Continue reading »]]> There are over 50 projected two start pitchers for week 9, so you can bet these rankings are going to change.  Using a combination of CBS, MLB, and Yahoo I have put together these projected starting pitcher rankings for the week ahead, and our readers should certainly have no shortage of arms for the week ahead!

Remember, I will release an updated two start pitcher article over the weekend, as many of the rotations and projected starters can change during the week.

Because there are so many names, I will skip the usual analysis, if you want to know my thoughts on any of the guys listed below, please post a comment under the article, or in the forums, and I will be sure to respond

Two start pitchers – week 9 – fantasy baseball 2013

Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz during an away game against the Oakland A’s. The A’s won 6-4. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Continue reading »]]> Because of the large number of rotation changes/ injuries it took me a few extra hours to put together the finalized 2 start pitchers for week 8.  We welcome back a number of big arms, and get an extended look at a few callups this week, which I will discuss at the bottom of the article.

Updated 2 start pitchers – Week 8 (May 20th – May 26th)

The Cole Hamels question

I know everyone will be wondering about my ranking of Hamels in the second tier, but the fact remains that he is basically a must start in all formats.  The strikeouts are still there, and while the Phillies can’t be counted on to produce enough runs to get him the win, Hamels still has ace ability, and it is too early to give up on him at this point in the season.

Welcome Back!

Both Johnny Cueto and Matt Garza return for week 8, and both are slated to have two starts in the week ahead.  While they clearly have a bit of injury risk, both pitchers should be active in mixed league play for the week ahead.

Sleeper streamers…

You will notice a large number of pitchers in tiers 4/5, but there are a few names in the mix that may be available off waivers for you to consider streaming this week.

Jake Odorizzi – Tampa Bay Rays

Odorizzi is a strikeout machine, and while he has yet to prove himself at the big league level, owners in desperate need of strikeouts should make Jake one of their top waiver wire adds this week, but continue to view him as a streamer option at this point.

Josh Lindblom – Texas Rangers

With Alexi Ogando going down to injury, Lindblom is slated to have two starts in week 8.  Another high strikeout pitcher, his matchups aren’t quite as good having to face the A’s at the launching pad we know as the Ballpark at Arlington, and then against the Mariners and one of the better pitchers in the AL this season in Hisashi Iwakuma.  Another guy to consider streaming simply for strikeouts, Lindblom will likely find it hard to maintain an ERA under 4 at the big league level.

Max Scherzer warming up his arm during pre-game, Tigers at Royals, June 4, 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Continue reading »]]> Through nine starts in 2012 R.A. Dickey was 7-2 with a 3.45 ERA and had struck out 51 batters, a solid foundation that led to Dickey’s first Cy Young award.  Just as the jersey on Dickey’s back has changed so have his statistics, accumulating a 3-5 record and a 4.83 ERA through nine 2013 starts.  Dickey has struck out about the same amount of batters, 48, and his BABIP against is actually lower this year than it was last, so what gives?

R.A. Dickey charting pitches on his day off (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Doing a quick comparison between 2012 and 2013 statistics BB/9 is what sticks out immediately, Dickey is walking nearly double (2.1 vs. 4.0) the amount of batters per 9 in 2013.  Strikes in general have been an issue for the knuckleballer as he’s put himself in 4% more 3-0 counts and 9% less 0-2 counts, culminating in a WHIP and OBP that are much higher than they were during his Cy Young campaign.  Although these metrics are higher this year they’re actually about spot on with his career WHIP and OBP numbers, suggesting that 2012 may have just been a very long hot streak, not an increase in skill level.

That suggestion does hold some weight due to the fact that at age 37 pitchers normally don’t all of the sudden breakout like Dickey did, but Dickey’s poor performance can’t solely be credited to his high walk counts.  Extra base hits are his current vice, allowing extra base hits 10.4% of the time resulting in an .452 SLG for opposing hitters.  He is not getting hit any harder than anybody else in fact the league is actually getting less hard hit balls against him (proprietary statistic), his LD% and GO/AO ratio however, are much worse than last year and his career averages.  Add a HR/FB ratio of 12.2% and understanding why Dickey’s giving up more runs isn’t too difficult, when opposing are hitter are hitting it hard they’re also hitting it far.  Extra base hits are the deadliest outcome an opposing hitter can produce and when they’re producing that result 10.4% of the time, you’re in trouble.

Dickey’s ERA and W-L record are nowhere near what he produced last year though nine starts, largely due to giving up too many extra base hits and walking too many batters.  On the contrary, his strikeouts, BABIP, and number of hard hit balls are actually better or the same from 2012.  Of the aforementioned statistics all Dickey can really control is walks.  Some may argue that he can control extra base hits as well but since we know he’s not giving up a ton of hard hit balls he’s actually doing a good job of limiting them.  Walking extra batters and having more extra base hits drop in is what’s driving Dickey’s ERA higher and higher and giving him a poor W-L record.

As the season moves on Dickey’s numbers will improve, limiting hard hit balls is the most intrinsic goal of any pitcher and he’s doing a good job of that.  With more starts less extra base hits will fall in and Dickey’s runs allowed will fall.  Reproducing a Cy Young award winning season is a tall task for any hurler, expecting Dickey to return to that form is unrealistic.  He will however, reduce his ERA and continue to strikeout batters at a good clip, both statistics will be helped if he can control his walks better.    Fantasy owners should be advised that Dickey’s numbers will be improving as the season progresses and Jays fans should feel confidence when he takes the hill.  Another Cy Young probably isn’t in Dickey’s future but solid performances from here on out can significantly help his club’s chance at winning.

Continue reading »]]> The week 8 fantasy baseball hold rankings have a few new names, but the top names are beginning to establish themselves as elite.  Looking at the “change” column + means they moved up in the ranks, and – obviously means they dropped down.

I have received a number of questions about the rankings, and since most owners are concerned with holds, I primarily sort by holds, when the players are tied, I then look at a number of factors including IP/K/ERA and WHIP to determine the best middle reliever at that tier.

If you are looking for the best pickup off waivers, or possibly a closer in waiting that could possibly be earning saves by the end of the year, feel free to post your questions in the forums.

Week 8 Hold Rankings – Fantasy Baseball 2013

News and notes – Updated MLB Hold rankings for week 8 - fantasy baseball 2013

The top 4 in the rankings all remain the same from last week, and Mark Melancon continues to dominate for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  All 4 names at the top of this list deserve to be owned in 100% of leagues that reward holds, and even have some value in leagues where owners are just looking for solid ERA/WHIP/K numbers out of a RP.

Big time movers (Hot and cold middle relief)

Hot hot hot

Joel Peralta/ David Roberston

Both these relievers made a double digit jump up the rankings, and should be relied upon for a steady workload for the rest of the season.  In the event that you are looking for a potential closer, Robertson obviously would step in if the ageless wonder Mariano Rivera were to go down to injury

Icy Cold

John Axford

The former closer of the Brewers looks like he has a very slim chance to ever regain the role now.  The ERA still sits at 9.00, with a ridiculous WHIP of 2.00, hard to believe this is the same guy that was considered a top 5 closer just a few short years ago, but if you are still holding on you should probably make a move for someone that doesn’t kill your ERA/WHIP quite as often.

Joel Peralta (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Continue reading »]]> There is a shortage of information on the web regarding rainouts and postponed games in MLB.  Even when Major League Baseball announces a make-up date for a rainout, it is one game at a time, and there is no resource available for fantasy baseball players to find out when the doubleheaders or make up dates are.

Well, good news!  I have decided to dedicate this entire page to nothing except for doubleheaders and make up dates for rainouts and postponed games in 2013.  I will attempt to follow a relatively easy format here by charting what days the make up games will be played, and then mention whether or not it is a doubleheader.

Doubleheaders and makeup games

May 27th – Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks – doubleheader – regularly scheduled

June 18th – Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox – doubleheader – make up from April 12th

June 18th – New York Mets at Atlanta Braves – double header – make up from May 4th

June 27th – New York Mets at Colorado Rockies – single game – make up from April 17th

June 28th – Cleveland Indians at Chicago White Sox – doubleheader – make up from April 23rd

July 30th – Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs – doubleheader – make up from April 10th

July 30th – St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates – doubleheader – make up from April 16th

August 9th – Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox – doubleheader – make up from April 19th

August 16th – Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers – doubleheader – make up from April 23rd

August 19th – New York Mets at Minnesota Twins –  single game – make up from April 14th

September 9th – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Minnesota Twins – Single Game – Make up from April 17th

Rainout/ Postponed – No Make up date announced

May 2nd – Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals

Community contributions

For this to be a successful operation, it may require the assistance of the community.  In the event that I don’t have a makeup date listed, and you are aware of the date, please post it in the comments section below the article, along with your source so that we can verify.  A few of the sites that we will accept verification from are Yahoo, ESPN, and MLB.com.

Also, if a game has been rained out, and you want to know if a makeup date has been announced, please post a comment below.  I will answer after checking all available resources.

As the list of doubleheaders and makeup games for 2013 continues to grow, I will be sure to update the article to by deleting the games that have already been played, so that the information is kept fresh and relevant..

In the event that a game is rained out, and no makeup date has been announced, I will simply list the game that was rained out until we get official confirmation of the date of the doubleheader/ makeup game.  If there is a suspended game, more often than not it won’t need to be listed as they will complete the game the following day.  If a suspended game is planned to be completed on a future date, then it will be listed, but that will be rare.

Thanks for reading, and while you are on the site be sure to register for an account so you can join the fantasy talk in the forums.  We will be discussing fantasy baseball throughout 2013, and whether you agree or disagree the discussions are always engaging

2006 World Series, Game 4. Rain-out at Busch Stadium on October 25th, 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Continue reading »]]> THESE RANKINGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED WITH A NEW ARTICLE AS MANY OF THE PROJECTED STARTERS CHANGED. PLEASE CHECK UNDER THE MLB TAB AT THE TOP OF THE SITE, AND CHOOSE TWO START PITCHERS TO FIND THE MOST RECENT TWO START PITCHER RANKINGS FOR WEEK 8

Movers and shakers – two start pitchers for week 8

Both Shelby Miller and Hisashi Iwakuma have proven themselves over the first month of the season as dominant front of the rotation arms, and I now consider them must start options in all formats going forward.

After an impressive 10K performance in week 6, Scott Kazmir has defied the odds to move up into the third tier on my rankings.  I’m still skeptical that he can magically transform into the 2008 Kazmir we all knew and loved, but he is worth a look in deep leagues.

I’m sure some of our readers will cry foul that Ryan Vogelsong snuck into the third tier, but he still pitches for a solid team, and has 2 matchups at home that should help keep the ERA down.

Any questions or comments about who to start or stream in week 8?  Post them in the comments section below, I will respond with my perspective.

Jon Lester (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Continue reading »]]>

Anthony Rizzo (Photo credit: bengrey)

Joe Mossuto is the lead writer for Chicago Cubs Blog

The Cubs have locked up another key piece to their future today, as a deal between Anthony Rizzo and the organization was officially announced.  The deal is worth $41 million over the course of 7 years, and it includes club options for 2020 and 2021.

Rizzo is just 23 years old with a long career ahead of him, and it is good to see that Theo Epstein still knows how to build a winning organization.  This means that our two stars of the future, Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo who are both 23, will be under team control til at least 2019, and both contracts have an option for 2020.  We have the makings of a good young nucleus now, as both players are just starting to come into their own, and once Soriano’s contract is off the books we will have even more wiggle room to bring in young talent.

This includes Jorge Soler who is still expected to be a key player in the Cubs outfield within the next few years, and if he pans out we have 3 solid offensive pieces already in place.  If Epstein can ever figure out the problem at third base I am ok with keeping the defensive Darwin Barney at second, with the outfield being the one question mark for the years to come.  Will Nate Schierholtz become an everyday player?  Kid has pop and I like his aggressiveness at the plate, but no team seems to want to give the kid a full time job.

On the pitching front Matt Garza will be a free agent next year and good riddance I say.  I want a guy that can take the mound every five days for us, and if we are looking at a 3-5 year plan he will be between 32-34 when the Cubs are ready to compete.  Hold on to Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Villanueva and Travis Wood, Samardzija looks like a dominant ace that I would expect to sign the next long term deal now that Rizzo is locked up.  Travis Wood and Carlos Villanueva have both been pitching well in the early going here in 2013 and I like them as long term innings eaters in our rotation.

As for the Rizzo haters, he is now hitting .280 with 9 HR and 28 RBI in his first 37 games.  The kid is on track for 40 HR this year, and he is just 23!  What more do you want from him?  I knew Epstein could turn things around for the Cubs and I am happy to see him locking up a solid nucleus of young talent.

What do you think Cubs fans?  Let me hear ya in the comments, I answer everyone, even the dreaded White Sox fans!

Anthony Rizzo – Chicago NL – 2012 Home (Photo credit: BaseballBacks)

Continue reading »]]> There are a number of players that have either earned a bad rap in fantasy circles the last few years, under-performed to the point that no one wants them, or are so new to the scene that you haven’t even heard of them.  Here are my most undervalued and under-appreciated players of fantasy baseball 2013.

Kelly Johnson (Second Baseman) Tampa Bay Rays

Where is all the Kelly Johnson love?  This is the same guy who hit .284 for the Diamondbacks in 2010 with 26 HR, 71 RBI and 13 SB’s so its not like he hasn’t done it before.  The past 2 seasons, Johnson has totaled 37 HR’s, 113 RBI’s, and 30 SB’s.  At second base this should make him an automatic add in mixed league play, especially those leagues that use a middle infielder spot, but for some mind-numbing reason he is owned in just 35% of Yahoo leagues.  In 2013 Johnson is hitting a solid .278 with 5 HR and 4 SB’s (3 CS).  I like the caught stealing numbers, because it shows that he is still trying to swipe bags.  This is a guy who has done it before, so if you are sticking with a guy like Josh Rutledge or Jedd Gyorko at second, make the move now and don’t look back.

John Lackey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

John Lackey (Starting Pitcher) Boston Red Sox

I’ve never been what you would call a staunch Red Sox supporter, but some part of me always wanted to see Lackey bounce back and 2013 it looks like he is on his way.  Through his first 22 innings, Lackey is the owner of a 2.82 ERA with 24 K and 7 BB.  I don’t list the W-L because that is a bogus statistic anyway and if Lackey keeps pitching like this the wins will follow.  One or two more solid outings and the rest of fantasy baseball will start believing in the comeback as well, so if you want to be ahead of the curve you should pick Lackey up now.

Mitch Moreland (First Baseman) Texas Rangers

What if I said there was a potential 30 HR guy just sitting around on waivers in your league?  You’d probably think I was crazy, but there sits Mitch Moreland who is only owned in 12% of fantasy leagues this season.  After 3 years of what amounted to part time duty in Texas, the Rangers finally handed Mitch the full time starting job, and he has come alive in the past week blasting 3 HR’s in his last 4 games.  Moreland now has 6 HR’s on the season in 115 AB’s.  If we assume he will get to 575 which is a solid number of AB’s in a full season for a 1B, that would put him at 30 HR and 70 RBI.  If you need a corner infielder in your deep league be sure to look at Moreland as he seems to be turning a corner in the power department.

Kevin Slowey (Starting Pitcher) Miami Marlins

Poor Kevin Slowey just can’t get no respect…. no respect I tell ya!  Look at these numbers.  1.81 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 36 K in 44 2/3 IP.  Ok, so he won’t get wins pitching for that joke of a franchise but from a fantasy perspective the other numbers are terrific.  Why he languishes on the waiver in 54% of leagues I don’t know, but I picked him up 2 weeks ago and plan on running him out there for the remainder of the season.

Oswaldo Arcia (Outfielder) Minnesota Twins

I have a feeling that this is a name that we will be hearing a lot more of in the months to follow.  Arcia has been the one pleasant surprise in the outfield for the Twins, to the detriment of Ryan Doumit, Chris Parmelee and Aaron Hicks.  I don’t see Ron Gardenhire benching the kid while he is playing like this, and through his first 69 AB’s this season Arica has a .319 average with 3 HR and 12 RBI’s.  While everyone else is pouncing on a guy like Marcell Ozuna, I would prefer Oswaldo Arcia who would appear to have more staying power this season for the Twins who are looking for a solution in the outfield.

Garrett Jones (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

Garrett Jones (First Baseman – Outfielder) Pittsburgh Pirates

I have drafted Jones as my backup 1B and OF each of the past few seasons and am still astonished at just how undervalued this guy is. Owned in just 35% of mixed leagues, Jones has had a solid 4 year run leading up to 2013 averaging 68.5 RBI, 21 HR and a .261 average.  I’m not touting this guy as a starter on most teams but in 12 team leagues there should be a spot for a solid power hitter on one of the season’s early surprise teams – Pittsburgh.  If you want a cheap source of HR off the wire, take a peek at Garrett.

That is pretty much every guy I have on my list.  If you have any to add for the people reading throw those name into the comments below.

Continue reading »]]> There were still a number of rainouts in week 6 as we press on into the month of May, meaning there were plenty of rotation changes for the week ahead.  Then there is the curious case of the Padres, who decided to simply change their rotation because they felt like it.

If you are holding on to any Yankees or Indians on this list as a two start option, be advised that neither team has officially confirmed their choices for the doubleheader Monday, meaning the projected starters are pure speculation on my part, and clearly subject to change.

Updated Two Start Pitchers for week 7 – Fantasy Baseball 2013

News and notes – 2 start pitchers – week 7 – fantasy baseball 2013

Best waiver wire SP for week 7 – streaming options

John Lackey – SP – Boston Red Sox

I know, this one surprises me as well, be John Lackey has apparently been drinking the same juice as Josh Beckett and Clay Buccholz, because he has been on fire.  Lackey is currently striking out over a batter per inning, with an ERA under 3.  The win loss is clearly a fluky statistic, but Lackey gets to face the lackluster Twins in his second matchup of week 7, making him a decent waiver wire grab in mixed league play.

Hector Santiago – SP – Chicago White Sox

This could be your one and only chance to grab Santiago for a two start week, as John Danks is expected back soon, and the White Sox will have to make a decision about whether or not to send Hector back to the bullpen.  With an ERA under 2, nearly a strikeout per inning, and 2 favorable matchups in week 7, Santiago should be flying off the waiver wire as a solid streamer option for the week ahead.

Justin Grimm – SP – Texas Ranger

The young SP for the Rangers will clearly go through growing pains as most young pitchers do, but he has the strikeouts rolling right now for a pretty good team in the Rangers, meaning the wins will be a possibility every time he takes the mound.  Two tough matchups in week 7 with the A’s and Tigers moves Grimm down a little bit on my recommended list, but if you need K’s and a shot at a win, he makes a decent deep league pickup off the waiver wire.

And I’m free…. free fallin’

R.A. Dickey – SP – Toronto Blue Jays

Time to start wondering if 2012 was a fluke.  Dickey just doesn’t have the same stuff this year, and is entering that dangerous “droppable” territory that you never expect from a guy that was drafted in the top 20 pitchers this season.  I say sell high if at all possible, it looks like he isn’t up to the task of pitching in the AL East.

Dan Haren – SP – Washington Nationals

Most owners knew what they were getting when they drafted Haren, and yet he continues to be owned in a high number of leagues.  His strikeout totals aren’t exactly impressive, and the ERA/WHIP will clearly leave something to be desired.  Haren should only be considered a “must-start” in the deepest of formats for week 7.

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Anibal Sanchez – Tigers (Photo credit: lakelandlocal)

Continue reading »]]> Creating value is what all fantasy baseball owners try to do.  Whether it be by adding and dropping players, setting a lineup after consulting split-stats, or trading with another player, owners will do anything to bolster one category without hurting another.  The fantasy baseball player market is not unlike a stock market, where different players have different values that fluctuate constantly.  When trading stocks investors live by the most basic mantra, buy low and sell high, fantasy owners follow suit.  The most blatant example of this is when trades occur, each owner is under the impression that he or she is selling away their assets at a higher value than they’re truly worth and receiving assets that will improve their team on the whole.  Perfect trades are exceptionally rare as one side of the deal is usually a clear winner while the other is a clear loser, even if it’s only by a small margin.  As mentioned before, owners believe they are trading away assets that when pooled together are being valued higher than they actually are worth, that’s what will be focused on here.  Who are the players that are currently valued higher than their true worth?  By selling the following players high and not buying them for more than they’re worth, you can avoid being the loser of a trade.

Carlos Gomez – Gomez emerged as one of baseball’s top prospects at an early age debuting at 21 years old.  For the last five seasons Gomez has been a disappointment, hitting a below average .248/.294/.384 and accumulating a WAR of 7.9.  2012 was an improvement for Gomez as he finally put together a season with an OBP of over .300, his first in six tries, he also stole 37 bases versus 6 CS and clubbed 19 HR.  Brewers fans enjoyed flashes of what scouts hoped Gomez would produce on a consistent basis.  Those flashes have become ever more frequent in 2013 as Gomez is the league leader in BA (.386), SLG (.675), OPS (1.106), OPS+ (192), TB (77), H (44),and 3B (3).  At age 27 Gomez is in his physical prime and appears to have improved his approach at the plate, he already has 25% of his 2012 walk total through five and half weeks.  With the gaudy stats Gomez has, now is a great time to begin shopping him, keeping in mind of course that you better get a lot for him.  Through May 10th, Gomez hasn’t shown a deficiency in his fantasy game, he’s hitting for average, power, stealing bases, and scoring runs.  SB aside, most of Gomez’s stats will be coming back to reality fairly soon, if you move him make sure to receive players who can fill those gaps.  Basically, as the season continues Gomez’s BA, OBP, SLG, and RBI will all decline relatively, acquiring a few players that have proved to hit for a high average, get on base, and drive in runs will provide more value than holding on to Gomez all year.  The caveat to this advice is keeper leagues, definitely take some time and make a decision on whether or not you think Gomez will be playing like this come 2014 and beyond, if you think he will be, hold on to him.

Coco Crisp (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Coco Crisp – Both A’s fans and Crisp owners were devastated when their outfielder hit the DL.  Prior to his injury Crisp was on a torrid pace hitting .283/.388/.556 with 5 HR in 24 G, all numbers way above his career averages.  Consider the 8 SB that he had in that stretch and Crisp was one of the best fantasy players during that time period.  Unfortunately, Crisp went down and hasn’t returned to the field as of yet.  Some Crisp owners have dropped him and allowed the rest of their league to pick him up if they so desire, in doing so the owner has lost the opportunity to gain from trading Crisp.  HIs injury definitely diminished his trade value but you should be able to move him and see some return on it.  Obviously a trade involving Crisp isn’t going to be an earth shattering move, but right now he’s valued much higher than he’s actually worth.  His power the rest of the way will be minimal and with this hamstring injury his stolen bases may take a hit as well. Nonetheless, if you can move him and receive someone who’s performed slightly better than Crisp over their career, it’d be a nice move.

John Buck - Through his first 29 G in 2013 Buck is hitting with power like he never has before.  He’s performing way above his career SLG of .409, currently slugging .536.  His 10 HR are just 2 shy of his 2012 total and 6 shy of his 2011 total, his 29 RBI are also only 12 behind his 2012 numbers.  For the first few weeks of the season it seemed like Buck was hitting a HR every night he crossed the lines, causing his season total to be absurdly high.  Buck’s value won’t be much higher than it is right now at any point during the 2013 season, his power numbers have made him one of the best fantasy catchers and one of the best HR players in general.  Unlike his power stats, his BA and OBP have been poor, sitting at .236 and .271, respectively.  Buck won’t hit too many more home runs this season, he’s 32 and very few players experience power spikes in their age 32 season, making him a great trade candidate.  If you can find a deal where you can get a catcher who hits for a better average and gets on base at a higher clip you could really cash in with Buck.  It will be shocking if he hits for much more power in 2013, taking his current high value and getting a catcher that can boost your club’s BA would be an excellent trade.

Jean Segura - Brewers fans probably find this article bittersweet, on the sweet side, they have two players who are playing great (Segura, Gomez), on the bitter side, they’re also two players performing much higher than their true skill level.  Segura has played excellent this season and clearly has one of the brightest futures of any young shortstop.   His BA of .328 is exceptional for any young player yet alone a offensively challenged position such as shortstop.  The reason his value is so high right now is because of his power numbers, he’s hit 4 HR, 4 2B and 3 3B, good for a .407 SLG.  Segura does have a solid history of hitting doubles and triples, although triples are a hard result to produce so don’t count on too many more from him, but the most home runs he’s ever hit in a minor league season is 10.  Knowing that, as the season moves on Segura’s home run total won’t increase too much.  Today, Segura is being valued as a power hitting shortstop, one that hits for average to boot.  Segura is young and maybe he’s finally found his power source, if you subscribe to that notion don’t look to move him.  On the other  hand you could have an asset that you can find value in by getting more back for him than he’s worth.  As with Gomez the keeper league caveat should be mentioned.  Segura is going to be a great shortstop for some time so unless you get a seriously good haul back for him don’t bother trading him away.

When dealing with trades two sides are obviously needed, this article doesn’t assume that everyone on the other side of these deals is incompetent.  It is only pointing out that the market is allocating too much value to these players and there is potential for a deal where their owners could cash in on that valuation.  It is also not saying that any of these players should be traded immediately because they’re about to go in the tank.  All four of these players are having excellent years and would need to be evaluated against the other side of the deal.  Feel free to leave a comment if you have a question about a trade involving these players.

Ed Roberts writes for Who’s Got a Heat Gun?