Hey, it's still baseball season! In many fantasy leagues, today's Tigers-Twins game (5:07 p.m. ET) counts toward your standings. If you're still trying to get some last-minute stats, here's what to look for:
Starting pitchers
Rick Porcello (owned in 28.3 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) vs. Scott Baker (64.7 percent owned)
I think Porcello is much more likely than Baker to get shellacked, so keep that in mind if you could lose any ERA and WHIP points. However, if you're thinking about picking up anyone at this point, you're probably not trying to play things safe.
Possible pickups
(Note: Today's starting lineups have not yet been named, so while players named below will probably play, there are no guarantees.)
Tigers: Closer Fernando Rodney is owned in 61.3 percent of leagues, so you might be able to grab him for the chance at a save ... OF Carlos Guillen (46.5 pefcent owned) isn't what he used to be, but at least he plays ... C Gerald Laird (5.8 percent owned) is available, and even though he can't hit, it's not like any other catcher but Joe Mauer will do something today ... Utilityman Ryan Raburn (4.6 percent owned) might start after hitting two home runs on Sunday, and he fits anywhere on your roster except shortstop and catcher ... OF Marcus Thames (4.1 percent owned) is always a home run threat ... SS Adam Everett (1.7 percent owned) could steal second base if he bribes his way to first ... SS Ramon Santiago could get the nod over Everett ... Brandon Lyon (41 percent owned) and Zach Miner (2.1 percent owned) would be the relievers most likely to pick up a cheap win.
Twins: Plenty of the Twins' everyday players are available in some leagues. 1B/OF Michael Cuddyer (69 percent owned), OF/DH Jason Kubel (65.2 percent owned) and SS Orlando Cabrera (61.2 percent owned) are players you should check on ... OF Delmon Young (39.2 percent owned) is on a mini-tear, batting .420 (21-for-50) over his last dozen games, with three homers and 10 RBI in the Twins' clutch three-game sweep of the Royals. If you want to play the hot hand, Young is it ... OF Denard Span (33.6 percent owned) could certainly swipe a base for you, as could 2B/3B/SS Nick Punto (4.3 percent owned) ... Utilityman Matt Tolbert (0.8 percent owned) is likely to get the start at third base ... Matt Guerrier (3 percent owned), Jose Mijares (0.7 percent owned) and Jon Rauch (31.7 percent owned) are the cheap relief win guys for the Twins.
Moving on, after a furious closing kick that included six straight fantasy quality starts starting last Thursday (thanks for the goose eggs, Wade LeBlanc and Homer Bailey), our spot starter selections ended the season with a 103-95 mark. Since we've always picked guys owned in less than 40 percent of leagues around here, I figure I can't complain about anything above .500.
You can still make a Hot Streak pick for today, so go ahead before you forget. I'll take Joe Mauer to get two or more hits.
Thanks for reading this blog all year. I'll be posting weekly baseball columns on the site throughout the offseason, and the morning baseball entries in this space will probably resume in January. If you're still in your league's race, good luck to whatever Tigers or Twins you happen to own.