Last month, I wrote about the launch of Bloomberg Sports‘ entry into fantasy baseball. Since the program went online and for sale to the public, it’s received quite a bit of buzz. And it’s establishing a Fantasy Baseball Experts League with an online program that will be webcast tonight.
LIVE ONLINE TONIGHT: BLOOMBERG SPORTS FANTASY BASEBALL DRAFTWatch Six Experts, Six Fans Compete to Select the Stars and Sleepers who will help them Win the 2010 Bloomberg Baseball Challenge
Lead Writer Jonah Keri Offers Up Sleepers And Surprises For Fans As Well
New York, March 15 – As fantasy draft time quickly approaches, BLOOMBERG L.P. will be hosting a live online fantasy baseball draft tonight for the 2010 Bloomberg Baseball Challenge. Fans will have a chance to watch six experts and six fantasy baseball fans compete to select the best major league players that will help them win the Challenge. Bloombergsports.com lead content writer Jonah Keri has also assembled a series of key facts and sleeper picks using the BLOOMBERG SPORTSTM fantasy tools that he will share with fans that may be getting ready to make their own selections for their leagues. Tonight’s draft can be followed live at 8:30 p.m. EDT at www.bloombergexperts.rtsports.com.
“As Spring Training is heating up, baseball fans are planning for their fantasy drafts,” said Bill Squadron head of the Bloomberg Sports product. “The idea of hosting a draft is to celebrate the time when fans turn to the crucial choices they will need to make for their teams in the next few weeks. It’s an exciting time for BLOOMBERG SPORTS and we are confident that Jonah Keri’s key facts will give fans an edge when making this season’s picks.”
Tonight’s draft will pit six fans with fantasy experience against six experts that include: Harold Reynolds, MLB Network Analyst; Ron Shandler, Founder of BaseballHQ.com; Lawr Michaels, Senior Content Manager for Mastersball.com; Tim Heaney, Managing Editor of KFFL.com; Steve Gardner, USA Today fantasy baseball columnist and Derek VanRiper, Baseball Editor of Rotowire.com. . The six fans were selected from over 300 entrants who responded over a five day period from around the world.
Additionally, the 2010 Bloomberg Baseball Challenge Draft will feature key facts compiled by Bloomberg Sports lead content writer Jonah Keri and will include information on sleepers. Below are a few examples of what fans can expect:
When Chris Young of the Arizona Diamondbacks struggled to find his batting stroke last year, he shuttled throughout the batting order. Young’s 2009 splits show the speedy outfielder at his best in the lead-off spot, where he started the season. Young batted .315 from the lead-off spot in 2009, but no better than .264 at any other spot in the lineup.
Justin Morneau hit 14 of his 30 homeruns off fastballs last year. But opposing pitchers should keep going after him with heat. Morneau hit just .262 on four-seam fastballs in 2009, vs. .334 on sliders.
Few players have better plate coverage than Ichiro Suzuki. But the Mariners hit machine does struggle to make contact on pitches belt-high on the outside corner. In 2009, Ichiro totaled 18 more strikes than balls hit into play on those pitches. It was the only portion of the strike zone that yielded more strikes than balls in play.
Josh Beckett may want to try a new approach when pitching to Derek Jeter. Beckett has thrown Jeter a ton of low fastballs, only for the Yankees shortstop to respond with a .329 average against the Red Sox pitcher in the past three years. Beckett threw Jeter 50 pitches in 2009; 39 of those were fastballs, 25 belt-high or lower. Of the 13 hits Jeter totaled against Beckett last year,9 were hit to the right side.
Three National League sleepers include:
Jorge de la Rosa, Colorado Rockies: Elite strikeout rate (9.4/9 IP), but bad luck (low 70% strand rate) kept ERA, WHIP elevated. Coors Field isn't the pitcher's nightmare it used to be, and de la Rosa could be an elite #2 behind Ubaldo Jimenez is 2010.
Seth Smith, Colorado Rockies: 888 OPS and 15 homers in just 335 ABs last year. Talent's there just needs opportunity; trading expensive, defensively-challenged right fielder Brad Hawpe would create that opportunity.
Ricky Nolasco, Florida Marlins: The cognoscenti know your league might not: Nolasco's '09 ERA was nearly 2 runs higher than support-neutral stats would have predicted, due to horrible luck (.336 BABIP, 61% strand rate). Monster 4.4:1 strikeout-to-walk rate portends ace numbers in 2010.
Three American League sleepers include:
Desmond Jennings, Tampa Bay Rays: He'll start the season in the minors, but a Carl Crawford trade (if the Rays drop out of the race) or Matt Joyce struggles would push Jennings into the big club's everyday lineup. Huge batting average and stolen base potential, and Rays have shown they're not shy about promoting elite prospects to the show.
Colby Lewis, Texas Rangers: Japanese League stats can be iffy, but superhuman 10.3:1 strikeout-to-walk rate last year prompted Texas to bring Lewis back to the U.S. on a two-year contract, with a spot in the rotation. Improving Rangers defense, led by vacuum cleaner Elvis Andrus at short, bodes well for further success.
Brett Anderson, Oakland A's: Another huge K/BB rate (3.3:1), combined with worm-burning groundball rates, bode well for the second-year lefty. Another low strand rate victim in '09, Anderson's talent combined with a pitcher-friendly park could produce 15 wins and an ERA under 3.50 this season.
For additional notes, facts and information, visit the Bloomberg Baseball blog at: BloombergSports.MLBlogs.com. To learn more about BLOOMBERG SPORTS fantasy baseball products, please visit: BloombergSports.com.
Good stuff.
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