http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/295 Recent articles about Jeremy Hermida en-us Over the past several years teams have been looking more and more toward the future of the franchise instead of today. The "Win Now" mentality is waning and a youth movement has begun. Below we have several teams' profiled and broken down to show the climate change in Major League Baseball. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:33:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291164 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291164 A post-hype prospect is someone in his second, third or fourth year who has yet to produce at the level that was expected of him when he made the league. Because of this, these super talented prospects go from over-valued to under-valued, and are now sleepers ready to break out and help your team down the stretch run. Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:44:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/274007 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/274007 The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't exactly had the best luck when it comes to the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. In fact, in 2002, the Pirates took Bryan Bullington over Prince Fielder, Cole Hamels, B.J. Upton, Khalil Greene, Scott Kazmir, Curtis Granderson, among many others... Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:12:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273427 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273427 We go around the diamond and take a look at some of the most added players by position in most fantasy leagues. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:04:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/241228 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/241228 Fantasy baseball news and notes from around the blogosphere and local newspapers. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:15:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232132 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232132 We take a glance around the league at players who might have been nicked up the first few days of the season and what it means for their fantasy value. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:18:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/225951 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/225951 Position Battle Winners Joe Crede will be the starting 3B for the White Sox beating out Josh Fields…..wait this just in, Crede is injured already!?!?!?! He fouled a ball off his foot and it is possible that he might miss Opening Day. Still think that Crede is only playing to increase his trade value, but knowing his injury history, maybe Fields isn't going to AAA just yet. As previously reported, it is official that Jorge Cantu will man third base for the Marlins. If he is able to continue what he did in Spring Training and regain his 2005 form, Cantu could be a major sleeper who could also still have 2B eligibility in your league. Jayson Nix was also named the starter at 2B for the Rockies. Those of you in keeper leagues were hoping for Ian Stewart to score an upset win here, but he has been sent to Colorado Springs. Nix will hit for a decent average and run some, but don't count on him to give big production. Former Mets' prospect Carlos Gomez has been named the starter in center for the Twins. Was he the best man for the job, or are the Twins just trying to show they got SOMETHING from the Santana trade? Gomez will run a lot, just don't expect too much more. After his last spring performance it is now very likely that the 5th starter for the Mets will be Orlando Hernandez. El Duque gave up just one run in 5 innings, while Mike Pelfrey blew the game in the 9th. It's just a matter of time, before Hernandez gets hurt, but it looks like to start the year he will be the Mets' last starter. After cutting Claudio Vargas, it is likely that the last three spots in the Brewers' rotation will go to Carlos Villanueva, Dave Bush, and rookie Manny Parra. Parra has the most upside of the three, with big time strikeout potential, although he did have some injury problems while in the majors. He is worth a flyer in larger leagues. Villanueva and Bush will most likely be owned in most leagues as well, and you can expect them to produce similar to the way they did last year. Shockingly Sent to the Minors After fighting to get back after Tommy John surgery sidelined him all of 2007, Francisco Liriano will start this season in the minors. Now before you lose your mind, he is scheduled to start one game for single-A and one game for Triple-A before being reevaluated where he stands. If Friday night's performance means anything, he won't be gone long. Liriano went five innings giving up just one run and striking out seven against the Pirates. Ok, so maybe he was already pitching against AAA talent. Another shocker was the news that Gerald Laird beat out top prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia for the starting catching job in Texas. Fantasy players all over are now searching for other options to start at catcher before Opening Day. I don't expect it to be long before the Rangers realize they made a mistake, but for now are JR Towles, Chris Snyder, or John Buck available for you? Not as much of a surprise was the news that Evan Longoria, the Rays' top prize was optioned to the minors. Most expected this after news that if Longoria spends a month in the minors the Rays can put his free agency off until 2014. If you own him, don't release him unless you really can't afford the roster spot, Evan will be back before the middle of May. Finally, superstud in waiting Cameron Maybin was sent down to AAA after struggling at the end of spring, going hitless in his last 18 at bats. Maybin is another guy that I don't expect to be in the minors for long, so if you own him and can afford to stash him, do yourself that favor he could have a major impact when recalled. Last, Reds big pitching prospect Homer Bailey was sent to the minors this week. Bailey was passed by Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez this spring, and now you have to wonder if all the predictions that we have been reading about for the last few years will come to fruition. Cueto and Volquez are hot pickups as young arms that have big time strikeout potential. If they are available, I would suggest grabbing one of them. Injury News B.J. Ryan threw a bullpen session on Thursday and now it seems that he is back on track for a mid April return. Ryan reported no soreness after 22 pitches, and is looking to return in the April 11-13 range. Scott Rolen now has a timetable to be on the shelf. Reports out of Toronto have him out a minimum of six weeks, meaning it will be mid May before the former Gold Glove winner is back at the hot corner for the Jays. John Smoltz also threw in the bullpen, and said that he is targeting April 6th as his return to the mound. Kelvim Escobar may have suffered a major setback in his attempt to the mound. Escobar reported discomfort in his shoulder after his latest bullpen session and he has been shut down indefinitely. After 18 wins last year, owners were expecting another big season out of him, but now I can't say that I wouldn't just cut ties with him now before worse news comes down. Perpetual Sleeper Jeremy Hermida will start 2008 on the disabled list due to a tight hamstring. He is eligible to be activated on April 5th, but given the fact that he has bought a summer home on the DL, this sends up big red flags on Hermida. Horrible Performances Newly acquired star Eric Bedard didn't exactly instill a lot of confidence in his last spring start. Bedard gave up four runs in just six innings. You can still expect big things out of Bedard this season as long as he stays healthy, don't put to much stock in his spring stats (8.63 ERA). Brewers oft-injured ace Ben Sheets didn't finish his spring off the way he would like either, as he gave up a whopping nine runs in just five innings. If he can stay healthy, Sheets has the ability to be a top 15 starter, but that is about as likely as Rocco Baldelli staying healthy. Lastly, soon to be out of the rotation Mike Mussina had another crappy outing on Friday. Mussina gave up 5 runs in 5 1/3 IP, but will still be part of the Yankee rotation anyway. Good Performances Rays number 2 starter Matt Garza completed his excellent Spring Training with five strong innings. Garza gave up two runs, while walking two and striking out two. Because of the injury to Scott Kazmir, Garza will be starting the second game of the season for Tampa Bay. After posting a 2.45 ERA this spring, you can expect good stats from him this year, just don't expect too many wins. Stephen Drew doubled and tripled in the same game on Wednesday, and 10 of his 15 hits are for extra bases. He is one of my big sleepers for the 2008 season, and the fact that he is starting to hit for more power, makes me more confident in that prediction. Florida 1B Mike Jacobs hit a pair of homers against the Yankees on Sunday as he tries to live up to his hype that is now a couple of years behind him. Other News The Milwaukee Brewers have announced that 3B Bill Hall will bat 5th, while Corey Hart will be in the 6th slot to start the season. This could have a positive effect on Hall's RBI numbers, and a slightly negative effect on the number of runs scored that Hart will have. It really shouldn't have much effect on how you draft Hart, although I think many expected him to bat higher, but this could bump Hall back to a late round selection, hoping he can duplicate his breakout season after this vote of confidence from his manager. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:54:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223461 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223461 Alright boys and girls, here is today's MLB Injury Update report. There's 15 players with updates from the Brewers, Rangers, Padres, Mariners, Blue Jays, Twins, Cubs, Yankees, Braves, Rays, Phillies and Marlins. Its a doozy, enjoy. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:16:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/221121 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/221121 Ten of Fantasyfanatics.com's baseball experts lined up for a fantasy draft. Here's a look at the first 18 rounds with analysis. Any bad picks? Let us know. ROUND 16, PICK 151 Todd Jones, CL, DET The ERA, WHIP, and K's might leave something to be desired, but we're talking about a closer here. A pitcher who threw no more than 64 innings in each of the past two seasons, yet has racked up 75 saves. Despite grabbing my first closer in the 12th round, I now have three guys who can get 35 or more saves on my roster. Jones is the closer for the Tigers, a team expected to make a run into the playoffs this season. ROUND 16, PICK 152 Kevin Gregg, CL, FL It was time to pick up a second closer, and Gregg appears to have earned the job in Florida by saving 32 games last year. He struck out more than a batter per inning last season. ROUND 16, PICK 153 James Loney, 1B, LAD Loney was my Jim Thome insurance. He is not going to put up great power numbers for a first baseman, but if Thome goes down for a few weeks, Loney will give me a nice boost in batting average. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:24:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/219352 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/219352 The Mets fell apart at the end of the year to give the Phillies the pennant last season, but with some new faces and the possible return of the Braves, who will win the NL East. Here a preview of all five teams, their projected starting lineups, rotations, fantasy impact players, and overall outlook. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:26:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/183531 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/183531 How does 100 RBI from a sleeper pick sound? Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:26:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/174003 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/174003 All Breakout Teamâ€"The guys who have the best chance of far surpassing last year's numbers C-Jarrod Saltalamacchia, TEXâ€"The Rangers knew what they were getting when they brought in Saltalamacchia as the key part of the Mark Teixeira trade. After some internal discussion on where he would play, it has been settled that "Salty" will spend at least this season behind the plate. You can expect that starting this year that he will start to show his enormous potential, and not the modest 33 RBI in nearly 100 games that he played last year. 1Bâ€"Billy Butler, KCâ€"It is the power numbers that we expect to see from Butler this year. In his only 57 games he played at AAA last year, he blasted 13 HRs, and two years prior he tortured single A pitching with 25 homers in just 92 games. Obviously, the quality of pitching improves dramatically once you reach the show, but expect Butler to start to flex those muscles this year and approach 25+ home runs and a .300+ average. 2Bâ€"Howie Kendrick, LAAâ€"Kendrick has a had run of bad luck with injuries in his first two professional seasons, and if he can avoid that this season he should start to show what he is really capable of. The guy was a career .359 hitter in his minor league career, and has been hyped as a batting champion of the future. Look for him to push his average around the .330 mark and start to show some pop in his bat to the tune of around 20 HRs. And although he isn't the fastest guy around, Kendrick is a smart base runner, who could steal 10-15 bases. It's Howie's breakout season! 3Bâ€"Andy LaRoche, LADâ€"When finally given his chance to take the Dodgers' starting third base gig last year, LaRoche really messed the bed. He hit a miserable .226 and jacked just one ball out of the yard in 35 games. He had a positive year down on the farm and with Team USA, and is now in "competition" with Nomar Garciaparra for the starting job again this year. Although it has been reported that Nomar is slightly ahead of LaRoche at the start of camp, expect that to change once games start to be played. Andy will show that he can make the transition from the minors to the Bigs this season and go for 24 HRs, 85 RBIs, and a .285 average. SSâ€"Stephen Drew, ARIâ€"It is safe to say that the younger Drew's first two seasons in the pros have been nothing short of disappointing. His batting average is well over 100 points less than his career average was in the minors, and his power numbers are basically in half. But Drew has too much potential, and too sweet a swing not to turn this around. Expectations may have to be tempered a bit, but projections of .290, 25 HRs, and 85 RBI are not out of the question. OFâ€"Matt Kemp, LADâ€"Kemp was a hitter all minor league pitchers feared from 2004-2007. For two years now he has just been waiting for his chance to get some regular playing time. Even with the signing of Andruw Jones, it seems like 2008 is going to be his year. Kemp showed some pretty good power, a decent eye at the plate, and even a little bit of speed. Given 162 games in RF this season, expect Kemp to go for .310/25/95/10. OFâ€"Jacoby Ellsbury, BOSâ€"Coco Crisp's bags are packed and he's ready to go, and a decent spring by Ellsbury should punch his ticket to either the bench or to another team via trade. Ellsbury doesn't have a ton of pop, should max out at 10-15 HRs, but it is his non-stop hustle and speed that will make him an exceptional player this season. Look for him to hit .295, 12 HRs, 58 RBI, and 50+ steals. OFâ€"Jeremy Hermida, FLAâ€"When he hit a grand slam in his first major league at-bat, the fantasy world was put on notice about Hermida. He was 20/20 on two different levels of the minors and barely spent any time at AAA. Health seems to be the biggest concern for Hermida, and in the second half of the season in '07 he hit .340 with 10 HRs and 36 RBI. Doing slightly better than doubling those numbers seems within reach. Temper the thoughts on the average down to a still impressive .310 with 26 HRs and 90 RBI. Throw in 15 steals just for shiggles. SPâ€"Clay Buchholz, BOSâ€"With Curt Schilling's mysterious shoulder injury, Buchholz goes to the back of the impressive Sox rotation. When someone throws a no hitter in their second start and has as impressive stats as Clay does in the minors (19-10, 356 Ks in 285 IP) and gets a chance in the rotation for a championship level team, you draft him a little early. Clay could easily win 15 games and strike out nearly 200 batters. SPâ€"Adam Wainwright, STLâ€"Once the top prospect in the Braves farm system, Wainwright was the main piece of the trade that sent JD Drew to Hotlanta. Famous for the 12-6 curve that buckled Carlos Beltran in the '06 NLCS, Wainwright enters his second year as a starter with an opportunity to be special. His second half of 2007 was his best stretch as a pro, and although he will be hurt by the fact that the Cardinals have gone south for the summer, you can see Wainwright winning 16 games with a 3.30 ERA and 170 Ks. SPâ€"Matt Garza, TBâ€"Garza may struggle in the win category as he isn't on the strongest team in the league, but he should have a good ERA and whiff a lot of guys. Sent to Tampa in the offseason for Delmon Young, Garza will start the season as the number three starter for the Rays. He's got all the potential to be the ace of any staff, and it would not be surprising to see Matt win 12 games with a 3.35 ERA and 160 Ks. RPâ€"Manny Corpas, COLâ€"Although he isn't the traditional fireballing closer, Corpas proved to be incredibly effective in his half a season as the Rockies closer. Manny was 19 out of 20 in save chances for the Rockies, and is poised to be the closer in Colorado in 2008. If the Rockies are able to duplicate last year's miracle run to the World Series, it is more than possible for Corpas to close 40 games with 70 Ks. Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:29:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/170775 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/170775 Today, I'm going to talk a bit bout 2008 fantasy baseball sleepers and deep sleepers. A good fantasy baseball manager enters a draft with list of players they have deemed to be undervalued or primed for a breakout and will target said players. The key is to not overvalue your sleepers, but there's a fine line between where you value your sleepers and where the rest of your league does. If some over-excited fanboy takes Rickie Weeks in the third round of your draft, don't sweat it, the value he had is diminished because he has to produce like a third-rounder just to break even. Rotogods Unbeatable Rules of Fantasy Baseball: Find players that you believe will be undervalued by the rest of the league, or overlooked (sleepers) and take them at a value spot. Do not fall in love and overvalue a sleeper because that defeats the point. I will run through a short list of sleepers and deep sleepers for those who play in deeper, more advanced mixed leagues and why I like their chances in 2008. More... Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:37:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/169324 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/169324 The pitchers and catchers have reported, the temperatures are getting warmer, and the soil is getting softer. It's baseball time in America, which means fantasy fans better get their drafts on. The following is a mock draft conducted according to the settings and eligibilities of a Standard Default Yahoo league. That means 5X5 (runs, homeruns, RBIs, stolen bases, and average for hitters, and wins, ERA, WHIP, K's, and saves for pitchers) The 21 roster positions include: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, UTIL, SP, SP, RP, RP, P, P, P, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN. If you haven't checked out the first 13 rounds, links are given as well. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:07:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/160645 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/160645 We take a look at what 2008 holds for the Florida Marlins, highlighting key offseason moves, projected starters, players to draft/avoid and sleepers. Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:23:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/138951 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/138951