Wilmer Flores Makes Daniel Murphy Expendable

Here at Cheap.Seats.Please., its always about looking forward. And there’s little that gets the year moving along quicker than getting ready for your fantasy season. Baseball is the gauntlet of all of fantasy league competition, and once again, our friends at Fanduel.com have returned again with some tips on how to get ahead of the competition…as well as get the most out of your fantasy dollar, with a new chance each week.

 

One of the bigger storylines this winter for the New York Mets will revolve around Daniel Murphy’s status with the team. After putting together a solid fantasy baseball season in 2014, the Mets are in a sticky situation. They love his offense, but his defense is a downfall. Although Dilson Herrera has higher upside in the minor league system, the Mets could see Wilmer Flores as someone who makes Murphy expendable right away.

Flores received minimal playing time in 2014, especially at 2^nd base. He finished the season hitting .251/.286/.378 with six home runs and 29 RBI in just 259 at-bats, and the 23-year old seems to still be scratching the surface of his potential. He has quite a bit of power, which is rare for a 2^nd baseman. His defense was also an upgrade over Murphy, although the sample size was rather small.

Murphy is the more dependable, pure hitter out of the two, but the New York Mets know that they will have to take a slow downgrade at first if a trade is pulled off. They should be more than satisfied with Flores as the permanent second baseman for now, especially since he is a young, talented guy with upside. If he can give them an upgrade on defense and in power, he will fit in perfectly with New York’s rebuilding plans.

Some fans might not like the fact that New York is planning to trade away yet another All-Star. In fact, he was the Mets’ only All-Star in 2014. With that being said, it is time for the younger guys to show what they are capable of if New York wants to start competing again in the National League East. Flores, with Herrera as a long-term option down the road, should hold down the hole left behind.

 

For more articles, contests and Fantasy games across the year, head over to FanDuel.com and @FanduelFantasy and get in the game. For more on baseball season as a whole, follow me on Twitter at@CheapSeatFan.

 

 

3 Sleepers for the Upcoming Fantasy Season—by Fanduel

By Fanduel.com

 

Here at Cheap.Seats.Please., its always about looking forward. And there’s little that gets the year moving along quicker than getting ready for your fantasy season. Baseball is the gauntlet of all of fantasy league competition, and once again, our friends at Fanduel.com have returned again with some tips on how to get ahead of the competition…as well as get the most out of your fantasy dollar, with a new chance each week.

Just about every fantasy baseball owner out there would agree that the key to a successful draft is to find sleepers and potential breakout stars in the middle of the draft. Anyone can draft perennial All-Stars early on and be competitive if they follow cheat sheets. In fantasy baseball 2014, there will once again be some guys stepping it up and producing great numbers. So how do you identify them? It’s certainly anyone’s guess, but these players listed below will have the opportunity for success.

Jurickson Profar

A season ago, Profar was considered by some to be a pretty nice sleeper. However, he was stuck juggling a bunch of positions for the Texas Rangers, and his hitting suffered. When the Rangers traded Ian Kinsler away, that opened up the starting 2^nd base position for the youngster. Expect him to be much better in fantasy baseball 2014 as he has additional stability to work with. Remember, he will be in just his age 21 season, so it is silly to sour on the talented infielder.

Taijuan Walker

He has been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason, but the Seattle Mariners are hoping to keep their talented flame thrower. Seattle gave him three starts at the end of the year in 2013, and he was able to give fans a glimpse of the future. Pitching at Safeco Field will definitely help his numbers in fantasy baseball 2014, so he is worth a look even if he doesn’t make the starting rotation out of Spring Training.

George Springer

The two guys listed above have both appeared at the MLB level, but Springer will likely be making his debut in 2014. Houston was absolutely terrible last season, but they still refrained from giving their talented outfielder the call. He is more than ready though, as he hit .303 with 37 home runs and 45 stolen bases. Some see him as being the next Mike Trout or Yasiel Puig when he is finally let loose at the MLB level. Don’t sleep on him in the late rounds.

 

 

For more articles, contests and Fantasy games across the year, head over to FanDuel.com and @FanduelFantasy and get in the game. For more on baseball season as a whole, follow me on Twitter at@CheapSeatFan.

Three Fantasy Baseball Players To Avoid In 2013

Via Hannah Miller of FanDuel.com

At the start of each baseball season, optimism usually runs rampant. Just about every club feels like they can make a run to the postseason, and way too many players look like they could be on the verge of a breakout season after one hot week in Florida or Arizona. The harsh reality is that there are always going to be disappointments. While predicting these are just as difficult as predicting stars, here are three players who are showing some warning signs that this could be a poor 2013 season for them individually.

Hanley Ramirez

The little bit of life Ramirez showed after the trade to the Dodgers seemed like nothing more than a tease for this quickly aging infielder. At one point in his career, Ramirez was a reliable first round pick who had five tools. Now, Ramirez seems out of shape, unable to play third or shortstop with any consistency and striking out more than ever. He will be entering his age 29 season, which isn’t that old, but age and weight issues are slowing him down on the base paths.

It is remarkable that a player who hit .332 in 2007 and .342 in 2009 is now a .250 hitter. While that average should go up a bit this season, he is no longer a guy who should be able to get by on name recognition. Avoid Ramirez in the early rounds to prevent disappointment.

Jered Weaver

Staying in the Los Angeles area, Jered Weaver is a pitcher who might not seem like he is declining, but the warning signs are there. For starters, his velocity on all of his pitches is way down from even a couple of seasons ago.  This in turn has affected his strikeout rate, although his ERA and WHIP appear unaffected.

It is hard to argue with three straight top five AL Cy Young award finishes, but now 30 years old, Weaver’s durability seems to be a bit of a cause for concern. Playing on a solid team like the Angels will help his value by getting him wins, but he seems to currently be going too high in FanDuel.com Fantasy Baseball 2013 mock drafts.

Edwin Encarnacion

After a career year in 2012, Edwin Encarnacion then received word that the Blue Jays would be bringing in other talent to help him out. Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and others might appear to be helpful, but in order for Encarnacion to use them to his advantage, he must repeat his numbers from a season ago.

Injuries have always held back Encarnacion during his career, but his 2012 numbers of .280, 43 home runs, 110 RBI, 93 runs and 13 steals seem too good to be true. There appears to be no way he can repeat those numbers given his history. Considering that some mock drafts have him as the 10th-15th best fantasy option, that seems like a swing and a miss just waiting to happen for owners.

For more articles, contests and Fantasy games across the year, head over to FanDuel.com and @FanduelFantasy and get involved. For more on baseball season as a whole, follow me on Twitter at @CheapSeatFan.