With the exception of some non-news on Ted Lilly, the ol' Central mainly has to talk about call-ups and playing time. The dust has more or less settled on playoff rosters with the possible exception of some injury replacements. Lilly, who had been passed through waivers, claimed by the Yankees and recalled is not headed to the Yankees playoff roste...
Since it is September 1st and with it comes a host of promotions from the Minor Leagues, let’s look at several of the most highly regarded prospects in baseball who should see action this month: Desmond Jennings, Aroldis Chapman, Freddie Freeman and many more will be auditioning for playing time in 2011 this week. If your te...
If you are still reading the good stuff on FP911 at this time of year, your fantasy team is probably still in contention for the title. That being the case, there is no time for small talk – there are titles to be won! Stay with me as we look at a bevy of non-stud two-start pitchers for week 22. Feast your peepers on the long list of viable a...
If you're reading this, chances are you in contention. Here are some surprises in fantasy baseball from the past week.
Here are some 'hot' and 'not' fantasy baseball players to check out for the last week in August.
 Not a bad team for an...MikeBlewitt 3.9.2010 10:51 |
 Re: HOT HOT HOT!!!clownloach 3.9.2010 8:37 |
 Re: Tampa Bay Bucs Pr...tonycincotta 3.9.2010 7:59 |
| Re: if this dont make... tonycincotta 3.9.2010 7:58 |
 Re: if this dont make...paulgreco 2.9.2010 23:06 |
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In honor of our new President Barack Obama's inauguration, we take a gander at the top five stories for the team from our nation's capital.
1. How many outfielders does one team need? We knew that Jim Bowden loved toolsy outfielders. But this has gotten ridiculous. Wily Mo Pena, Willie Harris, Josh Willingham, Corey Patterson, Lastings Milledge, Austin Kearns, and Elijah Dukes? Are you kidding me? That's 7 players who you'd expect to either have a starting gig or at least a bench job with a major league team. Have the Nats decided to try a new strategy, only fielding an outfield (of 7), catcher and pitcher? Talk about the no doubles defense! And hey, it's only January, there's still time to sign a couple of more outfielders to serve as an insurance policy to the insurance policies they apparently think they need. Seriously, how does Jim Bowden still have a job?  2. Will Lastings Milledge and/or Elijah Dukes join the 20/20 club? Let's assume for the moment that the nearly guaranteed last place finishing Nats were a rational team and actually played Milledge and Dukes full-time. If this scenario played out, there's a reasonable chance both players go 20/20. Milledge really hasn't shown much power in his professional career and only posted a .134 isolated slugging percentage in 2008. His HR/FB ratio was an average 9.6% and he hit only 24 doubles in 523 at-bats. Though his HR/AB was better in the 2nd half, his Power Index was barely better, and still below league average. At this point, it seems like only expected age-related growth and more at-bats could push him to 20 home runs, as opposed to any real indication of skills growth that had occurred. In terms of steals, he already stole 24 in 2008, albeit at only a mediocre clip (73% success rate), so reaching 20 steals again seems to be a good bet. Dukes looks to have a better chance of reaching 20/20. He still strikes out a ton, having posted just a 71.4% contact rate last season, but his isolated slugging was a robust .214, which actually fits with his history. His HR/FB was 18.8%, though, which may be a little too high to expect a repeat. If his HR/FB was a more reasonable 15%, which is in line with his 2007 season with the Rays, he would have hit about 10 homers, or 21 pro-rated to 550 at-bats. He may also be able to raise his FB% since it dropped from 47.5% in 2007 to just 34.7% in 2008. If so, this would also boost his home run total. Dukes chipped in 13 steals in just 276 at-bats, so a full-season should bring him into the low 20's, coming close to Milledge's total. The bottom line is that both could reach 20/20 in 2009, though I feel Dukes' skill set gives him the better chance. Playing time is the biggest question though, so we'll see how smart and into sabermetrics and new-school thinking Manny Acta really is. 3. Are any starting pitchers worth drafting in anything but NL-Only leagues? Nope, sorry, pass. It's quite pathetic, but not one expected member of the starting rotation appears draft worthy in shallower leagues. The lowest projected ERA is enjoyed by Shawn Hill at 4.14, and he's never healthy. Then you move on to John Lannan at 4.30, who comes with a poor WHIP and weak strikeout rate. How about Scott Olsen you wonder? His 4.20 ERA last year was the result of a magical .266 BABIP, which is quite the feat given the atrocious defense playing behind him. Couple that with a K/9 on a major 3-year decline, and an average fastball velocity that tumbled over 2 MPH from 2007, and I wouldn't even want him on my reserve roster in an NL-Only league. So pretend the Nationals pitching staff doesn't exist when you are drafting in March. The only name worth adding to your team is closer Joel Hanrahan, and he's no great shakes either. The worst part about the Nats pitching is no one even has much upside. With no starter projected for a K/9 above 7.0, there's just no one to get excited about. 4. Will Ryan Zimmerman bounce back? Just last year, Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus wrote these famous words in his Breakout Candidates article: "David Wright might well have been the most valuable player in the National League last season; Zimmerman will be a better player than Wright in 2008." Well that didn't go so well, as Zimmerman disappointed with just a .774 OPS, a slight regression from 2007. This actually wasn't too much of a surprise as Zimmerman had off-season surgery to repair a broken wrist, and that should have been expected to hurt his production. He also suffered a tear in his shoulder during the season that sidelined him for nearly 2 months. The good news is that he dramatically improved his contact rate from 80.9% in 2007 to 83.4% in 2008 and his HR/FB ratio remained about exactly the same as in both 2006 and 2007. His doubles rate did take a hit, but you'd have to think some of his power would be down due to the wrist and shoulder injuries. With a full season of at-bats and better health, he should rebound, and if he maintains his improved contact rate, could have the best season of his young career. 5. Is there anything to look forward to for Nationals fan down on the farm? Ehhh, not really. John Sickels' Minor League Ball rated RHP Jordan Zimmerman, OF Michael Burgess, 1B Chris Marrero, LHP Ross Detwiler, and RHP Garrett Mock as the organization's top 5 prospects. Unfortunately, their 1-2 guys grade out as just a B+. I actually have a projection for Zimmerman and it's for a surprisingly respectable 4.09 ERA. He combines a solid ground ball rate with a decent K/9 and could actually end up the Nats' "ace" if given a rotation spot. Burgess is only 20 years old and has yet to play above A-ball, but he has shown excellent power so far and a good walk rate. The biggest problem for him has been making contact. His contact rate has been in the 60% range at each level since Rookie ball and has declined at each Single-A stop. It was an awful 63.4% at High-A, so Burgess has quite a lot of work ahead of him. Marrero is also just 20 years old and hasn't played above A-ball, but he looks much closer to a major league caliber player than Burgess. His walk rates have been average and his power has been pretty good, though not great. His contact rate has also been acceptable. He really doesn't stand out as someone to get too excited about though. Detwiler also has an above average GB% like Zimmerman, but his strikeout rate was just okay for a pitcher in Single-A and his walk rate was weak at 4.1 in 2008. Though he's already going to be 23 heading into the 2009 season, he hasn't pitched above Single-A. I wouldn't count on him for much in the near term. Last is Mock who will be 26 already this season, yet rates as their 5th best prospect. This is not a good sign! He showed slight ground ball tendencies in the minors along with acceptable strikeout rates and solid walk rates. His MLE FIP in 2008 at Triple-A was a respectable 4.12, though it was over 5.00 in both 2006 and 2007. He could be one of the Nats' better starters if he gets the chance, but that doesn't look likely, and that really isn't saying much to begin with. All in all, this is not a farm system with star potential, so look for Jim Bowden to continue trading for/signing crappy players as they battle no one for 5th place in the East every year.
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Comments (8)
 written by Boris From Downunder, January 22, 2009
Nick Johnson. My fantasy kryptonite. Oh, If you cross a Dingo with a Rotweiler do you get a Detwiler?
written by MikePodhorzer, January 21, 2009
Lots of comments to respond to...
Cristian Guzman, as crazy as it is to say, is a legit .300 hitter. But he obviously doesn't offer much else. Nick Johnson always hits when he actually plays, but he never does. He may never play a full season. What exactly would signing Dunn do for them? He won't put them into playoff contention alone and they still are a ways away from contending with such a crappy farm system. Big o, THIS is the year Daniel Cabrera breaks out, right? lol
written by tonycincotta, January 21, 2009
Danny gets it done !!! I hope so but I think you are getting caught up in the election coverage.
written by big o, January 21, 2009
6. break-out year for cabrera.
always look forward to this series, mike.
written by tulanian, January 21, 2009
Great article. I'd love to see Dunn, but are there any 1B still on the market? Or will our very talented and very injured 1B duo play healthy this year?
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Tags: top five stories washington nationals wily mo pena willie harris josh willingham corey patterson lastings milledge austin kearns elijah dukes jim bowden shawn hill scott olsen john lannan joel hanrahan ryan zimmerman david wright prospects jordan zimmerman michael burgess chris marrero ross detwiler garrett mock
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