"April 2015" Monthly Archives

Joc Pederson- OF- LAN- Idea- Pederson's rookie season has started off with a bang. At home against right-handers he has hit (in an admittedly small sample size) .300 with 3 homers and 10 walks in 40 PAs. At a price...

Nelson Cruz (SEA) - Nelson Cruz stayed hot on Wednesday - scorching hot. The Mariners' big off-season signing has paid off in a big way through the first month with Cruz bashing his 10th home run on Wednesday night. Does...

Ryan Braun- This week has been a huge step towards Ryan Braun regressing towards a more favorable mean for his owners. Braun had been absent during the first three weeks of the season, but he finally seems to be coming...

Victor Martinez, 1B, DET Martinez went 0-4 on Tuesday and is 4-27 over his last 8 games, leaving him with a .232 BA for the season. His strikeout rate and line drive rate are right around his career norms, so...

Dexter Fowler (OF-CHC) - Fowler has been a spectacular addition for the Cubs this year, filling a need bot in center field and at the top of the lineup. Fowler went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and his sixth...

Dexter Fowler (OF-CHC) - Fowler has been a spectacular addition for the Cubs this year, filling a need bot in center field and at the top of the lineup. Fowler went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and his sixth...

Mike Moustakas-Royals-3B Mike Moustakas was 4-5 with 2 R and 1 RBI in the win against the Indians. Moustakas is hitting .342 with 3 HR and 7 RBI. Moustakas has showed an increased contact rate (88%) and decreased strikeout rate...

Steve Cishek, RP, MIA Cishek blew the save Monday allowing a three-run homer to Daniel Murphy and is now 1 of 3 in save chances. While his ERA sits at 11.37, he does have 6 strikeouts in 6.1 IP and...

Nick Martinez - Martinez certainly pitched well enough to move to 3-0 on Sunday with 6 more shutout innings, but the bullpen (and Mike Trout) kept him from the victory. I was prepared to ignore Martinez entirely, assuming that no...

DFS Picks: John Lackey (SP-STL) - Any pitcher who faces the Phillies has an immediate fantasy value. The Phillies are the lowest scoring team in the majors, only averaging 2.58 runs per game. Their team batting average and OBP are...

Each Sunday we publish our free analysis of the daily plays position-by-position. If you haven't already tried out Daily Fantasy Baseball, now is the perfect time to take it for a test spin. The beauty of Daily Fantasy is the...

Lance Lynn, St. Louis Cardinals - On a day where Carlos Carrasco facing the Tigers is the highest priced pitcher on the day, Lance Lynn against the Brewers for $8,800 seems like an absolute bargain. It's no secret that the...

Jed Lowrie Lowrie is a good guy to pick up, especially for teams in need of shortstop help. Lowrie is 6-for-11 in his last three games, and with Lowrie, the question is never whether he can hit, but whether he...

Joe Wieland (SP-LAN). The Dodgers have announced that they are calling Wieland up to start either Saturday or Sunday against the Padres. Wieland is an intriguing streaming option in NL-only leagues, as, when healthy, he has consistently put up K...

Michael Pineda (SP-NYY) Michael Pineda was masterful today as he picked up his third win pitching 7 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 7. He was extremely fortunate last year as his startling comeback from a 2 year...

Devon Travis- 2B- TOR- Idea- Travis has been very hot in his rookie season. Against southpaws he has posted a .364/.417/1.000 slash line. This is despite a .250 BABIP. Last season Drew Smyly had a slash line of .262/.322/.441 and...

Pedro Alvarez- Pedro Alvarez has opened the 2015 season with a solid power performance, and he is a solid daily play against right handed pitching. Alvarez doesn't have much upside to alter his season long value, but if the Pirates...

Devon Travis (2B-TOR): Devon Travis (ribs) returned to the lineup with a vengeance, as the rookie hit his 4th homer of the year and stole his 1st base to lead the Jays' humbling of Ubaldo Jimenez. You have to love...

Cole Hamels (SP-PHI). All you Cole Hamels owners who were panicking because of Hamels' 5.00 ERA coming into Wednesday's game against the Marlins can now relax. Hamels went 6 innings, giving up 1 unearned run on 5 hits and three...

Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland Indians - Carlos Carrasco was dominant in his return to the mound Tuesday after having been hit in the face with a line drive his last time out. He tossed just five innings (which may have been...

Mark Melancon (RP-PIT) - Melancon entered Tuesday's game against the Cubs with a two-run lead in the ninth inning, but due up were Anthony Rizzo, Jorge Soler, and Kris Bryant By the time those three were done, the bases were...

Here are a few players that are off to hot starts which could very well continue throughout the season: Trevor Bauer, SP, CLE Bauer continued his early season dominance on Monday, throwing 7 shutout innings against the White Sox, only...

Steve Souza Maybe the projection systems do know something we mere humans don't, as STEAMER/PECOTA darling Steve Souza continued his great start to the 2015 season on Sunday. With a 3-for-5 day, Souza raised his slashes to .289/.373/.533, while connecting...

Dexter Fowler- OF- CHN- Idea- Fowler has yet to get a hit off a southpaw in 2015, but he added two more against righthanded pitching yesterday. The Cubs are facing A. J. Burnett, who had a slash line of .244/.368/.417...

It's the 3rd week of the Fantasy Baseball season and DFS is in full swing. If you haven't already tried out Daily Fantasy Baseball, now is the perfect time to take it for a test spin. The beauty of Daily...

DFS Picks: Kris Bryant (3B-CHC) - Kris Bryant didn't hit any home runs on Saturday, but he did reach base five times. Bryant displayed veteran level maturity by walking three times in six plate appearances. In each of those at...

Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays - Donaldson has been feasting on the Braves pitchers over the first two games of the series launching three homers including a walk off blast in the 10th Saturday. He's finally providing some of the...

Why do you come to this column? Easy. You're searching out recommendations on who to add and opinions to dissuade you from making a bad choice off the waiver wire. But, you're also looking to come across a name or...

Wil Myers (OF-SD): Remember me, he said sardonically to a baseball world focused on the hype surrounding Kris Bryant. The he, in this case, is none other than Wil Myers, a forgotten former top prospect who hit a game-winning 3-run...

CC Sabathia- C.C. Sabathia has started the 2015 season with an ERA of 5.68, which is probably not surprising for most of the baseball world. Sabathia has struggled with injury, age and decreased velocity for several years. The interesting part...

Kris Bryant (3B-CHC): It's official: the Cubs are calling up Kris Bryant today, thus beginning a new era in the windy city. He only posted a 1.042 OPS in 7 AAA games with 3 homers to start the season, actually...

Stephen Vogt- C- OAK- Idea- Vogt has a good chance to keep his hot start going against Roberto Hernandez (the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona.) Hernandez had a slash line of .246/.358/.387 and FIP of 5.65 against lefthanders last...

Dan Haren-Marlins-SP Dan Haren picked up his first win Wednesday by giving up 2 ER over 7 IP on 3 H, 2 BB, and 5 K. Haren is in a good spot in Miami, pitching half his games in a...

Trevor Bauer (SP-CLE). Bauer was solid again in picking up his second win of the season against the White Sox on Wednesday afternoon. Bauer lasted 6 innings, giving up only 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 8. One...

Odrisamer Despaigne (SP-SD) - Despaigne continued his good fortune Tuesday, allowing just a run on two hits over seven solid innings against the Diamondbacks. His 4:2 K:BB in 11.2 innings indicates a lack of dominance, but if you actually watch...

CC Sabathia (SP-NYY) In Sabathia's first start of the season, the strikeouts were certainly there but the outcome was a loss. Today's game was no different. Sabathia took the loss again giving up 4 runs on 7 hits while striking...