2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Grey

2011 Fantasy Baseball, Sleepers to Target

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper | 118 Comments

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Many things have changed since December when we kicked off the 2011 fantasy baseball sleeper posts.  For one, the date.  For two, some of these guys are no longer that sleepery.  For three, hut-hut-hike!  As long as you don’t reach too far, sleepers can make all the difference on your team.  You’re not grabbing a sleeper in the first round.  You’re not like, “Hey, Swiggy Cabrera, you go threaten death on the shot girl, I’m going with Juan Miranda.”  You should have a solid foundation in the first eight to ten rounds, then mix some sleepers in after that.  If you click on the names for these players, there’s entire posts about some of them with their 2011 projections.  It’s magical!  Anyway, here’s some sleepers for 2011 fantasy baseball:

Shaun Marcum – Member back in December when he was first traded and I started raving about him?  We were younger back then and you had more hair.  Also, Marcum was still sleepery then.  Now?  Not so much.  Seems like everywhere I look people are abuzz with excitement over Marcum.  Assuming you don’t pay too high of a price, he can still have value.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Starters to Target, 2011 Fantasy Baseball

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper | 73 Comments

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I could probably draft a team of these starters, who are drafted after the 150 mark in mock drafts, and win your league’s pitching stats.  In this post last year was Jonathan Sanchez, Cueto, Colby Lewis, Tim Hudson, Jorge de la Rosa, Clay Buchholz, David Price, Gio Gonzalez, Mat Latos and Ian Kennedy.  I had those guys on multiple teams.  I don’t say this to brag, but I’m really good at targeting starters to, um, target.  Well, I’m good with hitters too, but starters I’m really good.  I’d like to say it’s because I’m smart, but since I’m sorta dumb I’m not sure what it is.  Maybe I’m an idiot savant, who I believe was Doug Savant’s cousin that had a walk-on part on Melrose Place, the Original.  And with all of that said, you should still draft a starter or two before you see any of these names on the top of your draft list.  Well, you know what to do from my top 20 starters for 2011 fantasy baseball.  It’s good to have a safe starter or two before you go upside.  In the immortal words of some drunk carny, “I don’t need the net under the trapeze but I want it there.”  There’s also a pitchers pairings post to help you along with your staff.  That’s what she said!  Wait, what?  Anyway, here’s some starters to target in your 2011 fantasy baseball drafts:

Ricky Romero -  Whenever I hear his name, I always want to sing The Batdance by Prince and replace Vicki Vale with Ricky Romero.  Never the hoo!  I love that Romero’s K-rate has been steadily climbing the past few years and think it continues to rise.  There’s going to be some moments during the season when you’re gonna get sonavabenched by him and other moments when you’re gonna wish you benched him vs.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Outfielders to Target, 2011 Fantasy Baseball

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper | 72 Comments

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Even if you draft one or two outfielders in the top 100 (which you should), you’ll still need to identify some late bargains.   The top 20, 40, 60 and 80 outfielders for 2011 fantasy baseball can be found under the 2011 fantasy baseball rankings.  This is by no means all the outfielders I’d draft for one of my teams.  This is a list of guys that will go after the top 200 and could provide some healthy returns.  Where applicable, click on the player’s name to read more about them and to see their 2011 projections.  Anyway, here’s some outfielders to target for 2011 fantasy baseball:

Julio Borbon – I don’t want to toot my own horn — well, actually I do, but can’t reach — but last year this outfielder to target post had Bruce, Rasmus, Corey Hart, Jason Heyward, Austin Jackson and Julio Borbon.  Okay, Borbon was a year too early.  Fair enough, fair enough.  What makes Borbon enticing is his potential for 5 to 7 homers and 20 to 30 steals.  The parade rain is his potential to sit on the bench and watch David Murphy play.  One injury to the Rangers outfield — that could never happen with Hamilton and Cruz!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

3rd Basemen To Target, 2011 Fantasy Baseball

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper | 114 Comments

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I suggest you grab a 3rd baseman before leaving the top 150.  Shoot, I suggest you get one before leaving the 2nd round, but those scenarios aren’t always possible.  So what what what what is the scenario if you miss out on one?  This list of guys that can be had later in your drafts.  Look at this as a supplement to the top 20 3rd basemen of 2011 fantasy baseball.  Where applicable, click on the players name to read more about them or to see their 2011 projections.  Anyway, here’s some 3rd basemen to target for 2011 fantasy baseball:

Jose Lopez – “Hahahahahahahaha… Whoaaaaaa.  Hahahahahahahaha… Seriously, dubya tee eff?!  Are you dropping a Mr.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Shortstops to Target, 2011 Fantasy Baseball

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper | 68 Comments

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There’s no Reyes, Rollins or Hanley on this list of shortstops.  This list is guys that can be had later in your drafts if you’ve punted shortstop or are still looking for a middle infielder.  Look at this as a supplement to the top 20 shortstops of 2011 fantasy baseball.  If you’re feeling especially adventurous, click on the player’s name to read more about them or to see their 2011 projections.  I’m going to start this list of targets at the 122 ADP cut off.  You say, “Arbitrary!”  I say, “Why are you saying arbitrary to a computer screen?  No one can hear you.”  Anyway, here’s some shortstops to target for 2011 fantasy baseball:

Ian Desmond – I dropped a killer no whammy no whammy….

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

2nd Basemen to Target, 2011 Fantasy Baseball

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper | 57 Comments

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Between the two middle infield positions, I tend to draft a 2nd baseman early and punt shortstop.  This happens for a few reasons.  1) 2nd base has more talent.  That’s right, I draft the deeper position earlier.  Same reason I punt catchers and try to get a 1st baseman early.  If a position is deep, a lot of your leaguemates are going to have one of the top guys.  You don’t want to be one of the 3 or 4 teams without a top guy.  2) There’s less difference between a middle-tiered shortstop and a bottom-tiered one.  (Same could be said of catchers.  We have a theme!  Or is it a genre?  No, it’s a theme!) 3) Shortstops tend to give value with the steal.  You can find cheap steals later.  Most of the 2nd basemen on this list are going after the top 150 in your 2011 fantasy drafts.  This is a supplement to the top 20 2nd basemen of 2011 fantasy baseball.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Tim Stauffer, 2011 Fantasy Sleeper

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper | 49 Comments

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Well, there’s better young pitchers that I could go over.  Shizz, there’s better pitchers in the Padres farm system — hello, Simon Castro.  But the whole idea of these posts is not to pinpoint who’s going to be a great pitcher in 2013.  This is about who is actually going to help you this year in fantasy.  It’s t-shirt time and the cab’s here for these guys.  Which brings us to Tim Stauffer.  In the minors, Stauffer had a pretty middling strikeout rate.  Not something I usually look at for sleepers.  His numbers probably won’t make you take your heart meds.  So why the sleeper post and what can we expect of Tim Stauffer in 2011 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Catchers to Target, 2011 Fantasy Baseball

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper | 61 Comments

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Here, friend, are some catchers that I will be targeting at my 2011 fantasy drafts after the top options are gone.  I’m not going to get into the strategy of punting catchers.  Been there, half-drunkenly wrote that.  Click on the player’s name where applicable to read more and see their 2011 projections.  This is a (legal-in-most-countries) supplement to the top 20 catchers of 2011 fantasy baseball.  Now, guys (and three girl readers), I am not saying avoid catchers like Napoli, Geovany Soto, et al (which is not the Israeli airline).  To get on this list, you need to be drafted later than 200 overall.  And, to preemptively answer at least seven comments, yes, I will go around the entire infield, outfield and pitchers to target very late.  Anyway, here’s some catchers to target for 2011 fantasy baseball:

J.P.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Shaun Marcum, 2011 Fantasy Sleeper

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper | 58 Comments

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From the files of “Oh, my God, Grey is really stupid,” I predicted Shaun Marcum would start this year’s All-Star game.  It’s hyperbole, people!  No, it’s man love.  No, it’s I’ve lost my mind for Shaun Marcum and there’s no one that can stop me.  He’s on all of my fantasy teams this year.  I gave him the 2011 projections of 15-8/3.35/1.15/185.  That’s Cy Young shizz.  If I didn’t think I’d get committed by giving him an ERA under 3, I would’ve.  I didn’t love him this much when he was on the Blue Jays.  I saw a guy who was just returning from surgery, a guy who doesn’t throw very hard and a guy who throws a lot of fly balls.  So what changed and why is he now a 2011 fantasy baseball sleeper?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

J.P. Arencibia, 2011 Fantasy Sleeper

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper | 45 Comments

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Member that first game J.P. Arencibia had in the big leagues?  He went 4-for-5 with 2 homers.  It was like the second coming of Johnny Bench.  Then he was Johnny Benched for multiple games because the Kays were trying to help Buck inflate his free agent value — or he had nudie pics of Gaston — and Arencibia went 1-for-30 the rest of the season.  With Buck taking his hustle somewhere else for 2011, it should be Arencibia’s job to lose.  Or loose, if lose and loose confuse you.  If Arencibia could hit for more average, he could challenge Wieters, Posey and Carlos Santana for value.  My thought is, he won’t.  So what can we expect for J.P.

Please, blog, may I have some more?