Fake Teams Hits the Fantasy Links

Today is May 24th, which is apparently a good day for playing really long baseball games.  In 1917, White Sox pitcher Reb Russell threw a 12-inning shutout against Washington, and a year later Stan Coveleski of the Cleveland Indians threw a 19-inning complete game against the Yankees to win 3-2.  The game lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes.  A 9-inning Yankee game that lasts less than that today is grounds for recognition from Congress.  On this day in 1929, White Sox pitcher Ted Lyons and Tigers pitcher George Uhle each pitch 21 innings before the Tigers win 6-5.  One more: In 1942 in the Japanese League, Michio Nishizawa of Nagoya and Jiro Noguchi of Taiyo each pitch 28 innings before the game is called in a 4-4 tie.  Noguchi threw 344 pitches and Nihizawa 311.  Today is also the 76th anniversary of the first night game played in Major League Baseball, a 2-1 victory at home for the Reds over the Phillies.  Here are your fantasy baseball links for today:

Closer Report - Closer Rankings | Fantasy Phenoms

Top Curveballs by Contact | Baseball Analytics

So far this season, batters are swinging and missing at [Zack Greinke's] curve at a higher rate than against any other pitchers' curve. He's yielded only one hit off the pitch, a ground ball single to Jose Tabata (PIT) on May 15th.

Callaspo, Gorzelanny & Posada: Waiver Wire | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

Following tonight’s start at the Brewers, Gorzelanny is scheduled to face the Padres twice in his next three starts. He misses bats (7.88 K/9, 8.2% SwStr) and is due to face a weak offense, making him a nice spot start candidate in all leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Mike Morse, more | KFFL.com
Bumps and bruises opening up time for Mike Morse, Nolan Reimold, and a slew of others.

Chris Denorfia and Trevor Plouffe: Deep League Waiver Wire | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

In fact, if you’re in a league that uses specific outfield slots, Denorfia is eligible in left, center and right, so he makes a great fill in and bench option, even if you don’t ever plan on letting him sniff the starting lineup.

Trolling the Wire: Week 8 Tuesday-Friday | Baseball By Paul

Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Speed Demons Vol. 4 | LestersLegends.com

Jason Heyward, Eric Hinske and Joe Mather: NL Outfielders | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

[Mather's] current swinging strike percentage (13.5%), paired with his BABIP (.545), suggests the batting average is headed for a nose dive.

Follow the jump for more of the latest fantasy baseball news and analysis from around the web.

Carl Crawford Still Trying to Find his Way | RotoRob

There’s no doubt he’s been way better in May (.275/.293/.338) than he was in April (.155/.204/.227), but it’s all relative, right? We’re talking about a hitter with a career slash line of .293/.334/.438, so you can see that even his massively improved May is still way below career norm levels for Crawford.

Nick Swisher: Buy Low? | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball
So you're saying it's Joanna Garcia's fault? (Yes, buy low)

Buy Low: Aaron Hill | BaseballPress.com

Hill has a .270 career batting average, but in order to match that he'll have to hit about .290 over the rest of the season. If he even comes close to that mark from here on, he'll be a steal.

Time to buy low on DL'd Jason Heyward | ESPN

In the at-bats I've seen this season, I haven't seen Heyward crush fastballs as consistently as he did last year, often appearing a touch late. I would suspect that the shoulder problem is affecting his timing at the plate, and isn't allowing his swing to "fire" as usual and get through the zone with that great bat speed as consistently. Discussing it with Heyward, he expressed some similar concerns. (PAYWALL)

The struggles of Ubaldo Jimenez | Baseball Analytics

Sell High Candidate: Is It Time To Part Ways With Max Scherzer? | Rotoprofessor

Throw in a beneficial strand rate of 85.9% and there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about his ability to post impressive numbers from here on out. That’s not to say that he is going to post poor numbers for the remainder of the season. In fact, I continue to believe that he’s going to be a viable pitcher moving forward.

Today's Michael Pineda Fun Fact | Lookout Landing

It stands to reason, then, that a pitcher who allows more pulled balls will be less successful, and a pitcher who allows fewer pulled balls will be more successful, relative to the average. So without taking up any more of your time, here's a table comparing a bunch of baseball's top righties this season (note: all balls, not just fly balls):

Should You Buy Low On Chris Carpenter? | LestersLegends.com

Taking everything into account as the year goes on you should expect Carpenter’s ERA and WHIP to fall and his run support to climb. That should lead to more wins. The time to buy Chris Carpenter on the cheap is now.

Can Kyle McClellan Continue to Shine? | LestersLegends.com

If you can salvage a poor outing with a solid strikeout total, at least you have something to take away from it. Just be smart and use [McClellan] when he has favorable match-ups, like this week when he faces the Padres in San Diego.

Sell High: Justin Masterson | BaseballPress.com

Even though the 26-year-old pitcher from Ohio is pitching with a much improved offense, a consistent increase of about a mile-per-hour on his fastball, and has shown slightly better control this season, Justin Masterson is essentially the same pitcher as he was in 2010. His early success will not last deep into the season, and any fantasy owner should try to sell high to get a good return on the pitcher that probably was drafted as a roster filler back in March, if he was drafted at all.

Edinson Volquez Demoted: Is It Time To Cut Bait? | Rotoprofessor

There’s no reason to think that he will be unusable later in the season, as he has proven that he can contribute even with a higher than normal walk rate (3.21 ERA, 1.33 WHIP in ’08). Is he going to be an elite pitcher? Absolutely not, but with his strikeout rate he is certainly going to be a viable option. Just keep him stashed on the bench and wait for him to return.

Injury Report: May 24: Andre Ethier, Dustin Pedroia & More | Rotoprofessor

Injury Updates | Roto Hardball

The Cheeks Weather Report (5/24/11) | Sons of Roto
Fantasy baseball weather report.

Minor League Notes: May 23rd, 2011 | Minor League Ball
Brad Peacock, Arodys Vizcaino, Ryan Mount, Marcus Knecht

Future Rookies: Week 8 | Fantasy Baseball Cafe

Fantasy Baseball Player Prospecting: Ryan Adams, more | KFFL.com
Ryan Adams joins a battered Orioles squad, plus updates on Charlie Furbush and Anthony Rizzo.

Daily Dish: Promotion Can’t Slow Down Red Sox’s Bryce Brentz | Baseball America

Scouting Report: Brett Lawrie, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays | Minor League Ball

Based on his track record, and what I saw Sunday afternoon, I am convinced that Brett Lawrie has everything needed to be a superstar. The only things that could get in the way are injuries or his own personality.

Scouting Report: Mike Moustakas and Clint Robinson | Minor League Ball

Prospect Watch: Anthony Rizzo | Roto Hardball

He still can be a productive big league hitter, but in San Diego his power numbers will most certainly be hurt. With first base being a deep position, Rizzo has a chance to be a very good, but not elite fantasy first-baseman.

Prospect Tracker: Anthony Rizzo & Yonder Alonso | Rotoprofessor

BP Announces Free Public Access to Archives | Baseball Prospectus
And there was much rejoicing!

The Rational Guide To Bunting (Curtis Granderson Edition) | It's About The Money

Baseball Rules, A History | Razzball
A look at how the rules of baseball came about.