Fake Teams Hits the Fantasy Baseball Links

Here are your fantasy baseball links for today, August 17:

Delmon Young Takes Disappointing Act to Detroit | Baseball Analytics

Young has chased about 40 percent of pitches thrown off the plate, which is up from last year's already-high 37 percent and blows away (in a bad way) the 28 percent league average. But you already know that he's a free-swinger. What's more interesting is that while Young bashed out-of-zone pitches thrown low-and-inside last year, he doing nothing with them in 2011:

Under the Fantasy Microscope: Ben Revere | Roto Hardball

If anything, the fact that Revere has put together such good numbers in R and SB while posting such a low OBP speaks to his potential. If he can get his OBP even up to average, it wouldn't be shocking to see him post consistent 100 R/50 SB fantasy seasons. And, as an added bonus, the way Revere would get that OBP up isn't through walks -- his 5.9% walk rate in the majors is consistent with what he did in the minors -- but through more singles and a higher batting average.

In The Sabermetric Spotlight: Cameron Maybin | COSFBA
I disagree with the premise - speed is infinitely harder to predict than power, and the players that possess power often have more tools than the speedy ones. Still, the conclusion is worthy of your consideration. Maybin is underrated, perhaps even more so by the park he plays in, which shouldn't affect his game much at all.

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

A Chilly Reception for Mike Moustakas | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

I’ve read where Moustakas isn’t "making the right adjustments," according to his coaches, in whatever particular form they believe that to be. But what is clear is that his ability to make contact on off-speed pitches has only grown worse over the course of his time in the major leagues as his whiff rate has ballooned from his first month to his second month at this level:

Ackley Hitting Backwards | Baseball Analytics

Fast pitches help batters hit home runs. Dustin has yet to take a fast ball deep. Change ups are supposed to fool batters into striking out, but Ackley doesn't get fooled by the pitch. These numbers, of course, are based on small sample sizes. If they hold up, however, it won't be good news for Dustin. If pitchers discover they can just pump fastballs by him, they'll be happy to blow him away with heat.

Bobby Parnell: Transitioning To Closer | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

Even before the K-Rod trade it was clear that Parnell was the team’s best in-house option for a long-term closer, but Izzy was allowed to get the six saves he needed for a milestone by the team that drafted and developed him.

Waiver Worthy: Will Mike Carp Be A Viable Option Down The Stretch? | Rotoprofessor

So, [Carp] can’t maintain the average and he’s not likely going to hit for power. Sound like a 1B you want to own? He can be used while he’s scorching hot, but be prepared to move on.

Ryan Raburn: Second Half Stud | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

He actually started breaking out of his first half blues a bit before the break and finished July with a .798 OPS. He’s followed that up with a hot August, hitting .310 and slugging .534 with three home runs in 19 games. The Tigers’ offense isn’t great, and hitting behind Austin Jackson isn’t going to provide him many RBI opportunities, but if Raburn is able to get on base at a decent clip he may be able to pick up a decent amount of runs scored with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez behind him.

Don't Look Back in Anger: Jesus Guzman, Dexter Fowler, Jarrod Saltalamacchia | Razzball

Over the last 30 days, Fowler has gone 30/92 with six steals and a .426 OBP. Sure, his BABIP over the last 28 days is .448, but you have to have skills to do that. Fowler is someone to keep an eye on down the stretch. If he can keep hitting line drives and figures out a way to steal successfully, Fowler could be a decent boon to your steals. In addition, I’d take this as an audition for your 2012 fantasy squad. I believe in Fowler long-term.

Young and Carp: Waiver Wire | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

Even if Carp cools off a bit — a development that shouldn’t come as a surprise when it comes; his second-half BABIP is .435 — his move from the bottom of the order to the clean-up spot should help him continue to get RBI chances, something he didn’t see much of in June or early July.

Middle Infield & Catchers: Nobody Owns Me Edition | Roto Hardball

[Bloomquist] will continue to see playing time and is certainly a cheap source of steals, average, and runs moving forward. He hit .311 in July and is hitting .275 in August, though he only stole two bags in July and only has two thus far in August; a far contrast from the seven he stole in April. He has at least SS, LF, RF elgibilty in most leagues and is available in 90% of ESPN leagues.

Injury Report: August 17: Cole Hamels, Hanley Ramirez, David Ortiz & More | Rotoprofessor

Prospect of the Day: Wade Miley, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks | Minor League Ball

[Miley] keeps the ball down, avoids gopheritis, and is adept at coaxing ground balls, posting a 1.72 GO/AO this year, 2.64 last year, and 1.81 the year before that. He's tough on lefties, but his arsenal and command are usually good enough for him to survive against right-handers, meaning he won't be confined to a relief role. Although he doesn't walk a lot of people, his command within the strike zone can be inconsistent, and is the main reason his professional performance has been up-and-down.

Daily Dish: Rays’ Top Shortstop Prospects Respond To Promotions | Baseball America
Beckham, Lee, Cabrera, Friedrich, Moore, Locke, Sosa

Fantasy Baseball Player Prospecting: Brandon Jacobs, Cole Nelson, more | KFFL.com
Did the Twins get anything noteworthy in return for Delmon Young? This Brandon Jacobs gave up football for the diamond. Plus, meet Cody Buckel, and updates on Wilin Rosario and Randall Delgado.

The Case for Adaptive Defense (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Platoon) | Beyond the Box Score
I love this idea. The commenter who compared it to Total Football is right on.

The 300 Club | The Hardball Times
Takeaway: Curtis Granderson is good. If you didn't know that already, maybe this junk stat is for you. (ALT+8253 produces an equal sign for me; does anybody else know how to make an interrobang?)