Matters Up
August 31, 2008
Category: August's Daily Notes
I left Matt Antonelli off the September call up post because I thought this season’s struggles would mean no promotion, but the Friars cut Tadahito Iguchi and decided to reward Antonelli for a miserable minor league season. Though he has been better recently. Ducksnorts breaks down Antonelli for real baseball. For fantasy, in NL-Only leagues you should take a flier (or a friar — oofa!). He might be useless, but it’s a MI flier, and you can’t really hurt your team with one of those as long as you don’t drop anyone too important. In keeper leagues, he’s a must have. If he comes out of the gate in ‘09 like a young Marcus Giles (that’s a compliment), he’ll be well worth keeping. Meanwhile, Mat Gamel was mentioned in the September call ups post and this Thursday’s fantasy baseball keeper post. But I thought he wouldn’t get the call. Now it looks like he will. If you’re in a keeper league, you should get him on your team. In regular leagues — eh. If the Brewers clinch the Wild Card with some time to spare, maybe Gamel makes a slight impact towards the very end of the season. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Jason Bartlett - 4-for-4 with his first home run of the year. Good to see the one person who stuck with him this year was rewarded. Now his Mom can drop him too.
Wandy Rodriguez - He left the game with a strained oblique. I think they’re narrowed his injury down to somewhere in his stomach. Well, it was a fun week and a half where I liked Wandy. Now I must drop him.
Ty Wigginton - HR yesterday to tie the Astros record for the most HRs in a month at 12. No, he did not match, Billy Hatcher. It was Bags.
CC Sabatahia - See what I give you when you let me finish the game. After throwing 117 pitches in his no one hitter, he went to a local carnival and threw 300 more pitches winning stuffed animals for all of the kids. I can’t wait until the Brewers meet the Cubs in the playoffs. I can see it now, Prince Fielder throwing 95 MPH fastballs using CC’s arm and Derrek Lee swinging a bat made of Harden’s ulnar collateral ligament. Fun times!
Mike Aviles - Finger contusion and he’s day-to-day, which is not quite ass-to-ass like in Requiem for a Dream.
Jeff Kent - Career might be over with torn knee cartilage. Here’s hoping the sportswriters make Bonds wait one year for the Hall of Fame as a slap on the wrist then him and Kent can go in together. My first chart-topping R & B song is, “Through Gritted Teeth.”
Kevin Gregg - This is slightly old news because we don’t do our roundup on Saturday (because my girlfriend would fucking kill me — her words), so just reporting this now, but he’s going to be out for at least a week. Matt Lindstrom should get the majority of the saves. (BTW, Matt Lindstrom, Chris Volstad and Josh Johnson… Is it me or don’t these names sound like guys that would be at a frat party where the night would end with a girl pressing charges?)
Carlos Zambrano - Complaining of heavy arm, he’s being pushed until Tuesday. Don’t think he’s startable in any league that’s shallower than 12 team leagues. A very risky play right now.
David Eckstein - Former World Series MVP takes his grit, hustle and just-can’t-put-your-finger-on it-ness to the Diamondbacks. He only okayed the deal after the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to provide Eckstein with a unlimited supply of Coppertone SPF 45 Sunscreen and a sun umbrella that will be carried around by Augie Ojeda. Augie, there’s sun hitting my elbow! Sorry, Mr. Eckstein.
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Tags: antonelli called up, antonelli fantasy baseball, gamel called up, gamel fantasy baseball
August 31st, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Eck could get enough shade under a cocktail umbrella.
@Steve: Ha!
September 1st, 2008 at 12:04 am
@porkburn (& Grey):What Grey said about H2H and Roto teams.
I don’t know what the guys in your league are up to strategy-wise, but I’m relievers-only in my H2H league - which is not something I’d do if I ever played Roto.
It’s got me into the playoffs (just!), which is all you can really ask, but the resulting stats aren’t really transferable into a Roto scenario.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:45 am
Steve, did you roll only closers or any reliever instead of starters?
September 1st, 2008 at 9:57 am
@Grey: @Steve: Its definitely an exercise limited to the academic realm. Knowing this guy he might use the same strategy for H2H and roto because he isn’t the sharpest manager. He made the claim, I’m only here to refute it. Even if he used a different strategy in a roto league he would still suck. Thats what he do.
Steve: Do you ever come close to the minimum innings pitched dilemma? I could see how relievers only could get you past the 20 IP mark but what about a 35 IP league? Also, my H2H leagues don’t use the traditional roto stats so it would penalize you for using that strategy. Hard to compete in wins and complete games, among other stats, with relievers.
@p0rk burn: Fair enough, it’s just the exercise does have broader implications and I’m not sure it has a chance to be published then quoted by Tristan Cockcroft.
September 1st, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Yadi should be universally owned in all leagues, I’m glad you dropped him Cruisin……………
September 1st, 2008 at 1:53 pm
@Grey: Someone else to keep an eye on, called up today.
Jason Motte, Cards AAA starter with 110 Ks in 65 IP. Doubt he’ll take any turns as a starter this year but he’s someone to watch for the rotation next year.
Yeah, I’m a homer but you can’t ignore the numbers.
@BigFatHippo: I saw that, but not sure he’s going to be someone that will provide much value this year.
September 1st, 2008 at 2:33 pm
@BSA: My league counts Holds, so I’ve got a bunch of middle relievers as well as closers. I drafted closers and a couple of MRs quite high and then drafted a few other schmohawks later on. Then just started visiting Razzball and kept an eye on the wire! Guys like Buchholz and Kuo have been invaluable to me (except when they get torched, obviously!), as they are MRs, they’re good - and they’re also SP-eligible, so I can fill those slots in my roster.
@p0rk burn: No trouble with minimum innings as the minimum is only 9 in my league.
Yeah, not a strategy that will work in every league. My league is usual 5 x 5 plus OBP and Holds, so I’m basically punting Wins and Ks to try and win ERA, WHIP, Holds and Saves each week. Mostly it’s worked, but when Mike G does what he did today, it can ruin a week pretty quickly.
Just as well it was a tied game and the bottom half of the inning or that could have been really ugly.
September 1st, 2008 at 3:09 pm
In my keeper league, should I drop Verlander? I finished in 2nd, so I have a bye week this week. Verlander got ROCKED today. He was hot for a while, but is starting to suck again. I’m keeping Ian Kinsler, Ryan Braun, Josh Hamilton, Carlos Quentin, and Tim Lincecum… So Verlander definitely won’t even be considered. I dropped Beckett last week.
Kuroda, Suppan, Millwood, Paul Byrd, Edwin Jackson, and Wakefield are available. Are any of them worthy replacements? Or should I just stick it out with Verlander.
I was stupid and spot started Jo Jo Reyes against the Nats last week and it killed me! I can’t believe I did that after making fun of you for putting him in the “buy” category.
1st place in my public league, 2nd place in my keeper league. 2nd year doing fantasy sports, I’m a natural.
@Ashley: Sure, drop him. I’d go with Kuroda, Jackson, Millwood, Byrd, punt, in that order.
September 1st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
How to close a 12 point gap in an 11 team roto league in a weekend? Start peavy and Oswalt plus a bunch of relievers (Ayala, Ryan, Rodney, chair-chucker) and get 30 innings and ZERO runs scored. I got Oswalt as a throw in with my Ryan Howard trade and he has been my second half MVP.
@knighttown: Nice.
September 1st, 2008 at 5:15 pm
wat yall watching tonight for the holiday? im prob watching ucla-tenn wit the fam but i switch it to baseball if it turns into blowout which prob happen
September 1st, 2008 at 5:16 pm
@Grey: We’ll keep it between us then. Knowledge is a dangerous thing, especially in the wrong hands.
@wassup: I’ve been flipping around. Was watching the White Sox, but I think I’m moving to the Dodgers cause Vin Scully’s awesome. Though I might watch the Rangers game cause I wanna see Silva get rocked.
@p0rk burn: Are you going to publish it in The Atlantic Monthly?
September 1st, 2008 at 5:55 pm
yall dont like college football???
September 1st, 2008 at 6:14 pm
@Grey: I’m leaning more towards a scholarly publication like The Harvard Law Review. My first choice was Razzball Quarterly but they don’t seem interested.
@wassup: I do but this is after all a fantasy baseball blog.
September 1st, 2008 at 6:21 pm
yeah, well you should check out the tenn-ucla game. Right now its 7-7 wit 6:43 left in the 2nd quarter but UCLA is expected to lose so they are stunning tenn.
September 1st, 2008 at 6:22 pm
tenn is # 18th ranked team in nation and ucla is unranked
September 1st, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Beltre and SDrew hit for the cycle tonight. Impressive - getting that triple in there is tough. Beltre is my only shining moment in the RCL tonight.
@p0rk burn: I figured we’d get right to first refusal. Now it seems like I was mistaken.
@wassup: Go Bruins! (Actually I don’t care either way, but I am in LA so… Go Bruins!)
@BSA: Wow, two cycles in one night. That’s random. Have to check out Elias Sports Bureau about that happening before.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Beltre’s sixth at bat coming up - do you walk him?
September 1st, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Nah they pitch to him and he grounds on the first pitch! Still not bad 5 for 6.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I am pretty pleased tonight with my pick up of Choo this weekend. Choo, Choo, Chew your food to make sure you don’t choke and then you get Gagned!
@BSA: Nice… Is that what you sing to your newborn?
September 1st, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Nah, the newborn eats like my team in the RCL, Suck, Suck, Suck all night, every night!
September 1st, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Damn!! wats up wit all these cycles recently. Didnt a few days ago Guzman get one(sucks I dropped him bout 2 weeks ago). And today 2 guys hit for cycle and I have Beltre too. Too bad this week is my bye. Also, today Blake got a Sizemore Special (HR+SB)
@BSA: Hehe
@wassup: “A Sizemore Special” — nice.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:52 pm
UCLA-Tenn game going to overtime, yall better change the channel quick and dont miss this exciting game
September 1st, 2008 at 8:56 pm
what should I wank to tonight, black,latina, or asian??
@wassup: Asian, of course.
September 1st, 2008 at 9:45 pm
why is that?
@wassup: Have you even seen Shin-Soo Choo’s numbers for the last week?
September 1st, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I’m in a long-term keeper league and 2009 keepers are declared next week. Is Cueto worth spending an 18th round pick in a 12 team league or should the Dusty-Factor never be underestimated?
@FantasyNovice: His injury doesn’t sound like it’s serious and, if anything, it might help keep his innings down this year. Sure, Cueto’s worth keeping that late.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:56 am
grey could you rank these players in the order of mot valuable in h2h leagues. eithier, werth, choo or matsui
@martin: Werth, Ethier, Choo then Matsui.
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