Fantasy Baseball: Frozen Ropes

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

After a week off of the fantasy beat, I am back to bring you the Friday fantasy article known as Frozen Ropes. As always, we'll cover the best and worst of fantasy hitters over the past week and let you know what's on the horizon.

The Good

For the 2nd time this season, Carl Crawford has been the most productive fantasy hitter in the land. A .429 average, 3 homers, 4 RBI, 7 runs, 4 SB's and a 1.377 OPS will often do that. He's back to his old self this season as he already has 34 stolen bases and we still weeks away from the All Star break. As long as his legs are healthy, I expect him to keep this up all season. I doubt he'll reach the 100 stolen bases plateau, but should reach 80. Have you forgotten about Prince Fielder? Well, he's been somewhat quiet this year, but burst back on the scene this week. He hit .407 with 3 homers and 9 RBI this week. That brings him to a season total of 13 home runs and 52 RBI. I didn't even realize he was having that good of a season. It's always nice to see a young prospect start to fulfill his potential. That is exactly what Nelson Cruz has been doing in the hot sun of Arlington, Texas. He's hitting .295 with 16 home runs and 41 RBI on the season. 4 of those home runs have come this week. Throw in a .967 OPS on the season and this guy is legit. Like most Rangers, don't be surprised if you see him tail off during the 2nd half. It's extremely hard to play an entire season down in Texas. He should get fatigued at some point during the season. Ryan Howard just hits bombs. He also strikes out a lot, and will never hit for average, but I couldn't care less as long as he continues to hit 40+ home runs and 120+ RBI every year. He will be a very, very rich man soon enough. He added 4 homers and 12 RBI this week. He's just a machine. To round out the top 5 fantasy performers of the week, we'll take a look at Brandon Phillips. After a terrible start to the season, he's really turned things around. He's hit .348 this week with 3 HR's and 6 RBI. He has hit average up to .285, with 10 HR and 40 RBI on the season. Both Chad and I love the way he plays and what he brings to the table offensively for a second basemen. It also helps that he plays 81 games and a small little bandbox of a field.

The Bad: (a.k.a. The David Ortiz portion of Frozen Ropes)

I never actually put Big Papi in this portion of the article. He's just an honorary member each week. After the great hitting streak, Ryan Zimmerman has been brought back down to earth. He's hitting just .190 with 1 HR this week. He should bounce back. He's been far more productive this season than I've ever thought. Troy Tulowitzki continues his struggles. He hit just .133, going 2 for 15 this week. His average is down to .218 on the season. Stay as far away from him as possible. Adam Dunn is having a pretty good year in the Nation's Capitol so far, but he's had a tough time of it this week. A .091 average with 0 HR's, 0 RBI and just 2 Runs is a horrid week. Don't worry though, he does have 16 HR so you'll still get plenty of pop out of him. It might be a good time to bench him for a few days though. Ryan Ludwick has really struggled since coming off the DL. That is to be expected, so don't fret too much. He's 2 for his last 23 (.087), but should start to turn things around with a few more at bats. In my opinion, Vernon Wells is one of the most overrated players in the game. A .257 average, 5 HR & 25 RBI is not good enough for a clean up hitter in the bigs. He's been even worse this week with .111 average and a .190 OBP. Ouch.

Under the Radar:

With the trade of Nate McClouth, Andrew McCutchen is now the starting centerfielder for the Pirates. He's a dynamic prospect who finally gets a shot with plenty of playing time. I've already picked him up in two of my leagues and I suggest you take a flyer on him as well. He'll steal some bases, hit a few homers and has already been slotted in as the leadoff hitter. If you're in a deep league, or NL only league, you might want to take a look at the Red's Lance Nix. He's been on fire this week and now has 7 homers, 18 RBI and a .288 average in just 104 at bats. He's been playing pretty much every day as well. Could this be the time to pick up Jose Lopez? He's been struggling all year until this week. He's hit .348, with 2 homers & 8 RBI this week. If you need additional help at 2B, he could be a big pickup if he continues turning his season around. He's only owned in 43% of leagues. Does anyone outside of Minnesota realize Jason Kubel is having a fine season? He's hitting .322 with 7 HR & 31 RBI. Peter Gammons was all over Kubel about 5-6 years ago, and maybe he's finally going to hit like Gammons said he would. Well, that's all I have for now. Until next week

(Don't forget about Chin Music by Chad Garner on Monday)

Nelson Theory 101

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Before you get it twisted, let's not: Stan Van Gundy is a good coach.

Alright, he's a bit arrogant, and a bit brash. I know guys that played from him at UMass-Lowell who would agree with both sentiments.

But so is Geno Auriemma, and both guys can flat-out coach. This is a guy who, with the Heat coming off a 25-win season, put the ball in the hands of a rookie -- Dwyane Wade -- and let him take off (they won 42 games, a first-round series and nearly knocked off the Pacers). He is not a system guy; this is a guy who scans his team's strengths and gives them a style that gives them the best chance of winning. Better yet, this is a guy who doesn't try to hide the fact that he's a prick.

All that said, I can't believe what I saw tonight. Jameer Nelson played 23 minutes in game one of the NBA Finals, and not surprisingly the Lakers blew them out, 100-75.

Oh, there were other factors that led to their downfall tonight. They shot just 29 percent from the field, including 8 of 23 on three's, and were outrebounded a startling 55-41 (nothing new if you've been watching these guys, but just saying). But Van Gundy deserves some criticism for this move tonight.

Granted, he deserves all the credit for sticking to his guns in the Celtics series and keeping his starting five on the floor at the end, contrary to Dwight Howard's criticism. By standing firm, the team shook up its complacency and reaffirmed Van Gundy's acumen.

That was a turning point in the Magic's playoff run, much like this folly.

I'm a big believer in Bill Simmons' "Ewing Theory". For the uninformed, Simmons asserts that the Knicks often played better when their star center, Patrick Ewing, was in foul trouble, on the bench or injured. There are tons of examples to back this theory up -- this year's Rockets, the 2001 Mariners, the 1997 Flyers, to name the most glaring examples. He'll no doubt add this year's Magic to the list.

Listen, there is no doubt that Jameer Nelson is the alpha dog of that backcourt. This organization wouldn't be where it is without his character, and his commitment. But he's been out for four months; you can't just throw a guy into the lineup with major minutes if he's been out for four months, especially if it's GAME ONE OF THE FINALS.

And besides that, isn't this why you traded for Rafer Alston?

Marc Spears' article last week on Chris Herren has a great quote from Jerry Tarkanian about the difference between Herren and Alston when they played together at Fresno State: "Rafer was the first one in the gym and last one out. Chris had other things going on." Alston is a gamer, no doubt. But when you've cut your teeth on the famed New York City playgrounds, and you're THE Skip To My Lou, you're going to have an ego that needs to be soothed. Just ask Stephon Marbury, Sebastian Telfair, Kenny Anderson and any other point guard from the Big Apple. Alston is a guy that needs to play 35 to 40 minutes a night to stay happy, and stay productive. When you give him just a minute more than Nelson, he's no use to you. He gives you a 2 for 9, 1 assist 6 point night.

If you really want to make this Nelson experiment work, stick him at the end of the bench.

-- One other minor note...attention Orlando Sentinel subscribers, please ignore your columnist Mike Bianchi's musing that "a win for Van Gundy is a win for the blue collars". You live in a tourist trap. Mickey Mouse. Sea World. That dinky Back to the Future ride. International Drive. Go-Karts.

Don't ever forget that for one second. Your city has no culture. That is all.