A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
When you talk about the 30/30 or 20/20 club in baseball, it usually refers to players with 30+ home runs & 30+ stolen bases and 20+ home runs & 20+ stolen bases in the same season. After a thrilling end to the regular season, here’s a review of the 2011 30/30 & 20/20 club members.
Baseball, more than any other major sport, uses individual statistics to tell its story. Records are cherished, benchmarks glorified, and the usage of modern era advanced metrics – while sometimes derided as “nerdy” – is turned into bestselling books and critically acclaimed movies.
The tendency to evaluate baseball by adding up the sum of a team’s individual players’ performances lends itself seamlessly to fantasy leagues.
The Dodgers’ Matt Kemp has made a legitimate run at the National League Triple Crown this season. On top of that, he has also stolen 40 bases, good for second in the N.L. If you are looking for a fantasy stud in the outfield for next season, your list starts with Matt Kemp.
As impressive as Kemp’s 2011 season has been, it actually pales in comparison to some of the greatest offensive seasons by outfielders in recent memory. I decided to stroll through the virtual archives of baseballreference.com to try to put Kemp’s superb numbers into some historical context.
What outfielders in seasons past have racked up more impressive stats than Kemp has this year?
Taking this concept further, what are the best fantasy baseball seasons ever at every position?
Cold weather, low scores, and nagging injuries signal that the year is about to close.
As you know, the rosters get expanded in September, allowing players who were recently called up from the minors a chance to see what they can do in favor of aging veterans or inconsistent players. If there is any advice you can take from this week’s hitting planner it is this: whatever got you to this point, don’t rely on it 100% to finish your year out. Too many variables can make a matchup swing one way or another with just one guy missing action so pay close attention to this week’s hitting planner.
Pennant races. A few teams are still battling in real baseball, but as far as your league the question is whether you are going to make the final round or not.
As said before and we can’t stress this enough, a lot of players that you are used to seeing in starting lineups will not being seeing as much playing time as they once did now that their teams are out of the race and younger players can be rotated in. This is when the real work comes in for you the manager. It can be tedious so just hang in there and let the hitting planner do the work for you.
As you can see, the top three catchers this week are playing for future playoff teams. Those players would be Victor Martinez, Mike Napoli and Jesus Montero. Playing for the Yanks, Montero isn’t the everyday starter but seems to be making the most of his playing time.
Another observation to be made about catchers this week is that the best fantasy options aren’t playing as much due to different reasons. We aren’t saying that Carlos Santana is turning it in right now with 20 regular season games to go but there is an 0 for whatever streak going on and now isn’t the time to reward that play.
If you are looking for a little bit of value, that can be achieved with Jonathan Lucroy. The Brewers don’t beat him up too much and they still have something to play for.
First BaseTeammates Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler have been hitting like they want new contract extensions. Butler is owned by just about everyone but Hosmer could probably be had for the right price.
Derrek Lee seems to be comfortable in Pittsburgh. His batting average and RBI numbers looked to be absent all year until just now, likely due to a new scene, this should continue.
When he isn’t getting called out on Twitter, Albert Pujols is saying “told you so” to whoever wrote him off at the beginning of the year. Depending on how well the Brew Crew hold their division lead, Prince Fielder may get some days off at down the stretch. Not saying bench him, just don’t be surprised when he sits out.
The hitting streak may be long gone but Dan Uggla is playing as one of the best fantasy 2nd basemen around. Yes his batting average is still only .236, it is hard to get a batting average from .170, as recent as June up to elite status.
Jemile Weeks doesn’t want to take any time off and has been rated fairly high over the last week. As you know the power numbers aren’t there but if you can settle for a great average and runs-scored combo, then you are in luck.
On the flip side, Chase Utley is day-to-day with appears to be a concussion so hold him out. To be honest he wasn’t a top 10 player this year so when he returns, it would be best to leave him off.
Other guys to place on the bench this week would be Danny Espinosa and Kelly Johnson, who is owned by more managers but is a lower ranked player this year compared to last. How does that happen?
When evaluating your options at 3rd base, it is necessary to take advantage of the abundance of talent that is both 1B and 3B. The team that gets the most recognition for their power hitters with 3rd base eligibility are the Toronto Blue Jays. For example, Edwin Encarnacion, Brett Lawrie and Jose Bautista each have the ability to play at multiple positions throughout the field with 3rd being the common link between the three.
Keeping positive, Chipper Jones has the veteran savvy that is needed during the pressing times of a pennant race, so keep him in the fold. The Mets are out of the pennant race, and it has been that way for some time so look for David Wright to get some rest as time winds down.
Plenty of new faces are spread across the top of the board for fantasy shortstops this week so let us get to them now. Trevor Plouffe, Marco Scutaro and Dee Gordon have asserted themselves among the “elite” for shortstops.
This is a time period where the fantasy game gets somewhat difficult. Whether a player gets at-bats or not is really a crapshoot. It is hard to judge if a guy is going to be forced to sit because their manager wants to see what the rook can do. That won’t be the case for players such as Troy Tulowitzki, but Jose Reyes is seeing the other side of the coin. With a few make up games in store for east coast teams, guys who have had injuries throughout the year like Reyes will be seeing some regular rest for the next few weeks. Plan accordingly.
Don’t get excited about Shelley Duncan’s recent outbursts. His power is intriguing but the inconsistency is alarming. There aren’t very many injuries plaguing the outfield this week, but inconsistent play certainly is. Jay Bruce, Lucas Duda, Matt Holliday, Andrew McCutchen and Juan Rivera haven’t had the best week and all of the fantasy owners out there have been feeling the effects. Look for a turnaround in the second half of the scoring period with a couple double-headers coming up. Those doing some good work would be, Jason Bay, Jon Jay, Dexter Fowler, Nolan Reimold and Justin Upton. Yes these guys are popular players but they haven’t been playing the way everyone would expect them to. With the outfield having such a large number of players vying for playing time, its hard to go wrong with any specific lineup.
The All-Star break is over and the second half of baseball is underway. Hopefully you are refreshed and ready to go because the season is drawing closer to its end every single day and the winner of your league is soon to be determined.
Will that winner be you?
Who knows. Take a look at the week’s hitting planner and prepare your squads for victory.
This week is one where you either have the solid two start pitchers or you don’t. The good options this week are for the most part not around in free agency or on waivers in your league.
Are you the type of fan that likes to see matchups such as Angels vs. Dodgers and Oakland vs. Philadelphia? Well, like it or not, interleague play is back in full swing as brought to you in this week’s hitting planner.
Interleague play is producing some perplexing situations for AL clubs such as Boston but is going to bring some extra at-bats for the NL teams. One important subject to note is how certain hitters react to the sudden switch in style of play for the next few weeks.
Also, this is the time of year when some minor injuries are going to take players out of games here and there and it is pivotal that you stay on top of your game and make the correct moves to help your team.
Last weekend saw the first installment of interleague play this year with a few teams faring better than others. Everything is back to normal, at least for now…except for Buster Posey’s foot causing you to scramble for a replacement.
This week offers some new questions. Will an old flame spark again? Is everything going to be ok in St. Louis? What should you do now that Adam LaRoche is going to be out indefinitely and other injuries are starting to pile up?
Well worry not because we are going to take care of all that with this week’s hitting planner.
This week there are several more-than-capable starting pitching options, including some stud two-start guys, who can carry your team to a Week 10 victory if you play them correctly.
The 2011 Fantasy Baseball draft and auction season is upon us. One great way to improve your team’s chances this season is with high quality stats coming from late picks.
We have compiled a few pitching sleepers that should give you a great return on your investment this year. [Read more...]
Every year we see people falling into the same auction draft traps and pitfalls with their fantasy baseball team.
We have put together 10 tips to help you avoid some of the mistakes that can bring your fantasy baseball season crashing down before its even started. Even seasoned pro’s usually fall victim to two or three of these each year, so read up and be ready to build a powerhouse team this year! [Read more...]
Examining fantasy relevance in the sophomore class. (Editor’s Note: Darryl Johnson contributed to this article)
Last year was one of the best fantasy years for rookies breaking into the big leagues, as every position had a valuable rookie. The question is, which of these sophomores will fall victim to the sophomore slump, and which will keep their production rolling? Check out this season’s sophomore Hits and Misses below. [Read more...]
Here are the detailed player rankings for the Catcher position. Growing younger and deeper by the years, there is plenty of talent to be had all around. [Read more...]
Ahh yes, closers. My favorite.
Before we dive in, I need to discuss a statistic I have referred to a lot in my SP rankings, and will be using again here in the closer rankings – strand percentage, or LOB%. Strand percentage is simple enough, it’s the percentage of runners that the pitcher strands on base. The theory behind it that makes it fantasy relevant is what I want to touch on.
Here are the detailed player rankings for the second basemen. Growing in depth over the past few years, second base is now much more talent-laden than third or shortstop. [Read more...]
