Atomic RoadRunners | Andrew Flynn’s High-Energy Fantasy Baseball

Baseball Prospectus recently released the results of the 17th Annual Internet Baseball Awards. Blake Dewitt finished ninth in the balloting. Below are the results:

Rnk Name                        1      2      3       B       P
  1. Geovany Soto             1178     63     17    1258    6096
  2. Joey Votto                 74    618    242     934    2466
  3. Jair Jurrjens              26    302    324     652    1360
  4. Jay Bruce                  21    105    131     257     551
  5. Hiroki Kuroda               8     93    111     212     430
  6. Kosuke Fukudome            10     23     31      64     150
  7. Clayton Kershaw             5     26     31      62     134
  8. Johnny Cueto                0     25     33      58     108
  9. Blake Dewitt                1     11     16      28      54
 10. John Lannan                 0     11     20      31      53

 14. Jorge Campillo              1      5     12      18      32
 14. Chase Headley               1      5     12      18      32
 18. Pablo Sandoval              1      4      6      11      23
 25. Gregor Blanco               0      2      1       3       7
 29. Brandon Moss                1      0      0       1       5
 33. Manny Acosta                0      1      0       1       3
 33. Chris Dickerson             0      0      3       3       3
 33. Greg Reynolds               0      0      3       3       3

Gregor Blanco - OF Braves - Age 25
Projection: .265/.343/.333, 0 HR, 23 R, 13 RBI, 6 SB in 162 AB
2008 stats: .251/.366/.309, 1 HR, 52 R, 38 RBI, 13 SB in 430 AB

From Rotoworld:

The Braves and Bobby Cox in particular had little confidence in Blanco entering last season, which is a big reason the team went and traded for a remarkably similar player in Josh Anderson, but Blanco turned in a great spring and ended up beating out Anderson for a bench job. A fast start followed, and Blanco was a regular for about four months before taking a backseat to Anderson in September. Along the way, he made it pretty clear that he could be a useful major leaguer, but more so in a role that would net him about 250 at-bats per year. Blanco’s assets are his speed and patience at the plate. He had a .371 OBP in 234 at-bats as a leadoff man last year. Unfortunately, he has no power at all and he’s not a very good basestealer for such a fast runner. Anderson appears to be ahead of him on the depth chart again now, so a trade is a possibility. The Braves won’t want to carry both players.

The Roadrunners are dealing with quite a few injuries as the season winds down, and these are affecting my stats over the final week:

Catcher: Both Chris Iannetta and Pablo Sandoval are day-to-day after weekend injuries.  Sandoval had a strained quad, while Iannetta was pulled from Sunday’s game with severe leg cramping, which isn’t good for a catcher.  Both are day-to-day over the final week.

Infield: Brandon Phillips is on the 60-Day DL due to a broken finger from two weeks ago.  Ryan Theriot’s Cubs have already clinched, and he and other regulars are being rested over the final week in preparation for the post-season.  Chipper Jones‘ latest injury is shoulder inflammation, which has limited him to pinch-hitting appearances since last Friday.  Depending on the pitching matchup, he may sit occasionally.  Even September call-up Mat Gamel admitted he was injured, and he was shut down with a sore elbow, though this is likely what caused his poor second half.

Outfield: Remember when the Roadrunners had ridiculous depth of somewhat-decent outfielders?  Well, no more.  Corey Hart is slumping badly, though at least the Brewers are striving for the wild card - they’ll trot him out there each day.  Brandon Moss just learned that he has some bad knee cartilage, and he has been shut down, and may require surgery that’ll have him miss part of Spring Training.  Ten days ago Chris Dickerson hurt his foot, and he had been hobbled.  Finally an MRI detected a hairline fracture in his heel, so he’s shut down as well.  Jody Gerut has only one start since August 27th due to a strained finger tendon, making it impossible for him to hold a bat - though he has been a pinch runner.  Gregor Blanco has been sitting of late as the Braves try to figure out which of their young outfielders will be in their plans for next season.  Blanco should be safe, but he’ll be no more than a No. 4 OF.

Pitching: The pitching isn’t in bad shape in this final week.  In addition to the Noah Lowry pickup (he was rehabbing while on the 60-Day DL when picked up), John Maine has basically been shut down for the season. Well, but no one told him that - there’s a chance he’ll be on the playoff roster (if the Mets win the wild card), but he has a bone spur that requires surgery.  Idiotic Giants manager Bruce Bochy has been driving Tim Lincecum into the ground, and yesterday’s start showed that he might not have anything left in the tank.  Lincecum of course leads the majors in pitcher abuse points, and I’d like to personally thank Bochy for ruining Lincecum’s career for a fourth-place 70-87 squad that’s 12 games out of first.

Gregor Blanco went 2-for-5 with a stolen base, an RBI, and two runs scored Sunday against the Nationals. He entered the game batting .105 (2-for-19) over his last 10 games. Blanco hasn’t played as much lately and clearly is no longer part of the Braves’ everyday lineup. He doesn’t have enough stolen bases to start even in NL-only leagues as a part-timer. (CBS Sports)

Gregor Blanco was the only Brave able to do much against Mets starter Mike Pelfrey Wednesday night, collecting two of his team’s three total hits and tallying an RBI and a run scored. Blanco should get plenty of playing time as long as his ankle is okay. He’s certainly useful in leagues that count walks or on-base percentage, but he doesn’t contribute very much in any other category. (Rotowire)

Gregor Blanco returned to the starting lineup and went 0-for-4 with two walks in Tuesday’s loss to the Mets. He missed Monday’s game due to a bone spur in his right ankle. Spin: Blanco has played with the problem the past two months, but it’s not expected to keep him out of the lineup. He may need a day or two of rest down the stretch, however. (Rotowire)

Gregor Blanco has been playing with a bone spur in his right ankle. “I’ve had it the last two months, but it’s getting worse,” Blanco said Monday. Blanco is trying to play through the injury after finally getting his chance this season, but it’s possible the Braves could start to limit him. (Rotoworld)

Up:

• P John Maine
• P Joe Blanton
• 3B Chipper Jones
• OF Chase Headley

Down:

• OF Gregor Blanco
• OF Steve Pearce
• P Matt Lindstrom
• P Carlos Villanueva

Move:

• 3B Casey Blake to Utility
• U Jody Gerut to OF

Gregor Blanco reached base four times as the Braves beat the Brewers 5-0 on Sunday. Blanco doubled once and walked three times, scoring once in the process. The Braves’ center fielder has a terrible .328 slugging percentage and is batting just .266. However, since he’s sporting a nifty .370 on-base percentage thanks to 51 walks, the Braves have bigger worries. If he continues to get on base at such a high clip the Braves may stick with him in center next season. (Rotoworld)

Gregor Blanco reached in all five plate appearances on Tuesday night, going 4-for-4 with a walk in a loss to the Cardinals. It was the rookie’s second four-hit game in a week. All four hits tonight were singles, and he maintains a modest .330 slugging percentage thanks to only 11 extra-base hits in 306 at-bats. (Rotoworld)

Braves OF Gregor Blanco, only four games removed from a four-hit game, went hitless for the second straight game Monday against the Cardinals. He’s 0-for-7 during that stretch and 1-for-12 over his last three games. The Braves like Blanco in the leadoff spot because he has decent on-base ability, but he doesn’t hit worth a hill of beans, really, and doesn’t steal many bases either. Leave him for deeper NL-only leagues. (CBS Sports)

Gregor Blanco went 4-for-5 with three runs and three RBI as the Braves topped the Marlins on Wednesday night. Blanco drove in one run on a single, and he also hit a two-run triple. The four hits were a career-high for Gregor, and he’s now hitting .267/.365/.326 on the season, with one homer and 25 RBI. Yunel Escobar also had a nice night: he drove in three runs and hit two doubles. Blanco was batting in the 1st spot in the lineup and is getting on base at over a .360 clip. He’s a singles hitter that will get on and swipe the occasional bag. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)

Braves OF Gregor Blanco went 1-for-4 with a double Thursday against the Phillies, extending his hitting streak to a modest seven games. He is hitting .483 (14-for-29) during that stretch. Blanco has raised his average from .242 to .274 in that span. Blanco has been a decent stopgap option for the Braves in their injury-depleted outfield, but he remains more of an NL-only Fantasy option. (CBS Sports)

Ike over at Nine Bo Jacksons just ran through the biggest surprises and disappointments at the halfway mark for both hitters and pitchers. The system uses PECOTA and compares pre-season valuations to actual. Values indicate amount that the player is performing over/under projections. Here’s how some of the Atomic Roadrunners fared:

Hitters

Surprises:

• Ryan Theriot - $25.79
• Gregor Blanco - $21.74

Disappointments:

• Andruw Jones - -$31.92
• Prince Fielder - -$16.06

Pitchers

Surprises:

• Todd Wellemeyer - $14.44

Disappointments:

• Brett Myers - -$36.01

(He only ran the top/bottom 25 of each)

Gregor Blanco went 2-for-4 in Sunday’s loss to the Blue Jays. The team struggled against the Jays’ A.J. Burnett, so this performance is noteworthy. Toronto catcher Rod Barajas threw out Blanco on an attempted steal of second in the third. It was the first time this season Blanco has been caught stealing. Blanco is 10-for-17 (.588) with three RBI during a four-game hitting streak. Blanco has raised his average from .242 to .270 in that span. Blanco has been a decent stopgap option for the Braves in their injury-depleted outfield, but he still remains more of a NL-only Fantasy option. Blanco will remain in the lineup even with Mark Kotsay returning from the DL Tuesday, as Blanco will slide over to left. (CBS Sports, Rotowire)