The late ’80s through the mid ’90s represents something of a golden age for television sitcoms in my opinion. While Seinfeld, The Simpsons, and Married With Children were the three shows that stood out the most for me during this time period, there were several other programs that were quite entertaining in their own right despite not being quite on the level of those classics. One such program was Charles in Charge, which starred Scott Baio as the title character, Willie Aames as Buddy, the goofy, idiotic sidekick, and the lovely Nicole Eggert as Jaime, the teenage heartthrob. The storylines and jokes were cheesy, the acting was mediocre at best, but the show was always entertaining. And a young Nicole Eggert is probably better described as smokin’ hot rather than lovely, especially to a 10-year-old like me at the time. It all worked quite well and is still an underrated show to this day.
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Move over Billy Hamilton – there’s a new king of SAGNOF in town! Well, maybe not, but Cesar Hernandez (+49%) has been on some kind of roll in recent weeks. Over the last 30 days, the 25-year-old Hernandez has stolen more bases (10) than any MLB player outside of Hamilton, and his .376 batting average ranks 3rd in MLB over that time frame. Sure, his .471 BABIP over the last month is wildly unsustainable for any player, but his MLB-leading 35.5% LD% and 5 bunt hits over that stretch suggest that a BABIP in the .340 range is a reasonable expectation over the remainder of the season, even when factoring in some inevitable regression across the board. His 11.4% BB% and 15.8% K% this season are both well above league average, and his 6.8% Swstr% is sandwiched right in between Dee Gordon and Brett Gardner on the season. Not too shabby.
Worried about playing time moving forward? Chase Utley is still hurt and produced a .179/.257/.275 triple slash line prior to hitting the DL, and Ben Revere is likely to be on the move in the coming weeks. Freddy Galvis? Cody Asche? Darin Ruf? Domonic Brown? Not exactly formidable roadblocks. Philly is likely to be essentially Maikel Franco surrounded by a beer-league softball roster following this season’s trade deadline. Playing time doesn’t appear to be an issue here. Interested in a player who could potentially give you 18-20 steals and a .280 average ROS? Hail Cesar!
Here are a couple of other significant adds and drops in fantasy baseball over the past week:
Please, blog, may I have some more?Yasiel Puig might be the most polarizing player in major league baseball right now. Since making his MLB debut in June 2013, the 24-year-old Cuban defector’s off-the-field antics, such as repeatedly showing up late for games and displaying a questionable work ethic in the weight room, have angered fans and teammates alike. If you don’t believe me, just check out what some of his current and former teammates have to say about him. On the field, however, Puig has displayed the rare skill set of a five tool player – speed, power, the ability to hit for average, and throwing and fielding abilities. As fantasy baseball players, the first three skills (speed, power, contact) are the most pertinent, and Puig has certainly proven that he’s proficient in each of these key areas as a professional ball player.
Let’s take a look at his MLB career statistics to date:
Please, blog, may I have some more?Steven Matz (+35.6%) was the most added player in fantasy baseball this past week. The Mets decided to roll out the welcome matz last week and promote the impressive young prospect to the big league club, joining a starting rotation that already featured Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, and Noah Syndergaard. Yikes. That would be a scary group for any team to face in a playoff series. Of course, the Mets would have to provide at least some run support for their young studs in order to eventually reach the postseason, but Matz might even be able to contribute in that area as well. He just became the first pitcher to drive in 4 runs in his MLB debut, which gave him the same amount of 4 RBI games as Mike Trout, Anthony Rizzo, and Josh Donaldson this season. I thought that looked like Jeff Gillooly hanging around Michael Cuddyer’s locker the other day. Hmmm… maybe the rumor that Matz could see some time in left field on his non-pitching days has some teeth after all. Or maybe I just made that up.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Coming into the 2015 season, Ian Desmond had been the top ranked shortstop in fantasy baseball for two years in a row. He was also the only MLB player to produce three straight seasons of at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases from 2012 through 2014. So far this season, he’s hitting .222 with 5 homers and 2 steals through 69 games. What the heck is going on with this guy? How is it possible for the 29-year-old Desmond to morph into Danny Espinosa overnight? Was he hypnotized by the awesomeness of this mustache? It seems like as good of an explanation as any at the moment considering the greatness of that epic stache, but it won’t be much help for fantasy baseball purposes. Can we expect a return of the 20/20 stud from recent years, or is this mustache-less Espinosa clone here to stay?
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One Man’s Trash: Steals are Gotten by Jace
June 23, 2015 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 42 Commentsby: Big Magoo
Jace Peterson (+25.9%) was the most added player in fantasy baseball this past week. SAGBJ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as SAGNOF, I’ll admit. Sounds like a disappointing sexual experience or something. Or perhaps just a disappointing Upton brother. Peterson has been anything but disappointing in his first season as Atlanta’s starting second baseman however. Through Sunday’s games, Peterson has produced a .284/.363/.389 triple slash line with 2 home runs, 28 runs scored, 31 RBI, and 8 stolen bases across 265 PA. His 10.9% BB% leads all qualified MLB middle infielders, which has helped to cement his position as the Braves everyday leadoff hitter. Peterson has speed to burn, which can be seen in his 148 steals in 389 career minor league games, so his 8 steals this season might be just the tip of the iceberg.
One thing to keep an eye on is Peterson’s success rate (or lack thereof) on the basepaths. He’s already been caught stealing 8 times this season (2nd highest total in MLB), leading to a 50% success rate on steal attempts, which is uglier than Eric Stoltz in his full Mask makeup. If that rate doesn’t improve soon, Peterson’s green light could turn red in a hurry. It doesn’t seem like a big issue for the team at the moment though. For fantasy owners, steals got the Jace face. If you have a need for speed, you know what to do. Run, Jace, run.
Here are a couple of other significant adds and drops in fantasy baseball over the past week:
Please, blog, may I have some more? Bear or Bull: Is Mookie a Good Bet?
June 18, 2015 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 35 Commentsby: Big Magoo
As we enter that time of year when the Super Two deadline has likely come and gone, many of baseball’s top prospects have either recently been promoted to the big leagues or are waiting by the phone in anticipation of a call-up in the near future. Carlos Correa, Joey Gallo, and Byron Buxton have all just arrived at the game’s highest level, while players like Corey Seager, Steven Matz, and Miguel Sano have their bags packed and are ready to make the leap when summoned. Amidst all of this excitement over the newest crop of young talent, some of the game’s most promising second and third year players have seemingly been pushed onto the back burner for the time being. It’s easy to forget that Mookie Betts was essentially the Buxton of 2014, an electric, potential five category contributor and future fantasy superstar. Is Betts still that same buzz-worthy player or was he just overhyped and overrated prior to this season?
Please, blog, may I have some more? One Man’s Trash: In Carlos We Trust
June 16, 2015 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 61 Commentsby: Big Magoo
When I was 20 years old, the most important decision that I had to make was whether to grab a case of Yuengling or Miller Lite to contribute to the weekend festivities. For Carlos Correa (+58.8%), the decision to commit to the 96 mph four-seamer or the 82 mph hook while in the batter’s box could mean the difference between a deep postseason run or more disappointment for his team’s long-suffering fans. Fortunately for the first place Houston Astros, Correa, the most added player in fantasy baseball over the past week, is capable of much more than the typical 20-year-old. In just 133 plate appearances in Double-A this season, he produced a .385/.459/.726 triple slash line with 7 home runs, 25 runs scored, 32 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. After his promotion to Triple-A, he put up a .276/.345/.449 line with 3 home runs, 19 runs scored, 12 RBI, and 3 stolen bases across 113 PA. Correa doesn’t turn 21 until September. I bet he’s never even had an Irish Carbomb, but he’s able to turn on an inside fastball and smack it 400 feet down the left field line and knock a low-and-away slider into the right-center field gap. I guess that would be impressive to some people. Expect some growing pains from the young shortstop who’s been compared to A-Rod and Manny Machado, but Correa’s talent is off the charts. Even elite prospects can take 2-3 years (or more) to figure things out at the big league level, but Correa’s capable of making an immediate fantasy impact. Think 8 homers, 10-12 steals, and a .265 average from here on out, or a top 6-7 SS in fantasy terms.
Here are a couple of other significant adds and drops in fantasy baseball over the past week:
Please, blog, may I have some more?One of the rarest commodities in fantasy baseball is the five category player. Someone who can hit for average and power, steal bases, and provide meaningful contributions in the runs scored and runs batted in categories. Even more specifically, a player who possesses an elite combination of power and speed since counting stats can be somewhat dependent on lineup positioning, and batting average can fluctuate for a player from year to year due to luck factors that are completely out of his control. Starling Marte is one of these players. Since his rookie season in 2012, Marte is 13th in the major leagues with 93 stolen bases, and is one of only three players (Mike Trout and Carlos Gomez are the others) to steal that many bases and hit 40+ homers to go along with it. The scariest thing for opposing pitchers is that the 26-year-old Marte appears to just now be hitting his power peak.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Joey Gallo (+71.3%) was the most added player in fantasy baseball this past week. The 21-year-old top prospect was a bit of a surprise call-up by the Texas Rangers following the injury to Adrian Beltre, but fantasy owners don’t seem to be complaining. That’s because of what Gallo brings to the table. Power. Lots and lots of power. Since being drafted in 2012, he’s hit an incredible 113 homers in 330 minor league games, including 30 in 102 games at the Double-A level over the past two seasons. On the flip side, Gallo strikes out at a rate that makes Mark Reynolds look like a contact hitter. His 33.6% K% in Double-A this season was actually a substantial improvement over his 39.5% K% across nearly three months at that level in 2014. For the rest of this season, expect some tape measure shots with a few golden sombreros mixed in. Here were a couple of other big adds and drops in fantasy baseball from this past week:
Please, blog, may I have some more?Drafting or trading for Troy Tulowitzki isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, whenever I find myself on the clock on draft day and his name is staring back at me from the list of available players, this scene usually comes to mind. Just take a look at his games played totals over the past three years: 47, 126, 91. That’s 264 games out of 486 that he managed to stay healthy for. Yikes. That sounds about as reliable as day-old fast food that’s been sitting out on the kitchen counter. But oh the potential rewards that can come with taking that plunge (on Tulo, not the congealed burgers). Over that three year span from 2012-14, Tulo finished in the top 5 among all qualified MLB hitters in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as 3rd in OPS (.950) and wOBA (.408) behind only Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout. Needless to say, he led all MLB shortstops in each of those categories by significant margins. Tulo could always be counted on to produce at an elite level when healthy. So what’s wrong with him this season? Have all of the injuries finally caught up to him?
Please, blog, may I have some more? One Man’s Trash: E-Rod Juices Up the Radar Gun
June 2, 2015 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 73 Commentsby: Big Magoo
Eduardo Rodriguez (+38.9%) was the most added player in fantasy baseball this past week, and it’s not hard to see why. For those of you who Googled the words fantasy, hard, and rod and ended up here, perhaps you’d like to stick around and check out this fantasy baseball thing. Or you could just scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Rated R GIFs of Sexy Celebs ad. Your choice! As far as Mr. Rodriguez goes, his big league debut against the Rangers last week couldn’t have gone much better for the 22-year-old. The young lefty threw 7 2/3 shutout innings while registering 7 strikeouts during the outing. Perhaps most impressively, his average fastball velocity of 95.0 mph (according to the Brooks Baseball PITCHf/x game report) would place him 10th among all qualified MLB starting pitchers and 1st among lefties. Of course, it’s just one start, and his minor league numbers show that he can be prone to occasional bouts of wildness, but E-Rod looked pretty impressive on this day. If he’s available in your league, grab him while you still can. No guarantees here, but loads of fantasy upside. And I’m not talking to you, Googlers. Gross! Here were a couple of other big adds and drops in fantasy baseball from this past week:
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