Jay Bruce (OF) Reds -  Well, he got some bad news when Dusty Baker said that he wants either Ryan Freel or Norris Hopperin the lineup every day.  In a position battle for center, those are the two guys he is battling.  While in the past Freel would occasionally spell infielders in addition to the time he got in center, now it looks like the IF positions have been nailed down by everyday starters.  Bruce is only 21 and made the cover of Baseball America last year as their minor league player of the year.  So ultra-sleeper he is not.  At this point he may not even break camp with the team.  In order to win a job he is going to have to cut down on the Ks, hit lefties better, and have some serious luck.  Confidence Level: 4 (more…)

To follow up on my earlier attempt to use YouTube as a scouting device, I’d  like to pass along some clips that I found useful.  Unfortunately, we cannot show them all here.  Check out these links.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gm0wu3fZOmU

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y0WUULDTlT0

This clip is of Fukudome taking a little BP. 

Sleepers come in stages.  Those guys that qualify for sleeper status as of now could easily play themselves out of a position quickly in spring training.  This is something to which the fantasy geek must pay close attention.  Just because a magazine that you bought in early February says that some shmoe is going to take the league by storm doesn’t even mean that he is guaranteed a look in the spring.  Talent is one thing, the opportunity to show it is another.  With this in mind, here is my first list of sleepers.  These are guys that should be on your radar, but only in order to track their progress over the spring.  Whether or not they win jobs we may not know for a while.  Each of these guys comes with a “Confidence Level”.  This should give you an idea how assured they are to acheive a full season of at-bats. (more…)

The opposite theory is something that many people have explored.  As the immortal philosopher Jerry Seinfeld put it, “if every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.”  With my baseball teams, I know sometimes it feels as thought this would be the better course of action.  So in that spirit I have come up with my list of opposite instincts.  A list of actions that I would be forced to see through if I were to take this theory to heart. I bring to you “The Costanza List“.

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Our goal at Rotobuzz.com is not only to bring the relevant news of MLB and its meaning for fantasy purposes, but to help the fantasy fanatic find new places to get their information.  Let’s face it……everyone uses a lot of the same resources these days.  I remember the days when Rotoworld.com was my little secret in the league.  I was able to surprise my fellow league members with breaking news since many of them weren’t aware of such sites to get great info.  While I was able to make my pickups and trades based on realtime information, they were still waiting days to see who was on Baseball Weekly’s  list of “Sizzlers and Fizzlers”.  Those days are gone, and to find an edge the fanatic is forced to look ever harder for that little nugget of intel that can offer a tangible benefit to their roster.  That one guy that no one else saw coming.  A steal late in the draft or a $1 endgame pickup.  (more…)

While this is a fun video that can get you pysched for baseball, Rotobuzz.com cannot endorse the crazy prediction at the end.

Its kina funny.  At this point in my fantasy sports career, (yes I think of it as a career) I have learned that there are different types of fantasy GMs that cut across all leagues.  The extent to which they meet the description may change, but there is a little bit of a lot of these guys in all of us.  Which one(s) do you resemble?  See your friends as any of the other ones? 

The Mark-The Mark is any new or inexperienced fantasy player on whom the more shrewd members of a league hover around like vultures waiting to eat.  The Mark gets no shortage of trade offers, and usually makes a couple of mistakes.  When the Mark in your league makes a trade, the trade fiends of the league groan at the missed opportunity to get their talent.  Remember the movie “Swingers” when the guy looks across the bar at Heather Graham and sees a rabbit on the stool?  That’s what savvy GMs see when they see The Mark.  AKA Gomer Pyle, The Bunny

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If you’re anything like me, you enjoy the minutia of baseball’s historic numbers so I thought I would start this article off with some fun baseball trivia.  There are 27 players who are in the elite 3000-hit club.  Five of them accomplished this feat without the benefit of a single season with 200 hits or more.  Who has the most career hits without a season of 200 hits or more and who are the other four players on that list?  The answers can be found at the end of this article.

So on to the business at hand.  In my last article, I talked about paying close attention to the quality of managers when drafting the players for your fantasy team.  It was a somewhat unconventional piece, but a factor that needs attention when you are trying to build your championship contender. 

In this week’s article, I turn my focus to something fantasy owners usually pay more attention to; the ballparks.  While a good manager can give your player many plate appearances, a good home park can give him a chance to get the most out of them.  Likewise, you want to load your team up with good pitchers who can log lots of innings in spacious, home confines.

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Ahhhhh.  Pitchers and catchers are reporting.  Soon we will be hearing the soothing tones of Baseball Tonight playing on ESPN.  The first time I hear that sound every year, my head swings around and my ears perk up much like my dog’s when she sees a cat.  Soon, we will have daily updates on player’s progress.  Soon, we will have position battle reports.  Soon, we will be able to see the human bobble-head doll, Tim Kurkjian, reporting on issues as his head does little jiggles and nods.  I can’t wait.  I only wish Harold Reynolds was here.  He was the best of the bunch.  John Kruk just seems to yell.

   Trading is the lifeblood of fantasy fanatics.  Seldom is there a day that goes by without a new idea for a deal or some different player to target.  Don’t worry guys, you aren’t the only one.  To all you geeks out there, how often have you heard this when offering a player; “But look at his stats last year, they suck”.  Or perhaps you have heard a similar tune when being offered a player; “Look what he did last year, he’s a stud”.  Stats are powerful evidence, but they can’t be looked at in a vacuum.  There are situational factors on which the repeated production of those stats depend.  In the end, you have a complex formula of stats and situations that renders a value for each player.  What good is that player you are being offered going to do you if he doesn’t get a full season of at-bats?  Often times GMs in your league that aren’t as involved (or obsessed) with their fantasy teams don’t really understand the context surrounding the stats.  It isn’t their fault that they don’t eat, drink, and sleep fantasy baseball.  And for those of you out there reading this that aren’t the total fantasy geek, pay attention to some of these factors, cause they will help you understand the numbers and therefore your team better. (more…)