2011 Player Capsules: Catchers

Over the next little while I’m going to release hundreds of player capsules for hitters. I’ll break them down by positions each day, and give you a sampling of what I’m going to provide to each of you. So this is how it will work.

(1) You stop by BaseballGuys.com.

(2) You’ll get a chance to review a handful of the players at the position of the day.

(3) You’ll find a CODE at the end of the article.

(4) You’ll take that CODE and email it to me at: fantasyfandom@yahoo.com

(5) I’ll send you back a PDF file with the top-50 or so players at the position that is under discussion for that day.

How does that sound to you?

The best part?

How about the cost… it’s 100% FREE.

All I ask is that you tell a friend.

Here is an example of what to expect.

Chris Iannetta
For some reason the Rockies haven’t trusted this guy despite the fact that per 500 at-bats in his career that he has averaged roughly 23 homers and 83 RBI. His batting average is an eyesore, he owns a career .234 mark, but with ample power and an ability to take a walk (.353 career OBP), it’s odd that he has been given more than 300 at-bats just once in his career.

Yadier Molina
A batting average booster in 2007-09, Yadier fell on hard times last season posting his worst average since 2006. Despite that fact, there is reason for optimism. His walk rate was up last season leaving him with a career average BB/K mark, and his line drive rate was a career-high 21 percent. A .281 BABIP likely speaks to a bit of poor luck for the Cardinal in 2010.

Jorge Posada
At nearly 40 years of age, Posada simply can’t handle the rigors of catching on a daily basis. That’s why the Yankees plan to use Posada as their DH in 2011. Can Posada still hit? He will be a threat to 20 homers and 70 RBI – totals he has reached eight times in the same season – if he can stay healthy, but beware his declining bat speed and what that might do to his average.

The Catcher code is: Tools of Ignorance

By Ray Flowers

2011 Player Capsules: Designated Hitters

People have been clamoring for my thoughts on players for years. The fervor is almost like when the paparazzi try to snap photos of Lindsey Lohan as she sneaks out the back door of yet another club,or rehab center, bombed out of her mind on the latest designer vodka. OK, it may not be quite like that, and truthfully the only real parallel is that Lindsey and I like to pull back on Belvedere when we get the chance. Still, some people are interested to hear my thoughts on players, so here is what I’m going to do for all of you at BaseballGuys.com.

Over the next little while I’m going to release hundreds of player capsules for hitters. I’ll break them down by positions each day, and give you a sampling of what I’m going to provide to each of you. So this is how it will work.

(1) You stop by BaseballGuys.com.

(2) You’ll get a chance to review a handful of the players at the position of the day.

(3) You’ll find a CODE at the end of the article.

(4) You’ll take that CODE and email it to me at: fantasyfandom@yahoo.com

(5) I’ll send you back a neat and tidy PDF file with the top-50 or so players at the position of the day that is being discussed.

How does that sound to you?

The best part?

How about the cost… it’s 100% FREE !

All I ask is that you tell a friend.

Deal?

DESIGNATED HITTER

Here’s a sample of what you’ll be getting.

Jack Cust
Cust will fight for at-bats in the Pacific Northwest a year after failing to hit 25 homers for the first time in four seasons. Cust walked and struck out like he always does, but the lack of long ball power was a big surprise. That trend may not turn around in a difficult yard to go deep in. Lost in all of that is the fact that Cust hit a career best .272, though that’s hardly promising on its own.

Nick Johnson
At some point you have to realize that She’s Just Not That Into You (shameless movie reference). Johnson is a talented on base machine, but he has about as much chance of staying healthy long enough to be a fantasy weapon as I do of exactly predicting his at-bat total (good luck getting within 100). You should only call out Johnson’s name on draft day if you are a masochist.

The Designated Hitter code is: Ban the DH

By Ray Flowers

Around the Horn: May17, 2010

(1) Edwin Encarnacion activated off DL as Travis Snider is placed on it.

(2) Orioles get good news with Brian Roberts and Mike Gonzalez.

(3) Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury still working way back.

(4) Nick Johnson has wrist surgery – out 4-6 weeks.

(5) Jimmy Rollins back from DL.

(6) Mark DeRosa hopes to return next week and be effective.

(7) Doug Davis to DL giving Manny Parra a chance to start.

By Ray Flowers

Insights and Jed Wars

Today I’m going to pause long enough from my sniffles, yes, I seem to have picked up another case of the cooties, to give my thoughts on a few of the pertinent issues in the game. I’ll also post a link at the end to a video I made for one of the expert baseball leagues I’m in this season.

Things are so spotty with the health of Lance Berkman (knee) that running 50-yard sprints at 75 percent is newsworthy. He still hopes to be back next week, though I really have no idea if that is a reasonable goal or not.

Want to know how fickle managers are when it comes to the ninth inning? Frank Francisco and Mike Gonzalez have already lost their closers jobs – though both teams have said they will regain them once they are back to throwing the ball as they can. It appears there might also be a changing of the guard in Toronto as well where manager Cito Gaston came out on Tuesday and said that he was no longer going to go with Jason Frasor as the exclusive closer. Gaston has changed his tune after going into the year saying he would pick just one guy, and now he will go with a different option in consecutive games. Certainly it hasn’t helped that Frasor has a loss and two blown saves, but come on now Cito. Don’t give us that B.S. that you don’t want to use the same guy in back-to-back games, just be honest with us and say that Frasor has been awful and Kevin Gregg deserves a shot. No one is stupid enough to buy your explanation.

Conor Jackson is one of the odder leadoff men in the history of baseball from a physical standpoint. He’s obviously only there because the D’backs don’t have a better option, but I gotta say that his stroke basically looks like the mirror image of Joe Mauer. Seriously, it’s that pretty.

Nick Johnson crushed a homer today, way out of New Yankee Stadium. Gotta tell you though, everything that guy does makes me nervous. It’s kinda like the beautiful woman with the evening gown who looks like someone you’d like to take back to the hotel room until you see her walk in her heels which makes her look like a reject from gymnastics class who couldn’t balance on the balance beam. In the batters box the swing looks pretty, but when Johnson is doing anything other than swinging the lumber I just want to close my eyes.

Clayton Kershaw will never reach his potential if he keeps throwing so many pitches. For the record, Kershaw needed 110 pitches to record just 16 outs (5.1 innings) against the D’backs on Tuesday. You just can’t win too many ball games, or be a big game pitcher, if you can never make it out of the sixth inning. The talent is immense, but the lack of control with his pitches is certainly holding him back.

Manny Ramirez crushed a homer 435 feet on Tuesday with one of his effortless swings. Those people who predicted failure from him in 2010 just don’t get it. This guy is one of the top-10 right-handed hitters in the history of the game. Yeah, I said it.

It looks like the Mets will follow through on their plan to bat leadoff man Jose Reyes third in the lineup. Reyes will likely move back into the leadoff spot when Carlos Beltran returns from his knee injury, but that still might be a month or more away given that Beltran still hasn’t been allowed to run yet as the doctors continue to hold him back. Reyes is capable of handling the role, but he might be less inclined top run wild with the middle of the order right behind him.

And finally, for those of you who weren’t aware, I’m in JED WARS this season. What is Jed Wars? It’s an offshoot of Tout Wars, the preeminent fantasy baseball experts league in the country, and is named after Jed Latkin (for more on Jed you can given the movie Fantasyland a view at the link). Back to me, and let’s face it that’s what I’m always all about, you can click on my brief little intro at BaseballGuys Introduction if you want to get some insight into who I am complete with happy faced sweats, gnomes and a Nerd Herd hat from the television show Chuck.

By Ray Flowers

More of the Same

Today is more of the same, and by that I mean I’m going to break down a handful of the players whose names are in the news as free agents looking to strike it rich.

The Braves need to move salary, and their goal is to move Derek Lowe and the 3-years, and $45 million left on his deal. As you might expect, they haven’t found any takers on the contract so they are apparently considering moving Javier Vazquez and his $11.5 million deal, potentially to the Angels. This would be a bad baseball move for the Braves. Sure Vazquez is coming off a career best season of a 2.87 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP and 238 Ks, but he was their best pitcher last year and is about as consistent an arm as you could ever hope to find once you leave the ranks of the superstars. The move might make financial sense, especially since the Braves appear highly unlikely to sign him to an extension when his deal runs out at the end of the 2010 season, but on the field, not so much. As for Lowe, here is what he said when asked by the media about the Braves apparent desire to move him after his worst season since 2004 (4.67 ERA, 1.52 WHIP). “I don’t think it’s a matter of if anymore. It’s just a matter of when… “Nobody made them give me a four-year, $60 million contract. There wasn’t a ransom or anybody holding a gun to their heads… I would have never even considered going there if I knew that ultimately this was going to happen.” I don’t know if I believe that, we are taking about $60 million, but Lowe certainly has a point. If the Braves were going to bail on him if he had a rough couple of months, why did they bother signing him in the first place?

Some other rumors —

Looks like Nick Johnson will be headed to the Yankees. The latest report says that he is on the verge of signing a one year deal for about $5.5 million. As I wrote on BaseballGuys’ Twitter page today – “Yankees want a DH that can play the field, show athleticism. Of course, my first thoughts go to Nick Johnson.” It’s a bit of an odd signing and one that might signal that Johnny Damon will be in a new uni in 2010.

After apparently losing out on Johnson, the Giants are still in need of a corner infield bat. A name that continues to be linked to them, more because of need than because of the probability of a deal actually being struck, is Adrian Beltre. Though his stick failed last season (.265-8-44), Beltre can still hit .270 with 20 homers, and he plays a fine third base. Problem is he wants something like 4-years and $40 million, and though I have no inside knowledge of the Giants front office, I can’t think they would get within $10 million of that figure.

The Cardinals likely won’t be able to bring back utility man Mark DeRosa. Seems like the player, and his agent, have grown a bit weary of waiting for the Cardinals to decide what they are going to do with Matt Holliday. In an odd twist, the Cardinals appear to be tiring of the delay with Holliday who continues to dry to squeeze them for more dough. Is it possible that they could end up with neither player in 2010? Looks possible at this point. Could DeRosa end up with the Giants? Certainly could happen if they are willing to give him the $30 million I suggested as a potential figure with Beltre.

Ricky Nolasco signed a 1-year, $3.8 million deal to remain with the Marlins. This is a good singing for a guy who was really unlucky last season (.336 BABIP despite a 9.49 K/9 mark and a 4.43 K/BB rate). Now the club will turn its sights to Josh Johnson who wants something like $42 million, basically double the $23 million that the Fish have reportedly offered. That’s a pretty wide gulf to cross.

By Ray Flowers

Winter Meetings Update

I love the Winter Meetings. In fact, I’ve combined the event with Twitter to form a duo kind of like peanut butter and jelly. I admit it. I’m addicted now. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking ‘I’m sure the readers would love to hear that thought.’ Don’t worry, I keep a pad by my bed to write down the thoughts that hit me when most of the U.S. is counting candy canes in their sleep.

* Still reeling over the Three-team Blockbuster Deal between the Tigers, Yankees and D’backs? You can read my breakdown of the deal by clicking on the link, but there is still something I don’t get – why did the D’backs enter this deal as the third team? I think they will rue the day that they let Max Scherzer go for Edwin Jackson. Maybe I’m wrong here, but honestly, I have a hard time believing that. Whether Scherzer is a top of the rotation arm, or a closer (a potential given his somewhat violent delivery), as long as his arm doesn’t fly off I see this kid being something special.

* John Lackey is regarded by all as the top free agent hurler on the market. However, it doesn’t seem likely that anyone is going to fall all over themselves to throw $100 million his way. In fact, he might have to wait a bit and hope someone gets a bit desperate to hit that figure.

* I wrote yesterday how I thought it was a ruse that Rafael Soriano would accept the Braves arbitration offer in What a Great Monday. Turns out I’ve got that proverbial egg on my face as he did just that. As a result, the Braves are facing the prospect of having to trade Soriano or spend roughly a fifth of their entire payroll on Soriano, Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito. Soriano has already submitted a group of teams he would like to join with one possible destination being the Orioles who have already mentioned their intention to acquire a closer.

Have heard barely a peep dealing with Matt Holliday. The other big bopper, Jason Bay, appears to be on the short list for teams such as the Red Sox, Mariners and Angels, the club from Anaheim emerging in the last 24 hours as a potentially serious player.

I’m still completely blown away by the Cardinals give Brad Penny $7.5 million with incentives that could take the deal to $9 million. My question is a simple one – why?

If Ivan Rodriguez can get a 2-year deal for $6 million from the Nationals to be a part-timer, why are people freaking that Jason Kendall wants $5 to be a full-time starter? In an odd twist, he might get that starting role by joining Pudge’s old club, the Rangers.

Why are the Brewers looking to trade Corey Hart? Here is a direct quote from my Twitter page. “The Brewers seem intent on moving Corey Hart, though I don’t really know why. Haven’t they heard adage – buy low, sell high?”

Milton Bradley continues to have his name involved in more rumors than just about anyone else. Guess teams are really interested in adding a guy who can’t stay healthy, wears out his welcome in about four months, and constantly torments fans and teammates with his off putting attitude. Only in America can a guy like that make more money in a year, over $10 million, than 99 percent of us will make in our entire lives.

The Giants have been linked to names like Adrian Beltre, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Nick Johnson and Orlando Hudson. The club would prefer to have Pablo Sandoval to play third, but he could easily slide over to first if a third baseman is brought to town. The club could also move Freddy Sanchez over to third if they were to sign a second baseman like Hudson, but a year after struggling for any pop, do they really want a third baseman who is likely to hit about 10 bombs in Sanchez?

By Ray Flowers

Trade Deadline Diary

I’m toast, and no I didn’t spend all day on the beach or at the local tanning salon. From the moment I woke up this morning it’s been all baseball. First I did the Fanball Podcast with Kyle Elrink which you can listen to every Monday-Friday from 8-9 AM, and after that I did my yearly deadline day dairy detailing all the trades of the day.

To read the entirety of my commentary on every move of the day you can visit my Trade Day Dairy. Here are some of the noteworthy highlights of that piece.

PEAVY TO WHITE SOX

White Sox Receive: Jake Peavy
Padres Receive: Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter

“A Cy Young award winner was moved today, but it wasn’t the one everyone expected it would be (Roy Halladay appears to have made it through the deadline without being moved). Jake Peavy is now a White Sox… At this point it would seem like a fair bet that we won’t see him on the hill for the club until at least September.”

MARTINEZ TO RED SOX

Red Sox Receive: Victor Martinez
Indians Receive: Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price

“Does this deal increase Martinez’s value? Do you go to a bar on Friday night hoping to find a warm body to spend some time with? Of course it helps V-Mart’s value. A switch hitter, Martinez will likely smack balls of the Green Monster with great frequency (he has hit .313 with a .913 OPS in 67 career at-bats at Fenway).”

WASHBURN TO TIGERS

Tigers Receive: Jarrod Washburn
Mariners Receive: Luke French and Mauricio Robles

“The Tigers receive the man with the third best ERA in the AL at 2.64 and the second best WHIP in the junior circuit at 1.07… Dating back to the start of June, Washburn is only 5-3, but his ERA is 2.02 and his WHIP has been 0.98. Yeah, he has been damn good. Still, the free agent to be has a few concerns.”

ROLEN TO REDS

Reds Receive: Scott Rolen
Blue Jays Receive: Edwin Encarnacion, Zach Stewart and Josh Roenicke

“Rolen will be 35 years old next season and one with an $11 million price tag, but after watching the Reds’ third baseman hit .213 this season apparently the Reds felt it was worth it to add the gamer to their club. Time will tell…Rolen has been able to provide a lot of value at the dish this season, though all those shoulder injuries have pretty much robbed him of the ability to drive the ball deep.”

Edwin Encarnacion was once thought of as a potential all-star with 30 homer power…This might be an example of a change of scenery really helping to boost a player’s value.”

JOHNSON TO MARLINS

Marlins Receive: Nick Johnson and $1.8 million (to pay his salary)
Nationals Receive: Aaron Thompson

“The Marlins added a plus defender and a solid hitter to take over at first base which should allow them to move Jorge Cantu back to third forcing Emilio Bonifacio to a reserve role where he belongs…This is another professional bat for the Marlins who are only six games behind the Phillies and three games out of the Wild Card.”

CABRERA TO TWINS

Twins Receive: Orlando Cabrera
A’s Receive: Tyler Ladendorf

“Cabrera has been on fire hitting .373 with nine steals in July helping to erase a putrid start to the season. An established veteran who brings a nice skill set as a middle infield option in mixed leagues.”

LAROCHE TO BRAVES

Braves Receive: Adam LaRoche
Red Sox Receive: Casey Kotchman

“LaRoche returns to ATL where he enjoyed a nice start to his career. In his last two seasons with the club (2005 and 2006) he hit .259 with 20 homers and .285 with 32 bombs, solid numbers without setting the world on fire…No reason to think that with everyday work that LaRoche won’t be able to be what he has always been – a fine corner infield option in mixed leagues.”

To read the entirety of my thoughts on every more of the day, hopefully they are coherent, feel free to give my Trade Day Dairy a thorough read.

By Ray Flowers

Nationals Fever!

The Nationals stink, and the only fever they are likely to induce is one accompanied by vomiting. They are 11-21 on the year, the worst record in baseball, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have some intriguing stories from a fantasy perspective. Here are a few of those players and my thoughts on what to look for from each guy.

Nick Johnson is healthy, and he is once again productive. He had four hits on Wednesday to give him six hits the past two games against the Giants to boost his average up to .333. Johnson also knocked in seven runs in those two games. Dude can seriously swing it, but he has only one 500 at-bat season in his six “healthy” seasons. Still, per 162 games in his career, Johnson has produced an average line of .271-20-81-87-6, so he certainly should have some corner infield value in mixed leagues with health, especially when you consider that his average is up to .287 since the start of the 2005 campaign.

Cristian Guzman had three hits on Wednesday to boost his average to, get this .390, .033 points better than teammate Ryan Zimmerman who has been getting all the publicity for his 30-game hitting streak which he lost after going 0-for-3 on Wednesday. As for Guzman, he hasn’t walked a single time this season through 21 games, which makes his average even more impressive. In his last 10 appearances he has produced at least two hits eight times. Wow. Dating back to the start of the 2007 season Guzman has hit, sit down before you get dizzy reading this number, .327 in 853 at-bats. He certainly doesn’t do it the way you like to see eschewing plate discipline in his pursuit of hits, but he has somehow found a way to take his game to a whole other level despite the fact that he owns a mere .273 career batting average in almost 1,200 major league games.

In the “it just goes to show you that numbers aren’t the only answer to a question,” Shairon Martis improved to 5-0 on Wednesday as he held the Giants to one run in seven innings (that’s right, he has 45% of the team’s victories). He allowed only two hits relying on his fastball/change-up combination, but at the same time he continued to tempt fate with four walks and only two strikeouts. I wrote in The Chopping Block earlier this week the following: “Mixed leaguers would be best served to stay away from Martis unless he undergoes a drastic shift in his pitching style, which as we all know is unlikely to happen.” Still not going to change my mind there, but those in NL-only leagues who continue to run him out there have to be feeling really good about a end game grab who is now 5-0.

On to the bullpen where we find a total mess at the end of the game. Kip Wells actually appears to be the top option in the ninth at the moment, and he has two saves on the year to go along with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.00 K/BB mark. No major league team should be relying on Kip Wells to play a role of value – it’s not 2003 mind you. Of course, he is a better option than Julian Tavarez who has allowed six runs over his last 4.2 innings to basically torpedo any shot he had at saves. Joe Beimel? Uh, no. Since returning from the DL he has allowed a run in three of five appearances for a total of five earned runs in four innings. The best option the team has is to just go back to Joel Hanrahan who owns a 10.43 K/9 mark along with a strong 3.40 K/BB mark. He has blown three of six saves chances, but he has the stuff to do it and is certainly a better long-term option than the rest of this motley crew.

Oh, and Barry Zito pitched pretty well yet again despite falling to 1-3 as he left the game only to see the bullpen allow two runners to score leaving him with four runs allowed in 6.1 innings. Still, through seven starts he owns a 3.89 ERA and the team has to be happy with that level of production from their fourth starter.

By Ray Flowers