For Freddie Freeman, let’s start with what Stephen had to say earlier this year, “Turning 21 in a little over a month, Freeman has consistently hit the ball well with his “sweet, fluid swing.” He currently displays doubles power, but scouts believe this gap power should, and will translate to more home runs (seems to be happening this year). He is an aggressive hitter but isn’t a free-swinger. Keith Law said before the season started that he doesn’t use his trunk well.” I know how Freeman feels. Sometimes I’ll go grocery shopping and pile everything into my passenger seat. Right side of brain, “It’s not that trunk, you moron.” Left side of brain, “Shut up.” In 2010, Freeman’s Triple-A numbers looked like this: 73/18/88/.319/6 in 461 ABs. Okay, this guy isn’t exciting me at all, so let’s get outta the intro paragraph and see what we can expect for Freddie Freeman in 2011 fantasy baseball?
Freeman’s been compared to Mark Grace. Cool, a few years after his career ends we can look forward to him being a solid color man. Maybe by the time he’s 24 or 25 his power will raise to the 25-30 homer range. And maybe we’ll all be living under the rule of a superbreed of gorillas led by a 30-foot tall gorilla who calls himself, “Ken.” I ain’t got time for three years in the future hypotheticals right now. Life’s too short, homes. Next year, I’d give Freeman a line of 70/15/80/.285/3. That, of course, is just for 2011. At 21, Freeman’s hella young, as the kids may or may not say. In NL-Only leagues, a guy that can hit 15 homers with a decent average isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In mixed leagues, you want a moobless Billy Butler? Otherwise known as James Loney. Drink some seltzer and belch to that, friend.
Freeman or Morrison for 2011?
@GopherDay: Morrison
@GopherDay: Morrison.
@GopherDay: ya defly morrison, from greys write up i’m not too excited about freeman.
@Tony: I like Freeman, I just like Morrison more. I believe he has the first base job from the get go like Heyward had right field. I just believe Morrison’s experience in 2010 will propel him to a better 2011 season.
@Grey: I rarely use my trunk and I DO pile my groceries in the passenger seat. Weird.
@GopherDay: As others said, Logan.
@Stephen: Hehe
Hey Grey,
I know this is off topic but hopefully you dont mind answering. I am in a couple of leagues and one of them is a mono-AL only, non-keeper, standard league with ten teams and two catcher spots.
If you are hit with injuries or did not have a good draft its basically nothing to do but watch paint dry. The other owners are quite traditionalist and I made the suggestion to go to one catcher spot and add a second UTIL spot. The reception was less than enthusiastic and it was like I walked into a country bar and all the music stopped.
What is the mindset behind such resistance to change? Maybe I am just venting here but its really annoying.
I know you are not a Dear Anne column but its got to be one of the most frustrating things in the fantasy world.
Anyone else agree?
Thanks for listening,
Spartacus from New Jersey
@Spartacus: Dear Spartacus, thanks for writing in. Your leaguemates are quite normal. Humans are resistant to change. Email was invented 35 years ago and took 25 years before a significant portion of the population used it. I suggest you try to explain to the other owners why a 2nd UT spot will make the league more fun. Good luck!
The Celtics are sending Jermaine O’neal to see a specialist for his knee…also happens to be the Mets’ team doctor. No!!!!!!!!!!!
@Back to Minors: He’ll be out for 1-500 days.
@Spartacus: I’ve encountered this mentality before. I employ the technique of waiting until said current rule burns an owner and focusing on him to join my side. Then you’ve got another to rally the troops. Usually every owner has the ear of one or more other owners and can convince them easier than you can. You keep adding “burn victims” to your cause until the voice is overwhelming. 3 seasons later you get a rule change!
Or, you could draft 9 catchers and watch everyone squirm!
Sounds pretty worthless. In a 10-team mixed league, this guy will enjoy his season on waivers.
@Swagger Jackers: Yeah, will probably have streaks where he’s usable everywhere, but won’t be ever be at 100% owned.
@Grey:
With the Marlins on the verge of signing Buck for 3 years, do you see him doing marginally better than in Toronto? I’m assuming he’d hit 5th or 6th.
This isn’t really a fantasy question, more of a marlins fan question.
I just hope it’d be possible to at least eclipse the 17/49 Bill James projection at least.
@Eddy: If anything, I see him doing marginally worse. But really marginal. Could eclipse that RBI total, but the homers seem pretty close, maybe shave 1 or 2 off.
@Grey: Like a David Murphy / Josh Willingham type?
@Swagger Jackers: Not as valuable as those guys in 2011. Or, yeah, if you mean how they’re always on and off waivers.
Do Buck and Donovan McNabb have the same agent?
Olney just tweeted that veteran starters are queuing up to join the Padres. Heh.
And the Braves are closing in on Uggla…
@Steve: And it’s done.
Uggla for Infante and, er, Dunn.
Clay Buchholz or B Anderson in dynasty league?
@Steve: I don’t get it.
@Steve: Very surprising re: vet starters.
@Steve: Wow… That seemed to come out of nowhere re: Uggla.
@Big Al: Buchholz
Omg just when I thought that the Marlins were making good moves.
Ughhhhhhhhh.
@Grey: Heh. I knew you wouldn’t (emoticon).
McNabb is the Washington Redskins quarterback who has just had a huge pile of money thrown at him for, in the eyes of many commentators, no apparent good reason.
Re: Padres, apparently these guys see a season in Petco as a way of rebuilding their value.
@Eddy:
Ughhhhhhla to you is
Uhhhhhhh-huhgla to me. (and other braves fans)
@Eddy: They make good moves when it helps slash their payroll.
@Steve: re: padres starters — Makes total sense. re: McNabb — Oh. Never heard of him.
@Grey: Somewhere Doc is sadly shaking his head.
@Steve: Imagine Halladay in Petco. Hayzeus. BTW, where did today go? Can’t believe it’s already getting dark here. Are you in spring yet? Getting warm there?
I swear, if the Marlins bullpen blows even FIVE games after all this commotion for 4 relievers I’m gonna plant some bombs on the new stadium.
And I sure as hell better not see Pinto or Tankersly anywhere near the MLB roster
On another note, I imagine Coghlan is now a viable 2B draft option that’s actually worth it?
@Eddy: Isn’t Infante now their 2nd baseman?
@Grey: Actually I meant Doc over at football. Let’s forget about the McNabb thing.
Yup – spring here and a cracking day today. Though spring in Auckland also means quite a bit of wind and rain. That’s what you get for being the narrowest part of a narrow island nation I guess.
Daylight saving here too so nice long evenings.
@Steve: Yeah, don’t know why we ever set our clocks back. Days are so short here. So… The girl I met at jury duty and I went out last night. Easily the tallest girl I’ve ever considered. She’s a WNBA-ish five-nine.
@Grey:
Ah, my bad you’re correct. I was under the assumption that they’d move him (infante) to 3B, but apparently the Marlins are really going to give Matt Dominguez a chance to win that spot.
@Grey: Jury duty! Grey Albright never rests.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrO4_nyamZs
@Eddy: No problem.
@Steve: Just sharpening my game as the heat seeking missile.
@Grey:
wnba-ish five-nine ?
is that like a latin29 ?
@Grey: As long as she wasn’t the defendant.
@big o: Hehe… No, I’m five-seven. Five-nine is a tall order. Pun!
@Steve: Ha! She was not.
@Grey: Uggla to the Braves
@ThE sHiT: I just saw I was very late on that one. Sorry…
Prince William getting married, Grey goes on a date.
There’s magic in the air!
@ThE sHiT: No worries.
@Steve: It’s electric. Boogie woogie woogie.
@Grey: OK, it took me some googlin’ but I’m with you now.
@Steve: Wait a second, you don’t have the Electric Slide in NZ?
@Grey: Oh, maybe we do, but not anywhere I go.
Though I never go anywhere, so there’s that.
@Steve: There’s more, you don’t really want to go anywhere they play it either.
@Grey: Oh, I read between those lines, don’t worry.
“Chicken wire?”
@Steve: What do you mean, chicken wire?
@Grey: Sorry – bit of a vague reference there.
Blues Brothers. When they arrive in the redneck bar…
@Steve: Ah, yeah, I haven’t seen that movie in at least 15 years and wasn’t a huge fan of it even when I did know it.
@Grey: I’m guessing you’re more Boyz n the Hood than The Blues Brothers.
@Steve: Friday would probably be a better comparison, but I love Boyz n the Hood too.
@Grey: Haven’t seen Friday and haven’t seen Boyz n the Hood for years, but it made a big impression when I did see it.
@Steve: Yeah, I’m more of a Tre than a Doughboy though.
@Grey: I’d have thought so (emoticon).
@Stephen:
By any chance do you know what prospect number was Mike Dunn given in the Braves organization before being called up? (I.e 9th best prospect in the Braves’ farm)
Some free music for everyone: http://www.illegal-art.net/allday/.
The guy makes songs out of 100s of other people’s songs. That’s a lot of lawsuits…good thing its free!
@Black Beard: Oh, and the artist’s name is Girl Talk.
@Eddy: #12 for the Yankees in the 2010 Baseball America Handbook. He was part of the Javier Vasquez trade in the 2009-2010 off-season.
@Black Beard: Cool, I’ll check it out tomorrow.
@Stephen:
Thanks!
Hey Grey and everyone:
In a standard 5*5 roto redraft league, who is gonna be drafted higher for 2011:
Rollins or Jeter?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk20o_-LZn8
@Bum Juice: Rollins
@big o: You trying to depress everyone?
In a 6×5 (+OPS), Rios, Pence or Ichiro in 2011?
@Black Beard: Pence
Thanks Grey, this is all in the same deal. Anyway you keep Weeks in 2011? He worries me.
The deal being discussed (same league as above) involves me sending Weeks, M. Young, and Rios for Dunn and Pence. What do you think?
@Black Beard: I’d want Dunn and Pence.
Rajai heading to the Jays, by the sounds.
@Steve: The Rah-Jays?
@Grey:
http://instantrimshot.com/index.php?sound=downer
@Steve: @Grey: Oakland gets another piece to their bullpen in Farquhar more than in Magnuson. See 2010 Blue Jays, Minor League Review for more info. I know I was looking at Magnuson but didn’t feel like he deserved a mention. Maybe the 2011 season will prove me wrong.
@Steve: Better than a sad trombone.
@Stephen: Cool…
@Grey:
http://www.sadtrombone.com/
@Steve: Ah, there it is.
@Grey: Here to help.
@Steve: I just wrote 50 player profiles for Yahoo’s magazine. Managed to work in yawnstipating and Mini Donkey.
@Grey: Nice!
Better stop slagging Yahoo off, then…
@Steve: Eh, I’ve always been pretty easy on them. They’ve always been good to us, including me in their leagues and whatnot.
@Grey: Heh. Was keed-ing a little. They’ve never really done me wrong. Like the interface and you can now sort on ‘last 14 days’.
They can be a bit slow adding players to the FA pool and their player rankings are a bit populist, but who uses them anyway?
I’ve always thought Funston was a bit of a blowhard (to be fair, that’s been true of wherever he’s been) but they have some good guys too.
@Steve: Oh – and I meant *I* better stop slagging them off btw.
Rajai Davis a Blue Jay, for a couple of minor leaguers.
Speed, what a concept
@Steve: Yeah, I don’t really read them. Actually, not true. I never read them. But they’re good people from the interaction I’ve had with them.
oops, I forgot to read back
@Doug Ault: Does that excite our resident Blue Jay fan?
@Grey: I don’t read them much either – well, not since – oh – about May 2008 anyway (emoticon).
Good people – that’s all that really counts in the end.
@Grey: You have to go all the way back to Ricky Henderson/Devo for the last time the Jays had a legit leadoff man with speed
@Steve: That’s a good emoticon.
@Doug Ault: What about Fred Lewis?!
@Grey:
no love for eva cassidy ?
@big o: Never heard of her. Eva Longoria’s back on the market though. Rawr.
@Grey: Whoever Tony Parker is cheating on her with, must be RED HOT.
@Steve: Seriously. Or he’s going gay.
@Grey: Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Listening to music on YouTube. I’ve turned into my father.
@Steve: Ha! Don’t think my father even knows what YouTube is.
@Grey: Heh. he has good taste in music, but let’s just say it’s not hip-hop.
@Steve: I forget. When do the mock drafts begin around here? After Thanksgiving?
@Grey: Think so. Though I bet Fred’s done about 20 by now.
Man, Bud Black for NL Manager of the Year…what a slap in the face to Bochy. I love it!
@big o: As it’s nearly that time of the year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GguFmYRryz8&feature=related
@Grey: Avert your eyes and ears.
And the Marlins landed Buck for 3 years! When did Dayton Moore start as the Marlins GM? At least he now knows he can make moves in the off season!: http://tinyurl.com/2f7arjd
@Steve: Did they reinstate the draft? Thank goodness I’ve broken so many laws.
@royce!: Showing my age. Again.
Some funny shizz, though.
@Steve: You are losing your touch. ZERO mocks–although I HAVE downloaded the player list from Couch Managers.
@royce!: @Grey: Bochy never much on my radar, but did he do something to get iced so badly?
@Steve: I agree, funny shizz.
@simply fred: Probably just didn’t start the season with a team that was predicted to end the season deep in the NL West cellar.
@Doug Ault: Rajai vs. NYY/TB/BOS/BAL in 2010 (32 GP, 122 AB):
.164 AVG, 10 R, 9 RBI, 1 HR, 10 SB. Looks like he gets his SB. Can you handle the AVG?
at a time when the internet is abuzz with the prospect of the dbacks trading justin upton ,
the A ‘s go and offer that bum , beltre , 64 mil ?
what the hell are they thinking ??
ellen is weird .
http://www.adoptaturkey.org/aat/adopt/index.htm
what the hell is she thinking ?
@Grey: I prefered him in his regular role as Grandpa Munster
@simply fred: If he can hover around .275, everything should fall into place.