Fantasy Baseball Pitch or Ditch for Friday, April 27, 2012 For @FP911

Fantasy Baseball Pitch or Ditch for Friday, April 27, 2012 For Fantasy Pros 911: http://fp911.com/2012-fantasy-baseball-pitch-or-ditch-for-friday-april-27-2012/. A roto and fantasy baseball ranking of all the pitching match-ups for Friday.

@JasonCollette & Megan Marshall join me & @JoelHenard on BDD Radio at 700

Jason Collette & Megan Marshall join me & @JoelHenard on Baseball Daily Digest Radio at 700: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thefantasyinsiders/2012/04/23/jason-collette-and-megan-marshall-join-the-guys-on-bdd-radio.

We’ll talk Phil Humber, Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Marlon Byrd, Bobby Valentine, Vernon Wells, James Shields, B.J. Upton, Jacoby Ellsbury, Aroldis Chapman, Tampa Bay Rays, Sean Marshall, Jesus Montero, Nolan Reimold, Cliff Lee, A.J. Burnett, New York Yankees, Eric Hosmer, Klye Drabek, Danny Duffy, Francisco Liriano, Jake Peavy, Omar Infante, Paul Goldschmidt, Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Pineda, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Dave Winfield, Brett Gardner, Mariano Rivera, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Dempster, Adrian Beltre, Jason Kipnis, Chris Perez, Matt Wieters, Juan Pierre, Drew Hutchinson, Neftali Feliz, Tommy Hanson, roto, fantasy baseball, and much more!

2012 Fantasy Baseball Pitch or Ditch for Friday, April 6, 2012 for @FP911

2012 Fantasy Baseball Pitch or Ditch for Friday, April 6, 2012 for Fantasy Pros 911: http://fp911.com/2012-fantasy-baseball-pitch-or-ditch-for-friday-april-6-2012/, an article that discusses all of the starting pitching roto and fantasy baseball options for today and which should be started and avoided.

h2h Corner ~ Katy Perry (Hot ‘N’ Cold Fantasy Baseball) All-Stars

Players get hot and cold over a seven-day period, it’s as sure as the samples are small.

That is why Katy created the Hot ‘N’ Cold All-stars.

‘Cause you’re hot…you’re yes…you’re in…you’re up

Corey Patterson – One time Oriole great (I kid), Patterson is getting consistent playing time for the Jays. In the last week, he went 11/29, scored eight runs and hit two homers. He now has four bombs and seven steals on the year. Last year, Patterson hit .269/.315/.406 with eight homers and 21 steals in 341 plate appearances for the Orioles. At this point, a 10 HR, 20 SB campaign is almost a given. There will be a dry spell, but, so far, he has cut down on the strike-outs a tad. Patterson is now a quality player for 12-team leagues, my god.

Allen Craig – Even without the second base eligibility, Craig would have been a star over the last week (11/22, eight RBIs). Also with just 98 at bats, Craig is the 16^th ranked second baseman on the year – and can only go up. Craig, an eighth round pick in 2006, has torched minor league pitching (.308/.369/.517) and AAA especially (.321/.380/.548). With the various injuries surrounding the Cardinals’ offense, Craig’s bat will find a consistent place. As that happens, he’s going to hit over .300 with at least 10 more homers on the year. Sounds like the makings of a near top-10 second baseman.

h2h Corner ~ I’m a Believer: June Edition

You’re hitting the tough part of the fantasy baseball season. At this point you’re really doubting your struggling stars and the urge to drop is high. But it’s still somewhat early. Patience isn’t always a virtue, but, in this instance, it is.

Players who will bounce back: Dan Uggla, Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, Alex Rios, Ubaldo Jimenez, Max Scherzer, Chris Carpenter, and Mat Latos.

Remember when I said Anibal Sanchez was a sleeper this year? 13^th in Ks right now!

I love James Shields (always own him), but he’s not the second best fantasy pitcher…right? Can’t be….

One thing I am certain of? Kyle Lohse is not the third best pitcher in fantasy (maybe on his team, but not in baseball).

I’m amazed by the Marlins – Johnson injured, Hanley not so good/injured. I thought they’d be good, but had you told me about their injury woes and the craptastic way Vazquez has pitched, I’d be shocked they were in the play-off hunt. That said, I still think the Braves run away with the Wild Card.

h2h Corner ~ The Buddy Garrity, Don Draper, Ed Norton Sales Convention

Buddy Garrity sales time (sell now)
When it is Buddy Garrity sales time, you should be moving players immediately. These are players that will likely regress to means or not perform as well as they have been (i.e., sell high candidates).

Matt Joyce – It’s safe to say, I’ve been a Matt Joyce supporter (see: here & here). However, I can’t buy his current production: .367/.426/.608 with six bombs. Currently his isolated power* is in line with last year, so his power profile is somewhat legit (although his HR/FB is elevated over last season). In addition, his line drive percentage is about 10% higher than in 2010.

h2h Corner ~ Katy Perry (Hot ‘N’ Cold Fantasy Baseball) All-Stars

Players get hot and cold over a seven-day period, it’s as sure as the samples are small.

That is why Katy created the Hot ‘N’ Cold All-stars.

‘Cause you’re hot…you’re yes…you’re in…you’re up

Wilson Betemit – Betemit’s frequent Katy Perry appearances have dried up of late. That is, until he clocked two HRs, batted .440 and added nine RBIs over the last seven days. He is batting .317 in 230 ABs this season, what more do you need from him? I’m not sure why Pedro Alvarez is owned more than Betemit.

Hideki Matsui – As John McCLane would say, “Welcome to the party pal!” Matsui has been a hibernating Godzilla for most of the year. However, he has come alive of late (.400 AVG and two HRs over the last seven days). Over his last 75 ABs, he is hitting .360 with five HRs and 20 RBIs. He is someone I’d be much more comfortable running out there than Alfonso Soriano.

Ryan Kalish – Kalish makes the second appearance on Katy’s All-stars of his young career. And what scout wouldn’t beam with pride because of this accomplishment? Something tells me the scout that pushed for him is a bit prouder of his last seven days of performance (.273 AVG, seven RBIs and one SB). He probably won’t help much in the AVG department, but he will score some runs and knock some in, while providing some light speed. There are many a-league where that’ll play.

Orlando Cabrera – Quick, which baseball player with the last name Cabrera had the best last seven days? No, not Daniel Cabrera. No, it wasn’t Orlando either. It was a trick question. Miguel Cabrera had the best last seven days, but Orlando was a close second (seven runs and a .346 AVG). Orlando is hitting .412 since returning from the disabled list and will bat amongst a potent Reds line-up. Really, at this point, you might rather have O-Cab than Elvis Andrus.

Felix Pie – Judging by my readership numbers, the majority of the 50 of you are Americans. What do Americans love most besides explosions, big breasts, celebrities, cheeseburgers, paradise, and Budweiser? Pie!!! Yet the fantasy playing community hasn’t gotten behind good old Felix? Over the last seven days, he was as sweet as mom’s apple pie cooling on the ledge (.333 AVG, five runs and a stolen base). Sure he has been dinged up this year, but no worse than the General Lee. Flat-out, when he’s healthy he has produced. If you want an outfielder who can pop the occasional homerun, score and steal a base, gobble, do not sex, the Pie.

Brett Wallace – Wallace has been anything but his namesake lately. But he has shown rock-throwing flashes of late (.353 AVG and a HR over his last seven days). He will not get many RBI opportunities and won’t score much given the Astros line-up, but it is good to see he can, at least, hang with major league pitching. While he has the pedigree, I wouldn’t be hanging my h2h play-offs on his performance.

Alex Sanabia – For whatever reason even though there has been ample opportunity, Katy has shied away from naming Sanabia to her All-star squad. With the dearth of usable pitching out there and his recent performance (6.2 shutout IPs, one win and a 0.90 WHIP), she could wait no more. Sanabia has been downright effective all season, going 54.2 IPs and posting a 3.95 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. Surely you think the 32nd round draft pick in 2006 is being lucky. Well, not so fast my friends. He has a 3.57 FIP. What concerns me about him is just a 5.4 FB/HR rate – I’m pretty sure he won’t be able to sustain that. Still, there is a lot to like in Sanabia, especially as a streaming option. Be careful about HR hitting line-ups and parks though.

Brad Bergesen – As an Orioles fan, I’m stoked with what Bergesen has done lately (pitching his third career complete game, allowing just one run and posting a 0.78 WHIP). Over his last 35.2 IPs, Bergesen has a 2.52 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Unfortunately, there isn’t much upside for Bergesen with a miniscule 4.32 K/9 rate. Basically, the Orioles have been playing some inspired defense around him lately (.214 BAbip over the last seven days; .227 over the last 14 and .261 over the last 28). Until Bergesen learns to strike more batters out, he is, at best, a fringe option.

Then you’re cold…then you’re no…then you’re out…then you’re down

Alfonso Soriano – There hasn’t been a whole lot to like about Soriano’s season, especially his last seven days (2/15). I hope he isn’t a starter for your team during crunch time. If he isn’t, why not drop him for a streamable pitcher or a hot bat? Frankly, there can’t be too many super deep leagues where it is advantageous to hang onto Soriano as he plays out the string. He is 77 percent owned – that’s way too high. I’d rather have Pie.

Pedro Alvarez – When Alvarez goes on a binge, it is Tommy Gavin-esque. However, those have been few and far between, especially over the last seven (4/26) and 30 (18/95) days. He is 14 percent owned – which isn’t a ton, but about 13 percent more than it should be. He can’t hit righties and really can’t hit lefties. Grab Wilson Betemit.

Mark Buehrle – I think I told you to drop Buehrle previously, but that was probably 20 Katy Perry All-stars ago. Over the last seven days, he did squads no help (6.75 ERA and 1.67 WHIP with just five Ks in 12 IPs). He hasn’t been a totally useless fantasy entity (4.16 ERA, 4.08 FIP and 12 wins), but his 4.12 K/9 rate is the worst of times. Frankly, he has no upside. If I’m streaming, he is someone I will ignore.

JA Happ – The wheels have come off the Happ bandwagon a bit lately. Over the last seven days, Happ pitched 9.1 IPs and posted a 5.79 ERA and 1.82 WHIP. He did strike-out nine, so it wasn’t a complete loss. Is this the beginning of the performance readjustment that statheads have predicted? Sort of. Does that mean he loses all value? No. Think of Happ as a guy who can post an ERA from 4.00 – 4.50 with a 7.00 – 7.50 K/9 rate. That’ll play in most places as a bench/streaming option. Certainly, I like him more than Buehrle.

James Shields – Man James Shields is killing me. I have him in most leagues and the glimpses of the best of times have been good, but he always seems to muck up the works. To wit: over his last two starts he went 11.1 IPs, posted 12 Ks and a 3.97 ERA. Of course he also had a debilitating 1.50 WHIP. At a certain point, with so little season left, it’s hard to suggest Shields will suddenly morph into the 4.22 FIP pitcher we all expect him to be. The Ks have been there (8.47 per 9) all season, which is nice, but he has been murdered by a .347 BAbip. I like Shields going forward, but you need to be careful with your ratios this time of year, so be cautious with how you deploy him.

FB101’s 411: Be sure you know how to judge a hot streak. Betemit, Matsui, and Cabrera make good adds. Keep your eye on Kalish, Pie, Wallace and Sanabia. You are allowed to sort of give up on Soriano, Buehrle, and Alvarez.

h2h_Corner on Twitter http://twitter.com/h2h_Corner

h2h Corner ~ The Buddy Garrity, Don Draper, Ed Norton Sales Convention

Buddy Garrity sales time (sell now)
When it is Buddy Garrity sales time, you should be moving players immediately. These are players that will likely regress to means or not perform as well as they have been (i.e., sell high candidates). In addition, they include guys I don’t think will perform well at all during the rest of the season. These are players you are best cutting your losses with.

h2h Corner ~ Keep, Trade or Drop: James Shields, Matt Cain, Matt Garza?

On paper, this appears to be a tight one. I feel if you surveyed 100 Americans, they’d be split evenly. Cain gets to pitch in a pitcher friendly park, division and league. Garza and “big game” James are better known, given the Rays’ success of late. However, they do have to face the Yankees and Red Sox consistently, and it’s not usually fun to pitch in Camden Yards. So how does it shake out? Let’s go to the tale of the tape.