The Fantasy Man

Updated Top 50 for the Next Generation in the NL by the NL King

2009-07-11T22:44:00.001-04:00

It's been a while guys and I hope you guys are enjoy your fantasy leagues.
Remember the struggle that is not joyous is the wrong struggle. I am
quoting, not wise enough to come up with that myself. Baseball America
came out this week with an updated top 50 Prospects list in MLB. Keep
in mind it doesn't show any of the 2009 MLB Drafted players (like Stephen
Strasburg are not included on the list. They will be when they do
their top 100 next spring).

Interesting Notes:
- 26 of the top 50 are in the NL
- Of the 26 top 50 NL Prospects 14 are from Phil, Col, SF, Atl and Fla.
- Florida has two guys in the top 10.
- Carlos Santana of the Indians is ranked number 7 and was one of the
players the Dodgers gave up last summer for Casey Blake
- Chris Tillman of the Orioles is ranked number 8 and was one of the 5
players the Orioles got for Erik Bedard.

NL guys to really watch and projected as future monster players.....
Jason Heyward - ATL - OF - Ranked #1 - will turn 20 in August - 10HR -
37RBI - 35R - 4SB - .300 AVG - .378 OBP - .529 SLG - .906 OPS, ETA:
Summer 2010
Just got promoted and he could be in the majors this time next year.
He is compared to a Dave Parker and Willie McCovey.

Mike Stanton - Fla - OF - Ranked #2 - will turn 20 in November - 18HR
- 55RBI - 45R - 3SB - .266 AVG - .362 OBP - .526 SLG - .887 OPS, ETA:
Opening Day 2011
Will take a little longer than Heyward but he is compared to Dave
Winfield.

Madison Bumgarner - SF - SP - Ranked #5 - will turn 20 in August -
9-2, 1.63 ERA, 1.00 Ratio, 66K in 77.333 IP and has allowed only 1 HR
this year, ETA Opening Day 2011
He is projected as a left handed ace, not a #2 starter but an ace. The
Giants are loaded with arms.

Buster Posey - SF - C - Ranked #6 - 22 - 12HR - 52RBI - 57R - 6SB - .
321 AVG - .424 OBP - .531 SLG - .954 OPS, ETA: Opening Day 2010
Benjie Molina contract ends after this season and then it will be the
Buster Posey era. Think a sligthly better version of Russell Martin.
That's Russell Martin of 2007 & 2008.

Logan Morrison - Fla - 1B - Ranked #10 - turns 22 in August - Has only
103 AB's this year due to a wrist injury deemed a big power hitting
prospect. ETA; 1st Half 2010

Freddie Freeman - Atl - Ranked #11 - turns 20 in September - 6HR -
36RBL - 46R - 1SB - .299 AVG - .390 OBP - .442 SLG - .833 OPS, ETA
Opening Day 2011
Casey Kotchman is a short term solution

Also keep an eye out for the following:
Jarrod Parker - Arz - SP - turns 21 in November, at AA and could be up
next summer, front line starter.
Alcides Escobar - Mil - SS - turns 23 in December, top of the order
hitter with 30 SB potential. Doug Melvin believes he is ready now.
Hardy could be used to land a SP and Escobar take over now.
Yonder Alonso - Cinn - 1B - turns 23 by next opening day, middle of
the order run producer
Dominic Brown - Phil - OF - turns 22 in Sept, very athletic player
Jason Castro - Hou - C - 22 - his time is coming the have Pudge as
their starter on a 1 year deal
Brett Wallace - Stl - 3B - turns 23 in August, all-star calibar bat

Also watch out for:
Michael Taylor - Phil - OF
Kyle Drabek - Phil - SP
Tim Alderson - SF - SP
Pedro Alvarez - Pitt - 3B

Over and Out!

The NL King - C.Lizza

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Fantasy Players Express - The Fantasy Man's Newest Creation!

2009-06-20T06:28:00.000-04:00

Welcome to The Fantasy Man's newest creation! Looking ahead at 2009 and 2010, The Fantasy Man is on the brink of innovation! His newest project, Fantasy Players Express, takes fantasy sports advice to the next level.

At Fantasy Players Express, fantasy managers and experts can interact on the same playing field, share strategies and ideas, and add updated news about every individual fantasy player on the earth.... as YOU see it! This site is designed to help fantasy sites/experts promote their content while allowing ALL fantasy managers from beginner to experienced, to freely and quickly give their knowledgeable input on individual fantasy sports players. Imagine all fantasy experts giving advice at the same time all in one organized place, that’s Fantasy Players Express.

Feel free to check out the site and register for FREE right now! Please keep in mind that we are still in the beginning phases and still working out the kinks and adding new features and such. 95% of the database is up-to-date as to the players and what teams they're on and what positions they play. You'll see when you get there.

Currently, I just signed on Todd "The True Guru" Farino of www.FantasyBaseballSearch.com along with a few others we already had. Myself, along with Todd and whoever else we sign shortly....plan on providing the up-to-date fantasy advice you need! At the same time, I have uploaded fantasy football players into the database as well, no now we can comment on baseball and football players.

This site is designed to share ideas, share fantasy draft strategies, and to keep each other updated about our fantasy team players. In time and as the success of this new site develops, we will add more features to make Fantasy Players Express the best place on the internet to get updated information about all fantasy players. Right now, the site is very raw but it depends on you and your participation to make it grow and become lively! Check the site often, make a comment or post on multiple players at a time and please give the site time to help build up the database. You can also create a profile where you can share some of your fantasy sports experiences.

Thank you all for checking it out! Of course, I am open to any feedback or suggestions you may have!

Mike

Must Stay the Course by the NL King

2009-06-18T18:52:00.001-04:00

Hey guys, I know it's tough to stay patient but that's what you need to do sometimes without pushing the panic button. Like I've said previously, I'm in an NL only 5x5 keeper league and as I write this article I am in 3rd place and 8.5 points out of first. Right now what is hurting me is the performances of Russell Martin, Kelly Johnson and Edwin EnCarncion.

I spent $69 draft dollars on these three players and I have so far got very little in return for them at this point in the season (thank God for Raul Ibanez although he went on the DL today with a groin injury). But I cannot and will not panic! These three players are solid players and just off to very bad starts and in EnCarncion's case, off to a bad start and then a 2 month injury. These guys I believe are going to get hot. I firmly believe in the 10% rule where a proven player on a given year will finish within plus or minus 10% of their typical season as long as they don't lose to many games to injury. That means these guys are due to break out and the numbers should start flowing soon. Keep in mind, unlike pitching where bad performances take a lot of good performances to just make up, the hitting can be made up with a red hot week or two. That's what I'm counting on. Every team in fantasy baseball goes through that from expert to beginner.

Stay the course! Also, if someone in your league has a player like this and is in panic mode and you can get a Russell Martin at 60 cents on the dollar...... BUY!!!!!!!

The NL King - C.Lizza

Dell Days of Deals! June 15-24 - A New Deal Everyday!

Is the Big Papi back?

2009-06-12T11:44:00.003-04:00

www.FANLEX.com PLAY IN DAILY FANTASY LEAGUES FOR REAL CASH! SIGN UP NOW AND I'LL GIVE YOU $2.00 FREE CASH TO TRY IT OUT!!

The Big Papi is heating up, just as every manager who has owned him has started to give up! You can thank ESPN and the media for that! He's only 33!!!! So what if he's off to a bad start?! Yeah, there's always the possibility of steroids but all these fantasy baseball websites and experts are getting a little crazy here. He's not done! Let's be realistic people.

What could be the reason the Big Papi is slumping so much? Duh! There's no Manny Ramirez hitting behind him. He's had that for years, now suddenly its gone and Papi hasn't adjusted....well, up until now maybe! He suffered the wrist injury that he clearly didn't recover fully from last season, then he lost Manny, and then got off to a terrible start this year. Well, so has Lance Berkman. So has Chien-Ming Wang. So has Jose Reyes. So has Grady Sizemore. Maybe not as bad as Ortiz, but they haven't been as good as expected.

I said it a few weeks ago, David Ortiz will be the Carlos Delgado of 2009 and Ortiz is 4 or 5 years younger than Delgado!

Anyway, don't give up on Ortiz! He's got 8 hits in his last 7 games including 3HR. That's the start and now is a good time to think about giving the Big Papi a chance. I'm not saying to go out and trade any top players for him but you could get him activated and hope he continues to hit and get out of his funk. This is the time where you can grab him and still buy low. I'm telling you, everyone has given up on this guy!

2009 Fantasy Baseball for Beginners Part 1 of 3

2009-06-11T13:52:00.002-04:00

Part 1: Getting Started

I know what you're thinking, and I felt the same way when I first started playing about 13 years ago. You're probably asking yourself, where do I start? Maybe you're tired of finishing at the bottom of the standings year after year or could it be that you're brand new to the world of fantasy baseball and have no idea how to prepare. Let The Fantasy Man be your guide.

My goal is to help you win your fantasy baseball league. My goal is to help you manage your team throughout the season to ensure consistent success from April through September. My goal is to make sure you don't trade away Ryan Howard for Steve Balboni or get ripped on deals that are clearly not in your favor. My goal is to help you create fantasy baseball success and earn that league championship prize whether it be cash or bragging rights. Let The Fantasy Man be your guide.

Below starts a step by step list on how to prepare for any fantasy baseball season. If you're an expert or an experienced player, this article is probably not for you. However, if you need a reality check, the information below could prove useful. What you see below is what I do personally as I prepare for each fantasy baseball season. Not to toot my own horn, but if I play in say 10 leagues in a year, 9 of those 10 leagues I always finish in the top 5. That is a fact. There is always a league or two that I just totally give away whether it's injuries or just unlucky picks. In some ways, fantasy baseball is a crapshoot, but at the same time, you do have 180 days or so to whip your team into shape, into a winner. That is where I excel personally. Maybe I draft a bad team in the beginning, but throw in a few key trades, a couple of timely waiver wire pick-ups, and I can literally go from last place in late May to first place in early September. I've done it many times. It's persistence and it's being active, it's a little bit of luck, and it's about making the right moves at the right time. You have to know the players! That's fantasy baseball. Here's how you get started, the way I get started....

1. Know the Players - Let's keep it simple, if you know how to read, you can get to know all the players. Here is my basic philosophy to winning a fantasy baseball league.... "Know the players! Know what they are capable of! Know where and when to draft them and how much to pay for them!" Who cares about crunching stats? It's time consuming and boring. It's all about when and where to find value in a draft or auction. That is what I live by. I will get more into that as we go. Think about this.... if you know the players better than anyone, then why not try baseball betting where you can get a ton of info on players!

2. Preparing in November - Do you and your friends/family/co-workers do a live draft every year? Chances are, 7-8 of those 12 players in your league picked up a fantasy magazine at the last minute and tried to do a draft without really preparing. Trust me, it shows. I personally start preparing in November, by keeping up on "Hot Stove" trade talks, seeing where players are getting traded to, who is signing where, etc., is what I am looking for on a daily basis. Read newspaper articles, scour the websites for up-to-date-information, get the scoop on players while most fantasy managers are still fiddling with fantasy football. Pro Sports Daily is a website that organizes articles from all the major newspapers for free. Take advantage of the information that's out there. One great website for up-to-date trade talks and free agent signings and rumors is MLB Trade Rumors by a great fantasy baseball mind named Tim Dierkes. Tim constantly stays on top of the current talks and rumors but also includes articles from other sources who write about the hot topics. This is a great way to get your mind set on baseball. Also, for all you interested in sports betting, sometimes these sites can provide some "out of the box" type of information. You can look at the spreads and get a sense as to what people are thinking. If the masses are all betting one way, maybe you should too.

At the same time in November, The Fantasy Man (me) is preparing for the next fantasy baseball season by adding rankings, cheat sheets, draft tools, podcasts, etc. Start early and work up a base of knowledge. Keep in mind that most fantasy baseball experts/analysts are just observers who give their opinions. Every expert/analysts has different opinions and value players differently. You should always diversify. It's great to have one guy you know and trust, but it's always worth it to test the market and see what else is out there. Sometimes you need the opinions of a few experts instead of just one. A great site to get multiple opinions on a player,strategies, trades and add/drops, go to www.FantasyPlayersExpress.com which is an individual fantasy players database.

3. Organizing Information - Did you know you can get all of your favorite articles and blogs and such organized into one page which continues to update 24/7. If you go to Google and register a free account (might as well get a gmail account) to service all of your fantasy baseball communications. Once registered, click "My Account" and then click the link for "Reader". Then, open a new browser and go to Fantasy Baseball Express . In the right side bar, you'll see a little orange icon that says "subscribe in a reader". This is my RSS Feed icon. If a column, blog, article, etc., offers an RSS feed, it will have this icon or a link to subscribe. Click the icon and copy the url. Go back to the Google reader and paste it where it says "+ Add Subscription" in the left side bar. This is where you add the FEED address. Now, go to any of your favorite columns, blogs, news geeds, etc., click the little orange icon, copy url, and paste in reader. On some, you may automatically be able to just "add" it to your reader by clicking one button.

Now, all you have to do is log into your Google reader (or whatever reader you want to use) and all of the updated articles are organized neatly for you. This helps so that you don't have to spend time searching for new articles by the same people or spend time constantly clicking on websites and possibly not getting updated information. Get all the info you need on one page and save that time for studying players.

Part 2: The Draft - Preparation and Execution will be posted next.

Red Alert from NL King: Hanson & McCutchen Called Up!

2009-06-04T09:30:00.002-04:00

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Well the Braves finally called up Tommy Hanson! As you know Hanson had a great spring training but the Braves wanted to give Hanson a little more time in the minors. Hanson in 11 starts went 3-3 with a 1.49 ERA, .86 Ratio & 90K in 66 1/3 IP at AAA. Hanson as you recall was at the top of my list of my first article 25 names you need to know. In an NL only league, especially a keeper league, if Tommy Hanson is available via free agency or the waiver wire GRAB HIM. He is a young starter so there will be some growing pains. Having said that worst case scenario I don't think he'll hurt your ERA & Ratio and will get you some wins and a lot of K's. Long term he can be an ace. Remember the Braves wouldn't trade him to get Jake Peavy in the off-season.

With the horrible trade by the Pirates of Nate McLouth to the Braves it does clear the way for Andrew McCutchen (another guy on the top 25 list I wrote) right now. McCutchen is batting .303, 4HR, 20RBI, 41R, 10SB, .361OBP, 10 2B, 8 3B. McCucthen has not been rushed during his development which is very important. They say that McCutchen could potentially be a Marquis Grissom. Hitters are different from pitchers and can make a big impact right away. I see McCutchen at the top of the lineup (probably batting 2nd) and in the beginning being a solid source of runs and steals. Again in a NL only league especially a keeper league GRAB HIM NOW if he's available via the waiver wire or free agency.

C.Lizza the NL King

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The Fantasy Man is on Twitter!!!

2009-05-31T20:25:00.000-04:00

The Fantasy Man is on Twitter! Isn't technology wonderful? Only when it works I always say. Anyway, I set up a Twitter account. I've been sending out random fantasy baseball ideas and thoughts out as I get time. I have my cell phone set up so I can post t from anywhere!

So go follow me or whatever it is you do to get my messages and I'll send my advice and thoughts as the season rolls forward! Remember, if you have fantasy advice related questions, please email me only!

http://twitter.com/TheFantasyMan

Go Shopping at K-Mart" from NL King

2009-05-26T22:18:00.001-04:00

Due to the rash of injuries the Mets have called up Outfield prospect Fernando Martinez. The Mets put Jose Reyes and Ryan Church on the DL today and Carlos Beltran is out until at least Friday. Martinez at AAA Buffalo is hitting .294 with a .341 OBP, .544 SLG with 7HR, 26RBI, 21R and 2SB. If he is available in NL only leagues via the waiver wire, grab him now!

Now, as you remember in the article the "25 Names You Need to Know" that I posted a few weeks ago, Fernando Martinez was on that list. For you Met fans, don't think this kid is going to come up and be Roy Hobbs. He's playing in a ridiculous pitchers park and he's only 20 years old. Having said that, Martinez did hit 2 HR off of the Red Sox Bucholz within the last week or so in a minor league game. So for NL only Leagues if you can get him via the waiver wire or your leagues free agency... do it.

C.Lizza the NL King

A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!

2009-05-21T19:15:00.000-04:00

Nick Swisher!

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2009-05-21T18:44:00.000-04:00

Yea, thats Joba Chamberlain warming for tonights game!

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My first game at the new Yankee Stadium....

2009-05-19T18:57:00.002-04:00

This one is called .... Rain Delay! My first game at the new stadium was a washout, or so it seemed! On May 4th (I know, its a little late), My father and I had tickets for the first Boston vs. New York game at the new Yankee Stadium. It's raining all day and it was raining just as hard at 6pm as it was at 9pm. After spending a fortune on a few dogs and 2 beers we decided that at 9pm we called it quits for the night. So when we left, at 8:58pm to be exact, there weren't any grounds crew out, announcements made, or any kind of indication that the game would start anytime soon. 10 minues later we're back in the car, we're soaked, I turn on the radio and there's Susan "Goodness Gracious" Waldman ...... "And the ground crew is out and it looks like there will be baseball tonight!" Unbelievable!

Better yet, almost 20 days later, I figure out how to post pictures from my trusty free Samsung verizon sent me that I can text directly to my blog. No, this isnt a cheap plug for Verizon, I'm just excited about learning new technology that's been out since forever! Go Yanks!

Who's on 2nd in Milwaukee?

2009-05-19T18:35:00.001-04:00

So with Rickie Weeks out for the year, what is Milwaukee's game plan for 2B? It's been reported the Brewers will split time between Craig Counsell & Casey McGehee, with Counsell seeing the majority of the time. This makes sense in the short term, and as long as the Brewers keep Counsell at the top of the battle order, he could be a nice pick up in NL only leagues as your 3rd middle infielder. He can give you runs, a few steals maybe and a nice batting average. However looking at the big picture is there other possible options?

It has been mentioned maybe the Brewers call-up Alcides Escobar and have him play 2B. I don't see the Brewers putting Escobar at 2B for the rest of this year and then yank him back to SS next season. The Brewers view Escobar as their future starting SS (no later than opening day 2010) and they are not going to mess with him. Also based on his current stats in AAA (39 Games, 157 AB's, 2HR, 12 RBI, 26R, 18SB, .268 AVG, .
315 OBP) it looks like Escobar needs some more seasoning. If Escobar
catches fire down in AAA I could see him getting called up, but to me the more likely scenario would be to see if Hardy could play 2B.

By far their best setup offensively is Matt Gamel at 3B (hit his 1st HR last night and had 3 RBI's) and use Bill Hall and Craig Counsell at 2B. The question is can Gamel field enough at 3B & can Hall play 2B (he has played OF, 3B & SS what about 2B?). With Weeks' bat now gone the Brewers are going to need a bat and if Gamel hits and as long as he isn't a nightmare at 3B he isn't going anywhere. So jump on Gamel (as I said last week) if he is still available in your league, grab Counsell if you are week at middle infield and keep an eye on Alcides Escobar.

The NL King

An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps!

Red Alert from the NL King, Parra & Gamel called up!

2009-05-14T23:14:00.003-04:00

Matt Gamel was just called up by the Milwaukee Brewers. Again he was listed in my article last week on the 25 names you need to know. Gamel was hitting .330 in AAA with 8HR, 31 RBI & .421 OBP. Gamel is the Brewers top prospect and his bat is major league ready, the question is his glove at 3B. Gamel is a future core player for the Brewers, he had a great spring. He is getting called up now with inter-league around the corner and the Brewers' need for a DH. After the inter-league games, he could be sent down if it shows he needs a little more seasoning, especially with the glove. For NL only leagues he is a must pick up and he has great potential for those in keeper leagues.

The Arizona Diamondbacks called up outfielder Gerardo Parra yesterday with Conor Jackson placed on the DL with some undisclosed illness. If you remember Parra was featured in my article last week for the 25 names you need to know. The 21 year old was in Double A Mobile hitting .361 with 3 HR, 12 RBI in 29 games. Parra can play all three outfield positions which could mean plenty of AB's. Parra also had a great spring in D-Backs camp this year and had a strong showing in the WBC. Parra is one the D-Backs top prospects and currently short in the OF and with everyone struggling at the plate on this team besides Justin Upton, Parra will get every opportunity to show what he can do. If he hits, he could play every day. Parra in his MLB debut last night batting 2nd went 1 for 4 with a solo HR off Johnny Cueto. It's a little sooner than I expected for him to be up but he is a solid looking ballplayer. In NL only leagues he is a must pickup.

The NL King

Red Alert from the NL King

2009-05-09T23:07:00.001-04:00

Red Alert from the NL King:

Chris Coghlan is getting called up by the Florida Marlins with the injury to Annibal Sanchez. Coghlan is a line drive hitter who can hit some homers, steal a few bases and hit for a strong average. The Marlins plan to play him at 2B, 3B and OF, so he also gives you roster flexibility. He is getting called up today (Friday). He is a must pick up in NL only leagues via the waiver wire. Pick him up ASAP. He was lighting up Triple AAA in New Orleans where he was batting .344, 3HR, 22RBI, 9SB, .419OBP in 96AB. They would not bring him unless he was going to play. Jump on him now!

The NL King

Josh Whitesell - Sneaky Keeper Potential?

2009-05-08T12:34:00.003-04:00

The Arizona Diamondbacks have called up 1B Josh Whitesell from AAA. Thus far through 6 AB, Whitesell has 3 BB. Whitesell is 27, 6'1", 225 and is a solid hitting first baseman. In 2007 in AA, he batted .284, 21HR, 74RBI in 387AB with 87BB and an OBP of .425. In 2008 in AAA, he batted .328, 26HR, 110RBI in 475AB with 74BB and an OBP of .425. He's hit more HR every year in the minors since his first year in 2003, he's stayed healthy, and has showed he can get on base. He'll have to prove he can hit in the majors and at age 27, he's running out of time. This could be the lightning in a bottle you need to get ahead in your fantasy league. He'll likely take 2-3 weeks to feel the bumps and bruises but he could be a sweet player to grab and stash now who could be a solid second half player. Whitesell is the type of fantasy player who can come out of no where and be a keeper next season the way Ryan Ludwick did it last year. I'm not saying this guy will be a star and he can certainly crap out after a week or two, but this is the kind of player every year that makes fantasy baseball championships come true. A solid overall player who you can insert in your lineup that has a chance to provide a solid BA, HR, and RBI's. Take a chance and grab and stash Josh Whitesell.

Introducing The NL King - 25 Names You Need to Know

2009-05-06T17:41:00.005-04:00

By The NL King
Bringing you the best NL-Only League Advice on the Internet!

Just to give you guys some background I have been doing fantasy baseball since Craig Biggio was a rookie and qualified at catcher. I have been in exclusively NL only keeper leagues since then and I am a Yankee fan, go figure. I am going to be able to give you guy’s insights on the NL, which will help your fantasy teams both for the short term and the long term.

The NL is a league that currently consists of very few elite fantasy players (I only count eight). The NL has a number of players near the end of their careers. Many of the impact players have only been doing it a short period of time (less than 2 years). The closer situation on most NL teams changes every year or so and the NL has a lot of 1st year starters emerging in 2009. Unlike the AL where there are so many reliable & consistent players the NL is very chaotic and over the next 12 months or so you will see these 25 names emerge and for your team to be successful you need to know them.

The 25:
1) Tommy Hanson – Atl – SP - The 22 year old is dominating at AAA with 48K’s in 32 IP. Tom Glavine is done and Jo-Jo Reyes has been unimpressive. All you need to know is the Braves scoffed at giving him up for Jake Peavy. Peavy is already an ace. He could be up any day now.

2) Jason Heyward – Atl – OF The only thing negative I can say about him fantasy wise is he is only 19. They compare him to Willie McCovey. Big, strong and athletic and one of the top talents in the minors.

3) Kyle Banks – SD – OF - Once this 6’6, 270 lb kid figures out to play the outfield he and his power bat will be up the Pads. If Adrian Gonzalez were an outfielder, Banks would be the starting 1B now, had a great spring. The Padres have plenty of openings for bats. Gonzo is a monster and Headley could be a solid bat but outside of that everything is wide open.

4) Andrew McCutchen – Pitt – OF – The 22 year old has drawn comparisons to Marquis Grissom. Good pop and a lot of speed. He will make McLouth slide over to a corner outfield position. Pirates have shown patience with him but he should be up no later than the All-Star Break.

5) Buster Posey – SF – C – This 22 year old kid will be the starting catcher for the Giants come opening day 2010. Giants gave him a signing bonus last year of 6.2 million and Bengie Molina is a free agent after this season. Think Russell Martin.

6) Matt Gamel – Mil – 3B – This 23 year old is a pure hitter. Currently hitting over .370 in AAA. With the Brewers situation at 3B why isn’t he here yet? Because he fields like Gregg Jeffries. Am I dating myself?

7) Pedro Alvarez – Pitt – 3B – This 22 year old has a ton of talent was one of the top picks of the 2008 draft and the Pirates gave him over a 6 million dollar signing bonus. He can be in Pittsburgh ASAP the only thing stopping him is himself.

8) Mike Stanton – Fla – OF – Compare this kid to a young Dave Winfield. He has plus plus plus power and an extremely hard worker. He won’t be here until next summer but he will be an impact player.

9) Alcides Escobar – Mil – SS – This 22 year old shortstop will be the starter no later than next opening day in Milwaukee. His glove is amazing. He projects as a top of the order hitter with good stolen base potential. Even JJ Hardy has said I am just holding shortstop until this kid is ready.

10) Madison Bumgarner – SF – SP – This 19 year old has put up ridiculous numbers in the minors. The Giants say they are going to take it slow with him but didn’t they say the same thing about Lincecum? The Giants need position players, look for them to trade guys like Cain and Sanchez for position players and have a one – two punch of Lincecum and Bumgarner for years to come.

11) Carlos Carrasco – Phil – SP – This 22 year old pitcher currently resides in AAA and has the potential to be a front of the rotation starter. Have you seen the Phillies starting pitching this year? He could be getting his opportunity real soon.

12) Tim Alderson – SF – SP – Another 19-year-old potential front of the rotation guy the Giants have. Too bad they have no position players knocking on the door like this.

13) Yonder Alonso – Cinn – 1B – This 22 year old 1B projects to be a middle of the order bat. Part of the Reds future core along with Bruce and Votto. Have to figure out who will play the OF either him or Votto.

14) Jarrod Parker – Arz – SP – Front of the rotation starter who has command of 4 pitches and throws 97.

15) Fernando Martinez – NY – OF – I know the Mets have a poor history of position prospects (can you name anyone other than Strawberry, Reyes & Wright?) but they are hoping K-Mart will be a starting corner outfielder (wow is it hard watching Daniel Murphy play the OF) sometime early next year. Ideally by opening day.

16) Brett Wallace – Stl – 3B – A power hitting 3B who can be up in early June if Troy Glaus time table is pushed back again. Worst case scenario he will be the starting 3B for the Cards opening day next year as Glaus who is 33 and a free agent after this season.

17) Josh Vitters – Chi – 3B – The 3rd pick in the 2007 draft projects as a number 3 hitter. With Aramis Ramirez blocking him and in the middle of a long-term contract look for the Cubs to use Vitters as a big chip to land a big player by the trade deadline to get that world championship.

18) Jose Tabata – Pitt – OF – The talent is all there for this kid. I know he have been hearing his name for a while but remember he is only 21 and the Pirates really only have 4 core players on the major league level in Malholm, Capps, McLouth & Doumit.

19) Gorky Hernandez – Atl – OF – In the not too distant future the Braves outfield will be Heyward in right, Hernandez in center and Schafer in left. The Braves got Hernandez along with Jurrijens from the Tigers for Edgar Renteria. Helps make up for the trade of renting Texiera for 1 season

20) Andrew Lambo – LA – OF – If Manny is gone after this season in LA he could be the starting left fielder if not he will be used as trade bait and start for someone else next season.

21) Gerardo Parra- Arz – OF – Opened eyes in the WBC. Chad Tracy will be gone after this season in the desert (7 million dollar option), which will create an opening.

22) Lou Marson – Phil – C – Carlos Ruiz, Chris Coste and Citizens Bank Park.

23) Chris Perez – Stl – RP – Just recently got called up and I believe he will be their future closer. How old is Ryan Franklin?

24) Matthew Antonelli – SD – 2B – I know it’s hard to have a worst year than this kid had in 08 in AAA but the Padres haven’t given up on him. Has plenty of potential and they have no answers at 2B.

25) Stephen Strasburg – Should be the Number 1 Pick of the 2009 Draft – This kid who turns 21 on July 20th is putting up ridiculous numbers at San Diego State. I know it’s college but he is being called the best prospect to come along in forever. He is averaging nearly 2 strikeouts per inning this year and has an ERA below 1.50. He has three plus pitches that includes a fastball that breaks 100. Not only does he break 100 but also in a recent game he broke 100 twelve times in a 7-inning start. The Nationals own the number one pick and they have to take this guy. His agent of course is Scott Boras. Boras has been throwing around a crazy number like a 50 million dollar signing bonus for this kid. That won’t happen but the Nats have to take this kid and get him signed. He probably could pitch now in the majors but I don’t expect the contract negotiations to go quickly with Mr. Boras. I see him being signed somehow by the Nats and having him as their opening day starter in 2010.

Signing Off

The NL King

Fantasy Baseball Arbitration

2009-05-04T22:17:00.003-04:00

Every year fantasy managers from around the globe come together in their private leagues and bash each other to the extent that some manager cry, some quit, some actually fight bash back, and some just simply don't bother updating their team. Every year there that one moron in last place who wants to give up a world of talent for a pile of poop, or a commissioner who strikes a shady deal and gets caught, or even a little collusion among friends. These disputes cause managers to pull hair out and leagues to fold. It also causes chaos among managers to the point that a particular fantasy league becomes un-fun! Enter Fantasy Baseball Arbitration!

Fantasy Baseball Arbitration is your answer for any fantasy baseball related disputes. Whether trade, transaction or league rule based, FantasyBaseballArbitration.com is here to resolve your fantasy baseball debate fairly, quickly and finally. There is too much on the line, your pride and cash is at stake, so make sure your dispute is ruled upon fairly, appropriately and effectively. FantasyBaseballArbitration.com is the only dispute resolution service that offers a Supreme Court. Not only that, but the case will be ruled on by the Online Editors of the highest sports authority, SportingNews! Submit a Case Today!

What else can I say? if you have a dispute, why not have a 3rd party make the final decisions for you. I know in my experiences, the two sides of every wrongful league matter almost never agree and it causes a lot of stress in the future. So for the integrity of your league, try Fantasy Baseball Arbitration! The Fantasy Man brand is proud to be a partner with such a quality service!

Emilio "I just added him to my 5" Bonifacio!

2009-04-09T17:06:00.002-04:00

Here is a great question I got today through the email that I think everyone is asking. Not so much as to the trade itself, but more on what to do about Emilio Bonifacio. Is E-Bone (That's what we'll call him from here on out) for real or a fluke?

This email is about a trade offer of E-Bone for a Closer. I won't name the closer just in case the other half of this deal reads this blog, so we'll call him [closer].

Question:
Dear Fantasy Man, I am a long-time reader in need of some advice. I recently picked up Emilio Bonafacio in a number of leagues. What would you say to trading him for [closer]? He seems like he is at or approaching peak value because of his hot start. What are your thoughts on selling high on him? Thank you.

FM Answer:
Thanks for the email. Your thought process is solid. If you make that move for [closer] it won't be a bad move. I happen to like E-Bone and obviously the Marlins do too being they released a potential 40HR guy in Dallas McPherson and sent Gabby Sanchez back to the minors. So, I am thinking E-Bone could be a steal off the wire and he's batting at the top of the order which is nice. I'm definitely somewhat sold on E-Bone. You could go either way here though. Look at your team from afar for a minute. Bonifacio can steal 50+ with 500+ AB so its tough for me to trade that upside. [Closer] has talent but the [Team] blows so you may find that Bonifacio is more important to your team right now than [closer]. But, if you have a ton of steals already and you lack saves, then yes, thats a no brainer deal and one I would make for the closer while E-Bone's value is high. If you have 2 closers already plus [closer], I'd probably keep Bonifacio for now or at least until he cools and then reassess the situation.

Have you tried a one day Fantasy Baseball League at www.FANLEX.com ?? We offer a FREEROLL everyday for a free chance to win real cash playing fantasy baseball! It's free to join plus you get $2.00 free to try out the games! Check it out and play against The Fantasy Man!

FANLEX.com Daily Strategies from The Fantasy Man

2009-04-06T18:08:00.002-04:00

There's a chance here we could create a conflict of interest here! As usual, I have no problem dishing out my secrets to winning fantasy baseball leagues! At FANLEX, you get a chance to win multiple leagues everyday! Not too many fantasy sites where you can do that, eh? But, in some occasions, you'll have to play against The Fantasy Man! Should be an easy task, right? ;)

Okay, so what I am planning to do is to take an active role in promoting FANLEX. Its an exciting game. Its like Pringles. You know how you can't just eat one? Well, at FANLEX, you can't play just one. By the way, as I write this, the Yankees are getting killed by the O's. Nice Work C.C.!!

Anyway, on a somewhat daily basis, I want to give all you FBE readers and FANLEX patrons my secret advice on strategies to win real cash at FANLEX. Its not just a fun, family oriented league. FANLEX is set up like a real online poker site where you can win real money daily playing fantasy baseball....and other sports. It's free to join (and I give you $2.00 FREE to try it out), and you can join the daily FREEROLL for a free chance at winning cash. So Fantasy Baseball Express is the only place you can get real advice for this particular game.

Now, let's get down to business. I wanted to go over some basics so you don't go into these leagues lost and confused. Even worse, you don't want to lose out on winning cash because you didn't understand all the rules or basic strategies. Follow me here....

1. Registration for a league is open up until the league is full or it closes just before the first game starts. Sometimes we have "night" games, for games played late like on the West Coast. If you miss sign ups for the first set of games, there are usually a second set for later that night.

2. You can change your roster at any time up to the start of the first game! Once that game starts, your team is locked! It would be in your best interest to check on the status of players before the league locks just to be sure you have the best options active.

3. There is a FREEROLL everyday..... but there is only one! It's usually set up after the first game starts the day before. So if games start at 1PM on Monday, Tuesday's FREEROLL is up and ready for registration by sometime shortly after that 1PM game starts. If you get to the day of and the there is no FREEROLL, it's because you missed out on registration and the league is full. As of right now, it's for the first 50 to register.

4. When choosing players, FANLEX offers players at each position whose team is playing. In other words, if the Yankees are playing tonight and we know Mark Teixeira is playing, FANLEX will also offer anyone else on the team who is eligible at the position. So you may see Nick Swisher on the 1B list even though we don't plan on seeing him play. If you have Swisher in your lineup and he doesn't play, you'll gain zero points. One mistake like that will cost you your daily league championship!

5. Taking what I just mentioned in #4, when choosing starting pitchers, make sure you know who is actually starting that day. If your league is using players from the Yankees/Red Sox game and C.C. Sabathia is the actual starter, it would not be wise to choose A.J. Burnett. So what I am saying is that Sabathia, Burnett, Joba Chamberlain, Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte will all show up in those listings. Make sure you know who is starting.

6. You have to keep on top of the players on your roster. If you pick players that end up playing in a game that gets rained out and you don't make the switch before the games start, your pretty much S.O.L. !!

7. When participating in a live draft, keep in mind that the minute the league is filled, the draft will start. So if you join a 0 of 2 league and are the first to join, there is a good chance someone else will join shortly after. If you walk away from the computer, you'll miss out on your picks. The live draft leagues have an auto pick, so if you think you'll miss the draft, just go and rank your players, click "auto pick" and leave your screen up. Even if you "X" out, as long as the auto draft is checked, you'll be fine. So feel free to sign up for a league earlier in the day, rank your players, check the auto pick box, and enjoy the rest of your day!

7. Have ideas for leagues? We can create custom leagues for just you and your friends. Have a group of 10 or more? You set the price and the categories, deposit the cash and we'll make it happen. Want to do a league for a day, a week, a month? How about counting only home runs and stolen bases on offense and strikeouts for pitching? We can be creative.

So that's a good start and the basics you need to know. Over the next few days I start to post daily startegies with specific players and such to get you guys going! Good luck! Baseball is here!!!

You Need the FEED!

2009-04-02T22:10:00.003-04:00

Here is the first version of The Fantasy Man FEED for 2009 that was sent out to subscribers on Wednesday. It's $20 for the season to support The Fantasy Man and you'll get an email straight to your inbox that looks like this full of useful and relevant fantasy baseball information. Actually, the following FEEDs will be different since we'll be dealing with in-season team management advice, but at least you can see the detail that goes into it.

There are other websites out there who have attempted to copy this but no email is ever the same and I always to try to throw out fresh ideas, rankings, analysis, etc. This is the only time I will post the FEED anywhere, every other FEED will be exclusive only to subscribers. I will not be posting this info on the blog. I will be spending the coming weeks catering to FEED subscribers and Fantasy Man brand supporters but I wanted to give FBE readers one last chance to get in on the FEED. Remember, you have me as an email resource as always.........

If you want the FEED, Email me with FEED in the subject line and your email address in the reply and I will send you a paypal request for $20 and add you to the list. Thank you in advance for your support!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 1st, 2009
Finally, the FEED you’ve all been waiting for!!..... the first one! Its here and I want to thank all of you again for your support over the years to those who have come back and I want to say thank you and welcome to all of you newbies. Thank you for supporting The Fantasy Man brand. I hope that the information put forth in the FEEDs to come will help you find success in managing your fantasy baseball leagues in 2009. My goal is to help you win your league this year. Period.

The advice this week and the weeks to follow is strictly about team management, strategies, add/drop recommendations, a look at injuries, prospects, the minors, and anything else I can whip up. You’ll probably get to the point where there is so much info that you probably won’t be able to comprehend it all in one sitting. Keep in mind that I am not a superstar writer, but I will get you the info you need that will help you win. That means I will give you team management strategies and highlight players that need to be highlighted without the smoke and mirrors.

The goal of this FEED is to get you ready for the start of the season and to help you get your rosters set the right way. So let’s get started….

The Fantasy Man News:
If you haven’t heard, I just launched my new Fantasy Sports Game website called Fantasy Leagues Express or www.FANLEX.com for short (I’m sticking with the “Express” theme)! You can play daily fantasy games where you draft your team today, win your league tonight, and get paid out tomorrow! It’s free to register and I’ll give you $2.00 FREE to try out the games! We offer plenty of $1.00 daily games as well as higher priced games for you high rollers!

Also, SIGN UP NOW for the 2009 APRIL HR Derby FREEROLL! We’re giving away $100 to the manager that drafts the team that hits the most homeruns in April. First 200 players get in and we have about 180+ registered! The deadline is before the first game on Monday!

Quick Player Notes:
- Daniel Murphy, NYM, OF – Murphy will be an everyday LF and bat 2nd according to Mets Manager Jerry Manual. Murphy has a sweet swing and could be a .290/20HR/10SB guy this year with potential for more. He’s hit .364 this spring.
- Brandon Morrow, SEA, RP has been permanently moved to the bullpen. No word on if he will start the year as the closer but my guess is that he’ll be closing by May at the latest. Don’t drop Morrow, stash him instead. He will close and if its not at the start of the season, it will be soon!
- Emilio Bonafacio, FLA, 3B will start at 3B for the Marlins and should hit at the top of the order. If so, he could certainly be in line for a 40+SB season assuming he can get on base. I have no clue as to whether he’s a Chone Figgins or a Michael Bourn so use caution here. If you need speed, he should be available on your waiver wire.
- B.J. Ryan, TOR, RP has been pitching like poop this spring, so take a look at Scott Downs to vulture some early season saves. I am sure Ryan will reclaim that spot at some point early on once he gets his strength back.
- Carlos Villanueva, MIL, RP will get the closer nod in Milwaukee with Trevor Hoffman on the 15-day DL.
- Jason Motte, STL, RP - will probably start the season as the primary closer in St. Louis. Motte is a beast and has fantastic keeper potential!
- Justin Masterson, BOS, RP will start the year in the bullpen and not the 5th spot in the rotation. The 4th and 5th spots will most likely go to Brad Penny and Tim Wakefield.
- Kevin Gregg, CHC, RP has won the closer job over Carlos Marmol!
- Rick Porcello, DET, SP – A young, top flight pitching prospect has made the team probably as the 5th starter. He’s only 20 but he looks like he’s major league ready! Take a flier and stash as he could be something special! I believe he was a first round pick back in 2007. I’d pick him up and stash, but don’t activate until he proves himself.
- Gabe Gross, OF, TB – Looking for a better option in AL-Only leagues in the OF? Gross is hitting .460 this spring and looks like he’ll beat out Gabe Kapler and Matt Joyce for a majority of the at bats.
- Micah Owings, SP, CIN – Will probably make the 5th spot in the rotation after allowing only 4ER in 23 IP with 24 K this spring. Those are nasty numbers and could mean good things are on the way for fantasy teams. He’s only 26.
- Emmanual Burriss, 2B, SF – Burriss won the starting job in SF as the sent Kevin Fransden to AAA. Burriss is a guy with 30+ SB potential, maybe .280+BA, but with no power.
- Dallas McPherson, 3B – Was released by the Marlins. He has 40+HR power and should find a home this week. Don’t drop him just yet, if he lands a starting gig, you’ll have a nice power option on your roster.

Minor Leaguers/Prospects Sent to Minor Leagues:
Last thing you want to do is get caught with your pants down right off the bat. Don’t get stuck with a player on your active roster who has been sent down to start the year in the minors. Sometimes we simply don’t pay attention or didn’t realize our 13th round pick of Matt Wieters was sent down and he’s still active on the roster. Here is a quick list of the most drafted prospects in a normal 12 team league that have been sent back. This will be the beginnings of the M-LAP section of the FEED (Minor League Awareness Program). We’ll keep track of the progress of our top prospects and minor leaguers to watch. These are just guesses…

Matt Wieters – Mid-May.David Price – I’ll say Mid-Season.
Tommy Hanson – He’ll be up by early May.
Matt LaPorta – June.
Andrew McCutchen – Mid-Season.
Nolan Reimold – Batted .321/4HR/.406OBP/28AB in spring, will be up by mid-season.
Gaby Sanchez – The Marlins named him the likely starter over Dallas McPherson at 1B a few weeks ago but they decided to start Emilio Bonafacio at 3B after a slow spring, moving Jorge Cantu to 1B. Then they go and drop McPherson.Luke Hochevar – He’ll be back up at some point but he’s not one to go Lady Ga Ga over just yet. He hasn’t been impressive in his short major league career yet.

Useful Last Minute Spring Decisions:
Kendry Morales – Morales will start at 1B for the Angels. He currently has 9 games at 1B and 12 at OF from last season, so its possible he’ll only qualify at OF in some leagues right now. Still, he’s a potential James Loney/Connor Jackson type.
Emilio Bonafacio – Maybe a .280/30+SB guy.
Jordan Schafer – The braves trades Josh Anderson to Detroit and gave Schafer the starting CF job. He is a top prospect and still super young so he could be a guy you’ll want to grab and stash.
Gary Sheffield – Released by the Tigers, should get picked up by the end of the week. Don’t drop yet.Marcus Thames – With Sheff gone, Thames looks to be the primary DH. If he gets 500AB, he could hit 30+HR with a decent BA.
DeWayne Wise – He’s a journeyman but could be a .270/15HR/15SB guy in that lead off spot if he lasts all season.
Colby Rasmus - Made the team! He'll start on the bench and spell dudes on off days. He has the upside to be a .280/20/15 guy with 450+AB but he hasn't done squat in the minors the last few years. Every one says how this guy looks like he's oozing with talent, but he hasn't shown yet that he can handle this level (or AAA for that matter). Rasmus is a great player to stash right now to wait and see what happens. He's also a bit of an injury risk.

The Hottest Spring Players:
Travis Ishikawa, 1B, SF – Starting 1B in San Fran, 6HR, .317 this spring.Micah Hoffpair, 1B/OF, CHC – Batted .286 with 6HR
Chris Carter, OF, BOS – Batted .359 with 6HR in 64 AB. Could be a player by mid season depending on the health of J.D. Drew, which means Carter is probably a lock to play this season and is a super sleeper!
Adam Jones, OF, BAL - .382, 1HR, 7SBRickie Weeks, 2B, MIL – Has hit in 15 of 16 games this spring! Could this be the year?
Kendry Morales, 1B/OF, LAA – Batting .394, 3HR, 16RBI.
Todd Helton, 1B, COL – Batting .515 this spring.Alex Gordon, 3B, KC – Batting .323 this spring and could be breakout ready.
Joel Piniero, SP, STL – 1.44 ERA in 25 IP this spring.
Russ Ohlendorf, SP, PIT – Has the 3rd spot in the rotation with a 0.87ERA in 5 appearances this spring.
Trevor Crowe, OF, CLE – Was 6 for 6 in SB attempts and batted .289 this spring. He landed the Indians 4th OF spot. Think of him as a Reggie Willits type.
Brett Gardner, OF, NYY – Won the Yankees CF job, will bat 9th and has .280/25+SB potential.

Injuries to Keep an Eye On:
Lance Berkman – Has Bicep Tendonitis but will probably start the season on time.
John Lackey – Having elbow issues, will start the season on the DL, doctor’s say he probably won’t need surgery barring any set backs. Mid-April is the target.
Ervin Santana – Should be back by mid-April.
B.J. Ryan – Not necessarily injured, hasn’t been throwing above 90MPH all spring, Scott Downs could start season as closer until Ryan gets this speed back up in the 90’s.
Joey Devine – Going to see the Dr. Andrews the elbow guru, which is never a good thing. Will begin season on DL. Stash and go with Brad Ziegler.
Bronson Arroyo – Has had Carpel Tunnel Syndrome for the last 2 years but has been pitching through it. Obviously, he suffered from it last year because he was quite terrible pretty much all year.
Troy Glaus – On the DL and won't be back until after the All-Star break. If you don’t have options, you may want to stash him if you have room.
Jeremy Bonderman – Shoulder problems and back on the DL. Opens the door for Rick Porcello.
John Smoltz – Is out until at least Mid-May, he’ll probably be a starter when he returns.
Matt Lindstrom – Should be ready by opening day.Ben Sheets – Out until Early June

Strategy of the Week:
Are you looking at your pitching staff and debating on whether you should keep Jeff Suppan or not? Tom Glavine? Zach Duke? Nah. Look, in week 1, a guy like Zach Duke will most likely give you a stat like that reads 5IP, 8H, 3BB, 2K, 5ER. Those are ugly numbers. Why not pick up and activate a reliever in that slot in 5x5 weekly roto leagues like a J.J. Putz or a Ryan Madson for example. I would say 3 appearances with say 4IP, 2H, 1BB, 5K, 0ER is a much better stat line than what a mediocre SP can put up. You don’t want to get caught using too many middle relievers but this can also be a great way to lower ERA/WHIP overall for your staff. The risk here is that if a MR gives up a 3 run bomb, you’re screwed for the week. Most other experts won’t tell you this strategy until later in the season, but by then its too late. Starting this in August will not help lower your ERA/WHIP enough to put your team over the top. You have to do it all season and be consistent. You also have to get lucky with good relievers. I would only try this with the best of the best as far as MR’s like…… Putz, Madson, Carlos Marmol, Chris Ray, Jose Arredondo, Hideki Okajima, Scott Downs, Leo Nunez, Octavio Dotel, Jon Rauch, to name a few.

Looking for sleeper Holds?? Try Brian Bruney of the Yankees, Justin Masterson of the Red Sox, and Sean Green of the Mets who all make good sleepers.

Favorite Batting Sleepers by Position for Week 1:
C
Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Hit .300+ this spring and has breakout potential.
Miguel Olivo – A good spring and a hot WBC says he could be a .270/15/15 guy this year with 400AB and steal more AB from John Buck.

1B
Kendry Morales – Could be a .300+ hitter but light on the power like a Casey Kotchman, James Loney, or Connor Jackson type,has OF eligibility only in most leagues but will have 1B after a few games too as he’ll be the primary 1B.
Travis Ishikawa – Hit 6HR and batted .317 this spring.
Russ Branyan – Need a quick power boost? Take a look at Branyan if you’re hurting in the power department. He’s hitting .317 this spring but expect that to plummet during the season. I don’t think he’ll be the 1B in Seattle in September, or even July for that matter, but for now he could be a quick power fix until you can find better options.

2B
Felipe Lopez – What? Were you expecting someone different? .280/20SB at the top of the order?
Rickie Weeks – See Felipe Lopez! If he puts it together, he could be 30/30, but I see .275/100+R/25HR/25SB. Having a blazing spring.
Howie Kendrick – Has breakout potential and upside to hit .330+
Clint Barmes – Hit .290/11HR/13SB with only 69 K in 393AB last season. That translates to a .290/15+/15+ with 500AB possibly.

3B
Hank Blalock – He’s healthy for now and he can rake in that small ballpark and in that loaded lineup.

SS
Felipe Lopez – There’s not much going on in the sleeper category for the SS position. Lopez has SS eligibility.
Elvis Andrus – Moved Mike Young to 3B to make room, could be a .280+/40SB guy.

OF
Jason Kubel – This guy could hit 40HR if he stays healthy but 30+ more likely! He’s a masher!Elijah Dukes – Oozing with .275/30/30 potential.
Daniel Murphy – Starting LF, .300+/20HR/10SB potential, fluid swing, will bat 2nd in the lineup.
Shin-Soo Choo – This guy is going to explode with a nice combo of speed/power!

So you want the FEED???? Email me with FEED in the title and your email address and I will send you a paypal request for $20 and add you to the list. Thank you in advance for your support!

Play against The Fantasy Man in a new Auction League for 2009!!

2009-03-30T19:08:00.000-04:00

The Fantasy Man Leagues are back for 2009! We have a league with a few opening's left that we're trying to fill. It's a 12 team, Roto, 5x5, mixed, weekly transaction league, $270 Budget Auction League!! No bench. Just pick your active players and manage your team! (Yes, there will be an active waiver wire). Pick up a player/drop a player system.

This is not an overly confusing league with all sorts of limits and guidelines. This is a league that will really test your drafting knowledge. Have a great draft, you'll have a great team! Simple as that. Many leagues these days with all these crazy rules really takes away the importance of a solid draft. The managers in this league are solid, knowledgeable and active.

The fee for this league is $50 which you can pay through PayPal. We pay out 100% minus the fee for the league provider ($160). We'll play at CBS and this will be a weekly transaction league.

WHEN: Thursday, April 2nd @ 9:00PM EST
WHERE: CBS Online Auction
HOW MUCH: $50
PAYOUT:
1st Place- $290
2nd Place- $100
3rd Place- $50

That's $440 + the $160 for the league = $600 ($50 x 12)
Prizes will be adjusted when we finalize teams.

Email me ASAP if you are interested in playing!

Mike

A Snake Draft Plan Exposed!

2009-03-27T16:51:00.003-04:00

Got a great question to day in the email. So good I thought it would be wise to throw it out there for everyone. I know this is nuts and up for some arguements as I am sure I will get the usual hate mail and comments here but this is a draft plan I am personally following in 12 team, 5x5, roto, mixed leagues this season. Say what you want, but yes, I fully intend on winning with this set up. So much in fact, that I have no problem spreading the advice around! We all know a draft can take a turn for the worse, but if you stay on course and have back up options at every pick, you can make this work and have a pretty sweet team. Enjoy!

Oh, by the way, we just loaded the first new daily fantasy baseball leagues at www.FANLEX.com !! This of course goes along with the $100 Prize April HR Derby FREEROLL that is , um, free to join! Check it out!

The Question: Mike, Last year you provided a Podcast where you listed what position/players you would take in each round. I won a league last year following it. Of course I misplaced the paper where I had all the information. Can you help me out?

The Answer: Of course! I'll make it rain for you right here.... here ya go...... this is the plan I am following. It allows for top notch hitting and solid pitching if you make the right picks. Here it is in a nutshell....

R1 - Power, any position - A top 2 pick I go Pujols, at 5-6 I think about Cabrera and Braun, after that its Howard, Tex, Hamilton, Berkman. I dont care about position scarcity in mixed leagues. I care about power scarcity. Get power early, find steals later. Thats my motto.

R2 - More power, any position - an early round two you can probably grab Tex, Berkman, Holliday, CLee. Late R2 you can grab Fielder, Soriano, Beltran, etc.

R3 - Carlos Quentin or Matt Kemp. Quentin for more power, Kemp for some speed.

R4 - AGonzalez, Mourneau, Jason Bay and if all gone, I might steal Brian Roberts for speed and position scarcity.

R5 - Geovany Soto or Brian McCann. If Soto/McCann is gone, go with Big Papi. If both gone, go with Dan Uggla for 2B or MI.

R6 - grab Papelbon if he's still there. If not, shoot for VMart or Martin if there. Otherwise, take the next best hitter. Maybe Ellsbury if he falls, you can jump on Votto or Chris Davis. Many options.

R7 - Grab a SS (if you didnt grab Hanley, Reyes or Rollins in the 1st).... Drew, Furcal, Tulo, Jeter, Hardy, Peralta.

R8 - Grab a Joey Votto or Chris Davis if you have the 3B (for Davis) or the CI (for Votto)open. Or, if you missed on Roberts or Uggla and have the MI spot open, grab the remaining SS of that group in R7 I mentioned. If all gone or your MI is filled, look at Cano at 2B. If your 2B is filled, go with the best closer available....from Nathan, Rivera, Lidge, Soria. If those guys are gone, go with another hitter like Votto, Chris Davis, Dye, DLee, Delgado, Wells or any quality hitter that has dropped.

R9 - Grab the next best closer on the board..... Valverde, Jenks, Fuentes, Ryan, Marmol, Broxton if you still need a second closer or even if you need the 1st. If you have both, go with the best SP.

R10 - Grab your second closer or if you already have two, go with the best SP.

R11 - If a Johnny Damon, Dye, Hawpe, Wells slip...grab one if you have room. Otherwise grab a SP

R12 - SP

....... from there, start to fill in your team as needed. Hopefully, after you grab two closers by rounds 9 or 10 and then you start filling in SP's. You should be able to get guys like Burnett, Volquez, Gallardo, Nolasco, Cain, Myers, etc. guys with potential. Dont worry about the 2 or 3 open hitter spots, there's lots of cheap talent late at every position........ such as....and to name only a few ;) ......

C - Bengie Molina, Saltalamacchia, Navarro, Suzuki and even Olivo might be decent
1B - Blalock, Guillen, Jacobs, Kotchman, Morales
2B - Weeks, Sanchez, Casilla, Lopez
3B - Blalock, Guillen
OF - Ankiel, Werth, Tavares, Maybin, Dukes, Adam Jones, Milledge, Gomez, Bourn.... there's a ton!

Hope that helps!
It's not perfect but you'll contend if you come up with the right players! The rest comes with great team management!

FANLEX.com - UPDATE

2009-03-16T15:01:00.000-04:00

So maybe you've checked out the new Fantasy Leagues Express website (or FanLEx.com for short), saw the fantasy basketball and hockey games and said, "eh, this ain't my cup of tea." Well, just tonight we've launched the first Fantasy Baseball game of 2009 and if that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will!

As of 3/15/09, you can now register at FANLEX , get $2.00 FREE to test out the games, and then sign up for our first fantasy baseball game of 2009: The $100 April HR Derby FREEROLL! Yes, it's free! Just register yourself at FANLEX and simply join the league! The first 200 teams get in. So sign up, pick your team, and watch your players hit bombs for the month of April! If your team accumulates the most HR, you win $100! Simple as that. So what's stopping you from signing up for a free chance at $100????

I'll be honest, it's a tough game. You'll have to pick 10 players using 1000 points, so you'll pretty much have to be on your "A" game. You can't just go in there and draft Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, and Albert Pujols. You may have to dig deep and grab a guy that only costs 40 points. You'll see when you try it, believe me it's tough and that's coming from a guy who lives, breathes, eats, and poops fantasy baseball!

It's a solid game and platform overall. FANLEX will not take your info and sent you spam mail or anything like that. We're here to offer you a new, safe and exciting fantasy game, something different than the typical full season league you're used too. FANLEX offers daily head-2-head leagues in salary cap style and live draft style. Most games will be only $1.00 to play but as people join and play, we'll up the ante!

FANLEX is still in it's early stages but all of the bugs and kinks have been worked out. The site is safe to use and extremely fun and addicting to play! Feel free to email me with any questions you have as I'd love to answer them and help you get familiar with this new game.

Thank you for taking the time to check it out! Now go and sign up for the FREE HR Derby! More games to follow shortly!

Mike

Auction Draft Strategies for 2009

2009-03-16T12:26:00.002-04:00

With The Fantasy Man's 2009 Starting Pitchers Rankings and Closer rankings Podcasts due out this week, we'll start to move more rapidly into auction draft strategies. However, in case I can't get my act together, let's get the process going here at Fantasy Baseball Express as far as dealing with the Auction.

So let's keep it simple. Below are a few of the basics, mostly for you beginner Auction artists but some that the experienced can learn from or work off of. Let's assume a $270 budget, 23 man roster, mixed league, with a $1 minimum bid. As usual, don't be shy about commenting or sharing your hatred for my work...

Auction Strategies for the Beginner
1. The Plan - Have a clue before you get to the auction in general. Know how much (give or take a few bucks) you want to spend on certain players, positions, etc. Go in with a plan and stick to it!

2. Know the Players - If you don't have a rough idea as to how much a player should typically go for, you are not ready for an auction draft and you need more research time. Put it this way, if I throw out a player......Jose Reyes for example. If you don't know how much Reyes will typically go for in an auction, you need more research time. How about someone like...... Ubaldo Jimenez? Same thing. Know your players. Know how much they go for, know who gets the most hype/bidding wars, know what type of numbers you can expect from all players on an individual basis. If you know how much players go for, you can create a more effective plan from the beginning and target specific players. You don't want to be the guy at the draft when a fellow manager yells out, "Tommy Hanson, one dollar!"....and be sitting there saying to yourself, "Who?"

3. Talk It Up - Chat up your fellow managers, see who they like. Exploit the players on their favorite team. Find the players you don't necessarily care about and throw them out when it's your turn! When it's early, I'd advise you to never throw out a player you actually want! The longer you wait, the longer another manager may wait on a specific player. Sometimes a player comes out so late, that most managers can't afford to bid and takes them out of the bidding altogether. The more teams you can take out of the bidding of a specific player, the better chance of getting that player at market price or less.

4. Bidding - It's okay to overpay! Overpay here, go cheap over there. You can always compensate for a bad move or an expensive move. In a typical bidding war, if it's only you and another manager and the two of you just bid $5 straight on top of each other with no other bidders, you've started to drastically over pay and is an indicator as a good time to drop out. Jay Bruce is typically a $20-$25 player. If you bid that $25 for market value, another guy bids $1, you top it at $27, he bids another $1, then you topping at $29 is where you should stop. Once you hit that $30 mark, you better start praying Bruce has a monster break out year. That's just an example. With 1st round type players.... Hanley, Reyes, Pujols, Wright, etc.... No one should ever pay more than $55 in a $270/23 roster league, and even $55 is too high. My personal cutoff is $54 for a guy like Jose Reyes or Albert Pujols and even that for me is stretching it.

5. Be Realistic - Some of you may look at paying $54 for a player and crucify me. First of all, I have won doing that and second, it's really what you are paying for the top players. Let's be realistic here. ALL fantasy baseball magazines at the local Farnes and Zoble have ridiculously low auction values. These magazines have auction values based on stat crunching and numbers and NOT what people are actually paying in real auctions whether live or online. For example, one magazine, let's call it PhotoWorld has Grady Sizemore at $32 for a 5x5 league. Now who can seriously tell me that they've paid anywhere close to $32 in an auction draft for Sizemore? Another mag has it a little closer, let's call this one BLAHOO? has Sizemore at $37 in a mixed league, but still way off. It also has Ryan Braun at $36, ugh. Typical for Sizemore in 2009 as he is one of the most hyped players in drafts this year is anywhere between $45-$52 depending on homerism in your league in mixed leagues. I have seen it over and over in mocks and my own real league auctions this year. It's the same for pretty much all the top players. I'd say the magazines are dead wrong for maybe the top 100 players in a draft. I am sure the numbers they use to pump out these values can be justified, but they just don't have a clue when it comes to "real" value, which is the real value real people are paying in auctions. If you need more "real" values as to what people are actually paying, take a look at purchasing The Fantasy Man FEED so you can get my Draft Guide with the "real" values. Point is, either do your own research or do mock drafts to get an idea as to how much people are really paying!

6. Most Important - NEVER leave money on the table at the end of the draft. You may feel like you're overpaying for a potential star by going that extra buck or two. Don't sweat it, there will be plenty of $1 potential break out players at the end of the auction....and you'll be happy you got your man!

In the next post, we'll start to break down the auction and use specific players to get you ready to make a run at your championship, so stick around!

Oh, and www.FANLEX.com , my new site, is offering an APRIL HR DERBY Fantasy Baseball Game FREEROLL. Register on the site for free, I'll give you $2.00 free to try the games, and sign up for the April HR Derby FREEROLL for a chance at $100! Create the team that accumulates the most HR for the month of April and you win $100! First 200 people get in! If you miss out, don't sweat it, we'll be posting many more fantasy baseball games!

Fantasy Baseball Search Expert League Draft Analysis

2009-03-11T16:52:00.003-04:00

Hey guys, Mike here again. So I did a yet another fantasy baseball expert league which is hosted by Todd "Fa La La La La" Farino at www.FantasyBaseballSearch.com . Yeah, I just made that name up....what! Anyway, it was a heck of a draft and I feel like I walked away a winner already. I probably should have drafted this team with my eyes closed...too easy! It got tough for five seconds when someone drafted Carlos Quentin in the third round ahead of me but I have an answer for that..... Matt Kemp!! What!!

I kid, but this was a great draft and one I feel pretty happy and excited about. I think the back end of my pitching could use some help but and I am counting on a lot of hidden potential and upside, but that's how The Fantasy Man rolls! That's FM style baby!

The league was slightly different from the normal set up. This was a 21man active roster with 1C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, MI, CI, 4OF, 1DH, 9P, and 6Bench. So 27 total rounds. It was mixed league, 5x5, roto. Notice it's only 1 catcher and active OF. I will delve into that on my catcher pick.

So here are the results and my thoughts as to why I chose each player. Did I mention that you need to check out www.FANLEX.com , that's my new fantasy sports game site! Tons of fun and opportunity to win free money! I give you $2.00 FREE just for signing up and trying the games. Okay, back to fantasy baseball.....

So the draft itself was the usual type of expert draft..... all hitting early, wait on closers, wait on starting pitching, experts jumping all over the young hype too early to get those oohs and aahs. I figured I'd just sit back and use this to my advantage. So here was my original plan in this particular league (these plans change from draft to draft as I tend to get bored with the same ole thing).....
- Lots Power or Power/Speed early (R1-R4) [ARod/Pujols/Wright, Quentin, Kemp, Papi, AGone, Fielder possibly]
- A Top 4 catcher in the 5th (McCann, Mauer, Martin, Soto)
- 2 Top SS between R6-R8, one to use as my MI (Drew, Jeter, Furcal, Tulo, Hardy, Peralta)
- My first pitcher in rounds 9 or 10, most likely the best closers on the board (Fuentes, Valverde, Ryan, Broxton, Soria, Marmol)
- 2 SP's after that (Volquez, Gallardo, Nolasco, etc.)
- Fill in with best player available (of the ones I actually like) from there (Ankiel, Cruz, Murphy, McPherson, Weeks, Dukes, Blalock, to name a few)

Okay, so above is my plan before I start. So take a look at those players and see who I ended up with. You see a lot of similar names right??? That's the power of mock drafts, fantasy baseball's best research! We did our draft at www.MockDraftCentral.com .

VIEW THE DRAFT RESULTS HERE
R1 - Alex Rodriguez - Dooh! 5 Minutes after 9PM when I chose A-Rod with the 5th pick in the draft, a news flash on ESPN News announced A-Rod had the Cyst and was going to fly to Colorado to get checked out! In hindsight, I should have just taken Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers but at this point of the day, I had no clue A-Rod was hurt. At that 5th pick, it's the best pick because it's either Hanley, Reyes, Pujols, Wright or A-Rod....whomever falls. In my defense, if he only misses about a month, I should still be okay. I drafted three other players total that have 3B eligibility so I should be okay.

R2 - Alfonso Soriano - Usually I'd grab a Prince Fielder or Johan Santana. But Johan might be hurt or may start the year on the DL and I love Fielder but I just wanted to do something different and so I took a chance on Soriano. He has the injury risk but he can put up Prince Fielder type power along with 20+ SB, so I figured he's be a great pick as long as he stays on the field. The other idea was to take Carlos Quentin early, but I thought he would last to me in the early 3rd round after the wrap. Well, he didn't! UGH!

R3 - Matt Kemp - Simply put, if I miss on Quentin, Kemp is always my back up plan in the 3rd round, he's usually available. .300/20/30/100/100 potential is sweet and with Manny there, it's even more a possibility.

R4 - David Ortiz - Adiran Gonzalez was gone and I was even thinking Brian Roberts to load up on speed but he got drafted and I came to my senses. I believe the Big Papi will have somewhat of a bounce back year. If he hits .290/35/100 I'll be super happy!

R5 - Joe Mauer - I could have jumped on Geovany Soto here and with Brian McCann and Russ Martin picked just ahead of me, I wanted to land Mauer and his BA/Runs potential. I'm not a huge Mauer guy in fantasy but I see an opportunity to work on the team BA.

R6 - Joe Nathan - I can't remember what possessed me to take Nathan here as I was planning to take Stephen Drew but I think I sensed a closer run. As it turned out, by round 8, Joakim Soria and Jonathon Broxton were already gone. I am happy with this pick. I also then figured I could still grab Troy Tulowitzski and J.J. Hardy in the next two rounds.

R7 - Derrek Lee - Dooh!! 1B power was getting slim and I didnt want to get stuck with a James Loney or a Casey Kotchman, so I believe Derrek Lee still has something left in the tank. Plus, Tulo, Hardy and Peralta still out there.

R8 - Troy Tulowitzski - Told ya! So I got a top SS, should be a .300/20/100R guy with some risk. SS is so weak that it's important to have a top 10 guy.

R9 - B.J. Ryan - This is usually where I grab a closer and I took Ryan. Should be solid. I bet he raises his K rate a bit this year too. Plus, he's super tough to hit and he's a lefty which I like.

R10 - Edinson Volquez - I will be using these next few rounds to grab some solid young SP's with a ton of upside. Bingo!

R11- Ricky Nolasco - This guy had 186 K last season in 212IP with a fantastic WHIP. He's an injury risk but he's up and coming.

R12 - Carlos Zambrano - I flirted with Raul Ibanez but SP's were running thin really fast. Everyone is saying he's done, not sure if people are seeing something I'm not. He's logged a lot of innings and had a down year for sure, but the dude is only 27! I feel like I got a steal in the 12th round!

R13 - Rick Ankiel - I was targeting Ankiel but with the way players were flying off the board and still needing a 2B and a MI, I wanted to steal Ankiel before anyone had the chance to do it. Plus, I new I could still wait on those other two positions. Ankiel is a contract year guy that I feel could bust out! Not every contract year guy will perform (i.e. Andruw Jones), but I'm a big believer in Ankiel's power potential.

R14 - Rickie Weeks - Sorry, just couldn't resist! I have a weak spot for Weeks.

R15 - Jorge Cantu - Still needed a CI, tons of solid 3B options late but I like the position versatility and he should be quite solid. I'll take .275/25/100 here anyday.

R16 - Erik Bedard - Having a great spring so far! Says he feels great, has all the potential in the world, still risky, but a fantastic value this late.

R17 - Hank Blalock - I took this opportunity to load up my bench, plus with A-Rod out, he makes a nice filler. He has a chip on his shoulder and much to prove. I like that and the Ranger offense is sick looking!

R18 - Carlos Guillen - A great value here. He's healthy, playing in the WBC and ready to contribute to my team. Guillen gives me the option of swapping him with Blalock in A-Rod's absence. Guillen gives me versatility at that 3B slot.

R19 - Mike Pelfrey - SOlid SP's with upside are almost non-existent now. I like Pelfrey to continue where he left off from last year. Even if Johan is out a bit in April, he's the guy who will have to step up!

R20 - Felipe Lopez - Ummm, did I just do that! Once again, I couldn't resist. I like to call Lopez my "Rickie Weeks Syndrome".

R21 - Daniel Murphy - This was a sneaky pick and makes for a fantastic sleeper. We now he is the LF starter for the Mets and scouts thing he'll be a .300/20/90 guy this year!

R22 - Elijah Dukes - This is an all potential pick. There is no way he is left on the bench with the 5 OF they have. He has 30/30 potential this year! Huge sleeper! Forget about his attitude, I think he checked that at the door. That stuff is over. Don't let that affect your decision to draft this guy this late.

R23 - Andy Pettitte - Same as the Pelfrey pick. I mean just before me someone took Paul Maholm. The after me someone too Daniel Huff?? No brainer on Pettitte who is embarrassed by last years performance. That's motivation right there. Plus, I have so much potential on this team, I needed a solid and sturdy guy I can rely on.

R24 - Jason Kubel - This guy has the upside to be a masher and now I'm just picking Fliers. Active offense is filled and I have 3 bench slots and 1 SP slot. This was an all upside pick.

R25 - Jerry Hairston - Could have left him on the wire but I love the position eligibility (2B/SS/OF) and it looks like he'll start. he could be a Brian Roberts in the 25 round if he can stay healthy.

R26 - Kyle Davies - I like his upside and youth. Was great down the stretch and in the 2nd half overall in 2008 and he's been pretty good in spring training so far. He's a supe sleeper to fill out my last starting SP slot.

R27 - Homer Bailey - I took a flier as he is having a great spring as well!

So that's the draft. Overall I have a sweet balance of power and speed. I got my two top closers with some great young pitching with upside. I was able to reload after the A-Rod debacle with my 5th pick and I have a ton of upside. Overall I'm happy and should have a top 5 team just looking at the draft. I am sure I'll be cherry pickin' off the wire come April though!

Check it out FANLEX