About Me
Welcome to the Blog of Alex the Great, StarFantasySports.com's fantasy sports writer & guru! Here you will read the insights & thoughts from Alex for all things fantasy sports!
Alex has been following sports for 18 years and playing fantasy sports for 8 years. Constantly studying statistics and analyzing news stories, Alex is on top of every player's situation in the present & for the future.
Please make sure to check back here often for thoughts & analysis on any fantasy sports happenings!
Home | Profile | Archives | Friends
|
|
Every day I will be looking over the performances & trends from previous baseball games to help you make educated decisions about your fantasy baseball roster. Here are a few players from yesterday’s action:
Daniel Cabrera is still wild. One of the more interesting fantasy baseball players is Daniel Cabrera, who will strike out a ton….and walk a ton in a single outing. While he only gave up 3 runs, 6 hits & struck out 9 in 7 innings of work yesterday, he also walked 4 batters as well. The most important stat that is needed for a pitcher to be effective is to have a 2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio or higher. It’s an important stat because it indicates how well a pitcher is able to leave hitters off the base paths. 9 K’s to 4 walks is an encouraging start, as Cabrera has never been able to get over that 2 to 1 ratio in a season. Certainly we’d like to see less walks, but you should keep your eye on him for the next couple starts.
Josh Bard has his first 4 hit game. Hopefully when you were drafting you saw that catcher Josh Bard, who hit over .300 last year, now has a fulltime gig in San Diego. Out to prove last year was no fluke, Bard had 4 hits (1 double), 2 runs & an RBI in his Opening Day debut. Bard has shown throughout his minor league & major league career that he is able to make contact & draw walks, both essential tools in order to have a high batting average. He did hit a good amount of ground balls last year, so that may limit some of his power, but he did slug .522 last year as well. Right now all signs point to him being a very productive fantasy catcher this year. If you are unsure about your catcher position at this point, snag him if he’s available.
Ian Kinsler is flexing his muscles. Despite putting together a solid season last year in Texas, Ian Kinsler flew a bit under the radar in most fantasy drafts. He came into Spring Training this year with an added 21 pounds, which he claims is almost all muscle. So far, it seems to be paying off, as he hit his second homerun in as many days, as well as scoring 2 runs & stealing a base. Last year he had only 423 AB’s, but he still managed to hit .286 with 14 HR, 55 RBI, 65 Runs & 11 SB’s. If he continues that production with around 600 AB’s he’ll get this year, that’s Top 5 2B material, especially if the increased power is for real. If you got him in the later rounds or for cheap in auction drafts, pat yourself on the back. If for some reason he fell through the cracks and is available as a free agent, pick him up IMMEDIATLEY!
Ian Snell is dynamite. Let me explain how effective Ian Snell was last night against Houston: He only gave up 4 hits in a hitter’s park; he struck out 11 while walking only 1 AND he did all that by throwing only 86 pitches. That my friends, is what you call efficiency. Last year’s 4.74 ERA didn’t show much potential for this year, but that is why you must look between the numbers. During the second half last year he dialed up his strikeout rate, getting 99 K’s in 98 innings while maintaining a decent walk rate. What doomed him was the long ball, which was the one run that was given up by him yesterday. If he can solve that, this kid has the potential to bust out in a big way. Last night was no fluke & if you can still acquire him, do so now.
Jose Valverde continues his inconsistencies. One guy who has all the tools to be a top flight closer but continues to be inconsistent is Jose Valverde. After a stellar 2005, he struggled early last year, and then in the second half he became invincible, regaining the closer’s job in Arizona. After saving the game on Monday by striking out 3 of the 4 batters he faced, it seemed that all was well, and then yesterday he bombed, not only blowing the save but taking the loss as well. While some may panic, it’s nothing to worry about at this point. He hasn’t walked anybody nor has he given up a homerun, and one of the runs last night wasn’t his fault. Bad luck set him back yesterday in a hitter’s park, so don’t be concerned. He still remains a top option for saves & if there is a Valverde owner in your league worried about his performance, you might be able to buy low right now.
Just a side note….very odd that there have been 44 hits in Colorado the last 2 days and only 1 HR. Food for thought.
http://www.starfantasysports.com |
Post Comment |
|
