
Key Articles
March 6, 2008 | article by Anthony A. Perri in Fantasy Strategy (35)
As many of you already know, Fantistics uses sabermetric theories to create it's player projections model. These theories are the foundation to our successful forecasting history. One of my favorite forecasting models that we monitor here at Fantistics is...
February 2, 2008 | article by Anthony A. Perri in Preseason Prep (57)
Within the player projections software we have a column for player notes this season where I post a few of the technical indicators that influence the 2008 projections, here's the latest round of analytic notes. For those new to Fantistics,...
February 1, 2008 | article by Anthony A. Perri in
Get your Mock on...our new Mock Draft module may become one of the most addicting fantasy tools that you've ever utilized. Fantasy GMs can now simulate a fantasy draft before draft day while utilizing their specific scoring rules. More...
January 12, 2008 | article by Anthony A. Perri in Research (25)
Hi Folks, Welcome to 2008! One of the ways I open a new season is by taking a look back at the previous one. Below is the link to the Historical Fantasy Values and some key indicators from 2007: http://www.insiderbaseball.com/HistoricalFantasyValues.pdf...
September 27, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Baseball Rants (13)
I was only a week or two into my Lamaze classes in preparation for the birth of my first child, my now 12-year-old daughter Sarah, in the late winter of 1995. As a first-time-parent-to-be who came from a small...
September 25, 2007 | article by Jeff Ackerman in Fantasy Strategy (35)Research (25)
2007 FPI All Stars and Anti-All Stars Good morning everybody. With the MLB season drawing to a close, today we will take a look at our own versions of All Star teams. As our measure we will use our...
September 20, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
As we look to the bullpens for the final week of the regular season, we see one structural change and a lot of static. Brian Wilson all but assumed the role of primary closer in San Francisco with...
September 13, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Good morning everyone! The days are getting shorter and so is the calendar for your fantasy baseball team. There was a little bit of movement at the end of a couple of bullpens since we last spoke in...
September 11, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Fantasy Strategy (35)Research (25)
The signs of fall are everywhere. The days are cooler. The leaves here in New England are turning. I am up at 5:30 am to get my kids to school every day. The Patriots are humiliating the Jets....
September 9, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
(Editors note: This is only a sneek peek at this week's entire Prospect Central sent to our members via e-mail. Not a member yet? Visit Insiderbaseball.com today and see what else you are missing! ) Have you ever noticed...
September 6, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
It is early September and stability reins in major league bullpens … Ok, perhaps “stability” is strong … but there have been no major structural changes this week. The biggest bullpen news of the week may be the...
September 4, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Fantasy Strategy (35)
Good morning everyone! Today we will continue the recap of players in their contract years in 2007 that we started last week with the hitters. Of the 50 hitters we looked at last week, 13 performed better than we...
September 2, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
(Editors Note: This is a sample sneek peak of Prospect Central this week. Members of Insiderbaseball.com have seen in-depth profiles of over 130 prospects this season and the rest of this week’s report was e-mailed to them this morning....
August 30, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Hi all … I am traveling to Yankee Stadium for today’s Red Sox/Yankees tilt so this morning’s Closer Look was produced last night. Make sure to check your Daily E-mail Update from Insiderbaseball.com this morning for any last minute...
August 28, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Every year at some point, I get into a discussion about Contract Year Theory. I am usually put in the position of having to defend the unpopular position that it is a myth. We hear all the time...
August 26, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
(Editors note: This is a partial preview of Insiderbaseball.com's Prospect Central, emailed to our memebers each week. Not a member yet? Go to Insiderbaseball.com today and join! And tis the season, so make sure you visit Insiderfootball.com before your...
August 24, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Will Inman – Brewers Starter – Throws Right – 6-0, 200 – 2/6/1987 Will is a very good test case for personal philosophies in regards to pitching prospects. To me he is simply not the type of guy I...
August 23, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Once again this week we find the closing situations in Major League Baseball to be stable. The big bullpen news wraps around a return from injury. Before we get to that however we look to SF where...
August 21, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Fantasy Strategy (35)
Good morning everyone! A little mail bag this morning but first a couple of things … Football season is approaching (for some of you quicker than others) and some of you rookies may not know that Insiderfootball.com...
August 19, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
(This is a partial free look at Insiderbaseball.com's Prospect Central report which is e-mailed to our members each Sunday. Members also have access to our entire database of reports this season. Not a member? Go to Insiderbaseball.com and join...
August 16, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
It has been a very quiet week at the back end of baseball’s bullpens. There was movement in Oakland last night however as Huston Street recorded his first save since coming off the DL last month. Alan Embree...
August 12, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Eric Patterson - Cubs Outfield - Bats Left - 5-11, 170 - 4/8/1983 This profile would have looked a lot better if Eric Patterson could play second base. The younger brother of Corey Patterson started the season as a...
August 7, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Fantasy Strategy (35)
A little mailbag this morning .... Dear Sweet Lou, I too am a fellow New Englander, living here in the great state of Connect-eh-cut, in Storrs. I thoroughly enjoy your wit, savvy & journalistic style very much. Keep it up!...
August 5, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
(Editors Note: This is a partial look at the Prospect Central reports that our members recieve via e-mail. Not a member yet? Want some of this great Fantistics insight to help you with your fantasy football season as well?...
August 2, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
The MLB non-waiver trade deadline usually shuffles the deck of at least a couple of rosters and this year it rearranged some bullpens as well. The trade of Eric Gagne to the Red Sox left the Rangers closer...
July 31, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Fantasy Strategy (35)
It is time to dumpster dive for starts! Want to know how I can tell? Congratulate me, I am now the proud owner of Jesse Litsch! My league has 5 reserves and currently all 5 of my reserves, Carlos Beltran,...
July 26, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
The big news at the end of the bullpen this week comes from Baltimore where closer Chris Ray was felled by a bone spur in his elbow. He is gone for at least a month it would appear. The...
July 22, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Today we are going to take a look at some of the players we haven't profiled yet that show up on Baseball America's mid-season Top 25 (or so) prospects. Jacob McGee - Rays Starter - Throws Left - 6-3,...
July 19, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
A couple of returns highlight this week’s Closer Look. In Tampa Al Reyes returned from his rotator cuff strain on the first day he was eligible. He returns to the closer’s role in Tampa replacing veteran Gary Glover...
July 18, 2007 | article by David Regan in
American League 16 Adam Jones SEA OF B+ Official call-up hasn't come yet, but reportedly team just wants him comfortable with RF first. 30 Josh Fields CHW 3B B Has raised AVG 30 points in July and is cutting down...
July 17, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Fantasy Strategy (35)
I have often felt that fantasy baseball presents a good analogy to financial investing. The players of course would be the stocks and our teams would be our portfolios. I know next to nothing about evaluating a stock but I...
July 15, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
(Editors Note: This is not the complete Prospect Central Report that is e-mailed to Insiderbaseball.com's subscribers today. It is an edited version.) This week my son and I attended the Eastern League (AA) All-Star Fogfest at Dodd Stadium in...
July 8, 2007 | article by Anthony A. Perri in Research (25)
Second Half Rankings Hitters Edition Second Half Rankings Pitchers Edition (Posted 7/07/07) Every season we come across players who unexplainably perform at higher or lower levels during certain periods of the season. One possible explanation behind the phenomena: second...
July 8, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Manny Parra – Brewers Starter – Throws Left – 6-3, 200 – 10/30/1982 Manny caught everyone’s attention on June 25th when he retired 27 straight hitters against the Round Rock Express to record the 8th perfect game...
July 5, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Injuries and ineffectiveness have shuffled the deck in a couple of MLB bullpens as we take a post-July 4th Closer Look. Devil Ray's closer Al Reyes was placed on the 15-day DL on Wednesday with a "mildly"strained rotator cuff. The...
June 30, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
This week we will pick up some players from the Futures Game rosters that haven’t yet appeared in Prospect Central, and introduce you to a rising young star in the Red Sox System… Keep in mind that our Prospect...
June 30, 2007 | article by Anthony A. Perri in Research (25)
Second Half Rankings Hitters Edition With the all star break approaching, it's a good time to look at the production (rankings) we expect from the top 300 position players in the second half of 2007. Subscribing to the regression...
June 28, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
It is dateline Chicago once again as we review the big bullpen news of the week. Ryan Dempster was placed on the 15-day DL on Tuesday with a strained left oblique. With Sweet Lou's alleged "closer in waiting"Angel Guzman also...
June 26, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
My base of minor league operations sits on the banks of the meandering Merrimack River in Manchester New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are the AA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, playing in the Eastern League. Their new...
June 17, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Felix Pie – Cubs Outfielder – Bats Left – 6-2, 170 – 2/8/1985 2006 pretty much constituted a “Take 2” in Felix Pie’s pro career. After an ankle injury sidelined him for half of the 2005 season the Cubs...
June 5, 2007 | article by Jeff Ackerman in Fantasy Strategy (35)
Power Production (Batter GB/FB Ratio) Good morning everybody. Today we are going to revisit some research that we've done on batter Groundball/Flyball (GB/FB) ratios. Stated simply, hitters with lower GB/FB ratios hit more home runs and have a...
June 2, 2007 | article by Anthony A. Perri in Fantasy Strategy (35)
In our continuing series on player recommendations, the latest edition of Strategy Manager + highlights the pitchers who are deviating from their projected production this season. The under and over producers are listed according to their projected rankings through the...
May 31, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
For the first time this season, there no major changes to report in this week’s Closer Look. All of the pitchers who held the primary closer roles for their teams last week at this time are still seated, but...
May 30, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Fantasy Strategy (35)
The Actual Art of the Deal Itself In the first two parts in our series on trading, we talked about how perceptions can skew player values and how you should use that to your advantage. And we offered ideas on...
May 29, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Jay Bruce – Reds Outfielder – Bats Left – 6-2, 206 – 4/3/1987 The Red’s first round pick in 2005 should be on everyone’s radar by now when considering top offensive prospects. Last year all Jay accomplished was the...
May 24, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
This week’s closer’s report centers around Chicago where I warned you earlier that Lou Piniella was about to start flailing. Sweet Lou is considering moving Ryan Dempster to the starting rotation in the near future and using 25-year-old Angel...
May 22, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Fantasy Strategy (35)
Shaking the Trade Tree In the first part of our series, we talked about how one critical aspect of the trading game is being aware that every player has more than one absolute value. He has, in fact, a different...
May 20, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Jesse Litsch – Blue Jays Starting Pitcher – Throws Right – 6-1, 175 – 3/9/1985 The 22-year-old right-hander was strong in his MLB debut against the Orioles on May 15th, holding them to 1 earned run on 4 hits...
May 17, 2007 | article by Jeff Ackerman in Fantasy Strategy (35)Research (25)
Pitching Category Mashup (K/BB and QS%) Good morning everybody. For today's First Pitch we are going to do something a little off the wall -- and perhaps mathematically unsound - and mash together a couple of key pitching...
May 13, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Homer Bailey – Reds Starting Pitcher – Throws Right – 6-3, 190 – 5/3/1986 The Reds’ first round pick in 2004 out of La Grange Texas has been considered as one the top pitching prospects in baseball. As a...
May 10, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
There is a power shift in Washington this morning as Jon Rauch takes over the closers role in place of Chad Cordero who has been placed on the bereavement list. Rauch’s indicators hardly spell c-l-o-s-e-r. This year in...
May 8, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Fantasy Strategy (35)
Good Morning! We are supposed to be preaching patience to you. We are supposed to tell you not to panic and not overvalue what are still some pretty meager statistical samples when we look at our rosters. That is always...
May 6, 2007 | article by Lou Blasi in Player Commentary (328)
Hunter Pence – Astros Outfielder – Bats Right – 6-4, 210 – 4/13/1983 The Astros finally figured out that Chris Burke was a problem. It just took them a bit longer than the rest of us. That brings up...
May 5, 2007 | article by Anthony A. Perri in Research (25)
In our continuing series on player recommendations, today we take a look at the pitchers who are deviating from their projected production. Please refer to the Batters article for an explanation of the terms used such as FPI (FPI^ =...