Here’s what I said last year about Mat Gamel and his comparison to Ryan Braun, “Ryan Braun, The Hebrew Hammer, hits for average, power and butchered plays at 3rd base. Well, Gamel can slug with the best of them and plays 3rd like Jenny McCarthy in a celebrity softball game. Not to mention, his name is almost Gimel, which is the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The similarities are endless!” And that’s me quoting me! Wanna really blow your mind? I wrote a Mat Gamel fantasy baseball outlook post back in December of last year. Prescient ain’t just a word I can’t spell without Dictionary.com, it’s a state of mind! So what can we expect of him, he’s better than Nolan Reimold. Right now. He can hit. I could even see grabbing him in ten team leagues. He could be The Difference Maker (which would be a great name for a professional wrestler). The only thing holding Gamel back is he fields like he has two left feet — on the end of his arms. If the Brewers dare to play him every day over their blahtoon of Hall and Counsell, you should play him too. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Ryan Ludwick – To the DL. “Hello, Rasmus.” “Hey, Duncan, you wanna play every day?” “Sure.”
Gerardo Parra – This one doesn’t walk people, he runs. He replaced Krispie last night and might spell Byrnes on some occasions. He’s a solid pickup for the speed deprived. Parra’s upside is what Maybin should’ve done — 5 homers, 25 steals. He shouldn’t be a liability on average. Obviously, picking him up depends on your league, but he should be grabbed in all NL-Only leagues and mixed leagues deeper than 12 teams.
Nolan Reimold – Getting the call. Ceiling is 20 homers and a .280 average. Let’s see, for right now: Gamel, Reimold, Coghlan, Parra, LaPorta, in that order. And all are better than Hochevar.
Bryan Augenstein – 6 IP, 5 ER, 3 K. Augenstein reminds me a bit of Slowey because of how few walks he issues. Just remember how Hochevar stole your innocence.
Carl Crawford – Left with a bruised shoulder. Should be okay. Get well soon, Carl!
Adam Jones – Left the game with a hamstring strain. Might be headed to the DL. Somebody totally harshed his buzz.
Jimmy Rollins – In Premiere’s “Spotted” section, it said that someone saw Rollins do something productive yesterday.
Alexei Ramirez – 3-for-3 yesterday. Do this for another month and we’ll be even.
Ryan Zimmerman – Here comes the 0-for-30 game streak. Kidding. He’s going to be a top five 3rd baseman this year. Recognize!
Cliff Lee – 7 IP, 0 ER, 9 Ks and the Win. I’m done fighting it. Doode turned a corner somewhere. I’m not trading for him, but I can understand it.
Mark Buehrle – 7 IP, 4 ER, 6 Ks. More in line with what I expect from him, but still a few more strikeouts.
Jo-Jo Reyes – 3 IP, 5 ER. Tommy Hanson begins to pack his Hypercolor t-shirts and Zubaz pants.
Scott Richmond – 1 2/3 IP, 5 ER. Told ya he wasn’t long for your team. I wouldn’t start him again in any league. As they say on shuffleboard courts, he’s kaput.
Ty Wigginton – Hit his 2nd homer of the year yesterday. Shot in the dark here, but Wigginton gets real hot for a couple of weeks at a time. This might be one of those times.
Johnny Cueto – 7 IP, 3 ER. He’ll be about a 3.25 ERA pitcher this year. That’s very good.
Joel Pineiro – 6 IP, 5 ER. See what I said about Richmond then multiply it by three.
Matt Palmer – Complete game, 4 ER to move to 4-0 on the year. Before you get crazy with yourself, he’s a thirty-year-old rookie and he’s not Dennis Quaid.
Kip Wells – 2nd save and only one run allowed. Kip walking into the clubhouse, “What can’t Kip Wells do?! What!?” Heckler, “Pitch effectively for any extended period of time.” Kip lowers his head and sighs.
Ross Ohlendorf – 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 Ks. Talk to the Dorf!
Juan Pierre - I love guys who steal bases up six runs. You go, Juan! Get you some, gluttony!
Shairon Martis – 7 IP, 1 ER and his fifth win (the Nats only have 11!) With a first name like an Israeli prime minister or an Osbourne, you want to write off Shairon Martis, but he’s not pitching above his head right now outside from Wins. I’d grab him in mixed leagues as a 5th starter.
Ryan Theriot – 2 HRs to bring his total of what the effs to 5. Guess hiring Jose Canseco as his new strength and conditioning coach wasn’t such a bad idea.
Geovany Soto – Finally.
Chris Young – 4 IP, 6 ER. Trouble with fly ball pitchers if the wind’s blowing out.
Adrian Gonzalez – 2 HRs and one call to his agent, “Can you get me out of Petco?”
Rickie Weeks – Hit his 9th homer yesterday and is hitting .286. At some point, he’ll chuck in 15 to 20 steals too. This could be the year where owners finally see what he can do when he stays healthy.
Ricky Nolasco – 3 2/3 IP, 8 ER. At this point, he’s probably ending up on waivers in some leagues, but if he’s still owned, I’d fleece his owners as they struggle to sit down.
Chris Coghlan – Member that month long leash Maybin had to hang himself? Yeah, Coghlan’s now getting it. Hopefully, he can make a Windsor knot from the noose and call it a tie.
Dontrelle Willis – 4 2/3 IP, 4 ER. There’s nothing that a big Miguel Olivo hug can’t fix.
Brandon Lyon – 2 2/3 IP, 5 ER. You think when Leyland sent him out there for the 3rd inning he just wanted the game to be over so he could go have a smoke?
Garrett Atkins – 0-for-4, batting .195 on the year. Clint Barmes is out slugging him .415 to .319. In case anyone’s confused, Barmes is not having a good season.
Troy Percival – 1/3 IP, 4 ER. Wasn’t a save situation, but it was still a pounding. I picked up Wheeler in a league, just in case.
Josh Hamilton – Two games from the DL. Two homers. As his street value rises.
Russell Branyan – HR yesterday. I’ve owned him in one league all year. 17/7/31/.271 — Not bad, right? Yeah, those are Prince Fielder’s numbers. Branyan’s 20/8/16/.286/1 — And I didn’t draft Branyan in the 2nd round. Cust kayin’.
thanks to The Pitcher Who Shall Not Be Named and Morrow, I can now stop trying to win ERA and just pitch everyone for IP and Ks…the fact i’m still competitive in Whip is amazing
Almost as soon as I dropped branyan for Gamel in my H2H league, he went yard.
I hope he’s still talking to me – I may need him again by the end of the weekend.
@Steve: Sorry Russ – the ‘b’ was not a sign of disrespect!
Should I drop Hughes for Hanson? Is he imminent?
Adrian Gonzalez: have I told you lately how much I love you?
Coghlan: SONAVABENCH!
In case anybody cares, here’s my most traumatic SONAVABENCH! moments in the past two years (yeah I still remember them):
- Last year: Votto is slumping badly, and I start to wonder if he’s for real. I sit him for the first time all year and he hits 3 HRs and steals a base too for good measure!
- this year: Ichiro is back from the DL, and since he was slumping early on anyway, I figure he’s going to be rusty and do nothing, so I might as well give Schafer (who? I know) one more go. Ichiro proceeds to hit a grand salami!
- again, this year: Thome is killing my AVG and everything else, so I sit him against a LHP. Bam, he hits two 2-run HRs!
Anyone care to share their traumas? Some group therapy might help us all…
@DrEasy: I try to repress these things, but in one of my leagues we have LF, RF and CF instead of 3 x OF and a couple of wrong choices for the LF spot have meant I’ve missed out on grand slams from Ibanez and Lind this year.
@DrEasy: I dont keep bench offensive players for that reason alone. Unless someone is dinged up or has the endless flu(Votto).
@Grey: When do you think Gamel actually hits the field? You think he is worth playing over Dukes right away? Im benching Billingsley and King Felix tomorrow as they have brutal matchups. Sound idea? The Phills absolutely destroyed Chad last year when he pitched against them.
Drop Teahen for Gamel? Or wait to see how hes going to get his playing time
@Infamous: That’s exactly who I dropped. I also cut Jason Frasor for him in the RCL. I’m a waiver-wire junkie.
Hey guys, I see Hermida in FA pool, which one do you guys favor, DeJesus or Hermida? Provided that most major stats also count in stat culmulation (BB, OPS, RBI, BA, R, etc…).
Man, I just traded Hawkins,ASSdrubal and Wandy for HanRam, Kazuo Matsui and Kawakami. Speaking of stelas. Here is one. I still can´t believe it. I almost feel sorry for Wandy as he is my favourite player. Sorry bro, see ya in another league
@anoraxx: The fact that you made that trade means one thing…………..Chris Burke plays fantasy baseball.
Does Reimold have more value in the battered and bad (due to Pie) than Gamel right now because of his playing time? It seems like the Gamel call-up would only serve as the occasional day off for a regular 3B or OF, or DH due to upcoming interleague games while Reimold should play more regularly. I have Reimold right now and I am just not sure if it is worth it to hold onto Gamel if I wanna drop Reimold for him.
ah my dude i’m playing in H2H owns morrow and Zumaya, thank you sweet 7lb 8oz baby jesus….
I just grabbed Gamel, and had to drop either nunez or rasmus. Had to keep Rasmus. I only have two closers and Ray, and I feel like Nunez will get the job soon, but Rasmus could really be valuable this year. He got dropped to 5th in the order with Ludwick out, and I bet he’ll improve all year.
@anoraxx: thats a great deal for you, but how that passed your leage i dont know, i wouldn’t even play in a league if that was a deal because thats atrocious….
assdrubal, hawkins and wandy aren’t worth hanleys jock strap….
Start Wandy today @Col?
@ScoutAbout – I try to never start a pitcher playing @Col, even a Col pitcher…which I’ve almost never owned…
start Gaudin v. the Cubbies today?
@Grey: Hamilton has ‘street value’, hilarious…
My offense went a cool 6 for 45 last night (Longoria 0-6 how is this possible) and of course I started Nolasco as well. I lost about 8.5 points and my 1st place roto lead has shrunk from 13 points down to 4.
Picked up Guthrie for some spot start duty @ KC today to pair up with Chad Dolla Bills, hopefully between the 2 of them they can Bob Vila my ratios after Nolasco raked a cheese grater across them.
Onto today’s minor league clubhouse guy diary entry…
Last August we were hosting Tacoma for a 4 game series, we buy a decent amount of bottled water for every homestand for the clubhouse, and it still gets used up pretty quick, mostly because the players take one sip usually and throw the bottle away, so our rule is, once it’s gone, it’s gone, we have drinking fountains and a few water jug dispensing stations if you need water once the bottled is gone and there is always water in the dugout.
At this time, Tacoma was rostering former Pirate legend Craig Wilson. Craig was pretty upset when we ran out of water by game 3 of the series, my superior told him the ground rules on water and that it was still available, just not bottled, Wilson began a profanity-laced tirade telling us how he was a finely tuned athlete that depended on that water to perform at maximum efficiency, pretty funny statement all in all. The other Tacoma players had no beef, they simply got water from the other sources, Wilson was the only one pissed about this situation.
On the final day of the series, Wilson pulls up in a taxi and gets my attention, tells me to come help him… flanking him in the taxi are about 8 cases of bottled water straight from Costco. He tells me to stack them in front of his locker and put a tip cup on top and write in marker on it “tip me, not the clubbie” -
Enjoy.
drop Dukes for Reimold?
@Grey: Wheeler, eh? I’ve got Percival and I’m looking to handcuff. I was thinking Howell. Is Wheeler the clear favorite?
which rookie SPs do you recommend to hold or stash and for how long. Zimmermann, cecil, bucholz, tillman, etc? Seems to be a strong rookie class both offensively and defensively (wieters/price too), but dont want the all-rookie team as my roster….thanks for the advice
Also, D.Bard – next solid SU man to roster?
Gamel was my last round pick – keeper league – lottery ticket if you will. Jackpot baby!
Oh happy day – oh happy day….
@Grey: Would you trade the Zack attack for Javy Vazquez and Nolasco, or is that not selling high enough? This is a keeper league and Zack is at $4. I’m thinking no, but the back end of my rotation is currently atrocious (Porcello, Looper, Stults pitching for me this week. I love me some Porcello but do not want to rely on him every week just yet)
@SRM: I was reading about Maddon thinking Nelson, and then Nelson did a choke job that night.
12 Team 5×5 Keeper League……. Someone dropped Loney…… I was thinking of dropping one of these guys to pick him up…… Teahen, Kel. Johnson, Matsui, Del Young. I’m thinking one of the first three knowing that Young is only 23……. What do you guys think?
So with Parra coming up, is Krispie going to lose a ton of playing time? Would you drop Krispie or Rasmus for Gamel?
what’s with everyone looking to drop dukes for reimold/gamel? dukes is putting up solid numbers, and had a 3 RBI game yesterday. unless reimold/gamel goes all braun/longoria upon call up (maybe 5% chance?) dukes will outperform them.
sure dukes might choke slam a coach or get injured (again), but i wouldn’t say the odds of that happening are higher than reimold or gamel putting up a braun or longoria type season.
furthermore, dukes has long been a touted talent, so he should be able to keep up his performance if he stays healthy and incident free. he’s not some joe schmo who has caught lightening in a bottle for a couple weeks.
not saying i wouldn’t try to scopp up reinhold or gamel, but i just wouldn’t drop dukes to do so, there has got to be more dead weight on your roster than a guy on pace for 112 RBIs.
@Pops: gamel was gone long before the final round in my keeper league draft. it’s really not surprising he’s getting a shot relatively early this year.
@Euroalien: teahan or johnson. whetehr teahan has 2B eligibility in your league could be a factor.
@DrEasy: Worst All-Time Sonavabenches: Last year, I’m suffering through my “sleeper” pick, Jeffrey “Frenchy” Francouer. Since I’m waiting for him to break out, I’m doing some OF shuffling. From my bench, Mr. French goes 3/5 with 2HR with 7RBIs. Ouch.
But at least he’s warming up, right? Uh, no. French sucks all year, just like when I was in grade 10. His two-donk-day only convinced me to hold him a few weeks longer than I should have. I literally missed his one good day of the whole season.
I hate Frenchy so much.
@Jason (Atlanta): Please don’t do that. Don’t trade one great pitcher for two okay pitchers.
I’m surprised there’s been no mention of Frank Francisco, unless I’ve missed it. Shoulder tendinitis, possible DL stint. He’s had 2 surgeries on his arm in his career including Tommy Johns. Be worried.
Leyland had already smoked a pack and a half in the locker room before that d-bag Lyon came into the game since he booted for arguing. He was able to smoke another pack and a half during Lyon’s time on the mound last night. Brandon Lyon is not good!
Whatever they’re giving Theriot, they need to give him more. I just got Stephen Drew back but he’s on the bench until further notice.
Rickie Weeks is throwing up silly stats on my bench while Hudson keeps on rolling. I’m trying to move Hudson for an upgrade somewhere else. I’ve done well on the waiver wire this year at 2b so far. To think I started the year with Jose Lopez as my 2b.
nolasco has been TERRIBLE so far…is this a true buy low situation? or is he just exerperiencing the risk you talked about in the risky pitchers post???
i offered koji for him in my league, good deal??
Is Maine worth a spot start today vs SF?
@Frank Rizzo: i too have the rickie weeks conundrum…not that it’s a bad thing. i have cano starting, weeks at a util spot for now. i would love to move one of them for an upgrade in total production to a 2B starved team, but everyone is skeptical of weeks (me included), and i am not sure i want to trade cano and be stuck with weeks as my only 2B since it’s probably better than 50/50 he bats about .230 the rest of the season.
@Baron Von Vulturewins: Thanks, I said no to the offer right away but the more I look at the back of my rotation, the more I shudder. I have Buchholz, Rich Hill, Kuroda waiting in the wings but am not sure any of them will provide much relief any time soon.
In a keeper league with holds as a cat. who do you drop for Gamel: Scot Shields, Jason Motte, or Dan Bard?
which side do you guys like in:
Haren/closer for Beltran?
Beltran owner has him, Braun, Quentin, plus alot of guys like crisp, fowler, nyjer, rasmus, etc. and is a little weak on pitching, aces are bills and gallardo….
haren/closer owner wants an OF’er…… too much to give beltran for that or solid offer?
@Jason (Atlanta): being that you have greinke for so cheap, it would be hard to trade him for anything imo.
if it wasn’t a keeper league, i’d want an underperforming ace (i.e. peavy) that you felt would come around and another mid-tier fantasy SP that you could plug in week in, week out (i.e. lowe).
just cause a guy is “sell high” doesn’t mean you gotta shop him, or accept an offer if you think it’s too mediocre. how many people would have loved to have cliff lee from june 1 through the end of the season last year? was he posting sub-1.00 ERAs? no, but he was still putting up top 10 starter numbers.
@ThePoonTycoon:
I like what you said. As i heard of the promotion of Gamel, i was proposing trades all over my league to make room for gamel. I even considered dropping Ian Stewart. After a hour i thought: What the hell are you doing? Selling your guys low or kicking Ian Stewart for a guy, we don’t even know, if he will play in the majors two weeks later. Sure, Gamel is a top prospect. But don’t weaken your team just because of the 5% hope Gamel will be the next Braunie. This is not talking bad about Gamel, I’m sure in many leagues and on many teams he’s a “must add”, but first look at your team. If you have to kick a guy like Dukes, maybe you just should pass…
@Grey @All: Who is the most expendable of my closers in waiting: Madson, Ray, Zumaya?
Any of them or Hochevar worth dropping for Gamel?
If I give Cantu and Kemp for Reyes is that too much?
@SRM: “Let’s see, for right now: Gamel, Reimold, Coghlan, Parra, LaPorta, in that order. And all are better than Hochevar.” And that’s me quoting Grey (read the article before posting a comment).
@SRM: all of them would be expendable for gamel imo. i kicked hochevar to the curb before the end of the 2nd inning the other night.
@vinko: I’m pondering the same thing. I’m considering starting the guy with the funny beard against old team, at Wrigley. Is that crazy?
It’s a very deep league, of course, or Gaudin wouldn’t even be rostered.
who do you guys like, Dejesus or Hermida?
in my league we also count BB & OPS, which Hermida clearly could help besides 5×5; though Dejesus is projected for better all-around number, yet he’s struggling mightily.
so once again (to put me out of my last-spot mysery), Dejesus or Hermida or Reimel??….
@bobbo: I did. But, that’s the problem with reading this site before getting out of bed/having coffee. I should have asked my question differently, “which of Ray, Zumaya, Madson & Hochevar do you I drop for Gamel?”
Have Coghlan, and have read all the posts. Worth it to drop him for Gamel?
@SRM: I’d drop Hochevar.
@SRM: you definitely should pick between Ray/Hochevar combo; Madson still has handcuff value to Lidge, and Zumaya, well, despite yesterday’s debacle, he’s still serviceable for you.
@Jason (Atlanta): Hold Zach or ask for a boatload more than that.
@Elbert: hermida. much higher upside.
@SRM: probably hochevar. i can’t imagine anyone is lining up to scoop hochevar off the wire, it’ll take 3-4 solid outings before he’s trusted again, so you’ll have a few weeks to play around with gamel. even still, hochevar is not a big K guy anyway, you could probably scoop up a de la rosa off the wire if hochevar is gone.
though i can’t figure out why you’d use 3 roster spots on possible future saves. in my h2h weekly lineup, i carry 2 closers to start, and maybe 1 guy for potential saves. you can always scoop up saves somewhere, somehow. in my daily lineup league, i carry 3-4 RPs to fill the RP and P spots daily, and rotate my SPs depending on who pitches for the day. guess what i’m saying is that i can’t figure out why you’d have 3 potential saves guys unless you aren’t carrying any closers. i’d also say ray gets the chance to close first out of that group.
@Panti Jose: yes. neither has MLB experience (similar point in their career), and gamel has the much better track record and higher upside.
Is Sizemore a good buy low or did he overachieve last season?
What side do you want?
Harang
or
Price & Kershaw
Harang this year. Price and Kershaw in a Keeper league.
I heard they let Leland smoke in the dugout
Gerardo Parra just added to Yahoo leagues.
@I’m Keith Hernandez: I don’t know how many of his owners will be selling his first round talent low, but if you can get him by all means do it. Did he overperform last year — maybe a little. But he’ been 20+/20+ in each of his four full years and the potential for 30/30 is always there with him. He’s no .300 hitter, but he’s not a .230 hitter either. Things will get better for him and he’s STILL on pace for 85/26/105/22 with his slow start. I’m buyin’.
Can I drop Conor Jackson for Gamel? My 1Bs are Adam LaRoche and Conor Jackson so it’s an obvious weakness. Jackson on the DL with “an illness?” I almost dropped him just for that alone. Also would you drop Jordan Zimmermannnn for Martis or Wheeler?
@vinko: Gotta love the vendetta start, right? I’m sure Gaudin is in the visitor’s locker room at Wrigley, combing his beard and listening to Megadeath.
I’m looking to sell high on Bedard before his arm crumbles to dust again….and I’ve got an owner who wants him.
Problem is, his team sucks (no joke, last place by a fair margin), and his roster is mostly split into players that wouldn’t be an upgrade to me, and a handful of top level “untouchables”. I’ve been trying to construct a package for one of the untouchables (Teix and Utley) but he won’t budge as he wants to keep them for next year.
So….I noticed he’s got Beckett and figured he might be tired of him. Is Bedard for Beckett a fair offer?
why is Uggla sucking so bad?
@anon: i would drop co-jack. you know what you are getting with co-jack (yawnstipating), and he’s got no upside, and the dbacks are calling up his replacements.
my response regarding dropping a guy like dukes for a call-up is that he’s still young, playing full-time for the 1st time in his career, has a ton of upside, and hasn’t done anything that makes me think he’s not well on his way to markakis-like numbers, minus a little batting average.
@Mark: just cause you’d like to move him, don’t sell him short. sometimes 2 teams just don’t matchup for a trade.
fwiw, i think you’ll get 30+ starts out of bedard this year, so ride it out, and hope you find a believer in the offseason for a deal since it’s a keeper league and all.
Anyone catch Daniel Bard’s 2 innings of work last night @ LAA? He blew away Napoli on 3 straight fastballs 97mph +…
Add Reimold, drop Brett Cecil?
Anyone that owns Cecil gonna start him tomorrow @ home vs ChiSox?
No love for Berkman and his 4/4? It brought his AVG all the way up to .216! BABIP Regression!
rank them: Gamel, Reimold, Ian Stewart
I was thinking of offering Beltran/Davis for Youk/Sizemore.
I could also sub in Bj (not enough) or Carlos Lee for Beltran. Thoughts?
@ThePoonTycoon: Well, an offseason trade would be unlikely….our keeper format is 2 hitters, 2 pitchers, plus a 5th player which can be either. The keeper cost is the previous year’s actual draft position averaged with the current year’s average draft position.
I generally keep 3 hitters and 2 pitchers, so it’s unlikely that Bedard would be 1 of my 2 pitchers……though, I got him so late in this year’s draft, it might be worth it if he has a great year.
@johnson21: depends on if you need a hitter or a pitcher. cecil isn’t gonna be this good all year, but he is a big-time prospect despite his AAA struggles to start the season (which seemed to be control related, which hasn’t been a problem with toronto yet). if you prefer pitching depth and don’t need a hitter, might as well keep cecil, cause you never know which prospects pan out and which don’t, and thus far cecil has looked great, might has well ride it out…maybe he keeps it up and puts together a fantasy relevant year, maybe he doesn’t.
@Zebo: stewart, reimold, gamel
i think gamel is better than reimold, but reimold has a better chance to stay up for the rest of the year given his competition.
@DrEasy: Hanson
@emporers monkey: Not over Dukes. I could see benching F-Her, I’d start Chad.
@Elbert: Hermida
@emporers monkey: Ha!
@darkdragon88: Gamel’s a better hitter, miserable fielder. Reimold has clearer playing time. If I’m messing around with rookies, I want the guy with the higher upside — Gamel.
@Tom: Lose Nunez
@ScoutAbout: Risky matchup, I’d sit him.
@vinko: Not a good matchup. Sit him.
@Tony B.: Nice entry!
@struggler: Nope
@SRM: There’s no clear cut. Howell’s a lefty though and Wheeler was called on last year.
@matthole: Forget Bard for now. Keep only Zimmermann and Cecil for now.
@Hardcore Midget: I wouldn’t drop either in a 12 team or deeper. In a 10 team league, I’d lose Krispie.
@ThePoonTycoon: Yup
@Frank Rizzo: Mentioned yesterday.
@PJTres: I’d want Nolasco there. I’d buy him and then let him sit for a start or two. Talking very cheap buy. Like sending Kip Wells for him or something. Or Koji.
@steamer: Yup
@bobbo: Shields
@Tony: I’d want Beltran.
@Doc: Too much for Reyes.
@Panti Jose: Gamel’s a better hitter, miserable fielder. Coghlan has clearer playing time. If I’m messing around with rookies, I want the guy with the higher upside — Gamel.
@I’m Keith Hernandez: Buy low.
@NoonTime: Depends what your staff looks like around it. If you have three horses, you can stand the upside of Price/Kershaw.
@Kwaz: Nice, and not surprising.
@johnson21: Sure, if that’s what you need.
@Tony B.: Nope.
@Dingo: Can’t talk on everyone, but was happy to see it.
@Zebo: Stewart, Gamel, Reimold
@I’m Keith Hernandez: I’d take the Sizemore side.
@Mark: when do you choose your keepers? we have until a couple days before the draft to pick our keepers. until that point, we can trade anyone on our roster. maybe i have 6 keeper level players, i can package 2 of them for a stud to a guy who only has 4 keeper level players. we also allow trading of draft picks.
Should I drop Burriss for Gamel? I have Drew/Hill.
I posted this at the forums, too, but thought I’d share this in the comments. I ran some numbers of Ryan Braun and Mat Gamel the season before their callup and also for the season of their callup. [b]Check this out:[/b]
Gamel v. Braun the year before their callup:
*Gamel’s 2008 AA/AAA Numbers:
529ab: 99/20/99/.325/.392/.531 and 32 errors
*Braun’s 2006 A/AA Numbers:
457ab: 76/22/77/.289/.357/.514 and 31 errors
Gamel v. Braun the season of their callup:
*Gamel’s 2009 AAA Numbers:
119ab: 25/8/31/.336/.428/.647 and 8 errors
*Braun’s 2007 AAA Numbers:
117ab: 28/10/22/.342/.418/.701 and 3 errors
Gamel is Braun minus 5 home runs.
Drop Coco for Cameron?
@ThePoonTycoon: Oh I see….that makes sense. We always have trouble finding a draft date that works for everyone, so the keeper deadline is just 3 days before the draft.
That would be an interesting idea….if Bedard makes it through the year, I might find someone who believes he’s turned the corner on arm injuries.
So do you think Bedard for Beckett is a bad offer, or you just think I can get more for Bedard later?
Thanks for your help Grey, Also should I drop either Maine/Cecil for Bucholz in case he gets called up? Thanks! I just added Gamel and dropped Burriss.
Please rank the three pitchers going forward (keeper league): Timmy Linc, Greinke, Chad Bills.
reading stuff on the gamel callup – from the quotes coming out of the brewers org, it really sounds like they’re just bringing him up to DH in interleague and that’ll probably be it.
will they keep him if he rakes for that week and a half? maybe, i suppose. but i doubt it. his 3B defense is really, really bad. it’s not just bad. i can’t see dropping any dude who has a current full-time job for him, unless the guy is completely replacement-level. dropping a guy like dukes for him would be, uh, profane.
deep keepers, obviously a whole different story. then you get him. but in 12-team redraft, i’m probably not bothering with him at all right now unless i have a really loose roster.
not to be difficult, but i might take grey’s list – Gamel, Reimold, Coghlan, Parra, LaPorta – and turn it exactly backwards. maybe coghlan still in front of parra, since he plays more interesting positions. laporta hasn’t blown up so far, but he’s as good a hitter as gamel, playing a position he can actually handle, and his team’s committed to him for the long-term, even if he’s not quite everyday yet. he should adjust gradually and heat up sooner or later. coghlan and parra are both in a position to steal as much playing time as they can handle as long as they hit, which they should as more contact-oriented guys. (i think most sources are underselling parra’s power based on his career line; he seems to have turned it on a little bit recently.) reimold has big numbers this year, but is already 25 and has been around forever prospect-wise; he might do ok, but isn’t likely to go crazy and might always get sent back out. and gamel’s way more likely than not to be gone again in two weeks.
…but they’re all pretty close, really. probably all within the Rookie Unpredictability Margin of Error.
I’m in the first year of a keeper league and I have picked up and have on my team- Porcello, Cecil, Parra, Gamel, and Reimold. We get to keep 10 guys, but realistically does it even make sense to keep these guys? Everyone says oh take this young guy for keeper leagues, but is it just me or does that rarely play. Porcello is a “potential ace” but is he better to keep over someone like Bedard?
@johnson21: If you don’t need steals…
@Bamboo Cheetah: Timmy Linc, Bills, Greinke…
@IowaCubs: Gamel can be a monster, agreed.
@wily mo: Yeah, they are all close. My list was just one (smart) man’s list. Insert emoticon.
@bpasinko: Should go with guys that are tried and true (Bedard) for 8 to 9 spots, then one rookie. Gamel would be my choice from that list. As of right now… Keepers can change though.
EDIT: Words.
I’ve got the following in a 10-team league with slightly expanded rosters;
C McCann
1B Fielder
2B Kinsler
SS Rollins
3B Reynolds
IF Berkman
OF Cruz
OF Bruce
OF Werth
OF Kemp
Util Stewart
Pierre on the bench, Guerrero on the DL
SP Beckett
SP Lee
SP Vazquez
SP Chamberlain
SP Jackson
SP Wolf
SP Wandy
RP Franklin
RP Cruz
RP Qualls
RP Lindstrom
Ervin Santana on the DL.
I’ve been desperately trying to move for an upgrade (preferably at 3B). But now I’m going to have to drop 1, 2 people as Santana and Guerrero come back. What to do?
@Joel: You gotta lose Wolf and Stewart or Pierre. Not great, but your league’s shallow.
@NoonTime: @Grey: @ThePoonTycoon: @Elbert: Thanks guys. I just dropped Hochevar for Gamel. Razzball commenters are an altruistic bunch.
Also, apologies to those that may have sat Soto after i commented that he’s playing with a bum left hand, but I maintain that it’s a lingering issue going back to last year and somethat may be keeping his #’s down.
@Tony B.: I’m starting Cecil tomorrow. I think its a no brainer. CWS is in the bottom three in the AL in R, H, AVG, OBP, and SLG, while conversely, Toronto is in the top three in AL in all those categories. My guess is he’s going to give you a QS with a decent shot at a W.
I’ve got Lackey coming off the DL. Who’s the odd man out from my pitching staff? Is 7 starters or 6 RPs too many? (10-team league)
Haren, (Lackey), Bedard, Lester, Jurrjens, Wandy, Kershaw
Rivera, Lindstrom, Downs, Street, Cruz, Ziegler
@Joel: any combo to ship Reynolds + Wolf or Reynolds + Beckett or Reynolds + Lindstrom or Reynolds + Vazquez for decent 3B + anyone will get you further than you think. : )
@SRM: You’re welcome.
@Prince: Lose Ziegler.
@Prince: Ziegler.
It’s tough to pinch hit, if Gamels struggles there and goes 3-15 in some interleague games is he going to get another chance in the majors this year?
@wily mo: @Grey: Weird hunch of the day: The NL adopts the DH within ten seasons.
Reason: Offense falls off, post-steroids. Attendance sags. Too many big-stick, no-field prospects cluttering NL-team organizations. Interleague is the thin edge of the wedge. First, World Series goes all DH, all the time, to maintain “competitive balance.” Then NL goes over, sometime around 2018.
Just a hunch.
It will likely happen at some point but because of pitchers getting hurt hitting/running the bases. It’s all up to the owners and if enough of them get burned it will happen.
@Mark: just personal preference. beckett always has blister issues, and he’s had an ERA over 4.00 2 of his 3 full seasons in boston, so he’s not quite the ace many people seem to think he is imo.
@Baron Von Vulturewins: Maybe, but I don’t think it’ll happen. I think someone will figure out a new drug that players could use to make them better before it would come to that.
Is Jack Cust more valuable in my league than I think?
In addition to the normal offensive cats, we also employ Walks & OPS. Of course, I know the average isn’t gonna be there, but with Manny rotting on my bench for 2 months, Cust could be a nice source to regain some of those Man-Ram bases on balls if I plug him into one of my 2 UTL spots.
Thoughts ?
@Baron Von Vulturewins: as a old school baseball fan,i dont like it,i love the stategy needed with the pinch hitting,bunting game management etc. but we love offense,hell they let hitters stand at the plate with an arm over the middle of the plate and if a pitcher hits him,he gets tossed.Hence im afraid your right,to mant gamels coming around
Crap, now Bedard’s scratched from his next start with the hamstring problem….so much for selling high.
drop holland to spot start de la rosa?
Who’s with me on the Ervin Santana start today? Did you draft him or grab and stash him? He was a WW grab and stash for me.
the parallels between braun and gamel are pretty striking, but it shouldn’t be overlooked that braun’s completely seamless transition from minor league superstar to major league superstar, with zero adjustment period, was kind of a historical anomaly. pujols also did it; not that many other dudes have. i’m still not sure what exactly it was about braun that allowed him to do that, and you can’t assume that gamel has the same thing just because their minor league numbers are similar. in fact odds are he doesn’t. not that it’s impossible. but alex gordon was supposed to be better than braun. every new guy’s different, and the vast majority take anywhere from a couple months to a couple years to really get up to speed.
to be clear, that’s talking about gamel hitting the ground running as a top-ranked slugger. even if he doesn’t do that, odds are he’ll be a useful hitter when and if he plays. if the brewers were still in the AL, and calling gamel up to DH for them for the rest of the year, i’d be all over him. it’s the defense problem making me iffy.
Ugh on Bedard. I was waiting for Carpenter and or Escobar to come back for me so I could sell high on him. Fack.
@Tony B: Cust is golden in leagues which counts BB & OBP/OPS.
in addition to RF+LF slot, Cust can also occupy DH slot, if your league is sick enough to deploy DH slot (i have it in one of my league); if your league also counts PPA (sickest of all), then Cust is a must -add in its format.
@Grey: @Elbert: Thanks guys. Was leaning towards Zeigler but wasn’t sure since he supposedly still has the closer’s role when he returns but Cruz will lose his to Soria (though Soria’s health situation is a bit up in the air).
Grey, I remember you saying you had considered picking up Hairston (SS) until he cooled off, but Rudy got him. Think I should do that and hold off on Felipe for the time being? I imagine you’ll say no, but figured I’d ask. No one will be grabbing either of these guys in my league …
grey or anyone in RCL,Once the first game starts,anyone i drop(sp)will stay in the lineup untill next day?ill still get his stats?is this correct
@Grey: Do you think Rich Hill will have value in a 14 team mixed?
@Jason (Atlanta): 14 teams,gotta be better than hochivoer
@wily mo: Completely agree with that. Rookies who do well are few and far between. As someone else said above, don’t drop Dukes for Gamel. I wouldn’t drop many for any of these guys (league depth really matter here). I would drop random middle reliever I have stashed, would not drop most starting regulars.
@Prince: I want Lopez
@AL KOHOLIC: Yup
@Jason (Atlanta): Worth a look in that deep of a league.
I have Kelly Shoppach and I’m waiting for him to start producing but not sure it’s gonna happen. The following catchers are available:
Suzuki
Flores
Barajas
Y Molina
Pierzynski
Baker
Pudge
Saltalamachia
Do I pick up one of those or stick with Shoppach?
rollins warming up. coghlan sb,gamel waiting to pinch hit
@AL KOHOLIC: as long as your league is set up with:
Roster Changes Daily – Rosters Lock at First Game of Day
which A Latin 9 appears to be
@Basketnarb: I would take most of listed catchers over Shoppach right now, with slight exception to Pudge & Perzynski.
@NoonTime: thanks,i thought so but didnt want to loose a much neede start
In my ridiculously deep NL Only league I’m holding onto Maybin. Drop him for Parra?
@Freak: if you need ABs, of course.
there’s no timetable for Maybin’s return yet.
I utilize a site, I don’t know if any of you are familiar with it, but it’s called baseballmonster.com. I stumbled onto it about 3-4 years during my NBA Fantasy season. It might be one of my top 5 most visisted websites. Basically, you plug in your league settings and it spits out rankings for every play based on those settings.
I like it b/c you can sort your rankings by traditional 1,2,3,4 etc, or rank them by draft round, as in they rank them up to today, May 14, their stats, and what round they would justify going if a draft were being held today. The reason I brought up Cust for my league is b/c he checks in (as of current 2009 stats) as a 6th rounder under my league parameters, ahead of wait for it…
Ryan Howard
Ryan Ludwick
Jay Bruce
Nelson Cruz
Nate McLouth
Chipper Jones
Grady Sizemore
Carlos Quentin
Jermaine Dye
It’s a very valuable tool and it puts into hindsight player value based on the type of league you’re playing in. The top 6 hitters in baseball (as of today) according to my league settings are…
1) Pujols
2) Longoria
3) Jason Bay
4) Victor Martinez
5) Adam Jones
6) Aaron Hill
better MI going forward Coghan or Stewart…
@AL KOHOLIC: I’m at 36 starts as well… a bit behind…. but I have Ervin coming off DL… just traded for Shields, and Price in the waiting.. so I am not worried… its a long season.
Hey grey…thanks for all the advice. I think im going to click the drink link and support your cause…
what do you think (for the rest of the season- all are on waivers)
Cecil/litsch/pelfrey/richhill
Thanks!
@NoonTime: i stubornly held hanson all year,to late now,so im trying to play catch up,started guthrie vs K.C,dropped him for Uehara vs kc saturday,
@Tony B.: nice site,thanks,i think ill mix me up an afternooner and check it out
@Matthole: Stewart
@PJTres: I feel like a dancing monkey working for daiquiris. I’d add Cecil for upside, since those others will be there if Cecil doesn’t work out.
bill hall says,,you aint playin 3rd big timer gamel,2 run bomb off of johnson
Bill Hall just homered after Gamel whispered in his ear something naughty.
Asdrubal or Coghlan?
@Zebo: coghlan. by a mile… and a half.
@PJTres: cecil. keep an eye on hill too. the rest is crap.
Can’t believe I traded Gonzalez for Votto early in the season. Somebody shoot me.
Kelvim Escobar still worth holding on to?
@NoonTime: i’d let him stretch out for a start and see how he fares. the red sox are nothing to sneeze at.
7 K’s through 3 innings for Verlander….
Sorting through stats… Just discovered that the White Sox have caught stealing 9% of baserunners. That’s abhorrent! They could do better by removing the catcher and just hoping pitches bounce off the wall back to a fielder!
@Mark: no shizz
He and Greinke will battle for the Cy
Currently starting Felipe Lopez in my OF over Winn, waiting for Vlad to return. Felipe was at MI but I traded for Tulo and am currently starting Weeks/Theriot/Tulo….would you consider him a decent 5th OF? (Chipper is at DH)
@SP: thats a bit much for agon but you won’t be disappointed with votto, he’ll hit for better average, agon will hit for more power you’ll probably lose 10-15 HRs
@Mann of Sandd: Yeah, he’s fine for a 5th outfielder, assuming there’s no one better on waivers.
Wolf or Buerhle the rest of the way?
When does Clay get the call? His minor league stats are bordering on video game numbers
Care to rank there players for the UTIL spot:
Dukes, JD Drew, Butler, Gamel, Winn, Fred Lewis, Kotchman, Krispie
Just need an extra solid bat from here on out. Not really looking at a particular category.
@Mann of Sandd: Clay? Clay who?
@IowaCubs: Sorry, should have clarified. Clay Buchholz.
Édgar Rentería or Stephen Drew or a push at this point in the season
does it really matter which shortstop I pick to play everyday – don’t want to keep both – Grey
@RIP Harry: Wolf
@Mann of Sandd: Depends on Penny, Masterson and Smoltz.
@Ricky Bobby: Dukes, Kotchman…
@Mr Baseball: Drew
*****There’s a new post****
@Grey: yep. just want to make sure kids don’t get too carried away.
sorry if it seems like i’m always only nitpicking stuff. it’s just that thing where you only speak up when you got something to say. i don’t really need advice but read the site anyway because it’s hilarious.
@wily mo: Understood, and thanks!
Update to yesterday’s question about 3B. I had Gamel stashed on the bench, do I still need to go after Zimmerman or Atkins?
@Dom: Sure, at the right price.
Hey, would you drop Zumaya for Defelice?
@cubbies299: Sure…
******Go to the newest post.******
Thank you Bobby Parnell. If Maine is going to pitch like ass at least I want to get the win. How the hell do you blow a 2 run lead to loser hitters like the Giants? Man I’m pissed.
And when are managers going to realize putting in closers in non-save situations is suicidal. There’s no thrill in it for someone like Brian Wilson. Damn you Bochy you bad, bad manager.