Category: BASEBALL

Next up is catcher for the updated rankings. This time I added my original preseason rankings in italics. 1. Victor Martinez (1) – Simply the best catcher in the game. V-Mart has followed up his impressive second half last year with a great start this year. 2. Josh Willingham (10) – Playing left field means…

Buying low and selling high is all well and good, but trading comes down to someone valuing one guy more than the next. The following is an updated version of my rankings. Up first is third base. 1. Alex Rodriguez – How many people are kicking themselves for taking him over Pujols? 2. David Wright…

By: Robby Wellington – Staff Writer   A few days back I discussed strategies to getting the most out of your pitching staff and noted certain factors to consider when making your decisions (opponent, opposing pitcher, home/road, hitters/pitchers park, hot/cold streak, etc.). However, there are many more nuanced issues that affect a pitcher’s projected performance, far too many to process…

By: Robby Wellington – Staff Writer Author’s disclaimer: The following article applies specifically to daily transaction leagues, particularly the last paragraph. The unique one-start, two-start importance of weekly transaction leagues merits its own article. One important goal of any fantasy baseball manager is to isolate their players’ good performances from their bad ones and to…

SELL-HIGH Tom Glavine: Glavine has been pitching well since the All-Star break of last year. He could maintain a sub-3.75 ERA all year and pick up a solid amount of wins. His current strikeout rate, however, doesn’t figure to last. He’s striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings this year; the last two years, it’s…

According to MLB.com, Devil Rays top prospect Delmon Young is facing a potentially lengthy suspension after throwing his bat at an umpire’s chest during Wednesday night’s game at Pawtucket. Young is the consensus No.1 prospect in all of baseball. Apparently, he didn’t agree with a third strike call, stayed in the batter’s box and glared…

The man who A-Rod and Tim McCarver think is named Brandon is off to a tremendous start. After eight innings of one-hit ball on Wednesday, he currently stands with a 2.34 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and a 30/7 K/BB ratio. Yes, the National League is treating him well. Arroyo was set to open the year out…

Editor’s note: The following article is not written by RotoScoop’s administrator, Dalton Del Don. It is written by Robby Wellington, who will be a regular contributor to the site. With the third week of the year in the books and the fantasy waiver wire bereft of any real talent, owners begin the quest to improve…

Jose Contreras followed up a 5.50 ERA in 2004 with a 7.04 spring training in 2005. He was then rather unimpressive through July; since then, he’s been baseball’s best pitcher. In his last 15 games started in the regular season, Contreras is 12-1 and winner of 11 straight. His ERA stands at a minuscule 1.92…

It’s time for everyone to start taking Brad Penny seriously. Sure, maybe I’m patting myself on the back a bit; after all, I had Penny rated higher than just about any other ranking system out there going into the season. My rather high-ranking looks awfully good now, but I’ve certainly had my misses as well…

This time around I’ll give you some pitchers who are off to slow starts. It’s only a matter of time before they turn it around, so go after these guys while their value is relatively low. Once again, I’m leaving off the overly obvious names, such as Johan, Peavy and Carlos Zambrano. Andy Pettitte: He…

All of these players are off to painfully slow starts. Take advantage of the situation and buy low. The quicker you act, the better, as some of these guys won’t ever have their values as low as they are now. I’m leaving the obvious names off this list; after all, you don’t need me to…

These guys are off to hot starts; some are for real, while others are not. The key is to decipher the ones that are here to stay from the ones bound to fade. Chris Shelton: He just hit his seventh bomb and is batting over .500. Shelton, who almost began the year hitting eighth, is…

AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero The contenders: Hafner could make a strong push, but DH may ultimately hold back enough votes. Same goes for Big Papi, whose team will be edged out by the Angels anyway. Konerko could easily lead the league in RBI with Thome now in front of him, and it would surprise no…

1. Cleveland Indians 93-69 Overview: The White Sox will be tough to beat, and the Twins will field a much-improved club, but it will be the Indians who will ultimately wind up on top of the Central. A loaded lineup, a solid starting staff and a dominant bullpen, the Indians have it all. Even though…

1. New York Yankees 96-66 Overview: The Yankees have won at least 95 games in each of the last five seasons but haven’t won the World Series since 2000. Their lineup seriously reads like an All-Star roster. They will outscore opponents by enough to win their 9th consecutive division championship. Hitting: An already lethal lineup…

1. Oakland Athletics 97-65 Overview: The AL West winner won’t be decided until the end of the season, and the A’s will ultimately take it. This is their year. Then again, that has been said before, and they still haven’t won a playoff series since 1990. Finally adding opposed to subtracting, this off-season the final…

1. St. Louis Cardinals 93-69 Overview: You’ve heard it before, but this team is built for dominance in the regular season. Carpenter has emerged as a true ace, and LaRussa and Duncan just plain get it done. Rolen and Edmonds’ health combined with the loss of Larry Walker make them slightly more vulnerable, but they…

1. Atlanta Braves 91-71 Overview: Many claim the Mets to be this year’s division favorite. Don’t buy it. The Braves will claim their 15th straight division title. Although, it will be interesting to see how truly great of an effect Leo Mazzone’s departure will have. Hitting: Andruw Jones won’t be as productive as a year…

1. Los Angeles Dodgers 88-74 Overview: Why does everyone trash Paul DePodesta? It’s almost as if the media don’t pay attention. Jim Tracy didn’t help; Hee Seop Choi had an 1103 OPS in 31 games as a No. 2 hitter, then never hit there again. Choi was part of the deal that netted Penny for…