With injuries to both Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer, Corey Dickerson has seen his playing time increase and fantasy owners have taken notice. If it wasn't for Charlie Blackmon's red-hot start, we all might have been talking about Dickerson from day one (Rudy was BTW). The 25-year-old outfielder was the most added player (+49%) after Daniel Santana. We'll get to Santana in a minute. In just 143 plate appearances, Dickerson is hitting .325/.392./619 with eight home runs and four stolen bases. We all know what Coors field does for hitters, and Dickerson is no different. He sports a phenomenal 195 wRC+ against right-handed pitching at Coors. A worthy add indeed for fantasy teams in most formats. Dickerson should provide decent counting stats along with double digit homers when it's all said and done. Here are two more hot adds and drops from this week in 2014 fantasy baseball...
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Ambulance Chasers, Week 12: Colorado in Crutches
June 16, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 4 Commentsby: SethDaSportsMan
The Colorado Rockies have not had an easy go of it this season. After beginning the year in tremendous fashion, injuries have contributed to a pretty steady drop in the standings. Once 22-14, the Rockies have fallen one game below .500, to 34-35. Pitching is always to blame when it comes to the blemishes of the Blake Street Bombers, and this year has been no exception, with the team placing last in the majors with a 4.61 ERA. However, mounting injuries have put an even bigger dent into the psyche of the good spirited people of Denver. First, Nolan Arenado hit the DL. Then it was Michael Cuddyer (twice) and Carlos Gonzalez. Pitcher Jordan Lyles, who had been their best starter to date, broke his non-pitching hand on a freak play. Wilin Rosario even had a stint on the sidelines with a stomach bug. Presumably, he's been using that as his excuse for his poor hitting all season long. The only player who hasn't been hurt is human house-of-straw, Justin Morneau. Go figure.
Good news for the Rockies, and for fantasy owners, is that Arenado (finger) could be back by the All-Star break, or perhaps even sooner if he can progress quickly through rehab games. While any possible cancer scare is nothing to dismiss, the fact that CarGo's injury was "only" a benign foreign mass -- and not a torn ligament -- was the best possible news his owners could hear. His original five-week timetable would have him back around the All-Star break.
Now all the Rockies need to do is get superz-sized sheets of bubble wrap for Troy Tulowitzki.
Here are some other injury notes that caught my eye this week...
I'd like to begin this OBP roundup by mentioning one of my favorite points that’s been discussed in the comments before: OBP and OPS are worth looking at in leagues that don’t use them. For example, if a player has a high OBP, then he has a greater likelihood of getting runs relative to a player with a lower OBP. The same goes for OPS or slugging, either of which can be a proxy for players who get homers, extra base hits, and rbis. These stats obviously have more value in leagues that use them, but they should be given attention in leagues that do not include them because they suggest which players have more value and are likely to retain their value over the course of the season. Anyway, time for a good ol' fashioned OBP roundup:
Hold onto your Taco Bell-made Doritos hat because yesterday [player]Eric Hosmer[/player] hit a homer. Sung like J.J. Fad, "The S is for super, the Homer is for about freakin' time!" More of an 80's rock kid? Hosmer's been Poison so far this year, but look what the cat dragged in! Prefer the punk scene? After Billy Butler goes to the bathroom, they say the john's rotten. Okay, that had nothing to do with Hosmer, but I'm a man of the people and the people in my head demanded a punk reference. The Royals power has been so bad this year, Lorde released a remix titled, "Blue Jays." At the forefront of the Royals abomination has been Hosmer. Entering today he had two homers. Who do you think you are, Robinson Cano? His homers per fly ball is abysmal, but his ground ball to fly ball ratio is about the same as previous years, his line drive percentage is fine, his at-bats per homer was around 30 for every year, except this year where it's at 129. The only true red flag in his numbers is he's hitting a ton of infield flies. I think that might've been him pressing due to the homer drought and now that cloud of doom can lift. I don't think he's suddenly going to jack 30 homers and start walking around in a crown like Jerry "The King" Lawler, but I also don't think Hosmer will stay this terrible forever. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
One Man’s Trash: Ready And Willingham
June 10, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 69 Commentsby: Mike
I will admit I'm a bit of an ageist when it comes to my fantasy baseball teams. I'll gravitate towards the Christian Yelichs and steer clear of the Michael Cuddyers. So when [player]Josh Willingham[/player] (+67%) came off of the disabled list, balloons didn't fall from my living room ceiling. Fact is, though, he's a solid player and should be a good option moving forward for fantasy owners in need of an outfielder. He was the most added player this week, over the likes of Oscar Taveras and even Gregory Polanco. In 20 games played, the 35-year-old corner outfielder has already racked up four home runs and 15 runs batted in. Steamer projects another 15 home runs and 48 runs batted in. He won't continue to hit .300 obviously, and his career slash of .256/.361/.472 is about what I'd expect when it's all said and done this year. Add him if you need a little pop and RBI help in your outfield for sure, but be ready in case his 35-year-old body needs another DL stint. Here are two more add/drop notes for this week in 2014 fantasy baseball...
One Lonnie, Two Lonnie, Three Lonnie Homers
June 10, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 933 Commentsby: Grey
Yesterday, [player]Carlos Santana[/player] went 0-for-5 with 1 RBI. He could've hit six homers yesterday and still only had one RBI, because the guy in front of him said to the media, "By the power vested in me in the state of Cleveland -- is this a state? -- I now pronounce myself Lonnie Gonnie. I will now release an album that will be critically drubbed, but the masses will enjoy it called, 'Lonnie Went Gonnie.' Then the straight-to-DVD movies I star in will be reprisals of the Ernest movies, but with Lonnie in the title. For example, 'Lonnie Goes To Africa' or 'Lonnie Goes to Jail.' Is there any questions for Lonnie Gonnie? No? Good, because I got homers to hit and ribbies to eat and average to drive up the wazoo like I'm a wazoo driving machine." Yesterday, [player]Lonnie Chisenhall[/player] went H.A.M then damn, then come again, ma'am. Three homers (5, 6, 7), nine RBIs, and raised his average up to .385 while going 5-for-5. That's a career .265 hitter. Zoinks! He's probably going to remember who he really is at some point soon, but ride the lightning while Lonnie's rocking out. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Ambulance Chasers, Week 11: Getting the Cole Shoulder
June 9, 2014 | Uncategorized | 21 Commentsby: SethDaSportsMan
[player]Gerrit Cole[/player], one of the better young pitchers in the game, landed on the DL Sunday with "right shoulder fatigue". What does this mean for the Pirates? Well, they have been playing much, much better of late, and this is gonna put a wrench in their chances of making a run at first place in the division. Yes, they are still eight games back, but with [player]Gregory Polanco[/player] likely getting called up this week, if they had a push in them, now was the time they were going to have to make it. Instead, 2013 All-Star [player]Jeff Locke[/player], who was so bad post-break that he finished the year in the minors, will fill the void left by Cole and his 6-3 record.
Fantasy baseball owners are also going to be affected by this. The Pirates hope Cole will only miss one start, but this sounds like it could develop into a multi-week recovery. Concern arose when Cole, who normally throws in the 95-98 MPH range, was showing decreased velocity in the mid- to-late innings of games. Assuming the Bucs fall further out of contention, the team will be in no rush to bring back their 23-year-old stud. For what it's worth, the Reds' Tony Cingrani landed on the DL in May for the same reason (left shoulder fatigue) and missed just the minimum time, but he hasn't been good at all in the weeks since. For now, fantasy owners will just have to stash Cole on their DL and hope for a speedy recovery.
The Game Of Throws Starring K’ing Felix
June 9, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 828 Commentsby: Grey
Yesterday, [player]Felix Hernandez[/player] had the best game of the season for fantasy -- 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners, 15 Ks. F-Her was the best thing to hit the world since Natalie Portman decided it was a good idea to get naked for a short film. Granted, that short film was by Wes Anderson. In film school, it was always met with a mixture of amusement, bewilderment and excitement when any student filmmaker convinced an actress to take their clothes off for a student film. Invariably, they were a better salesman than auteur if they were able to pull it off. "So, your husband, hungry for approval, just left you for a ham sandwich and now you want to shed your clothes, which is a metaphor for the stripping of your soul. Don't worry, it's a locked set." I've talked in the past about how if a pitcher has a difference of six between his K-rate and walk rate, then he's usable in all leagues. F-Her has a difference of plus-8. That's glorious. He has 106 Ks to 17 BBs. That's insane. His ERA is at 2.39. He's real and he's magnificent. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
Creeper of the Week: Holt It Now, Hit It Hit It Hit It
June 8, 2014 | Creeper of the Week | 63 Commentsby: J-FOH
I didn't think this was going to turn into my ode to the Beastie Boys this week, but as fate would have it, it did. [player]Brock Holt[/player] has been a beast(ie) of late, but his ownership has barely budged (6.8%). This rap of nonsense has nothing to do with Mr. Holt, but the title worked for me. I'll be honest, the creative juices are a little low over here. Have you heard some of these lyrics - "beer drinking, breath stinking, sniffing glue, belly fullin' always illin' , bustin' caps" Huh? What? Maybe it isn't that far off because Brock Holt doesn't make sense to a lot of people either. But what does make sense is you need to hold on to Holt if you own him and grab him if you don't. In a league I'm in with our resident Orgeonian Sky, he quickly scooped up Brock to fill in for the injured [player]Nolan Arenado[/player] two weeks ago, and I thought he was a puffing penguin. When I saw this I was head scratchin' a little bit. Who is this Holt kid? Why hasn't he been plastered all over the place like every other Red Sox prospect that has a sliver of talent? Why do I ask myself all these questions?
"All this time, I had a dead possum on my head and I didn't even realize it." That was overheard recently by Selig. There should be a rule that anyone that can't make the determination that their toupee is obvious to everyone should not be in any high-powered position. Rule number two: They should be able to hear. Or maybe he's saying to an off-camera female reporter, "Where can I get one earring like that for this ear?" But since Selig can't figure out the most-basic concepts, I'm going to break it down to him real simple as I did on yesterday's Razzball TV on the Radio. How do people get excited about a particular day if no one knows when the hell that day is? Super Two status day is, um, well, no one has any idea! It changes for every player. A team could think they're delaying it now and in two years realize they haven't delayed it. Major League Baseball should say all rookies keep the extra year of eligibility if they stay down until May 31st. So this way everyone can focus on June 1st as the big day. Or make it June 5th. I don't care, just make it one day so fans can get excited about a specific day. Like how there is a trading deadline. Any the hoo! For Jon Singleton, it's irrelevant because the Astros gave him a contract and he will now be their starting 1st baseman. I already gave you my Singleton fantasy, it went like this, "Singleton was suspended for 50 games last year for smoking marijuana. Singleton wasn’t even tested until he kept forgetting the pitch count and called time out to grab some nachos. After his suspension, Singleton said, “I made an error in judgement. I should’ve cleansed by downing a 3-liter jug of cranberry juice rather than Nature’s Way Detox Tea. Damn you, Tommy Chong, for endorsing that inferior product!” Any self-respecting marijuana smoker will tell you that players aren’t suspended for DUIs but marijuana gets them… Then they trail off and their argument becomes less coherent and they’ll ask if they can borrow your Snuggie so they can take a nap. We should throw out his 2013 season. Who knows how long it took for him to return to form after his suspension. He’s still a prospect and only 22 years old. In 2012, Singleton hit 21 homers with 7 steals and a .284 average in 131 games. That’s more like what his minor league season should look like, and he does have 30-homer power, but won’t hit for a huge average. He strikes out too much. Singleton reminds me a lot of fellow Astro, Chris Carter. See, the truth is out there. Maybe Chris Carter and Jon Singleton can get together and make an X-Filez movie. Last year, Carter hit 29 homers and .223 with an insanely terrible 36.2% strikeout percentage. Singleton could do the same. More than likely, he won’t be quite that bad for average. Singleton could hit for the same amount of power and hit for a .260 average. Singleton will give you a line of 32/14/39/.258/4 and be up in June." And that's me quoting me! I'd grab him in every league for the chance for some sweet, sweet upside, and have already. Here's hoping he can fill my giant gaping, Fielder-sized hole at 1st base. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
I’ve been asked to take over for Dan Pants today. He must be on a bender or something. Or maybe he’s getting that vasectomy he’s been talking about. Anyways, it looks like there is a new rivalry in town. Tampa and Boston are quickly overthrowing the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry. Two fights in, two separate games in under two weeks. [player]David Price[/player] hit [player]David Ortiz[/player] in the first inning, and then [player]Mike Carp[/player] a few innings later. Somehow Price wasn’t ejected, even though there were warnings issued after the first beaning. The Sox had four ejections: two managers, a coach, and [player]Brandon Workman[/player] (who threw behind [player]Evan Longoria[/player] after the first two HBPs). Still, the Sox managed to win 3-2 in 10 innings. If you own players on either team, be on the lookout for suspensions. Here’s what else happened throughout the league Friday evening:
RCL Update, Week 9: Memorial Day, Perfect Timing Bro
May 27, 2014 | Razzball Commenters League | 28 Commentsby: Jay
Looking for the Razzball Podcast? TOO BAD! It’s now Razzball Radio, and you can check out all the episodes here!
With only two (three if you are including the eventual death of [player]Yordano Ventura[/player]'s elbow) notable names going on the Disabled List this past week ([player]Mike Napoli[/player] and [player]Noah Syndergaard[/player], who probably pulled something while pillaging a camp near the North Sea... HAHA Viking jokes, so good), things are looking a tad bit brighter. But not really, since there are still about 983 players currently on the DL according to my last count. Which seems low, but what do I know? Rudy does all my counting for me. And, as we took a moment this weekend, between relaxing and cooking stuff, to honor all the men and women, active, retired, and tragically lost while defending their county, in all the armed services, we should take a moment today to remember that [player]Jose Fernandez[/player] is awesome. [player]Prince Fielder[/player], well, he's fat. [player]Matt Wieters[/player]' elbow just seems to be one angry effer. [player]Kris Medlen[/player] is strikingly average, but some [player]Patrick Corbin[/player] could have been nice. Special thanks to [player]Bobby Parnell[/player] for the wake he's left in New York. [player]Jose Valverde[/player]... more like Jose LOLverde. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, which is probably the most apt metaphor ever. EVAAR. I mean, just check out my team's start of the season, in picture form:
So, after taking a moment yesterday to remember all of those brave souls that we've lost, and all those who have served and are serving now to preserve our way of life, let us take a moment today, Tuesday, to remember all the hamstrings that have been pulled, all the obliques that have exploded, and all the ulnar collateral ligament's that have just simply dropped dead, and honor their sacrifice. How did I honor them, you might ask? By doing what I usually do when perusing my leagues available player list...
So, after taking a moment yesterday to remember all of those brave souls that we've lost, and all those who have served and are serving now to preserve our way of life, let us take a moment today, Tuesday, to remember all the hamstrings that have been pulled, all the obliques that have exploded, and all the ulnar collateral ligament's that have just simply dropped dead, and honor their sacrifice. How did I honor them, you might ask? By doing what I usually do when perusing my leagues available player list...
My Fantasy Baseball brethen... 2014, the year of the DL... always remember.