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0‘The willies’ as defined by Oxford English Dictionary is a fearful uneasiness of the guy on your street corner that wears a recyclable shopping bag for a shirt and tells you you’re going to hell. 2nd definition, fearful uneasiness of owning Pirate hitters in fantasy. We’ll be dealing with the 2nd definition; you’re on your own with the first one. Should all Pirate hitters give us the willies? No willies on The Dread Pirate. Robot Jones — occasional willies. Neil Walker — no willies for his position. Jose Tabata — no willies, but worried about willies for next year. Pedro Alvarez — some willies now, no future willies. There’s going to be a Pedro Alvarez sleeper post for 2011. I’m telling you now because, if you go into hibernation for five months and rub the crusties out of your eyes to see a Pedro Alvarez sleeper post in 2011, I want you to know I have not been talking about Alvarez for the last five months, it’ll only feel like that to you. Phew, was the longest run-on sentence ever or what? I blame Strunk & White. So what makes Pedro Alvarez a fantasy baseball keeper for 2011?
Here’s ten reasons: 1) I’m assuming you have him for cheap. 2) His position. 3) In 2008, Alvarez was the number two overall pick in the Major League Draft. The pedigree is there. This year he ranked as the 8th-best prospect, according to Baseball America, which is a superpower of prospect rankings that is currently in an extended conflict with Baseball Iraq. This high ranking came after Alvarez hit 27 homers in 126 games between Single and Double-A. 4) His only real caveat are his splits. He struggles vs. lefties. He’s young (23) and it’s not a big enough warning sign to back off him. 5) Golden rings. 6) The Pirates are committed to him and are already batting in a solid run-producing spot in the order. 7) He’s in no danger of losing playing time, which is kinda similar to point 6, but we’re trying to get to 10, so go with it. 8) Another caveat, his Ks are a bit murderous, but he’s always been a free swinger like that creepy guy on Craigslist. Can’t really fault a guy for doing what he’s always done while still succeeding. You’re not taking him in the first round with his Ks (yet), you’re keeping him late. 9) Was a terrible movie. 10) Next year, he’s going to have his ups and downs, but he could breakout and be a top 3rd baseman by 2012. Next year, you’re looking at a cheap 25-30 homer hitter at 3rd base with a wonky average. If Alvarez gets lucky on average, you could have a top 5 3rd baseman in 2011.
Nice post, will keep the Smashbuckler in mind. So, I asked about Volquez because I’m looking at streaming options for the rest of the week. The available guys are:
Volquez vs ARI
Kennedy @ PIT
Blanton vs. WAS
C. Lewis vs. DET
C.J. Wilson @ SEA
Blackburn vs OAK
Anibal vs CHC
Narveson @ SF
Carrasco @ KC
Minor vs. WAS
J. McD vs ARI
Chacin @ LAD
Yes, I know there are a lot of options. Pick the best 3 please. Thx! Oh, and good morning!
@ThE sHiT: Good morning! Kennedy, Blanton, Wilson…
Mr. Grey, sir, who is the better start for tomorrow:
Big Z @ STL v. Carpenter
Duensing @ CWS v. Floyd?
@Grey:
Man, since making my league into a keeper for next year I’ve had so many headaches deciding not only who I’m going to keep, but how I’m going to draft next year for keepers seeing as I won’t keep miggy and wright for 2012. What round do you see him going in a 12 team h2h keeper Grey?
If you’re slightly ahead of your IP pace, would you start Jurrjens at home vs WAS (L Hernandez)?
Matchup looks good (opposing Livan, primarily) to me, but JJ likes to poop the bed a little too often…
@Wilsonian: Z…
@Eddy: Who? Alvarez? Near the 10th round.
@Frank: I’d sit him.
@Grey: muchos gracias…that’s the route I took.
BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS BRETT MYERS!!!
Hannrahanan or Sale for next Monday and on?
@Wilsonian: De nada.
@Shmorgie S. Board: Well said.
@struggler: Hanrahananan…
the other option is to drop Baker and hold them both till Monday.
PIT is vs STL, vs HOU, @STL, @FLA
CWS is @OAK, @LAA, vs BOS, vs CLE
@struggler: Depends how badly you need saves.
True – I stack up pretty well to all the other teams in the playoffs. I’ll stand pat with Hanny and await further instruction. Thanks!
This is the first pirate fantasy I’ve read that didn’t involve wenches or scurvy.
Wait, are you saying Nine was a bad movie or 9 was a bad movie, or both? I thought Nine looked awful but 9 looked rad (yes I’m from California, why do you ask?) but if Grey says 9 was bad then I’m going to have to start wondering if 9 was as bad as Nine looked.
@struggler: No problem.
@El Famous Burrito: Willies third definition is name short for possessive of One-Eyed Willie, who was a pirate.
@Mike: Meant Nine, never saw 9.
@Grey: H2H league…are you scared to start any of these guys?
Garza, Hudson, Wood?
@JackInTheBox: All of them.
@Grey: U starting Garza right?
@Grey: good work on a reference to one of the greatest movies of all time.
@ThE sHiT: Yup
@Wilsonian: Thanks!
@Grey: anytime! I heard rumors of Goonies 2, with all of the original surviving cast on board. I’m excited, yet at the same time a little worried. I don’t want anything to tarnish my childhood memories of that movie.
@Grey: Wait, I should have phrased that question better….so you’d start all of them?
@Wilsonian: Probably end up like The Karate Kid where I don’t see it so it doesn’t taint anything.
@JackInTheBox: Yup
@Grey: Alright, thanks. I was wavering on Garza and Hudson, so thanks for input.
Grey, start danks vs minn? hudson at cin? Jair vs Was? H2H league, I just need a good outting.
@Grey: I’m 1 point out of first and trying to scrap for anything. HRs, Runs, Average, and RBIs are all within striking distance. Would you drop LaRoche who has sucked lately for Berkman who has been fairly hot? Panda is also on the WW but he has sucked hard. Thanks for the help.
@JackInTheBox: No problem.
@Mateo: Answered in the last post.
@Nuke LaDouche: Berkman hasn’t been playing every day.
Pujols out of the lineup tonight.
Boooo! for my RCL team.
Yay! My H2H opponent has him.
I see Kinsler is suspended one game – anyone have advanced word whether he is out tonight or appealing? I’d love to find out before the early games so i know if i should bench him before those guys are locked onto the bench.
@Steve: The ol’ double edged sword.
@CoreyII: No idea if it’s tonight.
@Grey: You know it. I have a lot of my hitters going against my pitchers across my various teams.
I’d be surprised if it ended well.
@Steve: Yeah, I usually hope for good pitching and terrible hitting. Easier to bounce back from that.
@Grey: Nice approach.
KJ taking a seat tonight too.
@Steve: Damn, that’s annoying.
@Steve: And Montero…
@Steve: Don’t have him, so that’s okay.
@Grey: Every Garza inning looking like an adventure at this stage.
@Steve: But it won’t have a happy ending…
@Steve: I have convinced myself that if I watch Garza pitch, I jinx him. So, I changed the channel after Cano’s HR. Hopefully the Rays can put some runs on the board…
@ThE sHiT: Hopefully he can stay out there a while and sweep up after himself a little bit.
@Steve: Lets go Holland – and just like that its ugly.
@BSA: Between the RCL, my H2H (playoff semifinal) and the Hippo/Al K keeper league (0.5 out of first), there is nothing good that happens on one team that does not adversely affact me on another.
@Steve: That leaves me with an image of you watching the games either comatosed reaction or jumping up and then saying “shit!”.
@BSA: I’m at work, so neither would be appropriate. But if you’re talking about my inward disposition, you’re spot on.
@Steve: You should write a Razzball Column – “How to Build an Ulcer”
@Steve: Yeah 7 IP would be good.
@ThE sHiT: Not holding my breath.
@BSA: Ha!
@Steve: Yeah, kinda figured this wasn’t gonna be a great start for him. Bleh.
@BSA: So many guys caught stealing or picked off the last few days, should have passed you in SB by now.
Et tu Hammel? Noooo!
@Steve: Dammit.
@Steve: Hey who is that? Oh its just Brian and the dogs of summer treading water.
Shoulda coulda woulda. And I should have 8 extra wins right now with the starters I am rolling out there. Too bad so sad!
@Grey: Wow. That could have been MUCH worse.
@BSA: Don’t make me come over there.
@Steve: Yeah, small consolation.
@Steve: I have a Sam Adams on ice! That and a screaming 6 year old and leftovers in the microwave. You’ll be right at home.
Why the hell can’t Wainwright pitch this month? Did I miss something here?
@BSA: Well, when you put it like that…
Home alone?
@Steve: Nope wife is upstairs managing the screamer.
priorities!
OK – I can’t say that my humour is improved by what’s going on in Tampa right now.
Wainwright just sucks! Holland is my streamer and Wainwright is shittin’ the bed. C’mon!
So Gio Gonzalez doesn’t realize its fantasy playoff time does he?
@Grey: I thnk Hammel might find things easier if he didn’t repeatedly let the pitcher – the pitcher! – get on base.
@Steve: ***hole.
WTF is Gutierrez doing?
@Steve: Closing it our, that’s what.
Phew.
My pitching getting it done…Who needs Josh Johnson, I got Dan Hudson?! In any case, moving on to the HtH finals looks likely, and I’ll get home field.
Oh and go Hamels!
@Elijah: Shhh!
@naughtandcross: Ugh
@Steve: Not a great start.
@Elijah: Nice!
Shame on me for doubting Dan Hudson against the Reds. Sonavabench!
@Grey: At least Hamels, Hudson and Norris picked up his and Garza’s slack.
Great catch by Granderson. Unfortunately I’m already way behind in the “great catch” category.
@DrEasy: Yup
@Steve: True
@VinWins: That’s hilarious.
That’s ridiculous.
My opponent just got a pinch-hit donk from Posada.
@Steve: There should be a way to call BS once a week in H2H. Call BS on one player a week’s performance and it gets taken off the board.
@Grey: I like it!
If I was being fair-minded about this (as if!), I say that was possibly cancelled out by Yuniesky B’s ticker tease.
And that Holland got taken out after 4…
@Steve: There should be un-BS-ables though, like there’s undroppables in ESPN. You can’t BS Votto, you can BS Betancourt.
Oh yeah and Texas sucks too.
I weather the storm with Holland through 4 innings only to have the team score after he is out.
@BSA: You could at least be gracious enough to be thankful that it was only one earned and not four
My opponent has him…
Grey,
Cant take Scott Rolens shizz anymore… Its playoff time, its time to produce. Who do I pick up to play 3B after I drop this bum?
@Suck My Wieters: No idea who’s available.
Some Guys available….
Valencia, Betemit, Alex Gordon… About all I can think of right now..
@Suck My Wieters: Betemit
Jesus, I’m getting screwed by Figgins and Branyan.
who to start tommorrow pick 2 to 3 of them please
10 team league
sanabia vs phi lannan @ atl bush @ hou drabek @ bal minor vs was
mejia vs pit bergesen vs tor saunders at cin
not great options but could use the streams
much appreciated grey
@Grey:
been on the phone for the past hour …. will catch up with comments , later,
but why was zito taken out , after 5.2 and 82 pitches ?
also , “golden rings” was totally unexpected and quite amusing .
HA ! x2
Kershaw is giving a very un-kershaw like start tonight. 3 hits, no walks, and only 3 ks. I’d be annoyed about the lack of Ks, but Hamels made that up for me tonight.
@Steve: Hitting at the wrong time, eh?
@barker: These are all bad. Drabek and Sanbia.
@big o: Bochy doesn’t trust him and pulled him, nothing else to it from what I saw.
@GopherDay: Yeah, still good though.
@Grey: It’s not the first time Figgins has done this to me.
Nice run support for Greinke today. Pity he wasn’t pulled after the fifth.
@GopherDay: …and he got the win! Pfew, that was nerve-wracking until the very end. Missed out on Dan Hudson’s start, but Kershaw made up for it.
@Steve: Yeah, Grienke’s had a season to forget. Not even sure how I ended up with him on a team. I think it was Rudy’s doing. Rudy!
@DrEasy: Since July 15th, Kershaw has only had wins in games where he didn’t give up a single run. And that means only 3 Ws.
@Grey: Price enforcing?
I traded away Hamels and Bills to get him and Dunn.
@Steve: Not a terrible trade if you needed power. Maybe price enforcing, maybe alcohol, not sure.
@Grey:
noticed that the little blue “thumbs up”
jumped about 27 points , in the past 24 hours .
i interpret that as a good thing .
but , what , exactly , is that ?
should i click on it ?
it’s not one of those twitter things , is it !?
@big o: It’s just a Facebook thing. If you don’t know what it is, no reason to click on it.
@Grey: Got a Holds guy du jour?
@Steve: Oh, and Figgins can **** right off.
@Steve: Benoit
@Grey: Owned, unfortunately.
Breslow, Romo, Veras and Masset (I own Chapman already) have the most Holds in the last 7 days in my league…
@Steve: Romo…
do you see duensing getting lit up tomorrow ?
i think i have to sit him .
kwentin and klowney kwould kill .
I’m in a keeper league..16 team with each team keeping 6…I have first pick this year..the best available guys are McCann weeks delmon young price grienke and Pedro Alvarez..who would u take?