Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks have added some offensive punch at catcher with the signing of Alex Avila. While Avila will be sharing time, he has some decent fantasy value if used correctly.Avila’s production has been a roller coaster over the years with last season being one of the ups. He hit .264/.387/.447 with 14 homers, his best numbers since 2011. His power is legit with a 24% HR/FB% the past two seasons with the juiced ball. While his power should continue, I expect his batting average to regress closer to his career .243…

With the 2017 season now officially in the rearview mirror, and with the Houston Astros first-time champions, we turn our attention to the 2018 fantasy baseball season. Each week, I will be evaluating one player’s stock for next year. This week, a starting pitcher who entered the 2017 season as an unknown but who quickly cemented himself as a must-own in all fantasy leagues. Zack Godley, Arizona Diamondbacks 2017 statistics: 25 GS, 155 IP, 3.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 3.41 FIP General Overview Entering his…

The Diamondbacks have come to terms with Japanese righty closer Yoshihisa Hirano. In Japan, the 34-year-old accumulated 156 saves over his career, but he is probably just a back-of-the-bullpen arm for Arizona.Just a couple of seasons ago, Hirano was striking out more than 10 batters per nine innings in Japan, which would translate to a 9.0 K/9 in the majors. Last season, his K/9 dropped to 7.4 K/9, but he still posted a respectable 2.98 ERA. The strikeout drop, which would translate to 5.5 K/9 in the majors, is likely…

Two trades happened mid-day Thursday, with the Angels and Diamondbacks picking up potential closers.First, Tampa Bay traded reliever Brad Boxberger to Arizona for pitching prospect Curtis Taylor. Taylor looks to have a decent chance of succeeding but is still in Low-A ball. He’s fantasy irrelevant for this season.Boxberger (463 ADP) looks like he’ll move immediately into Arizona’s closer mix, competing with Archie Bradley. Boxberger held down Tampa’s closer role in 2015, collecting 41 saves. After dealing with…

Last week in the Fantrax top-10, we profiled 10 pitchers that could be affordable targets for your fantasy squad. This week we switch back to real life and look at the top World Series contenders this season.You know the old saying, “Pitching and defense win championships.” When I was a youngster, I disagreed with that notion. My eight-year-old brain would think, “Well, you need to score runs to win games!” This might have been because I was eight during the infamous 1998 home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy…