Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse

Second-Half Bats: Three Hitters to Push You to Victory

Knox Bardeen — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:51:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony, MLB Locking Your Lineup

We're coming up on the All-Star Game and a day off on Wednesday before Major League Baseball gets back to business. If you squint really hard, you can see the finish line. For those without great eyesight, you've got approximately 74 games until the 2009 season is over. That's about 12 weeks of games, two-and-a-half months of baseball to make that last-ditch effort to push your fantasy baseball team towards the top of the standings.

Do you have what it takes?

Maybe you do, maybe you don't. No matter the answer, everyone could use a little bit of help, right? Here are a few hitters to target in the second half that could really help you on your quest for the championship.

Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals - Those of us who drafted Ludwick (in every single league we're in) expecting a repeat of 37 home runs and 113 RBI have been sadly disappointed in 2009. Entering the All-Star break, Ludwick is batting .264 with 15 homers and 56 RBI. That doesn't sound bad until you look and see that almost half of his power numbers have come in the last month. Ludwick's July numbers feature a .409 batting average and an OPS sitting at 1.253. His contact rate is 89% and he's walking 12% of the time. All of the stats point towards a promising second half for the Cardinals outfielder. Did I mention that he hit 57% of his home runs and batted 27 points higher after the All-Star break in 2008?

Garrett Atkins, Rockies - If you buy into trade rumors, Atkins has been on the trading block all season. With all the worries that Atkins' leaving Coors Field will kill his fantasy value (read: Matt Holliday), it seems like he has forgotten how to hit. Can it be true? He's batting .230 with six home runs and 28 RBI and has even lost time at third base to Ian Stewart. But, a close look at his first-half numbers show that it's not a hitting deficiency that's causing Atkins to hit miserably; it's bad luck. His hit rate is a very low 24.6% thus far. With a three-year average hit rate sitting somewhere between 31.4% and 34%, Atkins is due for a huge hit-rate correction. He's also reduced his strikeout rate this season and upped his walk rate. All signs point towards a big second half for Atkins. Forget the trade rumors, it doesn't matter if Atkins is in Colorado or elsewhere. Safely add Atkins and thank me later.

Adam LaRoche, Pirates - Speaking of trade rumors, The Pirates would love to deal LaRoche. But the rest of the league isn't willing to pay what the Pirates want. You may want to think differently for your fantasy team. LaRoche is the poster boy for second-half prowess. Over his career he's hit 45 points higher in the second half. He's sitting now with a .250 batting average. No matter what major-league team he ends up with, if you add 45 points to his current average, LaRoche will help your fantasy team.

There you go. And if three just aren't enough, why don't I throw you a few more? Because I'm just a good guy and that's how I roll.

o. Carlos Quentin is finishing up his rehab starts now and should be back soon. You should be able to buy him ridiculously cheap. Big-time ROI is the name of this game.
o. Aubrey Huff is similar to LaRoche in his second-half goodness. He hits 16% more home runs in the second half over his career and bats 31 points higher.
o. Jimmy Rollins has killed teams that took him in the first round. But, he's going to rebound in the second half. We promise.

Second-Half Bats: Three Hitters to Push You to Victory originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fantasy Baseball Roundtable: Time to Deal for Jimmy Rollins?

Knox Bardeen — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:50:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony, MLB Value Machine

One of the more popular discussions over the past few weeks has been what to do with Jimmy Rollins, whether you own him or not. We've spoken about him on a small scale in one of our recent Cram Sessions, but the topic deserves so much more.

I didn't want to trust just my opinion, so I asked the Fanhouse fantasy baseball crew to chime in on the following question:

Jimmy Rollins, a late first-or early second-round draft pick, is batting .229 with seven home runs and 16 stolen bases as we watch the All-Star Game tonight. However, over the past week he's batting .304 with five stolen bases. Most of us agree that Rollins is a superb buy- low candidate, but what would you give up right now to get him?

R.J. White: I'd definitely look to acquire Rollins, if his owner is willing to sell at a good price. But if he's in the camp that Rollins is going to have a massive second-half, he's likely going to want way too much for the guy. If I do feel I can get Rollins at a low price, I'll deal from whatever my position of strength is (and conversely, whatever the guy needs the most). Since I'm trading for a big stolen base threat, I assume I need the steals. I wouldn't mind dealing a top-ten closer if I'm killing the league in saves, or a power-only guy that's hurting my batting average if I have a ton of home runs on my team.

Knox Bardeen: I can see dealing a top closer as well. Especially one whose name might be on the trading block. With Heath Bell, Huston Street and George Sherrill all showing top closer skills in the first half, they make interesting options. All three of these guys have been mentioned in trade rumors at some point this season. If any one of them gets dealt to a team with an established closer, like the Yankees, it could mean set-up duties for the duration of 2009. That would kill their fantasy value.

Will Brinson: I like the top-end closer idea, and that's the type of thing that would work perfect in a situation where an owner has plenty of steals (but still had to deal with a shoddy Rollins all the way until now) and needs saves.

Matt Snyder: As with everything in fantasy, it always depends upon the needs of your own team. What we've seen from Rollins in the past, though, suggests you can get first round value in the second half of the season from him. I would have been too worried to give up this kind of value for him had he still been struggling, but he hit .405 with a 1.138 OPS and 5 steals in his last 11 games. He's ready for a huge second half.

Personally, I'd look to trade someone who has played like an early-rounder and doesn't necessarily have the track record. People like Mark Reynolds, Raul Ibanez, Aaron Hill and Adam Lind come to mind.

Will Brinson: Wow, yeah, Raul Ibanez is a pretty awesome litmus test here -- I can't conceive of any way that he keeps up what he did in the first half, and I also just don't see any way that Rollins doesn't turn it on strong after the break. But I also think that most owners would be hard pressed to give up Rollins for Ibanez (given what they had invested in Rollins, waiting out his suckiness and almost certainly knowing that Ibanez would cool) and would probably need something more enticing.

And to clarify, yes, if I own Raul Ibanez and someone offers me Jimmy Rollins for him, I'm pulling the trigger.

Knox Bardeen: Good names on your list, Snyder. And I was thinking along those same lines. But I'm not sure that any one of these guys would get it done. Do you? Could you possibly see yourself dealing two of them from your list for just Rollins?

Matt Snyder: Giving two of those guys is tough, but if you would have entered the season asking any owner if they'd rather have Lind and Hill OR Rollins, what would they say? I'm not in that position, but I think I'd pull the trigger in order to get Rollins, assuming I was OK in the power categories and in need of steals.

Knox Bardeen: So far, we've touched on a few buy low options using hot performers who might be playing a bit over their heads. Is that the only way we'd offer up deals for Rollins? What about other high-round, dud-ish performers. In a one-year league would you consider giving up Grady Sizemore since we know of his injury woes in a deal for Rollins? What about Josh Hamilton or Alfonso Soriano if your team makeup had extra power but lacked speed and average?

Matt Snyder: In the scenario you mentioned, I'd deal any of the three for Rollins. He's at least shown signs of being totally healthy and breaking out of the funk.

If you would like us to talk about other trade ideas hit us up on Twitter:

Fantasy FanHouse | Knox Bardeen | Will Brinson | R.J. White

Instead of trading for Rollins, try a Fleaflicker mid-season fantasy baseball league

Fantasy Baseball Roundtable: Time to Deal for Jimmy Rollins? originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geovany Soto and Derrek Lee Are Fantasy Gold Again

Knox Bardeen — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:09:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony, MLB Injury Report, MLB Locking Your Lineup

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

No, I didn't lose a bet to Matt Snyder (although he is running roughshod over our fantasy league right now) and he hasn't stolen my log in information to write favorable posts about the Chicago Cubs. I feel it's just necessary to expound a bit about what's been happening on the north side lately.

The Cubs won their second game in a row and made it back to .500 on Thursday. They did so with a scoring barrage led by Derrek Lee. If Lee's two home runs on Thursday weren't enough foreshadowing for a breakout, imagine that we're only two games into July and Lee already has three homers and nine RBI. He had six homers and 20 RBI in June. Is Lee a 30-home run player again?

Geovany Soto got into the home run act as well Thursday. This was Soto's eighth home run of the season and his seventh in the past month. Over the past month he's also hitting .278, has 14 RBI and a .633 slugging percentage. He was dropped in a lot of leagues after his miserable start. His fantasy ownership is back up to 85% so you're probably not going to get lucky and find him on your waiver wire. But, you may be able to still buy low. Hopefully the owner you're dealing with will focus on his .237 season batting average instead of the fact that Soto is starting to look like the hitter we all loved in 2008.

Bits From the Box Scores:
- Russell Branyan hit his 20th home run of the season last night against the Yankees. There was a lot of buzz after the blast that it was one of the more magnificent home runs yet seen in new Yankee Stadium. Ed Price told us one of the reasons why on twitter. Branyan's on pace to blast 41 dingers this season.

- His batting average has dropped to .288, but it's still rather impressive that Andrew McCutchen has hit safely in 21 of his first 27 major league games.

- Joey Votto went 4-6 on Thursday with a double and three singles. Since returning to the lineup on on June 23rd, he is 15-38 (.395). The power isn't back yet, but do you really care?

- Mark Reynolds hit hit 22nd home run on Thursday. He's tied for fourth place on the major league home run list.

- In the on again, off again drama that is Wandy Rodriguez, the Astros pitcher threw well last night giving up only one earned run in seven innings. If you look at his last six starts you'll see a pattern of good pitching then bad. It flip-flops each start. It doesn't matter if he pitches at home or away, night or day... his consistency, or lack thereof, is troublesome to fantasy owners right now.

- Ichiro Suzuki continued his torrid pace on Thursday hitting two doubles and stealing a base. He's batting .402 over the last month.

- Just when you thought CC Sabathia was putting it back together, he gives up ten hits in 5.2 innings and allows six earned runs. And that was against a Mariners lineup that featured Ryan Langerhans, Chris Woodward and Ronny Cedeno.

- Ty Wigginton played his fifth game at shortstop last night. As if he needed another position he was fantasy eligible at. He's now ready to rock at first base, third base, outfield and shortstop.

- Bobby Abreu hit two home runs on Thursday giving him six on the season. He's going to need to step up the pace if he plans to repeat his 20/20 performance from '08.

The Afflicted: Xavier Nady has announced that he'll undergo Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery next Wednesday. This ends all hope of a return in 2009. Justin Morneau and his sore groin will be back in action on Friday. Josh Hamilton hopes to be back in the Rangers outfield as soon as Saturday. Many eyes will be on Ervin Santana on Friday to see if he can begin his comeback from a triceps injury.

Mannywood: Yes, Manny Ramirez returns to the Dodgers tonight.

All-Star Game: Voting closed last night for the 2009 All-Star Game. If you were smart, you voted 25 times online and your ballot looked like this.

AL: Victor Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Aaron Hill, Derek Jeter, Evan Longoria, Ichiro, Carl Crawford and Torii Hunter.
NL: Brian McCann, Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, Hanley Ramirez, David Wright, Raul Ibanez, Ryan Braun and Justin Upton.

Mustache Love: Clay Zavada finally gave up an earned run on Thursday. But, is anyone really looking at anything other than his mustache while he's on the mound?

Lineup Lock: There are two day games today. First pitch will occur at 1:05 PM ET when the Blue Jays and Yankees play.

Geovany Soto and Derrek Lee Are Fantasy Gold Again originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fantasy Baseball Cram Session: Peavy's Pain and Stars to Acquire Dirt Cheap

Knox Bardeen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony, MLB Injury Report, Podcasts

In this week's Fantasy Baseball Cram Session Tom Herrera and I spent some time talking about pitchers on most waiver wires. Jordan Zimmerman and Kevin Correia are two of the better options that we mention. We also spent some time on the Pain Train talking injuries to players like Jake Peavy, Jose Reyes and Grady Sizemore. And finally in Fantasy Felony we give a few of our picks to help you out in baseball's second half.

Listen to the podcast above or click here to download mp3.

Fantasy Baseball Cram Session: Peavy's Pain and Stars to Acquire Dirt Cheap originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vlad the Impaler Rises From His Grave

Tom Herrera — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony, MLB Injury Report, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

No one said recovering from a torn pectoral muscle would be easy. And for Vladimir Guerrero's fantasy owners, many of his 130-plus at-bats were pretty painful to watch. But on Wednesday night, Vlad came back to life in a big way.

With a shot to deep left-center against the Rockies, Guerrero not only collected his first home run since April 12, he also ended the second-longest power outage of his career. And most importantly, he reminded us that he's still Vlad, a .322 career hitter who's hit 25 or more homers in 11 straight seasons. That kind of consistency can't be underrated.

Just like I've said with Magglio, I don't think this is an issue of old age. Skills typically do not drop off that dramatically. Sometimes, it's a slump that feels like quicksand. Other times, like in Vlad's case, it's building up strength after an injury. More often than not, you can mount a stout second-half comeback for your fantasy team if you feast on the scraps of other owners.

Por ejemplo, think about what you had to "give up" to get David Ortiz at the beginning of June. A couple of Heinekens and Zach Duke. What about now, after he's hit six homers with 15 RBI in his last 55 at-bats? Good luck. If you missed the buying window for Big Papi, don't sit back while Vlad rounds the bases, too.

Bits From the Box Scores:
o. Guess who went deep in the same game as Vlad? Garrett Atkins! His first homer since June 4. Atkins' case is trickier because he still needs to find at-bats when it's not interleague play. As long as Ian Stewart stays productive, that's not happening. But I haven't given up all hope on Atkins' potential after the break.

o. Jason Marquis reminded you that he's Jason Marquis. Seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. Nine wins are garbage in fantasy baseball if he's going to hurt you in every other category. It's also not fun smacking yourself in the head in front of a computer screen ... which is what I do every time a see a stat line like that from a pitcher I own.

o. Where is the love for Kevin Kouzmanoff? The dude is tearing the cover off the ball and should be owned in many more leagues. The Padres third baseman drove in his 20th RBI of the month against Seattle.

o. The White Sox are really heating up at the plate. Paul Konerko with three homers in his last five games. Alexei Ramirez with four in his last seven (love that guy). Even Josh Fields got in on the action versus the Dodgers with two homers.

o. Rich Harden is clearly not right. Since he's come off the DL, Harden has given up five homers with a 14:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. A total of 13 homers surrendered in 60 innings this season. Geovany Soto, on the other hand, is quickly returning to form. Three homers over his last six games. Hope you bought low.

o. Grady Sizemore's elbow is doing just fine, thank you very much. Five RBI already in two games back from the DL. Don't expect to see him in the leadoff spot any time soon. Manager Eric Wedge admitted that Asdrubal Cabrera will be No. 1 when he returns, with Sizemore batting second.

o. Adam LaRoche is approaching unconscious mode. He's batting .357 in June with homers in back-to-back games. Nice call by Snyder in Wednesday's edition of the Rush.

o. If Jonny Gomes got everyday playing time, he'd be an NL-only steal, and even valuable in mixed leagues, too. Gomes has hit three bombs over his last six starts. He should be in the lineup through the weekend with Cincy playing at AL parks.

o. Another opportunity to feast on scraps: Pat Burrell. He was jettisoned to the waiver wire by many, as evidenced by his 29 percent ownership rate. He drilled his first homer since April 13 against the Phillies on Wednesday, and I expect more to be on the way. Remember that Burrell can be very streaky; he hit .275 before the break last season and .215 after it. In 2007? Vice versa: .215 before the break and .295 after it.

o. Fernando Nieve is a nice story, and I'm certainly not complaining being a Mets fan. But if you think a 1.31 ERA is going to hold up with his 13:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio, you must be drinking some good stuff. He threw 108 pitches (four walks) over six innings in a victory over the Cardinals. Only worthy of spot starts.

o. Who said 35-year-olds (almost) don't steal bases? Get this: Derek Jeter has swiped a bag in three consecutive games. He's up to 16 for the season. I don't think 30 is out of the question, and if he does that, man, talk about a tremendous bargain.

o. Another great game from Ricky Nolasco, further proving he's a fantasy darling again. He has a 1.80 ERA over his last four starts since returning from the minors.

o. Did you know catcher Miguel Olivo has seven homers and 14 RBI in June? He's not the only one with a hot streak way under the radar. Minnesota's Nick Blackburn has a 2.25 in June. Both are owned in less than 50 percent of mixed leagues last time I checked.

Down on the Farm: Cleveland outfielder Matt LaPorta drilled his ninth homer in Triple-A. He's batting .310 with 29 RBI. Another Indians prospect, catcher Carlos Santana, hit his 11th homer in Double-A. Keep a close eye on both, especially in AL-only.

The Afflicted: Closer shakeup, woo! Florida placed closer Matt Lindstrom on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow sprain. Leo Nunez will likely take over the gig in his absence. The Phillies activated Brad Lidge from the 15-day DL. He's expected to get back to closing duties right away. (I'd hold on to Ryan Madson for a little while longer.) CC Sabathia said he's ready for Friday's start after throwing a bullpen session on Wednesday. An MRI on Edinson Volquez's achy right elbow revealed inflammation. We're not seeing him until after the break.

Friday's Ace in the Hole: Picking on the Nationals again? You know it. Orioles youngster Brad Bergesen (4-2, 3.94 ERA), who will face Washington, has a 2.37 ERA in June. Dallas Braden (5-6, 3.26 ERA) has also been hot this month, so a matchup vs. the Rockies at home seems solid.

Want to track the Jimmy Snuka of fantasy experts? Fantasy FanHouse on Twitter.

Vlad the Impaler Rises From His Grave originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chatting Ibanez, Peavy and Cheap Trade Targets With Sid Rosenberg

Tom Herrera — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Can you believe we're almost through three months of the fantasy baseball season? If you're serious about making a push for the title, now's the time to evaluate your roster and make moves. On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to chat with Sid Rosenberg of OPENSports.com on their Fantasy WHIPlash segment to discuss Jake Peavy's injury, selling high on Raul Ibanez, and players you can acquire at terrific prices. Check out the video after the jump.

Chatting Ibanez, Peavy and Cheap Trade Targets With Sid Rosenberg originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roto Rush: The Time to Trade Raul Ibanez Is Now, Not Later

Tom Herrera — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

I learned how to play fantasy sports 10 years ago from my stepdad, who's been playing it since the days when rotisserie baseball didn't even exist. Back when he was a teenager, it was called Strat-O-Matic, a simulation board game that seemed more laborious than fun to me. Then again, they also had fun flipping baseball cards instead of preserving them.

One of the first things he ever taught me about veteran players was the basic tenet of: "Look on the back of the baseball card." Sure, there are outliers, but seeing career statistics is comforting, and can often tell you a lot about a batter's peak performance.

More Fantasy: Listen to Latest Baseball Podcast

Raul Ibanez recently turned 37 years old. The most home runs he's ever hit in a season is 33 -- when he was with Seattle in 2006. He's never even reached 25 homers outside of that year.

So, while you may be gloating over having a first-round outfielder in Ibanez -- one with 21 homers, 58 RBI and a stout .322 batting average -- he was not projected to be a first-round outfielder.

Eventually, he will come back down to earth. Would you rather try to deal him when he does? Or when he's so scorching that many in your league will likely deal their struggling stars for him?

Ibanez has always been a streaky player throughout his career. But he's typically hit his power stride later in the season rather than the start of it.

Joe Posnanski wrote a great piece that broke down those past streaks. There have been six separate occasions where Ibanez tore up opposing pitching over a roughly 50-game stretch, including three separate times where he's hit 15 or more homers in that span.

Consider that he now plays his home games in a hitter's ballpark and this is the best lineup he's ever been a part of -- along with some other factors -- and it's not totally absurd to believe he's just on a ridiculous hot streak.

Ibanez is no spring chicken. If you want to bank that he's having a 2004 Adrian Beltre-type breakout at age 37, go right ahead. He could hit 48 homers, or he could regress to the back of the baseball card and hit about 38.

But one thing is for certain: he's not coming close to his projected 59. Deal him before he cools off.

Bits from the Box Scores:
o. Big Papi finished? How about three homers in his last five games? If a fellow owner thinks this is just a temporary flash of power, make the deal. Ortiz is cheating a bit -- swinging earlier like Carlos Delgado -- now that his bat speed has diminished, but I still think he hits over 20 homers this season.

o. In 2006, someone in my $300 entry-fee league dropped Jimmy Rollins after a slow start. Rollins had 16 homers, 52 RBI and a .298 average after the break that season. Rollins isn't going to hit 25-30 home runs like he used to, but this is a reminder to stay patient after seeing another one of Rollins' 1-for-4 showings. The average will improve, and so will the steals.

o. Three great starts in a row for Ryan Dempster. A lot of owners have been frustrated by his up-and-down performance, but statistics don't always tell the whole story. Read this heartbreaking story about how Dempster has spent all season going back and forth to the hospital because his baby daughter is battling a disorder. ''I wouldn't wish the person I hate most in the world to go through that,'' Dempster told the Chicago Sun-Times. I'm sticking with him.

o. First multi-home run game in Ross Gload's career. He's just receiving more at-bats while Jorge Cantu copes with dizzy spells, but Gload is someone to keep an eye on in NL-only leagues.

o. Under the radar, Andrew Miller has been very solid since returning to the Florida rotation in mid-May. He hasn't given up more than three earned runs in any of his last six starts, and he's striking out close to a batter per inning.

o. There's no way a pitcher should go eight innings of two-hit ball with 12 strikeouts and no walks ... and get a no-decision. Port-o-potty luck for Javier Vazquez. He's averaging an insane 11 strikeouts per nine innings, yet Jason Marquis has twice as many wins as him. Perfect example of why wins can really suck as a fantasy baseball category.

o. Two more RBI for Pirates third baseman Andy LaRoche. He's a three-category player, but he's an underrated pickup if you're one of the owners who have been shafted by Garrett Atkins' awful start. The way Ian Stewart is hitting, Atkins is the odd man out until a trade happens. Stewart has raised his average 50 points and just hit his fifth jack of June. Another option for Atkins owners is Joe Crede, who's hit seven homers since May 12.

o. Jim Thome is just getting warmed up. He's blasted three homers in his last four games, and could top 30 homers for the fourth straight season.

o. That's what we're talking about, Max Scherzer. One walk -- not five -- to go along with 7 2/3 shutout innings and six strikeouts. His command may be maddening sometimes, but he's worth sticking with all season.

o. Russell Branyan has 10 more home runs than David Wright, folks. How about that? Branyan's power isn't fluky, either; only the batting average is.

o. David Price's ERA is a 2.37. But don't get too cozy because that could change real fast if he keeps walking five batters per start. He still has a long ways to go in the command department.

The Afflicted: The Mets placed John Maine on the 15-day DL with shoulder weakness. "It's nothing serious," Maine said. "My shoulder is just fatigued. It's dead." The Rays finally activated DH Pat Burrell from the DL. Detroit placed Jeremy Bonderman on the DL since it's clear he needs more rehab as he recovers from surgery. Paul Konerko was given a cortisone shot for his ailing thumb and is day-to-day.

Down on the Farm: John Smoltz's final minor-league rehab start with Class AAA Pawtucket was postponed by rain. He should make his final appearance on Friday. It's a good time to snag Smoltz and place him in one of your DL spots, as he should be activated in late June. It's anyone's guess who will be bumped from the rotation when that happens. Oh, and Clay Buchholz has a 1.75 ERA down there. Nice dilemma to have. Smell a trade coming?

Saturday's Ace in the Hole: There are quite a few good choices during interleague play. Oakland left Josh Outman (4-0, 3.17 ERA) faces San Francisco. For deeper leagues, Jason Marquis (8-4, 3.98 ERA) gets the Mariners. For even deeper leagues, Kenshin Kawakami (3-6, 4.62 ERA) is a good pick vs. the Orioles.

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Roto Rush: The Time to Trade Raul Ibanez Is Now, Not Later originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now Is the Time for a Holliday

Matt Snyder — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony, MLB Injury Report, MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

It's no secret we here at Fantasy FanHouse were not a fan of Matt Holliday for your fantasy baseball team this season. We told you to avoid him several times in the draft kit, and still more in chats. This wasn't because we thought he was a terrible player or a bad guy. Quite the contrary, he's a good player and seems like a swell enough guy. It's just that he was so overvalued and we knew his numbers would take a hit departing Colorado for the Bay area.

Well, now is the fun part of fantasy baseball. Now we're telling you to trade for him.

Wait, what? Am I a flip-flopper? Well, according to some people's definition of that term, yes. According to fantasy baseball players with a solid pedigree, it's a simple case of maximizing returns on the value of a player.

Consider the following five things with Holliday:

1. His fantasy owner is still probably bitter after spending a second round pick on him and would be happy to entertain offers.

2. Since finally hitting his first home run April 30th, Holliday has now hit 7 in just over a month. That's around a 40-home-run pace, which would mean you can expect roughly another 25 at this same pace until the season ends.

3. In his last 20 games, Holliday is hitting .358.

4. In a true reversal of fortunes, Holliday is being decimated by his home ballpark. He's hitting only .250 at home this year (compared to .298 on the road). Of course, we knew Oakland would kill his numbers as it's a notorious pitcher's park (segue time) ...

5. The A's flat-out suck. They'll be out of the race in the AL West within another few weeks, at which point some teams in need of offensive punch (Reds? Red Sox? Braves? Giants?) will start inquiring about his availability. When he gets traded, and he will, he'll most likely be freed from the clutches of a pitcher's park. All of those options would probably help his fantasy value for different reasons, and it would skyrocket if he joined the Reds. [We should note that Turner Field has inexplicably been the worst home run park in the majors this season, though it's probably a product of small sample size]

It feels really weird to say after the preseason slandering we did of Holliday, but now is a great time to get him. You gotta love the fickle nature of fantasy sports.

Bits From the Box Scores
- In his post-game interview, Nick Swisher declared emphatically that it wasn't May anymore. Well, Mr. Obvious, we know it was June 1. Swisher was saying it symbolically, though, not informatively. He entered May hitting .312 with 7 home runs, 19 RBI, 21 runs and 8 doubles. In May? .150, 3 homers, 10 RBI, 9 runs, 1 double and a paltry .586 OPS. Don't think the counting stats suffered due to a lack of playing time, either, because he had 12 more plate appearances than he did in March/April. Anyway, he turned the calendar and a new leaf all at once. Monday night, Swisher went 2-4 with a pair of doubles and RBI, respectively. Keep an eye on him if he's available in your league, though he won't often have that cushy two-hole spot in the order.

- I don't blame owners who drafted Gavin Floyd for not wanting to venture back. Sometimes you need some time apart, after all. But ... he's really back on track. In his last three starts, he's thrown 23 innings and only allowed 5 earned runs (1.96 ERA), struck out 24, walked only 7 and allowed only 20 base-runners (0.87 WHIP). If he's hanging on your waiver wire, it's time to shallow your pride and get back together. He won't mind.

- Andy LaRoche is still humming along quietly. The 26-year-old is now hitting .304 (.414 with 14 RBI in 16 games since May 14). He flashed big-time power potential in the minors, so it's entirely possible that is what comes next as he acclimates to the major league level as a hitter. He should be on pretty much all NL-Only teams by now.

- I'll cop to being biased against Rich Hill, so you'll forgive me when I say not to buy into his incredible outing against the Mariners -- 7 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 7 strikeouts -- who rank dead last in the AL in runs and on-base percentage.

- You know why it would suck to be a relief pitcher? Matt Lindstrom has been kind of a stud for 22 outings this year. In those outings, he's hurled 21 2/3 innings and only allowed 3 earned runs. That's a 1.25 ERA. The problem is, he also worked two bad outings. Because of those, his ERA is 5.82. As it stands, he's 10-for-12 in save opportunities and you could do much worse for a third closer.

- Roy Oswalt had a pretty shaky start in 2008. From June 10 on, though, he went 13-4 with a 2.34 ERA and a 106:26 K:BB ratio. Before that run, he was 4-6 with a 5.38 ERA. He ended 17-10 with a 3.54. In the present tense, he entered Monday night with a 1-2 record and a 4.62 ERA for 2009. Monday night, he went 7 innings, struck out 8, only allowed 1 run and got the win. Sound familiar? Grab him if you can.

- This is a total (I repeat, total) gut feeling, but I believe Erik Bedard will be in the Phillies rotation before the All-Star break. If I'm right, you'd be wise to trade for him now. Yes, he'd be moving to a much worse park, but he'd benefit from near-infinitely better run support and the league change. Plus, the NL East has lots of big strikeout victims (even outside the Ryan Howard-led Phils).

The Afflicted: Bad sign out of Cincy. Edinson Volquez was starting his first game back after back spasms had him on the disabled list, and he left the game after only one inning. Even worse news from northern Ohio: Grady Sizemore may need surgery, and -- if he has it -- he'll be on the shelf until late July. It's time to start exploring other outfield options if you own Sizemore (may we suggest Holliday?). Chad Qualls didn't take the ball last night in a save opportunity due to forearm stiffness. Tony Pena will get the ball in the ninth should he continue to miss time. Mike Cameron left mid-game with a bum knee.

Lineup Lock Time: Once again, it's 7:05 PM ET. When the Cubs go on the road, you get a break from day baseball during the week.

Wednesday's Ace in the Hole: Mike Pelfrey is only owned in 37 percent of Yahoo! fantasy leagues. Though he started 4-0, his ERA was 5.46 at the time. It was actually 8.10 after his first two starts and has incrementally decreased with every single proceeding start all the way down to 3.88. It would actually be a sparkling 2.96 if you remove those two starts. He's even upped his strikeout totals, punching out 12 in the last two games after only doing so 11 times in his first seven starts.

Wednesday he squares off against the Pirates. He's only faced them once in his young career, and that resulted in 7 shutout innings and a Mets' victory. Think about picking him up for this outing and then holding him for the rest of the season. He's throwing really well, plays for a good team, and gets to pitch half his outings in a pitcher's haven.

Now Is the Time for a Holliday originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last Chance for the Wieters Dance

Will Brinson — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:45:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony, MLB Waiver Wire

Fantasy Felony will occupy this space on Thursdays.

I drafted Matt Wieters in a lot of leagues. That's mainly because I think he'll be freaking awesome; and he very well might be this year's Evan Longoria, the type of rookie who storms the bigs at full speed upon his call up. OR ... well, he could not.

Rookies are hit and miss a lot of times. They don't always dominate and a hot start can lead to a really cold streak and vice-versa. But regardless of how Wieters performs, you're going to have some sort of play to make in terms of trading (depending, of course, if you own him).

Bear in mind, though, when considering trading him that he is projected -- even by the normally conservative PECOTA -- to freaking dominate: BP's baby has him hitting 31 homers this year with a .311/.395/.544 line. So, boomshackalacka and whatnot, because that looks ridic. But it's not like you can't use that hype to your advantage.

Right Now: As of this moment, Wieters' value is 100% perceived. It cannot be real, because he has not done anything. He is also a catcher and, again, a rookie. Hence, his value can be quite high, but at the moment, remains nonexistent. But because people think he's going to destroy, you can actually get a pretty good haul for him; if you're a Wieters owner, you should absolutely consider shopping him all day tomorrow, while people wait for his arrival.

If you can get a stud-like player (or even semi-stud) who will contribute for the length of the season, pull the trigger; and if you can package him with someone else to upgrade at another position, no reason to hesitate.

Hot Out of the Gates: There's a good chance that Wieters -- who ripped off four hits with four RBI when he found out he was headed to B-more -- comes out smoking in the bigs. This is good news for his owners in non-keeper leagues who might be considering trades. That's because the season is a grind, obviously, and younger players tend to slow down. If Wieters -- much like Justin Upton last year -- nearly hits for the cycle in his first game, or something ridiculous like that, put him on the block in a subtle fashion. In other words, there will be someone out there who is enchanted by his potential and as long as you don't look desperate, you can deal him.

Slow Burn Early: Wieters could disappoint early (meaning the first 1-2 weeks of his arrival) as well; if that's the case, make a hard play for the youngster, provided the cost is reasonable enough. He's talented, as we've (and many others) have covered. And if someone panics -- Lord knows if someone drops him jump all over it -- after a slow start, it would almost be a crime not to at least approach that owner and find out if he has any interest in dealing the stud prospect.

So the long and short is this: you want this guy. He's quite good. He's going to be an All-Star. But just because he projects to be ridiculously dominant at a scarce position for much of his career doesn't mean you can pass up good value right now. For keeper leagues, it's a whole different ballgame, but for those owners astute enough to measure someone else's viewpoint of percieved value, Wieters' arrival marks a fantastic time to pull some wool over a fellow fantasy owner.

Last Chance for the Wieters Dance originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Thu, 28 May 2009 13:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Giants Ready to Run With Burriss at Second Base

Knox Bardeen — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:49:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony

One of the more heated position battles this spring, and a contest with huge fantasy implications, came to an end this morning as Giants manager Bruce Bochy informed Kevin Frandsen that he was being optioned to Triple-A Fresno.

Kevin Frandsen was called into Bruce Bochy's office this morning and left in street clothes. The Giants just gave the official word: he has been optioned and will begin the season at Triple-A Fresno. All signs pointed to this yesterday.

This opens the door for Manny Burris to be the every day second baseman. As a fantasy owner, this is the move you were hoping the Giants would make. With full-time at-bats, Burriss could make a run at stealing 25 bases this season.

Burriss has a .357 batting average with 25 hits this spring (second on the team) and has stolen four bases in 70 at-bats. Don't expect him to stay above the .300 mark this season, but you can see that his stolen base totals if projected out to 550 at-bats or so will provide a great source for cheap steals.

If you haven't drafted yet, he easily a late-round pick in mixed leagues and a must own in NL-only leagues. You should also consider finding a way to sign him in leagues that have already drafted. If Burriss is on your waiver wire he surely can be signed.

Giants Ready to Run With Burriss at Second Base originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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