers The Price is Right Now! 05/22/2010
 David Price David Price is hosting the Price is Right in 2010, so move over Drew Carey. He's got keeper material written all over him. Oh yeah, it doesn't hurt to play for the Rays who are being compared to the 1998 Yankees. Things are looking good in Tampa… David Price is rolling in the Wins right now thanks to the red hot Rays. While some players are pitching all-star seasons and just not getting the wins (Roy Oswalt, Doug Fister, Zack Greinke, Johnathan Sanchez) – Price is top top dog in the AL and only behind only Ubaldo Jiminez for the whole league. Posting a 1.81 ERA through 8, he is definitely showing while he was the number 1 pick of 2007. Price's next start this Sunday is against the slumping Astros and should be a breeze. His start after that is against the White Sox who handed him his only loss of the season but even the Sox aren't much of a threat these days. In his next game after the loss, he absolutely dominated the Jays, holding them to 4 hits and over 9 IP and zero runs. And get this - if all goes according to plan, Price will get 2 straight starts against the Blue Jays after the Sox. If he really has their number, we might be looking at a 10-1 record. Even with the Jays 5-7 AL East record, this may be wishful thinking, since they are much more offensively sound than either the Astros or White Sox at the moment. 2010 thus far is turning out to be the year of the pitcher and Price is right up there leading the way. I ended up drafting him in the 16th round this year and he averaged around a 13-15th pick in most 12 team leagues. Price is going to be a dominant force for many years and I wouldn't be shocked to hear that he will be a lot of owner's keeper for next year. Come on down David Price - you are the next contestant! How many wins do you think Price will get this year? Will he lead the league? Leave a comment or reply to us on Twitter. Twitter.com/fantasyfix_evan or Twitter.com/thefantasyfix Tags: Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, The Fantasy Fix, David Price, Roy Oswalt, Doug Fister, Zack Greinke, Johnathan Sanchez, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays  Ian 'Ike' Kennedy 2010 has been good to Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. 2,500 miles away, these one time brothers are finally doing their thang. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy were heralded as the future of the Yankees. They were brothers on a mission, studying under the great Mike Mussina. 2007 and 2008 came and went. The Yankees started worrying–their star prospects were looking like duds…. Hughes 2009 campaign was a wild one. Phil started in the minors then caught a break when Chien-Ming Wang went down. He started 6 games, and when Wang came back, the Yanks moved him to the bullpen. With Joba Chamberlain now in the rotation, Hughes had secured the setup role to Mariano. The rest of 2009 was a successful one (8 runs in 58.2 innings / 1.23 ERA) and it seemed like Phil Hughes had found his calling. Enter 2010 preseason, Hughes and Joba are competing for the final rotation spot. Joba bombs and Hughes is strong – funny how things change in a year. Chamberlain is now the setup man and Phil is well… Philthy! 5 wins, 42Ks in 44 IP and a 2.25 ERA. Hughes has been so dominant thus far that he is looking like he could be a top fiver. Congrats to those who took Phil in the later rounds! I am truly envious. But what about the forgotten brother? In '07 Ike was not only compared to Mussina – he replaced him at the end of the season. Kennedy threw 3 solid games to finish the year and it looked like 2008 was a lock. Well '08, wasn't a lock, not even close. From April to May Kennedy posted a 7.41 ERA before being demoted to Scranton. In August the Pinstripes optioned him and '09 was setback with surgery. So Arizona picks up Ike for a measly $400K. Born in Cali and schooled at USC, he's finally back in the hot weather. After his 2nd start which he bombed, Kennedy has been on fire, posting a 2.20 ERA in the past 7. His season WHIP is just a bit above 1 and has struck out 49 in 58 innings. I see huge things for Kennedy and Hughes in the next few years. Boston rocked Hughes last game so try to make a trade for him, although his owners won't let him go for cheap. Kennedy is only owned in 23% of ESPN leagues and 26% of Y! Leagues. Now is the time - pick him up! Who do you think will be the better pitcher in the long run? Hughes or Kennedy? Leave a comment or reply to us on Twitter. Twitter.com/fantasyfix_evan or Twitter.com/thefantasyfix Tags: Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, The Fantasy Fix, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, USC Week 7's Must or Bust 05/17/2010
 Travis Snider Jose Bautista - 34% of Y! Leagues 8 R / 4 HRS / 8 RBI / .444 BA Bautista is smoking hot right now, but unless you happened to have him for the last week, don't go waste your time. Granted he's shown signs of being a decent hitter over the years, it has always come in short burst. His career batting average is a measly .238. Luke Scott - 9% of Y! Leagues 4 R / 3 HRS /8 RBI / .500 BA Scott has increased his power numbers over his 5 year career. He should be able increase on those numbers again this year but you will have to deal with his extremely low BA. Cody Ross - 29% of Y! Leagues 8 R / 1 HR / 4 RBI / .417 BA Another big bat looking to increase on his career numbers just like Scott. The upside to picking up Ross over Scott is Cody actually can keep a decent batting average. David Ortiz - 54% of Y! Leagues 3 R / 2 HRS / 7 RBI / .381 BA Big Papi might not be the Beantown monster that we all grew up to love (or hate as a Yankee fan) but he's still got some homers to hit. Two multi homer games in the past two weeks which also include a 7 game hitting streak. If you need power, pick him up while he's in his groove. Russell Branyan - 7% of Y! Leagues 4 R / 4 HRS / 7 RBI / .333 BA For Branyan's career he has hit one homer in every 3.5 at bats. That either tells us he is one of the best home run hitters ever or he only swings for the fences. Im going with the latter. Branyan did hit 31 bingers last year, but you should only go near him in deep leagues where you are losing homers weekly. Troy Glaus - 13% of Y! Leagues 5 R / 3 HRS / 7 RBI / .417 BA He is only one season removed from hitting 27 homers and 99 rbis. Minus injuries Glaus has been a NL consistent for over a decade. He's definitely worth the pickup and keeping your fingers crossed he plays a full season. Brennan Boesch - 18% of Y! Leagues 3 R / 1 HR / 8 RBI / .481 BA Another Tiger rookie on fire! Boesch is making a very strong case for fantasy owners with a large payout in power numbers. If you have the space on your roster, take a shot on him now because he won't be there later. Travis Snider - 13% of Y! Leagues 3 R / 2 HR / 7 RBI / .481 BA Im going to continue to watch Snider over the next month or so and see what he does. I feel like he should be breaking out into the great player he can be, its just a matter of time. Travis still needs to put together another few weeks of production before I would consider adding him to any team though. Joel Pineiro - 33% of Y! Leagues 15 IP / 1 W / 12 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.72 WHIP Fifteen scoreless innings! Complete game shutout! Pineiro does this every season - pitches a gem then implodes. If you have the stomach to get a bi-polar pitcher, then Joel is the guy for you. Congrats to those who had him the past two games though! Johnny Cueto - 43% of Y! Leagues 9 IP / 1 W / 8 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.11 WHIP 1 hitter! So close to perfection. A career of ups and downs… be very leery with Cueto - you never know what you will get from game to game. Mat Latos - 39% of Y! Leagues 9 IP / 1 W / 6 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.11 WHIP Latos is the real deal. 3 hits in the past 17 innings! He's still only owned in 39% of leagues so make the room because he won't disappoint. Homer Bailey - 6% of Y! Leagues 9 IP / 1 W / 6 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.44 WHIP A nice guy to keep an eye on but pitching 1 good game doesn't make up for the first 6 crappy ones. Show me another gem or two and we'll talk. Daisuke Matsuzaka - 44% of Y! Leagues 7 IP / 1 W / 9 K / 1.29 ERA / 0.43 WHIP Is Dice-K finally back? We may never see his 2008 numbers again, but that last start makes him a prime pickup. Joe Saunders - 13% of Y! Leagues 9 IP / 1 W / 6 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.67 WHIP Take that Dallas Braden! Not only did Saunders out-duel Braden, he threw a 4-hitter! Saunders won't ever get you a ton of Ks or a fantastic ERA but his 50-27 record tells us, he likes to WIN! Evan Meek - 15% of Y! Leagues 6 IP / 1 W / 6 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.83 WHIP Meek continues to make his mark as possibly the best set-up man in the game. His .72 ERA and 26 Ks help even out any fantasy lineup. Dotel seems to have tightened his grip on the closer spot for now but Meek is making his Mark. Derek Holland - 15% of Y! Leagues 6 IP / 1 W / 7 K / 0.00 ERA / 1.00 WHIP After a dismal end to 2009, Holland is back taking the place of Matt Harrison. Holland did throw a few gems before he fell apart last year and his first game back was a good sign. Let's keep an eye on him... Any Other Must or Bust Candidates? Leave a comment or reply to us on Twitter.Twitter.com/fantasyfix_evanTwitter.com/thefantasyfix Tags: Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Sports Blog, The Fantasy Fix, Derek Holland, Texas Rangers, Joe Saunders, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Travis Snider, Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays, Fantasy Marx, Must or Bust The Byrd is the Word 05/15/2010
 Marlon Byrd Its been a long time coming. Finally a team that believes in you. Finally a team that will get you the at bats you deserve. Now its true that Bryd hadn't shown real signs of greatness until last year on Texas, but its looking like Marlon is a fine wine. Beasting at .345, Byrd has the 3rd highest NL batting average, and is on pace to hit 31hrs. He's also in the top 15 in RBIs and Runs with a few swipes too. Being on a losing team hasn't stopped Byrd either. With Lee and Ramirez ice cold so far, Byrd has been the backbone of this offense. For all you doubters out there Lee and Ramirez WILL turn it around. It may take a bit but they are too good to continue on this pace for a full season. Soriano started off slow but has picked it up and has 6 multi-hit games in the past 12. Soto is a man reborn, coming back strong from a dismal 2009. Fukudome is putting up great numbers too and the young prodigies of Colvin and Castro will show they belong in the majors. I see Byrd's numbers staying on pace once this Cubs team gets running on all cylinders. Ok, so they still have a pitching problem but that just means that the batters will have to pick up the slack. A-well-a everybody's heard about the byrd B-b-b-byrd, byrd, byrd, b-byrd's the word Tags: chicago cubs, fantasy baseball advice, fantasy baseball blog, fantasy marx, fantasy sports blog, marlon byrd GET YA SHUTOUTS HERE! 05/12/2010
 Mat Latos What has gotten into these pitchers? Did Braden sell his soul to the devil? Is Moyer a superhuman clone? Can Cueto shift time and space around him? This last week we had 3 complete game shutouts and 3 8-inning shutouts. The real question is: Who's LEGIT and who's gonna QUIT? Dallas Braden 9 IP 0H 6K Braden made history with the 19th perfect game. He's joined some of baseball's greats on that list. Dallas has a big heart and some decent skills. Decision: SPLIT Johnny Cueto 9 IP 1H 8K 1 Hit. 1 Damn Hit. So close to perfection…then again, it was against the Pirates. Cueto has a career of ups and downs. Who the hell knows what you will get the next game. Decision: QUIT Jamie Moyer 9 IP 2H 5K As if things couldn't get worse for Atlanta, an old crotchety man name Moyer comes and whoops you. Love the story, but its a one time deal. Decision: QUIT Mat Latos 8 IP 2H 9K Latos has pitched 2 gems so far this year on the surprisingly hot Padres. Can the Padres keep it all season? Probably not, but Latos will perform while the team is jiving. Decision: SPLIT UPDATE: Latos just threw a complete game 1 hitter, giving him 17 IP 3H 15K in the past two games. He certainly is making a case for the LEGIT list. Clayton Kershaw 8 IP 2H 9K Take away Kershaw's 1 inning 7 run explosive diarrhea game against Milwaukee and he is having a pretty decent start to the season. 200Ks here we come. Decision: LEGIT Tommy Hanson 8 IP 4H 8K This guy is the real deal. The future of the Braves is Hanson & Heyward. He should come close to 200Ks as well. Decision: LEGIT What are your opinions? Are these guys Legit or are they gonna Quit? Leave a comment or reply to us on Twitter. Twitter.com/fantasyfix_evan Twitter.com/thefantasyfix Tags: Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, Fantasy Sports Blog, Mat Latos, San Diego Padres, Dallas Braden, Oakland Athletics, Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds, Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves, Clayton Kershaw, Jamie Moyer, Philadelphia Phillies, Fantasy Marx Week 6's Must or Bust 05/09/2010
 Nick Swisher Nick Swisher - 62% of Y! Leagues 8 R / 4 HRS / 11 RBI / .444 BA Going going gone. 4 Homers this week ain't half bad. If Nick the Swish can actually hold a decent batting average this year he will hold some real fantasy value. He's on pace for way better numbers than last year. J.D. Drew - 43% of Y! Leagues 10 R / 1HR / 6 RBI / .500 BA Batting .500 for the week? Hello!! Drew is better than the majority of players on waivers. Brett Gardner - 69% of Y! Leagues 8 R / 1HR / 2 RBI / 3 SB/ .375 BA The little man with a huge heart. This Pinstripe hustles his butt off and his speed is top notch. Don't be shocked if he leads the majors in steals this year. If he's out there in your league - pick him up now! Juan Pierre - 34% of Y! Leagues 6 R / 2 RBI/ 6 SB/ .342 BA Pierre is off to a speedy start with 15 already. He's only batting .230 for the season but he's a career .300 hitter so no worries there. If Gardner isn't out there pick up Pierre. Jhoulys Chacin - 15% of Y! Leagues 2 W / 14 K / 0.00 ERA / .84 WHIP The rookie is smoking right now. We wrote an article about him after his first win and and his next game didn't disappoint. PICK HIM UP! Jon Garland - 31% of Y! Leagues 2 W / 5 K / 0.00 ERA / .79 WHIP San Diego keeps rolling and by seasons end these pitchers may have some decent totals in the WIN category. 2 runs in the past 27 innings. He's not a strikeout guy but could easily get you 12-15 wins. Rich Harden - 58% of Y! Leagues 1 W / 12 K / 1.50 ERA / .83 WHIP Almost a K per inning so far but only 2 Wins out of 7 starts. Lets see what he does in the next start or two. C.J, Wilson - 63% of Y! Leagues 1 W / 8 K / 1.12 ERA / .94 WHIP The converted closer is making a name for himself this year. 1.51ERA and 1.10 WHIP so far this year. Pitched a 5 hit complete game last time out. Really a nice surprise so far. Dallas Braden - 54% of Y! Leagues 1 W / 9 K / 1.69 ERA / .69 WHIP NO HITTER ALERT!! Maybe everyone should yell at Arod? He's a young and talented pitcher but this is his first sign of greatness this season so lets see if he can follow up with another gem. Scott Olsen - 5% of Y! Leagues 8 K / 1.23 ERA / .41 WHIP Olsen has put up 3 solid starts in a row. He's yet to put together a solid season but he's young. He's putting up much better numbers than expected. Tyler Clippard - 57% of Y! Leagues 2 W / 5 K / 1.93 ERA / 1.29 WHIP 2 wins this week and 5 for the season so far. Washington is waaay over using this guy but he's producing so who can complain. Any Other Must or Bust Candidates? Leave a comment or reply to us on Twitter. Twitter.com/fantasyfix_evan Twitter.com/thefantasyfix Tags: Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, Fantasy Sports Blog, Fantasy Marx, Dallas Braden, Oakland Athletics, Tyler Clippard, Washington Nationals, Scott Olsen, Jon Garland, San Diego Padres, Brett Gardner, New York Yankees THE ELUSIVE 50 HOME RUN CLUB. WHO'S NEXT? 05/08/2010
 Mark Reynolds From 1920 to 1965, the 50 home run mark was achieved 15 times and by only 9 different players. The Bambino was the first and he did it 3 more times. Fox, Mantle & Mays each hit 50+ twice. We then had an 11 year drought from 1966 to 1977 until George Foster joined the club and yet another hole from 1978-1989. Enter the 90s with 12 times from big boys like McGwire and Bonds… but not a real shock since these drug induced monsters were eating babies for breakfast. We've had another 12 times since 2000 but the majority were still juiced homers. No one has hit 50 home runs since 2007 and honestly its a big shocking. I know that supposedly the steroids era is done but 50 homers seems very achievable when seeing the size of some of these guys. In '07 we had Arod and Fielder. In '06 we had Howard and Ortiz. In '05 we had this years resurgence story Andruw Jones. So does anyone stand a chance in 2010 or are we going to have a 3-year dry spell? THE BIG BOYS PLATTER Ryan Howard He has a chance to hit 50 until he is 100 years old. Again off to his usual slow start but we all know they come in huge clumps. Albert Pujols Albert has never hit 50 but came damn close in '06 and '09. He's bound to break 50 one of these years and why not 2010? Prince Fielder Prince has one 50 HR season under his belt but with his slow start this year it seems unlikely he will get more than the mid 40s. Projections for Fielder were really high this year and will most likely fall a little short. Don't worry, he'll break 50 again, just not this year. Alex Rodriguez ARod has three 50+ seasons but after 17 years he's very unlikely to hit 50 ever again. Expect mid to high 30s for the rest of his tenure. SERVED WITH A SIDE OF CONSISTENCY Paul Konerko As hot as Paul is right now, his highest in his career is 35. I think he has a good chance of coming close to that number this year and possibly hit 40. Mark Teixeira Mr. Consistency will hit his usual 30-35. Sorry Tex, hitting 50 just ain't your thang. Adam Dunn Dunn hit 40+ from 2004-09 and hit 38 last year. There's a good chance he'll hit 500 career but 50 will always elude him. WHATS FOR DESSERT? Mark Reynolds Reynolds is like Adam Dunn in a lot of ways, but he has a legit shot at 50 homers. He hit 44 last year and already has 9. He'll be a league leader for years to come. Evan Longoria He only hit 33 last year but he's off to a strong start in 2010. Expect closer to 40 for Evan. He has the power, but not sure if he could ever get up to 50. Jason Heyward Sure he's a rookie but the boy has power. 8 homers so far, but since he's a rookie he'll probably top off around 30-35. Tags: Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Marx, Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies, ALbert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals, Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers, Alex Rodrigues, New York Yankees, Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox, Mark Teixeira, Adam Dunn, Cincinnati Reds, Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks, Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays, Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves | CategoriesAll  ArchivesFebruary 2012 |
