Posted By:Bretsky on May 29, 2014

We’re just about two full months into the season and quite a bit has changed. This week, we’re taking a trip around the diamond and ranking each position for rest of season fantasy value. As always 5×5 rotisserie scoring is assumed.

Despite the fact that we’ve seen a couple of injuries amongst the preseason top-5 at the position, first base has become once again proven to be on of the deepest positions around the diamond. Prince Fielder‘s neck and Joey Votto‘s knee have demolished hopes for either of the pair returning draft day value, but the resurgence of Albert Pujols and Adrian Gonzalez, the emergence of Jose Abreu and Brandon Moss coupled with the consistent dominance of Miguel Cabrera and Paul Goldschmidt keeps this position healthy. The back end of the first base ranking can also provide some value as platooning the likes of Adam Lind, Adam Dunn and Garrett Jones can make a fine stop-gap when covering from injury. Still, quite a bit has changed since draft day…

Rising

Jose Abreu: Abreu would have risen even further if healthy, but we’ve seen enough to know that this power stroke is for real.

Adam LaRoche: Averaging a consistet .250-27-90 per 162 games since the start of 2009, LaRoche continues to be an underrated asset in fantasy.

Victor Martinez: While you can’t completely expect the power pace to maintain, a professional hitter in a solid Tigers lineup belongs in the top-10 at the position.

Brandon Moss: Moss has mashed his way out of the platoon-me tier, showing an improved stroke against left-handed pitching while acing his way towards his second straight 30 homer campaign while eclipsing 100-RBI mark for the first time. He’s giving you a robust .353/.436/.676 versus southpaws after posting a meager .200/.261/.388 line against them in 2013.

Falling

Eric Hosmer: Many owners will cling to the notion that Hosmer can put together another marvelous post-break , but you won’t find us banking on a repeat. His ground ball rate reamins over 50%, not the type of number you are looking for from a masher, and while there’s certainly some poor luck wrapped up in a miniscule 1.3 HR/FB5 (career number at 11.2%), he also has an awful 9.8% infield flyball rate. That’s not to say that there may be something two his Jekyll and Hide first-half/second-half splits, it’s just not something we are willing to pay for.

Joey Votto: Votto tumbles down our rankings as he’s been forced to the disabled list with a lower quad injury and an uncertain timetable. He’s still showing excellent plate discipline, striking out just 17.9% of the time, compared tp a 19.1 BB% and despite some disappointing counting stats, Votto’s ISO slugging is actually a couple of ticks higher than it was when he slugged 24 home runs last season. He slips to the back end of the top-10 for the moment, but this remains a valuable player with a nice buy low opportunity.

Billy Butler: We can all agree that Billy Butler’s 29-homer assault in 2012 is the outlier on his career track. Still, B-But is a rock-solid .300 hitter entrenched in the middle of the Royals lineup. The run production is coming an he’s shown at least a modest improvement, batting .247 in May.

2014 Rest of Season First Base Rankings

Posted By:Bretsky on May 29, 2014

Wayne Bretsky and Mark Kaplan recap a busy week in baseball, highlighting Bretsky’s triumphant win over Mark to capture first place in a dynasty league. The boys discus Jason Kipnis’ return, Ryan Zimmerman’s outlook and the troubling diagnosis for Yordano Ventrua. The Good, the Bad and the Upside continues with a look at Josh Beckett, Chris Tillman and Corey Kluber. The guys play a little Buy/Sell/Hold, reveal their top waiver wire targets of the week and take a dip into the mailbag.

Hit up the guys on Twitter @BretskyBall and @DaTrueGuru to join in on the action!

»Listen

»Download on iTunes

Box Score Baseball Podcast – Buy When the Price is Right

News and Notes

• Jason Kipnis back from the DL
• Ryan Zimmerman (thumb) still a few weeks away, playing first base and left field
• Matt Kemp – benched for 4 straight, moving to left field — Carl Crawford (ankle) to DL
• Braves promote 2B prospect Tommy LaStella .293/.384/.359 at Triple-A
• Yordano Ventura – latest elbow victim, but can he avoid TJ surgery with “just” a Valgus stress overload?

The Good, the Bad and the Upside

• The Philadelphia Phightins led by Josh Beckett
• Chris Tillman lets down the Memphis Ballaholics
• Corey Kluber keeps it rolling

The Fixer

• Finding a reasonable target for Dee Gordon

Waiver Wire

• Bats: A.J. Pollock, Adam Lind, John Jaso, Khris Davis, Kolten Wong
• Arms: Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs, Drew Hutchison, Jorge De La Rosa
• Closer Carnage

Mailbag!

The Box Score Baseball Podcast theme is written and performed by William “Wild Bill” Hitchcock

Posted By:Bretsky on May 22, 2014

Wayne Bretsky and Mark Kaplan bring their dynasty league rivalry to the show with both hosts losing it over the Cubs futility. the boys recap the latest injury news while looking forward to the returns of Chris Sale and Alex Cobb.  The Good, the Bad and the Upside turns it’s focus on the slugging Chris Davis, the struggling Justin Verlander and the streaking A.J. Pollock. Bretsky and Mark review the catcher position as it stands one quarter of the way through the season and hit the waiver wire to find a couple of hidden gems. Finally, the show closes with a dip into the mailbag.

Hit up the guys on Twitter @BretskyBall and @DaTrueGuru to join in on the action!

»Listen

»Download on iTunes

Box Score Baseball Podcast – Buy When the Price is Right

News and Notes

• Alex Cobb and Chris Sale to return on Thursday, potentially with a pitch count
• Gio Gonzalez (shoulder) expected to throw this weekend, no structural damage
• Andrew Cashner (elbow) has no structural damage but no timetable for return
• Jose Abreu to the DL (ankle) return uncertain
• Joey Votto (quad) to the DL, Jay Bruce (knee) activated
• Prince Fielder (neck) remains out, did not travel with team
• Cliff Lee (elbow) to the DL with a strained elbow – initial timeline has him out for 3 weeks
• Alex Guererro could miss 5 weeks after getting his ear bitten off by Miguel Olivo
• Mike Trout out with a sore hamstring

The Good, the Bad and the Upside

• Chris Davis powers up
• Justin Verlander flames out
• A.J. Pollock turns some heads

Catching Up

• Bretsky’s top-20 Rest of Season catcher rankings
• What’s wrong with Carlos Santana
• Is Derek Norris for real?
• Joe Mauer’s value

Waiver Wire

• Bats:A.J. Pollock, Adam Lind, Dustin Ackley, Nick Franklin, Stephen Drew, David Freese
• Arms:Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs, Dallas Keuchel
• Closer Carnage

Mailbag!

The Box Score Baseball Podcast theme is written and performed by William “Wild Bill” Hitchcock

Posted By:Bretsky on May 21, 2014

We’re just past the quarter pole and quite a bit has changed. This week, we’re taking a trip around the diamond and ranking each position for rest of season fantasy value. As always 5×5 rotisserie scoring is assumed.

The catcher position is the most overlooked both on draft day and in season. These guys often struggle to provide impact fantasy totals and their limited at-bats can make it tough to really move the needle. Still, quite a bit has changed since our pre-draft rankings and it’s time to figure out what we’ve learned over the first seven weeks of the season.

Rising

Yan Gomes: Backing up 2013 breakout with .276-20-6-18 showing through 38 games.

Devin Mesoraco: Mesoraco is slashing an insane .443/.493/.770 while playing around a pair of DL stints. He showed 15-20 home run power in the minors while hitting for average so we’re buying the early success.

Miguel Montero: Right back on that .284-65-16-87 pace we saw in 2011-12 and, most impressively, has slashed that strikeout rate to career-best levels.

Derek Norris: Derek is doing his best Chuck impression, walking more often then he strikes out (13.5 BB% vs. 11.7 K%) and hitting just about everything with authority. While we don’t expect a .380 BABIP to last, improved contact rate and above average pop will keep his value afloat.

Falling

Carlos Santana: The walk rate remains elite and he’s suffered from a bit of poor luck, but a 42% drop in ISO slugging coupled with an increase in ground balls has crushed Santana’s production. Though better days are ahead, placing him at the top of our preseason rankings was a mistake.

Brian McCann: We’ve seen some nice pop so far (6 HR, 18 RBI) but a reduced walk rate and .221 average are hard to swallow. He’s swinging (and missing) at more pitches out of the zone than ever before.

Wilson Ramos: Came into the season with massive expectations after a furious finish to 2013. Injuries have once-again played a role in a sluggish start.

2014 Rest of Season Catcher Rankings

Posted By:Bretsky on May 16, 2014

With all the injuries piling up, it can often be a struggle to find space to capitalize on part-time players on your fantasy squad, but those of us with a little bench space to get creative can gain quite an advantage from turning to platoon bats to boost your lineup. Typically in this space, we like to highlight a player in particular who has grabbed our attention lately, but today we’ll play a little bit of the platoon game…

How about a pair of first baseman to start:

Player A: .275/.347/.514 with 6 home runs in 109 at-bats

Player B:  .253/.331/.506 with 8 home runs in 162 at-bats

Not much difference between these two guys, eh? Well Player B is universally owned Edwin Encarnacion and Player A is 8%-owned Garret Jones when right-hander on the mound.

Let’s give it a try behind the plate:

Player A: .292/.386/.467 with 18 runs and 21 RBI

Player B: .317/.400/.537 with 14 runs scored and 9 RBI

Our second group highlights everyone’s No. 1 backstop, Buster Posey. On a per-game basis, however, Posey’s numbers can’t quit keep up with John Jaso when he steps in against righties.

And one last time in the outfield…

Player A: .282/.361/.492 with 90 runs, 21 home runs, 78 RBI and 6 steals per 162 games

Player B: .285/.339/.474 with 88 runs, 25 home runs, 93 RBI and 14 steals per 162 games

We took a larger snapshot for the final comparison, taking a look at career numbers normalized on  a per 162-game basis. Of course, all this number hacking is a bit of a roundabout way to say that using the red-hot Seth Smith (22%-owned) against right-handed pitching for his career can provide you fairly comparable numbers to having 95%-owned Hunter Pence in your lineup.

So, are you truly desperate for an all-start caliber bat in your lineup? All it takes is a little bench space and some spare time to cobble you way to fantasy success. Not quite all of our pickups this week require this much care, but if you are in a league with daily lineup changes, you simply must have a look at just how good many of the guys can be.

Each week we’ll provide a position-by-position roundup of the top talent on the wire. To qualify, players must have an ownership rate below 50% in standard 12-team Yahoo leagues. For our deeper formats, we’ll also throw out names with under 15% ownership. Check out last week’s list to find a number of other options who may still be out there on the waiver wire.

Working The Waiver Wire

Catcher

First Base

C.J. Cron (15%): The rookie is making a strong impression in his first taste of the big leagues, notching 12 hits in his first 33 at-bats with a pair of dingers. He slugged .636 in Triple-A prior to a promotion this season and has hit the ground running with the Angels.

Garret Jones (8%): You’ll need to play the matchups to invest in Jones as he’s not a useful asset versus left-handed pitching. Still, the .521 SLG he’s posted in May thanks to seven doubles and a pair of home runs in his past 14 games.

Ike Davis (7%): Davis and platoon-mate Gaby Sanchez have helped turned Pittsburgh’s black hole at first base into a fairly productive lineup spot. Ike is a .313 hitter this year once we remove his 14 hitless at-bats versus southpaws.

Chris Carter (20%): Though prolific K-rate has scared off quite a few owners, Carter’s power bat is finally waking up at the dish. He’s rocking a nice little five-game hitting streak and has a .524 SLG in the month of May.

Middle Infield

Dusting Ackley (23%): Dustin Ackley the infielder did little more than disappoint fantasy owners time and time again. Dustin Ackley the outfielder is batting .323 in his last 10 games with three home runs and a solid 5:4 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Better yet? Many fantasy owners can still use this improved Ackley in that middle infield spot.

Derek Dietrich (2%): Dietrich popped his fourth home run last night and continue to garner playing time against right-handed pitching for the Marlins. He moved up into the two-hole Thursday and would see an even greater bump in value if he sticks there.

Third Base

Juan Francisco (35%): The Blue Jays have shown an affinity toward grip and rip sluggers over the past couple of season and Francisco fits the mold, pounding out seven bombs in his first 82 at-bats with the club. He’ll continue to see plenty of time at the hot corner against right-handed pitching and is a nice boost to your lineup. Francisco is a must-add in rotisserie formats for the short-term power potential and can provide some value as a stop ga in head to head formats.

Chris Johnson (41%): Johnson has picked things up in May, batting .367 over 49 at-bats after failing to find a groove in April. We’ll take the under on 15 home runs for the year but he should be good for some average and solid run production as he continue s to hit right in the middle of the Braves lineup.

Mike Aviles (15%): With Jason Kipnis ailing, Aviles is locked into a spot in the Cleveland lineup and can plug holes all over your fantasy roster, carrying 2B, 3B and SS eligibility. He always brings a decent combination of power and speed and is rocking a .366-6-1-6-1 line over his last 14 games.

Outfield

Seth Smith (22%): Smith is simply tearing the cover off of the ball and while he’s certainly a more attractive platoon bat long-term, the Padres will keep rolling him out there as they search for some kind of spark on offense.

Carlos Quentin (20%): Sticking in San Diego, give Quentin a look if you need some pop. He hasn’t yet done much and is not a great bet to stay on the field, but the power always shows up when CQ is healthy…

Drew Stubbs (6%): Yet another platoon option, give Stubs and his excellent .355/.400/.677 line against left-handed pitching a look whenever he is in the lineup.

A.J. Pollock (17%): Pollock is batting .345 over his past 10 games with a home run and five steals. He isn’t going to birng a ton of pop, but can get on base and swipe a bag every now and again.

Starters

Ubaldo Jimenez (46%): Good Ubaldo has shown up for three staright starts and he’s racked up 20 stirkeouts with just five walks over those turns. There is, of course, a blowup or two coming down the line, but when Ubaldo is on, he’s a very nice fantasy play.

Drew Smyly (39%): Smyly is finllay finding a groove with a 2.22 ERA, 1.07 WHIp and 22 Ks against 8 walks in his last 24.1 IP.

Dalls Keuchel (21%): If he were pitching in New York or Boston, Keuchel would likely be 75% owned at this point. The numbers say it all: 3.06 ERA, 1.11 WHIP to go along with strong 4.27 K/BB rate.

Trevor Bauer (14%): His name is going to stick on this list until he’s promoted or you pick him up… we’re excited about both prospects.

Editor’s Note: About 20 minutes after publication, word broke that Danny Salazar was sent to Triple-A. Presuming that Bauer gets the nod, this could be your last chance to scoop him up.

Closer Carnage

It will be a constant race to the wire to go mining for saves, here’s how we see it.

Go get ’em: Hector Rondon (38%), Joe Smith (42%), Bryan Shaw (36%), Sean Doolittle (29%), Darren O’Day (13%)

Keep an eye on: Cody Allen (40%), Brad Ziegler (12%), Zach Britton (23%), Jenry Mejia (19%), Jeurys Familia (10%), Jason Motte (5%), Jake McGee (5%)

Posted By:Bretsky on May 15, 2014

Wayne Bretsky and Mark Kaplan dive into the latest happenings in the world of fantasy baseball, covering the unfortunate rash of elbow injuries impacting both the pitchers and hitters, including Jose Fernandez, Martin Perez and Matt Wieters. The boys play discuss weather to buy, sell or hold a number of streaking stars and provide a couple of names to pluck off of the waiver wire. Bretsky tries to talk Mark into talking to his potential trade partner and The Good, the Bad and the Upside continues with Miguel Cabrera, Robbie Ross and Kevin Gausman.

Hit up the guys on Twitter @BretskyBall and @DaTrueGuru to join in on the action!

»Listen

»Download on iTunes

Box Score Baseball Podcast – Buy When the Price is Right

News and Notes

• Jose Fernandez and Martin Perez to have Tommy John surgery
• Carlos Beltran (elbow) hoping to avoid surgery
• Matt Wieters to the DL may require surgery
• Dillon Gee (lat strain) to the disabled list
• Ben Zobrist (dislocated thumb) likely headed to the DL 

Waiver Wire

• Bats: Chase Headley, Juan Francisco, Danny Espinosa
• Arms: Drew Smyly, Ubaldo Jimenez, Dallas Keuchel
• Closer Carnage

Buy/Sell/Hold

• Chris Johnson
• Garret Richards
• Billy Hamilton
• Juan Francisco
• Doug Fister
• David Price

Fix My Team!

• Mark tries to make a deal

The Good, the Bad and the Upside

• Miguel Cabrera finds his groove
• Robbie Ross crushes owners
• Kevin Gausman, come on down!

Mailbag!

The Box Score Baseball Podcast theme is written and performed by William “Wild Bill” Hitchcock

Posted By:Bretsky on May 9, 2014

In an extremely disappointing move this week, the Indians opted to roll with Josh Tomlin to fill the void left by a struggling Carlos Corrasco in the rotation, leaving fantasy favorite Trevor Bauer down in the minors, dominating his way through inferior competition.

Bauer took his latest turn at Triple-A Columbus on Thursday and continued to cruise, tossing 7.2 innings of one run ball. On the season he’s posted a 1.12 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 40.1 innings in the minors with a solid spot start in the majors also on his resume. Across both levels, Bauer looks to have finally figured out his control issues, walking just 13 batters against 48 strikeouts in 46.1 innings.

The strikeout upside remains and it looks as though the 23-year-old has very little left to prove at the minor league level. His path to the rotation is not exactly open as Tomlin was quality in his first turn with the big club. Still, the Cleveland starters have put up a middle-of-the-pack 4.17 ERA for the season as the team finds itself slipping in the standings.

You’ll need to exercise patience with Bauer as we wait on injury or ineffectiveness to force the organizations hand, but all that means is that there is still time to scoop up the 15%-owned hurler as a bench stash. Even without a clear timeline, Bauer is worth a look in all leagues.

Each week we’ll provide a position-by-position roundup of the top talent on the wire. To qualify, players must have an ownership rate below 50% in standard 12-team Yahoo leagues. For our deeper formats, we’ll also throw out names with under 15% ownership. Check out last week’s list to find a number of other options who may still be out there on the waiver wire.

Working The Waiver Wire

Catcher

First Base

Adam Lind (29%): Fresh off the DL, Lind — like most of his teammates– took advantage of a pitiful Philadelphia bullpen and homered in his first game back. He sits against most lefties, but there’s no reason that Lind can’t duplicate his quality .288/.357/.497 line from last season.

Adam Dunn (40%): The average won’t stick, but if you need some cheap power, Dunn is your man, batting .268/.405/.485 on the season.

C.J. Cron (6%): We’ll have to see how playing time shakes out for Cron once Josh Hamilton is ready to return in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, the lumbering first baseman should continue to see plenty of at-bats and has a power stroke that can make an impact in all leagues.

Mitch Moreland (3%) : If you can play the matchups game with Moreland, you’d be plenty happy with his production.

Darin Ruf (1%): A spring oblique injury cost Ruf the first month and a half of the season but the Phillies have been experimenting with new defensive alignments (Marlon Byrd to center field) to potentially open up at-bats for Ruf when he is finally able to return. Expect him back within the next week.

Middle Infield

Alcides Escobar (34%): Ten steals and a .271 average will play at the shortstop position in all leagues.

Scooter Gennet (9%): There’s not a ton of fantasy juice here with Scooter’s limited power and speed, but he’s earning at-bats with his high-contact approach and can be useful in deeper formats.

Derek Dietrich (2%): As Rafael Furcal (hamstring/quad) continues to struggle to get healthy, Dietrich is making a strong case to stay in the lineup, sporting a .254-16-3-11-1 5×5 line over 23 games played.

Rougned Odor (1%): A surprise call-up for the Rangers as they attempt to plug a hole at second base with Jurickson Profar still down, Odor brings some enticing skills to the table. He batted .305/.365/.474 last season in the minors with 11 home runs and 32 steals across two levels. He was bringing the power and speed again prior to earning a promotion smacking six dingers and swiping six bags for the Rangers’ Double-A club. It’s hard to know how long this experiment will last, but we’re gonna make the add now and assume that if Odor hits, he’ll stick.

Third Base

Trevor Plouffe (39%): Plouffe has cooled in May, batting just .132 over his last nine games with just two walks against 15 strikeouts. Still, he’s a streaky bat who could be a nice value once he’s finds that groove again.

Juan Francisco (18%): Francisco’s all-or-nothing approach at the plate fits perfectly with into the Blue Jays’ lineup and he’s certainly been getting all a lot more than nothing during his red-hot start. Francisco has five homers in just 61 at-bats and we have to consider this power legit after he belted 18 home runs in 124 games with Atlanta and Milwaukee last season. Playing time is a concern with Adam Lind now healthy and Brett Lawrie on the mend, but he’s done more than  enough to earn additional at-bats against left-handed pitching for the foreseeable future.

Outfield

Marlon Byrd (48%): Byrd is on some kind of tear, posting two hits ion four straight games and seven of his last nine contests, smacking a pair of home runs over that time. He’s bumped his season long slash line to .317/.348/.516 and looks poised to show his resurgent 2013 was no fluke.

Gregory Polanco (27%): He’s tearing the cover off of the ball in the minors… can Pittsburgh wait much longer to give this kid a shot?

Chris Young (8%): Young has long been a fantasy favorite around here as his tantalizing 30/30 upside has us repeatedly ignore his inability to hit for average or draw walks. Young has been stinging the ball for the Mets lately though, batting .321 with a .536 SLG over his last eight games. He’s also walked four times against just four strikeouts in that time.

Drew Stubbs (4%)s: Like most of the Rockies, Stubbs is off to a fast start and is getting plenty of at-bats versus lefties while Michael Cuddyer is on the DL. In deeper formats, give Stubbs a look.

Starters

Dillon Gee (47%): The results have been phenomenal (2.51 ERA, 1.05 WHIP in 46.2 IP) and he was even able to survive a terrifying matchup at Coors over the weekend. There are warning signs, however, and a mediocre 6.17 K/9 certainly caps his mixed-league upside. Still, a Saturday matchup with the scuffling Phillies offense seems like plenty of reason to continue to ride the streak.

Jonathan Niese (27%): Sticking in New York, Gee’s teammate Jonathan Niese has been equally impressive, railing off five-straight quality starts. He offers  a bit more in terms of strikeouts and is the preferred long-term add of these Mets hurlers.

Henderson Alvarez (15%): Would you believe that Alvarez leads the league with a pair of shutouts so far this season? Couple that with his no-hitter to close out last season and Henderson is on some kind of roll. The strikeouts wont always be there, but Alvarez’ power sinker will keep him in the game more often than not.

Closer Carnage

It will be a constant race to the wire to go mining for saves, here’s how we see it.

Go get ’em: Matt Lindstorm (49%), Hector Rondon (40%), Aaroun Loup (16%)

Keep an eye on: Cody Allen (28%), Chad Qualls (10%)

Posted By:Bretsky on May 8, 2014

Wayne Bretsky and Mark Kaplan dive into the latest happenings in the world of fantasy baseball, covering Jay Bruce’s injury, Matt Wieters’ postie news and Wilson Ramos return. The boys welcome back Clayton Kershaw by debating whether or not he is still the No. 1 fantasy pitcher in the land before diving into some discussion of the elite arms thus far in 2o14. Mark takes some time to gloat about his team’s hot start as Bretsky presents some buy low options. The guys talk Rockies bats in The Good, the Bad and the Upside and close the show with a very special dip into the Mailbag

Hit up the guys on Twitter @BretskyBall and @DaTrueGuru to join in on the action!

»Listen

»Download on iTunes

Box Score Baseball Podcast – Rolling Rockies

News and Notes

• Jay Bruce out 3-4 weeks following knee surgery
• Matt Wieter (wlbow) to avoid the DL
• Ryan Braun tergeting a May 13 return
• Wilson Ramos back in the Nationals lineup
• Clayton Kershaw returns

Elite Arms

• Who’s No. 1?
• Is Justin Verlander still elite
• Top-10 of 2014
• xFIP Leader

Buy/Sell/Hold

• Robinson Cano
• Matt Kemp
• Joey Votto
• Dee Gordon

Fix My Team!

• Mark has an impressive start in his FSWA league

The Good, the Bad and the Upside

• Troy Tulowitzki and the Rolling Rockies
• Cole Hamels struggles again
• Marcus Stroman is here, but his role is not

Mailbag!

The Box Score Baseball Podcast theme is written and performed by William “Wild Bill” Hitchcock

Posted By:Bretsky on May 1, 2014

Wayne Bretsky and Mark Kaplan take a trip around a rainy week of MLB action, covering injuries to Bryce Harper, Chris Davis, Ryan Braun and Michael Pineda. The guys attempt to gauge Manny Machado’s value upon his return to the lineup and play a little game of Buy/Sell/Hold with some struggling studs. The boys also hit the waiver wire, discuss daily pitching strategies and jump into another edition of The Good, the Bad and the Upside before closing out the show with some questions from the listeners.

Hit up the guys on Twitter @BretskyBall and @DaTrueGuru to join in on the action!

»Listen

»Download on iTunes

Box Score Baseball Podcast – Blame It on the Rain

News and Notes

• Bryce Harper out two months following thumb surgery
• Chris Davis, Jason Kipnis, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Ryan Braun all deal with injuries
• MannyMachado set to return
• Doug Fister and Hisashi Iwakuma making progress

Buy/Sell/Hold

• Pedro Alvarez
• Yoenis Cespedes
• Jason Heyward
• Carlos Santana
• Allen Craig
• Martin Perez
• Homer Bailey
• Shelby Miller

Fix My Team!

• Mark plays the matchups with his pitching

Waiver Wire

• Top options out on the wire

The Good, the Bad and the Upside

• Jose Abreu continues to mash
• Prince Fielder has a month to forget
• Is Trevor Bauer on his way up?

Mailbag!

The Box Score Baseball Podcast theme is written and performed by William “Wild Bill” Hitchcock

Posted By:Bretsky on April 25, 2014

In a league where power is at a premium, just how often can you find a player whose average 41 home runs per 162 games over the past two seasons just sitting on the waiver wire three weeks into the season? For over 60% of you out there, the answer is just a click away.

It’s no true mystery as to why owners simply don’t trust Adam Dunn. He’s a player who has not hit better than .216 since 2010 (when he batted .260 for the Nats) and has a pretty painful .211/.326/.455 line over the past two seasons, but we must not forget the power. Dunn is doing his thing on the South Side so far this season, showing that the big man can still slug it.

Through his first 64 at-bats, Dunn has whiffed 24 times (as expected) but he’s also produced a strong .400 OBP with five home runs, 11 runs scored and 11 RBI.

Though the sample remains small, we’ve seen some modest improvement from Dunn through three weeks. His strikeout rate (30.1%) is certainly trending in the right direction — down from 31.1% last year, 34.2% in 2012 and 35.7% in 2011 — while the walk rate has also rebounded.

No, Adam Dunn will not continue to .266 and, yes, he’s likely going to be a drain on you batting average. But if you play in an OBP or OPS league or even in a head-to-head format, Dunn is going to bring a lot more good to your lineup than bad.

Need some pop? Get it Dunn.

Each week we’ll provide a position-by-position roundup of the top talent on the wire. To qualify, players must have an ownership rate below 50% in standard 12-team Yahoo leagues. For our deeper formats, we’ll also throw out names with under 15% ownership. Check out last week’s list to find a number of other options who may still be out there on the waiver wire.

Working The Waiver Wire

Catcher

Carlos Ruiz (12%): After knocking seven hits in 14 at-bats during a four-game set with the Dodgers, Chooch has pushed his season line to a solid .270/.395/.476. with 15 runs scored and 10 extra-base hits.

Josmil Pinto (8%): The .222 batting average is not helping many owners, but four bombs in 54 at-bats is some tasty production from the catcher spot.

Dioner Navarro (8%): Navarro continues to sit on waivers as a nice well, he won’t hurt you option at catcher with a .288-10-1-13-1 line over 73 at-bats.

First Base

Adam Dunn (36%)

Corey Hart (31%): With his knee issues finally in the rear-view mirror Hart is batting .270 with four home runs over the first three weeks. He may be done stealing bases, but the power will play.

Ike Davis (12%): The change of scenery paid rapid dividends for Ike but even more promising is the fact that he will no longer have to struggle against left-handed pitching in  a platoon with Gaby Sanchez.

Middle Infield

Danny Espinosa (3%): Fantasy owners can have long memories, and for some, Espinosa’s injury-riddled 2013 was enough to write him off forever. Those that have are also missing out on a .317/.377/.524 slash line in the middle infield. He  may be squeezed out of the lineup when Ryan Zimmerman returns, but there are few higher-upside players getting everyday at-bats that are out there in over 95% of leagues.

Johnathan Villar (42%): Villar’s ownership is actually dropping since we mentioned him last week despite a modest three-game hitting streak. Scoff at the .211 batting average and I’ll take three home runs and four steals from my shortstop in just 71 at-bats.

Derek Dietrich (3%): Time is running thin for Dietrich as Rafael Furcal continues a rehab stint, but for as long as he’s in the lineup, he can help your team.

Third Base

Tevor Plouffe (43%): We covered Plouffe extensively in last week’s writeup and he just continues to do his thing, hitting in five-straight games with five runs scored and three RBI.

Juan Uribe (23%): Guess who has the second most extra-base hits in the National League? That’s right, Uribe’s eight doubles and four long-balls to accompany a robust .330/.341/.557 slash line put him among the top offensive performers in April. It appears that close to 80% of fantasy owners are yet to notice.

Matt Dominquez (8%): He’s all power and little else from a fantasy perspective and has delivered early on with four home runs so far.

Outfield

Rajai Davis (41%) The elite speedster blasted his second home run of the season this week.

Dayan Viciedo (13%): Avisail Garcia’s injury has cleared up playing time for the Cuban Clubber and he’s doing just fine with it so far, batting .377 with nine runs and nine RBI in 69 at-bats. Expect some more pop as the weather warms in Chicago.

Jason Kubel (10%): Doing his best Rodney Dangerfield impression, the veteran Kubel just can’t get no respect despite a fine .294/.377/.426 start to the season.

Corey Dickerson (4%): More of a speculative play than anything, Dickerson is a very intriguing option playing in Coors, but he’s blocked by the red-hot Charlie Blackmon. If/when Charlie comes back to earth (or Carlos Gonzalez hits the DL) Dickerson becomes a nice power/speed play.

Starters

Wily Peralta (40%): Three straight quality starts on the most surprising team in baseball have pushed Peralta  into the conversation as more than just a streamer. We are buying.

Rick Porcello (40%): He leaves something to be desired in the strikeout department but Porcello’s ground ball rate and K/BB ratio are solid indicators that his early success can continue.

Jenry Mejia (29%): His workload will be hard to trust, but Mejia has been throwing well and has a date with the Marlins on Saturday.

Jason Hammel (26%): We’re not gonna stop talking about Hammel until you pick him up or he blows out his knee. You move.

Trevor Bauer (7%): Carlos Corrasco pitches this evening and if the results don’t improve, it could be Bauer taking his next turn in the rotation.

Closer Carnage

It will be a constant race to the wire to go mining for saves, here’s how we see it.

Go get ’em: Kyle Farnsworth (39%), Joe Smith (24%), P{edro Storp (15%), Chad Qualls (12%)

Keep an eye on: Cody Allen (26%), Hector Rondon (13%), Daisuke Matsuzaka (6%)