By Thom Henninger A new season means a new rookie class, but when it comes to young players stepping up and making a significant contribution, it’s usually those with at least a few hundred plate appearances or innings pitched who provide a payoff. A few of 2009’s top rookies are legitimate breakout candidates this spring, [...]
From the monthly archives:
February 2010
By James Bailey Would you rather be lucky or good? Over the course of 162 games it helps to have both on your side. Of course, even with a fair dose of luck, some guys still aren’t all that productive. When scanning through the Bill James Handbook I like to note discrepancies between a pitcher’s [...]
By Jeremy Tiermini When prepping for a draft, fantasy owners need to know that the catcher position is the one most bereft of talent. After the big names go off the board, the rest of the pool is very underwhelming. Owners usually draft catchers by one of two methods: 1) get the big name and [...]
By Jeremy Tiermini Baseball fans are always keeping track of current news. Usually, player updates are what fans care about. However, one story has hit home for me. Recent news reports indicate that the head athletic trainer for the New York Yankees, Gene Monahan, will miss spring training and, perhaps, part of the season recovering [...]
By James Bailey I’ve gained a reputation in my Strat-o-matic league as something of a risk-taker on draft day. A friend and fellow manager asked me on draft eve which injured player I’d be taking this year. Having had luck scooping up players like Jason Kubel (knee) and Jon Lester (cancer) in recent years I’m [...]
By Jeremy Tiermini Pitchers and catchers report. For baseball fans these words are the four best words in the English language. Well, maybe after “Yankees, World Series Champions.” For fantasy baseball owners, the phrase “pitchers and catchers report” means that it is time to prep for Draft Day.
By Thom Henninger Spring training camps open in less than 10 days, and there still are several free agents who could make significant contributions in 2010. Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com has assembled an “unsigned all-star team,” which contains a number of players who, with the skills they possess today, might have been paid a pretty [...]
By James Bailey This year marks the 102nd anniversary of the Chicago Cubs’ last World Series championship. Suffice it to say, the game has changed nearly as much as the team’s fortunes since then, when they were the three-time defending National League pennant winners and had just won back-to-back World Series. George R. Matthews recounts [...]
