Van Lee42 posts

The top 10 picks in a fantasy draft are usually the most recognizable. From year-to-year, the superstars tend to stick — Mike Trout has more or less maintained the number one spot since his breakout 2012 season. Bryce Harper is there, Clayton Kershaw, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and other recognizable studs as well.But there is also the inevitable turnover. Players get older, get hurt, and just plain struggle, and then the following season we have new names to jump on. We’re only a third of the way through this…

Now that we are a fourth of the way through the season, it's a good time to evaluate lesser known names who have performed far better than anticipated. Most of these guys are players you can find on the waiver wire, though some are only worthy of monitoring as the season continues. They are all playing at a level that was unexpected in the preseason, so let's take a look. Waiver Wire Watch: C.J. Cron – 1B/DH, Tampa Bay Rays The former Angel is finally getting an opportunity to play full-time in Tampa and he is absolutely…

I am fortunate enough to live less than a half hour from the Springfield Cardinals, the Double-A Texas League affiliate of -- you guessed it -- the St. Louis Cardinals. Normally, there are one or two guys to watch for, but lately, this system hasn’t been as exciting as years past, as many of the top names are with Triple-A Memphis. However, the Springfield Cardinals' game on Saturday, May 19 just might go down as my favorite minor league game ever. Alex Reyes, the Cardinals' rehabbing future stud, was in town, and for a mere…

Every year we encounter the inevitable reshuffling of the top X list in fantasy baseball. Depending on how intricate you want to get, “X” can really range as high or low as you want and you’ll still get a hefty juggling of names. Even if I wanted to talk about the new top 10 players, I could easily do so after just a quarter of the season. It’s volatile, hard to predict, and most importantly fun to look at for crazies like myself. Today I want to look at players who were drafted in the top 50 (per Fantrax ADP, found here)…

We are entering that part of the season where a slew of players are being called up due to injury or ineffectiveness. The thing is, we’ve already pretty much blown through the top prospects, so now we're on to the lesser known guys — the deep guys who don’t get discussed quite as frequently so maybe you’ve never heard their name or what to expect from them. Today we’re going to take a look at some of these guys and get a good idea of what kind of performance to expect from these rookies and whether or not a top prospect or…

Now that we have moved past the initial and most important round of prospect call-ups (FINALLY Dustin Fowler gets the call), it’s time to take a look at the next crop of prospects who are doing everything they can in the minors to show that they are next Ronald Acuña or Walker Buehler. This doesn’t necessarily mean that these guys are going to be up anytime soon, but it does mean that maybe they move from 50th on the top 100 prospects list into the top 10, or perhaps move onto the list altogether. An increased value can do…

Now that the calendar has turned to May, we have enough of a sample size to start asking some important questions. Are these struggling players "done" or just ready to turn the corner? Is this rookie for real? Why is it that every single player I drafted is on the DL already? These questions (well, two of them) and more are what we’re going to take a look at and see if we can figure out a good answer. Buy the right struggling player or sell the right hot starter and you could change your season around in a big way Mitch…

The calendar is quickly approaching May, and while that’s simply too early to feel like you're either completely out of it or definitely winning your roto league, those in dynasty leagues who are off to a slow start will soon be focusing on next year's contests.Some may take this concept as a bit of a downer, but a smart owner knows what they have on their hands and that sometimes the best chance longterm is to capitalize on other owners. That's why it's now or never to go after some prospects who can help your team in…

Friday’s “Kris Bryant” day came and went with almost no action taken by teams to call up their stud prospects. Before we speculate on when the next crop of top-tier prospects will see MLB, let's recap the pertinent dates teams are considering.For those unfamiliar with the term that isn’t really a term — just something I say loudly to myself while complaining about my fantasy teams — Kris Bryant day is the exact date each season when a team can call a prospect up and retain an extra year of service time on that player.…

Now that the season has gotten underway and injuries are piling up all across the league, the minor league depth of many teams is being tested. Some of the names being called up are quality prospects like the Yankees' Miguel Andujar, but there are also some deeper prospects making their debuts, including Corey Oswalt of the Mets and Jaime Barria of the Angels. Let’s take a look at some of the rookies and what we can expect to see from them. Miguel Andujar – Third Baseman – New York Yankees This one is less of a recent…