2016 Top 10: 1B

Time for the fun batters now, no more catchers with boring old stats.  Some first baseman in the league are slowly evolving to be 5 tool players which is great for fantasy purposes.  You can sacrifice speed in the middle infield if you have a Anthony Rizzo or Paul Goldschmidt holding down first.  Unfortunately, there aren't too many guys that are going to help considerably with that, so until then, you'll have to deal with the big brutes who will get you the pop you need.

1. Paul Goldschmidt (ARI)- The 5 tool guy himself.  He has what it takes to get you every stat you need, an arguable 1st round 1st pick. Not much else needs to be said about him, expect him to have similar numbers as he has in the past.

2016 Stats: 312/420, 28 HR, 95 RBI 18 SB












2. Miguel Cabrera (DET)- Injuries kept him hobbled last year a little bit and I expect him to unfortunately have a bout on the DL again this year.  But when he's healthy, he's the man, so draft him high, just have a serviceable guy you don't have to kill yourself on the draft for on your bench in case of injury (Justin Bour, Lucas Duda).

2016 Stats: 330/400, 27 HR, 100 RBI, 1 SB

3. Anthony Rizzo (CHC)- Similar to Paul Goldschmidt, the guy gets it done all over the field.  Unfortunately, he loses a few spots because his average and OBP isn't as good as his predecessors.  Expect Rizzo to rake this year on a scary scary Cubs team.

2016 Stats: 270/330, 24 HR, 98 RBI, 12 SB

4.  Jose Abreu (CWS)- Abreu saw a bit of a decline last season from his monstrous rookie year with the White Sox.  I don't expect him to decline anymore than he did last year, so that seems to be the best sample size we'll get with Abreu.  Now that he has a someone else to protect him in the lineup with Todd Frazier, Jose will be a great option to knock plenty out of the park for the Sox.

2016 Stats: 266/320, 31 HR, 101 RBI, 1 SB

5.  Chris Davis (BAL)- The good thing about Davis is that he has eligibility in the outfield. If you get lucky enough to pick one of the options before him, you're gonna be all set when it comes to power on your team.  Also set with power are the Orioles this season.  Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Pedro Alvarez (I know), and a healthy Matt Wieters, should lead to some fun in the outfield grand stands for souvenirs.

2016 Stats: 235/330, 38 HR, 102 RBI, 2 SB

6. Edwin Encarnacion (TOR)- If there's a more underrated guy in the league, I haven't heard of him.  Incarnation continues to crush the ball year after year without getting any of the recognition the big names get.  On a Blue Jays roster filled with power he will get the job done this season again.  He'll settle in as the DH limiting his risk of injury and getting plenty of at bats.

2016 Stats: 270/353, 36 HR, 96 RBI, 4 SB

7.  Joey Votto (CIN)- After an injury plagued 2014, Votto showed last year he still knew how to play baseball.  He seems to be healthy and ready to go for 2016 so expect him to be the same old Votto on the same old underperforming Reds team (minus Frazier).  Homeruns might fall a tad but otherwise he'll be a viable option at 1B.

2016 Stats: 280/332, 23 HR, 85 RBI, 6 SB

8.  Adrian Gonzalez (LAD)- Streaky, but reliable.  Gonzalez went on an absolute tear in the beginning of the season and fantasy owners were a bit shocked, but were ok reaping the rewards anyway.  Gonzalez is a good bet to hit 25+ homers year after year and have a solid average to boot. These 1B are all the same come to think of it, they're pretty much going to be the same guy as they were last season...

2016 Stats: 279/340, 26 HR, 90 RBI, 0 SB

9. Prince Fielder (TEX)- Comeback player of the year last season and man what a streak he went on before the All-Star break.  Fielder came back with a vengeance in 2015 and showed the haters he still could crush the baseball.  He fell off a little bit towards the end of the year but his numbers were solid as could be.  Maybe a slight drop in homers but he'll pick up some RBIs as long as players like Andrus and DeShields can get on base.

2016 Stats: 282/360, 21 HR, 99 RBI, 0 SB

10.  Freddie Freeman (ATL)- Not a lot of room for RBIs on this Braves' team in 2016, but he'll still have a decent year at the plate.  Freeman always gets on base and has a pretty high average, so that should help contribute to your rosters in a positive fashion.  Like I said, not a lot of RBIs, and home runs aren't as many as your typical 1B but still a solid option to man the bag.

2016 Stats: 289/363, 18 HR, 78 RBI, 3 SB

Honorable Mention: Byung-Ho Park (MIN)

Manic Monday

At this point in the season, teams are starting to realize who's out and who's still in the hunt for a championship. Thankfully, yours truly is tied for first place and looking to add some key pieces to aid their hopes for greatness. 

At the end of this last week, I found myself battling it out with my opponent for the less "sexy" stats. They should have had this battle on Pay Per View. We were neck and neck for WHIP and OBP. I started to realize if I wanted to win this year, I need to upgrade on these stats and make sure I'm set for the rest of the year.

My advice for those who are buyers this time of year:  yes you're going to want to get that big bat your lineup is missing. What's that going to cost you though? A first round pick in next year's draft?  My experience is, it's not worth it.  Find those guys who are going to get you the most bang for your buck.  Maybe there's that middle reliever like Wade Davis who will help your ERA each week. Or maybe it's Gerardo Parra who will get you those few points in OBP you missed out on last week.  Don't go out and buy high on Jose Bautista or Albert Pujols, they're going to cost you far too much for what you need. You can find the "sexy" stats in free agency, but the most important stats can be acquired through strategic deals. 

Happy hunting!

Your Wednesday Free Agency NEEDS

I know, it's the middle of the week and you're getting antsy with under-performers on your team.  I always tell myself, sometimes the best moves you can make are the ones you don't make.  However, there are other times when enough is enough and you need some fresh faces from free agency  Here are some options at each position who will give you some pop at each position:

C- Kyle Schwarber (STILL only 60% owned)
1B- Mitch "Give Me" Moreland (54%)
2B- Joe "It's Not Time To" Panik (65%--and he's an All-Star)
SS- Yunel "Pablo" Escobar (48%)
3B- Jung Ho Kang (17%-- Finally a starter, MUST be owned)
OF- Alex Rios (45%-- Looking to make some noise in the second half)
SP- Mike "Someone Fix The" Leake (35%--Probably going to be traded to a contender)

3 Hot, 3 Not- 7/21/15

The first week back from the All Star break has shown us the true identities of some, and also created some potential stars as well.  The list below will show you 3 guys you need to pick up, and 3 you should probably cut ties with.  All nicknames are TM'ed by me...but not really.

3 Hot:

Taylor "YMCA" Jungmann SP, MIL- Must have been staying at the YMCA because he certainly is having fun out there for the Brewers (boo).  In his past 3 starts he's gone 8, 9, and 7 innings respectively surrendering only 1 ER in each start.  While I don't see this lasting forever, I'd snatch him up now as he has a pretty favorable match up with Arizona this weekend.  Owned in only 24% of Yahoo leagues.

Kyle "Broflovski" Schwarber C/OF, CHI- Here's a guy who has had plenty of hype this season after posting awesome numbers in the minors (.333/.429/.613).  He had a brief appearance earlier this season but now looks like he's here to stay for a little while longer.  After his call up on Friday, he's gone 4 for 10 with 2 runs scored.  Joe Maddon has hinted that Schwarber will catch 3 games in a row against the Reds so make sure to plug him into your lineups now.  Owned in 54% of Yahoo leagues.



Jose "Enrique" Iglesias 3B/SS, DET- There's something about Jose that I just can't keep him off my watch list.  He consistently hits for contact and gets on base and also gives you eligibility at the MI and CI as well.  Not a lot of power but with 10 stolen bases this season, he'll get in scoring position to put some runs on the board for Detroit.  With a slash of (.314/.366/.384) he's definitely getting the job done for a lackluster Tiger's team.  Owned in 29% of Yahoo leagues.

3 Not:

Justin "At Least I Have Kate Upton" Verlander SP, DET- Man I used to love watching this guy pitch.  And by used to, I'm talking two seasons ago.  With a blistering fastball and some awesome off speed junk to mix, he was unstoppable.  This season, his velocity has dropped considerably and I just don't think he has it like he used to (ie Tim Lincecum).  In his past 5 starts he's had 2 decent and 3 terrible outings.  Even if he does get it together, the Tigers are talking about unloading Yoenis Cespedes and Miguel Cabrera won't be back until mid-August, so the run support won't be there.  It's time to part ways with the 6'5 righty.

Chris "This Is The" Carter 1B/OF, HOU- I always knew Chris Carter couldn't hit for average but what is going on here?! He hasn't had a hit since July 3rd!! Usually when these stretches happen at least he'll put one over the wall, but he's done absolutely nothing.  It's a good thing the Astros have so many other power options or else they'd be in trouble.  I wouldn't drop him quite yet, but I'd definitely monitor the situation and put him on your bench in the time being.

Taijuan "Sky" Walker SP, SEA- Walker was supposed to be the closest thing to Felix Hernandez and the Mariners were elated about it.  He's still very young so there's time, but he hasn't been impressing as of late.  His past two outings have been abysmal and he's let up 5 and 7 ERs during those games.  He has a start tonight against Detroit and for me, he's on a short leash.  If he throws the ball well tonight and gets at least 5 strikeouts, I'll keep him on the team for now.  If he implodes again, I'm parting ways with the young righty from Shreveport.



I'm not sure why I just gave a shout out to Shreveport there, but I'm sticking to it!  Good luck in your games tonight and be sure to tune in for more updates this week.

All Star Break Hangover

Welcome to the first post from Dream Team Fantasy.  I don't know about you but I'm ready for the second half of the season to begin.  The All-Star Game was definitely exciting, and I kept checking my team to see if I was getting credit for my guys' performances.  Well, the wait is just about over as the second half of the season begins tomorrow...FINALLY!  Make sure to get those lineups set for Friday, and stay tuned for tips and help for the weekend series.  In the meantime, enjoy some highlights from the All Star Game.