Kuzul

The fourth game of the New York Yankees' young season showcased the much-talked-about sophomore stud Ivan Nova vs. the less-and-less-talked-about Scott Baker and the Minnesota Twins. Six innings and 84 pitches (50 for strikes) were plenty for Nova to earn his second career win and first of the 2011 season. Nova brought a no-hitter into the fourth inning Monday night when Justin Morneau doubled, followed by a single by Delmon Young and another double from the veteran Jim Thome. The Twins scored again in the fifth to bring the game within a run, but the Yankees held on with a 4-3 win. Nova's final line for the night: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3K. The 24-year-old Dominican won the fourth spot in the Yankees rotation with a solid spring training, while battling it out with Freddy Garcia (who won the fifth spot) and Bartolo Colon (bullpen).  Nova ...

Well it's finally here. All the research, opinions and projections will actually be put to the test. As does every fantasy baseball season, 2011 starts off quite interesting with key injuries and trades in the offseason.No Chase Utley at the top of the 2B lists this year. Johan Santana in many leagues is not even being drafted. Zack Greinke's short DL stint to start the season in his new home isn't exactly the way to start a relationship. With lesser injuries we watch Corey Hart and Mat Latos.Long time Padre Adrian Gonzalez, seemed forever doomed to play on a mediocre team for the length of his career, but Boston finally brings hope in 2011. Cliff Lee pulls a "WHAT'D YOU SAY WILLIS?" and rejoins a Philly club, who everyone except apparently Lee thought slapped him in the face. Dan Uggla hops on over to Atlanta with hopes of bringing Atlanta ...

The weather is getting nicer outside, and Opening Day came and went with six games that each had interesting endings. We had studs like Mariano Rivera and Heath Bell shutting the door on their opponents, and John Axford and Ryan Franklin looking just a bit shaky. Let's take a look at the news we missed in the preseason edition and then dive into Opening Day.   Quick News Shortly after the preseason edition of this column went live, it was announced that Neftali Feliz will be the closer for the Texas Rangers to begin the season. The certainty that he is the closer for this team moves him into my top five closers and if you're drafting this weekend, he's absolutely worth taking at the right value. The consensus is that he will be set up by Mark Lowe pitching the eighth and in deep leagues that count holds, he might be worth a look.  The Phillies shut down Brad Lidge with shoulder pain during the final few ...

Position scarcity and injury risk. These are two frequently used fantasy baseball buzz words. The former is the reason why Jose Reyes is an attractive fantasy option. The latter is the reason why many would not even consider drafting the shortstop. So which side is right? Should you be drafting Reyes or not?Don't forget to check out The Fantasy Fix 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit!Let's start with the good. From 2005-2008, Reyes was as good as they get. He averaged 14 HR, 64 SB, 113 R, 66 RBI, and a .287 average. The only recent comparables to that set of numbers would be Jacoby Ellsbury’s 2009 season (slightly less power, slightly better average) or any season Carl Crawford had prior to last year (power, RBI, and average all spiked in 2010).  Reyes also knows how to take a walk and keeps the strikeout rate down thanks to an above-average contact ...

"Don't pay for saves."I'm sure that's a mantra that most, if not all, fantasy baseball players have heard when it comes to drafting closers. The standard logic behind that belief is solid. The early rounds are always used for building the foundation of your offense and choosing stud starting pitchers to help you in wins and strikeouts.Closers are good for bolstering ERA and WHIP in small doses as well as being your only source of saves. So many closers come into the league on the waiver wire due to injuries and failed attempts, its usually not smart taking closers in the first eight to nine rounds in drafts.The problem with that logic is that it doesn't take into account closers that are available a round or two after average. If Mariano Rivera, who typically goes in the late eighth round, is available in the ninth and 10th rounds, he is much more valuable than normal and is worth taking because of ...

Previously, The Fantasy Fix reviewed and gave projections for the 2011 Chicago White Sox rotation. Now, it's time to dive in and analyze the Sox positional players.Call me crazy, but I am picking the White Sox to win the A.L. Central this year. The addition of Adam Dunn will help an already powerful lineup loaded with talent. I see a progression coming for Gordon Beckham, and Alex Rios seems to be finally starting to reach expectations. Questions remain in the pitching department though, which will be the only thing that could hold the Chi Sox back from a American League pennant. Don't forget to check out our 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft KitMixed league auction values in parenthesesCATCHER: A.J. PIERZYNSKI ($5) – At age 34 now, A.J. saw a numbers drop in the HR department last year, managing only nine. He has been steady over the last five years posting 500+ AB, which ...

How many baseball fans know that the Minnesota Twins won one less game than the Yankees last year? Not many, I am sure. This is fantasy land though where wins in real life don't necessarily translate into fantasy points. You will not find many Twins going as high as you might think. One thing that is perfectly clear though is that Target Field is holding back many Twins from decent power numbers.The 2011 version of the Twins isn't much different than last years team with the only fantasy-wise addition to the offense being Japan's batting champion Tsuyoshi Nishhioka (can you say that three times fast?). Will Justin Morneau regain form after his season ending concussion last year? Will Joe Mauer's power return? Will Danny Valencia take the next step? Lets take a look!Don't forget to check out our 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft KitMixed league auction values in parentheses.CATCHER: JOE MAUER ($27) Joe has ...

The best thing about writing for a fantasy baseball site is that any time you get something right there is documentation of your genius.  For example, because I did not start writing for The Fix until the All-Star break last year, I have no way of proving to you that I had Carlos Gonzalez as a top 70 player in the preseason. Then again, because there is no documentation, I do not have to face the embarrassment of you knowing that I had Mark Reynolds and Grady Sizemore as top 25 players (at least not until I typed the previous sentence).   But despite the risk of further embarrassment, I want to go on record about the guys I am all in on and those that I am not touching.  So here it goes, I am going on record. Don't forget to check out our 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. ...

Previously, The Fantasy Fix reviewed and gave projections for the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays rotation. Now, it's time to dive in and analyze the Rays' positional players. Don't forget to check out our 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit The Tampa Rays have some new faces this year in adding Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. Gone are Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena. Will Manny have a resurgence just to prove he can still do it? Is Johnny Damon washed up? Offensively, I find it hard to get excited about anyone on this team except for Evan Longoria, Ramirez and maybe B.J. Upton. I do know that the Rays are definitely the least interesting fantasy team in the A.L. East.   Mixed League Rotisserie Auction Values in Parentheses  CATCHER: JOHN JASO ($5) - Nothing about Jaso excites me, to be honest. He may split time with Kelly Shoppach, although Jaso is expected to become the starter eventually. Jaso hit .272 ...

When projecting the 2011 fantasy value of prospects with little or no major league service time, their value is tied as much to opportunity as it is to ability. For example, prospects like Mike Trout and Shelby Miller have as much ability as anyone in the minors but will not see the big leagues until at least 2012.  The following list of pitching prospects (max 16 MLB starts) contains the guys with the best current combination of opportunity and ability. The cream of the crop is Jeremy Hellickson. Not that I am breaking any news with that statement, but I would be remiss in assuming every reader knows that Hellickson is at the top of this list is a given.  The Tampa Bay prospect has produced at every level of the minor leagues posting fantastic strikeout numbers and displaying excellent control. One thing I particularly like about Hellickson is that he has logged ...