Injury Bug Got You Down?

Injury bug got you down? That overpriced outfielder (Soriano) not holding up his end of the bargain? That late draft pickup (Foulke) land back on the DL? Hate seeing the dreaded DTD letters next to your starters name? Hate having to try to play Carnac, wildly guessing whether to sit, bench, or drop a guy?

Here's a quick list of guys you can pick up to keep your fantasy team's head above water until the early season bumps, bruises, pulls, aches, and pains fade away:

1. Santiago Casilla, RP (Oakland). With Keith Foulke spending some time on the DL, the A's found a stop-gap solution to bridge to their closer. Casilla's numbers (to date) are the following:

13 IP, 18 Ks, 0.00 ERA, 7 Holds, and a WHIP of 0.83.

And here's the kicker, only 10% of all ESPN Fantasy Leagues own him. So he's probably yours for the taking.

2. Yunieski Bentancourt, SS (Seatle). Owned by only 8% of all ESPN Fantasy Leagues, is batting .298 with only one home run. He also has zero steals, which should be his strong suit. Yuni is hovering around the .300 mark, and once he gets going, he'll steal his fare share of bases. Might be a good fill in for those Jimmy Rollins owners looking for a quick plug.

3. Chad Gaudin, SP (Oakland). Flying under the radar at a low 21% ownership rate, Gaudin's numbers are gaudy. He's only given up two runs in the last twenty innings pitched, has an overall WHIP of 1.10, and has won his last three starts. Coupled with the fact that he's pitching roughly half his starts in a pitcher cozy ballpark, Gaudin is a steal right now.


4. Jeff Mathis, C (LAA) For all you Jorge Posada Fantasy Owners looking for a replacement, stay away from Jose Molina. Sure he'll get at bats, but not quality at bats like you'd be getting from Jeff Mathis. Before sitting out a few games due to the flu, Mathis was batting .325 with three home runs, ten runs scored, and even has a stolen base. Add a low ownership rating of 1.9%, and you've got a pretty decent option to fill in for (not replace) Posada.

Return to Sender

ESPN's Fantasy Department recently ran an article explaining how and why washup and never drafted Aubrey Huff will outperform a rising star and over paid for Evan Longoria. While the evidence is there, we don't totally agree with Huff outperforming Longoria, but we do have our own list of overbid and underpaid:

Nick Swisher vs. Andre Ethier

Swisher has been slow to perform this season (fantasy wise) batting a sub par .268. Not the greatest batting average for a lead off hitter. He's been extremely streaky (2-12 in one stretch followed by a 4-10 current stretch) and his power isn't there just yet. Sure he's scored a bunch of runs (11) because he's hitting in the lead off spot, but lets be honest, I didn't draft Swisher because he scores a lot. Note; he is still Selective Swisher, walking 12 times so far this season.
Here's a fun stat: Percentage of Fantasy Leagues With a Team That Owns Nick Swisher: 100%

Andre Ethier, on the other hand, is only owned in 80% of the same leagues (ESPN Fantasy) and is outperforming Swisher; .308 BA, 2 HR, 11 RBI, and has a stolen base.

Are we saying that Ethier is a better player than Swisher? No, not really. We're just pointing out the oddity of dissimilar players putting up similar numbers and being drafted on opposite ends of the board.

Frustrating is the life of a fantasy league team owner. He carefully selects a player he hopes will bat third or fourth in a semi-potent White Sox lineup, only to find out Swisher will be batting leadoff, and some other owner gets lucky by drafting a fourth string outfielder who supplants Juan Pierre in the Dodger batting order.

108 Red Stitches: Mailbag

Time to open up the 108 Red Stitches Mailbag. To ask us a question email 108redstitches@gmail.com. Try to keep it baseball related, spammers not welcome, we know where you live and have Italians on our staff, and we're not afraid to use them.


Dear 108 Red Stitches,

I've got a question regarding closers, or the apparent lack of late in fantasy drafts. Looking over my team, I've notice that I'm weak in the saves category, partially because I failed to draft a K-Rod or a Rivera earlier in the draft.
Looking over my waiver wire, I've got three options; Kerry Wood, BJ Ryan, or Eric Gagne. Any thoughts?

- Kris, New York

We're beginning to believe that you can win in mixed leagues (head to head) without relying too heavily on a closer. What's the big deal if you lose out on one stat category, when you can spend higher picks on guys that will produce in three or four different categories? Back to your question regarding which closer to pick. We faced a similar situation in our league, and decided to go with Ryan. In our situation, we were able to grab Bobby Jenks later in the draft, so we can afford to gamble on Ryan. Wood is tricky, because they have two other options for closer if he doesn't work out. Gagne seems to be the most stable with his role, no one threatening to replace him, as in Ryan and Wood's situations.

That being said, Gagne is fat and lazy. Without anything nipping at his heals, he might have the tendency to become complacent. He signed a one year fat contract, nothing incentive laced, and that scares the hell out of us.

108 Red Stitches Mailbag

Time to open up the 108 Red Stitches Mailbag. To ask us a question email 108redstitches@gmail.com. Try to keep it baseball related, spammers not welcome, we know where you live and have Italians on our staff, and we're not afraid to use them.

Dear 108 Red Stitches, "We just started up a fantasy league with a bunch of my buddies from college. Obviously we've gotta wager on the season and I'm looking for an edge on the competition. Any suggestions?"
-Kevin in South Bend.

Well Kevin;
Seeing your email is from South Bend, we're figuring you could at least look to the luck of the Irish to get some help for your fantasy team. Most fantasy sites will tell you not to load up on one stat, home runs for example. Pitching is important, make sure you take a look at a guy's innings pitched, its a key stat in determining how reliable he'll be throughout the season.
So far, some pretty normal advice. Now here's where we put our spin on things. One of the most crucial elements to a successful fantasy season lies within your team's name. Picking some old ordinary name like Pinstripes, or the Bronx Bombers, or The Green Monsters does little to invoke fear into your opponent. Fear instills laziness in most Fantasy League players. The onset of laziness begets forgetfulness, which causes opponents to forget to check their lineup. Visit this site for a distinct advantage on naming your team.

Dear 108 Red Stitches; My favorite team just signed a player that's my sworn enemy. Now that he's playing for my favorite team, should I stop hating him? - Rich, Dallas

Hey Rich,
As a famous Emperor once said "Good Luke, let the hate flow through you." Free agency has made a mockery of Major League Rivalries. We've always felt that if the Yankees ever signed Barry Bonds, we'd probably set fire to the Stadium, or at least give up our season tickets. A lot of Yankee fans had similar feelings when Clemens signed on and a lot of Mets fans had confused feelings with the signings of Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine. A lot of baseball fans are simply content with rooting for a jersey now, and attempting to remember who is wearing them.
Our advice Rich, "Give Milton a Chance!" (and tell your first base coach and/or manager to keep his hands off him).

Send us your questions at 108redstitches@gmail.com

Phillies Sign Geoff Jenkins

Free agent outfielder Geoff Jenkins and the Philadelphia Phillies seem to have agreed on a contract. What does this mean for fantasy owners? Lets take a peak:
Jenkins was just waiting out his contract as a member of the Brew-Crew; he didn't really wear out his welcome, but was more a casualty of a up and coming Brewer farm system.
Jenkins has decent power and is a .280 hover hitter. His power number could benefit from a playing 81 games in the pinball machine park that the Phillies call home.
Jenkins signing would also effect Pat Burrell, potentially. ESPN suggests that Jenkins could replace Burrell whenever there's a righty on the mound. That would be disastrous for Burrell Fantasy Owners, because they're taking a huge gamble by owning him in the first place, now he's going to lose a good chunk of plate appearances.
With Shane Victorino now the everyday center-fielder, Jenkins could also spit time with Jason Werth.
With Aaron Rowand leaving via free agency and Michael Bourn traded to the Astros in the Brad Lidge trade, the Phillies outfield should probably be left alone on your draft day.

Licking My Wounds

My Lugnuts. My Fantasy Team. My Bastards. You break my heart.
Last week of the season before playoffs and you decide to catch fire.
Too bad we were eliminated from playoff contention five weeks ago.
I should file a restraining order against Nick Swisher, I feel like I'm being abused.
But I love him anyway.
He ruins my fantasy team for the entire season, and just after I write about how there's no way he'll be wearing the Lugnut Cap next season, he has to go and catch on fire.
Three dingers in three days.
How do I justify leaving him now?
Scott Kazmir, you little runt you. I love you to death, but every morning, I flavor my coffee with tears because I can't stand the fact that you're bullpen steals 50+ wins from you every season. You're about as useful to me as a long inning reliever.
But I love him anyway.
Joe Mauer, you represent everything that is good and wonderful with the human race.
Too bad that's not a stat in my league this year.
Last season he's leading the league in batting average. The kid hits and no one can stop him.
Then he puts on a Lugnuts jersey.
But I love him anyway.

Barry Bonds. You're foot is hurting.

You'll never wear a Lugnuts Cap, no matter how many records you break.

You'll never have the opportunity to ruin one of my fantasy baseball season.

I hate you.

Why the Lugnuts Failed to Make the Playoffs

With only a few weeks left in the season, its time for me to look back and dissect one of the most important franchises in baseball. Where did they go wrong? How can a whole team simultaneously slump? When is it ever a good time to say goodbye to an fan favorite? In short, where did I go wrong with my fantasy team, "The Lugnuts"?

Over the past seven seasons, the Lugnuts continually hover around .500 baseball. They sneaked into the playoffs last year, but were crushed in the second round. In the seven years of existence, they've only won one Yahoo Championship. Considering the fact that I've been around the game since I was four, I should be able to build a winning team, right? Guess not. In a shameful look back on a dismal season, here are some reasons why the Lugnuts (and possibly your team) didn't do as well as planned.

1. Draft Day Jitters: Things were not looking good from the very beginning. Somehow I landed the number eight pick of the draft, a damning position in any fantasy league draft. David Wright somehow landed into my lap, and I grabbed Manny Ramirez followed with the 18th pick. Joe Mauer seemed like a sensible third round pick, but things quickly went south. Nick Swisher, Carlos Zambrano, Scott Kazmir, Takashi Saito, Barry Zito, Prince Fielder, and Ian Kennedy round out the top 12. They weren't bad moves at the time, but looking back, I overpaid for Swisher, Mauer, and Kennedy. Things started to unravel after my pre-draft day plans looked like a rorschach test.

2. Loyalty: This can kill any fantasy league player. One guy performs and carries your team in previous years, and you ultimately wind up overpaying and riding on wishes and fairy dust for the rest of the season. To date, Nick Swisher, (my hero, my rock that I built the team around, my player least likely to be back in Lugnuts uniform next season) has stats unbecoming of an outfielder: AVG: .269 R: 65 HR: 17 RBI: 63 SB: 2

3. Mediocrity and Slow Starts: It took Zambrano and Kazmir forever to get going and Zito has been hot and cold every other start. By the time the front four of my rotation got going, I was floundering at the bottom of my league. Picking up Tom Gorzelanny and Joe Blanton helped, but it was too little too late.

4. Injuries: I know, every team has to deal with injuries, but this season, I felt like I should have drafted a medic instead of a corner infielder. Ian Kinsler (after a dominating April) lands on the DL for the majority of the season. Nick Swisher and Carlos Beltran (acquired via May trade) are banged up before the All Star Break. The worst injury (as a close friend put it "When I found out the news, it was like a family member died".) was when Chase Utley went down with a broken hand. No sooner does he start to show some positive signs, does Shane Victorino and Cole Hamels plop themselves down on injury lane. Oh yeah, and Joe Mauer, he got hurt too.

Looking Towards the Future
This was the first time our league decided to join ESPNs Keeper League. I was able to make some trades (Acquired Chase Utley and Carlos Beltran via trade, Ryan Zimmerman via Coup d'état) and plucked Prince Fielder out of the draft in the 20th round (Thank YOU, Starbucks!)
So my keepers look like Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, and Prince Fielder, which are not a bad three to build your team around. They're all young, and each does something that the other doesn't, so it looks like I've got all the bases covered. Now, if I can just resist the urge to draft Swisher next season.....