Yardbarker: Alex Rios

Alex of All Trades Leads Jays Over Rays

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:12:28 -0500

First it was his bat, driving an Edwin Jackson offering on a line into the left field bleachers. His line-drive double in the top of the fifth was the last pitch Jackson would throw as well. Then it was his arm, delivering a frozen rope to Gregg Zaun who kept Jonny Gomes from scoring, keeping momentum [...]

All-Overrated Team - AL

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:59:08 -0500

The final two All-Stars have been named - Evan Longoria and Corey Hart. But that got me to thinking who the most underrated and overrated players are. Later I'll post the underrated players, but for now, it's the Andruw Joneses of the league (note: he's not on here because everyone knows he has been terrible this year). AL 1B - Nick Swisher, CWS - Unfortunately, since Richie Sexson was released today, I can't put him here, but Swisher and .236 average hasn't exactly been what the White Sox were expecting when they traded for him. 2B - Robinson Cano, NYY - I've heard a lot of people mentioning him as a future batting title winner, but a .257 average isn't gonna do it. And he needs to be more patient with an OBP of .289, lowest among AL second basemen that qualify. SS - Edgar Renteria, DET - Once considered a formidable hitter, he is struggling with a .254 average and a weak .326 slugging percentage, ahead of only Jason Bartlett from the Rays amongst shortstops that qualify. 3B - Joe Crede, CWS - One of AL All-Stars on this list, mostly because his power numbers aren't that much better than anyone in consideration for the All-Star game but his .260 average is, well, average. Because he's an All-Star and, for example, Miguel Cabrera is not, he is overrated. OF - Jack Cust, OAK - He sure has power, but 110 strikeouts? Ryan Howard has 124 by comparison. Oh, and Cust is only batting .221. (Note: outfielders in no particular order) OF - Jose Guillen, KC - I know it seems weird that someone from the Royals is overrated, but Guillen was one of the five up for the final All-Star spot. A .299 OBP with six times as many strikeouts than walks means he didn't deserve it. OF - Alex Rios, TOR - He has a solid average, but he needs to be a run producer. 4 HRs and 38 RBIs aren't good enough for a no. 3 hitter. SP - AJ Burnett, TOR - This comes from the he's-got-great-stuff-but-he's-still-not-good department. He has 118 strikeouts, which leads the AL now that CC Sabathia left for the Brewers. But that 5.23 ERA is way too high, so the speculation of him being traded makes me wonder why a contender would want someone who's 9-8. CP - George Sherrill - As was the case with Jose Guillen, it's hard to put an Oriole on this because they're not well known but Sherrill is tied for second-most saves in the league yet has a 3.72 ERA.

The Homerun Derby Is Back, Back, Back!

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:40:37 -0500

I really have no idea why I watch the nonsense that is the Homerun Derby every single year, but it's almost become a rite of passage for me. Every year Chris Berman gets more and more ridiculous and the recent of Joe Morgan has made the broadcast borderline unbearable, but for some reason I watch every minute.

Well there's good news for those of you who like train wrecks! The duo of Berman and Morgan are back, but they've brought along a few friends. Everyone welcome to the broadcast, Steve Phillips and Rick Reilly!!!

Chris Berman will host the Derby (also available in high definition on ESPN HD), joined on the field by Hall of Famer Joe Morgan and analyst Steve Phillips. Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech will also provide commentary with analysts Peter Gammons and John Kruk and ESPN The Magazine's Rick Reilly. Erin Andrews will report and provide interviews on the field. ESPN will utilize 20 cameras to capture the excitement of the Derby, including the use of "Ultra Mo," a replay device recapping action at 1,000 frames per second.

Hopefully they can keep the broadcast under 8 hours this year and just for the fun of it let's relive some of the Best of the 2007 Derby....
_______________________

"It could be a national "Holiday" by the time we're done here"- Chris Berman on Matt Holliday

"I walked up to him in the batting cage today and I was speaking to most of the players and I said….Who is that?"- Joe Morgan on Alex Rios

"Albert Winnie the Pujols"- Chris Berman

"We have many dollars invested in this project….I just hope someone hits one over the wall"- Kenny Mayne on his kayak project (no balls were hit in the Cove)

"I think that one landed on Treasure Island"- Chris Berman

"I saw you jamming out there with the Crows"- Dusty Baker
"It was the Counting Crows!"- Chris Berman
"You were counting em' too!"- Dusty Baker

"It's off the platform in right centerfield….how interesting is that"- Chris Berman
"There's a rainbow!"- Dusty Baker

Weekly Fantasy Dish- 2nd Half Preview

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:55:20 -0500

This week's edition is going to take a look at a few players who are either going to have big second halves of the season, or go down faster than Alex Rodriguez's divorce settlement. Yeah, it's a low blow at AROD but who doesn't want to take one at him? 2nd Half Studs Alexis Rios OF TOR- What a disappointment Rios has been so far this year for fantasy owners. At 27 years-old, Rios was expected to have a season of around .290 BA, 25 HR, and 100 RBI with around 30 SB. While the average and steals are there (21 already), Rios hasn't seemed to have found his power stroke this season. Lately, Rios has been heating up with 5 multi-hit games in his last 12 contests, while also stealing 6 bases in that span. In the past, Rios has performed well before the all-star break and faltered afterwards. This season, however, Rios won't let that happen again because his how he has underperformed this year and he is primed to make all the critics bite their tongues. The only way he'll do that is if it hits some balls over the fences in the Rogers Centre (Not Center). Troy Tulowitzki SS COL- I have been making fun of Tully all season long because of how poorly he has been playing since opening day. However, i am pulling for him to make a big turn around after the break, and finish the season like he did last year. Last year, he hit nearly .300, while hitting 15 HR and driving in 61 runs after the break. While it is clear Tully isn't the same as he was last season, he isn't as bad as his paltry numbers have shown this year. It did help that last year all of the Colorado Rockies took some sort of magical pixie dust to help them get to the World Series but something tells me there's some dust left somewhere for them to find with a wide open NL West. Tully is like an unattractive Derek Jeter in the sense that if you go to a bar and you see Jeter, the girls you are with are leaving you and you are taking a taxi alone tonight. If you were at that same bar and Tulowitzki walked in, those same girls would say who is that guy, as you and your buddy would freak out and try and get his autograph. However, if you acted too much like a 5 year-old, you would still be going home alone that night, but the girls wouldn't be going home with T squared. (And yes I do love giving Tully nicknames) Takashi Saito RP LAD- His numbers are a bit high for him, except for saves, but Saito is one of the best fantasy closers out there in the last 2 calendar years. This season he has only committed 16 saves and has a higher ERA than usual. However, with the Dodgers making a push for the NL West title, there will be more close games for Saito to close down and even last season after the all-star break, he was able to get his ERA down from 1.47??!?!?! How do you get your ERA to go down at 1.47??? Saito also strikes out a good number of batters and should expect to see more innings as the year goes along. If he falters, which he shouldn't, expect to see "Serial Killer" Jonathan Broxton mopping up games for the Dodgers. 2nd Half Duds Kevin Youkilis 1B BOS- The starting 1st baseman in this year's all-star game has earned his right to be there. However, in his past 2 season, Youkilis hasn't played close to the same level he does from March to July. Last season, Youk hit .90 points lower that his average in the first half, and also around .40 pts lower the year before. While he hasn't shown signs of slowing down now, it appears his intensity level is too high to maintain all season long and he tends to rest himself until September, when the games mean the most. Youk is also one of the toughest guys to strike out in baseball, but last season he struck out 25 more times in the 2nd half than he did in the 1st half. I don't expect a huge dropoff in production from Youkilis, but there should be a drop in his numbers all around. Cliff Lee SP CLE- With the C.C. Sabathia trade in the news, it appears that the Cleveland Indians have officially made CLEE their staff ace. Lee has never been one to handle pressure and now the team expects to build around him and Fausto Carmona, which can be the best spanish soap opera name possible, and you know some spanish actor trying to make it big got mad when he saw that Fausto Carmona was taken. I digress, the point is that in 2007, Lee completely fell apart after the all-star break, being sent down to the minors with an ERA of around 10. The same probably won't happen this year because of how well he has been throwing but i don't see Lee hanging out to the Cy Young Award for the rest of the year and i can see his numbers slowly rise, start by start. Dan Uggla 2B FLA- Uggla wasn't expected to have the type of season he is having this year and for good reason. The power numbers aren't too ridiculous from Uggla (23 HR, 58 RBI) but it's that plus .280 BA that throws me off. Last year, Uggla didn't hit over .250 and it was deemed his 2006 season was a fluke. Even in that season Uggla's numbers dropped off and did so again in 2007. Uggla isn't going to hit 40 HR and drive in 115 runs, and he probably will finish the year hitting around .260. It would be too much to expect the same type of production from Uggla in the 2nd half of the season and it would be wise to watch him carefully as the year reaches the "halfway" point.

2008 Fantasy Baseball All-Let Down Team

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:29:40 -0500

Fellow fantasy baseball tragics, with the All-Star break fast approaching, I thought it was time to take stock of all those blokes that have collectively made mine and possibly your fantasy baseball season a disaster thusfar.

AccuScore: MLB Prospect Watch

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:24:56 -0500

With the futures game coming up, AccuScore fantasy expert Tim Williams look at some current fantasy stars who were former participants of the futures game, and also looks at some of this year's participants who could be future fantasy stars.

Can We Admit There Is A Problem?

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:22:35 -0500

35-39. Five straight loses. Losers of 13 of their last 17 and six straight series. No, there is no need to shake things up. Stay away from that big red button. * * * * * * * * * * After the Chicago Cubs came to town last weekend and two former Blue Jays played a major role [...]

No end to Rios slump

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 08:44:52 -0500

Heralded as a rising superstar and many teams breakout fantasy star of 2008, the Toronto Blue Jays' Alex Rios is looking like a bust for the entire 2008 campaign.

Rios Watch

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:36:01 -0500

Age 27 is supposed to be the breakout year for young sluggers, but for Alex Rios, it's been his breakDOWN year (HA!). Instead of building on his .297 average, 24 homeruns, and 85 RBI in 2007, the 2008 Rios carries just a .261 average with 3 homeruns and 24 RBI. That puts him on pace for just 8 homeruns and 65 RBI. This isn't the same Alex Rios the Blue Jays just signed to a 6-year extension for $64 million (or is that in loonie?)

Alex "GIDP" Rios

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:15:20 -0500

Alex Rios a double play machine this season...what a bust

MLB Trade 'Em - Week 9

Sat, 31 May 2008 05:48:04 -0500

Screaming Sports' Drew Thibodeau breaks out another edition of MLB Trade 'Em and suggests some very surprising moves. Trade Alex Rios? Eric Bedard? You betcha. And while it may sounds crazy, he follows it up with some very sound reasoning.

AccuScore: MLB Trade Market

Mon, 26 May 2008 12:20:59 -0500

You're in the middle of your league's standings, looking to make a trade that could propel you to compete for the league title. Do you try to buy low from the teams at the top, or deal with the teams below you who see Alex Rios as the main reason they are not currently ranked higher? AccuScore fantasy expert Tim Williams has the answers in this week's Trade Market.

Fantasy Baseball Players of the Day - 5/1

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:15:48 -0500

A look at the fantasy baseball stars from Thursday, May 1st.

The Red Sox offense - M.I.A.

Fri, 02 May 2008 07:37:05 -0500

AJ Burnett and the Blue Jays beat the Red Sox 3-0 last night. The Sox have scored a grand total of 4 runs on their last 5 games and have been shout out twice...

The Blue Jays Need Barry Bonds

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:42:14 -0500

As soon as the Toronto Blue Jays released Frank Thomas rumors began to fly that they would be interested in Barry Bonds. Talk of Bonds in a Jays uniform has silenced, but if they hope to contend this season they should seriously consider bringing in baseball's home run king.