The Blue Workhorse

As we gather with family and friends on Memorial Day weekend, we must remember that nearly a third of the Major League Baseball season has passed us, and for those of you whose fantasy teams are faltering, there is still hope, but it is likely time to make some changes.

One successful method that could get you back in the running for your league title is the “buy low” strategy, in which you nab up or trade for underperforming players. Using split-statistics, in which the players statistics are divided up into each individual month or Pre/Post All-Star Break, here are a few players who might not appear to be overly appealing now, but as the weather heats up, these players seem to follow:

0.15 - In the past seven games, the Cleveland Indians’ starting pitchers have amassed a near unimaginable 0.15 ERA. That’s one single lone earned run in 58 1/3 innings. The earned run came way back on May 9 when staff ace C.C. Sabathia allowed a single earned run in the 5th inning against Toronto.
After Blue [...]

The 2008 Major League Baseball season has started with a bang, and many players have came out of nowhere to post spectacular numbers over the first two weeks. However, all fantasy baseball players need to realize the season is a marathon, not a sprint, and it is far to early to give up on a player who starts slow, especially if they are an established major league player. However, here are some names that have caught the eye over the first two weeks:

Johnny Cueto (SP CIN) – Yes, Johnny Cueto sounds more like a character in a John Wayne movie, but the Reds’ young pitcher has dazzled big league hitters over his first two starts. The Dominican import began the season with a bang with a 7 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 10K performance over Arizona, but I was more anxious to see how Cueto would rebound against Milwaukee’s powerful lineup. All Cueto did was throw 6.1 innings, gave up 5 hits, had 0 walks and 8 strikeouts. His season line thus far: 13.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 18 K, and a WHIP of 0.45.

In 2005, the Chicago White Sox walked away as World Series champions after sweeping the Houston Astros. The following season, the Detroit Tigers fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Then last year, the Cleveland Indians fell in the ALCS to the eventual champs, the Boston Red Sox.

This season, however, hope abounds for each of the division rivals in the American League Central. The Indians look to move past the championship series for the first time since 1995 and are hoping they can get a World Series title on the 60 year anniversary of their last title in 1948.

Detroit, who was the pre-season pick of several analysts to win the World Series, now will have to dig themselves out of an 0-6 start to their season if they want to make it back to the promised land of the October (now partly November) Classic. The White Sox just finished off a sweep of the Tigers and are hoping a rejuvenation to the heart of their lineup can return them to the 90 win plateau they have abandoned the past two seasons.