http://fantasybullpen.com The application of sabermetrics in Major League Baseball and in fantasy sports to WIN! Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:46:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en On Saturday I went over some position players, coming off of their rookie season, that could provide good value as late round picks. It was a solid group, but not nearly as solid as the group of second year pitchers ready to make an impact in 2010. Tommy Hanson may ... http://fantasybullpen.com/fcg/year-values-pitching/ Let's face it, rookies can get over-hyped. Everyone was convinced Matt Wieters was going to be a star right off the bat, myself included. Same with David Price and Travis Snider (although I had my reservations about both). The fact remains that most rookies don't provide serious fantasy production. But ... http://fantasybullpen.com/fcg/year-values-offense/ I'm participating in an NFBC style mock tonight at 9 EST on Mock Draft Central. I've probably done 20 of these by now, but considering how popular NFBC seems to be getting, I thought I'd live blog one. So I'll be updating this post with my picks, and discussing my ... http://fantasybullpen.com/fantasy-baseball-2010/nfbc-style-mock/ We continue our 2010 bullpen previews with the AL West. [caption id="attachment_902" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Brian Fuentes has saved 159 games since 2005, with a skill set to back it up."][/caption] Los Angeles Angels: Closer - Brian Fuentes. Setup - Fernando Rodney. Best pitchers - Fuentes. Even after a 48 save season, most are going to be ... http://fantasybullpen.com/fcg/2010-bullpen-preview-al-west/ It's been a while since I previewed the AL East bullpen situations, but today we continue with the AL Central. Joakim Soria and Joe Nathan are among the best in the business, but the other three bullpens could be up for grabs. Minnesota Twins: Closer - Joe Nathan. Setup - Matt Guerrier. Best ... http://fantasybullpen.com/fcg/2010-bullpen-preview-al-central/ [caption id="attachment_897" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Adrian Beltre provied the Mariners with Gold Glove caliber defense in 2009, and should do the same for Boston next year."][/caption] Last July, Jarrod Washburn was having the best year of his career. The 34 year old right hander had a 2.64 ERA, good for a 164 ... http://fantasybullpen.com/fcg/red-soxs-improving-defense/ [caption id="attachment_893" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Johan Santana, this January, threw for the first time since his elbow surgery in September."][/caption] Is Johan Santana on the decline? Many seem to think so, including ESPN.com's Tristan Cockcroft, who today questioned whether Johan would end 2010 among the top-100 players in fantasy baseball. While Johan ... http://fantasybullpen.com/fcg/johan-santana-worth-risk/ What even counts as a bold prediction? To me, it's any statement I make that I believe could reasonable happen, and most other fantasy experts and players do not. If I tell you Hanley Ramirez and Albert Pujols are going to be good, that's extremely unlikely to generate any ... http://fantasybullpen.com/fcg/20-bold-predictions-2010/ Can Rick Ankiel provide some fantasy value? That's a question AL only owners like myself are going to have to examine going in 2010, as the former Cardinals outfielder (and former Cardinals pitching phenom) signed with the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. Ankiel's story is well known to most baseball fans. ... http://fantasybullpen.com/fcg/rick-ankiel-fantasy-sleeper/ 5. Jesus Montero, C, New York Yankees - Montero could rank higher on this list. I really believe he's the best offensive prospect in the minor leagues, and aside from maybe Jason Heyward, it's not all that close. He's already probably the best pure hitter in the minors and ... http://fantasybullpen.com/fcg/top-5-prospects/