Undervalued – DH Adam Dunn:  You know what you’re getting with Adam Dunn. A lousy batting average and a lot of strike outs. But on the positive side, you know you’re getting nearly 40 HRs and over 90 RBIs. That type of production just can’t be found anywhere. But, because of Dunn’s flaws, and the lack of a real qualifying position (really just a DH), Dunn’s fantasy value is undervalued. But, HRs are worth the investment and Dunn won’t disappoint in that regard.

Overvalued – SP Jake Peavy: Peavy threw over 200 innings last season for the first time since 2007. And he did so producing a 3.32 ERA, giving people hope that he might be back to his Cy Young ways. But, the last time Peavy threw that many innings, he began having health issues. Now 31, Peavy could be on the cusp of a comeback, but history says otherwise, so where Peavy is being drafted, you can find other, less risky choices for your rotation.

Sleeper – LF Dayan Viciedo: Viciedo already has 20-30 HR power. Now he has a full-time job, and at his young age, only big things are expected. Viciedo is being overlooked by many fantasy owners, and that’s a mistake. Let others reach for the “name” player, and you grab one of the White Sox’s most up and coming starters.

Bust – RF Alex Rios: Rios had the numbers to make fantasy owners happy last year. Down the line, a .300+ average, 20+ HRs, 20+ steals, 90+ RBIs. That spells fantasy stud, right? Those numbers were from the fifth spot in the batting order, and his history shows that when he moves to the third spot, where he’s slated to occupy this season, those numbers nosedive. Look at his 2011 stat line and understand why Rios is a bust candidate.

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When Adam Dunn landed in Chicago this past offseason, most figured it was a good fit. Finally the Big Donkey could settle into a DH role and do focus on doing what he does best, produce big power numbers.

Consider that Dunn came to the Windy City with five consecutive seasons of 40-plus home runs, but managed just 11 homers and 44 RBI in 2011.

Sirius XM Radio’s Ray Flowers provided some great historical data on his blog BaseballGuys.com:

^{“From 2004-2010 Dunn hit at least 38 homers each year. Only one man in history has a run of more than 7-straight years of hitting 38 or more homers each season. It’s not Babe Ruth who tied with Dunn at seven (1926-32), or Barry Bonds who never did it more than five years in a row (2000-04). The answer to this riddle is actually Rafael Palmeiro (1995-2003).}

^{From 2004-10 Dunn had at least 92 RBI each year. That’s well short of the record of 13-straight such seasons held by Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Alex Rodriguez. Still, only five men were able to hit that total each year from 2004-10: Albert Pujols, Arod, Mark Teixeira, Miguel Cabrera and Dunn.}

^{From 2004-10 Dunn scored at least 79 runs each season. Only six others joined Dunn in that group: Bobby Abreu, Teixeira, Pujols, Cabrera, Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon.}

^{All told, how many big leaguers posted a line of 38 homers, 92 RBI and 79 runs scored each year from 2004-10? The answer is one – Adam Dunn.”}

The drop last year though was drastic. The final stat line embarrassing….159 BA, .277 SLG, and .569 OPS to go along the aforementioned 11 HR, 42 RBI, and 36 runs over 415 at bats while playing in 122 games.

“I looked at his swing and I told [bench coach] Joey Cora going home, ‘We’ve got a big problem',” former manager Ozzie Guillen said during a recent interview on Chicago’s ESPN 100. “It was painful to see him every at-bat and walk behind me [in the dugout] with a long face after striking out.”

So what can be expected for the 32-year old in the season ahead?

For the White Sox that is the $44 million question. The team owes $14 million this season and $15 million in 2013 and 2014.

History suggests a bounce back is in store for 2012. How much of one remains in question. A .250 season with 35 HR, 90 RBI and 80 runs is not out the question. That is hardly worth the money at Dunn’s rate though.

FANTASY TAKE: Dunn has the makings of a great buy-low candidate heading in the season. However, in leagues where owners are penalized for strikeouts his value dips down. Don’t get carried away, but if he slips past the first 16-18 first basemen he become a value pick that can provide a great source of power numbers at a dirt-cheap price.

Fantasy Baseball, MLB fantasy analysis, adam dunn, chicago white sox

Winning NFL picks, odds and power rankings all from our friends at Doc's Sports Service.

When a team hits the 81-game mark they’ve reached the halfway point of their season. The Chicago White Sox hit the milestone on Wednesday night. The team finished the first-half of the year with a 39-42 record and four games back in the AL Central.

One of the most disappointing parts of the team has been the play of newly acquired DH Adam Dunn. Check out his pathetic statline below:

.173 BA, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 100 K, 42 BB, .308 OBP, .316 SLG, .624 OPS

It’s hard to call this a slump when it has lasted the entire season. After investing heavily in Dunn in the offseason, the White Sox are getting desperate.  Dunn is already seeing a psychologist and Chicago called up minor league pitchers just to pitch to the slugger in hope he may soon get out of his rut.

Maybe Dunn isn’t in a slump, perhaps he’s washed up.

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Batting Stance Guy pays ode to Reds' batters past and present...

MORE BATTING STANCE GUY

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Opening Day is still four weeks away but the talk has already begun in Cincinnati about how good can this team be. There are many questions left to be answered between now and April 5th. Will the starting rotation live up to the hype that a lot are giving it even without Edinson Volquez? Who will fill that fifth spot in the rotation? Will Aroldis Chapman make the team out of spring training and will he live up to the hype surrounding him? Will Scott Rolen fill in nicely as the full-time third baseman this year and as a mentor to some of the younger guys coming up? Who will start in left field? Center field? And so on. But one of the more pressing questions facing the team is will the once considered phenom, Jay Bruce, have a bounce back year and finally come into his own? With the way things look early on in spring training, the answer to that question very well could be yes.

Bruce missed almost 60 games last season after breaking his right wrist diving to catch a ball. Before the injury he wasn't having a stellar season with the bat and finished the season batting a disappointing .223 with 22 home runs and just 58 RBIs. Bruce almighty, not so much. However, on a positive note, after coming back from the disabled list, Bruce caught fire and over his last 18 games he hit .326 with four home runs and 17 RBIs. Ending the season in that way gave Reds' fans hope for the 2010 season.

That hope has carried over into spring training where fans have seen Bruce continue to hit. In seven games he is hitting .357 and has one home run. Like most of the rest of the lineup for the Reds, Bruce always seemed to be trying to do to much at the plate rather than just concentrating on getting the bat on the ball. With inconsistent hitting in the lineup from top to bottom, with the exception of Joey Votto when healthy, everyone seemed to try to push too hard, including Bruce. With the adjustments he made at the end of last season, Bruce is attempting to become a more complete hitter, not trying to step up to the plate and hit a four-run homerun every time.

In order for this team to succeed, guys like Bruce need to become more consistent. At 23 years old, a lot of pressure is resting on the shoulders of #32. Bruce was looked at as being the guy to replace Adam Dunn once he was traded off to Arizona a couple years ago. The thought was that he had a better overall skill set than Dunn. He didn't have as much power, but he could hit for average and had a little pop in the bat while being able to play decent defense in the outfield. The way last season went, it was hard to tell that this guy was supposed to be one of the next big things in the game. The one two punch that was to be of Bruce and Votto didn't come to be as most thought it might last season. With the way things are looking for Bruce early on in spring training, there's reason to believe that maybe, just maybe this is the year he truly arrives in the big leagues. Yes, its only spring training and where they play out in Arizona does favor hitters, if a guy can hit, he can hit. It doesn't matter what part of the country he's playing in.

While there are many questions still to be answered leading up to Opening Day, one thing is for sure; Bruce has the skills to be one of the most consistent and feared hitters in the game. The National League Central is wide open this year. If the Reds are going to compete for the division title this year, they are going to need Bruce to be the player they thought he would be when he arrived on the scene a couple years ago. His new found patience at the plate could turn him into just that player.

MLB cincinnati reds, edinson volquez, aroldis chapman, scott rolen, jay bruce, joey votto, adam dunn

It was pathetic, yet predictable, that we recently heard the Cincinnati Reds blame their awful season on injuries.  This excuse is flat out wrong.  This season's fate was very predictable well before the injury bug appeared.  It was easy to foresee doom after many, many poor decisions made by the Front Office over the last three years.  Here are the Top Ten Worst Front Office Decisions that led to this Reds debacle that we currently have.  But before that... the gloating:  there is no hindsight/ 20-20  judgement on any of these moves- every one of these moves was criticized by yours truly WHEN THEY HAPPENED.  On with the list...

10.  Signing Alex Gonzalez to a three- year, $14.5 million dollar contract:  Quit complaining that he never played.  When he did play, he was awful.  He was hitting .207/ .254/ .295 this year.  He contributed more last year by NOT playing at all.

9.  Trading Edwin Encarnancion, Josh Roenicke, and Zach Stewart to Toronto for 3B Scott Rolen:  Sure Rolen is a major upgrade over Encarnacion, but he is in his mid- 30s, injury- prone, expensive, and only signed for one more year.  Giving up two of the five prospects for Rolen was a steal for the Blue Jays and a ditch digger for the Reds.

8.  Signing Corey Patterson to a one- year deal to play CF in 2008:  Dusty Baker campaigned to get Patterson and he stubbornly gave him 344 at bats to hit .207/ .254/ .295 and drag the Reds down.  And Baker wondered why people thought Patterson was dating his daughter.

 7.  Signing Edwin Encarnacion to a two- year contract worth $7.6 million dollars:  This led to GM Walt Jocketty having to throw in Roenicke and Stewart to get the Blue Jays to take Encarnacion off of the Reds' hands.  If the Reds decline him arbitration, he is a free agent, the Reds still have Roenicke and Stewart, the Reds are still in 5th place, but they have a brighter future.

6.  Drafting Yonder Alonso instead of Gordon Beckham in the first round of the 2008 Draft:  One of the Reds' biggest holes to fill this off- season is shortstop.  There is no capable shortstop on the roster or in their minor leagues (except present second baseman Brandon Phillips).  That would not be a problem if they would have taken Beckham, who was scooped up immediately with the next pick by the White Sox.  Beckham is presently hitting .299/ .373/ .470 at the Major League level.  Instead, the Reds have a guy pushing Joey Votto, one of their few indepensible players.

5.  Trading Adam Dunn:  Public pressure trumped logic and production and the Reds sent Dunn to Arizona for peanuts.  Now, Dunn plays first base for the Naitonals and is hitting .285/ .417/ .580 while the Reds roll out Lance Nix and Johnny Gomes into leftfield.  Gomes is a good backup for the Reds and Nix is... a good backup in Triple- A.

4.  Signing Willy Taveras to a two- year contract worth $6.25 million:  What made anyone think Taveras was a major leaguer?  His history, his statistics, and his past teams' transactions involving him should have kept Jocketty (and Baker- he lobbied for Taveras) away.  It kept every other MLB team away.  The Reds outbid themselves for a Triple- A speedster.  They must eat his contract for next year and let Drew Stubbs play center field every day.  Speaking of Stubbs...

3.  Drafting Drew Stubbs instead of SP Tim Lincecum:  Stubbs is an excellent defender who can steal a base and has a great baseball makeup.  He is not an impact player.  He may struggle to hit .280 or get on- base more than .340.  A huge upgrade over Taveras- absolutely, but he is not Lincecum.  Drafting Lincecum would have given the Reds a #1 starter the past three years and would have made a difference of 8 or 10 more wins in the standings.  He would have brought more fans to the park, which would, in turn, bring more money into the Front Office, which would mean more money to spend on payroll, international signings, etc.

2.  Signing Francisco Cordero to a four- year, $47 million contract:  If you are the Yankees, Mets or the Red Sox, you can pay your closer $12 million a year.  Almost every else realizes that closers grow on trees so this is a great area to save money.  Todd Coffey (if he were still here), Arthur Rhodes, Bill Bray (last year), Jared Burton (last year), and David Weathers (up until last week) would have produced almost the same results for a lot less money.  With this available cash, the Reds could have spent on Adam Dunn or a real center fielder like Tori Hunter.

1.  Hiring Dusty Baker:  The guy is an ace with the media and has many of them snowed, but he cannot fool all of us.  He is the absolute worst manager AT ANY LEVEL when it comes to making out a lineup.  He lobbied for Patterson (.238 OBP) and Taveras (.276 OBP and no power) and then played them more than anyone else would have while also batting them at the top of the lineup.  In the two- hole, he used Alex Gonzalez (.254 OBP) and more recenltly, Paul Janish (.291 OBP).  What we have here is stubborn idiocy.  Joey Votto is going to hit .315 with 25 home runs in about 500 at bats and only have 80 RBI because nobody was ever on base in front of him.

Honorable Mention:  Drafting Devon Mesoraco who is looking like a huge bust.

Do not let the Reds fool you.  They - not the injury bug- are responsible for another losing season.  Is it fixable?  Stay tuned... I have some ideas.

MLB cincinnati reds, alex gonzalez, edwin encarnacion, corey patterson, yonder alonso, adam dunn, willy taveras, drew stubbs, francisco cordero, dusty baker, devon mesoraco

Ok this is a little old, but still pretty humorous. At least as Reds fans, we have someone to look at and laugh at their misery and say, "Well at least we're not the Nationals."

(From BleacherReport.com)

I’m seriously beginning to wonder where the Washington Nationals get off thinking they have what it takes to be in the major leagues.

The one area of the game where they’ve really excelled as a team is handing the opposition three-game winning streaks, which is incredibly generous, but not cool if you’re a Nationals fan. At times this season, it seems as though they can’t even spell their team’s name correctly, let alone swing a bat and field a baseball.

Hanging out in the dark, creepy basement of the National League East, the Nationals are sitting 6.5 games behind the division-leading Florida Marlins (whose bandwagon I’ve pretty much abandoned this week) with a 4-14 record.

Heading into Tuesday night’s game where 0-2 lefty John Lannan will face another 0-2 lefty, Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington is coming off a wild game from the day before which was highlighted by two Philly grand slams.

The Nats got all excited when they scored four times in the eighth inning to go up 11-7 Monday, just to see Raul Ibanez (the man who’s helping Cheesesteak Territory forget Pat Burrell) cap a six-run rally in the bottom half. Thanks a lot, Joel Hanrahan. Third blown save this season? That’ll do.

CONTINUE READING

MLB nationals, suck, dmitri young, adam dunn, natinals

It's not a big surprise to see that Adam Dunn signed with the Nationals. After all the team's GM, Jim Bowden, was the same guy that made him a first round pick for the Reds in 1998.

Bowden has made a living of adding former players with Reds ties to his team and front office in Washington D.C. 

One of those players, Austin Kearns, is Dunn's best friends. The two came up together through the system now they will be together again.

"Everybody likes the power and he walks," Kearns told MLB.com. "He is just a presence in the lineup. You know he is going knock in his runs. You don't have to worry about that. He has stayed healthy, so he is going to be in there every day."

The market was not there for Dunn. Part of it can be blamed on the economy, but it didn't appear that too many teams regarded him that highly. That was evident the past few years when the Reds were said to be shopping him. We know that J.P. Ricardi was at least on GM that wasn't going to take a look. He wasn't alone.

Dunn, who was talking like he wanted $15-$16 million per for 4-5 years last season, settled for a two-year, $20 million deal.

"The opportunities [as a free agent] weren't exactly what I wanted them to be, but I get a chance and hopefully turn the program around," Dunn said on the MLB Network. "I think it will be a better feel of accomplishment to help turn the program around than go [to a place] that is established."

The Nats plan to insert Dunn at first base as they already loaded with plenty of "five-tool" outfielders.

MLB nationals, adam dunn, austin kearns, jim bowden

Let's check out some of the latest headlines from around MLB...

HOWARD, PHILLIES REACH AGREEMENT (Philadelphia Inquirer)
The Philadelphia Phillies locked up slugger Ryan Howard, avoiding arbritation. Howard passed a physical examination in Clearwater, Fla., and signed a three-year, $54 million contract that will take him through the 2011 season, when he will be eligible for free agency. He led the majors in homers (48) and RBIs (146) while helping the Philly win the 2008 World Series...MORE

A-ROD ADMITS, REGRETS STEROIDS (ESPN.com)
On the heels of a story that broke this weekend which revealed that he tested positive for steroids in 2003, Yankees' 3B Alex Rodriguez broke his silence on the matter on Monday saying that he did take performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001. "When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day," Rodriguez told ESPN's Peter Gammons in an interview in Miami Beach, Fla. "Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time. I did take a banned substance. For that, I'm very sorry and deeply regretful." ...MORE

JONES FINDS A HOME IN TEXAS (Dallas Morning News)
Free agent outfielder Andruw Jones has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers, according to the Dallas Morning News. The 32-year old struggled during his one season as a Dodger as he batted just .158 in an injury-riddled and disappointing campaign. Los Angeles ate $21 million to cut him, making him a cheap low-risk, high-reward signing for the Rangers. Jones, a five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner, can opt out of his contract March 20. But he could give the Rangers another big, right-handed bat to throw into a lefty-heavy lineup...MORE

GRIFFEY LIKELY TO SIGN SOON (1530Homer.com)
It appears that free agent outfielder Ken Griffey Jr could have a new home soon. C Trent Rosecrans reported on his blog on Monday that Griffey's agent Brian Cashman is optimistic his client will participate fully in someone's spring training camp. "We're still talking to a few teams, there are two that are more serious than the others," Goldberg said on Monday. "I really do expect Junior to have something this time next week." ...MORE

ASTROS NOT IN DUNN MARKET (ESPN.com)
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports that the Astros are not interested in signing Adam Dunn despite a story in Sunday's Chicago Tribune that stated otherwise. "It was never an item of discussion for us," the team's GM Ed Wade told the website. "And even if we had greater resources available, we would have continued to be working the starting pitching market. We have MVP-caliber players in left field and at first base, and we think Michael Bourn deserves the opportunity to play on an everyday basis [in center field]." ...MORE

BREWERS SET TO SIGN LOOPER (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Brewers GM Doug Melvin told beat writer Tom Haudricourt that a deal with free agent right-hander Braden Looper was done but said he was "optimistic" that it would be. Melvin said it probably wouldn't be announced until later in the week. Looper has posted a 24-26 record and a 4.52 ERA in over the past two years since transitioning from a reliever to a starter. He would join Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush in the Brewers' rotation...MORE

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from MLBTradeRumors.com:

Buster Olney reports that Scott Boras seems to be taking the same approach with Manny Ramirez as he did with Derek Lowe; that is, to wait.

Olney says "Camp Manny" is "waiting for some other team to be tempted by what Ramirez could do for them, waiting for an offer larger than that made by the Dodgers to develop."

The Dodgers are waiting as well. Olney reports they are not likely to increase their offer of 2 years, $45MM that was offered and promptly ignored in November. Also waiting for something to happen are Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn. Should Manny wind up on the Giants, Abreu and Dunn may find themselves with leverage to negotiate with the Dodgers. Olney writes, "And given that Dunn and Abreu know that they can find homes at any time for one-year deals, there really is no downside for them to see how the Ramirez situation plays out."

MLB dodgers, giants, manny ramirez, adam dunn, bobby abreu