Written by Starbonell on 28 July 2013.
With 15 HRs, call him Kelly Ka-POW-ski
Photo Credit: Keith Allison
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Most fantasy writers have no problem recommending players you should go after, but do they really pick up all the players they hype up? I’ll answer for them: no. Here on “Star’s Shares,” we’ll discuss players yours truly has personally invested in throughout the three leagues I’m in. If a player is good enough to sit on one of my teams, then surely they are worthy of your attention.*
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More after the jump:
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The 13-Teamer Pick-Ups
The bros in this tier are the ones many of you will find most useful. This league features just one catcher, three outfielders, and no CIs or MIs. It also utilizes classic 5x5 roto categories and daily free agent pickups. It’s as default as it gets, with one major difference: the innings limit is 2000. It forces streaming and aggressive pitching strategies. This is a league I’ve been running for over 10 years. The league is composed of personal friends of mine, Sons of Roto readers, and a couple of competitive fantasy gamers found on Yahoo! message boards.*
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Junior Lake
There are mixed opinions of Lake, but one thing cannot be denied: dude is a beast. He’s got all talent to be a true five-tool fantasy player, but he’s been a raw product for much of his pro career and there are plenty of talent evaluators who believe he’ll never be an impact player in the majors. Cubs manager Dale Sveum is not one of those people. He’s been hitting Blake first or second in the lineup since his call up and the 23-year-old is taking full advantage (.385 BA with five extra-base hits in his first nine games). Lake has 30-steal wheels and some untapped power potential that might be starting to show itself (two HRs since call up). He’s battled some major strikeout issues in the minors thanks to his aggressive approach at the plate, so that’s something to keep an eye on. Overall, however, Lake is well worth a pick up in keeper formats and deep mixed leagues.
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Kelly Johnson
When Kelly Johnson sucks, he sucks REAL bad. It’s why he was dropped in this league in late June (he hit .116 that month). He’s been much better in July, with a .327 BA, four HRs, and only 12 strikeouts. I’m confident that my patience will be tested at some point by KJ after he goes on one of his patented suck-streaks, but until then, I’ll take the plus-power and solid counting stats. He’s worth a pick up for those of you looking for some 2B or MI help.
*
The Keeper Krackpots
This is a 10-team, head-to-head keeper league that I joined this year after inheriting someone’s team. Even though it’s only 10 teams, it’s a highly competitive money league that has waivers three times a week. Only one catcher in this one, but five OFs (LF/CF/RF/OF/OF), plus a CI and MI. Saves do not count for shit in this league, which gives it a nice twist. OBP, SLG, K/BB, and quality starts count on top of the usual 5x5 cats. Of course, because it’s a keeper league, you also take next year into consideration with some of the pickups.
*
Standing pat with my roster for the time being. Stay tuned.
*
The Blog Wars Ballers
Blog Wars is the annual Sons of Roto league. It’s a 15-team roto joint that includes writers from Yahoo!, Razzball, Fangraphs, and others. It’s 5x5 and is a daily league, but includes two catchers, five OFs, a CI, and an MI. There are also five DL spots and daily free agent moves are allowed. It’s highly competitive because everyone in here writes about fantasy baseball and is usually picking up a sleeper weeks before the casual fan even hears of them. For this league, the waiver wire is mostly about long-term potential and it’s not uncommon to see people stash dudes who aren’t even starting. Of course, because of the depth, it’s also normal to see people picking up scrubs simply because they are getting regular playing time.
*
Other than streaming pitchers, there has been no need to rock the boat with my roster.
More...
With 15 HRs, call him Kelly Ka-POW-ski
Photo Credit: Keith Allison
*
Most fantasy writers have no problem recommending players you should go after, but do they really pick up all the players they hype up? I’ll answer for them: no. Here on “Star’s Shares,” we’ll discuss players yours truly has personally invested in throughout the three leagues I’m in. If a player is good enough to sit on one of my teams, then surely they are worthy of your attention.*
*
More after the jump:
*
The 13-Teamer Pick-Ups
The bros in this tier are the ones many of you will find most useful. This league features just one catcher, three outfielders, and no CIs or MIs. It also utilizes classic 5x5 roto categories and daily free agent pickups. It’s as default as it gets, with one major difference: the innings limit is 2000. It forces streaming and aggressive pitching strategies. This is a league I’ve been running for over 10 years. The league is composed of personal friends of mine, Sons of Roto readers, and a couple of competitive fantasy gamers found on Yahoo! message boards.*
*
Junior Lake
There are mixed opinions of Lake, but one thing cannot be denied: dude is a beast. He’s got all talent to be a true five-tool fantasy player, but he’s been a raw product for much of his pro career and there are plenty of talent evaluators who believe he’ll never be an impact player in the majors. Cubs manager Dale Sveum is not one of those people. He’s been hitting Blake first or second in the lineup since his call up and the 23-year-old is taking full advantage (.385 BA with five extra-base hits in his first nine games). Lake has 30-steal wheels and some untapped power potential that might be starting to show itself (two HRs since call up). He’s battled some major strikeout issues in the minors thanks to his aggressive approach at the plate, so that’s something to keep an eye on. Overall, however, Lake is well worth a pick up in keeper formats and deep mixed leagues.
*
Kelly Johnson
When Kelly Johnson sucks, he sucks REAL bad. It’s why he was dropped in this league in late June (he hit .116 that month). He’s been much better in July, with a .327 BA, four HRs, and only 12 strikeouts. I’m confident that my patience will be tested at some point by KJ after he goes on one of his patented suck-streaks, but until then, I’ll take the plus-power and solid counting stats. He’s worth a pick up for those of you looking for some 2B or MI help.
*
The Keeper Krackpots
This is a 10-team, head-to-head keeper league that I joined this year after inheriting someone’s team. Even though it’s only 10 teams, it’s a highly competitive money league that has waivers three times a week. Only one catcher in this one, but five OFs (LF/CF/RF/OF/OF), plus a CI and MI. Saves do not count for shit in this league, which gives it a nice twist. OBP, SLG, K/BB, and quality starts count on top of the usual 5x5 cats. Of course, because it’s a keeper league, you also take next year into consideration with some of the pickups.
*
Standing pat with my roster for the time being. Stay tuned.
*
The Blog Wars Ballers
Blog Wars is the annual Sons of Roto league. It’s a 15-team roto joint that includes writers from Yahoo!, Razzball, Fangraphs, and others. It’s 5x5 and is a daily league, but includes two catchers, five OFs, a CI, and an MI. There are also five DL spots and daily free agent moves are allowed. It’s highly competitive because everyone in here writes about fantasy baseball and is usually picking up a sleeper weeks before the casual fan even hears of them. For this league, the waiver wire is mostly about long-term potential and it’s not uncommon to see people stash dudes who aren’t even starting. Of course, because of the depth, it’s also normal to see people picking up scrubs simply because they are getting regular playing time.
*
Other than streaming pitchers, there has been no need to rock the boat with my roster.
More...
