Draft Day Challenge, May 23

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily

Over/Under: Hot in Cleveland, Kipnis making case for No. 2

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 10 intriguing over/unders this week.

If redrafting today, what second basemen should go after Robinson Cano: Jason Kipnis, Dustin Pedroia, Ben Zobrist, Brandon Philips, Ian Kinsler or OTHER.

Dalton – PEDROIA. It makes it easier with Kinsler hurt, and others certainly have a case as well. I know Pedroia has just two home runs, but he currently sports a 11.8 K% and a 13.3 BB%, showing his .333 BA is no fluke. More homers will come.

Brandon – PEDROIA. I had Pedroia at No. 2 and Kipnis at No. 3 on my

Draft Day Challenge, May 16

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

 

BaseballGuys.com has partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s every week, I’ll share some insight into a few of the better

FanDuel Contest: $3000 Friday Tournament

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Every Friday at BaseballGuys.com, I relay to you how you can sign up for a daily fantasy baseball game courtesy of FanDuel.com. Today is no different. I’ll spend a bit of time detailing how you can win some cash, and then I’ll give away all my secrets by letting you know who should, or shouldn’t, be in your lineup. Oh, and finally, I’m also going to be in the league, so

Draft Day Challenge, May 2

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the

FanDuel Contest: $3000 Friday Tournament

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Every Friday at BaseballGuys.com, I relay to you how you can sign up for a daily fantasy baseball game courtesy of FanDuel.com. Today is no different. I’ll spend a bit of time detailing how you can win some cash, and then I’ll give away all my secrets by letting you know who should, or shouldn’t, be in your lineup. Oh, and finally, I’m also going to be in the league,

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

Draft Day Challenge, April 11

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, 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. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The

Dustin Pedroia: (Hand) Cleared To Play

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Dustin Pedroia: Pedroia has been cleared to play in Wednesday's game against the Yankees, WEEI's Rob Bradford reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

A.L. Tout Wars recap: Pedroia, Longoria, Mo, Moose and an abundance of Astros

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

First, some history: Back in 1887, at the inaugural Tout Wars auction (held at an opium parlor, now defunct), the first player nominated was Pretzels Getzien, staff ace of the Detroit Wolverines. Pretzels was coming off a 30-11 season. He went for $13, sold to Ernie Lanigan of the nascent Sporting News. It wasn't a great buy, but tolerable. Getzien won 29 games in '87, third highest total in the league, but his ratios were merely adequate.

Fortunately for Lanigan, he also spent $24 on right-hander

A.L. Tout Wars recap: Pedroia, Longoria, Mo, Moose, and an abundance of Astros

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

First, some history: Back in 1887, at the inaugural Tout Wars auction (held at an opium parlor, now defunct), the first player nominated was Pretzels Getzien, staff ace of the Detroit Wolverines. Pretzels was coming off a 30-11 season. He went for $13, sold to Ernie Lanigan of the nascent Sporting News. It wasn't a great buy, but tolerable. Getzien won 29 games in '87, third highest total in the league, but his ratios were merely adequate.

Fortunately for Lanigan, he also spent $24 on right-hander

A.L. Tout Wars recap: Pedroia, Longoria, Mo, Moose, and more

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

First, some history: Back in 1887, at the inaugural Tout Wars auction (held at an opium parlor, now defunct), the first player nominated was Pretzels Getzien, staff ace of the Detroit Wolverines. Pretzels was coming off a 30-11 season. He went for $13, sold to Ernie Lanigan of the nascent Sporting News. It wasn't a great buy, but tolerable. Getzien won 29 games in '87, third highest total

A.L. Tout Wars recap: Pedroia, Longoria, Mo, Moose and more

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

First, some history: Back in 1887, at the inaugural Tout Wars auction (held at an opium parlor, now defunct), the first player nominated was Pretzels Getzien, staff ace of the Detroit Wolverines. Pretzels was coming off a 30-11 season. He went for $13, sold to Ernie Lanigan of the nascent Sporting News. It wasn't a great buy, but tolerable. Getzien won 29 games in '87, third highest total

What’s In My Wallet, 2013: Up Goes Todd Frazier

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

The first thing to know about this exercise is that it's mostly out of context. I'm in a bunch of leagues every year (too many, really, but it's a labor of love) and they come from all angles. Mixed leagues. Mono leagues. Keeper leagues (well, one). Redraft leagues. Drafts and auctions, with the player-penetration level constantly changing.

At this time of year I like to look back (though I'm not done drafting) and see what players I've landed more than once. Repeated ownership generally means I like a player, at least more than my opponents do - but it's obviously a lot more complicated than that. And sometimes I find myself missing on players I actually do like a lot because of circumstances I can't really control (I only have

Cactus Juice: Thumbs down on Chase Headley

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Everyone needs a few simple rules and concepts to navigate through life. You don't tug on Superman's Cape. You don't play poker against anyone who's first name is a city. And in fantasy baseball, you don't mess with thumb injuries.

Sorry about that, Chase Headley. For the rest of March's draft season, you're just about dead to me.

[Play Tourney Pick'em on Yahoo! Fantasy Sports]

The Padres made the news official Monday: Headley has a small fracture on his left thumb and

Battles, Busts, and Sleepers: Second Base

Source: Fake Teams by AnthonyCalanni

There is no question that Robinson Cano is the top second baseman in the game right now. Cano is in a class of his own when it comes to the position and he is also considered one of the best overall hitters in the major leagues. In almost all fantasy baseball formats, Cano will be drafted in the first round and may even be taken with a top 5 draft pick. So if you cannot land Robbie, you are going to have to explore your other options to find a player to fill your second base slot. These choices can be difficult as each remaining second baseman offers a variety of services. I am here to break down these player matchups and help make your decision a little easier.

The Battle of the Next Best: Ian Kinsler vs. Dustin Pedroia

An Oriole oasis in a positional desert

Source: Fake Teams by Daniel Kelley

You're wandering the desert. It's hot, it's dry. You could have detoured to an oasis a while back, but it wasn't on your itinerary and you missed it. Now, you're dying.

But lo! On the horizon! Is that a lush pool, greenery and sustenance? It might be. It might also be a mirage. But can you really afford to ignore it, at this point? Your canteen is long empty. If it does turn out to be a mirage, you just keep walking and hoping your salvation can surprise you.

Second base is one hell of a desert these days. Sure, there's Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia,

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

AL LABR 2013

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Phoenix Arizona.

Not many fantasy baseball leagues mean more than LABR in the world of fantasy sports. Started by John Hunt 20 years ago, it was the first exposure many of us had to fantasy baseball, at least the first chance to really dig into the mind of the experts in the field to find out why they did what they did on draft day (for more on the history of the event see Steve Gardner’s wonderful piece). I’m honored that I’ve been asked to be a part of the event.

Last

K-BAD – 2013: Part III, BBGuys Team

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

The fellas over over at KFFL.com have a fantasy baseball league nicknamed K-BAD, for Baseball Analysis Draft, and for the 5th straight year I’m honored to have been asked to participate (the proceeding link takes you to an analysis by every participant on the league). In Part III of this three part review I’ll break down how my squad turned out.

C:

K-BAD – 2013: Part I, Rounds 1-14

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

For the fifth straight year I was invited to play in an expert’s league by the folks over at KFFL.com (you can click on the link to see how everyone else in the draft evaluated their own selections). Nicknamed K-BAD, for Baseball Analysis Draft, the league pits 11 of the top minds in the game against one flunky (that would be your truly). I thought I would give my analysis

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

Player Profile: Dan Uggla

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

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

Fantasy Baseball 2013 AL Only Rankings: Second Base

Source: Fake Teams by smokeymcpots

Robinson Cano - Don't ya know! In a tier all too himself. Is a top 6 pick overall, in a contract year expect more of the same if not a little more.
Dustin Pedroia - I have the "Laser Show", above Kinsler just because of the better average, too me they are 2A and 2B. Look for build on last year's numbers just due to him not being dinged up as much.

Ian Kinsler - Jurickson is knocking at the door, when he is hot you can ride him for weeks, getting a little older and injuries a creeping up. Still a decent speed/power

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…

Red Sox to talk extension with Dustin Pedroia - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com reports that the Red Sox plan to discuss an extension with Dustin Pedroia this offseason.

Red Sox hire Jays' Farrell to be next manager - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

According to CSN New England's Sean McAdam, the Red Sox have hired John Farrell to be their next manager.

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

Red Sox talking compensation for John Farrell - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Alex Speier of WEEI.com has confirmed that the Red Sox are discussing a swap for Blue Jays manager John Farrell.

Red Sox to interview Ausmus, Hale this week - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

The Red Sox will interview Brad Ausmus on Wednesday and DeMarlo Hale on Thursday for their managerial opening.

Ausmus to interview with Red Sox next week - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

The Red Sox will interview Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus next Tuesday or Wednesday for their managerial vacancy.

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

Pedroia gets surgery for injured right pinky - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dustin Pedroia underwent surgery Wednesday to a repair a torn ligament in his right pinky finger.

Review: SiriusXM Hosts League Draft

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

The review of my season in the abyss continues as I’ll take a look today at the Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio Hosts’ League club that I put together.

Kurt Suzuki and John Buck were total failures. In the piece I just linked to above I mentioned how close I was to getting Carlos Ruiz. Oh

Red Sox to begin managerial interviews Friday - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Rob Bradford of WEEI.com was told by a team source that the Red Sox will begin interviewing candidates for their vacant manager position on Friday.

Review: FSTA League

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

I stand accountable. More times than not I’m right, but sometimes I make mistakes. When I do, I’m not afraid to admit it. I’d like to think that helps to set me out a bit in this industry. I try to be transparent and truthful. To that end, I thought I would spend a few days reviewing the results from my “experts leagues.” It wasn’t exactly pretty, I’ll be straight forward with that, but again I don’t believe in running and hiding. First up, the FSTA Experts

Jays won't stand in way of BoSox for Farrell - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Blue Jays won't stand in the way of the Red Sox in their pursuit of manager John Farrell.

Red Sox to ask permission to speak to Farrell - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, the Red Sox intend to ask the Blue Jays permission to speak to manager John Farrell.

Red Sox fire Bobby Valentine after one season - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

The Red Sox have fired manager Bobby Valentine.

Shields Runs Into Orioles Lucksaw

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

Yesterday, James Shields yields 15 Ks, 1 run, but a win ain’t won.  Murray Chass just bid a penny on the world’s smallest violin on eBay so he can play it just for Shields.  Murray had this to say, “When men were gristled, and ladies were more gristled, we had a name for yellow-bellies like James Shields.  That name was ‘Can’t do what needs to be done for a win.’  It may not have been the most succinct of names, but before Al Gore went and invented the Internet, we didn’t need succinct.  We needed appropriate.  Now you only have 140 characters to say something and it’s never appropriate!”  I’ll say this for Murray.  He sure has ornery in spades.  ”Now kids are playing spades on their

Dustin Pedroia: (Broken Finger) In Tuesday Lineup

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Dustin Pedroia: Pedroia (broken finger) is listed as the No. 2 hitter and starting second baseman for the Red Sox on Tuesday, the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Dustin Pedroia (finger) in Tuesday's lineup - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dustin Pedroia (finger) is in Tuesday's lineup against the Yankees.

Dustin Pedroia (finger) plans to play Tuesday - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Contrary to previous reports, Dustin Pedroia (finger) plans to play Tuesday night against the Yankees.

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.

Dustin Pedroia shut down with broken finger - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dustin Pedroia will not play in the final two games of the regular season due to a broken left ring finger.

Dustin Pedroia: Injured Finger

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Dustin Pedroia: Pedroia is sitting out Monday's game with an injury to the ring finger on his left hand, the WEEI.com reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Dustin Pedroia out Monday with jammed finger - Dustin Pedroia | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Dustin Pedroia is out of Monday's lineup with a jammed finger.

Royals Aim To Odorizzi Their Stinky Season

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

The Royals called up Jake Odorizzi, which means nothing really for this year.  He will start next weekend vs. the Indians, and that could be a spot start in some fantasy leagues, but this is more for 2013.  Or, since it’s the Royals, this is Moore for 2013.  In order to be protected from a Rule 5 draft, the Royals had to call him up.  I don’t think this means we see Odorizzi in the rotation to start next year, but he’ll be in the mix for the last spot.  Knowing the Royals, they’ll find someone like Randy Wolf or Carl Pavano for that last spot.  Jeremy Guthrie’s run with the Royals this year is the worst thing that could’ve happened for Royals fans.  Now ownership can get another half-dead veteran