This is part of an ongoing pro/con series on RotoGraphs over the next couple of weeks. Today we’ll look at the positive/negative side of Dan Uggla. Expect the opposite side shortly.

Coming into this past week, you’d be hard pressed to find a player that better epitomized the phrase “fantasy disappointment” than Dan Uggla.  While he had seven home runs to his credit by the close of May, he was also sporting a .178 average and had produced a measly 17 RBI.  His OBP hung at a woeful .246 and the talk of manager Fredi Gonzalez giving him a “rest to clear his head” became more prominent, threatening his playing time.  Not that anyone thought the Braves would really bench their new prized second baseman, but with each week that passed from the start of the season, Uggla’s owners have been more and more concerned. Read the rest of this entry »

Continuing last week’s theme of looking at the biggest surprises thus far in ottoneu lwts leagues (and, really, fantasy as a whole), we look today at second basemen, shortstops, and outfielders.

Second Base

My pick: Howard Kendrick

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Tier 1A
Robinson Cano

Tier 1B
Rickie Weeks

I still have Cano as the top ranked 2B based on his previous seasons and overall health. Weeks is producing a bit more in 2011 compared to Cano, but as long as they are this close, I will put Cano first.

Tier 2
Ben Zobrist
Ryan Roberts
Ian Kinsler
Kelly Johnson

This Tier’s rankings, and the rest that follow, are very fluid based on the needs of your team. If your team needs a few more SB, but can afford to take a hit in AVG, you may look at Kinsler -or- you could be looking for a more rounded producer like Roberts.

Also, I am putting players with multiple position eligibilities higher in the different tiers. With all the trips players have made to the DL this season, it is nice to have the extra flexibility to move players around.

Kelly Johnson was let go by many teams because of his early season struggles. It looks like he has forgotten the early struggles and is back near the top the 2B rankings.

Tier 3
Dustin Pedroia
Martin Prado
Brandon Phillips
Neil Walker
Danny Espinosa

This Tier was tough for me to rank. Pedroria could have easily been moved to Tier 2 (based on previous good results) with Espinosa being moved down a Tier (based on little previous production). As a whole, an owner really can’t go wrong with any of these players.

Tier 4
Michael Young
Placido Polanco
Howie Kendrick

These 3 are similar in that they hit for AVG, have few HR and SB and are qualified at several positions. This would be a nice group of players to have on your bench in shallow leagues. They can fill in when other players on your team are not playing for any reason.

Tier 5
Chase Utley
Darwin Barney
Mike Aviles
Allen Craig
Adam Kennedy
Maicer Izturis
Michael Cuddyer
Brett Lawrie
Daniel Murphy
Gordon Beckham
Eric Young (Jonathan Herrera)

Currently there is a large drop off from Tier 4 to 5, but some names do stick out.

Utley has just gotten back from the DL with subpar results. As his production increases, he will quickly move up.

Cuddyer (0.264 AVG/7 HR/3 SB) is having a similar year to Neil Walker (0.265 AVG/8 HR/2 SB) in non team related stats. Cuddyer only has a total of 40 Runs + RBIs, while Walker has almost twice that number (73). If the Twins offense gets clicking Cuddyer has a great chance to improve.

Colorado is back with Eric Young at 2B. He will be a great source for SB, if he keeps his job. I believe he shouldn’t of lost it to begin with and his replacement, Herrera, shouldn’t have lost it this time.

Tier 6
Jed Lowrie
Aaron Hill
Alberto Callaspo
Ryan Theriot
Orlando Cabrera
Jamey Carroll
Justin Turner
Freddy Sanchez
Ty Wigginton

I expect to find most of these players to be owned but on the bench. It is tough to tell how players are being used with all the multiple position eligibilities I am actually looking at what the availability level is for certain positions in different sized leagues for my Saturday article.

Tier DL
Brian Roberts
Tsuyoshi Nishioka

Frustration Tier
Dan Uggla
Ryan Raburn
Chone Figgins

These 3 are completely under producing and driving their owners crazy this season. I am not sure I would actually trade for any of them, but would see if they become available on the waiver wire for a chance they break out. With these three, the only way is up.

With players like Dan Uggla and Chone Figgins stinking up the joint and others like Brian Roberts and Mark Ellis banged up, there is a dire need to patch up some roster holes at both second base and the middle infield position.  Sometimes, though, filling in the holes can be rough.  When you’re fishing near the bottom of the waiver wire barrel, the production expectations are usually pretty low, however, here are a pair of guys who just might exceed your expectations. Read the rest of this entry »

This is an exciting time of the year for deep league owners as prospects are being called up, slow starters are getting released and playing time opportunities are opening up. No longer do deep leaguers have to choose between fifth outfielders and sixth starters currently pitching in long relief.

Felipe Paulino, KC SP | 6% Owned

If you had read my stuff last year on FantasyPros911 or listened to my weekly radio show, you would be well aware that I loved Paulino last year. He was coming off a decent 4.04 xFIP, but that compared to a ghastly 6.27 ERA, which likely scared off most fantasy owners and made him very cheap at draft time. He posted an excellent strike out rate, backed up by a fastball that averaged 95.4 miles per hour and generated an impressive 11.6% SwStk%. Unfortunately, 2010 did not go so well as his control regressed, the poor luck of 2009 continued through the season, and he dealt with shoulder issues that landed him on the DL. Now he has moved on to the Royals and has a second chance at a starting gig after opening the season in relief with the Rockies. His velocity remains in the 95.0 mile per hour range and he has produced fantastic results with his slider once again. This is the type of arm worth taking a chance on in AL-Only leagues. At the very least he should provide some nice strikeout numbers.

Jeff Keppinger, HOU 2B | 7% Owned

The release of Bill Hall has opened the door for Keppinger to receive full-time at-bats . While never producing much power or showing much speed, he is one of the best contact hitters in baseball. In his career, he has walked more than he has struck out, and only a below league average BABIP of .289 has prevented him from being a perennial .300 hitter. Obviously, he does not have great upside or anything, but his skills remind me of a mini-Placido Polanco. A couple of homers and steals here and there, but the value comes with the playing time and the batting average. Though this does not play very well in mixed leagues, he is a good choice to fill a hole that should cost little in deeper leagues. Finding a player in deeper leaguers that won’t kill your average is difficult, especially in the current environment where BABIP and batting average are down for the league. Luckily, Keppinger is here to save the day.

With Rafael Furcal (oblique) back on the DL for the Dodgers and Oakland’s Mark Ellis leaving Monday night’s game with a right hamstring injury, a pair of top middle infield prospects are primed to get plenty of big league playing time over the next few weeks, and possibly much longer.

Shortstop Dee Gordon made his debut for L.A. last night as a pinch-runner. Manager Don Mattingly intends to start him most nights as the increasingly fragile Furcal heals, according to a Tweet by Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Second baseman Jemile Weeks hasn’t officially gotten the call to the majors yet, but the move is expected with Ellis possibly landing on the DL. Here’s a quick look at what to expect from Weeks and Gordon.

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Unless you’re sitting on one of the top five or six guys that are out there, chances are you’re struggling with production at second base and are looking desperately to find someone to plug that hole for the rest of the year.  Well, based on these ownership percentages, you might just have that help right in front of you.  Here’s a pair of guys you might want consider using right now… Read the rest of this entry »

The Detroit Tigers traded INF Scott Sizemore to the Oakland Athletics for LHP David Purcey.

Sizemore, 26, holds a career .315/.392/.487 line in 764 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. The Virginia Commonwealth product has shown pretty good patience (9.4% walk rate) and power (.172 Isolated Power) in the International League. He was never considered a premium prospect — Baseball America ranked him tenth in the Tigers’ system prior to last season — but BA did say he possessed a “compact swing and a knack for putting the barrel on the ball.”

Detroit didn’t give Sizemore much time to translate that swing to major league success, though, making him the starter at second base for brief periods of time over the past two seasons and then abandoning ship after he didn’t hit in small sample sizes. In 237 career major league plate appearances, the righty batter has a .223/.306/.306 triple-slash. Sizemore has managed a 10.5% walk rate, but he has struck out in 28.6% of his at-bats while rarely ripping the ball into the gaps or over the fence (.083 ISO, 3 HR).

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Today’s waiver wire will help solve some of your up-the-middle problems…

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Today we’ll continue our look at Pick Six values by looking at middle infield and outfield.  You can see our discussion of catcher and corner infield values here.  As a reminder, the production numbers you see below (FP/PA = Fangraphs Points per Plate Appearance) are weighted averages of THT’s Oliver and BPro’s PECOTA.  I didn’t include ZiPS, but feel free to click the players and look up those numbers as well.

Middle Infield

Elite Three (they cost a fortune, but they’re worth it):

Troy Tulowitzki, 1.57 FP/PA, $56.75
Hanley Ramirez, 1.53 FP/PA, $51.50
Robinson Cano, 1.40 FP/PA, $46.75

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