Fantasy owners, we’ve reached the home stretch; the time where September call-ups can make a difference in the playoffs or pay dividends towards the future. Even though some of the top prospects have already been called up, there are some other interesting players worth taking a flier on as the season comes to a conclusion. While there’s no guarantee these players will push your team over the edge; taking a shot on certain players can better educate a fantasy owner for next season as well — when the player might be given a larger role. Ross Detwiler is the type of player that fits this description, and he’s finally getting a chance to show what he can do at the major league level.
Read the rest of this entry »

Mike Leake is such a difficult player to evaluate. Due to the fact that he completely skipped the minor leagues during his debut season — and has only thrown 7 1/3 innings in the minors over his career — his career path can only be categorized as unique. While his performance in the majors are nothing short of amazing when you consider the circumstances, Leake is still learning on the job. He’s provided value to fantasy owners this season — and he’s still incredibly young for a player with his experience — but have his performances been strong enough to make him a keeper?
Read the rest of this entry »

Good things come to those who wait. But if you were one of the many fantasy owners depending on Jason Bay, no one would have blamed you for cutting bait on the 32-year-old outfielder earlier this season. Expected to be fully recovered from a concussion suffered last season, Bay was a sleeper candidate entering 2011. Unfortunately, Bay’s struggles at Citi Field continued, and he never appeared fully recovered from his concussion. After an 0-5 performance on July 26th, Bay’s slash line fell to a putrid .227/.314/.319. At that point, no one would have blinked an eye if you had cut bait. Since then, however, Bay has experienced a bit of a rebound. Though it’s an incredibly small sample, Bay may be inching back towards respectability.
Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t look now, but the San Diego Padres might actually have a useful fantasy hitter. Over the past 30 days, Guzman has hit .343/.384/.600 while receiving regular playing time in the Padres’ lineup. He’s slugging five home runs and stolen three bases in that period as well. While his performance has been impressive, Guzman plays first base — where the level of offense is extremely high. Guzman is riding a hot streak at the moment, however, and could be a useful pickup down the stretch.
Read the rest of this entry »

It may not seem like it, but even the most minor MLB trade can have an impact on your fantasy season. While your fantasy outlook shouldn’t change on guys like Ubaldo Jimenez, Michael Bourn or Hunter Pence; value can be found in lesser deals — where players are given new opportunities at playing time. Two recently traded players that may fit that description are Brandon Allen and Jerry Hairston Jr. Will they play a significant role in the last few weeks of your fantasy season?
Read the rest of this entry »

It may have taken four months, and nearly 1,000 plate appearances at AAA, but the Tampa Bay Rays have finally called up Desmond Jennings. For owners in keeper leagues, it’s finally time to rejoice. Owners in year-to-year leagues will now need to decide whether Jennings is worthy of a pickup going forward. Jennings certainly has that top prospect shine — he appeared on Baseball America’s top 100 list the last four seasons — but will he contribute enough to make an impact on fantasy rosters?
Read the rest of this entry »

Nine pitches; six strikes. That’s all it took for Joe Nathan to rack up his five saves of the season, and second since reclaiming the closer role over Matt Capps. Capps had been terrible in July; allowing seven runs in 5.2 innings and failing to record a strikeout. Nathan, however, has also struggled this season after attempting to return from Tommy John Surgery, and even managed to miss a month this season with elbow issues. Since returning from elbow soreness, Nathan has been lights out for the Minnesota Twins. Now that Nathan has been reinstalled as the closer, what are the chances he keeps the job for the rest of the season?
Read the rest of this entry »

Entering the 2011 season, it was easily the worst of times for two New York Mets’ outfielders. Both Carlos Beltran and Jason Bay entered the season facing similar concerns. Due to injuries, general ineffectiveness, and age both players were considered risky fantasy options entering 2011. Despite the fact that both players entered 2011 dealing with the same issues, their performances up to this point in the season could not be more different. While Bay hasn’t looked the same since a concussion prematurely ended his 2010, Beltran looks reinvigorated as a right fielder. Now that we’ve reached the half way point of the season, let’s take a look at each player’s performance thus far.
Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve written two pretty similar pieces on third basemen. One of which has made me look like a genius — the other has made me look like a total idiot. That’s one of the main issues with making predictions here on RotoGraphs. You try to come to the best conclusions based on stats, player history, etc. — but sometimes you still end up with egg on your face. Hindsight being what it is, I would like to look back at my methods in each instance and try to determine where I went wrong and what aspects of the process I had correct. I think this exercise will help the readers understand my methods and will let me know the areas where I can improve in the future.
Read the rest of this entry »