With so many articles designed to help you win your fantasy league this season, it’s time we threw some out to the bottom-feeders, especially those in keeper and dynasty leagues.  While most of the competitors currently in the lower third of your league’s standings couldn’t care less about what’s going on today, it is the wise and savvy GM that continuously prepares for the future.  With so much young talent behind the dish these days, it only makes sense to see what’s out there beyond the horizon.  So here’s a look at a couple of top catching prospects that could debut with a late season call-up this year, but will likely be forced to wait in the minors until their time comes in 2012. Read the rest of this entry »

Things are starting to level off amongst the catchers these days, but there are still a few that are gaining and losing value as the season progresses.  Here’s a look at a few names you might want to keep in mind… Read the rest of this entry »

We’re now into dump season, when closers start to lose jobs for good or get traded, movement like that. Setup guys and high-end middle relievers will suddenly become that much more fantasy relevant in the coming weeks, and we’ve already seen guys like Mark Melancon, Jordan Walden, Fernando Salas, and Sergio Santos go from sleeper to must-own. Let’s look at some closers currently on the chopping block and the guys that are next-in-line behind them…

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Just moments ago, Howard put on his eviscerating goggles and made his best stab at informing us why we should all be disappointed in Carlos Santana this season. I understand this perspective, I really do. A cursory glance at his counting stats doesn’t conjure up images of Mike Piazza nor do they inspire much confidence in Santana going forward. But I think the genesis of the grousing about Santana is wrapped up in expectations of what kind of player people thought he would be rather than the one that he ought to be.

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Whether you’re exploring trade opportunities or fishing off your free agent waiver wire, it’s always good to keep an eye on the backstops.  Some people have a tendency to dismiss the position for its lack of consistent production, but you can always get a leg up if you can find yourself a hot hitting catcher.  Here’s a look at who’s performing up to task and who should be riding the pine in your fantasy league. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re a third of the through the season, so I’d like to take a look at which players have provided the best production relative to their auction cost in ottoneu leagues…and by extension, probably much of fantasy baseball.  While this is specific to ottoneu, I think this will apply to most of fantasy baseball.

We’ll start today with catchers and corner infielders.  I’ll give you the top three values at that position, plus my pick for the player of those three that is least likely to regress (or, perhaps, the player likely to regress the least).   Avg. Cost is just their current average cost in ottoneu, whereas the “Performed As” number is essentially an measure of what the dollar value would be for performance at this level for an entire season (using the lwts-based FanGraphs Points system; methods description at the bottom).  Expect this to change by season’s end: these guys are all overperforming, and are all good bets to regress to some degree.

Catcher

My Pick: Ramon Hernandez Read the rest of this entry »

As we get ready to head into a new month, it’s time to update the 2011 Catchers Rankings once again.  Remember, the criteria for these rankings is as follows:

The arrows are used to highlight a player moving up or down in tier, but you’ll also notice some minor tweaks within the tiers as well.  Some that will obviously have more impact than others. Read the rest of this entry »

With the calendar getting ready to flip to June and with updated catcher rankings on their way, there’s been a decent behind-the-scenes debate over the power and performance of 24 year old Detroit Tigers backstop Alex Avila.  Currently, Avila is sporting a slash line of .279/.346/.529 with 8 home runs and 28 RBI.  He’s tied for second in HR amongst catchers, leads in RBI production and according to most overall rankings based strictly on 2011 performance, he is listed as the second best catcher behind Russell Martin.  There’s no doubting his current performance totals here, but the question remains…can he keep it going? Read the rest of this entry »

Just a quick glance at Mike Napoli’s current stats reveals why he’s been one of the most frustrating players in fantasy baseball this season. Napoli has hit for power, but his poor average and sporadic usage have likely frustrated his owners this season. Despite those struggles, there’s reason to be optimistic about Napoli’s performance going forward. If an owner in your league has given up on Napoli, this might be a good time to buy low on the power-hitting catcher.
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By now you’ve seen the play and heard the news; Buster Posey will miss significant time after tearing ligaments and breaking his leg in a collision at the plate last night. Despite a subpar start to the season (just a .341 wOBA), Posey was still one of fantasy’s top backstops and will be tough to replace. Here’s a few guys lying on the waiver wire that can help fill the void…

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