Hot Stove Junkie

Hey peoples.

I have a new off season baseball column at RotoExperts, Hot Stove Junkie, featuring weekly fantasy spins on all the Hot Stove Transactions --from the biggest trades to the most obscure waiver pick ups. Check it out by clicking on the title link above.

I've also accepted an invitation to appear in the The Fantasy Sports Invitational Challenge, where I've been given a seat in the American League.

I've also been blogging for RotoExperts. My first few posts are on Matt Holliday and the Nationals trade.

And just in case you were wondering... This site is about to explodein production. It will now feature daily posts. Most posts will be of the quick hits variety but every Friday and Sunday you'll find expansive articles exploring the tenets of Advanced Fantasy Baseball and this is just the beginning.

Don't forget to subscribe to our RSS feed. If you aren't familiar with RSS check out the fantastic Google Reader and believe me you will be hooked. It revolutionizes blog reading.

New Situation: Mike Jacobs - Traded

Traded Player: Mike Jacobs

Old Team: Florida Marlins
New Team: Kansas City Royals

Background: As a 38th-round pick by the Mets in 1999 out of Grossmont (California) Junior College, Mike Jacobs was always an unlikely major league star. Jacobs received a chance at big league at-bats after a trade from the New York Mets to the Florida Marlins as part of the exchange for superstar slugger Carlos Delgado.

What the Scouts Say: Jacobs has hit 80 home runs and slugged .498 in four big league seasons making him a major power source for the often cash-strapped Marlins. As a Marlin, he has just a .318 on-base percentage. He cannot hit lefties (.235/.275/.414 versus them in 338 career plate appearances) but is acceptable against righties (.257 average and .315 on-base percentage in 2008). He is not much of a base runner and is below average defensively at first base.

What the Stat Guys Say: Sabermetricians will question why the Royals, who presently hold the rights to a wide variety of cheap alternatives at the first base and designated hitter spots, would spend their assets (even one as limited in ceiling as Leo Nunez) for a player that isn’t very good and not much of an improvement over players already on the forty-man roster. Kila Ka'aihue had a nice season at triple-A but needs to demonstrate that he has actually made a step up in performance level before the Royals can commit to him at the major league level. Ryan Shealy is now 30 years old and has yet to perform in the major leagues on a consistent basis. Counting on either of those players to outplay Jacobs would be a lousy bet. Billy Butler has been highly touted but has yet to perform in the majors and is not a favorite of Royals general manager Dayton Moore. Jacobs hits fly balls and line drives at good rates for a power hitter. His BABIP suggests that he was unlucky last season (.264 in 2008 compared to his career rate of .292) and indicates that he could rebound slightly even though moving to the tougher American League.

Fantasy Outlook: Look for the Royals to platoon Jacobs in the lineup with right-handed first baseman Ryan Shealy to maximize their production at first base. As the left-handed batter in the platoon, he should see enough at-bats to be an asset to fantasy teams. Do not be surprised if the platoon is not a conventional one. For defensive reasons Jacobs may appear as the designated hitter in order to get top prospect (and equally poor on defense) Billy Butler some games in the field. Fantasy leaguers can expect solid power and a just barely acceptable average from Jacobs in 2009.

Brett Farve to Vikings

Once again Brett Farve is not going to be a part of the Green Bay Packers' offense. They must really have a lot of faith in Aaron Rodgers. Almost makes you want to bump him up your rankings... Rumors are pointing towards a trade to the Vikings.



From FootballGuys.com:

Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports that QB Brett Favre is less likely to return to Green Bay. In Monday's meeting between Favre, GM Ted Thompson and HC Mike McCarthy, Favre insisted he wanted to do what is best for the team and the locker room and did not want to become more of a distraction. That also included canceling any kind of quarterback competition, meaning Aaron Rodgers will remain the starter. Favre did maintain his desire to play, and play within the division, but the Packers are scratching to find another solution. The two sides will meet again today.

Check Out RotoExperts.com

Head over to RotoExperts and read the latest edition of Moving Up, Moving Down. Here's a brief excerpt from last week's column:



It was not exactly an intervention. It was more like a State of the Union address, though instead of telling Congress what they wanted to hear, I was giving the members of my various fantasy squads a chance to praise, criticize, and berate each other as well as me. I have to admit, it's much more fun that way. A quick look around the room assured me that everyone I had invited (and a few I had made a point of not inviting) had arrived.
Robinson Cano
Robinson is part of the red hot Yankees. Photo Credit: DANNYWILD

Just as I was about to get things started one of those uninvited guests made a beeline to the podium. It was Robinson Cano, and he had a very smug look on his face.

“Hah! You told people to dump me but I’m having a great second half!”

“Congratulations Robbie. I’m very happy to have been wrong about you.”

“Why, I’m not on any of your teams. You know, since the All-Star break I’m batting .514 with three home runs and ten RBI.”

Jon: "Yes, Robbie. I was clearly wrong to suggest people dump you.”

TAKE A CAB, DAMN YOU!

Does no one in the sports world have a cell phone? I swear it seems as if more players are caught drunk driving than scoring touchdowns or stealing bases.

From the Kansas City Star:

Royals utility player arrested for DUI

A Kansas City Royals infielder spent more than seven hours in jail today after he was arrested for driving under the influence.

Campus police for the University of Missouri-Kansas City stopped Alberto J. Callaspo, 25, about 3 a.m. after he allegedly ran a red light near E. 48th and Oak streets, just north of the campus. The officer booked Callaspo into the jail at Kansas City police headquarters downtown about 4:30 a.m.

Callaspo appeared before a municipal judge via video camera about 10:10 a.m., and the judge granted him a signature bond. He was released just before noon.

Additional details about the arrest were not available because the UMKC police report was not completed.

The Royals obtained Callaspo last winter from the Diamondbacks in exchange for pitcher Billy Buckner. The Royals website said he has filled in at second base and shortstop and has a batting average of .290.

In Other Places

Sorry about my lengthy absence but it could not be helped. Enough about that.

I have managed to keep up (mostly) with my work on RotoExerts.com which has some great stuff posted lately. Check out my latest articles here as well as my contributions to the Fantasy Football Team Previews with the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions. Next week I'll have a New England Patriots Preview up on the site.

Doc Rivers and the Celtics Choke Again

A few days ago I had a serious bone to pick with Bill Simmons. Simmons, in his in Sports Guy column in ESPN the Magazine had declared Kevin Garnett NOT CLUTCH. I thought he was wrong but I've come to realize he was right. None of the present Celtics are clutch. None of the so-called Big Three wants to take open mid-range jumpers. They seem to prefer passing into a crowd to taking the open shot.

This together with Doc Rivers continuing to make stupid decisions concerning the bench and game planning has led to the Celtics taking another 2-2 record into game five.

Tim Darga give the minutes if the game on the Slam Magazine website beware he is an obvious Celtic Hater.