As I like to do, let's look at the most recent trade in my Yahoo H2H keeper league.
1. Summer Fox (Rogstad) trades Tim Hudson to Naterade (Nate) for Adam Jones and Hiroki Kuroda.
Adam Jones was part of the haul that Baltimore received from Seattle for Erik Bedard. Jones is a highly-touted prospect who has been compared to Torii Hunter and Mike Cameron, both for his defense and his bat. Last year in AAA at the fairly young age of 21, Jones hit .314 with 25 HR and a .968 OPS. Fantasy projections for his first full year in the big leagues have him hitting any where from .255 to .284, 6 to 22 HR, and 6 to 12 SB. Jones is currently hitting .211 with no HR in eleven games.
Hiroki Kuroda is a groundball pitcher from Japan, playing his first season in the majors. He currently has a 1-1 record with a 2.13 ERA and is holding opponents to a .240 BA over 12.2 innings. He's been doing a good job of keeping the ball on the ground, with a 1.46 GB/FB ratio. Most projections have him finishing the season with an ERA around 4.00 with limited upside for strikeouts.
Tim Hudson was one of the league's better pitchers in his early days with Oakland, though he has had some struggles since coming over to Atlanta. He's more of a control pitcher these days, and with his declining K/9 rate, he's less likely to post solid strikeout numbers any more. He's been dominant in his first three starts this season, with only two walks and an opponents' batting average of .167. Hudson is a reliable pitcher, averaging 32 starts a year since 2000, and he should be a top-30 pitcher for the year.
Rogstad will have a decent pitching staff once John Lackey comes off the DL, anchored by a strong bullpen and by solid starters like Daisuke Matsuzaka and Fausto Carmona. By trading away Hudson, he gets a decent pitcher in Kuroda and a possible future All Star to build his team around in Jones. Though Hudson is the best player in the deal, it is extremely unlikely that Hudson can continue his current success in limiting hits; he has a below-average strikeout rate and his Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) of .203 is unsustainable. BABIP tends to revert to a mean of around .300; Hudson's career BABIP average is .289. Hudson will still finish the year as a top-30 pitcher, but he'll probably struggle a bit once batted balls start to find their way through the defense. For Nate, Tim Hudson helps bolster a pitching staff that could lack depth if young pitchers Francisco Liriano, Johnny Cueto, and Chad Billingsley struggle.
Though not as extreme of a groundball-pitcher as Hudson, Kuroda has been striking out batters at a slightly better rate. The fear with Japanese pitchers is that they will tire over the course of a longer season, such as Kaz Ishii, who had an impressive win streak with the Dodgers over the first half of the 2002 season before imploding over the last three months. Kuroda has limited upside; at his best, he should provide numbers slightly behind Hudson's.
The main appeal of this deal for Rogstad would be the upside of Jones. Most of Rogstad's established stars are starting to enter their declining years, and with Brandon Phillips the only All-Star on Rogstad's squad entering his prime, Rogstad is looking to acquire some young potential All-Stars to build around. Jones will not be that player this year - his walk rate is horribly low and he's been hitting the ball on the ground too often to take advantage of his power - but he could be very good in a couple of years once he learns how to be patient at the plate. Rogstad can afford to stash Jones on the bench for a while until he starts to figure things out.
In a year or two this trade could swing father into Rogstad's favor, but for right now I think it is a pretty fair trade. Both team's get something they want, with Rogstad playing for the future and Nate building pitching depth for this season.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Flapjacks Trade - Tim Hudson for Adam Jones/Hiroki Kuroda
Posted by
Ben Westrup
at
10:02 AM
3
comments
Labels: adam jones, hiroki kuroda, naterade, summer fox, tim hudson, trades
Monday, April 7, 2008
Flapjacks Power Rankings 4/7
For those playing in our Yahoo H2H league, here is a look at the power rankings as we head into the second week. Not much movement yet since it's only been one week, but we do have a new #1. Click the link to read more.
4/7/08 Flapjacks Power Rankings
(Season record and last week's rankings in parentheses. )
1. The Macafeys (7-3-0) (2)
The Macafeys move into the top spot with a solid offense, sparked by an impressive display of speed, led by Michael Bourn and Carlos Gomez with 4 steals each. Derek Lee provided the power with 3 HR. Rich Harden has helped by staying healthy and striking out 15 in his first two starts. Tim's bullpen is a little shaky, but Jeremy Accardo recorded 3 saves last week, and the rotation should be good enough to career any reliever missteps. Keep an eye on Alex Gordon, as he could be starting to heat up.
2. The Dinos (5-5-0) (3)
Jonathan received a great week from Ben Sheets, who will carry The Dino's pitching staff as long as he stays healthy. Also important to the rotation's success was John Smoltz's first start back from injury, where he struck out 6 in 5 innings, and Joe Nathan's 3 saves. The offense was a bit sluggish last week, batting .264, but the power is there, led by Chase Utley's 3 HR. Watch out once Ryan Howard and Miguel Cabrera start to hit. A bright spot is the early success of J.D. Drew, hitting .375 with 2 HR to start the season.
3. The Balls (6-3-1) (1)
The Balls drop a couple of spots this week, despite the great starts of Jake Peavy and Pat Burrell. Losing Pedro Martinez hurts, and the bullpen imploded a bit the first week, but the strong first start by Edison Volquez give hope for future success. The offense is starting to look weak on the bench, with poor starts by Milton Bradley and Dave Roberts. Brubaker needs players like Robinson Cano and Garrett Atkins to start raking.
4. Screaming Lemurs (6-3-1) (4)
Lemurs remain in the 4th spot for the second week in a row. Strong starts by Ian Kinsler, Ryan Braun, and Rafael Furcal have help offset last week's injury to Victor Martinez, and Carl Crawford's inability to hit so far this season. Lemurs have a strong staff, led by Brandon Webb and Cole Hamels, though it looks like their lack of closers will keep them from winning the saves category each week.
5. The Tossers (3-7-0) (5)
The offense is looking strong, led by Alex Rodriguez, Torii Hunter and Corey Hart, but Troost needs a healthy Gary Sheffield and a productive Brad Hawpe to be able to move up in the rankings. Troost's staff pitched poorly, despite great starts by Chris Young and Derek Lowe. Takashi Saito and Francisco Cordero helped out by both picking up a win and a save last week. Disappointing to see that Jason Bartlett has not stolen a base yet.
6. Adrian's Revenge (5-5-0) (7)
The whole rotation kind of fell on its face last week, but my team gets a boost with the return of Brad Lidge. Despite an early failure, Kerry Wood went on the save 3 games. Ian Snell had a very promising second start, striking out 10 in 6 innings. The offense hasn't looked good at the plate, but they did hit a league high 17 HR last week, led by Rick Ankiel and Chris Young with 3 each. If Mark Teixiera would wake up, this offense could be quite good. The rotation still needs some work, though.
7. Val Kilmer's Asshole (3-6-1) (6)
Mark's team drops a spot because of poor weeks from Justin Verlander, Hustin Street, Lance Berkman and Andruw Jones. Mark adds Michael Cuddyer, out for at least two weeks, to a growing list of injured players. Not much offense here if his stars don't hit. Joe Blanton has been pretty solid to begin the season, and Vernon Wells has been swinging the bat well.
8. Butt Admirals (7-2-1) (10)
The Admirals move up two spots based on his solid, balanced offense, and the solid relief work by Bobby Jenks and Joakim Soria. The strong starts by Kosuke Fukodome and Nate McLouth have really helped this team out. Those two will probably fade after a while, so the Admirals success will depend on whether their infield can heat up and whether Josh Beckett can stay healthy. Aaron Harang has been a bright spot on the pitching staff. The Admirals could use another decent closer if they want to stay competitive.
9. Self Indulgence (7-3-0) (8)
Self Indulgence got good first weeks out of Chipper Jones and Carlos Delgado, but the rest of the offense has been pretty anemic. His rotation has been a bright spot, with great starts by Johan Santana, Chien-Ming Wang and Jered Weaver, but his relief pitching has been less than stellar. This team could move up quickly if their offense can put together a couple solid weeks in a row.
10. Summer Fox (3-6-1) (9)
Summer Fox has been hurt by slow starts by Jason Bay and Ichiro, but he's getting a lot of production from his middle infielders, such as Aaron Hill, Yunel Escobar, and Brandon Phillips. Tim Hudson and Daisuke Matsuzaka have both pitched well in their first couple of starts. Summer Fox is waiting for John Lackey and Randy Johnson to come off the DL, and for Colby Rasmus and Brandon Wood to come up from the minors, but until that happens, this team will be in the lower part of the rankings. Having Billy Wagner and Jason Isringhausen as closers is the team's strength.
11. Dissect Yourself (2-7-1) (11)
Some good offensive production but hot starters like Xavier Nady and Corey Patterson, but this team is going to be hurting until guys like Alfonso Soriano, Matt Holliday and Troy Tulowitzki can hit above the Mendoza Line. Losing J.J. Putz to the DL is a tough break, as C.J. Wilson is the only other pitcher on this team getting save opportunities. Some good starts by Brad Penny and Jon Lester.
12. Naterade (3-7-0) (12)
This team has the potential to move up because of the high upside of its youngsters, but it's going to be hard, as younger players tend to be streaky early on. Howie Kendrick is on fire, hitting .444 with 2 stolen bases, and Justin Upton is showing his power early, with 3 HR. But Justin Morneau, Edgar Renteria, and Russell Martin have all hit poorly so far. Felix Hernadez has been an ace, and rookie pitchers Johnny Cueto and Hiroki Kuroda both had solid debuts. The bullpen is solid, but watch out that Francisco Rodriguez doesn't end up on the DL soon. This team has talent, but it might take a few weeks to put it together.
Thoughts or opinions? Let me know in the comments section.
Posted by
Ben Westrup
at
2:11 PM
0
comments
Labels: power rankings
Players of the Week
For the Batter of the Week, I'd like to nominate Xavier Nady for the stellar numbers listed below.
Xavier Nady 26AB 6R 10H 1Dbl 3HR 9RBI 1SB .385BA .448OBP .769SLG 1.218OPS
Runners-Up
Nate McLouth 28AB 6R 12H 5Dbl 1HR 7RBI 2SB .429BA .448OBP .714SLG 1.163OPS
Chase Utley 21AB 8R 9H 2Dbl 3HR 6RBI .429BA .519OBP .952SLG 1.471OPS
For Pitcher of the Week, I'd like to nominate Ben Sheets for not giving up a single run the entire week.
Ben Sheets 15.1IP 7H 0ER 2BB 15K 1W 0.00 ERA o.59 WHIP .135 BAA
Runners-Up
Jake Peavy 16.0 IP 5H 1ER 4BB 12K 2W 0.56 ERA 0.56 WHIP .096 BAA
Joakim Soria 4.0 IP 2H 0ER 0BB 7K 3SV 0.00 ERA 0.50 WHIP .154 BAA
Please vote in the poll for who you think should be the players of the week.
Posted by
Ben Westrup
at
8:30 AM
3
comments
Labels: ben sheets, chase utley, jake peavy, joakim soria, nate mclouth, players of the week, xavier nady
Monday, March 31, 2008
Flapjacks Power Rankings
So, just for kicks, I will be periodically ranking the teams in my league. I'm sure this holds no interest for anyone but the managers in my league, so feel free to move along to the next post.
3/31/08 Flapjacks Power Rankings
1. The Balls
This team's #1 ranking is dependent on how long Albert Pujols can stay in the lineup. The Balls have arguably the best pitching staff in our league, led by Erik Bedard and Jake Peavy. They need healthy seasons from both Hank Blalock and Milton Bradley, especially Pujols opts for surgery.
2. The Macafeys
They probably have the best offense in the league, led by David Wright, Jimmy Rollins, and B.J. Upton. They'll get even better if Alex Gordon can take the next step forward. Their pitching could use some help, but a healthy Rich Harden will go a long way to strengthening their staff.
3. The Dinos
Dinos have a strong offense, but they need both Lastings Milledge and Joey Votto to take the next step, a healthy J.D. Drew, and a bounce-back year from Richie Sexson. Injury questions on their pitching staff keeps them from ranking higher. John Smoltz starting on the DL hurt their ranking this week.
4. The Screaming Lemurs
The Lemurs have a very balanced offense, with quite a few guys who run and hit for power. If Billy Butler can continue his strong spring training start, the Lemurs could move up a spot. Their rotation is strong, but they appear to be punting saves, and their pitchers at the back of the rotation (Kevin Millwood, Wandy Rodriguez, Jake Westbrook) are not very good.
5. The Tossers
The Tossers have a strong offense with lots of power, led Alex Rodriguez, Travis Hafner, Nick Swisher, and Brad Hawpe. They do need another ace to help Chris Young anchor their pitching staff, as it's a steep drop from Young to the rest of their pitchers.
6. Val Kilmer's Asshole
They could have the best pitching staff if Scott Kazmir and B.J. Ryan can come back strong from injury and if A.J. Burnett can stay healthy. Until then, this roster is filled with injured players such as Scott Rolen, Jeremy Hermida, and Jerry Owens. They don't have enough healthy batters to fill all of their active roster spots.
7. Adrian's Revenge
My team has a good offense, but I probably have the worst pitching rotation. Hopefully Brad Lidge will stay healthy. I need Ian Snell, Rich Hill, and Matt Garza to take the next step forward to improve my staff. My offense could get a boost if Chris B. Young and Hunter Pence improve this year.
8. Self Indulgence
They will have a good offense, especially if Matt Kemp is as good as advertised. They need Jeff Kent and Ken Griffey Jr. to stay healthy, and they need to add depth to their pitching staff. They have Johan Santana, but not that much after him.
9. Summer Fox
Summer Fox could move up a couple of spot if he improves his roster, which has a few open spots due to players being sent down to the minors. Losing John Lackey hurts. He needs a bounce-back season from Jason Bay, and improvements from Stephen Drew and Yunel Escobar.
10. Butt Admirals
The Admirals could have a dominant pitching staff if Josh Beckett can stay healthy. The offense will struggle because he's depending on guys like Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Ryan Garko, Nate McClouth, and Kosuke Fukudome to make the leap to the next level.
11. Dissect Yourself
They have a good offense, but their pitching staff is hurting. They need Yovani Gallardo to be healthy, and they need another ace. Clay Buchholz could become that ace, but it might not happen this year.
12. Naterade
Naterade has the worst offense in the league, and they could have the worst pitching if Francisco Liriano doesn't come back in top form. His offense has the most upside of any team in the league, so he could move up the rankings fast if his team as a hot start.
Posted by
Ben Westrup
at
10:29 AM
6
comments
Labels: flapjacks, power rankings
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Andre Ethier wins the Dodgers' starting LF job
Posted by
Ben Westrup
at
2:47 PM
2
comments
Labels: andre ethier, Dodgers, juan pierre
Flapjacks Fantasy Transactions
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Flapjacks Fantasy Transactions
Posted by
Ben Westrup
at
5:55 PM
0
comments
Labels: balls, macafeys, naterade, tossers, waiver wire