Yardbarker: Hunter Pence

How the Astros Line-Up

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:02:22 -0500

Everyone loves to quibble about line-ups, so we decided to add some fuel to the fire using the Baseball Musings line-up tool.

AOL Sports Lists Cheapest Great Team

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:13:29 -0500

AOL Sports came up with a list of players, all making six-figure salaries that would rival any team at the moment. Imagine this line-up.

Phillies Pitcher Cole Hamels-$500,000- won 15 games and struck out 177 in 183 innings

Red Sox Reliever Jon Papelbon, relief pitcher- $775,000-72 career saves and 1.62 ERA.

Catcher Brian McCann-$800,000-hit .333 in '06 and has 47 career HRs. Only 24 years old

Brewers 1B Prince Fielder-$670,000-youngest player to ever hit 50 HRs

Angels 2B Howie Kendrick-$400,000- has hit .306 over parts of 2 ML seasons

Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman- $500,000-has driven in 200 runs over last two seasons

Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez-$439,000- fell one homer short of being third player in history to hit 30 HRs and stealing 50 bases

Astros RF Hunter Pence-$396,000-hit .322 with 17 HRs in 107 games

Diamondbacks CF Chris Young-$400,000-fell 3 stolen bases short of being first rookie to ever post a 30-30 season

Brewers LF Ryan Braun-$455,000-2007 Rookie of the Year hit 34 HRs and drove in 97 runs in 113 games

Can't help but make you scratch your head at some of the salaries for established players not playing at even close to the level of some of these young players. Let's see where these guys are after their next contract negotiation.

MLB Status Check (6/19)

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:54:46 -0500

Screaming Sports' Billy Smith checks in on some of the mega-hyped offseason stars, as well as the not-so-hyped offseason stars. Who is living up to it? Who isn't? And who is coming out of left field? Billy has all of those answers for you.

Fantasy Baseball Weekend Happy Recap - Week 5

Mon, 05 May 2008 16:19:56 -0500

We take a look back at the night that was in fantasy baseball highlighting the best/worst performances, emerging fantasy options and developing trends. Check out the Happy Recap, every weekday on Fantasy Sports Experience!

Fantasy Baseball Start or Sit

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:32:38 -0500

There are some great matchups coming up this week (Peavy/Webb, anyone?), but the problem is if you're a star pitcher who is facing another star pitcher, it is virtually impossible to make the Start 'Em, Sit 'Em list. But fear not, fantasy owners, there are plenty of other matchups that should be easier to judge.

Beyond the Boxscore--Fantasy MLB News and Notes 4/25/08 Injury News, Minors News, more

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:45:47 -0500

Welcome back Salty! After being inexplicably sent down to AAA to start the season, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is back with the Rangers. Starter Gerald Laird is still in Texas so this doesn't necessarily mean that Salty will take the full time catching duties. He will most likely catch once or twice a week, DH some, and maybe grab some starts at first. He will most likely be grabbed quickly in your league as the news spreads, so if you have the roster spot act quickly. At the opposite end of the spectrum, struggling Twin Francisco Liriano was sent back to Triple A to try to find that electric form again. Liriano was awful this year, and it all fell apart last night when he gave up six runs and failed to get out of the first inning. The Twins sent him down to try to get his head straight and find his control again. This is far from the end of the line for Liriano, many pitchers struggle when coming back from an injury of this magnitude, but there is no timetable for his return to the majors, so I can't fault you for cutting ties with him, but keep an eye on his AAA performance. If he does well, he might not be gone long. Phillies OF Shane Victorino is nearly complete with his rehab assignment as he is returning from a strained right calf. Victorino is doing well (2-3 on Wednesday), and it looks as though he will be coming off the DL when he is eligible on April 29. He may have been dropped in your league when he was injured, so take a look to see, if he's available, I would try to find a spot for him on your roster. Returning from the DL tonight, Rays SP Matt Garza did OK against the Red Sox. Garza threw 84 pitches over five innings, giving up three and striking out only one. There was major concern about Garza's eligibility for the season when his injury was first diagnosed, but after tonight's outing it looks like it is safe to put him back in your lineup. Click below for the rest!

Playing by "The Book"

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:45:58 -0500

An in-depth analysis of why Cecil Cooper was an idiot yesterday.

NL Central Preview: Can Cubs Reverse Curse?

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:17:20 -0500

The Chicago Cubs went from worst to first to win the NL Central last year. Can they repeat or will another team have a say? Here a preview of all six teams, their projected starting lineups, rotations, fantasy impact players, and overall outlook.

Houston Manager Cecil Cooper's 2008 Strategy

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:32:18 -0500

During the March 4th Yankees/Astros game Cecil Cooper really opened up and shed some light on his offensive strategy for the team and specific players heading into 2008. A must read for Astros fans and fantasy players.

Fantasy Baseball Preseason Rankings: Outfielders

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:25:33 -0500

Moving to the outfield in our preparation for 2008 fantasy baseball drafts, the FIO staff runs down its preseason rankings at each position. This time around, writer Rich Lerner gives you the FIO's Preseason Top 30 Fantasy Outfielders.

Fantasy Baseball Auction Draft Cheat Sheet: Outfielders

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:55:54 -0500

Fantasy auction leagues have been steadily popping up more and more over the past few years. The casual fantasy player has now become familiar with the auction style of play, and with that, the need relevant information becomes that much more of a necessity. With that, FIO staff writer Lou Poulas gives you his projected fantasy auction values for outfielders heading into the 2008 fantasy season.

Fantasy Baseball: Avoid These Overrated Players

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:38:55 -0500

Following up my list of sleepers, this is a list of players that I feel will be overrated and taken too high in most drafts. Let others use higher draft picks for these guys, and wait and find more value. I'll get you started with... Carlos Zambrano SP Chicago Cubs - We keep waiting for this huge breakout Cy Young award winning year from Big Z, and it just isn't coming. Zambrano's ERA rose half a point last year, he again walked over 100 batters, and even gave up 25 more hits last season. Did I mention that he also struck out 33 fewer batters as well. The innings have been piling up for Big Z, and although he is only 27, he has pitched over 200 innings five straight years. The other frustrating aspect concerning Zambrano is his inconsistancy. It's not worth a high draft choice.

Fantasy Baseball: Overrated Players

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:46:54 -0500

Erstad Needs a Nickname

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 07:52:52 -0500

Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence asks you - the fans - to help him think of a nickname for his teammate Darin Erstad.

Surprise, Surprise

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:14:52 -0500

No one could have foreseen the improbable run by the Colorado Rockies last season. Then again, no one would have predicted the Chicago White Sox to go all the way in 2005, and the same goes for the Marlins in 2003. Usually at least one team surprises everyone to have some type of success in the playoffs. I decided to pick one team from each division who has the best chance to upset some of the favorites on the way to some post season success.