FantasySP Blog – Page 47

Introducing the Fantasy Trade Research Center

The Trade Research Center exists within the Fantasy Assistant, and is a feature that I alluded to in my previous blog post about position based analysis. This new tool will allow you to easily research various trades and even receive personalized trade suggestions. The development of this feature was heavily influenced by users of FantasySP with testing and/or suggestions by Michael, Steve, and Rob.

The Trade Research Center is based off of the position ratings that were released two months ago. It consists of three separate areas: Position Ratings, Research Area, and Trade Suggestions.

Position Ratings

Position based ratings show you where various positions on your team rank against other teams in the league. This is slightly different for each sport, but works exactly the same for all sports. We also chart each team’s data on a daily basis so you can easily see where you are trending.

The ratings are generated based off of the average of your player ratings for each specific position grouping.

Based on what we see on the right, it appears that I have a fairly balanced team. My worst position is Corner Infielders, but not by much. The blue line for each box indicates the current trend of my players. For the most part, all positions are gradually improving over time.

Any time you see a big spike or dip, it generally indicates a waiver wire move that was performed on my part.

Research Area

The research area of the Trade Research Center allows you to delve deeper into what other team’s look like. You can see all the teams in your fantasy league and see exactly where they rate and rank in each position. It also shows you the depth of each position.

To start with, let’s look at the Corner Infielders position and see why this tool is helpful and what you can do with the data. Based on the screenshot to the right, I am currently ranked 7th of 10 teams in my league. Based on the Starters rating, I am 12 points behind the top team.

Clearly my Corner Infielders need help some help, so let’s try and develop a trade based on this need.

The top team, Arods, only has two players and they are the best in the league right now. My chances developing a trade with him may not be in my favor. Instead, let’s focus on the 2nd ,3rd, 4th place teams.

All of those teams have more than 2 position players, so we know they have a surplus. That may work in our favor.

The other key ingredient for a trade is to be able to fill a need of another team’s weakness. Outfielders just so happen to be my strongest position, so the goal here is to give up an outfielder to help bolster my Corner Infielders.

BAMF Bulldogs and Commo Dawgs are in desperate need for an outfielder and are ranked 9th and 10th. There is no question that I should narrow down my list of teams to them and see if a deal can be worked out.

But what if I don’t want to do all this work researching? What about automatically suggesting a trade based on this type of data?

Trade Suggestions

We’ve got you covered for that in our Trade Suggestion area! As I stated in the previous area, we’ve already narrowed down the choices of teams to trade with. If this feature works as advertised, then it should be selecting BAMF Bulldogs or Commo Dawgs.

Right now the Trades that are suggested involve team BAMF Bulldogs. Getting Edwin Encarnacion and Desmond Jennings would be nice additions for the right price.

You can click on the “view analysis” button to view more information such as latest player news, graphs, and player breakdowns. This works exactly like Waiver Wire Suggestions.

So the real question is, are these trades helpful in any way? These trades are listed as in our favor by 100% and are certainly in the ballpark. I personally do not think my opponent would accept the first trade for Josh Willingham and Allen Craig, but it can’t hurt to propose it?

As for the second trade, giving up McCutchen and Craig to get Encarnacion and Jennings is a bit too much for me. I would, however, consider giving up David Ortiz since I know that he can be played in the Utility spot and may not keep up his current pace.

In any case, I can go on and on here about potential trade scenarios but I think you get the picture. You can see how quickly and easily I can come to a trade by doing a bit of research with our new tool.

I can easily pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses as well as my own. I also get trades suggested to me that I can use as a starting point.

This feature will work with all major fantasy sports including NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL. Right now I still consider this feature to be in BETA so expect there to be changes down the road to further increase its accuracy.

Go ahead and sign up for FantasySP and enjoy a free trial to gain access to the Fantasy Assistant.

Update 5/11/2013: The CBSSports App now has this feature as well.

Selling High- Jake Westbrook

Jake Westbrook has been a hot commodity on the wire over the past week but the time to sell is now.

Analysis: Westbrook is sporting a 1.62 ERA this year which is good for seventh best in baseball. This is where the positives end.

Now it’s time to list off the negatives rapid fire style. Westbrook’s WHIP is 1.46, which is tied with Roy Halladay for 85th in baseball. Westbrook only has 19 strikeouts in 39.0 innings pitched, that doesn’t cut it in the fantasy baseball world. His walk rate is the highest since his rookie year in 2000 when he only logged 6.2 innings of work. His 89.6% strand rate is 20% above his career average. His HR/FB rate is 0.0% this year, his career average is 11.5%. Westbrook has not recorded a sub 3.90 ERA season since 2008 when he only pitched in 34.2 innings.

Do you see where I’m going with this… it is time to sell now. He’s still available in a few leagues but take advantage of the hype and his low ERA, sell now and sell high. As soon as he gets beat up in a start his value will go back in the trash can… it’s time to capitalize on nearsighted owners.

Sticking With Melky?

Melky Cabrera is being dropped from leagues across the country, so… should you stick with him?

Analysis: Melky is hitting .258 this year with 1 home run and 2 stolen bases. Obviously there is room for improvement but his last few games have been impressive. Melky has compiled 7 hits, 1 home run and 3 RBI in his last four games. He still offers a lower tier power/speed combo that will be valuable going forward considering his batting average will rise. Cabrera’s BABIP this year is 15 points below his career average and 50 points below his BABIP over his last two years.

There are a few negatives here. Melky’s isolated power is significantly down from his career average. He’s also striking out at a 16% clip which is the highest of his career but keep in mind the small sample size and the fact that 16% isn’t all that bad to begin with. A once universally owned outfielder is now available in 12-20% of fantasy leagues. No one quite knows what to make of Melky thus far but he has been a valuable fantasy option three of his last four years in baseball. Hope for the best in regards to his power numbers and bank on the average and stolen bases becoming an asset.

Last Call On Kyle Kendrick

After allowing five earned runs in his first start of the season, Kyle Kendrick has not allowed more than two earned runs in a start since.

Analysis: Kyle Kendrick is sporting a 2.43 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and has 29 Ks over 40.2 innings pitched. He’s currently the 28th ranked roto pitcher six starts into his season. The advanced stats seem to support the theory that Kendrick has finally turned the corner into a reliable fantasy starter. He has a 3.66 xFIP thus far this season while at no point in his career has he posted an xFIP under 4.00. His walks are down and his velocity is up slightly from previous years.

There are a few red flags here but nothing too serious. His strand rate is an unsustainable 86.6%, his career average is 73.1%. Batters are making contact at an 85.9% clip when swinging at Kendrick’s pitches which is right in line with his career average. That 85.9% is 14th most in all of baseball. There are some good pitchers with high contact rates but Kendrick is by no means a “very good” fantasy starter. He makes a better sell high option but I can understand stashing him on your squad for pitching depth.

Solid Catchers Still Available

Catchers are almost always overlooked in fantasy baseball but they can provide valuable production.

Analysis: Russell Martin now has 6 home runs this year which is fourth among major league catchers while his 13 runs scored rank third among catchers. Martin has also averaged 7 stolen bases over the last three years so he will contribute a bit in the steals department. Currently, Martin is the sixth ranked roto catcher ahead of some big time names. The long time Dodger and former Yankee is available in 50-70% of leagues nationwide.

Another interesting option especially in deeper leagues is Salvador Perez. He’s still just twenty-two years old but he has tons of potential. He hit .301 with 11 bombs last year for the Royals in just 76 games. He’s hit for a high average throughout his minor league career and he’s poised to become a fantasy force soon. His 20.2% strikeout rate this year is concerning considering his highest K rate in the minors was just 12%. This year Perez is hitting a respectable .278 with 1 home run but he has to see more pitches/walk more(1 BB in 90 AB). His power should surface, expect at least ten homers by season’s end. His stock has been taking a hit recently but he does have 8 hits over his last seven games.