The Bad Guy is here with a couple players currently owned in less than 25% of Yahoo! leagues. These guys have been rockin and rollin and should definitely be owned across the board.

Matt LaPorta 1B/OF Cleveland Indians (16% owned) – Most people know LaPorta as the star studded prospect who was shipped from Milwaukee to Cleveland in the blockbuster deal that sent CC Sabathia to the Brewers back in 2008.  After struggling in 2009 and a less than stellar start in 2010, he was sent down to AAA. The move benefited LaPorta, as he quickly turned things around and went on to hit .373 with five HRs and 16 RBI in 17 games. Unsurprisingly, this got the attention of the Indians’ front office, who traded away Russell Branyan in order to make room for the young slugger. LaPorta has continued to rake at the major league level, hitting .300 with 4 HRs and 9 RBI in his first nine games since getting called up. Unfortunately LaPorta had to leave Monday night’s game after getting struck in the head by a Elvis Andrus elbow during a close play at first base. He is reportedly suffering from concussion-like effects, and wasn’t in the lineup last night. Hopefully he can make a quick recovery and get back to mashing the ball.

Jason Hammel SP Colorado Rockies (23% owned) - What does this guy need to do to get some fantasy love? All he has done in his last eight starts is go 5-0, with a 2.10 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP with 42 Ks and only 13 BB. The fact that he is only owned in 23% of leagues is kind of mind boggling. Granted Hammel has been the beneficiary of some easy match-ups, but that’s exactly the kind of thing fantasy owners should be on the lookout for. His next start is currently scheduled for July 10th against the less than terrifying San Diego Padres, and Hammel should without a doubt be in your lineup come Saturday.

Ricky Nolasco SP Florida Marlins (83% owned) - I’ll start off by saying that I know Nolasco doesn’t fit the requirements of this post, but I wanted to mention him because he is about to explode. He is 3-0 in his last three starts and has 28 K in only 21 innings pitched. Nolasco’s K rate had been way down for most of this season, but if his past three starts are any indication, he could be in line for a huge second half. With that being said, he is also the only pitcher in baseball who has given up more HRs (20) than BBs (19). He has always given up a ton of HRs, but for every 6.5 fly balls that Nolasco is allowing, one is leaving the yard - a trend that is unlikely to continue throughout an entire season. If he can cut down on his HRs and keeps striking guys out, he could be a top 10 pitcher the rest of the way.

The Bad Guy is here to take a look at the difference between Justin Upton’s 2009 and 2010 seasons. One of the most talked about players coming into this year,  the 22 year old has to be considered one of the bigger disappointments so far this year.

Justin Upton Diamondbacks OF -After putting up a line of 84 R, 26 HR, 86 RBI, 20 SB, and a .300 AVG in only 138 games in 2009, Upton had many experts drooling over what they thought would be a monster 2010. Through almost three months of the season, he has failed to live up to the lofty expectations. While his HR and SB numbers resemble what they were last season through June 15th (12 HR, 9 SB in 2009 and 10 HR and 9 SB in 2010), his AVG, OBP, and SLG are all much lower. Another difference between this year and last year is Upton’s batting average against left handed pitching. He is only batting .224 vs LHP so far this season, as opposed to the .377 he hit against southpaws in 2009, but for someone as talented as Upton is, that number doesn’t have anywhere to go but up. His batting average on balls in play is also 26 points lower than it was last season, and while a .364 BABIP is certainly hard to repeat, he just needs to start making more contact. Therein lies the most concerning issue -  Upton is striking out at a historic rate.  He is currently whiffing once every 2.71 ABs (down from 3.83 in ’09), and if he continues at his current pace, will finish the year with 231 Ks, breaking his teammate Mark Reynolds’ record of 223. You have to believe that Upton will eventually start to see the ball better, and once he does, you’ll remember why you used such a high draft pick on him. I say that Arizona’s young stud finishes the season with 25-30 HRs, 20-25 SB and a .275+ avg. Now might be a good time to try and steal him away from a less than thrilled owner, but you need to act fast before he starts to get hot.

Hey Yo. The Bad Guy is here to dissect Stephen Strasburg’s first major league start. I’m sure everyone from ESPN to Helen Thomas has an opinion on the phenoms performance, but here is NQTC’s take.

Flat. Out. Disgusting. When you look at the box score, you’ll see the following – 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB (ya that’s right, not one walk) and 14 redonkulous strikeouts. I mean forget about it. Get out of town. Never seen anything like it before. EVER. Dirty breaking stuff. Filthy movement on his fastball. Triple Digit cheese. Strasburg literally dominated the Pirates. It was like watching Picasso paint a masterpiece. When he got behind in the count, he battled back to get guys out. When he got ahead of them, it was over. His only mistake of the night came on a changeup to Delwyn Young in the fourth inning, which barely cleared the right field fence for a two run HR. The problem is that Strasburg throws so hard that his changeup (which was clocked in the low 90′s) looks like the average fastball. Once he is able to slow it down to around 87 or 88 mph, he might be – dare I say it – unhittable. Listen, this was by far the most hyped up regular season game of 2010 and possibly the most heavily anticipated major league debut of all time, and to think that Strasburg came out of the gate and exceeded the sky high expectations by mowing down batter after batter is truly something special. We have simply never seen a pitcher with four plus pitches in his arsenal, and if last night was any indication, he is well on his way to having what looks to be a very illustrious career. His next appearance should come on Sunday (6/13) in Cleveland against the Indians, who as a team are currently ranked in the bottom five in R, HR, and RBI. If he’s even half as good as he was last night, he should have no problem racking up another W.

P.S. From a fantasy perspective, it’s highly unlikely you’d be able to acquire his services after a performance like that. For those of you that are lucky enough to own him, sit back and enjoy the ride.

The Bad Guy is here to take a look at two rookie SPs who have been tremendous so far in 2010. These guys probably weren’t drafted in your leagues, and it therefore might be difficult to gauge their actual value. 

John Ely SP Dodgers -When Vicente Padilla went down with an injury back in April, the Dodgers called upon unsung prospect John Ely to take his spot in the rotation. Despite a 14-2 record in 2008 with AA Birmingham (Yes, that’s the White Sox AA affiliate - Ely was traded to LA in the Juan Pierre deal), there was never much talk surrounding the Chicago native due to his less than stellar strikeout numbers. He struggled in his first major league start against the Mets at Citi Field, allowing 3 BB and 5 ER in 6 IP. Since his debut however, he has simply been lights out. He has not allowed more than 2 ER in any of his six starts, owns a 3-1 record with a 33-5 K:BB ratio in 40 innings, with his only loss coming in a 1-0 game against the Cubs at Wrigley. The only negative is that his BABIP currently sits at .267 on the season, and that should eventually creep up towards the league average of about .300. Ely doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but if he can keep his BB/9 IP below two he should be fine the rest of the way. Playing in the NL West against the offensively impaired Padres, Giants, and Diamondbacks certainly helps his cause, and it’s reasonable to project the rookie for around 12 wins in 2010.

Jaime Garcia SP Cardinals – After missing the entire 2009 season following Tommy John Surgery, this former highly regarded prospect has been dominating big league hitters all year. Garcia has yet to allow more than 2 ER in any of his 10 starts and with a 5-2 record, has to be the front runner for NL rookie of the year. Of the 35 fly balls he has allowed this season, only one has flown over the fence,  an amazing feat when you take into account that he has already thrown 61.1 IP. While that ratio is almost impossible to maintain, Garcia has been able to get by by posting the third best ground ball/fly ball ratio in the majors. The only problem is that he has also been allowing nearly 4BB/9 IP, and while his strikeout numbers are better than average, he won’t be able to keep his WHIP at 1.19 unless he is able to pinpoint his control. Garcia’s ERA currently stands at 1.32 and it’s only a matter of time before we see a significant jump. It has also been noted that due to his injury history, the Cardinals might want to impose an innings limit on Garcia, and that makes this as good a time as any to try and maximize his value.

The Bad Guy is back and will be bringing you up to date on the latest in fantasy baseball. We’re nearly a third of the way through the season already, and there are plenty of good values out there who might be available for less than face. Here are a few names to target….

Aramis Ramirez 3B -To say that the Cubs All-Star 3B is struggling at the plate is quite an understatement, as 15 R, 4 HR, 20 RBI, and a .162 AVG is not what you were expecting out of Aram through two months of baseball. The good news is that June is finally here, and if there is one guy who is known for heating up with the weather its Ramirez. The biggest indicator that a turnaround is near is that his .192 BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) sits 1oo points lower than his career .292 BABIP, and once the hits start falling his overall production is sure to increase as well. You might be able to get Aram for pennies on the dollar from a disgruntled owner, a move that could payoff quite nicely by the end of the season.

Carlos Pena 1B -Here is another guy who you might be able to get on the cheap, as Pena is currently laboring through one the worst slumps of his career. He hit .120 in May (12/100) and his owners are surely getting tired of seeing 0/4 after 0/4. The slugging first baseman similarly struggled in July of last year hitting .146 with 3 HRs, only to follow that up with a 12 HR August, which just goes to show how hit and miss Pena can be. Batting average will always be an issue, but if that’s something you can overcome now is as good a time as ever to try and pry away what could be another 25-30 HRs from here on out.

Stephen Strasburg SP- It’s official – the prospect of all prospects is expected to make his MLB debut on June 8th against the Pirates in front of what is sure to be a packed house at Nationals Park. Many so called “experts” are telling you to sell Strasburg while his value is sky high, but I’m buying all the way. There is no reason why he can’t come up and have a Mark Prior-like effect this season. Back in 2002, Prior went 6-6 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 147 k in 116 innings on a horrible Cubs team that went 67-95. While you can’t call the Nationals World Series contenders at this point, they’re playing .500 ball and have proven to have one of the better bullpens in the majors. Ron Shandler posted an article on USAToday.com talking about the drop off some of baseball’s best pitchers (Lincecum, Hanson, Price,  etc) experienced when they got called up. While it’s reasonable to think that Strasburg will encounter some of the same, I strongly believe that Strasburg is currently better than any of those pitchers were when they made their debuts. 2010 Projection: 8 wins, 3.20 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and over a K/inning (with the potential to be even better). 2011 Projection: NL Cy Young winner.

Ben Sheets SP – Ever since the A’s discovered that he was tipping his pitches, Sheets has looked every bit deserving of the $10 million contract he signed in the off-season. In his last five starts (32 innings), he has 35 punch outs with an ERA of 2.81 and a WHIP of 1.09 – pretty deceiving numbers for someone who owns a 2-3 record with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP on the season. I wouldn’t necessarily label him a must-start, but he can definitely be useful as a #3 or #4 the rest of the way. The numbers simply don’t tell the whole story with Sheets, which is why he is only owned in 55% of Yahoo! leagues. Put down your Fritos and go grab him before its too late.

Raul Ibanez was the Player of the Week

1) Rod Beck’s Mullet- Judd didn’t keep dominating through the break in the Power Rankings, but he showed up last week with a 9-0-1 win to keep the top position.  Ibanez was huge for the Mullet this week hitting .481 with 12 runs and 9 rbi.

2) Sharapova’s Thigh- The Thigh has been solid all year and also had a shutout victory last week at 8-0-2.  Verlander had another solid outing with 13 ks and Marmol seems to be inching toward the closer role with each embarrassing failure Kevin Gregg orchestrates.

3) Team Christianity- JC also beat up on his opponent, winning 6-2-2, including a sweep of the batting stats.  This team seems to be reacting to the loss of Manny better than the Dodgers, thanks to Prince Fielder…and Jesus.

4) AFine has no Friends-  Ethan and PK are getting things turned around, despite the adversarial nature of their owner relations.  They put up 7 saves this week, led by Trevor Hoffman with 4.  Greinke got another win and McClouth belted a couple of homers, shocking the world once again with solid contributions from a Royal and a Pirate.

5) Bronx Obamers- Sure, the Obamers are a few spots back in the standings, but they only have one loss in the last four weeks, including a 6-4 win last week.  Cliff Lee has put together some nice starts lately, while Miguel Cabrera and Fonzy are putting up some nice numbers from the plate.

6) Don’t F With DeJesus- My squad can’t seem to stop losing every other week.  A tough week for Armando Galaraga didn’t help, and Kevin Gregg can go punch a bear and see what happens for all I care.

7) The Bad Guy- The Bad Guy’s record isn’t too shabby, but a shutout loss doesn’t do you any favors in the rankings.  In fairness, you usually shouldn’t get shut out hitting .326.  Lincecum could have had a better week too, but TBG will look to rebound this week against the Bambinos.

8)  Tootblan Theriots- Speaking of the Bambinos, Stormin’ Norman took one on the chin from them this week, 6-2-2.  Not really much of note for this squad, except that if Jose Reyes hits .357 for the week, you’d expect him to have more than one stolen base.  ¿Que Pasa Jose?

9) Mo Vaughn Mo Problems- MVMP has not won since the second week of the season and for a team that tried to rack up the saves, things aren’t going well.  They’re in the bottom half of the league in most of the pitching categories.  Either the saves need to start coming, or a move may be in order.

10) Chi Blackouts- The Blackouts had three straight wins before a 9-0-1 loss this week.  They were doubled up in runs, rbi, and stolen bases, and more than quadrupled up in home runs.  The pitching numbers weren’t a whole lot better and this thing would have been 10-0, but the opponent didn’t even play a true closer.

11) Great Bambinos- Bino moves out of the cellar with his first win of the year, a 6-2-2 victory.  Brad Hawpe had an outstanding week hitting .476 with 12 rbi, while the pitching did enough to secure the win.

12) Peavyitis- Peavyitis is the new bottom feeder after a 6-2-2 loss to Team Christianity. Carlos Quentin only played three games, and managed zero hits.  Now I see why he was trying to trade him.  Peavy did have a win and 17 strikeouts though, so that’s something.

Dan Haren is the Player of the Week with 2 W, 19 K, and a .069 WHIP.

1) Rod Beck’s Mullet- A 5-5 tie this week curbed the Mullet’s strut a little bit, but not so much that he didn’t try and suck all of us poor bastards into $50 bets.  That’s like all the money I’ve won betting against Chicago teams with Stormin’ Norman the last few years!  Kerry Wood and Ryan Franklin led the way with three saves each.  The hitting left a bit to be desired.

2) Team Christianity- JC hasn’t slowed down much on the waiver wire, and it paid off this week with an 8-2 win.  Early in the season TC finds itself near the top of many statistical categories, plus God’s on his side.  Maybe.

3) Sharapova’s Thigh- A tie for the Thigh this week earns some major respect the way Rod Beck’s Mullet was going.  Nick Markakis has been unbelievable so far this year and Chad Billingsley already has four wins.  It’s also nice that Victor Martinez has three more homers this year than he did all of last year.  What a jerk he was last year.  Right?  BTW, the Thigh’s team batting average is 20 points higher than anyone else’s.

4) Tootblan Theriots- Holy crap, this is usually way too high for me to rank a Stormin’ Norman owned team this early in the season.  Usually I can find a reason to keep him in the bottom four.  I’m sure if I tried for five minutes I could again, but he beat a team I consider a contender by a 9-1 count this week and that’s good enough for fourth place.

5) Don’t F With DeJesus- DFWD took down the Bad Guy’s team 6-3 this week and therefore jumps ahead of him in the rankings.  I’d like to dedicate the win to Brandon Inge, who was kind enough to be eligible at the catcher position.

6) The Bad Guy- This tends to happen to relief pitchers from time to time, but I’d be shucking my responsibilities if I didn’t mention Matty Lindstrom’s 94.50 ERA from this week.  I’m sure he didn’t pitch a whole lot, but it was probably enough to make the difference in a match-up decided by .15.  Not a big deal for TBG though, who is still in fourth place.  He’ll probably just take out some frustration on Stormin’ Norman this week so I can move Tootban Theriots back to 8th where they belong.

7) Chi Blackouts- Nice jump in the rankings for the Blackouts this week after a 9-1 romp.  Pujols and Bruce combined for 7 homers and 19 RBIs to lead the way.  Not to mention that Joel Hanrahan was the TRUTH! 2 Saves.

8)  Mo Vaughn Mo Problems- Well all that praise last week and this team goes and gets blasted by Stormin’ Norman.  The closer-heavy strategy is failing right now though, with BJ Ryan on the DL and Brandon Lyon having me wishing he was on the DL.  The power hitting is doing okay though, as MVMP is top three in HR and RBI.

9) AFine Has No Friends- Well, a bottom four ranking assures my defeat this week at the hands of Ethan, but this is about integrity.  A 9-1 loss to the second lowest rated team from the last edition of Power Rankings is not going to help your cause.  Ethan could definitely use Webb back from the DL and AJ back from wherever he went.

10) Peavyitis- What an embarrassingly bad match-up this one was.  It’s a good thing we aren’t forced to watch fantasy baseball contests, because this would be like watching the Nationals play the Giants in a spring training game where neither team could use their three “best” players.  I don’t want to explain it, just go look at the numbers.

11) Bronx Obamers- Seriously, go look at them. Awful.

12) The Great Bambinos- A tough start got tougher for Bino’s squad.  He ran up against JC this week and got pounded 8-2.  It doesn’t help that the disabled list is starting to read like a novel.

Hey Yo! The Bad Guy himself is here to discuss a couple guys you might be able to acquire on the cheaper side before they start to blow up, and some others who you won’t mind watching continue to suck on some other dude’s team.

BUY LOW

Francisco Liriano SP Twins – Through his first four starts of the 2009 season, the ace of the Minnesota staff stands at 0-4 with a 7.06 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP, numbers that are most likely keeping his owners up at night thinking about who they could have drafted instead of Liriano. If you take a closer look at his numbers though, he has been pretty decent at home (3.46 ERA, .92 WHIP, 8:1 K:BB ratio) and has faced two very tough lineups on the road in the White Sox and the Red Sox, both of whom in general tend to destroy left handed pitching. His K/9 is down but Liriano should still be able to turn the page and be effective as the season progresses, and The Bad Guy strongly suggests buying low on him. (This was written before the Twins’ game last night, where closer Joe Nathan blew what would have been Liriano’s first win of the season)

Jose Reyes SS Mets – This one is kind of cheating, as Reyes was most likely a top five pick in your league and has not been bad enough to the point where his owner will be looking to get rid of him, but the All Star SS is again off to a slow and is currently ranked 171 in Yahoo! leagues. He only has four SB on the season (and has been thrown out twice already), and has almost as many RBI (7) as R (8) which is not a good sign, but if you look at his split stats from last season, you will see that he only had six SB through April (a stat that is reassuring for those who are somewhat concerned). Reyes should eventually turn on the heat and get back to his ridiculous base stealing ways, so now would be a great time to go out and get him.

STAY AWAY

Matt Holliday OF Athletics – Heading into the 2009 season, there was no player whose value fluctuated more between experts then that of Matt Holliday. Many thought that playing half his games at the Coliseum in Oakland as opposed to Coors Field would really diminish his value, while others thought that the three time All Star would have no problem adapting to his new home on the West Coast. As of today, we would probably crown those that doubted Holliday the winner of the debate, as his 2009 line is pretty weak – 4 R, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB, and a .242 average. While no one really expected him to come close to the 28 bases he stole last season, many still expected him to be at least somewhat of a threat on the base paths, and with zero SB attempts through 16 games, that expectation is slowly fading. Holliday is too good of a hitter to stay in the dumps for the entire season, but I would bet that when all is said and done, his stats dont look anything like they did when he was in Colorado.

David Ortiz 1B/DH Red Sox – Those of you that drafted Big Papi thinking he could regain his 2007 form have to be disappointed at this point, as it looks like you’re stuck with the Ortiz of 2008. His BA, OBP, and OPS are all significantly lower then his career averages, and he is also striking out a lot more and walking a lot less then usual- all signs that don’t normally indicate a turnaround. While Ortiz is currently on a seven game hitting streak which has raised his average from .196 to .237, he is still stuck on zero HRs and it seems safe to say that Ortiz’s big grin and sociable personality have outlasted his ability to be a fantasy stud.

After yet another long hiatus, The Bad Guy himself is back in action and ready to analyze a few players that have gotten off to blazing hot starts early in the 2009 MLB season. Some might be able to keep things rolling, while others probably won’t be able to maintain their success for 162 games. Here are a few worth discussing…

Aaron Hill 2B Blue Jays - After a breakout season in 2007, Hill went on to have a miserable 2008, as he simply wasn’t able to shake the effects of a horrible concussion he suffered early in the season . He seems to be back at 100%  as he has been hitting the cover off the ball – Hill’s batting .365 with four HR and 14 RBI through the first 14 games of the season, and could very well be on his way to posting career highs in all five roto categories. He is currently the fourth highest ranked  2B in Yahoo! leagues, and although he might drop out of the top five due to some tough competition, Hill should continue to hold value throughout the season. If you are in need of a 2B, you might still be able to obtain Hill relatively cheap, but time is certainly running out.

Orlando Hudson 2B Dodgers - The newly acquired LA free-agent has been nothing but  studly for the Dodgers so far in 2009. Hitting primarily in the number two spot, Hudson has posted a .385 batting average and has shown off both his power (2 HR) and speed (4 SB) through 13 games. Considering the fact that he has never stolen more then 10 bases or hit more then 15 HR in a season in his seven year career though, its hard to imagine the defensive minded 2B becoming a 25 HR 50 SB threat, which is the pace that he is currently on. It’s also hard to trade a guy when he’s as en fuego as Hudson is right now, but if you are able to sell  high and get pretty decent value out of him, don’t be afraid to let him go.

Paul Maholm SP Pirates - The former 2003 first round pick (8th overall) hasn’t really done much up to this point in his major league career, but after three amazing performances to start 2009 , it looks as though the Pirates’ ace (?) seems to have finally figured things out. Maholm stands at 2-0 with a .87 ERA and a .97 WHIP, but when you take a closer look at the  numbers, they’re not really all that impressive. Maholm has only struck out six batters in 20 innings and has also posted a very low BAPIP of .215. If he is not able to get his K rate up, he might be in trouble as his BAPIP should eventually drift back up towards the league average of around.300 (he does have almost a 2-1 GB:FB ratio going for him though). I wouldn’t necessarily look to move Maholm, as you probably can’t get much for him at this point, but just be aware that there might be some regression with him in the near future.

Eric Bedard SP Mariners - I can’t seem to find a thing I don’t like about Bedard after his first three starts – he has been absolutely phenomenal – and those of you that took a gamble on him in the later rounds of your drafts are surely reaping the benefits. He has a ridiculous 7.6:1 K:BB ratio and holds a nasty 1.86 ERA and .98 WHIP. He might suffer some in the win department playing for Seattle, but if he can stay healthy, could be a top 10-15 SP this season none the less. Injuries have plagued Bedard throughout his career, but if he is able to make 25-30 starts, we might start to hear some Cy Young chatter towards the end of the season. I’m not sure if he is a guy I would go after considering his history of injuries and the fact that his owner is probably going to ask for the house in return. If I had him on my team, I’d hold on to him.

Ryan Ludwick OF Cardinals - After his very impressive 2008 campaign, Ludwick is out to show the world that last year was no fluke. He has come out of the gate hot as ever, posting a line of 8 R, 5 HR, 15 RBI, a SB, and a .405 BA through 10 games. Hitting fourth in the Cardinals stacked lineup is going to give him plenty of RBI opportunities, and as long as he can stay healthy, should have no issues matching (or even exceeding) the 37 HR he hit in 2008.  St. Louis has somewhat of a crowded outfield with Ludwick, Ankiel, Duncan, and rookie sensation Colby Rasmus all deserving of playing time, so how manager Tony LaRussa manages his OF could be something to watch as the season progresses. Ludwick is definitely someone that I would target in all leagues, but you are most likely going to have pay a hefty price in order to acquire his services at this point.

Ian Kinsler was the Player of the Week, and he's pumped!

After waiting a week to get a better idea of where teams stand, it’s time for the first edition of Power Rankings for our NQTC fantasy league.

1) Rod Beck’s Mullet- After complaining about no power rankings after his 10-0 win in the first week, Judd brought it again in Week 2, winning 8-2 and opening up a four game lead on the rest of the league. Raul Ibanez and Evan Longoria have carried the Mullet through the first two weeks and when Wandy Rodriguez gets a win, 10 ks, and no earned runs, you’re likely to do okay in the pitching also.

2) Sharapova’s Thigh- Well, #1 was the last easy pick I had to make in the first edition. We have quite the group bunched after that, but the Thigh is bringing the best stats and dirty pictures to the table. He’s top five in every batting category and leads average, runs, and k’s. Chad Billingsley helped with 17 strikeouts and two wins last week.

3) The Bad Guy- Good start for the NQTC fantasy guy, including a 9-0 win last week. He’s tied for the lead in saves thanks to Broxton and Lindstrom getting seven of his nine saves on the year. Cubs pitching was good to TBG this week, helping Ryan Ludwick to 3 homers and 10 RBI. Lincecum bounced back for a nice week, with 13 k’s and no earned runs.

4) Mo Vaughn Mo Problems- Scotty leads the league in wins, saves, and RBI on his way to a couple of 6-4 wins. That could become commonplace for MVMP this season, as he will be very tough to beat in saves, ERA, and WHIP. Carlos Pena tore it up this week with 12 RBI and 4 homers. I’m pretty sure he had that by Thursday or Friday too.

5) AFine has no Friends- Ethan and PK lead the league in home runs so far this year, even though no one on the team has more than four. They have balanced hitting if there ever was such a thing in fantasy baseball, and the pitching is similarly solid without being spectacular. Of course, the pitching will get a boost when Webb comes off the DL.

6) Team Christianity- JC is predictably all over the waiver wire, with 16 moves so far while the second most is six. Nelson Cruz, Adam Jones, and Andre Ethier have been his best producers offensively, while the revolving door of pitchers has produced wins and strikeout numbers near the top of the league.

7) Peavyitis- This is the only team left in the rankings that actually won a match-up so far. That win came last week against the Bambinos and included four saves by Heath Bell. In fact, the relative success in the early season may be more about match-ups than stats, since Peavyitis finds itself in the middle-to-bottom of most categories. Thank God he kept Carlos Quentin though: 13 RBI, 7 HR, and 11R to start the year.

8)  Don’t F With DeJesus- Not an inspiring start from my squad, with a tie and a loss. Ianetta, Davis, and Aviles are going through tough starts to the year to say the least, and the pitching has been average at best. At least my outfielders have 13 stolen bases.

9) Tootblan Theriots- Stormin’ Norman started the season out with a tie against your’s truly, then got lambasted by the Thigh, 8-2. It was just an awful week for TT, with depressing numbers like 20 runs, 26 k’s, and 1 win. No runs, no homers, and 1 RBI from Carlos Beltran certainly didn’t help.

10) Bronx Obamers- Two losses so far for the Obamers, but they’ve come against two of the league’s top teams. This early in the year, that’s kind of a chicken-egg argument though. Egg! It’s the egg! This team has to be a pick to bounce back though, since they are top five in every batting stat. The pitching just needs to come around, because they’re bottom two in every pitching stat except being tied for the lead in saves.

11) Chi Blackouts- One of two squads to get shut out so far, the Blackouts need to look no farther than batting average to diagnose a problem. Hunter Pence is the only batter over .300 at .302. Michael Young had the batting line of the week for the Blackouts, with 6 runs, 3 homers, 5 RBI, and 2 steals.

12) The Great Bambinos- Bino can’t be happy with the start to the season and Chris Carpenter to the DL after looking great had to be a heartbreaker. Alexei is off to a slow start and Hanley’s average is down below .250 now. Add to that the fantasy version of Indians-Yankees in a week one 10-0 loss and you get the bottom spot in the first power ranking of the year.

Another inspiring draft guru.

Here are the second half of the draft grades from the NQTC league draft last week.  If you’re unable to find the first half by scrolling down for about five seconds, it’s right here.  To the second half we go.  Now that we’re done, feel free to rip on our teams, rip on the grades, or most importantly rip on these guys when they complain about their grades.

Don’t F With DeJesus- It’s not the easiest thing to grade your own team.  I chose my own players, so if I don’t like it, that would really suck.  I started off with Ryan Braun and Johan Santana in the first two rounds, and I think I was able to keep a good balance between batting and pitching throughout the draft.  Morneau, Crawford, and Abreu should help Braun pile up the batting stats, while I’ll need good bounce back years from Erik Bedard and Fausto Carmona to help Johan.  I also managed to steal some closers from Dan with K-Rod, Valverde, and Gregg.  Yeah, on second thought, no grade here.

Mo Vaughn Mo Problems- Speaking of closers…MVMP was able to scoop up at least four guys who will have the job on opening day.  The starting pitching leaves something to be desired (strikeouts), but closers are good for a lot of categories.  Home runs and RBIs shouldn’t be a problem for the hitters. Ryan Howard, Carlos Lee, Matt Holliday, Carlos Pena, and Garrett Atkins should take care of that.  Combining closers with power hitters is a good strategy to get some guaranteed category wins and it looks like this team pulled it off.  Pitching- B, Batting-B+

The Bad Guy- Well, here I am commenting on our fantasy expert’s draft, I think this is what the name of our blog is all about.  I remember thinking a few times that he got some great value during the draft.  Rollins and Dunn are the stars, but batters like Mark Reynolds, Matt Kemp, Mike Jacobs, and Carlos Delgado will put up good power numbers and came way late in the draft.  This allowed the Bad Guy to stockpile some pitching.  Tim Lincecum and Haren are two of the best there are and Broxton is poised for an outstanding year.  Another player of note is Giants catcher Pablo Sandoval.  Look for a great year from this guy.  Pitching- B+, Batting- B

Sharapova’s Thigh- This is probably a good thing for the Thigh’s chances, but I’m not really wild about this team.  It’s not that it’s bad, it’s more that there just aren’t guys on it I like.  Guys like Teixeira, Kinsler, Jewkilis, and Markakis will undoubtedly produce.  I like Billingsley on the pitching staff and obviously am a fan of Verlander and Marmol, but the rest of the guys just seem like solid pitchers I don’t care about.  What great analysis huh?  So there’s your bulletin board material Thigh guy, can’t wait for the inevitable beating they put on me in our first match-up.  Pitching- C+, Batting- B

AFine Has No Friends- I really couldn’t like the first three rounds of this draft much more.  Utley, Berkman, and Webb is a fantastic start to a team.  Stephen Drew and Joey Votto were also solid picks later in the draft to round out a solid batting lineup.  After Webb, the starting pitching gets very average and the closers have some serious questions including Hoffman’s health and Sherrill’s rocky spring.  Look out for Zack Greinke’s depression to bring down clubhouse morale.  Pitching- B-, Batting- B+

Rod Beck’s Mullet- Beck’s Mullet has some amazing hitters including Josh Hamilton and Magglio Ordonez, while Roy Halladay leads the pitching staff.  The outfield is downright sick with the above mentioned guys and Raul Ibanez.  Keeping in mind that those guys will be sufficient for a solid season, the supporting cast isn’t that great.  Wood and Fuentes are the primary relievers, but Chris Ray could have the job in Baltimore before too long.  John Lackey should be a solid second starter, but the elbow problems have to be a concern.  Kershaw and Kuroda don’t have me rushing to praise the staff as a whole though.  Pitching- B-, Batting- A-

If he liked your draft, you shouldn't.

The NQTC fantasy baseball league held its draft last week, and it got done sometime around Sunday night.  Anyway, I’ve looked over the rosters and here come the draft grades.  I’ll go over them in order of where they picked in the first round, with the first six now and the last six a little later.

Chi Blackouts- The Blackouts had the first overall pick and went with Albert Pujols, then didn’t stop with the offense, picking hitters until the 10th round when he chose Matt Cain as his ace.  Interesting.  Well not really, as I’m pretty sure this was an auto-draft based on Russell Martin and Joe Mauer being taken early, along with Brandon Phillips and Pedroia.  In a word, the pitching staff is injured: Smoltz and Sheets are in trouble and David Price will be in the minors if I’m not mistaken.  Hard to imagine this auto-draft going worse, but at least there are some good hitters in there.  Pitching- D+, Batting- B

The Great Bambinos- Not tough to spot Bino’s team, as there are five Sox on it.  He also went the route of grabbing hitters early, taking Francisco Liriano as his first pitcher in the seventh round.  He still managed to get some good pitching with Dice-K and Joba, but nothing fantastic.  Bino also benefitted from no one wanting David Ortiz, because he sat around forever because of his very misleading position of “utility”.   A-Rod is another highlight of this roster, and with guys like Hanley, Dye, and McCann this team can really mash.  Pitching- C, Batting- A-

Team Christianity- It’s hard to gather how Josh Hamilton is not on this team, but Elijah Dukes is.  Even though real stadiums have roofs didn’t like his spot with the third pick, he got a great player in David Wright to start it off.  I think I moved the draft far enough back for this owner to do his research, because he got some less than prominent names and has predictably been all over the waiver wire already.  Nathan, Beckett, Harden, and Lester were his top pitchers taken and form the start of a solid staff.  It’s hard to talk about this draft when half the players will change before opening day.  Pitching- B, Batting- B+

Tootblan Theriots- Here’s Stormin’ Norman’s team and he certainly drafted some speed.  It started with Reyes, and continued with guys like Ichiro, Granderson, Victornino, and Bengie Molina…err, wait.  The pitching is headlined by King Felix, Oswalt, Dempster, and Jenks, but then gets old and ugly fast with Randy Johnson, Aaron Harang, and Troy Percival.  Have fun battling Team Christianity on the pitching waiver wire, should be quite the rivalry.  The batters should do well in runs and steals, but I don’t know how the pitching can make up for the lack of power numbers.  Pitching- C+, Batting- B

Peavyitis- This was one of only four teams to take a pitcher in the first two rounds, and he got Peavy and Hamels early.  Those are great pitchers, but not without some concerns as Peavy was shaky in the WBC and Hamels is missing his first start already.  Still, with Zambrano, Wang, and Lowe, the pitching is in great shape.  Best so far, but lacking in the saves department.  I can’t say the same for the hitting, but there is hope with guys like Soto, Sizemore, and Derrek Lee.  Peavyitis also provided the most chatter in the draft by trying to trade Carlos Quentin for cash considerations and a minor league catcher.  Pitching- A-, Batting- C

Bronx Obamers- Danimal started off his draft by stealing Miguel Cabrera just before I could get him (F).  If you have noticed a lack of top notch closers thus far, it’s probably the fault of this team.  Papelbon and Lidge are the best of the bunch, but Dan got some great starters too in CC, Cliff Lee, Ervin Santana, and Brett Myers.  The Obamers got some good value with batting too.  They grabbed Jeter and Soriano later than I would have expected, along with Uggla, Rios, and Pat Burrell at relatively late picks.  The offense should perform well enough to let the pitching get a lot of wins.  Pitching- A-, Batting- B

I was going to bust out my RP preview, but then I figured why waste your time. Some people like to take the top tier guys like Jonathan Papelbon and Joe Nathan early, while others like to wait and grab the Mike Gonzalezs and Trevor Hoffmans much later on. Either way, there’s no point in writing about them, as you know what you’re getting when you take a closer.  Instead, here’s a list of five guys that don’t get drafted real high, but could turn out to be steals in 2009.

1. Andre Ethier OF Dodgers - Early reports have stated that Joe Torre plans on hitting Ethier ahead of Manny in the Dodgers’ lineup, which should give the 26 year old OF some added value. He is just now entering his prime, and has shown the ability to hit for both power and average. Ethier’s Yahoo! ADP is 152, meaning you can leave an OF slot open on your team and snatch him up real late. It would not surprise me at all to see him put up a line of 90 R, 25 HR, 90 RBI, 5 SB, and a .300 average, something that you cant usually find in the later rounds of your drafts.

2. Cameron Maybin OF Marlins – Maybin is expected to hit-lead off for Florida in 2009, replacing Hanley Ramirez at the top of the lineup. The 6-4 205 pound OF was the centerpiece of the package that the Marlins received from Detroit in exchange for Miguel Cabrera. At 21, Maybin is still extremely young, and while he might be fantasy useful as early as this year, there are surely going to be some growing pains along the way. He strikes out a ton – something that might limit him early on – but as long as he is able to get on base, he should be good for 20+ steals. Combine that with his double digit HR power, and you have yourself a late round sleeper that could prove to be plenty valuable in 2009.

3. Yovani Gallardo SP Brewers - During his highly anticipated 2007 rookie season, Gallardo went 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, but dropped in last years draft rankings due to a knee injury he suffered in spring training. He made his 2008 debut towards the end of April, and was on his way to a fantastic season until he tore his ACL on a freak accident while trying to get over to cover first base. Gallardo is now back to 100% and should be able to build on the success he had early last season. On average, he is currently the 26th SP taken in Yahoo! drafts, but could easily crack the top 10 by the end of the season.

4. Pablo Sandoval 3B/1B/C Giants - This 22 year old switch hitting monster doesn’t seem to be getting the fantasy love that he deserves in 2009. After getting called up in the middle of August last year, all Sandoval did was hit, hit, and hit some more. He hit .345 in over a month and a half of major league ABs, and is currently projected to hit third in the Giants lineup that will (hopefully) be much better then it was last year. Sandoval should be a decent source of R and RBI considering his slot in the lineup, and when you add that to 15-20 HR and an average that should be around .300 (AND catcher eligibility in Yahoo! leagues!!!), what you get is a huge fantasy sleeper with tremendous upside.

5. Nelson Cruz OF Rangers - Cruz has been called up to the majors and been sent back down to the minors more times then Ethan has dreamt about beating The Bad Guy in the NQTC fantasy league. 2008 marked the first time that the Texas slugger was was able to continue raking at the Major League level after being called up – he held just about a .231 BA in his previous 442 MLB ABs. After absolutely destroying AAA pitching last season, the Rangers decided to give him another shot, and Cruz was finally able to deliver. If you take his major league stats from last season and span them out over 162 games, you get a line of 99 R, 35 HR, 135 RBI, 15 steals, and a .330 average. I’m not saying he will reach those totals, but with him hitting cleanup  in that potent Texas lineup, it would not be surprising to see him come close close.

Because of the shortage of time between now and opening day, we at NQTC decided to roll with a position by position preview as opposed to going team by team. The SP  preview is up today -  look for the RP  preview on Friday. Again, this is not a list of the top seven guys at the position but rather seven guys I felt like writing about.

1. Johan Santana SP Mets - New York’s $137 Million dollar man gave everyone a scare this week when reports came out that the two time Cy Young award winner was scheduled for an MRI on his pitching elbow. Santana was able to throw without pain later in the day, and the worries were put to rest. Today however, there are reports that Johan is most likely not going to be ready by opening day, and will instead be scheduled to start the Mets fifth game of the season. This should not hurt his value too much, but if people are worried about him and he drops in your draft, make sure to scoop him up. Santana has never missed significant action due to an injury, and it would be shocking to see him sit out

2. Tim Lincecum SP Giants - The 24 year old flamethrower has been moving his way up draft boards in 2009 after his lights out 2008 Cy Young award winning season. Lincecum somehow managed to win 18 games on a horrible SF team, a total that will be almost impossible to reach again unless the Giants improve drastically. However, if he can manage to win 14-15 games and post similar numbers in WHIP, ERA, and Ks, he should definitely be able to justify his high draft position. I don’t normally like to pay for guys coming off career years or take pitchers within the first couple of rounds, but after owning him last season, I know that Lincecum can single handedly carry a pitching staff in fantasy baseball, and he’ll be worth every penny again this year.

3. CC Sabathia SP Yankees - Unlike with Lincecum, The Bad Guy is not high on CC at all this year, even after his unbelievable 2008 second half. In seven season with the Indians, Sabathia’s best numbers were posted in 2007 when he finished with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP – in 17 starts following his trade from Cleveland to Milwaukee, Sabathia posted a ridiculous 1.65 ERA and 1.00 WHIP – numbers that simply won’t be attainable again in 2009. Carsten Charles should be able to maintain his high strikeout rate, and after signing with the Yankees, should also be able to win anywhere from 16-20 games. He is without a doubt still a top 10 SP this season, but look for his ERA and WHIP to rise back up to around his career averages of 3.66 and 1.24.

4. Chad Billingsley SP Dodgers - After having a very solid 2008 season, Billingsley seems to be everyone’s pick to move into elite SP status in 2009. He pitches in one of the weakest divisions in baseball, and should receive solid run production from his offense – with or without Manny. The Dodger’s ace broke his leg during the off-season, but has been pitching in spring training and seems like a good bet to be ready for opening day. The one knock on Billingsley is that he walks a lot of guys (1.34 WHIP in 2008), but if he can somehow cut down on the free passes to first, he could be in line for a career year.

5. Felix Hernandez SP Mariners - It seems like he’s been around forever, but the highly touted King Felix is still only 22, and could be on the verge of a breakout season in 2009. Hernandez has yet to live up to the hype that has surrounded him ever since he was a 16 year old kid, but over the years has shown glimpses of the potential that he possesses.  In 17 starts before the All Star break in 2008, Felix went 6-6 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.24 WHIP – not outstanding numbers, but pretty impressive none the less. If he can find a way to stay consistently solid throughout the entire season, he could end up being a nice surprise for those who draft him near his Yahoo! ADP of 92.

6. Carlos Zambrano SP Cubs - Big Z is definitely not the fantasy stud that he once was, and is not someone that I would be looking to land on one of my teams. As a Cubs fan, it’s hard to look the other way when it comes to Zambrano, but when you examine his numbers, they’re just not all that impressive anymore.  His strikeout totals have decreased three seasons in a row – something you never want to see when in a pitcher’s stats. He should still be good for around 14-16 wins, but his ERA has been in the 3.90s the past two seasons, and there is no  reason to believe that it will be significantly lower in 2009.

7. Roy Oswalt SP Astros - This one time fantasy stud doesn’t get much love in fantasy drafts anymore, as he is not a great strikeout pitcher and has gotten off to some rough starts in recent years. However, The Bad Guy is here to take a closer look at Oswalt’s numbers, and to show you that Oswalt is definitely someone to keep an eye on. If you examine his first half/second half splits in 2006, 2007, and 2008, you will see that he is a combined 25-6 (WHAT!?!)  over the past three seasons after the All Star break, with a much lower ERA and WHIP to boot. If Oswalt struggles again at the beginning of 2009, see if you can steal him away from his current owner, as there is sure to be lots of 2nd half success again this year.

Because of the shortage of time between now and opening day, we at NQTC decided to roll with a position by position preview as opposed to going team by team. OF preview is up today -  look for the SP  preview on Wednesday. Again, this is not a list of the top seven guys at the position but rather seven guys I felt like writing about.

1. Grady Sizemore OF Indians - If you look up stud in the dictionary, you should find a picture of the 26 year-old all star. Grady is the definition of a five tool player, he simply does it all. His low average (.268 in 2008) holds him back from being absolutely unreal, and is the only reason why he is considered a second tier first round pick. If he can somehow manage to get his average back up to around  .290 like he did back in 2006, then there would be no other player in baseball that I would rather have on my team then #24. ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian is quoted as saying that he believes Sizemore could hit 45 HR and steal 45 bases in 2009. Even though those projections have been made by someone at ESPN (ESPN has some of the worst projections/draft kit material that I have ever seen) and are most likely not going to hit, they still show how much ridiculous potential Mr. Sizemore possesses.

2. Ryan Braun OF Brewers – Like Grady, Braun could be absolutely ridiculous in 2009. It would not be surprising at all to see the Milwaukee OF put up a stat line that looked something like 100 R, 40 HR, 100 RBI, 15 SB, and a .300+ average. With the OF position being somewhat shallow this season, Braun makes for a great pick anywhere from 6-9 in the first round -  anything after that should be considered a steal. There are only a handful of guys that have the potential to hit 40 HRs and steal 15+ or so bases, which is one of the reasons that Braun is so valuable and gets drafted so high. If you have the chance to grab the 25 year old phenom, don’t let him get away.

3. Alfonso Soriano OF Cubs - This one time member of the 40-40 club has come out and said that he hopes to steal 30 bases this season IF he can stay healthy. Soriano has missed 80 games combined over the past two seasons, almost half of which have stemmed from leg/calf muscle issues which have ultimately limited his ability to steal bases (He did miss 34 games with a broken hand in 2008 after getting hit by a pitch). Soriano seems to be 100% healthy entering spring training this year, meaning that a huge season might be around the corner IF (there’s that word again) he can manage to avoid injury. At 33 though, age is definitely not on Soriano’s side, but if you can get 140 games or so out of the seven time all star, he should still be able to put up real solid numbers across the board.

4. Matt Kemp OF Dodgers - Kemp is someone that I have had my eye on ever since he  was called up from AAA in 2006. After putting up a line of 93 R, 18 HR, 76 RBI, 35 SB, and a .290 average in2008, everyone seems to have their eye on him now. His average draft position is just about 40 on Mockdraftcentral.com and about 46 on Yahoo!, meaning he is getting drafted in the beginning to middle of the fourth round in 12 team leagues, which seems a little late considering how good he could be in 2009. The potential for a 30/30 season is definitely there, although realistically he still might be a couple years away from reaching 30 HR. Kemp has yet to solidify himself in any one slot in the Dodgers lineup as he had more then 130 AB hitting first, second, and sixth, but no matter where he is hitting, he should still be a reliable source in all five  standard categories.

5. Carl Crawford OF Rays – People seem to have totally written off the former first round fantasy lock, as his ADP on Yahoo! is almost 34 – more or less the end of the third round in 12 team leagues. He could turn out to be the steal of your draft with an ADP like that, as there is no reason to think that he won’t reach the 50 SB plateau that he attained in both 2006 and 2007. Experts used to project Craw to hit for power year after year, and it seemed like they were finally right when he hit 18 HR in 2006, but he went on to only hit 18 HR combined over the next two seasons (252 games). At the age of 27 though, The Tampa Bay OF is finally in his prime power years, and if he can somehow manage to get to that 15-18 level again, he could again be one of the top fantasy studs in 2009.

6. Jay Bruce OF Reds – Bruuuuuuuce is the talk of the fantasy town, as he has just about as much potential as any of the other guys listed above him. Cinci’s top prospect was called up in late May of 2008 and simply started killing the ball – he was hitting .382 with 15 R, 4 HR, 12 RBI, and 2 SB through his first 18 games – just ridiculous numbers. Soon after though, pitchers started catching on to him, and he struggled through the rest of his rookie campaign. Besides crushing 15 homers over the last two months of the season, Bruce didn’t do very much at all, and most likely could have been found on waivers towards the end of the year. Expectations for Bruce vary in 2009, as some seem to think that the 21 year old is ready to be an All Star, while others are concerned that at such a young age, he won’t be able to make enough of an adjustment to major league pitching – The Bad Guy says he  winds up somewhere in the middle.

7. Jason Bay OF Red Sox - If you take Jason Bay’s numbers from the time he was traded to Boston and span them out over 162 games, you’re looking at MVP type stats – he would have put up a line of 128 R, 30 HR, 122 RBI, and 10 SB, all while hitting .290+. With a full season ahead of him playing at Fenway in that potent Red Sox lineup, it would not be surprising to see him put produce those kind of numbers again. If you can steal him somewhere around his Yahoo! ADP of 35, you could be looking at the bargain of your draft.