The Big Donkey, Adam Dunn, was a big ass. Carlos Quentin’s status is TBD even when we know the ETA which we don’t right now. This leaves Dayan Viciedo playing. It’s addition by the subtraction of Ozzie’s choices. “Can Brent Lillibridge play first and third at the same time?” Things Ozzie has recently asked his bench coach. Viciedo was always a top Cuban raftee and, through his first four games, he has a homer, steal and is batting .538. Maybe we shouldn’t defrost Ted Williams’ head just yet, but you don’t need Mapquest to know he’s going in the right direction. Not to mention, I’m not even sure Mapquest still exists. Start a viable service and Google will take you over. I like your concept, Groupon, I will now do the exact same thing. With Viciedo’s 3rd base eligibility, he’s worth a flyer anywhere you need a corner infidel. That’s right, patch Dayan into your team for Golda Meir. (If you didn’t need to Google that last line, props to you.) Anyway, here’s some more players to buy or sell this week in fantasy baseball:
BUY
Jack Hannahan – Perennial Carson favorite hit three homers in two days this week and .420 (stoner!) in August. Didn’t hurt that he brought his liger to the clubhouse to scare Lonnie Chisenhall.
Kyle Seager – Last week I suggested he was like Omar Infante. We’ll call him Omar Little.
Omar Infante – Speaking of the devil. He’s been relatively hot recently. If your relative is hitting near .300 over the last week.
Luke Hughes – Has four homers in the last week. Maybe you should pick him up. That’s my Hughes clues.
Dee Gordon – Guess who’s back?! Dee Gordon, man (and three girl readers). C’mon, that was easy. His name is in front of this blurb. If you need speed, Dee Gordon’s like Jeff Gordon without the car. I have no idea if that makes sense. I don’t know Nascar. I’m guessing there are cars though since it’s in the name. It’s not Nasbicycle.
Cliff Pennington – Hitting near .400 over the last week and has three steals in the last five games. Plus, if you have a category in your league for Players That Sound Like They Should Be Wearing Plaid Pants, Cliff Pennington wins you that category.
Jose Altuve – Through 154 ABs, he has 2 homers, 4 steals and he’s hitting .305. So, of course, his ESPN ownership went down from 9% to 7.4% this week. I’m guessing Craig Biggio owns 20,000 fantasy teams and is bitter.
Mike Trout – 4 homers and batting .400 since his recall. He’s a bit green, Scioscia may not play him, which has me blue, but if you don’t add him, you’re yellow. And that’s my rainbow Trout.
Brandon Allen – I was thinking to myself, “Grey, there’s no reason to mention Allen this week. He must already be over 50% owned in ESPN. Also, could you scratch your back? I’m itchy. Thanks!” Turns out Allen is nowhere near 50% owned.
Austin Jackson – I’m not a fan of a leadoff hitter with a sub-.320 OBP. Rickey Henderson says, “Rickey Henderson says amen!” But Jackson is currently hot, hitting near .400 over the last week.
Leonys Martin – I just went over my Leonys Martin fantasy. I wrote it while sipping a Mint Julep, wearing a big floppy hat.
Alejandro De Aza – This is a pretty tentative buy. He has been hot, but I think that could end by the time I finish this sent–
David Murphy – He’s the type that is unownable for the better part of a season then becomes relevant. I wouldn’t put Baby Boo-Boo’s college fund on it, but I think he’s about to go through one of those relevant stretches.
Jordan Schafer – I wouldn’t pick up Schafer outside of a NL-Only league. I don’t like where he’s playing, not a huge fan of his but he does provide some speed and a bit of Zimmermania.
Brandon McCarthy – Last game, he K’d 10. He hasn’t had one month over a 4.00 ERA all year. As for his lousy record… Too many Urkels on his team, that’s why his wins low.
Javier Vazquez – Hey, I was burned by him too. I get it. But he’s been good for two months now. Stop being a pill and pick him up.
Doug Fister – Usually the lack of Ks is a problem — a than but no thans, but over his last 21 2/3 IP he has 18 Ks. So that’s an old issue of Fister’s Journal, which I do not subscribe to and would not Google.
Bobby Parnell – You know what the kids in Washington Park say about this part of the Buy section? Coca, puff-puff, SAGNOF!
Sergio Romo – You can’t tell me the whole time he was growing out his beard it wasn’t some kind of All About Eve plot brewing behind the scenes. Just happens that Wilson gets hurt and Romo jumps in to replace him and all the windyweather fans in San Fran are like, “Hey, our touristy beards we bought at the souvenir stand still work!” Then again, Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt or Ramon Ramirez might get saves too.
Steve Cishek – I think he gets the most saves in Florida in September and Nunez has multiple meltdowns. It’s called a hunch, like how Guy Fieri eats a sandwich.
Jesus Montero – I just went over my Jesus Montero fantasy. I wrote it while wearing an orange jumper, picking up litter on the side of the highway.
SELL
Freddie Freeman – Had a heck of a season, if you’re the type to use a word like heck. Almost sorta blasphemy! Freeman has 18 homers through 5 months. What’s that? 3.6 homers per month? It’s worth taking a chance on a hot hitter; you’re not gonna miss out on much with Freeman. And what on earth does sixth-tenths of a homer look like anyway?
Michael Cuddyer – Another guy who has 18 homers on the year, but this schmohawk is also dealing with a hurt wrist. Ride or Cuddyer? I’d ride.
David Freese – He has 8 homers in 266 ABs this year. So, unless he gets 400 ABs in September, I’m thinking you can move on to a hot schmotato.
Nelson Cruz – This kinda goes for any player that is on the DL. If you don’t have DL room, lose him and move on.
Alexi Ogando – You guys had a good run. Get his address and you can send him a postcard. But get him off your team.
Tommy Hanson – Mmmdrop.
Mitch Moreland – Oh, mamma mia, mamma mia! Mamma mia, let him go!
Stream Moscoso today against Seattle?
Would have to drop Chacin, who because of a sore throat went from pitching @SD tomorrow to at Coors vs. Arizona. Chacin is droppable, correct?
(Repost from previous entry for simplicity)
@Pooch: Yeah, stream. He is droppable, yeah.
“And what on earth does sixth-tenths of a homer look like anyway?”
My guess? It’s a double that’s gunned down trying to stretch it into a triple.
I heart fractions.
nice post,ill be making a few of these pickups,thanks
I’m playing 1B for Texas. The match-ups are not particularly bad. Why would you drop me? Is Brandon Allen really that much better?
@Hoodlumman: Ha
@AL KOHOLIC: No problem.
@Mitch Moreland: You’re like 4 for your last 30. No time for that. Catch you next year.
Drop nunez for cishek, rauch, or marc zrpswkelfjsdhsdg..i? holds are good (2pts), saves are better (4pts). meltdowns are bad.
Sittin in 3rd in my 16-team points league ($), sooo close to second place. A bump in the standings means a bump in your share of the winnings. Grey=awesome. Thanks for all your help!
Strasburg or Niemann for the rest of the year?
@chunk: Cishek… No problem.
@MrHappyTime: Strasburg
Grey,
Bourjos or Murphy?
Thanks!
I hope you’re stretching before these posts, Razz. Carson reference, then Blues Clues a couple lines later. You’re gonna pull a hammy.
williamt
PS – I’m weak. Gio three home starts in the next 2 weeks. Hot or not?
@TheRealTaz: Bourjos
@williamt: Hot
Doode!….maybe it’s just me and my pre-LDW euphoria, but that was a stunningly amazing post….you are obv on top of your game and ready for the stretch run…is it a coincidence that i recently moved into first place and have begun to pull away? i think not. have a great weekend
Should I count on Carlos Beltran to help me anymore this year or drop him ASAP? I figure once the giants are out, he’ll start hitting and pad his stats for free agency…
I actually kind of like Schafer at this point. Its kind of a cliche, but SB do tend to be a movable category down the stretch. He’s probably not someone I’d add in 3OF leagues, but in 5OF, 12 team formats where guys like Bourjos and Trout might be owned already, I like him better than some other considerations like Tony Gwynn, Jr. and if position isn’t an issue EYJr and Pennington. The Astros may be pathetic, but he’s leading off and playing every day, so that means lots of PAs. His GB and LD% are both way up since going to the Astros, and even if he starts hitting more balls in the air, Minute Maid is a much more forgiving home park than Atlanta. He’s got a respectable walk rate and he’s an efficient basestealer so R should be acceptable even in a bad lineup, and now that he’s leading off the volume of attempts figures to pick up, and he was already on a 40+ SB pace. He looks like a solid Michael Bourn-lite to me and someone who could sniff 10 SB over the season’s final month, trying to secure himself an every day job next year. Anything he gives you in AVG/HR/RBI would be a bonus with that kind of production. He may not be a must own, but I do think he could be relevant in mixed leagues that are deeper than average.
mccutchen leaves with hand injury
@Grey:
props to me ?
i owe it all to a selective memory process that i have little control over .
but , thanks anyway .
@Grey Who would you rather have swimming in your outfield, a Trout or a Carp?
Better catcher keeper?
Devin Mesoraco or Salvador Perez?
“his wins low” @Grey: if you came out with a mixtape, i would cop…
@mc serch: Thanks, man! You too!
@Matt: Nope
@Mark: Gotcha
@AL KOHOLIC: Damn!
@chata: For?
@Howard: Trout
@Papa Smurf: Mesoraco
@mic: Ha…That’s Kanye, buy his.
@Grey:
wow … talk about a selective (?) memory process .
moshe .
if your memory is starting to shorten up ,
maybe someone should keep an eye out for you .
@chata: Hmm… Still not following. Stupid short term memory.
@Grey:
That’s right, patch Dayan into your team for Golda Meir. (If you didn’t need to Google that last line, props to you.)
also ,
whenever someone mentions the big donkey , i think of the name
adam dunn nothing .
@chata: Ah! Wow, I had forgotten what I wrote above. Ha! Props to you, indeed.
Tabata’s looking like a drop, no? He was killing the ball when he came back from the DL but now he looks like he’s in pain with every swing. I got 10 days before I need him to produce. Allen or Schafer or Hold?
@strugz: Allen
@Grey: Is there a way to pm you? I know for a fact my assclown leaguemates will snipe your pick of the two players I want you to rate.
Slightly up on GS. Sitting Morrow IS the right thing to do, isn’t it?
Might be tomato tomatoh but Bourjas or Tabata?
Also looking for a spot start tomorrow. Narveson @ Hou or Gee @ Wash?
Thanks.
@grey- who should I drop Weeks or Cruz? I only have 1 DL spot. I am starting lawrie at 2nd. Thanks
I must say, your recommendations have been pretty spot on all year and I’ve benefited greatly from it. Many thanks.
@TheBravesWearPrado: tabata is hurting(wrist)
@AL KOHOLIC: Thanks for the info. I was wondering why he had been sitting.
Just heard an amazing stat: Morrow has not had a single double play turned behind him this season.
@Steve: Happy Birthday!
Awwww thanks!
@Steve:
congrats on surviving another year .
Thanks!
@Steve: You make us so proud! Happy Birthday!
Was only able to find A Walk In The Woods at the used book store- ordered the other ones online. Pretty stoked on it so far, so thanks to you and Grey for the recommendations.
@VinWins: I saw that recently too. Even though he’s not much of a GB pitcher (around 30% with runners on), you’d think that he’d induce at least one double play. I wonder who pitched the most innings in a season without recording a double play. Seems very unlikely that anyone has gone a full season without doing so.
@VinWins: Found the answer- Don Sutton, 1975, 189.1 consecutive IP without a GIDP.
http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2011/8/18/2369908/brandon-morrow-on-the-way-to-a-historic-season
@royce!: Thanks for the info. Not as rare as I thought, but still amazing.
@Terrence Mann: In the forums.
@Steve: Sorry, was at the gym. Abs and pecs, if you must know.
@TheBravesWearPrado: Bourjos…Narveson…
@Martin: Cruz
@dedalus: No problem.
@VinWins: Wow
@Steve: Happy Birthday!
@royce!: Crazy…
@Grey: Dee Gordon or Jermile Weeks for steals and runs next week?
@SwaggerJackers: Gordon
FYI on David Freese…he went 2/3 with a HR and 2 RBIs today.
I was getting ready to dump him tonight, but I’m not in a huge hurry so I guess I’ll wait till Sunday before I decide on my final moves before the playoffs.
okay, i’m ready to pull the plug on Ogando. It was a nice run. Now it’s goodbye. So how would you rank these guys ROS to replace him:
mccarthy, minor, collmenter, miller
(pitching cats: standard 5 plus L, gidp)
@royce!: Age shall not weary them.
Grey, I want to place the heads of Jeff Kinney and Ozzie Guillen on a stick. 4.2 innings for Danks, you couldn’t let him get that last out you incompetent puta?
Good morning Grey. Despite limited moves, I’m not sure that I can afford to have Teix taking up a productive spot in my lineup throughout this playoff weekend. While I ignore my kids and family liger (nice reference; big fan of ND?) this morning as I explore all of their matchups for this weekend and upcoming week, who would you recommend as a temp. and possibly permanent replacement from all of this goodness: Allen, Viciedo, Hannahannnannnanan, Hughes, or Montero (& drop Santana down to 1B)? Thank you kindly & happy Labor Day.
OR, maybe even take a flier on Glass Chipper who looks to be attempting to show his durability down the stretch??? thanks again
@Grey:
fwiw … it doesn’t cost anything to listen .
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostuniversity
Maybe I’ve been sniffin the frankinsence, but with multiple leftie pitchers coming up, I’m kind of leaning towards Montero finally making a statement in the Bronx. That’s all out of me. Appreciate the guidance as always.
@WDE05: Always happens like that.
@paulzone72: McCarthy, Collmenter….
@Eng: Ha…I know.
@zombie: Viciedo… Thanks, you too!
@chata: You really want a Razzball talk show huh?
volquez back up,23 k,s in last 13 innings
Need a hot steals injection — do I go with Pennington next week over Nyjer or Venable?
@Grey:
yes .
it’s not as highly polished and technical as you might think .
the shows that i’ve been listening to all season are done under the
Seamheads.com blog …. (Mike Lynch might be able to give you some
pointers , or maybe even bring you in under his umbrella of podcasts …
Big League Chew is his primary sponsor) .
some shows are 30 minutes . some , an hour .
you can hear dogs barking in the background , and an occasional 6-year
old child interrupting daddy during his air time .
some report on specific teams (tigers , st. louis , sf/oak , seattle)
some just talk fantasy …. drafts , trades , hot players , etc.
some interview authors .
hell , one show reports on a wooden-bat league in appalachia , north carolina .
and , many have multiple “hosts” … who , thru the magic of the inter-web ,
combine from various locations and collaborate on shows .
some have “call – in” numbers for listeners … some don’t .
all of the pod-casters write their own blogs , it seems …. maybe not .
mike lynch seems like a decent human being .
start by picking his brain .
my gut feeling tells me that if you were to do a pod-cast , whether
under the auspices of seamheads.com , or not , that your following
would sky-rocket your show to the top of the charts .
@chata: i concur
@AL KOHOLIC:
yeah , AL .
let’s poll this audience … to see who might tune in , once a week ,
for half an hour , to hear Grey (and an occasional Rudy) do their thing .
even IF the baseball talk was interspersed with movie/book reviews
and that damn new music that these kids listen to ,
i’d still tune in .
@chata: today has been a bit quiet,but o believe most of his flock will follow
@AL: thanks for the heads up! Actually meant to mention him the other day in the roundup…
@jack: Over Venable…
@chata: I’m considering… Just don’t want to take on more than I can handle. Maybe once a week..:
@Grey: i can understand that,
marmol = pos
@chata: I would be a faithful follower…
the other cameron is on fire .
Posted this in the new pitchers article, but would like to get your thoughts on it also, Grey. TIA
Sort of a long question here, but I’d love to get anyone’s thoughts on my pitchers for the 1st week of the playoffs…
Its a 12 team league. Pitching stats are: Ws, SVs, HRs, Ks, GIDP, ERA, WHIP.
I don’t feel great about my match-ups and most of my starts are on the road. Also, I only have 2 pitchers with 2 starts on my team giving me a total of 10 starts for the week…
Verlander: @Clev(Masterson)
Beachy: @Philly(Oswalt)
Hudson: @Philly(Worley) @STL (Westbrook)
Dempster: Cincy(Cueto)
Saunders: @Col(Milwood)
Bumgarner: @SD (Stauffer) LAD
Strasburg: LAD(Lilly) Houston
My opponent also doesn’t have the greatest match-ups, but all 3 of his elite K guys are going twice and he has 12 starts:
Gallardo: @STL(Lohse) Philly
AJ Burnett: Balt (Britton)
Shields: Tex (Feldman) Boston
Jackson: ATL
Nolasco: @Pitt
Jiminez: Det (Fister) @CWS (Humber)
Dickey: @Fla (Hensley)
Felix Hernandez: @LAA(Santana) KC
Another thing to factor in is that I think should have an edge on saves with my 3 closers (Kimbrel, Walden, Parnell) over his two (Axford, Soria).
I feel like I have 2 options:
Option 1. Stick with my current roster, but go into the week only planning to start Verlander and Bumgarner. We have a minimum 18 innings requirement, but those 3 starts should get me there. If they don’t I could start Strasburg on Sunday vs LAD assuming he looks good in his 1st start or use Hudson @STL.
Obviously this is a big gamble because if any of those starts are bad, I’m screwed. Assuming they pitch the way I would expect, I should win ERA, WHIP, and HRs allowed. If I also win saves, that gives me the majority of the pitching cats. Puts a lot of pressure on my offense though as I would have to at least split the 7 cats there.
Option 2. I currently have 4 bench position players and I can drop 2 or 3 of those guys. I could also dump one of my current pitchers with a bad matchup. Then pick up 2-4 2 start guys to give myself the edge on starts for the week.
The available 2 start guys are:
Westbrook: Mil (Wolf), ATL (Hudson)
Lannan: LAD (Kuroda), Houston (Rodriguez)
Henry Sosa: @Pitt (McDonald), Wash (strasburg)
Wade Miley: @Col (Cook), SD (Stauffer)
Capuano: @Fla (Vazquez), Cubs (Wells)
Duffy: @Oak (Gonzalez), @Sea
Humber: @Minn (Swarzak), Clev (Jiminez)
Picking up a few of these guys would give me a shot to compete in every cat, but I’m still not sure I like my chances of competing in several cats, esp. in Ks given that most of the 2 start guys available aren’t reliable strikeout guys. Also, we have a moves limit of 75 for the season and I’m currently at 58 so streaming 1 start guys isn’t really a viable option unless I’m desperate the last few days of the week.
If you think I should go with option 2, which 2 start guys would you pick up?
Grey:10 team 8×8….SB’s aside,I need mostly R’s,BA and OBP….Pennington or Gordon at SS?
Needing OF help and spotted both Nicky Swish and Trout on waivers. Which outta the two should I prioritise my waiver claim on?
Do need to improve AVG bad still so Trout looks the better bet I think, but will he play every day?
Also is Kevin Gregg worth a claim in a different league where I could use some more saves, or is he so bad he’s not worth touching. Would probably drop Niemann or Maybin for him.
I am soooo yawnstipated with Soto in my 12 team 8×8.
Would you upgrade to any of these? Barajas, Hundley, Salty, Torrealba, Flowers or Ianetta
I hate closers but I need at least 3 closers for H2H playoffs. I have a bye this week but currently holding Hanny, Bailey, Street and Uncle Leo.
Tracy (I despise this man) is saying Bentancourt is his closer.
Bochy is saying Wilson is probably out for the season.
Leo marched out for the 4 run hold last night. It’s worth noting Mujica set him up in the 8th when there was a 3 run lead and no sign of Chisek.
Should I lose Street or Leo for Romo? or would you wait until Romo actually nails down a save?
@TheNewGuy:
would guess that Grey is going to tell you that it’s too late to worry
about average , and to concentrate on the counting stats categories
(in roto) .
h2h would be a different beast .
darnell and rizzo back up
@chata:
I’d tune in. Once a week if fine.
@Grey:
Deep weekly 15 teamer.
Beachy @ PHI
Peavy @ MIN, vs CLE
Morrow vs BOS
1 start FA slummin’
@Sam:
atta boy , Sam .
You , me , Al , vinko …. that’s damn near a mandate .
Two start Ubaldo too risky if I need to be cautious with WHIP and ERA? Also do I dare trust Stauffer at AZ (I would gamble on home vs. SF but the gopheritis he has scares me)? would you rate either of these over Bedard at TB or Wandy at WAS? thx as always!
marcum
72 pitches through 5 .
@chata:
you never learn .
Wheres Grey today?
@TheNewGuy:
probably out trying to change his luck .
@WDE05: 2. Capuano and Lannan…
@Oilcan Giuseppe: Gordon
@TheNewGuy: Trout
@TheNewGuy: Niemann…
@strugz: Wait for Romo.
@AL KOHOLIC: Nice
@Sam: None are great… Peavy…
@jacks: Wandy
@TheNewGuy: Sorry, was out of town for a wedding.
@Grey: Do we have any more use for Rauch? Frank-Frank would have to collapse in a huge heap (not out of the question of course) for him to get the closer job back, right?
@Grey: Do you like sergio or betancourt for saves during the next two weeks. Just taking a flyer…
@Steve: Can lose Rauch.
@sal: Betancourt
@Grey:
don’t you think that you’re pressing your luck ,
going to all these weddings ?
or are west coast weddings less pressure ??
@Grey: Another one where the correct answer is ‘none of them’ but probably need one of these guys for Tuesday:
Lincoln v HOU
Perez v BOS
Peavy @ MIN
Duffy @ OAK
LeBlanc v SFO
Thanks!
I’m desperate and confused so I’ll ask a broader question: I have a 3.45 ERA and 1.204 WHIP and will likely need a 3.35 and 1.185 to earn enuff pitching pts to win my league. I’ll also probably need 10-12 wins, but ERA and WHIP are more important. Undecided whether I should be aggressive and take risks on two start pitchers or play it conservative … who would you sit? I can use up to 6 starters given my lead in saves, but it might make sense only start 5: Hamels @ MIL, Marcum vPHI, Ervin v SEA, Bedard @ TB, Wandy @ WA, Billz @ WA, Ubaldo vs DET and @ CHW, Stauffer vs SF and @ AZ? appreciate any help! thx.
@chata: My first wedding in about five months…
@Steve: Peavy
@jacks: Hamels, Ervin, Wandy, Marcum, Bills…
Scherzer, sonofabench! And wins are so precious! Need a HR from either Vmart or Viciedo for a bye into h2h playoffs. Here’s hoping!
I have scherzer, Cabrera, peralta & vmart on my team. This game is better than porn.
@Howard: I benched him too, but only because, despite his shocker the other day, I had already wrapped up ERA and WHIP this week!
@Steve:
show some ballz .
go with duffy over oakland .
@Gtg: Ha
Hey Grey, considering dumping Bourjos or Ryan Roberts in favor of Pennington, Dee Gordon, Luke Hughes or Kelly Johnson for my final roster spot to start the playoffs. I need speed, but KJ has heated up so he might be more valuable than a dedicated speed guy like Gordon. Pennington seems like he might be a good mix between the two as he’s stealing bases and picking up RBIs. Hughes position flexibility would be nice also, but I’m skeptical as to whether he’ll stay hot. TIA.