Archive for the ‘American League’ Category

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StockWatch: A.J. Burnett

There has been talk all winter about the Yankees moving the contract of A.J. Burnett to free up some money to sign a DH.

Now it appears the Yankees are closer to a deal with the Pirates, and the question then becomes: How much will it help Burnett’s fantasy value going to the National League. He would be facing considerably less formidable lineups and no designated hitters and not pitching in the AL East.

More importantly for Burnett is the fact that he was one of the unluckier pitchers in baseball last season, as his 3.86 xFIP was well below his 5.15 ERA and his home run rate (17.0 HR/FB) was by far the highest in baseball and jumped up significantly from the year before (11.6 in 2010) and his career average (11.3).

He still walks too many batters and his fastball has gotten a little slower each season, but his strikeout rate (8.18 K/9) is still among the top starters and would surely increase in the NL. He has made at least 32 starts and approached or surpassed 200 IP in each of the past four seasons, so it’s not crazy to think he could approach 200 Ks again. It’s also worth noting that the last time he pitched in the NL was 2005 with the Marlins and he had a 3.20 xFIP and 198 Ks in 209 innings.

Early Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Closer

Here’s an early peek at the RotoAce 2012 fantasy baseball rankings for closers. (more…)

Early fantasy baseball rankings: Starting Pitcher

Here’s an early peek at the RotoAce 2012 fantasy baseball rankings for starting pitcher. (more…)

Early fantasy baseball rankings: DH

Here’s an early peek at the RotoAce 2012 fantasy baseball rankings for designated hitter.

1. David Ortiz (left): Depending on how old you think Big Papi really is, he technically enters his age-36 season coming off a throwback year when he put up a .309-84-29-96-1 line. Ortiz managed to avoid the slow starts that plagued him in the recent past, but expect a little more to go wrong and numbers that come up a bit short of last year.

2. Billy Butler: Eric Hosmer’s arrival sent Butler back to DH, where he put up another solid but not spectacular season. Butler turns 26 in mid-April, so if a power spike is coming then this will likely be the season.

3. Jesus Montero: It took Montero almost two full seasons in Triple-A before finally getting the call to New York, where he was even better than advertised with a .996 OPS and four homers in just 69 plate appearances. Being traded from the Yankees’ offense-friendly lineup and ballpark to the Mariners’ league-worst offense and ballpark will limit Montero’s fantasy impact this season. (more…)

StockWatch: Jesus Montero

Sometimes in fantasy baseball, all it takes is a trade for an uber-prospect’s value to change dramatically one way or another. The question with Seattle’s new C/DH Jesus Montero now is: Which way will the trade swing his value?

Montero immediately becomes the Mariners’ top hitter in terms of their lineup and overall future value, but playing for an offense-challenged team in a pitchers’ ballpark is going to be drastically different than playing in the bandbox that is Yankee Stadium with one of the league’s top offenses.

I think the difference here may be playing time and pressure. Seattle manager Eric Wedge plans to keep his bat in the lineup nearly every day by playing him at catcher and DH and the Mariners can even play him higher in their lineup. The Yankees, however, would probably have played him towards the bottom of the order and would have been more likely to sit him during a prolonged slump.

RotoAce thinks the trade will help him overall, though playing in Safeco will surely bring a hit to his power numbers. But as Adrian Gonzalez proved, playing in an extreme pitchers’ park doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t hit for power. Extreme talent always wins out. Plan for a nice .275-.280 average with 19-21 homers and 65-70 RBIs in his first year and those of you in keeper leagues can expect better numbers down the road.

Early fantasy baseball rankings: Outfield

Here’s an early peek at the RotoAce 2012 fantasy baseball rankings for outfield. (more…)

Early fantasy baseball rankings: Shortstop

Here’s an early peek at the RotoAce 2012 fantasy baseball rankings for shortstop.

1. Troy Tulowitzki: Injuries again caught up to Tulo last season, but not until September in the form of a sore hip or before he had put up his customary huge numbers. He enters his age-27 season primed for a career year if he can avoid the injury bug.

2. Jose Reyes (left): The old hamstring issues cropped up again last season, taking a little of the luster off an otherwise spectacular season that saw him win the NL batting crown with a .337 mark. Now he’s taking his electrifying game to Miami, where he’ll try to live up to his $106 million contract with the Marlins while in his prime at age 28. (more…)

Early fantasy baseball rankings: Third Base

Here’s an early peek at the RotoAce 2012 fantasy baseball rankings for third base.

1. Jose Bautista (left): No. 1 overall on ESPN’s player rater for last year, he’s already produced one encore for his breakout 2010 season, so who are we to doubt he can do it again. The batting average is likely to fall back below .300, but the power numbers are as elite as they come.

2. Evan Longoria: The Rays star missed a full month yet still managed 31 homers and 99 RBIs, so a healthy season could see him rise to the top of the third base rankings if he can get his average back up. (more…)

Early Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Second Base

Here’s an early peek at the RotoAce 2012 fantasy baseball rankings for second base.

1. Robinson Cano (left): The Yankees’ most consistent hitter is a safe bet to turn in elite numbers everywhere except steals, and even there he turned in a career-high eight last season. The 29-year-old is a slam dunk to be a top-10 overall pick.

2. Dustin Pedroia: Bouncing back from a 2010 season half-ruined by a fractured ankle, Boston’s sparkplug put up career highs in homers, RBIs and steals. Entering his age-28 season, Pedroia is at the height of his powers. (more…)

Early Fantasy Baseball Rankings: First Base

Here’s an early peek at the RotoAce 2012 fantasy baseball rankings for first base.

1. Miguel Cabrera (left): It’s finally time for a changing of the guard, as the Tigers’ slugger moves into the top spot that Albert Pujols has inhabited for pretty much the past decade. Cabrera is smack-dab in the middle of his prime entering his age-28 season while Pujols is embarking on the backside of his career going into his age-32 season. Cabrera won the AL batting crown with a .344 mark and is a safe bet to keep up his trek to Cooperstown.

2. Adrian Gonzalez: Gonzalez didn’t enjoy the power surge many experts were forecasting when leaving San Diego’s Petco Park for Boston’s Fenway Park, but he still put up a fantastic .338-108-27-117-1 line. If the homers pick up, Gonzo could be the No. 1 first baseman in 2012. (more…)

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