Tag Archives: yoenis cespedes is a good fantasy pick

2012 MLB Free Agency

Posted on by
Reply

Everyone knows about the big name players that changed teams this off-season: Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, C.J. Wilson and so on. However, quite a few under the radar players are also wearing new jerseys in 2012, and here are a couple that I feel could have a sizable impact with their new clubs, and your fantasy baseball teams.

San Francisco Giants, (OF) Melky Cabrera

For a team that seems to struggle putting up offensive numbers in recent years, I think Melky Cabrera brings a lot to the table. Last year with Kansas City, Melky had the best season of his career; 155 games played, 201 hits, 18 home runs, 87 runs batted in, 20 stolen bases and a .305 batting average. It seems Melky may be hitting his stride as he has carried that success into his first year with San Francisco. In 52 at-bats so far this spring, Melky has 19 hits with 3 home runs and a .365 batting average. This could be just what the Giants are looking for; a solid everyday player with experience and the potential to put up some much needed offense.

Kansas City Royals, (SP) Jonathan Sanchez

Sanchez may be the perfect fit for a KC rotation that ranked 27th in the majors in team E.R.A. last season. Despite a disappointing 2011 with San Francisco, in which he spent a good amount of time on the DL and struggled with his control, Sanchez has tremendous upside. In 2010, Jonathan had a 13-9 record, a 3.07 E.R.A, 193.1 innings pitched and 205 strikeouts. So far this spring, his numbers have been far from impressive. Some say his velocity is down, but I believe he is just adjusting to his new team and his first year in the American League. Sanchez has the potential to be a 200+ innings and 200+ strikeout guy each season. In San Francisco he pitched well but didn’t receive much run support from the Giants spotty offense. However, K.C. has a great mix of young and experienced guys that will without a doubt rank among the league’s best in offensive stats. Adding Sanchez in the 3rd spot of the rotation, behind Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar, could be just the spark that manager Ned Yost needs for his young pitching staff.

Oakland A’s, (OF) Josh Reddick

The left-handed hitting outfielder is projected to split time with Colin Cowgill this season, but I believe that Reddick has the potential to be an everyday player. The A’s kicked off the 2012 MLB regular season with two games in Japan against the Mariners. In those two games, Josh started in left field and had a pair of hits, one being a home run. Even though his major league experience may be somewhat limited, in the 87 games he played with Boston last season, he batted .280 with and on-base percentage of .327. I know, those are not numbers that are going to make anyone fall out of their seats, but believe me, this kid can play. He has spent 3 seasons in the Red Sox’s organization and being that he has not been an everyday player; it is easy for a guy like this to slip thru the cracks. In 39 at-bats this spring, Josh has batted .333 with 2 home runs and 11 runs batted in. He may not get much pub this year with a lot of the focus on the A’s new highly touted outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, but watch for Josh Reddick to show up every day and put up respectable numbers.

Arizona Diamondbacks, (OF) Jason Kubel

After spending 8 seasons in Minnesota, Jason Kubel signed a two-year, $15 million dollar deal with the Diamondbacks this off-season. It is said that Jason will get the start in left field for Arizona, ahead of Gerardo Parra, who won a Gold Glove in 2011. The Diamondbacks had an incredible run last season, with a handful of young guys having breakout seasons to fuel the team’s success. Kubel may not be the best fit defensively for the D-Backs in left field, but I think that it’s his consistency and experience that has my eye on him this season. He has averaged 18 home runs and 79 RBI over the past five seasons. Also, he has played in over 125 games in four of those five seasons, with the one exception being last year in which he played in 99 games. Like I said previously, it is not the stats that have me liking this off-season acquisition. Jason is a good locker room guy that can show some of these young guys what it’s like to be an everyday producer in the big leagues. The Diamondbacks made it to the playoffs last year but were eliminated by the Brewers in the first round. Add the experience the young players got from that, and a true veteran like Kubel, the sky is the limit for this team.

Brought to you by TheBaseballPage.com

2012 Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Rankings

Posted on by
Reply

To help prep you for the upcoming fantasy baseball season, we are helping all fantasy owners get started on their research. Today is the Fantasy Outfielder Rankings. Make sure you stay on top of everything so you are ready as soon as the 2012 season gets underway!

American League

1. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays: Bautista followed up his 54 HR campaign with another 43 long balls. Just as impressive was his batting average improvement to .302 (1.055 OPS).

2. Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees: I was high on Granderson last year and he delivered to the tune of a .262-136-41-119-25 season. If he could improve the average he could challenge for the top spot in AL-Only leagues.

3. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox: I’d say you were lying if you said you saw the power coming. Ellsbury slugged 32 HRs. With a .321 average, 119 runs, 105 RBI, and 39 SBs he was easily one of the most complete outfielders last year. He’s just 28 so there is no reason to think he’ll fall off.

4. Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers: Let’s go with a little risk/reward play. Hamilton can flat out rake. He could be the top option if you didn’t have to worry about injury or his addictions.

5. Carl Crawford, Boston Red Sox: Crawford crashed and burned in Boston, and could miss the start of the season. I feel he is too talented not to bounce back though.

6. Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals: After four mostly disappointing seasons Gordon finally figured things out. He posted a .303-101-23-87-17 line. With his pedigree, he should be able to build on his success.

7. Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles: Jones does a bit of everything, as evidenced by his .280-68-25-83-12 line. Assuming he can get his run total back around 80 he should be a solid number one AL-Only fantasy outfielder.

8. Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays: Zobrist is nice because you can also use him at second base. Aside from his average, his .269-99-20-91-19 line is rock solid.

9. Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers: Cruz can mash (84 HRs over the past three years), but can he stay healthy (130 missed games over the same span)?

10. B.J. Upton, Tampa Bay Rays: He continues to struggle with his average (.241, .237, .243 over past three years), but he has 52 HRs and 120 SBs over the span.

11. Shin-Cho Choo, Cleveland Indians: Choo was limited to 85 games last year, but he has been a solid across the board contributor the past 2.5 years.

12.  Desmond Jennings, Tampa Bay Rays:  In 63 games he hit 10 HRs and stole 20 bases. His upside is off the charts.

13.  Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners:  Moving to third in the lineup will likely mean less stolen bases, but he could still steal 25+. You know the average will be there. The runs could decrease, but he’ll have the opportunity to drive in more runs.

14.  Nick Swisher, New York Yankees:  Swisher has averaged 26.1 HRs over the past seven seasons.

15.  Brett Gardner, New York Yankees:  He has averaged 48 stolen bases over the past two seasons.

16.  Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland A’s:  I know he is a bit of the unknown, and not playing in a potent offense, but the power potential is huge.

17.  Vernon Wells, Los Angeles Angels:  Wells has combined for 56 HRs over the past two years. The Angels could move him, but he should be productive wherever he ends up.

18.  Josh Willingham, Minnesota Twins:  Smacked 29 HRs last year and has averaged 21.8 long balls over the past six seasons. Coming to Minnesota could sap his power, but he still should approach twenty or more.

19.  Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles:  He does a bit of everything, he just doesn’t excel in any category.

20.  Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels:  Hunter has averaged 24.3 HRs over the past 11 years.

National League

1. Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers: Matt Kemp was one home run shy of reaching the 40-40 club. Throw in 115 runs, 126 RBI, and a .324 batting average (.986 OPS) and you have the most complete fantasy outfielder in baseball.

2. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers: Assuming that his production won’t dip following his failed test and overturned suspension, he’s a fantasy monster.

3. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies: CarGo was a disappointment, but he still managed a .295-92-26-92-20 campaign despite missing 35 games.

4. Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks: Hard to argue with a .289-105-31-88-21 line, especially from a 24-year old.

5. Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins: Slugged 34 HRs last year, and the addition of Jose Reyes should provide more RBI opportunities. He could easily lead the league in HRs and RBI.

6. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates: Had a rough season (.259 average) by his standards, but he saw his power jump to 23 HRs. He should be a solid contributor in all five categories.

7. Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds: The power is definitely there. He slugged 34 HRs last year with 97 RBI. He already has 100 career home runs and he’ll turn just 25 in April.

8. Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals: Albert Pujols is going to be missed. How could he not be? Still, Holliday is coming off a .296-83-22-75-2 line in 124 games. At 32 he’s not quite ready to lose OF1 status.

9. Hunter Pence, Philadelphia Phillies: Nothing wrong with a .314-84-22-97-8 line. He was even better for the Phillies posting a .324 average and .954 OPS.

10. Michael Bourn, Atlanta Braves: I don’t like overpaying for steals, but Bourn gets you so many. He has averaged 58 SBs over the past three seasons. He should post a decent average and approach 100 runs.

11. Michael Morse, Washington Nationals: He followed up a strong 2010 second half with a .305-73-31-95-2 line. I’m a believer.

12. Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers: Hart has averaged 28.5 HRs over the past two seasons, and has hit 20 or more in four of the past five. He’ll also steal you a few bases.

13. Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers: Ethier was a shell of himself last year with 11 HRs. He combined for 74 HRs his previous three seasons though. Health is an issue as Ethier has missed 50 games over the past two seasons.

14. Shane Victorino, Philadelphia Phillies: Fresh off a .279-95-17-61-19 season, you know what you’re getting from Victorino. A solid run total, decent HRs, and nice SBs. It’s a bonus if he can get his average back around .290.

15.  Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves:  Heyward had a tough year (.227-50-14-42-9). I feel he’s too good not to bounce back.

16.  Drew Stubbs, Cincinnati Reds:  He’s a power/speed combo guy, but his 40 SBs were more impressive than his 15 HRs.

17.  Cameron Maybin, San Diego Padres:  Swiped 40 bases last year. He will turn 25 this year so he likely just scratched the surface.

18.  Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals:  Werth missed playing at Citizens Bank Park. He still managed 20 HRs and has the potential for more.

19.  Michael Cuddyer, Colorado Rockies:  Cuddy hit 20 last year for Minnesota, a number that could increase in Colorado.

20.  Carlos Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals:  After injuries cut short his 2009 and 2010 seasons, Beltran rebounded with 22 HRs.

Brought to you by TheBaseballPage.com