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Aaron Harang threw a complete game 4 hit shutout as the Mariners beat the Padres, 9-0.

Kelly Johnson went 4-5 with 2 homers and a stolen base as the Rays topped the Marlins, 10-6.

Jeff Samardzija went the distance, throwing a two hit shutout over the crosstown White Sox, striking out 8 and walking 2 as the Cubs prevailed, 7-0.

And David Wright hit a triple, went 2-3 and his towering home run tied the game in the 7th and sparked the Mets come from behind 2-1 victory in the first game of the Subway Series with the Yankees, 2-1.

They all owned baseball on May 27th, 2013.

My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.

At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.

To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: a.j. burnett, A.J. Griffin, a.j. pierzynski, aaron hicks, adam jones, adam rosales, adeiny hechavarria, adrian beltre, adrian gonzalez, albert pujols, alex cobb, alex gordon, alexi amarista, andrelton simmons, Andrew McCutchen, andy pettitte, anibal sanchez, austin jackson, barry zito, bartolo colon, Baseball adam wainwright, brandon belt, brandon mccarthy, brandon moss, brandon phillips, brett anderson, Brian McCann, Bronson Arroyo, bryce harper, bud norris, buster posey, c.j. wilson, carlos beltran, Carlos Corporan, cc sabathia, chris davis, chris sale, chris tillman, chris young, clay buchholz, clayton kershaw, cliff lee, dan haren, daniel nava, david phelps, Derek Holland, Domonic Brown, Drew Smyly, drew stubbs, edinson volquez, edwin encarnacion, ervin santana, evan longoria, felix hernandez, francisco liriano, gaby sanchez, gerardo parra, giancarlo stanton, gio gonzalez, Gregor Blanco, hiroki kuroda, homer bailey, howie kendrick, J. B. Shuck, j.p. arencibia, jacoby ellsbury, jake peavy, jake westbrook, james loney, james shields, jason grilli, jason kipnis, Jason Vargas, jed lowrie, Jeremy guthrie, joe mauer, joey votto, jon lester, jordan zimmermann, jordany valdespin, jorge de la rosa, jose bautista, jose fernandez, Jose Tabata, josh donaldson, justin masterson, justin maxwell, justin morneau, justin verlander, kevin correia, lance lynn, lorenzo cain, lyle overbay, madison bumgarner, manny machado, Marco scutaro, mark buehrle, matt harvey, matt joyce, matt moore, matt tuiasosopo, matt wieters, max scherzer, michael cuddyer, michael mckenry, miguel cabrera, mike minor, mike napoli, Mike Trout, mitch moreland, neil walker, Nick Tepesch., Patrick Corbin, paul goldschmidt, paul maholm, pete kozma, prince fielder, r.a. dickey, raul ibanez, rickie weeks, ricky nolasco, robinson cano, ryan zimmerman, Scott Barnes, scott diamond, scott feldman, scott kazmir, sergio romo, shelby miller, shin-soo choo, stephen drew, stephen strasburg, travis hafner, travis snider, travis wood, troy tulowitzki, wade davis, wandy rodriguez, wilin rosario, will middlebrooks, will venable, yan gomes, yoenis cespedes, yovani gallardo, yu darvish, zack cozart, zack greinke

202 ‘WOB’ Awards Since Opening Day – Find Out Who

May 21

Posted by Paul Francis Sullivan

Sully baseball hosts a 20 Min Daily Podcast https://mlbreports.com/2013/04/27/sully-baseball-daily-podcast-april-27-2013/

‘Sully’ Baseball (Paul Francis Sullivan) hosts a 20 Minute Daily Podcast Every Day – 365 Days a Year – unless its a Leap Year – and then he is going to do another one.

check out Sully Baseball’s 20 Min Daily Podcast Right here

Don’t forget to Subscribe on iTunes HERE. RSS Feed here

WOB Stands For ‘Who Owned Baseball’ It is based on a Daily Look at the best players from the baseball games the day before. Our Lead Writer – Paul Francis Sullivan – (please call him ‘Sully’), keeps a running total for the yearly leaders every day – and we will update the standings here every day on this page..

Agree or Disagree with him on the players he selects – leave him a comment at info@sullybaseball.com. Follow him on twitter.
Follow @sullybaseball

So Bookmark this Page – and be part of the new phenomena of #WOB – If you reverse WOB it also means Players that take a BOW for being the best players of the night! Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: a.j. burnett, A.J. Griffin, a.j. pierzynski, aaron hicks, adam jones, adam rosales, adam wainwright, adeiny hechavarria, adrian beltre, adrian gonzalez, albert pujols, alex cobb, alex gordon, alexi amarista, andrelton simmons, Andrew McCutchen, andy pettitte, angel pagan, anibal sanchez, austin jackson, bartolo colon, brandon belt, brandon mccarthy, brandon moss, brandon phillips, brett anderson, Brian McCann, Bronson Arroyo, bryce harper, bud norris, buster posey, carlos beltran, Carlos Corporan, carlos gonzalez, cc sabathia, chris davis, chris sale, chris tillman, clay buchholz, clayton kershaw, cliff lee, colorado rockies, Coors Field, dan haren, daniel nava, david phelps, Derek Holland, detroit tigers, Domonic Brown, Drew Smyly, drew stubbs, edinson volquez, edwin encarnacion, ervin santana, evan longoria, felix hernandez, gaby sanchez, gerardo parra, giancarlo stanton, gio gonzalez, hiroki kuroda, homer bailey, howie kendrick, j.p. arencibia, jacoby ellsbury, Jaime Garcia, jake westbrook, james loney, james shields, jason kipnis, Jason Vargas, jed lowrie, Jeremy guthrie, joe mauer, joey votto, jordan zimmermann, jordany valdespin, jorge de la rosa, jose bautista, jose fernandez, Jose Tabata, justin masterson, justin maxwell, justin morneau, justin verlander, kevin correia, lance lynn, lorenzo cain, lyle overbay, madison bumgarner, manny machado, Marco scutaro, mark buehrle, marlins, matt harvey, matt joyce, matt moore, matt tuiasosopo, matt wieters, miami marlins, michael mckenry, miguel cabrera, mike minor, mike napoli, mitch moreland, neil walker, Nick Tepesch., Patrick Corbin, paul goldschmidt, paul maholm, r.a. dickey, raul ibanez, rickie weeks, ricky nolasco, robinson cano, rockies, ryan zimmerman, scott diamond, scott feldman, scott kazmir, sergio romo, shelby miller, shin-soo choo, stephen drew, stephen strasburg, tampa bay rays, tigers, travis hafner, travis snider, wade davis, wandy rodriguez, who owned baseball, Who owns baseball?, will middlebrooks, will venable, yan gomes, yoenis cespedes, zack cozart, zack greinke

Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May 20th) – Updated Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

May 21

Posted by Paul Francis Sullivan

Yan Gomes hit a walk off, come from behind, 3 run homer in the bottom of the 10th to cap off a 3-5 day as the Indians won a bizarre 10-8 game over the Mariners.

R. A. Dickey pitched 8 strong innings letting up only 4 hits and 2 earned runs as the Blue Jays got a much needed win over the Rays, 7-5.

Brandon Belt went 4-5, homering and scoring 4 times as the Giants demolished the Nationals 8-0.

And Patrick Corbin threw his first career complete game, improving to 7-0, as he let up only 3 hits and 1 run in Coors Field, striking out 10 for the Diamondbacks 5-1 win over the Rockies.

They all owned baseball on May 20th, 2013

My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.

At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.

To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball

2 Comments

Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May.19) – Updated Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

May 20

Posted by Paul Francis Sullivan

In a losing cause, Miguel Cabrera hit three homers, reached base 5 times, scored three and drove in 5 runs. (His critics would point out that he made an error.) Despite his best efforts, the Tigers lost to Texas 11-8.

Matt Moore pitched seven terrific innings, holding the Orioles to a single run. The Tampa Bay Rays won 3-1 and swept a series in Baltimore that could come back to haunt the Birds later.

Carlos Gonzalez got on base four times and got RBI hits in the first and fifth as the Rockies blanked the Champion Giants 5-0 in Coors Field.

And Ricky Nolasco pitched 8 strong innings, letting up only 1 run and struck out 11 as the Marlins enjoyed a rare win, 2-1 over the Diamondbacks.

They all owned baseball on May 19th, 2013

My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.

At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.

To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball

2 Comments

Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 15th

May 16

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Thursday May.16/2013

Ibanez had 1004 RBI in the last 11 Years and he clubbed 338 of those from 2006-2008 with the Mariners. He is likely to see around 350-400 AB this year. Ibanez has hit HRs in consecutive days – hitting 1 HR on Tuesday versus the Yankees – before exploding for a Grand Slam and a 2 run shot yesterday against his old teammates. He is currently on a 5 Game Hitting Streak ( 8 – 19, .421) – with 5 HRs and 12 RBI.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.

We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.

I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show). So I am bringing it every day on this website. To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!

Click beyond the Youtube link or click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.

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Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: @chuckbooth3024 on twitter, adam dunn, adam laroche, adam lind, alexi amarista, ama laroche, avisail garcia, bryce harper, carlos beltran, Carlos Corporan, chicago white sox, chris stewart, Chuck Booth, ckincinnati reds, david Dejesus, dayan viciedo, eduardo escobar, j.d. martinez, j.p. arencibia, jason kipnis, jeff samardzija, john buck, justin upton, kyle blanks, kyle seager, mike aviles, Mike Trout, nelson cruz, new york yankees, nick swisher, paul goldschmidt, raul ibanez, reid brignac, Rick Ankiel, robin ventura, robinson cano, seattle mariners, shin-soo choo, stephen drew, top 5 HR hitters al, top 5 hr hitters NL, top hr hitters 2012, top HR hitters 2013, vernon wells, will middlebrooks

Who Owned Baseball – Updated May 7th, 2013

May 7

Posted by Paul Francis Sullivan

Stephen Drew hit a game tying homer and a walk off double, going 4-5, as the Red Sox beat the Twins in extra innings, 6-5.

The Kansas City Royals lost in extra innings to the White Sox, 2-1. But don’t blame Royals starter James Shields. His 8 shutout inning performance where he let up only 2 hits and recorded nine strikeouts were enough to own baseball even if his bullpen couldn’t hold the 1-0 lead.

Andrelton Simmons homered twice and went 3-4 with 4 RBI in the Braves 7-4 defeat of the Cincinnati Reds.

Scott Feldman threw 7 shutout innings against the Texas as the Cubs beat the favored Rangers. The final score was 9-2.

They all owned baseball on May 06, 2013

My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.

At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.

To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – click here Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball

2 Comments

Tags: andrelton simmons, boston red sox, red sox, scott feldman, stephen drew, Who owns baseball?, WOB

Boston Red Sox Payroll In 2013 + Contracts Going Forward

Apr 30

Posted by kdana2012

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Tuesday April.30/2013

The Red Sox dumped about $250 Million in player salaries during the 2012 campaign and have put it to good use. The remarkable thing is, not only did they dump all that salary on the Dodgers, but they also acquired some solid arms that are now honing their skills in Pawtucket. The Red Sox payroll looks much better than it did a year ago.

By Ryan Dana (MLB Reports Writer and Red Sox Correspondent): Follow @ryandana1

As it stands now, the Red Sox payroll is at about $157 Million. Below I will show a list of player salaries which comprise most of the budget.

We must also remember that last summer’s blockbuster deal/salary dump on the Dodgers holds Boston responsible for $3.9 Million of the salaries in 2013 of players they traded away.

On top of that there is about $10 Million that must be figured in for benefits/incentive purposes. This list will be in descending order of salary (average annual salary to be more specific) among players on the Red Sox payroll.

David Ortiz: This Is Our —— city – Mature dialogue so Parental Guidance is a must.

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Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: 2013 Boston Red Sox Payroll, 2014 Boston Red Sox Payroll, @ryandana1 on twitter, AL East, andrew bailey, andrew miller, ben cherington, boston red sox, clay buchholz, clayton mortensen, craig breslow, daniel nava, david ortiz, david ross, dustin pedroia, felix dubront, Franklin Morales, free agents, Jackie Bradley Jr., jacoby ellsbury, jarrod saltalamacchia, joel hanrahan, john lackey, jon lester, jonny gomes, Jose Iglesias, junichi tazawa, koji uehara, la dodgers, Luxury Tax Threshold, mike carp, mike napoli, Pawtucket, Payroll, pedro ciriaco, ryan dana, ryan dempster, ryan kalish, ryan lavarnway, shane victorino, stephen drew, will middlebrooks

Athletics 8 Game Win Streak Is Nothing New To Pattern Formed Since Last Year

Apr 12

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Friday, Apr.12/2013

Oakland Athletics’ Jed Lowrie has made Billy Beane look like a genius once again – with clubbing 16 hits, (8 of the Extra Base Variety), Scoring 10 Runs and Walking 6 times so far in the teams 8 – 2 start. He has an OPS of 1.258. He was acquired from the Houston Astros in a February trade which sent Chris Carter the other way. The man can play several defensive positions well. He is due for Arbitration at the end of this season, before becoming a Free Agent in 2015. Beane doesn’t seem to make a bad move these days.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

Hands up.. How many people would have thought that the Oakland Athletics would start the 2013 season with the best record in the Major Leagues so far?

Of course this website is not surprised at all. Jonathan Hacohen (Website Founder and current Oakland A’s Correspondent) wrote a brilliant piece in the 1st week of July/2012 – breaking down Billy Beane‘s new MoneyBall Philosophy here.

I have to admit something right now.. I had not seen the movie “MoneyBall” even by this time. Yes…brutal and I was kicking myself for not seeing it before hand.

After the movie, I did some digging and was extremely flabbergasted with what I found about Beane’s magic. I wrote a Roster Tree for the Hitters and Pitchers in the organization. I studied every single transaction to back track how each of the current member of the team had arrived in an Oakland uniform. You can find that 2 part series here.

Can the Oakland A’s Do it Again in 2013 Preview:

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Tags: @chuckbooth3024, A.J cole, A.J. Griffin, a.j. Kirby-Jones, aaron cunningham, AL West, albert pujiols, American league, andrew werner, andy parrino, arizona diamondbacks, barry zito, bartolo colon, baseball, Baseball 2012 ALDS, bash brothers, bash-bros, bernie olshansky, billy beane, Bob Melvin, boston, brad peacock, brad ziegler, brandon inge, brandon mccarthy, brandon moss, brett anderson, brett wallace, carlos gonzalez, chris carter, Chuck Booth, cj wilson, cliff pennington, Coco Crisp. Josh Reddick, collin cowgill, colorado rockies, connor robertson, craig breslow, dan haren, dan straily, dana eveland, daric barton, Daric Barton. Collin Cowgill, derek norris, detroit tigers, eric sogard, evan scribner, george kottaras, gio gonzalez, graham godfrey, grant balfour, greg smith, hiroyuki nakajima, jarrod parker, jason kendall, jed lowrie, jemile weeks, jerrod parker, jerry blevins, jesse chavez, john jaso, Jonny Gomes. Seth Smith, jose canseco, josh donaldson, josh hamilton, josh reddick, kila ka'aihue, kurt suzuki, Marco scutaro, mark mcgwire, mark Mulder, matt albers, michael taylor, Miguel Tejada, minnesota twins, mlb, MLB Amateur Draft, MLB Team Leaders, nate freiman, o.co coliseum, oakland ahtletics, oakland athletics, orioles, pat neshek, pedro figueroa, pirates, rob bowen, robert gillam, rosales, ryan cook, safeco field, san diego padres, san francisco giants, sean doolittle, st louis cardinals, stephen drew, texas rangers, the ballpark in arlington, the fastest 30 ballgames, tommy milone, toronto blue jays, Travis Blackley, travis buck, trevor cahill, tyson ross, yoenis cespedes

Are The Red Sox Mismanaging Their Shortstop Position?

Apr 11

Posted by kdana2012

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Thursday April.11/2013

Is Jose Iglesias the best fielding Shortstop in baseball? Maybe I’m biased but I believe he is. Keith Law called him the best defensive prospect he had ever seen. His defense has carried him thus far in his professional career, but I think his bat is ready for the Majors in 2013. It might not be at its full potential, but it is developed enough.

By Ryan Dana (MLB Reports Writer and Red Sox Correspondent): Follow @ryandana1

The Boston Red Sox have been off to one of their best starts in recent memory so far in 2013. At this early juncture in the season they are still in 1^st place in the AL East and for the most part are performing like a team with playoff aspirations.

A lot of this is due to the reemergence of veterans who had down 2013 campaigns but there are also a developing core of young players contributing such as Will Middlebrooks, Jackie Bradley Jr, and Jose Iglesias.

While batting .450 (9-20), Jose Iglesias couldn’t have done anything more to secure a spot on the 25-man roster. Despite his great start he was sent down to Pawtucket (AAA) to make room for Stephen Drew who is coming off injury (concussion).

Jose Iglesias Highlights: Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance is advised:

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Posted in MLB Player Profiles, MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

3 Comments

Tags: @ryandana1 on twitter, AL East, boston, Jackie Bradley Jr., john farrell, Jose Iglesias, Keith Law, nomar garciaparra, prospects, red sox, ryan dana, shortstop, stephen drew, will middlebrooks, xander bogaerts

Opening Series Win: Red Sox vs. Yankees – A Sign Of Things To Come For Boston?

Apr 7

Posted by kdana2012

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Sunday April.07/2013

Dustin “Laser Show” Pedroia is the most vital part of this Red Sox team if not for his play on the field, for the hustle and tenacity he plays every game with. Hopefully Don Orsillo is yelling “to the moon” a lot this season. The man has started the year with a 2 Slash Line of .318/.400/.764 with 7 hits in the 1st 5 games. The 2008 AL MVP has a Career 3 Slash of .303/.369/.830. His average season (per 162 Games) is 194 Hits, 17 HRs, 43 Doubles and 77 RBI. His most important stat of this column is his 106 Runs Scored mark for a full year.

By Ryan Dana (MLB Reports Writer and Redsox Correspondent): Follow @ryandana1

I dare you to find a more exciting way to start a season than facing your bitter rivals? Taking 2 of 3 games from them on their field is even better. The start to the 2013 Boston Red Sox season has been good all things considered; much better than the starts to their past 2 seasons.

They spent the start of 2012 getting swept by the Tigers in 3 games, then losing 2 of 3 to the Blue Jays (This was before the Blue Jays had talent on their roster). The year prior, in 2011, the Red Sox came in with high expectations only to start the season 0-6 with series sweeps at the hands of the Rangers and Indians.

To take a quote from rap legend turned sports agent, (hint: he just stole Robinson Cano away from Scott Boras, uh-oh) “moral victories is for Minor League coaches.” Yes that would be Jay-Z.

In the Major Leagues it is all about where you stand in your division. After the 1^st series of play for Major League teams the Red Sox were tied with Baltimore atop the AL East. I know I’m getting carried away; it is after all, only 3 games into the season, (Now a little bit further). In the end a win is a win, and a loss is a loss.

However, I want to look at how the Red Sox won (and lost). I want to do this because I think it sheds light on what they are poised to do in 2013.

Red Sox vs. Yankees Opening Day Recap:

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Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: @ryandana1 on twitter, alfredo aceves, andrew bailey, andrew miller, andy pettitte, brett gardner, cc sabathia, clay buchholz, clayton mortensen, david ortiz, david ross, dustin pedroia, francisco cervelli, hiroki kuroda, ichiro suzuki, Jackie Bradley Jr., jacoby ellsbury, jarrod saltalamacchia, Jay-Z, joel hanrahan, john farrell, john lester, jonny gomes, Jose Iglesias, josh johnson, juan nieves, junichi tazawa, kevin youkilis, koji uehara, lyle overbay, mike napoli, opening day, phil hughes, red sox, robinson cano, ryan dana, ryan dempster, shane victorino, stephen drew, travis hafner, vernon wells, will middlebrooks, yankees

The New Bash Brothers of Oakland – The A’s State Of The Union 2013 Part 1: The Hitters

Mar 24

Posted by bernieolshansky

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Sunday March 24th, 2013

With Cespedes (23 HRs)and Reddick (32 HRs) anchoring the middle of the lineup last year in the 2nd half – the Athletics belted an MLB Leading 112 Round Trippers after the ALL – Star Game. Many players clubbed the long – ball despite limited AB in the lineup. They also finished 3rd in the Major Leagues for the whole season on the road. This is bad news for teams in the AL West. The team looks to duplicate their incredible second half of power into a full season in 2013.

By Bernie Olshansky Follow @bernieolshansky and Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

The success of the Oakland Athletics was the surprise of the year in 2012. No one expected them to win the AL West after the Angels signed Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson and with the Rangers coming off of their second straight World Series Appearance. The A’s completely came out of nowhere with players stepping up that no one had heard of.

Josh Reddick proved to be a great acquisition from the Red Sox, hitting 32 bombs and driving in 85 runs. Cuban import Yoenis Cespedes also exceeded expectations after he was signed in the offseason, hitting 23 Homers and driving in 82. These two hard-hitting Outfielders served as mini Bash Brothers.

Of course, no pair of hitters could compare to the Bash Brothers of 1987 consisting of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, who combined for 80 HR.

But, seeing Reddick and Cespedes both have good hitting seasons could have reminded longtime A’s fans of the greatness that happened in 1987, Canseco’s second year and when McGwire was a rookie. Cespedes and Reddick, along with the rest of the Oakland Athletics’ cast brought excitement to the Oakland Coliseum for the first time in a few years. But, the big question is: was last year a fluke?

The Swinging A’s in 2013 – Mature Lyrics So Parental Guidance Is Advised:

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Posted in MLB Player Profiles, MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: @bernieolshansky, adam rosales, AL West, albert pujiols, American league, baseball, bash brothers, bash-bros, bernie olshansky, billy beane, Bob Melvin, brandon inge, brandon moss, brett anderson, chris carter, cj wilson, cliff pennington, Coco Crisp. Josh Reddick, Daric Barton. Collin Cowgill, derek norris, eric sogard, george kottaras, hiroyuki nakajima, jed lowrie, jemile weeks, jerrod parker, john jaso, Jonny Gomes. Seth Smith, jose canseco, josh donaldson, josh hamilton, josh reddick, kila ka'aihue, kurt suzuki, mark mcgwire, mlb, MLB Team Leaders, nate freiman, o.co coliseum, oakland ahtletics, oakland athletics, safeco field, san diego padres, stephen drew, texas rangers, the ballpark in arlington, yoenis cespedes

The Red Sox Are Getting Thrown Into The Dirty Laundry Bag!

Mar 23

Posted by saulwizz

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Saturday, March.23/2013

Bobby Valentine may have been happy to start the year as skipper of the Red Sox, but the 2012 season was nothing to smile about at.

MLB Reports: Welcome to our newest Kids writer Jason Alpert-Wisnia – for being selected to join our MLB Reports Kids Writing team. We are pleased to present the readers with a youthful look to the game of baseball. Moms and Dad’s – if you have a young kid who loves baseball and wants to write about the game, please email us at mlbreports@gmail.com. We will be selecting three more kid writers for our website this year.

By Jason Alpert-Wisnia (AKA “JAWS”): (MLB Reports Kids Writer – visit his website here )

The Red Sox in the 2011 season were managed by the Luckless Losing manager Bobby Valentine and made them lose with a HORRID and CRAPPY Season Record of 69-93 putting them in last (5th) place in the AL East. They, are guessed to be going on another losing streak and get 5th place in the AL East again.

Youkilis reaction to a question about Bobby Valentine – Returns to Boston:

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Tags: @saulwizz on twitter, AL East, al mvp, American league, angels, ben cherington, boston, Boston Red Sox Farm System, boston red sox payroll 2013, Boston Red Sox Player Roster 2013, Carl Yastremski, daniel nava, david ortiz, david ross, Dustin Prdroia, fenway park, http://baseballpinchhitter.blogspot.com/, Ineternational League, J.D. Drew, jacoby ellsbury, jarrod saltalamacchia, jason alpert-wisnia, jonny gomes, jose canseco, josh hamilton, Julio Iglesias, kelly shoppach, kevin youkilis, mark hamilton, mauro gomez, mike carp, mike greenwell, mike napoli, mo vaughn, oakland athletics, Pawtucket, pedro ciriaco, Red Sox State Of The Union, ryan lavarnway, saul wisnia, shane victorino, stephen drew, ted williams, will middlebrooks

Eight Things To Watch For At Red Sox Spring Training

Feb 15

Posted by saulwizz

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Friday, February.15, 2013

Lester had started his career 61-26 (.709) before he has pitched to a 24-22 record the last two seasons (.522). Lester still led the active pitchers in Winning Percentage before the 2012 year – but now has fallen to 7th with a Career Record of 85-48 (.639). Can he prove himself as an ace without Josh Beckett.

By Saul Wisnia, Red Sox Correspondent (Read his blog ‘Fenway Reflections’ here): Follow @SaulWizz

Now that the obligatory Q&A sessions about what went wrong in 2012 and what everyone thinks about Terry Francona‘s book are (hopefully) over, it’s time for Red Sox players and fans to start focusing on the season ahead.

The full squad was due at Jet Blue Park at Fenway South yesterday, but many position players showed up in Fort Myers early — a good sign that the club is hungry to rise from its unfamiliar spot in the American League East basement. While the club’s won-loss mark in spring training games is not necessarily a barometer of what is to come, the stage for the season can be largely set during the next seven weeks.

Past the Youtube clip or (Read Rest Of this Entry Click) are eight intriguing story lines to watch for leading up to Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on April 1:

Boston Red Sox Highlights In 2012 – including 100th Year Celebration at Fenway:

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Tags: @saulwizz on twitter, AL East, American league, ben cherington, bobby valentine, boston redsox, charlie haeger, clay buchholz, curt schilling, david ortiz, fenway park, fenway reflections, fort myers, jacoby ellsbury, john farrell, john lackey, jon lester, Jose Iglesias, josh beckett, Mike Trout, ozzie smith, saul wisnia, stephen drew, stephen wright, Terry Francona, tim wakefield, Tommy John Surgery, will middlebrooks, xander bogaerts

Projected Boston Red Sox Lineup For 2013: State Of The Union Part 1 – The Hitters

Jan 6

Posted by saulwizz

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Sunday, January.06, 2013

Will Victorino help point the way out of the cellar?

By Saul Wisnia, Red Sox Correspondent (Read his blog ‘Fenway Reflections’ here): Follow @SaulWizz

It has become trendy in recent weeks for experts to declare the Red Sox not only big players during the recent flurry of off-season transactions, but also big winners.

This may be wishful thinking, however, since it’s hard to imagine another season as dreadful as the 69-93 last-place debacle of 2012. It’s true Boston picked up strong character guys in Shane Victorino and Jonny Gomes, along with a few streaky power-hitter types in Stephen Drew and Mike Napoli. But the revamped Boston lineup still has plenty of uncertainties with spring training a little over a month away.

Let’s take a look around the diamond as things currently stand (projected starters in bold):

At First Base – the newcomer Napoli, who can also catch, will likely get the nod provided Boston and his agent come to terms over his contract. Health may be an issue; while Napoli hit HRs last year and 30 in 2011, he’s played more than 114 games just once in seven MLB seasons (140 in 2010). Current backup Mauro Gomez was the International League MVP at Pawtucket last summer, but in 102 at-bats with Boston posted only 2 HRs. Mark Hamilton has shown bursts of power in the minors but has hit .197 in two call-ups with St. Louis.

Mike Napoli Highlights from 2012:

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Tags: @saulwizz on twitter, AL East, al mvp, American league, ben cherington, boston, Boston Red Sox Farm System, boston red sox payroll 2013, Boston Red Sox Player Roster 2013, Carl Yastremski, daniel nava, david ortiz, david ross, Dustin Prdroia, fenway park, Ineternational League, J.D. Drew, jacoby ellsbury, jarrod saltalamacchia, jonny gomes, jose canseco, josh hamilton, Julio Iglesias, kelly shoppach, kevin youkilis, mark hamilton, mauro gomez, mike greenwell, mike napoli, mo vaughn, Pawtucket, pedro ciriaco, Red Sox State Of The Union, ryan lavarnway, saul wisnia, shane victorino, stephen drew, ted williams, will middlebrooks

What 2012 Really Meant to the St. Louis Cardinals

Nov 1

Posted by mednickalex

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Thursday November 1st, 2012

2012 was a season that ended with disappointment which ultimately distracted us from recognizing what a successful year it really was. 2012 highlighted a lot of the greatness that is to come for this great franchise.

Alex Mednick (Baseball Analyst and Writer)

The St. Louis Cardinals came into 2012 as the defending World Series Champions. In 2011 they just eked their way into the post season on the final day of the regular season when they defeated the Houston Astros and the Braves, who were tied for the wild card spot with St. Louis, ended up losing to the Phillies in extra innings. Coming into the 2011 postseason, the Cardinals were huge underdogs. That didn’t stop them from going for what they wanted: to win it all.

While most analysts amongst the sport would not have guessed St. Louis would even make it to the World Series, yet alone win it, the Red Birds emerged to show their true colors. The current team that the city of St. Louis has assembled and gets to watch for 81 games a year is, undoubtedly, a team that plays on all cylinders and the highest octane fuel. They play with the intensity of a little league team that wants nothing more than the coach to bring them out for ice cream when they win. Watching the Cardinals brand of baseball is to watch baseball again as a game, and not just as a competition played by millionaire athletes with tremendous talent.

Watching the scrappiness of St. Louis native David Freese in the 2011 playoffs is the perfect example. His David Eckstein-like approach to the game reminds us all of one of our teammates back in middle school. The one at the sandlot that always slid hard, tried to steal home, and complained when the rest of us wanted to go home because “it was getting dark”. In 2011, David Freese and his 39 teammates played baseball together as a true team and sent Tony LaRussa home with a World Series title in his final year managing. Read the rest of this entry →

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2012 MLB Trades And Deadline Deals Revisited for Contenders: Who Won and Lost

Oct 26

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Friday, October.26/2012

Ichiro Suzuki played the best baseball he has in the last 2 years with the Yankees. It would be a wise move to re-sign the guy for at least the next season. In my opinion, they should have Jeter and Suzuki linked together on the club until they retire.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024

I love the new era of baseball. One thing the 2nd Wild Card team enabled this year was a flurry of transactions right near the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline, plus we even saw a bunch of trades between Aug.01-31 as well. I am not going to breakdown the trades for who went the other way (unless both teams were in contention) since we have a dedicated page for that here. What I am going to do is see who made out well with their new player. I will tell you right now that the hands down winner was the San Francisco Giants for picking up Marco Scutaro and Hunter Pence. Marco Scutaro hit .362 for the Giants and smacked 90 hits in 61 games. He has parlayed another 19 hits in 59 AB during the playoffs (.322).

I am going to be writing a series of payroll breakdowns for each MLB team in the offseason. I have already compiled reports for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and Washington Nationals. These reports can be found in my author archives here. In addition to this, I am going to write another piece on Payroll Strategy specifically geared towards making runs at trades near the deadline. Look for those in the coming weeks. The work never ends here, and we will have you game ready for spring training when it comes to all of the clubs. Read the rest of this entry →

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Stephen Drew: Another Great Move by Billy Beane

Aug 22

Posted by bernieolshansky

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Thursday August 23rd, 2012

Bernie Olshansky: Before the trading deadline, it was thought that the Oakland A’s were going to make a move. With the extra wild card in play this year, the team seemed to be a contender. Their weakest position though was at shortstop. There were a few options out there, some reasonable and some not, among those were Hanley Ramirez and Stephen Drew. Ramirez was very unlikely to be acquired by the A’s due to the nature of his contract, but he would’ve provided the most boost for the team. The story goes that the A’s almost had Ramirez all but acquired, with the Dodgers eating at least of his contract. But the A’s hesitated, and the Dodgers swooped in and agreed to take on all of the remaining dollars on his deal. With Ramirez ending up on the Dodgers, Stephen Drew seemed to be the most viable option left. Drew missed a large portion of the 2011 season with a broken ankle sustained on a slide into home, and made his 2012 debut around the time of the All-Star Break. In his short time with the Diamondbacks this season, Drew hit just .193 and was pretty disappointing. With the teams hierarchy going public with their displeasure, the writing was on the wall for Drew. It looked like Arizona would be able to get at least the same amount of production from a replacement, so a trade seemed imminent. For some reason the trade never got done, but the A’s kept at it.

Oakland was the perfect candidate to acquire Stephen Drew. So it was no surprise that Billy Beane finally got his man this week. Without a producing shortstop, the A’s had a very little chance at the playoffs. Sure, Drew only hit .193 this year, but he carries a career .266 average over his seven-year career. Plus he walks a ton. A stereotypical A’s hitter characteristic. In 2008, Drew hit .291 with 21 homers and 67 RBIs. If the A’s could get anything close to this production, they would be in very good shape. Drew will most likely keep hitting in the two-hole of the lineup, behind Coco Crisp. Once Drew gets settled and regains form, the A’s should get some good production from the top of their lineup, setting the table for the monster bats of Josh Reddick, Yoenis Cespedes, and Chris Carter. Even if Drew were to continue hitting .193, he would still be an improvement from the overall batting average of A’s shortstops at .190. As long as he can walk and hit with some power. Drew will most likely be taking time away from Cliff Pennington and Adam Rosales. Given their combined numbers, that is a very good thing. The A’s also just sent the struggling Jemile Weeks down to Triple-A Sacramento to make room for Drew.

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Tags: a's, al, angels, athletics, bartolo colon, brandon mccarthy, brett anderson, chris carter, dan straily, diamondbacks, hitting, jemile weeks, josh reddick, mariners, mlb, oakland, pitching, stephen drew, west, yoenis cespedes

Fantasy Baseball: Winning The Waiver Wire

Aug 7

Posted by pwstein87

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Monday August 6th, 2012

Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com

Peter Stein (Fantasy Baseball Analyst): Follow @peterwstein

In the majority of fantasy leagues, the trade deadline has already passed and owners are depending on the core roster that they have assembled all year for the final stretch run of the season. When trading becomes closed, it makes it much more difficulty to fill the void left by an injury. However, the waiver wire remains open. And although you aren’t likely to hit a home run at this point of the season, there are players still available that can prove to be the difference in a championship quest.

Here are a group of players to consider if you face an unexpected injury over the last two months of the season:

Bartolo Colon, available in 85% of ESPN leagues, continues to surprise us all with his advanced age and weight. Most recently, he shutdown the Blue Jays over eight scoreless innings at the Coliseum. Just know that Colon is not a must start option, but is a good one at home and if he faces weaker opponents like Seattle. Read the rest of this entry →

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Should the Diamondbacks be Buyers or Sellers at the MLB Trade Deadline?

Jul 19

Posted by Bryan Sheehan

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Thursday July 19th, 2012

Bryan Sheehan (MLB Writer): The Diamondbacks could be in a worse situation. Just four games under .500 and sitting third within the NL West, they’re in the middle of the road statistically for both hitting and pitching despite injuries on both sides of the ball. Both Justin Upton and Miguel Montero have gone through slumps but are still batting around .270 with potential to contribute offensively, and second baseman Aaron Hill is having a great season so far, hitting .301 with the projection of 73 RBIs if he continues on this pace. Outfielder Jason Kubel is having a great year at the plate and defensively, as he leads the MLB in outfield assists. Rookie pitcher Wade Miley has been a wonderful surprise this year, leading all rookie starters with a 3.13 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 10 wins. Keep in mind this is the team that won the NL West last year and didn’t radically change over the offseason.

That being said, they’re far from in the driver’s seat. 7 games out of the wild card, as well as 7 games from the NL West lead, they have some issues to attend to. While top prospect and 2011 draft pick Trevor Bauer has the potential to be an MLB starter, at 21 he’s a bit underdeveloped. In four starts, Bauer had a 6.06 ERA with a 1-2 record, rough enough to buy him a bus ticket back to Triple-A Reno. With ace Daniel Hudson out for the season because of Tommy John surgery, the D-Backs currently only have four starting pitchers. With the deadline fast approaching, Arizona has a tough choice: trade away prospects and make a run for the playoffs, or sell off their big names in return for a chance in 2013 (and beyond). Read the rest of this entry →

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Top Ten Stat of The Week: Odds To Win The AL/NL/WS

Jul 9

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Monday July.9, 2012

The Yankees pay at the rate of +190 to win the American League and +375 to win the World Series. They are actually the 2nd favorite in the MLB for both to Texas. These odds are not flattering to throw any money down on either team.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024)- I thought we would try a different top ten today with the ALL-Star Break here today. This morning I did some research on the odds of what http://www.bet365.com thinks will happen for the rest of the MLB Year based on their gambling futures. Gambling is an increasing industry like no other entity in the world. The NFL is better suited for ‘punters’ to throw down some bucks at Vegas. They have only one game a week and the gambling experts think that baseball is easier for the bad teams to beat the good teams. I will tell you as one of these ‘so called experts’, they are completely right. The worst teams in baseball usually can still beat the best teams 1 out of 3 games in a series. This makes normal gambling for a regular season game really hard to make any money, or minimize losses. I do think that betting who makes the playoffs and who wins it all has some good value picks.

Y0u have to search for the value in anything. I never like to play the #1 favorites of each league because they simply don’t pay enough of an odd. Right now, Bet365.com has the Texas Rangers at +175 to win the AL, or The Yankees at +190. I love these two teams to probably represent the AL in the World Series, however these odds are not good at all. As I list all of the odds for each league first, then the World Series, I will make some notes up. I have two teams in the NL that I have already wagered with and I am coming up roses on them so far. It is time for Gambling 101. Read the rest of this entry →

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MLB Reports Monthly Power Rankings: June 2012

Jun 4

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Monday June.4, 2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-We are going to bring you monthly power rankings every month of the season. There will be a few notes written for each team. Please feel free to let us know your thoughts. The Texas Rangers are the top ranked team yet once again, although teams are certainly gaining on the them in the last week. Look out for Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees to make their move towards the top this month.

June Power Rankings-Last Month Rank in Parenthesis

1. Texas-32-22 (1) The Rangers rode Josh Hamilton in the month of May-who enters today on pace for about 60 HRs and 170 RBI while hitting .354. Nelson Cruz is starting to heat up and the duo of Adrian Beltre and Ian Kinsler are steady as as ever. Yu Darvish is 7-3 en route to the leading the group amongst Rookie of The Year Contention. Joe Nathan is looking like his old self again out of the pen with an ERA under 2.

2. LA Dodgers 33-21 (5) Even with Matt Kemp out of the lineup again, the Dodgers are winning ball games with solid contributions from Andre Ethier and A.J Ellis on offense. The pitching staff has been anchored by Clayton Kershaw and a fast 7-1 start by Chris Capuano. Ted Lilly was 5-1 before a stint on the DL. It is too bad because Lilly is 125-104 since 2004.

3. Tampa Bay 31-23 (2) Hideki Matsui homered in two of his first 3 games back with the Rays. The team has had steady pitching to stay in contention. Carlos Pena has really struggled in the last month and will need to pick it up. Luke Scott with 35 RBI has good production numbers in spite of his .225 AVG. Fernando Rodney has converted 17 out of 18 saves to pace the club.

4. Cincinnati 30-23 (12) Joey Votto has hit .404 in the last 30 days and maybe the best all-around hitter in the National League right now. Jay Bruce has 12 HRs and 34 RBI and is living up to his all-star potential. Aroldis Chapman has 27 Strikeouts in just over 14 innings and has yet to yield a run while opponents are hitting a paltry .043 against him.

5. NY Yankees 29-24 (6) The Bronx Bombers have 6 players with 8 HRs or more, which is a good thing because with the exception of Derek Jeter, a lot of them are hitting under their career averages. The return of Andy Pettitte has helped the rotation with the loss of Micheal Pineda. Phil Hughes threw a complete game over the weekend and CC Sabathia is on pace for another 20 win season. Read the rest of this entry →

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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…)

Posted on May 8, 2012 | Image

NL West: Value Picks, Up-and-Coming Players and Red Flags in Fantasy Baseball

Feb 14

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Tuesday February 14th, 2012

Peter Stein (Fantasy Baseball Analyst – MLB reports): As part of a six series installment to prepare for fantasy drafts, I examine the National League West from a strictly fantasy perspective. Instead of your run of the mill position-by-position rankings, I identify players who fall into the following three categories: value pick, buyer beware, and up-and-coming. The traditional rankings often do a disservice and give owners too close-minded of an approach, particularly in the ROTO format. An owner cannot have a clear-cut strategy and ranking system, as one must adapt to the circumstances on draft day. Remember that you are often building a team for five categories, and you cannot predict which categories you will need to target to offset weaknesses as the draft progresses. Therefore, the key to success is to understand which player’s are over and undervalued, by looking at determinants such as: performance trends, offseason movement, and skill development. We are all aware of the fantasy studs, but the way to build a winning roster is to identify players who provide sneaky good value. Read the rest of this entry →