Archive for the ‘New York Mets’ Category

« Older Entries

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…)

StockWatch: Saturday, July 16

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Saturday, July 16.

Stock Up

CC Sabathia (98%) is showing what elite aces do – go on monster rolls that carry fantasy pitching staffs. The big lefty held the Blue Jays to three hits and one run in eight innings with three walks and eight strikeouts for his seventh win in seven starts. In his past five starts, Sabathia has a 0.45 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 39.2 IP. Sabathia has been a big second-half pitcher many times in the past, so jump aboard and ride that train.

Javier Vazquez (28%) is back. We declared him dead back in mid-May when his ERA rocketed to 7.55, and he was still stinking in mid-June with a 7.09 ERA. Vazquez posted his first double-digit strikeout game in over two years with 10 Ks against the Cubs on Saturday, allowing four hits and three runs with no walks in a 13-3 win. In his past six starts, Vazquez is 3-2 with a 1.39 ERA and a 29-3 K-BB ratio in 37.1 IP. Vazquez’s resurgence has coincided with an uptick in his lost velocity – his average fastball has gone from 88.4 mph in April to 88.8 in May to 90.5 in June to 90.8 so far in July. He averaged 91.1 mph in 2009 with the Braves when he contended for the NL Cy Young, so see if you can still buy low because of his 5.14 season ERA. (more…)

StockWatch: Friday, June 24

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Friday, June 24.

Stock Up

Guillermo Moscoso (1%) is likely the luckiest pitcher in the majors, posting a 2.68 ERA through 37 innings with the A’s despite a 5.72 xFIP. The peripherals are ugly – 3.4 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, .205 BABIP, 25.2% GB and 4.5% HR/FB. So we’ve got a low-strikeout, high-walk, fly-ball pitcher who has been extremely lucky on balls in play … run away!!! Do not pick this guy up despite his gaudy ERA, as ZiPS projects him for a 5.71 ERA the rest of the way.

Derrek Lee (26%) finally hit his first homer since May 8 and is heating up. The 35-year-old went 3-for-5 on Friday and is 14-for-32 with five extra-base hits in his past seven games, raising his average from .214 to .247. This is most likely just a correction up to the mediocre player he has become in his mid-30s, but he’s at least worth getting in deep mixed-league lineups while he’s hot. (more…)

StockWatch: Thursday, June 23

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Thursday, June 23.

Stock Up

Chris Carpenter (89%) finally earned his second win of the season with seven solid innings against the Phillies (5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). Carpenter may be the best buy around right now, as his strikeout of 7.2 K/9 is his best since 2006 and his walk rate of 2.1 BB/9 is down from last year. His xFIP of 3.27 is his lowest since his Cy Young season of 2005 and is a full run lower than his 4.26 ERA. Since coming to the NL in 2004, Carpenter has kept his BABIP under .280 in every full season. But this year Carpenter is suffering from a .323 BABIP. Keeping with the theme that there are really no red flags on Carpenter, even his average fastball velocity is up from 91.4 mph last year to 92.3 this season. Buy now.

Add of the Day: Chris Capuano (7%) is showing that it’s possible to return to being a solid starter even after having two Tommy John surgeries. He missed all of 2008-09 before returning halfway through last season and posting respectable numbers (3.90 xFIP, 7.4 K/9, 2.9 BB/9). Capuano has been even better this season, raising his strikeout rate to 7.5 K/9, lowering his walk rate to 2.5 BB/9 and posting a career-low 3.74 xFIP. His ERA lags a little behind at 3.99 because of a .320 BABIP. On Thursday, Capuano tossed six shutout innings against the A’s with no walks and seven strikeouts. In his past four starts, Capuano is 3-1 with a 1.08 ERA and a 22-7 K-BB ratio in 25 IP. He continues flying under the radar, but Capuano is a nice sleeper as a solid strikeout hurler in a pitcher’s park. (more…)

StockWatch: Saturday, June 18

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Saturday, June 18.

Stock Up

John Danks (52%) continued his resurgence with his third straight win since starting 0-8, holding the Diamondbacks to seven hits and two runs (one earned) in seven innings with no walks and seven strikeouts. During his winning streak, Danks has a 1.23 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and a 17-3 K-BB ratio in 22 IP. He has lowered his ERA from 5.25 to 4.29, much more in line with his 3.98 xFIP. Danks is back as a solid mid-rotation SP for deep mixed leagues.

Alex Rios (66%) broke out of an 0-for-13 skid by going 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs on Saturday. As long as Guillen sticks with his struggling outfielder, Rios should be on the rise as his .217 BABIP comes up closer to his career .277 mark. (more…)

StockWatch: Thursday, June 9

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Thursday, June 9.

Stock Up

Jonathon Niese (17%) limited the Brewers to three hits and one run in 7.2 IP with eight strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 3.51. Niese has been on a roll over his past five starts, posting a 1.35 ERA and a 33-11 K-BB over 33.1 IP. Niese has a nice combination of peripherals with a 7.1 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 50.0% GB and 3.61 xFIP and should remain a solid under-the-radar option if you get the chance to add him.

Johnny Cueto (64%) has been nothing short of fantastic since returning from the DL on May 8, going seven shutout innings on Thursday to lower his ERA to 1.93 in seven starts. He even added solid strikeout totals with eight against the Giants, raising his strikeout rate to 6.0 K/9. It’s that strikeout rate that actually has us most concerned, as it’s dropped every season since he debuted with a 8.2 K/9 in 2008. Cueto has upped his groundball rate from 41.7% last year to 54.5% this season, so there are some encouraging signs too. A .230 BABIP contributes to a 3.62 xFIP that is probably more in line with what to expect the rest of the way, so it would be a good time to sell high. (more…)

StockWatch: Wednesday, June 8

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Wednesday, June 8.

Stock Up

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: Friday, June 3

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Friday, June 3.

Stock Up

Jason Vargas (9%) continues his Jekyll and Hyde ways, hurling a four-hit shutout against the Rays on the heels of a two-game stretch where he gave up a combined 11 runs and eight walks in 7.2 innings. Before that, Vargas had a 16-inning scoreless streak. Vargas has his ERA back down to 3.96, but the inconsistency and the 4.25 xFIP make him someone to shop rather than buy.

Jeff Karstens (2%) continues to fly under the radar while putting up solid numbers, limiting the Phillies to four hits and one run with no walks and two strikeouts in seven innings on Friday. Karstens matched the Phillies’ Cole Hamels in a game the Pirates would eventually win in 12 innings. Karstens hasn’t walked a guy in his past 20 innings while lowering his ERA to 3.30 and WHIP to 1.20. He was a solid prospect with the Yankees before coming over in the Xavier Nady trade in 2008, but had struggled with the Pirates before this season. Karstens’ strikeout rate has gone up each season with Pittsburgh, reaching a solid 6.6 K/9 this year to go with a shrinking walk rate of 1.7 BB/9. His 3.34 xFIP matches up with his ERA, so if he can keep up his 42-11 K/BB ratio then he could be a decent mixed-league option this season. (more…)

StockWatch: Thursday, June 2

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From the games of Thursday, June 2.

Stock Up

Aubrey Huff (59%) hit three home runs, making it four homers in two days after not hitting one since May 8. Now nobody is suggesting that he’s going to go all Jose Bautista on us, but he did go on a power binge last June and July, hitting 14 of his 26 home runs in those two months alone. He might be beginning one of those hot streaks and is worth an add in most leagues to find out.

Neil Walker (89%) hit his seventh home run and is in the middle of a seven-game hitting streak. Walker looks like he is going to do even better than last season’s numbers, as he is just five homers from matching the 12 he hit in 2010 and also has 37 RBIs already (66 last season). (more…)

StockWatch: Tuesday, May 31

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From the games of Tuesday, May 31.

Stock Up

Domonic Brown (28%) went 2-for-4 with his first homer since coming off the DL on May 21. Brown started slow by going 1-for-14 in his first four games, but has four multi-hit games since and is 10-for-19 with a steal. Brown has the talent to become a fantasy stalwart starting now, so grab him if he’s still available in all leagues.

Danny Espinosa (22%) was battling the Mendoza Line as May was coming to a close, but finished the month with a bang, blasting two homers with four RBIs. Espinosa has three homers in the past two days to give the 24-year-old second baseman 10 on the season, putting him on for 30 homers and 100 RBIs. He has a patient enough approach to get his average up above .250, so he may still be a bargain. (more…)

« Older Entries