Bleacher Report - Articles by Colin Christopher

Waking Up 30 Days Later: Checking Out Sleepers From a Month Ago

Colin Christopher — Sun, 10 May 2009 23:26:53 -0400

Exactly a month ago, I wrote an article telling you to pick up a few sleepers, one for each position.

I'm nothing if not accountable (unless you ask my wife), so today I'm going to recount the guys I told you to get, and update their progress through the first month of the season.

Keep in mind that these are not the guys I said you should draft, but the guys who should be productive and widely available in case of injury to one of your studs.

Catcher: John Baker, Florida Marlins

So far, no catcher in baseball not named Victor Martinez has scored more runs than John Baker. Baker is batting close to .290 and his OPS is close to .900.

He won't continue this pace, but it's a very real possibility that Baker will wind up with a line somewhere near 75-15-75 to go with a .280+ average. The fact that you got him off the wire makes that even sweeter.

First Base: Nick Johnson, Washington Nationals

Johnson won't ever give you the power you want from your starting first baseman, but his OBP is .397, and good things tend to happen to guys who get on base about 40% of the time.

Second Base: Chris Getz, Chicago White Sox

Getz hasn't exactly lit it up so far, but to be fair, he has missed some time because of a broken finger. Oh, and he's playing with the broken finger.

That should tell you about the confidence Ozzie Guillen has in Getz, and let's remember that this is the same Ozzie Guillen who has no problem calling his players out in public.

Mark my words...Getz will continue to hit and get on base, and he will steal more than 20 bases this season.

Third Base: Pedro Feliz, Philadelphia Phillies

In most leagues I'm in, Feliz is available on the wire, and I'll begrudgingly admit that the wire is probably where he belongs. He has power, and I don't know why it doesn't show up.

He's a decent RBI guy this season, but he's not going to score many runs batting seventh, and I expect his current .300+ batting average will eventually regress closer to his career norm of .250-260.

Shortstop: Erick Aybar, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, formerly of California

Aybar is hitting, evidenced by his .309 average. He doesn't seem to be scoring many runs, however, and he's only attempted one stolen base.

Part of the problem might be that the top two RBI guys in the Angels clubhouse are Torii Hunter and Howie Kendrick, whose combined RBI (40) total fewer than Evan Longoria (44) by himself.

OF1: Juan Rivera, Los Angeles...oh heck, see above

Rivera is a power hitter who is probably batting too low in the order. Regardless, he is someone I have been wrong on so far.

His batting average is okay, but there have been plenty of other outfielders worth taking a flyer on moreso than Rivera.

OF2: Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins

The rain in April made it tough for Cuddyer to shake off the rust, as he batted only .224 with one home run for the month, but he's flowering in May.

In the last ten days, Cuddyer has batted almost .400 with two home runs and 10 RBI. With Joe Mauer back and Justin Morneau looking slightly MVP-ish, it's time to grab Cuddyer off the wire.

OF3: Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals

He's here to stay, folks. If you're in a keeper league and Rasmus is available, get him now while the price is still low. He's not setting the world on fire, but he will.

SP: Carl Pavano, Cleveland Indians

Before you skip this one, look at Pavano's season without that one disastrous inning in Texas to begin the year. In 30.1 innings pitched since then, he's allowed 34 hits and 10 earned runs to go with 22 strikeouts and only five walks.

Without that inning, his ERA is 4.15. His ERA for his first two May starts (against Detroit and Boston, two pretty good offenses) is 2.70. He's not a fantasy staff anchor, but he ain't chopped liver.

RP: Octavio Dotel and Matt Thornton, Chicago White Sox

At the beginning of the season, I said, "Between Dotel and Thornton, I wouldn't be surprised if you wound up with overall numbers close to those of an elite starting pitcher, but in only about 150 total innings pitched."

So far, Dotel and Thornton have combined to go 2-1 with seven holds. Between them, they've got 32 strikeouts in 21.1 innings pitched and have allowed a total of four earned runs (all by Thornton).

They're on pace right now to win 10 games and strike out about 150 through their first combined 100 innings.

Postscript: Aaron Hill

Back on April 9, I said that you should consider picking up "Aaron Hill, who offers nice power potential now that he appears recovered from post-concussion syndrome..."

I'd like to take this moment to thank Aaron Hill for making me look really smart.

MLB Conspires Against Fantasy Owners

Colin Christopher — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:37:59 -0400

"Pittsburgh Pirates. Can I help you?"

Fantasy baseball. It takes control of my life each year starting in March. Okay, February. I spend excessive amounts of time reading about players online, speculating about which prospects will make the big leagues, and scheming ways to rule my leagues.

"Yeah. I need to speak to John Russell."

Despite all the time I put in, I feel so unappreciated. It seems that major league players and managers just don't care about the effect their decisions have on me.

"Mr. Russell is busy digging Mr. McLouth's batting average out of the sewer at the moment. Can I please take a message?"

Last Friday night, Pittsburgh Pirates manager John Russell confirmed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the team would give catcher Ryan Doumit his regularly scheduled day off on Saturday. Doumit is my fantasy team's catcher. I had a full day of mountain biking planned for Saturday, so I put Doumit on the bench and replaced him with Brandon Inge, who has started the season absolutely raking for the Detroit Tigers.

Doumit played the full game and hit a grand slam. Inge went 0 for 2.

"You sure can, lady. Please ask Mr. Russell why he's trying to tank my season already. I'm trying to win championships, and he doesn't even know who's going to play from day to day? It's no wonder you guys have sucked for 30 years...you don't even know how to give Doumit a day off when he's expecting one."

And what is Brandon Inge thinking? He's been killing the ball, and he's suddenly stymied by Matt Harrison and Jason Jennings? Cripes, Brandon. I only need you once or twice a week! Let's try to be ready every day, huh?

"I'm very sorry for your inconvenience, sir. If it's any consolation, we expect to have Pedro Alvarez contributing to your fantasy roster by next season. In the meantime, we'd be happy to let you take your frustrations out on Andy LaRoche."

This lady has obviously been dealing with people like me calling the Pirates for a long time. She's not really the one I have a problem with anyway.

Another day, another lineup change. Today I put Doumit back into my lineup and stuck Inge back on the bench. Inge had a homer and three RBI. Doumit went 0 for 3.

"Detroit Tigers. Can I help you?"

Sleeping In: The Guys You Need To Fix Your Fantasy Baseball Team

Colin Christopher — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:53:47 -0400

I play mostly 12-team or larger roto leagues, so the sleeper lists I see published here on a regular basis aren't really helpful to me. Chris Davis isn't a sleeper, folks. Everyone in every league I play in pretty much expected that guy to hit 30 HRs and get 100 RBI this season, and they drafted accordingly. I define a sleeper as someone who achieves great success, but who was not at all expected to do so. In the interests of my fellow fantasy owners, I'd like to present a list of REAL sleepers to help your teams rebound from poor starts to your seasons.

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No More Smoltz and Mirrors; Braves No Longer The Usual Suspects

Colin Christopher — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:48:50 -0500

Last night, I went to bed heartbroken. No, it had nothing to do with my wife. She's lovely.

The Atlanta Braves had broken my heart.

I had just read a report that John Smoltz was going to call the Braves this morning to let them know he was signing with the Red Sox for $5.5 million in guaranteed money, with easily attainable incentives that could push that to $10 million.

I was shocked and disheartened that the Braves would make no attempt to go a little above that to retain the face of the franchise.

Now that I've slept on it, however, I've decided that John Smoltz shares some of the blame for my heartbreak.

True, the Braves offered him "only" $3 million to pitch this season, but looking at it from their side, he is a big injury risk. He's 42, and he's had several operations on his pitching arm in the last eight to nine years.

The kicker, for me, is that the Braves paid John Smoltz $14 million last year to pitch in FIVE games.

Certainly, paying that amount of money to a 41 year old man, with a history of arm issues, is showing some good faith. The return they got on that money was not acceptable, and it would have been nice, if, after making over $100 million from the Braves in the last decade, Smoltz had taken a hometown discount. (Incidentally, when Smoltz signed a four-year deal for $31 million with the Braves in late 1996, it made him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball. Now, that wouldn't cover the salary of a third starter.)

I understand that the dude is chasing a ring. For that, I cannot fault him. He may as well try and make it happen now.

I also know that, for years, I and other Braves' fans have been spoiled by guys like Andruw Jones or Chipper Jones giving hometown discounts when they enter free agency or approaching team management, offering to restructure their contracts to free up money and make the team more competitive.

Heck, Smoltz even gave us a hometown discount when he signed that two-year extension for $20 million in late 2004.

All of these things make this hurt even more.

For years, Smoltz has been our dominating warrior on the mound. He was the only one we had left, after Glavine chose to head for the Big Apple and Maddux was not offered a contract.

We've watched him pitch at times when we knew he shouldn't be out there, when it made our arms hurt, and we thought he'd pitch in the hot summer sun of Atlanta until his arm literally fell off.

He was our guy who would never break, never lie down, and never bend over for anybody. Anbody.

And like that…he is gone.

Much Ado About Nothing; Or, Chicago Cubs Hot Stove Report

Colin Christopher — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:36:46 -0500

My paternal grandmother was a White Sox fan. Luckily, my Cub-loving grandfather married her anyway, and raised his children to be Cubs fans. I’ve been a Cubs fan since I knew what it meant to love a team, and this offseason has been as full of promise as any in recent memory (except for 2006, of course, when we signed Soriano.)

I kept thinking we’d find a way to trade for Peavy, or we’d sign a good left-handed hitter off the free agent market. I’m a Cubs fan, after all, and that requires optimism. Everything Hendry did this offseason left me thinking the Cubs were one step closer to The Answer. And no, I’m not talking about Allen Iverson.

Trading Marquis for Vizcaino saves about $6 million. Surely that’s a precursor to spending big money on someone, right? However, Soriano and Big Z each make $3 million more in 09, so that uses up the $6 million saved in the Marquis trade. Whatever..that new-Peavy smell is tantalizing. His two-seam fastball already looks as good as an Old Style vendor in the bleachers on a hot Wrigley afternoon. It'll happen.

Wait a minute! We just traded DeRosa, and that saves about $5 million! Back in the Peavy market, baby, yeah…what? Mm-hm, mm-hm. Harden and Dempster each make $2.5 million more in 2009 than they did in 2008, you say? There goes that “savings” from trading DeRosa to Cleveland. See ya, Mark, and thanks for the fun times. You’re a good guy, and we really liked how you could hit for power and average and play every single position well. Oy, vey. Kid probably could've pitched if we'd asked.

Well, we DID let Kerry Wood walk away. That saved about $4 million from last season’s payroll. But we’re going to pay Aaron Miles $2.2 million, and Reed Johnson got a $1.7 million raise, so the money we paid Wood last year is eaten up just like that. Jake who?

Here’s a quick recap: We let Wood walk, trade Marquis and DeRosa, and this saves us $15 million. However, it’s costing us $15 million to give scheduled raises to Soriano, Zambrano, Harden, Dempster, Johnson, and to sign Miles as a replacement for DeRosa. I’m not sure I like where this is going.

Now, I know we’re paying Joey Gathright about $800,000, and Aramis Ramirez gets a $1.5 million raise. And Kevin Gregg gets arbitration. So we’re a few million over last year’s payroll. We’re a big-market team. It’s Chicago, for chrissakes! Somebody call Ditka…he’ll fix this. This is no big deal. And then it hits me.

Kosuke Fukudome gets a $5.5 million raise in 2009.

I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

Cubs Can See For Miles, Trade Mark DeRosa to Indians

Colin Christopher — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:03:21 -0500

According to a report from Buster Olney on ESPN, the Chicago Cubs have completed a deal that will send Mark DeRosa to the Cleveland Indians for three minor league pitchers.

Speculation about DeRosa's future with the Cubs picked up yesterday after the team signed free agent utilityman Aaron Miles to a two-year deal.

League observers predict that the salary cap space the Cubs have gained by moving Marquis and DeRosa clears the way for a Milton Bradley signing.

Playoffs? Yes, Jim Mora, We're Talking About Playoffs

Colin Christopher — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:15:40 -0500

I’ve always loved watching the college football bowl games. They always seemed to symbolize the best of sport, and I never had much of a problem with the final rankings until I got older and understood how the ranking were determined. What a farce.

On the other hand, the mens' and womens' NCAA basketball tournaments make perfect sense. Win or go home. Last team standing is the champ, and nobody ever argues with the champion. Even if a team enters the tourney as a No. 8 seed, nobody says they are an undeserving champion. And you know why? Because the players decide.

Well, I’ve got a way for the players to decide the national championship in college football. And you know what? Nobody gets left out. In fact, the NCAA can make more money and spread it to more schools. The bowl organizers will be salivating over this plan, because EVERY single bowl game gets the potential future national champ playing in its game.

The schools will like it, because no longer will a squad like the undefeated 2004 SEC Champion Auburn have to watch a farce of a national championship game on TV while saying to themselves, “We should have been there.” Instead, they play their way there. And the fans…oh, the fans will love this. Witness the passion, the frenzy of every do-or-die moment in the NCAA basketball tournament, and move that to a football stadium that holds three to four times as many people.

You interested yet? Well, bear with me…because my tournament involves 32 teams. 32 teams?!? How can that be, you ask? That will take forever. Not really. 32 teams whittle down to 2 for a national championship game in five weeks, so it won’t take any longer than the bowls do now, as long as the playoffs get started the weekend after the conference championship games.

Witness: Most conference championships this year were on Saturday, December 6. The playoffs would run on 12/13, 12/20, 12/27, 1/3, and 1/10. (The BCS National Championship game this year is set for 1/8, a Thursday.)

Round One consists of 16 games on the first weekend following the conference championship games:
Game One: 1 vs. 32; Game Two: 2 vs. 31; Game Three: 3 vs. 30; Game Four: 4 vs. 29; Game Five: 5 vs. 28; Game Six: 6 vs. 27; Game Seven: 7 vs. 26; Game Eight: 8 vs. 25; Game Nine: 9 vs. 24; Game 10: 10 vs. 23; Game 11: 11 vs. 22; Game 12: 12 vs. 21; Game 13: 13 vs. 20; Game 14: 14 vs. 19; Game 15: 15 vs. 18; Game 16: 16 vs. 17

Round Two consists of eight games on the second weekend following the conference championship games:
Game 17: Winner of G1 vs. Winner of G16
Game 18: Winner of G2 vs. Winner of G15
Game 19: Winner of G3 vs. Winner of G14
Game 20: Winner of G4 vs. Winner of G13
Game 21: Winner of G5 vs. Winner of G12
Game 22: Winner of G6 vs. Winner of G11
Game 23: Winner of G7 vs. Winner of G10
Game 24: Winner of G8 vs. Winner of G9

Round Three consists of four games on the third weekend following the conference championship games:
Game 25: Winner of G17 vs. Winner of G24
Game 26: Winner of G18 vs. Winner of G23
Game 27: Winner of G19 vs. Winner of G22
Game 28: Winner of G20 vs. Winner of G21

Round Four is the national semifinals. Two games on the fourth weekend following conference championships:
Game 29: Winner of G25 vs. Winner of G28
Game 30: Winner of G26 vs. Winner of G27

Five weeks after the conference championships, an undisputed national champion emerges in Game 31: Winner of G29 vs. Winner of G30

This year, there are 34 bowls, so 31 of those could be used as tournament games. Every bowl would have the opportunity to showcase the future national champion. Imagine the draw for next year’s Meineke Car Care Bowl if they could advertise that last year’s national champ played in their bowl in Round One of the Tournament.

It may seem like a lot of hullabaloo to name a national champ, but it’s a lot more organized than the BCS. You may wind up with the 33rd-ranked team in the country arguing that they should have been in the tournament, but that’s simply an emotional plea. Going by this year’s AP Poll, Nebraska would have been that No. 33 seed, with No. 32 Rice getting in just ahead of them, and most realistic college football fans would agree that neither would get past Florida in Game One.

Win or go home…I’m just sayin’.