Pierre Becquey

  (3:00 PM)

Good afternoon everyone. Hope you're getting to enjoy a bit of day baseball. For the record, we're all rooting for the Yankees to be done scoring so that your host can win his Streak pick that Joba would have more Ks than the offense would score runs.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:00 PM)

But enough about me, let's get to your questions.

Ryan (MD)

Hello, Pierre. Swisher is still available in my standard H2H league, even after the news about Nady. Would you take him over Victorino, Guerrero, or similiarly-fast-starting Lind? Thanks!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:02 PM)

You might need to grab him over Guerrero either way. Vlad's back in LA and who knows how long he could be out. You're going to need a short-term pickup. I wouldn't dump Victorino for Swisher, but it could be close for Lind. Swisher's average will come down, but if he gets Nady's playing time, he should give Lind a run for his money in the HR, R and RBI categories. So if you don't care about average, go for it. But do try the trade route for Lind, first.

David (Dallas)

Pierre Thanks for the chat! I drafted Milton Bradley late (knowing the downside) in two leagues. One ROTO one H2H. But, he's already gone down and now faces suspension. You know if I drop him he'll start raking. I can hide him on my bench, but on the WW Fowler, Hermida, Morgan, Winn and Francouer. Drop Bradley? For who? Thanks

Pierre Becquey

  (3:03 PM)

I think Jeff Francoeur is going to make everyone forget about last season, and I'll take him to beat Bradley in three of five categories. And the more banged up Bradley is, the less the average and the steals will outweight the rest.

Jeromoe (Burien, WA)

Monsieur Becquey... I'm in a keeper league with no limit on years and I have received an offer of McCann and Markakis for Wieters. I'm in last place and trying to rebuild. Am I crazy for turning down this offer? Merci beaucoup!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:06 PM)

I see, appeal to francophonie. Guess it worked. I think I'd keep McCann and Markakis. Wieters hasn't had a single at-bat in the majors yet, At best, he'll exceed McCann, sure... but by a whole Nick Markakis? Wieters may turn out to be the best player in the league, but those are two primo keepers on the other side. If you don't have a strict limit on how many you keep, I want McCann and Markakis.

Mike (chicago)

Good afternoon, Who's set to play for Yunel Escobar, Martin Prado or Omar Infante? Will Escobar see the DL? Thanks!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:07 PM)

No sure if Escobar will see any DL time yet, but be sure to check with Stephania Bell if he does. In the meantime, Infante is the shortstop. Prado is versatile, but Infante is the one more suited to play short. Especially when a groundballer like Lowe is on the mound.

Tim (MD)

Thoughts on Chris Volstad. Can he keep this up? Sell high?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:08 PM)

Always sell high. No matter what the player. By definition, that's a good move for you. As for Volstad keeping it up... yeah,I think he's for real. He has a good pedigree and good numbers in the minors, and Florida knows what they're doing with pitching. I don't think any sort of collapse is coming.

David (LA, CA)

Bonjour! Quick and easy: Weaver, Lohse, Wandy, or Davies? Merci!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:08 PM)

Weaver.

Roger (NM)

Who gets more saves the rest of the year: Corpas or Ryan Franklin?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:11 PM)

Nice question. Flip a coin, I'd give it even odds... but I'd probably settle on Franklin having more saves simply because he's playing for Larussa, who can't make himself trust young arms, while Corpas has to content with a multi-million dollar arm in Huston Street... and if the Rockies want to get value for Street on the market, they need to let him prove himself that he can still be a closer. It's way too early to give up on Street, but it's never too early to take advantage of Larussa's mistrust of his rookie pitchers.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:11 PM)

Dang. A push at best now for Streak.

Joao Gomes (Brazil)

Should I play Wandy home against the reds? If yes, do I drop Motte for him?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:13 PM)

Always play Wandy at home. Hey, I don't get it either, some guys just trend a certain way and, in Wandy's case, the trend holds true more often than not. But if it's just for one start and then you're moving on... no, I probably hold on to Motte a little longer.

john(ma)

Bonjour Pierre!! Pelfry/Lackey? In a vacuum would you drop either? Have CLee,Haren,Myers,Harang,Maholm... Thanx for any thoughts!!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:15 PM)

Never bet against John Lackey. You can do with Pelfrey what you wish, he's highly replaceable, but until John Lackey is declared out for the long run, he's a difference-maker whenever he takes the mound.

Amelia (Burlington, VT)

Hey Pierre! Who is more valuable to a fantasy team... Max Scherzer or B.J. Ryan? Thanks!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:16 PM)

At this point, I have to stick with B.J. Ryan. Scherzer has nice upside and a great career ahead of him... but since both pitchers have some injury risk attached to them, I'll go with the veteran getting the save opps over the green pitcher who may have trouble going deep enough in games for the wins.

Joe (DC)

Parra or A. Reyes? Thanks!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:17 PM)

Parra. A K an inning. Just gotta ride out the rough patches, but it's not like it'll be all smooth sailing with Reyes.

Dave (Seattle)

What tandem is the better pickup? Swisher/Kawakami or Bedard/Duncan?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:19 PM)

Bedard/Duncan. Way more upside on the pitcher and I'm skeptical that everyone will still feel the same way they do about Swisher after he goes in the tank for a bit. He's a streaky hitter, He might not like New York as much after a 2-for-28 slide.

Justin ( Boston )

What are your thoughts on Fowler for all of us in keeper leagues? 20/40 in his prime? Thanks!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:21 PM)

Yeah, I really like Fowler. I think he'll need to stay in Colorado to consistently make the 20-part of that prediction, but the speed is definitely there to challenge for 40 swipes. I don't think he's going to be a premium keeper like a Ryan Braun or anything like that, but he will be a valuable asset for at least half a decade.

John (NY)

Old School: Pete Becker - Which side do you like, Liriano/Ellsbury or Victorino/Gallardo. Keeper league.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:22 PM)

Pete? Pete's dead, baby. But, wow, you're tugging at my heart strings with those two pitchers. I'll take Liriano Ellsbury. When a trade looks even, as this one does, go for the top player, and that's Liriano.

Brian (NYC)

Hey Pierre "don't call me Pete Becker" Becuqey: please say some uplifting things about Liriano for us concerned owners

Pierre Becquey

  (3:25 PM)

I watched Liriano go toe to toe with Halladay last night. He looked really good. He's given up a couple of homers this season which have really hurt his ERA, but these things tend to smooth out over the course of a season. Liriano still has one of the best change-ups in the business, and enough movement on his fastball to survive the loss of velocity. And, eventually, that Twins bullpen will get some outs and be the elite unit it can be, so he'll have some great backup to get him out of late-inning jams. Uplifting enough?

Tony (St. Thomas)

Hey Pierre, any chance you'll start writing again? I really miis the 88 lines about 44 players articles. Yorvit Torrealba!!!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:26 PM)

As long as Yorvit Torrealba is playing, I'll have a reason to break out the 88 lines. I plan to find some time for one if I can get all this football stuff out of the way. Yeah, football... we're getting ready. Are you?

Ross (San Diego)

D Spahn already has 3 SB, is 40 SB and 10-15 HR a realistic expectation?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:27 PM)

No, I don't think it's realistic. Maybe 30. I don't trust that Spahn will get the at-bats needed for a run at 40.

Tom (Tampa)

Pierre, Should Chris Carpenter be held onto in a 10 team mixed league with a 3 man bench? Also, Lackey currently resides in the DL slot.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:29 PM)

Yes, I think you should hold on to him. Much like Jason Grey said in his chat yesterday... use your bench for upside. Do you have three guys on your bench with more upside than Carpenter? Use two slots for your daily lineup juggling and the third as an ace in the hole. Carp definitely qualifies. (My answer would be different if it was his arm again, but it's not, so... )

Ogre (Adams College)

Fantasy sports are for NERDS!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:29 PM)

Nice, a ROTN reference. That made me smile, thanks!

Corey (Livonia, Mi)

After the rocky starts for S. Baker, J. Lester this year should we be worried and which will have the better season?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:31 PM)

One bad start against the big blue Jays hitting machine does not make Scott Baker a wash for the season. I like both guys to have nice years and to be worthy of a fantasy championship-winning team. And I'd take Baker over Lester for the better season due to the home field and division advantage.

Serial Killer Database

Congratulations! Your file photo has been selected for entrance into our "Future Murderers Photobook", what do you say about being bestowed with such an honor???

Pierre Becquey

  (3:32 PM)

That, believe it or not, that's one of the better pictures of me. I'm not photogenic. Thankfully, that's not a requirement for this job. Now, aren't you glad you wasted your question on that?

PJ (NY)

Hey, Pierre. What do you expect from Spilborghs this year? I've seen projections as low as 8/8 and as high as 20/20.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:33 PM)

Can I go 14/14 and just sit on the fence? No, I guess no... I think 12 homers and 18 steals. Good little player. And fun name to say.

Jeff (Chicago)

Hey Pierre, What's going on with J. Masterson and C. Buchholz? Are either worth owning? Also, are you hearing rumors that Papelbon might be hurt?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:35 PM)

Hearing rumors, yes. But we have a world-class news desk here at ESPN, and if they're not running the story, it means it's a RUMOR right now. As for Buchholz/Masterson, I gotta give the edge to masterson right now since he's going to get starts in Dice-K's place and Buchholz, last I checked, was struggling in the minors. Buchholz hands down for his career, but Masterson for 2009.

matt, (plantation ,fl.)

what the heck, my questions are never posted,

Pierre Becquey

  (3:35 PM)

I aim to please.

Brian (Jersey)

Pick the better Adam for a 5x5 league: Lind or Jones.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:37 PM)

Gotta go with Adam Jones. I'm a big fan of players who can fill all five categories, and Jones can certainly do that better than Lind can.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:37 PM)

And my Streak is blown. I feel your empathy.

Joe (MA)

Thoughts on Randy Johnson and Nolasco's slow starts? thanks!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:39 PM)

Randy's easy... he's old. He's going to have his good games and he's going to have his bad ones, and I bet his good games exceed his bad ones by about 2-to-1, which makes for an average pitcher with above-average strikeouts. As for Nolasco, the 8-to-2 K-to-BB he's put up in 11 innings means I'm not too worried. Two homers in that span is bad... but it happens. Is it too early in the chat to say "It's early!"?

Scott (Binghamton, NY)

If Pap goes down..IF..is does Buckholz come up and masterson get the saves?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:42 PM)

There's a lot of options in that pen. Including Saito and Okajima and Delcarmen... no reason to take Masterson out of multiple-inning situations (or, for now, starting) when the 'pen has so many closing options already. As for Buchholz: as a Blue Jays fan, I'd love for him to be yanked up from the minors and into the 9th at Fenway. But I don't think we have the same results in mind when we smile, ya know?

Dan (Vermont)

AL Only League. Someone's offered me J.Fields for Dice-K. (I also have Gordon on the DL. Ouch, babe.) I do have Wigginton up off my bench. What do you think? Thanks for chatting!

Pierre Becquey

  (3:43 PM)

My condolensces. I'd hold on to Dice-K and play Wigginton. Wiggy always gets stats, and Stephania Bell has confidence in Dice-K coming back from his dead arm. You drafted him, you believe in him, keep him. (Plus, um, it's Josh Fields!)

Lee

keeper league...trade Crawford for Carlos Lee or Berkman? - need more power...thanks

Pierre Becquey

  (3:44 PM)

I'd do it for Berkman in a heartbeat. And for Lee, really... you need power. This makes sense. Go for it.

Trevor (Gainesville, FL)

Is trading Lilly for Liriano a no-brainer?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:45 PM)

No... you need your brain in order to fully revel in the afterglow of that deal. Otherwise, it's not nearly as fun.

Prease Wank

Would you please rank these pitchers in your opinion Nolasco, Baker, Lee, and Volstad.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:46 PM)

I am NOT a big Cliff Lee fan, so I'd rank them exactly as you have them. However, many of my colleages would argue Lee first.

Louis (Ann Arbor, MI)

No question...just a sincere suggestion: No offense, but why doesn't ESPN audition potential employees who can type a crap-load of words per minute? You could just relax and respond...let crazy fingers do all the typing...really juice this forum up a bit.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:48 PM)

Because it's not speed that limites the number of answers, it's selecting the question, considering the response and then putting it in a clear response. These chats aren't a sprint, they're more like one-mile races. Gotta pace yourself.

Drew (Toronto)

My points league has no DL and no bench for pitchers -- Drop Dice-K for Kershaw, Volstad, or Slowey, or stay pat with him getting me nothing for a few weeks?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:49 PM)

Sounds like your league has a pretty lively waiver wire. I'd dump Dice-K for Kershaw and see if he was still there when he was close to coming back. If not, lots of nice options to choose from. You need quantity as much as quantity in a shallow league.

Dan (Tulsa)

Pierre, which MI option do you like best this season: Hudson, Hill, Andrus, Imawura.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:50 PM)

Hill, Hudson, Andrus, Iwamura, in that order.

Max (San Fran)

Jose Lopez or Aaron Hill rest of the way?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:50 PM)

But Jose Lopez over all of them.

Louis (Ann Arbor, MI)

Fair enough...thanks for the clarification. Now a question? Which one young player (24 years or younger) would you try and make a point of having on all of your keeper teams?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:53 PM)

Oh, love this question. I'm a keeper league lover, people, so... If yo're talking about a kid in the majors right now, it has to be Tim Lincecum. But if you're talking about a minor leaguer that's on his way up... Pedro Alvarez (of course), Mike Stanton and Angel Villalona are my crushes.

Casey at the Bat Mudville

Thanks for the time Pierre Is Porcello worth owning? 10 team keeper with this season and next left to play. Already own J. Santana Sabathia, Liriano,Kershaw,R.Johnson,Kuroda and Hanson

Pierre Becquey

  (3:55 PM)

Worth owning.... yeah. Worth investing heavily in? No. With the pitching you already have, I'd probably be looking for offense instead. You can have just the right amount of pitching, but rarely can you have enough offense. (The difference being the number of counting categories a starter will contribute to as opposed to a hitter.)

Zach (PA)

Who would you rather have Geovany Soto or Pablo Sandoval, why?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:56 PM)

Soto. Because he has the better bat.

Matt Wieters (AAA)

What no keeper love for me?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:56 PM)

Yes, I love you too, Matt. But you can't hit the ball to the moon like Angel Villalona can. Plus, you were too obvious.

mark from LA

You starting Verlander tonight? How bout greinke at the rangers this weekend.

Pierre Becquey

  (3:57 PM)

I am both starting Verlander (in an AL keeper league) and benching him (in a mixed league with a cap on starts). Does that answer your question?

Jimm Rollins (Philly)

At what point should I begin to worry about my poor batting performance?

Pierre Becquey

  (3:57 PM)

Sometime around my birthday. Which is in June. As in, not in April. C'mon, people!

Jeff (Ohio)

Should I start Cueto tonight against the stros

Pierre Becquey

  (3:58 PM)

You should start Cueto everywhere except at Coors.

Justin ( Boston )

How does your strategy change if the keeper league is no limit and 5 keepers yearly?

Pierre Becquey

  (4:00 PM)

I give up whatever it takes to get the uberstuds. I'd give up a season in order to get, say, Albert Pujols' entire career. Once you build your staff of five young superstuds, then you can worry about winning 5 or 7 championships in a row.

Need for Speed

Pierre, please rank for this season: Maybin, Morgan, Fowler. Thanks!

Pierre Becquey

  (4:00 PM)

Fowler, Maybin, Morgan

Jed (Alberta)

Any plans for keeper league specific columns?

Pierre Becquey

  (4:03 PM)

Check out If You're Hardcore on Sundays and Minor Achievements on Wednesdays Jason Grey's about as good as it gets for AL- and NL-only leagues, including keeper considerations. The thing is, with keeper leagues, there are som many configurations that it's not like writing for an ESPN Standard League audience. Just like some of the advice I've given today was specific to certain keepers configs, which the questioners were kind enough to include. Hoping the logic behind the answers helps those in similar situations make the assessment that suits them.

Howard ( Boston, MA)

Better use of the utility spot: Fowler or Loney?

Pierre Becquey

  (4:03 PM)

Fowler at home, and then give Loney consideration when the matchup dictate.

Jed (Alberta)

Please rank long term: Laporta, Fowler, Rasmus, Bruce

Pierre Becquey

  (4:04 PM)

Bruce, LaPorta, Fowler, Rasmus. Hearing more and more people wondering if Rasmus will live up to any of the hype.

Zach (PA)

Hamels tonight: thoughts?

Pierre Becquey

  (4:07 PM)

The fact that he'll be on extra rest makes this a hard start to use to decide if he's "right" or not. I start him, because I think the upside vastly exceeds the downside, but I also cut him a ton of slack if he blows up. And temper my joy if he throws a gem. The one five days from now, that'll be the telling one.

Pierre Becquey

  (4:08 PM)

Max, I have four kids, all under the age of 8. All are more polite than you are being right now, and they've given me all the patience I need to ignore the roughly 100 times you've asked (rudely) the same question.

Colby Rasmus (Chicago right now)

People that watch me everyday know I got mad skills. Please shut up.

Pierre Becquey

  (4:09 PM)

Do people who watch you every day know you're in a fantasy chat instead of taking BP or shagging flies? This doesn't speak well of your work ethic.

Mick (SanFran)

Hi Pierre, please advise me as to who should sit tonight: Carlos Lee, Abreu, Ibanez, or Adam Jones. Thanks and have SUPER weekend!

Pierre Becquey

  (4:10 PM)

In a cruch, I go with the veterans. Hmm... guess I got some Larussa in me after all.

Don Mattingly's Sideburns (Springfield)

Mike Cameron is going 25/25 this year, right?

Pierre Becquey

  (4:10 PM)

While hitting .255. Yes.

Erik (Atlanta, GA)

Can we finally say the Ryan Ludwick was HUGELY underrated this offseason? The guy can flat out mash!

Pierre Becquey

  (4:11 PM)

Not by me he wasn't. But then again, I grabbed him for a buck or two in every league I could last season. In fact, I almost dislocated my shoulder patting myself on the back for it. That said; aren't you glad he was underrated so you could snag him up?

Frank (Columbus, OH)

What happened to Pete Becker? Did he lose a bet and have to change his name to Pierre Becquey?

Pierre Becquey

  (4:13 PM)

No, that's my name. I'm French-born, raised in Canada an live in the United States. Why, does it bug you to take advice from a Frenchman? Besides, your name is practically french as well. Where do you think it came from?

Alex Rios (Toronto)

Pierre, my fantasy GMs are getting fairly tired of my act. What should they do?

Pierre Becquey

  (4:13 PM)

Trade you to me, because I know how to appreciate your worth over the course of a full season. And I know you've got 25/25 in you.

Jason (East Lansing)

I know it's not baseball, but I won my roto league for basketball because my main competitor went from second best in free throws to second worst in two months. I would like to take this time to remind everyone to never trade for Dwight Howard in roto.

Pierre Becquey

  (4:15 PM)

I run this question solely because the same can apply to your batting average, your WHIP and your ERA. Which is why friends don't let friends pick up Kyle Lohse. (I really need a new whipping boy. Lohse is starting to make me look bad. But he's a hard habit to break. I just can't quit hatin' on you, Kyle!)

jose (ny)

what kind of era and whip numbers do you see tommy hanson posting this year and next year? also, you didn't answer about greinke this weekend at the rangers from earlier...

Pierre Becquey

  (4:17 PM)

I think you can reasonably expect 3.80 and 1.35 from Hanson, with an upside of 3.50 and 1.30. I think he's good enough that it's much more likely he does that than goes 4.20 and 1.40. As for the Greinke question... which one? Someone will have to repost and catch my attention.

Chris Davis (Texas)

Will I pick my act up or dissapoint the people that picked me 68 overall or wherever?

Pierre Becquey

  (4:19 PM)

Say it with me people.... "it's APRIL." But, fair enough, Davis doesn't have the track record to have earned our full trust yet. Yes, I think he'll be fine. He's struck out 14 times in 30 at-bats, so he's clearly been pressing. It's not in his profile to do that. The homers the past couple of days will, I hope, help him relax and make more contact, and then the hits will come.

Mark (Lawrence, KS)

So Wieters ownership keeps dropping and dropping. I have him in a league with only 4 bench spots. Is he going to get called up once its warm enough? Or are the O's going to wait the 60 days, so that there isn't any problem with arbitration? I've heard both as reasons why he is not in the majors yet.

Pierre Becquey

  (4:21 PM)

It's not "exactly" 60 days. They have to wait until they can be sure that, the year after he's got two years of service but before he's got the full three years, he isn't among the top 17 percent of such players, in terms of service time. Once that happens, yes, they will call him up. I'd bet my season on it. And yes, I know he's hitting .222 in Triple A. But, that's in five games. Relax.

Pedro (????)

Will work for 5 million.... any idea where or when I work? gracias

Pierre Becquey

  (4:22 PM)

I still like the idea of Pedro ending up in Washington. I just don't think Pedro like that idea. First contending team that runs into injury woes that kill their rotation depth and are willing to give Pedro the pro-rated millions... wins! In a matter of speaking.

Doug (NY)

Just asked whether to start or sit greinke vs. the rangers in arlington

Pierre Becquey

  (4:23 PM)

I start him. Grienke's got stuff that can beat any lineup. If I drafted him, and I did in several leagues, it's not to pick and chose his starts. I put him in there day in and day out and then take the result he gets me for the season.

Pierre Becquey

  (4:26 PM)

OK, wow, it's almost 4:30. I have to go. Working on something that you prospect lovers are really going to like. Look for it next week in the fantasy and baseball pages. (I'm just doing a small part of the support work for it). In the meantime, have fun, and if you, like me, still have one or two leagues yet to draft (Easter got in the way of my long-time keeper leagues' regular draft days)... don't pay for April stats! It's the season that counts.

David (LA, CA)

Wait, why the Lohse hate?! He was successful last season!

Pierre Becquey

  (4:27 PM)

...look him up for his career... especially the ones after his original Minny success. Besides, I can't hate on Joe Mays anymore, so someone has to have the job.