Fantasy Baseball

Brad Lidge is the latest closer to go down with an injury and how long he will be out is completely unknown. The pain in his shoulder has yet to be identified, meaning he could be out a week, a month or maybe more. It was just a few days ago that I questioned if Lidge was even worth owning (click here to view) and now things look even more dubious. 

First Base:  Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves

Freeman struggled in his cup of coffee last year hitting .167 in 20 games (24 at bats). The Braves are committed to him at first base, though. He has the pedigree, hitting .319 with 18 HRs, 87 RBI and a .899 OPS for Triple-A Gwinnett last year. I’m not as confident in Freeman (this year) as I am in some of the other players, but the majority of first basemen have already made a name for themselves.

Fate can have a way from helping you win it all by snagging the best player ever, and it can totally screw you by giving you the last pick. No matter if you are a smart enough baseball fan, or the kind of fan who only knows the players on his favorite team, with the proper guidance from Bleacher Report and MLB Featured Columnist Tony Capobianco, then you too can win with a low pick.

Why the ninth pick? Because that's the pick I got in my draft.

Middle relievers don’t get the glory that starters or closers do, especially in fantasy baseball, but they can lower your ERA and WHIP while adding to your strikeouts without taxing your maximum innings pitched too heavily. Plus, if their closer gets hurt or is ineffective, you suddenly have a cheap closer.

With Kendrys Morales still struggling to return to the field, you have to wonder what to expect from him in 2011.  Will he come back in April?  Will it not be until May?  Even once he returns, how many games per week will he be able to play?

So many questions, so few answers at this point.  I have reduced my projection for him down to 475 AB for the upcoming season, clearly dropping him down the rankings.  Let’s take a look at how far:

During the first decade of this millenium, Lance Berkman was a staple in any conversation about the best hitters in baseball.

Through almost 12 seasons in Houston he had become the face of the franchise, along with Roy Oswalt, and was a former member of the Killer Bs, taking Derek Bell’s place in 2000 alongside Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell.

In his first three full seasons, Berkman was 6th in Rookie of the Year voting and was a two-time All-Star:

There is a general feeling among many people that Elvis Andrus is overrated.  When you look at his numbers from 2010, it isn’t a surprising thought:

588 At Bats
.265 Batting Average (156 Hits)
0 Home Runs
35 RBI
88 Runs
32 Stolen Bases
.342 On Base Percentage
.301 Slugging Percentage
.317 Batting Average on Balls in Play

The regular season is about to begin, so all the fantasy baseball owners have to get their teams in order leading up to Opening Day.

If you are a fantasy baseball fan, I've got news for you: Fantasy football is better.

Yes, even with a lockout, the NFL rears its more powerful head to once again prove its dominance in all things sports-related.

Fantasy baseball is a great sport, but fantasy football is better, and here are 10 reasons why.

Rickie Weeks dominated in 2010. His final stats of 112/29/83/11 and triple slash line of .269/.366/.464 were impressive to say the least.

Chris Davis leads the majors with 15 RBI this spring.

He’s hitting .409 with an OPS of 1.247. Davis has seven doubles and four home runs in 44 at bats.

He destroyed Triple-A pitching last year hitting .327 with 14 HR and 80 RBI in 398 at bats. He tore up Triple-A pitching in 2009, also hitting .327 with six home runs and 30 RBI in 165 at bats.