Fantasy Baseball Informer

Top Prospects Compilation

2008-03-28T18:45:00.001-04:00

I was about to sit down to do this this weekend but decided to do a google search first and found the best put together prospect resource I've seen. Figured I should pass it on.

Are you a potential fantasy baseball movie star?

2007-12-27T14:03:00.001-05:00

Got this note from the Baseball HQ newsletter that I hope everyone stopping by here is already subscribed to. If not, here's the info:

ENTRY DEADLINE: JANUARY 4, 2008
-----------------------------------------------
WANTED:
Looking for one person with the fantasy savvy, obsessionand determination to
compete in TOUT WARS as part of a featurefilm fantasy baseball documentary,
inspired by Sam Walker's bookFantasyland.

In 2006, Sam Walker, of the Wall St Journal took on fantasybaseball's best of the best, competing for one season in theultimate league, Tout Wars. Sam's journey was documented in hisNew York Times best-seller, Fantasyland.

The 2008 Tout Wars season is going to be filmed as part of afeature film documentary, produced by Wonderland Sound andVision, and Sound Pictures. They are looking for one person totake over where Sam Walker left off. You will compete against theTout Wars American League experts and have your entire seasoncaptured on film.

They are looking for someone who is a veteran of fantasybaseball, is obsessed with the game and has followed Tout Wars.They are looking for someone who is interested in not justplaying by the numbers but wants to go out and talk to scouts,players and general managers to help in their decision making.

They are looking for someone between the ages of 30-50 who willbe willing to provide complete access into their life during thefantasy baseball season. There will be some travel involved,including attending spring training. You must be available forthe Tout Wars draft in New York City the weekend of March 21-23. If you are interested and available for this experience, pleaserespond to the following questions.
Please cut and paste thequestions into an email, respond and send to fantasyking@live.com by January 4, 2008.

Your name
Where are you located?
How many years have you been playing fantasy baseball?
What attracted you to fantasy baseball?
How does fantasy baseball dominate your life?
Give us a sense ofthe amount of hours you spend playing, along with stories thatillustrate your obsession in action.
What was your greatest fantasy baseball trade?
What was a decision that you will haunt you forever?
What do you know about Tout Wars and what would it mean to you to be
able to compete in this league?
How does fantasy baseball affect your home life? Your work life?
Which person in Tout Wars would you be most excited to competeagainst and beat? How do you think you would do if given a chance to compete inTout?
Have you read the book Fantasyland by Sam Walker?
What did you think of the way Sam Walker played fantasy baseball(contacting players, scouts,etc)?
Please tell us about your life outside of fantasy baseball: job,relationship, etc.

Ken Rosenthal's Inside Pitch

2007-06-24T12:30:00.001-04:00

Ken Rosenthal's latest column mentions trade rumors around Troy Glaus, Mark Buehrle and Adam Dunn.

Teams wait to pull trigger on Dunn trade

2007-06-11T21:12:00.000-04:00

Ken Rosenthal's latest column is up at FoxSports.com. Interesting notes on trade rumors around Adam Dunn, Michael Barrett, Eric Gagne and Brad Lidge.

In Search of Power?

2007-06-07T20:45:00.000-04:00

Jeff Ackerman at Fantistics has a nice look at some power hitters to buy low on. Take a look.

Baseball HQ Radio

2007-06-03T11:34:00.000-04:00

If you don't have the money to subscribe to Baseball HQ or don't want to spend the money you can still access some free content from Ron Shandler and his crew via Baseball HQ Radio. I listen to the show every week and I highly recommend it to any fantasy baseball fan. I use tools that Baseball HQ recommends to evaluate players so if you like the content I post here then you will be interested in the HQ podcast as well.

Tyler Yates - worthy of consideration in a NL only?

2007-06-02T12:10:00.000-04:00

Tyler Yates looks like a reliever that could be of some help in NL only leagues. Take a look at these numbers through Friday:

IP	ERA	xERA	H%	S%	Ctl	Dom	Cmd	G/F	hr/f	hr/9
24.7	4.01	2.32	28%	63%	3.7	9.1	2.5	1.17	4%	0.36

Yates has shown good dominance with a 9.1 K/9, solid command and he's been keeping the ball in the park. He's been hurt a bit by a low strand rate which should correct itself over time - thus the 2.32 xERA. Yates' control is still a little bit high (3.0 or less is the benchmark) so there is a bit of a risk here. Walks have always been his biggest problem but he is making strides here this season.

Considering that Bob Wickman and Rafael Soriano have both been injury prone there could be an opportunty for saves for Yates this season. Of course, he'd likely need injuries to both pitchers at the same time to get an opportunity. For now, he's probably only worth keeping an eye on in NL only leagues though his strikeouts and potential for a few vulture wins could make him worth consideration now.

The Case Against K/9 and BB/9

2007-05-31T16:28:00.000-04:00

Chris Constancio has an interesting little article over at FirstInning.com regarding the use of K% and BB% instead of K/9 and BB/9 for measuring pitcher effectiveness. The reason it is important:

"Pitchers who do surrender many hits or walk a lot of batters have inflated K/9 rates because they face more batters per inning and therefore have more opportunities to record strikeouts."

Prospect Watch: Travis Denker, 2B (Dodgers)

2007-05-29T15:33:00.000-04:00

Travis Denker is a prospect that most fantasy owners have probably never heard of. I first caught wind of Denker's name in David Luciani's 2006 Top 100 Prospect list at BaseballNotebook.com. Denker has been compared to Marcus Giles because of his smallish size and hard working nature. He's been projected by some as a utility player and others as a potential starting 2B/3B. What the future holds is up in the air but Denker is clearly becoming a prospect to watch as he nears a promotion to Double-A.

Here's a look at Denker's recent minor league performance:

Denker got off to a decent start in 2006 hitting .268/.420/.452 at Low-A Columbus as a 20-year-old but struggled when he was moved up to High-A Vero Beach, hitting .220/.309/.330 in 191 at-bats. The Dodgers decided to start Denker back at High-A again this season and things appear to have clicked for him. He's hitting .354/.419/.508 with four home runs and eight doubles in 130 at-bats. Denker's 16/17 K/BB ratio is the most encouraging sign from his play thus far. He's displayed good command of the strike zone throughout his time in the minors, even when he was struggling to make contact at High-A in 2006. Add the great eye to his power potential (he hit 21 bombs in 2005 as a 19-year-old) and postion and you have the makings of a very nice keeper prospect in fantasy leagues.

If you have limited bench space it probably isn't worth rostering Denker yet in shallower NL only leagues. If you are playing in an Ultra league with deep benches/keeper lists then now is a good time to consider Denker as he's going to be on the radar of a lot more fantasy owners next season if he keeps his offensive performance going throughout the year.

Anthony Reyes

2007-05-26T08:54:00.000-04:00

Anthony Reyes has gotten off to a rough start to the season thus far. He's 0-8 with a 6.08 ERA and a 39/18 K/BB ratio in 50.1 innings. However, a deeper look into his numbers reveals a pitcher we should be paying attention to rather than ignoring.

Season	IP	ERA	xERA	H%	S%	Ctl	Dom	Cmd	hr/f	hr/9	BABIP
2007	50.3	6.08	4.23	30%	55%	3.22	6.97	2.17	14%	1.07	0.297

The positives: Good dominance, hit rate is normal, strand rate is probably going to go up

The negatives: Command, control and hr/f are not exactly where we want to see them but not exactly terrible either

The xERA of 4.23 tells us that Reyes should be performing better than what his current stats show. He's had five starts this year where he has allowed three runs or less yet he has no wins to show for those performances. That can be partially blamed on the St. Louis offense and partially on Reyes' inability to work more than five innings in three of those outings.

I think Reyes is a good buy low candidate in NL only and deeper mixed leagues. He's likely on the waiver wire in shallow leagues so there is no rush to pick him up. However, he can probably be of use in shallow mixed leagues at some point this season so if your pitching staff is weak or you have an open bench spot it wouldn't be a terrible idea to stash Reyes away for a bit.

Ryan Braun

2007-05-25T08:12:00.000-04:00

The Brewers promoted Ryan Braun, their top hitting prospect, late Thursday. He should be grabbed immediately in NL only leagues and likely in all mixed leagues as well. The 23-year-old Braun was hitting .348/.429/.713 with 10 home runs, 12 doubles and four stolen bases at Triple-A Nashville. He swiped a total of 26 bags last season so he does like to run. That speed/power combination could make him one of the top fantasy third basemen in coming seasons.

Jay Bruce

2007-05-24T07:15:00.000-04:00

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Wednesday that the Reds are going to promote Jay Bruce to Double-A Chattanooga before or at the All-Star break. Bruce is hitting .344 with nine home runs, 15 doubles and a .401 on-base percentage in 180 at-bats at High-A Sarasota. That is some solid production and it's even better when you realize that Bruce is only 20-years-old.

Chris Constancio over at FirstInning.com had a nice note about Bruce's ability to use all of the field as well saying, "Bruce ranks in the top ten [in the Florida State League] with 6 opposite-field doubles and a pair of opposite-field home runs." If Bruce can continue to hit the outside pitch with authority he is going to be a tough out in the majors.

A strong second half of the season at Double-A would put Bruce in a position to compete for an outfield job in Cincinnati next season. That might be a bit soon for his major league debut but it wouldn't be shocking to see him in the majors by the middle of the 2008 season. He's a prospect that should be owned in any type of fantasy league that allows minor league keepers.

Kevin Gregg

2007-05-23T09:20:00.000-04:00

The Miami Herlad reported that Kevin Gregg is going to remain the Marlins' closer even when Henry Owens, who is eligible to come off the disabled list this week, returns to the team.

Gregg has done an excellent job for the Marlins this season. He's notched four saves to go along with a 2.33 ERA and a 27/11 K/BB ratio in 27 innings while allowing only one home run. You'd like to see a bit better command but he can continue to be successful as long as the strikeout rate holds.

I was lucky enough to grab him a couple weeks back as a cheap bullpen filler in my NL only league. If he's still floating around in your mixed league make sure you snag him. There's not a ton of competition in the Florida pen so Gregg does have a good chance of holding the job all year.

Those Crazy Cubs

2007-05-22T11:09:00.001-04:00

Following up on my post from the weekend regarding Cubs closer Ryan Dempster. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday, Dempster is now supposed to mentor Angel Guzman to become the Cubs' next closer. As I pointed out this weekend, Dempster doesn't deserve to lose his job at the moment as he's been pitching fairly well this season. Manager Lou Pinella seems to be losing his mind.

Anyway, Guzman has to be owned in NL only leagues now until this situation shakes out. Guzman is of course anything but a sure thing. He's young and he's been injury prone but he does have the stuff to succeed as a closer. Bobby Howry, Michael Wuertz and Carlos Marmol all should be stashed away on benches in NL only leagues as it seems anything could happen with the closing role. One thing seems certain right now, Pinella wants to move Dempster back to the rotation and that kills Dempster's fantasy value. It is probably too late to get anything of value for him at this point so you might have to hold on to Dempster and hope Pinella comes to his senses.

Ken Rosenthal's Latest Column

2007-05-21T18:12:00.000-04:00

I always recommend reading Ken Rosenthal's weekly column for good trade/player rumors. Some of the info in his columns can be helpful for fantasy leaguers. He actually has two good columns worth reading today.

Carlos Marmol

2007-05-20T22:34:00.000-04:00

Manager Lou Pinella is starting to get sick of Ryan Dempster and almost made a change to the back of his bullpen this weekend. According to the Associated Press in a report Sunday evening, Dempster was told he would be moving back to the rotation but before long he was told that he would remain the Cubs' closer.

Dempster's actually been doing a decent job this year with nine saves and only one blown save to his record. His K/9 and K/BB ratios are fine and his BB/9 is decent. His ERA is inflated due to a poor strand rate but his job is based on being able to strand runners if he comes into a situation with runners on base. If he continues to have problems here there is a good chance that Pinella will scapegoat Dempster and consider making a closing switch.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported on Sunday morning that Carlos Marmol was the likely candidate to take over closing duties for Dempster had a change been made. Marmol has good stuff as evidenced by his 48/12 K/BB ratio as a starter at Triple-A this season. He's going to get a chance to establish himself as a setup man for now it would seem and that makes him worth stashing away in NL only leagues. Dempster has proven to be faulty as a closer in the past and has indicated that he would prefer to start despite the history of stats that proves he's no good in that role. If a change happens Marmol could be the beneficiary.

Brad Penny - is it time to move him?

2007-05-19T20:22:00.000-04:00

Well, it has been a while since I posted. My personal life has been a bit busy which has left me with less time on the fantasy circuit this year. I am still in a couple leagues so I have been keeping tabs on things. I just haven't been able to help other out along the way.

I am going to take a look at pitcher performance for now as it what interests me at the moment. This post will be a look at Brad Penny, who I own in my NL only league. He has piqued my interest because of his great start to the season despite his lack of strikeouts.

Name	Season	IP	ERA	xERA	H%	S%	Ctl	Dom	Cmd	hr/f	hr/9
Brad Penny	2007	56.7	2.54	2.62	29%	77%	3.18	5.56	1.75	0%	0

Penny's 2007 performance is good and most of the numbers here are fine. However, he is lacking a bit in dominance (K/9), command (K/BB) and control (BB/9). These numbers are all just slighty worse than what you want out of a starter on your squad according to the baselines outlined by Ron Shandler at Baseball HQ. I use these metrics to measure the performance of my players in a file I created that can easily calculate these rates for me.

Right now I would label Penny as a pitcher you should be trying to sell but I also wouldn't worry if you can't move him immediately. Penny says he is reinventing himself this year as his approach will rely more on pitching to contact and less on striking batters out (outside of that 14 K performance against the Marlins). Penny has posted a 2.68 GB/FB rate thus far this season and if he can keep his ratio around there with his current K/9, K/BB, BB/9 he should remain effective this season. The question is, can he keep up the favorable ground ball rate?

Note: I didn't mention the HR rate but obviously that isn't sustainable. Expect his ERA to rise a bit even if he maintains his performance accross the board everywhere else.

2007-04-27T09:48:00.000-04:00

Got my Fantasy Baseball HQ newsletter today and saw this interesting post from Shandler

RON SHANDLER'S MASTER NOTES
HQ at the Ballpark
Last week, my column at BaseballHQ.com described how that the evolution of our industry is spawning social isolationism. Fantasy sports was designed to be a social activity. With online gaming, not only do we not need to be in the same room anymore, we don't even have to use our real names.

In the column, I suggested that we all get out from behind our computer monitors and start connecting to the others in our leagues. We should share phone numbers, engage in live trade negotiations rather than email. If you recognize a familiar area code, you should hop into your car and meet a league-mate over a few beers.

This column generated some spirited discussion on our message boards as well last week. One of the other ideas floated out there was for us to arrange some ballpark outings. Sure, what better way to connect than at a game?

So I am going to do this. I am planning an outing this summer at either RFK Stadium or Camden Yards – I'm still trying to work out my schedule. I'll report back here in a few weeks. If you would like to spearhead an outing for Baseball HQ Friday readers at your home ballpark, drop me a note. Send it to me personally at letsconnect@ronshandler.com.

This summer, we're going to fight back against the aspects of this hobby that isolate us.

I'd actually suggest that people should try to get into more auction or straight draft leagues that are live and local to their area. I am only able to participate in one live auction at the moment but it is far and away my favorite league. Nothing is better than getting together with a group and spending a few hours together doing a draft in the same room. Our league has an All-Star break meeting as well which helps to better connect with league mates - something I also think is a good idea.

Wife Swap wants Fantasy Junkies

2007-02-23T14:01:00.001-05:00

Greetings ~My name is Julia Jenkins and I am a casting producer for ABC familieshit reality show 'Wife Swap.'We are currently casting for our third season and we are looking forFAMILIES THAT LOVE TO PLAY FANTASY SPORTS.

We cast everywhere fromMaine to California, and this would bring a fun and unique dynamic tothe show.If you are unfamiliar with the show, Wife Swap is a fascinating storyof what happens when two married couples see themselves and theirspouses in a whole new light. Time Magazine calls Wife Swap "ariveting examination of family values." The New York Post says, "Itshould be called 'Life Swap'because it's not just the wives who learn something here. It's thefamilies.

"The premise of Wife Swap is simple: for seven days, two wives from twodifferent families with very different values exchange husbands,children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover what it's like tolive a different woman's life.Here at 'Wife Swap' we look for a two-parent home with at least onechild between the ages of 6 and 17 living at home fulltime.

We are currently casting for our third season, so don't miss out onthis amazing experience! Families that appear on the show receive$20,000 as a thank you. And if you refer a family that appears on theshow you would receive $1000.If you have a family and you are interested in applying for the show,or if you know of any great families that you would like to refer,please EMAIL:julia.jenkins@rdfusa.com. Please provide details in your email!!Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you!

Baseball Notebook Blog

2007-01-30T21:41:00.000-05:00

Been a while since I posted - check out the new blog at BaseballNotebook.com for lots of good information.

CREATiVESPORTS’ 2006 Mid-Season MLB Report - FREE!

2006-07-01T14:44:00.000-04:00

Built specifically with the NFBC Mid-Season leagues in mind, CREATiVESPORTS.com’s Mid-Season MLB Report, now in its second year, will soon be ready to ship.

This comprehensive report includes:
An easy-to-use, sortable projections spreadsheet in a format comparable to CREATiVESPORTS’ popular MLB Draft Kit. Information includes player name, team, position, secondary position eligibility, round and position ranking, along with projected second-half statistics using CREATiVESPORTS’ exclusive ZEN PROJECTION ENGINE™.

Comprehensive set of team reports for all 30 MLB squads written by the baseball experts at CREATiVESPORTS, including depth charts and team forecasts on hitting, pitching, speed and bullpen. Deadline trades and September call-ups are also forecasted.

If you’re competing in the NFBC Mid-Season leagues or you want that extra push to win your full-season leagues, this report is for you! Just sign up for our exclusive Fantasy Sports Daily e-newsletter to receive your free copy. Current FSD subscribers should look for the link to this Report no later than July 9.

Baseball Card Death

2006-04-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

This site, while not the prettiest, is pretty damn funny for any of you that might have collected baseball cards in the late 80's to early 90's.

Pen Names - Atlanta Braves

2006-03-17T10:21:00.001-05:00

A look at the closing situation in the ATL.

Pen Names - Atlanta Braves

2006-03-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

A look at the closing situation in the ATL.

Pen Names - a look at closing situations

2006-03-05T10:22:00.000-05:00

I've been busy lately and haven't had much time to dedicate to this blog. Here are my three columns that I've posted for Creativesports this month and last:

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Florida Marlins
Baltimore Orioles

BATTING BUYERS GUIDE: Non-roster invitees

2006-02-17T12:38:00.000-05:00

Baseball HQ has a free article looking at some spring training NRIs that could have some fantasy value this year.

Pen Names

2006-02-10T08:14:00.000-05:00

My first article for the 2006 season is posted at CS: Pen Names > Baltimore Orioles - a look at the closing situation.

BaseballDoctors.com

2006-01-23T12:47:00.000-05:00

Another site that I've never used for projections but they are free.

The Baseball Injury Report

2006-01-22T12:38:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon this site today. Not sure if it will be of any value to fantasy leaguers but there is a free newsletter that you can sign up for which should give a good indication of what value this site might have to offer.

Rotospin.com Projections

2006-01-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

Rotospin has launched their 2006 dollar value calculator and it is free. I've never used their projections so I can't speak to the quality of them but they are free.

Baseball Notebook Top 100 Prospects

2005-12-20T20:32:00.000-05:00

The Baseball Notebook Top 100 Prospects, a prospect list like no other you'll find on the internet. David Luciani's lists will always stray away from those you'll find at other prominent sites because of the type of analysis he does. In fact, I can guarentee you that no other site will have Hunter Pence ranked as the #3 overall prospect in baseball. Does that mean Luciani is wrong? No. Does it mean he is right? No. Does it mean there is a chance for you to find sweet value at the end of your prospect draft by taking a chance on Pence when hardly anyone else will consider him? Yes.

In the end it is all about finding value in fantasy leagues. If you can unearth a gem no one else has heard of and you can get him on the cheap then you have to cash in on that opportunity. Consider the Baseball Notebook prospect list as your chance to cash in. Not all of the prospects will pan out but no list can predict every future star.

Fangraphs

2005-12-11T16:43:00.000-05:00

I ran across this site a while back: www.fangraphs.com. I recommend checking it out. Here's a little blurb about what they do:

At Fangraphs we have 17 graphs for every player that played in the Major Leagues since 2002. That comes to about 30,000 baseball graphs. Every graph is updated every single day of the season with the most current stats. Not only do we graph ordinary stats such as batting average but we also provide graphs of various sabermetrics.

Diamond Draft Free Customizable $ Values

2005-12-04T11:08:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. It's been a nice break but the offseason doesn't last long when you write for fantasy websites. I've been working on my submissions for three different mags/draft kits and have started to notice some free resources popping up already.

First off, check out Diamond Draft for free, customizable dollar values. I've never used their projections so I can't speak to the quality but it is a free resource.

Second, David Luciani at Baseball Notebook has posted a sneak peak at his projections for 2006. The finished product won't be free however.

More to come this offseason!

FANALYTICS: Quint-Inning, The Official Rules

2005-08-19T14:12:00.000-04:00

Ron Shandler has come up with a way to play fantasy baseball for only one game. It's an interesting concept. Ron is trying to find away to connect with the attention deficit crowd who likes fantasy sports and baseball but is not able to make the long-term commitment to a full season of fantasy baseball.

BULLPEN BUYERS GUIDE: Relief roles mean opportunities

2005-08-12T11:39:00.000-04:00

A good example of how to analyze relief roles to determine which relievers can help you down the stretch.

The Road From Bristol

2005-07-25T19:32:00.000-04:00

Side tracking from Fantasy Baseball...

Vote for your most hated ESPN talking head on The Road From Bristol. If you hate what ESPN has become like I do then you'll love this competition.

John Lackey (SP), LA Angels

2005-07-23T17:05:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts - been busy with my column and other stuff. Hopefully you've all checked out the new CS site.

Anyway, I decided to take a look at John Lackey this week as he's been quite impressive this season (again, I had to do this on another webpage as my blog formatting gets screwed up from these charts). If you need definitions for any of the terms click here.

Dan Wheeler (RP), Houston

2005-07-02T19:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, I tried and tried to get this post to work on my blog but it kept messing up the blog columns and puching all my links to the bottom of the page. Since I am an HTML novice when it comes to fixing this stuff I decided to move this post to another site so it can be read with my chart:

Click here to read my analysis on Dan Wheeler and why he might be a good pickup in your league, mixed or NL only.

Ask David Luciani: Volume 6, Number 20

2005-06-30T07:27:00.000-04:00

Another good installment of the Ask David column.

Strike Zone - NL Closers of the Future

2005-06-28T09:14:00.000-04:00

The other half of the closers of the future article I linked to last week.

Strike Zone - AL Closers of the Future

2005-06-21T06:17:00.000-04:00

A nice look at closers around the AL by Matthew Pouliot.

Also, if anyone on the list is joining a mid-season league there will be a mid-season draft kit available from Creativesports.

Remember to sign up for the Fantasy Sports Daily as well so you can get my weekly AL or Nothing column.

Ask David Luciani, Volume 6, Number 19

2005-06-19T10:36:00.000-04:00

Thought this was a pretty good issue of Ask David at Baseball Notebook.

Why I hate FAAB

2005-06-10T09:47:00.000-04:00

Haven't posted in a while but that's because it's been the same old, same old. However, good article this week on FAAB and of particular interest to me, the Vickrey Method.

The Hotpage, Rankings and a TRUM

2005-06-01T08:02:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the low amount of posts. I was on vacation for the last week. Here are some quality links:

Lawr Michaels' Baseball Hotpage > Week Nine, 2005 Season

June's Top 250 at Rotoworld. Rankings of the top players by position.

TMR's TRUM is almost always a good read. Check it out.

Baseball Hotpage > Week Eight, 2005 Season

2005-05-24T08:04:00.000-04:00

Lawr Michaels' look at some free agent possibilities.

The Week Ahead

2005-05-22T16:09:00.000-04:00

The Week Ahead by Kyle Kalotschke

Scheduled Advantage: May 23-29, 2005 by David Luciani and Jim McGrath

On Fantasy Baseball Trading

2005-05-19T10:33:00.000-04:00

David Luciani On Fantasy Baseball Trading. I think this is a very good article and is well worth reading.

AL or Nothing

2005-05-18T08:56:00.000-04:00

My latest AL or Nothing. I haven't been posting these here lately because they are Fantasy Sports Daily content now and that doesn't appear on the website until a week after it appears in the newsletter. Anyway, if you like my stuff you can subscribe and get my article every Wednesday.

Planning for the Week Ahead

2005-05-15T13:22:00.000-04:00

Shawn McEvoy's The Week Ahead

David Luciani and Jim McGrath's Scheduled Advantage: May 16-22, 2005

Kyle Kalotschke's The Week Ahead

Baseball HQ: ONLINE GAMING ANALYSIS

2005-05-14T01:17:00.000-04:00

Skip Snow looks at some buy low/sell high fantasy outfielders.

Baseball Hotpage & Strike Zone

2005-05-12T10:51:00.000-04:00

Lawr Michaels' look at injuries and Matthew Pouliot's look around the league.

Planning for the week ahead

2005-05-08T12:36:00.000-04:00

David Luciani and Jim McGrath's Scheduled Advantage: May 9-15, 2005

Kyle Kalotschke's Week Ahead at TMR.com

Ask David Luciani: Volume 6, Number 15

2005-05-05T05:44:00.000-04:00

David Luciani on why not to give up on Vernon Wells (or why to buy low) and where to find a few saves (potentially).

Strike Zone - May Player Rankings

2005-05-03T09:25:00.000-04:00

Matthew Pouliot's player rankings by position.

Prospects: Ervin Santana, Penn and Kelly Johnson

2005-04-28T08:33:00.000-04:00

Matthew Pouliot with his weekly prospects column.

Baseball Hotpage> Week 4, 2005 Season (Playing Pitching Percentages)

2005-04-27T07:59:00.000-04:00

Lawr Michaels' weekly column.

Strike Zone - Notes by Team

2005-04-25T08:15:00.000-04:00

Matthew Pouliot's latest look around the league.

Scheduled Advantage: April 25-May 1, 2005

2005-04-24T18:44:00.000-04:00

David Luciani and Jim McGrath look at the upcoming week.

Prospects: Anthony Reyes, Pedroia & Granderson

2005-04-23T10:33:00.000-04:00

Matthew Pouliot's weekly look at prospects.

The Long Gandhi: The Latest Discoveries

2005-04-21T06:48:00.000-04:00

Trace Wood examines some of the hot starts in the AL.

Prospect Hotsheet

2005-04-20T11:33:00.000-04:00

Kevin Goldstein's Prospect Hotsheet made it's debut this week. A good tool for those of you in deep keepers that can pick up prospects during the season.

Strike Zone - Notes by Team

2005-04-18T08:33:00.000-04:00

Matthew Pouliot and his team notes.

Scheduled Advantage: April 18-24, 2005

2005-04-17T13:54:00.000-04:00

David Luciani and Jim McGrath look at the schedule for the upcoming week.

ROTISSERIE GAMING: FAABulous

2005-04-15T16:06:00.000-04:00

Patrick Davitt explains the Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB).

Also, check out Baseball HQ radio.

Prospects-McCarthy, Astacio & Doumit

2005-04-14T18:30:00.000-04:00

Matthew Pouliot with his weekly run-down of prospects.

The Long Gandhi

2005-04-13T18:48:00.000-04:00

Trace Wood profiles some AL players.

Baseball Hotpage: Week 2

2005-04-12T08:20:00.000-04:00

Lawr Michaels with his weekly trip around the majors.

Strike Zone - Notes by Team

2005-04-11T20:35:00.000-04:00

Matthew Pouliot takes a pass around the majors with notes for each team.

Scheduled Advantage: April 11-17

2005-04-10T16:40:00.000-04:00

David Luciani and Jim McGrath break down the upcoming schedule and tell you who to start and who to sit.

Race to the Waiver Wire

2005-04-09T10:03:00.000-04:00

Jody Madron looks at some free agent pickups that could be available in your league.

Prospects Report - ROY Predictions

2005-04-08T08:07:00.000-04:00

Matthew Pouliot looks at the Rookie of the Year candidates for 2005.

AL or Nothing - Week 1

2005-04-07T10:32:00.000-04:00

My AL or Nothing column looking at injuries and waiver wire pickups.

Baseball Hotpage - 2005, Week 1

2005-04-06T05:46:00.000-04:00

Lawr Michaels with some early season observations.

Waiver Wired - Week 1

2005-04-05T08:54:00.000-04:00

Matthew Fisher trolls the waiver wires with suggestions for free agent pick ups.

Strike Zone - Notes by Team

2005-04-04T02:24:00.000-04:00

Matthew Pouliot lists his notes for each team heading in to opening day.

The Sports Forecaster

2005-04-03T08:29:00.000-04:00

The Sports Forecaster is a free online fantasy mag (PDF) from the Toronto Star.

ROTISSERIE GAMING: Labadini meets the NFBC

2005-04-02T08:11:00.000-05:00

Even more on the NFBC and the roto heads that are drafting $9 pitching staffs.

Outside the [Batter's] Box > Minor League (Class A) Fantasy Baseball?

2005-04-01T11:10:00.000-05:00

Very interesting column by Buster at CS on the strategy of one participant in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship NL auction (a $1,250.00 entry fee league).

JDM's Scoresheet Baseabll

2005-03-31T08:15:00.000-05:00

I realized I forgot to mention a great site for prospect info: JDM's Scoresheet Baseball. Don't worry about the name of the site. The prospect info is from all around the web. Might be the only place you need to go to get prospect info.

AL or Nothing: Prospect Watch

2005-03-30T08:13:00.000-05:00

My latest column.

Tout Wars: Auction Results

2005-03-29T08:42:00.000-05:00

Looking for mock auctions? Look no further. The Tout AL, NL and mixed leagues drafted this weekend and the results are posted on the Tout Wars site. The spreadsheets are also a nice free resource for those of you that want a tracking sheet to use during your auction.

Tout Wars: Trolling the Reserve Lists

2005-03-28T20:37:00.000-05:00

Lawr Michaels pens some thoughts on the FAAB process.

Strike Zone - Notes by Team

2005-03-27T20:14:00.000-05:00

Matthew Pouliot gives a run-down of all teams with looks at sleepers, injuries and position battles.

Baseball HQ: Labadini revisited

2005-03-26T01:14:00.000-05:00

Ron Shandler reviews the Labandini plan for auction drafts.

Around the NL

2005-03-25T08:29:00.000-05:00

I haven't been giving NL columns any mention here (I hadn't noticed any free ones lately). Then I came across this. Probably won't be free every week though.

Tout Wars - Hitter / Pitcher Spending Splits

2005-03-24T07:44:00.000-05:00

Scott Wilderman looks at hitter/pitcher splits from last season.

AL or Nothing - Mailbag

2005-03-23T05:35:00.000-05:00

My lastest AL or Nothing Column.

The Hook - Category Watch: Strikeouts

2005-03-22T17:30:00.000-05:00

James Meyerriecks breaks down major league pitching to help you find sources of K's that could be available later in your drafts.

Strike Zone - Pitcher Overviews

2005-03-21T06:54:00.000-05:00

Matthew Pouliot looks at underrated and overrated pitchers for fantasy leagues.

AL or Nothing - Need a few owners

2005-03-20T01:05:00.000-05:00

I have an AL league that I am doing for fun this year. No keeps, nothing long-term just wanted another AL league. I have a couple spots left. If any of the readers here are interested, here are the specs:

Yahoo Free League: http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/b1/
Live online draft is set for Sat Apr 2 2:30pm EST
League ID: 9944
Password: fresca

Max Teams: 12
Scoring Type: Rotisserie
Player Universe: AL only
Max Moves: No maximum
Max Trades: No maximum
Trade Reject Time: 2
Trade End Date: August 28, 2005
Waiver Time: 2 days
Can't Cut List Provider: Yahoo! Sports
Trade Review: League Votes
Post Draft Players: Follow Waiver Rules
Max Games Played: 162
Max Innings Pitched: 1400
Weekly Deadline: Daily - Tomorrow
Start Scoring on: Sunday, Apr 3

Roster Positions: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, CI, MI, OF, OF, OF, OF, OF, Util, SP, SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, RP, P, P, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, DL, DL, DL, DL

Stat Categories: R, HR, RBI, SB, AVG, W, SV, K, ERA, WHIP