Surprisingly, there weren’t any closers dealt last weekend at the trade deadline despite plenty of rumors, so the rankings don’t change all that much nor are there many new names. Here are July’s rankings, which can take you back through the start of the season, and here’s the saves leaderboard for reference.
If Derrek Lee’s Pirates debut Monday night is any indication of things to come, then you should be running to your fantasy league’s waiver wire and grab him while you can. 2-for-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI? Sounds like someone’s happy with his move to the Steel City. If you’re looking for a boost from your corner infield spot, then Lee will certainly fit the bill. Read the rest of this entry »
Some ottoneu cats have to look to the future, just like the major league teams. How much more to the future can you look than signing 2011 draftees?
Of course, there’s a lot of attrition between now and then. So you have to focus on the top talent. The beginning of the first round boasted two such top talents, Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. Cole, with super agent Scott Boras puling the strings, hasn’t signed yet. But the third overall pick, Bauer, has signed. How much might you pay for a recently drafted college pitcher? Let’s check in with ottoneu owner and FanGraphs writer Jack Moore, who recently won an auction for Bauer.
Today marks the third day of a new feature we will be trying out here at RotoGraphs. In an attempt to keep you, the fantastical reader, informed, we will be looking at some of the stories around baseball that have an effect on your fantasy team. Because this piece is ultimately being read by you, your opinion is requested. Please chime in using the comments and let us know what you would like to see from this piece.
– Brett Lawrie was lighting the PCL on fire before he missed significant time with a fracture in his left hand, and now he’s back and hitting well again. The 21-year old infielder has hit .319 since coming off the DL, mashing three homers in just under seventy at-bats. The power stroke may not be all the way back, but he could still be up in the majors by the end of the week. If you want to take a chance on him in standard leagues, now is the time to pounce on him to ensure that he is yours.
Over the weekend we saw two impact bats from the same last place Houston outfield get traded to different playoff contenders in the National League East. Lets take a gander at how the productivity of Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn looks from here on out.
The trading deadline is behind us and we’re knocking on the door of the stretch run. Somehow, it’s already August. And it was just a few short months ago that Evan Longoria was the consensus #1 third baseman and just a couple months ago that Aramis Ramirez appeared to have lost his eyesight. It’s been said more than once on this platform that the one constant is change, so with that in mind, I give you the updated third base rankings for August.
At the MLB trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers sent veteran shortstop Rafael Furcal and cash considerations to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for minor league outfielder Alex Castellanos. Tommy Rancel, over in the FanGraphs section, covered the deal when it happened, so now here at RotoGraphs, we’re going to discuss the fantasy ramifications. Read the rest of this entry »
If you haven’t seen new Orioles first baseman Chris Davis‘ stats at Triple-A this season, you might want to put down your morning coffee to avoid spillage before you read on.
Today marks the second day of a new feature we will be trying out here at RotoGraphs. In an attempt to keep you, the fantastical reader, informed, we will be looking at some of the stories around baseball that have an effect on your fantasy team. Because this piece is ultimately being read by you, your opinion is requested. Please chime in using the comments and let us know what you would like to see from this piece.
– Stephen Strasburg, the phenom to end all phenoms, will begin a minor league rehab assignment sometime next week. The Washington Nationals ace has come back quickly from Tommy John surgery, and while some of his owners would prefer him to take it easy and wait until 2012 to return, getting a taste of big league action in 2011 will be good for the Nationals organization. As long as he’s not being rushed back, Strasburg pitching this season shouldn’t be a problem for his long-term development. If you’re in a standard redraft league, don’t worry about picking The Monument up, though.
The following is a quick look at how the fantasy value changed for a few players involved in trades that were made this weekend.
Ubaldo Jimenez (to Indians) – Ubaldo’s fantasy value doesn’t look to change much by going from the Rockies to the Indians. The most obvious change is that he should allow less runs by moving from a hitter friendly park in Denver to a league neutral park in Cleveland. On the other hand, the Indian’s defense (-16.6 UZR) is worse than the Rockies (-0.8 UZR) which will lead to higher ERA and WHIP as more batted balls become hits. Also, he will be facing a little tougher competition in the AL, so his ERA and WHIP could go higher.