The Official Site of Major League Baseball: Fantasy
The new column is out, with a look at defending against bad drafters, Jered Weaver, team save opps, and playing the saves game against lunatics. Enjoy.
Ask Rotoman
Questions and answers
Patton $ on Disk 2007 is now available
For those who swear by it, the release of POD07 is a big day. We’ve been squashing some bugs the past week, as it were, and everything seems to be working okay now. So, if you want the software that has my projections, Alex Patton’s and my 4×4 bid prices (actually mine aren’t in yet, but they will be by the March 1 update at the latest) and Mike Fenger’s 5×5 bids, lightning fast operation and a myriad of ways to incorporate your own ideas into the mix with ours, now is the time.
There will be updates on March 1, 15, 22, 29 and April 5. Getting all the projections and bids balanced to league budgets and up to date is a constant project for us, and the data develops as spring training progresses.
I encourage you to visit the discussion board over at alexpatton.com, to ask users about the software and your expected uses of it.
There is some hope
Anyone who has been checking in regularly (or irregularly) probably noticed some funky doings here lately. By arduous trial and error I seem to have learned enough mySQL to be able to see the light up ahead. And it doesn’t look like an oncoming train.
Thanks for your patience. With production getting underway on the magazine (The Fantasy Baseball Guide 2007!) there probably won’t be a lot of action here. But (knock on wood) at least it looks like things are working.
Fantasy Football: Draft Tips
I’m not sure I should admit this, but I’m participating in my first fantasy football draft tonight. So, while looking for tips I came upon this pleasant advice from a guy named Andy at the site of a friend, Rob Blackstien, who has worked as editor and writer on both Fantasy Guides. I was worried about tracking Bye weeks, but Andy has made me a little less afraid. Now it’s time for a beer.
And, to be clear, Ask Rotoman will not become a fantasy football site (though you should check out the discussions at talk.askrotoman.com if you’re interested).
Ask Rotoman This Week Aug 30 2006
I’m out of the Maine woods now, woods I was in last week shortly after posting and which is why I didn’t plug last week’s excellent Ask Rotoman column in these pages. This week’s is being promoted as an analysis of Juan Rivera, though in retrospect I don’t really pay enough attention to him. What I wanted to say, however, I said: Nick Markakis is a better alternative than Shawn Green. Also this week I advise against Chien-Ming Wang tepidly, before he threw seven scoreless innings against the team with the best record in baseball, I choose, tepidly, between three youngsters as freezes for next year and beyond (they’re Jason Kubel, Carlos Quentin, and Ryan Shealy). Plus there is chatter about Kevin Mench, who is getting an unmanly amount of playing time in Milwaukee, and a cage match between Delmon Young and Chris Duncan. Ouch.
Ask Rotoman The Column
Major League Baseball : Fantasy : Fantasy
The new one went up yesterday afternoon, with a look at the demise of Chris Shelton and Dan Johnson, trading a phenom for a flake (a really good flake), and why you shouldn’t cancel even a really bad trade. Plus chatter about that flukey outfielder in Detroit.
Ask Rotoman, July 26, 2006
The new one has been up since Wednesday, though there was a bad link until sometime Thursday that made it a little hard to find. You’ll find answers to questions about adding batting average, improving pitching, and, um, well, a catchall that has some advice about asking questions of Rotoman.
Ask Rotoman This Week
This week, why there can be more to a trade than the players involved, learning something about 12 offensive categories, using BABIP, Component ERA and Defense Independent Component ERA to find buy-low pitchers. Plus chatter about the Rockies pitchers, Justin Verlander, Stephen Drew and Chris Denorfia. With lovely charts. Really lovely.
Midseason Fantasy Prices
As usual, my midseason fantasy prices (single and mixed leagues) are up at mlb.com. Even if you don’t play by the exact rules you can make use of them by comparing the preseason prices (guesses) and the actual thing. Most surprising to me is just how valueless Dontrelle Willis’s season has been so far, but pitching prices swing wildly when they run hot or cold.
Ask Rotoman July 12, 2006
Major League Baseball : Fantasy
The new column is out, with a look at an A-Rod for Jose Reyes plus somethng trade, a survey of corners, chatter about Jake Peavy, and a survery of closer situations as we head into the second half. Postings here at askrotoman.com have stalled as I travel around this great country of ours, but I hope I’ll pop up from time to time. Thanks for checking in.