Fantasy Baseball Dugout

Success on the Ball Field and the Boardroom

If you run a small business, you probably do a lot of thinking about who you’d like to have on your team.  And, if your like me, you both run a small business and you play in a small fantasy baseball league.  So, during those late nights with your face to the grindstone, it can’t help but get confusing as to which one you are working on.

That’s why Fantasy Baseball Dugout is proud to introduce its first ever All Small Business Baseball Team with the players that I’d most like to have working at my business.

ROCKET SURGEON: The Red Sox Craig Breslow studied molecular physics while pitching at Yale. I think I could find a place for him in my business bullpen.

Here goes:

C – Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals – Every business needs somebody to do the dirty work and catcher is the position with the most dirty work.  Molina could collect on the delinquent accounts, climb the ladder to install the lights, and even clean the refrigerator.

1B/DH– Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Bill James said that the most consistent player of all-time was Pujols.  Second was Henry Aaron.  Not bad company.  A small business needs consistent performers that can be relied on day in and day out.  Pujols would be that person.

1B – Chris Carter, Houston Astros – The guy finished pre-med at Stanford in 3 years!  Sounds like somebody I’d like on my team/business.

2B – Jose Altuve, Houston Astros – He’s the Sultan of Short at 5’ 5”, but he hit .290 with 7 homers and 33 stolen bases last year in his first full year in the MLB.  I like employees that have deficiencies, but turn them into positives through hard work and emphasis on what they do best.  Altuve is one of those and you should have picked up in your fantasy league two years ago.

SS – Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles – As if an explanation is necessary?  This guy came to work every day (vital in a small business where you don’t have a backup).  Of course, Derek Jeter and Jimmy Rollins would make for more modern choices.

3B – David Wright, New York Mets – He saved Team USA from first round elimination so he’s a patriot.  He’s eye candy for women so he could sell anything to them.  I’d put him in marketing.

OF – Nyjer Morgan, Yokohama (Japanese League) – Every business needs a high energy guy and Morgan is just that.  It will be interesting to see how his unique personality plays in the normally subdued Japanese League this year.

OF – Steve Swisher, Cleveland Indians – Always smiling and always positive, Swisher is the goofball that every team (and business) needs.

OF – Coco Crisp, Oakland Athletics – He has the best hair in baseball.  He’s also one of the fastest players in MLB and it’s important to work fast in a small business, because you have less people to rely on.  His unique name alone would also command attention for your business.

SP – Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies – He looks like Jim Carey so he’d make everybody in the office laugh just by looking at him.  His wife Heidi was on Survivor and in Playboy so the office parties would be interesting.  He gives a lot of his time and money to charity which is a positive reflection on the company.

RP – Craig Breslow, Boston Red Sox – Every business needs a really smart guy.  Breslow is just that.  He studied molecular biophysics at Yale.  Probably even understands why a curve ball curves.  Geez.

Manager – Joe Altobelli, Baltimore Orioles – A good manager needs to get the most out of his players.  A small business usually can’t pay the same salaries as a big business can so a manager has to maximize what he has to work with.  Altobelli does that better than anybody else.  I only wish I had his talents both on the field and in the boardroom.

So, there it is.  Let us know who you’d like on your baseball business team in the comments below.

American League Rookie of the Year candidates will be plentiful for the 2013 season. Several young prospects saw brief looks with their major league clubs late last season while others look to make their mark in the big leagues starting this spring.

Here are five names to watch out for who could be vying for Rookie of the Year Award honors at the end of the season.

1. Danny Hultzen: Seattle Mariners

Selected by the Mariners with the second overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft, left-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen made a strong debut in his first professional season. He posted a 3.05 ERA in 25 starts between Double-A and Triple-A ball last year, striking out 136 batters in 124 innings.

Hultzen will be vying for the final spot in Seattle’s starting rotation this spring. With a high-90s fastball and solid secondary pitches, Hultzen could eventually become a strong left-handed complement to current Mariners ace Felix Hernandez.

2. Dylan Bundy: Baltimore Orioles

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Pete Rose’s reality show Hits and Mrs. debuts tonight on TLC at 10 ET/9CT.  While you’ll be able to hear some of Pete’s great words of wisdom, you’ll probably enjoy the show more for the chances to see Pete’s hot wife, 31-year-old Kiana Kim.  Kim posed for Playboy 4 years ago and it’s easy to see why The Hit King, 71, would be just a bit attracted to her.

In the first episode, the reality show discusses Pete being not happy about his wife’s breast reduction.  If you miss the episode, you’ll want to catch up on Hits and Mrs. by watching it here.

Just guessing, but I would say this is the BEFORE picture.

Mrs. Pete Rose would certainly have a place in our 5th Annual Baseball’s Hottest Wives competition, but unfortunately, she’s not eligible.  The Official Baseball’s Hottest Wives rulebook only allows currently active baseball players’ or coaches’ wives to participate.  Therefore, unless Pete makes a comeback in one of the independent leagues, Kiana is just going to have to watch from the sidelines…just like Pete.

Major League Baseball is cutting the landline phone from its dugouts and will now be going mobile…just like the rest of the world.

Sometimes, baseball is, well, just too (well) steeped in tradition.  One tradition you won’t be seeing much longer, however, is the landline phone in the bullpen.  With 34% of American households now cell phone only, MLB bullpens will soon be joining the trend and cutting the landline.  This is the landline bullpen phone that has been around since the 1930′s and the one that nearly cost the St. Louis Cardinals the 2011 World Series against the Rangers.

During the 2011 World Series, manager Tony LaRussa made the proverbial call to his bullpen in game 5 only to have the bullpen coach misinterpret what he said due to crowd noise and a bad connection.  The result was that the normally flawless Cardinals’ manager did not have the proper reliever warmed up to face Rangers’ slugger Mike Napoli.  Napoli’s hit gave the Texas Rangers game 5 and put the Cardinals in a 3-2 hole–a hole that the Cardinals overcame with victories in the final two games.

T-Mobile’s deal with Major League Baseball was announced yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  On hand to make the announcement was Miguel Cabrera, Bryce Harper, Joe Torre, and Frank Thomas.  Tony LaRussa was conspicuous by his absence.

The new technology will use T-Mobile’s G4 and Samsung phones.  The bullpen phones will be geofenced meaning that they won’t work outside of the bullpen area.  Hence, bored relievers won’t be able to call the hot girl flirting with them in section 135.

New bullpen phones from T-Mobile are wireless.

The problems incurred by normally flawless Cardinals' manager Tony LaRussa during the 2011 World Series will soon mean the end of the bullpen landline phone.

DURHAM, N.C., January 2, 2013 – Baseball America is pleased to announce the release of a new annual publication, the Baseball America Fantasy Guide. The Fantasy Guide will be available on print and digital newsstands in early January 2013.

Fantasy baseball enthusiasts have long used Baseball America to get the winning edge in their leagues, and the Baseball America Fantasy Guide is the first BA publication directed specifically at the fantasy player.

“First and foremost, this is a magazine that can get you ready for your fantasy season, with everything you expect to find in a preview publication,” said Baseball America editor Will Lingo. “But it also features a uniquely Baseball America perspective, with scouting information and plenty of prospects. We know the best fantasy baseball competitors read Baseball America, so we’re excited to bring our point of view to the fantasy game.”  Read the rest of this entry »

Baseball players love to play pranks on each other, but this prank set up by Brett Myers on Kyle Kendrick kind of goes over the edge.  Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr. are in on the prank as Kendrick is told that he’s been traded to a Japanese baseball team.

Phillies fans are quite used to general manager Ruben Amaro making the blockbuster big ticket move.  And, it’s no wonder.  The Phillies pack the stadium every night at Citizen’s Bank Park.  Last year, it’s consecutive sellout record finally came to a halt at 257 games.  Although, quite frankly, there were times when I sat in my season ticket seats in section 117 and saw a lot of empty seats in the upper corners.

So, when the Phillies acquired Ben Revere from the Twins this week, knowledgeable Phillies fans were happy, but still hoping to acquire superstar Josh Hamilton.  After all, Revere was described by radio talk show pundits as a “cheaper version of Michael Bourn.”  The move didn’t have Phillies fans rushing to sports betting sites to bet on the Phillies to best the Nationals and Braves this season.

Revere is a burner who needs to walk more to be effective at the top of the Phillies order, but if you consider he hit .326 over six minor league seasons and .294 with 40 stolen bases last year for the Twins, you can see where Ben has fantasy baseball value.    He certainly won’t help your power numbers; Revere hasn’t homered in 1064 MLB at bats.

<To see MLB Network’s 2011 Play of the Year, click here to go to the second page of the article.>

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FANTASY BASEBALL 2013: The Braves are always crying poverty, but managed to fork over $75 mil to beat out the free spending Phillies for B.J. Upton. Pictured with Upton is GM Frank Wren.

B.J. Upton signed today with the Atlanta Braves who were in competition with the Philadelphia Phillies for Upton’s services. Upton’s haul is $75.25 million over the next five seasons.  He will wear #2.  If you check B.J.’s Twitter account, you’ll see that the Braves logo is already there, along with pictures of Upton with Deion Sanders at the Falcons game.

Upton is 28-years-old which puts him right in the sweet spot age-wise for the Braves.  His stats have been incredibly consistent over the past three years. Health has been excellent; he’s the only center fielder in the league who has played 144+ games in each of the past five seasons.  To the best of our knowledge, he does not bet on NFL football.

B.J.  has shown growth in his home run totals from 18, to 23, to 28 over the past three seasons, although his best home run season was his first full year in ’07 when he banged 24 in just 129 games.  Upton ended the season with a bang by leading all MLB players with 12 in September and 18 in his final 50 games to pump up what was shaping up to be a poor final season in Tampa Bay.  RBI’s topped out at 81 in 2011.  He stole 31 bases last year.  His 169 strikeouts won’t hurt you in fantasy baseball, but his low batting average will.

TWEET: Upton's decision to become a member of the Braves was confirmed when fans first noticed his baseball status had changed on his Twitter account.

Braves Make Right Choice

With Michael Bourn leaving, the Braves needed to find a replacement in center field and Upton fits the bill, especially in a left-handed dominant lineup that includes Brian McCann, Freddie Freeman, and Jason Heyward.

“We were so left-handed dominant over the last number of years,” said Braves GM FrankWren. “Now to be able to better balance our lineup left and right, that was something we felt could really enhance our team.”

B.J. Upton — 2013 Fantasy Baseball Prospectus

Upton moves from one of the most difficult parks to hit a home run in to one that is overall a slightly better hitter’s park.  Unfortunately for Upton, we don’t see Turner Field as an advantage over dismal Tropicana Field.  This is due to the fact that The Trop is shorter down the left field line by 15 feet and 10 feet shorter in left field.  Given that the majority of Upton’s home runs are hit to left field (57 of his career 118 have gone between the left fielder and the foul pole), the ballpark factor won’t help him too much.  Upton’s consistent increase in home runs, however, is intriguing, as is his late season surge.  Thus, we are projecting B.J. to crack the 30 home run mark in 2013, with an even 30 long balls.  That total is with the anticipation that he’ll play 155+ games this year as opposed to the 146 from 2012.

With a still left-heavy lineup, you may think that Upton facing more left-handed opponents would help him, but I doubt that will be the case.  Strangely enough, Upton’s average against lefties is actually less than his average against righties in 5 of his last 6 seasons.  In fact, in 2009, B.J. hit a dismal .190 against southpaws.  His average the past two seasons against lefties is .238.  Therefore, it’s difficult to think Upton, how has been stuck in the .237 – .246 range for the past four seasons, will be able to exceed his lifetime .255 average with his new club.

FBD 2012 Projections for B.J. Upton = .250/30/80/85/30

In case you were wondering:  B.J. was named after his father who was known as “Bossman.”  Hence, “Bossman Jr.”

Special Note — The loss of Upton makes Desmond Jennings the main man in center for the Rays.  Jennings’ value as a stolen base man has automatically increased in American League-only fantasy leagues given that Upton and Denard Span (Nationals) have both moved to the National League.  Promising Ben Revere takes over the full time job in Minnesota with Span’s departure.