The Fantasy Baseball Guru

At an even 6 feet and a slim 190 pounds, twenty-year-old Starlin Castro is an easy guy to confuse with a bat boy. Trust me, don’t make that mistake. Castro is the Cubs starting shortstop and is putting up numbers to start for your fantasy team. He didn’t have the hype like Jason Heyward did or the buzz that followed Stephen Strasburg everywhere he went, but what he does have is a talent that we haven’t seen in a long time from a twenty-year old shortstop. At this raw age, comparisons have already been made to Derek Jeter. His .317 average is third in the National League trailing only CarGo and Votto; he only has been in The Show since May! He is absolutely sizzling right now. he hit a ridiculous .361 in July, .336 in August, and his starting off September on a great not hitting .375. That all levels out to a .363 post All-Star game average. He has also stolen seven bases since the break and he is a run scoring machine. He definitely can score 100 runs in a season, if he goes somewhere with some sort of an offense that it, but the Cubs won’t give this guy up and neither should you. He is available in more than half of fantasy leagues and unless you have Tulowitzki or Hanley, you should pick him up!

Rafael Furcal: Just a couple of days ago, Rafael Furcal came off the DL to reclaim his position as the Dodgers everyday shortstop, but he also should be auditioning for a starting slot on your fantasy team. He is one of the most underrated players in the game and I bet that you didn’t even know he was an All-Star this year. During my draft I wasted spent my first round pick on Troy Tulowitzki. Not that he’s been bad, he has actually ben great, when he played. But that’s the problem, I was without my first round pick for most of the summer. I knew injuries would be a concern when I drafted him, but I also knew that shortstop is the thinnest position and I might as well get one of the elites than snatch a first baseman where I could get an unlikely hero to my team, Aubrey Huff. I really shouldn’t say unlikely, I mean he was a silver slugger winner in his day. Come to think of it, I had a really bad draft. I was one of the people that took Pablo Sandoval third round over Ryan Zimmerman. No harm no foul though, I found a rejuvenated gem in Scott Rolen. Probably my biggest mistake was being the guy that though Nick Markakis would finally put it together this year and drafting him in the seventh round ahead of Shin-Soo Choo, Hunter, and Josh Hamilton. Yikes that one hurt. But next year if I can get Markakis in the same place, I probably would draft him again just because of his superstar potential. I also took Derrek Lee in the tenth round ahead of- you know what, I have Aubrey Huff so lets just pretend I drafted him there. I also drafted Jake Peavey in round 12 ahead of Kershaw, Danks, and Gallardo who slipped mightily on draft day. Round 16 was awful as I drafted Mark DeRosa just as insurance if any one of my players got hurt, I ended up trading him before he turned out to be a bust though. I took Jose Lopez for the meager fact that he put up nice numbers last year. The problem was that he was taken before Prado. Round 19 was Coghlan as I passed up Swisher and Rios who is now a top ten outfielder. Round 20 wasn’t that bad, for me anyway, some idiot drafted Chad Gaudin because, you know what I really have no idea. Round 21 was just stupid, I took Phil Coke, but I ended up releasing him in favor of Chapman and Chapman was great trade bait in order to get Heath Bell. With the horrible draft, it was tough for me to get to first, but Rafael Furcal is the forgotten hero when it comes to my team with superstar hitters to the likes of Braun, Ethier, Cano, Weeks, Hart, McCann, Tulo, Huff, Granderson, and Kubel. But the fact of the matter is that without Furcal, I would be playing Juan Uribe, nope not when he was hot, but when he was hiding an injury as he hit .235 in July and .213 in August, but Rafa hit .362 in June and .293 in July right when Tulo went down. His .312 season average is in Starlin Castro territory and his 19 stolen bases are amazing for his age. Get this guy anyway you can!

In a July deal that sent Daniel Hudson to the Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson to the ChiSox, most people thought that it was just for the White Sox to ship him off to Washington in a package for Adam Dunn. Well the White Sox kept Jackson and it has been well documented that Jackson has had much success with the White Sox. What hasn’t been well documented is the success Hudson has had with the Diamondbacks. The big-time prospect is having a great season at 5 – 2 with a 3.03 ERA, 56 strikeouts to 19 walks with a 1.11 WHIP. That includes a few awful starts with the White Sox. So far in six starts with the Diamondbacks, Hudson has pitched at least seven innings, has lowered his ERA from 6.32 to 3.03. He has had a quality start in each of his six starts and he is 4 – 1 with a no decision where he didn’t give up a run. His ERA during that span: 1.85 and his WHIP is 0.87 and hitters are only hitting .195 against him. Its not like he has been playing the Pirates either. He has had one start against the Mets but besides that, he has pitched extremely well against the Padres, Reds, and Rockies while also shutting down the Brewers and Giants at their place. Pick him up now because he is owned in 44 percent of Yahoo leagues and that number continues to increase.

Other News:

Remember when we thought that Jimenez would have 25 wins, well he is still at 15 and Sabathia is now at 19.

Brian McCann is absolutely sizzling with his 20th home run, and Granderson meanwhile has 17, imagine if he didn’t miss a month.

John Lannan has finally regained relevance in the fantasy world.

One of the great questions is who is the best player in baseball. I made this video to answer your question. Let me remind you though, this is based on overall performance NOT fantasy value. Enjoy!

With Fuentes losing his closer eligibility and Jenks continuing to struggle, its hard to find a great closer on the waiver wire these days. Look no further than Brad Lidge who is available in about 30 percent of Yahoo leagues. His 3.78 ERA is pretty bad for a closer and he only has 18 saves compared to 5 blown saves, but lately Lidge has returned to his 2008 form where he didn’t blow a save. First of all, he missed pretty much all of April and May. June and July were both awful for Lidge, but many think that it was because he wasn’t fully recovered from his injury. But August has been something very special for Lidge. In nine save opportunities, he has converted eight of them. The only one that he blew was when he balked in the tying run, but no harm no fowl because the Phillies ended up winning the game anyway. His ERA in August is a microscopic 0.73 and his WHIP is unreal at 0.49. Hitters are only hitting .122 against him in August, but don’t fear about the calender turning into September because in his career, he has one of his best ERAs in September and it is always better than his ERA in August. For instance, in 2008, Lidge’s August ERA was 2.53, but his September ERA was 0.71. I have used two closers the whole season and I finally realized that in order for me to maintain my lead, I am going to need another closer getting me saves. So pick him up if he’s available because he could pitch like a top 5 closer over the next month.

Other News:

The Rangers acquired Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur for a more balanced offense.

Aroldis Chapman was absolutely electric in his MLB debut against the Brewers.

The Yankees end August with sole possession of first place.

Manny almost got the opportunity, he ended the game on deck while AJ was the hero.

Quietly Bud Norris is becoming a quality starter and the back end of your fantasy rotation. The Greenbrae Connecticut native is 6 – 8 with a 5.17 ERA. Before you stop reading because of his horrid numbers, I have reasons why his horrid numbers are deceiving you. Ya he is 6 – 8 but he has won 4 out of his past 5 decisions which is pretty amazing considering he is playing on the pathetic Astros. I was actually at his last start against the Mets. His line of 5.2 innings, 8 hits, 5 earned runs, 3 walks, and 5 Ks is not impressive at all, but two runs scored on an R.A. Dickey single up the middle that I’m pretty sure everyone was surprised the second baseman didn’t go for it and turn an inning-ending double play. Then since the inning went on there was an RBI groundout and an RBI single by Luis Castillo, but its not like it was a hard-hit ball, it was a little looper that dropped just in front of Hunter Pence. In his previous three starts, he has given up 1 earned, 2 earned, and 2 earned runs. Besides his last start, he hasn’t given up more than four runs since July 9th where he gave up 5 runs in 7.2 innings so he wasn’t even that bad then. Pick him up now, he is only owned in 12 percent of Yahoo leagues.


Other News:

Kuroda was great, but he is too inconsistent for me to pick up, plus he always dominates the Phillies.

Marcus Thames is possibly the hottest player in the MLB right now.

Boy I can’t wait to see Manny in that already potent lineup, but remember Konerko, Rios, Quentin, and Manny are all righties.

Let me make it clear, Dennis Dixon should start for the Steelers.

Check out www.insidethesportsworld.com for other sports news.
Other News:

Kuroda was great, but he is too inconsistent for me to pick up, plus he always dominates the Phillies.

Marcus Thames is possibly the hottest player in the MLB right now.

Boy I can’t wait to see Manny in that already potent lineup, but remember Konerko, Rios, Quentin, and Manny are all righties.

Let me make it clear, Dennis Dixon should start for the Steelers.

Check out www.insidethesportsworld.com for other sports news.

Normally when you look at a lineup, you see a shortstop or maybe a center fielder a top the order. Or maybe its a speedy corner outfielder or second baseman, but when you see the Rays order, you will notice that they don’t have BJ Upton or Carl Crawford a top the order, not even Ben Zobrist or Jasono Bartlett because they have John Jaso…their catcher. Not only is he a key piece for the Rays, but he could be a key piece for your fantasy team. His .280 average is great for a catcher and he has been getting better as the season goes on. He hit .281 in July and is hitting .305 in August. His four home runs are nothing to rave about but you have to understand that he has had limited at-bats in the beginning of the season, the same goes for his 42 RBI and 43 runs scored. The big stat that really caught me by surprise is how much he walks and how little he strikes out. He has more walks than RBI. He has walked 47 times and he has only struck out 32 times which is a ridiculous ratio. Obviously he has a great OBP because of his walk total. His .388 on base percentage is over 100 points higher than his average and in August (the one month he had a .300 average), he has a .4000 OBP. Pick him up. He  is only owned in 12 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Check out www.insidethesportsworld.com for why the Nationals will be great in 2013.

Eric Young Jr. Vs. Dexter Fowler: If you have a need for speed, look no further than the Rockies outfield. The youngsters could be a potent leadoff and two hitter right in front of CarGo and Tulo. Lets compare the two, both are switch hitters so thats a wash. EY’s average is .268 compared to Fowler’s .249, but ever since EY was recalled, he has been hitting .280 while Fowler has been hitting .275 since the break (.293 in August). In limited at-bats EY doesn’t have a home run and only has 3 RBI. But its not like Fowler is raking either. In around 4 times as many games, Fowler has 3 long balls with only 25 RBI, but lets face it, this isn’t why you are going to pick them up. Lets move onto speed. In 25 games, EY is 10 for 11 in stolen base opportunities and is 6 out of 6 since being recalled. On the flip side, Fowler has 12 stolen bases in 97 games and he has been caught six times. If EY played in that amount of games, he would have around 39 stolen bases while only being caught 4 times. That’s getting into Juan Pierre territory. Even though, Fowler is hotter than EY right now (.293 average in August), his average is still .249 meaning before he got hot, he was colder than cold. He hit .158 in May and .000 in June (8 at-bats because he was optioned down to Triple-A. The thing that pushes it over the edge is that EY has second base eligibility. To get that type of speed out of your second baseman is unheard of. Its time to drop names and go for performance.

Other News:

Jay Bruce hit three home runs which only gives him 16 on the year.

Take a deep breath Matt Capps owners (myself included), Fuentes was acquired as a setup man to replace injured lefties Ron Mahay and Jose Mijares.

Read my plan for what the Yankees should do to get the back on track on www.insidethesportsworld.com

Jim Thome: On a team with Mauer, Mourneau, Kubel, and Cuddyer, its crazy to think that there is a three way tie for first and one of the three is owned in less than ten percent of Yahoo leagues. Morneau, Kubel, and Jim Thome all have 18 home runs and Thome is only owned in 8 percent of leagues which is crazy. Its not like his average is bad. At .268, Thome has brought has average up to respectability. His 45 RBI are nothing to rave about, but remember, he started the season on the bench. And this is the ideal time to pick him up because since the All-Star break, the Illinois Central product has been hitting .289 with 8 home runs, 16 RBI, a ridiculous .417 OBP, a .651 slugging percentage and an unheard of 1.068 OPS. He is looking like the vintage Jim Thome again. And there is no better day than today to talk about him because today is his 40th birthday and I absolutely love the guy because at 582 home runs, he is approaching 600, and his name has never been linked to steroids and he should be a first ballot hall of famer. So what should you do with the 40 year old. Me advice is to pick him up and to try and find him a new home. His value will never be higher and when Morneau comes back, he will probably move back into a platoon role.

Other News:

Congrats to Albert Pujols on his 400th career home run.

Edwin Jackson now has an under 1.00 ERA with the White Sox.

I love how the Mets are behind the Marlins in the standings when the Marlins have already started selling their pieces.

Wandy Rodriguez continues his resurgence and now has an under 4 ERA.

The A’s pitching gave up 3 runs and lost…again.

Bautista now has 41 home runs. Can you believe this guy has never had an opposite field home run in his career?

J.A. Happ: I remember when the Phillies entered the Roy Halladay sweepstakes last year in mid July and I was strongly against it for the mere fact that J.A. Happ had a lower ERA and he was a lefty. The Phillies ended up getting Cliff Lee and held onto Happ in the process. In the offseason, the Phillies made a mistake when they got rid of Cliff Lee in favor of Roy Halladay. Think about this, the Phillies made the World Series this year so they made improvements to win the World Series. Well Cliff Lee won every game in the World Series that he pitched. How is getting Roy Halladay an improvement? Now in July of this year, Amaro screwed up again by trading away the 6-6 lefty AND more prospects for Oswalt. Yeah Oswalt is a proven ace, but Happ is a star in the making and deserves a spot on your fantasy team. He is only 4 – 2 but he did miss most of April, all of May, all of June, and most of July. His ERA is 3.45 but he has been steller in every start but one. He has made 9 starts this season and besides his 1 inning 7 run implosion, he has given up 3 runs or less in every start. In his nine starts he has only given up 3 long balls and his ERA is very close to Oswalt’s ERA and if not for that one bad start, Happ’s would be better. Pick him up! He is only owned in 36 percent of Yahoo leagues compared to Oswalt who is owned in 90 percent.

Other News:

Bobby Jenks owners took a sigh of relief when Thornton and Putz hit the DL, but that sigh was short lived because the Sox claimed Trevor Hoffman off of waivers.

Coming into the day Pujols led two Triple Crown categories and was 1 point away in average (.322 and Votto .323). He leaves the day with his home run and RBI lead shortened and is now 6 points lower than Votto in average.

Phil Hughes is not good, he is just the beneficiary of great run support. His ERA is higher than superstars to the likes of Doug Fister, Livan Hernandez, and Dallas Braden.

Yankees and Rays both lost and the Red Sox split their day night doubleheader. Imagine if they swept the Mariners.

Big Bad Vlad strikes again.

The Chicago Quades are now 3 – 0.