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Here’s an early peek at the RotoAce 2012 fantasy baseball rankings for outfield. (more…)
Archive for the ‘St. Louis Cardinals’ 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…)
StockWatch: Wednesday, July 6
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From the games of July 6.
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Michael Young (97%) went 3-for-4 for a third straight day, raising his average to .328. Young is hitting .284 in 197 ABs as a DH and .385 in 148 ABs when he starts in the field. He’s hitting in the middle of the Rangers lineup, so the 58 RBIs put him on pace for only his second 100-RBI campaign. But his seven homers are off pace from the 21 and 22 he hit the past two seasons, respectively. Third base has become so thin that Young is an elite option there and as a bonus he’s added eligibility at first and second base too.
Justin Masterson (69%) is finally doing his impression of a healthy Brandon Webb that so many were predicting for the sinkerball expert back when he came up with the Red Sox in 2008, lowering his season ERA to 2.66 with eight shutout innings against the Yankees on Wednesday. Masterson held the mighty Yankees lineup to three hits while walking two and striking out six. Masterson has allowed just one earned run in his past 22.2 IP with a 16-5 K-BB ratio. His xFIP of 3.55 is almost a full run higher than his ERA, but a lot of that is due to a low 4.3% HR/FB that is possible for him to come close to sustaining with his nasty sinker. Masterson’s FIP of 3.08 may be a closer prediction to what his ERA can be from here on out, which combined with his solid 6.4 K/9 makes him an excellent No. 3 SP in deep mixed leagues. (more…)
StockWatch: Thursday, June 23
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Thursday, June 23.
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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: 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…)
StockWatch: Tuesday, May 17
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.
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Ubaldo Jimenez (97%) took our finger off the panic button by going seven solid innings against the Giants, allowing three runs and eight hits. The best part was the 7-1 K-BB ratio, as he had posted a 23-19 K-BB ratio in his past four starts. Jimenez obviously has the stuff to be an elite ace, but keep an eye on those walk totals.
Edinson Volquez (56%) had his first-inning struggles return, but quickly settled down for his lowest walk total of the season with one. Volquez gave up a three-run homer to Carlos Pena in the first frame (started the season by giving up 13 combined first-inning runs in his first four starts), but allowed just one hit in the next five innings and finished with nine strikeouts. Volquez is in the same boat as Jimenez, with electric stuff but control problems that if curbed could make him among the game’s elite. (more…)
StockWatch: Monday, May 16
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.
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Fernando Salas (28%) took over as the head of the Cardinals’ closer by committee, pitching a perfect ninth inning for his fourth save. Salas has been superb this season, holding opponents to a .161 batting average with a 1.08 ERA a 0.84 WHIP, so there’s a chance he could emerge as the permanent solution. It’s worth noting that Eduardo Sanchez pitched a scoreless, walk-free eighth inning and could resume closing at some point.
Mark Reynolds (68%) is finally showing signs of life, hitting a homer and stealing a base. Reynolds has now hit in four straight games with two homers, raising his average to .191. There could be a big-time hot stretch coming, or this could just be another tease followed by a strikeout-plagued drought. (more…)
StockWatch: Sunday, May 15
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.
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Justin Turner (1%) is cashing in on an opportunity to get ABs while Ike Davis is on the DL, as the Mets have moved Daniel Murphy over to first base so that Turner can play second. Turner went 2-for-4 with a homer and five RBIs on Sunday and is now hitting .308. Turner is a career .309 hitter in the minors, so he can be a solid NL-only fill-in and possibly even take some ABs away from Murphy when Davis returns.
Jose Bautista (98%) continues to amaze, clubbing three more homers to give him 16 on the season. Even more impressive is the .368 average, up over 100 points from last year’s .260. Bautista has cut his strikeout rate from 20.4% last year to 16.7% and raised his walk rate from 14.6% last season to 23.3%. If you own Bautista, just sit back and enjoy the ride during one of his now-patented hot streaks. (more…)
StockWatch: Tuesday, May 10
Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.
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J.J. Hardy (10%) came off the DL with a bang, going 4-for-5 with a homer. We were high on Hardy going into the season before a strained oblique shelved him a week in, so now we’re getting back on his side. With a little health and the cozy confines of Camden Yards, Hardy should be worth owning in mixed leagues as a power option at shortstop.
Matt Joyce (30%) recorded his third straight multi-hit game by going 2-for-4 with a homer, raising his average to .356. Since starting the season 1-for-20, Joyce has hit a scalding .432 (35-for-81). Before you get too excited, remember that Joyce is basically a platoon player because he can’t hit lefties (2-for-15), so his counting totals will suffer a bit. If you own him, just be sure to bench him if he’s facing lefties. (more…)
Spotlight: Jaime Garcia
Jaime Garcia may be in the middle of a Cy Young-winning season at this rate. (more…)
