Playing time is a huge issue in fantasy baseball. Great hitting catchers who play multiple positions or can DH in the AL are way valuable. Also, defense is not a fantasy category unless you are in a very esoteric league.
1. Mike Napoli- He's always been a monster at the plate. Mike Scioscia hated him for some reason. Freed in Texas. May regress a little in BA, but a solid bet to put up huge power numbers again.
2. Carlos Santana- Will play every day in some capacity so will put up big counting stats. BA hurts some, but that should improve.
3. Brian McCann- Playing time is an issue, but he's good enough to still give you big time numbers.
4. Matt Wieters- just a continuation of his normal progression will yield very good numbers, but I think he could break huge.
5. Joe Mauer- Seems a lot healthier this year. Can DH and play some 1B, so should rack up the PA's if he stays healthy. Probably won't crack 20 HR's again in the Twins new ballpark.
6. Miguel Montero- solid numbers are almost a guarantee.
7. Buster Posey- I love Buster Posey as much as anybody, but for fantasy purposes, he has to prove he can stay on the field after that horrific injury.
8. Alex Avila- Had a breakout last year. Can he sustain it?
9. Ryan Doumit- Sleeper alert! Doumit is the reason I might wait on drafting a catcher until late. He's a beast at the plate and he's going to play every day in some capacity with the Twins.
10. Yadier Molina- Great catcher, but defense don't count in fantasy. Solid BA, but not much help otherwise.
11. Jesus Montero- should hit for average and doubles power, but not that park is death to RH power hitters.
12. Wilson Ramos- hit 16 HR's last year and is still very young.
13. Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Also hit 16 HR's last year. A bit of a post hype sleeper?
14. Jonathan Lucroy- I picked him up last year when McCann got hurt. Should have just kept him because McCann was terrible after he came back.
15. Kurt Suzuki- He's bulled up some to try to hit for more power. His past numbers with a few more HR's would be quite interesting.
16. Salvador Perez- He's on enough sleeper lists that he's probably overvalued now.
17. Nick Hundley- Had a strong second half last year, but the park he plays in is a big negative and the Padres acquired Yasmani Grandal for a reason.
18. Wilin Rosario- With Iannetta gone has a clear path to PT and you have to like any hitter in Coors. Very unproven.
19. Devin Mesocoro- Everybody seems to agree he's going to be great. What's not clear is how much PT he'll get from Dusty until Jocketty trades Hanigan.
IMO, Napoli and Santana are in a top tier. They are draftable in the top 20. Catcher is not as thin as it has been in the recent past. In a 10 team league, you can afford to wait, especially if you miss out on Napoli or Santana or don't want them for some reason. In a 12 team league, it gets a bit more dicey and you might want to grab one before the top 6 or 7 go off the board.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Spring Training Update: Game Wrap Angels 9 Giants 5
The Giants in this one were the traveling half of a split squad. They fell behind early, fought back to a temporary tie, but ultimately couldn't keep up with the home Angels squad. Key Lines:
Aubrey Huff- 2 for 3, HR(2). I still think the starting 1B gig is Huff's to lose, and games like this keep him in control of his destiny.
The Giants take on the Mariners in Scottsdale tomorrow in a game I plan to attend. Buster Posey is scheduled to catch 4 innings and Brian Wilson is scheduled to make his first spring appearance.
Aubrey Huff- 2 for 3, HR(2). I still think the starting 1B gig is Huff's to lose, and games like this keep him in control of his destiny.
The Giants take on the Mariners in Scottsdale tomorrow in a game I plan to attend. Buster Posey is scheduled to catch 4 innings and Brian Wilson is scheduled to make his first spring appearance.
Spring Training Update: Game Wrap Giants 13 BrewCrew 3
Both the Giants and Brewers were playing split squad games today. The Giants were the home team in this one and well, you get the picture. Barry Zito had a strong start and several Giants had big days at the plate led by Tommy Joseph's 2 HR's. Key Lines:
Pablo Sandoval- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(1). BA= .263. Pablo was off to a slow start, but had a big day today.
Ryan Theriot- 2 for 2, 2B, BB. BA= .286.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B. BA= .429. Crawford continues to sizzle.
Tommy Joseph- 2 for 3, 2 HR, BB. BA= .444. I'm pretty sure Joseph made an impression on the Giants management today.
Barry Zito- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.60. Zito was hitting his spots with the curveball.
I am in Phoenix tonight. We are going to the game tomorrow in Scottsdale, Eric Surkamp vs Felix Hernandez and the Mariners.
Pablo Sandoval- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(1). BA= .263. Pablo was off to a slow start, but had a big day today.
Ryan Theriot- 2 for 2, 2B, BB. BA= .286.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 3, 2B, 3B. BA= .429. Crawford continues to sizzle.
Tommy Joseph- 2 for 3, 2 HR, BB. BA= .444. I'm pretty sure Joseph made an impression on the Giants management today.
Barry Zito- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.60. Zito was hitting his spots with the curveball.
I am in Phoenix tonight. We are going to the game tomorrow in Scottsdale, Eric Surkamp vs Felix Hernandez and the Mariners.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Spring Training Update: Game Wrap Giants 6 Reds 3
Buster Posey made his spring trainging debut and played in his first game since that day we try not to think about. Melky Cabrera stayed insanely hot and Matt Cain pitched an easily dominant 3 innings as the Giants upped their spring training record to 5-2. Key Lines:
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 3, HR(3). BA= .588. There was yet another article in Fangraphs saying Cabrera is going to regress this year. I think Melky may actually be undervalued because EVERYBODY thinks he's going to regress! Now, I know spring training stats don't mean a thing, especially early on, but I think these analysts may be missing the human element here. Melky has always had the tools, tools galore! There is a well known phenomenon in baseball called Post Hype Sleeper. That's what Melky was last year and lot of people are having trouble believing it. The human element is that in his first few seasons, Melky was very much out of shape and possibly had a problem with alcohol. He hit rock bottom in Atlanta. He got serious about his conditioning and the results in KC were obvious. Now, he appears to be in even better shape and has a totally focused, almost workaholic attitude. He's also just entering the age range where ballplayers typically have their peak seasons. So, tools, post hype sleeper, conditioning, attitude, age, contract year. I think it all adds up to last year being just the tip of the iceberg.
Freddy Sanchez- 1 for 4. BA= .250. Freddy made his debut in the lineup albeit as a DH. He may play in the field sometime next week.
Buster Posey- 0 for 1. BA= .000. Buster was greeted with loud cheers in Scottsdale. He's the Savior, the Future, the Promised One of this team. He's to the Giants now what Will "The Thrill" was years ago. The guy who Giants fans think of first when they think of the Giants. It's hard to fathom how damaging his injury was to the collective fan psyche or how much his return, no matter how modest, is uplifting. A great day for the Giants and their fans, and I'm sure for Buster too.
Brett Pill- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .350. Pill continues to impress.
Aubrey Huff- 0 for 3. BA= .214. Again, spring training stats don't mean much, but Huff came to camp needing to make a statement. So far, it's the wrong statement! It could be telling that he played LF today.
Brandon Belt- 2 for 2, 2B, HR(2). BA= .389. If this keeps up, I'm not sure how the Giants send Belt down to Fresno.
Matt Cain- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00. Cain is Cain. Quietly dominant!
Brian Burres- 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.25. Not sure where Burres fits. Personally I might be more confident in him than Barry Zito, but Zito's not going anywhere for awhile.
Heath Hembree- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K. ERA= 3.00. Hembree was hitting 96 on the gun today. I doubt he breaks camp with the Giants but he could well be up before the season is out.
The Giants play split squad games tomorrow against the Angels and BrewCrew with Zito and Shane Loux getting the starts.
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 3, HR(3). BA= .588. There was yet another article in Fangraphs saying Cabrera is going to regress this year. I think Melky may actually be undervalued because EVERYBODY thinks he's going to regress! Now, I know spring training stats don't mean a thing, especially early on, but I think these analysts may be missing the human element here. Melky has always had the tools, tools galore! There is a well known phenomenon in baseball called Post Hype Sleeper. That's what Melky was last year and lot of people are having trouble believing it. The human element is that in his first few seasons, Melky was very much out of shape and possibly had a problem with alcohol. He hit rock bottom in Atlanta. He got serious about his conditioning and the results in KC were obvious. Now, he appears to be in even better shape and has a totally focused, almost workaholic attitude. He's also just entering the age range where ballplayers typically have their peak seasons. So, tools, post hype sleeper, conditioning, attitude, age, contract year. I think it all adds up to last year being just the tip of the iceberg.
Freddy Sanchez- 1 for 4. BA= .250. Freddy made his debut in the lineup albeit as a DH. He may play in the field sometime next week.
Buster Posey- 0 for 1. BA= .000. Buster was greeted with loud cheers in Scottsdale. He's the Savior, the Future, the Promised One of this team. He's to the Giants now what Will "The Thrill" was years ago. The guy who Giants fans think of first when they think of the Giants. It's hard to fathom how damaging his injury was to the collective fan psyche or how much his return, no matter how modest, is uplifting. A great day for the Giants and their fans, and I'm sure for Buster too.
Brett Pill- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .350. Pill continues to impress.
Aubrey Huff- 0 for 3. BA= .214. Again, spring training stats don't mean much, but Huff came to camp needing to make a statement. So far, it's the wrong statement! It could be telling that he played LF today.
Brandon Belt- 2 for 2, 2B, HR(2). BA= .389. If this keeps up, I'm not sure how the Giants send Belt down to Fresno.
Matt Cain- 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00. Cain is Cain. Quietly dominant!
Brian Burres- 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.25. Not sure where Burres fits. Personally I might be more confident in him than Barry Zito, but Zito's not going anywhere for awhile.
Heath Hembree- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K. ERA= 3.00. Hembree was hitting 96 on the gun today. I doubt he breaks camp with the Giants but he could well be up before the season is out.
The Giants play split squad games tomorrow against the Angels and BrewCrew with Zito and Shane Loux getting the starts.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Spring Training Update: Game Wrap Giants 5 Padres 2
Madison Bumgarner and 5 other Giants pitchers dominated the Padres while the offense used speed to scratch out enough runs to win going away. Key lines:
Juan Perez- 1 for 1, HR. BA= .500. Perez' dinger was insurance run in the top of the 8'th inning.
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 3, BB, 2 SB. BA= .429. I know it's early spring, but I'm starting to wonder if it was necessary to acquire Pagan. This guy looks like the perfect leadoff batter to me.
Eli Whiteside- 1 for 2, BB, SB. BA= .375. Is Whiteside winning the reserve catcher job?
Madison Bumgarner- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 1.59. Bumgarner is off to a sensational start to spring training. 9 K's against just 1 BB in 5.2 IP? Dominant! He may be the Giants ace right now!
Affeldt, Hensley, Romo and Otero each pitched a scoreless inning. Romo got a standing O from the Giants fans, who were in the majority in the Padres crib, after he struck out 2 Padres batters in the inning. He looked that impressive!
Tomorrow's game promises to be one of the most interesting of the spring. Matt Cain goes against the Reds and Aroldis Chapman in Scottsdale with Buster Posey scheduled to make his spring game debut.
Juan Perez- 1 for 1, HR. BA= .500. Perez' dinger was insurance run in the top of the 8'th inning.
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 3, BB, 2 SB. BA= .429. I know it's early spring, but I'm starting to wonder if it was necessary to acquire Pagan. This guy looks like the perfect leadoff batter to me.
Eli Whiteside- 1 for 2, BB, SB. BA= .375. Is Whiteside winning the reserve catcher job?
Madison Bumgarner- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 1.59. Bumgarner is off to a sensational start to spring training. 9 K's against just 1 BB in 5.2 IP? Dominant! He may be the Giants ace right now!
Affeldt, Hensley, Romo and Otero each pitched a scoreless inning. Romo got a standing O from the Giants fans, who were in the majority in the Padres crib, after he struck out 2 Padres batters in the inning. He looked that impressive!
Tomorrow's game promises to be one of the most interesting of the spring. Matt Cain goes against the Reds and Aroldis Chapman in Scottsdale with Buster Posey scheduled to make his spring game debut.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Spring Training Update: Game Wrap Giants 8 Rockies 6
The Rockies smacked Tim Lincecum around in the early innings but the Giants came back with 6 runs in the last two innings to pull out an 8-6 win. I wonder how many times that will happen in the regular season? Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 2, 2B. BA= .364. Blanco is stating a case to be on the 25 man roster in the early going.
Melky Cabrera- 3 for 3, 2B, Assist. BA= .571. From what I've been reading, Melky seems to have an odd affect showing little or now emotion and obssessing over doing his "work" in interviews, although he insists that he likes his new team, teammates and is having fun. I've also read that maybe he hasn't always been this single-minded about baseball. If these results are the product of his workaholism, he can keep right no doing it as far as I'm concerned.
Nate Schierholtz- 1 for 2, BB, SB(2). BA= .333. Nate has quietly put up good numbers so far. He came to camp wanting to work on being more aggressive on the basepaths and has 2 SB's to show for it.
Tommy Joseph- 2 for 2. BA= .333. Good to see Joseph rap out a couple of hits showing he is more than an all or nothing hitter.
Tim Lincecum- 2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 0 K. ERA= 13.50. Timmy got slapped around pretty good in this one. It's still early though. Just getting the old arm in shape.
Austin Fleet- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. Fleet was also impressive in the intrasquad game.
Eric Surkamp- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 8.31. Solid outing for Surkamp. Much more like his AA numbers from last year.
Madison Bumgarner takes the mound against Edinson Volquez and the Padres in Peoria tomorrow.
The Hector is out for a few days with a tweaked hammy which may give Joseph an opportunity for more AB's in the early spring.
There was a hilarious note on CSN Bay Area about the Giants running an Angels advance scout who was taking notes during Giants pregame drills. They told him he could come back when the public was allowed in. Not sure how he got in in the first place. He reportedly called the Angels management and told them to make sure no Giants scouts are allowed into their practices. LOL!
The A's released a weak, whiny statement about the territorial rights issue in clear violation of MLB's gag order. The Giants responded with a strongly worded statement including a dig at Lew Wolff's purchase price of the franchise. Seems like MLB is going to have to get off the dime on this one pretty soon before it gets ugly. From the weakness of the A's statement and the strength of the Giants, I would deduce that the A's are feeling like this is getting away from them and they are clearly frustrated. Look for a sale sign to go up as soon as the Dodgers situation is settled.
Gregor Blanco- 2 for 2, 2B. BA= .364. Blanco is stating a case to be on the 25 man roster in the early going.
Melky Cabrera- 3 for 3, 2B, Assist. BA= .571. From what I've been reading, Melky seems to have an odd affect showing little or now emotion and obssessing over doing his "work" in interviews, although he insists that he likes his new team, teammates and is having fun. I've also read that maybe he hasn't always been this single-minded about baseball. If these results are the product of his workaholism, he can keep right no doing it as far as I'm concerned.
Nate Schierholtz- 1 for 2, BB, SB(2). BA= .333. Nate has quietly put up good numbers so far. He came to camp wanting to work on being more aggressive on the basepaths and has 2 SB's to show for it.
Tommy Joseph- 2 for 2. BA= .333. Good to see Joseph rap out a couple of hits showing he is more than an all or nothing hitter.
Tim Lincecum- 2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 0 K. ERA= 13.50. Timmy got slapped around pretty good in this one. It's still early though. Just getting the old arm in shape.
Austin Fleet- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. Fleet was also impressive in the intrasquad game.
Eric Surkamp- 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 8.31. Solid outing for Surkamp. Much more like his AA numbers from last year.
Madison Bumgarner takes the mound against Edinson Volquez and the Padres in Peoria tomorrow.
The Hector is out for a few days with a tweaked hammy which may give Joseph an opportunity for more AB's in the early spring.
There was a hilarious note on CSN Bay Area about the Giants running an Angels advance scout who was taking notes during Giants pregame drills. They told him he could come back when the public was allowed in. Not sure how he got in in the first place. He reportedly called the Angels management and told them to make sure no Giants scouts are allowed into their practices. LOL!
The A's released a weak, whiny statement about the territorial rights issue in clear violation of MLB's gag order. The Giants responded with a strongly worded statement including a dig at Lew Wolff's purchase price of the franchise. Seems like MLB is going to have to get off the dime on this one pretty soon before it gets ugly. From the weakness of the A's statement and the strength of the Giants, I would deduce that the A's are feeling like this is getting away from them and they are clearly frustrated. Look for a sale sign to go up as soon as the Dodgers situation is settled.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Spring Training Update: Game Wrap Giants 8 Dodgers 4
Melky Cabrera had a big day to lead a vigorous Giants offense in beating the hated ones. Key Lines:
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 4, 2 HR. BA= .455. Melky has always had the tools. He has not always had the conditioning or motivation. Hate to get my hopes up, but I could see a scenario where last year was only the beginning for him.
Emmanuel Burriss- 2 for 4, 2 2B. BA= .444. Burriss played LF today and is definitely gunning for a roster spot which the GIants appear to want him to win.
Nate Schierholtz- 2 for 4, 2B, SB. BA= .300. Nate wants to run more.
Brett Pill- 2 for 4, HR. BA= .462. Pill is out to get a roster spot and maybe more.
Hector Sanchez- 0 for 4. BA= .444. The Hector cools off.
Joe Panik- 2 for 2, 3B. BA= 1.000!
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 2, BB. BA= .571.
Barry Zito- 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. I don't remember his line from his first spring start last year, but I think it was a lot worse.
Steve Edlefsen- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.
Heath Hembree- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.
Buster Posey ran the bases for the first time and hit the bag twice with his left foot. Early reports are the ankle felt much better and he will probably play in his first spring game this week.
Tim Lincecum takes the mound tomorrow against the Rockies.
Melky Cabrera- 2 for 4, 2 HR. BA= .455. Melky has always had the tools. He has not always had the conditioning or motivation. Hate to get my hopes up, but I could see a scenario where last year was only the beginning for him.
Emmanuel Burriss- 2 for 4, 2 2B. BA= .444. Burriss played LF today and is definitely gunning for a roster spot which the GIants appear to want him to win.
Nate Schierholtz- 2 for 4, 2B, SB. BA= .300. Nate wants to run more.
Brett Pill- 2 for 4, HR. BA= .462. Pill is out to get a roster spot and maybe more.
Hector Sanchez- 0 for 4. BA= .444. The Hector cools off.
Joe Panik- 2 for 2, 3B. BA= 1.000!
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 2, BB. BA= .571.
Barry Zito- 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. I don't remember his line from his first spring start last year, but I think it was a lot worse.
Steve Edlefsen- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.
Heath Hembree- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.
Buster Posey ran the bases for the first time and hit the bag twice with his left foot. Early reports are the ankle felt much better and he will probably play in his first spring game this week.
Tim Lincecum takes the mound tomorrow against the Rockies.
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