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by wrveres » Sat May 28, 2011 5:09 am Its Summer!!
Well not officially, that wont happen till the solstice on the 21st of next month, but for most people, Memorial day marks the beginning of summer. We have already had our time change, and it doesn't get dark till 8:30, so It's frigging summer
Whats that mean for fantasy? It means those ballparks in New York, Philly, Cincy, Texas and Arizona are going to turn into launching pads soon. Ive never read any study that says its true, but i am just basing this all on experience. My point? well, what was my point? oh! This is your last chance to buy low on sluggers from those teams. Oh and don't forget Chicago too. Heck i am actively pursuing Dunn as we speak. You should be too.
Need some help trading for that bat? Read this.
Im guessing by the looks of yesterdays thread, some of you need a Catcher?!? Heres some options.Drew Szczerba, Trading Starters: With so many hitters struggling these days, some of them are sure to be big names that are likely to rebound. Some owners have patience, but every league has a few owners that don’t. Now is the time to see if you can land a quality bat by offering a good starter. Hopefully, you’ll be able to trade a good pitcher knowing full well that the word “good” is all relative.
Arencibia will make an excellent replacement for this guy. The batting average wont be as good, but Arencibia has more power.J.P. Arencibia is transitioning to the role of everyday catcher. "We stated about 10 days or so ago that (C Jose Molina) would take more of a traditional backup type role," manager John Farrell said.
Here's another option.Buster Posey (ankle) is almost certain that he won't be back this season, but he is committed to remaining as a catcher in the big leagues.
And one more.Kim Bhasin, Roto Medic: Ramon Hernandez (30% owned) – If you predicted during Spring Training that Hernandez would be batting .327 nearly two months into the season, people would call you crazy. The vet’s been swinging the bat as efficiently as any this year, and has contributed decent power numbers as well. Hernandez has never kept his average above .300 for a whole season, so don’t expect him to keep this up, but he’s certainly worth a look.
Mike Minor is up again. Do not pay attention to his MLB stats so far. Do add him to your watch list, at the minimum.R.J. White, Wide World of Waivers: Lucroy was mentioned as an afterthought in last week’s column, but he’s turned up the juices lately, homering in two of his last three games while posting back-to-back 2-for-4 days to raise his average to .333. He’s playing as well as any catcher out there right now and needs to be owned by any team dealing with mediocrity at the catcher position.
Who is Better, Ian Kennedy, or Daniel Hudson?Josh Shepardson, Future Rookies: The loser of the battle for the fifth starting spot in the Braves rotation, Mike Minor has one poor start in the majors under his belt on the season, but looks to get a second and third chance to redeem himself on Wednesday and May 31. Minor has done about all that could be asked of him in the minors this year striking out over a batter an inning, limiting his walks, and recording more groundball outs than flyball outs. Much better than his 4.1 inning clunker against the Brewers would suggest, Minor is a solid speculative start against a below average Pirates offense this week. Keep an eye on that start, as he could prove himself worthy of another spot start in his second turn.
SandsapaloozaVince Caramela: Looking at THT Forecasts, our Oliver projection system doesn’t see much regression for either Kennedy or Hudson (although a slight increase in home runs is expected for Hudson). According to projections for the rest of the year, Kennedy profiles for a 4.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) while Hudson comes in at 3.
Prince PinedaJeffrey Gross: Sands is an impact player who is starting to heat up, and as the weather starts to get warmer, more of Sands' doubles should begin leave the yard. I still stand behind everything I wrote in Week 3, so consult that for further details on Jerry Sands and what I think he'll do this year (quick summary: "A .260 batting average with 20-25 home runs and double digit steals is entirely in the cards for the rest of the season if Sands is given regular playing time"). You are officially on notice and advised to make an immediate add, before other owners get wise. Recommendation: Jerry Sands is a top 60 outfielder who is a must-own player in NL-only and moderate sized mixed leagues. Sands, more so than Ryan Ludwick, should be owned as a quality source of a power off at least the bench in shallower leagues as well.
More player news that interests me, and possibly you, but mostly me.David GolebiewskiPineda has pitched like an ace from day one. The San Cristobal, D.R., native leads all qualified AL starters with 9.41 K/9, and his walk rate (2.16 per nine innings) ranks in the top 15 among Junior Circuit starters. His 2.98 xFIP is 24 percent better than the league average and is bested by only James Shields and King Felix in the AL. With a 71.2 first-pitch strike percentage, Pineda is getting ahead in the count 0-and-1 or getting batters to put the ball in play on the first pitch more frequently than any other big league starter. He’s also luring hitters to chase pitches out of the zone at the highest rate among starters, at 39.2 percent
Aaron Harang's velocity has been up this year thanks to a tweak in his mechanics back in spring training with pitching coach Darren Balsley. Harang adopted a new delivery that lets him throw the ball free and easy
Alex Avila first started using a heavier bat in spring training at the suggestion of C Victor Martinez, and the move has paid off. Avila used to use a 31-ounce bat last year but has switched to a 33-ounce bat. He has already surpassed his home run total (seven) from last year and will occasionally go to a 32 1/2-ounce bat when he is tired. "The thinking behind a heavier bat is that when you hit the ball, you don't have to put as much effort in the swing for the ball to jump," Avila said. "I don't know how much that's helped, but it helps me concentrate on keeping things simple, rather than trying to do much or muscle up when I'm swinging." Avila is batting .292 with 27 RBIs and 17 runs scored this season out of the eighth spot in the lineup
Goldie!Several clubs who have checked in with the San Diego Padres say that they are unwilling to talk trades for any of their players that they have in their control beyond this year, like RP Mike Adams. The Padres are, however, sending signals that they are willing to trade RP Heath Bell, OF Ryan Ludwick and RP Chad Qualls, who will all become free agents at the end of this year.
Paul Goldschmidt swatted two more home runs this week, giving him 16 HR's in 161 at-bats for Double-A Mobile. He has also hit for average, posting a .335 mark with a .466 on-base percentage and .696 slugging percentage.
Eric Hosmer went 4-for-7 with a double, home run, two runs scored and four RBIs Friday, against the Texas Rangers. Hosmer's homer came in the top of the 14th inning. He entered the game on a 2-for-20 (.100) slide.
Matt Joyce went 3-for-4 with a double, run scored and RBI Friday, against the Cleveland Indians. Joyce pumped up his major league-best batting average to .377
Gordon Beckham (eye) is being checked for fractures after being hit in the eye by a thrown ball Friday, against the Toronto Blue Jays. His eye is functioning normally, however
Bruce Bochy said OF Brandon Belt will see occasional starts at first base and in the outfield, but he will mostly be used off of the bench.
Eric Young Jr., who was recalled to give the team an offensive spark at the top of the lineup, will be playing center and right field with the team. He will not play any second base. The team will not move OF Carlos Gonzalez to center field to allow Young to play in left.
Charlie Manuel made it seem unlikely that the team would option OF Domonic Brown back to the minors when OF Shane Victorino (hamstring) returns from the disabled list. "We brought Domonic up here, he's going to get to play and we're going to get a look at him," Manuel said. "He has to hold his own and stuff like that, but I would never ever send him a message that we would think about sending him down because I'm not thinking that way at all."
Best Team in Baseball Standings
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