Month: May 2007

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer Nice to see Brian McCann show some signs of life Wednesday, because he’s been one of the more disappointing players so far in 2007. After a second half to the 2006 season that saw him hit .324/.372/.630 and a hot couple of first weeks this season, McCann’s bat…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer When evaluating fantasy baseball players, it’s best to take into account skills above all else, but opportunity needs to be considered as well. While this isn’t as important as say football, when coaching, offensive line, etc. are much more important factors into someone’s success as opposed to baseball,…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer For those unfamiliar with the term batting average on balls in play (BABIP), here’s a quick tutorial. On balls that are hit into play (home runs do NOT count), about 30 percent typically fall in for a hit. Most pitchers’ BABIP will eventually fall close to .300 (.290…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer Sorry for the lack of posts over the weekend, but we’ll get the week kick started with a super-sized edition of “The Scoop.” Charlie Manuel should be fired immediately. Not tomorrow, or the next day, but now. Taking away 130 innings from your second best pitcher was ludicrous…

By Robby Wellington – Staff Writer Jose Lopez, Yuniesky Betancourt, Pedro Feliz, Jason Varitek, Craig Biggio, Mike Napoli, Damion Easley and Mark Ellis. Those are the top eight non-DL free agents in my league right now according to Yahoo’s ranking system. And with the exception of Feliz, all of them are either middle infielders or…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer Entering the season, most pundits tabbed third base as an extremely deep fantasy position. I was no different and implored drafters to wait as long as possible on the position, especially with so many bounce back candidates available late. Well, it’s looking more and more like we were…

Rich Harden, Huston Street, Mike Piazza, Eric Chavez, Milton Bradley, Travis Buck, Justin Duchsherer, Mark Kotsay, Bobby Kielty, Chris Snelling and Esteban Loiaza are all currently hurt for the Oakland A’s. With 2 outs and runners in scoring position, Barry Bonds is 1-for-2 with a home run and 12 walks this season – good for…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer Robby’s recent article regarding time, work and real life issues getting in the way of his fantasy team got me thinking, and while I don’t expect every fantasy owner to be as intense as me, people often give up far too quickly in rotisserie leagues. Players’ slumps get…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer Imagine trying to fill out your All-Star ballot for the NL’s starting shortstop – Jose Reyes, J.J. Hardy, Hanley Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins and Edgar Renteria – someone’s getting shafted. According to ESPN.com, nearly 60 percent of all baseball players who have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs have been…

Time for another mailbag – remember, e-mail seven3d@aol.com for future inquiries. Dan asks: In a 7×5 (OBP and K’s added) keeper. A guy’s jonesing for Shef. He’s also a big fan of high OBP’s. I’m in the hunt and see no reason to part w/ Shef unless I get immediate production + long-term benefits. Barrett,…

By Robby Wellington – Staff Writer A couple of days after finally pulling Garrett Anderson and Chris Burke out of my starting lineup, I’ve taken a long look at my team and wondered what I needed to do to get back into the thick of things and, more importantly, is it worth it? In years…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer A quick look around the league in regards to injury issues: Felix Hernandez – Having watched every pitch Hernandez threw Tuesday night, let me tell you how misleading the boxscore was – 3.2 innings, seven hits, three runs, three walks, five Ks. First off, he gave up three…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer Brad Penny has faced 206 batters this season without allowing a home run, making him the only pitcher that has faced at least 100 batters without giving up one. In their first 34 games, the 1962 Mets (who finished 40-120) went 12-22. The 2007 Nationals went 9-25. Cubs…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer Jack Cust was selected in the first round (30th pick) in the 1997 amateur draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’s since bounced around, first getting traded to the Rockies and later dealt to the Orioles and Padres. It’s unclear why he ended up with NL teams more often…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer After compiling a revised top-20 for fantasy baseball through six weeks of the season, it became apparent just how undervalued Bonds was entering this season. Finishing with an ADP around 160, Bonds just barely fell out of my top-20 and would enter the mix soon thereafter. Do you…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer If a fantasy baseball draft were held today, these would be my top-20 picks: 1. Jose Reyes – Maybe most encouraging of all is Reyes’ improved plate discipline (18/18 KBB ratio). He’s not just a stud in fantasy baseball, but he’s also a true star in real life.…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer After not making a trade all season, I pulled the trigger on not one, but two deals last night. Neither was an easy decision, and both have to take team context into account. Trade One: I give up: Nick Markakis I receive: Carlos Quentin and Brad Penny Let’s…

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer I recommend buying low on Anthony Reyes. He’s yet to win a game this year and sports a 5.03 ERA, so maybe I should be advising you to pick him up. Still, he has a solid 28/10 K/BB ratio and a tidy 1.12 WHIP, so the peripherals are…