Tommy Hanson not expected back Saturday - Tommy Hanson | ANA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said that Tommy Hanson would "most likely not" start on Saturday in Kansas City.

Michael Roth (P-LAA)

Source: TG Fantasy Baseball

Angels put Hanson on restricted list (The Associated Press) - CHICAGO (AP) -- The Los Angeles Angels have placed pitcher Tommy Hanson on the restricted list and recalled LHP Michael Roth from Double-A Arkansas before their game Friday against the Chicago White Sox. Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com

Tommy Hanson: Will Not Make Scheduled Start

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Tommy Hanson: Hanson has left the team to attend to a personal matter and will not make his scheduled start Friday, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Shuffle Up: The Tony Cingrani Problem

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Alright, gamers, settle in and let's get to work. Of all the baseball shuffles, this is the one that really matters: the starting pitcher shuffle. The fickle men of the mound are sure to define our season, for good or for bad.

We're trying to gauge everyone's 5x5 value going forward - everything to this point is merely an audition. We're only playing for 2013 here, and we're assuming a mixed-league environment. Don't worry about what the prices mean in a vacuum - they're only tools to compare the players with one another. Players at the same price tag are considered even.

I'll add comments as the night goes along, and I reserve the right to make rank changes over that time frame. Your intelligent

Tommy Hanson: (Personal) Will Not Start Wednesday

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Tommy Hanson: Hanson will miss his scheduled start Wednesday against Texas, as he was placed on the bereavement list Monday, the Los Angeles Times reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Hanson on bereavement list, won't start Wed. - Tommy Hanson | ANA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Angels placed RHP Tommy Hanson on the bereavement list.

Week Four Waiver Report

Source: Fake Teams by AnthonyCalanni

Week Three Results

Jason Vargas - 3.3 IP, 9 hits, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 Ks, Loss

Tommy Hanson - 6 IP, 6 hits, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 Ks, Win

Ross Detwiler - 7 IP, 7 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 Ks, Win

Chris Capuano - 2 IP, 5 hits, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 ks, Loss

Conor Gillaspie - 2-17

A.J. Pollock - 7-23, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 1 SB

Nate Schierholtz - 4-19, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 runs, 1

Complete SP Rankings: Week 3

Source: Fake Teams by Brian Creagh

Rank Player First Opponent Opponent Second Opponent Opponent 1 Justin Verlander Luis Mendoza KC 2 Cliff Lee James McDonald PIT 3 Clayton Kershaw Matt Harvey @NYM 4 David Price Phil Hughes NYY Jose Quintana @CHW 5 Felix Hernandez Brad Peacock @HOU Joe Blanton LAA 6 Stephen Strasburg Jaime Garcia STL 7 Matt Cain Patrick Corbin ARI 8 Adam Wainwright Ross Detwiler @WAS 9 Yu Darvish Tommy Hanson @LAA 10 Madison Bumgarner Ian Kennedy ARI 11 Matt Harvey Clayton Kershaw LAD 12 Cole Hamels Jeff Locke PIT Jon Niese @NYM 13 CC Sabathia Matt Moore @TB J.A. Happ TOR 14 Mat Latos Jeff Samardzija CHC 15 Jake Peavy Jeremy Hellickson TB 16 Kris Medlen Rick Porcello @DET 17 James

Closing Time: Brett Anderson hurt again, Daniel Straily looms

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

It's a casual Friday, all bulletry, all the time.

• The 2013 season started promisingly for Brett Anderson, with a couple of smooth turns against the Mariners and Astros. But the Tigers pelted the lefty for seven runs in his third turn, and then things totally collapsed against Tampa Bay on Friday.

Anderson gave up four hits and four runs through an inning under the catwalk, then left the game due to a sprained right ankle. We won't know the specific timetable on Anderson until he's re-evaluated over the next couple of days, but everyone is aware of his history with injuries (at least this new one isn't related to his arm in any way).

The Athletics are one of the few teams that

Hanson spins six scoreless frames in win - Tommy Hanson | ANA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Tommy Hanson spun six scoreless frames Friday in an 8-1 win over the Tigers.

Shuffle Up, Starting Pitchers: Exhuming McCarthy

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Alright, amigos, let's get to the prices on the mound. Here's how I rank the Top 90 arms or so for the 2013 season, 5x5.

Players at the same prices are considered even. Don't worry about the numbers in an isolated sense; what matters is how the players relate to one another. I reserve the right to tweak the list as the evening goes along. Win the debate, win the rank.

And remember the golden rule: a player doesn't gain 15-20 percent of bonus value simply because you roster him.

I'm sure there's more to the preamble but it's not coming to mind right now. I'll add commentary after the US and Mexico are done on the pitch. Make the jump, jumper.

$33 Clayton Kershaw
$32 Justin Verlander
$30

Hanson (triceps) to pitch in AAA game Monday - Tommy Hanson | ANA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Tommy Hanson (triceps) is scheduled to pitch in a Triple-A game on Monday night in Angels camp.

Hanson (tricpes) to pitch in AAA game Monday - Tommy Hanson | ANA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Tommy Hanson (triceps) is scheduled to pitch in a Triple-A game on Monday night in Angels camp.

Tommy Hanson says right triceps feels 'fine' - Tommy Hanson | ANA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Tommy Hanson told reporters after exiting his Wednesday Cactus League start that he feels "fine."

Hanson diagnosed with right triceps tightness - Tommy Hanson | ANA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Tommy Hanson has been diagnosed with triceps tightness.

Tommy Hanson exits game with apparent injury - Tommy Hanson | ANA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Tommy Hanson left his Cactus League start Wednesday in the fourth inning due to an apparent injury.

Tommy Hanson: Pulled Early From Start

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Tommy Hanson: Hanson was pulled from his spring training start Wednesday with an undisclosed injury. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

ADP Analysis of the Mock Draft Army's First Draft -- Part 2

Source: RotoSynthesis

For those of you just joining our program, allow me to re-direct you to the article from Wednesday where we introduced you to the Mock Draft Army, a rotating group of fantasy baseball writers looking to provide you with legitimate mock drafts to help you in your draft prep. The Army had its first draft last Tuesday, a 28-round, standard 5x5 mixed league draft consisting of seven writers and five readers and we started to bring you some ADP analysis as a way to understand some of the rising and falling trends we’ve been witnessing over the last several weeks.

In that piece, we covered most of the first half of the draft – two four-round blocks to be exact. We compared those draft numbers with the ADP

Pressing Questions: Los Angeles Angels

Source: Roto Arcade by Brandon Funston

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

For the second consecutive year, the Angels landed the offseason's biggest free agent prize. In signing slugger Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols, the team has committed over $220 million over the next five years. Clearly the Angels were undeterred by the Vernon wells experience – who'll make nearly $50 million over the next two seasons while riding the pine. Like their geographical neighbors, the Dodgers, money

Tommy Hanson inks $3.725M deal with Halos - Tommy Hanson | ANA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Angels avoided arbitration with RHP Tommy Hanson by agreeing to a one-year, $3.725 million contract.

Player Profile: Paul Maholm

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Paul Maholm‘s name likely elicits, let’s see, a yawn? Before you lock that thought into your head as to what your reaction should be when the Braves’ lefties name as mentioned remember this:

Maholm had a better ERA than

Analyzing the Morales/Vargas Trade

Source: Fantasy Baseball 365

American League West division rivals, the Angels and Mariners, agreed to a trade that should help both teams. The Angels sent Kendrys Morales to the offense starved Mariners for Jason Vargas, who will help round out the Angels' rotation. The Angels signing of Josh Hamilton created a logjam in their lineup, and while Mark Trumbo and Peter Bourjos were the names bandied about the rumor mill, it was Morales who ended up dealt. The Mariners had a variety of options at their disposal to fill the rotation, and multiple prospect arms nearly ready for the show, making Vargas expendable. At first blush, it is a deal that makes sense for both teams, but what does it mean for the players involved?

Morales is now in a position to get

Player Profile: Tommy Hanson

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Tommy Hanson' or find free 'tommy hanson' pictures via Wylio" href="http://www.wylio.com/credits/flickr/3620695363">

The Braves dealt Tommy Hanson to the Angels in exchange for reliever Jordan Walden. Yes, the Walden that opened the year as the closer for the Angels last season. With the Angels adding Ryan Madson they felt they could deal the hard throwing right-hander (Walden didn’t have a great season last year, but don’t forget that he saved 32 games in 2011 and that he owns a 10.83 K/9 mark over 123 big league games). The Braves now possess, arguably, the

Braves Find Angel Investor For Tommy Boy’s Salary

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

The Braves dumped Tommy Hanson and his salary for a free agent acquisition to be named later.  Imagine the Braves get Hamilton. Heyward/Upton/Hamilton, zoinks!  Although, they are more likely to get someone like Swisher.  Or maybe they can land international free agent, Juan Jablome.  Heyward, Jablome, Upton?  “Screw you, I prefer B.J.!”  “Okay, whatever you wanna call it!”  So, Tommy Hanson’s value has sky-plummeted in the last eighteen months.  He went from a one or a two to “Is his shoulder ever gonna be right again?” It’s not the worse gamble for the Angels, though I still wouldn’t want to own Hanson in fantasy.  He’s not someone I would take a gamble on until I saw a good few

Jordan Walden: Traded To Braves

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Jordan Walden: The Angels traded Walden to the Braves on Friday in exchange for Tommy Hanson, MLB.com reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Fantasy Baseball: Tommy Hanson's new home Angelic?

Source: KFFL.com MLB

Any reason to be optimistic about Tommy Hanson's fresh start?

Braves Find Angel Investor For Tommy Boy’s Salary

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

The Braves dumped Tommy Hanson and his salary for a free agent acquisition to be named later.  Imagine the Braves get Hamilton. Heyward/Upton/Hamilton, zoinks!  Although, they are more likely to get someone like Swisher.  Or maybe they can land international free agent, Juan Jablome.  Heyward, Jablome, Upton?  “Screw you, I prefer B.J.!”  “Okay, whatever you wanna call it!”  So, Tommy Hanson’s value has sky-plummeted in the last eighteen months.  He went from a one or a two to “Is his shoulder ever gonna be right again?” It’s not the worse gamble for the Angels, though I still wouldn’t want to own Hanson in fantasy.  He’s not someone I would take a gamble on until I saw a good few months

Angels acquire Hanson from Braves for Walden - Tommy Hanson | ANA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Angels acquired RHP Tommy Hanson from the Braves in exchange for RHP Jordan Walden.

Jordan Walden (P-ATL)

Source: TG Fantasy Baseball

Angels, Braves close to Hanson-for-Walden swap - The Angels are on the verge of acquiring starting pitcher Tommy Hanson from the Braves for reliever Jordan Walden, an industry source confirmed to MLB.com on Friday. Source: http://mlb.mlb.com

Tommy Hanson (P-LAA)

Source: TG Fantasy Baseball

Angels, Braves close to Hanson-for-Walden swap. The Angels are on the verge of acquiring starting pitcher Tommy Hanson from the Braves for reliever Jordan Walden, an industry source confirmed to MLB.com on Friday. Source: http://mlb.mlb.com

Tommy Hanson: Traded to Angels

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Tommy Hanson: The Braves traded Hanson to the Angels on Friday in exchange for Jordan Walden, MLB.com reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Angels acquire Hanson from Braves for Walden - Tommy Hanson | ATL

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports that the Angels have acquired Tommy Hanson from the Braves in exchange for Jordan Walden.

Dan Straily, 2013 Fantasy Outlook

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

As of right now, Dan Straily is in the 2013 Oakland rotation. That is what I’m going off of for this post. So, if you’re coming from Google in three months wondering if Straily will be in the rotation, the answer is “I don’t know, but in November he was.” For more information on the question, click the “Home” tab on the top, go to my newest post and ask if my Dan Straily fantasy post from November still makes sense. This could also be considered “Chekhov’s gun.” It is not foreshadowing that I think Straily is going to make ricin out of castor beans, but it is foreshadowing that I think Straily may not make the rotation.  Right now, he’s in it.  Moving on!  Straily was never a huge prospect, but

Looking Back at Rankings and Projections Part 6

Source: Fantasy Baseball 365

Picking up where we left off...

 

Tommy Hanson – 2012 Projection;  14 Wins 3.10 ERA, 180 K's, 1.20 WHIP in 180 innings

Actual;  13 W, 4.48 ERA, 161 K, 1.45 WHIP, 174.2 Innings.

 

Hanson did not meet expectations this year which shouldn’t be surprising considering his injury history. A Disastrous July and August did him in this year.  Miss.

 

Corey Hart – 2012 Projection;  .285 AVG, 29 HR, 80 RBI, 7 steals, .340 OBP and .850 OPS in 540 AB's.

Actual; .270 AVG, 30 HR, 83 RBI, 5 steals, .334 OBP, .841 OPS in 562 AB.

 

Upon further review, I forgot to project a runs total for Hart. Upon even further

2012 Positional Review – Starting Pitchers: Misses

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

Review: NL LABR

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

The worst team of all-time.

The worst ever drafted.

How could I possibly be considered an expert drafting this team?

I heard some variance of the above in emails, in tweets, on my show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. I heard it from everyone. E V E R Y O N E. I left money on the table (a mistake I owned up to in my review of the draft). I had a

Review: Fanball & Sirius Show League

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Two more leagues to review. And yes, the results of these final two leagues was much better than the majority of my efforts that I’ve been detailing over the past week.

FANBALL LEAGUE

For those of you who haven’t been following my work for years, and shame on you if you haven’t, I used to work at Fanball. When the company was closed I took up my mantle as a Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio employee, something that I will discuss further when

Your 2012 RCL Champions: Nobody’s Perfect

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

Congratulations to the 2012 champions, RCL 40′s Rank Railheads. Co-managers Charley and JungleMike guided the Railheads to an incredible 119-point finish, missing out on perfection by a mere 3 stolen bases. While they had pretty much clinched their league title long ago, the overall title was up for grabs, and they continued to carefully make the moves necessary to stay ahead of the pack.

The Draft

I have included each player’s Razzball Player Rater rank [after the name]. The

10/2/2012: The Day the Offense Died

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Don't feel too bad if your fantasy offense went into a 7-for-51 tailspin during Tuesday's play. Your arch rival might have fared even worse.

Make no mistake, the penultimate day of the baseball season turned into a Streaming Party. For whatever reason, offense took a complete holiday on Tuesday. Only one team, the Mariners of all clubs, scored six runs. A whopping 13 of the 15 games went under the posted total, and the other two games were pushes. Vegas projected we'd see 119.5 runs from the full slate — instead, we got 87. It felt like a backyard Wiffle Ball game, dominated by the bagel.

There were a few starting pitchers who bombed, but not too many. Captain Erratic Tommy Hanson allowed five earned

One HR, Two HR, Reddick, Bluedick

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

The .245 AVG is going to look ugly next March but 31 HRs and 80+ R/RBI has been nirvana for anyone (like Rudy) who plucked Josh Reddick off free agency in shallow leagues this year.  The power is real and, unlike the last A’s power hitter (Jack Cust), he is an above average fielder.   So the A’s now have 2/3 of a phallic OF foundation with Reddick and Yoenis.  Where is Lance Johnson Jr or Dick Pole Jr when you need them?  For 2013, I imagine the only flavor missing from his Chick-o-Stick is average, i.e., it may never be anything to write home about.  But if you’re writing home about Reddick’s average, you need new material.  Here’s hoping he doesn’t become Ryan Ludwick Part II.  Ryan Ludwick, “I

The user’s guide to two-start pitchers, Week Last

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

I don't know that there's a best way to present the final 10 days of the regular season, but this is how we'll look at it.

In this post is a listing, and ranking, of every pitcher slated to work twice over the final 10 days of the season. It's as tentative as tentative can be. Some contending clubs will get ready for the post-season once a spot is secured (and maybe go easy on stars). Some non-contenders might shift into shutdown mode. We'll keep producing daily streaming pieces during the week, but if you need to plan for 10 days now, what's below is for you.

Hope you're in the finals, or fighting for a much-coveted roto title.

National League, Sept. 24-Oct. 3

Stream Police: Can you trust Ryan Vogelsong?

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

A full weekend of hardball is coming our way, so there's much to plan for and much to discuss. Let's get to it, starting with the Friday streamables.

Steak
Edwin Jackson vs. MIL
Jon Niese vs. MIA
Ryan Vogelsong vs. SD

An unlucky hit rate and some bad sequencing has driven the Vogelsong collapse. He's striking out better than a batter per inning through all this. He's working in a big park against an offense that doesn't scare me (recent rallies to the side). I can see why some will run away, but I'll use him where I can.

Hamburger
Kyle Kendrick vs. ATL
Bronson Arroyo vs. LAD

Too Little, Tulo?

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

Just in time for the H2H playoffs, Troy Tulowitzki returns to throw a quandary into your lineup.  Do you bench a guy that has actually been performing for a guy that hasn’t done anything this year and is coming back from an injury?  Let’s answer that question with other questions.  Do the Rockies start Tulo in every game risking injury?  Do they have aspirations of moving up to finish with a slightly better record while still coming in last?  Do the Rockies risk next year for that?  Why is Tulo even coming back at all?  Are all planets round or are there some, say, triangle planets?  Are the Rockies trying to boost his value for an offseason trade?  What is the point of him returning?  If with age comes

Fantasy Baseball 2012: 2-Start Pitchers Log for Sept. 3-9

Source: Bleacher Report MLB

The following 38 pitchers are expected to log two starts each for the week of Sept. 3-9.

For head-to-head league owners looking to squeeze out another six to nine strikeouts or one more win per week with unassuming free agents like Zach Britton, Jose Quintana, Jacob Turner or Milwaukee's Mike Fiers...this list might have a purpose.

For a top-10 ranking of this week's biggest two-start stars, click here.

CC Sabathia, Yankees Kris Medlen, Braves

The user’s guide to two-start pitchers, Week 22

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

September is the silly season for fantasy baseball. Rosters expand, for one thing, and a handful of non-contending clubs will turn the final month into community auditions. I'm sure some of the listings below will be altered or negated before the games are played. Let's be careful out there.

Just the tiers for now – I'm late for my hometown football auction (adventures in babysitting – no, really, I love these guys). I'll add comments, and perhaps shift some rankings around, after I get outbid for Russell Wilson.

American League

Ernie Pantusso
1. CC Sabathia -- at TB, at BAL
2. Matt Harrison -- at KC, at TB
3. Jason Vargas -- vs. BOS, vs.

Mailbag: August30, 2012

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Each week I’ll be answering questions that have been sent to me at the BaseballGuys’ Twitter account.

Would you drop Drew Stubbs for Trevor Plouffe? It’s almost playoff time, and Stubbs can get ice cold as he is now.
– @joe_joe_a_go_go

Before we go bashing Stubbs, let’s not overlook what Plouffe has done, or better yet not done, of

Kenley’s Heart Being Questioned, Josh Beckett Knows How He Feels

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

It didn’t take long for Josh Beckett to cause people to question the heart of the Dodgers staff.  And they didn’t even have to send them a Valentine.  Look, we wouldn’t wish a heart issue on anyone but of all the Dodger closers over the years, why Kenley Jansen?  Why not Steve Howe?  He was a coke fiend.  Or Eric Gagne?  He was a steroid/HGH fiend.  Or Jonathon Broxton.  He looks like he was on the Josh Beckett diet every day of the week.  This is the same condition that sent Kenley to the DL last year and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the same this year.  It’s not really something to mess with (or joke about, except in certain instances, apparently.  Don’t worry, I won’t joke about

Fantasy Baseball: 5 Tips for Managing Your Team in the Early Playoff Rounds

Source: Bleacher Report MLB

The fantasy baseball playoffs are right around the corner. If your leagues are anything like my 14-team keeper league, then there are tight races all across the board.

How do you make sure you get in the playoffs? What should you do to win the regular-season championship and earn that No. 1 seed?

Here are a few simple tips that will help you make the postseason and go on a deep playoff run.

 

No. 1: Know How/When to Stream Pitchers

Streaming can be a vital key to winning a matchup. I'm not a huge fan of streaming, but if I need help in wins or strikeouts, then I won't hesitate to do it. Here are some tips to maximize your streaming success:

ONLY stream when your ERA has skyrocketed to

Cobb Solid

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

Yesterday, Alex Cobb threw a 4-hit, 2-walk shutout with 8 Ks vs. the A’s.  Cy Cobb?  Nah, probably not.  Last night though, pretty.  Let’s look it how The Tampa Bay Peach got where he is.  Earlier this year, The Tampa Bay Peach hit that sweet spot, deciduously ready and he dropped to the ground, rolled about sixteen feet into the River Styx as “Come Sail Away” was playing in the background.  Then a little Persian boy, picked him up and said, “Ah, Ma, peche.  This is better than Momofuku.”  Before he could bite into him, he held him up to the Fruity God, who likes to wear tight rainbow spandex, but no one talks about that, and the Fruity God said, “That’s not a peach; that’s a pitcher, let’s

Fantasy Baseball: 5 Players Who Need Your Attention

Source: Bleacher Report MLB

Since the trade deadline has passed in most leagues, it's time to turn to the waiver wire for help down the stretch.

Adding a key player now can ultimately win you a championship.

There are a bunch of players who are on fire but are going unnoticed. Take advantage of these guys and capitalize on their availability.

 

Ryan Ludwick, OF, Cincinnati Reds Owned in Yahoo!: 61 percent

Over the last month, Ludwick has been one of the best fantasy hitters. In that span, he's hitting .365 with 11 home runs, 30 RBI, 20 runs scored and a 1.232 OPS.

Amazingly, people aren't catching on to Ludwick's hot streak. He's available in almost half of Yahoo! leagues. If he's available in your