Baseball Professor

Buy or Sell: Jose Bautista’s Hot Bat

bryan@baseballprof.com — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:11:52 +0000

In our second week of our buy low/sell high series I focus on two players that probably went undrafted in many leagues. Brett Myers has been a waiver wire gem this season and just earned himself a two-year contract extension while Jose Bautista has been the league's best power hitter in a down year for the home run. Let's take a closer look:

Underrated Joel Pineiro Out 6-8 Weeks

bryan@baseballprof.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:00:15 +0000

Joel Pineiro was well on his way to a nice follow up season to his breakout 2009 campaign before an oblique strain put him on the shelf fr 6-8 weeks basically ending his 2010 season.

Buy or Sell: Dan Haren Primed for a Big Second Half?

bryan@baseballprof.com — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:00:37 +0000

In our first installment of our weekly buy low/sell high article I will focus on two pitchers with very different reputations. On the one side, Dan Haren is notoriously known for his second-half fades and on the other side, we have John Lackey who is normally better in the second half. Pay attention because I am recommending you go against the grain in regards to both these players.

Bullpen Coach – Week 16

bryan@baseballprof.com — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:33:29 +0000

If you’re in the market for saves, now is the perfect time to start making some speculative closer adds. After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than going to add a newly appointed closer who was just picked up.

On Deck Circle – Hitters Review, Week 16

bryan@baseballprof.com — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:26:36 +0000

Franklin Gutierrez broke out in 2009, but after a great April he has been waiver-wire fodder and a huge disappointment for fantasy owners. A slight change in his approach at the plate could change all of this and provide you with some nice second half value.

What Happened to Mike Pelfrey?

bryan@baseballprof.com — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:19:18 +0000

Mike Pelfrey has never been known for his pinpoint control. Throughout the minors and majors he has only stayed under three walks per nine innings once (2.87 BB/9 in 2008). However, while his tendency to give up the occasional free pass has hurt him in the past, something changed this year that made him a very effective pitcher –that is until a start against the Florida Marlins on June 30 derailed his season.

Mound Visit – Starting Pitching Review, Week 16

bryan@baseballprof.com — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:57:14 +0000

Ubaldo Jimenez is on pace for 28 wins, Josh Johnson has 1.62 ERA, the Phillies lost three straight Roy Halladay starts in two of the last three months and apparently the only thing that can stop Mat Latos is a sore oblique. Who saw all that coming? Well, aside from a German octopus of course. Needless to say, it was a crazy first half that turned the fantasy world on its head. It's long been "known" that hitters are more important than pitchers, but the sheer volume of ace-like arms to be found this season is astonishing. George Fitopoulos already got us started with our second-half previews earlier in the week and the Baseball Professor fantasy triumvirate already pinpointed Travis Wood, Ricky Nolasco and Gavin Floyd as starters you should be targeting, but we'll dig a little deeper today and look at what we can expect in the coming months.

Cliff Lee: The Most Efficient Pitcher in the World

bryan@baseballprof.com — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 12:00:06 +0000

When thinking of the top pitchers in baseball the names Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, Felix Hernandez and Adam Wainwright come regularly into the conversation. Then you have the up-and-coming guys like Jon Lester, Ubaldo Jimenez and Josh Johnson knocking on their door. Where does that leave poor Cliff Lee? He’s only won a Cy Young award and has been the hottest pitching commodity during the last two trade deadlines.

Baseball Prof’s Second Half Targets

bryan@baseballprof.com — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 02:08:07 +0000

The second half is underway and with that comes trade deadlines and playoff races. Probably the three most exciting months of the year, but if you don’t prepare the right way you might be paying more attention to weekly episodes of “Wipeout” rather than Baseball Tonight. Don’t worry because Baseball Professor is here to make sure [...]

Max Scherzer Is Hotter Than the Arizona Desert From Whence He Came

bryan@baseballprof.com — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:04:56 +0000

Max Scherzer has had a tumultuous start to his Major League career. In just two and a half seasons the fireballer has moved from starter to reliever, back to starter, to Detroit, to an unexpected Triple-A stint in Toledo and back to Detroit. Such instability in the career of a young starter, especially one prone to control issues, makes finding repeatable success more than unlikely; it makes it impossible - just ask Brandon Morrow - but ever since the demotion, Scherzer has been a new man... one your fantasy team would love to have.