In case you hadn’t noticed - The 2009 promotional calendar season, incuding some bobblehead doll days, are already under way!
Seems fitting that a Canadian owned site like WaiverSharks.com would be one of the very first websites in the world to announce the forthcoming bobblehead day stadium giveaways (SGA’s) for Major League Baseball’s only Canadian sports team - the Toronto Blue Jays!
Keep checking back with our “Bobblehead Daze” Blog each day as we continue to break bobblehead news & information – and feature fun articles covering the #1 sport collector’s hobby of the new millennium – BOBBLEHEAD DOLLS ROCK! And the Blue Jays rock by kicking off their promo year with an Alexis Rios nodder – too cool! Jay’s fans old and new have got to be happy with this one!
Alex Rios
Sunday May 17 – (First 10,000 fans) VS Chicago White Sox
My wife’s favorite player finally gets his likeness on a MLB bobblehead! She’ll be ecstatic! And so should you!
Lyle Overbay
Sunday July 26th - (First 10,000 fans) VS The American League defending champion Tampa Bay Rays
Tom Henke Figurine
Sunday August 9th – (First 10,000 fans) VS those dirty birds – The Baltimore Orioles
Before moving on to our Rankings of favorite fantasy 2B Second Basemen for 2009 –
There’s one last First baseman prospect that intrigues the heck out of us – and we hope he gets a shot at the friendly confines of Arlington Ballpark in Texas real soon!
The Texas Rangers STOLE this switch-hitting first baseman in the First Year Player Draft – the video below talks about his comparisons to departed former Ranger Mark Teixeira, as well as future Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer Chipper Jones.
Pretty nice company to be mentioned along with!
Imagine this kid in a line-up along with Josh Hamilton, Chris Davis, a healthy Hank Blalock and Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz - and Michael Young to name just a few.
The Texas Rangers are going to need to buy extra balls for batting practice if they keep landing these kinds of big boppers!
The prognosticating bandits from WaiverSharks were left plenty of feedback on the FREE Preseason 2009 Fantasy Baseball Catchers Rankings we posted last week!
We thank those of you that commented on how we ranked Major League Baseball's leading 2009 Fantasy Catchers - and welcome suggestions for any players you feel we should have included in our 2009 Catchers list and/or the remaining 2009 Fantasy Player Ranks we post.
Keeping in mind that it's still only November - these lists will in all likelihood need some altering by Spring Training - once we are more privy to offseason signings, and know who will be heading to the "Bigs" - and who has more seasoning in the minors ahead of them to start the 2009 baseball campaign.
Now it's time to head to the BIG MEN - First Basemen are integral if you want to have ANY chance at capturing your leagues Fantasy Baseball title this coming season!
Albert’s elbow is still a question mark – again we reiterate, it’s still only November – he should be fine by the start of spring training.
But we like the Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera enough to rank him at #1 regardless of what Albert’s elbow does in the next few months.
The Next 10…
Where we slated Baseballs TOP 10 First Base Fantasy options could obviously be argued – but the next tier is even more debatable.
Here we go looking for players with POWER, (A key necessity from your BIG MEN) who are on the rise – and who could potentially have Super Break Out years in 2009.
(Atari’s tacky game cover art has us day dreaming of the “Good ‘ol days” – when a few PB&J’s, a tall glass of milk, and 12 hours of painfully fun abrasions on a 2600 joystick made up our Sundays.)
11) Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds – Fantasy managers drafting the “Canadian Italian Stallion” may be so overjoyed with his results this upcoming season - they could start humming Styx covers! “Domo Arigato. Thank you very much, Mr. Joey Votto!” Okay, perhaps not. But, we see him having a potentially monster 2009 campaign - playing an entire season at Great American Ballpark.
12) James Loney, Los Angeles Dodgers – If Sir James Loney increased his power only marginally – he’d be instant TOP 10 material.
13) Aubrey Huff, Baltimore Orioles – Aubrey Huff is coming off one of the best seasons of his career – were not convinced he’ll repeat yet another 100+ RBI season in 2009 – but, if the Orioles can improve his surrounding cast – this modest ranking (13th) is certainly appropriate.
14) Chris Davis, Texas Rangers – His power is scary. Fifty Homeruns is not out of “Crash” Davis ’ realm one year – especially while he employs his power stroke in Texas Rangers hitter’s paradise - Arlington Ballpark.
15) Jorge Cantu, Florida Marlins – Jorge’s comeback season in 2008 wasn’t a fluke. He showed sensational promise a few years back while playing for the American League 2009 World Series representative - Tampa Rays. The change in scenery to the National Leagues Florida Fish paid big dividends. With the departure of Mike Jacobs from the Marlins to the Royals - Dallas McPherson could move to the hot corner this year – while Cantu possibly takes over full time first base duties.
15) Conor Jackson, Arizona Diamondbacks – Conor Jackson may never drill forty homers in a year – but he’s coming off a breakout year in 2008, and tends to hit for a higher average than most – That, combined with 25 to 30 HR’s would be a solid welcome from the D-backs rising young stud.
16) Nick Swisher, New York Yankees – Nick’s 2008 season with the Chicago White Sox was as inconsistent as his facial hair. Now - what will “Swish” do in the Big Apple? Coming off a rather dismal 2008 – Swisher really has no where to go but up. His ultimate value will be somewhat dependant on what part of the order the hard hitting New York Yankees bat the zany switch-hitting Swisher.
17) Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays line up has continued to improve the past couple seasons – but Carlos had an off year in 2008. A higher average would shoot this ranking up a few spots - but his penchant for striking out so often, and cold starts frustrates us just enough to place him 17th overall.
18) Garrett Atkins, Colorado Rockies – The Coors splits are a real concern here. Considering Garrett could be following the Matt Holliday train out of Colorado – we can’t in good faith rank him any higher – until we learn he’ll remain the Rockies property to start 2009.
19) Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians – Where do you rank “Pronk” this year? Shoulder issues plagued the big guy for a major portion of 2008. And it’s difficult to predict how well he will bounce back from the arthroscopic surgery he had done this offseason – so we are approaching with caution – slating him in at No. 19
20) Hank Blalock, Texas Rangers – We may raise a few eye brows on this one – but in a word: COMEBACK!
Every year a handful of players enjoy fantastic comeback seasons – Predicting them can be as difficult as opening a pickle jar with wet hands, but here’s our reasoning:
No longer considered a third basemen in Arlington – Blalock is slated to be the Texas Rangers primary DH in 2009. His health appeared to be fine during the final month of the 2008 regular season – when he hit 8 homeruns, 23 RBI’s and had a .337 batting AVG. Assuming he’ll hit near the heart of a sweet hitting line-up that includes Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Chris Davis just to name a few – 2009 could be a super sleeper fantasy year for Blalock - who incidentally is still only 28 years of age.
AND IF THOSE ARE NOT REASONS ENOUGH! WaiverSharks Bobblehead fanatic, Scott Woodall has just recently purchased a Hank Blalock 2008 Bobble head from an ebay auction – hopefully this will be some helpful karma for the return to glory for “Hammerin’ Hank!”
First Base Sleepers
21) Matt LaPorta, Cleveland Indians - If it we’re April – and we knew LaPorta would be starting for the Tribe either at 1st base, Outfield or even possibly DH – we’d rank him 6 or 7 spots higher. LaPorta can flat out hit – and the Indians line-up has the ability to be VERY potent. Look for Matt LaPorta to be a big part of the Indians resurgence in 2009. This Youtube video below shows LaPorta's sweet swing in action - clobbering a Grand Slam in an early 2008 contest.
22) Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants – As mentioned in our Catcher Ranks last week, we don’t care so much WHERE Sandoval plays this up and coming 2009 season – just as long as he nets every day at bats. His value will obviously be raised upon earning Catcher status – but regardless – keep your fantasy eyes on this sleeper candidate as well as Nate Shierholtz during the Giants 2009 Spring Training.
23) Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox - Paulie had an off year in 2008 – he should rebound, and will be able to be selected for a deep discount.
24) Kila Ka’aihue, Kansas City Royals – The arrival of Mike Jacobs from the Florida Marlins further clouds how much playing time will be made for the giant Hawaiian.
25) Bryan LaHair, Seattle Mariners – The Marinerds sucked in 2008. But don’t spell my name “Brian” Bryan LaHair is a 6’5” left hand hitting prospect who stands a pretty good chance of seeing some First Base duty at Safeco Field in 2009 – depending of course on what moves the Mariners make during this offseason.
We wrap up with three First Base prospects Dynasty Leaguers should pay close attention to - it won’t be long before these three mashers - who we could have just as easily referred to as BIG Lefty, BIGGER Lefty and BIGGEST Lefty - are “going yard” at a major league park near you:
Cincinnati Reds –Yonder Alonso– (Pictured Above) The University of Miami left handed power hitter has a discerning eye at the plate – and could be a future star. The question will be - where will he play? With Joey Votto seemingly settling in at First Base for possibly the next decade – And, when is the earliest over he could crack the majors? If we had to guess – looking over yonder (sorry) - we think more towards the middle, to end of 2010.
Boston Red Sox -Lars Anderson- “Big Lars” may not have the same affectionate ring as “Big Papi” – but he could be next in line to take over the Red Sox first base duties when, and if, David Ortiz follows Manny Ramirez out of Boston.
NOTE: We didn't include "Big Papi" on our First Baseman list because in most leagues the Red Sox slugger only qualifies for DH.
Atlanta Braves –Jason Heyward– 6’4” left hand hitting Jason Heyward won’t celebrate his 20th birthday until August 2009, and may break into “the show” as an outfielder – but whatever the case may be – the Braves No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft has all the makings of a Fantasy Super Star!
On Deck: WaiverSharks Free 2009 Preseason Fantasy Baseball Rankings continue with:
Second Basemen – Check back soon to see how Chase Utley’s surgery factors into our Top 20 list of talented two baggers. And who do we have pegged for Super Breakouts and Sleeper Candidates?
Before we rattle off our First Base suggestions, we wanted to mention the intentional omission of San Francisco Giants fast rising catcher prospect – Gerald “Buster” Poseyfrom our previously posted - Catchers rankings. Fact is - we made mention of the Giants possible long term catching solution in an article regarding “Baby Giants” just last month.
WaiverSharks is well aware of the multi-talented Buster! But we wanted to share the limelight with some OTHER up and coming back stops who may be heading to the big leagues as early as 2009.
The rising crop of signal callers is really wonderful news to Fantasy owners - who have seen a pretty dismal drop off the past few years once the Top 3- 5 players have been plucked from this position.
SIDENOTE: Another rising catching prospect you may want to tuck away in the back of your collective Fantasy minds is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s - Hyun Choi “Hank” Conger. We merely omitted him because we didn’t like having to type the words: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ! Just Kidding! Truth be told – we feel Mike Napoli deserves the “C” spot in 2009 - and Conger has battled shoulder injuries – so, consider him a “Deep, Deep” Sleeper!
WaiverSharks 2009 Preseason
Fantasy Baseball Rankings:
Catchers
Brrrrrrrr!!!
Well, Waiver Sharks -
Only 100 more days until Spring Training!
Okay – as the snow flurries gently cascade outside our window on a chilly November afternoon - It does seem somewhat strange to be gathering together our prognosticating wizardry to help develop a preseason Fantasy Baseball rankings list.
Further wreaking havoc with such an early bird list is the fact that plenty of free agent fish still have their respective agents wheeling and dealing to find them new homes - but let’s not let Scott Boras and Co. ruin our fun!
For those of you who may be new visitors to WaiverSharks.com – we are a website that focuses on Fantasy Sports Baseball – with an emphasis on players that often can be snatched from the consummate waiver wire!
SO – with the cunning of a Hammerhead, and the bite of a Great White – we don’t take the offseason sitting down!
We’ve decided to simply list the TOP 10 Fantasy Baseball Players in the following categories:
Catcher - First base - Second Base -
Short Stop - Third Base – Outfield - Starters
And then we’ll dig in a little deeper.
Ranking the next 10 players - examining them a little bit closer.
(Thus, you could say – this list really BEGINS at #11)
And finally – we give you 5 Sleepers you need to be aware of going into the 2009 season.
Pretty simple – right?
Let’s begin with the almighty back stops - a position that, due to its lack of depth – has suffered through some serious fantasy talent shortages in recent years.
Fear not WaiverSharks – There are indeed Catcher options on the horizon that should provide a boost to your fantasy teams long after V-mart and R-mart have been selected from 2009 fantasy draft boards.
8) Mike Napoli, Anaheim Angels – Napoli turned the magic age of 27 this past Halloween – and managed to hit 20 Homeruns in just 227 at bats last year. A full healthy season could garner sweet numbers!
9) Kelly Shoppach, Cleveland Indians – Not sure how the playing time will be divvied up in the land of Chief Wahoo – but Kelly Shoppach proved he’s something that’s not easy to come by in 2008 - A catcher who can hit – with power!
10) Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals – Is Yada Yada Yada due to overtake brother Bengie in 2009? If the Cards Gold Glover hits the gym this winter with brothers Jose and Bengie, and his power increases – it’s quite possible!
Could be on Waivers - 2009
11) A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox – The volatile Pierzynski may not be opposing benches (Especially Cubs fans) leading “Lady Byng” candidate – but he often can be had in later rounds – and year after year he delivers numbers that won’t kill you.
12) Chris Iannetta , Colorado Rockies - We love this kid. We just wish Clint Hurdle loved a wider playing time split with Yorvit Torrealba.
13) Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants – Management is saying he may be headed to third base – we don’t care if he pitches – just as long as he rakes like he did last September – and retains catcher eligibility.
14) Chris Snyder , Arizona Diamondbacks – The two Chris’ - Iannetta and Snyder, were added and dropped like Donkey Kong barrels in 2008. More regular playing time would increase values for both.
15) Ramon Hernandez, Cincinnati Reds – The experienced backstop packs his catchers mask and heads to Cincy. This might actually help his overall statistics, and eliminates a Matt Wieters platoon issue, but his best days are still behind him.
16) Ivan Rodriguez , New York Yankees – Pudge or Posada? – Once the pride of Puerto Rico, neither side of this catchers coin gets us overly excited – but, plugged into a Bronx Bombers line-up he could stem off the Hall of Fame induction speech another couple seasons.
(Hey Beavis…he said “Butt Plugged”)
17) Dioner Navarro, Tampa Bay Rays – WaiverSharks had him on the Sleeper radar in our exclusive player ranker “THE CAGE” going into 2008 – and he proved to be quite reliable when healthy – we just wish he carried a little more power in his stick.
18) Jarrod Saltalamacchia , Texas Rangers – Everyone’s jumped off the Salty train – Not us…Not yet. He needs to find regular AB’s – and the Rangers need to deal one of their catchers for some starter help. Jarrod was rumored to be headed to the Red Sox – which would have at least saved money on jersey letters. Pay close attention to what develops during the off season regarding the 3-headed Texas Rangers catching monster.
19) Kurt Suzuki, Oakland Athletics – Kurt is amazing at handling the young Oakland staff – but that doesn’t help you win Fantasy titles. Perhaps the arrival of Matt Holliday in A’s town will help boost Oakland’s anemic offence – well, at least until Mr. Beane pulls more triggers come the 2009 trade deadline.
20) Jorge Posada , New York Yankees – This guy was Top 5 the past few years – but his injuries have knocked him down to a high risk/high reward selection.
Catcher Sleepers – 2009
21) Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles – (Above) Matt Wieters has succeeded at every level. This kid is destined for greatness – and we figure it’s time Baltimore Orioles fans had another jersey to consider - besides “Markakis” - but it may require some patience from his Fantasy owners.
22) Jeff Clement, Seattle Mariners – Could be this year’s version of Ryan Doumit. We’re not sure where new skip Don Wakamatsu will play the talented lad – but if he has Catcher eligibility in the league you play – he’s worth taking a gamble on.
23) Taylor Teagarden, Texas Rangers – Playing in Arlington has become the A.L. equivalent of Coors Field – in fact, since the induction of the humidor in Colorado - it’s quite possibly the #1 hitter’s park in Major League Baseball.
24) Jesus Flores, Washington Nationals – Don’t @#@#! with da Jesus!
Sorry, but every fantasy sports website should quote “The Big Lebowski” at least five times a season – for the record – WaiverSharks.com is now sitting at four. Flores should be handed the starting catcher’s reigns in 2009. We’re not saying he’ll walk on water – but he has talent that falls under the radar while playing for the Nats. Incidentally, does anyone know the name of the dance Jesus is doing on his Wikipedia page?
25) Max Ramirez, Texas Rangers – Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski should try and detour the derailed D-Train (Dontrelle Willis) away from Detroit and onto the pitching starved Rangers to try and pry this guy’s power bat away from Arlington .
Chances are that won’t happen – but we liked what we saw of Maximiliano (That’s his full first name – imagine if his last name was Saltalamacchia!) in the limited role he was allowed to play in 2008.
Side Note: 2010 is a ways away, but again – WaiverSharks.com is committed to keeping you ahead of your competition!
Three Catching prospects Dynasty leaguers should pay some attention to are:
Philadelphia Phillies - Lou Marson - Appears to be the Phillies catching future.
Atlanta Braves - Tyler Flowers - A key cog in the Jake Peavy deal being at an impasse.
Toronto Blue Jays - J.P. Arencibia– (Youtube - Below) If J.P. remains a catcher he has the batting skill to one day be a solid fantasy asset.
2009 Preseason First Base
Fantasy Baseball Rankings
are on deck!
Tim Lincecum - who has sometimes been referred to as “The Franchise” and more recently “The Freak” by Sports Illustrated - has won the 2008 Cy Young Award - receiving 23 of 32 first-place votes.
THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHY YOU NEED TO ALWAYS PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE UP AND COMING MINOR LEAGUE PROSPECTS - WAIVER SHARKS!
The diminutive San Francisco Giants ace was readily available on most wires when the 2007 season began – and now he’s taking home the most coveted individual award a MLB pitcher can obtain.
Brandon Webb placed second with 73 points, and Johan Santana placed third with 55 points.
C.C. Sabathia finished in 5th place in the voting, who - despite his dominance of the NL, did not have a very strong first half while pitching for the American League’s Cleveland Indians prior to last seasons trade deadline.
Did you say you were not aware that Jake Peavy and Matt Holliday are on the move?
Shame Shame Shame!!!
But - WaiverSharks forgives you!
Fantasy Baseball takes a bit of a back seat to Fantasy Football this time of year – but we want to keep you up to date - so that next year when PITCHERS AND CATCHERS begin to report to 2009 spring training - you are not the person asking your fantasy “friends” questions like:
“When did Mike Jacobs go to the Royals!?”
SO TO HELP A LITTLE - Like the sign says…
WaiverSharks.com is currently hard at work - putting together a 2009 Preseason Fantasy Baseball Players Rankings List!
It’s NEVER too early to get a jump on the shark infested waters of Fantasy Baseball!
Only catch – our list begins at #11!
(Not to be confused with Spinal Tap’s amp – “These go to eleven”)
SURE - we will list the Top 10 picks we see coming off of many draft boards for the C/1B/2B/SS/3B/OF positions – but we will delve a little deeper into what WaiverSharks truly is focused on – the potential waiver wire gems and later round Fantasy pick-ups that can be made long after A-rod and Albert & Jose and Hanley have instantly been inserted into our 2009 Fantasy baseball line-ups.
Within each position category we will also discuss 5 Sleepers
(SPOILER WARNING: some of which will be fairly deep!)
So, all you early birds who might be enjoying the Fantasy Football rise of Tennessee Titan running back Chris Johnson or the fall of Denver’s RB - Ryan Torain – but still want to keep Fantasy Baseball on your collective radars – Waiver Sharks is the place to visit in the coming months!
In case you hadn’t noticed - The 2009 promotional calendar season, incuding some bobblehead doll days, are already under way!
Keep checking back with our “Bobblehead Daze” Blog each day as we continue to break bobblehead news & information – and feature fun articles covering the #1 sport collector’s hobby of the new millennium – BOBBLEHEAD DOLLS ROCK! And the Blue Jays rock by kicking off their promo year with an Alexis Rios nodder – too cool! Jay’s fans old and new have got to be happy with this one!
The prognosticating bandits from WaiverSharks were left plenty of feedback on the FREE Preseason 2009 Fantasy Baseball Catchers Rankings we posted last week!
Where we slated Baseballs TOP 10 First Base Fantasy options could obviously be argued – but the next tier is even more debatable.
21) 
Before we rattle off our First Base suggestions, we wanted to mention the intentional omission of San Francisco Giants fast rising catcher prospect – 
SIDENOTE: Another rising catching prospect you may want to tuck away in the back of your collective Fantasy minds is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s - 
Brrrrrrrr!!!
