MLB: Breaking Down a Bad Fantasy Baseball Trade and Mid-Season Sleepers

On the morning of March 30th, 2011, Hanley Ramirez was considered the top shortstop and second best player in fantasy baseball overall. His first-half collapse has been beat to death with, well, a bat. Perhaps these harsh (premature?) critiques forced one owner in my fantasy baseball league to pull the trigger on his latest trade.

It would be better if you sat down before you read the details of the deal.

Ramirez was traded for Ryan Ludwick.

"Ludwick and...?"

Nope, this exchange was straight up.

Before a rant and rave ensues, here is the owner's defense:

Reason 1: "I won't return for 2012. I like 12-team leagues and the 16-team league is too big, which is why I am doing so poorly. I just tried it to see what it would be like."

Analysis: This is why every fantasy league must have a prize. Be it financial compensation, a six-pack, dinner out, a fast-food value meal or a freaking trophy, fantasy owners need to play for something. The end of the season "Certificate of Participation" ribbons will no doubt lead many owners to inform the front desk that they will be checking out early.

Also, saying "I won't return for 2012" during the first season of a keeper league is the equivalent of you beating your kid brother at checkers, and him flipping the game board over.

Reason 2: "Ramirez [has] had a bad first half of baseball. While he could turn it around in the second half, that isn't a guarantee."

Analysis: He called a spade a spade. Although, on the day the trade processed, Ramirez blasted two home runs; one a grand slam against the Rangers.

My issue is not that this owner dealt Ramirez, but how he settled for 20 cents on the dollar to dispose of him.

I like Ludwick and actually covered him for a few seasons while he was a member of the Toledo Mud Hens. He's a nice guy and a great interview, but we are comparing fantasy apples and oranges.

Check out Ramirez's numbers the last three years, post-All-Star break:

Hanley Ramirez Post-All-Star Stats
Season	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS
2010	42	8	23	14	.300	.835
2009	48	10	45	14	.333	.924
2008	45	10	22	12	.282	.909

His remaining two options at shortstop are currently Jhonny Peralta and Yuniesky Betancourt.

Reason 3: "He made a decent offer which helps me in the here and now. All I care about is getting out of the cellar and that's my only realistic goal at this point."

Analysis: Could you imagine sitting with this kid at the lunch table back in grade school? My decent offer: my apple slices for his zebra cakes. You know what I'm talking about!

How he plans of getting out of the cellar with Ludwick's recent post-All-Star history is beyond me:

Ryan Ludwick Post-All-Star Stats
Season	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS
2010	23	6	27	0	.226	.652
2009	29	7	41	1	.267	.720
2008	44	16	48	0	.313	.971

Closing argument: "End of discussion."

Analysis: I'm taking my ball and going home. Too bad Ludwick can't hit there (.239 batting average at PETCO Park).

Fowl Tips: RBI

I watched one of the local Cincinnati sportscasts last night following the Reds' 1-0 loss to the Cardinals. In his intro, the anchor stressed the Reds' season-long struggle with runners in scoring position.

This morning, I dug into the stats and was surprised to learn the Reds actually possess MLB's fifth-best batting average with runners in scoring position (.268). They trail the Cardinals (.299), Indians (.275), Braves (.274), and, wow, the Royals (.271). The Mariners own the worst batting average with runners in scoring position (.213).

It gets worse for M's fans, as their batting average sinks to .169 with runners in scoring position and two outs. The Cards remain top dog with the pressure on (.276), while the A's and Red Sox like the heat in the kitchen with the second-best average (.257).

The Reds do struggle with two outs and runners in scoring position, with their average dropping to .216. Maybe that's what the anchor meant to say.

Fowl Out...of the Norm

Random Nine is a list of players you may not own who put together a solid two weeks.

Random Nine
Player	R	RBI	HR	SB
Geovany Soto	4	8	3	0
Freddie Freeman	9	11	4	0
Daniel Murphy	8	13	1	0
Danny Valencia	9	13	3	0
Emilio Bonafacio	7	3	0	7
Angel Pagan	12	6	0	3
Vernon Wells	9	10	5	0
Jason Bay	8	11	2	2
Player	W	ER	K	QS
Chris Capuano	3	7	18	2

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go pick up a box of zebra cakes.