Fantasy Baseball

One of the most important qualities for a fantasy baseball starting pitcher is consistency. Having a pitcher who can deliver a solid performance week in and week out is worth its weight in gold, especially in head-to-head leagues that are scored on a weekly basis. 

Even the most seasoned pitcher will have an off night now and then. However, finding a bookend starter who will provide a consistent level of strikeouts and wins with a below-average ERA is the key to a successful season. 

Click here to enter the 2011 Fantasy Baseball Team Name Contest.

Here’s an early look at the NL only 2011 Second Base rankings.

1. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies

Click here to enter the 2011 Fantasy Baseball Team Name Contest


Justin Smoak clubbed 62 home runs for the University of South Carolina in 739 at-bats, prompting the Texas Rangers to select him with the 11th overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft.

Some of the more savvy fantasy baseball owners out there know that your fantasy baseball team is not necessarily won in the early goings of your draft.

The real success comes in the later rounds.

It's in this dark, dank region where most daring owners simply hit the “Autopick” button and go on to some other endeavor.

How many of you remember how the Houston Astros did in the second half of the 2010 MLB season? I’ll give ya a minute.

Okay, time’s up! They did pretty well, finishing 40-33, and a lot of that had to do with the emergence of third baseman Chris Johnson.

Who, you ask?

Well, don’t feel bad, because you can’t even find this guy on most fantasy baseball owners' maps right now, and that’s a really good thing.

I want everyone to take a deep breath. What I am about to say is nothing short of shocking, mind-bending and literally unbelievable.

Royals first baseman Billy Butler stole a base Sunday in the Royals' spring opener against the Texas Rangers.

I know—incredibly strange news considering Butler only has one career stolen base in 533 games in the majors, but manager Ned Yost told MLB.com that he wants to see his players running more this season.

We all know that luck has a lot to do with the success or failure of some pitchers.  Let’s take a look at the five pitchers who qualified for the ERA title in 2010 who posted the worst BABIP and analyze their chances of a rebound in 2011:

James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays: .341 BABIP

To help keep fantasy managers on top of injuries this spring, Fantasy Baseball Insiders has launched a team-by-team injury report. This list will be updated every night so you can stay up to date on current injuries. Bookmark this page for an easy return. This is a must have as you prepare for your upcoming draft!

If I missed any significant injuries, please let me know in the comment section below.

Last updated March 2, 8:00 a.m. CST.

Baltimore Orioles:

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve announced the top 60 players on our 2011 big board. Click on each player’s name for a more in-depth analysis, including 2011 projections!

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Hunter Pence has a rare skill set that goes unnoticed by most fantasy managers because he plays on a futile Houston team.