LestersLegends.com

2012 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper Third Baseman: Lonnie Chisenhall

LestersLegends — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:12 +0000

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Cleveland Indian Third Baseman Lonnie Chisenhall had a modest .255-27-7-22-1 line in his 66-game debut. He didn’t blow you away, but remember that Chisenhall turned just 23 as the season came to a close. Obviously at that age there is plenty of room for improvement.
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He is locked in along with second baseman Jason Kipnis and catcher Carlos Santana as Cleveland goes with a youth movement.
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Chisenhall’s overall numbers weren’t great, but he did finish strong. After hitting .238 in 126 at bats from June-August, Lonnie hit .279 in 86 September at bats. He hit four home runs in September (21.5 HR/AB) and three prior (42.0 AB/HR). While you would like to see more at bats per strikeout than the 5.05 he averaged in September, it was more than a full at bat per strikeout better than June-August.
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Chisenhall didn’t exactly tear it up in the minors hitting .262 at the Double-A level and .267 for Triple-A Columbus. That said, he continued to move up the ranks to make it to the show at 22. The fact that he wasn’t overwhelmed with the jump is encouraging.
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The fact that he held his own against left-handed pitching also serves him well. He actually hit lefties (.260, .888 OPS) much better than righties (.253, .640).
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Chisenhall should not be thought of as your fantasy starter, even at a shallow position like third base. I wouldn’t even want him as my corner infielder either. Not with the bevy of first basemen available. You won’t have to either. With a Mock Draft Central ADP of 366, that would be the 31st round, which is more than most leagues have.
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Chisenhall is a guy to keep an eye on if he starts the season of the way he finished last year. He can also help out if your third baseman goes down with an injury.
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Why the Colts Must Move On From Peyton Manning

LestersLegends — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:21 +0000

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In a perfect world (at least if you are a Colts fan) it would have taking care of business in front of the home fans in Super Bowl XLVI.
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Obviously Peyton’s body had different plans and the Colts fans suffered through a humiliating 2-14 season, which was even worse than the matching 3-13 record the Colts had in the year leading up to the selection of Peyton Manning and his 1998 rookie season.
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2012 marks the fourth time the Colts landed the first overall pick since they moved to Indianapolis in 1984, a year after number one overall pick John Elway forced a trade to Denver. Two of the three years the Colts selected a quarterback with the first overall pick. Jeff George in 1990 and of course Peyton in 1998.
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Here we are 14 years later and the Colts don’t have a choice but to start over with “can’t miss” prospect Andrew Luck.
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Obviously there are factors that make the selection of Luck a foregone conclusion. Peyton will turn 36 next month. I know Brett Favre became a grandpa amd played six season at 36 or greater before he left the game in a ball of flames. Of those six seasons though, only two did Favre throw more TDs than INTs.
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Favre didn’t have the injury concern that Peyton has. Favre didn’t miss a start until he turned 41. Though Peyton never missed a start before this year, he missed an entire season. He has had multiple neck surgeries. That alone would be enough to scare off most teams.
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Sure, you could keep Peyton around and develop Andrew Luck. The problem is, you end up risking to have the same scenario that the Packers experienced when they basically had to force Brett Favre out the door. There probably won’t be a better time to move on Peyton.
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For starters, the Colts fans got a glimpse of life after Peyton and it wasn’t pretty. We have heard how good Andrew Luck has been for two years. How could even the most loyal of Peyton/Colts fans not get excited about possibly landing the next Peyton Manning? Having the Super Bowl in their backyard also helps matters. They got to experience what they were missing first hand.
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There is actually talk in some circles that Eli has become a better QB than Peyton. Maybe at this present time, and maybe over the rest of Peyton’s career, but let’s not forget what Peyton has been. Eli has two rings, but it’s a team game. Trent Dilfer is not better than Dan Marino because he won a trophy.
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The other reason why it’s time to move on for Peyton is the $28 million roster bonus that is due in March. Jim Irsay simply can’t put the organization at risk by making that payment.
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Where he lands is up for debate. To paraphrase Semisonic, he doesn’t have to go home, but he can’t stay here.

Fantasy Basketball Find: Jeremy Lin

LestersLegends — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:00:30 +0000

Anthony Gruppuso, US Presswire
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One of the players that is jumping off the shelves is New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin. In his past two games he’s 20 for 36 from the floor for an impressive 55.6 shooting percentage. He’s also made 12 of 16 (75.0 percent) of his free throws. He only knocked down one three-pointer, but it would hard to complain about that.
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Not with an average of 26.5 points per game. It’s not like that’s the only area he has contributed either. Lin added 3.5 rebounds per game, 7.5 assists per game, and 2.0 steals per game.
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With the kind of production it is easy to overlook the lack of three-pointers. Let’s face it, as long as he’s scoring like that does it really matter how he gets his?
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Lin has averaged 40.5 minutes during the two-game eruption. Obviously getting extended run is important if he’s going to continue to play at a high level. The Knicks do have other options at point guard (Iman Shumpert, Toney Douglas, Mike Bibby, and perhaps at some point Baron Davis).
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Nobody has ran away with the job yet so Lin is the current flavor of the month following his outburst.
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Lin does have a tendency to turn the ball over. In his final three years at Harvard he averaged 3.2 turnovers. Lin only had one on Saturday, but he followed it up with eight turnovers on Monday.
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Lin is owned in just over half of fantasy leagues. That number is only going to go up, especially in the short-term. Given the way he played the past two games, and the ability for point guards to put up big numbers in Mike D’Antoni’s system, Lin is a must-add if he’s still out there.
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2012 Fantasy Baseball Additional Third Base Options

LestersLegends — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:00:36 +0000

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We already looked at the LestersLegends’ top 15 fantasy baseball third basemen for 2012, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t additional options if you choose to wait on filling your third base slot to address other positions. Alternatively, many leagues offer corner infield slots, which put these options on your radar.
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David Freese was a monster during the postseason for the Cardinals, setting the record with 21 RBI. He wasn’t too shabby during the regular season either, posting a .297-41-10-55-1 line in 333 at bats. He’ll need to step up his game with Albert Pujols moving on.
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Atlanta’s Chipper Jones just keeps going. He will turn 40 in April, but is still productive. In 126 games Jones posted a solid .275-56-18-70-2 line. You have to be prepared that Chipper will miss some time, but he could give you some pop from the hot corner slot.
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Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion will be used primarily at designated hitter, but will also get some time at both corner infield positions. He too can provide home runs, though he doesn’t tend to drive many runs in. He hit .272 last year, but regression in that category is likely for the career .260 hitter.
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Ty Wiggington will get his work at first base for the Phillies early on until Ryan Howard returns from injury. He will likely see time at third base and in the outfield as well. He doesn’t do much for average, but he should be able to provide some HRs and RBI.
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Minnesota’s Danny Valencia regressed from his 85-game debut in 2010 to post a .246-63-15-72-2 line. There is definite room for improvement, he’ll just need to work on his consistency.
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Pittsburgh’s Casey McGahee was acquired after Aramis Ramirez signed with Milwaukee. He will compete for time with Pedro Alvarez. Both struggled last year, and despite a horrific .191 average and .561 OPS, it is Alvarez’s job to lose. At 25, Alvarez is worth the risk. McGahee isn’t worth drafting unless he somehow wins a starting job.
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2012 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings

LestersLegends — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:00:35 +0000

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Prior to the Prince Fielder signing Jose Bautista was my top hot corner option. With Miguel Cabrera moving over, here are the Lester’s Legends 2012 fantasy baseball Third Base rankings. Here’s the initial list.
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1. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers: He was probably the top first baseman before the Prince Fielder signing. Now that he’s moving over to the hot corner, he easily tops this shallow position.
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2. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays: Proved that 2010 was not a fluke with 43 home runs last year. His 3B/OF eligibility is a bonus.
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3. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays: Had a down year, but still mashed 31 HRs. His four-year average of 28.3 HRs and 100.3 RBI speaks for itself.
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4. Hanley Ramirez, Miami Marlins: He had a down year, and could struggle switching to third base, but his power/speed combo, plus SS eligibility make him an attractive option.
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5. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers: He was limited to 124 games last year, but still managed 32 HRs and 105 RBI. Expect big things if he can stay healthy.
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6. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals: Only played in 101 games last year, and saw his OPS did a full 100 points to .798, but he has shown that he’s a big time hitter when he can stay healthy.
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7. David Wright, New York Mets: Only played 102 games and had a career low .772 OPS. He should bounce back though as he did in 2010. His stolen bases give him a bump.
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8. Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants: With a lot of third basemen missing significant time and/or experiencing a down year, it was nice to see Kung Fu Panda return to form. His .315-55-23-70-2 line in 117 games is encouraging. He hit .325 with a .963 OPS after the break.
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9. Brett Lawrie, Toronto Blue Jays: Sparkled in his 150 at bats, hitting .293 with 26 runs, nine HRs, and 25 RBI.
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10. Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox: The Greek God of Walks hit just .258 with 17 HRs. He has yet to play 150 games in a season and has missed 102 games over the past two years. When he plays he’s effective, but you’ll need a contingency plan.
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11. Michael Young, Texas Rangers: The dude doesn’t age or slow down. You’re not going to get home runs from him, but expect a .300+ average and a solid number of runs and RBI.
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12. Aramis Ramirez, Milwaukee Brewers: He moved north to Milwaukee. He was healthy last year, playing in 149 games after combining for 206 in the previous two seasons. He has good power and will give you a decent average, but he’ll miss Prince and Braun during his suspension.
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13. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees: It’s hard not to consider A-Rod a top-ten third base option, but he will turn 37 and hit just 16 home runs in 99 games. Plus, he was brutal during the postseason. Regression has clearly began.
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14. Mark Reynolds, Baltimore Orioles: The average is going to be brutal (.238 lifetime hitter), but he has averaged 38.3 HRs over the past four years. Unfortunately the stolen bases have taken a hit.
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15. Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals: He wasn’t entirely impressive, hitting .263 with a .675 OPS. He finished strong though, hittin g.352 with four HRs and 12 RBI in September.
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Super Bowl XLVI Champion New York Giants

LestersLegends — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:38 +0000

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Congratulations to the New York Giants. As a Patriots fan it was a brutal loss. To have Eli once again snatch victory from us with a brilliant fourth quarter drive brought back painful memories. Just a tough loss to swallow.
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On a lighter note, here is how my picks finished out:
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Regular Season Lock Picks: 28-6 (.824)
Regular Season Total: 176-80 (.688)
Playoffs Picks: 6-6 (.545)
Pro Bowl Pick: 0-1
Overall Total: 182-86 (.679)