Since I linked to a My Little Pony video earlier in the month, and just yesterday I posted a link to a Calvin and Hobbes related things, I figured why not combine the two? Here is a lovely crossover from someone who is much more talented than myself.

• I’m okay with writing about Jon Jay twice in a one week span if you are. Jay went 2-for-5 in yesterday’s win over the Houston Astros and he even stole a base to boot. He just keeps hitting. He is owned in 53% of ESPN leagues now but still just 25% of Yahoo! leagues. We’re all aware of the different computations each site uses to calculate ownership, but Jay should be owned in 80% of all leagues by now.

• At this point I’ve given up trying to comprehend how A.J. Pierzynski is hitting all of these home runs. He hit his 27th long ball of the year yesterday and now has nine more home runs than his previous single season high. His ISO now stands at an incredible .230; almost 70 points higher than his previous best season. Writing this off as an aberration is the route that I’m going to take with this 35-year old catcher.
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Sorry for the lack of a Bullpen Report last night but I’m here to catch up on the latest and greatest news in bullpens around the league. Also, for those who it applies, wishing you an easy fast.

•  Although there wasn’t a save situation last night, Tyler Clippard pitched in the eighth inning with Drew Storen finishing the game in the ninth and it now looks as if that is the preferred order for Nationals manager Davey Johnson. Tyler Clippard might still see some save opportunities but Storen has been lights out of late, only giving up one earned run in his last 18 appearances, while striking out 15 in 16 innings pitched. Considering Storen’s history (success as closer last year) and Clippard’s recent struggles, I expect this change to continue for the rest of the season provided Storen keeps pitching well.

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Thanks to the Melky Cabrera saga, the 3.1 PAs per team game a player needs to qualify for the batting title is firmly ingrained in our collective conscious. I’ll admit, I had to look up the qualification for the ERA title — 1 IP per team game, for those who also didn’t know — and while it isn’t as easy to parrot on command, it makes sense even if it’s a bit arbitrary. Rookie of the Year criteria are a little odd as well, but again, more or less make sense, but what about Comeback Player of The Year?

It’s never really been clear whether a player has to actually come back from something specific or if being rotten one year and then excellent the next qualifies as a comeback. The introductory press release offers no help, stating only that “This exciting new MLB-sanctioned award, which will be presented annually to one player each from the American and National Leagues, will recognize those players who have re-emerged on the baseball field during a given season.” The Sporting News, who present the more well-known version of the same award, seems to have similar criteria for their prize. Read the rest of this entry »

After last week’s variation of the American League Outfield Rankings, I decided to write about the final eight or so games in a similar fashion. Just like last week, the following criteria are in mind:

– A sub 50% ownership rate in either Yahoo! or ESPN
– Favorable matchups, either via ballpark or opposing starting pitchers

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After looking at Chris Carpenter’s 2012 debut yesterday, today I will look at two other pitchers that made their 2012 debuts this past week, Jake Odorizzi and Jorge de la Rosa

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I may hate head-to-head leagues, but I know that some of you are in championship weeks and could use a one-stop look through the pitchers coming up, especially Thursday’s starters so you can be ready when the clock strikes 3:01 am Wednesday night. You are doing that, right? Or you can stream a day in advance, if you’re no night owl. We’ll get the Weekend’s streamers for you before Thursday.

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We’ll be doing a wrap-up of each position once the regular season comes to an official close, but for now, let’s talk about a few of the backstops who made significant contributions to fantasy teams this year, but are likely to be overvalued next season.  Whether their stats regress or whether they come at a significantly higher cost than they should, either draft pick or auction dollars, some of 2012’s fantasy heroes behind the dish just won’t measure up next season.  I’m sure most readers of RotoGraphs are wary of the pitfalls, but just in case you’re new to the scene, here are a few to watch out for next season. Read the rest of this entry »

Today is National Comic Book Day! In honor of that, here is a link to the primary comic influence in my life: Calvin and Hobbes. The amount of hours that I spent reading, re-reading and thinking about this comic in my youth can’t be measured. Without being hyperbolic at all, it is safe to say that Bill Watterson was one the primary architects of my imagination and writing.

• Eric Chavez clubbed his 14th home run of the season last night during his 3-for-4 day. All told that brings him up to 14 on the season — his most since his days in an Oakland A’s uniform. He has appeared at both first and third base this year and has proven to be a small asset in very deep mixed leagues or AL-only formats. He only has 300 or so plate appearances, but his overall line is a very respectable .284/.341/.487. Chavez is owned in less than 5% of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues.
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Chris Carpenter debuted on Friday night. He came away with decent results, 5 IP, 2 Runs allowed, 0 HR. Chris is usually a fantasy workhorse, but shoulder surgery has all but eliminated his 2012 season. He looks to have limited value as a streaming option this next week and has some question marks to be answered for 2013.

The big red flag that is waving over him is the drop in velocity for all his pitches. His sinker, which he threw 31 times, is down about 3 MPH from 2010 and 2011.

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I hate them. I hate head-to-head leagues. I won’t win a single one this year. And, obviously I’m not saying I had the best team in all five of those leagues, but I figured I’d win at least one of them.

Nope.

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