Sub 2.00: The ERA Leaders You Need to Sell High Now

Written by Charlie Saponara on .

As of Monday night, there are nine starting pitchers (with at least 40 IP) that are in possession of a sub 2.00 ERA. While it is a very good bet that most of them will not stay below 2.00 all season, some will be hard pressed to come even close to 3.50 the rest of the way. If you are an owner of one of the six pitchers listed below, you should start looking for a trade partner and sell high before it's too late.
 
ERA numbers reflected before yesterday's games
 

The Sizemore Problem

Written by Charlie Saponara on .

When you draft a player in the top three rounds, you don't expect a .211/.271/.289 line with zero home runs having gone over 100 at-bats. Well, for Grady Sizemore owners that is indeed the reality. Midway through May, this lack of production is now officially beyond a simple slump. It's getting into "bust" territory.
The problem is that there is still plenty of season left. Plenty of time for things to turn around and for players like Sizemore, plenty of upside to make it happen. It's the inability to fathom simply cutting a player of Sizemore's talent loose. Instead he sits on fantasy team rosters, eating up replacement production because we all want too believe that things will get better.
 

One Man's Trash...Week Seven

Written by Charlie Saponara on .

There has been a lot of action over the past week with players being sent down to the minors (Max Scherzer), players hitting the DL (Brad Lidge) and players hitting big-time cold streaks (Jose Guillen). Which, if any, of these players might be worth a look for your fantasy team?
 
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Reader Week: Chad Billingsley and Walks

Written by Charlie Saponara on .

Fantasy players are always looking for discounts on draft day and after a 12-11 season with a 4.03 ERA in 2009, Chad Billingsley represented one of those supposed discounts. In the two seasons prior to 2009, Billingsley posted ERA's of 3.31 and 3.14 while eclipsing 200 strikeouts in 2008.
 
What was supposed to be a bounce back season has started off the complete opposite.
 

Reader Week: Will Bruce Bust Out?

Written by Charlie Saponara on .

We all know the book on Jay Bruce's big upside. His AB/HR rate last season was right up there with the likes of Adam Dunn. However, his ability to hit for AVG at the big league level is still in question.
 
To this point in 2010, Bruce is hitting .259/.351/.466 with four home runs. The AVG is low, which was somewhat expected, but the four home runs seem low given his potential in that category.
More power may be on the way.
 

Reader Week: Gordon Beckham Sophomore Slump...So Far

Written by Charlie Saponara on .

There are certain players that shoot up draft boards due to hype and the promise of upside. Gordon Beckham was one of those players on draft day 2010.
After hitting .270/.347/.460 with 14 home runs and seven steals in his Major League debut, the foundation had been laid for a promising sophomore season.
 
Fast forward to today. Beckham is struggling mightily with a .190/.304/.252 line, only one home run and six RBI. The worst part? There is nothing in his stats that show a turnaround coming soon.
 
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Reader Week: Hacking Hunter Pence

Written by Charlie Saponara on .

 
The past two seasons, Hunter Pence has hit 25 home runs, scored over 75 runs, driven in over 70 runs ans stolen over 10 bases. While his AVG has fluctuated a bit, it has remained high enough to keep him as a mixed league fixture and one that many owners targeted on draft day 2010.
 
Through 112 at-bats so far this season, Pence is hitting a woeful .241/.261/.384 with only 10 RBI.
 

Justin Smoak Could Breakout Big...and Soon

Written by Charlie Saponara on .

Young players are always though to judge in fantasy baseball. Sure, their minor league stats look great, but that doesn't always translate into immediate production at the big league level. Justin Smoak seems to have run into a bit of this early on.
 
Called up in April to replace the whiffing Chris Davis, Smoak has struggled to get hits over his first 56 Major League at-bats. Smoak has eleven hits in those 56 at-bats, six of which have gone for extra bases.
 
However, there are plenty of positives to go with Smoak's early performance...