24 Responses to “Fantasy Beat: 1 Step Forward 2 Steps Back”

1. By Dave O on Jun 16, 2012

   Hi Ray, just had Morrow go on the DL. Looking at these pitchers…..Justin Masterson, Aaron Harang, Jonathon Sanchez, Scott Diamond. which do you like ? it could be 2 weeks. could be a month ??? Thanks !

2. By Ray Flowers on Jun 16, 2012

   Dave O – No telling on how long Morrow will be out. Diamond most likely to regress. Sanchez biggest/most exciting arm. Harang, most likely to be consistent and not to harm you.

3. By bryon on Jun 16, 2012

   Hey Ray,

   what do you think of this trade?

   Giving Chris Sale and Edwin Encarnacion for Justin Upton and Matt Wieters.

   It is a 10 team league so pitchers are devalued a little bit.

   Thanks

4. By Ray Flowers on Jun 17, 2012

   Bryon – Giving Chris Sale and Edwin Encarnacion for Justin Upton and Matt Wieters.

   A high price, though one always has to be paid in a 10 tm.
   EE for Upton is fine, but I’d like to think you could get more for Sale than Wieters, esp. in a shallow lg that doesnt dig too deep into player pool at C.

5. By jon on Jun 17, 2012

   Ray – From the Dept. of Streak-riding (while waiting for Bonifacio): Reynolds or Alvarez? Say, next two weeks (or for as long as it lasts). 10-team roto w/ AVG and OPS and I need the power!

   thanks, man.

6. By Ray Flowers on Jun 17, 2012

   Jon – Pedro has two HUGE games last two days, but go Reynolds. Not only does he have history on his side, but he qualifies at two spots (1b/3b) and he hitting .317 with a 30 HR pace over his last 25 games.

7. By KevinB on Jun 17, 2012

   Hey Ray!

   I am in a league that has holds as a pitching category and I am using Venters. Venters currntly has 12 hold and K/BB but his ERA and WHIP are killling me. Do you think that Venters will right the ship or do you feel it is best to drop him and pickup someone like Lindblom, Choate or Thornton?

8. By Ray Flowers on Jun 17, 2012

   KevinB – Venters line makes no sense. He’s getting hammered when he leaves the ball in the zone, but it doesnt make a hell of a lot of sense. His velocity is down a tad, but his K rate is way up. He’s also walking fewer batters than last year. Problem is, his BABIP is .426 and his HR/F is 33.3 For his career those numbers are .287 and 9.5. The numbers will even out over time.. well at least they should.

9. By Jeff on Jun 18, 2012

   I am in a 5×5 roto 14 teams. I have Evan Longoria coming off the DL and not sure who to drop. My team is C- Wieters 1B- Lee 2B- Cano 3B- Youkilis SS- Escobar OF- Davis, Murphy, Rios, Venable DH- Ortiz
   Bench: Craig, LaRoche, Scutaro, B.J. Upton

10. By Ray Flowers on Jun 18, 2012

    Jeff – Venable is worth something in a 14 tm lg, but he’s your 5th best OF. Let him go.

    On a side note, why on earth is BJ Upton on your bench?

11. By Justin Klein on Jun 18, 2012

    hi ray, thanks for the message via twitter. i knew venters was getting unlucky, but i had no idea his babip was that high. i feel i’m probably best off keeping johnny and trading someone else playing well. my other hold guys are grilli, robertson & romo. i like having romo paired with casilla, and i love grilli’s k rate. pretty sure i can trade robertson for good value to soriano’s owner, but i’d kick myself if takes over the closer role for the mighty yankees. who do you think is the best guy to trade in this situation?

12. By Ray Flowers on Jun 18, 2012

    Justin Klein – I don’t know how your league values relievers. I’m a HUGE fan of Romo, but the Giants simply don’t give him enough innings. I know you have him and Casilla, but its tough to keep him given that he’s rarely allowed to throw a full inning anymore (not really sure why the Giants are using him like that).

13. By Jeff on Jun 18, 2012

    Thanks for the help. Upton is just on the bench because today is an off day for him.

14. By Justin Klein on Jun 18, 2012

    thanks ray. romo’s numbers are so pretty, but he’s only pitched 18 innings thus far. as far as my league goes, holds are valuable, but a player like romo is very valuable. people recognize that. going to offer kendrys & romo for a SP like mcdonald or dempster.

15. By Justin Klein on Jun 20, 2012

    ray,

    i ended up trading romo for carl crawford striaght up; which enabled me to put him on the DL and pick up carlos marmol. now i can either flip the package of CC & marmol or austin jackson and marmol for a SP. thanks for the push to hold venters and trade romo.

    one potential trade partner keeps offering marcum/dempster/moore for ajax. what’s your opinion of the trio going forward? 7×7 with L/QS/S/HD/K/ERA/WHIP.

16. By Ray Flowers on Jun 21, 2012

    Justin Klein – Great set of moves. Way to go.

    marcum/dempster/moore for ajax

    If you need pitching depth doing this move gives you three #3 hurlers for one OF. Always matters who you drop to even out the rosters, but I love this deal in terms of the talent you would be adding.

17. By Justin Klein on Jun 21, 2012

    ha. i meant he was offering them one for one. first dempster, then moore, and finally marcum. trade talks fizzled a bit when marcum and dempster both went on the DL. the other mgr overvalues moore, and i was close to pulling the trigger for dempster (who i like the most), but his DL trip combined with the possiblity of being traded to the AL east scared me. marcum’s injury history and meltdown last year have cooled my expectations on him as well. plus i love having an OF of Braun, Trout & AJax. If I were to offer Marmol and Crawford for one of them who should it be?

18. By Ray Flowers on Jun 21, 2012

    Justin Klein – I wouldn’t deal AJax for Marcum, Dempster or Moore.

    Confused – you want to offer Marmol and Crawford to get who? One of those SPs? That’s too much for me to support.

19. By Justin Klein on Jun 21, 2012

    agreed. although i was tempted after trading utley for ajax i backed out after marcum & dempster went on the DL. that mgr highly overvalues moore imo. i want a quality SP for ajax/marmol or crawford/marmol. marmol is on my bench as i start venters/robertson/grilli as well as casilla/jansen/janssen. so i’m looking to pair him with one of the aforementioned OF (one of which will also be on my bench when crawford returns) for a SP. who should i be targeting?

20. By Ryan on Jun 21, 2012

    NL only league, 5X5 league
    Ray, no brainer to waive Rolen to pick up Chris Nelson of the Rockies? It looks like 2nd base is his while Scutaro moves to short to replace Tulo.

21. By Nate on Jun 22, 2012

    Hey Ray,
    12 team H2H 5×5. Who do you like the rest of the season- Howie Kendrick, Jed Lowrie, or Alex Gordon? Kendrick has 2B and OF eligibility in my league, and Lowrie has SS and 3B.

    Thanks for all your hard work

22. By Ray Flowers on Jun 22, 2012

    Ryan – Nelson should see ample playing time with Tulo on the shelf for a couple of months. Nelson is also starting to heat up as well, so do it. Not sold on Rolen physically and when Stubbs is back can they really take Frazier out of lineup?

23. By Ray Flowers on Jun 22, 2012

    Nate – What is your need? What positional needs do you have? Kendrick is a favorite of mine. He’s a borderline .300 hitter and he’s hitting .351 the last two weeks. Lowrie has been impressive, but he always gets hurt and I dont think he’s a 25+ HR bat. Gordon is solid and I could see an improvement the rest of the way.

24. By Nate on Jun 22, 2012

    I don’t have a real glaring need. It is a well rounded team. I am just looking at overall value the rest of the way. Got Cano, Hanley, and David Wright, so I’m fine at IF. Have Cargo, Braun, J-Upton in the OF. So it is really just to build depth and overall value. I currently have Kendrick, but I wasn’t sure if picking up Lowrie or Gordon would be an upgrade.