All too often, players get dismissed in fantasy leagues because of a low batting average. Owners are paranoid that a player with a low average is going to siphon off points in that category and no matter how productive he may be, will always be a drain. But then they get so caught up in avoiding these players and only see the aggregate numbers that they miss when one of them turns things around. Here are two players to check out for the home stretch. Both are turning their average around, both can hit for tremendous power and even if they do start to slump again in the average department, there’s simply not enough time for them to accrue enough at-bats to completely kill you in the category. Read the rest of this entry »

The fun part about MLB trades for fantasy owners is all the new opportunities afforded to players on the teams involved. New roles open up and suddenly intriguing fantasy options are available for the taking from the free agent pool.

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Today we’re looking at two players, one more prominent than the other, owned in less than 70 percentage of leagues that could add big value to your roster down the stretch.

Todd Frazier

Excuse me but I’m going to be blunt for a second; How in the hell is Todd Frazier owned in just 68 percent of Yahoo! leagues? What is wrong with people? I’m not talking to you, the Rotograph reader, you’re too smart to let him sit on the free agent pile. I’m talking to your average fantasy player. Is it his dull name? I kind of get it, people named Todd usually aren’t too exciting. But this Todd is killing it, in the good way, unlike the Todd from Breaking Bad.

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September is right around the corner, which means it’s time to really start preparing for the fantasy playoffs. Here are a pair of AL East youngsters who can boost your roster for the stretch drive…

Pedro Ciriaco | 2B, SS, 3B | Red Sox | Owned: 21% Yahoo! and 29.9% ESPN

Ciriaco, 26, got his shot with the Red Sox early last month due to various injuries and has quickly established himself as a pesky, “this guy shouldn’t be killing us” type of player for whoever happens to be playing Boston on a given day. The infielder is hitting .360/.374/.500 (145 wRC+) with two homers and nine steals (in nine chances) in 141 plate appearances for the Red Sox, and now he’s playing third base pretty much everyday with Will Middlebrooks on the shelf. He managed to pick up both second base and shortstop eligibility along the way.

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Spinning off of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ promotion of Tyler Skaggs to the majors earlier in the week as they try to make a push for a playoff spot, it seems fitting to do a rundown of all the National League contenders and their prospects who might be in line for a call-up down the stretch, especially once rosters expand in September. Some of these players might seem to be another half-season or so away, but many are are on the verge of getting a shot, just like Skaggs was.

As for fantasy implications, the focus remains on 2012 impact, but this also will help any keeper and dynasty league owners whose settings require a player to debut in the majors before they can be acquired in fantasy.

You can find the American League version here.

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Let’s face it.  Sifting through the waiver wire at this point can be an exercise in futility.  I mean, if the guy is just sitting out there waiting to be snatched up by anyone desperate enough to have to employ his services for the final month of the season, how good can he really be? There is no “long term” anymore, so it’s time to turn that roster spot into a revolving door and start playing the hot bat.  They’re certainly not the be-all, end-all, but here are two that just might be of service for the home stretch. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s never fun when your starting middle infielder goes down and you’re choosing from the crap heap of those no-power, limited speed leftovers. If this has happened to you, it’s your lucky day. Here are a pair of middle infielders who might actually contribute.

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Stephen Drew (ESPN: 14 percent owned; Yahoo!: 19 percent owned)

How much venom has been lobbed at Stephen Drew by jilted fantasy owners over the years? Like Francisco Liriano and any number of other fantasy femme fatales, Drew — through no actual fault of his own — seems to have hoodwinked owners over and over again, sometimes baiting them into taking him when they should have passed and sometimes doing the exact opposite.

He broke onto the fantasy scene in his rookie season with a .316/.357/.517 line, then collapsed the next season with a .238/.313/.370 line in his first full year with the Diamondbacks. If that were the totality of his career, Drew would be just another flash in the pan that didn’t work out long term. Instead, here are Drew’s wRC+ by year prior to this year: 115, 72, 107, 88, 113, 89. It’s that up and down motion, his ability to be 13 percent above league average one year and 11 percent under it the next, that has made Drew such a tough player to draft and such a maddening one to own. Read the rest of this entry »

The fantasy season is starting to reach crunch time, so let’s begin the week with two players who have recently taken on more prominent roles…

David Murphy | OF | Rangers | Owned: 12% Yahoo! and 13.3% ESPN

From 2008-2011, his first four full seasons as a big leaguer, the 30-year-old Murphy posted a 115 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers with a 62 mark against southpaws. His split this year is 129/145 thanks to some serious BABIP (.529) love in a very small sample (53 PA) against left-handers. It’s not the most sustainable performance, as you can tell.

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Brandon Belt (ESPN: 15 percent owned; Yahoo!: 18 percent owned)

Were it not for another left fielder in the midst of PED issues, the chatter in the Bay might well be about Brandon Belt finally looking like the player many expected him to be this season. The expectations laid on the 24-year-old may have been too high given his age and lack of experience, but his performance in July (.186/.266/.214 with nary a home run) failed to reach the most realistic or even pessimistic projections. August, however, has been far kinder to the Giants lefty as he has hit .450/.500/.625 in 44 PAs. Read the rest of this entry »