Fantasy Baseball

Now that the season has started, teams around the league have figured out what they do and don’t have. It’s also the time of year that trade rumors start to heat up.

Here is what we’re hearing:

Alex Rodriguez - This winter, ARod has the option to become a free agent. Teams such as the Angels and the White Sox would be interested in signing him if he does decide to cut ties with the Yankees. If the Yankees fall out of the playoff chase and expect ARod to leave, they may actually look at trading the slugger.

Brad Lidge - Lidge, the Astros former dominant closer, continues to struggle and there are rumors that his time in Houston is quickly coming to an end. If that’s the case, there are a number of teams out there that would like to get him. The Devil Rays are a possible destination.

Cesar Izturis - His time the Cubs shortstop could be coming to an end. Ryan Theriot is expected to take over the job by next season, so it’s possible that the Cubs will try to get something for Izturis at some point this season.

Byung-Hyun Kim - Currently on the Rockies, Kim could be moved to a team looking for some bullpen help. He’s had a decent last couple of seasons and he’s still young enough to possibly have some upside. However, most teams would want the Rockies to pick up much of his salary if traded.

Depending on your early season success in Fantasy Baseball, you can sometimes afford to invest roster spots on players who are weeks and sometimes months away from making an impact. Of course if you are struggling to just keep up with your league mates, sometimes it’s necessary to purge your roster of inactive players to maximize your productivity. However, if you have the room, there are some interesting names out there that can be had.

Roger Clemens - Nobody knows when or even if this guy will pitch this season. But if he does, he has a proven track record of being effective. If you have the space, he could be worth a roster spot to hold in case he comes back and is able to produce.

Pedro Martinez - Martinez is still months away from seeing action, but like Clemens, he is a proven commodity. His velocity is down in recent seasons, but he’s crafty enough to get the job done. If the Mets are in the playoff chase, Martinez could be their ace down the stretch.

Kerry Wood - Wood isn’t on the same level of Clemens or Martinez, but he’s going to be throwing soon and he might be worth a look. If he ever returns to his younger form, or even close to it, he’s someone who could help any fantasy team.

Juan Encarnacion - Encarnacion has a job in the Cardinals’ lineup whenever he fully recovers from his offseason surgery. He’s currently rehabing in the minors, but he should be up in the big leagues within a couple weeks. He’s not a huge producer, but he’s decent off the bench in bigger leagues.

Nick Johnson - Here’s another guy recovering from injury, but the timetable on his return isn’t too clear at this point. Some thought he’d miss the season, but the latest reports indicate that he might be back before mid-July.

Early in the season, looking at league leaders is meaningless. But now that we are a little bit into the season, the good players start separating themselves from the pack.

Here are some players who are leading the way statistically:

Alex Rodriguez - Nobody can even come close to the numbers that Rodriguez is putting up so far this season. After an offseason where the biggest stories involving ARod had nothing to do with the game, he’s again reminded everyone that he’s one of the most talented players this sport has ever seen. Right now, he has twice as many home runs as anyone in the league (14). He’s also far an away leading everyone in RBIs (34). On top of that, he’s hitting .385. It’s impossible that he keeps up this pace, but it’s not impossible that he ends the season as the game’s best fantasy player.

Vladimir Guerrero - Guerrero has already missed a little time due to injury, but he’s having a great season through it all. He’s leading everyone with a .403 batting average. To go along with that, he has five homers and 18 RBIs. As long as he remains healthy, he should be a strong bat for the Angels all year.

Hanley Ramirez - The leadoff batter for the Florida Marlins is already having a very fine season. He has a National League leading 22 runs and is batting .388. There were some questions about him before the season starting concerning whether he is for real or not. It’s not safe to say he’s one of the better young talents in the game.

Jose Reyes - Like Ramirez, Reyes is a multi-talented leadoff batter who plays shortstop in the National League. He’s batting .329 and is leading baseball in triples (5) and stolen bases (12). If there’s a guy who can end up even more valuable than ARod this season, it could very likely be this guy. Reyes does it all … and does it all well.

Alex Rodriguez keeps hitting homeruns, the Yankees keep losing and players keep getting injured. That’s been the pattern for much of the early season.

Here are the injury updates with some familiar faces.

Mark Prior - After looking like he was going to be a stud early in his career, Prior has been injured almost constantly in recent history. With the way his arm has fallen apart, it’s starting to become doubtful whether he’ll ever make it fully back to where he was. The latest news is that Prior is going to undergo exploratory surgery on his right shoulder. It’s pretty safe to assume that he’s not going to have much of a fantasy impact this season. The only way he should be on your team is if you are playing in a dynasty or keeper list and you either have huge rosters or an injury list where you can stash him.

Eric Gagne - Another guy who knows the inside of a doctor’s office is Eric Gagne. After missing a lot of action over the last couple seasons, Gagne is injured again. This time it’s his hip. The good news is the injury doesn’t seem that severe and should only sideline him for 15 days. He’s still a borderline fantasy player even in the biggest of leagues until he can prove he’s more than an injury waiting to happen.

Ken Griffey, Jr. - When talking injuries, you have to mention this guy. Junior went from a guy who looked like he was going to go down as perhaps the best player of all-time, to a guy who spent the better part of the last five years dealing with numerous injuries. The latest reason why he missed time was due to him recovering from diverticulitis. Junior should be back in the lineup on Tuesday, which is the good news. The bad news is that if diverticulitis doesn’t shelf him again, recent history tells us something else will.

Rich Harden - Our fourth and final injury update comes from our fourth guy who knows all to well what it’s like to be injured. Rich Harden, who even though he’d make Mark Prior seem like Cal Ripken, Jr., has battled various injuries over the last couple seasons. He had 31 starts in 2004, but only 31 starts since then. He’s now going back on the DL with a shoulder injury. As of right now, it looks like it isn’t serious. But as with any of this foursome, it’d be best to prepare for the worst.

The big news this weekend in baseball was the three-game sweep Boston laid upon New York. However, the truth is that it should’ve been expected.

The Red Sox went with three of their best pitchers. The Yankees matched with three pitchers who might not even be in their rotation come money time.

It’s almost as if the Yankees were conceding this series. But even then, the Yankees were a few outs and a few hits away from winning at least a couple of the games.

Alex Rodriguez continued his hot streak. If he’s on your fantasy team, you are feeling good right now. The Yankees lineup as a whole looks powerful, even while losing to Boston.

The Red Sox also look like they are going to produce a lot of runs this season. David Ortiz is swinging the bat very nicely. As a whole, both teams can go nine deep in their batting order.

The biggest fantasy impact I can take out of the series is that it’s a good idea to have a Yankee or a Red Sock on your team. Even a mediocre player will see their runs and RBI total skyrocket compared to where those same stats would be on another team.

Another thing to note is the pitching of Mariano Rivera. The usually unhittable closer for the Yankees all of a sudden looks mortal. If he’s on your fantasy team, it might be a good idea to see if you can sell him for good value. This is especially true in a keeper or dynasty league.

Chances are Rivera bounces back but one day his run is going to end and when it does, you don’t want to be stuck with a player who had trade value at one point.

After two starts for the Seattle Mariners where he allowed only four hits in 17 innings while striking out 18, Felix Hernandez left his third start with what was described as a sore elbow.

With Mariner fans fearing the worst, Hernandez has been diagnosed with a muscle strain inside his right elbow and forearm. King Felix is expected to miss only two to three starts.

Although it’s certainly great news that he doesn’t need to go under the knife, any arm trouble for a young pitcher early in a season usually is an ominous sign. Hernandez, who is only 21-years-old, is perhaps the greatest pitching prospect in the league, but fantasy owners need to take a long, hard look at this situation.

Last season, Francisco Liriano was a young pitching prodigy who battled some arm trouble throughout the year. Despite putting up dominating numbers while healthy, the nagging injuries eventually caught up to him and he ended up blowing his arm out. He missed the end of last season and is expected to miss the entire 2007 campaign as well.

Fantasy owners who own Hernandez shouldn’t panic at this stage of the season, as it’s possible that he could shake off this strain and continue on his way to a dominating season. However, it’d be smart to ask around and see what kind of offers you can get for him. If there is someone willing to depart with a top tier pitcher and a bat for the young phenom, it’d be smart to consider the offer.

Of course in keeper and dynasty leagues, Hernandez has much more value. In redrafts, Hernandez doesn’t have near as much value, especially considering this injury.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle threw the first no-hitter of the baseball season. Seeing as over two years passed between Randy Johnson’s perfect game and Anibal Sanchez’s no-hitter last September, the fact that a no-hitter happened so early in the season is a bit of a surprise.

Buehrle walked only one batter in the 40-degree night at Comiskey Park. After walking Sammy Sosa in the fifth inning, Buehrle subsequently picked him off first base.

In command throughout , Buerhle seemed to not show too much emotion until the ninth inning.

“You don’t want to make that one mistake and give up a hit,” the 28-year-old Buehrle said. “I could feel my knees a little bit, a little shaken, a little extra adrenaline going for the ninth inning.”

The performance could go a long ways in putting Buehrle back on the fantasy baseball map. After a dominating stretch between 2001 and 2005 in which Buehrle went 81-52, the big left hander took a step back last season, going 12-13 with a career-high 4.99 ERA.

If you can get Buehrle for cheap, go ahead and do so. But don’t overpay for him because he could very easily return to his 2006 form. While Buehrle had eight strikeouts during his no-hitter, he had only two strikeouts in his first two starts.

Think of him as a solid number two or three starter in your fantasy rotation. If he’s more than that, you could be in trouble. Despite the heroics we saw Wednesday.

We reported some breaking news regarding injuries yesterday and how they will affect fantasy baseball. Today we have a couple more injuries and some updates on injuries previously reported on.

• Alfonso Soriano - After straining his hamstring, many Cubs fans feared the worst. Luckily for them, Soriano isn’t going to miss that much time. Reports today indicate that the Cubs outfielder is only going to miss around a week’s worth of games. However, fantasy baseball owners should keep an eye on him because these types of injuries can linger.
• Vladimir Guerrero - Guerrero got hit on the hand on Monday by a Josh Beckett pitch. The good news came today when it was revealed that Guerrero is only going to miss a couple days. If this truly is just a bruise, fantasy owners should confidently put him back in the lineup by the end of the week.
• Jason Schmidt - Schmidt was put on the DL by the Dodgers due to a shoulder injury. An MRI was taken after it was noticed that Schmidt had been pitching with decreased velocity. It isn’t immediately known how long Schmidt will be sidelined, but it’s never good for a pitcher to hurt his arm early in the year.
• Torii Hunter - After hitting a grand slam in Tuesday’s game, Hunter left the contest with a bruised shoulder after attempting to make a diving catch. Hunter has had some injuries over the years due to his all-out approach on the field. A bruised shoulder doesn’t sound overly serious, but monitor this situation closely in case the injury is upgraded.

Injuries are always a huge part of fantasy sports. No matter how good your team is, if the injury gods strike your team, your team can be decimated back to mediocrity. No fantasy team is bigger than the injury bug.

Early this season, the injury bug has been viscous to the Toronto Blue Jays. Closer BJ Ryan is expected to miss four to six weeks with an elbow sprain. And that’s actually good news because the team feared that the injury was much more severe. In Ryan’s place, Jason Frasor will be called upon to close.

Joining Ryan on the disabled list is Blue Jays’ all-star third baseman Troy Glaus. Glaus has a bone spur in his left foot and a hamstring injury. Although the injuries aren’t severe, these are the nagging type that can linger for much of the early season. Replacing Glaus on the field will be John McDonald and Jason Smith.

On Friday, Reed Johnson was placed on the disabled list with a herniated disk. The left fielder has opted for surgery, so don’t expect him back anytime soon. Rookie Adam Lind will replace Johnson for the time being.

Other injury news around the league:

Saves are oftentimes an overlooked aspect of fantasy baseball teams. Everyone is always in a hurry to lock up the number one starters around the league. However, if you position your lineup right, you can usually dominate the saves column.

As the season goes along, the fantasy teams that can pick up the closers first usually have a leg up in the competition. For example, the team who swooped in to get Jason Frasor after BJ Ryan went down for the Blue Jays will undoubtedly reap the benefits for the move.

Here are some guys flying under the radar right now who can be had cheaply but should rack up the saves in bunches this year:

• Salomon Torres - Torres has been around the block a couple times, but he’s done well so far this year closing games for the Pirates. The Pirates handed him the job this year and so far, so good for the Dominican who not long ago retired from the game for five years. He has a lively arm and if Pittsburgh is halfway decent, he could accumulate saves in a hurry.
• Al Reyes - The Devil Rays had there closer role up in the air to begin the season, but it looks like Reyes has taken the job. He’s been perfect so far and should keep the job for the time being. Sure, Tampa Bay won’t be winning many games, but he’s a good player to pluck off the waiver wire just in case.
• Todd Jones - Jones being a premiere closer shouldn’t surprise anyone, but it looks like he could be in store for a special season. The Tigers look dangerous and the pitching staff is deep. He’ll get plenty of opportunities and he has shown that he has the ability to close the door.

A number of players in the league are off to fast starts when it comes to their power numbers. Are they for real? FBLTalk looks into it:

• Alex Rodriguez - ARod has six homers in his first eight games. As he’s one of the best power hitters of this generation, you can’t call what he’s doing a fluke. 50 home runs isn’t out of the question.
• Jimmy Rollins - Rollins has smashed six dingers in his first nine games. That’s rather impressive for a guy whose career-high he set last year with 25. It’s hard to not call this show of power a fluke because he’s never been that much of a long ball threat. Although he’s young enough to be improving, don’t expect him to hit many more than he hit last season.
• Grady Sizemore - Sizemore is one of the better up-and-coming players in the league. This season, he already has four homers in his first six games. Although he’s never hit more than 28 dingers, this is a guy who can be expected to take a jump up in the power department.
• Miguel Cabrera - Cabrera has four home runs in his first nine games. One of the most talented hitters in the game and only 23 years old, the sky is the limit for the right handed Venezuelan. Last season he only hit 26 long balls, but it’d surprise no one if he exploded this season for 40.

Wednesday’s game was billed as must see TV and it lived up to the hype. In what was a battle of two of the most exciting pitchers in the game, Hernandez stole the show.

Hernandez, a 21-year-old right hander form Venezuela, pitched a one-hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox in Boston. He struck out six batters while only allowing two walks.

Matsuzaka wasn’t bad himself, allowing three runs in seven innings, while striking out four. It wasn’t quite as magical as his big league debut, but his stuff looked as wicked as ever.

The Red Sox as a team are off to a slow start, winning only half of their first eight ball games. However, their big bats haven’t warmed up yet, so it isn’t time to panic if you are a Red Sox fan. David Ortiz and company will get it turned around soon enough.

As far as the Mariners go, most experts have written them off. Outside of the excitement of watching a young phenom pitcher, it’s likely going to be a long 162 for Mariner fans. Their bats are even colder than those of the Red Sox, but the bad news is that they aren’t nearly as talented.

Ichiro and Richie Sexson are legit fantasy starters but other than that duo, the cupboard is pretty bare in Seattle. Unless, of course, you are speaking of one King Felix and his magical right arm.

Alex Rodriguez, or Pay-Rod as Seattle Mariner fans so lovingly dubbed him when he left for Texas to sign the richest deal in baseball history, is worth every penny these days. Seven games into the season and Rodriguez has already hit six home runs.

Although he’s always been a top three pick most years in fantasy baseball, there were leagues this year where Rodriguez didn’t get drafted until late in the first round or early in the second round. If you were one of the lucky ones to draft him that late, that move in itself might win you the championship. With the way this guy is swinging the bat, he looks like he’s the player to have right now.

A lot of fantasy players were scared off by the fact that Rodriguez’s numbers have been trending downward over the last couple seasons. Last season’s total of 35 home runs was the lowest output for the Yankee’s third baseman since 1997. He also wasn’t stealing many bases and his batting average and RBI numbers were down.

The problem with ARod has been confidence. He’s a gentle soul playing under the microscope that is the Big Apple. He’s not made to constantly be in the spotlight. However, now that he’s off to a torrid start, there’s a good chance that this could avalanche into a giant season. Rodriguez has a couple 50+ home run seasons under his belt and early indications are this could be another one.

If you can get Pay-Rod now via trade, he’d be a good buy.

In Fantasy Baseball, you not only have to pay attention to stats, but you also have to keep tabs on how teams are playing. When it comes to fantasy numbers such as runs, RBIs, wins and saves, teammates are sometimes just as important as the player themselves.

Today let’s take a look at teams who have started off bad for a reason. You can sometimes mine gems from loser teams, but these teams will have fewer quality fantasy players than most other teams.

Recognizing The Losers

• Kansas City Royals - The Royals just suck. They’ve been bad for a long time and that won’t change this year. Despite a couple early season wins, they’ve now lost three games in a row to go back to there customary spot in the cellar of their division.
• Washington Nationals - Here’s another poor excuse for a franchise. Are they even trying to win these days? At least when they played in Montreal they had a built in excuse for losing. They now play in a big market and still can’t get the job done. Hope is lost already in Washington.
• San Francisco Giants - The big news in San Fran this season will be Barry Bonds’ chase of history. And with the way the team is playing, that could be the only news. The Giants lost a lot of talent and didn’t bring much talent in. Any halfway decent mathematician can tell you that’s not a recipe for success … especially for a team that wasn’t all that to begin with.

Despite the dreary weather throughout the country, it was a busy Easter Sunday for MLB with 14 games in the books. Surprisingly, only the double header scheduled in Cleveland was snowed out.

Big Papi busted out of a mini-slump and went yard twice to lift Curt Schilling and the Red Sox to a 3-2 victory over the Rangers. Ortiz was struggling with only two hits in 18 at bats going into the game.

The 40-year-old Schilling looked like he still has something left in the tank. Despite giving up eight hits and four earned runs in four innings in his season debut last week, he did strike out five in that game. On Sunday afternoon, he only allowed four hits, one run (a Catalanotto solo shot) and one walk in seven innings pitched, while striking out six. Jonathan Papelbon got the save for Boston, his second of this young season.

Dodgers Luis Gonzalez tagged two homeruns of his own as L.A. defeated San Francsco in a 10-4 rout.