Melvin Mora

Grey

Eureka! Franklin Finally Gets No R-E-S-P-E-C-T

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 305 Comments

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Ryan Franklin was replaced yesterday, but it came so begrudgingly, La Russa wouldn’t even announce who would replace him.  GM Mozeliak held a knife to a squirrel’s neck to try and get La Russa to tell us who would be the closer and still nothing.  “There’s only two things in this world I hold dear — my Mom and my word and I’m mum on both.”  That was what I imagine La Russa said.  Mitchell Boggs, CPA seems most likely to see the first chances.  Behind him, Motte, then MLB’s poet laureate, Miguel Batista.  Keep in mind, Franklin isn’t out of the picture completely either.  La Russa is way too loyal to his guys.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Skip Schumaker – Headed to the DL with a hyperextended elbow.  Somewhere, Shawn Michaels’ elbow says, “Pfft.”

Ian Stewart – Sent to Triple-A.  Pretty sad move for me to hear.  Mini-Mini Donkey was a one-time favorite.  I was thinking how this is one of those moves that if you don’t play fantasy, you’re probably like whatevs.  Deep thoughts with Grey Albright, I suppose.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Reynolds To Bring The K To The O’s

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft | 94 Comments

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Mark Reynolds was traded to the Orioles for two bullpen arms.  This hurts simply because I like to watch the Diamondbacks and don’t particularly enjoy watching the O’s.  Sorry, Jim Palmer can’t hold a candle to Mark Grace.  Reynolds and I had a bit of a love/hate thing the last two years.  Loved him prior to 2009, told everyone to avoid him prior to 2010.  So if I were a straight Saberhagenmetrician, I’d say we’re check raising to the bettor again for 2011, but I’m worried about how many bales of brays I want to heap on Mini Donkey (say that fast 117 times!).  Will he reach the highs of 2009 again or will he blunder his way to another 2010?  Like Monie and Malcolm, 2011 will probably be somewhere in the middle.  He’s not a sub-.200 hitter even whirling his bat at everything.  He was unlucky last year.  He’s not really a .260 hitter either, as he was in 2009.  He’s somewhere in the .230-.240 range.  His HR/FB last year wasn’t that far off his career average.  He’s a 35-homer guy, give or take some luck.  In some crazy small sample sizes like you’d find at a midget second hand store, he hasn’t been good in AL East ballparks, but I wouldn’t worry too much about that.  In a large sample size, he wasn’t good in Petco or Dodger Stadium either.  He’ll lose Coors and gain a slightly worse offense.  Though I think the O’s can be slightly better with a Wieters, Sparkakis and Jones bounce back.  At least 2 out of the 3 wouldn’t be bad, Meatloaf.  The AL East is a tough division, but it’s not like the pitchers in the NL West are a walk in the park.  All in all, it feels like a push on value with the league change, but a slight bounce back from 2010 should be expected.  Anyway, here’s some more moves and what they mean for fantasy baseball:

J.J.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Oh, Poi! It’s The Good Eyein’ Hawaiian

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 112 Comments

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Kila Ka’aihue went 3-for-3, 4 Runs, 4 RBIs and 2 homers.  Also, he just missed a third homer that ended up a triple.  Mauna Kila!  He hasn’t hit for much average so far in the major leagues.  Or is it ma’ajor leagues?  His plate discipline is in impeccable and the peasant Royals would be wise to give him a starting job next spring, which could make him a sleeper for 2011 fantasy baseball.  But you put the wise moves the Royals make in one hand and the stupid moves in the other hand and you’ll need the empty hand that was supposed to hold the wise moves to help hold up the stupid moves hand.  Then have someone else move everything off the counter so there’s room to balance the weight of both hands that have become stupid move hands.  Then get some Lysol because it smells like rancid onions.  Oh, and Kila has another homer in the last week and is worth playing in the final week if you’ve lost some other players.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Josh Fields – Now 4 for his last 8 with 2 homers.  It must be ‘games don’t matter’ time, because the Royals look terrific.  Fields is worth a flier if you’re looking for a hot bat.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

High On Cainabliss

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 29 Comments

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Matt Cain had a no-hitter through eight innings until an infield single by Jay Payton (who I believe runs with a cane, ironically enough) broke it up.  Final line for Cain was 9 IP, 2 ER, 5 baserunners, 8 Ks to bring his season ERA to 2.95.  (Fancy metric alert!)  Last year, Cain’s xFIP was almost a run and a half greater than his ERA.  Or if Joe Morgan’s reading, gibberish gobbledygook > meaningful stat.  This year, more of the same.  So my question to you is, does Matt Cain want the Fangraphs Database to commit seppuku?  Leave FD alone, it’s still trying to figure out Austin Jackson’s BABIP!  Personally, I’m done fighting Matt Cain and his lucky ways.  I’ve overthought enough.  (Overthinked?  Overthunked?  Am I overthinking this?)  He’s in a pitchers’ park and he doesn’t give up homers.  Are they associated?  Probably.  He strikes out a fair amount and his walks have been in check this year.  Looks like a number #2 starter.  Wrap it up, I’ll take it.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Freddy Sanchez – 2-for-4, 2 RBIs.  Now hitting over .400 in the last week with homers in back-to-back games.  If it wasn’t the last week, I wouldn’t even mention him.  But right now, it’s not a bad time to ride Dirty Sanchez.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Tampa Brings In Rave DJ – Bring On The Ecstasy

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 182 Comments

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Desmond Jennings will be called up by the Rays on Wednesday.  I’m as excited about owning Jennings as the next guy, assuming the ‘next guy’ is excited about owning Jennings.  But where’s he playing?  Is he gonna Tonya Harding Carl Crawford?  Okay, but he needs a Jeff Gillooly.  Who’s his Jeff Gillooly?  Are you Gillooly’ing?  Sorry to burst your Gillooly bubble, but, you sir, are no Gillooly.  Jennings should see spot starts and steal bases, but you obviously can’t start him every day because the Rays won’t be.  So if you can alternate him and out in daily leagues, go for it.  Or go 4 it, if you’re a 13-year-old who only understands text messages.  In 2009, he had 11 homers and 52 steals.  This year, 3 homers and 37 steals.  He’s Carl Crawford as soon as next year, so if you’re in a keeper, he’s a must own.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Brad Hawpe – Will be the Rays’ DH vs.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Double Stuff Orioles

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 80 Comments

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Chris Tillman‘s line yesterday was nothing to sneeze at — 6 IP, 5 ER, 10 baserunners — more like gag.  Sometimes it takes one to get roofied before you fully understand what rookie pitchers can do to you.  I point the rookie pitchers out.  They have upside — hey, look at Happ, he’s been good — but I haven’t owned one since Hochevar.  I love rookie hitters though.  As mentioned before, rookie hitters go 0-for-20, you drop them — no harm, no foul.  You get a Tillman start and you end up walking like you were just jumping hurdles.  So that brings me to, Brian Matusz.  He’s been dazzling in Double-A.  As with most young pitchers, he’ll probably be limited on his pitch count/innings, so I wouldn’t expect more than 8-10 starts.  Then throw in the fact that he’ll have tough matchups and you should proceed with caution, but worth a flier in 12 team leagues?  Sure, if expectations are in check.  Or you can do like I did when I pulled the ol’ “You gotta use your waiver claim, sucker” trick with Matusz.  Let me explain the unfortunately named “You gotta use your waiver claim, sucker” trick.  I rushed out and grabbed Matusz off waivers, then the next day I dropped him so someone (<– the sucker) uses their waiver claim to get roofied.  Ah, yes.  That stings.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Zach Greinke – 5 IP, 6 ER, 9 Ks, 13 baserunners.  For the first time in a long time, I’m actually interested in who will win the AL Cy Young.  Sorry, just being a normal baseball fan there.  Won’t let it happen again.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Fantasy Baseball Hitters for the 2nd Half

| Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 120 Comments

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Yesterday, I went over the top 100 for fantasy baseball in the 2nd half.  Today, I’ll look at some 2nd half hitters who should be better than they were in the first half.  To come up with this list, I scoured the last three years of post-All-Star Break numbers, ran it through a supercomputer that’s bigger than your Peugeot, pasted the supercomputer-generated names to my shirt like dollar bills on a wedding dress then went to a palm reader to help me pick ten names out of the thousands.  The palm reader’s name was Erica Karabell.  Tomorrow, I’ll go over the fantasy baseball pitchers who have been notoriously stronger in the 2nd half.  Anyway, here’s the best 2nd half fantasy baseball hitters for 2009:

Mike Napoli – Last year, he led the United States and Canada in OPS after the break for hitters with more than 100 ABs.  Vlad the ’97 Impaler and Torii are both hurting, which will help Napoli see more time.

Please, blog, may I have some more?