Bloop Single is starting to get a little bit of national recognition among fantasy baseball publications. One such example is the quote on the back cover of the 2009 version of Graphical Player by John Burnson.
I highly recommend it for veteran fantasy baseball players looking for an edge to help get their game to the next level.
—Bloop Single
I'm a big fan of Graphical Player as a tool to help prep for fantasy baseball. The visual presentation of the statistics highlight trends that simply can't be seen when looking at straight numbers. If you're looking for a little bump performance in your fantasy baseball league or just want to dig a little deeper into fantasy baseball stats check out Graphical Player 2009.
Pick up a copy of Graphical Player 2009 on Amazon.com today
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Graphical Player 2009 Quotes Bloop Single on Back Cover
Saturday, March 14, 2009
NFBC Satellite Draft Results, Part 3 of 3
15 team fantasy baseball leagues like NFBC style have the longest end game I've ever competed in. The goal is to scrape up everyday players with some upside and grab those one or two sleepers.
21) Brandon Wood, SS/3B - we needed a third base option and SS qualification is a bonus, if he put it all together he's Adam Dunn on the infield
22) Kyle Lohshe, SP - really came around with St. Lois last year, nice spot starter and maybe a little more
23) Travis Ishikawa, 1B - poor man's Joey Votto is still under the radar, 20 HR + 5 SB and 280 BA looks doable
24) Homer Bailey, SP - having a great spring, may be ready to fulfill his potential, could really bail out our thin rotation
25) Matt Joyce, OF - 20-25 HR potential, plays OF, was listed as 'alive' on the injury report
26) John Lannan, SP - little bit of a soft tosser, could still improve, nice spot starter
27) Eugenio Velez, 2B/OF - super utility man will qualify at MI/OF and may see enough playing time to swipe 40 bases
28) Dallas McPherson, 3B - finally healthy, 30-40 HR potential and looks like he'll play every day
29) Nick Blackburn, SP - command/control specialist strikes no one out but could eat innings with nice ratio
30) Barry Zito,SP - like the reports of him working out in the offseason, if he gets a little more zip back on the ball he could be spot start worthy, more likely first guy we cut
You can find Brandon Wood baseball cards and memorabilia on eBay!
NFBC Satellite Draft Results, Part 1 of 3
NFBC Satellite Draft Results, Part 2 of 3
NFBC Satellite Draft Results, Part 2 of 3
The middle rounds are where NFBC style fantasy baseball leagues are won and lost. It's important to snag a few upside plays but getting steady proven production with every pick is critical.
11) Rickie Weeks, 2B - there are lots of reasons why this backfires but I think this is his year, note how the Pedroia/Mauer picks make Weeks BA bearable
12) Mike Jacobs, 1B - getting a little hype but still not sure why he isn't a top 10 pick, 35+ HRs look real doable
13) Gil Meche, SP - has put together 2 solid carbon copy seasons in KC, light for a #2 but the skills are real
14) Mike Cameron, OF - another low BA guy with nice HR and SB #s, he should combine for 40
15) Mark Buerle, SP - K rate bounced up again last season, a resurgence is possible
16) Mike Pelfrey, SP - although I'm a Mets fan I don't love Pelfrey (yet), but I needed to just start adding a bodies that qualify as starting pitchers
17) Nick Swisher, OF/1B - again, only possible because of Pedroia/Mauer earlier, love him to bounce back, dual position eligibility is gravy
18) Paul Maholm, SP - pulse and starting pitcher gig, welcome aboard
19) Bronson Arroyo, SP - I think he's a little under valued, could bounce back nicely
20) Dave Bush, SP - been a sabermetric fav for years, might play out in reality this baseball season, should have really low WHIP
Get Rickie Weeks autographed baseball cards and other memorabilia on eBay!
NFBC Satellite Draft Results, Part 1 of 3
NFBC Satellite Draft Results, Part 3 of 3
NFBC Satellite Draft Results, Part 1 of 3
My brother in law and I drafted an NFBC Satellite team on Wednesday. It will be a nice tune up for me in preparation of the National Fantasy Baseball Championship next weekend. Although it was a blast the draft lasted until 1:00 in the morning, and I'm still pretty spent.
Here's a breakdown of the first 10 rounds of the draft (check back for the rest):
1) Carlos Lee, OF - El Caballo is perhaps the most underrated fantasy baseball player. You can't have enough OFs in NFBC style leagues and although the speed is fading a bit Carlos Lee is a stat stuffer in every other category.
2) Dustin Pedroia, 2B - I don't know if Pedroia's HRs and SBs will add up to what he did last year but the 320 BA will setup some things later in the draft. Middle infield is always thin and it's nice to pencil in 110+ Runs
3) Joe Mauer, C - not liking the injury reports but this league starts 2 catchers so I think it's important to grab one of the big guys. Again, the high BA opens up a lot of options in about 10 rounds.
4) David Ortiz, U - even if he's a little bit on the downside Big Papi should be really productive in 4 categories. I hate jamming my U early in the draft but 4th round represents awesome value.
5) Troy Tulowitski, SS - I've really come around on Tulo. He's good for 22+ HRs and a 275 BA but he's really going to set me up because I see him chipping in roughly 10 SBs which most people aren't expecting.
6) Mariano Rivera, RP - elite closer still has some gas left in the tank.
7) Brian Fuentes, RP - even if the Angles have 20% fewer save chances this year Fuentes could get better than 50 chances.
8) Zack Greinke, SP - could make a run at the Cy Young this year, love him as an ace and the price is right.
9) Willy Taveras, OF - we had a big stolen base problem up until now - problem solved. Dusty Baker may be a moron but he doesn't believe in OBP and he should give Taveras the green light all day.
10) Bengie Molina, C - hits for a nice average, will chip in 15-20 HRs and drive in over 80 RBIs. Bengie gets no respect but I love our catching tandem.
Click here to pick up Autographed Carlos Lee baseball cards and memorabilia on eBay!
NFBC Satellite Draft Results, Part 2 of 3
NFBC Satellite Draft Results, Part 3 of 3
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Great Fantasy Debate Invites Bloop Single
The Great Fantasy Debate over at Fantasy Pros 911 is just about ready to get rolling for this fantasy baseball season. The contest drew over 76 applicants and I was selected 10th! They are currently highlighting 1 participant each day until all 12 fantasy baseball debaters are unveiled.
The competition will consist of head to head blogging each week against one of the other debaters. Scoring is based on a number of factors including views, comments, and voting by the judges. The winner gets to be a regular on the Fantasy Pros 911 for the 2010 fantasy baseball season.
With this news and my satellite NFBC draft starting next week, fantasy baseball season is really kicking into high gear.
Pick up Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster 2009 to get ready for your fantasy baseball draft
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Mike Cameron, Undervalued Fantasy Baseball Option in 2009
Mike Cameron (pictured 2007 Topps baseball card) has never been a fantasy baseball player that I've targeted. Take into consideration that he turned 36 last month and I'm running a serious risk hoping onto the bandwagon now. However, based on the mock drafts I've been doing Mike Cameron has been in a complete free fall. Even in a deep fantasy baseball league like the NFBC he's going in the late teen rounds.
So Cameron is cheap and old, what else? He's averaged 23/20 over the past 3 years along with nearly 160 Runs+RBIs. His 251 BA over that same period isn't great but in deep leagues isn't a killer either. The last two years he's hit below 250 and stolen less than 20 bases so again - be cautious.
The Baseball Forecaster
Brush up on Mike Cameron and the rest of the baseball best fantasy players with Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster 2009: Gravity Defying Edition
New Kid Elberfeld T206 with Polar Bear Back
I recently landed a Kid Elberfeld T206 with a Polar Bear back. It ran almost $50 but is in pretty good shape. The corners show significant rounding however there are no major creases, the color is good and the card is well centered. Plus there's always a slight bump for Polar Bear backs - the T206 Museum's Pricing Formula has Polar Bear's going for a 30% premium.
This T206 is from when Elberfeld was on the Washington Senators. The "Tabasco Kid" was know for his fiery temper and tough play at short stop. He was a career 271 hitter with 213 stolen bases. As further testament to his toughness Kid Elberfeld lead the league in number of times hit by a pitch twice, owned the single season record up until 1986 and is still 13th on the all time list.
You can find T206 baseball cards with Polar Bear backs on eBay!