Draft Day Challenge, May 9

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a

Shuffle Up: Checking in with Josh Rutledge; more words about Didi Gregorius

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Today's Shuffle Up assignment is the middle infielders, everyone who covers the second base or shortstop area for your fake juggernaut. Settle in, settlers, and let's try to figure it all out. (Where's Braun and Miggy? Sorry kids, they're not middle infielders.)

Play to this point matters as an audition, but that's it. The goal is to figure out who will play the best (and collect the juiciest stats) from this point forward, 2013-only. Pretend we're starting from scratch with a fresh draft tonight. Don't worry about the dollar value in a vacuum; they're merely used as tools to compare. And players at the same price tag are considered even.

I'll add extensive comments as the day goes along and I may tweak a

Dan Uggla (calf) back in Tuesday's lineup - Dan Uggla | ATL

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dan Uggla (calf) is in the lineup for the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Rockies.

Uggla (calf) to sit out Sunday versus Pirates - Dan Uggla | ATL

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dan Uggla (calf) will sit out Sunday's series finale against the Pirates.

Uggla (calf) to sit Sunday against Pirates - Dan Uggla | ATL

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dan Uggla (calf) will sit out Sunday's series finale against the Pirates.

Dan Uggla: Left Calf Strain

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Dan Uggla: Uggla (calf) will likely miss Sunday's game against the Pirates but hopes to return Monday against the Rockies, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Dan Uggla departs game with left calf strain - Dan Uggla | ATL

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dan Uggla left Saturday's game against the Pirates because of a left calf strain.

Updated: Greg Holland extends the leash – by not pitching (and then, finally, by pitching)

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

The torrid Atlanta Braves lineup, and its proclivity for home runs, is making a mess of bullpens all around baseball. The Upton brothers basically removed Carlos Marmol from our closing thoughts last week, and in Tuesday's action, the Braves took dead aim at well-regarded Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera in the eighth inning. (Roll the tape here: skip to the 1:11 mark for the key video).

Jason Heyward started the binge, then Justin Upton followed (let me know when it lands), and then Dan Uggla did

Greg Holland extends the leash – simply by not pitching

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

The torrid Atlanta Braves lineup, and it's proclivity for home runs, is making a mess of bullpens all around baseball. The Upton brothers basically removed Carlos Marmol from our closing thoughts last week, and in Tuesday's action, the Braves took dead aim at well-regarded Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera in the eighth inning. (Roll the tape here: skip to the 1:11 mark for the key video).

Jason Heyward started the binge, then Justin Upton followed (let me know when it lands), and then Dan Uggla

Mostly MLB Notes: The Matt Harvey Show

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

I’m not sure what more can be said about Matt Harvey at this point, but I’ll go ahead and continue to pile on the praise. The guy has allowed six hits over 22.0 innings this season. Six! Thanks to a 0.82 ERA and a decent 0.55 WHIP, he’s been the No. 1 ranked fantasy player so far. Harvey’s control still isn’t great, as he’s walked multiple batters in all three of his outings (and he had a 3.93 BB/9 rate across Triple-A and with the Mets last year), but his stuff is among the nastiest in the league already. Harvey’s average fastball velocity (94.3 mph) has been the fourth-highest among all starters this season, while his slider (88.6 mph) has easily been the fastest (next highest is Madison

Mostly MLB Notes: A 2013 Season Preview

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

Editor’s note: I wanted to get this posted much earlier, but I had my first kid recently (well, technically my wife had her), so that’s my excuse for the delay.

National League East

1. Washington Nationals
2. Atlanta Braves (WILD CARD)
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. New York Mets
5. Miami Marlins

Comments/Fantasy Predictions: Both Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper are top-15 fantasy players, while Dan Haren is a top-25 starting pitcher. Ryan Zimmerman proves to be a better pick than Evan Longoria, while Drew

Fantasy Baseball 2013: Second Base Primer

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

Second base is basically the roster spot that keeps the position scarcity advocates in business. If it weren't for the dearth of talent at second, scarcity zealots wouldn't have such a compelling strategy to sell.

Just spend a minute or two examining the position ranks and you'll understand why the top players at this spot are such prized commodities, even in smaller mixed leagues. The top-tier second basemen — Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler — have proven themselves to be reliable four-category fantasy assets, reasonable picks in the opening rounds. But

Over/Under: Young Cubs Rizzo, Castro are bears worth feeding

Source: Roto Arcade by Brad Evans

Fantasy is a speculative game. Predict the future, and you look like a genius. Don't, and you're painfully human. Gazing into the crystal ball, here's our view on nine intriguing over/unders entering spring training.

Eric Hosmer, who failed miserably to cash in on his spring success last year, home runs 19.5

Brandon – OVER. I definitely think Hos will rebound from a forgettable '12, and he's having a strong spring, but I doubt he ever gets too far above this number. It's just not his profile. I'm putting him down for 22 HRs for next year, and for the many years that follow.

Andy – OVER, but not by much. Hosmer is probably too much of a line-drive/ground-ball

Dan Uggla leaves contest after beaning - Dan Uggla | ATL

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dan Uggla left Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees after being hit in the helmet by a pitch.

Draft Strategy: Showdown: Uggla vs. Utley

Source: Rotoworld Baseball Articles

Dan Uggla or Chase Utley? Two Rotoworld writers take sides and debate.

Mostly MLB Notes: Debating 1st round decisions, hyping Cliff Lee and defending my LABR team

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

There are a handful of outfielders worthy of being taken in the first round even after Mike Trout and Ryan Braun are off the board, all of whom should be valued similarly. I’m personally taking Matt Kemp first in this tier, as he’s one season removed from a .324-39-115-126-40 campaign and finished April with 12 homers and a .417/.490/.893 line over 23 games last year. But injuries derailed the rest of his season and coming off serious shoulder surgery that repaired a detached labrum and rotator cuff damage, he’s certainly not without risk. Andrew McCutchen is likely off the board next in most leagues, and it’s tough to argue after he posted a

Fantasy baseball 2013 draft preview: Second base primer

Source: SI.com

Second base isn't considered as weak of a fantasy baseball position as shortstop, catcher or relief pitcher, but with Chase Utley and Dan Uggla aging and Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia leveling off, it offers the greatest potential for disappointment on draft day.

Follow The Leader

Source: SI.com

Second base isn't considered as weak of a fantasy baseball position as shortstop, catcher or relief pitcher, but with Chase Utley and Dan Uggla aging and Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia leveling off, it offers the greatest potential for disappointment on draft day.

2013 Rankings: Second Basemen

Source: Fantasy Baseball 365

Unlike first base, second base lacks impact bat depth. In mixed leagues without a middle infielder, few players outside the top-15 will be rostered heavily. In larger leagues, sorting through the dregs is a necessity that adds to the appeal and nuance of stepping out of kiddie pool leagues.

Rank First Name Last Name Organization 1 Robinson Cano Yankees 2 Dustin Pedroia Red

Pressing Questions: Atlanta Braves

Source: Roto Arcade by Brandon Funston

This week, we continue our series of MLB fantasy previews, wherein we consider 5-6 key questions surrounding each team. Baseball is coming, gamers. Pitchers and catchers report soon. Fantasy owners report immediately...

Last week, Atlanta landed, arguably, the top fantasy commodity among all the offseason trades, sending Martin Prado, Randall Delgado and prospects to Arizona for Justin Upton, filling a left field role for the Braves next to his brother B.J. Upton, who Atlanta signed to the largest free agent contract in team history back in late

Player Profile: Dan Uggla

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

dan uggla' pictures via Wylio" href="http://www.wylio.com/credits/flickr/5775036133"> Dan Uggla hit an unacceptable .220 last season for the Braves. Unfortunately for him, that seems to be the only number anyone ever looks at. Consider the following data points.

Were you aware that Uggla’s 19 homers were the 5th best in baseball for second baseman? That’s if we slot

Discount Double Check: Dan Uggla

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Greatings once again everyone. It is I, Sky from Razzball fantasy football to try and mess up your 2013 fantasy baseball season before it even starts. Wait, I'm here to help...yeah, that's it. Before you scoff at seeing Dan Uggla, I would like to let you know I've come from the future and I've seen some amazing things. In this far off dystopian future, I see people drafting Uggla within the first 5 rounds of the draft and being forever butthurt about it for years to come. And in this same macabre, twisted forthcoming destiny I see Aaron Hill being the second best second baseman (say that 20 times fast) on the season when he went

OPS Fantasy Leagues: 2012 Second Basemen Review

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Here is a look at the value of second basemen over the past season in OPS fantasy leagues. This is not meant to be a ranking so much as adding a lens to illustrate their relative value with OPS as a component. They are listed from highest to lowest OPS. Note that I only included players with at least 300 plate appearances in 2012. For reference, here’s my review of catchers and first basemen.

Top Ten

Robinson Cano – Here’s to you, Mr. Robinson. Fantasy owners love you more than you will know…

2012 Positional Review – Second Base

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Now that the 2012 season is over, it’s time to review how my predictions went for each position in fantasy baseball. To that end, I will review my top-10 at each position and give a brief rundown on how each of the ten performed. I’ll also list which player was a “Hit” (someone who lived up to expectations) as well as a “Miss” (the player who simply failed to impress).

Note: All of these rankings are taken from the

Top 20 2nd Basemen, 2012 Fantasy Baseball

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

We already went over the top 20 catchers and the top 20 1st basemen for 2012 fantasy baseball.  Today, we dip our big toe into the top 20 2nd basemen.  It was a nice bounce back year for the 2nd basemen, in general.  In 2011, Darwin Barney was ranked 20th for 2nd basemen and 19th for shortstops, but this year guys like Mike Aviles ranked 18th for 2nd basemen, but 14th for shortstops, showing more depth at the keystone.  To recap, this final ranking for last year is from our Fantasy Baseball

Grey and Rudy Expert League – 2012 End of Year

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Another season in the books.  The season couldn’t end soon enough for our mixed league and NL-only teams as our success seemed to be limited to AL-only where – as late as September 15th – we had a shot at winning all 3 of our leagues.

We learned a lot during the season.  Little to nothing that will help us for next year of course – unless all the ‘perts we play against were comatose this year and will let Mike Trout pass to us in the late rounds.

Below are our league summaries except for the RCL Expert League (we will cover that in another post).  Congrats to the victors and thanks to all the leagues that invited us to participate.

Santiago Leaves Indians Bats Chilly

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Yesterday, Hector Santiago went 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, 1 walk, 10 Ks.  Hey, it’s the White Sox closer from 6 months ago, with that gig lasting for a minute.  Not an Urbandictionary minute, which is a long time.  An actual minute.  (Member the Closepocalypse?  What a exciting time to be alive.)  By making Santiago the closer, Robin Ventura was taking precedent from Ozzie and throwing chaos on a fire, but when he called Stephen Harper a great man and was met with indifference, Ventura realized he didn’t have what it took to be crazy.  Stupid?  Sure, he did charge Nolan Ryan, but crazy he couldn’t pull off.  After the closer experiment, Santiago went back to middle relief and eventually landed in the rotation.

Dan Uggla: Scratched With Swelling In Right Hand

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Dan Uggla: Uggla was scratched from the Braves lineup Monday with swelling in his right hand, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Uggla (hand) scratched from Monday's lineup - Dan Uggla | ATL

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dan Uggla was scratched from Monday's lineup as a precaution due to swelling in his right hand.

MLB: The Final Friday

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

The Dodgers gave Andre Ethier a 5-year, $85 million deal signaling that he is one of the building blocks of their offense. Then we get this. Manager Don Mattingly said the following about Ethier’s inability to hit left-handed pitching. “I can say all day long that I think he’s capable of hitting against lefties, but if the numbers keep telling us that maybe he can’t, then we have to go a different route,” he said. I’m not going to disagree with Mattingly because he’s right. Ethier is

Dan Uggla plates three as Braves top Marlins - Dan Uggla | ATL

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dan Uggla had two hits and drove home three runs, leading the Braves to a 6-2 victory over the Marlins on Thursday night.

Cliff Gets Cheers Bar The Wins

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Yesterday, Cliff Lee gave the line 8 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 10 Ks to move his record to 6-7 in 190 innings.  That’s to go with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.  If you had 7 wins as his over/under for the year with a full season of starts and without him being traded midseason to the Astros, you might win yourself a lot of money.  If you doubled down with the bet, Roy Halladay’s ERA would be above 4.  You’re buying drinks for him and Norm.  This year, Lee’s Ks are a little off, but still well above 8 per nine and his xFIP is near 3.  The only thing he’s missing this year is just the slightest bit of luck with wins and his ratios.  For next year, he’s probably going to be drafted lower because of the

Fun With Numbers

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

There are only a couple of weeks left in the 2012 MLB regular season, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a whole host of numbers that are of interest as we head toward the playoffs.

.241: The league leading BABIP of Jered Weaver which is one point better than his teammate, Ervin Santana. While it’s not logical to think either man will replicate that number in 2013, it should be noted that Weaver has always been

FS Lineup Card: Sept. 16-22

Source: Sporting News Fantasy Source Baseball

Here's a look at what to expect from the Fantasy Source this week:

Sunday, Sept. 16: First Pitch. Fantasy Source subscribers should be sure to check out First Pitch every weekday morning by 9 a.m. ET and every Saturday and Sunday by 10 a.m. ET. You'll get a look back at the most notable performances from the day before in our 3 Up, 3 Down section, then a look ahead to the upcoming day with splits to exploit, weather watch and a ranking of every SP. Make First Pitch part of your daily fantasy baseball routine.

Sunday Sept. 16:

Strasborg Malfunctions, Upset Over System Shutdown

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Stephen Strasburg gave up 6 hits and 5 ER versus Miami last night,  just when you needed him most. The Strasborg showed his human side and had a major malfunction in what should be his final home start, getting shelled by Giancarlo Stanton (2-for-5 with his 31st HR) and the Marlins. Ouch, the Stream-O-Nator really loved this start too. There are few players that get me more excited than Stephen Strasburg, but Giancarlo “More POWER” Stanton is one of them. So this one was bittersweet for me. If anyone’s gonna beat him, might as well be Mike. This is the second start in the past 3 where Miami put a 5-spot up on St. Rasburg, and he

You Need A Crisp Arm To Beat Chris Parm

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

He likes school to start so he can skip class.  He doesn’t befriend the incoming freshmen, but he does tell his friends, “Yo, man, let up on him,” then helps the freshman nerd down from the back of the locker hook.  They, him and the freshman nerd, nod at each other, an understanding.  Chris Parmelee just likes September.  Last year, he hit 4 homers and a .355 average in September.  Maybe it’s because of that goth chick he used to date that showed him the virtues of September, and its dying flowers.  Maybe it’s because his abusive father left his family in September seventeen years ago.  Maybe it’s because he plays in Minnesota and in September the girls finally start covering up.  The preceding was

Eaton Good In The SAGNOF Neighborhood

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Adam Eaton went 2-for-6 with a run yesterday as the Diamondbacks called up their outfield prospect, and hit him leadoff.  The move is to fill in for Krispie, who’s out with a sore quad.  Krispie could return (he won’t go to the DL because with 40-man rosters, there’s no need to), but Eaton’s not coming up to play in one game a week.  The Diamondbacks are taking a look at players.  Getting them on the ol’ catwalk (hey, I can’t forget our 4 female readers).  To give you the brief summary up front about Eaton:  Imagine Pedroia in the outfield with more speed and less power.  He’s got spark plug written all over him (in invisible ink, so not to creep anyone out).  At five foot-eight soaking wet,

Losing Uggla: Braves make a change at second

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Fredi Gonzalez is a patient man, but even he has his breaking point. And on the first week of September, Gonzalez finally cut the cord on his slumping second baseman.

Dan Uggla didn't start for the Braves on Sunday or Monday, and he's effectively been removed as the team's starting baseman. Martin Prado slides back to the keystone spot, and the team can do a handful of things in left field (Jose Constanza started there Monday, while the Monk's crew watched on satellite).

Uggla doesn't have a strong reason to contest the move. Although he's cracked 17 homers and posted decent run-production stats – mostly from staying healthy and showing up every day – he's

Baseball Daily Dose: Carp's Comeback

Source: Rotoworld Baseball Articles

Ryan Boyer discusses Chris Carpenter's possible return and Dan Uggla's benching in Tuesday's Daily Dose.

Daily Joust: The Weekend Ahead

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Who should you be playing Friday and Saturday? In addition to that info, I’ll hit on a few of the relevant stories in the game as well.

The Dodgers, to the frustration of everyone, will use Ronald Belisario and Brandon League in the 9th inning with Kenley Jansen (heart) on the sidelines. Way to clarify that situation for us Mr. Mattingly. I’d favor Belisario, 60/40, for 9th inning work. Also, Chad Billingsley will

F-Herfection

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Felix Hernandez joined Philip Humber and Matt Cain in the Perfect Game club this year, shutting down the Rays in Seattle yesterday.  If only it was against the Yankees and Ichiro (hitting 9th) was the last hitter and Ichiro bunted.  Oh, the Internet drama!  Or is it a total dramacracy?  What are the kids saying nowadays?  For a while King Felix looked out of shape.  Oh, uneasy lies the head that wears a crown made from Snickers wrappers.  But he checked his Ho Hos at the door and, after a 2011 year where a higher BABIP led to a rise in ratios (3.47/1.22), F-Her is back down to 2010 levels (2.60/1.06) and a not that shabby 11 wins, considering

Screw Yu, It’s Hiroki That Completes Me

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Texas finally caught a glimpse of MLB’s best Japanese starter as Hiroki Kuroda went 9 IP, 0 ER, 4 baserunners, 5 Ks vs. the Rangers.  Did they play this game in the Old Yankee Stadium?  The one that was 700 feet to center and had Red Ruffing’s mausoleum in dead left?  In new Yankee Stadium, usually a few balls get around the Pesci Pole in right.  Kuroda’s ERA is now at 3.06 and I’m still not a believer as you’ll hear in this afternoon’s podcast, but he’s done everything to make any rational man a believer.  Henceforth, ergo, vis-a-vis, I’m not rational.  Kuroda’s K-rate fell a tad this year, but he really hasn’t been any different than previous years when he was in the NL West.  Tell

Oriole Fans Cry For Their MaMa

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

And another rookie is called up.  It’s raining rookies that I will pick up for a few days and then drop if they don’t pan out in a matter of three days.  First, let’s see what our prospect writer, Scott, said just four days ago about Manny Machado, “Machado’s line on the year at Double-A isn’t pretty:  .266/.350/.431, 10 HR.  Still, he’s not slipping much in mid-season prospect rankings, as scouts and pundits continue to believe in his tools.  At just 20 years old, there’s ample time for him to play up to his potential, and I’m inclined to agree with the masses — Machado is still a future fantasy stud.  Like Grey after a long hot shower.”  Whoa, must’ve missed that last line.  What I

Uggla has second three-hit night since June 6 - Dan Uggla | ATL

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

One night after getting the day off against Cole Hamels, Dan Uggla showed signs of life in Wednesday's rout of the Phillies, going 3-for-4 with a walk, double and three RBI.

Theo Is Real Star Of The Cubsy Show

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Here’s what I said last November about Theo Epstein, “A new GM can toss out the used-up-and-spit-out pieces he inherits, right?  It’s like when a new boss comes into a flailing company and all the employees start quaking in their boots that they’re gonna get fired because they’re unproductive.  Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd and Tyler Colvin should be worried about their parking spots. Soriano, “Hey, there’s a Segway in my spot.” Epstein, “Bowden was liquidating. There’s parking on Waveland for $35 a day.”  And that’s me quoting me!  Since then, Byrd — gone!  Colvin — gone!  Soriano should be gone, but he’s refusing to hand over his parking permit.  Yesterday, Paul Maholm and Reed

Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Dan Uggla, Carlos Gomez

Source: KFFL.com MLB

Dan Uggla ... ugh. Carlos Gomez, on the other hand, is go-go-going. Should fantasy players buy both trends?

Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Dan Uggla, Carlos Gomez

Source: KFFL.com MLB

Dan Uggla ... ugh. Carlos Gomez, on the other hand, is go-go-going. Should fantasy players buy both trends?

Braves Chop Nationals, Fantasy Gold Spills Out

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Sometimes there’s a game with so much fantasy goodness, a game with so many notable nights for so many fantasy-relevant stars, that it’s almost overwhelming to choose which players to single out. Last night, the Braves came back from 9 runs down to complete their biggest comeback since 1987 and pull within 2 1/2 of the first place Nats, winning the game 11-10. This was a wild one, folks, I don’t know where to start. I know what you’re thinking, “Enough about the game man, how did it help my team!?” Calm down, my overzealous friend. Did I ever tell you about the time the Atlanta Braves overcome a 9-0 deficit? Ahem. Well, the “Birthday Boy” Stephen Strasburg pitched 5.1 innings and gave up 4 ER, striking

Shuffle Up: Ian Desmond puts it all together

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

The middle infield is the focus for this week's shuffle up, your 2B and SS options. Settle in for the usual rule disclaimers, and then we'll discuss some prices.

This blog contains how I'd rank the players if I were headed into a new start-from-scratch league today. What's happened already in 2012 is an audition, but what we're trying to figure out is what the players will do going forward. Don't obsess over the dollar amount in a vacuum; what matters is how the players relate to one another. Commodities at the same tag are considered even.

Your respectful disagreement is always welcome, and it will help me iron out this list. But you need to have a reason for your unrest; further the conversation,

OPS Fantasy Leagues: It’s A Hardy Knock Life

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

J.J. Hardy won’t run this town any longer. After hitting seven home runs and posting a tremendous .922 OPS in May, Hardy’s followed with an abysmal .498 OPS in June, and an awful .329 OPS in July. Yes, some of this variance is due to fluctuations in his BABIP and home run to fly ball rate, but when you have an OPS that low it is hard to simply dismiss it as bad luck. J.J., can you hit it in the morning (and evening)? This year, his batted ball and plate discipline statistics are roughly in line with his performance last year, when he produced an .801 OPS. However, he appears to be unlikely to approach last year’s performance mainly because his 15.7% HR/FB was a career high. This year he has a 10.1% HR/FB, but that