Yardbarker: Shaun Marcum

Three Down, One to Go

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:43:06 -0500

Honestly, I don't know what approach to take here right now. Going all "Glass Half Full" would warrant raving about the Jays recent winning streak, which has included a dominant pitching performane Monday night, a walk-off win Tuesday night and the return to form of Shaun Marcum last night. But if we're looking at the glass as [...]

Joba Out of Commission

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:28:44 -0500

Joba Chamberlain is heading to the DL, but he actually received some good news as well. Ian Kennedy will get another shot in the rotation in the meantime while a former Yankee is enjoying his short time with his new team in the NL.

Leaders & Laggards: Pitcher BABIP

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:43:51 -0500

It's been a couple of weeks since I last published the Leaders & Laggards series, so let's take our first post-All-Star Break look at our favorite lucky and unlucky pitchers. With the season about 64% complete, one would expect these lists to start stabilizing, the lucky guys regressing closer to league average, and the unlucky guys also moving closer to league average, but in a positive way. So let's roll…

Who You Calling A Moron, Moron?

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:52:35 -0500

Since the Jays played like garbage last night in Baltimore, I was planning on skipping today and waiting to see if the return of Shaun Marcum produced something noteworthy to talk about tomorrow. Needed some mindless reading, I checked in at Drunk Jays Fans and once again was treated to a free plug and some schoolyard [...]

MLB Start 'Em, Sit 'Em (7/21)

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:06:12 -0500

Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon goes over a week of upcoming matchups and determines who you should sit, who you should start and why. Surprisingly, there are three pretty big names that should be riding the pine this coming week.

2008 Fantasy All Stars

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:23:03 -0500

While the AL is trouncing the NL in interleague play yet again, the NL has emerged as the Talent League, with the majority of elite fantasy players residing in the Senior of the two circuits. The Fantasy Baseball Hall of Fame takes a step back at the virtual midpoint of the season to construct All Star rosters in each league and to ask where are all the great players dead, in the heart or in the head?

AL Cy Young Talk in June

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:27:59 -0500

We're coming up on the halfway point of the 2008 MLB Season. Which means you're going to have to endure countless meaningless mid-season lists put together by amateurs who have nothing better to talk about. So without further ado...

AL Cy Young

1. Joe Saunders (LAA), 11-3, 3.03 ERA, 49 K's, 101 IP
The obvious question - can Saunders keep it up? I don't see why not. It's not like he's been fooling hitters with nasty stuff, or blowing anything past them. He's just a solid pitcher who attacks the strike zone and pitches to contact. Plus, he's got arguably the best defense in baseball behind him. He may not even break 100 K's this year, but he's got a real shot at 20 W's.

2. Justin Duchscherer (OAK), 8-4, 1.99 ERA, 51 K's, 77 IP
Duchsch is another guy who came out of virtually nowhere. He was best known for his exceptional work out of the Oakland bullpen, and received the occasional spot start. But an 8-4 record with an ERA below 2 suggests he's more than a spot-starter. Is he legit?

3. Cliff Lee (CLE), 10-1, 2.45 ERA, 79 K's, 95.2 IP
Everyone knows about Cliff Lee, after he put together a 5-0 April with a 0.96 ERA. But things are slowing down a bit ERA-wise, posting a 4.18 ERA in June. Still, he's sporting an impressive 2.45 ERA, and the 10-1 record doesn't leave a whole lot to be desired. I just can't get past Lee's earlier seasons where he was anywhere from mediocre to terrible.

4. Roy Halladay (TOR), 8-6, 2.90 ERA, 93 K's, 114.2 IP
This dude is a workhorse. The record is solid, nothing great - but it's the IP that make Halladay so valuable for the Blue Jays. In fact, all you really need to know is that he's on pace for 10 complete games this year.

5. Felix Hernandez (SEA), 6-5, 2.87 ERA, 91 K's, 103.1 IP
The record isn't all that great, but it's not his fault the Mariners have no offense. Everything else about King Felix looks great - the 2.87 ERA, and 91 K's. He's had some lingering health issues, though, including a collision at the plate today.

6. Ervin Santana (LAA), 9-3, 3.17 ERA, 91 K's, 102.1 IP
Ervin's finally tapped into some of that magic, the magic that had fans and scouts drooling over the young righthander. Despite struggling for a couple years, Santana has done more than hold his own in the Angels rotation. Can he keep it up? He's got nasty stuff, so I say he does.

7. Shaun Marcum (TOR), 5-4, 2.65 ERA, 86 K's, 98.2 IP
Another "out-of-nowhere" guy, Marcum is arguably the best pitcher on the Blue Jay's staff in 2008. The record isn't all that great, but if he can keep his ERA around where it is and continue to strike guys out at his current rate, he should see upwards of 14 or 15 wins if the Jays can get their bats going.

8. John Danks (CHW), 4-4, 2.80 ERA, 66 K's, 86.2 IP
Here's another guy that won't win the Cy Young because of his record. But the ERA is great, and the K's are solid. Above all, though, I need to mention that the Rangers had him. And traded him. Just like they did with Chris Young to the Padres, and Edinson Volquez to the Reds. And, yet, the Texas rotation is led by Vincente Padilla. (In fact, Danks probably belongs in the "honorable mentions" below, but I couldn't help but take a cheap shot at the Rangers.)

For one reason or another, these guys don't make the Cy Young list - mostly because of missed time due to injury. Still, they deserve notice: Scott Kazmir (6-3, 2.03 ERA, 68 K's, 62 IP), C.C. Sabathia (5-8, 4.06 ERA, 107 K's, 106.1 IP), John Lackey (4-1, 1.73 ERA, 39 K's, 52 IP), Rich Harden (4-0, 2.44 ERA, 72 K's, 59 IP)

Putting together these lists takes more time and effort than I thought, so I'll leave the MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Closer awards, as well as all the NL awards, for another time.

Fantasy Baseball Injury Report June 23rd

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:45:48 -0500

The latest injuries and analysis from the Doctor himself. Dice-K, Erik Bedard, Carlos Zambrano, Fausto Carmona, and Shawn Marcum. How will their injuries effect your team.

Fantasy Baseball All-Value Team

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:56:18 -0500

While #2 overall fantasy player Hanley Ramirez's statistics are impressive, no one is that surprised after he was a top 5 pick in nearly every fantasy draft, but when Nate McLouth puts up similar numbers and is ranked as the #7 fantasy player overall...eyebrows are raised. The McLouths and Cliff Lees of baseball is exactly what this list celebrates - the players who produce tremendous statistics considering the value they cost their fantasy owners, whether that be a late round pick or a timely pick up off the waiver wire. This team is chalked full of players who were mere afterthoughts until late on draft day, if even that.

Week 7 Diamond Two-Start Pitchers

Sun, 11 May 2008 20:19:28 -0500

Looking ahead to the coming week in fantasy baseball, FIO co-founder & editor Matt Hinzpeter discusses some of the two-start pitchers for Week 7. This is a must-read for weekly leagues or if you like to stream pitchers on your roster. Check the Favorable Match-Ups, Two-Start Pitchers to Stay Away From, and the two-start pitchers to Keep an Eye On.

Sizzlers and Fizzlers, Weeks 4 and 5

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:36:33 -0500

Who's hot, who's not in Major League Baseball? We'll get you started with a sizzler named Mike Cameron. After being suspended for the first 25 games, Cameron is back, and has a starting job (as he should). For those owners (like myself) who took a chance on Cameron, knowing that he was suspended and might risk losing a job, should be quite pleased. He's showing a few signs of rust, but he has already posted a HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, and 3 BB's. The stolen bases should come too. Considering how lethal the Milwaukee Brewers lineup is, Cameron should get plenty of RBI opportunities. Add Cameron to NL-only teams, and if he heats up, you can add him in all leagues because of his power/speed abilities.

AccuScore: MLB Trade Market

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:45:28 -0500

Everyone wants Hanley Ramirez and David Wright, including their owners. Rather than wasting your time trying to trade for hot stars like Ramirez and Wright, AccuScore fantasy baseball expert Tim Williams gives you several types of players who other owners in your league would be more willing to part with.

Fantasy Baseball Happy Recap - 4/15/08

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:56:51 -0500

In this daily column, 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 Fantasy Baseball Happy Recap every weekday on FSE!

Fantasy Baseball Happy Recap - 4/10/08

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:34:56 -0500

In this daily column, we take a look back at the night that was in fantasy baseball highlighting the best/worst performances, emerging fantasy options and developing trends.

AccuScore: Trade Market

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:41:54 -0500

AccuScore fantasy expert Tim Williams takes a look at some early season trading strategies that will help you pull off a move, and gives an example of who he would trade for Carlos Gomez.