This week’s fantasy dish is going to be different than that of previous ones. I am going to be giving out awards for the 1st half of the fantasy baseball season. These awards will be for both the good and bad performances so far this season.  Let’s get things started with the first award of the half-season….

The Lance Berkman Award for a player not showing up in the first half and expected to have a big second half goes to……

Mark Teixeira 1B ATL- Tex got off to an atrocious start this season and only recently has begun to start raking in the Homeruns and RBI’s. Last season Teixeira’s numbers were decent at the midway point. Right now at 16 HR and 62 RBI, Tex is already on pace for a better year than last year. His .276 Batting Average is low for him but he should perform better in the 2nd half of the season. You need proof? After the all-star break last season Tex hit 6 more HR and drove in 23 more runs in less games than he did before the break. This season he has only started to inflate his stats with a …

Back a day late, this week’s fantasy dish offers more tips on what to do in your fantasy league. Whether you’re in dead last trying to knock off a playoff team, or in first place, coasting to a 1st round bye, this week’s advice can help you achieve those goals.

Key Injury Updates

Mike Gonzalez/ Rafael Soriano RP ATL- Gonzalez just came off the DL this past week and is expected to be in the hunt to steal some saves away from Soriano. Soriano comes off the DL within the week. Whoever pitches better will probably get the bulk of the saves, but both of these pitchers are very talented, so don’t be surprised if they split save opportunities for the rest of the season.

Carlos Zambrano SP CHC- Zambrano was just placed on the DL this week for having a strain in his right shoulder. While it’s not deemed as serious, he will still miss 3-4 starts. “Forgetting” Sean Marshall is going to be called up in his place and will start this week against Baltimore. For Zambrano owners, its not the worst idea to start any pitcher against the Orioles, who are ranked 21st in runs scored in …

This past week has seen a lot of exciting developments in fantasy baseball. Jake Peavy came back this past Thursday to dominate in 6 innings of shutout baseball, relieving everyone who has Peavy as their staff Ace. It was announced that Daisuke Matsuzaka is most likely out until July or even until after the All-Star break, tearing the hearts of his owner’s, at least until they trade for sinker-balling stud, Justin Masterson. Here are some tips for the weeks and what to expect from certain players.

Key Injuries and Updates

Brad Penny SP LAD- Penny is going to flying to his hometown to get his pitching shoulder checked out with an MRI this week. Penny claims to have been feeling discomfort all season and can attest that as the reasons for his sub par performances. His medication is not doing the job it was expected to and perhaps a lot of rest will be needed for it to heal. Penny is 0-7 in his last 8 starts and needs to turn things around when he gets back, well if he gets back.

J.J. Putz RP SEA- Putz has already been on the Disabled List this season and was just …

For those of you who surf countless sports sites for the hottest tip on fantasy sports, look no further than right here on the Hot Stove where from now on I will be giving you weekly tips on what to do about certain fantasy baseball issues that arise during the week. Every Saturday or Sunday I will be posting an update on key injuries, minor league call ups, and managerial decisions. In addition, there will be tips on which players to trade for, trade away, and drop and pickup. Now enough with the rambling, lets get to the juicy stuff:

Key Injuries and Updates

Jake Peavy SP SD- As all Peavy fantasy owners know, Peavy has been sidelined with discomfort and stiffness in his right elbow. What really scared his owners was that Peavy had said that this pain in his elbow felt similar to 2004 when he missed the month of June. Fortunately, this season’s injury is not the same inflamed tendons in his pitching elbow. Peavy is scheduled to throw a 3 …

Here are some news and notes for all you fantasy goers out there. I have all of these guys on my team, so if you have them on yours or are keeping an eye on these players, you should take note.

Notes via Yahoo Sports.
Vernon Wells (Tor - OF)
Wells snapped an 0-for-15 skid with a single in the eighth inning Sunday. Over his past 10 games, Wells has gone 6-for-38 with one homer and two RBIs.
Kevin Youkilis (Bos - 1B,3B)
Youkilis set a major league record for fielding perfection over the weekend when he handled his 1,701st errorless chance at first base. Youkilis broke the record of 1,700 straight errorless chances by former Sox 1B Stuffy McInnis from May 1921-June 1922. The errorless streak set by the Gold Glove-winning Youkilis is also the longest such streak of any defensive position in major league history.
Jered Weaver (LAA - SP)
Weaver out-pitched fellow 2004 first-rounder Justin Verlander and the Angels took two of three in Detroit. Weaver took a shutout into the seventh inning when he ran into a little trouble and two runs scored after he was replaced by Justin Speier. The Angels scored six times in the first six innings against Verlander (the …

Last night against the Washington Nationals, David Wright and Jose Reyes showed not only why they are the cornerstones of the Mets, but why they remain two of the top fantasy players around.

A lot of people have been down on Reyes since his horrific September slump, however after taking three days off to nurse some tightness in his hamstring, Jose-Jose-Jose returned with a vengeance last night, going 4-for-5 and falling a homer shy of his second-career cycle.

With just 1 triple and 1 stolen base, Reyes’ numbers aren’t quite there yet, however the shortstop’s performance last night is just what the doctor ordered. One could argue that aside from the occasional aberration (like Jose’s 2-homer game last September 25th in the midst of his personal free fall) last night was the first time that Reyes looked like his old self since the middle of last season.

Meanwhile, partner-in-crime David Wright continues to erase his struggles from last April at a torrid clip. After going 3-for-4 last night with 2 doubles, a homer, and 5 RBI, David is now hitting .311 with 4 home runs and 15 RBI on the year. Compare those numbers to last season, when Wright hit just .244 with …

update…
On cue, ortiz went 2-4 with a 2-run homer on Wednesday afternoon…

Yes, it’s early, but remember, the Sox started their season a bit earlier than the rest of baseball, and as a result, David Ortiz has already seen eleven at-bats in this young season. He is 0-for-11 with 2 walks and a strikeout. It is the longest Big Papi has gone without a hit to begin a season since he joined the Red Sox in 2003.

Ortiz blamed his early struggles in Japan on the sluggishness he felt from the team’s globe trotting. So is Papi still trying to get his groove back, or at age 32, should fans and fantasy owners alike begin to question whether or not the dominant DH’s skills are eroding, even if only slightly.

My verdict? It’s early, folks! Ortiz is an extremely streaky hitter, and no stranger to slumps and slow starts. In April ‘03, Ortiz hit .212 with just one homer. In 2007 Papi responded to a string of injuries that limited his power numbers by hitting for the highest average (.332) of his career.

Particularly if you’re in a rotisserie league, Ortiz’s slow start should not concern you.

Unfortunately, his struggles have proven …

Did Miguel Cabrera go too quickly?A bit of a departure today from our normal content here on Hot Stove New York. Today we’re introducing our HSNY Fantasy League, a 12-team Head-2-Head fantasy baseball league which will pit some of your favorite HSNY bloggers and various friends of the Stove against one another.

Participants in the league include Jay Platt (Orphans), gozer (Only Zuul), Rob Abruzzese (Now on HGH), Frank Negron Jr. (Quite Frankly), and Alex G (Alex G.).

As the season gets underway, we’ll keep you up-to-date on developments in the league, statistical analysis, and insights into our varying tips and tricks. We hope you guys enjoy it!

So without further ado, you’ll find the breakdown of our draft below. Who do you think compiled the best squad? Who compiled the worst? Leave a comment and let us know.

Shirus

1.
(1)
Johan Santana

2.
(24)
Derek Jeter

3.
(25)
…