2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings - First Basemen

            First Base is still the deepest infield position in the fantasy game like it has been since the beginning of time, which if you’re a positional scarcity fanatic means you likely wait for the elite options to come off the board and snag the ninth or tenth best option. These days though, you can’t afford to pass up on the power numbers generated by the top-tier. In your draft or auction, half of the first twelve picks (or half of the players that cost the most money in auctions) will be first basemen.

            Beyond the top tier, you’re looking at players that will be leading candidates to fill your utility spot. If you play in a league with two utility men, it’s imperative that you have one of those spots filled with a 1B.

Tier 1 = The Cream of the Crop

J.Abreu, CHW

P.Goldschmidt, ARI

A.Rizzo, CHC

J.Bautista, TOR OF

M.Cabrera, DET 3B

E.Encarnacion, TOR

            Health permitting, here are your safest bets for guys that will put up elite home run and RBI totals. If you find yourself in the bottom part of the first round in a draft, it would be a terrible idea to draft two of these guys back to back (that scenario is even rosier if Miguel Cabrera has third base eligibility in your league, but we’ll cover that later) to give yourself an edge in homers.

Tier 2 = Lower Ceilings, But Reliable

F.Freeman, ATL

A.Gonzalez, LAD

            Freeman’s value is impacted immensely by extreme lack of talent in the rest of the Atlanta Braves’ lineup. The risk of him getting virtually no pitches to hit is enough reason for me to stay away from him in fantasy leagues. Adrian Gonzalez is one of the better bets to lead the National League in RBIs, but his limited home run potential keeps him out of the top tier.

Tier-3 = High Ceilings, Low Floors

T.Frazier, CIN 3B

P.Fielder, TEX

B.Posey, SF C

D.Ortiz, BOS

A.Pujols, LAA

V.Martinez, DET

J.Lucroy, MIL C

C.Santana, CLE C-3B

J.Votto, CIN

(EDITORS NOTE: There’s no way you should be drafting Buster Posey or Jonathan Lucroy as your starting first basemen, but we note them because they do have 1B eligibility)

            Tier-3 can be divided into three groups. Catchers (read the note above), older guys who’s year-to-year value is extremely volatile (Fielder, Ortiz, Pujols, Martinez, Votto), and guys that we’d like to see match their 2014 performance again to ensure reliability (Frazier was a beast all of last year, while Santana was a rock once the calendar turned to summer). If one or two of these guys slip into the ninth or tenth round of your draft, or are available towards the end of your auction, there’s a lot of profit potential if you plug one of them into your utility spot.

Tier-4 = All or Nothing

C.Davis, BAL 3B

C.Carter, HOU OF

            Here are two of the only players in baseball whose most likely results are either a tape-measure home run or a strikeout. Davis is the preferred option here because he is only two years removed from a MVP-caliber campaign, but don’t sleep on Carter. Sure he’s going to demolish you in batting average, but he hit more homers than any other first base eligible player last year while only hitting .223. If he can hit over .250 like he did after the All-Star break in 2014, we could be talking about 45+ dingers.

Tier-5 = Valuable Bench Players 

M.Adams, STL

E.Hosmer, KC

R.Zimmerman, WAS 3B-OF

B.Moss, CLE OF

S.Pearce, BAL OF

L.Duda, NYM

M.Trumbo, ARI OF

A.LaRoche, CHW

C.Headley, NYY 3B

M.Napoli, BOS

M.Morse, MIA OF

            Ideally you’d like as much positional flexibility as possible out of your bench, and you should have at least one 1B-OF or 1B-3B eligible player on your team. Of this group, we like Ryan Zimmerman (35% chance he doesn’t get hurt now that he’s stationed at first, and he’ll offer three position eligibility by May 1) and Chase Headley (just a hunch) the most.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (3/21-3/23)

10. Dodger and Diamondbacks Play Regular Season Games in Australia
            I’m not sure what exactly Major League Baseball was trying to accomplish by staging games that actually a count a week before the rest of the regular season in a place not exactly known for it’s love of baseball. If Arizona finishes two games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, they should be pretty pissed.

9. Kyle Larson Earns First Career Nationwide Win

            Larson backed up Saturday’s effort with an insane march to the front during Sunday’s green-white-checkered finish, nearly stealing a Sprint Cup win from Kyle Busch. Kyle Larson is the future of NASCAR.

8. Michael Vick Replaces The Sanchize

            It’s only fitting that in honor of Mark Sanchez officially getting the boot from the New York Jets, we post a video of his most infamous NFL moment.

 

7. David Ortiz Resigned Through 2015
            Boston has so little money committed to players beyond 2015 that they can afford to pay an aging Ortiz $16 million per year (if he hits certain incentives, he’ll be under contract through 2017). As the last man standing who has been on all three Red Sox championship teams this century, he deserves it.

6. Kevin Durant Leads Westbrook-less Thunder to Double Overtime Victory

            Durant’s final three points came with 1.7 seconds left in double overtime, as the Thunder finished off an Eastern Conference road trip 3-0. They would be wise to think about sitting Russell Westbrook for the remainder of the regular season.

5. 4-Point Play Seals Stephen F. Austin Upset

            Sadly, No Credentials pre-tourney Cinderella pick couldn’t parlay their miraculous victory over VCU into a Sweet 16 berth.

4. Kyle Busch’s Tires Don’t Explode, So He Wins Second Straight At California

            I may be in the minority here, but I like races where Goodyear Eagles spontaneously combust, and especially when a flat left front ruins a Jimmie Johnson trip to victory lane.
        
3. Dayton Slays Another Dragon, Knocks Off Syracuse
            After stifling a Syracuse squad that spent three weeks earlier in the season as the top ranked team in basketball, Dayton caught another break when #2 Kansas fell at the hands of Stanford. It’s not unrealistic to think Dayton could find themselves in the Elite 8.
         
2. Wichita State’s Undefeated Run Ends
            For the record, we had Wichita going down in the Round of 32. Unfortunately we had Kansas State doing it, not Kentucky.

1. Duke Loses in First Round to #14 Mercer

            If you’re going to lose one of your Final Four teams in the first round, it might as well be the Duke Blue Devils.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (10/11-10/14)

10. Another Buccaneer Goes Down With MRSA Infection
            Unfortunately, it was not Greg Schiano.

9. Texans Fans Had Something to Cheer For

            Unfortuantely, it was because Matt Schaub’s ankle nearly snapped in half. Lets try to stay classy Houson.

8. Jaguars Cover the Spread in Denver

            When they finish the season 0-16, at least they can hang their hat on covering the largest point spread in NFL history.

7. Packers Try to Choke, Hang on in Baltimore
            In what was an oddly paced game from start to finish, Green Bay was fortunate to escape with a win after losing both Randall Cobb and James Jones to injury. Cobb will miss the next six to eight weeks.

6. Missouri Hammers Georgia

            Missouri delivered their most impressive win since joining the SEC in 2012. Sadly, the price of victory was the loss of their starting quarterback.

5. Brad Keselowski Returns to Victory Lane
            In what has been a forgettable season for the 2012 season, it was great to see Keselowski out-duel Kasey Kahne for the win Saturday night.

4. Pitching Dominates NLCS

            We’re not sure if offense will show up at all for St. Louis or the Dodgers.

3. Saints Piss Away A Win in New England

            I don’t know if will ever fully process the sequence of events that resulted in New England still winning after turning the ball over on downs with three minutes to go, and throwing an interception with just over two minutes left. A truly bizarre ending that only half of the Gillette Stadium crowd stuck around to see.

2. Tigers Nearly No-Hit Red Sox in Game 1

1. Big Papi Game Tying Grand Slam Saves Red Sox in Game 2           
            The first two games of the ALCS brought back some memories from the epic ALCS and NLCS series in 2004. Detroit had all the answers in Game 1, but David Ortiz delivered a devastating blow in the bottom of the eighth that based on Game 3, appears to have swung the series.

Cheer Up Boston

            It’s been a rough week for New Englanders, which isn’t good when you’re talking about a group of people that either bitch about the winter cold or complain about the summer heat. No Credentials has taken some time to analyze all of it’s local sports teams (for those not in the know, this blog is based out of the woods of New Hampshire) to determine which ones we should panic about, and which clubs we should take a deep breath and look ahead to the future.

New England Patriots

What Happened = Aaron Hernandez (who was going to be ranked #3 among all tight ends in No Credentials soon to be released fantasy football rankings) was cut, and Rob Gronkowski appears destined for the PUP List.

Reason For Panic = New England’s offense was literally built around their two dynamic tight ends. Add the loss of Wes Welker, and this looks like Tom Brady’s worst receiving corps since 2006. Brady averaged 3,593 yards and 25 touchdowns from 2001 through 2006 (not bad numbers, but not the elite level we’ve seen since 2007), so a regression to those stats is likely. Barring an unexpected development, this won’t be a team capable of dropping 50 points in a given week.

Reason for Optimism = Stephen Ridley led a rejuvenated Patriots ground game (New England hadn’t been that effective on the ground since Corey Dillon’s debut season with the Pats in 2004), so the possibility exists that the offense can be shifted to a more run dominant scheme. Throw in an improved defense, and the luxury of playing in the worst division in THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, and even without elite receiving threats this team should be able to bang out a 10-6, AFC East winning season.

Panic or Optimism? = PANIC

            Tom Brady’s 36, so wasting a year with marginal receiving talent is a shame. Danny Amendola provides the opportunity to fill the Welker void (if he can stay on the field), but it will take an incredible rookie debut by Aaron Dobson for the Patriots to be a true Super Bowl contender. They’ll win the shoddy AFC East before getting destroyed in the Wild Card round.



 

Boston Celtics

What Happened = Doc Rivers successfully abandoned the ship, making his way to the Clippers in an exchange for draft picks. Even more depressing, Boston traded both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce (along with Jason Terry, but he sucked last year) to Brooklyn for a package that is best described as a poop sandwich (unless the Nets suck sometime between 2016 and 2018, which could happen). Lastly, it is rumored that Boston has been in serious discussions with the Dallas Mavericks about a trade that would ship Rajon Rondo out of town.

Reason for Panic = The Celtics are going to suck ass next season, and maybe the year after that…and possibly the year after that.

Reason for Optimism = What good is it to struggle to be the seventh or eighth seed every year, when instead you can bottom out and potentially land a franchise player in the draft? Andrew Wiggins has the look of a franchise player, and his presence in next years draft will lead to the first NBA Tankapalooza since the 2007 Oden/Durant class (for those not in the know, “NBA Tankapalooza” is one at five of the teams in the league blatantly try to blow as many games as possible to ensure they have the best chance in the lottery at the first pick in the draft). If Boston misses out on Wiggins, they can keep tanking every following year until they finally land a franchise player. The Celtics have never been able to attract A-level free agents, so the only way for Danny Ainge to get Boston back to a championship level is through the draft. If the ping-pong balls fall the right way next June, Boston could be making a title run in 2017, which is something you couldn’t say about the Rondo-Garnett-Pierce core.

Panic or Optimism? = PANIC, with a hint of optimism

            A hyper-competitive Celtics team has spoiled us the past five years. Win or lose, they always made a championship effort in the biggest moments. Logically though, blowing it up is the right thing to do. Remember that when Jeff Green is shooting 35% next year.

 

Boston Bruins

What Happened = Holding a 2-1 lead with roughly a minute and a half to go, Boston surrendered two goals in 17 seconds, squandering the opportunity to force a Game 7 in Chicago.

Reason for Panic = Allowing two goals in 17 seconds is really hard to do. Doing it in the deciding game of the Stanley Cup Finals is ridiculous.

Reason for Optimism = Boston wasn’t overwhelming favorites to win the Stanley Cup (the Blackhawks started the season with 24 straight games of registering at least one point. They were the best team), so it’s not like they gave away a certain championship like the Spurs did. Furthermore, the team is still young. Development by their young stars, in particular Tyler Seguin, will keep the Bruins in Stanley Cup contention for years to come.

Panic or Optimism? = OPTIMISM

             While the way they gave away Game 6 was devastating, the Bruins appear to have the emotional fortitude to bounce back from such an event (remember they blew a 3-0 series lead against the Flyers in 2010, and then bounced back to win the Stanley Cup the next year). They will be fine.

 

Boston Red Sox

 

What Happened = After a disastrous 2012, the Red Sox have the best record in the American League at the halfway point of the season.

Reason for Panic = David Ortiz took a ton of steroids while he was injured worked really hard this off season to return to MVP form, so one has to wonder how long it will be before he’s suspended by MLB cools off.

Reason for Optimism = What a difference a year makes. The return of John Farrell to the organization has done a world of wonders to the likes of Jon Lester, Clay Bucholz, and John Lackey. They are second in the league in run differential at a +80 (the Yankees are a –16. Yankees suck), and lead MLB in runs scored. Tampa Bay might track them down eventually for the division, but the Red Sox will return to postseason baseball for the first time since 2009.

Panic or Optimism? = OPTIMISM

               It’s fitting that the team only a year ago I would’ve voted as the worst of all the major pro sports franchises in New England has done a compete 180. Boston’s farm system still needs to be restocked, but that’s just picking nits. The return of the Red Sox to relevance is the one thing New Englanders can hang their hat on.

MLB Steroids Memories

 

           Yet another steroids scandal got No Credentials thinking (always a dangerous thing)... what are my ten favorite baseball memories? A couple of facts to set the stage before we get to my list.

1. 1995 was my first year as a die-hard sports fan. I was nine years old for 10 months of it.
2. I’ve barely watched baseball over the past five years (fortunately, managing fantasy teams does not require watching real-life games).
3. Pedro Martinez was the man.

          Without further ado…

10. Anaheim Defeats the Giants in “The Steroids Series”

What Happened = San Francisco Choked in Game 6, squandering a 5-0 lead that they carried into the bottom of the seventh inning. Both teams combined to hit 21 home runs in the seven game series (San Francisco hit 14 of them!), with final scores of 11-10 in Game 2 and 16-4 in Game 5.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = If it were ever possible for the answer to this sort of question being 6,000%, this would be time for it. I think Victor Conte was injecting Giants hitters with HGH in the batter’s box. Barry Bonds stat line might have been the peak of his ridiculous steroids run (even surpassing his 73 dinger season), as he put up a .471-4-6- batting line with an OPS of 1.994. Bonds getting robbed of a World Series ring thanks to the Giants bullpen collapse was one of the great karma moments of the 2000’s that we didn’t realize was happening at the time.

Other Memorable Moments = Dusty Baker’s kid almost got run over at home plate (because you know, letting a three year old be the bat boy makes a ton of sense), but was saved by J.T. Snow.

9. Texas Chokes Twice, Giving St. Louis the World Series

What Happened = Ron Washington, higher than a kite on cocaine (just kidding! I think…), used a bunch of weird people to try to close out Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. Naturally, things didn’t work out. St. Louis posted two rallies to tie the game, and went on to take Game 7.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = We’ll go fairly high here, throwing out a number of 65%.

Other Memorable Moments = This is the only time I remember watching a World Series game in the last three years. I just had to use Google to make sure the Giants won last season. 

8. Pedro Delivers a Giant F-U Performance in Tampa Bay

What Happened = Pedro Martinez hit Gerald Williams with his fourth pitch of the night in a late August start in 2000. The following video is what resulted from said hit batter.

            After the dust settled, Martinez went into overdrive, recording 24 consecutive outs before Tampa Bay broke up the no-hit bid with a single in the bottom of the ninth.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = 100%. People don’t get pissed off like that much anymore (unless of course, it involves Zach Greinke), so roid-rage definitely had something to do with it. Also, there is no way Brian Daubach would’ve made it to the Major Leagues without the benefits of performance enhancing drugs.

Other Memorable Moments = It took four attempts (and two pitchers!) by the Devil Rays to finally hit Brian Daubach during his at-bat in the seventh inning.

Forgotten Moniker = Tampa Bay immediately became relevant when they dropped “Devil” from their team name, which is one of the great wins for God of the 2000s.

7. Mark McGwire Hits 50 Home Runs Over the Green Monster in the Home Run Derby

What Happened = Alright, I think he only did it 12 times, but regardless of the quantity, Mark McGwire hit a bunch of fucking baseballs about 500 feet in the Home Run Derby at Fenway Park. Sadly, MLB hasn’t uploaded a video of this event to YouTube yet (couldn’t imagine why), because it was incredible live television. Big Mac didn’t win the Derby, but he was the star of the show.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = Um, you know who Mark McGwire is right? 100%.

Extended Rant = There really isn’t more dated and ignorant television programming from the late-90s and early-00s than the Home Run Derbies. Watching Chris Berman go bonkers as juiceheads like Sosa and McGwire crushed baseballs is retroactively hilarious.

 

6. Josh Beckett Puts the Sox on His Back, J.D. Drew Hits the $13 Million Grand Slam

What Happened = I’m not sure if anyone remembers this, but the Red Sox were down 3 games to 1 in the 2007 ALCS against the Cleveland Indians (this was before Grady Sizemore’s career went off a cliff). Josh Beckett destroyed the Indians in Game 5 (easy to forget that performance the way his career in Boston ended), and then J.D. Drew capped a big first inning in Game 6 with the only quality play he made during his debut season in Boston.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = In the series we’ll have to say 100% (Manny Ramirez was the World Series MVP after all), but with the two guys we mentioned in the headline, I’ll say 10%. J.D. Drew or Beckett didn’t appear to give enough of a shit about baseball to ever put substances in their bodies to improve performance.

Other Memorable Moments = I was playing poker and/or heavily intoxicated during every game of the 2007 ALCS, meaning that the $13 Million Grand Slam and Beckett’s Game 5 are the only things I vividly remember about it.

5. Pedro Martinez Demoralizes Don Zimmer

What Happened = During Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS, Manny Ramirez freaked out about a baseball that was closer to home plate than his face. Chaos ensued, culminating in 146 year-old Don Zimmer going after Pedro Martinez.

 

            All right I lied Zimmer was only 72. Regardless, that’s the high comedy point of the 2003 ALCS.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = 100%, with a hint of Viagra thanks to Zimmer.

Other Memorable Moments = Aaron Boone’s walk-off Game 7 homer (which only happened because Grady Little left Pedro in one inning too long…sigh) was the last stomach punch Red Sox fans took before their epic 2004 title.

Interesting Fact = On the same day as the epic Pedro-Zimmer throw down, I had almost 100 people over my house to celebrate my birthday. That scenario sounds great on paper, but I think only five of the people in attendance knew it was my birthday.

 

4. Mariano Rivera Blows the Save in Game 7 Against Arizona

What Happened = After an epic first six games of the series (remember Derek Jeter earning the nickname Mr. November?), the Hammer of God just needed to get three outs to give the Yankees their fourth straight World Series victory.

            Needless to say, Rivera imploded. A lesser man’s career would’ve gone down the toilet after such a dramatic meltdown. The Hammer of God is not a typical closer.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = 200%. For proof, here’s the statline Luis Gonzalez threw up for the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks.

BA = .325 (second highest of his career)

HR = 57 (only had one other season where he hit more than 30)
RBI = 142
R = 128
OPS = 1.117 (that’s not a typo)

            Call me a party-pooper, but those numbers are a tad suspicious.

Other Memorable Moments = For my money, the 2001 World Series is the greatest playoff series I’ve ever seen in any professional sport. From Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling (soccer mom) hoisting the Diamondbacks on their backs, to the epic games in New York less than two months after September 11^th, there has never been another series like it since.

Editors Note = I made money off of this series, so my opinion is 100% biased.

 

3. Pedro Martinez Goes Bonkers in the 1999 All-Star Game

What Happened = Pedro nearly throws his right arm off as he strikes out Barry Larkin (Hall of Famer), Larry Walker (fringe Hall candidate, but he was the ’97 NL MVP), Sammy Sosa (Steroids Hall of Famer), Mark McGwire (ditto), and Jeff Bagwell (soon to be Hall of Famer) during the first two innings of the ’99 All Star Game at Fenway Park.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = With Pedro’s opponents, 100%, but as for Pedro himself, I’m saying 0.

2. The Home Run Chase of ‘98

 

What Happened = Reeling from the devastating 1994 strike (that cancelled the World Series, and for all intents and purposes, destroyed the Montreal Expos), Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa dragged MLB back from the depths with their epic pursuit of 61 home runs.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = 800%. McGwire’s whole career was a juiced concoction (he posted a league leading 49 dingers and .987 OPS in his rookie year), and Sosa’s stunning 1998 season was truly remarkable. Sosa was one of the better power-speed combo players of the mid-90s (he posted 30-30 seasons in 1993 and 1995) before morphing into the Dominican version of The Hulk. Here’s the stat line he put up in 1998, with previous career highs in parenthesis.

BA = .308 (.300, 1994)

HR = 66 (40, 1996)
RBI = 158 (119, twice)
OPS = 1.024 (.889, 1996)

1. Boston’s Improbable 2004 World Series Run

What Happened = If you don’t know the story of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, then I don’t understand how you've made it this far into the column.

 

Chances Steroids Were Involved = 8,000%. For grins and giggles, here’s the list of likely juicers from the 2004 ALCS.

Alex Rodriguez

Manny Ramirez
David Ortiz
Mark Bellhorn (remember him?)
Gary Sheffield
Jason Giambi
Andy Pettitte
Dave Roberts (just kidding!)
Bill Mueller (post steroids cycle, his 2003 numbers were ridiculous)

That’s just going from memory. The 2004 Red Sox will probably be the most memorable sports team of my life time, and it wouldn’t of been possible without good old fashioned PEDs.

           

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (4/19-4/21)

10. James Harrison Signs With Cincinnati
            It isn’t on the scale of Brett Favre playing for the Vikings against Green Bay, but seeing Harrison against the Steelers will be pretty weird.

9. Gonzaga Center Kelly Olynyk Enters NBA Draft

            No one is more excited about this than Mavericks center Chris Kaman, who after a decade long run will finally have competition for the distinction of ugliest player in the NBA.

8. Pacers Clobber Hawks

7. Lakers Can’t Score Against Spurs
6. Heat Dominate Bucks
            None of these games were particularly watchable, but No Credentials always has room in the weekend review to celebrate a successful three-team teaser.

5. Darrelle Revis Acquired By Tampa Bay Buccaneers
            Because you know, paying a cornerback who just had ACL surgery six months ago $16 million a year makes a ton of sense.

4. Matt Kenseth Dominates Kansas

            Other than the car-crunching collision between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, the only other noteworthy moment of this race was Kenseth briefly racing his former car, now driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. A late caution during a pit cycle put the #17 deep in the field, and gift-wrapped Kenseth’s second win with Joe Gibbs Racing.

3. Carmelo Goes Bonkers Again, Leads Knicks to Game 1 Win Over Boston
            Boston had a win brewing through three quarters, but an eight point fourth quarter did the Celtics in.

2. 98 Year-Old Nuggets Point Guard Andre Miller Leads Thrilling Game 1 Win over Golden State

            Incredibly, Miller didn’t need to use a walker to make his game-winning lay-up.

1. Boston Wins

            Starting with the terrifying manhunt that ended in an alert man’s boat, and culminating in a stirring pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park that was emphatically concluded by David Ortiz, the citizens of Boston have a lot to be proud about after the dramatic events of last week. B-Strong Boston.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (5/27-5/29)

10. Avril Lavigne Lashes Out At Tampa Bay Ray’s Fans

            Let the record show that this 10 spot on this list was blank until 11:24pm Sunday when I read this story on Yahoo. I hadn’t realized that Avril’s career had gone so far off the tracks that she was performing a concert after a baseball game. 

9. Cleveland Cavaliers Attempting To Acquire 2^nd Overall Pick in NBA Draft

            So let me get this straight…Cleveland fans are supposed to be excited about their favorite basketball team potentially having the top two picks in the draft when this year’s crop of rookies is considered to be the worst in over a decade? Man it sucks cheering for the Cavaliers.

8. Golfer Jordan Spieth Skips High School Graduation to Play PGA Tour Event

            In retrospect, I would’ve gladly skipped my high school graduation ceremony to get in a couple of extra games of “MVP 2004”, so I don’t fault Spieth for missing his to actually do something worthwhile. He pulled within 3 shots of the lead before fading on the back 9.

           

7. Djokovic Wins 43rd Straight Match

            I’m not going to sit here and pretend I’m a tennis expert (although I am pretty solid at Wii Tennis), but I do know that winning 43 straight matches is pretty hard to do. If he keeps the streak alive, he’ll more than likely face Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the French Open.

6. David Ortiz Hits Pinch-Hit Home Run To Lift Red Sox Over Tigers

            For all the talk about the 0-6 start, Carl Crawford’s struggles, and Adrian Gonzalez proving his worth, there hasn’t been enough talk about David Ortiz. Big Papi delivered a rare pinch-hit home run off of Tigers closer Jose Valverde to give Boston a 4-3 win in Game 1 of a doubleheader Sunday. After two horrid starts in both 2009 and 2010, Ortiz has hit at a .305 clip (9^th in the AL), a team-leading 11 home runs (5^th in the AL), and is currently 5^th in the American League in OPS. Either Papi is back on the juice, or he’s really happy to have Adrian Gonzalez in the lineup.

5. Barcelona Hammers Manchester United, Wins Champions League Title

            If you want to keep your kid away from football for fear of injury, have him or her watch highlights of Lionel Messi. That should be able to hook them for life.

4. Steven Stamkos Undeterred By Broken Nose

            Hockey players come back from stuff like this all the time, but it never ceases to amaze me. The last thing I would do after taking a frozen rubber brick to the sniffer was return to the very same activity that resulted in the injury 15 minutes later.  

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Runs Out of Gas on Last Lap

            After the craziness that happened in the Indy 500 earlier in the day, about the only thing that could’ve knocked the 500 off the front page would’ve been a win by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Coca-Cola 600. Amazingly, he came within about a 500 feet of pulling it off. Kevin Harvick was again the beneficiary of Junior’s misfortune (like Martinsville earlier this year).

2. Boston Bruins Advance to Stanley Cup Finals

            I’m not going to write too much here due to the fact that my Stanley Cup Finals preview will be up within 36 hours from now.

1. JR Hildebrand Chokes, Gives Dan Wheldon Indianapolis 500 Victory

            Hildebrand could go on to win three 500’s during his career, but he’ll more than likely never forget the mistake he made on the final corner of the last lap.

5 Hitters to Trade For and Trade Away in Fantasy Baseball

The title of this article is pretty self-explanatory. I'm going to give you five hitters who have scuffled out of the gate that you should try to acquire via trade, and then five over achiever's you should try to sell high.

5 YOU SHOULD TRY TO GET

1. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida Marlins - He probably went no later than 4th in your league this year, but so far has only delivered a .215 batting average. This is a case of a guy who is way to talented to struggle for an entire season like this. Now that Florida has him hitting 1st or 2nd everyday as opposed to 3rd, expect a steady increase in the stolen base department.

2. Carl Crawford, OF, Boston Red Sox - His spot on this list would've looked a lot smarter if he hadn't of just gone 4-4 today with a homerun. My case for Crawford is similar to Hanley's (he's too good to be this bad all year), but Crawford does have added risk. He's admittedly been pressing at the plate since his arrival in Boston, and also appears to have struggled with the unseasonably cold New England weather. I wouldn't trade Jose Bautista for him or anything, but if you can flip a starting pitcher for him, by all means take the chance.

3. Nelson Cruz, OF, Texas Rangers - As I documented during my preseason fantasy baseball mockdraft, I have a man crush on Cruz. I've traded for him each of the past two years. He has prodiguous power, but always seems to find his way onto the disabled list with a hamstring or quad injury. He just returned Monday from another of his famed DL stints, and promptly mashed a home run in his first game back. Perhaps you can play the health risk angle with a fellow owner to nab Cruz at a discount price.

4. Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees - This listing comes with some specific instructions, so please read carefully. At this point in his career, Jeter is not going to singlehandedly carry your fantasy team. However, if you're desperate for a shortstop, you could do worse than a guy who Joe Girardi will stubbornly plug in the 1 or 2 hole everyday. Even if Jeter finishes the year with a .255 batting average, he'll still score around 100 runs. See if you can trade a backup outfielder or a mid-level starting pitcher for him.

5. Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Chicago Cubs - Baseball is known for producing statistical oddities, but none are stranger than what Aramis Ramirez has put together so far this season. A perrenial 30-homer guy for most of the '00s, Ramirez has only hit one home run all season, despite the fact that he's hitting .295. However, he has smacked 12 doubles so far, which puts him on pace for about 40. Expect a few of those doubles to morph into home runs the rest of the way, giving Ramirez a shot to finish the year close to 20.

5 YOU SHOULD SELL HIGH BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE READS THIS COLUMN

1. Matt Joyce, OF, Tampa Bay Rays - Joyce is a nice player, but you should not expect him to maintain batting average above .360. There's plenty of depth in the outfield, so see if you can sucker some owner into sending you some help in the infield.

2. Howie Kendrick, 1B-2B, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - I've owned Kendrick a couple of times over the past five years. I'm going to tell you one thing he'll consistently do...pull a hamstring. He's missed the past five games with a hamstring injury, but apparently will avoid a trip to the DL. If he hits well for a week after he returns, try to ship him out before he pulls his groin again.

3. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates - McCutchen is a talented dude, but doesn't have enough of a supporting cast (besides No Credentials favorite Neil Walker) to deliver his full potential value. I don't think I would move him in a keeper league, but if you are in a re-draft group, see what you can get for him.

4. David Ortiz, 1B, Boston Red Sox - I think Ortiz actually is legitimate this year (a better supporting cast has helped him more than anyone else on the Red Sox), but for those of you in a league that is heavy with Red Sox fans, test the waters to find out what you can get back. You probably didn't draft him as your starting first baseman, so you should have the flexibility to move him.

5. Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs - This again applies to re-draft fantasy teams. Castro so far has delivered an elite batting average, but not much else to go with it (just one homer and only four stolen bases so far). Unless the rest of your squad is full of Adam Dunns, try to parlay his elite batting average into better counting stats.

Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Rounds 10-11

10-109 = Michael Bourn, CF, Astros – Bourn is a proven base stealer who has swiped 153 bases the past three seasons. He should get at least 85 runs scored as well batting lead off for the Astros.

10-110 = Chad Billingsley, SP, Dodgers – Billingsley has solid strikeout numbers, but like most young starters has struggled with walks. If he can get his WHIP under 1.20, he could finish the season as a top-15 starter.

10-111 = Jonathan Broxton, RP, Dodgers – After being one of the most consistent relief pitchers in all of baseball the past five years, Broxton imploded in the second half of 2010. His second half ERA was over 7, and he blew five out of eight save chances before being removed from the closer role for the rest of the season. Los Angeles appears committed to giving Broxton a shot at rediscovering his mojo in the closer spot. If he returns to his 2009 form, you’re getting a guy who posted a WHIP of 0.96 in the 10^th round. Just be prepared with a plan B if Broxton gets off to a rocky start.

10-112 = Michael Young, 3B, Rangers – In retrospect, Young should’ve gone much higher in this mock. As long as he isn’t traded before the season, Young will fill a super utility role for Texas. He could very well have eligibility at all four infield positions, as well as the outfield. He’s going 70^th in ESPN drafts, which feels a little high for me, but if you’re looking to fill your team with guys that will have multiple position eligibility, there aren’t many better options.

10-113 = Ian Desmond, SS, Nationals – Desmond still has some untapped potential, but even if he doesn’t reach it in his age 25 season, he’s a solid bet for 10 home runs and 15 stolen bases.

10-114 = Chone Figgins, 2B, Mariners – Figgins is an interesting bounce-back candidate. Even during a miserable 2010, he still managed to rack up 42 stolen bases. If he can up his average closer to his career number of .287, he could be a great late-round option to fill second base. Figgins will also add 3B eligibility very early in the season (depending on your league’s settings).

10-115 = Matt Wieters, C, Orioles – Here’s the list of things Wieters was supposed to do when he was called up to the Majors.

1. Hit 50 home runs and collect 200 RBIs
2. Turn water into wine
3. Destroy meteors and other space debris that could impact the Earth
4. Bring Jimi Hendrix back from the dead
5. Fix the economy

Needless to say, Wieters hasn’t delivered yet. He’s currently going 170^th in ESPN drafts, when some people were reaching on him in the 6^th round a year ago. Another bounce back candidate in the 10^th round of the mock.

10-116 = Brett Anderson, SP, Athletics – Anderson was my favorite under the radar pitcher going into 2010, but unfortunately two separate elbow issues limited him to only 112 innings. When he did pitch, he put up a 2.80 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP.

10-117 = Neftali Feliz, RP, Rangers – Feliz was a stud closer for the Rangers during the American League pennant winning season. Feliz record 40 saves and put up a 0.88 WHIP. The only reason he’s not being taken in the 6^th or 7^th round as a closer is the chance that he ends up as a starter this season. Even as a starter, Feliz could provide solid value. This team now has the option to punt saves (which means not drafting closers, but finding starters who will have RP eligibility).

10-118 = Grady Sizemore, CF, Indians – Sizemore has been to fantasy teams what osteoporosis is to senior citizens each of the last two seasons. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever return to the 30-30 numbers he put up in 2008 after the micro-fracture surgery he underwent, but round 10 is a decent spot to take a flier on him.

10-119 = Geovany Soto, C, Cubs – Soto is a great option at catcher if you wait this long to draft one. He’s very selective at the plate, which gives him a pretty safe floor of .280 for a batting average. If he has more luck with BABIP, Soto is capable of putting up a .320 average along with 25 home runs.

10-120 = Nick Markakis, RF, Orioles – Markakis isn’t the sexiest pick, but of all players taken in the 10^th round here, he’s the safest. You can pencil him in for a line around .300-15-80-10-85.

11-121 = Andrew Bailey, RP, Athletics – You’re going to get Bailey at a discount thanks to a minor surgery on his elbow at the end of last season. He might start the year slow, but expect over 30 saves and WHIP below 1.00.

            Team 1 Roster = Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Ichiro, Hunter Pence, Brian Wilson, Casey McGeehee, Dan Haren, Nick Markakis, Andrew Bailey

11-122 = Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Astros – Rodriguez will struggle earning wins pitching for a shoddy Astros team, but you won’t care if he repeats his 2^nd half peripheral numbers from 2010 (2.11 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings after the all-star break).

            Team 2 Roster = Miguel Cabrera, Tim Lincecum, Jose Reyes, Brandon Phillips, Adrian Beltre, Jay Bruce, Roy Oswalt, Jacoby Ellsbury, Chris Young, Geovany Soto, Wandy Rodriguez

11-123 = Mark Reynolds, 3B, Orioles – Let me start by saying I will never own Mark Reynolds on a fantasy team. He has swung and missed an astonishing 17% of the time each of the last three seasons (far and away the league leader all three years in that dubious category). Some fool will draft him for his power potential, but his poor batting average and insane strikeout totals are not worth it. I’d recommend putting him on your exclude list on your pre-draft rankings.

            Team 3 Roster = Robinson Cano, Matt Kemp, Kevin Youkilis, Jimmy Rollins, David Price, Billy Butler, Shane Victorino, Shaun Marcum, J.J. Putz, Grady Sizemore, Mark Reynolds

11-124 = Aubrey Huff, 1B-LF-RF, Giants – A great Swiss-army knife option to take in the middle rounds. Huff has an outstanding walk to strikeout ratio, and is a solid bet for 20 home runs and at least 90 RBIs. 

            Team 4 Roster = Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Shin Soo Choo, Josh Johnson, Rickie Weeks, Kendry Morales, Yovani Gallardo, Colby Rasmus, Max Scherzer, Neftali Feliz, Aubrey Huff

11-125 = Bobby Abreu, LF-RF, Angels – He’s getting a little long in the tooth, but as a late round option he can help you. He still gets on base (even though his batting average dropped to a career low .255, he still managed to draw 87 walks), and has stolen at least 20 bases in each of the past 12 seasons.

            Team 5 Roster = Hanley Ramirez, Felix Hernandez, Ian Kinsler, Jose Bautista, Justin Morneau, Jered Weaver, Mike Stanton, Jonathan Papelbon, Brett Gardner, Brett Anderson, Bobby Abreu

11-126 = Trevor Cahill, SP, Athletics – Cahill doesn’t get a bunch of strikeouts, but his ability to induce groundballs is what drove him to finish the year with 18 wins. Bump him up a round or so if you are in a league that counts GIDP (grounded into double plays) as a stat category.

            Team 6 Roster = Evan Longoria, Ryan Howard, Zack Greinke, Justin Upton, Derek Jeter, Joakim Soria, Alex Rios, Brian Roberts, Clay Buchholz, Matt Wieters, Trevor Cahill

11-127 = David Ortiz, UT, Red Sox – If you can withstand an awful April (he’s gotten off to miserable start each of the past two years), than this pick will look like a bargain for you. Ortiz should benefit from Boston being able to give him more days off against left handed hitters, which will improve his overall batting average.

            Team 7 Roster = Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, Jayson Werth, Andre Ethier, Matt Cain, Pablo Sandoval, Rafael Furcal, Chone Figgins, David Ortiz

11-128 = Ted Lilly, SP, Dodgers – Lilly isn’t going to excite anyone, but he always puts up a solid WHIP and ERA year in and year out. Pitching in Dodger Stadium for a full season could lower his ERA even more due to less balls leaving the park.

            Team 8 Roster = Joey Votto, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, Dan Uggla, Cole Hamels, Tommy Hanson, Pedro Alvarez, Heath Bell, Corey Hart, Ian Desmond, Ted Lilly

11-129 = Juan Pierre, LF, White Sox – Pierre returned to a full-time gig with the White Sox in 2010 and rewarded them with 68 stolen bases. Pierre will also give you solid run production hitting at the top of the White Sox lineup.

            Team 9 Roster = Roy Halladay, Mark Teixeira, Andrew McCutchen, Ubaldo Jimenez, Brian McCann, Mariano Rivera, Delmon Young, Stephen Drew, Kelly Johnson, Michael Young, Juan Pierre

11-130 = Josh Beckett, SP, Red Sox – Coming off his worst season in the Majors (largely due to a back injury), Beckett is poised for a comeback. If Beckett rights himself, he has 20-win potential pitching for a powerful Red Sox squad.

            Team 10 Roster = Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Joe Mauer, Jason Heyward, Aramis Ramirez, Alexei Ramirez, Martin Prado, Drew Stubbs, Francisco Liriano, Jonathan Broxton, Josh Beckett

11-131 = Huston Street, RP, Rockies – A little risky due to his declining strike out rate over the past few seasons, but he has the longest leash of any closer available at this point in the draft.

            Team 11 Roster = Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, Jon Lester, Buster Posey, Adam Dunn, Mat Latos, B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist, Elvis Andrus, Chad Billingsley, Huston Street

11-132 = Starlin Castro, SS, Cubs – Castro was only the 4^th player in the last 50 years to post a .300 batting average at the age of 20. If he keeps his average up, he should produce solid run totals and stolen bases hitting in the top third of the Cubs lineup.

            Team 12 Roster = David Wright, Chase Utley, Nelson Cruz, C.C. Sabathia, Carlos Santana, Carlos Marmol, Paul Konerko, Chris Carpenter, Brandon Morrow, Michael Bourn, Starlin Castro