2009 MLB Preview: #22 Toronto Blue Jays
Posted by Anthony Stalter (03/19/2009 @ 10:30 am)

Click Here to see Previews of all 30 MLB Teams
Offseason Movement: The Jays added pitchers Brian Burres, Matt Bush, Matt Clement and Ken Takahashi as well as catcher Michael Barrett, outfielder Jason Lane and first basemen Kevin Millar. Outside of Barrett, Millar and maybe Lane, none of Toronto’s offseason additions are expected to make the Opening Day roster. And Barrett started 1 for 16 in spring training, so, good luck with that.
Top Prospect: Travis Snider, OF
Snider is a true power hitting prospect who has a long swing but above average plate discipline. The Jays hope he can develop into an player that hits for extra bases and who can drive the ball to all parts of the field. He’ll probably never hit for average, but his power should more than make up for it and he has a great arm for the outfield. Thus far, the 21-year old is hitting .371 with six extra-base hits in 35 at-bats in spring training.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: MLB
Tags: 2009 MLB Predictions, 2009 MLB Preview, 2009 MLB Team Previews, Aaron Hill, Alex Rios, Casey Janssen, David Purcey, Dustin McGowan, Jesse Litsch, Lyle Overbay, Marco Scutaro, Matt Clement, Michael Barrett, MLB Preview 2009, Roy Halladay, Scott Richmond, Travis Snider, Vernon Wells
2009 Fantasy Baseball Preview: Outfielders
Posted by Anthony Stalter (03/10/2009 @ 7:00 pm)

All 2009 Fantasy Articles | 2009 Position Rankings
The great thing about addressing your outfielder positions on draft day is that there are so many to choose from that chances are if you don’t like one facet about a certain player (i.e. age, inexperience, he plays for the Red Sox and you’re a Yankees fan, etc.), you can move on to one of the many other choices available.
Conversely, with so many players to choose from, you’re liable to stick your head in an oven in order to avoid having to decide between which outfielders will explode and which will wind up on your league’s wavier wire after making you suffer for the first couple months of the season.
The nice thing about having so many choices for outfielders is that you can draft certain players to fill certain needs. As your roster starts to take shape on draft day, if you desire more power, then there are plenty of outfielders that can address that specific need. If your team is lacking speed, there are outfielders that you can target to rack up stolen bases. And if you were able to draft for both speed and power in previous rounds, then adding a couple outfielders that can hit for average will only help you in the long run.
That said, if you’re smart, you’ll pinpoint the outfielders that can do it all. Sure, they might not excel in any one area, but over the course of the season if you can land a guy that can spread out his production in home runs, RBIs, runs and average, it will do wonders for your team in the end. After all, balance is key in fantasy baseball and after you land your studs early on, you’re going to need to complete your roster with players that can produce in all areas.
Read the rest after the jump...Posted in: Fantasy Baseball, MLB
Tags: Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, Alfonso Soriano, B.J. Upton, Billy Butler, Carl Crawford, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Lee, Carlos Quentin, Corey Hart, Curtis Granderson, Grady Sizemore, Ichiro Suzuki, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Bay, Jermaine Dye, Josh Hamilton, Magglio Ordonez, Manny Ramirez, Matt Holliday, Matt Kemp, Nate McLouth, Nick Markakis, Ryan Braun, Shane Victorino, Vladimir Guerrero
Tim Lincecum wins NL Cy Young
Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/11/2008 @ 2:55 pm)
San Francisco Giants’ 24-year old starter Tim Lincecum won the National League Cy Young award on Tuesday.
The slender kid with the whirling windup on Tuesday joined Mike McCormick (1967) as the only San Francisco Giants pitchers to win a Cy Young.
Lincecum received 23 of 32 first-place votes and 137 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks got four first-place votes and finished second with 73 points.
Well deserved. Nothing against Brandon Webb, but Lincecum was the most dynamic pitcher in the NL this season. Despite pitching for one of the worst lineups in all of baseball, “The Franchise” still found a way to go 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA. Had the Giants had any amount of offense, he would have easily won 20-plus games. I had him ranked No. 3 in my “Best Young Guns Vol. II” article.
Ironically, the Giants were looking to trade Lincecum in the offseason. GM Brian Sabean (who amazingly still has a job despite several trade gaffs) almost dealt his future ace to the Toronto Blue Jays for Alex Rios.
Posted in: MLB
Tags: Alex Rios, Arizona Diamondbacks, Best young baseball pitchers, Best Young Guns, Brandon Webb, National League Cy Young, San Francisco Giants, Tim Lincecum, Tim Lincecum beats Brandon Webb for NL Cy Young, Tim Lincecum NL Cy Young, Toronto Blue Jays