Fantasy Baseball

For years we have been hearing about the promise of Billy Butler, though he had never quite lived up to the hype.

Well, at least until 2009, when he got his first full season in the Major Leagues and posted the following line:

608 At-Bats
.301 Batting Average (183 Hits)
21 Home Runs
93 RBI
78 Runs
1 Stolen Base
.362 On-Base Percentage
.492 Slugging Percentage
.335 Batting Average on Balls in Play

It has long been considered that Kevin Correia could develop into a usable fantasy pitcher, though the results had never previously been there.  He had shown signs, like pitching to a 2.54 ERA as a starting pitcher in 2007.  However, after getting an extended look in 2008 (19 starts) and posting a 5.36 ERA, it was time for him to move on.

Fast-forward 12 months and once again, there is fantasy hope for Correia after posting the following line:

12 Wins
198.0 Innings
3.91 ERA
1.30 WHIP
142 Strikeouts (6.45 K/9)
64 Walks (2.91 BB/9)
.298 BABIP

It didn’t take Jim Riggleman long to make his first decision as full-time manager of the Washington Nationals.

Starting shortstop Christian Guzman will be moved over to second base in 2010. The Nationals became concerned with Guzman’s range at short last year, and now coupled with off-season surgery on his throwing shoulder, it makes sense for the Nationals to move Guzman to second base.

Guzman’s move to second base presumably opens the door for Ian Desmond to take over the starting shortstop job for the Nationals in 2010.

The Boston Red Sox have acquired Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins in exchange for a pair of minor league left-handers in Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez.

Neither pitcher is considered a top prospect, as both are relief pitchers who offer little to no upside for fantasy baseball owners.

Hermida, however, is a different story.

It’s time to wrap up our early 2010 rankings with the starting pitchers.  There’s an extremely fine line between many of these pitchers, so look for things to really move around as we get closer and closer to draft day.  With that said, let’s take a look at how things stack up so far:

There have been some rumblings of late that the Detroit Tigers are going to allow Placido Polanco to walk via free agency, turning the keys to the candy store over to Scott Sizemore. 

Players to Pickup at the All-Star Break

With the halfway point of the season in our rear-view mirror, it’s now time to buckle down and get ready for a playoff push. Whether you are lacking a pitcher or a slugger, you need to sure up all your loose ends if you are a serious contender.

Last week we checked out the National League closers (click here to view), so this week we turn to the American League (all stats given are through Wednesday):

Baltimore Orioles—George Sherrill