All posts under "Fantasy Strategy" - Page 4

In The Field OF Brian Goodwin has been on the 10-day IL with a right wrist contusion. Playing time is going to be scarce for Goodwin when he comes back with Upton, Trout, and Calhoun manning the outfield and Ohtani...

It's that time of year - I can feel it in my sweat-soaked fingers. The weather is heating up and contending major league general managers are beginning to feel pressure from their fanbase to upgrade their rosters for the playoff...

In The Field SS Andrelton Simmons suffered a setback as he tried to make his way back from a Grade 3 ankle sprain. He is going to be reevaluated next week which means the Angels will continue with a combination...

If you're still reading this column in June, it probably means you check your fantasy baseball teams every day. In fact, you're probably the subject matter expect on just about any player on your active roster. That's a good thing!...

Maybe leading in saves isn't such a good thing after all. As most of the avid readers know, I'm heavily involved in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) drafts each spring. I'm a firm believer that the players who play...

In The Field 3B Zack Cozart was placed on the 10-day IL on May 28 which opens up playing time for 2B Luis Rengifo. He is hitting .241 with just 1 HR and 0 SB which was thought to be...

A Closer Look is back! After a weeklong respite, your friendly neighborhood closer column is back refreshed and ready to lead you into baseball's second half. Memorial Day week was relatively quiet on the closer front, so the closer landscape...

In The Field SS Andrelton Simmons has a grade 3 ankle sprain and is going to be out multiple weeks. The Angels called up 2B Luis Rengifo to take his spot on the roster. He was hitting .273 with 5...

The art of the handcuff. Teaching the strategy behind identifying handcuffs in fantasy baseball used to be an easy task. Find the pitcher with the best skills in the bullpen, roster him, and wait for the current closer to falter....

In The Field OF Justin Upton has been cleared to resume running as he recovers from a toe injury. He is not expected back until June. This gives OF Brian Goodwin a chance to compete with OF Kole Calhoun for...

Who are the best bullpens in baseball? Who are the worst? As fantasy owners, should we even care? While this is a column that focuses heavily on closers and saves, bullpen quality is one of the most important aspects of...

What makes a good reliever? Is it his mental makeup, his approach to the game or is the most important aspect his talent? Maybe you'll take the side that it's all the above. There's really no right answer, the best...

In The Field 3B Zack Cozart was placed on the 10-day IL on April 25. The Angels had been playing David Fletcher and Tommy La Stella anyway with Cozart struggling. Fletcher is someone that could help with batting average but...

Much of the talk in the early going of the 2019 season has been around the rise in power and the struggles of the starting pitchers, elite or otherwise. We know from a leaguewide perspective, pitching ERA is up significantly,...

In The Field DH Shohei Ohtani feels good enough to be playing but is waiting on one more check up with the doctors before he starts playing in live games. It remains to be seen how many starts each week...

American League In The Field OF Shohei Ohtani is throwing three times a week and has progressed to hitting on the field. Ohtani is going to be a huge value in daily lineup leagues because he should be above average...

Homeruns are to flyballs as cake is to flour, unless, of course, you're a starting pitcher. In that case, homeruns are to flyballs as burnt toast is to flour. Home runs ruin ERAs, fantasy teams and even careers. For years,...

Yesterday marked the first NFBC Main Event drafts of the 2019 season. If you're unfamiliar, the Main Event is a high stakes 15-team, 5x5 rotisserie league that has both a league prize and an overall prize. There are 540 participants...

Hard hit rate (hard %) measures the percentage of batted balls that are hit "hard". That's a straightforward definition, but what exactly does it mean? For context, it's important to understand a brief history of the metric. Hard hit rate...

Growing up, every little leaguer was taught by their coach to "put the barrel on the ball". When it happened, the coach might have exclaimed "way to barrel it up, Michael!" That's why when Statcast unveiled a slew of new...

Strand rate, or left on base percentage (LOB%), measures the percentage of baserunners a pitcher leaves on base over the course of an entire season. At its core, strand rate is simply a measure of the number of runners that...

Hi folks! In the slightly adjusted words of Lenny Melnick: A closer is a closer is a closer. In other words (mine), it doesn't matter what time of year it is or who is closing the games, we will almost...

In The Field 3B Jedd Gyorko is expected to come off the D.L. on Saturday after recovering from a left groin strain. Gyorko is likely to find himself in bench role or some sort of semi-regular playing time which is...

It's time for A Closer Look as we take a closer look at your fantasy team's bullpen. We're in the middle of the fantasy baseball playoffs and rotisserie leagues are coming to a close. This week we'll give a little...

We made it to roster expansion! Those of you in head-to-head leagues likely started your playoffs either earlier this week or will begin next week. Things have slowed down considerably in the bullpens over the last week, but a handful...

In The Field OF George Springer was activated from the DL on Friday. OF Mike Trout was not activated on Friday but he was away from the team due to the death of his brother-in-law. 2B Jose Altuve is getting...

It's week 19 of the fantasy baseball season, do you know where you are in the standings? Time is running thin to make a material difference in any category, but saves is one where you can still pick up a...

In The Field OF Kyle Tucker was optioned to Triple-A with the Astros calling up Jake Marisnick. 2B Ian Kinsler was placed on the 10-day DL with a left hamstring injury. OF Mike Trout is dealing with a wrist injury...

We're a mere three days away from the trade deadline and already our closers are dropping like flies! Over the last week, Jeurys Familia, Joakim Soria, and Zach Britton have found new homes and are gearing up for the playoff...

In The Field OF Ryan Braun was activated from the 10-day DL on Saturday after being out since July 8 with a back strain. The Brewers outfield has an opening currently with OF Eric Thames going on the DL with...

Welcome back to baseball! Hopefully everyone had a wonderful All-Star break and found the time off enjoyable and rejuvenating. We're just a few weeks away from baseball's non-waiver trade deadline and we're certainly in the midst of the most important...

Lots to cover, so little time! As we head into the All-Star Break, I plead with you to please stick with baseball even after the Midsummer Classic happens next week. Many a fantasy baseball team owners go AWOL after the...

It was a relatively slow week in terms of closer news, which is welcome to many of your ears (and FAAB budgets!). Nonetheless, we're a mere three weeks away from the trade deadline and that means we could see a...

In The Field SS Zack Cozart is going to have surgery to repair a torn labrum and is out for 6-8 months which means that his 2018 season is over. 1B Jefry Marte has started a rehab assignment and could...

Save Leaders This Week: Blake Treinen - 4 Raisel Iglesias - 4 Blown Saves This Week: Ryan Tepera - 2 Brad Boxberger - 1 Mark Melancon - 1 Fernando Rodney - 1 Seranthony Dominguez - 1 Sam Dyson - 1...

In The Field OF Ronald Acuna has been hitting and running in his rehab. He started a rehab assignment on Friday, June 22nd and could be back late next week. OF Ryan Braun had a cryotherapy session done on his...