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The Fantasy Implications of the Red Sox and Dodgers Blockbuster

Monday August 27th, 2012

Peter Stein (Fantasy Baseball Analyst): Follow @PeterWStein

The blockbuster trade between the Red Sox and Dodgers certainly shifted the balance of power in the NL West and marked the end of a tumultuous season in Boston. With such an unprecedented type of deal, fantasy owners, in late August nonetheless, were greatly impacted by this waiver wire trade. I, for one, lost Carl Crawford, Jose Bautista, and Adrian Gonzalez in my AL only league in the matter of a week. My first place lead will soon slip from my grasp, as I am left without any opportunity or options to improve my team this late in the game.

With the waiver wire deals we have seen over the last few years, it no longer makes sense to lineup a fantasy trade deadline with the non-waiver deadline of July 31. In reality this blockbuster only truly impacts AL and NL only leagues, but each of the players traded to the Dodgers should have a boost in value down the stretch when owners most need it.

Needless to say, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett finally have something to play for and have the benefit of a fresh start. Crawford, not knowing he would soon be traded to a contender, may have thought twice about electing for season ending surgery had he been able to predict the future. Still, despite his productive play while injured, the surgery was necessary and it sets him up for a more successful 2013 campaign.

Let’s take a look at each of these players’ values- not only for this season, but moving forward as well: Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: adrian gonzalez, allen webster, andre ethier, baseball, billy butler, boston red sox, carl crawford, david ortiz, james loney, jerry sands, jose bautista, josh beckett, los angeles dodgers, matt kemp, mlb, nick punto, rubby de la rosa

MLB Reports Monthly Power Rankings: August 2012

Aug 6

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Monday August.6/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- It has been a crazy month in which teams have stockpiled some heavy talent at the trade deadline to get ready for the playoffs. Amongst the biggest gainers for the rankings this month were: the Athletics, Reds, Braves, Tigers, Dodgers (because of the deals) and Mariners while the Mets, Red Sox, Indians and Royals saw brutal months all but seal their playoff fates. I do think that Boston has a punchers chance but that all is dependent on David Ortiz returning to the lineup swiftly. The power of the best teams is definitely leaning to the National League right now where several teams are playing great baseball. With one-third of the season left we are all in for a treat as baseball fans.

I will have one more regular season Power Rankings month of September (to be posted on Labor Day Weekend,) before I also provide a playoff style ranking of the 1-10 seeds right before the Wild Card Teams play the play in game. It certainly has been awesome to follow how the trade deadline has effected the Monthly Rankings this time around. I think it is safe to say that this years deadline provided more interest and following-from even the casual fan more than any other year before. I also believe that the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is now the best Trade Deadline in all of sports. Social Media has a lot to do with this but so does parity. The 2nd Wild Card spot has also created more teams willing to trade prospects in lieu of going for it. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: a.j ellis, a.j. burnett, aaron hill, adam dunn, adam jones, adam laroche, adrian gonzalez, albert pujols, alex gordon, alex ríos, alexei ramirez, alfonso soriano, anaheim angels, andres torres, Andrew McCutchen, anthony rizzo, aramis ramirez, arizona diamondbacks, aroldis chapman, Atlanta Braves, austin jackson, baltimore orioles, ben revere, billy butler, blake beaven, boston redsox, brandon inge, brandon moss, brandon phillips, Brian McCann, Bronson Arroyo, buster posey, Carlos lee, carlos ruiz, carlos santana, carlos villanueva, chase headley, chase utley, chicago cubs, chicago white sox, chipper jones, chris davis, chris sale, cincinnati reds, clay buccholz, cleveland indians, cliff lee, colorado rockies, corey hart, craig kimbrel, dan haren, daniel murphy, dave robertson, david murphy, david ortiz, david price, david wright, denard span, derek jeter, derek lowe, detroit tigers, doug fister, edwin encarnacion, felix hernandez, freddie freeman, garrett jones, gerardo parra, giancarlo stanton, gio gonzalez, hanley ramirez, homer bailey, houston astros, hunter pence, huston street, ian kennedy, jason kubel, jeff keppinger, jered weaver, jesus montero, joe blanton, joe mauer, johnny cueto, johnny gomes, jon lester, jonathan broxton, jordan zimmerman, jose altuve, jose bautista, jose reyes, josh beckett, josh hamilton, josh johnson, josh willingham, justin morneau, justin ruggiano, justin upton, kansas city royals, kevin youkilis, kyle seager, la dodgers, lorenzo cain, Luke Scott, mark teixeira, mat latos, matt kemp, melky cabrera, miami marlins, micheal brantley, Micheal Mckenry, Micheal Morse, miguel cabrera, mike fiers, mike napoli, Mike Trout, milwaukee brewers, minnesota twins, Monthly MLB Rankings, neil walker, nelson cruz, new york mets, new york yankees, nick markakis, oakland athletics, pauil maholm, paul goldschmidt, pedro strop, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh pirates, prince fielder, r.a. dickey, rafael soriano, rickie weeks, ruben tejada, ryan braun, ryan dempster, ryan howard, ryan vogelsong, ryan zimmerman, sam dedundo, san diego padres, san francisco giants, scott diamond, scott feldman, scott hairston, scott rolen, seattle mariners, seth smith, shane victorino, shin-soo choo, st louis cardinals, stephen strasburg, tampa bay rays, team rankings MLB, texas rangers, Torii Hunter, toronto blue jays, travis hafner, ubaldo jimenez, washington nationals, wie-yin chen, willie bloomquist, yasmani grandal, yu darvish

Wil Myers is Off to a Tremendous Start in the Minors: Royals Prospect is On the Verge

Jun 2

Posted by samevans87

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Saturday June 2nd, 2012

Sam Evans: A couple of years ago, the Kansas City Royals had not only the best farm system at the time, but maybe one of the best farm systems in the history of baseball. Fast forward a few years later and the Royals still have a bright future, and a lot of their prospects have graduated to the major league level. One of their top prospects, Wil Myers, is on the verge of the major leagues after tearing up both Double-A and Triple-A in 2012. If he can stay healthy, he has the potential to become a perennial All-Star.

Wil Myers was born in High Point, North Carolina in December of 1990. After four seasons of baseball at Wesleyan Christian High School, Myers committed to the University of South Carolina, which was at the time, was one of the best baseball programs in the country. After the Royals selected Myers in the third round of the 2009 Amateur draft, it took a $2 million signing bonus to get Myers to turn professional. Despite the high cost, it was evident that the Royals got a very talented player in the third round of a strong draft. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in On the Verge: MLB Prospects

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Tags: al central, alex gordon, baseball, billy butler, eric hosmer, Kansas city, mike moustakas, minor leagues, mlb, northwest arkansas, prospects, royals, wil myers

The DH Tandem of Ibanez and Jones Are Providing Great Value Amongst the Position

May 28

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Monday, May.28/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones might only be hitting about .250 as a combined DH unit, however they are providing some much-needed power from the DH slot for the New York Yankees. Ibanez is batting .260 with 9 HRs and 27 RBI in 137 AB, Jones is .227 with 5 HRs and 10 RBI in 66 AB. The two totals combined equal 14 HRs and 37 RBI in 193 AB. This is really good production in the power department. This puts the duo on pace for about 45 HRs and 120 RBI out of the DH slot. These numbers are comparable to Chicago White Sox primary DH Adam Dunn, who is .240 with 15 HRs and 35 RBI, and Edwin Encarnacion for the Toronto Blue Jays, who is .274 with 15 HRs and is second in the AL with 39 RBI.

There are factors that cancel out the production of both Encarnacion and Dunn. The Blue Jays first base position has killed any type of edge that Encarnacion’s start should have provided. Adam Lind hit himself out of the Majors with his under .200 average, thus negating the production that the position of 1B needs to have in order to compete along with a DH. Adam Dunn has racked up 74 strikeouts to add to his power numbers. While this has been a renaissance year for Dunn so far, the all or nothing philosophy does hurt in the clutch sometimes. I think the White Sox have to be happy with his production, plus Paul Konerko has been the best player in the AL outside of Josh Hamilton. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: adam dunn, adam lind, albert pujols, American league, andruw jones, angels, billy butler, blue jays, Chuck Booth, david ortiz, DH position, edwin encarnacion, eric hosmer, indians, jesus montero, john jaso, johnny damon, josh hamilton, justin morneau, kendrys morales, Luke Scott, manny ramirez, mariners, mark reynolds, micheal young, miguel olivo, nick johnson, oakland, orioles, paul konerko, prince fielder, rangers, rays, royals, ryan doumit, the fastest 30 ballgames, tigers, travis hafner, twins, victor martinez, vladimir guerrero, white sox, wilson betemit, yankees

Fantasy Baseball Report: Week of May 28th

May 28

Posted by pwstein87

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Monday May 28th, 2012

Peter Stein (Fantasy Baseball Analyst – MLB reports): In this week’s fantasy focus, I take a look at a group of hitter who have improved significantly in one category and as a result have seen a tremendous increase in their overall value. While some of these guys are legit, others should be traded while their value is at a peak. Also, do not miss the “Closer Corner”, as the saves category has been as frustrating and hard to predict as any in 2012.

Martin Prado has always been a serviceable infield option, although now only eligible at third base, due to his ability to hit for average and decent power and production. However, his average took a hit in 2011 (.260) and his career highs in home runs (15) and stolen bases (5) leaves a lot to be desired. In 2012, Prado has made an effort to be more aggressive on the base paths and has already stolen 7 bases in 8 attempts. Even 15 stolen bases would tremendously increase his overall value. I expect him to approach 20, especially as he is getting on base more with an even 21:21 walk to strikeout ratio. His average is a robust .333 (career .297) and his new approach at the plate could have Prado ending the year with a line looking something like this: .310/14/80/20.

After crushing 21 home runs in 2009, Billy Butler has disappointed many owners by hitting 15 and 19 home runs in his follow-up seasons. He is an OPS machine and the power seems to be developing in 2012, as he already has 11 home runs. Due to his size, 240 pounds, people expected the power to develop right away, but we cannot forget that he is only 26 years old. Guys typically do not reach their full power potential until their late twenties. While we know we can expect a .300 average from Butler, is appears that he will at least come close to approaching 30 home runs in 2012. The fact that he hit 13 of his 19 home runs in the final three months of the 2011 season is even more promising for Butler owners. The only discouraging thing about Butler is that he is only eligible at the DH position in most leagues. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: addison reed, b.j. upton, baseball, billy butler, brandon league, Carlos Marmol, closer, Edward Mujica, Ernesto Frieri, fantasy baseball, heath bell, james russell, martin prado, mlb, rafael dolis, rafael furcal, robin ventura, saves, steve cishek, tom wilhelmsen, tyler clippard

Kansas City Royals: Do They Have Enough Pitching to Become Contenders?

May 24

Posted by bernieolshansky

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Thursday May 24th, 2012

Bernie Olshansky: This season was all set up to finally be the year that the Royals would have a good chance to contend. The division became less competitive than normal with the White Sox losing Mark Buehrle and manager Ozzie Guillen, the Twins not making any big moves in the offseason besides signing Josh Willingham, and a second wild card being added to increase the possibility of making the playoffs. Royals’ fans have long waited for the team to make the playoffs as they have only had a winning record once since 1993. This year, the Royals have no shortage of hitting with young stars Eric Hosmer (first base)—who is struggling as of late but is showing signs of coming around, and third baseman, Mike Moustakas who is hitting .285. The Royals also have a strong outfield with Alex Gordon and veteran Jeff Francouer. Prospect Wil Myers, who was just promoted to Triple A, may offer more strength in the future, and Billy Butler, hitting .301 is the designated hitter. With a strong bullpen and hitting lineup beside the slumping Hosmer, right now the only weakness for the Royals is their starting pitching. Presently, Felipe Paulino is an exception with a 1.93 ERA, but it is doubtful that he will keep up his performance. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

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Tags: al central, baseball, billy butler, bruce chen, cole hamels, duffy, hochevar, hosmer, jonathan sanchez, Kansas city, melky cabrera, mlb, montgomery, moustakas, ozzie guillen, paulino, roy oswalt, royals, ryan howard, twins, white sox, willingham

MLB reports Monthly Power Rankings: May 2012

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Tuesday May 8th, 2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-We are going to bring you a monthly power rankings every month of the season. There will be a few verses for each team. Please feel free to let us know your thoughts.

May Power Rankings

Texas (19-10) Josh Hamilton is clubbing the ball at his 2010 like AL MVP clip. Yu Darvish appears to be the real deal. Mike Napoli hits 8^th on most nights. Michael Young might be the most under-appreciated hitter in the last decade. Ian Kinsler is on pace for 162 runs. If Nelson Cruz starts hitting and or Nathan rounds into form, than this team may blitz by every one.
Tampa Bay (19-10) The pitching staff is incredible right now. David Price is asserting himself as one of the premier left-handed pitchers in baseball. Strong starts from Evan Longoria, Luke Scott and Carlos Pena have helped. Joe Maddon may be the best ‘in-game manager’ of baseball now with Tony La Russa out of the Majors.
Atlanta (18-12) The reason I have Atlanta rated so high is they are not even having a good year from Tim Hudson yet and Jair Jurrjens has been atrocious. Still they sit near the top of the standings. Chipper Jones has 21 RBI and Freddie Freeman has taken the next step so far with 26 RBI. Last year the team had a lot of players with career worst years and they were only eliminated on the last day of the season. This year may be different.
St. Louis (18-11) You lose a franchise player like Albert Pujols and you spend half the money for Carlos Beltran and Rafael Furcal, who are finally hitting the numbers like the back of their bubble gum cards from 5 years ago. Are we giving enough credit to Mark McGwire here? Lance Lynn has morphed into Chris Carpenter with his 6-0 start.
LA Dodgers (19-10) Matt Kemp is the best player in baseball right now and may walk away with the triple crown this year. Andre Ethier has matured into the RBI guy he needs to be. Solid pitching by Clayton Kershaw, Chris Capuano and Ted Lilly have this team looking solid. Dodgers look good in the future when the new ownership takes over. (more…)