Fantasy Baseball – FAAB Report, Wk.6

I’ve been sick. So sick that I was in the hospital for three days. I’m feeling better now, but apparently my brain is still a bit scrambled. Just check out some of the crazy bids I placed this week in the free agent pool.

TOUT WARS (15 team mixed): As you know, I’ve been sick for a week now, so sick I was in the hopsital for three days. I’m blaming the residual there for my lack of bid on Dee Gordon. I need a middle infielder badly in this league so I should have been more aggressive with the speed demon from LA. Instead I went small money and added Ruben Tejada ($1) and Ryan Raburn ($1). Tejada is merely a stop gap at SS, Derek Jeter missing half the season is killing me. As for Raburn, why not take a chance? He replaced Eric Sogard in my lineup (I told you I was hurting up the middle). Hopefully Raburn can remain in the daily lineup which would be a nice boost for me. I let go Mike Leake and Billy Hamilton to make the moves. Given my injury issues, I couldn’t wait on Hamilton any longer.
Notable bids: Dee Gordon $30), Hector Santiago ($5), Marcell Ozuna ($3)

To see how others are evaluating players don’t forget to go to Fleaflicker.com where you can check out the owned percentages of all your favorite players.

LABR (12 team, AL-only): Chris Nelson came over to the AL to join the Yankees, and now he is part of my club for $7. But Ray, why big do high? Well, here’s why. In the last week Chris Young and Kevin Youkilis were both sent to the DL with injuries. I needed at-bats. I went for it.
Notable bids: J.B. Shuck ($5), Sean Doolittle ($5), Freddy Garcias ($3), Jeff Baker ($3), Adam Rosales ($2)

FSTA (13 team mixed): Here are the players I have on the DL in this league – Matt Adam, Coco Crisp, Justin Maxwell, Hanley Ramirez (he was back for half a week), Sergio Santos, Kevin Youkilis and Chris Young. Think my team is in trouble, maybe? I added Ryan Raburn ($89) to help out up the middle and then Justin Grimm on the hill ($9).
Notable bids: Marcell Ozuna ($147 out of $1,000), Kevin Slowey ($59), Trevor Plouffe ($56), Oswaldo Arcia ($25), Jake Westbrook ($22), Shaun Marcum ($19)

SIRIUSXM EXPERTS (12 team mixed): Jeremy Guthrie keeps on getting it done. I sent Chris Nelson packing to add Guthrie ($2). I also let Dayan Viciedo go for Ryan Ruburn ($3). This is the league, if you will remember, that HanRam hosed me. I then spent big on Neil Walker when he was dropped, but of course he too is now on the DL. Raburn, and his second base eligibility, is a nice add for me.
Notable bids: Nolan Arenado ($31), Vernon Wells ($17), Yuniesky Betancourt ($4).

SIRIUSXM LISTENER LG (11 team mixed): This is the only league with an open waiver-wire. I had to drop Kevin Youkilis. Just too many injured players on this club to hold on. I also let Kendrys Morales go. Why you ask? Because I made two trades. Trade #1 saw me give up Carlos Santana, Shin-Soo Choo and Kenley Jansen, a big haul, but in return I received Matt Cain, Cliff Lee, Andre Ethier and Welington Castillo. I also added, in deal #2, Chris Sale and Corey Hart for Tony Cingrani. Granted it sure seems like I worked over the other fella, I added Lee/Cain/Sale in the course of four days, and I got Hart to replace Youkilis as a boost at first base when he is eligible.

K-BAD (12 team mixed): I added the guy I seemingly added in every league, Ryan Raburn ($46). I don’t think he’s going to star this year, but I’m just plugging holes like the boy who stuck his thumb in the dike (I dropped David Robertson). I moved on from Jarrod Saltalamacchia at catcher and added Russell Martin for $17. I also released Joaquin Benoit who was the Tigers closer for about 10 days before he was replaced with Jose Valverde. Chris Tillman ($13) is now a proud member of my rotation.
Notable bids: Dee Gordon ($182), A.J. Griffin ($86), Marcell Ozuna ($75), Yonder Alonso ($64), Seth Smith ($23)

FANBALL (13 team mixed): Anthony Rendon has been demoted, and we may not see him again for a while (barring injury). I let Mr. Rendon go in favor of James Loney. I know that’s a bit nuts, adding Loney, but did you realize he is hitting .398 this season? Seriously, look it up. I also placed Kevin Youkilis on the DL and added Jordan Pacheco to help ou at the third base spot. Woof is right.
Notable bids: Dee Gordon ($40 out of $100), Juan Pierre ($11), Carlos Martinez ($9), Justin Grimm ($8).

By Ray Flowers

Fantasy Baseball – FAAB Report, Wk.2

I made an executive decision over the weekend when I was away drinking champagne and sitting in front of the fire with my friend in Carmel (she was decidedly better looking than the Peep that you see in main photo, and she is even sweeter than my sugary friend as well). I decided that every Monday I’d run through my seven main leagues that I’m doing this season and regale you with my personal FAAB decisions. Hopefully it won’t be as boring as it sounds and you’ll all be able to get something out of my personal decisions on many of the same players you will all be looking at each week.

To see how others are evaluating players don’t forget to go to Fleaflicker.com where you can check out the owned percentages of all your favorite players.

Oh, and before I get to my moves. Remember this – IT’S EARLY. If you want to tweak your roster, fine. But one week of games is far too early to do anything rash like blowing your club up. Patience. Now where is my robe, room service and snuggle time? Am I the only one that thinks returning to the real world blows chunks sometimes?

TOUT WARS (15 team mixed): I didn’t make any moves this week. I tried to release Mike Adams for Jim Henderson but my $6 bid (out of $100) fell well short of the $13 that he went for. Chris Heisey went for $9, Jose Fernandez for $8 and Jose Valverde going for $7. No other player cost more than $3.

LABR (12 team, AL-only): Slim pickings in a league specific setup. I added Matt Lindstrom for $2 (out of $100) as I put Jeff Niemann on the DL. Other adds in a rather quiet week (I had Jose Valverde on reserve in this league and that could turn out to be huge if he gains the closer’s role): Blake Beaven ($1), Jayson Nix ($1), Eric Sogard ($6), Sam Fuld ($3), Kevin Correia ($4), Shelly Duncan ($2), Brett Cecil ($2) and Drew Smyly $13 (I bid $8 for him).

FSTA (13 team mixed): Seventeen players were added here. Part of the reason for that is that this league drafted in January which leaves many more options to add early in the year that have since our draft gained roles. Jim Henderson ($56), Jeremy Guthrie ($71), Rajai Davis ($99) were the highest adds ($1,000 budget). I added one player – Sergio Santos ($9). I put Shaun Marcum in the DL to make the move.

SIRIUSXM EXPERTS (12 team mixed): I had to place Hanley Ramirez on the DL so I needed a middle infielder. I really wanted Eduardo Nunez, but given his biceps issue, and the fact that I couldn’t afford another injured middle infield option, I added Chris Nelson for $5 (out of my $100 budget). The big add of the week in the league was Jose Fernandez ($19) with only one other player in double-digits (Jose Valverde at $11).

SIRIUSXM LISTENER LG (11 team mixed): I didn’t make a single move in this league. This is the only league I’m in that moves can be made on a daily basis so there is no pressure to set up FAAB – you just free for all with it (which you all know I hate). There have been a ton of moves in this league – hello John Buck, Jackie Bradley and Jaime Garcia – but it’s only 11 teams and it’s a long season.

K-BAD (12 team mixed): Eleven total players were added this week. The big money guys – $1,000 budget – included Kelvin Herrera ($167), Jose Valverde ($62) and Jim Henderson ($62). Obviously trolling for saves eats up a lot of a FAAB budget as you’ve seen in many of the leagues listed here. That’s why it always makes sense to try and attach the position a week early. You could have gotta Herrera or Valverde or Henderson for a $1 a week ago. Now look what you have to spend to get the. My add of the week – I only went $32 for Henderson and $31 for Valverde since I’m not convinced either ends up leading his team in saves – was Drew Storen for $3. He’s an elite talent who is one injury or a couple of more bad outings from Rafael Soriano from working the 9th inning for the Nationals. I released Shaun Marcum.

FANBALL (13 team mixed): I added one player in this league – Jose Valverde ($3 of $100). Now I don’t love Valverde by any means, but after the Rockies decided to demote Tyler Colvin I thought I’d take a shot on adding a guy who could end up as the Tigers’ closer by the end of the month (letting go of a minor leaguer for a potential closer can’t be viewed as a bad move). If not, I’ll just use that spot to rotate weekly depending on need. In fact, only nine players were added by the 12 others in the league. The most cost add was a tied between Jim Henderson ($4) and Chris Heisey ($4). Mark Buehrle and Jeff Francoeur were dropped, two moves I have no problem with.

By Ray Flowers

Review: NL LABR

The worst team of all-time.

The worst ever drafted.

How could I possibly be considered an expert drafting this team?

I heard some variance of the above in emails, in tweets, on my show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. I heard it from everyone. E V E R Y O N E. I left money on the table (a mistake I owned up to in my review of the draft). I had a corner infielder – Derrek Lee – who didn’t take an at-bat all season. I had Placido Polanco have the worst season of his career. So how did the worst team ever drafted turn out? With three days left in the season the team was tied for first place…

Wilin Rosario, who drew a ton of heat for my $8 bid, blasted 28 long balls with 71 RBIs in a dominating season.

Garrett Jones socked 27 long balls with 86 RBIs – both career bests (the runs batted in tied his total from 2010).

Daniel Murphy did exactly what I expected him to do (.291-6-65-62-10) while qualifying at multiple spots.

Rafael Furcal had 477 at-bats, a three year high. He wasn’t great, but he was pretty solid (.264-5-49-69-12).

Chris Nelson, who I was made fun of mercilessly for drafting, hit .301 with nine homers and 53 RBIs.

So much for my infield being “pathetic” as most thought.

As I said after the draft, the strength of my team was always going to be my outfield. And it was.

Andrew McCutchen: Should finish near the top of the NL MVP voting thanks to his out of sight effort that included a .327 batting average, 31 homers, 96 RBIs, 107 runs scored and 20 steals.

Dexter Fowler: Hit .300 with 13 homers, 12 steals, 53 RBIs and 72 runs scored.

Alfonso Soriano: 32 HRs, 108 RBIs. I was laughed at for drafting him.

Carlos Quentin: 16 HRs, 46 RBIs. Knew he would be hurt, but 86 games was a 5-year low. If only he had gotten to 115…

Chris Young: Worst season of his career hitting .231-14-41-36-8 from a player who averaged 24 HRs, 81 RBIs, 92 runs and 25 steals in 2010-11. He was literally half the player in 2012 that he had been the previous two years.

Nate McLouth: Even though it’s an NL-only league, you can hold on to players who are dealt to the other league. I held on to him all year and that really paid off in the end as he took off with the Orioles (.268-7-18-35-12 in a mere 55 games).

How was the club on the hill?

Madison Bumgarner: 16 wins, 3.37 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 191 Ks
Tommy Hanson: 13-10, 4.48 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 161 Ks
Wandy Rodriguez: 12-13, 3.76 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 139 Ks
Gio Gonzalez: 21-8, 2.89 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 207 Ks
Jeff Samardzija: 9-13, 3.81 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 180 Ks

Rafael Betancourt: 2.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 31 saves
Sergio Romo: 1.79 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 14 saves
Luke Gregerson: 2.39 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 9 saves

Reserve picks – Two played out.

Ross Detwiler: 10 wins, 3.40 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 105 Ks
Logan Forsythe: .283, 6 HRs, 8 SBs, 45 runs

So how did it all turn out?

CONGRATS: Steve Moyer of Baseball Info Solutions who won the league.

FINAL RESULT: 2/13. I couldn’t catch Steve but turns out the worst team in the history of fantasy baseball, the team I dubbed the Little Engine That Could, almost brought it home. So there everyone.

By Ray Flowers

MLB: The Final Friday

The Dodgers gave Andre Ethier a 5-year, $85 million deal signaling that he is one of the building blocks of their offense. Then we get this. Manager Don Mattingly said the following about Ethier’s inability to hit left-handed pitching. “I can say all day long that I think he’s capable of hitting against lefties, but if the numbers keep telling us that maybe he can’t, then we have to go a different route,” he said. I’m not going to disagree with Mattingly because he’s right. Ethier is hitting .214/.269/.319 against lefties this year, a terrible batting line. For his career, the numbers are only slightly better at .236/.295/.350. The truth is the Dodgers gave a platoon player an $85 million contract. Has a contract ever looked worse before it actually took effect?

Dexter Fowler may or may not start again this season even though x-rays of his left wrist came back negative. He played some defense Thursday, so he just might still get some work at the dish, but it’s no lock. It’s been an uneven ride for Fowler this year but it’s hard to complain when he’s hit .300 with 13 homers, 12 steals and 72 runs scored. Fowler has also gotten on base at an impressive .389 clip, and that .474 SLG ain’t too shabby either. He’s hit .315 against the lefties and .293 against the righties showing an ability to handle both thanks to his switch hitting, but his work away from Coors is still an issue. Dexter has hit .332 with a .984 OPS in home games but just .262 with a .720 OPS on the road, so that continues to be an issue to think about when setting your lineups next year.

Gio Gonzalez won his major league leading 21st game Thursday night. While that is a career best mark and highly impressive in it’s own right, there is this. If he doesn’t start again (he shouldn’t), he will end the year with 21 victories and 199.1 innings pitched. That is significant because it will make him the first hurler in big league to record 21 victories while throwing less than 200 innings. The first.

When $50,000 doesn’t go as far as it used to.

The best pitcher in baseball is Craig Kimbrel. Thanks to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution for pointing the following out: over his last 49 appearances Kimbrel has a 0.55 ERA, which is amazing. He’s posted a 0.46 WHIP which is stupendous. He struck out 92 batters leading to a 16.78 K/9 while walking just six batter leading to a 15.33 K/BB ratio. Folks, it just doesn’t get any better than that.

Dan Uggla has had the worst season of his impressive career. After 6-straight years of 27 homers, 82 RBIs and 84 runs scored, the longest streak in baseball history for a second sacker, he’s going to fall off the pace this season. Still, 19 homers, 77 RBIs and 85 runs scored are all solid marks. However, that .217 batting average is terrible, even for a fella who has hit .253 for his career. I can’t blame the Braves for being a bit weary but it should be noted that, in addition to the solid counting number production, that Uggla also has a .343 OBP which is an exact match for his career mark even with that career-low batting average thanks to a career best walk rate.

STRONG FINISHING KICK
(The Past Two Weeks)

.591 – The BABIP of Brandon Moss over his last 44 plate appearances. Chris Nelson is just behind at .550 followed by Joey Votto at .500.

.439 – The batting average of Justin Smoak who has also gone deep five times. He needs one homer for 20 homers for the season. Over at Fleaflicker it’s clear that no one is buying his hot couple of weeks.

.438 – Marco Scutaro’s batting average over his last 12 games during which time he’s also scored 12 runs while knocking in 11.

.417 – Ichiro Suzuki is finally hitting. Not just that, he’s running like it was the old days. He’s stolen seven bases the past two weeks, the same total as Everth Cabrera, the most in baseball.

6 – The league leading homer total of Miguel Cabrera who also leads the majors with 16 runs scored and 15 RBIs. The RBI total has also been matched by the Phillies’ Ryan Howard though he’s saddled his teams with a mere .188 batting average.

By Ray Flowers

Mailbag: September27, 2012

All of pomp and circumstance around Mike Trout, who is hitting .259 in September and .274 over his last 51 games by the way, has obscured the great season that Bryce Harper has had. Harper hit his 20th homer to become just the second teenager in the history of the game to reach that mark (Tony Conigliaro pulled off the trick with 24 bombs in 1964). Add in his 17 steals, and the guy has damn near gone 20/20… as a teenager. Harper has also scored 93 times on the year, and he’s performed very well in September with a .297/.366/.482 slash line while scoring 22 times in 24 games. All told it’s been a pretty remarkable season.

Chris Nelson of the Rockies has been killing it. In September he is hitting .359 with 16 RBIs and 17 run scored, and going a bit further back he’s hit .346 over his last 50 games. Given that he qualifies at second and third base, he’s been a hell of a stop gap option in virtually every league for two months now.

Max Scherzer has been scratched from his start Friday because of a deltoid strain in his shoulder. Two starts ago he lasted just two innings against the A’s, and the last time he took the hill he wasn’t very impressive either as he allowed three runs in five innings. With his velocity down the team is trying to balance his long-term health with his importance to the club as they try to hold off the White Sox for the AL Central crown (they have a one game lead). By the way, Scherzer had been dynamite in the second half going 8-2 with a 2.81 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 107 Ks in just 86.1 innings. He’s got an elite arm, and the Tigers don’t want to take the chance on him doing something long-term to his wing.

And now, on to a question…

With Michael Bourn’s terrible finish and unknown FA destination, can you see keeping Chris Sale or R.A. Dickey ahead of him? I can keep five players and currently plan on keeping Robinson Cano, Ryan Braun, Joey Votto and Curtis Granderson.
– @mdbaumer

Bourn has hit an anemic .222 over his last 66 games played after hitting the All-Star break with a mark of .311 (he’s also been out of the lineup of late with a thumb injury). Any owner of Bourn knows that, and I’m sure it has caused frustration. However, let’s keep things on the macro and not micro level. On the year Bourn has hit .274. Last season in 53 games with the Braves he hit .278. For his career he’s batted .272. It’s been uneven, but the truth is Bourn’s average is the same as always. His current .346 OBP is slightly better than his .338 career mark. His .391 SLG is slightly better than his career .365 mark. He’s also scored 93 times, just one less than last season an a mere four off his career best. He’s also hit nine homers, he hit a total of seven homers the last three years, and that has somewhat helped to ease the pain that his owners have felt for his drop in steals. After stealing at least 52 bags the past three years he has just 39 this season. Still, with one more theft he will reach the 40 total for the fifth straight season.

Bourn, and all speedsters, face an issue in the fantasy game. People don’t understand their value properly. People see inadequate homer and RBIs marks, and a middling batting average, and they fail to appreciate the value of the runs and steals in the fantasy game. I’ve written about steals and their value over an over, but let’s address it one more time. Here are the player rater rankings for Bourn according to three of the major sites in fantasy baseball.

CBS: 37th overall
ESPN: 39th overall
YAHOO: 52nd overall

Average that together and the three main sites say that Bourn’s effort this season makes him the 43rd most valuable player in fantasy baseball, an I completely agree with that assessment.

It’s fair to wonder if he will return to the 50+ steal club, I’ll give you that, but if he merely replicates the effort that he has put forth this season he will once again be an elite starting option in the outfield. I also have to say that a starting outfield of Braun, Granderson and Bourn… that would be as good a trio as anyone in any league ever has.

Dickey has had an amazing season, one that might earn him the Cy Young Award. He leads the NL in ERA (2.66), is one victory behind Gio Gonzalez for the NL lead in wins with 19, and two strikeouts behind Clayton Kershaw for the lead in strikeouts with 209. Since the start of the 2010 season he’s been a rather remarkable performer given his almost complete reliance on the knuckleball with a 2.93 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 92 outings. However, it’s pretty impossible to think that he will be able to repeat his effort of this season in 2013. Look no further than the three batter per nine inning increase he’s offered in 2012 in the strikeout department (8.55) over his mark in 2010-11. In his own way, Dickey has been as amazing this year as Trout has at the plate, and just like with Trout, it strains credulity a wee bit to think either will repeat their efforts.

Sale continues to power through the innings. After a spectacular start to the year – he was 10-2 with a 2.19 ERA and 0.95 WHIP – Sale has predictably slowed in the second half, but it’s not like he’s been bad at all (7-5, 3.66 ERA, 1.28 WHIP with 87 Ks in 86 IP). On the year he has a 8.83 K/9 mark, a 1.10 WHIP an a 1.41 GB/FB ratio. He’s been special in his first year as a full-time starter.

If I was going to keep a hurler, it would have to be Sale. He’s younger, has a bigger arm, an a brighter future. I can understand how most would feel more comfortable keeping one or two arms amongst the five keepers, but if it was me I’d likely limit that mark to one pitcher, keeping four hitters. That doesn’t mean I would have to keep a hurler though (there is so much uncertainty with arms – look no further than Tim Lincecum’s terrible year, Jake Peavy’s out of nowhere effort, or the injuries to Garza, Beachy, Luebke, Storen, Rivera, Wilson, Soria etc.). I would hold on to Bourn and take my chances at the draft table to build my pitching staff. However, if you want to play it safe and keep Sale, I don’t have a problem with that.

Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87 at 7 PM EDT, Monday through Thursday, and Friday’s from 9-12 PM EDT. 

Fantasy Beat – Batters Up

Justin Fensterman and Trevor Ray discuss some surprise hitters this season. Trevor calls out Ray Flowers on Mike Trout. They also discuss some key players to pick up this Sept to win your league. such as: Chris Nelson, Marco Scutaro, John Mayberry, Logan Forsythe, Josh Donaldson and Nate McLouth.

Editors Note: Mike Trout is hitting .280 with a .852 OPS over his last 42 games (he’s also hitting .274 with four RBIs in 19 September games). Over his first 85 games he was hitting .346 with a 1.004 OPS.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO.

Daily Joust – Wk 12: Did We Learn Anything?

On Monday each week I take a look at the fantasy baseball game breaking down players who have produced noteworthy performances of late – not just positive outings mind you, but I’ll also delve into some of the players that have been sucking wind of late.

To get your daily fantasy baseball fix make sure you head over to DailyJoust.com to set your salary cap club. Can you use this information to your benefit over at DJ?

GAINERS OF THE WEEK

Matt Holliday (+21, $128,000 in DailyJoust Salary)
And you were doubting him just a few weeks ago, admit it. Holliday is on fire over his last eight games as he’s produced 17 hits, two homers, 12 RBI and nine runs. In the process he’s jacked up his average to .299 on the year with 12 homers, 47 RBI and 48 runs scored. Guess what? That puts him on pace for his traditional .300-25-100-100 effort. The greats usually figure it out and end up producing by the time the season is over.

Tommy Milone (+70, $241)
Doesn’t it seem like his name should have two “L’s” in it? I need to talk to his parents about that. When a rookie starts the year 7-5 with a 1.21 WHIP you can’t help but be excited about it. However, his ERA is slightly below average at 4.13 and he’s taken the whole “I’m Clayton Richard and you only pitch me when I’m at home” situation to a whole other level. In eight starts on the road Milone is 2-4 with a 7.42 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. In six starts at home in Oakland he’s the best pitcher ever at 5-1 with a 0.99 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. There’s your blue print on how to use him.

Chris Nelson (+20, $93K)
With Troy Tulowitzki out of action, Marco Scutaro has moved on to short leaving second base to Nelson. Displaying an uncommon power bat given his “game,” Nelson has gone deep three times with two doubles and a triple over his last eight games leading to nine RBIs. He’s also lifted his average from .226 to .268 the past 10 days thank to five games with at least two hits. He makes an excellent short term play given how hot he has been and for the fact that he should qualify at second and third in all leagues (many seem to be slow to the party, just take a look at his owned rate at Feaflicker).

Jake Westbrook (+105, $320K)
The last time he took the hill he tossed the 14th complete game of his career as he allowed only one unearned run to the Tigers. Over his last three outings he’s been “quality” each time out lasting at least six innings with no more than three earned runs allowed. One of the main reasons for his success is that he’s walked only two batters in those three games. It’s really pretty simple. When he avoids the free pass and keeps the ball down in the zone he has a lot of success. He’s a two-time starter this week against the Marlins and Pirates, and that would seem to make him a solid play this week.

LOSERS OF THE WEEK

Felix Doubront (-60, $274K)
After a run of 5-straight games allowing two or fewer earned runs, Felix has now permitted 12 earned runs over his last three starts as his ERA has gone from 3.75 to 4.31. The strikeouts are terrific, 85 in 79.1 innings is impressive, but his recent cold spell has knocked his ratios down to below league average (his WHIP is 1.35). He’s 8-3 and pitches for a strong squad, but it might be time to consider whether or not you should be counting on him to lead your fantasy rotation.

Bryce Harper (-19, $73K)
Hey, it was bound to happen. Bryce Harper might end up being the next Mickey Mantle as some say, but let’s not forget he can’t legally buy a Jack & Coke – not by a longshot – and that he isn’t exactly flush with professional experience at this stage of his life. At his current pace he’d produce the following numbers over 150 games (he’s played 50): 21 homers, 60 RBI, 95 runs and 14 steals. That’s impressive for any player no doubt, never mind one his age, but he’s seen his average fall .017 points the past 10 games (.286), the same total his OBP has dropped (.367). Everything is still impressive, but perhaps, just maybe, there’s a slowdown on the horizon?

Trevor Plouffe (-24, $87K)
Plouffe has a rather amazing 15 homers in just 175 at-bats this year thanks to his insane run the past month, but let’s keep things real here. He is batting .246 with a .327 OBP, hardly impressive numbers. He has 40 strikeouts in 175 at-bats. He has just one long ball and two RBI over his last eight games. You added him for nothing so who’s complaining, but his outlook in the second half of the season isn’t exactly golden.

Giancarlo Stanton (-21, $62K)
Look at his monthly totals. Maybe Jay Bruce has some company for the streakiest high level power bat in the game.

April: .247-1-9
May: .343-12-30
June: .205-3-5

Like I have said every time someone has asked me, this guy just isn’t a .300 hitter. His current mark of .274 seems about right, and he’s on pace for 35 homers and 100 RBIs which would also be impressive, but that transcendent season people were hoping for isn’t likely to materialize.

DAILY CONTEST

I’ve likely got some big news coming on this front this week, so keep an eye our for that. As for right now…

Today you can sign up for the King Arthur’s $50 Free Roll on DailyJoust. No entry free is required to get a chance to play the game and earn your free chance to take home part of the $50 prize pool. All games that start at 7:05 PM EDT or later are open to add players to your daily fantasy baseball squad. So get over to DailyJoust, put together your one day lineup, and get ready to win some free $.

By Ray Flowers

Player Profile: Ty Wigginton

Ty Wigginton is like a Honda Civic. A Civic isn’t flashy and it certainly doesn’t impress your date when you roll up to her house in it, yet it’s affordable, always gets you there on time and is as trustworthy an option as there is on the road. That’s Wigginton in a nutshell. He isn’t gonna haul 6,000 lbs., he isn’t going to run to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, and he certainly isn’t gonna boost season ticket sales, but at the end of the day Wigginton just gets it done. I bring this all up because Wigginton was dealt to the Phillies on Sunday as the Rockies seem intent to give Ian Stewart yet another shot to prove himself at third base (or perhaps they might just turn to Brandon Wood, Chris Nelson or Jordan Pacheco until AFL MVP Nolan Arenado is ready to take over at the hot corner?). Wigginton was dealt, along with cash, for a Player To Be Named Late and/or cash. So why would the Rockies want to rid themselves of their Honda Civic?

Wigginton can play all over the field. He suited up for 27 games in the outfield, 36 at first base, and 68 at third base in 2011. Versatility like that always makes Ty a fine final offensive player on a fantasy club. It also enables him to see a lot of playing time as he can fill in at multiple spot. Given that Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard are both coming off surgeries, the addition of Wigginton makes a lot of sense for the Phils (Placido should be ready for opening day, but most reports suggest that Howard could miss most of April).

What about performance?

Wigginton isn’t going to steal many bases, he has only 41 thefts in his career, but he did swipe eight in 2011, a seven year high. Still, he’s not a speed demon. Wigginton also isn’t a batting average option of renown. Ty has a career batting average of .265, and the last two years he’s failed to hit even .250 (.248 and .242) after a 4-year run of hitting at least .273. The main reason for the drop the last two years is that his hit rate, in the .290′s for his career, has left him with a BABIP of .270 and .271 the past two years. I’m inclined to think that it’s because Ty has lost that little bit extra with his bat speed, something that may be show in the fact that his K-rate has gone up a bit the past two years. He could see some improvement with his BABIP, but it’s not a certainty and would likely be a mild bump.

So I’m painting a portrait of a guy who just isn’t very exciting, but that’s because I’ve left out his best trait – his power. Ty has hit 22 or more homers in four of the past six years, an in five of those six years he’s hit at least 15. Given that he’s averaged just 462 at-bats those six years, his average homer total of 20 a season is pretty darn solid, especially from a guy who qualifies at three positions. Ty has seen some slight regression in his HR/FB the past two years after a peak from 2005-08, but his marks of 12.5 and 13.2 percent the past two years are virtually identical to his career 12.7 mark. He should be fine in terms of the power output in 2012.

So what do you do with Wigginton? At the moment it certainly doesn’t seem like he will have a spot in the every day lineup with the Phillies, so expecting 462 at-bats from him this season is likely asking for too much. As such, Wigginton makes for an ideal option in NL only leagues but a bit of a stretch in mixed leagues unless you are in a 15 teamer. He’ll be solid when he plays, and that flexibility certainly makes him a valuable add in the right circumstance, but don’t go a reaching for the Phillies newest addition.

By Ray Flowers

Around the Horn: June 18, 2010

(1) Troy Tulowitzki to miss 6-8 with broken wrist. Carlos Gonzalez also out on Friday.

(2) Jake Peavy has fluid, will still pitch on Saturday.

(3) Rich Harden has shot to accelerate healing process.

(4) Derek Holland tweaks knee while doing rehab work for shoulder.

(5) Mark Reynolds out of lineup, injured and struggling (13 Ks in 15 ABs).

(6) Alex Rodriguez back at third, Jorge Posada should be able to catch in interleague play

(7) Returning on Friday from injury- Jason Bay, Orlando Hudson.

By Ray Flowers