I am expecting Yovani to take a big step this year. Rotoprofessor agrees...
My Thoughts Gallardo didn’t make the leap last season, but there is no question that he took a step forward. And while the inconsistency scares me, he seems to be on the right track to addressing my other big concern about him. To be elite you have to have an elite skill and Gallardo is an elite strikeout pitcher, no one can question that. If Gallardo continues to do what he started last season and does it more consistently he’ll be in the discussion to be a top five pitcher next season. I think he has figured things out and I think he’s ready to make the leap. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Gallardo finishes the season around or under the 3.00 mark for ERA and sets another career high for strikeouts as he continues to see more innings per game. I think Gallardo will be a lock top ten pitcher next season and will be in the discussion for top five. I do believe Yovani Gallardo is about to make the leap from good to great.
Prospect Instinct 2012 | Taijuan Walker, RHP Seattle Mariners | Baseball Instinct - Do You Have It?
Three pitching prospects in Seattle could have an impact in 2012. Prospect Instinct gives you a break down of Taijuan Walker, who has the biggest upside of the the big three (Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, and Walker)
If there is one thing you need to know about the Seattle Mariners, it’s that they know how to spot a good pitcher. The list of home-grown major league pitchers and prospects includes Felix Hernandez, Danny Hultzen, James Paxton. Another name that is going to fit well in that impressive list is Taijuan Walker.
'Verducci Effect' gives fantasy owners another variable to consider
Verducci's candidates: Derek Holland, Jaime Garcia, Yovani Gallardo, Daniel Hudson, Jeremy Hellickson, Mike Leake, Matt Harrison and Michael Pineda.
Fister has been widely debated since his breakout season in 2011. Fister should be a top 40 SP in 2012!
As far as a 2012 projection is concerned, I like Fister for 13 wins, 140 strikeouts, and an era close to 3.70, with a sneaky-good WHIP of around 1.10. There is obvious regression coming with his ERA, but the gains he made in his strikeout rate and his continued ability to post elite walk rates are going to make him plenty valuable in all formats next season. Fister is currently #40 in our Early 2012 Starting Pitcher Rankings and #151 overall in our Mid-January Updated Top 300 Rankings. As mentioned before, he is going 175th overall and is being taken as the 48th starting pitcher on Mock Draft Central, so I still see him as a great value.
Scutaro a Perfect Fit for Rockies | FanGraphs Baseball
Astros Add Snyder to Catcher Mix | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball
The option for fantasy isn’t ideal here, by any stretch of the imagination. In a perfect world you would be able to get Snyder’s pop to start the year and then use Castro once he returns to balance out the batting average. However, the likelihood of that working out is pretty slim. Ultimately you’ll have to hope that Snyder performs well enough for the club to keep Castro down for most of the season and since that is just wishful thinking at this point, it really only makes him worthwhile as a complementary backstop in a two catcher mixed league or your deeper NL-only ones.
ADP: Bottom Feeder Gems | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball
Bottom Feeder Gems
2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Outfield " Fantasy Alarm
ClubHouseGM: Deep Sleeper – Nick Weglarz
Weglarz was born in Canada (Stevensville, Ontario) on December 16, 1987. He was just 17 years old when drafted out of high school and has been in the Indians minor league system for six years. While that feels like a long time, he just turned 24 years old. He showed a ton of promise early in his professional career. The big lefty (6’3" 240 lbs) had power, patience and was showing improvements in the field. He was regularly listed on Indians top prospect lists by most publications and was ranked as the 58th prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America in 2009.
Crowdsourcing Yu Darvish’s 5×5 Stats | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball
Now that Yu Darvish has officially agreed to a deal with the Rangers, we can spend some time looking at his potential fantasy value without worrying that it might all go for naught. None of us really know what to expect out of the big right-hander this coming season, but there’s a reasonable defense for almost every possible outcome. He could take the league by storm like Tim Lincecum did a few years ago, follow in the footsteps of Kei Igawa and be a total dud, or about a million things in between.
Morse Power and the Prince | FanGraphs Baseball
Some might assume that the deal is the end of the Nationals’ pursuit of Prince Fielder. But that’s not necessarily the case. Morse was going to be a National in 2012, regardless. And remember that the Nationals started Morse in left field last season, so why wouldn’t they do the same this year? If there’s an obstacle to Fielder signing with the Nats — and it is hard to see how Adam "Solid B Average" LaRoche really poses an obstacle — it’s not Morse’s new contract.