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We all want home runs. And so it’s tough to stream for power — if they coulda hit homers, they woulda hit them allready. But we can look for the best situations for power, and look for borderline power guys for people of differently-sized leagues, and maybe we’ll help you ‘luck’ into some extra dingers for your playoff fantasy squad.

The basic philosophy is simple. Power is well-correlated with hot weather, and certain parks are more conducive to home runs. You can add in a fly-ball pitcher if you want to really want to set the scene for Elvis Andrus‘ one home run of the year.

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Albany, New York — In a game in which one team would head home to off-season jobs, and another would advance to the New York Penn League Championship, the highlights came from a pitcher’s duel and timely hitting — by top draft picks and lesser-known talents alike.

The Tri-City Valley Cats went on that night to shut out the Aberdeen Iron Birds 3-0 in the best-of-three series, advancing to the finals.

Aberdeen’s Hunter Harvey and Tri-City’s Kyle Westwood got the start for their teams, and both kept the game scoreless through six innings.

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I just can’t escape that bittersweet feeling every time the calendar flips to September. Though some won’t understand my analogy and may have to equate it into their own terms, for me, it’s like being at a Phish show, losing track of the time and suddenly somewhere in the second set the band busts out a Character Zero. It’s a great song, a great jam, high energy and loads of fun. But unfortunately, I also know that it’s the last song they’ll play (encore excluded, of course) and my fun for the night is over. It’s that realization that hits me when September arrives and I know that the fantasy baseball season is coming to a close. Read the rest of this entry »

The two following players are more well-known than the average guy being spoken about in a fantasy context these days, but they are still owned in fewer than 30% of Yahoo leagues and could help you as specialists down the stretch.
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We haven’t been reporting all the Charlie Morton news that’s fit to print. Our last update on “mini Roy Halladay” came in mid-June and was for a Deep League Waiver Wire piece. He’s advanced a little in our estimation since. Is it time to pick up Charlie Morton in all leagues?

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Hudson Valley, NY — Hudson Valley infielder Darryl George gave the team a boost at a crucial point.

In his final games, he stayed consistent, giving the playoff-hopeful Renegades a shot.

In what was a must-win that the team lost, George’s skill set, and what the Australian native needs to improve, were showcased.

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Marcus Semien

Marcus Semien has been promoted to the major leagues as a September call up, and he is one of the more interesting prospects I have been following this season. I own Semien in a dynasty league and although I am out of contention, I am eager to see what he can do against major league pitching in the next months’ worth of play.
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Here are this week’s recommendations:

Jose Quintana – 17.7% ESPN – @NYY (.302 team wOBA), @BAL (.327)

The 24-year-old left-hander has been a revelation of sorts for the White Sox this year, going 7-4 with a 3.66 ERA and 7.5 K/9. Pitching for the White Sox has made it tough for Quintana to be a good fantasy commodity, however, as his 16 no-decisions are the most in the big leagues.

Quintana seems to be a better bet with the White Sox playing better lately — and likely soon to overtake the Twins to get out of the Central cellar — and so far, he’s the real deal, as his 3.66/3.65/3.83 pitching slash will attest. The Yankees matchup this week is a much more accommodating one, but as loyal readers will attest, a lot of times it’s one good matchup, one possibly shaky matchup with these sorts of recommendations.

Joe Kelly – 21.0% ESPN – @CIN (.314), v. PIT (.309)

After a three-inning outing versus the Dodgers on May 25, Kelly’s season ERA stood at 7.13. Since then, in Kelly’s 16 appearances (10 starts), the right-hander has tossed 72 innings of 1.88 ERA ball, with middling peripherals (5.0 K/9, 3.5 BB/9) and a .235/.310/.328 opponent’s batting line.

In that time frame, Kelly is 6-1, though it certainly helps that he’s pitching for the NL Central leading Cardinals, whom have the second-most wins in the National League. Still, in a strategy set-up like this where wins and losses can be a bit hard to projection, Kelly — at least to me — seems like a pretty good bet.

Danny Duffy – 3.9% ESPN – v. SEA (.310), v. DET (.345)

Duffy’s 2013 body of work includes a pair of starts against an admittedly awful Minnesota Twins lineup, sandwiched around a solid six-inning effort where he beat the Detroit Tigers in half of a twinbill on Aug. 16. In those 16.1 innings, Duffy has racked up 17 strikeouts, walked just five, and allowed only two earned runs on 12 hits.

Duffy’s velocity isn’t all the way back from missing nearly all of 2012 with a torn UCL and Tommy John surgery, and it appears as though he’s scrapped his slider, but he still has plenty of velocity to spare with a 93.7 mph average heater so far. The Seattle matchup this week is a solid one, and he’s already shown well against the Tigers this year — though that’s probably not all that predictive — and as a result, he’ll reel in the third recommendation of the week.

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Also, here’s the link to the spreadsheet I keep of results so that readers can feel free to peruse it at their leisure.

Brooklyn, New York — On a balmy August night, in the midst of a playoffs push, in a sixteen inning game in Coney Island, Tri-City Valley Cats Conrad Gregor’s multiple skills were on display.

Facing the rival Brooklyn Cyclones, with Tri City leading the Stedler Division by three games, and Brooklyn trailing in McNamara by a half game, there was plenty of opportunity for Gregor to show what he’s capable of. (Tri City would win the game 5-3.)

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Brooklyn, NY — Gavin Cecchini wasn’t slowed much by his stint on the DL, after suffering a left ankle sprain.

His progress seems to have only been bolstered. He went on a sixteen-game hitting streak, and has hit safely in his last three games, and worked three walks in the last two games. He finished August hitting .349 with twenty-nine hits through twenty-two games.

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