Fantasy Baseball Dugout

Cynthia Rodriguez (aka C-Rod), wife of New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod), announced today that she has  officially removed herself from Fantasy Baseball Dugout’s first annual “Baseball’s Hottest Wives” competition.

(OK, so not really… but we wish we mattered that much!)

The AP reported late Thursday AM that the New York Daily News reported on its website that Alex and Cynthia split less than three months after the birth of their second child, amid rumors that the couple have been experiencing “problems” since the birth of the child.

Reports linking C-Rod to rocker Lenny Kravitz have been denied, as have rumors linking A-Rod to Madonna. The couple were married in November 2002 and have two children.

Fantasy Baseball Dugout will release its first annual top 10 countdown of Baseball’s Hottest Wives on Friday, August 15, after the announcement of all 10 finalists. Site visitor search results will be used as part of the voting to determine popularity.

Fantasy Baseball Dugout’s Player of the Month awards are given to the top statistical hitter and pitcher in fantasy baseball during a calendar month when Major League Baseball is in competition.

A standard 5×5 league is used for scoring (runs scored, homeruns, RBI, steals, batting average for hitters; wins, saves, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP for pitchers).

FBD’s June Players of the Month are:

Hitter of the Month: Alex Rodriguez, Third Baseman, New York Yankees. Rodriguez finally paid the dividends of that no. 1 pick you spent on him during the month of June. And A-Rod’s owners can rest assured that his performance should continue - he recently rejected an invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby for fear of messing up his swing. From June 14 - 18, Rodriguez homered in 4 straight games, scored 9 runs, and knocked in 7 RBI. Over the course of the month, A-Rod logged 36 hits, scored 24 runs, hit 9 homers, drove in 23 RBI, stole 5 bases, and batted an awesome .356. Due to his stint on the DL earlier this season, A-Rod might not currently be the undisputed no. 1 player in fantasy baseball. His season numbers are solid, however - .316, 24 homeruns, 44 RBI, 45 runs, 11 steals - and he is obviously a must-start in all leagues from here on out.

Pitcher of the Month: John Lackey, Anaheim Angels. As we reported in our last Player of the Week post, John Lackey has been an absolute monster since returning from the DL May 14. He won all five of his June starts and hasn’t given up more than two earned runs since May 25. His start 6/29 against the cross-town, interleague rival Dodgers was his best outing of the month - 8.7 innings, no runs, 3 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts. The sickest Lackey stat is that his ERA coming into June was 1.80, and by the end of the month… it dropped even lower! In 38.7 innings of work in June, Lackey was 5-0 with a 1.16 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and a ridiculous 0.78 WHIP. You better be starting Lackey if you have any interest in winning fantasy baseball. If there is a lazy owner out there who isn’t checking their team and has Lackey on the DL or their bench, make an offer to get your hands on him. On the year he’s 6-1 with a 1.44 ERA, 54 strikeouts, and a 0.89 WHIP in 68.7 innings of work.

Fantasy Baseball Dugout’s Player of the Week awards are given to the top statistical hitter and pitcher in fantasy baseball during a standard fantasy week (Monday - Sunday).

A standard 5×5 league is used for scoring to determine the top players (runs scored, homeruns, RBI, steals, batting average for hitters; wins, saves, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP for pitchers).

FBD’s Week 13 Players of the Week are:

Hitter of the Week: Evan Longoria, Third Baseman, Tampa Bay Rays. Longoria has stepped right in and is on pace to exceed our expectations of his rookie season. On top of that, he’s playing for a competitive Rays squad that should be a surprise to… everyone! In Week 13, Longoria batted .433 with 13 hits, scored 7 runs, hit 3 homeruns, drove in 10 RBI and recorded one steal. On the year, Longoria is batting .270 with 15 homeruns, 47 RBI, 41 runs scored and 4 stolen bases. If for any reason Longoria is still available in your league and you didn’t take our advice to add him earlier in the season, add him, now!
Pitcher of the Week: John Lackey, Anaheim Angels. Lackey has rewarded owners who waited on through April since his return on May 14. In Week 13, Lackey logged 16.7 innings and won both of his starts (we recommended you start him - and we will continue). He struck out 15 and gave up one earned run all week against 13 total baserunners. His 0.54 ERA and 0.78 WHIP were ridiculous. His best start came Sunday against the Dodgers, where he pitched 8.7 shutout innings and allowed only three hits, striking out 9. On the year, Lackey is 6-1 with a 1.44 ERA with 54 strikeouts and a 0.89 WHIP.

Fantasy Baseball Dugout tips its hat to George Carlin for a half century of great comedy acts. If you are a sports fan, you’ll love George’s unique yet revealing look at the differences between baseball and football.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YphEUa5LPjM

Quality starting pitching is essential to winning in fantasy baseball. If you have a pitcher that hasn’t been carrying their weight, consider adding a starting pitcher who will make two starts in Week 14.

If the pitcher you consider isn’t at the top of the rankings, there’s often a chance he’ll throw at least one good game out of the two he is probable to start. Worst case, a pitcher with two starts will generally keep a lower ERA and bring in more strikeouts, which could save owners in weekly head-to-head matchups.

Edinson Volquez of the Cincinnati Reds, an FBD All-Star and 10-3 with a 2.08 ERA, 110 strikeouts, and a 1.21 WHIP in 99.3 innings, tops our list of two-start fantasy baseball pitchers in Week 14. He takes the mound Tuesday at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Zach Duke, then Sunday at home against the Washington Nationals and Collin Balestar. Other “must starts” in Week 14 include:

• Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays (8-6, 3.12, 100, 1.09) FBD All-Star / Week 5 Pitcher of the Week
• Gavin Floyd, Chicago White Sox (8-4, 3.39, 57, 1.12) FBD Week 10 Pitcher of the Week
• John Danks, Chicago White Sox (5-4, 2.62, 69, 1.23) FBD Week 3 Pitcher of the Week
• Rich Harden, Oakland Athletics (5-0, 2.15, 83, 1.09)
• Ted Lilly, Chicago Cubs (8-5, 4.74, 95, 1.32)
• John Maine, New York Mets (8-5, 3.73, 79, 1.31)

The Sunday Special - Two two-start pitchers that should impress you with their performances in Week 14:

• Kyle Lohse, St. Louis Cardinals (9-2, 3.94, 46, 1.29). We recommended Lohse back in Week 4, and 10 weeks later we’re still on his bandwagon (apparently though, you guys haven’t caught on). Sometimes we do know what we’re talking about, and Lohse has made us look pretty good. He hasn’t lost a game since May 8, and won six in a row before logging a no decision 6/25 on the road versus the Tigers. His ERA has dropped from 4.87 to 3.94 since 5/8. He doesn’t log many strikeouts, but most guys available in around 40% of leagues aren’t strikeout machines. Lohse takes the mound Monday at home against the New York Mets and John Maine, then Saturday at home against the rival Cubs and Ted Lilly.
• Justin Masterson, Boston Red Sox (4-1, 3.43, 32, 1.19). We overlooked Masterson’s call to the rotation earlier this month in the midst of the Clayton Kershaw debut and Joba Chamberlain’s call to the rotation. He made starts in April and May before joining the rotation full time June 3. His ERA continues to rise, but that happens to young pitchers after their scouting report makes the rounds. While he doesn’t have a high strikeout rate, Masterson did strike out 9 against the Reds on June 13. We like him Monday on the road against Tampa Bay and James Shields, then Saturday at Yankee stadium against FBD’s favorite Cornhusker, Joba Chamberlain.

Waiver Wire Wonder - A two-start pitcher owned in less than 40% of leagues to consider in Week 14:

• Eric Stults, Los Angeles Dodgers (2-0, 0.60, 8, 0.80). Another pitcher FBD overlooked while the entire fantasy baseball community drooled over Clayton Kershaw was his teammate, Stults. The 28-year old lefty has made starts for the Dodgers over the past two seasons, but caught our eye when he threw a complete game shutout against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. He gave up four-hits, one walk and struck out three. Three runs were scored against the Dodgers in Stults’ first start of the season, but only one was earned. Stults is a high-risk/high-reward pick when compared to pitchers like Lohse or Masterson, but that’s why he’s still available in nearly 70% of leagues. He takes the mound Monday on the road against the Astros and Roy Oswalt, then Saturday against the Giants and Barry Zito.