Player News – Page 124 – FantasySP Blog

Rangers shuffle lineup, Andrus to benefit

Manager Ron Washington has re-aligned the Texas Rangers lineup, with Ian Kinsler slated to lead off and Elvis Andrus to hit 2nd. Michael Young will hit 6th.

Analysis: Andrus’s line from 2010 was deceivingly mediocre. He only hit .265, but his 32 steals and 88 runs were encouraging. So why is a player with his speed being moved to the #2 spot? Well, all of Andrus’s metrics from the lead-off spot were terrible. He led off in 134 games, and hit an anemic .136 with a .200 OBP in the first inning. Also, Andrus hit only .230 with a .304 OBP with the bases empty, and only .148 the first time he saw a starting pitcher.

However, for whatever inexplicable reasons, with runners on base, Andrus became a dynamic hitter. With men on, Andrus hit .339 and his on-base percentage soared to .420. With runners in scoring position, he was even better, hitting .347 with a .440 OBP. Andrus’s BABIP climbed over .400 in those situations, versus a ho-hum .277 with the bases empty.

So that’s a lot of stats to say that Andrus was a better hitter with men on base than leading off, but manager Ron Washington’s decision to move a player with Andrus’s speed out of the lead-off spot warranted explanation. However, he’s only 22 years old and his potential is through the roof. The move to the 2nd spot will help his batting average and RBI’s, but without extra-base power, it will still be a limited number of RBI’s.

Andrus is currently the 99th player drafted in standard drafts, and his average auction price is $8.6. That’s a little too high for a 2-category player in standard drafts, but just about right for auction.

Prediction: .282 / 94 runs / 2 home runs / 64 RBI’s, 34 steals.

The Indestructable Iguodola

Andre Iguodola has actually dropped off in scoring this season, but he still has enough positive attributes to merit mention.

Analysis: One of the often overlooked factors in playing fantasy basketball is a player’s injury history. Sure people know to avoid Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady because of their extensive injury problems in the past, but fantasy gamers are less aware of the oft injured others. Or to approach this in a different manner the importance of having a so called “Iron man” on their fantasy team. Out of Iguodola’s 7 seasons in the NBA he has missed a grand total of 6 games. Tough to believe that over the entire course of his career thus far, he has only missed 6 complete games, pretty crazy. When you play 82 games during the regular season, not even counting playoffs missing only a few games is quite a feat. This is important for your fantasy team, because it means that Iguodola is always available to put up some stats. Whereas with a player like Andrew Bynum might have better statistical production when he does play, but over the course of the season Iguodola is the far superior option. So despite Iguodola’s dip in points production, dropping from 17 points per game last season to just over 14 a games this season, he still has some value.

Projection: Iguodola’s points are down which is unfortunate but he is still a valuable fantasy option and can explode on any give night, keeping fantasy players interested. Take last night for instance- Iguodola wnet off for 22 points, 10 boards, and 13 assists. Those are the kind of fantasy night he puts up every so often that keep his value relatively high.

DeAndre Jordan Is Blocking Everything

DeAndre Jordan has five multi shot block games in his last seven contests.

Analysis: Even with Chris Kaman back in the Clippers lineup from an ankle injury, DeAndre Jordan is playing the best defensive basketball of his three year career. DeAndre Jordan has averaged 2.57 blocks per game in his last seven games, yes that’s right 2.57 blocks per game. The guy is absolutely dominating the blocks category and we just cannot ignore it anymore. Kaman may be back but Jordan has averaged 24 minutes in his last five games and totaled 38 minutes Wednesday against the Rockets in a 16 rebound performance. Like it or not DeAndre Jordan is here to stay and is a force in the blocks category. He’s only owned in 10-15 percent of fantasy leagues across the country and if you are in need of blocks then DeAndre Jordan is your man.

Projection: DeAndre Jordan will be hitting at least 22 minutes a game the rest of the season and that is enough to impact some fantasy squads in need of blocks with some rebounds. Expect 1.8-2.3 blocks per game with about 7 boards the rest of the season as DeAndre Jordan continues to improve his fantasy stock for your 2011-12 fantasy draft.

A.J. Burnett’s 2011 Fantasy Outlook

A.J. Burnett had his first outing of the Spring and threw two scoreless innings, giving up two hits to the Astros.

Analysis: There is a lot of pressure on A.J. Burnett to bounce back from his 10-15 losing record as he goes on to say: “I know the cameras are on me, the spotlight is on me to turn it around”. Fantasy owners of Burnett and Yankee fans alike know that he is an extremely inconsistent player. One week he will go 7 strong innings giving up just a run, and the following outing he implodes and gives up 5 in an inning. Burnett is the kind of guy that gets easily frazzled and can lose control of the plate and the game at any time. Play him when he’s hot and avoid him when he’s cold because there is no middle ground with him.

Projection: Expect A.J. to post a close to .500 record as a pitcher this year. He will string together a few wins in a row, but eventually he will come back down to earth. When he does, just make sure he is out of your lineups.

Grady Sizemore Paradise Lost Last Season

Last season at age 27 with experience Sizemore should have been the clean, electric, more personable version of Barry Bonds who hung up these numbers in his last season in Pittsburgh at the same age: 109 R, 34 HR, 103 RBI, 39 SB, .311 BA, .456 OBP, and 1.080 OPS., but that season and those stats are lost for Grady Sizemore. In 2011 at age 28 after missing so many games the last 2 seasons due to injuries, what can we expect?

Analysis: Before injuries took their toll Grady Sizemore put up numbers that remind us of some very fine hitters at the same ages – Duke Snider at ages 22 and 23, Jack Clark at 24, Barry Bonds at 25 and 26. Sizemore’s growth as a hitter has obviously been sidetracked. He won’t be back at full speed when 2011 begins. Also, we may be too optomistic about his 2011 PA, which would depress his counting stats further. We would settle for these stats as his first step back toward stardom.

Projection: 600 PA, 80 R, 21 HR, 60 RBI, 22 SB, .283 BA.