Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
For the Texas Rangers, 2009 was a rousing success of a transition year. The team who used to simply try to outscore you altered their mindset. They put more of an emphasis on pitching and defense, and it paid off. They dropped down from first to seventh in runs scored in the AL, but the team ERA climbed from last (14th) to eighth. Their defense went from one of the worst in baseball to being considered one of the best.
The result was a huge step forward in the one stat that really matters for Ron Washington and his troops: they won 87 games, which was the most for the Rangers since 2004. Expect the growth to continue as the Rangers are loaded with young talent. The only problems could be money (more on that later) and the fact that their division is going to be really strong for the foreseeable future. But, hey, to be the best, you gotta beat the best.
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
The Phillies weren't expecting much when they signed Pedro Martinez right around mid-season. Well, let me rephrase and say the Phillies weren't expecting this much.
On Sunday, Martinez pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out seven while walking two. But those aren't his most amazing numbers. When Martinez pitches the Phillies are a perfect 7-0. Think about that. Every time Pedro runs out there to take the mound the Phillies win.
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.
On Saturday, Brett Anderson struck out six batters while allowing three runs in five innings, nabbing us a win. Today, Mike Pelfrey pitched eight innings of one-run ball, securing us another win. Even with a 5.51 ERA through the first six games of September, the Team has an excellent 25/9 K/BB ratio and 4 wins in 6 starts. The main culprit has been our spot starters' tendency to give up home runs, as they've combined for 8 HRs allowed in this first week of September.
We're at the point in most fantasy baseball leagues where the trade deadline has passed, so to make any kind of roster moves you need to rely solely on the waiver wire. But, that's not a bad thing. There's still lots of talent to be had.
In Tuesday night's version of the Fantasy Baseball Cram Session, Tom Herrera and I talked about finding different categories in rotisserie-style scoring where you can gain ground on the teams ahead of you. We focus on saves, stolen bases, wins and home runs and give you a number of players on the waiver wire who could help your team make up some of the difference between you and the guy(s) ahead of you in the standings. Listen to the podcast after the jump.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That now it's the Red Sox who can't get out of their own way against the Yankees, as opposed to the other way around.
After going 8-0 against New York to start the season, Boston has now lost five straight to its rivals following a 20-11 drubbing at Fenway Park.
Hideki Matsui was the standout offensive star among many on Friday night, homering twice and driving in seven runs to pace the Yankee attack. Matsui and his teammates have made it very obvious that whatever hurdle there was to playing the Red Sox early in the year has now been cleared.
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.
Yesterday, the Rangers staked Tommy Hunter to a big lead, and while his four earned runs allowed in 5.2 innings weren't great, he did come away with five strikeouts and a win, the Stream Team's 11th win in 17 August games. I gambled on Manny Parra harnessing his wildness tonight against Pittsburgh; we'll see if it pays off.
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.
Someone at our weekly Friday chats was hoping I could guarantee a quality start from Tom Gorzelanny yesterday. While there are never guarantees in fantasy baseball, I was confident he'd put up a great stat-line. He didn't put up a quality start (in which you need to go six innings), but to be fair, that wasn't his fault. Gorzelanny was pulled after just 83 pitches, but he was still able to strike out eight guys in five innings of one-run ball while getting a win. For the Team, we'll take that every time. We backed Mike Pelfrey today.
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.
Wednesday was a great day for spot-starter Tommy Hunter. The Texas rookie dominated the Tribe, throwing 7.2 innings of shutout ball, striking out five and earning a win. Hunter has allowed just 14 runs in nine starts this year; knowing that, I'd run out and add him to my mixed-league team immediately.
Today, I went with Manny Parra, who was torched by the Padres. Parra gave up 13 hits and six runs in 5.2 innings, but even though he wrecked our ratios, there was some positive aspects to the start. We did get seven strikeouts from Parra, and the Milwaukee offense came through with 11 runs of support while he was in the game, giving the Team another win.
You see, when it comes to marquee names like Pedro, the expectations are always a bit unrealistic. It would be nice if legends could harness the same stuff at age 37, but that's just not the way it goes. In fact, the Martinez we saw in his season debut Wednesday wasn't all that impressive from a fantasy perspective.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the 
We're at the point in most 
Starting Five
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the 
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the 
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Starting Five
