Dan Haren: 2010's Ricky Nolasco, Only Better
2010's Major League leaders in K/BB rate, minimum 50 innings pitched.
Carl Pavano 5.13
James Shields 5.07
Dan Haren 5.07
Roy Halladay 4.92
Zack Greinke 4.64
Looking at strikeouts compared to walks, Dan Haren is about as dominating a pitcher as there is in the Major Leagues right now. He ranks eighth in the league in K/9 (9.24 K/9) and is tied for tenth best in the league in limiting bases on balls (1.82 BB/9). If we want to go even deeper, we can look at the fact that Haren has the third best whiff rate in the majors, getting hitters to swing and miss almost 26 percent of the time. He ranks only behind Tim Lincecum, Clayton Kershaw and Ricky Romero in that category and is right in front of Josh Johnson. How about another one of my favorite advanced pitching stats? Haren LEADS ALL MLB STARTERS in getting hitters to swing at pitches outside the strike zone (35.8 percent).
Dan Haren is still a dominant pitcher...except for one thing.
Anatomy of a Trade: Blockbuster Deal Involving Pujols
The FB365 league has been very active and very competitive. I have personally been wheeling and dealing trying to raise my team from the bottm half of the standings. However, most of the trades I have made have been fairly low key. Today, a deal went down of epic proportions.
The deal was between team Maiden Correia (8th place) and Seeking Relief (12th place).
Maiden Correia trades:
Prince Fielder
David Wright
Kevin Gregg
Houston Street
to Seeking Relief for:
Albert Pujols
Carlos Lee
Felix Hernandez
Here's how the two team's looked at the deal...
One Man's Trash...Week Eight
With many big names struggling and June right around the corner, fantasy owners have finally had enough. Which of these big names is bound to bounce back?
Get Strasburg Active In Head to Head Next Week
Stephen Strasburg is the most hyped player before playing a game in the history of Major League Baseball. Hype never goes unnoticed in fantasy baseball and chances are Strasburg was taken in the first fifteen rounds of any draft this year despite his owners knowing full-well that he might not start the season in Washington.
The Nationals probably did the right thing playing it safe and letting Strasburg develop at AA and AAA even though it has appeared he has only added to his legend in the process. The risk of having him come to the majors and fail right away was too great psychologically for a franchise that needs a Stephen Strasburg type of talent and ticket seller. Now it’s time though. The Washington Post speculates that Strasburg’s last start in the minors will be Saturday which means leagues that use weekly changes can get Strasburg active at this time next week. Even if it means sitting a starter making two starts, waiting any longer on Strasburg would be worse than telling a child to finish their oatmeal first on Christmas morning.
Roto Prospects: Pedro Alvarez May Not Be The Pirates Saviour
Pedro Alvarez, the Pirates first round pick in 2008, is loaded with potential at the plate. There are, however, some issues that are currently holding him back.
To this point in his professional career, the left-handed swinging Alvarez has not shown the ability to hit left-handed pitching with any consistency. Also, his swing, while conducive to hitting for power, may never produce much in the way of AVG at the big league level.
Last season there was a glimmer of hope that Alvarez had made a significant improvement in these categories. At single-A Altoona, Alvarez hit .314 in 70 at-bats against lefties. However, he only managed one of his 13 home runs against them. Once promoted to double-A his struggles re-emerged as he hit .232 in 95 at-bats against lefties.
So far in the 2010 season Alvarez has made little to no progress in his approach against lefties...(Continued at rotoprospects.com) no comments
To this point in his professional career, the left-handed swinging Alvarez has not shown the ability to hit left-handed pitching with any consistency. Also, his swing, while conducive to hitting for power, may never produce much in the way of AVG at the big league level.
Last season there was a glimmer of hope that Alvarez had made a significant improvement in these categories. At single-A Altoona, Alvarez hit .314 in 70 at-bats against lefties. However, he only managed one of his 13 home runs against them. Once promoted to double-A his struggles re-emerged as he hit .232 in 95 at-bats against lefties.
So far in the 2010 season Alvarez has made little to no progress in his approach against lefties...(Continued at rotoprospects.com) no comments
Week Nine Two-Start Pitchers and Rankings
The two-start pitching list in week nine is a little thin at the top, but there are some interesting gambles that may be available on your free agent list. Also, for the first time this season, you'll find a complete ranking toward the bottom of this post.
The No-Doubters
John Lester (@TB, KC)
John Danks (@CLE, @TB)
James Shields (BOS, CHW)
Jaime Garcia (@SD, @CHC)
Buy or Sell: Bautista, Jackson, Gardner
Every season players pop out of seemingly nowhere to make major impacts on fantasy teams. Some of these players hold their value while some fade into second half obscurity. Today we'll take a look three players in particular that, while not much was expected, are currently making a mixed league slash.
The Comeback Trail: What Does the Future Hold for These Hot Hitting Veterans?
Although it feels like the All-Star break is right around the corner, the season isn't even two full months in yet. That means there is plenty of time for things to change and for hot hitters to cool off dramatically. I recently received an email asking about the futures of seven hitters who are off to great starts, but have major question marks attached to their performances. Who will fade and who will stay the course?
Today we look at some veteran big leaguers that have seen somewhat of a resurgence so far in 2010.
