The numbers say that Brandon McCarthy can help your fantasy baseball team

By John Otano

In 1968, Boston Red Sox first baseman and outfielder Kenneth Harrelson hit 35 home runs, drove in 109 runs while finishing third in the American League MVP voting. Harrelson had hit 24 home runs in the past two seasons combined and his previous career-high had been 23 homers. He was named the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year in 1968.
 
In 1968, the Sporting News understood how Harrelson had won their award. They just didn’t have the tools to understand why Harrelson had achieved that award.
 
Why are we talking about a player in 1968? Kenneth Harrelson is better known, now, as Hawk Harrelson. His home-run calls are a show within the show. He’s also cited the movie Moneyball as a leg of his argument against the use of sabermetrics in the game of baseball. He believes the “will to win” can’t be quantified.
 
In a way, Harrelson has a point. As effective as sabermetrics can be, it can’t completely predict the future performance of a player. It does, however, improve your chances of correctly evaluating the future performance of a player.
 
Evaluating players future performance is the name of the game, after all. In order to play fantasy baseball, there needs to be a basic understanding of sabermetrics. The question you need to ask yourself as a fantasy baseball player is, why should you view baseball played in 2013 through a 1968 lens?
 
This brings me to a baseball player who is active who embraces and uses sabermetrics to improve his game on the field, Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon McCarthy. He’s the anti-Hawk Harrelson and he also has some value for you on your fantasy baseball team.
 
Brandon McCarthy (ARI-SP) (Owned in 37 percent in Y!, 37 percent in CBS, 32.6 percent in ESPN)
 
On the surface, Brandon McCarthy looks like a completely passable waiver wire option right now. He’s 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in 48 innings so far this season. He’s still doing the little things right, despite the ugly results so far.
 
The most effective pitch in baseball is a strike and this Diamondbacks hurler is one of the best in the game at throwing strikes. McCarthy is currently sporting a 5.3 strikeout to walk ratio. Anything above a 3.0 strikeout to walk ratio is usually a good indicator that the pitcher is finding the strike zone with regularity. Which is a good thing since, you know, three strikes and you’re out.
 
There’s a direct correlation between a pitcher’s Cmd ratio (Strikeouts/Walks) and potential earned run average.
 
Taken from Ron Shandler’s 2013 Baseball Forecaster (you need to make the yearly investment), here’s some research done outlining the correlation over the past five seasons.
 

(From Ron Shandler’s 2013 Baseball Forecaster)

Besides throwing strikes, McCarthy is retaining his velocity, though, he won’t post incredible strikeout rates, he’s getting ground ball outs 43.2 percent of the time. Ground balls are good because they aren’t in the air and, you know, those can land in the seats.
 
Owned in less than 40 percent in all of the major fantasy baseball major platforms, Brandon McCarthy is still displaying the skills that make him a very useful starting pitcher in mixed leagues in 2013.
 
John Otano is a freelancer for Sports Illustrated and Web Production Assistant for MSG Varsity in New York. He was a reporter and editor for several Long Island Patch.com sites and wrote a fantasy baseball column for the Long Island Press. John can be followed on Twitter at @MisterOtano.
 

The post Simply Sabermetrics: Everyone Loves A Comeback appeared first on FantasyTrade411.

We have a Travis Snider sighting…

Welcome to our Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes! Just like last year, I’ll be combing over box scores and scouring local beat writers’ reports each morning to help ensure  you have all the information you need in order to make the right decisions for your fantasy baseball lineup. So make sure you check back at this very spot for Hot/Cold Streaks, Injury News, Closer Updates, Daily Stats, and more so that you can stay one step ahead of the rest of your league!

5 Good Nights, 5 Bad Nights

It’s a fact of life that every baseball player goes through hot and cold streaks. It’s important not to let those streaks influence a player’s fantasy baseball value too much, but it is important to be aware of how a player is doing within a short period of time (a seven-day sorter is always a good tool to use). A player’s short-term numbers can be the difference between winning and losing in daily games, and it can also make a huge difference in year-long leagues. For instance, if you can keep finding the second basemen on hot streaks and dropping them for another streaking second basemen once they get cold, you can piece together a very useful middle infielder-by-committee for your roto team. So before we get to today’s games, let’s take a spin through last night’s box scores to identify who had a good night and who had a bad night on Thursday, May 16th.
 
5 Good Nights

• Travis Snider: 3-5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, 1 steal
• Daniel Murphy: 4-4, 2 R, RBI
• Leonys Martin: 2-4, R, 2 steals
• Stephen Straburg: 8.0 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks, W
• Mat Latos: 8.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 Ks

Honorable Mention: Brett Gardner, Jay Bruce, Geovany Soto, Mitch Moreland, Wilin Rosario, Will Middlebrooks, Brandon Crawford, Jose Fernandez, Jonathon Niese, Alex Cobb, Francisco Liriano
 
5 Bad Nights

• Fernando Rodney: 0.2 IP, H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 Ks
• Justin Verlander: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 Ks
• Steve Cishek: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3  ER, 2 BB
• Jacoby Ellsbury: 0-5
• Todd Frazier: 0-5

Dishonorable Mention: Jayson Nix, Michael Saunders, Ike Davis, Edinson Volquez, Jhoulys Chacin, Matt Cain
 
Daily Grab Bag

Check back here for daily updates on injuries, closer battles, player news, and anything else that might affect your fantasy baseball team.
 

The post Fantasy Baseball: Daily Notes for Friday, May 17th appeared first on FantasyTrade411.

Adrian Beltre: Kickin’ ass and takin’ names since ’98

Every Thursday I will highlight some of the hottest and coldest players around the majors and give some insight into their future outlooks from a fantasy perspective.

HOT BATTERS:

Marco Scutaro, Giants:  Scutaro was one of the heroes for the Giants World Series championship team last year, and in the off-season he signed a 3-year, $20 million contract to remain in San Francisco.  Over the final two months of the 2012 season he batted a remarkable .357, and continued that pace in the playoffs, where he hit .328 and had 8 RBIs.  Naturally, the Giants rewarded him with a new deal, albeit some questions of whether he could continue to produce at his age (he’s 37-years old).  2013 did not start out well for him, as he hit .240 in the month of April, but he has since turned it around.  In May he is red-hot, hitting .478 with only one strikeout in 46 ABs.  With 2B, SS and 3B eligibility in Yahoo! leagues, he is a nice commodity to have on a fantasy team.

Adrian Beltre, Rangers:  Believe it or not, a few years down the line, Beltre is someone that will be in the Hall of Fame discussion.  It seems like the guy’s been around forever, but he’s still ONLY 34-years old and has already amassed 355 career home runs.  If he plays until he’s 40, he could easily reach 480 home runs, and that, coupled with his four Gold Gloves, would definitely put him in some Hall talks.  He seemed to be in an early-season swoon, hitting only .222, with 5 HRs and 11 RBI in March/April, but in the month of May he has already clubbed 4 HRs and driven in 14 runs in a little more than half the at bats.  With five multi-hit games (including two four-hit games) in the month, he’s brought his average up from .214 on to May 1st, to .270.  Stick with this guy, as his bat should only get hotter as the summer rolls along in Texas.

Nick Swisher, Indians:  It may have taken a bit, but “Swisha” has finally found his groove in Cleveland.  He finished April with just 2 HRs and 9 RBIs, but since then his bat woken up, along with the rest of the Indians team.  The Tribe is 11-4 in May and much of that success is due in part to Swisher’s uptick in offense.  In 13 games this month, he’s hitting .286, with 4 HRs and 7 RBIs.  Remarkably, in his nine-year career he has NEVER crossed the 100-RBI plateau nor has he EVER batted .300, but with Michael Bourn back at the top of the lineup, there will still be plenty of opportunities to drive in runs.  Maybe THIS will finally be the year he eclipses the century mark in runs batted in.

Honorable Mention:  Miguel Cabrera, Eric Chavez, Alejandro De Aza, Ryan Zimmerman, Justin Morneau, Michael Brantley, Joe Mauer, Manny Machado, Evan Longoria, Mitch Moreland, Jose Tabata, Omar Infante, James Loney, Carlos Beltran, Billy Butler, Clint Barmes, Vernon Wells, Jhonny Peralta, Brian McCann, Jose Bautista, Paul Goldschmidt, Ian Desmond, Dustin Pedroia, Jean Segura

COLD BATTERS:

Adam Dunn, White Sox:  You know a guy is cold when he makes my “cold” list even after hitting three home runs in the past two games.  Last year’s numbers were downright bad for the White Sox first baseman/DH, but this year they’re even worse.  Even though he hit 41 HRs last season, he BARELY made it over the Mendoza Line, coming in just shy at .204.  If that’s not bad enough, 2013 has been worse.  Even with his 3-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI day on Wednesday, Dunn is only batting .156.  Sure, he’s got 9 HRs, but having only 18 RBIs to go with that is terrible.  I’ve never been a fan of the WAR stat, but at just above 15, Dunn has THE worst WAR of all-time for any member of the 400-HR Club.  His OBP now sits at .255 and he has whiffed 48 times in 128 at bats (that’s 38% of the time!).  I could keep piling on the stats here, but I want you to be able to fall asleep tonight.  Stay away from him at all costs.

John Buck, Mets:  John Buck has gone from early season surprise to…well…John Buck.  On April 22, he had has already smashed 7 HRs and driven in 22 runs, to go along with a respectable .290 batting average.  The journeyman catcher was the talk of the baseball world, but those accolades have since turned into mush, as he has only hit 3 HRs since, and seen his average drop to .232.  There’s no need to latch him onto your fantasy team, as he’s only biding team behind the dish until prized prospect Travis d’Arnaud returns from a foot injury.

Mark Trumbo, Angels:  It seems as if an Angels player lands on this list every week, but when your team is greatly underachieving, your players make the lists that you don’t want them to make.  For the first part of the season Trumbo was actually one of the few players in the Angels lineup that was making headlines for GOOD reasons.  After an April in which he hit 5 HRs, to go along with 16 RBIs and a .300 BA, his offensive numbers have taken a nose-dive.  While there is some power still there (4 HRs), his average is really suffering in May.  For the month, he has only 10 hits in 54 ABs (.185) and has not had a multi-hit game since April 29, where he went 3 for 8 in the famed 19-inning affair with the A’s.  He can be a very streaky player, so fantasy owners may just have to sit him until he heats up at the plate again.

Dishonorable Mention:  Ryan Howard, Dan Uggla, Josh Willingham, B.J. Upton, Michael Young, Yoenis Cespedes, Ichiro, Yuniesky Betancourt, Ike Davis, Brian Dozier, Dexter Fowler, Jacoby Ellbury, Angel Pagan, Prince Fielder, Danny Espinosa, Carlos Pena, Ben Zobrist, David Freese, Torii Hunter, Brett Gardner

HOT PITCHERS:

Patrick Corbin, Diamondbacks:  With all the pitching woes the Angels have right now it’s a sure bet that they wish they still had this guy on their roster.  The Angels drafted Corbin in 2009, but  he was traded to Arizona for Dan Haren during the trade deadline the  following season (even after compiling a 13-3 record for the Angels minor league affiliates that year).  Now he is one of baseball’s brightest young talents.  In eight 2013 starts he is 6-0 with a phenomenal 1.52 ERA, and he would be 8-0 if J.J. Putz hadn’t blown two of those games.  He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his starts this year, but if his elevated pitch counts don’t come down a bit, he’ll be forced to leave games earlier than fantasy owners would like (especially those in league that count quality starts as a stat).

Travis Wood, Cubs:  Wood, the former Reds castoff, is making a name for himself this year.  Maybe the switch from the bandbox that is Great American Ballpark to the “Friendly Confines” of Wrigley Field is helping.  After a poor 6-13 year last year, his first in Chicago, he is 4-2 in 2013, with a sparkling 2.03 ERA and an 0.92 WHIP.  His numbers in the two stadiums are vastly different.  In 17 games playing in Cincinnati’s home park he has a career 5.44 ERA, while his ERA at Wrigley stands at 3.75 (in 21 games).  At 26-years old he is now nearing his prime years, so this train should keep on rolling, even if he is on a bad Cubbies team.  After all, the Cubs have a good history with pitchers named Wood.

Hisashi Iwakuma, Mariners:  Japan has produced many major league players — some good, some bad.  Among the better pitchers are Yu Darvish, Hideo Nomo, Hideki Kuroda and Kaz Sasaki, and with the way Iwakuma is pitching these days, he’s looking to join that list.  Since last year’s All-Star Break the pitcher with the best ERA in the American League is not Justin Verlander, David Price or Felix Hernandez, but it is in fact Iwakuma.  After Wednesday’s win over the Yankees he is now 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA and the 2-year, $14 million deal he signed in the off-season is looking like a real bargain for Seattle right now.

Honorable Mention:  Chris Sale, Clayton Kershaw, Chris Tillman, Scott Feldman, Felix Hernandez, Casey Janssen, Kyle Kendrick, Mike Minor, Zach McAllister,  Rafael Soriano, Alfredo Figaro, Matt Harvey, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy, Mariano Rivera, Jon Lester, Tommy Hunter, Ubaldo Jimenez, James Shields, Lance Lynn, Jesse Crain, Jordan Zimmermann, Justin Verlander, A.J. Griffin, Justin Wilson, Trevor Cahill, Shelby Miller, Andrew Cashner, Alexi Ogando, Kenley Jensen, Edward Mujica, Jonathan Pettibone, Ramon Ortiz

COLD PITCHERS:

Felix Doubront, Red Sox:   Doubront has been miserable for the Red Sox, to say the least.  Expected to shore up the back end of their rotation, he has displayed a harsher WHIP than Indiana Jones.  His 2.67 walks and 7.17 hits per game has lead to a ghastly 1.82 WHIP.  The only reason he has managed to stay afloat in Boston is because prospect Allen Webster was SO bad in his last start that Doubront himself had to come into the game in relief.  Even in that relief appearance he managed to give up 11 hits in 5.1 IP.  Yeah, you read the right — 11 hits!  With a less-than-stellar pitch repertoire, Doubront won’t make it long in The Show unless he fixes a lot of things.

Vance Worley, Twins:  It’s not like Ben Revere, the player he was traded to Minnesota for, is doing much better, but the Phillies still have to be pretty confident that they made a good trade when they shipped Worley to the Twin Cities.  The 25-year old right-handed pitcher had a solid rookie season in 2011, finishing 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA, and his stats didn’t go unnoticed, as he accumulated enough votes to place 3rd in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.  The following year was a bit of a disappointment.  His pitching was hampered by an elbow injury that plagued him almost the entire season, and he ended up winning only six games.  After an off-season trade to the Twins, he was expected to be their ace, but he has fallen miles short of that.  In eight starts he has a 7.15 ERA, a 1.95 WHIP and has recorded only 21 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched.  In five of his eight outings he has given up 8 or more hits and he has surrendered 6 home runs after allowing only 12 all of last season.  His spot in the rotation remains in jeopardy, so it’s best to steer clear of him.

Jason Hammel, Orioles:  Normally you wouldn’t see a pitcher with a 5-1 record on a “cold” list, but Hammel is an exception.  Despite what his win total might show, he has been pretty bad all year long, allowing earned runs at an alarming rate (to the tune of a 4.93 ERA).  In his eight starts the Orioles offense has provided him with 6.6 runs per game.  Most major league pitchers would have an easy time racking up five wins if they were staked to such leads, but history suggests that eventually his luck will run out.  He remains a decent matchup play vs. certain teams in certain ballparks, but don’t get too excited about this guy

Dishonorable Mention:  Jonathon Niese, Ryan Vogelsong, Dan Straily, Hiram Burgos, Yovani Gallardo, Derek Lowe, Josh Beckett, Wade Davis, Tim Hudson, Wade Miley, Ian Kennedy, Brandon League, Juan Nicasio, Mark Buehrle, Joe Blanton, John Axford, Alex Sanabia, Wade LeBlanc, Phil Hughes, Barry Enright, Tim Lincecum, Tony Watson, Homer Bailey, Kris Medlen, Philip Humber, Zach Duke, Carlos Villanueva, Javy Guerra, Lucas Harrell, Edwin Jackson, Bartolo Colon

By Seth Klein (@SethDaSportsMan)

Seth is a contributing writer for FantasyTrade411.com, specializing in fantasy baseball, basketball and football. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, but has been a die-hard New York Giants, Knicks and Yankees fan since birth. He has been playing fantasy sports since 1999 and has since developed a real knack for daily streaming and “working the wire”, which can be attributed to his keen analysis of in-season trends. He is also a writer for BucketsOverBroadway.com, a New York Knicks website, and you can find him gracing the airwaves on @ThaSPORTSKRIB, a weekly show dedicated to sports. Seth attended the University of Arizona, where he majored in “tardiness”, and is now a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist. Feel free to send all your fantasy sports questions to Seth on Twitter: @SethDaSportsMan

The post Fantasy Baseball: Week 7 Hot and Cold appeared first on FantasyTrade411.

Come play Friday’s DFBC qualifier for a chance to win $200K and a trip to Vegas!

Are you ready for the biggest Fantasy Baseball contest of all-time? Our exclusive daily fantasy partner, FanDuel, has put together the Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship (DFBC) that will offer over $1 Million in guaranteed cash prizes and a trip to Las Vegas for the 45 finalists of the contest!
 
How Do You Enter?

Tonight’s tournament starts this Friday night and all you have to do is enter by clicking here: DFBC 2013. You can enter qualifying tournament for $10 (so don’t be a cheapskate!).
 
What Can You Win?

FanDuel is guaranteeing a prize pool of $1 Million and the winner of the DFBC will get a cold $200,000 (Second Place gets $50,000 and Third Place gets $35,000)! Cash prizes are awarded to the top 45 finishers so you could still win $2,500 even if you finish 45th.
 
In addition to all the great cash prizes, the 45 finalists will win:
 

• One plane ticket to Las Vegas
• One limo ride from the airport to the Palazzo Hotel and Casino
• Two nights in a suite at the Palazzo
• Friday night cocktail party with all the other winners
• An amazing Saturday night of fantasy baseball at Lagasse’s Stadium

 
Not a bad deal, huh? I’ll be playing too and hopefully we’ll see each other in Vegas! And if you missed it before, you can enter here: DFBC 2013.

As always, please feel free to let me know if you have any questions!
 

The post FanDuel DFBC Qualifier appeared first on FantasyTrade411.

Nate McClouth has been a terror on the basepaths this season

By Paul Giordano

Consistently coming up short in a specific stat category?  Not sure of who to go after to help your team compete? Well then this page will be your new best friend.

Every week I will scout a new statistical category.  You will be able to compare league leaders with some under the radar type players.  I will provide a key pick up for both shallow and deep league formats.  Lastly, I will give an analysis of the pros and cons for each of the players.

This week in STAT Scout:

Steals

League leader – Jean Segura (13 steals )

Shallow leagues – Nate McLouth (11 steals)

 This was a tough call between McLouth and Everth Cabrera (77%).  I went with McLouth because he has more to offer in other offensive categories.  Both hit high in the order and both seem to have a green light in most situations.

McLouth, and this is why he got the nod over Cabrera, is quite the stat filler thus far in ’13.  Nate is scoring runs at a great clip this season.  He is hitting in front of names like Machado, Davis, and Jones. So chances are if he is standing on second he is going to be hitting the dish soon.  McLouth is also showing versatility in how he gets on base.  He is hitting .286 this season and has a solid OBP of .375 with 14 walks.

McLouth is not going to hit for much power.  Yes, he does have 3 homers this season but I think as he solidifies his role he will focus more on just getting on base and letting the real big bats drive him in.

Overall, McLouth has only been caught stealing 1 time this season.  That has entrusted him with his manager and earned him a green light.  The Baltimore Offense is turning into a machine and McLouth is going to earn you a lot of runs scored as well.

Deep Leagues – Juan Pierre (12 steals)

Until last night Juan Pierre was tied for the Major League lead in stolen bases.  That made this choice a virtual no brainer.  Pierre is playing for a struggling Miami team, but in terms of stealing bags he is shining.

On top of pilfering, Pierre does not have much else to offer you.  Unfortunately, he is playing for the Staton-less Marlins which as we all know struggles most game to get a hit let along score runs.  However, when Pierre does get on base it is probably with a single; He only has 4 doubles on the season.  So when he does get on base he is usually standing on first, which will provide numerous opportunity for him to swipe second.

As a negative, he doesn’t have much else to offer you.  He has virtually no power, and isn’t even hitting for a good average this season.  So far he is hitting .240.  Pierre is not going to be an everyday start on your squad.  But if you have a spot to stash him, go for it.  The day you really need a steal he is definitely worth a play.

Overall, Pierre is a crafty Veteran whose role is stealing bases.  With that being said Pierre is going to pick good situations to steal and do it at a very successful clip.

To all of my fantasy faithful, I hope this has helped.  Competing in every statistical category is a challenge in fantasy baseball but hopefully some of these helpful hints can help bolster your squad’s chances this week.

Next week on STAT Scout we will take a look at some pitchers and examine the ever elusive hold.

By Paul Giordano

 
Paul is a 20th century history teacher from Westchester, New York.  He currently coaches basketball at the varsity level and has coached softball and football in the past.  He is an avid sports fan who is going for the fantasy triple crown this year, he won his football and basketball championships – now it’s time for baseball season. 

The post Fantasy Baseball: STAT Scout (Steals) appeared first on FantasyTrade411.

The FantasyHipster would be proud…

A new Members Only area is coming soon!

By signing up as a member, you’ll receive:

• Access to a private FantasyTrade411 Twitter account where you’ll receive quick responses
• Exclusive daily gaming lineups
• Access to exclusive members-only chats

For more information, email FantasyTrade411@gmail.com!
 

The post Members Only appeared first on FantasyTrade411.

Carlos Gonzalez kept mashing last night with a two home run game

Welcome to our Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes! Just like last year, I’ll be combing over box scores and scouring local beat writers’ reports each morning to help ensure  you have all the information you need in order to make the right decisions for your fantasy baseball lineup. So make sure you check back at this very spot for Hot/Cold Streaks, Injury News, Closer Updates, Daily Stats, and more so that you can stay one step ahead of the rest of your league!

5 Good Nights, 5 Bad Nights

It’s a fact of life that every baseball player goes through hot and cold streaks. It’s important not to let those streaks influence a player’s fantasy baseball value too much, but it is important to be aware of how a player is doing within a short period of time (a seven-day sorter is always a good tool to use). A player’s short-term numbers can be the difference between winning and losing in daily games, and it can also make a huge difference in year-long leagues. For instance, if you can keep finding the second basemen on hot streaks and dropping them for another streaking second basemen once they get cold, you can piece together a very useful middle infielder-by-committee for your roto team. So before we get to today’s games, let’s take a spin through last night’s box scores to identify who had a good night and who had a bad night on Tuesday, May 14th.
 
5 Good Nights

• Carlos Gonzalez: 5-5, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
• Mitch Moreland: 2-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
• Howard Kendrick: 3-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, 1 steal
• Clayton Kershaw: 8.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, BB, 11 K’s, W
• Homer Bailey: 9.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 Ks, W

Honorable Mention: Mike Trout, Carlos Beltran, David Ortiz, Pablo Sandoval, John Mayberry Jr., Xavier Paul, Patrick Corbin, Chris Tillman, Doug Fister, Andrew Cashner, Jake Peavy, Dan Haren, Jason Vargas, Jonathan Pettibone, C.C. Sabathia, R.A. Dickey, Jeff Francis, Felix Hernandez, Julio Teheran
 
5 Bad Nights

• Jim Johnson: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER
• Carlos Villanueva: 5.0 IP, 12 H, 7 ER, K
• Dillon Gee: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 Ks
• Yadier Molina: 0-5
• Ian Kinsler: 0-5

Dishonorable Mention: Yuniesky Betancourt, Geovany Soto, Garrett Jones, Pedro Alvarez, Michael Saunders, Yoenis Cespedes, Ricky Nolasco, John Lackey, Rafael Betancourt, Joe Nathan, Lucas Harrell, Barry Zito, Scott Kazmir, Jeremy Guthrie, John Gast, Derek Holland
 
Daily Grab Bag

Check back here for daily updates on injuries, closer battles, player news, and anything else that might affect your fantasy baseball team.
 

The post Fantasy Baseball: Daily Notes for Wednesday, May 15 appeared first on FantasyTrade411.

Will You be a part of the Fantasy Football Summit?

John D. Beckler II (@JDBeckler) and I decided to get together over drinks and talk all facets fantasy football next week. But then had an idea why not invite everyone who is passionate about fantasy football to join the conversation.  So we decided to do a few podcasts on some of the very issues we would be discussing and the idea of the Fantasy Football Summit was born. Join us next week on FantasyTrade411 Radio Network. as we discuss general fantasy football topics. Note: The topics below are just points we may hit on as we want this to be an open forum so fantasy football writers and players alike feel free to call in discuss anything related to the corresponding day topic base (347)826-9195. There will be a chat room open for each podcast so if you don’t want to call in please join the discussion in the chat rooms. Also, we will be live tweeting the three-day event each night using the hashtag #FFSummit if you want to follow along and discuss there as well.

Monday May 20 8PM- 10PM EST 

Fantasy Football Summit Day 1

*Discussing Many General Fantasy Football topics

- Should PPR be the “new” official standard in fantasy football

- What are ways we can reduce the luck factor in fantasy football

- Roto Fantasy Football?

- Are there other ways we can improve the game?

- Dynasty, IDP and other formats

- Trading

-G eneral Draft Strategies What works and what may not work?

- Is there a superior format to use? (ESPN,Yahoo, CBS, MFL, NFL.com, etc) Positive and Negatives?

- Useful Tools to use to dominate the competition

Tuesday, May 21 8PM-10PM EST

Fantasy Football Summit Day 2

*Discussing The daily gaming aspect of fantasy football

- What site is best site to use

- What are the positives and negatives of each site?

- Can a profit be made playing?

- Pros and Con of daily gaming

- Does writing lineups create an issue (i.e. people profiting off of in some cases free work)

- Should all lineup advice given be given through a premium package from a writer?

- How can writers make more than just referrals?

- Useful tolls to dominate the competition

Wednesday, May 22 8PM – 10PM EST

Fantasy Football Summit Day 3

*Social Media and Other media being used in fantasy football

- Google Hangouts

- Twitter

- Twitter etiquette (i.e. Trolling, Subtweeting, Answering other people’s questions)

- How can writers do a better job of communication to our audience and each other?

- Are there things that fantasy football writers can do better to serve the community?

- What are some sites that excel at providing quality new advanced statistics?

- Useful tools to dominate the competition

- Day 1 and Day 2 Feedback Review (Review emails and social media conversation about the #FFSummit)

So again feel free fantasy football writers and fantasy football players to call in and discuss the topics above or something else that is on your mind (347)826-9195, join the chat room, or join the conversation on twitter using the hashtag #FFSummit. Looking forward to hearing from you and thank you for contributing to the discussion.
 

 
FSWA Member and also Writer for www.FP911.com .. Follow me and ask me your questions on Twitter@Whudey 
 

The post “Perusing the Perimeter”:The Fantasy Football Summit appeared first on FantasyTrade411.

Hicks gets the standing O.

Big city living:

Oswaldo Arcia OF – The only thing Aaron’s teammate needs is more playing time. He’s been splitting time in the outfield as well as DH, and he’s been swinging a hot bat. Batting .299 with 9 R, 3 HR, 12 RBI and 0 SB since getting the call the second time on April 17^th. Fantasy status: Keeper leaguers take notice.

Avisail Garcia OF - During last year’s ALCS, Tigers prospect Avisail Garcia hit .455 with 3 RBI, 1 SB giving small preview of what he can do. With Austin Jackson going on the 15 day DL, he gets another shot to do more damage. Garcia is a big guy at 6’4” 240lbs, and he will likely grow into a power source. He can also steal double digit bags, so he’s a versatile fantasy option. Fantasy status: AL only, but he can turn into a nice add for the short term in deeper leagues.

John Gast SP – Gast got the call to start with Westbrook going to the DL. Not the typical Cardinal pitching prospect, Gast had serious control issues last season(1.518 WHIP). So far this season he’s fixed his problem (0.910 WHIP), and if he puts in a good game tonight he could stick until Westbrook gets back. Fantasy status: Spot starter, with potential. NL only/deep keeper, and dynasty.

Ryan Lavarnway C – He may be past the prospect label, but at 25 he’s still fairly young for a catcher. He’s going to be backing up Salty while David Ross is on DL. He knows how to hit, at Triple – A this season he owns a healthy .313 with 16 R, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 0 SB. Fantasy status: If you’re in a two catcher league and the cupboard is bare. Otherwise AL only.

Charlie Blackmon OF – Blackmon joins the Rockies, while Cuddyer goes to the DL. In two games he has a .286 with 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI. Blackmon has shown power in the minors that can certainly translate to Coors Field, but may get sapped in the more spacious parks in the NL West. Luckily he knows how to carry an average, and can be a decent source of runs. Fantasy status: If you’re in need of OF help you could do worse. Mainly NL only and deep mixed leagues.

Panning for gold:

Martin Perez SP – The Rangers were hoping he’d break camp in the rotation, then came the injury. Now he’s starting games down in Round Rock, and they’re hoping he can get back to that point again. He should be in the big league sometime this season, it just depends on how fast he can get the rust out. Fantasy status: Watch closely, once he gets back into a groove he’ll make the leap.

Billy Hamilton OF – Starting the season in Louisville, the speed demon looked lost at the dish. He’s turned it around as of late, on Monday he had 3 hits, 3 R and 2 SB. He now has 21 SB for the season, and though his average is still .236 he’s making the adjustments. Fantasy status: Deep NL only, and dynasty leaguers. Though remain diligent in watching his progress.

Nick Franklin SS – While the Mariners roll out the likes of Robert Andino (.159) and Brendan Ryan (.122), SS prospect Nick Franklin (.339) is just hanging out in Tacoma. We all remember the last super prospect MI the Mariners brought up “too early”, so it’s hard to blame them for being gun shy. That said, Franklin isn’t a masher but more of an average/runs/RBI kind of guy. Fantasy status: close Worth keeping a eye on, but as of now Dynasty leaguers only.

Update:

George Springer OF – As of last 5/13/2013 leads the minors with 13 HR. Continue to monitor closely, because the Astros are terrible.

Oscar Taveras OF – Had injured his ankle during a game Sunday. Reports say that tests were negative, and is DTD.

Untapped resources:

Francisco Lindor SS – Lindor has been raking down in High-A, batting .333 with 22 R, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 8 SB so far for the season. He could be a fast mover, with Asdrubal blocking the big leagues it’s not likely he’ll make it past Double-A this season.

Francisco Lindor SS, not chocolatier.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Robert now resides in Philadelphia, PA. Has been playing fantasy football since 2003, and is a former high school football coach. Always a student of the game, he uses knowledge of coaching for fantasy wins. He’s always available for advice on twitter at @RoJoPal.

The post Prospect Report: Mining the Farm for your fantasy teams appeared first on FantasyTrade411.

Aaron Hicks wasn’t just flashing the leather last night…

Welcome to our Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes! Just like last year, I’ll be combing over box scores and scouring local beat writers’ reports each morning to help ensure  you have all the information you need in order to make the right decisions for your fantasy baseball lineup. So make sure you check back at this very spot for Hot/Cold Streaks, Injury News, Closer Updates, Daily Stats, and more so that you can stay one step ahead of the rest of your league!
 
5 Good Nights, 5 Bad Nights

It’s a fact of life that every baseball player goes through hot and cold streaks. It’s important not to let those streaks influence a player’s fantasy baseball value too much, but it is important to be aware of how a player is doing within a short period of time (a seven-day sorter is always a good tool to use). A player’s short-term numbers can be the difference between winning and losing in daily games, and it can also make a huge difference in year-long leagues. For instance, if you can keep finding the second basemen on hot streaks and dropping them for another streaking second basemen once they get cold, you can piece together a very useful middle infielder-by-committee for your roto team. So before we get to today’s games, let’s take a spin through last night’s box scores to identify who had a good night and who had a bad night on Monday, May 13th.
 
5 Good Nights

• Aaron Hicks: 2-3, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
• Billy Butler: 5-5, 2 R, 5 RBI
• Jean Segura: 3-5, RBI, 3 steals
• Justin Masterson: 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K’s, W
• Travis Wood: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 Ks, W

Honorable Mention: Norichika Aoki, Justin Morneau, Andy Dirks, Brian McCann, Ryan Zimmerman, Chris Johnson, Justin Upton, Alfonso Soriano, Matt Holliday, Jordan Zimmerman, Anibal Sanchez, Marco Estrada, A.J. Griffin, Mike Minor, David Phelps, Trevor Bauer
 
5 Bad Nights

• Bud Norris: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, BB, 2 Ks
• Wade Miley: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, K
• Justin Grimm: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 Ks
• Mark Reynolds: 0-5
• Carlos Santana: 0-5

Dishonorable Mention: Mike Moustakas, Danny Espinosa, Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner, Asdrubal Cabrera, Joe Blanton, Juan Nicasio, Josh Beckett
 
Daily Grab Bag

Check back here for daily updates on injuries, closer battles, player news, and anything else that might affect your fantasy baseball team.
 

The post Fantasy Baseball: Daily Notes for Tuesday, May 14th appeared first on FantasyTrade411.