Fantasy Baseball Tips

Last week I wrote about how to overcome fantasy baseball pitching injuries. One of the recommendations was to stream in starting pitchers in order to take advantage of the right match-ups.

Here is a look at 3 starting pitchers (and the results) I picked up over the course of last week, based on match-ups and statistics, to compensate for a weak pitching roster.

In recent weeks I’ve lost Shawn Marcum, Adam Wainwright and JJ Putz, all on one roster. I’m only running with 2 starting pitchers there right now and the rest of my staff is on the DL or the minor leagues.

If you can stomach the anxiety and work through injuries, take solace in the fact that losing a starting pitcher may not be as bad as it seems. With a bit of investigative analysis and probably a bit of luck, here are a handful of tips to keep in mind when looking for mid-season help with your fantasy pitching roster.

The 2008 baseball season certainly has been an interesting year with a large percentage of prominent ball players “hitting” the disabled list with all kinds of injuries. Injuries of course, are one of the major unknowns in baseball that can kill a fantasy baseball season.

(Source: AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Depending on how you come up with rankings, at least 7 of the top 25 players in spring training are on or have spent time on the DL thus far this season. Unfortunately, the trend of injuries to key players hasn’t gone down in numbers (and probably won’t as the season rolls on).

There are injuries that cost a player the entire season. There are injuries that make the casual baseball fan laugh in amusement.

Ryan Zimmerman (Photo: The Canadian Press)

And then there are injuries that end up lingering through the season, never seeming to heal and always impairing the performance a fantasy manager hopes for.

• For hitters, it’s a shoulder injury.
• For pitchers, the elbow is the culprit.

The news is out that Red Sox Designated Hitter David Ortiz is out at least a month and may need season ending surgery on his injured wrist. The team already placed Ortiz on the disabled list and will wait it out to determine whether the injury can heal on its own. If there is little to no improvement, the verdict may be grim.

Source: AP Photo/ Steve Ruark

Just like the real major league baseball season fantasy baseball is a marathon. The fantasy baseball season spans 6 months of actual play and probably 1 - 2 months of spring training analysis and preparation. Competitive managers are always scouring statistics and looking for trends to take advantage of.

Time and volume are what allow fantasy managers to identify the numbers needed to make calculated decisions and the depth of roster makes it less likely that any 1 player will be essential for your season’s success.

Evan Longoria was a preseason favorite to be a top-tiered fantasy contributor as a rookie this year. Hitting 5th in an extremely talented Rays lineup, Longoria has emerged from an early slump in May to post solid numbers: 7 HR, 28 RBI and 22 Runs. He’s hit safely in the last 6 games and is batting .340 since May 15th.

The recent news that Longoria will now backup Jason Bartlett at shortstop should have fantasy owners who were on the fence picking him up as soon as possible.

I’ve given up on Travis Hafner. The recent news that Hafner’s lingering shoulder problem is still bothering him, coupled by the news that he won’t play until at least Friday (after receiving a cortisone shot Tuesday) and may need a trip to the DL sealed the deal.

Any sort of arm or leg problem usually leads to one result over the course of a fantasy baseball season: a lack of power at the plate.

Just look at Gary Sheffield’s season thus far for another shoulder injury example.

Here’s the third and final installment looking at the 1st quarter of the fantasy baseball season. This post takes a look at draft selections fantasy owners may have made that just have not panned out and the early round choices who may be making managers bang their head against the wall with frustration.

The Disappointments
The difference between major duds and disappointments is that you may have invested the mid to late round selection and hoped you picked up one of this year’s fantasy baseball surprises. Or, perhaps injury or misfortune are the root cause. Either way, there is still a chance these guys can pick it up as the weather gets warmer and the season rolls on.

The other day I took an exclusive look at the top 10 fantasy players, as ranked by Yahoo Sports at the beginning of the MLB season. Here’s a look at some of the great draft picks and sweet surprises to begin the year.

The Studs
These are the guys you spent an early round draft pick on and they’ve well exceeded expectations.

1. Lance Berkman
   Even though 2007 was a disappointment, it didn’t seem like it would be a downward trend for Berkman. This year, Berkman is silencing critics and helping to keep the Astros in the middle of the race for the NL Central. With a .385 BA, 16 HR’s and 45 RBI through May 24 and playing in the cozy confines of Minute Main Park, Berkman has a legitimate chance at the Triple Crown.