It’s the final full week of the regular season, which means it’s championship week for a whole lotta fantasy leagues out there. Here are two positions players — one infielder, one outfielder — who could help put you over the top…

Gordon Beckham | 2B | White Sox | Owned: 12% Yahoo!

Beckham, 26, has been a colossal disappointment since the ChiSox selected him with the eighth overall pick in 2008, producing just an 84 wRC+ in over 2,000 career plate appearances. I suppose the good news is that time is on his side though, since he (theoretically) has yet to reach his peak years.

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When teams no longer have a shot at the postseason, fans sometimes are able to rally around that team becoming a “spoiler” down the stretch. At this point in the fantasy season, teams that are out of it can no longer play “spoiler.” In most leagues, it’s probably time for the championship. And if you’re the owner of one of those championship teams, then you’ve obviously done things right this year. But the season is far from over. And you never hear fantasy owners talk about the year they finished second. Hearing about someone else’s fantasy team is boring enough, you definitely don’t want to hear about a second place finish.

In order to win, you may still have to make some savvy moves. That’s where playing “spoiler” comes in. Bad real-life teams are hardly relevant at the end of the season, and sometimes that leads to their players being undervalued in fantasy leagues. The Colorado Rockies may be 58-94, and 30.5 games out of the NL West, but some of their players are currently on huge hot streaks. If you’re looking for one last move to push you over the edge, the Rockies may allow you to play “spoiler” during your championship.

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Research has shown that hitters have much more control of their BABIP marks than pitchers. As a result, true talent BABIP remains pretty stable, but does decline as a hitter ages. Looking at the leaders and laggards each year in the metric is a quick shortcut to figure out whose batting averages may decline or increase the following year. However, since these hitters may actually have a true talent level close to these levels, it might not give us the correct answer. We can instead compare a hitter’s BABIP to his previous year since hitters generally establish a baseline BABIP that they vary around each season. This is another method to help identify those who are in for a drop or jump in average. Today I’ll check in on the BABIP surgers compared to 2011. I used a minimum of 400 plate appearances last year and the “qualified” filter for this year. I have also included each hitter’s xBABIP in their respective write-ups.

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This may come as a surprise to you, but I consider myself to a fairly adept computer nerd. Sure, I ‘m not A+ Certified, but I know my way around a mobo. Yesterday I attempted to water cool my machine. It didn’t go very well. Actually, that is an understatement. It didn’t go at all. I’ll have to try again next weekend. Until then, the Roto Riteup will be brought to you by my seven different fans that I had to re-install.

• As the brilliant Jeff Sullivan pointed out last week, Cameron Maybin and his coaching staff have re-tooled his swing. Thus far, the results are standing up. Over his past 30 days, Maybin his hitting .333 with 13 runs and three steals. Maybin went 2-for-4 yesterday afternoon and ran once, although he was caught stealing. The fact that he was running was a good sign however, and Maybin could reach 30 steals with a final big push. He is owned in 41% of both Yahoo! and ESPN formats despite his ability to produce runs and a high, albeit somewhat empty, batting average. I’d grab him if you can, and I would actually ponder keeping him for next year.
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• Earlier this weekend, Mike Scioscia announced that he was going back to a closer-by-committee after Ernesto Frieri’s recent rough stretch. Of course, he turned around and rewarded Frieri by — giving him the next save opportunity. Frieri pitched a scoreless ninth on Saturday to preserve a 2-0 lead and emphasize that he’s still probably the favorite even in a committee situation. On Sunday, when faced with a three-run lead, the Angels split up the ninth between Garrett Richards, Scott Downs, and Frieri (nullifying the potential save for anyone). Frieri should be considered at the head of the bullpen, with Downs potentially an option in lefty-heavy innings. Of the other righties, Jordan Walden actually has the best xFIP over the last month (1.93) but doesn’t seem high on the ladder. Other more likely options like Richards (5.03 30-day xFIP), Kevin Jepsen (4.76) and LaTroy Hawkins (4.18) don’t seem like great bets for success. Desperate save chasers can add Downs to squads and hope for a few lefty-righty-lefty ninths, but it seems like a lot of effort with little reward to try and guess which righty might moonlight as the closer one night over the next week and a half.

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On Monday, I took a look at the five pitchers whose ERAs are most below their respective SIERA marks. Today, I check in on the opposite side of the ledger, those pitchers whose ERAs are most above their SIERAs. These are the pitchers that SIERA would classify as the unluckiest, and might be undervalued in next year’s drafts.

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Despite the postponed (and yes, I almost typed “post ponied”) game, today’s Roto Riteup is not postponed at all.

• Catchers that posses even a modicum of hitting ability at the major league level is a rare and glorious event. Furthermore, for those catchers to be available in over 50% of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues is unheard of. Well, except in the case of Jonathan Lucroy. Yesterday’s home run makes for 10 on the season now, and those 10 have come in just 312 plate appearances. He is still riding a career high BABIP this season, but his career BABIP is .318. There hasn’t been a significant change in his batted ball rates, so don’t expect the .321 batting average to be around for much longer. That being said, there aren’t many games remaining for Lucroy. If you’re in need of catcher help, and I know I am, then Lucroy is your guy.
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• Kenley Jansen may have returned from the disabled list, but it’s clear the Dodgers are easing him back into the closer role rather than just throwing him to the National League. He pitched one-third of an inning Thursday to get his feet wet and, while fans thought Friday might be the day he sees the ninth inning again, he pitched the seventh in a tie game versus the Reds. Manager Don Mattingly saved Brandon League for the save opportunity which eventually cropped up in the tenth inning. Jansen is clearly the superior pitcher (and is one of the best relievers in baseball when healthy) but League has put up a solid 3.04 xFIP over the last month while going four-for-four in the save conversion department. There’s no telling when Jansen might get the ninth inning back but owners should be prepared to wait a bit longer than they first expected — meanwhile, League might be a guy to snag until that time comes (available in 50% of Yahoo! leagues). Maybe savvy owners can squeeze a few more saves out of him before he is moved back to a setup role.

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This week’s entry marks the conclusion of the two-start pieces for the 2012 season. While baseball will continue on into October, the week of regular season baseball doesn’t amount to enough time for anyone to start twice. So with that, thanks for a good year, and hope to see you all back here next season.

This week’s starters include a pair of guys I’ve mentioned already this season, and since a third option was tough to come by, a trio of very low ownership types that could be worth a look. Read the rest of this entry »

If there’s less than two weeks to go and you’re noticing you have some catching up to do in innings pitched, you best get busy. I know in two of my high-payout standard roto leagues, there are four points separated by two wins, and at least a couple points to be had in strikeouts. As much as I hate the win category, I know I’m in win-chasing mode, and to that end, I’m looking at the most favorable matchups I can find.

There are a good number of decent options on the waiver wire as you head into the weekend, but I’m going to make a few recommendations based almost exclusively off of the fact that some starters are facing lineups that have been struggling to score runs. After all, if they don’t score, you’re in darn fine shape.

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