Category Archives: Baseball

Week 12 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Tigers C/1B John Hicks

.400/.455/.567 slash rate the last 14 days. The Catcher eligibility is the key to adding Hicks.  Owned in 21.5% of ESPN and 45% of Yahoo leagues.  At age 28, Hicks should get an extended look with Miguel Cabrera out for the season.  Ride the hot streak and premium position eligibility.

Pirates 1B/3B Colin Moran

Has scored a run in 5 straight games.  Hitting .345 at home this season and has 7 home games this week. The Brewers and Diamondbacks have limited damage to opposing left-handed hitters. Owned in 9.1% of ESPN and 5% of Yahoo leagues. Moran is a solid daily play during this hot streak.

Angels SP Jaime Barria

2 home starts this week vs. the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays. Barria has a 2.61 ERA and 1.11 WHIP so far this season.  Barria is a shutdown candidate at the end of the season, but that doesn’t matter right now.  Owned in 18.7% of ESPN and 31% of Yahoo leagues.

Week 11 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Rays OF/1B Jake Bauers

Slash rate of .263/.368/.412 last season in AAA.  Similar slash rate going this season, so Bauers has been called up to play 1B everyday.  I picked him up in a weekly keeper league. Was one of the return pieces in the 3-team deal involving Wil Myers, Trea Turner, and Steven Souza back in 2014.  Bauers is a recommended pickup for owners looking to add a multiposition bat. Owned in 4.4% of ESPN and 4% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Angels 2B Ian Kinsler

Last 14 days slash rate of .388/.434/.837. I picked up Kinsler in a daily categories league, where I needed to cut down on my K at 2B.  Owned in 48.1 % of ESPN and 52% of Yahoo leagues. At age 36 I am fearful of using Kinsler in a weekly lock league, but feel comfortable deploying him in daily formats.

 

Astros RP Hector Rondon

Has 3 consecutive Saves for Astros. 1.57 ERA and 1.08 WHIP for Rondon so far this season. The harsh reality is the Astros may need to move Giles into a lower leverage role and deal with it.  Giles had 34 Saves in 2017, but went thru control problems. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I’d use Rondon as my closer until he proved otherwise. I picked up Rondon on waivers yesterday and this morning in a daily league as well. Owned in 9.7% of ESPN and 35% of Yahoo leagues.   Ownership should increase in short order.

Week 10 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Tigers 3B Jeimer Candelario

9 RBI since coming off the DL including an RBI in 4 straight games. Playing on the Tigers Candelario should see plenty of playing time. Owned in 31.6% of ESPN leagues and 31% of Yahoo leagues. .370 OBP may not be sustainable, but has a career minor league .349 OBP.  Candelario is worthy of ownership in season leagues and a must in dynasty formats.

 

Royals OF Jon Jay

Owned in 11.2% ESPN and 11% Yahoo leagues.  Jay is running hot playing everyday for the rebuilding Royals. Strong possibility Jay is flipped at deadline to a contender to serve as a 4th OF. Right now use his slash rate .304/.360/.374 in daily leagues. On a daily categories league I have some high strikeout players and using Jay helps to balance out the K’s.

 

Dodgers SP/RP Ross Stripling

2-start week Tuesday on the road with the Pirates and home Sunday vs. the Braves. 7 or more Strikeouts in 4 consecutive starts. Stripling’s ownership is 67% in ESPN and 69% in Yahoo leagues.      

Week 9 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Giants OF Gorkys Hernandez

8 game hitting streak at time of this post. Has scored 6 runs in last 7 days. As the left side of a platoon with Austin Jackson, Hernandez is worthy of daily league play at this point. Owned in 2.3% of ESPN and 4% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Pirates OF Austin Meadows

Starling Marte has returned from injury and the Pirates may go with a 4-man outfield rotation.  Meadows has hit safely in 7 of 9 games. I believe Clint Hurdle will find ways to keep Meadows .433 avg. in the lineup.  I picked up Meadows in a daily league and plan to hold him until the lineup shakes out.  Owned in 45.8% of ESPN leagues and 39% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Cardinals SP Alex Reyes

Faces Brewers in Milwaukee on Wednesday.  44 strikeouts in 23 Innings during his rehab assignment.  Sadly I was unable to acquire Reyes in any of my four leagues.  Owned in 50.8% of ESPN and 63% of Yahoo leagues.

Week 8 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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A’s OF Dustin Fowler

5 RBI in his last 4 contests. Best known for gruesome knee injury, but Fowler is a power/speed combo. In 70 games last season at AAA, Fowler had 13 HR and 13 SB. There should be plenty of AB’s for Fowler in CF with Oakland going forward. I picked him up in a daily league in which I needed to improve my team’s SB potential. Owned in 5.8% of ESPN and 4% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Brewers 1B Jesus Aguilar

A man without a position is getting regular playing time with Eric Thames and Ryan Braun on the DL.  Aguilar is owned in 17.3% of ESPN and 39% of Yahoo leagues. Aguilar has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games. Coming off a series where he crushed Twins pitching to the tune of 4 HR and 6 RBI. Ride Aguilar while he’s hot, it’s possible he could carve out more of a substantial role in Brewers lineup.  

 

Phillies SP Nick Pivetta

Home vs. the Braves on Monday and Sunday with the Blue Jays. Pivetta has a 1.13 WHIP on the season along with 6 or more strikeouts in 6 starts this season. Owned in 43.1% of ESPN and 51% of yahoo leagues. I’m streaming him this week in a daily league. Is a pitcher that I plan on holding due to his upside.

Week 6 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Giants 2B/OF Alen Hanson

.333/.368/.611 slash rate the last 7 days. With Joe Panik on the DL, Hanson could carve out a role.  Owned in 1.7% of ESPN and 6% of Yahoo leagues. Multiple position eligibility will help out for daily league players.

 

Rangers OF Delino DeShields

.353/.389/.529 slash rate in the last 14 days. Offers owners stolen base and run scoring potential as the Rangers leadoff hitter.  Owned in 38.5% of ESPN and 47% of Yahoo leagues. Still just 25 years old. I’m putting more weight in this recent hot streak. Pick up DeShields if you need speed.

Dodgers SP Walker Buehler

Owned in 48.7% of ESPN and 62% of Yahoo leagues. The Dodgers rotation is decimated with injuries giving Buehler the opportunity to seize a rotation spot. One of the top pitching prospects in baseball, this is a no-brainer. Faces the Reds on Thursday.

Week 5 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Royals OF Jorge Soler

2 hits in each of his last 4 games.  Has 3 games on the road with the Red Sox and 4 home vs. the Tigers.  Getting to play everyday and finally being healthy, KC’s offense may run on Solerpower. Owned in 4.4% of ESPN and 4% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Blue Jays SP Aaron Sanchez

Blisters derailed his 2017.  Sanchez has 14 K combined in his last 2 starts. Has career success vs both opponents Twins and Rays in limited action.  I believe Sanchez will continue to round into form as the season progresses. I own Sanchez in 2 of 4 leagues. Owned in 65.8% of ESPN and 76% of Yahoo leagues.  

 

Cardinals SP Miles Mikolas

3-0 with a 3.27 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 5 starts this season. Mikolas has 27 K and 2 BB in 33 innings.  Pitching well enough to be used in a home start vs. the Cubs on Friday. Mikolas is owned in 38.6 % of ESPN and 57% of Yahoo leagues.  

Week 3 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Twins 1B Joe Mauer

Hitting .412 with 6 Runs and 6 RBI to start the season. Matchups with the Indians at Home for a pair then a 3-game series on the road with the Rays. With the hot start and career stats, Mauer should be in lineups this week.  Owns a .333 career avg. vs. Corey Kluber in 42 AB and a .381 avg. vs. Josh Tomlin in 21 AB. Tropicana Field is a park where Mauer has done damage with a career slash rate of .383/.491/.564. I’ve picked him up in a daily league with Ryan Zimmerman off to a slow start. I’m using his OBP and low K’s to help on a team with Kris Bryant, Aaron Judge, and George Springer.  Owned in 28.5% of ESPN and 19% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Athletics 2B Jed Lowrie

Leads MLB in hits with 23 to start the season. Durability is always a concern with Lowrie, but daily players should roll with the .348/.403/.576 slash rate to start the season. 6 home games this week 3 with the White Sox and 3 with the Red Sox. Lowrie is owned in 408.% of ESPN and 43% of Yahoo leagues.  

 

Angels RP Keynan Middleton

Owned in 26.4% of ESPN and 56% of Yahoo leagues. Shaky in a few of performances, but looks to be the Angels Closer at the moment.  I picked up Middleton in a Weekly league to fill out my relief corps. The fact that the Angels didn’t go out and sign Greg Holland leads me to believe they believe in Middleton.  

Week 2 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Tigers DH Victor Martinez

Faces the Indians and Cleveland and the Yankees at home this week. DFS players may want to take note of V-Mart on Monday as he has a career .333 avg vs. Corey Kluber,.304 avg. vs. Josh Tomlin, and .276 against Trevor Bauer. Owned in 3.6% of ESPN and 3% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Red Sox 1B/DH Hanley Ramirez

Has 6 RBI combined in last 4 games. Owned in 50% of ESPN and 67% of Yahoo leagues. Home vs. the Yankees and Orioles this matchup. Hanley is a strong weekly or DFS play, but not a weekly play due to the threat of Mitch Moreland stealing AB.

 

Cubs SP Tyler Chatwood

2-starts this week at home vs. the Pirates on Monday and Sunday with the Braves.  Epstein and Hoyer believe his spin rate will play well in Chicago, therefore so do I.  Could be a sneaky buy low trade candidate. Owned in 56.6% of ESPN and 63% of Yahoo leagues.   

Recapping 12-team Daily Cats Draft

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This is my draft for 12-team daily categories league.  16 scoring categories make up the scoring. Last season I was in last place on July 4th and came back to win the League Championship. This is a league where standings fluctuate quite a bit with the amount of categories available.  I had the 8th pick in the draft and targeted power and stolen bases. Benintendi, Andrus, and Moncada, and Springer can help me wins steals. I’m banking on Springer carrying over his playoff success into the regular season. I really like the rotation’s upside and believe the bullpen will help keep my peripherals down.  

With up to 4 DL spots and 50 transactions for the season, Bumgarner at that stage of the draft was worth grabbing.  The big problem I see is too many strikeouts from the top players in my lineup. I would have liked more multiple position eligible players with this being a daily league. I didn’t acquire a swiss army knife type player that could play everywhere.  Feel free to comment on how I did in this one.

FallGuyStuntmanAssc.

Rd Pick Player Position
1. (8) Kris Bryant 3B,OF
2. (17) Aaron Judge OF
3. (32) George Springer OF
4. (41) Jacob deGrom SP
5. (56) Andrew Benintendi OF
6. (65) Robinson Canó 2B
7. (80) Elvis Andrus SS
8. (89) José Berríos SP
9. (104) Luis Castillo SP
10. (113) Madison Bumgarner SP
11. (128) Ryan Zimmerman 1B
12. (137) Sonny Gray SP
13. (152) Marcus Stroman SP
14. (161) Kyle Seager 3B
15. (176) Trevor Bauer SP
16. (185) Jonathan Lucroy C
17. (200) Yoán Moncada 2B
18. (209) Zack Cozart SS
19. (224) Addison Reed RP
20. (233) Carl Edwards Jr. RP
21. (248) Keone Kela RP