Tag Archive for 'Fantasy Baseball'

Jurrjens Is All Good

Published
by
thesportsidiot
on February 17, 2010
in Atlanta Braves, Fantasy Baseball, Jair Jurrjens, MLB and NL East
. 1 Comment

Well, maybe not all good, but for the most part. An MRI on dude’s throwing shoulder revealed no structural damage, and the 24 year old right hander just needs to rest his sore shoulder. The official diagnosis is anterior shoulder inflammation. Jurrjens should be on pace to make his first start of the season without any issues.

This is great news for the Bravos as well as their fans. It is also good news for you fantasy players, because a lot of people will see this as a red flag and drop him on their boards. Good. Drop him all you want. Jurrjens will prove to be a solid fantasy option again this year, if not a top 10 starter. Yes, I know that a lot of publications, including Baseball Prospectus, are a little bit down on him in relation to last year. My advice is to ignore them and listen to the Mike Bohn gut algorithm. Of course, I’m also a Bravos fan so I may be a little clouded here, but I expect Jurrjens to win 15+ games this year with an ERA around 3.00.

Uh oh, Jurrjens getting MRI?

Published
by
thesportsidiot
on February 16, 2010
in Fantasy Baseball and NL East
. 1 Comment

It looks like the Atlanta Braves may regret trading Javier Vasquez earlier than expected. Jair Jurrjens is experiencing discomfort in his right shoulder, which just happens to be connected to the arm he throws darts with. Hopefully this is just regular soreness, but Jurrjens is getting an MRI later this week to see make sure there is nothing to worry about structurally.

Jurrjens is a complete stud. After two seasons with the Braves, dude has a 3.10 ERA, including a 2.60 ERA in 2009. The lower mark in his second season is extremely telling about the future of Jurrjens, as most second year pitchers no longer have that fresh look advantage and hitters typically figure out their mechanics. So for Jurrjens to have actually lowered his ERA by just over a full run is promising about dude’s chances of being a top of the rotation guy. Some would argue that he already is.

Your fantasy impact right now is minimal. Since you haven’t drafted yet, you have time to find out if this is anything to be worried about and move him up or down your board accordingly. Before this news, I have Jurrjens as a top 15 starting pitcher. He struck out over 150 batters last season while keeping his WHIP at 1.276 and his ERA at that astounding 2.60. He also collected 14 wins, so he gets it done in all of the categories a starting pitcher needs to. He also comes much cheaper than similar pitchers with bigger names.

The Dependable Freak

Published
by
thesportsidiot
on October 1, 2009
in Fantasy Baseball, MLB, NL West, San Francisco Giants and Tim Lincecum
. 2 Comments

Tim Lincecum won his 15th game of the season as he wrapped up his 2009 campaign. Dude finished the season with a 2.48 ERA, 261 Ks, 68 BB and one other freakishly good statistic. Zero home runs given up at home. As a matter of fact, he only gave up ten long balls all year.

Nyjer Morgan Done for 2009?

Published
by
thesportsidiot
on August 28, 2009
in Fantasy Baseball, MLB, NL East and Nyjer Morgan
. 0 Comments
It looks like Nyjer Morgan’s 2009 campaign is over, as he broke the second metacarpal bone in his left hand on Thursday.  The injury occurred while Morgan was stealing third base, and sliding in head first.  Morgan had gotten on base with a walk, and then proceeded to steal both second and third.  He would stay in the game to score, but did not take the field to start the bottom half of the first.

This is bad news for the Nationals, and for Morgan’s fantasy owners.  Willie Harris will be replacing him in center, and should do a decent job.  It should be noted that Harris drew three walks himself, and got a hit to bring his average up to .230 on the season, which is a steep drop-off from Morgan’s .307, and even worse when you consider his .351 average with the Nationals (he was traded to Washington from Pittsburgh on June 30th).  Morgan also stole 24 bases for the Nats, and his total for the year is now cemented at 42.  Morgan’s final line for the season looks like this (with his Nats numbers in parenthesis):

.307 AVG (.351)
.369 OBP (.396)
.388 SLG (.435)
74 Runs (35)
3 HR (1)
39 RBI (12)
42 SB (24)

It should also be noted that Morgan was gunned down 17 times this season while attempting to swipe a bag.  Since he was traded to Washington, Morgan has been on a tear.  Good luck to him in his recovery.

Adam LaRoche is the Answer?

Published
by
thesportsidiot
on August 25, 2009
in Adam LaRoche, Atlanta Braves, Fantasy Baseball, MLB and NL East
. 4 Comments
When the Braves brought Adam LaRoche back, we were pretty confused as to why (other than his expiring contract).  Well, 20 games in and the answer is pretty clear.  Check out what “Clutch” has been doing so far:

.406 AVG
.500 OBP
.739 SLG
1.239 OPS
7 HR
16 RBI
15 Runs
14 BB
19 Ks

Oh, he has yet to make an error as well.  Hats off to Frank Wren for pulling the trigger on this one.  If LaRoche is available in your fantasy league, scoop him the hell up before he cools off.  “Clutch” is riding a seven game hitting streak, for what it is worth.  The Braves needed some pop from their one bagger, and they certainly seem to have found it pretty inexpensively.

Prospect Watch – J.J. Hoover August 24, 2009

Published
by
thesportsidiot
on August 24, 2009
in Atlanta Braves, Fantasy Baseball, J.J. Hoover, MLB, MLB Prospects and NL East
. 1 Comment
J.J. Hoover is a right handed starting pitcher for Class A Rome in the Atlanta Braves farm system.  Dude is also pretty sick with the baseball.  He has an ERA of 3.36 on the season, but that is not what is turning heads.  His 130:27 K:BB ratio, however, is kind of neck-breakingly off the charts, and he is sporting a 1.25 WHIP.  In his last three starts, Hoover has gone 18.1 innings while striking out 20 and walking six.  He gave up 15 hits over those same innings, and a total of two earned runs. 

Hoover just turned 22 this month, and his only stint above Class A Rome was a three inning, three earned run outing earlier in the season.  The 6′3″, 215 pound 10th round draft pick (2008 draft) is set to move up the ranks next season, and a possible late 2010 MLB debut is not out of the realm of possibilities.  My bet would be that he ends the 2010 season in AAA, and pushes to join the MLB club in Spring Training of 2011.

Of course, we will keep our eye on Hoover and do our best to keep you up to speed on his progress.

Hanson Versus Scherzer?

Published
by
thesportsidiot
on August 18, 2009
in Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Fantasy Baseball, MLB, MLB Prospects, NL East, NL West and Tommy Hanson
. 0 Comments
Last night we got to see Tommy Hanson face off against Max Scherzer.  In a matchup of two of the games best young starting pitchers, Hanson showed why he may be the games best young starting pitcher not named Tim Lincecum.  Both guys fanned seven batters, but Scherzer got blown up to a tune of nine runs, only three of which were earned.  Both gave up six hits, and both gave up a homer (Scherzer actually gave up two long balls).  Hanson got the win, his eighth of the season.

Quick Braves Notes

Published
by
thesportsidiot
on August 12, 2009
in Atlanta Braves, Fantasy Baseball, John Smoltz, MLB, MLB Prospects, NL East, Philadelphia Phillies, Tom Glavine and Tommy Hanson
. 0 Comments
In 2006 the Atlanta Braves selected Cory Rasmus with their first round pick.  Fast forward through some rough years that included almost a full season lost to shoulder surgery, and you have a guy listed as a reliever headed into the year by Baseball America, and unranked on the prospect chart.  Well, last night Cory, brother of current St. Louis Cardinal Colby Rasmus, tossed his first career no-no.  Now we will have to keep our eye on this kid, as last year a no-no turned a lot of heads, including mine, and now some guy named Tommy Hanson is dominating the NL.

In case you missed it, John Smoltz was designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox.  Damn.  Even thought he marriage saw a rocky breakup in the end, Smoltz has always been one of my personal favorites, and I wished him the best in Beantown.  With this move, and Tom Glavine not pitching for anyone this season, it looks like Atlanta GM Frank Wren deserves some credit for knowing when to say when.

Despite being only 4.5 games back in the division, and 3 games back in the Wildcard, the Braves are getting no love and seem to be flying under the radar.  Here at The Sports Idiot we have told you not to overlook the Bravos before, and perhaps it is time to do so again.  Do not look now, but the Braves are suddenly 59 – 54 on the season, and riding a 4 game winning streak.

Like the Phillies did this week, the Braves will have to make a rotation decision before too long, as Tim Hudson will be making his next rehab start on Thursday. 

Pedro’s Shot Means Moyer to the Bully

Published
by
thesportsidiot
on August 11, 2009
in Fantasy Baseball, MLB, NL East and Philadelphia Phillies
. 0 Comments
The Philadelphia Phillies are moving starting pitcher Jamie Moyer to the bullpen, and inserting some guy named Pedro Martinez into his slot in the battery.  This move may stir up a little bit of controversy, as for some reason Phillies fans have a warm spot in their hearts for Moyer.  Maybe it is because his 40 wins since 2006 lead the team, or maybe it is because he is from the area, but since donning a Phillies jersey he has not exactly been spectacular.

Sure, people will point to Moyer’s team high 16 wins last season, and team leading 10 wins this campaign, as a reason why he has been “successful” as a Phillie.  Dude has an ERA of 5.47 and a WHIP of 1.508 this season to go along with those 10 wins.  His RS/9 (Run Support/9 Innings) is currently sitting at 6.42, which is 2nd in the NL and 5th in the entire Major Leagues.  Now he will be working from the bully, and his effectiveness in that role will play out quickly, but here at The Sports Idiot we are of the opinion that he will not perform well in a bullpen role.

Moving on to Pedro, he was spectacular in his last “rehab” start and will get the nod tomorrow at Wrigley Field.  This is a high reward/low risk move on the Phillies, as all Pedro needs to be is better than Moyer to be an upgrade.  That means he will have to do better than the NL’s worst ERA.  From a fantasy perspective, Pedro is an interesting target.  He could get blown right the hell up and crush your ERA and WHIP.  Or he could pitch well and provide a boost at every starting pitcher stat in your league.  He could get 8+ starts from here out, so he may be worth a gamble if you are in a deep league and can risk the hits to ERA and WHIP if he fails. 

Ryan Howard/Cole Hamels K Watch

Published
by
thesportsidiot
on July 23, 2009
in Cole Hamels, Fantasy Baseball, MLB, NL East, Philadelphia Phillies and Ryan Howard
. 2 Comments
You may have noticed that all season long there has been a poll asking who will rack up more Ks this season, Ryan Howard or Cole Hamels.  Just a quick update for you:

Howard: 111
Hamels:  90

While certain Philly fans will see this as “more Philly bashing” from me, it really is not.  I find it a fascinating question, but yet one that holds no bearing on anything.  My stance on strikeouts, which are wasted at-bats (for the most part) but no worse than grounding out of popping out (when you do not advance any runners), has evolved into one of annoyed acceptance at this point.