Here are your fantasy baseball links for today, September 15:
Forget Me/Forget Me Not: Is Chris Davis Worth The Gamble For 2011? | Rotoprofessor
Clearly, if average is what you crave he is not going to be a viable option for you. However, he has been swinging the bat a bit better of late, and hitting the ball with authority. In September he’s posted a 25.0% line drive rate, though he has yet to hit a home run (despite a 41.7% fly ball rate).
Undervalued in 2012: Gavin Floyd | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball
Looking under the hood, it was clear that Floyd had truly established himself as a pretty good pitcher, and so heading into 2011, I was happy to be a Floyd supporter. This year, though, his LOB% has dropped to just 67.4%. He hasn’t really had a long history of lower than average LOB% marks, so it would be silly to suggest he simply has problems pitching from the stretch. His K% and K/9 have declined a bit, but that has been offset by further gains with his control, as his F-Strike% has leaped to a fantastic 65%.
Under the Fantasy Microscope: Jose Valverde | Roto Hardball
Valverde deserves major props for his accomplishments so far in the 2011 season. But something tells me many in keeper leagues will be swayed by this top-tier performance to waste a roster spot or auction money or even a high draft pick for the right to hold on and expect it again. It won't last. Closers are fleeting, and Valverde looks to be no different.
Follow the jump for more of the latest fantasy baseball news and analysis from around the web.
Juan Rivera and Juan Francisco: Waiver Wire Injury Replacements | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball
With the Reds playing their next nine games at home, Francisco stands a good chance of putting up solid power totals in the hitters’ haven known as Great American Ballpark and maybe, just maybe, he carries that momentum into the final week of the season.
Keeper Considerations: Value at Starting Pitcher | Roto Hardball
Name Game. I've been trying to extol the virtues of Pitcher D for some time now.
Wells and Minor: NL Starting Pitchers | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball
Wells’ WHIP in August was 0.91 because one of the lowest BABIPs I’ve seen in a while: .181, which is so obviously unsustainable, it hardly bears mentioning. He induced a large amount of infield flies — a season-best 13.2 percent — a 13.2 percent increase from his July rate. Wells is a groundball pitcher at heart and that’s not going to change in the season’s last month. As he gets back to inducing grounders and his BABIP returns to non-ridiculous levels, his results should normalize as well. He isn’t as bad as he looked in July or as good as he looked in August, but somewhere pleasantly between.
Injury Report: September 15: Adrian Gonzalez, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Cueto & More | Rotoprofessor
Jonathan Sanchez Done for 2011 | Roto Hardball
His name recognition, team reputation (people thing Giants automatically equals good pitching) and pure stuff (career 9.4 K/9) will likely keep him overvalued into 2012 which means you should avert your eyes from the enticing strikeout rate and just pass when his name comes up at your auction next year.
Prospect of the Day: Jarrod Parker, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks | Minor League Ball
His slider was his out-pitch pre-surgery. Scouting reports indicate that he's not throwing it as much as he used to, but it still rates as a plus pitch. His changeup has improved a great deal, ranking plus at its best, and he'll mix in some curves on occasion, giving him four pitches to work with. He's especially tough on right-handed hitters, holding them to a .209 average with just two homers this year. Parker has the stuff to be a number two starter if his command is there. With a year of good health and solid pitching under his belt, expect to hear a lot about him heading into Spring Training, 2012.
Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for 2012, Part I | Razzball
Complete with links to scouting reports.
Baseball ProGUESTus: Ghosts of MVPs Past | Baseball Prospectus
Have you ever heard of a beat writer for a AAA team that can write like this? Wow.