Fantasy Baseball Xtreme

Mark Trumbo (OF, DH)

Bones — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:22:01 +0000

I’ve seen some reports from other writers who suggest selling now on Mark Trumbo. The story goes that he had a fast start last year, and then tanked in the 2nd half, so the opportunity to sell high is now before he does it again. I’m not so sure history is going to repeat itself however. Remember, last year Trumbo made an appearance in the All-Star game Home Run hitting contest. And what an appearance it was! He didn’t hit as many as Josh Hamilton’s amazing performance a few years ago, but the distance he put on some of his homers was incredible. And the crowd egged him on, and he kept going for the deep ball. Well, we all know what happened to Hamilton after he made his record setting performance in the home run hitting contest, and Trumbo seemed to follow the same path last season. I don’t see that happening this year. For one, he probably learned his lesson and will avoid that contest all together. And two, he is sandwiched between Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton in that Angels line-up. His response? How about 6 dingers in the past 13 games. Trumbo sits at a .278 clip with 9 HR’s and 26 RBI so far on the young season, and I see no real reason why he can’t get to 30 HR’s and 100 RBI in that line-up. If you are tempted to shop Trumbo, sell high, elsewise, you probably will have a nice return on your investment already.

Ryan Howard (1B)

Bones — Fri, 10 May 2013 01:13:24 +0000

Hmmmm, it seems a lot of pundits jumped the gun this spring. Many thought Howard wasn’t going to be back to his old self after his terrible injury, but he seems to be proving people wrong. Ryan started the year in such a way as to make those pundits look good, as he only hit one home run and only drove in 6 runs in his first 19 games. But maybe he was easing his way back into things, as his stats have taken a turn for the better. In his past 13 games, Howard has hit 5 home runs and driven in 14 more runs. It’s looking like he may be able to get to the 30+ homer mark again this season, which is pretty good considering you could of drafted him on the back end of drafts this spring. It’s probably too late to pry him from his owner, but there may be some out there who feel the risk is too much. But you’re gonna have to pay a better price than you would of a month ago. I’m holding him for the season personally.

Andrew Cashner (SP)

Bones — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:09:25 +0000

We talked about Andrew Cashner about a year ago in this space, but his old bugaboo concerning injuries reared their ugly head last season and derailed his development. Well, look out gamers, this might be the year. The Padres have done a great job of bringing Cashner along slowly, and if the results of last week are any indication, he will be worth adding to your roster in the coming days. He put together 2 good starts against the defending World Champion Giants, and with San Diego’s rotation in a bit of flux, has probably secured himself a spot from this point forward. Cashner is a fireballer who can touch 100 mph on the gun, so you are looking at high upside when it comes to strike-outs. And since he will start half his games in Petco’s still large ballpark, his ERA and WHIP numbers promise to be good. Alas, it is the Padres, so the win total may not be great. Other writers have stated the classic line this week, “He’s a must add in ALL fantasy leagues.” But fear not, as of this morning he is only owned in 27% of yahoo leagues.

Nolan Arenado (3B)

Bones — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 15:04:52 +0000

Run, don’t walk, to your waiver wire this morning, and pick up Nolan Arenado. News just broke that the Rockies have bought out his contract, and are pulling him up to the bigs to be their everyday third baseman. We featured Nolan in our recent article on which rookies to grab who might make a huge impact on the fantasy scene this season. No one is saying he will be Mike Trout, but he has the pedigree to put up some really nice numbers, especially (and we know you’ve heard this before, but hey, it’s true) since half his games will be at Coors Field. After a so-so season at AA ball in 2012, Nolan exploded in spring training, and there were rumblings that he would stick on the 25 man roster. It didn’t take long to get called up though, which is what a .364 average with 3 HR, 11 doubles, 14 runs scored, and a whopping 21 RBI in 18 games will do for you at AAA. Arenado already has an MVP of the Arizona fall league, a stint on the U.S. Olympic team, and a “disappointing season” at AA in which he hit “only” .285 to his 21 year old credit. One of the top prospects in the Rockies system, Colorado is going all in, as they have designated starting 3B Chris Nelson for assignment. You should go all in too!

Nate McLouth (OF)

Bones — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:37:22 +0000

Although it’s early in the season and we are dealing with small sample sizes, some stats just stand out. Take stolen bases and Nate McLouth for example. In a mere 19 games, he has now swiped 7 bases (boy am I glad I added him before his 2 theft performance yesterday!). Who knows if he keeps up THAT pace, but over 6 months you would be looking at a 40 steal season. Since he is only owned by 13% of yahoo leaguers, that would be a pretty sweet waiver wire pick-up. His power hasn’t appeared as of yet, but through those first 19 games McLouth is hitting a cool .302 and has scored 16 runs thus far. That’s pretty good production in 3 major categories for a guy that can be had at no cost in most leagues. And last season he ended with a bang, knocking out 7 HR with 12 SB’s in 55 games with the O’s. He may have found a nice home in Baltimore, and he is worth the add to find out.

Carlos Ruiz (C)

Bones — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:57:58 +0000

Carlos Ruiz is nearing the end of his 25 game suspension, and is just the kind of “forgotten” prize that can help many a fantasy team out in the early going. Ruiz hit .325 last year in 372 at-bats, and clubbed 16 HR and drove in 68 RBI in only 114 games. If I recall correctly, that was good for a Top 5 finish amongst catchers across the majors last season. Those of you who own Victor Martinez (.182 batting average), Matt Wieters (.210), Miguel Montero (.206), Jesus Montero (.224), Jonathan Lucroy (.241), and Alex Avila (.196) might want to make the add in case your starter continues his poor start. Heck, the rest of you should consider the add; it’s never a bad thing to have an extra catcher who can hit the ball! I just checked, and Ruiz is only owned in 15% of yahoo leagues (well, maybe 16% since I went and grabbed him here and there), so if you pounce now you have a chance of making one of those early season moves that propels your team up the standings. Now, go, and add…

MAY the Force of the Prospect be with You.

Bones — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:36:35 +0000

Last season was a historic one for major league baseball. We saw two rookies enter the league and take the real, as well as the fantasy world by storm. I would venture to say that the seasons we saw out of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper were the first by a pair of young players since Mantle and Mays back in 1951. They were that good, and should continue to be for years to come.

Many pre-season magazines had “that” article in it too: Who will be this year’s Mike Trout and Bryce Harper? Personally I don’t think we will see anything quite approaching those two achievements from last season. But there is the possibility, and you want to be ready if it happens. At the very least, there is going to be a rookie or two who gets called up in June who helps teams win fantasy pennants.

Yes, June. Many clubs are either marinating their future stars by allowing them to play on a regular basis in the minors, OR they are allowing the arbitration clock to tick long enough to save one more year before their future star hits free agency. With the early season success of Jose Fernandez and Shelby Miller, and the recent call-ups of Tony Cingrani and Anthony Rendon, it’s time for owners to consider who they will add come May to get a jump on the competition. Yes, you want to be thinking as early as May, if not right now, if you don’t want to miss out on adding a young stud who helps you out this season.

Following is a list of 7 players we at fantasybaseballxtreme feel will help their owners in the second half of the 2013 season:

1) JURICKSON PROFAR, IF, TEXAS RANGERS. If you look on any Prospect list right now, Profar is going to be ranked as the #1 overall prospect. His call up to the bigs is just a matter of time, as the Rangers could use his bat in the line-up right about, oh, let’s say the beginning of April. Over half Ranger line-up is hitting below .230, and it is evident that they sorely miss the protection of Josh Hamilton in the line-up. The pre-season thought was that if Mitch Moreland didn’t produce to start the year, the Rangers would slide Ian Kinsler over to 1B, and open up 2B for Profar. Well, through the first 13 games of the season, Moreland was hitting .161, so the Rangers are looking at this as a real possibility. Although a shortstop by trade, Elvis Andrus was recently signed to a huge extension, so he isn’t going anywhere. As we shared in a spotlight about Profar, you as an owner need to look at your roster. Find your 23rd ranked player, and drop him and add Jurickson if he is still available. He should not be available in any leagues what with the possibility of success that he promises.

2) WIL MYERS, OF, TAMPA BAY RAYS. Myers is one of the top prospects in the game, as proven by a minor league stat line in 2012 that included 37 HR’s and 109 RBI and a plus .300 BA spread over AA and AAA ball. Although slowed by a minor injury in April, he is off to a .304 start in 12 games at AAA, which includes 12 RBI through 15 games. He’ll be in Tampa Bay this summer, because they desperately need his bat in their line-up as the team has gotten off to a slow start. The OF of Matt Joyce (.204), Desmond Jennings (.239), and Ben Zobrist (.289) has not exactly set the league on fire. Most likely Zobrist will be moved to 2B to replace an inefficient Kelly Johnson (.182), opening up Myers natural position of RF. If your 22nd best player on your roster is replaceable, put in your claim now, because it is only a matter of time before we see Wil Myers as a staple of the Tampa Bay line-up.

3) OSCAR TAVERAS, OF, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS. Taveras is the top hitting prospect in the St. Louis system, and anyone who knows about minor league systems knows that is saying something, as the Cardinals rank as one of the best, if not the best organization in developing minor league talent. Oscar is said to have the sweetest swing in the minors, but he hasn’t played as high as AAA until this April, and he is blocked by a pretty good three-some at the major league level with Holiday, Jay, and Beltran standing in the way. Keep an eye out for injuries in St. Louis however, as Holiday has been more prone to visit the DL lately, and Beltran is always a candidate. Still, Oscar is a mere 20 years old, and will probably get a call later in the summer. Monitor, but don’t add yet.

4) CHRISTIAN YELICH, OF, MIAMI MARLINS. I don’t see other pundits projecting Yelich to reach the bigs this season, but the gates of opportunity lay open before him. After a blistering spring in which he hit .364 with 5 HR and 14 RBI in only 44 at-bats, he was surprisingly sent down to the minors for some seasoning. But similar to Taveras, he is only 21 years old and hadn’t even played above single A ball until this April. Still, keep an eye on the youngster, because the Marlins will be bottom feeders this season and can bring up their youngsters at will (look at Jose Fernandez!). Besides Giancario Stanton, most casual baseball fans couldn’t even name the Marlins other 2 starting outfielders, so if Yelich continues to torch pitching while in the minors, he should get the call this summer. After all, what do the Marlins have to lose?

5) NOLAN ARENADO, 3B, COLORADO ROCKIES. Another youngster at age 21, Arenado raised concerns last season by hitting “only” .285 in AA, but it was the lack of HR’s that really bothered folks, as he only hit 12. Fears may be short-lived however, as he is absolutely torching AAA pitching so far this season. He’s merely hitting .414 with 3 HR’s, 11 doubles, and 21 RBI (!) in only 58 at-bats. The Rox are sitting in first place as of today, so they don’t have to rush the youngster, but with Chris Nelson holding the fort at 3B, it is very possible Nolan finds his way to Coors Field this summer. Note, he would be in Coors Field for half his games. I’m adding instantly when word comes of a call up.

6) MICHAEL WACHA, RP, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS. Wacha opened some eyes last season across 3 minor league stops with a whopping 40 strike-outs in a mere 21 innings pitched. He continued to excite folks by doing the same this spring, and his high K rate in spring training had some thinking he’d make the big club. But like the others noted above he is young, and at age 21 was sent to AAA for some more work. He’s only got 6 K’s in 16 innings so far, but if he ramps that up to what he did last summer and this spring, don’t be surprised to see the Cardinals call him up. Their bullpen has been a disaster this April, and we could see St. Louis using the youngster in the same kind of role that Trevor Rosenthal found himself in last year. Of course, that means he would only be useful in deep leagues or those that count holds as a stat; still, you want to keep your eye on this kid for future seasons too.

7) YASIEL PUIG, OF, LOS ANGELES DODGERS. Would not of originally been on this list, but he had a blistering spring for the Dodgers, and was within an eyelash of staying with the big club. It will be difficult to crack the LA outfield, but there is no depth behind Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, and Andre Eithier, so an injury could provide the breakthrough the kid needs. Currently plying his trade in AA, Puig is hitting .333 so far with 3 HR and 9 RBI. Keep an eye on the Dodger injury situation, and if Eithier’s name starts showing up in trade talks a month or so from now.

OTHERS WORTH NOTING: Billy Hamilton (OF) of the Reds, Gerrit Cole (SP) of the Pirates, Zach Wheeler (SP) of the Mets, Travis d’Arnaud (C) of the Mets, Mike Olt (3B) of the Rangers, Carlos Martinez (P) of the Cardinals, Kolten Wong (2B) of the Cardinals, Mike Zunino (C) of the Mariners.

Jurickson Profar (IF)

Bones — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:39:31 +0000

It shouldn’t be too long before the Texas Rangers give serious consideration to calling up consensus #1 prospect Jurickson Profar to the big leagues. Sent to the minors to get regular playing time, his arrival will be delayed a little bit as of right now due to a sore left side. But if the Rangers keep hitting, or rather, not hitting like they are, a move will be made. So far, regular 1B Mitch Moreland is flaming out with a .163 batting average. The thought will be to move Ian Kinsler over to 1B and open up the 2B position for Profar, thus keeping long-term inked Elvis Andrus at SS. And the Rangers need him, because not only is Moreland hitting at a feeble pace, so is Craig Gentry at .227, Leonys Martin at .192 (too bad Profar can’t play CF), and David Murphy is at .151. EVEN Andrus is hitting a paltry .224, and clean-up hitter Adrian Beltre is hitting a whopping .232. Think these guys miss Josh Hamilton protecting them in the line-up? There was a lot of conjecture about whether the Rangers would make this move, but with their hitting needs, it will be a matter of exactly when, not if. YOU need to look at your roster and determine if the 23rd guy on your team is worth the #1 prospect in baseball, even if it means he sits for a month or two. My guess is that 97% of us can make that swap.

April Showers could Bring September Championships

Bones — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:21:44 +0000

They say you can’t win a fantasy league in the first round of a draft, but you sure can lose one. In the same line of thinking, you CAN win a fantasy league in the first month of the season, if you are on top of the game. Actually, it’s my belief that you can’t win a league based on a draft alone. An owner has to be active all through the season, and there may be no more important time than the month of April. For example, it was about this time a year ago that crafty owners were adding some kids to their rosters named Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. About 5 months later, a lot of those owners were adding gold fantasy trophies to their shelves.

Rookies can be a great source of stats, but we will cover them in our next article. Right now I want to focus on you and your league. In particular, it is the sharp owner who will check in daily on the goings on in his/her league. Unless you are playing with long time experienced managers, it is very likely that someone in your league is going to make a BIG mistake this month. They are going to get impatient with a hitter who starts slow, or a pitcher who gets bombed in an initial outing or two. And they will drop said players into your waiver wire. THAT is the time to strike!

It downright amazes me every year how this happens. A manager will draft a guy with great ability and upside, only to drop him 2 weeks into the season after a slow start. Let me give you a real life example. In one of my more competitive leagues, a fellow manager dropped Melky Cabrera a few days ago. Melky had a pre-season rank of 107, good for the 9th round in a 12 team league. Melky signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, who in the off-season were stockpiling great players for a run to the pennant. Melky was batting 2nd in the line-up, right after Jose Reyes, and right before Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Now with Reyes injury, it is conceivable he could bat lead-off. So right there, this .346 hitter from a year ago looks like he’ll have a chance to score lots of runs, and be set up to steal a few bases. But his owner sees him start the season 7 for 28 and drops him!

I don’t know why anyone else in the league didn’t notice that, but I did. I picked him up, and he proceeded to go 2 for 4 with a run scored and a stolen base. Now guys in the league are mad at ME for picking him up. You just gotta laugh. Anyways, the point is, DON’T BE THAT GUY who drops a Top 100 player or so in April! Unless the guy has a serious injury, have some PATIENCE. Guys in the Top 100 are there for a reason. Fantasy sports writers who are paid to do their jobs will not benefit from making mistakes with the top 100 lists. They study and think about it, and place those guys there for good reason. Don’t try to out-smart the field with an early drop of a guy who has a slow start.

On the other hand, do BE THAT GUY who nabs others mistakes! If you are paying attention, you can build quite the nice little team based on other managers mistakes. In the same league I picked up Melky, I nabbed Starling Marte a few days before. He only went on to have 4 straight multi-hit games. Now suddenly I have an abundance of good hitting outfielders, and the other way to build a champion comes into play, i.e. the trade. Since my infield looks pretty good with Goldschmidt, Utley, Reyes, and Miguel Cabrera (I drafted OF’s later), I can try to swing a 2 for 1 deal to get a top outfielder or starting pitcher. Oops, and NOW with Reyes injured, I can try to secure another shortstop. And thus, paying attention early in the season to what is going on in my league could pay off big.

So a mere 2 weeks into the season I’ve been able to pick up Melky, Marte, Matt Carpenter, Rickie Weeks, Mike Cuddyer, and Mitchell Boggs. And get this…I just picked up Melky in another league just yesterday. He went 0 for 4 on Saturday and his manager lost patience. The Xtreme league of all places! Which shows that even a good manager can make a bad decision.

Now, leave here and go to your league page and look for those mistakes!

Melky Cabrera (OF)

Bones — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:44:46 +0000

Be patient! Oh my gosh, we are only 2 weeks into the season, and I have actually seen Melky Cabrera dropped in one of my leagues. Don’t be the person who makes a mistake like this. Melky was hitting .346 last year before he got into trouble with major league authorities and was suspended for the year. The Giants went on to win the World Series without him, so they cut him loose. As you know, he landed with the Toronto Blue Jays. The guy starts out a little slow, 7 for 28. THAT is no reason to cut a potential top 50 player! Melky is in the 2 hole in the line-up, tucked between Jose Reyes and Jose Bautista. How is that for potential runs and RBI production? He’ll be hitting over .300 before you know it, and that poor owner who dropped him will be moaning for 5 months. Now is the time to let some things play out; don’t be dropping your top 100ish type players unless for major injury.