tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42595913364834910182009-11-22T09:08:09.275-05:00Because if we don't write about fantasy baseball, the aggravation is causes eats away at our insides.Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.comBlogger900125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-72872119842671232342009-01-04T16:57:00.002-05:002009-01-04T17:02:57.524-05:00

Well, as promised, Fantasy Hurler has a brand new home at www.fantasyhurler.com. This will be last post at this, our old Blogger address, although the site will remain functional to serve as an archive for our first two years of Hurler content. But if you want to read what we're up to now, please head to our new address. Oh, and don't forget to change your bookmarks and RSS feeds!

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-55167220364921854392008-12-21T17:25:00.003-05:002008-12-21T17:41:35.936-05:00

At the beginning of this month, I started posting again, intending to get back in the groove of updating Fantasy Hurler on a regular basis as we approach the 2009 season. As you may have noticed, that didn't happen, and this site hasn't been updated in almost two weeks.Fear not: There's a damn good reason this time. In just a few short weeks, Fantasy Hurler will be moving off Blogger to become

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-74650735039330917992008-12-11T00:03:00.003-05:002008-12-11T00:11:20.128-05:00

So I took my fantasy winnings from last season and bought something I've been wanting for a while now: a shiny, 16-gig Apple iPod Touch. And like all Touch and iPhone owners, I find myself needing to fill the thing up with as many cool apps as possible. Being a fantasy junkie, the first one I downloaded was the Fanball.com Fantasy News app, which allows you to remotely get up-to-the-minute scoops

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-83975864896490289232008-12-10T18:39:00.011-05:002008-12-11T00:06:08.380-05:00

Typing that headline just made me nauseous, as for some reason I hate the term "hot stove," but every baseball-related show, column, blog, podcast, etc. currently has a Hot Stove edition, so why not us? (This includes Baseball Tonight, which -- yep -- looks like it's still going to suck this year. Boy, I hope I get the MLB Network in my area, and, boy, do I hope it's good. Or at least better than

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-65676936980518768672008-12-06T08:11:00.005-05:002008-12-12T11:49:26.333-05:00

This post started as a reply to this lonely yet welcome dead-of-winter comment, but I figured, why not expand? We need some December content. Anyway, with Kerry Wood off to parts unknown, the closer position is up for grabs in Chicago. Carlos Marmol would appear to be the heir apparent. In 2008, he notched seven saves, which were accompanied by these other sick stats: a 2.68 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-5574225081931783572008-11-21T12:41:00.004-05:002008-11-21T14:21:50.588-05:00

Supreme kudos to Mike Mussina for not being greedy. The journeyman righty was a huge fantasy surprise last season, winning 20 games and posting a 3.37 ERA, his lowest since 2001 (his first year with the Yankees). Even better for him, those numbers came in his walk year, ensuring that the soon-to-be-40-year-old could cash in on one last lucrative, though likely short-term, contract. Instead,

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-35494221887141105412008-11-14T10:38:00.007-05:002008-11-14T10:47:41.299-05:00

Does it crack anyone else up that the Cubs stuck by Kerry Wood year after year, injury after injury, only to cut ties with him immediately after he finally made himself a useful member of the ball club? And, yeah, I know that with the way contracts and payroll work these days, it's maybe not all that surprising. Still makes me chuckle, though.Oh, and it looks like Kevin Gregg will be closing for

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-59569073613772996992008-11-07T12:01:00.002-05:002008-11-07T12:09:57.141-05:00

With offseason awards about to be annouced, I wanted to get to the top 10 pitchers list.Again, I had the pleasure of competitively participating in 10 fantasy baseball leagues (eight Yahoo, two ESPN) of varying types (rotisserie, head-to-head rotisserie, points, head-to-head points) and each format produced a slightly different Top 10. Let's take a look at the results from five different formats:

Daniel AubaindaBklynKid@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-23809654251799352152008-10-30T09:26:00.007-04:002008-10-30T10:47:04.056-04:00

Now that the book on the '08 season has officially closed, let's talk about some guys who may get a bump in average draft position next year thanks to their postseason play.David Price was already going to be drafted too high next season. It's probably going to get ridiculous now thanks to his memorable showing in the ALCS. But how 'bout we don't go staking our entire 2009 season on 2.1 innings

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-50294412651746111352008-10-30T00:17:00.004-04:002008-10-30T10:46:46.324-04:00

Cole Hamels' mullet and his new Camaro will go together nicely.

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-42902033025690476902008-10-20T14:00:00.003-04:002008-11-07T12:09:27.383-05:00

With the regular season behind us and the playoffs rolling along, I figured I'd take some time to look back at the 2008 season and discuss the top ten hitters and pitchers, statistically speaking. First up ... the hitters.I had the pleasure of competitively participating in 10 fantasy baseball leagues (eight Yahoo, two ESPN) of varying types (rotisserie, head-to-head rotisserie, points,

Daniel AubaindaBklynKid@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-63281312679652672552008-10-17T12:54:00.007-04:002008-10-17T13:11:22.939-04:00

Okay, let's see if we got this right... -- They struggled and scuffled for years because of something they did that was wrong.-- Then, overcoming decades of absolute squalor, coming close to but never quite managing to get ahead, they finally achieve the ultimate success...-- And immediately thereafter, turn completely evil.-- And now, the story line is all about how they have to redeem

Ben Leanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-84213484186685868992008-10-16T10:51:00.000-04:002008-10-16T10:52:02.089-04:00

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-6806663973162949582008-10-13T18:45:00.004-04:002008-10-13T18:58:33.018-04:00

Albert Pujols had surgery done on his troublous right elbow today, although it wasn't the Tommy John surgery he actually needs but refuses to get because he can post MVP numbers even with an elbow that doesn't quite work properly. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, doctors instead decompressed and relocated the ulnar nerve in his right elbow. Where it was relocated to wasn't specified, but

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-30429805297158807862008-10-08T14:43:00.005-04:002008-10-08T14:57:21.939-04:00

Okay, let's talk playoffs.I noticed a little bit of playoff chatter in Daniel's "What Next?" post, so I figure ... why not get a dedicated thread going for the postseason? Then I punched a wall Carlos Quentin-style for not thinking of it sooner. Damn, that hurts.Anyway, people accuse us of having all kinds of biases at this site, and you know what? They're right. For example ... fuck the Cubs and

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-74782411063686522932008-10-06T11:59:00.002-04:002008-10-14T11:54:35.974-04:00

It's nice to finally sit back and watch baseball as a fan rather than some human StatTracker®. I'll go on record as saying I am a Yankee fan rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers to make it to the World Series. I don't know what it is that makes watching Manny's antics more enjoyable now than when he was with the Red Sox. I guess the fact that he will be a Yankee next season

Daniel AubaindaBklynKid@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-35040841627859075742008-10-05T14:27:00.007-04:002008-10-05T15:37:48.273-04:00

How 'bout we compare some final stat lines for guys we debated, contrasted and ultimately fought about here at the Hurler this year?Alex Rios vs. Alfonso SorianoAlex Rios: .291-91-15-79-32, Yahoo rank -- #52 Alfonso Soriano: .280-76-29-75-19, Yahoo rank -- #75This one was batted back and forth a couple times this season, and I even suggested in April that Rios was the more valuable player,

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-26055851357598101442008-10-01T21:19:00.007-04:002008-10-01T23:25:21.910-04:00

Congrats to RotoRob's Tim McLeod and Roto Authority's Tim Dierkes, who tied for co-champions of the 12-team Bloggers League I represented Fantasy Hurler in this summer.McLeod was a co-winner despite drafting Victor Martinez in the third round. (Proof that in fantasy baseball, one really bad early draft pick can be overcome.) He struck gold with Ian Kinsler in the 6th, Adrian Beltre in the 8th,

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-15168263702742377912008-09-28T23:55:00.001-04:002008-09-29T15:29:39.665-04:00

Oh, what a season CC had. It started with that horrific April in Cleveland that had owners dumping him left and right, and ended in September in Milwaukee, with the poor guy seemingly throwing 120-pitch shutouts every fourth day. I will not be drafting Sabathia next year. I hear his pitching arm is now attached to his body thanks only to paper clips and duct tape.CC Sabathia: 9 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER,

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-33088694921225717712008-09-28T17:00:00.000-04:002008-09-28T17:00:08.054-04:00

I, too, feel that "value" should factor in when handing out fantasy baseball awards. That being said, here are my award winners:FANTASY MVPAlbert Pujols - What this guy does with one good arm is amazing. I won't be passing over him next season.Dustin Pedroia - His ADP was 165. He currently leads the majors with 211 hits.Josh Hamilton - Another ADP of 165. What didn't he do right this year?Grady

Daniel AubaindaBklynKid@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-12336428606915288762008-09-27T23:59:00.001-04:002008-09-28T09:46:51.166-04:00

Bringing it when the Mets needed him the most ...Johan Santana: 9 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K for the W

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-49194170445116022312008-09-27T23:59:00.000-04:002008-09-28T02:31:38.781-04:00

If you're in a head-to-head league and need to stream some pitchers, now is the time to throw everything and the kitchen sink at your opponent. Let's evaluate every matchup for Sunday, September 28th:CC Sabathia (100%) @ home vs. Angel Guzman (0%): With the Brewers needing a win to keep their playoffs hopes alive and CC pitching to prove he's a big game pitcher deserving of big game pitcher money

Daniel AubaindaBklynKid@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-32724056621816729652008-09-27T12:40:00.008-04:002008-09-27T19:45:52.194-04:00

FANTASY MVPFor me, the Fantasy MVP is all about value. Fantasy seasons aren't won in the first round (though they can certainly be lost there). They're won in the late rounds, when the guy you took a flyer on busts out in a huge way, carrying you to the title. With that in mind, my top three fantasy MVP candidates are:1. Ryan Ludwick -- A lot of teams got a lot of value out of a guy who probably

Ben Leanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-59981539748491317462008-09-27T09:07:00.008-04:002008-09-27T15:02:20.145-04:00

FANTASY MVP1. Albert Pujols -- As of this morning, he's #1 in the Yahoo fantasy game once more, and yet everyone who drafted him got him at a discount 'cause of the injury concerns. Unreal.2. Hanley Ramirez -- Because I'm hard-headed, I'll always prefer Reyes, but it's hard to argue with 33 HR + 35 SB.3. Josh Hamilton -- Slipped behind guys like Manny and Holliday late in the season, but gets the

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4259591336483491018.post-13848325349068647242008-09-27T08:34:00.004-04:002008-09-27T09:44:06.834-04:00

All right, Houston's out, so you can forget all of this. Now it's a White Sox-Tigers game that may need to be made up on Monday, if the AL Central race isn't decided by then. So that's one theoretical AL regular season game that could be played, in addition to possible White Sox-Twins and Mets-Brewers play-in games. (Actually, if the Phillies lose today and Sunday, things could get more

Bob Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942199595963689584noreply@blogger.com2