Baseball Instinct – Do You Have It?

In life, we often don’t have a choice in who we love.  The same holds true for fantasy baseball fans.  Right or wrong,  rational or irrational,  we are drawn to certain players each season, maybe through hype or a glimpse of what could be from the previous season.  What if this hitter got full-time at bats or that pitcher improve his command?  Voila! A Man-crush begins.  In this series of articles, I would like to spotlight just who you should be “crushing” on in 2009.

The 9-6 (Road: 5-4) New York Yankees take on the 9-6 (Home: 7-2) Boston Red Sox at 7:10 EST tonight as part of our Baseball Instinct Game of the day! TV: New York - YES, Boston - NESN .  On the Net - MLB.tv Radio:  Yankees - WCBS 880, 92.7 WQBU, Red Sox - WRKO 680, SBN 1150.  On the Net - Game day audio. Here’s a closer fantasy look at the game of the day! Probable Yankees starting pitcher: RHP Joba Chamberlain (0-0, 5.06 ERA in 2009) Probable Red Sox starting pitcher: LHP Jon Lester (1-2, 5.50 ERA in 2009)

In life, we often don’t have a choice in who we love.  The same holds true for fantasy baseball fans.  Right or wrong, rational or irrational, we are drawn to certain players each season., maybe through hype or a glimpse of what could be from the previous season.  In this series of articles, I would like to spotlight just who you should be “crushing” on in 2009.

I miss the 1970s. Well, that’s not exactly true. I don’t have too many clear memories of the 1970s, so it’s not the decade that I miss. It’s the look. And more specifically the look of baseball. The double knit. The ChiSox in shorts. The A’s in all yellow. A little pill-box hat on the head of big Willie Stargell. And more specifically I miss the facial hair. Take a look at Al Hrabosky. It takes a man to grow that kind of facial hair. It takes a double shot of testosterone to do something like that. It also takes a little bit of crazy. Could be why they called him the Mad Hungarian.

In life, we often don’t have a choice who we love. The same holds true for fantasy baseball fans. Right or wrong, rational or irrational, we are drawn to certain players each season, maybe through hype or a glimpse of what could be from the previous season. In this series of articles, I would like to spotlight just who you should be “crushing” on in 2009.

It was another hot, steamy day in September of 1996.  The Ballpark in Arlington stands were electric.  For the first time, the hometown Texas Rangers, who were finishing up a meaningless final game against the California Angels, were heading to the playoffs.  It was a season that seemed almost magical.  All the stars were aligned, and everything was spinning in perfect time.

In life, we often don’t have a choice in who we love. The same holds true for fantasy baseball fans. Right or wrong. Rational or irrational. We are drawn to certain players each season., maybe through hype or a glimpse of what could be from the previous season. In this series of articles, I would like to spotlight just who you should be “crushing” on in 2009.

The Padres ended their 2008 season with a thud. John Moores and the Padres consistently plead poverty to the Dodgers and Yankees juggernauts. The constant whining is louder than the winning and has become more than a little annoying to fans. Season ticket sales have plummeted since their 99 game losing season. Not to mention closing the door to contract negotiations with Future Hall Of Fame reliever Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman should probably retire now on a high note, but rather than talk to him the club let the fan favorite walk away.

Another owner in one of my leagues has a quote on his team page that reads: The word Prospect is another way of saying ‘Hasn’t done [expletive] yet". This is a common mindset. Some owners want to concentrate on the players with track records and with players that have measurable value, but they ignore the rookie that can be had cheaply. And still, other owners may rely on the allure of prospects too much. They bet the house that an eighteen or nineteen year old with a flamethrower for a right arm will mow down major leaguers or hit thirty homers and knock in 80 runs. Who’s right? What strategy will bring home the trophy or defeat your league rival? In this article, I would like to look at the different ways a fantasy team owner can use the farm system to their advantage whether they are enamored with young players or not.

The 2008 Seattle Mariners were one of the biggest disappointments of the 2008 MLB season. The Mariners became the first team in MLB history to post a 100 loss season while having a payroll over 100 million dollars. One of the bright spots for the Mariners was 2B Jose Lopez who set career highs in nearly offensive category. Also making great impressions last season were pitchers Ryan Rowland-Smith and 2006 first round draft pick Brandon Morrow who both saw their first action as members of the starting rotation while posting good results. The Mariners finished the year 61-101 and 39 games out of first place behind the first place Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.