A couple weeks ago, I sung the praises of Sean Manea. He’s done little to disappoint since then, yet his ownership hasn’t risen that much, so I’m going back to the well to suggest adding him this week. The lefty is joined by a pair of outfielders who play in hitter-friendly home ballparks who deserve a look as well. Read the rest of this entry »
It once again is time for the monthly update for my AL Outfield Tiers! As always, these are my rest of the season ranks for the position and you can check out my previous versions below as well as Alex Chamberlain’s NL versions. Read the rest of this entry »
Once upon a time, strikeouts minus walks was the best way to look ahead for a pitcher. It focused on the things that a pitcher could control and left the rest to league averages, and therefore it was a strong ‘one number’ to look at.
We are in the midst of turmoil, though. In the middle of the biggest year to year increase in home run rate, we’re suddenly looking at pitchers with home run problems and wondering which ones will continue to be ridiculously ‘unlucky’ and which ones will shortly conquer their gopher problem. Don’t worry, the pitchers themselves are doing the same thing.
The good news is that we have new tools to help us figure out which home run rates are more likely to regress. The home run is the result of the correct launch angle and the correct velocity. We know that 25-30 is the ideal home run launch angle, but for these purposes, I expanded it to 20-35 to get a broader range. We also know that 95+ mph in those zones leads to home runs, so I included a ranking of exit velocity in that band.
I only have one recommendation for you today, folks. I’d love to write a second but sometimes it’s best not to force the issue. Not that there aren’t worthy players out there to consider. But sometimes, what’s out there just isn’t all that compelling and just because you can make an argument in favor of something doesn’t always mean you should. I’m talking to you, Jim Cramer. So without further ado, let’s talk a little Mac Williamson (1% Yahoo, 1.1%ESPN, 3% CBS).
Russell Martin got injured from staying in the sauna too long, getting light headed after a cold shower, and falling down. This ranks right up there with Clint Barmes and Joel Zumaya and serves as a nice reminder that no, you’re not very different from a professional athlete. You, too, could probably hurt your knee in the shower.
And you can swim, right?
With just over 2 months left in the season, it’s likely that your Ottoneu league has started to have some separation at the top of the standings. In reality, this has probably been happening for a while. Typically races do not stay “close” for this long and (since Ottoneu has no playoff structure) you have probably been faced with the opportunity to start rebuilding in some aspect. A lot of advice could be given on the type of moves you should consider if you’re rebuilding – which trades you should make, players you should claim, which breakouts players are for real, etc. – but instead of commenting on that specifically, today I want talk about a tool that can help you have perspective as you plan toward 2017.
If you’ve played Ottoneu for more than a season, you are probably familiar with the Roster Organizer. If you’re new to Ottoneu, you may not have noticed its existence in season. In the offseason, the roster organizer replaces the lineups page as your offseason planning tool. However, it still can still be accessed in season from your team’s lineup page (boxed in red). The Roster Organizer can be located from your team page as well. The link is in the same place on that page.
From this link you will be able to access the Roster Organizer. Clicking the link will take you to a page nearly identical to the Lineups page but with additional slots for cuts, disabled lists, and minor leagues. Note that any player can be put into these three categories, and listing a player as a “cut” does not actually cut them from your squad. However, it reduces the player’s salary from your current cap penalty. This can be useful when trying to determine which of your current players you can build around for next year. I’d highly recommend looking at your squad and seeing where you stand. By doing this, you can get a better idea of players you want to hold on to going into next year, as well as the financial implication of keeping that player. Maybe you have a lot of players you like, but will have trouble meeting the salary cap if you keep all of them. The Roster Organizer can be helpful in realizing this – and can help you organize the players you have who may be worth trading in season. But what about players you want to target? Is there a way to plan for acquiring players? Read the rest of this entry »
Lately, my articles have been pitcher-happy. This week, I have no pitchers to suggest adding. Instead, I’m turning my focus to a quartet of hitters who are 25 years of age of younger. Three of the hitters are currently in the minors, but now’s a good time to be proactive and nab them in deeper leagues as opposed to getting sniped by someone with a higher waiver claim or more FAAB dollars available when they are summoned to the parent club. Read the rest of this entry »
Who likes injury news? Great, because we’ve got a lot of it. As always, it seems. Before we get to that, though, let’s start the morning out with something more fun. This would be Josh Harrison going for the little-league home run (a triple and an error) for a walk-off victory yesterday:
This about sums it up:
His rookie season didn’t get off to a good start, but Sean Manaea has pitched much better since making a change to how he throws his changeup. Eno tweeted a pic of the old and new grip in late May. The lefty’s 5.24 ERA is bloated due to his first three starts prior to throwing his new changeup, but he’s been fairly good since. Dylan Bundy has battled injuries and totaled 65.1 innings — this total includes his Arizona Fall League work in 2015 — from 2014-2015 after undergoing Tommy John surgery on June 26, 2013. The righty isn’t likely to be a major impact player the remainder of the year, but he could help a bit and his keeper-league stock is up. Read the rest of this entry »
Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we’re taking a look at two promising young hitters and one of the top pitching prospects in baseball — who just happened to get traded yesterday.
Christin Stewart | OF | Tigers
ETA: 2018
Value: Rising
Someone forgot to tell Stewart that the Florida State League is a pitcher’s league. Someone also forgot to tell him that the Tigers haven’t had much luck developing hitters in recent years. The 34th overall pick of the 2015 draft has hit the ground running in his first full pro season in 2016. He’s slugged 20 home runs and 37 of his 70 hits have gone for extra bases. Stewart, 22, has also shown a strong eye with 65 walks in 81 games. With all that said, he’ll likely always strike out a fair bit and his batting average is respectable but nothing to write home about. The Tigers are pretty set in the corner outfield positions with Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez but Victor Martinez isn’t going to be around much longer so Stewart could work his way into a part-time outfielder/part-time designated hitter role, perhaps in the second half of 2017 or, at the latest, 2018.