Miguel Tejada | LestersLegends.com

Fantasy Baseball 2011: Former Fantasy Studs Who You Want to Avoid

26 March 2011

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You know their name, but can you trust their game? Here are some former fantasy studs that you should avoid on fantasy draft day.
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Chipper Jones, 3B, Atlanta Braves
I love Chipper Jones. I believe he has put together a Hall of Fame career. I wouldn’t touch him this year, even with his reasonable 186 ADP. He hit just .264 and .265 the past two years. He has just one 500 at bat season (2007) in his past seven years. It was easy to justify owning him when he was hitting well north of .300, but he’ll be 39 in April. He’s far to great of an injury risk to trust on your team. If he slides big time in your draft, maybe you can take a look at him since third base is so shallow, but he’s going (on average) before Placido Polanco, Chase Headley, Kevin Kouzmanoff and countless other that will like be more productive this year.
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Alfonso Soriano, OF, Chicago Cubs
It’s not that Soriano shouldn’t be on fantasy rosters. I just think you can get far better value at his ADP of 98. Some of the outfielders that are going (on average) after him are Corey Hart, Nick Markakis, Delmon Young, Michael Stanton, Drew Stubbs and a rash of other superior options. Again, if he slides in your draft go ahead and take him, but his speed has diminished and his power is average. Take someone with more upside because Soriano is obviously on the wrong side of his career track.
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Manny Ramirez, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Manny has just 28 home runs in his past 194 games. His OPS (.869) was the lowest since his first cup of coffee with the Indians back in 1993. It was just .739 in his 24 games with the White Sox. Do I believe Manny can still hit? Absolutely. The problem is whether or not he’ll be motivated. Can he stay healthy? There are a lot of questions for somebody with an ADP of 160.
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Miguel Tejada, SS, San Francisco Giants
Tejada had an OPS of .693 last year for the Orioles and the Padres, which is a far cry for his career mark of .801. He rarely misses, so health shouldn’t be a concern. I just fear that his skills are eroding. After all he’ll be 37 in May. On top of that, Bruce Bochy already acknowledges that he will give Tejada plenty or rest this year. His ADP of 203 makes him a reasonable option. I just prefer guys with more upside.
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Johnny Damon, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Had the Rays not signed Manny Ramirez, I would like Damon a little more. He would be able to get some at bats at designated hitter. Playing in the field could take its toll on Damon, who turned 37 in November. He hit just eight home runs last year, and I don’t see significant growth in that category. He could have hot streaks, in which I would entertain riding them out, but I’m not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling that his return to the AL East will be favorable.
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| Posted by LestersLegends | Categories: fantasy baseball, MLB | Tagged: Alfonso Soriano, Chipper Jones, fantasy baseball, Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, Miguel Tejada, MLB |

Fantasy Baseball: Free Agent Signings

27 January 2010

Several veteran players have found new homes the past few days.

Ben Sheets finds himself pitching in Oakland. The deal is for $10 million. It’s a risk for the A’s, but it’s the kind of calculated risk a small market team needs to make to compete with the big boys.

Sheets turned heads in his throwing session, routinely hitting 92 mph with his fastball. If he can stay healthy, he has the tools to be a high-end SP option. He does come with baggage and plenty of risk. Take a chance on him towards the end of the draft. He he busts, it won’t hurt too bad.

Jim Thome has made a career of eating up Twins’ pitching. They followed the Vikings’ footsteps by signing their nemesis. I don’t see Thome having the impact of Brett Favre though. His best days are behind him, and the Twins already have a DH in place. Jason Kubel could spend more time in the OF (especially against righties), but it will come at Delmon Young’s expense. Plus, the Twins used Joe Mauer at DH 28 games last year. He’s going to need a break from catcher. Surely, Mauer’s bat is preferred over Thome’s. They say he’s going to be a bench bat, but he did not excel in that role with the Dodgers last year. Perhaps the Twins will attempt to move Delmon so Kubel can play LF and Thome can DH. Unless that happens, Thome has minimal fantasy value.

The Yankees signed Randy Winn, which all but signifies the end of Johnny Damon’s run with the Bombers. Winn will be no more than a platoon player with Brett Gardner, rendering both of them mostly useless for fantasy owners.

Jon Garland signed with the Padres. Playing in pitcher-friendly PETCO Park, Garland could be a sneaky late round option to lower your ERA & WHIP.

Miguel Tejada returned to Baltimore. He’s sliding over to third base for the O’s. He still has some life in that bat, but he could struggle as he adjusts to a new position.

The Cubs signed Xavier Nady. He’s going to be their fourth OF so don’t worry about keeping tabs on him at this point.

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| Posted by LestersLegends | Categories: fantasy baseball, MLB | Tagged: Ben Sheets, fantasy baseball, Jim Thome, Jon Garland, Miguel Tejada, MLB, Randy Winn, Xavier Nady |

Fantasy Baseball Players of the Day – 7/26/08

27 July 2008

Saturday, July 26th
Skip Schumaker scored 3 Runs to go with his 6 Hits. Albert Pujols went 5 for 8 with 3 Runs, a HR, and 3 RBI. Torii Hunter went 3 for 3 with 4 Runs, 2 HRs, 5 RBI, and 2 Walks. Jeremy Hermida scored 3 Runs, hit a Double, and smacked 2 HRs. Adrian Gonzalez went 3 for 5 with 3 Runs, a Double, 2 HRs, and 4 RBI. Alex Rios and Carlos Delgado each hit a pair of HRs and drove in 3 Runs. Brian Buscher went 3 for 5 with a Run, a HR, and 5 RBI. Miguel Tejada and Jose Reyes each had 4 Hits. Ryan Braun had 4 RBI. Jose Lopez, Josh Hamilton, Greg Dobbs, Juan Rivera, Aubrey Huff, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Jason Michaels, and Mark Teixeira each had 3 RBI. Joe Inglett, Robinson Cano (3 RBI), Chris Coste (3 RBI), Delmon Young, Magglio Ordonez, Troy Tulowitzki, Yorvit Torrealba, Mark Grudzielanek (3 Doubles), Fernando Tatis, and Rick Ankiel each had 3 Hits. Ray Durham scored 3 Runs.

Derek Lowe gave up 1 Hit in 8 scoreless Innings to improve to 8-8 with a 3.74 ERA. Rich Harden (5 Innings, 1 Run, 2 Hits, 10 Ks) and Chris Volstad (6 Innings, 2 Runs, 6 Ks) got no-decisions. Jorge de La Rosa gave up 1 Run on 2 Hits with 8 Ks in 6-2/3 Innings to even his record at 5-5. Brandon Webb gave up 2 Runs on 4 Hits in 7 Innings to improve to 14-4 with a 3.14 ERA. Tim Lincecum gave up 2 Runs in 7 Innings with 13 Ks, but got a no-decision.

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| Posted by LestersLegends | Categories: fantasy baseball, MLB | Tagged: Albert Pujols, Brandon Webb, fantasy baseball, Jose Reyes, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Tejada, MLB, Ryan Braun, Torii Hunter |

Fantasy Baseball Players of the Day – All-Star Game Edition

16 July 2008

2008 MLB All-Star Game
J.D. Drew took home MVP honors going 2 for 4 with a Run, a HR, 2 RBI, a Walk, and a SB. Home Run Derby Champ Justin Morneau went 2 for 4 with 2 Runs (including the game-winner), a Double, and a Walk. The NL got solid offensive contributions from their Shortstops as Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Tejada each went 2 for 3 with a Run. Tejada added a Walk and a SB. Albert Pujols also collected two Hits. Matt Holliday clubbed a HR for the game’s first Run. It was the NL’s only Extra-base Hit.

Obviously pitchers don’t last long in All-Star Games, but a few performances stood out. Starters Cliff Lee and Ben Sheets each allowed 1 Hit in 2 scoreless Innings with 3 Ks. Aaron Cook had the longest outing throwin 3 scoreless Innings. Ryan Dempster struck out the side. Carlos Zambrano, Dan Haren, and George Sherrill all pitched at least 2 scoreless Innings. Scott Kazmir pitched a scoreless 15th Inning for the Win.