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With one week to go until the non-waiver trade deadline I expected to see a light week of bidding in the Tout Wars Mixed League.  While 14 players is a fairly low amount to be added in one week, the dollar value spent (61) is a high number for a group with dwindling pocketbooks.  This group of experienced owners saw it worthwhile to spend at least $4 of their $100 budget on eight different players so there should be some nuggets here for other fantasy owners to consider.  Let’s take a look:

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Random observations from Wednesday’s games:

1. The Jose Altuve era started quietly in Houston.  That’s good for deeper league owners who want to pick him up on the cheap this weekend.  If he continues to hit second and play often then he should be able to score some runs and swipe a few bags.  But don’t expect too much.  That isn’t a good offense and it could get worse by July 31.

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A quick recap from Tuesday’s action:

1. I think Brandon Belt is up to stay.  I know the Giants may send him back down when Aubrey Huff is ready to go in a few days but I don’t think it will happen.  Huff’s season is going nowhere fast and if they can get Belt to start raking at the Major League level before the playoffs start they will have a chance to ride their rotation to another championship.  I think you can drop Huff in 12-team leagues.  I expect Belt to get a couple start at first base per week and a couple in the outfield too at the very least.

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Some important notes for fantasy owners from Monday’s action on and off the field.

1. Jose Tabata still isn’t playing rehab games after suffering a setback last week.  It’s time to take Alex Presley more seriously.  Tabata was supposed to be back by now, pushing Presley to the bench or Triple-A but it looks like he will keep the leadoff job for another week or two.  He has hit well everywhere he has played for the past two seasons.

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A partial week of games resulted in a light week of bidding.  Only nine players were purchased, as there wasn’t a lot of time for new players to emerge or for injuries to occur.  It also could be the calm before the storm, as many players will be changing teams in the next two weeks.  Let’s take a look at this week’s bids.

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Some random thoughts on the morning after we got our real baseball games back…..

1. I wouldn’t give up on Bartolo Colon after last night’s debacle in Toronto.  Did you really think he was going to get through the entire season without a disaster at some point?  It sucks if you used Colon last night and shallow mixed league owners can cut him but those in deeper formats shouldn’t overreact.  That being said, Colon owners in AL-only could add Ivan Nova to their bench just in case.

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The trade of Francisco Rodriguez to the Brewers is one of those deals that will a much bigger difference to fantasy baseball owners than to the overall Major League standings.  While the Brewers picked up a slightly above average setup man, the fantasy values of several players changed greatly on Tuesday night.  Let’s take a look:

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Gardner has turned it up in the last few weeks and has been filling the stolen base column for fantasy owners.

With the All-Star Break upon us, teams will give their best efforts as they prepare for the second half of the season.  As steals are an integral part of the game and can directly change the outcome, it is important to find the guys that can really do damage and help your team win.  As usual, the guys who have cooled off will also be examined, so let’s get to it.
           

Leading off this week is Marlins left fielder Emilio Bonifacio, who may be the hottest base stealer in the game right now.  Though his team in struggling, he certainly is not, as he has recorded six steals in the last eight games, most in the majors.  More importantly, he is hitting .357 over that span, so getting on base is not a problem for him.  Bonifacio’s recent surge gives him 11 steals on the year and there is no reason to believe he can’t top his career high of 21 steals set back in 2009.  As mentioned, the Marlins are not playing well, so if they find themselves too far out of the race, look for him to run more often.  Over the last three years, Bonifacio has averaged the most steals in the later parts of the season, so picking him up now would be a pretty good idea.  He is versatile too, and can play many positions which can result in more at-bats, so pick him up for use in Rotisserie leagues.
           

After a slow start, left fielder of the Yankees Brett Gardner has really gotten it going.  Gardner recorded 14 steals in the first two and a half months of the season but since then, he has nabbed eight steals in the last 10 games.  Gardner has elevated his game in other areas as well including his hitting, as he has raised his batting average to .267 from .244 at the beginning of June.  The solid play of late by Gardner along the bases has put him among the league leaders in steals; a feat that did not seem possible after he had just 10 steals after the first week of June, so seeing him run on a daily basis is a very good sign.  The good news is that he has shown no signs of slowing down, so expect him to run a majority of the time he is on base.  His hitting may go away for periods of time, but his speed will not, so don’t hesitate to grab him if available or trade for him if unavailable.
           

Of course, there are some guys thinking the break can’t come soon enough and the first player that comes to mind is Chone Figgins, third baseman for the Mariners.  A prominent base stealer his whole career, this season Figgins has looked like he has never stolen a base, as he has only nine thefts.  He is on pace for 17 steals, which is not even close to the 42 he has put up the last two seasons.  This season has really been a nightmare for Figgins, as he is 1 for his last 25 and has dropped his average to a very weak .184.  To make matters worse, the Mariners have called up third base prospect Kyle Seager and have said he will play every day at third or DH, so Figgins will lose most of his at-bats because of his poor play.  Needless to say, Figgins is not a good option in any format and likely will not be for the remainder of the season.
           

Wrapping it up this week is White Sox left fielder Juan Pierre who has put up very unusual numbers for himself.  Through 84 games, Pierre is nowhere near the top of the leader board like he typically is because he has only managed to swipe 13 bags.  He has not been injured either and he has had plenty of at-bats, so it is a real mystery why Pierre has not been able to duplicate or come anywhere close to the 68 steals he recorded a season ago.  The stats for Pierre get worse as he has been caught stealing 10 times and there has even been talk about him being replaced by a top prospect as well.  To his credit, he has performed better at the plate lately, but despite that, his steals have remained the same.  In the last three seasons, Pierre has tallied 138 steals, only 48 of which have been achieved after the All-Star Break, so that’s another knock on Pierre.  It doesn’t get any easier for Pierre & Co. as the White Sox open the second half of the season with a long road trip.  That being said, it seems like a logical choice to stay away from Pierre.  With the All-Star game next week, check back in two weeks for more info.

If the Tout Wars Mixed League owners were too busy partying to make their bids over the Fourth of July weekend then they certainly made up for it the following week!  A total of 26 players were added to rosters this week, which is a higher total than we have seen in a long time from this group.  With a short week coming up after the All-Star break, many owners decided that it was time to make more moves with their teams, knowing they would only be committed to the new players for a few days.  Let’s take a look at all the bids:

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Smart fantasy owners are always looking ahead. We all get a break in the action at the end of this week but if you want to win your league you need to look beyond that point. And when you look ahead, here’s what you should do: Add as many starting pitchers to your bench as possible! Here’s why:

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