Team Management 101

Hey, thanks for coming back. I have sensed that a lot of people have kind of stopped their interest in fantasy baseball to go to football. I would hope that everyone sticks with it to the end, but to help out more people I will dedicate this article to football. By now, I am sure that most of you have drafted by now and have your teams all set so good luck to all for this new year. Here I will share some of my secrets and strategies for the upcoming NFL season.

One great way to get value and cover spots that you are lacking is to take advantage of the quarterback and wide receiver combo. As many of you know, a lot of people love to have a great quarterback and wide out from the same team so that when they hook up there are double the points. So with that in mind, the Peyton owner may give an arm in a leg for Marvin Harrison, where the McNabb guy will not. Keep an eye on things like these and look at who your players’ quarterback is. Note: this won’t always be in apply for you, because there is probably not a Matt Schaub guy for your Andre Johnson.

Another one of my theories that can be applied although is a little late. Do not be concerned about your defense! Unless you can get a Baltimore or Chicago please do not draft a defense in the first 10 rounds. In Yahoo settings, the 15^th ranked Green Bay had 8 points less than San Diego. Save yourself several rounds. For people who have drafted, do not pay a lot to move up. As I mentioned the difference between mediocre and select few is half a point a week. A sleeper d to keep an eye on is Minnesota. They were best by far against the run and will only get better against passing games. They start with Atlanta and Detroit so expect a good start.

Two receivers I like this year are Devery Henderson and Vincent Jackson. Although Henderson looked bad last night, last year he had the best average per catch with 23.3. He will get more looks this year because he will mature and because of the loss of Joe Horn. Vincent Jackson is a popular sleeper this year large in part because Eric Parker could miss six weeks. You can be sure the 6’5 Jackson will consistently be open because the double teams will be on Gates and LT. That’s all for today!

Dont Stop Believing!

Thanks for coming back The Hot Corner. Sorry about the lack of posting and I’ll try and get more current in these crucial final few weeks of fantasy baseball. If you have any questions or comments I will try and reply as quickly as possible and just submit them by clicking on the comments link. I’ve been noticing that people are giving up on their teams especially with football drafts lately. There is still a whole month of baseball to play and teams still have about a quarter of their games left to play. Stay active especially if you are in the running for the money. In a little while I may get some posts for football so stay tuned.

The important thing I must stress is to be aggressive and make trades especially if you’re not in first. Trade a closer to get some pop especially if you have some ground on the guy under you. Grab someone like Brad Hennessey to vulture a couple of saves that you lost. Probably nothing changes but you make gain a little in hitting. Another guy that I like, but may not be available is Raul Ibanez. After a career year last year, he had a slow start. However, this month he’s bounced back hitting over .400 with 9 bombs.

Looking for speed? Fantasy players in deep leagues might want to grab Kazuo Matsui. I’ll repeat that again. Fantasy players in deep leagues might want to grab Kazuo Matsui. I never thought I’d say that after his time with the Mets, but the less powerful Matsui has been a good option this month with 23 runs and is 11 for 11 in stolen base attempts. Plus he is showing that he won’t kill your average.

As I have always mentioned, look for guys in those tight pennant races. Chris B. Young, (Arizona’s speedy outfielder) is a player I like, who had two homers last night. Also Aramis Ramirez has been in a little bit of a struggle and it might be a great time to grab him if you can get him cheap. And after collecting 6 hits in the past two nights, Ian Kinsler may deserve another shot on your team especially if you have injuries as with Edgar Renteria. Thanks for reading.

Welcome back to the Hot Corner. Looking to fill an empty spot and get a leg up on your league? This article has some players that will help you. As I mentioned in the last few articles, stay active with your team and even some small trades can really sway your team a couple of points down the stretch. Many guys are heating up at the perfect time and making a big impact to your team. And in the words of the late Jimmy V, “don’t give up, don’t ever give up!”

Third Base

Well, for the record, kudos to anyone that has hung on to Garrett Atkins and has been starting him recently nonetheless. Today against a good young pitcher in Yovani Gallardo, Atkins collected four hits and cranked six RBIs. Ryan Zimmerman is another guy I like recently. The “Z Pack” as he is sometimes referred to has raised his average eleven points in the past seven games. He also collected 13 RBIs in his past 10 games, but may not be available in several leagues. Mark Teahen is probably a much more attainable option and is a good player for AL-Only Leagues.

Starting Pitching

If you’re looking for a spot start, take a look at Shawn Marcum of Toronto who has been pretty solid lately. He is pitching against the Royals on Friday and could get an owner a few good starts if you’re looking for a fill-in. Rich Hill has also pitched well recently and aside from a bad start versus the Nats has had a pretty solid July and is a good source of strikeouts. I like him for the rest of the year in the heated NL Central. And just in case you forgot, “It’s gonna happen.” Also another solid start for Orlando “El Duque” Hernadez even though he couldn’t pick up the win. Rick Peterson has done a great job this year with those Mets pitchers so I’d expect that ERA of his to stay around the low three area.

Outfield

If you’re looking for a replacement for Alfonso Soriano, look no further than Braves’ Jeff Francouer. He has tweaked his batting stance and has changed his batting average. Also keep an eye out for Jermaine Dye, who has been playing great of late. This year, Dye has always had fairly good power numbers, except now he is hitting for average and looks like a solid option for those missing Soriano. (Or Victorino)

The Trade Deadline’s Affect on the Fantasy World

Recently I have heard a lot of people wondering what the fantasy impact from the trades that occurred during the trade deadline. So, I will dedicate this article to explaining the effects and what it means to the owners of players involved as I will name some players that have values go up and the ones whose value is going down.

Value Increase

• Mark Teixeira: Tex’s value definitely goes up by going to Atlanta and any of you in NL leagues definitely are affected by his move to the NL. Anyway, now his value is going up because he is in a much better lineup and in a pennant race for the Braves. He will be batting cleanup with much better hitters around him as Renteria and Chipper are better than Sosa and Wilkerson. Expect more runs and RBIs as he will have at least some protection. He is a nice guy to grab if you need first basemen.

• Edgar Renteria, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Brian McCann, Jeff Francouer, and Kelly Johnson: I just picked this guys because those are the players that come to mind that are probably owned Braves hitters unless you are in much deeper leagues. These players definitely have more protection meaning increase in average and more runs. For the last three I mentioned, possibly more RBIs because of the increase in runners on base. (Also, Braves pitchers will probably get more run support, leading to more saves from Wickman. That’s just a thought.)

• Jared Saltalamacchia: His value is going way as it looks like he is going to a starting role in Texas. He has always been a decent player, but now gets a chance to play all the time unleashing his fantasy potential. I think he is a pretty decent option and is a must have for anyone in leagues that require two catchers. Definitely could hold a decent average.

Value Decrease

• Eric Gagne/Octavio Dotel: Obviously Gagne and Dotel’s value is not going up. Both will be lose their closing jobs to act as set up men. Gagne will fill middle relief and set up man for Papelbon, which costs some of his value. On the same token, Dotel will be used to set up Wickman. Unless you are in a holds league or need the low ERA/WHIP, then your best bet is probably setting both of them loose and maybe looking at a guy like C.J. Wilson.

Down the Stretch

Hey, thanks for stopping by the site once again. Do you want to find out large but subtle ways to improve your team? Today I am going to talk about strategies that will help you (mainly focused on ROTO leagues) down the stretch. As you know July is coming to an end and the fantasy baseball season is going into the last third of the year. Everyone is trying to make a trade that could push them over the edge or for keeper leagues figure out which guys to keep for seasons to come. Make sure that you send some e-mails out to managers. One very important thing to look at that often goes unnoticed is looking at your stats compared to teams close to you especially the one right above you. Say the owner one place better than you is just ahead of you in steals.

However, say you have three really good closers and have a ton of saves and the other guy is last in saves. Go ahead and give him one of your closers, but get one of his speedy players. Now in two months, he can’t really gain far on you or any of your league mates in saves, but you maybe got like 7 or 8 steals all depending on the player. Currently, there are over 25 players who are averaging 8+ steals in 2 months, so getting a player like that is not that difficult. But when you do addition by subtraction that trade has helped you jumped about 15 steals, which is a large difference.

For many leagues, the difference of 15 steals will probably be enough to leapfrog the guy above you. So all of a sudden players like Abreu or Beltran can win you a championship. In many instances, a subtle trade can have a major impact for you. Sometimes people forget the Roto baseball is all about having the best overall team. If you are the best in your league in one particular area by far such as homeruns, go ahead and trade away Adam Dunn and get a good pitcher or fill a spot you need. At this point you can trade away players supplying your strong points to get guys that fill needs. Many times you must think of the categories and not so much match up the talent and numbers. Now I’m not saying to go out there and trade a superstar like a Reyes but if you also have like Damon and Figgins, go out there and grab a guy like Sizemore or Byrnes to fill many needs.

Deadline Watch

Keep in mind to watch for players on teams in a pennant race. Mark Teixeira is on a last place team right now, but if he is traded to Atlanta, he may heat up and have much better RBI totals with good players around him. Ryan Braun is a player in a pennant race that looks to be the real deal. Braun has 10 home runs and is batting .356 in July. Freddy Sanchez has been a good option at second the past month for those looking for a replacement for Utley. Two veterans who have played very well of late is Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez, who had two bombs last night. Tim Lincecum and Javier Vasquez are both pitchers that have been fantastic recently. Also watch Ted Lilly, on the contending Cubs, who has given up only 1 run in 4 of his last 5 starts. That’s all. Good luck with all of your leagues.

Second Half Duds

Much unlike the last column, I would like to mention some of the players that won’t produce the type of numbers that their owners would like. In simpler terms: players that will fade. Now to find these players, I will look at recent statistics and compare it with the start of the season as well as previous seasons and other factors. However I’ll try and give an alternative so you don’t get too bummed if you see one of your “guys” on my list.

My first second half dud is J.J. Hardy. Now I like J.J. Hardy and I like seeing the Brewers turn it around, but I’d be surprised if Hardy ends up with 36 homers and 108 RBIs. The tell-tale sign for me is just comparing months. In April and May, the shortstop hit 15 home runs in 52 games equaling out to a little better than one bomb every four games. However, in June and July, J.J. only hits one out exactly one every nine games. His RBI total is going down along with the average monthly double totals. Although I don’t know if I would do the swap yet, keep an eye on upstart Troy Tulowitzki. I look for the power numbers to soar as Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe have been turning it up.

Jack Cust is not a guy I would necessarily depend on in the second half of the fantasy baseball season. He is in an 0-13 slump and a 3-27 one and is quickly lowering his batting average. His fifteen home runs is a decent total, but his 30 runs just doesn’t do it for me despite the fact that he has missed several games. I would trade him while you can get some value in return. A player that might breakout in the second half is Chris Duncan, whose numbers have just gone up and up and looks to have a great month of July.

Jose Valverde is a closer that I think might be somewhat of a dud in the second half. Part of it is not his fault as the D-Backs have lost 8 of their last 9 and may have cost themselves a huge chance of the playoffs. Valverde’s last save was all the way back on July 29 against the Giants and his last outing he gave up one earned in only 0.2 innings and got the loss. Keep in mind that his save total has gone done every month this year. I would expect a monster second half from the normally good Mariano Rivera as his Yankees look to make a run for the playoffs.

Second Half Studs

As we near the All-Star Break and the final players are voted in, managers gear themselves for the second half of the fantasy baseball season. A couple simple changes can be an extreme makeover and make contenders out of the teams that are in the basements of their leagues. Stay current and be aggressive with the waiver wire. Don’t keep players because of their names and not their stats. (Meaning: just because Todd Helton hit 30 homers three years ago and was a star does not mean that you can not drop him) Here are a couple of players that I believe could be all star fantasy players for the second half of the fantasy season.

Miguel Olivo: Here is a player that may not be someone that comes to mind for everyone. He is been playing some great ball for the Marlins recently and happens to be Yahoo’s 3^rd best ranked catcher over the past month. He does not have a great average, but it is quickly on the rise and he is starting to put up some power numbers. Olivo has a tendency to be slightly better in the first half, but I look for him to still be a pretty good sleeper for a tough spot to fill.

Mark Teixeira: Tex is coming back next week and look for him to put up big numbers. He is a huge second half player and look for another one this year. He might not be as good as he is coming off an injury, but you could most likely get him at a decent price and will be a solid option.

Paul Konerko: Like Tex, you might not need Konerko, as first base is a fairly easy fantasy position to fill, however he is still a guy I would like to have around on my team maybe even for a utility spot. His stats have been slowly increasing by month and I’d believe that he (and Chicago) is bound to break out and have a great month. Paul does have 15 homers, which isn’t bad so I look for him as a good guy to grap.

Brad Hawpe: I am becoming more and more of a fan of Hawpe. That Colorado lineup is really heating up and Hawpe has players around him like All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday and the hot Garrett Atkins to drive in, with a player like Tulowitzki to drive him in. He already has 14 homers and almost 60 RBIs so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up with around 35 dingers and 100+ RBIs.

Mike Mussina: I can not write a column with out mentioning at least one pitcher. Mussina is a very much established pitcher with almost 250 wins. He has been off to a slow start this year, but has look much better. In fact, over his last 6 starts, he has not given up more than 7 hits in a game, while factoring in some punchouts.

At the Crossroads

Hey, guys! Sorry about the delay. However, sometimes good things come after long periods of waiting. Just ask the Tigers about Kenny Rogers. And, about him, I have noticed that a lot of people are flocking to pick him up. I wouldn’t get him just yet, but keep an eye on him if you can. And he is surrounded by talent and offense on that team. Curtis Granderson has been hot recently and with the development of power, he has become a very nice 5-tool player. He racks up runs, while still contributing a good amount of steals. With Sheffield and Ordonez, I’d expect Rogers to get a good amount of wins considering the time he has missed.

Okay, we’re now about half way into the season so you have to be thinking about trades. One guy that you have to go after right now especially if you have some holes is Ryan Howard. You knew he had the power, now you know he has the average. He is hitting .299 in June and collecting 7 homers. Another 1^st baseman that has been playing some great ball is Carlos Pena down in Tampa Bay. He has been putting up numbers close to Pujols and is a great fill-in for someone like Mark Teixeira.

One top pitcher that you might not think to trade but should is Cole Hamels. The young talent and wins total can deceive you, but I would not hang on to him. Even though Hamels is a good source of strikeouts, his ERA in May and June has both been above 4. Plus, reports on MLB.com say that the Phillies must be cautious with their young left hander near the end of the year, especially if Philly is not in a pennant run.

Staying on pitching, one guy that you should grab is Erik Bedard. He has not given up more than 3 runs in his last 10 starts. Five wins doesn’t do much for me, but he continues to lower his ERA, while becoming the league leader in strikeouts. He has a decent whip and is a great guy to snag for a late season run. One last pitcher to keep an eye on is Mark Buehrle. His last three outings have all been quality starts and look him to pick up the pace if he is traded, as he likely will be, to a contending team.

Figuring it is late June, it is a great time to take a deep look at your team and see what it will take. If you are in a rotisserie leagues the points are really telling. A guy like Bedard would be a good option because he will fulfill strikeout needs and maybe it only takes a spare player to fill another owner’s needs. It is important to look at other teams especially ones in which you trade with. If they’re last in runs, make them pay for Bobby Abreu. And most importantly, stay active and don’t give up!

Oh, what a year!

This year has been somewhat crazy of a start. Should that surprise anyone? But these days, it is the norm for the unexpected. Prince Fielder has had a better start than Albert Pujols, even though the consensus was that Albert was the number one pick and the most certain thing. As a result of this inconsistency, I’ve seen many trades on forums and elsewhere where some guy spends a lot for some player that wasn’t drafted, but has had a hot start. Barry Bonds is not worth spending Grady Sizemore. Today I want to sort out which players are the Dan Ugglas and the Chris Sheltons, or players that have started hot, but will not last. People I have as Sheltons are people I think that are good sell high candidates or ones that aren’t worth their price tag. However the ones like Uggla are ones that were players that did not have high expectations, but were solid players that had breakout years. Here are a couple of players I believe go in each category.

Real Deal:

B.J. Upton: I am fan of Upton. He hits in the D-Ray lineup that looks much improved this year. Upton has a great average and with 5 homers and 20 RBI in April he has showed pop. If he had played all last year, he would have had about 30 steals and it looks like he could reach that this year, which would be a bonus. Upton plays second, a tough spot to fill, but also is 3^rd Base eligible in some leagues. At the start of the year, he was batting 9^th, but now he is at the 6 spot and looks like he is producing even more.

Adrian Gonzalez: Here is another guy I like. He had a solid year last year, but somehow went under the radar and in Yahoo leagues; his average draft position was 220. Last year, he proved his power by getting 24 HRs and 82 RBIs. He batted .304 last year and this year it is .310. He also is batting fourth most of the games this year, a step up from last year. I expect a solid year from Gonzalez and because he plays first base, many people won’t need him and you could probably attain him at a good price.

Rich Hill: Definitely for real! National league look out. Hill has given the Cubs much needed quality starts and other than his second start versus Milwaukee, every start has been at least seven innings and under two runs. He gets a substantial amount of strikeouts, while posting an unreal 0.87 WHIP. Last year, he was superb after the break and he is just continuing this year. He is certainly a guy to go out and get.

Chris Sheltons:

Aaron Hill: I am just not a believer in Hill. Before this year, his best month was one where he hit 4 homers and had 10 RBIs. He was fortunate enough to have 33 at bats with runners in scoring position; that is 8 more times than A-Rod in a great Yankee lineup. He is .269 with runners on, but the amount of at bats is the reason for the RBI total. I would be shocked if he followed up his hot April with a few more.

Josh Beckett: Remember last year. Beckett started hot and even had 11 wins at the break. Well I expect it to happen again because Beckett plays in a tough division for pitchers. His era (2.48) will go up big time. I’ve seen people pay big prices for a couple of good starts because this isn’t going to last. Just ask the people who had him last year.

My Thoughts on a Man Called Dice-K

Despite my love of the Yankees, there is one positive thing about all the attention given to Boston’s 100 million dollar, Daisuke Matsuzaka. That’s because even though I am a Yankee fan first, I am a baseball fan second. Being a baseball fan, I’m like most (except fans out west and others) because I am sick of hearing about Barry Bonds and the steroid issue. During the preseason, I want to hear about pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training. However, the words I usually hear are ones like Bonds, steroids, and what Bud Selig did and didn’t do, not to mention the home run record.

However, this year has been a little different. Bonds has been mentioned, as well as where Hank Aaron won’t be when Barry breaks the prestigious record. But some of the attention has been shifted to the outbursts of some managers, and most of all to Matsuzaka Mania. It’s about time baseball talk should be positive not negative. “Dice-K” is a mystery with several pitches, namely the Gyro ball. From what I have read, the pitch is like a four seam grip, but thrown like a screwball causing movement like a slider.

Figuring this is a fantasy baseball column; I have to stay true to its name and talk about the fantasy side. As a Matsuzaka owner, you must love the hype surrounding him, or should I say Matsuzaka Mania. Because of this hype and potential, his value is a bit inflated. The fact that no one knows how good he is going to be in America, makes him fantasy gold because people are willing to take a risk and trade for him because of a possibility for a big reward. Translation: He is a great sell high candidate. Some advice I learned from the Fantasy Man is to know your league mates. How cool would it be for a Boston fan to have Dice-K on his fantasy team if he has a great year? But after Sheffield started off slow and Kendrick missed months, you were glad to get Bobby Abreu and B.J. Upton in the trade. You think you’ll get much from the team named Bronx Bombers? The fan from Boston is going to get him at almost any cost and will overpay.

Last year, I made a great move. Only a few scoreless ninths and some strikeout potential made this closer convince me. He impressed me enough that by the 2nd week I had to have the guy… Jonathon Papelbon that is. After awhile, the Boston fan in my league realized him. He wanted Papelbon and begged for him and I used his liking of Boston as leverage. I’m not saying to trade Matsuzaka because that could make me look bad, but see what kind of offers you get. Like I said, the Boston fan will probably overpay, which could help fill a hole from an injury. It looks like Dice-K’s next five starts will be against the Yanks, Mariners, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Braves. (All can score and hit home runs) And if runners are on base, Matsuzaka’s era is 8.71; proof that he has trouble from the stretch. His next start is in New York, where hitters can draw several walks and cause a shaky start. Now may be the time to get full value.

Some of My Thoughts

Last night, I watched Dice-K and the Red Sox play the Yankees. Matsuzaka did end up getting the win, but he looked a little shaky. He gave up six runs in 7+ innings, but was lucky enough to have the Boston bats hit well behind him. I hate to break it to owners of him, but I think he is a little overrated. Lack of run support can be used as an excuse to his record, but he did not pitch well last night and got a win. His other win was against Kansas City, which just doesn’t do much for me. He can strike out a good amount, but his era is at four. I hate to be an early judge, but he is not making me buy into all of the hype and the fact that he has trouble from the stretch also concerns me.

Onto another note, J.D. Drew looked very good last night. Drew has shown early on that he can generate some power numbers and have some pop, while maintaining consistency. Just look at his average. Translation: J.D. Drew is a great pickup if he is available. He can be a five tool player and it looks like the Green Monster will develop him into a hitter to all fields. May not have the best numbers, but he will be better in the long run than some hot start outfielders like Moises Alou or Luis Gonzalez. Keep in mind that a guy like J.D. is very valuable because more often than not it is hard to find a decent option to fill that last outfield spot. Here you go!

Last but not least, Jason Giambi is back. After a slow start, he looks like he is getting back in a groove. He came up with some big RBIs that kept the Yankees in the game. Giambi could be a good guy to get right now, but ride him while he’s hot. The first baseman, like last year, is traditionally better in the first half. I still think he is a good buy low that could boost power numbers.

Tomorrow I will post more about Dice-K.

Pitching Woes

Well, well, well. What a start it has been to the season in fantasy baseball. For many of you, there was a complete mindset during the draft and you a whole other mindset right now. You were content with your team after the draft, but now 6^th place isn’t your ideal location. You’re sleeper hasn’t panned out well and you have holes in the infield already. So what that you drafted Pujols first, then took Manny and Chris Carpenter with the rap around picks. You’ve came to the right site. Now I can’t solve every problem, but I’ll try and help you get to at least 4^th.

Today, I’m going to target the article on pitching. There has been a lot of inconsistency with starting pitching. Zambrano has had a few rough starts, Webb has not started like last year, and Kazmir finally looked like himself against the Twins. The big disappointment so far this year has been Carpenter, although most of that is because of injury. The word on him is he will not need surgery, but the Cardinal ace will be at least a few weeks with the elbow problem. As of now, I don’t know if I would trade him because the injury may only be a few weeks in a long season and getting equal value is not likely. So my suggestion would be to keep him on your DL spot if your league has one or just keep him on the bench.

Anyway, this article is to try and give you guys some advice and say a couple guys I think you could get off the waiver wire or for a good price that could help you out pitching wise. (Basically buy low guys)

Brandon Webb: Not the typical guy you would think is on a list like this, but this year he is. I think the ranks, especially Yahoo’s, is undervaluing him. On Wednesday, Webb had a great outing (8 in, 7 hits, 1 ER, and 13 strikeouts) Even though he got a no decision he looks like he is coming back. Webb’s era is only 4.00 and he is leading the lead in strikeouts. Not to say Arizona is taking it all, but they are improved and his 14 win total will go up.

Tim Wakefield: Here is a guy that may be available in your league. Not to say to name him your ace, but the veteran right ace has thrown well. He has a couple of wins and an era of 1.35. May not get a ton of strikeouts, but is a pretty good temporary option. Currently he has a whip under 1 so if you need pitching you might want to grab Wakefield for a spot start.

Scott Kazmir: If you are going to take one of these pitchers, I think Kazmir is the best. If healthy, Kazmir could make your staff solid by himself. Kazmir gets a ton of strikeouts and might get to 15 wins this year. His era might scare you off, but he will rebound and his whip can help out also. He is especially good for any of you that are in points leagues.

There are some others I like that may be available on the Waiver Wire along with Wakefield. A couple of them are Claudio Vargas, Kyle Lohse, and Ian Snell, who are all decent pickups that can get a lot of strikeouts.

A Lesson the Hard Way

Last season, I have to admit I was not as good or smart of a fantasy owner as I could have been. I think most of us can come out and confess to that. Maybe someone writing about fantasy baseball shouldn’t say something like that, but I can. After all, none of us are perfect. You will look back in early September when you know you aren’t winning it all and say, “If he was still on my team,” I would be much better than these other guys. You say to yourself, “What was I thinking,” when you look at a trade or drop, even though at the time it seemed logical to do the move.

Well if that was you out there than we have something in common. Last year, I did my research and listened to all the video clips of advice. I looked at stats to form my own opinions. I picked out a couple guys I considered sleepers, three really come to mind. They weren’t the best ranked guys or the best known. I offer a trade to someone and they would give me a hard time about the guy even being on my team. That was when I was stupid and made their opinions be my opinions. I ended up dropping all three of them thinking they were right. No big loss. Months later I learned my lesson that sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. Last May, those three no-names would not have made you say they were bad losses, but now you would. Those three no-names are Ervin Santana, Scott Kazmir, and MVP Justin Morneau.

It’s no surprise that I’m taking this year a tad more conservative. After some big moves, I ended up barely making second place and thankful for it. So this column is designed to help you guys not make my mistake, not complain. I want to tell you a couple of players you have to hold on to.

Josh Barfield: Yeah, yeah, I know the guy isn’t batting a thousand, but you got to wait it out a least a little while. Barfield started the first three months going .257, but raised that average to .280 by season’s end. He also had 3 more homers and 6 more RBIs in the second half despite playing in 12 fewer games.

Nick Markakis: Ah yes, Markakis. You bought into the hype, but you haven’t been impressed. Here is another guy who really was a second half player. He had 2 dingers and a poor average at the break last year. If you keep him, you will probably get a nice late season run. Just bench him for a few weeks if you want.

Mike Mussina: A sleeper last year and I believe one this year, too. He is a solid option that will bolster your team’s era. May not get many strikeouts, but is a good source for a secondary pitcher. Expect Mussina to bounce back and win about 14 games thanks to the potent Yankee lineup. Keep your eye on the injury status. He is also a guy that you can buy low now and stash.

Adam Laroche: Laroche is a guy who I think is highly underrated this year. He has had a slow start, but will bounce back like last year. He has showed signs recently of getting his swing back. Laroche is a very streaky hitter so I expect a very hot streak coming up. Note that he has Jason Bay to drive in, with a hot Xavier Nady to bring Laroche’s run total up.