Michael Leone - Page 4

Josh Beckett SP (BOS) – Beckett was rusty in his first start of the season, and it showed in his lack of control. He walked 4 batters and needed 106 pitches to get through 5 IP. However, with Beckett being...

Wade Davis SP (TB) – Davis just signed a long term extension with the Rays, but what are his fantasy prospects for this year? Well, last year Davis was simply below average – 6.05 K/9, 3.32 BB/9 and 39.2 GB%....

Thoughts on carrying a 5th RP With the taxi squad being set at 14 players, there has been some talk on the discussion board on whether or not carrying a 5th RP is a good idea. I don’t believe it...

Figuring out the Outfield Outfield is always one of the toughest positions to preview. There are just so many potential plays here that it is tough to cover even a good chunk of them. So, I’ll tell you how I...

Behind the plate Generally, I like to go cheap at catcher as I’d rather spend my money on a safer, more predictable position that offers more upside. Well, we are in what some consider to be a golden age of...

TORONTO BLUE JAYS Closer Update The Jays’ bullpen has been hit with a couple of injuries, shaking up the closer situation. Expected closer Frank Francisco received good news from Dr. James Andrews the other day – no structural damage, a...

KANSAS CITY ROYALS Is anyone in this rotation worth owning? As of now, the projected Royals’ rotation, in no particular order, looks something like this: Kyle Davies, Jeff Francis, Bruce Chen, Luke Hochevar and Vin Mazzaro. Kyle Davies should not...

This is part 2 of the TFC preseason preview. In part 1, I laid out my initial TFC team along with a preview of the corner infielders. Now, it's time for... Up the middle Second Base One of the nice...

TFC Preview Last season I posted my roster prior to doing my position by position preview, and I’ll do the same this year. Seeing the whole roster first makes viewing the position by position analysis more meaningful. So, without further...

There was a time in early January when it appeared that not having a rotisserie style salary cap game for fantasy baseball was a distinct possibility. That’s why, when Fantistics founder Anthony Perri told me he was interested in forming...

Kansas City Royals Jarrod Dyson- Speedster in consideration for leadoff spot As of writing this, the Royals’ have played 5 Spring Training games, with Mike Aviles leading off three times, Lorenzo Cain once and Jarrod Dyson once. Dyson is the...

Kansas City Royals Billy Butler 1B – How much will the power develop? Billy Butler is an intriguing fantasy option once again this year. He is an incredibly talented hitter, but he plays on an awful offensive club and had...

A handful of years ago I entered a baseball competition run through CDM sports called the Diamond Challenge. At the time I was looking for the chance to enter a legitimate fantasy baseball competition in which I could win a...

First off, I wanted to thank everyone who read and commented on my blog post regarding the Diamond Challenge. I think the comments are an indication that people really loved that style of fantasy game and are eager to see...

Denard Span OF (MIN) – I really like Span to improve upon his numbers next season. His average dropped from .311 last season to .271 this year, yet his contact rate rose by almost 4 full percentage points. His EYE...

James Shields SP (TB) – I was skeptical about Shields’ improved K/9 this season, but he has managed to sustain a high level of dominance. He entered last night’s start with a K/9 of 8.47, by far a career high...

Zack Greinke SP (KC) – Greinke pitched well last night until a rough 6th inning, but he has certainly been a disappointment for fantasy owners this season. The bad news is that Greinke will probably never repeat his magical ’09...

Carlos Carrasco SP (CLE) – In his first 2 starts this season, Carrasco showed excellent command (3.33 K/BB ratio) along with an outstanding ability to get groundballs (64.1 GB%). Although he received two no decisions, the result was a very...

Nick Markakis OF (BAL) – Markakis’ downward trending power numbers for a player in his peek years are extremely disturbing. He homered yesterday, but it was just his 9th of the season! For a while, I chalked Markakis’ production up...

Brandon Morrow SP (TOR) – I’ve been on the Brandon Morrow bandwagon for some time, and he continues to impress me. Yesterday he picked up his 10th victory of the season against the Tigers, allowing just 1 ER over 6...

Madison Bumgarner SP (SF) – Bumgarner got absolutely lit up yesterday, as he gave up 7 ER without making it out of the third inning. He did strike out 3, though, while walking just 1. I wouldn’t worry too much...

Jonathan Broxton RP (LAD) – Kuo blew a 3-1 lead last night, allowing 3 ER to the Braves in the bottom of the 9th and taking the loss. I find it hard to believe the experiment with him at closer...

Nick Swisher OF (NYY) – Swisher is at the peak of his fantasy value right now. That’s not to say he is going to fall off anytime soon, it’s just to say everything is coming together for him. He is...

Luke Scott OF (BAL) – Scott hit his 22nd homer of the year last night, and this now marks the third consecutive season in which Scott has hit 20+ homers. Scott has all of the skills for a near elite...

Bobby Jenks RP (CHW) – I talked today about how Putz could easily close out ballgames if Jenks continues to struggle. The fact of the matter is, though, that Jenks really hasn’t struggled. Sure, his ERA is 5.13, but that...

Matt Joyce OF (TB) – While it’s a small sample size (99 plate appearances), I’m really encouraged by Joyce’s increased patience this season. The 25 YO is walking a whopping 16.2% of the time. I’m buying this as real because...

Evan Longoria 3B (TB) – Despite being in his third season and being in the peak of his career, Longoria is on pace for a career low in homers. He has just 14 through 95 games. However, I expect him...

Jeff Niemann SP (TB) – Niemann improved to 8-2 with a win over the Yankees yesterday, although he did not pitch particularly well yielding 4 ER over 6 IP thanks to 4 BB and 2 HR. Niemann is a guy...

Jose Valverde RP (DET) – Valverde earned his 19th save of the season yesterday against the twins, and he now has a brilliant .92 ERA after pitching a 1-2-3 9th inning that included 2 K’s. If you can get value...

Tommy Hunter SP (TEX) - Hunter improved to 5-0 last night, but I have doubts about him moving forward. Entering the game he had a K/9 of 5.22 and K/BB ratio of 2.13 which is something you’d expect out of...

Michael Saunders OF (SEA) - Saunders has flashed decent power (6 HR in 39 games), but I am critical of his ability to contribute to fantasy teams the rest of the season. He is striking out too much (33.3% of...

David Ortiz DH (BOS) – After a tough April, I really thought Ortiz was done, particularly since he fared so terribly on fastballs, and it seemed like opposing pitchers knew it. Clearly, I was wrong and Ortiz was not done,...

Roy Oswalt SP (HOU) – At first glance I’m tempted to say that Oswalt is likely to regress as his K/9 heading into last night’s start were 8.65 after having a K/9 of 7.12 or lower in each of the...

Chris Tillman SP (BAL) - As I suggested after Tillman’s ’10 debut, he is likely to have little fantasy value this season. The early numbers on Tillman, as he pushed his ERA to 8.40 after last night’s start, are he...

Austin Jackson OF (DET) – Jackson went 2-5 last night to raise his average to .308. I’d be willing to bet a lot that his average come year’s end will not be over .300. It’s doubtful that his 29.5 LD%...

Delmon Young OF (MIN) - I’m joining Drew on his island; Delmon Young has a good chance for a nice second half breakout. At age 24, he is showing some serious improvements in important areas of his game. For starters,...