Archive for September, 2013

Vic Black, Closer in Waiting?

Vic Black served as the interim closer last night for the Mets, doing so because Bobby Parnell is injured, Frank Francisco is apparently in the witness protection program, and LaTroy Hawkins was unavailable. He managed to save his first game on Tuesday against the Reds, and he may yet get more chances over the final few days of the season against Milwaukee, but even if not, he’s apparently in the mix for 2014, especially with Parnell’s health after neck surgery still uncertain — and that makes him interesting.

What also makes Black interesting is when you see quotes like this from the ageless Hawkins, who has seen just about everything there is to see over his approximately 73 years in the big leagues: Read the rest of this entry »


Roto Riteup: September 27, 2013

Just over 26 years ago the film The Princess Bride hit theaters in the United States. For the sake of full disclosure, the present author is yet to actually watch the film. It is on the “to do” list.

On today’s agenda:
1. Michael Brantley is on fire
2. James Paxton is done for the year
3. Jonathon Niese to start finale
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Bullpen Report: September 26, 2013

Jim Johnson surrendered a hit and fanned one in a clean inning of work to notch his 48th save of the season. The thirty-year-old has now saved nine in-a-row, making him 48-of-57 on the season. The Orioles will face the Red Sox in a three-game series to conclude the twenty-thirteen season, giving Johnson a few more opportunities to eclipse the 50 save mark for the second straight season. Aside from the lack of production in the strikeout category, Johnson paid handsome dividends for his fantasy baseball owners that were willing to reach for him at his average draft position of 123.

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Projecting Rafael De Paula

Yankees pitching prospect Rafael De Paula entered the season cloaked in mystery. There were three basic things known about him to the general prospecting community. First, despite being a coveted international free agent, he didn’t sign a contract until he was almost 21 due to maintaining a false identity, being suspended, and taking a long time to acquire a visa in the aftermath of the incident. Second, once he finally was officially a professional, he went out and tore up the Dominican Summer League in 2012, with a 1.46 ERA and 85/18 K/BB in 61 2/3 innings. Of course, his advanced age made those statistics even less relevant than typical DSL numbers, which mean little on the prospecting scene to begin with. What was more important was the third fact, which was that he supposedly had good stuff.

I saw De Paula show that stuff on April 21 against Hickory, where he threw five hitless innings with ten strikeouts. Today, I’m going to examine what allowed him to roll through South Atlantic League lineups with ruthless efficiency in the first half of the year, but also look at some of the rough edges that contributed to a drop in production following De Paula’s promotion to High-A at midseason.

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RotoGraphs Audio: The Sleeper and the Bust 9/26/13

Episode 68
Today’s episode of The Sleeper and the Bust stars yours truly and features RotoGraphs editor Eno Sarris. We discuss every possible streamer option through the rest of the season.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @mikepodhorzer or @enosarris on Twitter and tweet us any fantasy questions you have that we may answer on our next episode.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the feed.

Intro by DJ Sinton (no, contrary to popular belief, I do not moonlight as a rap star)

Approximately 38 min of joyous analysis.


Ellsbury’s Ankle Injury: Changes In Performance This Season and Next

Last night, Jacoby Ellsbury had three plate appearances in his return back from a fractured foot. He had a hit and a walk after missing just 20 days. I decided to go back and look at players who fractured their foot and how they performed after returning.

With a sample size of one game under his belt, Ellsbury looks great and he feels pretty good (source)

“Yeah it was a nice game back,” Ellsbury said. “I’m definitely excited about it. I felt pretty good out there.”

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Last Ditch Effort: Hitters to Consider

If you’re in a league that allows daily roster adjustments, whether it’s head to head or roto, then streaming is probably what you’re all about here at the end. With four more days of games, every little bit helps and picking up the right player could mean the difference between a win and a “if only I had another week to play.” While Mike Podhorzer covers the recommended streamer candidates for pitchers over the next two days, I’ll throw you a few hitters who could give you that one final push. Some may be available, some might not, but all are swinging a hot bat right now and if you can use them…use them. Read the rest of this entry »


Daily Fantasy Strategy – 9/26 – For Draftstreet

Alright folks, it’s the final four days of daily fantasy! At this point, the primary concern you should have is whether or not guys are in the lineup. Teams give young players opportunity, shut injured players down, and generally troll fantasy players with their lineup cards.

To get an idea of which teams have been most guilty of that, the table below shows the number of players each team has used in September. It also shows the number of qualified hitters (3.1 plate appearances per team game) as a second gauge to measure how often bench players are playing. The last column shows the team’s September wOBA which, despite being a small sample, can help along with the other columns in picking a team to pitch against.

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Every Streamer Option Analyzed: 9/26 Games

Another day, another myriad of streaming possibilities! If you’re still in the hunt and a bunch of strikeouts and a potential win could move you closer to victory, then you’re at the right place.

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Roto Riteup: September 26, 2013

Today’s Roto Riteup marks my final scheduled appearance of the 2013 regular season. It’s been a pleasure spending my fourth(!) year with FanGraphs, and I hope to see y’all again in the fantasy offseason.

On today’s agenda:
1. Jhonny Peralta to return Friday
2. Mike Napoli should be back today
3. Don’t expect CarGo back this season
4. Fun with arbitrary endpoints

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