Fantasy Baseball Pickups

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Athletics., Baseball, boston, cleveland, fantasy, Fantasy baseball, francona, indians, japan, jed lowrie, justin masterson, mlb, Rays, Red Sox, sam fuld, tampa bay, waivers, white sox, yankees

I can see many things when I adopt the “big picture” point of view. The things in this case are relavant fantasy baseball players who you should be targeting on the waiver wires. You must be like an eagle looking for your next meal when searching for waiver pickups if you want to wear the crown come October. Here are some players to go get if you haven’t already:

Sam Fuld LF Rays: This speedy athlete has people in the Bay area saying,”Carl??? What was his last name again?” With 7 stolen bases in only 53 at bats the ghost of Carl Crawford has vanished. Fuld also has a knack for getting on base and has sports a 4/4 k/bb ratio. He is batting a beefy .396 and has an OPS of 1.035. The Rays are starting to get hot since the departure of Manny Ramirez and Fuld is taking advantage of the situation. Do not forget Fuld’s character either, stretching out a double when he could have settled for a single to achieve a cycle against the Red Sox. You can count on Fuld to deliver an honest effort day in and day out.

Justin Masterson SP Indians: Masterson, an above average pitcher sent over from the Red Sox a couple of years ago has seemed to find his niche in Cleveland. He is 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA for a team that is winning close games, albeit against 2 below average offenses in Seattle and Baltimore. He also beat the Chicago White Sox after two abysmal starts from the other Cleveland starters. His sinker is the real deal and offenses are having trouble hitting line drives against the pesky righty. Go grab him now!

Jed Lowrie SS Red Sox: With Marco Scutaro looking about as skilled as a little league right fielder Jed Lowrie is about to take over the starting gig. He rides a seven game hit streak into tonight’s game against the Athletics coming off a 4-5 day with 4 rbi’s. He plays for a team with a stellar offense, gives you 2 position elegibility, and has always been a good bat off the bench. Grab him if he is still out there. Francona will find playing time for Lowrie even if the guy has to catch.

Veterans

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Athletics., Delay, Jersey, MVP, Night, October, Offense, Strikeout, Texiera, yankees

Another win for the Yankees last night. The game showed me something great about this team this year. First and foremost, the game was delayed for three hours. Now delays can put teams in a funk, especially the pitcher. CC struggled the first couple of innings, working out of a couple of jams and leaving some hanging changeups over the plate. Eventually, he came into form. What really stood out to me last night was the offense. I’ll tell you why.

The first three innings this young kid from Jersey named Mazzero was shutting down the Yankees. The fella had 6 strikeouts through three innings. Now the Yankees lineup isn’t some Joe off the street.  It is filled with MVP’s, batting champions, and seasoned veterans. This is the thing about the Yankees, they have experience and make the necessary adjustments. It is the difference between a well disciplined offense such as the Yankees and a young offense like the Nationals or Pirates. The second trip through the lineup for Mazzero was no walk in the park. Especially when Texiera received a 3-0 green light and unloaded on a fastball over the middle. I also watched the Yankee’s batters foul off nasty sliders and stay alive like the Beegee’s and wait for a pitch to smash.

This is the reason they will be in it in October.

Why so many losses?

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Athletics., Baseball, Dusty Baker, Losing, Marlins, Nationals, NL, Orioles, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Royals

I always wonder when the year will come that features a new dawn of good baseball teams. I always ask myself if the Reds, Pirates, or Royals will ever be good again. What does it take for one of these teams to snap out of their losing funk? You got the Reds who have great pitching but a lukewarm offense. The Pirates seem to trade away their best players year after year and go after mediocre players. Then you have the Royals who are in the headlines for two weeks in the beginning of the season because they have a surprise winning record and then poof!, they vanish into the abyss of losing seasons. I mean I’ve been watching baseball for the past 15 years and haven’t seen any of these teams make the playoffs. I believe the Royals did once around the year of 2000 maybe. If you ask me that is a lot of losing seasons in a row.

Is it the lack of funds that these teams don’t compete with the big dogs? I don’t think so. Look at the Rays and the Marlins from years past. It’s a lack of concentration. Baseball is a business. You’re either in it to win it or you don’t do your howework on how to win.

And once again the first half of the season shows another repeat year for these 3 teams. Pirates are at the bottom of the NL Central once gain. The Reds have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs if they have a good 2nd half. The Reds are only 3 games under .500, but I don’t think they have what it takes to have an amazing 2nd half. Furthermore, you have a manager in Dusty Baker who wears out the team’s young, talented arms. The Royals seem to be a little spark plug at times showcasing players like Greinke, Butler, and Teahen. But, they plain out stink.

Honorable Mention for stinky teams who need to get the show on the road: Orioles, Nationals, Athletics.