The Baseball Chick

In a move that made me upchuck my Coffee Frappachino the other day, Commander of the Idiot Brigade Bud Selig said that he is not opposed to the idea of expanding postseason play.  In fact, the concept of expanding baseball’s postseason by making the Division Series round best-of-seven or even adding teams to the field is building support from the Major League Baseball Players’ Association.  According to the MLBPA, players are generally receptive to the idea, but changes likely would not be implemented until 2012 at the earliest because they’re subject to collective bargaining.

Many have defended or straight out encouraged the idea, citing the 16 team playoff format utilized by the NBA and the 12 team playoff format in the NFL.  But quite frankly, how absolutely pathetic do you feel even tuning in to the 1 seed versus 8 seed series in Round One of the NBA Playoffs? No one should want to reward a .500 Indiana Pacers team with a playoff berth.  It’s plain retarded.  It seems to take an entire MONTH of NBA playoff action to even get into the meat of the competition between quality teams. If the MLB went NBA on everyone’s asses, do you know who we would have had to endure in the playoffs this year? The motherfucking Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers!!!  And for what, so we can reward the 12 loyal fans of the Florida Marlins who survived their team’s truly mediocre season? I’ll tell you what, if the Marlins really want to be a perennial fixture in the postseason, perhaps they should stop having fire sales following every one of their World Series appearances.  Even my beloved St. Louis Cardinals would have made the playoffs under the proposed new playoff format. But did the underperforming Cardinals deserve to be in the 2010 playoffs? Sadly, no.   And I quite like seeing the best-of-the-best face off starting on day one of the playoffs.

If we are going to let so many damn teams into the thing to begin with, why even have a grueling 162-game schedule? Let’s just play April, get a sense of things, and then start the playoffs in the first week of May.  Or we can change baseball completely and just have the entire season be one big tournament with every team invited to participate until one team is left standing.

But I have to go catch a flight to Milwaukee now because I have a date with an upper decker in Bud Selig’s master bathroom.

With the first half of the 2010 fantasy baseball and major league baseball seasons coming to an end, here are 10 position players to check for on the waiver wire that might be good injury replacements or sleepers that could help your fantasy team make that final push for a win.

Gaby Sanchez – 1b – Marlins – .307 avg, 38 runs, 8 hr, 34 rbi, 3 sb

The Marlins rookie first baseman got off to a bit of a slow start but has really started to show why he was one of the organizations top prospects for the last few years. Available in most mixed fantasy leagues due to a deep first base position, he could be worth a grab if you have a weak corner infield spot or an injured starter.

Tyler Colvin – OF – Cubs – .294 avg, 22 runs, 9 hr, 23 rbi, 1 sb

The Cubs seem to be frustrated with Alfonso Soriano and the main beneficiary of this has been Colvin. Colvin has taken advantage of the extra at-bats with some consistent pop. If you have Soriano and want his platoon-mate or you are in a deep league in need of some homers, give Colvin a shot.

Justin Smoak – 1b – Rangers – .221 avg, 26 runs, 8 hr, 34 rbi, 1 sb

A lot of owners jumped on the Smoak bandwagon when he first got called up and then quickly bailed when he struggled out of the gate. The Smoak Monster wasn’t known as a power hitter in the minors but he can certainly hit for average and put up RBI’s at the major league level. He has really gotten hot lately and has a lot of protection in the Ranger’s offense. I’d grab Gaby Sanchez first, but if he’s not available you could certainly do worse than Smoak.

Pat Burrell – OF – Giants – .244 avg, 16 runs, 6 hr, 23 rbi, 0 sb

Pat Burrell may very well end up being this fantasy baseball season’s most added/dropped player by the time the year is over. Everyone knows what you get with Pat The Bat, power and a slight ding to your team average. Average is just one category, however, and with more playing time coming his way he could be a nice 2-category boost for those owners looking for homers and RBI’s for their late season push.

Brennan Boesch – OF – Tigers – .344 avg, 24 runs, 11 hr, 40 rbi, 3 sb

A virtual unknown heading into the 2010 Major League Baseball season, and even more so going into the 2010 fantasy baseball season, the 6’6″ Boesch has been quietly making a name for himself in Detroit. An injury to Carlos Guillen got him the playing time he needed and he has taken advantage in a big way. He has done so well that Guillen is now playing second base. If you have any hesitation about adding Boesch to your fantasy baseball roster, just look at the numbers, they definitely speak for themselves and have been put up in just 189 at-bats.

Mark Ellis – 2b – A’s – .278 avg, 18 runs, 2 hr, 16 rbi, 2 sb

In my opinion, Ellis has always been underrated as a fantasy contributor. Playing a shallow position, he brings some decent pop (could hit another 10 homers), above average speed (could steal another 10 bases), and consistent hitting (should finish around .280). He won’t score or drive in many runs in the yawn-inspiring A’s lineup, but in deeper leagues and some shallow leagues it would be worth the 30 seconds it takes to compare what Ellis is doing to what your current starter is putting up.

Russell Branyan – 1b – Indians – .261 avg, 24 runs, 10 hr, 24 rbi, 0 sb

If any player is going to challenge Burrell for the “most added/most dropped” title this season, it would be Branyan. No matter what your feelings are about K-rate, there is no questioning this guy’s raw power. With the potential to hit at least another 15-20 homers this season, Branyan is definitely worth a look.

Alcides Escobar – SS – Brewers – .254 avg, 29 runs, 2 hr, 21 rbi, 5 sb

It’s a bit sad to have to mention Escobar in a waiver wire article this late into the season. He was a sleeper pick for a lot of fantasy owner’s at this year’s drafts, but a slow start and a surprising lack of stolen bases have lead a lot of owners to send him back to the lumber yard. He has a couple of stolen bags in the last 10 games and his bat is heating up, so now would be the time to check and see if an impatient owner gave up on this talented rookie.

Melky Cabrera – OF – Braves – .266 avg, 25 runs, 2 hr, 20 rbi, 3 sb

Ok, I have to be honest here, I’m not a Melky fan. A popular late pick this year after he was named the starting center fielder for the Braves, The Melk Man rewarded these savvy owners by starting the season exactly how I thought he would, horribly. Nate McClouth batting .180 turned out to be a better option for the Braves and for fantasy owners. But in the last 20 games Melky is batting .328. It would have to be a deep league or NL-only league to pick him up because he doesn’t really help in any other category, but you can’t ignore a hot bat when you’re trying to make a run at a title.

Conor Jackson – 1b, OF – A’s – .256 avg, 24 runs, 1 hr, 14 rbi, 5 sb

Another sleeper at drafts this year, Co-Jack is another player sent back to the lumber yard after a dismal start to the season. A change of scenery has done him good, however, and he is batting .333 in the 10 games since being traded from the Diamondbacks to the Oakland A’s. Owned in only 3% of yahoo leagues, Jackson is only 2 years removed from a .306/.376/.446 slash line. Any team in need of percentages should give Co-Jack a look and hope he doesn’t come down with a case of Bay Area Fever.

By The Fantasy Dick

The Fantasy Dick has been handpicked by The Baseball Chick to be her resident fantasy baseball expert and to dispense fantasy baseball advice to her readers. Contact The Fantasy Dick via email:  thefantasydick at yahoo.com, with any fantasy baseball questions.

(Hanley Ramirez. Hey Hanley, Don't Point To God, He Doesn't Like You Either)

It’s a sad, shitty world we live in where self-aggrandizing little jerkoffs like Hanley Ramirez can continue to live, make bank, and play well only when they feel like it, while great men like Roberto Clemente die in plane crashes while on their way to help earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Maybe Hanley should save the attitude for when he actually brings a team to the playoffs.   He sounds like he’s quickly becoming one of those players that coaches and teammates call a “cancer to the team.”  Winning teams don’t bring cancers into their clubhouses. Enjoy your career with the Marlins/Nationals/Mariners/Indians/Rangers/Royals/Pirates, buddy.

According to Sports Illustrated:

… after Ramirez failed to hustle after a ball he accidentally kicked into the left-field corner as two runners scored in a 5-1 Diamondbacks victory and then failed to apologize, Gonzalez made no excuses for Ramirez.He took a couple public potshots at his manager and one at his less talented teammates, who also are said in the past to have resisted revealing their negative feelings regarding the team’s best player. According to other Marlins people, Gonzalez was especially incensed about Ramirez’s attacks on the teammates, characterizing the situation to other people as Ramirez “throwing his teammates under the bus.”

Ramirez bolted out of the clubhouse on Monday. But the next day, in response to whether he intended to apologize for failing to hustle, Ramirez said to Marlins writers, “For what? We’ve got a lot of people dogging it after ground balls, and they don’t apologize.”

Things worsened from there, believe it or not, as he issued what seemed to be a sarcastic challenge to the rest of the team. An apology now may require a lot more time, as Ramirez appeared to suggest that his teammates are not in his league. True or not, that’s not something a good teammate should say aloud.

Playing off Gonzalez’s remark from a day earlier about the Marlins having “24 (other) guys busting their butt,” Ramirez told Marlins writers, “We’ve got 24 more guys out there. Hopefully, they can do the same things I do.”

The Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone and quite a few moves have been made in the last few days that will impact fantasy baseball teams everywhere. I will cover the trades with the greatest fantasy impact, starting with:

• The San Diego Padres traded pitcher Jack Peavy to the Chicago White Sox for lefty starter, Clayton Richard, and 3 other pitching prospects. Jake Peavy is due back sometime in September and could help the White Sox make a playoff push. Clayton Richard becomes an intriguing fantasy starter in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues with this move to the spacious Petco Park.
• The Cleveland Indians traded slugging catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez to the Boston Red Sox for major league ready pitcher Justin Masterson, promising lefty Nick Hagadone, and one other prospect. The move should not impact Martinez’s fantasy value and Masterson could find his way into the Cleveland rotation very soon. Mike Lowell will probably be the biggest loser in this deal as he stands to lose some playing time.
• The Red Sox made another move, sending recently acquired first baseman Adam LaRoche to the Atlanta Braves for first baseman Casey Kotchman. LaRoche’s fantasy value should increase as he will be the Braves’ everyday first baseman. Kotchman’s value will remain largely unchanged, but Boston seems like the winner here as Kotchman is 3 years younger and has slightly better career averages.
• The Cincinatti Reds sent 3 players, including third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, to the Toronto Blue Jays for veteran third baseman Scott Rolen. Encarnacion has the potential to deliver decent offensive numbers, but the Blue Jays will suffer a large drop in defense. If Rolen’s recent power surge is not a fluke, then he will love playing at Great American Ballpark and becomes a must-add in all NL-only leagues.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers picked up lefty reliever George Sherrill from the Baltimore Orioles for prospects. This move greatly improves the Dodgers’ tired bullpen, but greatly reduces any fantasy value Sherrill had as a closer, unless your league counts holds. Early reports are saying that Jim Johnson will get first shot at closing duties in Baltimore, as was predicted by The Baseball Chick a few days ago in the Fantasy Sports Corner.
• The Detroit Tigers traded prospects to the Seattle Mariners for left-handed starter Jarrod Washburn. Washburn may see an increase in his ERA and WHIP since he was aided by a superior Mariners outfield, but he should still be a reliable fantasy starter. The Detroit Tigers now have 3 of the top 7 starting ERAs in baseball in their rotation.
• The Oakland A’s, always active at the trade deadline, dealt second baseman Orlando Cabrera to the Minnesota Twins for a prospect.  Cabrera will immediately bat second and should prove to be a nice upgrade over Nick Punto and Brendan Harriss.  The veteran should get a nice boost in runs scored batting in front of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.
• Surprising buyers at the deadline, with a pair of moves, the San Francisco Giants picked up former batting champ and second baseman Freddy Sanchez from the Pittsburgh Pirates for promising pitching prospect Timothy Alderson.  The Giants also added Ryan Garko, courtesy the Cleveland Indians, to replace struggling first baseman Travis Ishikawa.  Garko should see a little more playing time in San Fran and Ishikawa could lose all of his fantasy value.  Sanchez’s value should remain about the same.
• The Chicago Cubs picked up lefty set-up man John Grabow and starter Tom Gorzelanny from the Pittsburgh Pirates for starting pitcher Kevin Hart and 2 other prospects.  Grabow will help to set-up Kevin Gregg in Chicago, leaving his fantasy value largely unchanged.  It appears Matt Capps will stay the Pirates closer for the remainder of this season.
• Finally, the Florida Marlins picked up first baseman Nick Johnson from the Washington Nationals for a prospect.  Johnson’s value may take a hit in Florida unless they decide to bench Emilio Bonafacio and move Jorge Cantu to third base, opening up regular playing time for Johnson at first.

The Major League Baseball season is more than halfway over which means time is running out to make a run in your fantasy baseball league.  With the trade deadline approaching, now is the time to start looking at those set-up men that will inherit the closer position when teams decide to make a change.  The Fantasy Sports Corner has a list of ten potential closers for those in need of saves for the stretch run:

1.  Leo Nunez (Marlins) – 3.56 era, 1.19 whip, 13 holds, 7 saves

If Nunez is still available in your league and you are in need of saves, stop reading and go pick him up.  When closer Matt Lindstrom first went down with an injury, the Florida Marlins went to a committee of lefty Dan Meyer and righty Leo Nunez.  Nunez has emerged as the favorite by getting the last 3 save chances and converting them all.  The plan is to ease Lindstrom back into closing duties, so Nunez will have a chance for a few more saves.  If Nunez continues to pitch well and Lindstrom does not improve on his miserable first half, then the closer’s job could be handed to Nunez permanently.

2.  C.J. Wilson (Rangers) – 2.86 era, 1.27 whip, 8 holds, 10 saves

Texas Rangers closer Frank Francisco got off to a stellar start in 2009.  However, injuries and a current case of pneumonia have limited him.  When Francisco has not be available, C.J. Wilson has filled in admirably.  Wilson won’t be handed the full-time job anytime soon, but Francisco has not shown that he has trouble staying healthy.  So if you are in need of saves, C.J. Wilson is a set-up man to own.

3.  Jon Rauch (Diamondbacks) – 4.25 era, 1.35 whip, 6 holds, 2 saves

The numbers don’t look great, but Jon Rauch has really turned things around lately.  He has only allowed 3 earned runs in his last 10 innings and with the Arizona Diamondbacks looking like sellers at the trade deadline, he may get another shot to close.  There are trade rumors around current Diamondbacks closer Chad Qualls, so Rauch could be in line for some second-half saves.

4.  Ramon Troncoso (Dodgers) – 1.95 era, 1.25 whip, 10 holds, 5 saves

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton is dealing with a nagging toe injury that manager Joe Torre feels could be a problem for the rest of the season.  When Broxton has been unable to pitch, set-up man Ramon Troncoso has filled in and has proven very dependable.  Broxton has done well since the All-Star break, but with a chance of missed days and a D.L. stint, Ramon Troncoso makes a nice second-half sleeper.

5.  Jim Johnson (Orioles) – 3.05 era, 1.26 whip, 14 holds, 1 save

Trade rumors are swirling around Baltimore Orioles closer George Sherrill.  The Orioles are definitely sellers and with quite a few teams showing interest there is a good chance Sherrill will be moved.  Jim Johnson would get the first crack at the closer’s job and should do just fine.  Johnson’s strikeout rate leaves a lot to be desired, but the 25-year-old can be relied on to get outs.

6.  John Grabow (Pirates) – 3.65 era, 1.50 whip, 16 holds, 0 saves

Current Pittsburgh Pirates closer Matt Capps has a lot of job security and isn’t a free agent until 2012.  However, there have been some trade rumors (with the Marlins showing interest), and if he were to be moved then John Grabow would step into the closer’s role.  The Pirates have been winning some games this year, so with a Capps trade Grabow would become a solid fantasy closer.

7.  Matt Thornton (White Sox) – 2.85 era, 1.20 whip, 15 holds, 1 save

Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks has given up six runs in his last four appearances.  Ozzie Guillen has been quoted as saying that Jenks will remain the closer.  His actual quote was, “He’s my closer and if people don’t want him to be my closer, don’t come to the God damn games.”  With a strong bullpen, the White Sox could look to trade Jenks or he could just pitch himself out of a job.  If either of these things happen, Matt Thornton should get first shot at the closer’s role.

8.  Joe Beimel (Nationals) – 3.35 era, 1.33 whip, 10 holds, 1 save

Mike MacDougal is surprisingly doing a fine job closing games for a struggling (to say the least) Washington Nationals baseball team.  However, Manager Jim Riggleman has said that he wants to use the dreaded closer-by-committee approach.  MacDougal will be the favorite in the committee, but his peripherals suggest he is due for a big fall.  Next in line would be Joe Beimel.  Beimel is only 1 for 5 in save opportunities this year, so he is a risky option as well and probably best left for NL-only fantasy leagues.  Sean Burnett is a sleeper here and has pitched extremely well in his short time with the Nationals.

9.  LaTroy Hawkins (Astros) – 2.36 era, 1.24 whip, 11 holds, 10 saves

Houston Astros closer Jose Valverde has been great so far in the second half.  LaTroy Hawkins filled in quite well for Valverde while he was on the D.L. and would do so again if Valverde were to succumb to injury (which is always a possibility).  If the Astros were to fall out of the race there is the potential for Valverde to be traded as he is a free agent.  Hawkins is also a free agent which is why he is toward the bottom of the list.

10.  Ryan Madson (Phillies) – 3.10 era, 1.20 whip, 16 holds, 4 saves

Ryan Madson was one of the best set-up men in baseball for the Philladelphia Phillies in the first half.  When current closer Brad Lidge went on the D.L., Madson got a chance to see if his 8th inning skills would translate to the 9th inning.  Madson learned quickly that closing games is not easy and he struggled mightily in the role.  Brad Lidge is back closing games for the Phillies and Madson is settling back into his set-up role here in the second half.  However, Lidge is still proving to be awfully hittable and although he says his knee is 100% there is always the possibility of another trip to the D.L.  All of this makes Ryan Madson a sleeper closer and his numbers will not hurt you if you’re looking for help in ERA, WHIP, and K/9.