Your League Probably Sucks: 04/30/2010

...IF players like these are still available on waivers:

• 1B Paul Konerko, CHW is the major league leader in HR with 10, yet is only 69% owned in Y! leagues. Can I get an invite to those other 31% of leagues?
• 2B Kelly Johnson, ARI is only hitting .320 with 17 R, 9 HR, 18 RBI and an OPS of 1.202. What more does a guy need to do to be owned in more than 72% of Y! leagues? Walk on water? Good luck finding any in the deserts of Arizona.
• SP Kevin Correia, SD has four wins in five starts with some nice peripherals (3.86 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 8.36 K/9). His ownership numbers are baffling (13% E; 77% Y!). Yes, he's averaging less than 6 IP per start, but he's winning. Period!
• RP Matt Lindstrom, HOU is the closer and should be owned, so why is it that he's only 60% owned in both ESPN and Y! leagues? Houston has put their 0-8 start behind them and are now winning ballgames. Do people not like his six saves and 9.90 K/9 ratio?
• OF Austin Jackson, DET strikes out a bunch (32 K in 22 G). So what! He's hitting .330 with 18 R, 1 HR, 7 RBI and 4 SB. Those numbers aren't worth owning in more than 32% ESPN and 35% Y! leagues? Unreal.
• OF Marlon Byrd, CHC. What's everyone got against a guy that's hitting .333 with 12 R, 3 HR, 15 RBI and 1 SB? Only 55% ESPN and 56% Y! owned? I have this guy on three of my four teams and enjoying the benefits.
• C Miguel Olivo, COL has performed so well, the Rockies sent Chris Iannetta to AAA and gave him the starting job. So why isn't he on more fantasy rosters? Just 13 % ESPN and 60% Y! owned, he deserves better and his numbers prove it (.314 BA, 1.004 OPS, 10 R, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB).
• 1B/2B/3B Ty Wigginton, BAL has done nothing but produce since being inserted into the everyday lineup when 2B Brian Roberts went on the DL. His .323 BA, 11 R, 6 HR, 12 RBI and 1.064 OPS plus three-position eligibility have been fantasy gold for the 41% of ESPN and 55% of Y! managers that grabbed him off waivers. With as bad as Baltimore is playing, Wiggy will continue to play even after Roberts is activated.
• SP Jaime Garcia, STL is 4-for-4 in quality starts and posting some awesome statistics (2-1, 26 IP, 16 H, 3 ER, 0.96 WHIP). What are people waiting for? Just 12% owned in ESPN leagues is embarrassing.
• SP Colby Lewis, TEX has already posted two 10 K performances in only four starts. He's averaging below 6 IP per start but has managed 3 wins. If he can get his stamina up and his pitch counts down, be ready for a lot more 10 K performances. Oh, take your time picking him up. He's only 10% ESPN and 43% Y! owned (not for long).

Are there other players in your league(s) that you can't believe are just sitting there on waivers? How do you explain such low ownership rates for such highly performing players?

Any questions, comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.
* All statistics accurate through 04/29/10

Did You Know? 04/25/2010

Here's some statistical* randomness to enjoy in the initial installment of Did You Know?

• Miguel Cabrera, Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau are all higher-ranked first basemen than Albert Pujols in ESPN leagues. And Jorge Cantu is ahead of him, too, in Yahoo! leagues.
• No disappointment in drafting Joe Mauer early (.381 BA, 11 R, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 0 SB) but you could have gotten Ivan Rodriguez (.434 BA, 10 R, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB) and Miguel Olivo (.297 BA, 7 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB) at the end of nearly every draft if you passed on the top tier of catchers.
• Here's a look at the top five players leading MLB in total bases: (1) Vernon Wells (2) Jose Guillen (3) Matt Kemp (4) Miguel Cabrera (t5) Nelson Cruz (t5) Ryan Braun. Mull that list over for a bit.
• Matt Capps' MLB leading seven saves will solidify people's beliefs that you "never pay for saves", but are people that paid for Mariano Rivera's six saves, 0.00 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, .208 OBA and 6:1 K:BB in 7 IP disappointed that they paid for those saves? (I think not).
• No surprise that Adam Wainwright, Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez and Tim Lincecum are 4-for-4 in quality starts but so are these guys: Andy Pettitte, Barry Zito, Jeremy Guthrie, Roy Oswalt, Fausto Carmona, Jered Weaver, Ubaldo Jimenez, Dallas Braden and Ricky Romero.
• Everyone likes to talk about how shallow the third base position is in fantasy baseball but only three shortstops qualify in the top 100 using Yahoo! rankings: Rafael Furcal (17th), Derek Jeter (45th) and Alex Gonzalez (58th).
• Only five pitchers have a K:BB ratio of 6:1 or better: Carl Pavano (17:1), Roy Halladay (9.33:1), Kevin Millwood (6:1), Carlos Sliva (6:1) and Hiroki Kuroda (6:1).
• Matt Kemp has 7 HRs and 7 SB attempts. Unfortunately he's been caught stealing 5 of 7 times. This seems like a guy that is out to prove he can go 30/30 or even 40/40.
• Vernon Wells and Kelly Johnson lead the majors in extra-base hits with 14 each. Alex Gonzalez and Miguel Cabrera are next with 13 each.

* All statistics accurate as of 04/24/2010

A Steady Stream: 04/25/2010

A Steady Stream will be a semi-regular column that looks at probable pitchers starting games tomorrow and owned in approximately less than 50% of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues that could be "stream-worthy" if they are available in your league. My goal is to revisit the streamers to see how accurate (or not) my assessment of the risk was.

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Monday, 04/25/2010 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

• Dana Eveland, TOR (3% E; 9% Y!) @ home vs BOS - You may be drawn to his 1.93 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 18.2 IP, but look closer at his 9:7 K:BB and 4.34 K/9 ratios. He's hittable and BOS hits. Add in that he is facing Beckett and I want nothing to do with this matchup. RISK: HIGH
• Oliver Perez, NYM (2% E; 2% Y!) @ home vs LAD - Don't be fooled by his 3.71 ERA. Look deeper at his 1.53 WHIP and 14:10 K:BB ratios in 17 IP. Perez isn't streamable until he proves he can get it done consistently. RISK: HIGH
• Jeremy Bonderman, DET (2% E; 3% Y!) @ TEX - Bonderman is still trying to find his form but looked good in his last outing @ LAA (6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). His ERA (7.20) and WHIP (1.40) are high but so is his K/9 (8.40). RISK: MODERATE
• Matt Harrison, TEX (0.3% E; 1% Y!) @ home vs DET - Harrison started off well until running into BOS in his last start (4 IP, 6 ER). Regardless, he still has some decent numbers (4.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, .293 OBA, 5.29 K/9). RISK: MODERATE
• Mat Latos, SD (78% E; 11% Y!) @ FLA vs J. Johnson - I added Latos as a streamer simply because he's only 11% owned in Yahoo! leagues. That's a head-scratcher. The Padres are hot and this has the makings of a classic pitchers duel. RISK: LOW
• Carlos Silva, CHC (6% E; 21% Y!) @ home vs WAS - No one wants to believe Silva will continue to put up the numbers he has so far (3 QS, 2-0, 19 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 12:2 K:BB, 0.95 ERA, .063 WHIP, .194 OBA), but I'm buying while he's hot. RISK: SLIGHT
• David Huff, CLE (0.5% E; 3% Y!) @ OAK - Huff struggled with his control in his last start (6 IP, 6 BB, 1 K) but could benefit from pitching in spacious Oakland. Was his complete game a fluke? RISK: EVEN
• Zach Duke, PIT (6% E; 13% Y!) @ MIL - I still can't recommend streaming a Pittsburgh starting pitcher. Do these numbers help (24 IP, 24 H, 10 BB, 8 K)? Duke is very hittable and the Brewers hit! RISK: VERY HIGH

Other possible streamers I'm simply avoiding:

• Kyle Davies, KC (0.1% E; 0% Y!) @ home vs SEA Hernandez
• John Lannan, WAS (0.4% E; 3% Y!) @ CHC
• Kyle Lohse, STL (2% E; 17% Y!) @ home vs ATL Hudson

Streaming on Monday and Thursday makes sense in head-to-head leagues because there are less games and this is a nice opportunity to pick up an extra win or two, when selecting the right match up to invest in. GOOD LUCK!

A Steady Stream: 04/22/2010

A Steady Stream will be a semi-regular column that looks at probable pitchers starting games tomorrow and owned in approximately less than 50% of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues that could be "stream-worthy" if they are available in your league. My goal is to revisit the streamers to see how accurate (or not) my assessment of the risk was.

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Friday, 04/23/2010 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

• Carl Pavano, MIN (30% E; 38% Y!) @ KC - Pavano was lit up for 11 H and 7 ER in just 3.1 IP in his last start at home against KC, so there is some hesitation to stream him again against the same opponent on the road. He's also not fared well in his career against KC (10 G, 7.84 ERA, 1.61 WHIP). I like his 12:1 K:BB ratio so far in 2010 but KC seems to have this guy's number. RISK: HIGH
• Scott Feldman, TEX (29% E; 46% Y!) @ home vs. DET - Feldman started the year off with two quality starts but ran into NYY and was pounded for 4 ER and 7 H in just 2.1 IP. DET sports a top 5 offense and it could turn into a slugfest in Arlington. His career numbers against DET are frightening too (16.1 IP, 16 ER). RISK: VERY HIGH
• Ervin Santana, LAA (14% E; 55% Y!) @ home vs. NYY - Santana looked strong in his last start, pitching a CG, 1 ER game at TOR. He has nice career numbers at home (70 GS, 3.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) too but this is a Yankee lineup that pounded him for 5 ER in 5.2 IP on 4/13. RISK: MODERATE
• Justin Duchscherer, OAK (12% E; 61% Y!) @ home vs. CLE - Cleveland owns the worst-ranked offense in MLB and Duchscherer is riding a scoreless streak of 13 IP. 'Nuff said. RISK: LOW
• Jaime Garcia, STL (8% E; 27% Y!) @ SF vs. Lincecum - Matching up against Lincecum comes with a certain level of risk, but Garcia has been phenomenal in his two starts so far in 2010 (13 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 10 K) and I'm buying what Dave Duncan is selling. RISK: EVEN
• Kevin Correia, SD (5% E; 73% Y!) @ CIN - Correia needs to go deeper into games to be more widely recognized as a quality starting pitcher (6 IP, 5.2 IP, 5.2 IP) but 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 8.83 K/9 are all very ownable statistics. RISK: LOW
• John Maine, NYM (5% E; 12% Y!) @ home vs. ATL - I want John Maine to be fantasy-relevant again, but so far it's not looking that good (13 IP, 21 H, 15 ER, 10.38 ERA.449 OBA, 2.23 WHIP). Maine is now pitching simply to stay in the Mets' rotation. Good luck. RISK: VERY HIGH
• Jeremy Guthrie, BAL (0.7% E; 2% Y!) @ BOS vs. Lester - Guthrie hasn't pitched as badly as his record indicates (0-2, 3 QS) and has put up decent ratios (3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 14:3 K:BB) so far.  He's never pitched well against BOS (11 GS, 1-5, 4.74 ERA, 1.68 WHIP) and even worse at Fenway. RISK: DANGER!

Other possible streamers I'm simply avoiding:

• Johnny Cueto, CIN (9% E; 45% Y!) @ home vs. SD
• Kenshin Kawakami, ATL (1% E; 42% Y!) @ NYM
• Ryan Rowland-Smith, SEA (1% E; 35% Y!) @ CHW
• Paul Maholm, PIT (0.8% E; 22% Y!) @ HOU vs. Oswalt
• Greg Smith, COL (0.4 % E; 2% Y!) @ home vs FLA Nolasco

Would love to hear if you've already resorted to streaming in your Rotisserie league to make up points or in your Head-to-Head league to capture a category victory. Also looking for opinions (for and against) the practice of streaming pitchers.

Waiver Saviors: 04/21/2010

Waiver Saviors will look at players available in a majority of leagues that are having a statistical impact over the last 7 days and could be worth owning, if you have the need. Waiver pickups are all about filling a need with a player(s) that is currently hot and beating your fellow owners to the punch. The stats in parenthesis are a summary of the past week's data.

HITTERS

• 2B Alberto Callaspo, KC (9/25, .360 BA, 4 R, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB) continues to perform and should see regular playing time while Chris Getz is on the DL. 3B eligibility in Yahoo! leagues. (9% E; 31% Y! owned)
• 1B/3B Ty Wigginton, BAL (7/23, .304 BA, 6 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB) is making the most of his playing time as a fill-in for Brian Roberts and Miguel Tejada. 2B eligibility in Yahoo! leagues. (15% E; 29% Y!)
• C Ivan Rodriguez, WAS (12/26, .462 BA, 7 R, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB) is hitting. Any catcher that is hitting should be owned! If you are hanging onto a guy like Ryan Doumit, why not bail on him and take a shot at where Rodriguez goes. Odds are no one is dying to pick up Doumit, at this point. (43% E; 53% Y!)
• 2B Mike McCoy, TOR (6/15, .400 BA, 4 R, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 SB) is filling in for the injured Aaron Hill and making the most of his opportunities. If your team is decimated by injuries or you play in a very deep mixed league with large rosters and positions like INF, MI or 2B/SS, McCoy could be a nice temporary filler. (0.1% E; 0% Y!)
• OF Josh Willingham, WAS (5/22, .227 BA, 7 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB) has walked 9 times over his last 7 games and continues to produce. Definitely worth owning at this point. (61% E; 55% Y!)
• 3B/OF Jose Bautista, TOR (7/23, .304 BA, 4 R, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB) has been dropped to 6th in the Blue Jays lineup, leading to more RBI opportunities. (1% E; 4% Y!) 
• OF Jim Edmonds, MIL (7/18, .389 BA, 5 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB) keeps stealing at-bats from Corey Hart and making the most of those opportunities. Hopefully he finds his power stroke soon. (1% E; 2% Y!)
• SS Cristian Guzman, WAS (11/27, .407 BA, 5 R, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB) is getting playing time at SS and 2B and making it count. Either Ian Desmond or Adam Kennedy could be in danger of losing their starting job if Guzman continues to perform. Already 2B eligible in Yahoo! leagues. (2% E; 23% Y!)
• DH Andruw Jones, CHW (6/16, .375 BA, 3 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB) is performing and could be a nice source of cheap power while he's hot. He's a little more versatile in Yahoo! leagues, having already become OF eligible. (3% E; 11% Y!)
• 1B Casey Kotchman, SEA (6/18, .333 BA, 4 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB) is the only Mariner hitting right now. He accounted for both of the teams only HRs this past week (let that settle in) and should be owned in deeper leagues with a CI position. (5% E; 8% Y!)

PITCHERS

• SP Jason Vargas, SEA (13 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 2.08 ERA, .204 OBA, 0.77 WHIP, 7.62 K/9) is doing his best to stay in the rotation once Cliff Lee is activated from the DL. (0.3% E; 1% Y!)
• RP Fernando Rodney, LAA (5 IP, 1 H, 5 SV, .063 OBA, 7.20 K/9) did an incredible job filling in for Fuentes as the closer and shouldn't be dropped until Fuentes proves he's healthy or if your league uses Holds. (31% E; 51% Y!)
• CL Matt Lindstrom, HOU (4 IP, 3 SV, 13.50 K/9) is raking up the saves quickly (3 in the last 3 games) and has a firm hold on the closer role, for now, ha. (44% E; 41% Y!)
• SP Mike Pelfrey, NYM (15 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 0 ER, .236 OBA, 0.87 WHIP, 7.20 K/9, 1 SV) has done it all this week and looks to be living up to fantasy expectations. Stream him if you are afraid to lock him up as a starter on your staff. (17% E; 43% Y!)
• SP Randy Wells, CHC (12.1 IP, 1 QS, 0-0, 3.65 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 8.76 K/9) has gone at least six innings in all three starts this season and has some nice potential. (11% E; 74% Y!)
• RP Kevin Jepsen, LAA (3 IP, 4 HLD, 15.00 K/9, 5.00 K/BB) is a must-own if your league uses Holds and worth keeping an eye on for your bullpen with a 10.29 K/9 this season. (0.1% E; 4% Y!)
• SP Brad Penny, STL (14 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 1.29 ERA, .231 OBA, 0.86 WHIP, 5.79 K/9, 9.00 K/BB) is flourishing in St. Louis, having thrown 7 IP in each of his 3 starts this season with a 13:3 K:BB ratio. (49% E; 51% Y!)
• RP Burke Badenhop, FLA (3.2 IP, 0 H, 1 SV, 1 HLD, 9.82 K/9) is working his way into the bullpen mix for Holds and opportune Saves. Deeper, mixed leagues using Holds are made for guys like this. (0.4% E; 6% Y!)
• SP Jaime Garcia, STL (7 IP, 1 QS, 0-0, 1 H, 0 ER, 6.43 K/9) is proving he's legit with his 13:5 IP:H ratio. He's flying under the fantasy radar for most, so now is as good as time as ever to give him a start. (7% E; 21% Y!)
• RP Joba Chamberlain, NYY (4.2 IP, 2 HLD, .188 OBA, 0.64 WHIP, 13.50 K/9) is back to his old self as the Yankees' setup man and should be owned in leagues utilizing Holds. Would be next in line for Saves if Mariona Rivera can't go or suffers an injury. (30% E; 28% Y!)

Any other guys out there that you've picked up off waivers recently that are paying off dividends?