Left Coast Views

2012 Fantasy Baseball Player Profile: Anibal Sanchez – SP – Miami Marlins

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 05:05:00 +0000

Anibal. Sanchez.

Not the sexiest name on your draft board, but I guarantee that when the season ends there will be quite a few owners being showered with Yoo-hoo while looking at a roster that includes Mr. Sanchez. No joke, because of Josh Johnson’s propensity for watching games in street clothes, I would take Sanchez over him.

I would also draft Sanchez over:

Tommy Hanson
Josh Johnson
Michael Pineda
Ian Kennedy
C.J. Wilson
Matt Garza
Colby Lewis
Gio Gonzalez
Ted Lilly
Shaun Marcum
Josh Beckett
Brandon Morrow
Neftali Feliz
Ricky Romero
Matt Moore
Jaime Garcia

You probably stopped reading when you saw the first five names, but in case you’re still here, let me explain. Aside from the hitters he’s facing being distracted by the ugliest uniforms in professional sports, there are a number of reasons to expect a big year from Sanchez.

1) This will only be his third full season at age 28, despite pitching in the majors since 2006, due to a visit with the esteemed Dr. James Andrews in 2007 and the subsequent healing time/rehab. He only pitched limited innings in 2008 and 2009, but his last two seasons have seen Sanchez reach 195 and 196 innings pitched, an indication that he is finally recovered and back to peak form.

2) The Marlins new park is alleged to play like Petco East and we all know that pitching in San Diego is like The Cream and The Clear for pitchers. The worst statistic for Sanchez last year? Home runs allowed, which rose from 10 in 2010, to 20 in 2011. Think a stadium with bigger dimensions than Petco, Safeco, and Citi Field will help bring that back down?

3) Anibal posted a career high 9.26 K/9 in 2011 which was almost 2 K’s per nine innings more than the 7.34 K/9 he averaged in 2009/2010.

4) His BB/9 has dropped from 4.81 in 2009 and 3.23 in 2010, to 2.93 last year.

5) In addition, his xFIP has dropped each of the last two years to 3.25 in 2011. I love this stat as xFIP has one of the highest correlations with future ERA of all the pitching metrics out there according to FanGraphs. Think his increased K/9 and decreased BB/9 have anything to do with the drop in xFIP?

His current ADP is 129 on www.mockdraftcentral.com with range from 99th to 192nd, meaning that he is going from anywhere between round 9 to round 16. That is a huge spread for a guy that I think will end up a top 25 starting pitcher by year end. By avoiding a sexier name earlier you can instead stock up on hitters and have a guy like Sanchez anchor your staff when he drops to you while everyone else is scrambling to find a middle infielder.
Publish Post
The value is especially good when you look at him in auction leagues. Yahoo! and ESPN have him at an average auction cost of $4.00-$5.00. I would go as high as $20 for him, but it looks like you don’t need to, spend that $15 somewhere else if you can. $20 production for $5 cost, that’s how you win in fake sports.

Tuesday Night Observation

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:38:00 +0000

Can someone explain to me why Norv Turner just got an extension to continue coaching in San Diego?

Onside kick. Really? REALLY? You do realize that no matter where the Jets get the ball in that situation, they're going to come out and run some version of the following, we'll call it The Schottenheimer:

1st down. Run.

2nd Down. Run.

3rd down. Run.

You know exactly what's coming. You can stack the line with eight, maybe even...gasp...nine guys. I can guarantee without a doubt that the crowd would be going absolutely bonkers in a stadium with some of the loudest home end zones I have ever personally sat in.

Now. If they run this sequence of plays at their own 20 yard line it is a very simple decision for Rex Ryan.

4th down. Think I'll punt here.

You have two electric return men in Darren Sproles and Antonio Cromartie. There is a very good chance that, if the Jets punt to you, you may get such a good return that you'll get a chance to run your own version of The Schottenheimer. That would probably be followed by a Kaeding field goal attempt (I know, he missed three prior, but you know Little Nicky is just itching to redeem himself at this point, and there is no way that the Jets are lucky enough to have kickers in consecutive games miss SIX field goals in a row against them). Tie game, OT at home, I like my chances. Maybe you even get a touchdown in regulation and win it there.

But no. You go with the onside into the teeth of the Jets hands team.

Then we get The Schottenheimer.

And on 4th down Sexy Rexy and the Sanchitos need one yard to go into Victory Formation.

Easier call to go for it when you are on the opponents 29 yard line with 1:09 left than on your own 29 and roughly the same time left.

Nice call Norv. Wade Phillips thought it was a bad call.

Give it up to the Jets, they hung in there and made plays. But you can't help but think that Sexy Rexy saw the opposing coach was going to be Norv this past week and started game planning for Indy and Baltimore.

Monday Sports Musings

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:16:00 +0000

March Madness begins next week, can't wait...

...I was watching my Suns get trounced the other day by Cleveland and it dawned on me how bad my current "fandom" is looking. Fandom is a word I just made up, someone else has probably used it before, but it seems to fit. It is essentially the kingdom within which is contained all of a sports fan's favorite sports teams, professional, collegiate, maybe even high school, these make up a fan's kingdom or fandom.

...Let's look a little closer at the teams in my fandom:

...Phoenix Suns. Old, injured, we clearly have missed that overused phrase, "the window of opportunity" to win a championship. At the end of last season we traded for a player who did not fit our system. We got bounced in the playoffs by the our nemesis, again. We then fired the coach who got us to the brink of the NBA Finals, because now his system wasn't working due to the acquirement of said player who did not fit our system. We then hired a new coach to fit the player who did not fit last year, and he immediately installed a system that didn't fit the other 14 guys on the roster. About halfway through the season we decided that we made a mistake and so we fired the new guy and replaced him with an assistant who worked directly under the coach whose system we originally abandoned. We went back to the old system, we started playing better, and then a key cog in our machine, perhaps our best individual player, got injured and is out for the season, again. Detached retina. I feel his pain. Needless to say, the past five years have been just a tad disappointing for Suns fans. I have said it before, when we let Joe Johnson go it all went to @!#@.

...Denver Broncos. We play swiss cheese defense for 3 years. We go through defensive coordinators like sunflower seeds in a baseball dugout. We decide to fire the coach who won the only 2 Super Bowls for our franchise. This irritates our young star quarterback. He hints at wanting to be traded. We hire a bright young new coach who immediately decides that it would be fantastic to trade our young quarterback for another young quartback he coached last year. Instead, that quarterback is traded to a division rival. The new coach and our young star quarterback are now squabbling, they have a telephone conversation to try and smooth things out and apparently it does the opposite. Recent reports out of Denver say that our quarterback now has put both of his Denver-area homes up for sale. Now he is also reportedly asking for a trade. Our young star wide receiver got booked for disorderly conduct this offseason. This is the fourth arrest for him since March 2006. He was suspended for a game last year, wonder what he'll get this year? Might be some tickets available in Denver this year.

...Atlanta Braves. Perennial underachievers, we are now rebuilding. 14 division titles and 1 World Series victory to show for it. A for effort, F for outcome. Our big attempt at free agent signing this offseason was Ken Griffey Jr. Enough said.

...Oakland A's. Breeding ground for the rest of MLB's young talent. After reigning supreme in the late 80's and early 90's we have now become the poster child for small market teams trying to win big. Funny thing is, despite our GM's brilliancy, we have absolutely zero to show for our innovative approaches to getting the most out of very little. While we once were a lock for second half domination and subsequent playoff runs, we are now the worst offensive team in baseball. Nowhere to go but up.

...Arizona Wildcats basketball. Our 1997 Championship team was one of the best stories ever. To this date, they are the only team to defeat three number one seeds in the same tournament. Perennial contenders, the greatest coach and recruiter we have ever had just retired. We lost to ASU, our biggest rival, twice. We barely made the NCAA tournament and will undoubtedly get bounced early yet again. Definitely on the downslope.

...I am not making this a pity party, sports is constantly changing, one day you're up, the next you're down. Having multiple teams in different sports to root for should ensure that at least one is on the upswing, but sometimes the planets align against you and you are stuck trying to justify the statement, "They will be better than you think," for all of the teams in your fandom.

F@!#

...LCV

Grammy's advice for today:

"To let friendship die away by negligience and silence is certainly not wise."

- Samuel Johnson

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:08:00 +0000

And the Sarah Palin show continues...

...in front of turkeys being killed? She definitely needs to fire her PR staff.

Was kinda hoping they would come over, tip her upside down and stick her in the...bad taste, I know, but one can wish...

...The turkey's last words?...

"Thank god I don't have to listen to her anymore!"

Surfin' the Super Highway

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:53:00 +0000

...you notice the link to Speedtest.net in the upper right-hand corner? Go there, click on your server, test your speed to see if your provider is up to the task.

...I was a Firefox guy until I recently discovered Google's new Chrome browser. Download it now. Stop reading and get it up and running. Most user friendly browser yet. I love it.

...if you want a simple plan to get out of debt, Dave Ramsey is the man, check out his Total Money Makeover website. Best I've seen. Try it for 7 days FREE. Thank me when you are debt-free.

...what about fitness. Check out P90X with Tony Horton. 3 months and you will be ripped, in better shape than you have ever been in. Not easy at first, but you will be amazed with the results. Also, eat good. Every three hours have a meal, with protein of some kind, no carbs after 3 pm, and exercise as much as you can. You'll drop the lbs., trust me. Did it for my wedding last year and am going back on next week. Idea for a weekly column maybe? Track my results online?...

...LV

From Sunlight to Ash

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:42:00 +0000

...sending some prayers to those with homes and loved ones dealing with Mother Nature in Southern California.

...The recent fires did make me think of an interesting question/scenario:

What if you had 15 minutes to get what you wanted from your home or place of residence before it all burned down? What would you save?

...Think of all the STUFF that we have. It is all going to be gone in 15 minutes, what do you take, what can you take?

...Reality says that, if I want to save my TV for instance, I am probably not getting much else. Unplugging it, carrying it (it weighs like 23,000 lbs.!), getting it out to the curbside. There is no way I get that TV out in less than 10 minutes and I may be wasting my time as it may take longer and then I get next to nothing else.

...For anyone who likes behind-the-scenes reporting, check out the article in Newsweek about the 2008 Presidential Campaign.

...I would like to formally put out Billy Beane's name for consideration as our next Secretary of the Treasury. With our country in the throes of a devastating economic breakdown, the master of buy low and sell high would be perfect. Here's a guy who maximizes his payroll (federal budget), focuses on scouting and growing young talent (middle class/education), and consistently finds ways to improve his team short-term all the while setting them up for long-term win-win situations.

...Look at the recent Matt Holliday trade. He gives up young players at positions which he has a surplus to get a young MVP-caliber player who will add an impact bat to his lineup for next year. In addition, if the A's fall out of contention next year, he could trade Holliday to a contender for more young talent. Or, if they are in the race till the end he could to Holliday for the season and then let him become a free agent and receive two compensatory draft picks from which ever team signs him. Gives up something he doesn't need for something he does right now, and then replaces what he gave up. Brilliant.

Grammy's advice for November 15th:

"Most people say that as you get old, you have to give up things. I think you get old because you give up things.

- Senator Theodore Francis Green

...LCV

November 4, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:01:00 +0000

...given the way in which the McCain campaign had him removed from election night hosting duties because they felt he was too biased (Fox News?), it was ironically satisfying to hear Keith Olbermann call the election for our 44th President, Barack Obama...

...Regardless of who you voted for, this is a change for our country, and one that was desperately needed...

...For the first time in eight long years we went into a voting booth and next to President of the United States we did not see the name "George W. Bush." Brings a smile to my face, how about yours?...

...As I watched John McCain's concession speech I was struck by how real he finally was. This was the man I supported in 2000, this was the man that showed up only briefly at times during this campaign. He is a true hero to this country, and that should never be forgotten. For him to come out and give his concession speech after fighting for the one position he so desperately sought for so many years and falling short, it was to be expected, the tears he was holding back, the honesty which which he spoke about unity and moving forward. The man truly loves his country and you saw that last night very clearly...

...started reading this great article in Newsweek...

...more to come, gotta get back to work...

Here are the Tax Plans side-by-side

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:28:00 +0000

Viveka Weiley at Chartjunk does a fantastic job of weighting the chart so that we can very visually understand how Obama's plan targets the vast majority of Americans.

This is only one of the many issues on which Obama is far superior to McCain...

.

Hilarious...

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:06:00 +0000

great stuff from WorseThanBush.org

Almost the end of another week...

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:05:00 +0000

...It's July 3rd and the anticipation is killing me...

...because I have to work on July 4th! But that isn't even the best part. I don't get any special holiday pay. On the day that we celebrate the extremely important day upon which our great country found its independence I am supposed to work for normal wages and like it...

...for those of you who don't know me, I am currently seeking a new career in something other than mortgages, and in the interim I have gone back to working the same job I left 8 years ago when I graduated college with the future in front of me and the world by its balls, parking cars...

...now don't get me wrong, valet parking is not that bad, you get to drive almost every type of car out there (which would be even more informational and exciting if not for the fact that anyone working as a valet has very little chance of owning an Aston Martin), the hours are flexible enough that I can still interview for jobs, and it keeps the people skills sharp...

...as for job hunting, I am struck by one simple fact that is extremely frustrating and yet at the same time gives me great hope that I can pick myself up off of the hotel driveway and pave a path to employment greatness, and that fact is that no one seems to grasp the concept of following up and/or returning emails/phone calls!

...call me and tell me I am completely disillusioned to think I could ever work for your company, call me and tell me I am just not what you are looking for, call me and tell me that my experience or qualifications don't fit your needs, email me a generic denial letter with my name inserted in the introduction, but don't just let me twist in the wind!

...frustrating, yes. But it gives me hope, because I call people back, I follow up, I understand the concept that when someone leaves you a message or shoots you an email or text message, you reply. It is ok if it takes you a few days, everyone is busy and we all have to prioritize based on our most pressing matters, just do it, acknowledgment is ok, it doesn't hurt, even if what you have to say is not what I want to hear, I'll get over it...

...in yet another indication that "The Year of Humility" will be the title of this chapter in my autobiography, my fantasy baseball team is in dead last place in the only for-money league I am in, and also the only one of which I am commissioner...

...so, while I blast Nothing Else Matters and wait for the fireworks, here's the last word...

Grammy's advice for July 3rd:

"To reach the port of heaven, we must sail, sometimes with the wind & sometimes against it...but we must sail, not drift or lie at anchor."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

...LCV

Resume, Schmesume...

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:10:00 +0000

...anyone out there hiring? Anyone?...

...I don't have to remind anyone that getting a new job right now is harder than surviving a Siberian winter...

...Ironically, the Discovery Channel paid Bear Grylls (Man v. Wild) to do just that...

...speaking of the esteemed Mr. Grylls, no matter how real you may think his show is, he gets a lifetime ManCard for eating the raw meat off of a dead impala's leg in the episode that I saw last night...

...and he gets paid for this...makes my college degree feel about the size of one of the larvae he regularly gulps down...

...speaking of which, anyone else who watches Man v. Wild ever notice that, whenever Bear eats something in the wilderness, his voiced-over dialogue always contains the phrase "high in protein," or "more protein than [insert typical suburban meat]?"...

...subsequently, as part of our newfound fitness lifestyle and subsequent "high-protein" diet, I am trying to convince my wife that we can become more efficient at removing flies, fleas, mosquitoes, moths and such from our apartment by simply eating them...also, it saves us money on groceries...

...after all, they are higher in protein than that low-fat ground turkey she buys...

...inevitably she comes back with, "why don't we just eat your cats, they bring all the bugs in anyway?"...

...she loves my cats...

...and, by the way, I would never let her do any harm to them (PETA disclaimer)...

I leave you with a personal note. When my Grammy passed away years ago (my Dad's mom, the sweetest woman in the world with whom I had the pleasure of spending seven glorious weeks with every summer in Evergreen, Colorado when I was younger) we went back to her house to see if there were any mementos or keepsakes that me or my parents would want to have. I, of course, requested her collection of the great written works, Shakespeare, Socrates and such. I also took with me a very special item that I had always remembered sitting on her dresser, and one that reminded me of her in a way that nothing else could. It is a daily quote collection, with various sayings, Bible quotes, and some statements which seem to come straight out of Poor Richard's Almanac...

...Basically, it is a stack of mini index cards, one for each day of the year, bound with two big metal rings so you can rotate it each day. I leave you with today's quote and going forward I will end each post with that day's quote in remembrance of my Grammy:

Grammy's advice for July 2nd:

One moment of patience may ward off a disaster.

One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.

...LCV

NCAA Championship

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:30:00 +0000

First off, congrats to KU fans. Kansas deserved to win this game. They took advantage of some huge mental errors by Memphis and Chalmers hit a huge shot. Everyone is going to focus on FT shooting, but realistically Memphis made 3 critical mistakes in my opinion that KU took advantage of:

Mental Error #1. Dorsey committing one of the worst fouls I have ever seen for his fifth and final foul. It happened with 1:23 left in the game and Memphis up by 6. CDR had just made two FT's and Dorsey proceeds to pick up a ticky tack 5th foul, stop the clock, and put one of the better FT shooters at the line for two. You should never let the other team score points with the clock stopped.

Mental Error #2. With :16 left Memphis had stolen the rebound on a missed shot, were up by 2 points and had a 3-on-1 against Arthur. For some inexplicable reason, CDR decides to try and dunk the ball instead of backing it out. They would have been fouled regardless and would have had to make FT's, but instead of going to the line with :16 on the clock they could have run down the clock to at least :10 in my opinion and then had to make the FT's. Dozier then makes a great play to get an offensive rebound and they run 6 seconds off before Rose gets fouled. Memphis could have been looking at Rose at the FT line with :04 left. He makes one and KU has no timeouts and not enough time to run that last play to Chalmers.

Mental Error #3. Blame Calipari, his players should have known 100% to foul at the end. As a coach you make sure they know.

Overall, a great game though...I am officially a huge Derrick Rose fan...

Final Four Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:22:00 +0000

...first and foremost I would like to express who very happy I was to see UCLA lose yet again in the Final Four...
...It was obvious to anyone who watched the game Saturday that they didn't even belong on the same floor as Memphis...
...CDR posterizing Kevin Love may have been the highlight of my tournament viewing thus far...
...my pick for tonight: it will be a high-scoring affair...
...my lean if I had to pick would be Kansas because they have a bit more depth...
...Kansas jumping out to a 40-12 lead was unexpected and boring for anyone not gambling on or a fan of the Jayhawks...
...but the great part was the look of just utter shock on the face of Roy Williams, like someone just shit in his cereal...
...anyone see CDR's socks? I remember wearing my socks like that in junior high...
...Derrick Rose is unbelievable with the rock, anyone who thinks he shouldn't be the #1 overall pick is just plain wrong in my opinion...
...should be a good one tonight...

Good Friday Musings

noreply@blogger.com (IW) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:04:00 +0000

This is my blog, if you like it please spread the word and leave a comment and if you hate it definitely leave a comment...

It is a beautiful day outside; perfect Southern California weather; sunny and breezy with a hint of hope for the future in the air...

Daily instrument check:

...$70,835 in debt, but thanks to DaveRamsey.com (if you need help with personal finances this is one of the best places to start) I am slowly chiseling away at that number and by 2010 plan on being debt free...
...job hunting because selling mortgages are no longer fun or profitable...
...married to a wonderful woman who has stopped talking to me ( I am guessing she will start again once I have found a new job)...
...think I may have sprained one of my cruciate ligaments, but I can't figure out which one...
...watching the Madness of March and secretly happy that I started job hunting today because I was able to see the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky hit a prayer 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded at the end of the first overtime to beat Drake...
...finding that my degree in Finance from Loyola Marymount University doesn't do me much good because I partied too much my first two years and never got my GPA above 3.0 and because I have spent the last 5.5 years in a profession that doesn't exactly evoke confidence and happiness in people right now...
...I endorseObama...
...I love the start of baseball season...
...say a prayer that I will get that job soon as I need to ask my wife what she did with my favorite hat...

Left Coast Views