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Here’s an early peek at the RotoAce 2012 fantasy baseball rankings for closers. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Milwaukee Brewers’ Category
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…)
StockWatch: Wednesday, June 22
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Wednesday, June 22.
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Johnny Cueto (72%) keeps getting hotter, holding the Yankees to two hits and one run in seven innings with three walks and six strikeouts on Wednesday. Cueto has yet to allow over three earned runs in nine starts since coming off the DL at the beginning of May and has a tidy 1.63 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP. In his last three starts, Cueto is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 19-6 K-BB ratio in 21 IP. It is that improved strikeout rate that has us finally ready to recognize Cueto as a fantasy ace. He had a 5.2 K/9 through his first six starts, but he has stepped it up to 8.1 K/9 in his last three outings. This recent outburst has helped lower his xFIP from the low fours to 3.52. Cueto is still benefitting from a .234 BABIP, but he’s suddenly becoming a groundball pitcher, upping his GB rate from 41.7% last year to 55.9% this season. A drubbing to help correct that low BABIP has to be around the corner, but we could be witnessing the birth of an ace as the results start to line up with the electric stuff Cueto has always flashed. (more…)
StockWatch: Thursday, June 16
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Thursday, June 16.
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J.J. Hardy (40%) has been scalding hot since the calendar turned June, failing to record a hit in just one game this month. Hardy went 2-for-5 with his seventh homer on Thursday. He is 21-for-52 (.404) with five homers and nine RBIs in June to raise his season average to .299. Hardy has always been a binge hitter, so surely you’ve had him in this month if you own him.
C.J. Wilson (86%) bounced back from a one-strikeout start against the Twins last time out to record his fifth double-digit strikeout game of the season. Wilson held the Yankees to two runs and seven hits in eight innings with 10 strikeouts, giving him 93 Ks on the season. Wilson has been inconsistent with his strikeout totals, but the double-digit games make up for the five times he’s struck out three or less. (more…)
StockWatch: Wednesday, June 8
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Wednesday, June 8.
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Ben Revere (1%) is taking advantage of chance to play regularly in the past week, going 3-for-5 with a steal on Wednesday to lift his average to .302 after an 11-for-30 performance in his past seven games, all consecutive starts. Revere is getting ABs with Jason Kubel on the DL, Denard Span battling dizziness and headaches, and Michael Cuddyer often playing second base while Tsuyoshi Nishioka recovers from a broken leg. Revere moved quickly through the minors on the strength of a combined .326 average and 154 steals in 1490 ABs. What’s not to like about a leadoff hitter with a track record like that? In real-life baseball, Revere has a popgun throwing arm and is allergic to walks, limiting his OBP. Then there’s the logjam of veterans in front of him once Kubel, Span and Nishioka are healthy. Revere is a very worthy AL-only addition right now and someone to target if you’re desperate for steals or in a keeper league, but the speedster is likely headed back to a backup role or even the minors in the near future.
Mark Reynolds (69%) is finally heating up, going 2-for-3 with a homer and a steal on Wednesday. He may still be hitting .199, but Reynolds is 5-for-15 with three homers and eight RBIs in his past five games. If he could just make enough contact to get his average near .250, Reynolds could still be a fantasy force since he’s got a shot to reach 30 homers, 100 RBIs and 10 steals. (more…)
StockWatch: Sunday, May 29
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Sunday, May 29.
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Corey Patterson (16%) has caught fire, collecting nine hits in two days after going 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs on Sunday. Patterson has raised his average to .301 with the binge and his combination of power (four homers) and speed (seven steals) makes him a solid start in mixed leagues.
Jeremy Hellickson (78%) held the Indians to three hits in seven scoreless innings with two walks and six strikeouts to improve to 6-3 with a 2.80 ERA. Hellickson is 4-1 with a 1.36 ERA in May, but there are still some warning signs that this may be a good time to sell high. Hellickson’s strikeouts are down, walks are up and his BABIP is an unsustainable .202 in May. In April, Hellickson’s ERA of 4.31 was nearly identical to his 4.32 xFIP, but while his xFIP has stayed basically the same at 4.29, his 1.36 ERA in May is due mostly to good luck. We are still high on Hellickson’s long-term prospects, but right now he’s not as good as his 2.80 ERA makes him look. (more…)
StockWatch: Monday, May 23
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Monday, May 23.
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Jay Bruce (96%) was 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs on Monday. He is 15-for-30 with four homers and nine RBIs in his past eight games to raise his average to .282. This is the power stud fantasy owners were expecting before a slow start temporarily dampened enthusiasm.
Alexi Ogando (76%) continues to establish himself as the breakout ace this season by tossing a five-hit shutout at the White Sox with six strikeouts. Ogando is 5-0 with a 1.81 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. He continues to benefit from an impossibly-low BABIP of .199 (second only to the Indians’ Josh Tomlin), so his xFIP is 3.75. The bigger concern than his BABIP will be the workload of being in the rotation, as Ogando compiled just 72.1 IP last year between the minors and Texas. He’s already thrown 59.2 IP this season, so watch to see if his velocity starts to come down from the 94.4 mph he’s averaging on fastballs. (more…)
