Scott's Thoughts : CBSSports.com Blogs

My Fantasy Football auction strategy

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 3:28:51 EDT

We conducted a 12-team Fantasy Football auction today. You'll find the complete results here:

http://fantasynews.cbssports.com/fantasyfootball/story/13819787/

For my team specifically, you don't need to go anywhere. Behold:

Lineup:

A tale of two auctions

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 1:26:42 EST

One day after participating in a 12-team mixed-league auction with representatives of various publications throughout the industry, I conducted one of our own here at CBSSports.com. This time, bids came more aggressively, forcing me to take a different approach that I think yielded a better team:

C - A.J. Pierzynski ($1)

C - Jeff Clement ($1)

1B - Joey Votto ($21)

Mauer, V-Mart, Hanley and Tulo on one team!?

Thu, 13 May 2010 21:54:39 EDT

I just completed my first 12-team mixed-league auction for 2010, and though I came out of it with some of the usual regrets, I think my general plan worked out pretty well. Here's the rundown:

C - Joe Mauer ($29)

C - Victor Martinez ($24)

1B - Ryan Howard ($38)

My take on the Meachem controversy

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:52:07 EST

I wanted an opportunity to weigh in on the Robert Meachem issue without dedicating any more column space to it.

Frankly, whether or not it's the right call is a moot point to me. The ruling had to go one way or another and would affect different people differently no matter which way it went. We could argue which way is "more right" without coming to any real consensus, so in the end, it's nothing more than a waste of energy.

What I don't understand is why so many people blew a fuse over the call, knowing a ruling had to be made, knowing that ruling could go either way and knowing it was made without any sort of bias. If your commissioner chose not to credit the touchdown to Meachem and happened to be playing the guy who started Meachem -- a game he won by five points -- I could understand the controversy. But nothing like that happened here.

Early mock draft results

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:21:52 EST

I recently took part in a mock draft for another publication. Kind of early, I know, but at least it gives you some idea what to expect. It's a 15-team league, so don't take the specific rounds too much to heart (unless you play in a 15-team league, of course).

Here's the breakdown, with the rounds in parentheses. I picked eighth overall:

C - Joe Mauer (1)

C - Jesus Flores (20)

Davies and a couple comebacks

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:09:33 EDT

A pair of pitching performances caught my eye Thursday.

First, Kyle Davies -- a guy I chronicled all spring only to shy away from him in the end -- pitched his best yet in a start against the White Sox, allowing only five baserunners and recording eight strikeouts in seven shutout innings. I don't know that you can expect him to strike out so many batters going forward, but his other numbers continue a trend he started last September, when he went 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA.

So would I pick him up in a mixed league? If I already had a scrub pitcher on my bench, I wouldn't mind making an exchange. Ian Snell for Davies is already all-systems-go in one league. When trying to find an out-of-nowhere breakout, you want to keep shuffling the hottest pitchers on and off the waiver until one sticks by staying hot. Nobody will pick up someone like Snell, coming off a miserable start, if you drop him, but someone else might look at Davies if you don't grab him first.

Quick predictions

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:45:15 EDT

I unfortunately won't get a chance to go into much detail, but I wanted to get my predictions on record so people can ridicule them and me and whatever else they want.

So here we go -- my expected standings, as well as award winners, for the upcoming season:

NL EAST

1. Philadelphia Phillies

Street earns job; Rasmus closing in

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 2:38:51 EDT

With most of the roster spots filled and starting pitchers making their final tuneup starts before the regular season, Thursday was a relatively quiet day in baseball.

Most notably, the Rockies named Huston Street their closer over Manny Corpas, which wouldn't have even been a story if they hadn't scared Fantasy owners away from Street earlier this spring. Really, he deserved the job all along. The Athletics drafted him and raised him as a closer, so he doesn't know anything else. He'll suffice as a No. 2 Fantasy option, but he'll have a short leash after his struggles last season.

Cardinals top prospect Colby Rasmus finally homered for the first time, raising his batting average to .286 in the process. No word yet on whether or not Rasmus will start over Chris Duncan in left field, and the two might ultimately end up splitting at-bats. Quite frankly, fellow rookies Jordan Schafer and Dexter Fowler look like safer bets to make an impact this season than the Cardinals outfielder, who has the most upside of the three.

Late spring surprises

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 6:34:26 EDT

I missed a couple days of blogging, so forgive me if I touch on some outdated events.

I want to start with the one player whose performance at this late date in spring training might actually mean something. No, not Alex Gordon, though he fits that same criteria. I'm referring to Travis Hafner, who homered for the second straight game Wednesday, showing the kind of power outburst not seen from him since early in 2007.

But it's two days -- two days -- so I don't want to look too much into it. Then again, I don't want to look too little into it either. For as gone as his power was last year, his shoulder damaged beyond repair, and as little as he has seemed to progress this spring, the Indians sure do show a lot of confidence in him, with manager Eric Wedge already committing to batting him third or fourth in the lineup -- as in the two spots normally reserved for the team's two best hitters.

Closer news is bad news

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:39:00 EDT

I checked out the Mets at the Orioles on Sunday, which might have given me more to discuss if a rain delay in the first inning hadn't forced both starting pitchers out of the game.

For what it's worth, Koji Uehara looked brilliant again, striking out the first two batters he faced -- the first one on three pitches -- in his one inning of work. I keep hearing he has average stuff that won't translate well to the majors, but I see his 14 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings this spring and can't help but think it means something. He has hitters fooled now, and he certainly had them fooled in Japan. The guy has zero hype in Fantasy, so I don't see any good reason why not to take a chance on him late. Hey, once upon a time, people said James Shields had average stuff too.

Not high on Headley

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 2:42:48 EDT

I've devoted so much of this blog to the players I like that I sometimes neglect the ones I don't.

So at long last, time for your heaping helping of Chase Headley.

The sophomore slugger -- well, slugger in theory, anyway -- went 4-for-5 with a home run Saturday, raising his spring batting average to an intimidating ... .274. You had kind of hoped for more, hadn't you? Still, if you look at his recent player updates, you see plenty of big performances -- 3-for-5, 3-for-3, etc. Just by looking at those isolated games, you know he has the potential, but the final results are lacking.

Most telling to me is his 17 strikeouts compared to only three walks. He never had ratios that bad in the minors, which suggests he probably doesn't have a complete understanding of major-league pitching yet. And since he plays in a ballpark capable of neutralizing his power anyway, I see no reason to give him a look in mixed leagues. NL-only, maybe, but I know someone will take him before I would.

Concerns regarding some sleeper pitchers

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 2:24:10 EDT

I got a chance to see the Marlins face the Orioles on Thursday and to confirm some of my suspicions on Anibal Sanchez.

In short, I don't like him in Fantasy. Something about his performance this spring doesn't rub me the right way, and it has everything to do with the number of hits he has allowed. He looked fine through the first three innings, but he came apart in the fourth and ended up allowing 12 hits in five innings to give him a staggering 39 in 23 2/3 innings this spring.

It might not bother me so much if he showed some ability to deceive hitters, but he has only nine strikeouts. He's just not fooling anybody. I could maybe overlook the performance if he was an established veteran, but he's a 25-year-old coming off significant shoulder surgery. He hasn't had Fantasy-relevant numbers since 2006, when he made only 17 starts.

Price down; Salty and Johnson up

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:54:16 EDT

Well, that's that.

The Rays confirmed what we had all pretty much come to realize in recent weeks: David Price will begin the season in the minor leagues. They made it official Wednesday, optioning him to Triple-A Durham. Strangely enough, Jason Hammel appears the frontrunner for the fifth starter job even though Jeff Niemann has more upside. Really, whichever pitcher wins the job will have sleeper appeal in AL-only leagues. Hammel isn't a bad pitcher; Niemann just seems the more logical choice to start since the Rays already went through the trouble of converting Hammel to the bullpen last year.

As for Price, he'll return to the majors at some point this year, and given his talent, somebody still needs to draft him in mixed leagues. I wouldn't want to be that guy, though. I'll save my sleeper picks for the six-month types. (Jordan Zimmermann over Price? Oh, I think so.)

The good keep getting better

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:56:08 EDT

Since I have only so much time to devote to this blog every day, I refuse to write about the same players over and over again.

That's what I wanted to say, anyway. But then Ryan Spilborghs hit his third home run, Todd Helton hit his fourth home run -- a "towering" shot -- Mark Teahen had three hits to give him a .514 batting average (to go along with five home runs) and Kyle Davies rebounded from his one poor start this spring to give up only one run in 5 1/3 innings.

What can I do? The good just keep getting better.

Helton has me especially intrigued because every time he hits a home run, it's not a wall-scraper but an absolute bomb. Granted, I'm judging mostly from second-person accounts and not footage I've witnessed personally, but I assume these people don't have any reason to exaggerate. And keep in mind Helton got off to a late start this spring, meaning he has only 23 at-bats.

Cubs staff and love for Lowrie

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:26:04 EDT

I can't talk about Thursday's baseball action without mentioning Cubs manager Lou Piniella's inevitable decision to make Sean Marshall his fifth starter. He earned it, compiling a 0.63 ERA in 14 1/3 innings this spring. Actually, he earned it years ago, but the Cubs never had a sufficient opening in their rotation. I have my doubts he can strike out at least seven batters per nine innings, which might cause me to shy away from him in mixed leagues, but in NL-only leagues, he's a no-brainer after the usual names go off the board.

Now, if only the Cubs would name Carlos Marmol their closer. I swear, the competition between him and Kevin Gregg makes me more nervous every day. If you take the plunge and draft Marmol before the Cubs announce a winner, don't do what I did and miss out on Gregg in the late rounds. Make sure you draft him at least one round before anyone else would even conceive it. Believe me: You'll save yourself some serious turmoil.

Tommy John survivors thriving

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:03:35 EDT

Chris Carpenter just keeps getting better and better, pitching a full six scoreless innings against the Orioles on Thursday. That's midseason form right there. He now has 14 scoreless innings this spring. The J.D. Salinger of MLB aces needed two full years to recover from reconstructive elbow surgery, but you have to remember that when we last saw him, he finished third in NL Cy Young voting. I'd feel better if he had more than four strikeouts during those 14 innings of work, but if I hold that against him, I'm just looking for flaws. If you can get him after every Zack Greinke and Brett Myers goes of the board, you have a pretty good bargain.

Speaking of near-perfect springs from Tommy John returnees, Chris Ray can brag about his too, pitching his sixth scoreless inning of the exhibition season in that same game. He also recorded his sixth and seventh strikeouts. Remember how George Sherrill had a 6.59 ERA after the All-Star break last year? Yeah, Ray replaces before the end of April. Mark it down.

Add Spilborghs to the list of sleepers

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:40:48 EDT

It finally happened. Kyle Davies had a bad spring start, allowing five runs in three innings against the Rockies on Tuesday. So much for that 0.71 ERA, but I'm not ready to write him off just yet. Remember, his sleeper potential had more to do with his 4-1 record and 2.27 ERA last September than anything that happened this spring. I still can't convince myself to draft him in a mixed league, though -- or at least I haven't yet.

Moving on to another favorite of this blog, Denard Span finally showed some signs of life Tuesday, homering off Jonathan Papelbon during a two-hit game. If he heats up over the final half of spring training, he has a starting job for sure, and I don't think the Twins can afford to remove him from the leadoff spot either way. Until I hear otherwise, I maintain he'll start in the outfield and one of Delmon Young, Carlos Gomez and Michael Cuddyer -- most likely Young or Gomez -- will not.

Getting gushy over Zimmermann

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:58:45 EDT

Count me among the many hopping aboard the Jordan Zimmermann bandwagon (though hopefully not too many if I have any hope of drafting him). The Nationals top prospect, already blowing away the competition this spring, had his best performance yet Monday against the Marlins, recording six strikeouts in four scoreless innings. He has recorded 16 strikeouts and allowed only six hits in 12 1/3 scoreless innings this spring, good enough to make manager Manny Acta come dangerously close to awarding him a rotation spot already:

"We're going to make the decision on whether it's going to be the best for him or for us. Right now, it looks like it will be the best thing for us."

I'm ready to draft him in my 10-team mixed league -- yes, mixed league -- and I don't care if my opponents know it. It's off to the races for him, I say, meaning you should check your league's waiver wire if you've already drafted.

Hermida and Davies impressing

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 4:14:56 EDT

I'm officially back on board with Jeremy Hermida as a late-round sleeper. He hit his third home run of the spring Thursday and is batting .391. Most impressively to me, though, he has five walks to only three strikeouts. It's a small sample size, yes, but he demonstrated that kind of patience just about every year in the minors and hasn't even come close to it yet in the majors. I at least have an inkling something has changed with him, and in the late rounds, an inkling is all you need.

Also in the Marlins game, Ricky Nolasco struck out four batters in four innings and issued just his first walk of the spring. That combination of control and strikeout ability has me totally in his corner. Actually, I like both of last year's out-of-nowhere aces, Nolasco and Ryan Dempster. Totally legit, I say.

Zimmermann and closer considerations

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:32:19 EDT

Top pitching prospect Jordan Zimmermann continues to dominate for the Nationals, extending his scoreless streak to 8 1/3 innings Tuesday. With as little pitching as the Nationals have in the majors, I have no idea why they would choose to send the soon-to-be 23-year-old to the minors if this performance continues. Forget NL-only leagues; I think he has sleeper potential even in mixed leagues.

In Cardinals camp, converted outfielder Joe Mather looks the favorite to start at third base after the team reassigned David Freese and Brett Wallace on Tuesday. He hit eight home runs in 133 at-bats last year and is a definite sleeper for the first month of the season, but keep in mind Troy Glaus will return before too long. Also, Jason Motte struck out two in a perfect ninth inning against the Tigers to record a save. Saves don't usually mean anything in spring training since closers often pitch earlier in games, before the minor leaguers have taken over, but manager Tony La Russa has to see how Motte can handle the pressure of the ninth inning. It might mean something; it might not. Either way, I don't think you can trust any of the Cardinals closing candidates right now -- be it Chris Perez, Ryan Franklin or Motte. Based on the way La Russa used his bullpen last season, the three will likely open the year in some sort of committee.

That 'little kid' can play

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 2:00:02 EDT

Mike Fontenot made the most noise in Monday's exhibition action, going 2-for-3 with a double and his second home run of the spring. He's hitting .367 so far and appears to have caught his manager's attention.

"That little kid at second base -- he is after a job, isn't he?" Cubs manager Lou Piniella said.

Finally, some sanity! I could never understand what exactly Aaron Miles did to deserve even halfhearted consideration. Meanwhile, Fontenot showed surprising power last year and could hit 15-20 homers in a full season of at-bats. You couldn't use that kind of production from your second baseman?

At this point in the spring, I'm ready to declare Fontenot the Cubs' starting second baseman and Sean Marshall the team's fifth starting pitcher. Both look like the kind of NL-only sleepers who could quickly become relevant in mixed leagues as well.

Span the man and more on A-Rod

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:37:07 EDT

The Twins visited the Orioles on Sunday, and I had a chance to check it out. Francisco Liriano pretty much stole the show with his five strikeouts in four perfect innings. That's right: Nobody touched him for nearly half the ballgame.

If that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will.

And you should get excited. Of all the No. 2 starting pitchers in Fantasy Baseball, he has the best chance of becoming a top-five option. I don't personally see myself drafting him since I normally take a No. 2 starter as my No. 1 and would prefer someone safer like Chad Billingsley, James Shields or Jon Lester, but I consider Liriano an excellent value pick in the seventh round or later simply because his ceiling reaches so high.

Looking elsewhere, I struck up a conversation with a Twins beat writer, asking her if she had any idea how the Twins outfield would line up with all of Denard Span, Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer and Carlos Gomez competing for three starting spots. Because they spend so much time with one team, beat writers have a way of hearing the unspoken, of picking up on managers' leanings even if they don't want to go so far as to say them.

A-Rod: How scared is too scared?

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:06:29 EDT

Don't know what to think of this Alex Rodriguez, torn labrum, possible surgery and four-month rehabilitation hoopla? Join the club.

He says he'll try to play through it, but that approach has its drawbacks, most notably the "try" and the "through."

I have him in a keeper league. I have him in several leagues actually, so my heart aches today. But in this keeper league, I also have Chase Utley, coming off his own hip surgery that could still end up sidelining him for the beginning of the season. I could deal with his risk on its own, but can I really afford to keep both him and A-Rod? Can you afford to take them with your first two picks?

I'd like to hear more. I'd like some kind of assurance he'll last through the season, but I doubt I'll get it. The information I have today likely won't change by the time I have to make my decision.

A quick look at Japan's latest

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 2:45:28 EST

I got a chance to see Koji Uehara, better known as the Orioles' second starter, live and in person Wednesday against the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic team. Remember last World Baseball Classic, when Japan won the title? Remember how they kept getting dominant pitching performances from Daisuke Matsuzaka and ... that other guy? Yeah, Uehara is that other guy.

And fittingly enough, his biggest victory in that tournament came against the Dominican Republic.

He looked like the same guy Wednesday, allowing only two hits in three scoreless innings. He also recorded two strikeouts and now has five strikeouts in five scoreless innings.

And he doesn't seem the least bit intimidated, even by that imposing Dominican lineup that featured Hanley Ramirez and David Ortiz, among others.

Searching for meaning early

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 3:16:24 EST

I told Jeremy Hermida I'd keep my eye on him, so naturally he goes and hits another home run Tuesday -- his third of the spring. I don't know if anyone will keep track of it since it didn't come in Grapefruit League play, but I'll remember. I'll always remember, Jeremy. I can't deny his performance this spring has me thinking about him late in mixed leagues again. The numbers last year simply didn't match the talent.

I like what Ian Snell did for Team Puerto Rico against the Twins: three innings, one hit, three strikeouts. All was not right with this guy last year, and after reviewing some tape in the offseason, he seems recommitted to keeping the ball down in the strike zone -- a solution that almost sounds too simple, yes, but he has to know about a problem before he can know how to correct it. You probably won't have to draft him in mixed leagues, but you should monitor him early in the season to see how well he rebounds from last year's disaster.

AL scrubs and not-so-scrubs

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 2:23:51 EST

I got a chance to check out the Red Sox at the Orioles on Monday, which might have thrilled me more if something halfway noteworthy happened. The Red Sox didn't bring many of their big-name players, many of whom have departed for the World Baseball Classic. Justin Masterson started and looked good, which has some significance because he might just open the season in the rotation if Brad Penny (shoulder) doesn't return in time. Then again, I had a chance to select Masterson in an AL-only draft later that day and went with Bartolo Colon instead, if that tells you anything.

Speaking of Colon, both he and Jose A. Contreras threw off the mound Monday and remain on track for opening day. Both of these pitchers tend to go awfully late in AL-only leagues. They shouldn't. I don't expect them to pitch like Cy Young contenders or anything, but in those deeper leagues, even middling types have some appeal.

Price not right for me

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 9:51:49 EST

If I keep talking this way, someone might accuse me of David Price bashing.

But I can't help it. I just get this strange feeling he'll open the season in the minor leagues. Hey, someone has to, and Jeff Niemann can't. Price at least has options.

And then this happens: Jason Hammel throws four shutout innings against the Blue Jays on Sunday. He now has six shutout innings this spring and wants to win the starting job. He said it.

Now, Hammel is no Price, obviously. Neither is Niemann. But both have talent, and the Rays have to find room for them. Both could go to the bullpen, yes, but they can't go to the minor leagues. Price can. The solution sounds almost too logical, as much as you hate to hear it in Fantasy.

Reyes batting third? Seriously?

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 0:35:36 EST

Travis Snider and Matt LaPorta probably hit the most notable home runs Thursday, given the hype surrounding them as two of the game's better outfield prospects. Snider has a better chance of breaking camp with the team -- and likely will, in fact -- but at age 21, he has plenty of on-the-job learning to do. I can't see him impacting mixed leagues this year. Just look at how much time Justin Upton has needed to develop.

Of course, I can't overlook the two home runs hit by one Jose B. Reyes, who batted third for the Mets. First Hanley Ramirez, now Reyes? Can't these shortstops just stick with what made them Fantasy studs in the first place? If Reyes keeps hitting this way, the experiment might become a reality, but I can't help but wonder how he plans to steal 50-70 bases with the No. 1 and 2 hitters clogging the bases in front of him. Plus, how can the Mets risk running him so often with the meat of their lineup coming to the plate? It concerns me a little, but not enough for me to draft Reyes any differently.

Feb. 26 spring observations : Cardinals, Giants

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 3:18:15 EST

Spring is here, and it showed with a packed schedule Wednesday as teams opened exhibition play.

The most interesting tidbits came out of Cardinals camp, where Skip Schumaker started at second base and manager Tony La Russa sounded ready to give him the job then and there.

It's still too early to tell, obviously, but you have to think the Cardinals wouldn't be pushing this idea so hard if they didn't want to get Colby Rasmus in their lineup. The elite prospect started in left field and batted second -- yes, in front of Albert Pujols. If the pattern continues heading into the regular season, Rasmus is a slam dunk to win NL Rookie of the Year, in my opinion. We're talking crazy lineup protection. It wouldn't help Ryan Ludwick's chances of a repeat season, though.

NL-only auction follow-up

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:55:41 EDT

Not as pleased with this one.

We had our 12-team, NL-only 5x5 Rotisserie auction Tuesday, and only now do I have a chance to comment on it. It's not that I think it's a disaster or doesn't stand a chance of competing. But I feel like it could have gone so much better, and our AL-only auction the next day pretty much confirmed my suspicions.

Oh well. Let's just look it over and talk it up.

C - Angel Salome ($1)