Rich Harden

Grey

Grand Salamis Are Meant To Be Yank’d

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 39 Comments

by:

You know what they call three 4-baggers in New York?  An A-Rod post-game party.  It’s a good thing Clorox is headquartered in Oakland because Billy Beane is going to want to rinse his eyes with bleach after this game.   Russell Martin went 5-for-5, 3 runs, 6 RBIs and 2 homers (one grand slam), Grandy hit a grannie going 2-for-4, 4 runs, 5 RBIs and Cano added in one of his own with 5 RBIs.  A video of this game should be shown next time the issue of a salary cap comes up at the Winter Meetings.  Russell Martin has 17 homers on the year.  Even if all of them were Pesci Pole assisted, it would still be a solid year.  Then throw in 8 steals and decent runs and RBIs, and it’s no wonder Alyssa Milano fields his fly balls.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Jim Thome – Luckily, he got to enjoy his 600th home run on the Twins.  What an event!  Was like Geraldo Rivera finding a second bottle of whiskey.  Thome continues his ride on the casino bus to the Indians.  How appropriate.  To continue the gambling comparison, right now the Indians are like the guy at the ATM taking out money he doesn’t have to double down on the Pass Line at a cold craps table.  Hey, Indians, it was a good run, but you’re throwing good money after bad.  Go grab a $9.99 steak dinner and bark obscenities at tourists.  You’re not making the playoffs anymore.  Thome’s not changing that.  As for fantasy, Thome gives the occasional homer, not much else.  Um, okay.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Forget Rolaids, Phillies ‘Pen Needs Painkillers

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 174 Comments

by:

Ryan Madson went to the DL with numbness in his pitching hand.  Hello, bullpen?  Is there anybody in there?  Just nod if you can hear me.  Brad Lidge is due back in a few weeks.  AHHHHH!  Now you feel a little sick.  Antonio Bastardo would be the immediate add for vulture saves.  That’ll keep you going through the show.  Come on, it’s time to go.  But that Bastardo is a lefty, so Michael Stutes could get some saves.  Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying.  Michael Stutes could get some saves.  Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying.  Michael Stutes– Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying.  Forget it, I’d grab Bastardo if I were in desperate need for saves.  Unless you have become comfortably numb.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Brett Cecil – The man who sounds like a 70′s Playboy pinup has returned from Triple-A.  During the preseason, I put Cecil in a tier of starters called, “There’s some upside here, but I wouldn’t expect anything,” and said more or less that Cecil was once considered better than Romero.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey / Rudy

Call The Dream Police Cuz Bautista’s 2010 Feels Like A Cheap Trick

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 66 Comments

by:

Jose Bautista hit his 39th and 40th home runs last night.  As frequent commenter, VinWins, pointed out yesterday, in the Blue Kays last 162 games, Bautista has 50 homers.  Okay, I was way off with this guy, but Jose Bautista didn’t see this year coming.  His own mother doesn’t recognize him.  Every morning he wakes up wondering if the last five months were a dream.  This is the craziest home run year since Scooter McGillicuddy blasted 6 homers in 1901 while battling scurvy.  Bautista hadn’t hit 30 homers in the past two years combined in twice as many games.  His HR/FB% is nearly double his career mark.  His fly balls are through the roof, literally.  His Isolated Power is near Babe Ruth’s career mark.  The HR department thinks Bautista lied on his resume.  A mouth enters on the left side of the screen and says, “Im,” a mouth enters on the right side and says, “Probable.”  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Brandon Morrow – 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 12 Ks.  Hello, beautiful.  I hate AL East pitchers, but I might just own Morrow on all of my teams next year.  Right after, I draft Daniel Hudson.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Slow Twin Wiz

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 69 Comments

by:

Yesterday, the Oakland A’s hit Kevin Slowey about as well as Elmer Fudd can pronounce his name.  After missing last week’s start with a sore elbow, it was a great sign that he took a no-hitter into the 8th inning, only to be lifted for precautionary reasons.  After the game, Precautionary Reasons said, “Don’t blame me, blame Gardenhire.”  Well, whoever you believe, Slowey still had his best start of the season, which came only one start removed from his 2nd best start of the season, which came after a quality start.  I guess what I’m confusingly trying to say is he’s been good over the last month aside from his last start vs.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

An Arghuably Great Pirate Prospect

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 106 Comments

by:

.288/.378/.535 in A and AA.  Pedro Almodovar!  Wait, rechecking my notes.  Pedro Alvarez!  Last year, Robot Jones and The Dread Pirate Triple Lindy’d into the Pirates mucky-muck with a certain panache (Pretentious Word of the Day!).  Next up, is The Smashbuckler, the Pirates future 3rd baseman.  Argh, into the bilgewater you go, LaRoche!  You landlubber!  Finally, Robot Jones and The Dread Pirate have a decent teammatey.  Okay, I’m shutting off my English to Pirate translator.  Alvarez took some time in 2009 to get going again after a broken hamate bone slowed him in 2008.  By the 2nd half of the year, Alvarez was hitting for average and power in Double-A.  (A September Scouting the Unknown further broke down Pedro Alvarez minor league stats.)  He’s done more of the same in Triple-A this year.  See no reason why he can’t continue the same trajectory in the majors, assuming he hasn’t had any lengthy conversations with Alex Gordon.  Moderate power, less than moderate speed and decent average.  After his call-up, let’s say a line of Runs/15/RBIs/.270/3 in 350 ABs.  In keepers, pursue aggressively.  In redraft leagues, depends on your current corner infidel situation.  Though I will say that if he hits out of the gate, his value will go sky high and then you can trade him for a piece more valuable than him.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Brandon Phillips – Walt Jocketty said Phillips’s hammy won’t require a DL stint.  Phillips said, “I’d kinda like to hear what a doctor has to say.”

Alfredo Simon – Was activated from the DL.  Juan Schmoil said he’ll ease Simon back into the closer role so if you have room, I would wait until Simon earns a save before cutting Hernandez.  Though ‘fredo can handle things!  He’s smart!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

FIP’ing You Off

| fantasy baseball strategy | 256 Comments

by:

The last time we looked at FIP for fantasy baseball was back in March.  On that list of guys that will fail were Edwin Jackson, Jurrjens, Happ, Arroyo, Wolf, Johan and *small voice* Cain.  Now that we have a decent enough sample size for the new season, we can check to see where we’re at in 2010.  To remind you, xFIP — stands for Expected Fielding Independent Pitching.  It’s basically ERA without those pesky fielders helping or hurting you.  It’s a pure ERA.  It’s like when you go to the Supercuts and then you don’t want to shower for like 2 weeks because you’ll never get your hair styled again like Jeffrey does it.  It’s your hair right after Jeffrey styles it and before you wash it.  That’s xFIP.  Okay, so let’s take a Exhibit A pitcher, who has an ERA of 2.75, but his xFIP is a 6.75.  A -4.00 difference.  That means he’s been very lucky and there’s a good chance his ERA is going to go way up.  So here’s a list of pitchers with the biggest difference between their actual ERAs and their xFIPs for the first month of the season.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Cecil Be Da Thrill

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 192 Comments

by:

Brett Cecil appeared in the April 23rd version of the Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell.  I liked his strikeout stuff and thought he was up to the task.  He secretly confided in me it was a lot of pressure on him.  He never had a mustachioed man ask anything of him, at least not one that wasn’t wearing a raincoat and no pants.  His WHIP sits at 0.77 through 20 2/3 innings.  Thank you, can I bring you your slippers?  He has 21 Ks.  Yup, more than a strikeout per inning.  Last night, he had a perfect game in the 7th inning and ended up going 8 innings, 1 ER and 10 Ks.  He’s getting a bit lucky, but he’s worth owning in all twelve team leagues, while ten teamers should hover their grabby hands just over his name.  Honey, could you bring me a Dr.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Blow Hard With A Vengeance

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 495 Comments

by:

Trevor Hoffman has been lights out all year.  Maybe he jumped in the Cocoon pool.  Octavio Dotel?  The post office said they’re going to a five day week because of cutbacks and the amount of fan mail coming in for Dotel.  Now hold the preceding up to a mirror.  Dotel as a Pirate has done nothing except plunder his fantasy owners’ goodwill.  Even Roger ain’t Jolly.  The Hoff looks drunk.  And Trevor too.  The pickups for this duo of dud is Carlos Villanueva, Joel Hanrananananan, Brendan Donnelly, Evan Meek, Hawkins, Coffey, Shelley Duvall, the guy at Subway that kinda skeeves you out, the Polish Sausage in the 7th inning stretch race and Cher.  Pick them up in that order.  For full disclosure, I grabbed Hanaranananan because Villanueva was taken in all of my leagues.  I didn’t go deeper than that.  Some shituations just aren’t worth the ulcer.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Garrett Jones – 2-for-7, 1 RBI.  After his first four at-bats yielded 4 Ks, Robot really turned it on.  Fool him 5 times, shame on Robot.

Please, blog, may I have some more?