By Butters in D.C.
League 14
League 16
The anticipation is building. You can almost taste it. You see, it’s Christmas Eve - Eve here at the Hit List. The coming anticipation of what shiny new toys will be under the tree Christmas morning is almost unbearable.
The rumors swirl, the talks continue, possibilities abound. No, I’m not talking about some time warp of the calendar. Obviously, I’m talking about one of my favorite days of the year - the non-waiver trading deadline.
Pitching, Part II
By Jeff in Madison
When we left Part One of our pitching discussion, look back in the FBM.com archives, I had attempted to sell you on the idea of choosing pitchers by K/BB rate and BB/9 … since these stats tend to be the best indicators of pitcher performance.
Using League 14 as an example, I used a combination of the first six starting pitchers drafted, and the top 3 closers, to end up with 45 fantasy points. Again, this is pretty disappointing for a collection of top draft picks.
with Chris from Atlanta
League 17
Week #17
I’m petitioning the powers-that-be to change the Mafia rules so that each team must draft a 100-person roster. There are two reasons for expanding the rosters. One, we all know that the draft is the best part … why not make it longer? Two, everyone would have an abundance of crappy players to bundle up for those awesome 4-for-1 trades that we see in MLB.
With the MLB trade deadline fast approaching, there was an avalanche of deals last week.
By Richard Schortemeyer III
Last season, the New York Mets experienced the worst late season collapse in MLB history. Leading the Phillies by seven games, with 17 to go, the Mets somehow, someway, and against the two weakest NL East teams (Marlins & Nationals) lost 12 of those games and let the division title slip into Philadelphia’s hands.
This came after the disappointment that happened in 2006, with the Mets losing the NL Championship Series to the underdog St. Louis Cardinals. As a result, manager Willie Randolph’s seat was hotter than a honeymoon hotel. Coming into 2008, many baseball people predicted the Mets would come back and regain the NL East title.
By The Jersey Hitman
League 6
League 17
The dog days of summer are upon us. Some players will flourish, while others will wilt. Veterans who have been through it before may be able to deal with it better than rookies who may be hitting the wall … while others can suffer a complete melt down.
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
Greetings, fellow Mafia members. We’re right on top of the MLB trade deadline, so let’s jump into some trade analysis. These two come from the Paul C. Smith (MLB Fantasy 411) Listener League … a 13-team, 5 x 5, vanilla, non-keeper league. Let’s dig in!
By Jesse Severe
League 3
You’re a Big-League manager. It’s the 8th inning, and the game is tied. Your starter has an icepack on his right arm, and the game is up to the bullpen. Who do you send in to pitch?
By Kelly Pfleiger
League 13
Kelly Pfleiger is a regular contributor to FantasyBaseballMafia.com. This piece is re-printed from his fantasy baseball blog, www.fantasygameday.net.
Andy Sonnanstine has been playing very well this year, or did you not notice it? Not only does he play for the league leading Tampa Bay Rays, but he also has an eye popping ten wins this year. That is good enough to be ranked in the top ten in wins for the season. Could he possibly hit 20 wins for the entire season? Could he actually be in the running for the Cy Young award? Let’s look at his performances this year …
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
Here we are. Smack dab in the “dog days of summer”. Dog days of summer. What the heck does that even mean, anyway? According to Wikipedia, this well-worn “phrase … refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer. They are a phenomenon of the northern hemisphere that usually falls between early July and early September …” Yep. These are the “dog days”. But they’re not the dog days of the fantasy baseball season. At least they better not be …
By Butters in D.C.
League 14
League 16
Well, well, well. Look who’s back. That’s right folks; it is the return of the Hit List. We are just past the ceremonial halfway point of the season, and it’s time to unveil my half-surprise team. These are not necessarily the biggest surprises of the first half - but players that have both value that has gone under the radar and the potential to continue to shine in the second half.