Fantasy Baseball

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from yesterday’s games:

American League:

The keeper rankings at second base go deep, but they are also filled with players who's projectability is cloudy at best.

Note: These are NOT rankings for 2010. The focus is on long-term keeper values, looking first toward the next 4-5 years and then some prospects that could be moving up this charts during those seasons.

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Heading into 2010 Pablo Sandoval was a consensus top seven third baseman. That may not mean much, but given the lack of depth at the position, he was the swing point between getting a good option and getting a big risk.

While some of the risks have paid off (i.e. Adrian Beltre), Sandoval’s 2010 has been nothing short of disastrous. Looking at his line thus far will make you cringe if you are one of the unfortunate owners who selected him:

Are you hurting in the run category? Here are some reasonably available players that can help you out.

Dexter Fowler, OF, Colorado Rockies
Fowler scored 12 runs over the past 15 days while hitting .364 with a HR, eight RBIs, and two SBs. On the year, he’s hitting .244 with 47 runs, three HRs, 19 RBIs, and 11 SBs. Dexter is owned in 35 percent of ESPN and 26 percent of CBS leagues.

Last Night Rewind

These rankings are based on a 300 point system, 150 for offensive production, and 150 for pitching production. 30 points (one point for each team) is the most points any team can receive in a given category. For instance, if the Rays lead the league in HR’s they will get 30 points for that category.

The 5 offensive categories used:

The 5 pitching categories used:

Wins, Saves, WHIP, ERA, and Ks

Gio Gonzalez was a first round draft pick in 2004, so his road to fantasy relevance has been slow to develop.  Finally, at 24 years old (he’ll turn 25 in September), he’s achieved it, putting up a solid 2010 season with these stats:

10 Wins
141.0 Innings
3.51 ERA
1.32 WHIP
114 Strikeouts (7.3 K/9)
62 Walks (4.0 BB/9)
.287 BABIP

The question is whether Gonzalez is a pitcher worth owning, or whether his success has been an aberration.

Yesterday, Toronto Blue Jay Brandon Morrow arguably pitched the strongest outing of the year, let alone one of the finest in history. Morrow went 8 2/3 before surrendering a single to Evan Longoria off the glove of Aaron Hill. In only 136 pitches (93 for strikes), he gave up one hit and two walks. Oh yeah, then there was the 17 strikeouts, the most in a game since Johan Santana had 17 in 2006.

Now is the time of the season to be the most diligent. As some owners are losing interest in the baseball marathon and gearing up for their fantasy football draft, now is the time to make your move. With their lack of focus, you can move up the standings.