Tsuyoshi Nishioka

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Brett Lawrie On Toronto Is One Delicious BLT

| Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 353 Comments

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In just under two months at Triple-A (45 games), Brett Lawrie hit 12 homers and stole 10 bases.  To put that in context, Dave Winfield hitting against Queen Latifah in the 2003 All-Star Celebrity Softball Game never got past 2nd base, on the field.  The Blue Jays GM Alex Snuffaluffagus said, “I’m more excited about (Lawrie) today than I was in April when he was hitting .430.”  That makes two of us.  Once he’s called up, his 2nd base eligibility makes him instantly startable in just about any league.  If that doesn’t excite you, he’ll play 3rd base for Toronto.  “Wait, what about playing time?  Who’s playing 3rd base now in Toronto?”  That’s you talking to yourself while you lick your Dorito-stained fingers.  John McDonald, Jayson Nix and Edwin Encarnacion.  Don’t worry if you didn’t know that.  Sometimes John Farrell even has to call Jayne Nix, Jayson’s mom, before the game and ask to be reminded who his third baseman is.  Seems like the easy answer there is yes, Lawrie will play.  If he’s called up in the beginning of June, as I anticipate, I’d expect a 15/15 season.  That’s pretty terrific for a middle infidel in three-quarters of a season.  Now Lawrie’s on your radar, but is he on your team?  Snap!  Anyway, here’s some more players to buy or sell this week in fantasy baseball:

BUY

Brandon Belt – Just went over my Brandon Belt fantasy.  I wrote it while sitting in the Statue of Liberty’s torch thinking about our forefathers.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
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Hart Trick

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 292 Comments

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Corey Hart with 3 homers, 7 RBIs and a pair of sunglasses.  Never surrender, Corey Hart!  In short, you should grab him if he’s on waivers (80% owned in Yahoo).  In shorter, grab him.  In shortest, grab.  He’s streaky like Bret Boone’s hair in the 90′s and this is obviously the start of a good one.  If he’s not on waivers and someone else owns him, you bid him adieu, assuming you’re French.  (I know how much the French are into fantasy baseball.)  Just as I felt in the beginning of the year, I don’t think Hart comes anywhere near his 2010 stats.  Très bummer!  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Stephen Strasburg – Threw off the mound for the first time.  His fan club, the House of Strasburg, has time to launder their early-1900s, Austrian officer uniforms as their ordainment of St.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
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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?
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Brewers Fix What Ales Them

| 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft | 34 Comments

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The peasant Royals decided to send their big bargaining chip for three chips and a chip to be named later.  This comes just days after Dayton Moore said Zack Greinke wasn’t happy and the Royals were going to trade him.  This is like Ted Hughes saying Sylvia Plath wasn’t happy so he was going to cheat on her.  (That was for our three girl readers and the guys who took Feminist Literature to try to get laid.  “I’m going to take Feminist Literature because it’s going to be just me and a bunch of chicks!”  Three months later, “The class is just me and chicks that hate me.”)  In 126 1/3 IP in interleague play, Greinke had a record of 10-6/4.42/1.24/112.  That includes some young years when Greinke was manhandled by depression like CT manhandled Johnny Bananas in The Gulag, it includes NL teams in AL parks and it includes some relief work.  I think he’ll be better on the Brewers.  He’s a better pitcher now.  I wouldn’t necessarily expect another automatic Cy Young year.  Let’s face it, that was a year for the ages for Greinke.  He will have a better offense and he won’t have to carry the entire starting pitching staff, which I imagine could be a drag if you don’t have the mental stamina.  After last year, Greinke was wavering between a fantasy #1 and #2.  Now there’s some shine back on him.  I’d expect a 3.50 to 3.75 ERA with a solid WHIP and Ks.  I’d have no qualms about drafting him as my first fantasy starter.  Anyway, here’s some more moves and what they mean for fantasy baseball:

Alcides Escobar – Traded to the Royals.  Doesn’t really change his value, he just needs to run.  Alcides was actually going to get a sleeper post today before this trade went down.  Now he’s getting a sleeper post tomorrow.  Stay tuned!  Or don’t!  These are your choices.

Please, blog, may I have some more?