In one of the few trade deadline deals with potential fantasy ramifications, Bud Norris now finds himself surrounded by crab cakes, rather than Texas barbecue. In the last consensus rankings update, I ranked Norris 57th among all starting pitchers, which was surprisingly the most optimistic of the crew. Surprising because I thought I had been pretty pessimistic about Norris’ prospects. In my July tier rankings update, I slotted him into “The Great Disappointment” tier, which was the last group of pitchers. So does the move to a contending Baltimore team boost his fantasy stock?

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After weeks of speculation, Jake Peavy has finally been traded. He departs the windy city for the land of clam chowder and from a team going nowhere to one right in the thick of the AL East race. Or more simply, he is is changing the color of his sox from white to red. My initial thought is that this move produces a nice boost to his fantasy value. But let’s dive into the numbers and find out if this is actually the case.

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Episode 44
Today’s episode of The Sleeper and the Bust stars yours truly and features RotoGraphs editor Eno Sarris. We discuss a disastrous outing by a Tommy John returnee, a slumping slugger and a new closer in Houston.

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 44 min of joyous analysis.

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As you all know by now, the batted ball distance leaderboards and individual player pages at BaseballHeatMaps.com is one of my new favorite toys. I’ve sliced and diced the data in many ways in various attempts to identify breakout and bust candidates. Since about two-thirds of the season is now in the books, the time seemed to be right to compare distances to last year.

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On Friday, Alfonso Soriano returned to the team he began his Major League career with, the New York Yankees, in exchange for cash and a pitching prospect. The knee-jerk reaction is probably that his fantasy value jumps given the perception we have of the Yankees offense of years past and the hitter’s haven their home park has played as. But is this true after diving into the relevant numbers? Let’s find out!

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Episode 43
Today’s episode of The Sleeper and the Bust stars yours truly and features RotoGraphs contributor Colin Zarzycki. We discuss an injured first baseman and a trio of cast members from the Evil Empire.

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 43 min of joyous analysis.

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Episode 42
Today’s episode of The Sleeper and the Bust stars yours truly and features RotoGraphs editor Eno Sarris. We discuss the suddenly injury ravaged Braves rotation, as well as one of the hottest hitters in July.

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 41 min of joyous analysis.

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Back in early April, Jack Moore published an in-depth look at Garrett Richards when the Angels pitcher replaced the injured Jered Weaver in their rotation. Soon after given that opportunity, Richards pitched himself right back into the bullpen. And now he once again finds himself a member of the Angels starting staff, this time as a result of Joe Blanton being Joe Blanton. You know, the one whose ERA never seems to match up with his peripherals. The Angels have lost all hope of that ever happening, so Richards is getting another shot. Should you give him one as well?

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As we close in on the Major League trade deadline, non-contending teams are making moves to open up spots for their prospects. This is a blessing for deep league owners as finally there are more choices available to pick up besides fifth outfielders and the last man in the bullpen. Both the Astros and Cubs are looking toward the future and have recently introduced us to some new faces.

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Episode 41
Today’s episode of The Sleeper and the Bust stars yours truly and features RotoGraphs contributor Brett Talley. We discuss suspensions, trades and prospect call-ups.

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 37 min of joyous analysis.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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