Answers to fantasy baseball questions (and much more) since 1996
Rotoman Major League Baseball : Fantasy : Ask Rotoman
This week’s spawn: Is it too early to dump? What if you have Jason Schmidt? What if you have Chipper Jones and the alternatives are Andy Marte, Dallas McPherson and Mike Lowell? And what if you want to waste less time making trades, yet still make trades? Finally, Clint Barmes, keeper or sleeper? Certainly not delivery boy.
Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Phillies send Polanco to Tigers for Urbina, Martinez
Earthshaking news for those AL only players in leagues who don’t carry over stats who had gotten used to Urbina’s saves, but good news for people like me who are counting on Percival. Now he just has to stay healthy the rest of the way.
Good news, too, for those of us who have Polanco in mixed leagues (or NL only leagues that carry over stats). Polanco is a good little contact hitter who has shown some pop. Not a big deal, but a tonic if you were feeling the loss of Jason Smith.
It looks like the immediate guy to take a hit will be Omar Infante, who isn’t hitting, but this is as much a vote of no confidence for Carlos Guillen’s knee, which has been bothersome so far this year, to say the least.
There is also Ivan Rodriguez’s hand problem. Polanco doesn’t catch but he does play third base.
In the preseason I touted Reggie Taylor because he’s a decent enough hitter who happened to be in the mix in Colorado, but the Rockies decided to go with other guys and dealt Taylor to the Devil Rays.
Taylor has been doing just fine in Triple-A Durham, but he hasn’t been as powerfully good as Jonny Gomes nor as quick as Joey Gathright. A few weeks ago I dropped Taylor from my Tout Wars team, keeping some dubiously better reserves who I thought had a better chance of making the big club.
But those wacky Devil Rays promoted Taylor today, and started him. In mixed leagues there is nothing to think about here, but Taylor is exactly the sort of guy who can step in and earn extra playing time with a good start. He had that tonight.
A little pop, a little speed, he could be a very helpful outfielder in AL-only leagues. Or he could be sent down for no apparent reason tomorrow. Caveat emptor.
He’s been on base 29 times (aside from reaching on a fielders’ choice) and he’s scored just once. He’s scored six other runs when he homered. Odd? Or are his legs that spent?
Major League Baseball : Fantasy : Ask Rotoman
The new one is out. Delve into the mysteries… Todd Greene or Gregg Zaun? Bobby Crosby or Ray Durham? When is a DH a PH, and vice versa? And a look at trash talking, which is certainly fun, at least as long as it is fun.
Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Players can’t always trust fan mail
Worth reading if you don’t understand why players are sometimes rude.
I was going to flog MLBlogs, where Tom Seaver started his blog today, signing off by saying, “Looking forward to blogging with you again soon.” A bunch of other broadcasters also started blogs. You can, too, though you have to pay.
But it turns out that Seaver, who says he’s computer averse, has two web sites. The one linked to here (it lands on a Flash opening) seems to be a medium for selling Seaver memorabilia. It also has two Reggie Jackson quotes hyping Tom Terrific.
The better of the two: Tom is so good blind people come out to hear him pitch.
Major League Baseball : Fantasy : Ask Rotoman
The new edition has hit the stands, er, streets, um, airways, ah, is online at mlb.com. A look at ML transaction rules and their Graves implications, Jon Garland for Clint Barmes, a righteous three way trade, and more about Jon Garland and trade vetoes.
Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Piazza Throws
Didja know that three of Marcus Giles’ six stolen bases this year have come against the Victor Zambrano-Mike Piazza battery?
Spector’s Past Gun Play to Figure in Trial – Yahoo! News
I think Da Doo Ron Ron is the greatest song in all of rock and roll, though this is one of those things that you only say to make an argument. Like Rolling Stone magazine deciding that Bob Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone was the greatest rock and roll song of all time.
Or that a song by the Rolling Stones was the second best.
In any case, the picture you’ll find of Phil Spector, the architect of the Crystals, in this link suggests that a non-traditional defense is going to be in play in Phil’s murder trial. I really wish Phil were innocent, and that the woman weren’t dead, but I’ve seen enough Columbos to think I know how this one is going to turn out.
I wonder what Peter Falk’s hair looks like these days?
For baseball fans: Nice game for Ervin Santana tonight against the hot White Sox. ES’s name hearkens back to Magic and Johan. That’s quality.