Reminder that we will be back to doing shows next week. Monday's and Thursday's you can expect some on demand content on MLB.com and of course the podcast. The Blog will start cranking up on Monday 11/9 as well.

 

Enjoy the list below.

 

Below are the players potentially eligible for Free Agency under Article XX - B of the Basic Agreement. Today marks the first day of the 15-day period in which these players may give notice of their election of free agency.

PLAYER POSITION TEAM

1 Anderson, Garret OF AT

2 Gonzalez, Mike RP AT

3 Hudson, Tim ** SP AT

4 LaRoche, Adam 1B AT

5 Norton, Greg 1B/OF AT

6 Soriano, Rafael RP AT

7 Davis, Doug SP AZ

8 Schoeneweis, Scott D. RP AZ

9 Tracy, Chad 1B AZ

10 Webb, Brandon ** SP AZ

11 Baez, Danys RP BA

12 Hendrickson, Mark SP/RP BA

13 Moeller, Chad E. C BA

14 Mora, Melvin 3B BA

15 Baldelli, Rocco OF BO

16 Bay, Jay OF BO

17 Byrd, Paul SP BO

18 Gonzalez, Alex ** SS BO

19 Martinez, Victor ** C BO

20 Varitek, Jason A. ** C BO

21 Wagner, Billy RP BO

22 Wakefield, Tim SP BO

23 Woodward, Chris 3B BO

24 Fox, Chad D. RP CC

25 Grabow, John RP CC

26 Gregg, Kevin RP CC

27 Harden, Rich SP CC

28 Johnson, Reed OF CC

29 Hernandez, Ramon J. ** C CI

30 Wells, Kip SP CI

31 Carroll, Jamey 2B/3B/0F CL

32 Ohka, Tomokazu SP/RP CL

33 Beimel, Joe RP CO

34 Betancourt, Rafael ** RP CO

35 Contreras, Jose SP CO

36 Embree, Alan RP CO

37 Fogg, Josh SP/RP CO

38 Giambi, Jason 1B CO

39 Herges, Matt RP CO

40 Marquis, Jason SP CO

41 Rincon, Juan RP CO

42 Torrealba, Yorvit ** C CO

43 Castro, Ramon Abraham C CWS

44 Dotel, Octavio E. RP CWS

45 Dye, Jermaine ** OF CWS

46 Podsednik, Scott OF CWS

47 Everett, Adam SS DE

48 Huff, Aubrey 1B/3B DE

49 Lyon, Brandon RP DE

50 Polanco, Placido 2B DE

51 Rodney, Fernando RP DE

52 Washburn, Jarrod SP DE

53 Calero, Kiko RP FL

54 Donnelly, Brendan RP FL

55 Gload, Ross 1B/OF FL

56 Johnson, Nick 1B FL

57 Boone, Aaron J. 1B/3B HO

58 Brocail, Doug ** RP HO

59 Erstad, Darin 1B/OF HO

60 Hampton, Mike SP HO

61 Hawkins, LaTroy RP HO

62 Michaels, Jason OF HO

63 Tejada, Miguel O. SS HO

64 Valverde, Jose RP HO

65 Chen, Bruce SP/RP KC

66 Crisp, Coco ** OF KC

67 Olivo, Miguel ** C KC

68 Wright, Jamey RP KC

69 Abreu, Bob OF LAA

70 Escobar, Kelvim J. SP LAA

71 Figgins, Chone 3B LAA

72 Guerrero, Vladimir OF/DH LAA

73 Lackey, John SP LAA

74 Oliver, Darren RP LAA

75 Quinlan, Robb 1B/3B/OF LAA

76 Ausmus, Brad C LAD

77 Belliard, Ron 2B LAD

78 Castro, Juan G. 2B/SS LAD

79 Garland, Jon SP LAD

80 Hudson, Orlando 2B LAD

81 Loretta, Mark D. 1B/2B/3B LAD

82 Mientkiewicz, Doug A. 1B LAD

83 Milton, Eric R. SP LAD

84 Mota, Guillermo RP LAD

85 Ohman, Will ** RP LAD

86 Padilla, Vicente SP LAD

87 Ramirez, Manny ** OF LAD

88 Schmidt, Jason SP LAD

89 Thome, Jim DH/1B LAD

90 Weaver, Jeff C. SP LAD

91 Wolf, Randy SP LAD

92 Cameron, Michael OF MI

93 Catalanotto, Frank OF MI

94 Counsell, Craig J. 2B/3B/SS MI

95 Kendall, Jason C MI

96 Looper, Braden L. ** RP MI

97 Lopez, Felipe 2B/3B/SS/OF MI

98 Patterson, Corey OF MI

99 Vargas, Claudio SP/RP MI

100 Weathers, Dave ** RP MI

101 Cabrera, Orlando L. SS MN

102 Crede, Joe 3B MN

103 Mahay, Ron RP MN

104 Pavano, Carl SP MN

105 Redmond, Mike P. C MN

106 Cora, Alex 2B/SS NYM

107 Delgado, Carlos 1B NYM

108 Dessens, Elmer RP NYM

109 Martinez, Ramon E. 2B/SS NYM

110 Putz, J.J. ** RP NYM

111 Schneider, Brian C NYM

112 Sheffield, Gary OF NYM

113 Tatis, Fernando 1B/3B/OF NYM

114 Damon, Johnny OF NYY

115 Hairston Jr, Jerry 2B/3B/SS/OF NYY

116 Hinske, Eric 1B/OF NYY

117 Matsui, Hideki OF NYY

118 Molina, Jose C NYY

119 Nady, Xavier OF NYY

120 Pettitte, Andy SP NYY

121 Crosby, Bobby SS OA

122 Duchscherer, Justin SP OA

123 Garciaparra, Nomar 1B OA

124 Kennedy, Adam 2B OA

125 Tomko, Brett D. SP OA

126 Bako, Paul C PH

127 Cairo, Miguel J. IF PH

128 Eyre, Scott RP PH

129 Feliz, Pedro ** 3B PH

130 Lee, Cliff ** SP PH

131 Martinez, Pedro SP PH

132 Myers, Brett SP PH

133 Park, Chan Ho SP PH

134 Stairs, Matt OF PH

135 Blanco, Henry C SD

136 Giles, Brian S. OF SD

137 Batista, Miguel SP/RP SE

138 Bedard, Erik SP SE

139 Beltre, Adrian 3B SE

140 Branyan, Russ 1B SE

141 Chavez, Endy OF SE

142 Griffey Jr, Ken DH/OF SE

143 Sweeney, Mike 1B/DH SE

144 Wilson, Jack ** SS SE

145 Aurilia, Rich 1B/3B SF

146 Howry, Bob RP SF

147 Johnson, Randy SP SF

148 Molina, Bengie C SF

149 Penny, Brad SP SF

150 Uribe, Juan 2B/3B/SS SF

151 Winn, Randy OF SF

152 Ankiel, Rick OF SL

153 De Rosa, Mark 3B SL

154 Glaus, Troy 3B SL

155 Greene, Khalil SS/3B SL

156 Holliday, Matt OF SL

157 LaRue, Jason C SL

158 Pineiro, Joel SP SL

159 Smoltz, John SP SL

160 Wellemeyer, Todd SP SL

161 Bradford, Chad RP TB

162 Crawford, Carl ** OF TB

163 Isringhausen, Jason RP TB

164 Percival, Troy RP TB

165 Shouse, Brian ** RP TB

166 Springer, Russ RP TB

167 Zaun, Gregg ** C TB

168 Benoit, Joaquin RP TE

169 Blalock, Hank 3B TE

170 Byrd, Marlon OF TE

171 Guardado, Eddie A. RP TE

172 Jones, Andruw OF TE

173 Rodriguez, Ivan T. C TE

174 Vizquel, Omar SS TE

175 Barajas, Rod C TO

176 McDonald, John 3B/SS TO

177 Millar, Kevin OF TO

178 Scutaro, Marco 2B/SS TO

179 Bard, Josh C WA

180 Hernandez, Livan SP WA

181 Kearns, Austin ** OF WA

182 Villone, Ron RP WA

183 Young, Dmitri 1B WA

** Potential Free Agent Per Contract Terms

OK folks here's the 2010 list of 12.xls!

 

For those of you unfamiliar with the List of 12, the concept is pretty simple: we look for starting pitchers who crossed the 500 career innings barrier during the previous season, and focus on them as breakout candidates for the upcoming season. The theory behind this is that it takes pitchers at least a couple of seasons to fully adjust to pitching in the Majors, so in fantasy we want to find guys who are ready to have breakout seasons but might still be a little under the radar. Some of these guys stink and will continue to stink, but if you're looking for guys who are ready to take the next step, this list is a good place to start.

 

The original list was only 12 guys -- hence the name -- but since it's drawn each year from an objective set of rules, sometimes we get fewer or more than the original dozen. This year illustrates that to the extreme, with 23 guys on the list! There's someone on here for every taste and style.

 

Of course, some of these guys are already top-shelf stars (Lincecum, Wainwright, Lester) and a few are already in that next tier of fantasy notoriety (Baker, Billingsley, Danks, Floyd, Weaver). But even with so many whose values appears to be established, there are still some values to be found. Here's a quick first-blush rundown of my view on each guy as we turn our eyes to 2010:

 

Backe, Brandon - Too many arm problems to consider.

 

Baker, Scott (right) - On the surface his 2009 season looks virtually identical to 2008, but those who were paying attention know that those numbers are skewed by a very poor start. He topped the 200 IP barrier in 2009 and is a target pitcher for 2010.

 

Bannister, Brian - He's had his moments but the season-ending injury makes him a risky pick for 2010.

 

Billingsley, Chad - Perceived as a breakthrough stud going into 2009, second-half fades in consecutive seasons make him something of a question mark going into 2010. A great upside pick if the price is right, but try to get a discount.

 

Carmona, Fausto - Two straight awful seasons but it's tough to forget his awesome 2006, and his last two starts were very impressive... a great $1 flier in AL-only and deep leagues.

 

Correia, Kevin - A very quiet but impressive season this year. He's a little old to be viewed as a breakout candidate but should be a solid end-of-rotation choice.

 

Danks, John - Rate stats all went in the wrong direction this year but that may be skewed by a few disaster starts. I'd like him better in a different ballpark but as it is he's a solid mid-rotation guy and still has upside.

 

Davies, Kyle - 500+ innings of suck.

 

De La Rosa, Jorge - The trends and his age suggest this breakthrough is for real. Obviously Rockies pitchers are risky, and his command is still shaky, but this one is a decent gamble to approach if not necessarily improve upon his 2009 numbers again in 2010.

Floyd, Gavin (right) - Those who judge pitchers by W-L or even just ERA are going to miss the boat on this one. Rate stats and age point to a major breakout in 2010, and make special note of the fifty percent decrease in his second-half walk rate.

Garza, Matt (below) - See Floyd, Gavin. Three straight seasons of improvement in K/BB rate along with career highs in IP show ability growing along with durability. He may be too homer prone to become a fantasy ace, but I'm still a very bullish on him for 2010.

 

Gaudin, Chad - Consistency and throwing enough strikes have always been problems, but an intriguing one to watch if he ends up back with the Yankees. Another good $1 gamble.

 

Guthrie, Jeremy - Here's where stats come in handy... watching him pitch you think he's a future ace. The stats are all trending in the wrong direction, though, and scream "stay away."

 

Jackson, Edwin - His ERA was double in the second half what it was before the All-Star break, and every other rate stat went in the wrong direction as well, which I personally attribute to overwork by noted arm-fragger Jim Leyland. But the overall body of work shows major improvement, so he could take another big step forward in 2010... just don't gamble full price on it.

 

Jimenez, Ubaldo (right) - Possibly the best Rockies starter ever. Never mind Coors, he gets tons of grounders and simply doesn't give up homers; all signs are positive and there's no reason to think he won't be at least as good in 2010, if not better.

 

Lester, Jon - Check out the 2.48 ERA and 9.8 K/9 ratio in his last 24 starts. Stud.

 

Lincecum, Tim - Three straight years of improvement in WHIP, hit rate, walk rate and homer rate... now entrenched as the #1 pitcher in fantasy baseball.

 

Maine, John - Still has excellent stuff but the history of arm problems is scary. Still, he's shown effectiveness when healthy, so he's worth a flier in deeper and/or unmixed leagues.

 

Nolasco, Ricky (right) - Like Floyd and Garza, the overall stats don't tell the full story. He was dominant after returning from a brief Triple-A exile, with a five-to-one K/BB and 10.1 K/9 ratio in his last 22 starts. The added age and maturity should help prevent the disaster starts that skewed his overall numbers last season; as much as anyone on this list he is poised to take a major leap forward next in value next season.

 

Saunders, Joe - Pitched exceptionally well down the stretch, with a 2.55 ERA in eight starts after coming off the DL, suggesting that some of his struggles may have been injury-related. The lack of strikeouts limit his value but he should continue to be a solid end-of-rotation option.

 

Wainwright, Adam - Threw 13 straight quality starts at one point, and 18-of-19. Stud.

 

Weaver, Jered - Took a big step forward this year in terms of maturity and consistency, but the trends are mixed for 2010. His innings pitched have increased in three straight seasons, which speaks to his durability, but the rate stats have all fluctuated around his career averages, so this may be as good as it gets. That's certainly good enough to make him a solid #3 in any format.

 

Wellemeyer, Todd - I liked him as a sleeper in 2009 but he was awful and injured. Worth a flier in deep and unmixed leagues but nothing more.

 

So to sum it all up, here's how I rank them going into 2010:

 

* Full-price studs: Lester, Lincecum, Wainwright

* Breakout picks: Baker, Floyd, Garza, Jimenez, Nolasco

* Upside with risk: Billingsley, Jackson

* As good as it gets?: Danks, De La Rosa, Weaver

* Cheap options: Correia, Saunders

* Fliers: Carmona, Gaudin, Maine, Wellemeyer

* Stay away: Backe, Bannister, Davies, Guthrie

 

Enjoy the rest of the postseason!

Thanks,

Cory

P.S. -- If you want to add one more guy to the list to make it an even 24, for a double-sized List of 12, the next guy who just missed the cut on innings was Josh Johnson of the Marlins. He'll be on everyone's radar next season and for good reason!

Hey everyone,

Below you will find the links to the video clips from all of the end of season recap shows.  To see the complete listing of the preseason pick grades, scroll down.  A reminder that the 411 returns following the conclusion of the World Series with twice a week podcasts starting in mid-November.

Feel free to put all of your comments and/or questions under this blog entry and we will be checking it throughout October.

And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @fantasy411 @schwartzstops @fantasymlb

Thanks again for a great season,

Zach


Monday 9/28: A look at the 2009 Rookie Class

Tuesday 9/29: A look at the 2010 Rookie Class

Wednesday 9/30: 2009 All-Surprise Team

Thursday 10/1: 2009 All-Disappointment Team

Friday 10/2: 2009 All-Fantasy Team

Monday 10/5: Siano and Schwartz's report card from preseason picks

NOTE:  Here's an update on Siano's quest to win AL Tout, which will have to wait another two days:

http://www.toutwars.com/

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________--

SIANO OVERRATED   B-

C Mike Napoli   C
1B Ryan Garko   A
2B Howie Kendrick   C+
3B Hank Blalock   A-
SS Mike Aviles   A
OF Vladimir Guerrero   B-
OF Nelson Cruz   C-
OF Denard Span    F
SP Cliff Lee   D+
SP AJ Burnett   B+
RP Kerry Wood   A

SCHWARTZ OVERRATED   C+

C Ryan Doumit   A-

1B Ryan Howard   D-
2B Alexei Ramirez   A-
3B Kevin Youkilis   D-
SS Michael Young   D
OF Manny Ramirez   A-
OF Jason Bay   D-
OF Andre Ethier   D
SP Francisco Liriano   A
SP A.J. Burnett   B+
RP Bobby Jenks   B

 
SIANO UNDERRATED   C

C   Jeff Clement   F
1B Kendry Morales   A
2B Asdrubal Cabrera   A-
3B Josh Fields   F
SS Elvis Andrus   B+
OF Coco Crisp   D
OF Carlos Gomez   F
OF Shin-Soo Choo   A
SP Justin Verlander   A
SP John Smoltz   D
RP Joel Zumaya   F

SCHWARTZ UNDERRATED   C-

C   Kelly Shoppach   D-
1B Adam LaRoche   C+
2B Kelly Johnson   F
3B Adrian Beltre   D-
SS Derek Jeter   A
OF Chris Young   F
OF Jayson Werth   A-
OF Ryan Spilborghs   D-
SP Jered Weaver   B+
SP Wandy Rodriguez   A
RP Joel Hanrahan    F

Let's hear from you!  The podcast will be out later today and we'll be frequently checking up on the blog during the rest of October.  The 411 returns in mid-November with twice a week podcasts.  Thanks for all of your participation here throughout the season.

Zach

CORY'S PICKS

SATURDAY

 
Kazmir @ Eveland

Greinke @ Blackburn

Garcia @ Figaro

Richmond @ Hendrickson

Pettitte @ Niemann (not a big Niemann fan but Yanks are playing the JV lately)

Laffey @ Beckett

Hunter @ Rowland-Smith (yep, gotta respect the results of late)

D. Cabrera @ Wells

Bazardo @ Misch

Bush @ Lohse

Anibal Sanchez @ Hamels

Detwiler @ Jurrjens

Duke @ Cueto

Cain @ LeBlanc

De La Rosa @ Kershaw

 
SUNDAY

 
Danks @ Verlander

Ohka @ Buchholz

Romero @ Guthrie

Burnett @ Wade Davis

Hochevar @ Duensing (yep...he's been hot and the Royals are awful)

Saunders @ E. Gonzalez

Feldman @ King Felix (the wheels have come off Feldman so I don't trust him even at Seattle)

Lopez @ Figueroa

Hart @ Bailey

Martin @ Hudson

J. Johnson @ Happ

Narveson @ Pineiro

D. Davis @ Dempster

J. Sanchez @ Ramos

Marquis @ Kuroda

***Siano says to go with Marquis if the game has any playoff implications.  If not, he may only throw a few innings.


Once again, a reminder about tonight's Sirius show mega-finale.  Here's a list of the guests along with the approximate time that they will join the show:

Will Carroll                  7:03                

 
Todd Zola                     7:10                

 
Jeff Erickson                 7:17                

 
Jason Grey                    7:22                

 
Lawr Michaels                 7:30                

 
Joe Sheehan                   7:40                

                                                  

C       Joe Mauer
1B     Albert Pujols
3B     Mark Reynolds
2B     Chase Utley
SS     Hanley Ramirez
UT     Ryan Braun
OF1   Carl Crawford
OF2   Jacoby Ellsbury
OF3   Matt Kemp
SP1   Tim Lincecum
SP2   Zack Greinke
CL     Jonathan Broxton


And the updated calendar of events:

Monday 9/28: A look at the 2009 Rookie Class

Tuesday 9/29: A look at the 2010 Rookie Class

Wednesday 9/30: 2009 All-Surprise Team

Thursday 10/1: 2009 All-Disappointment Team

Friday 10/2: 2009 All-Fantasy Team

Monday 10/5: Siano and Schwartz's Report Card from pre-season picks

Also, a reminder that there will be a packed Sirius show tonight.  Here's the list of guests along with approximately what time they will join the show:

Will Carroll                  7:03                

 
Todd Zola                     7:10                

 
Jeff Erickson                 7:17                

 
Jason Grey                    7:22                

 
Lawr Michaels                 7:30                

 
Joe Sheehan                   7:40                

                                                  

CORY'S PICKS

Peavy @ Jackson

Purcey @ Berken

Sowers @ Matsuzaka

Sabathia @ Price

DiNardo @ Liriano

Saunders @ Gonzalez

McCarthy @ Snell

Buckner @ Gorzelanny

VandenHurk @ Blanton

Wandy @ Maine

McCutchen @ Lehr

Livan @ Lowe

Looper @ Wainwright

Zito @ Correia

Jimenez @ Wolf

 

C        Geovany Soto
1B      Chris Davis
3B      Adrian Beltre
2B      Kelly Johnson
SS      Stephen Drew
UT      Aubrey Huff
OF1    Alfonso Soriano
OF2    Corey Hart
OF3    Chris Young
SP1    Joba Chamberlain
SP2    Francisco Liriano
CL      Brad Lidge


And once again, the updated calendar of events:


Monday 9/28: A look at the 2009 Rookie Class

Tuesday 9/29: A look at the 2010 Rookie Class

Wednesday 9/30: 2009 All-Surprise Team

Thursday 10/1: 2009 All-Disappointment Team

Friday 10/2: 2009 All Fantasy Team

Monday 10/5: Siano and Schwartz's Report Card from pre-season picks.

CORY'S PICKS

Baker @ Robertson

Millwood @ Lackey

Waters @ Garza (could Garza BE any more inconsistent?)

Carrasco @ Lester

Anderson @ Fister

Carpenter @ Kip Wells

Parra @ Cook

Haren @ Lincecum

Mock @ Hanson

Paulino @ Lee

Maholm @ Samardzija

***Also check out a new blog post by Siano on the Tout Wars page

http://www.toutwars.com/?p=440

C        Kurt Suzuki
1B      Kendry Morales
3B      Mark Reynolds
2B      Aaron Hill
SS      Jason Bartlett
UT      Ben Zobrist
OF1    Carl Crawford
OF2    Torii Hunter
OF3    Michael Bourn
SP1    Ubaldo Jimenez
SP2    Scott Feldman
CL      David Aardsma


And here's the updated calendar of events:

Monday 9/28: A look at the 2009 Rookie Class

Tuesday 9/29: A look at the 2010 Rookie Class

Wednesday 9/30: 2009 All-Surprise Team

Thursday 10/1: 2009 All Disappointment Team

Friday 10/2: 2009 All Fantasy Team

Monday 10/5: Me and Schwartz's Report Card from pre-season picks.