Bold Statements and Fearless Predictions
July 17, 2009
Each week I examine one player who has managed to avoid the fantasy spotlight, remaining on the fringe of fantasy stardom. This week’s player is Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann.
Jordan Zimmermann is one of the top ten pitchers in the National League. Take a look at the following numbers Read more
In Case You Missed It . . . Mid-Season Edition
July 17, 2009
Each week I highlight recent fantasy baseball performances that you may have missed. These stories include interesting stats and trends, major league debuts, recent rehab starts, minor league performances, hot/cold streaks, and so on. My hope is to help you identify players and trends that you may not have noticed.
For this special mid-season edition, we take a look at overall performances, as well as how players have performed over the past month.
1. Pablo Sandoval is 5th in the majors with a .333 batting average.
2. Albert Pujols is on pace for 156 RBI’s.
3. Brandon Inge is on pace for 39 homers.
4. Manny Ramirez, Chipper Jones, Vernon Wells, Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Quentin, Nick Markakis, Josh Hamilton, David Wright, Vladimir Guerrero, and Carlos Delgado all have 9 or fewer homers.
5. Aaron Hill leads the majors in at-bats with 390, but is 38th in runs scored.
6. David Wright has four times as many steals (20) as home runs (5).
7. Nelson Cruz has 13 steals to go with his 22 homers.
8. After a rough start, Jon Lester now has 8 wins, a 3.87 ERA, and is 4th in the majors in strikeouts.
9. Ten pitchers, including reigning AL CY Young Award winner Cliff Lee, have 9 losses this season.
10. Brian Fuentes has 27 saves, four more than any other pitcher in baseball.
11. Fifteen pitchers have 20 or more saves.
12. Dan Haren leads the majors with a 2.01 ERA, overtaking Zach Greinke’s 2.12 ERA. As amazing as these pitchers have been, consider how it pales in comparison to Dwight Gooden’s 1985 ERA of 1.53.
13. Wandy Rodriguez, J.A. Happ, Jair Jurrjens, Jarrod Washburn, and Nick Blackburn are all in the top 15 of ERA.
14. Jamie Moyer has a 5.58 ERA. Last year his ERA was 3.71
15. Over the past month, Derek Lee leads the majors in homers with 11. Jayson Werth is second, with 10.
16. David Ortiz is 11th in the majors in homers over the past month with 7.
17. Dexter Fowler is third in the majors in steals over the past month with 9.
18. Dustin Pedroia is first in the majors in doubles over the past month, with 14. Todd Helton has 12, which is good for second place, and Josh Willingham is third with 10.
19. Hanley Ramirez has a .397 batting average over the past month.
20. Josh Willingham has a .375 batting average over the past month.
21. Jamie Moyer, despite his atrocious ERA, leads the majors in wins over the past month with 5.
22. Huston Street has 2 wins, a 2.19 ERA and 9 saves over the past month.
23. Josh Beckett has tossed two shutouts over the past month, which leads the majors.
24. Chad Gaudin leads the majors in K’s over the past month with 47.
25. Kevin Millwood had an impressive start to his 2009 season, but has been lit up to the tune of a 6.23 ERA over the past month.
26. David Price and Johnny Cueto have also struggled over the past month, with a 6.48 and 9.27 ERA respectively.
27. Matt Lindstrom may begin a rehab assignment next week.
28. Pedro Martinez was signed to a minor league deal by the Phillies and is expected to make his major league debut in August.
29. Carlos Quentin played in a rehab game yesterday.
30. Alex Gordon was activated from the disabled list this week.
31. Carlos Beltran’s injury has not improved and his return date remains uncertain.
Fantasy Impact: Cubs Sign BJ Ryan
July 17, 2009
The Chicago Cubs predictably signed the Jays’ fallen former-closer BJ Ryan for the remainder of the 2009 season. What is the impact of this move for fantasy GM’s? Plainly put, if you are in an AL-only league, you have lost Ryan (not sure how valuable he had been to this point, though). If your league format is NL-only or mixed, then BJ Ryan likely has little value. It is true that Kevin Gregg is a mediocre, uninteresting option at closer who is perpetually chased by underperforming understudy Carlos Marmol, but that does not lend to a takeover by the newcomer Ryan – even if he does move from the feared AL East to the more offensively challenged NL Central. More likely than not, BJ Ryan will be installed as the Cubs’ new left-handed specialist. The real fantasy beneficiary of this deal could be Sean Marshall, who could turn into an impact player in NL-only formats and a serviceable bottom of the rotation southpaw for Chicago. Watch Marshall’s stock rise as a result of the deal, but don’t hold your breath on a return to greatness for the oft-injured Ryan.
Did You Know…?
Did you know that Brian Roberts led the majors in doubles in 2009 with 56?
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