Category: MLB (Page 258 of 448)

      2009 Fantasy Baseball Preview: Catchers

      March 5, 2009 /

      All 2009 Fantasy Articles | 2009 Position Rankings

      There’s an unwritten rule among intelligent fantasy football drafters that goes a little something like this: Don’t draft a quarterback before Round 5. That’s because unless you land Peyton Manning, there’s not a huge difference between the No. 2 rated quarterback and the No. 8.

      A similar rule can be applied to catchers in fantasy baseball. Chances are if you selected Victor Martinez (the No. 1 rated catcher in most draft rankings in 2008) early in your draft last year, you punched a whole through one of your walls by the All-Star Break.

      If you selected a guy like Joe Mauer in the fourth or fifth round, you probably were quite satisfied by his .328-9-85-98 production. But what if we told you that you could have had taken Bengie Molina much later and still wound up with .292-16-95-46 production out of your catcher spot? Sure, you would give up runs and sacrifice average, but you almost doubled your home runs and gave your RBI numbers a boost as well.

      What we’re saying is – don’t overvalue the catcher position. Let someone else jump on Brian McCann’s potential or Russel Martin’s stolen base production while you’re concentrating on bolstering the other positions that don’t have the amount of depth that the backstops do.

      As we pointed out, there just isn’t much of a difference at the end of the day between guys like Mauer and Molina. Plus, don’t forget that nowadays most teams like to keep their catchers as fresh as possible – especially the contenders.

      So unless a stud drops into your lap in later rounds, take a look at the backstops below to address your catcher position. You can thank us later.

      Bengie Molina, San Francisco Giants
      Yes, Molina runs with about as much grace as a cement truck and he won’t cross the plate too many times, but his average usually hovers around .285 and he’ll hit 15-plus home runs. Batting cleanup also helps his RBI production and now that young Giants Fred Lewis and Pablo Sandoval are starting to develop, he should have even more opportunities to drive in runs. Consider yourself fortunate if you’re able to pluck Molina off the board late in your draft while addressing other positions in earlier rounds.

      Ryan Doumit, Pittsburgh Pirates
      Doumit is an injury risk, but he’s coming off a breakout 2008 season and at only 27, his ceiling his high. Considering he hit .318 with 15 home runs and 34 doubles last year, he would be an outstanding value late in the draft and although he’s still a bit of an unknown, Doumit nailed down the starting catcher position last year so you don’t have to worry about him splitting time (unless of course he goes into a tailspin in the first half of the season). Like Molina, Doumit will also bat either third or fourth in the lineup, which will give him plenty of opportunities to drive in runs.

      Chris Iannetta, Colorado Rockies
      Could this be Iannetta’s breakout year after blasting 18 home runs in 2008? He went from a sleeper last season to a bona fide top 10 starting catcher and his potential is awfully intriguing after he drove in 65 RBI and scored 50 runs in just 333 at bats last year. He only hit .264, but he certainly has the potential to sniff the .300-mark hitting at Coors.

      Jorge Posada, New York Yankees
      A lot of fantasy pundits are down on Posada this year after he had shoulder surgery last year, but even at 37 he still has a lot of value. He won’t play more than 125 games this year, but he should see some at bats at DH, especially with Hideki Matsui continuing to battle a bad knee. Posada hits in one of the best lineups in baseball and if he can stay healthy, he has the potential to hit well over .300 and chip in 15-plus home runs and 85-plus RBI.

      Mike NapoliMike Napoli, Los Angeles Angels
      Don’t expect much in the batting average department, but he has 20-plus home run potential and could have a breakout season in 2009 if he fixes the various holes in his swing. The only problem is that he’s a good bet to be a platoon player and if his average dips too much, his playing time could plummet. Still, he’s a candidate to drive in 70-plus runs, score 60-plus runs and even swipe anywhere from 8 to 10 bases this season.

      Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
      Weiters is a potential sleeper and if you’re in a keeper league, he’s definitely worth a long look. He’s only 22 years old, but he posted a .355 batting average in two minor-league stops in 2008 and could be a tremendous steal late in your draft. Keep an eye on him in spring training because if he earns the starting catcher position in Baltimore, he’s unlikely to relinquish it.

      Ramon Hernandez, Cincinnati Reds
      Call this our bargain bin special. Hernandez hit 15 dingers last year in Baltimore, but jumps to a hitter’s park this season in Cincinnati. He probably won’t sniff .280 in the batting average department, but he’ll give you more than enough pop to keep you happy and you could always grab a young sleeper like Pablo Sandoval (who also qualifies as a first basemen) or a trusty vet like Yadier Molina later in the draft if you wind up pulling the trigger on Hernandez.

      Below is our official ranking of catchers. You’ll see that there is plenty of depth after the top 5, including the guys ranked after the ones we went into detail above.

      1. Brian McCann, ATL
      2. Joe Mauer, MIN
      3. Russell Martin, LAD
      4. Geovany Soto, CHC
      5. Victor Martinez, CLE
      6. Bengie Molina, SF
      7. Ryan Doumit, PIT
      8. Chris Iannetta, COL
      9. Jorge Posada, NYY
      10. Mike Napoli, LAA
      11. Matt Wieters, BAL
      12. Ramon Hernandez, CIN
      13. Jarrod Saltalmacchia, TEX
      14. Kelly Shoppach, CLE
      15. Jeff Clement, SEA
      16. Gerald Laird, DET
      17. A.J. Pierzynski, CHW
      18. Kurt Suzuki, OAK
      19. Yadier Molina, STL
      20. Dioner Navarro, TB
      21. Chris Snyder, ARZ
      22. Brandon Inge, DET
      23. Jason Varitek, BOS
      24. Jesus Flores, WAS
      25. Kenji Johjima, SEA

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Alex Rodriguez has hip surgery, out until May

      March 5, 2009 /

      2009 hasn’t started real well for A-Rod.

      Alex RodriguezAlex Rodriguez’s troublesome right hip requires immediate surgery, the third baseman’s brother told LasMayores.com, MLB.com’s Spanish-language Web site.

      Rodriguez’s brother, Joe Dunand, said that Rodriguez will have the operation performed on Monday in Vail, Colo., by Dr. Marc Philippon. Dunand said it was his understanding that the recovery time for such a surgery is 10 weeks.

      The surgery would nix Rodriguez’s hopes of playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and possibly cause him to miss part of the regular season if Dunand is correct and Rodriguez has the procedure done.

      Hmm, I guess steroids have no bearing on hip health…

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Pablo Sandoval = Ultimate Fantasy Sleeper?

      March 5, 2009 /

      Chances are if you had the opportunity to flip on a San Francisco Giants game in the second half of the 2008 season, you could have sworn that Bengie Molina had changed his number and was now playing the infield.

      That’s because at 5’11” and 246 pounds, Pablo Sandoval could easily be the body-double for the 5’11”, 225-pound Molina.

      Unless you’re a Giants fan or a true fantasy baseball mega wizard, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Sandoval. San Fran signed the 22-year old switch hitter from Carabobo, Venezuela as an undrafted free agent in 2002, but thanks to his performance over the last month of the 2008 season, Sandoval is officially your 2009 ultimate fantasy sleeper.

      In 145 major league at bats last season, Sandoval hit a scorching .345 with a .490 slugging percentage and 10 doubles. He also jacked three home runs, knocked in 24 RBI and crossed the plate 24 times in San Fran’s weak offense – the same weak offense that will give him the opportunity to hit fifth in the lineup this year behind the aforementioned Molina.

      Not since Matt Williams have the Giants been so excited about a young position player to come through their farm system. Sandoval absolutely raked NL pitching in the final month of the season last year despite taking a free-swinging approach in all of his at bats. (That’s a nice way of saying he swung at everything.)

      But despite being such a young, free-swinging hitter, Sandoval didn’t chase many pitches out of the zone, even when pitchers started to figure out that he could hit. He seemed to stay within himself and take what pitchers gave him while rarely having poor at bats and usually making good contact.

      Despite the lofty expectations, however, there are plenty of concerns that accompany Sandoval as he embarks on his first full season as a regular. His track record in the minor leagues suggests that his numbers from last year were a fluke and despite his .345 batting average, he only walked a total of four times in 145 at bats.

      From a fantasy perspective, he fell nine games shy of qualifying as a catcher in 2009, which means he’ll be lumped in with the much deeper first base class. Ironically, the Giants will most likely start him at third base this season, which would have made him much more valuable because the hot corner is a weak position in terms of fantasy this year.

      Will Sandoval hit .345 again if the Giants give him 520 at bats? Probably not, especially if the kid doesn’t learn to take more walks. But is it possible that he could hit .300 with 15 home runs and a slugging percentage that closes in on .440 again? Absolutely.

      We’re not suggesting to sell your soul on draft day to select Sandoval, but a great case could be made for taking a flier on him as one of your late round picks – especially if you’re in a keeper league. And if Molina and fellow youngsters Fred Lewis and Travis Ishikawa produce around him in the lineup, there’s a good chance Sandoval could drive in 75-80 RBI and chip in anywhere from 70-75 runs.

      The bottom line is – what do you have to lose? If our projections for Sandoval turn out to be unrealistic, then you can dump him early in the season and not lose sleep after selecting him in one of the final rounds of your draft. But if we’re right and he’s set up for a solid year as a first time starter, then Sandoval could be a fantastic late round gem.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Cowboys release Terrell Owens

      March 5, 2009 /

      According to ESPN.com, the Cowboys have officially released wide receiver Terrell Owens.

      Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not deny the team is discussing the possible release of Owens in late February.

      “There are several decisions on our roster we have to look at,” Jones said at the time. “This is the time of year we do that. I’m not trying to be trite, but as you all know we’re evaluating players in college, we’re evaluating free agents and we’re evaluating our own roster. This is an ongoing thing, not any different than this time last year.”

      The Cowboys paid Owens a $12 million signing bonus just last year, included as part of a new four-year, $34 million deal.

      There has been talk since the end of the Cowboys’ 9-7 season, in which they missed the playoffs, that they would consider cutting Owens to improve locker room morale.

      Wow. There possibility of the ‘Boys cutting Owens has always been there since the season ended, but just a couple months ago it appeared that Jerry Jones would hold onto the toxic wideout and roll the dice that he wouldn’t be a distraction next season.

      Maybe Jones has finally realized that talent can only take a team so far and that chemistry plays a major role into whether or not it’s successful. T.O. has always been a fantastic player, but despite his competitive nature, he’s selfish and can be incredibly disruptive. Now that he’s gone, maybe some guys like Tony Romo will play with an air of freshness next season, even though there’s no doubt Dallas is losing one of its best players.

      As for possible destinations for T.O., the Raiders certainly come to mind, although he’ll likely want to go to a competitor. Would anyone be surprised if Daniel Synder made a play and Owens goes to Washington in an effort to try to stick it up the Cowboys’ asses next season?

      Fantasy Football, MLB, NFL

      2009 Fantasy Baseball Preview: Shortstops

      March 4, 2009 /

      All 2009 Fantasy Articles | 2009 Position Rankings

      Before your 2009 fantasy baseball draft kicks off this year, do yourself a favor and repeat this three or four times to yourself: I will draft a shortstop in the first nine rounds.

      Not unlike third basemen, the shortstop position is weak this season. After Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins come off the board in the first two rounds, you’re left with roughly eight shortstops that will give you adequate to good production this season. We project those eight shortstops to be selected anywhere between the fifth and ninth round in standard mixed leagues, which is why we suggest nabbing one before the conclusion of the ninth.

      The good news is that in a 12-team league, you’ll definitely have the opportunity to land one of the big three (Ramirez, Reyes, Rollins) or scoop up one of the eight adequate-to-good shortstops that we’re referring to. The bad news is that shortstops can start flying off the board quickly and if you’re selecting in a snake draft, you could wind up on the wrong end of the spectrum when the run starts.

      That’s why to be safe, you will draft a shortstop in one of the first nine rounds because you don’t want to be the guy that’s trying to figure out whether or not Edgar Renteria will bounce back now that he’s in the NL again, or having to choose between Orlando Cabrera’s consistent .280 batting average and Khalili Greene’s 25-plus home run potential. (Side note: If you do wind up being that guy come draft day, it might be wise to select two shortstops back to back and hope you catch lightning in a bottle with one of them.)

      Obviously you still want to be smart on draft day; we’re not advising you to take Derek Jeter in the third because you’re spooked about failing to grab a shortstop before the ninth round. But taking one of the top 11 shortstops a round early might not be a bad idea considering what you’ll be left with later on.

      After Ramirez, Reyes and Rollins come off the board, here are the eight shortstops we’d suggest taking before the ninth round ends:

      Stephen DrewStephen Drew, Arizona Diamondbacks
      In his third season with the D-Backs last year, Drew was only the third shortstop in major league history to finish with 40 doubles, 20 home runs and 10 triples in 2008. At 26 years old, his ceiling is sky high right now as he enters the prime of his career and there is no doubt that he’s one of the bright young stars in baseball. If he builds off the success he had last year, Drew could easily hit 25 home runs, knock in 75 RBI, score 100 runs and chip in five stolen bases. He probably won’t sniff the .300-mark in terms of batting average, but he should be right around .290.

      Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
      Tulowitzki exploded onto the scene in 2007, helping the Rockies make a World Series appearance and setting a record for most home runs (20) in a season by an NL rookie shortstop. But injuries destroyed what was supposed to be a promising second season in 2008 and he obviously fell short of expectations. Still, he hit .300 over the second half of the season last year and he should once again build on his promising young career. He has the potential to hit 20-plus home runs, knock in 80 RBI, score 90 runs and add 10 stolen bases along with his .290 average. Tulowitzki is a star in the making and definitely one of the better young shortstops in the game.

      Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox
      Potential could be the one word to describe the Sox’s young shortstop. Ramirez has 20-home run and 20-stolen base potential and he could easily average .290 and score 100 runs. The one thing to keep in mind about him, however, is that last year was his breakout campaign and he could regress in ’09. Still, with Orlando Cabrera moving on in free agency, Ramirez will get every opportunity to build on his rookie performance and should have plenty of fantasy potential hitting in front of Carlos Quentin in the two-hole.

      Jhonny Peralta, Cleveland Indians
      With most of the Tribe hitters taking a step back in ’08, Peralta came through with a fine season. If Travis Hafner is healthy again this year, Peralta will move back to the third or fifth spot in the order (he was hitting cleanup in Hafner’s absence last season) and should hit 25-plus home runs. He does strike out a lot and his average will probably teeter around .275, but he’ll also give you 80-plus RBI and score 100-plus runs. There’s talk of him moving to third base this year so keep an eye on that, but he’ll still qualify as a shortstop in all leagues.

      Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
      Tried and true – Jeter is more than capable of giving you quality production day in and day out. At 35 years old, his numbers are definitely on the decline but that doesn’t mean the veteran will crash and burn in 2009. He might not hit 20 home runs or steal 20 bases this year, but you can probably bank on 15 dingers and 15 swiped bags. Just don’t overvalue him, because there’s no doubt someone will based on name recognition alone.

      Rafael FurcalRafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers
      Obviously he’s a major injury risk, but if he’s healthy there’s no reason to believe Furcal can’t pick up where he left off in April of last year when he hit .367. He also returns to familiar stomping grounds after re-signing with the Dodgers, and he should have every opportunity to top 15 home runs and swipe 35-plus bases. Some owners will look at his name and take a pass given his age and injury concerns, but Furcal could be worth the risk come draft day, especially depending on how far he falls.

      J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee Brewers
      If you can put up with Hardy’s streaky production, he’s liable to blast 25 home runs, drive in 75 RBI and bat around .280. Depending on how your first five or six rounds turn out, the addition of Hardy could give you a boost in the power department without killing your team’s overall batting average. Not a lot of owners will jump at the opportunity to select him, but Hardy is an underrated player and after hitting 20-plus home runs the last two seasons, he looks like a reliable option.

      Michael Young, Texas Rangers
      Some owners might choose to go with a young sleeper like KC’s Mike Aviles over an aging vet like Young, but keep in mind how good the Rangers’ offense was last year. Young has the potential to hit .300 with12 dingers, knocking in 82 RBI and scoring 102 runs at the top of Texas’s lineup. Aviles might hit .300 again with 10-plus home runs, but it’s doubtful he brings what Young does to the table in terms of RBI and run production.

      Here is our official ranking of shortstops. Remember that all of these players qualify for your middle infield position, so don’t fall asleep and miss out on taking a potential sleeper or consistent veteran shortstop in later rounds.

      1. Hanley Ramirez, FLA
      2. Jose Reyes, NYM
      3. Jimmy Rollins, PHI
      4. Stephen Drew, ARI
      5. Troy Tulowitzki, COL
      6. Alexei Ramirez, CHW
      7. Jhonny Peralta, CLE
      8. Derek Jeter, NYY
      9. Rafael Furcal, LAD
      10. J.J. Hardy, MIL
      11. Michael Young, TEX
      12. Mike Aviles, KC
      13. Miguel Tejada, HOU
      14. Yunel Escobar, ATL
      15. Orlando Cabrera, OAK
      16. Elvis Andrus, TEX
      17. Edgar Renteria, SF
      18. Jason Bartlett, TB
      19. Ryan Theriot, CHC
      20. Khalil Greene, STL
      21. Jed Lowrie, BOS

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

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