Baseball Board Bets (2010)

Because we all are big fans of Fantasy Focus: Baseball and because we love to make bets, here's our page for all the Board Bets we will do throughout the year


Sexy Rexy v. Cubsfan4evr

1) Who will be the better fantasy shortstop in 2010, Derek Jeter or Jimmy Rollins (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater)?
Sexy Rexy: Jeter- damn it pains me to say that I'll rooting for a Yankee, but I am. I don't trust Rollins' inconsistency and think Jeter would be better. But I don't feel too confident about this because I like Rollins' upside better than Jeter's.
Cubsfan4evr: Rollins- the guy will steal more bases and hit more home runs than Jeter, the runs and RBI's will be about equal putting Rollins on top.

2) Who will be the better catcher this year (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater), Miguel Montero or Geovany Soto?
Sexy Rexy: Soto
Cubsfan4evr: Montero


3) Who will be better (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater, min 140 IP) Ben Sheets or Ervin Santana?
1) Sexy Rexy: Sheets
2) Cubsfan4evr: Santana


4) Who will have more saves from here on out (past Strassburg's debut), Matt Capps vs. Drew Storen/ Tyler Clippard?
Sexy Rexy: Capps
Cubsfan: Storen/ Clippard

Currently, Capps has 19 and Clippard and Storen has 0

5) Will the White Sox win the division in 2010?
Sexy Rexy: No
Cubsfan4ever: Yes

Sexy Rexy v. David "MVP" Eckstein

1) Will the Chicago Cubs make the playoffs this season?
Sexy Rexy: No- Cardinals win the division and the Cubs won't get the wildcard
DME: Yes- The Cardinals got extremely lucky last year and the Cubs pitching staff will be healthier to win the division

2) Over/Under Gordan Beckham's batting average will be .287 this year.
Sexy Rexy: Under- Beckham will have a BA of .286 or lower. I love the kid and he's got great talent, but he won't hit that well, not this year.
DME: Over- Beckham will hit .287 or higher and make him really valuable this year in fantasy

3) Over/Under .270 BA of an offense consisting of Ryan Doumit, Ryan Howard, Ian Kinsler, Gordan Beckham, Derek Jeter, Nelson Cruz, Jay Bruce, Carlos Gonzalez, and Carlos Quentin.
Sexy Rexy: Nope. This is essentially my team from last year (Iannetta, Pena, Kinsler, Ellsbury, Soriano, Atkins/Branyan) and I ended up with a .270 BA in the button. This group is worse.
DME: Absolutely. You underestimate the BA of guys like Kinsler and Howard this year.

4) Over/Under 44.5 stolen bases from Juan Pierre?

Sexy Rexy: Over
DME: Under

Winner: Sexy Rexy (Pierre currently has 48)

5) Will Cole Hamels Be A Top 15 Pitcher This Year?
Sexy Rexy: No. He'll rebound, but not to top 15 level
DME: Yes. Oh, just you wait son.

6) Will Geovany Soto hit more home runs than will Victor Martinez and Joe Mauer individually?
Sexy Rexy: Nope. I think Soto's injury will prevent him from doing so. Plus, I don't believe Mauer's power surge was that much of a fluke.
DME: Yep. I think Mauer's year was a fluke and Soto rebounds in a huge way.

7) Over/Under 100.5 games plays for Carlos Quentin
Sexy Rexy: Under
DME: Over

Winner: DME (Quentin currently has played in 103)

8) Indians or White Sox: Who finishes higher in the AL Standings?
Sexy Rexy: Sox
DME: Indians

The loser of this bet must literally eat their words, written on a piece of paper.

9) Who will finish the 2010 baseball season with a better ERA: John Danks or Justin Masterson?
Sexy Rexy: Danks
DME: Masterson


10) Where will the Cleveland Indians finish in 2010 in the AL Central?
1) Sexy Rexy: 4th or 5th
2) DME: 1st or 2nd

If the Indians finish 3rd it's a wash

11) Who will be better (as judged by BA and HR), Chris Iannetta or Mike Napoli?
Sexy Rexy: Napoli
DME: Iannetta

NOTE: (In order to win this bet, the catcher must win BOTH home runs and batting average. If one player only wins one of the categories but not both, this bet is a wash)

12) Who will be better in 2010 (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater) Brad Hawpe or Juan Rivera?
Sexy Rexy: Rivera
DME: Hawpe


13) Who will be better in 2010 (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater) Jon Lester or Ricky Nolasco?
Sexy Rexy: Lester
DME: Nolasco


14) Will Jake Peavy have an ERA under 4.00?
Sexy Rexy: Yes
DME: No

Winner: DME (Jake Peavy left the season with a 4.63 ERA)

15) Which is more: Chone Figgins SB or Ryan Howard HRs?

Sexy Rexy: Howard HRs
DME: Figgins SBs


16) Over/Under 2.5 HR for Juan Pierre
Sexy Rexy: Over
DME: Under


17) Over/Under .250 BA for Andruw Jones in 2010
Sexy Rexy: Over
DME: Under


18) Who be better in 2010 (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater): Phil Hughes or Javier Vazquez?
Sexy Rexy: Javy
DME: Hughes


19) Who will be better in 2010 (as judges by the Yahoo! player rater): Joey Votto or Miguel Cabrera?
Sexy Rexy: Cabrera
DME: Votto


20) Will Alberto Callaspo be a top ten 2B or 3B?
Sexy Rexy: No
DME: Yes


21) Will Bobby Jenks be a top 10 RP this year?
Sexy Rexy: Yes
DME: No


22) Who will be a better fantasy player (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater) in the 2nd half (post All-Star break) of the 2010 season: Josh Johnson or Stephen Strasburg?
Sexy Rexy: Johnson
DME: Strasburg


23) Will Tim Hudson's WHIP be over/under 1.30 in the second half?
Sexy Rexy: Under
DME: Over
, all praise the almighty xWHIP calculator

24) Who will be better in more of the four starting pitching categories in the second half of 2010: Ubaldo Jimenez or Francisco Liriano?
Sexy Rexy: Ubaldo
DME: Liriano


25) Who will be better in more of the four starting pitching categories in the second half of 2010: The Repo Man or Clayton Richard?
Sexy Rexy: Richard
DME: Repo Man!



Sexy Rexy v. The 'Bright' One

1) Brad Lidge will be a top 10 closer this year (as judged by Yahoo! player rater)
Sexy Rexy: Nope. In fact, I think Madson will get more saves
TBO: Absolutely. His therapist tells me he's gotten over the Pujols HR

2) On 5/19/10, will Justin Masterson go at least 6.0 IP AND have 3 ER or less?
Sexy Rexy: Nope
TBO: Yes

Winner: Sexy Rexy (Masterson went 5 IP, 2 ER)

David "MVP" Eckstein v. The 'Bright' One

1) Will DME's fantasy team have a WHIP under 1.20?
DME: Of course! Why do you doubt my fantasy skills?
TBO: Absolutely not. Not two years in a row.

2) Max Scherzer or Justin Masterson?
TBO: Dirty Scherzer
DME: Masterson, even though Lefties kill him

3) Does Kendry Morales have 25 HR power?
DME: Barely (25 or less)
TBO: Nope (26 or more)

Winner: DME (Morales ended the season with 11)

4) Does Kelly Johnson reach the 20 HR plateau?
DME:Yerp
TBO: Nerp
Bill James: 14 (total)

5) Yahoo End of Season Player Rater: Evan Longoria or David Wright?
DME:Wright!
TBO: Longoria!

6) Yahoo End of Season Player Rater: Jose Guillen or Vernon Wells
DME: Jose Guillen
TBO: Vernon Wells
Cubsfan4evr v. The 'Bright' One

1) Will Ryan Zimmerman be a top 25 fantasy player in 2010 (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater)?
Cubsfan4evr: No
The 'Bright' One: Yes

2) Will Adam Jones be a top 115 fantasy player in 2010 (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater)?
Cubsfan4evr: Yes
The 'Bright' One: No

3) Will Jose Reyes steal 35 or more bases in 2010?
Cubsfan4evr: No
The 'Bright' One: Yes

4) Will Brett Gardner steal 55 or more bases in 2010?
Cubsfan4evr: Yes
The 'Bright' One: No

5) Will Ubaldo Jimenez have a ERA under 2.2 in 2010?
Cubsfan4evr: No
The 'Bright' One: Yes

6) Who will be the better fantasy player in 2010, Jered Weaver or Clayton Kershaw (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater)?
Cubsfan4evr: Jered Weaver
The 'Bright' One: Clayton Kershaw

8) Will Carlos Quentin hit 25 homeruns in 2010?
Cubsfan4evr: No
The 'Bright' One: Yes

9) Will Tommy Hanson have a ERA under 3.00 in 2010?
Cubsfan4evr: Of Course
The 'Bright' One: No

Cubsfan4evr v. David "MVP" Eckstein

1) Who will be the better fantasy starting pitcher in 2010, Cole Hamels or Tommy Hanson (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater)?
Cubsfan4evr: Tommy Hanson. A young pitcher entering his first full season who will be one of the top pitchers in the game this year after the usual suspects.
DME: Cole Hamels. Hoping he will rebound from last year's disappointing season and regain his form from two seasons ago.

2) Who will be the better fantasy player in 2010, Nelson Cruz or Ian Kinsler (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater)?
Cubsfan4evr: Nelson Cruz-Cruz showed last year that he can be one of the best outfielders in the game. He can hit over 30 homeruns, steal 20 bases, have over 100 RBI's hitting in the middle of the line up, and not sacrifice average being a .259 career hitter.
DME: Ian Kinsler-He is a .285 career hitter with power and speed who can hit 30 homeruns and steal 20 bases.

3) Who will be the better fantasy player in 2010, CC Sabathia or Joey Votto (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater)?
Cubsfan4evr: CC Sabathia. Sabathia is a underrated pitcher who is consistent every year. He won't have a great ERA like the marquee pitchers, but always has a good Whip, Strikeouts, and will have many wins with the Yankee's lineup behind him.
DME: Joey Votto. He hits for a high average with good power and will be able to knock many guys in and steal some bases too.

4) Will Julio Borbón have a average over .270 this season?
Cubsfan4evr: Of course! He is the next Michael Bourn.
DME: Absolutely not.This kid can't hit.

5) Who will be the better fantasy player in 2010, Grady Sizemore or Adam Lind or (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater)?
Cubsfan4evr: Adam Lind.  He had a great year last year where he showed he can hit for a .300 average with power (30+ homeruns).
DME: Grady Sizemore.He was great in the past so he will regain his old form.
Winner: Cubsfan (Sizemore got injured early)

6) Who will be the better fantasy player in 2010, Adam Lind or Carlos Quentin (as judged by the Yahoo! player rater)?
Cubsfan4evr: Adam Lind. See above explanation for why Adam Lind is the man.
DME: Carlos Quentin.  He was great in 2008 and will find that magic again this year

David MVP Eckstein's THT Bets

1) Dan Haren vs. Zack Greinke (July-September numbers).
DME: Haren -- improved peripherals plus unlucky HR/FB rate plus top 5 MLB-defense = Haren is bound to turn his season around. Greinke's F-Strike% and Swinging Strike rate, on the other hand, have regressed from last year.
andrewakamds (Twitter): Greinke: He did not start the season sharp, but numbers are much improved in June.

2) Bud Norris v. Manny Parra (July-September numbers).
DME: Bud Norris -- the wins will be sparse, as the Astros are one of the major's worst offensive teams, but Norris has is the MLB-leader in K/9 amongst starters and his control peripherals are not nearly as bad as his ugly 5.36 BB/9 indicates (mlb-avg F-strike%, for instance). I will concede, however, that his extreme FB ways are quite concerning.
Josh Shepardson: Manny parra -- Consider me guilty of being a sucker for Manny Parra the last two seasons, but this year he appears to be turning the corner to some degree. My interest in Parra seemingly every season is the result of two things—namely, his decent strikeout rate (which is even better this year than in the past) and his solid groundball rate (which again is even better this year than in the past). Parra's biggest problem throughout his career has been his propensity to issue walks (4.38 BB/9 for his career) and this season has seen Parra post a BB/9 of 4.00, still higher than owners would hope for, but better than his career mark.

1) Who will have a better second half/season: Johan Santana or Cole Hamels?
DME: Cole Hamels. Santana's not the pitcher of old and the poor whiff numbers will inflate his expected ERA. Also, the Mets do not hit nearly as much as the Phillies. xFIP numbers are not particularly fond of Johan anymore. Hamels, on the other hand, gets tons of whiffs and walks very few batters. The xFIP gods smile fondly upon him
Kerstein: Johan Santana. He's a beast!

2) Who will have a better season: Victor Martinez or Ryan Doumit?
DME: Ryan Doumit. So long as the injuries are behind him, this guy can hit (at least for a catcher). I'm predicting a classic .275/15 HR/5 SB/60 RBI season. On the other hand, Martinez is old, hitting less line drives and has overrated power. I see his ceiling as .280/15 HR/0 SB/70 RBI. The numbers will be close, but I got my catcher in the last round.
Kerstein: Victor Martinez. It's V-Mart.

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