AGRI Biz

With Buster Posey remaining in the San Francisco Giants' camp, the idea of him actually opening the season on the major league roster is becoming more of a reality. Does it make sense to have one of your premier prospects simply watching from the sideline instead of getting at-bats at Triple-A? Not in the slightest, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss. There is the potential that he plays two to ...

Justin Masterson is a pitcher many have been waiting on, though it took a trip out of Boston for the potential production to finally be there.  Unfortunately, the move to Cleveland didn’t get off to the best of starts: 1 Win 57.1 Innings 4.55 ERA 1.59 WHIP 52 Strikeouts (8.2 K/9) 35 Walks (5.5 B/99) .319 BABIP Control was clearly his major issue, though not indicative of his abilities.  Over his minor league ...

Why do people continuously undervalue Bobby Abreu?  Exactly what does he have to do to prove that what he does year in and year out is for real?  He moved out to Los Angeles last season and once again performed like a top outfielder: .293 batting average (165-for-563) 15 home runs 103 RBI 96 runs 30 stolen bases .390 on-base percentage .435 slugging percentage .338 batting average on balls in play I know, he’s 36 years old, ...

There is some concern over Adam Lind and his ability to replicate his 2009 success.  It’s justified, considering he had seen time in the major leagues from 2006 on, compiling 22 HR in 676 AB.  He also had not shown the potential to hit for an excellent average (.238 in ‘07, .282 in ‘08).  The idea of him being a middle-of-the-order impact bat was almost laughable. That all changed when he ...

Since being drafted as the seventh overall selection of the 2008 draft out of the University of Miami, there have been rumblings as to how the Reds would fit both Yonder Alonso and Joey Votto into their lineup.  Would Votto move to the outfield?  Could Alonso transition to another position? Before the debate is settled, Alonso needs to prove that he can perform in the professional game.   He failed to do so ...

Joe Blanton had a renaissance of sorts in 2009, though it’s impossible for me to say that he was impressive. He was solid, but is that enough to make him relevant to fantasy owners?  Before we answer that we have to take a closer look at his results. It was his first full year in the National League, leading to his third-best ERA of his five-year career. The stats: 12 wins 195.1 innings 4.05 ERA 1.32 ...

Outside of my Wild Prediction (click here to view), we haven’t talked much about Yovani Gallardo this preseason.  He is one of my favorite pitchers entering 2010 and I didn’t really think it was necessary to discuss him.  While many think highly of him, it turns out a little conversation is needed. Last season there were a lot of questions surrounding him, as injuries had cost him all but 24 innings ...

Closer has been an extremely volatile position this spring, with several of the more secure closers going down to a variety of injuries.  Let’s take a look at how the fallout affects our rankings:   Jonathan Broxton - Los Angeles Dodgers Mariano Rivera - New York Yankees Joakim Soria - Kansas City Royals Jonathan Papelbon - Boston Red Sox Francisco Rodriguez - New York Mets Heath Bell - San Diego Padres Brian Wilson - San Francisco Giants Jose Valverde ...

Joe Nathan has opted to undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2010 season and leaving his future as an elite closer in question.  While the rest of the fantasy world goes sorting through the middling relievers who could fill the role in the early weeks of the season like Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, and Jose Mijares, you may be better served to look at the long-term solution.  Anthony Slama, a 26-year-old ...

Paul Konerko gets little respect from fantasy owners, though as fantasy drafts have come upon us he has quickly become a player that I’m targeting.  No, not in shallower leagues, but if I’m in a league that requires a corner infielder he is one of the players on my list.  Why?  He’s a cheap source of power that no one else seems to care about. First let’s look at his statistics ...