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About Derek Carty

Derek Carty, 23, has also been published by NBC's Rotoworld, Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports, and USA Today. This season, he'll be contributing to FanDuel and will be linking to all of his work at DerekCarty.com. In his three years competing in expert leagues, he has won 2 titles with 4 top three finishes, including a LABR NL title in 2009, making him the youngest person to ever win a major expert league title. Derek is a proud graduate of the MLB Scouting Bureau's Scout Development Program and is a firm believer in the importance of combining stats and scouting. He welcomes questions via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter.


Note: This page displays up to 200 articles at a time. To view a subset of a writer's work, click on one of the following years:
  2013  2012  2011  2010  2009  2008  2007  2006  2005  2004

Derek Carty's Articles

Click here to view an RSS feed of this writer's articles.

2008

Fantasy fallout: Big Unit signs with Giants

December 29, 2008
A look at the fantasy ramifications of the Randy Johnson signing.

Mock Draft: 2009 Rotoworld Mock Draft

December 24, 2008
A rundown of the recent Rotoworld Mock Draft in which I participated.

Fantasy fallout: Teixeira signs with Yankees

December 24, 2008
A look at the fantasy ramifications of the Teixeira signing.

Early look at the ninth inning

December 22, 2008
A look at the early favorites for closer duties in 2009.

Should fantasy leagues mimic real-life baseball?

December 19, 2008
Why fantasy leagues shouldn't use sabermetric statistics.

Fantasy fallout: Kerry Wood to close for Indians

December 17, 2008
The fantasy ramifications of Wood's signing.

Introducing: THT Fantasy Comments

December 15, 2008
Introducing an in-house commenting system for THT Fantasy.

Fantasy fallout: A.J. Burnett signs with Yankees

December 12, 2008
A look at the fantasy implications of A.J. Burnett's signing with the Yankees.

Fantasy fallout: Sabathia signs with Yankees

December 11, 2008
A look at the fantasy ramifications of C.C. Sabathia signing with the Yankees.

Fantasy fallout: Mets sign K-Rod, acquire Putz in three-team trade (Part 1)

December 11, 2008
A look at the fantasy ramifications of these moves for Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz.

Fantasy fallout: Mets sign K-Rod, acquire Putz in three-team trade (Part 2)

December 11, 2008
A look at the fantasy ramifications of these moves for Aaron Heilman, Brandon Morrow, Franklin Gutierrez, and for the closer market as a whole.

The statistical impact of switching leagues (for pitchers)

December 10, 2008
A look at how switching from the AL to the NL (or visa-versa) affects a pitcher's statistics.

Fantasy fallout: Red Sox extend MVP Dustin Pedroia

December 08, 2008
A look at Dustin Pedroia's future coming on the heels of his six-year extension with the Red Sox.

Fantasy fallout: Edgar Renteria signs with Giants

December 05, 2008
The fantasy ramifications of the Giants' new shortstop.

Musings about the value of pitchers

December 03, 2008
Some thoughts on the value of pitchers.

The statistical impact of switching leagues (for hitters)

December 01, 2008
A look at how switching from the AL to the NL (or visa-versa) affects a hitter's statistics.

Breakout party: Delmon Young

November 24, 2008
A look at Twins' outfielder Delmon Young's prospects of a 2009 breakout.

Fantasy fallout: Ryan Dempster re-ups with Cubs

November 19, 2008
A look at the Cubs re-signing of Ryan Dempster from a fantasy perspective.

Breakout party: James Loney

November 17, 2008
A look at Dodgers first baseman James Loney's prospects of a breakout in 2009.

Fantasy fallout: Closers on the move

November 14, 2008
How Salomon Torres' retirement, Trevor Hoffman's departure from San Diego, and the Kevin Gregg trade affect closing situations around the league.

Fantasy fallout: Josh Willingham, Scott Olsen for Emilio Bonifacio

November 12, 2008
A look at the Marlins' trade of Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen to the Nationals for Emilio Bonifacio and the ramifications it has for fantasy owners.

Fantasy fallout: Matt Holliday to A’s (Part 2)

November 12, 2008
A look at how the Matt Holliday/Huston Street trade affects the fantasy baseball scene, the second in a two-part series.

Fantasy fallout: Matt Holliday to A’s (Part 1)

November 12, 2008
A look at how the Matt Holliday/Huston Street trade affects the fantasy baseball scene, the first in a two-part series.

Trade strategy: Fantasy baseball meets fantasy football

November 07, 2008
How paying close attention in your fantasy football league can pay big dividends next spring.

Smoke and mirrors: Ryan Ludwick

November 05, 2008
A look at whether Ryan Ludwick's breakout 2008 season was for real and what fantasy owners should expect from him in 2009.

Fantasy fallout: Mike Jacobs traded to Royals

October 31, 2008
How the Mike Jacobs/Leo Nunez trade affects the fantasy scene.

My player evaluation philosophy

October 29, 2008
A summary of my philosophy regarding player evaluation, as well as some discussion of philosophies used by other fantasy baseball analysts.

Stats reference

October 28, 2008
A quick reference guide of statistics commonly used at THT Fantasy Focus.

World Series Game 5 Live Blog and Chat

October 27, 2008
Announcement regarding a live blog and chat during tonight's World Series Game 5, featuring baseball writers from around the Internet.

Live THT Fantasy Focus Chat: 11 a.m. EST

October 22, 2008
Be sure to stop by at 11 a.m. EST for our first ever live THT Fantasy Focus Expert Chat!

Fantasy fallout: Mark Ellis re-signs with A’s

October 21, 2008
A look at how the re-signing of Mark Ellis affects the Oakland A's, the market for middle infielders, and your fantasy baseball plans.

Reminder: Live THT Fantasy Focus Chat on Wednesday

October 20, 2008
A quick reminder about the upcoming THT Fantasy Focus Expert Chat.

Smoke and mirrors: Carlos Delgado

October 17, 2008
A look at whether Carlos Delgado's increased production in 2008 was for real or a fluke.

Dual spotlights: Dan Uggla and Ty Wigginton

October 15, 2008
A look at two very similar players with two very different market values.

Coming up: THT Fantasy Focus live chats

October 14, 2008
A sneak peek at the newest feature of THT Fantasy Focus: live expert chats.

Player spotlight: Ben Sheets

October 09, 2008
A look at Ben Sheets' peripherals, PITCHf/x data, and market value for the 2009 fantasy baseball season.

First mock draft of the offseason

October 08, 2008
My first mock draft of the offseason and the importance of mock drafting in general.

FOX Sports Expert League recap and strategy discussion (Part 3)

October 04, 2008
A look at my season in the FOX Sports Experts League and the various strategies that went into it. Part three of a three part series.

FOX Sports Expert League recap and strategy discussion (Part 2)

October 03, 2008
A look at my season in the FOX Sports Experts League and the various strategies that went into it. Part two of a three part series.

FOX Sports Expert League recap and strategy discussion (Part 1)

October 02, 2008
A look at my season in the FOX Sports Experts League and the various strategies that went into it. Part one of a three part series.

Fantasy fallout: Todd Jones retires

September 25, 2008
How Todd Jones' departure affects the fantasy baseball scene.

World-famous StatSpeak roundtable

September 24, 2008
A link to this week's World Famous StatSpeak Roundtable in which I took part.

Introducing plate discipline stats

September 15, 2008
Four new stats measuring plate discipline and strikeout rate, which affect batting average.

Plate discipline stats in action

September 15, 2008
Putting our four new plate discipline stats to use on Carlos Quentin, Vladimir Guerrero, Andruw Jones, Ian Kinsler, Rickie Weeks and Craig Monroe.

THT Live: Favre affecting the Brewers’ struggles?

September 13, 2008

Fantasy baseball writers wanted!

September 04, 2008
Interested in writing about fantasy baseball? THT Fantasy Focus is looking for new analysts!

Stretch strategy: Playing keep-away

August 27, 2008
A look at a potentially important strategy for the fantasy baseball stretch run and how it applies to recently promoted Nelson Cruz.

Keeper league strategy: Closers

August 25, 2008
A keeper league strategy involving closers and which setup men might be primed to close games in 2009.

What’s wrong with Johan Santana? (PITCHf/x)

August 20, 2008
A look at Johan Santana using PITCHf/x data to try and decipher why he's having a down year.

On curveballs

August 18, 2008
A link to Derek's findings on curveballs using PITCHf/x.

On curveballs

August 18, 2008
A look at what makes a curveball effective, the most effective variation of curveball, and where it is best to throw a curveball in the strike zone.

Trade strategy: Overcoming economics

August 14, 2008
How to get top dollar for your players in keeper—even when supply and demand says you shouldn't be able to.

Economics of trading: Keeper leagues

August 07, 2008
How the fantasy baseball trade market (in terms of supply and demand) differs between redraft and keeper leagues.

Fantasy roundtable: Most valuable non-All-Stars

July 30, 2008
This week's Fantasy roundtable responses.

Player spotlight: Manny Corpas (PITCHf/x)

July 28, 2008
The two sides of the Colorado reliever in 2008, using PITCHf/x.

Waiver Wire: American and National League (Week 16)

July 19, 2008
A look at the Waiver Wire pickups for both the American and National Leagues for week 16.

Trade strategy: Propaganda and Paul DePodesta’s recent example

July 15, 2008
A discussion of the topic of propaganda using a recent entry from Paul DePodesta's blog as an example.

Player spotlight: Chase Utley

July 14, 2008
THT Fantasy Focus pays special attention to his power numbers under the light of True Home Runs, a new stat using HitTracker data.

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 15)

July 13, 2008
A look at the National League Waiver Wire pickups for week 15.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 15)

July 12, 2008
American League Waiver Wire pickups for Week 15.

Trade strategy: Cutting off your opponent’s supply lines

July 11, 2008
Link to one of my trade strategy articles that ran at RotoAuthority.

Moon shots: Introducing “True Home Runs” (HitTracker)

July 09, 2008
A new stat uses HitTracker to project the number of home runs a player should hit

Economics of trading: Price elasticity of demand

June 30, 2008
A look at the economic concept of price elasticity of demand, how it relates to the fantasy baseball trade market, and how you can take advantage of it.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 13)

June 29, 2008
A look at the American League Waiver Wire pickups for week 13.

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 13)

June 28, 2008
A look at the National League Waiver Wire pickups for week 13.

Player spotlight: Edinson Volquez (PITCHf/x)

June 22, 2008
THT Fantasy Focus uses PITCHf/x to examine Edinson Volquez' success thus far.

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 12)

June 21, 2008
National League Waiver Wire pickups for Week 12.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 12)

June 21, 2008
American League Waiver Wire pickups for Week 12.

The importance of strategy in fantasy baseball

June 18, 2008
Link to my article at RotoAuthority discussing the importance of strategy in fantasy baseball.

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 11)

June 14, 2008
A look at the National League Waiver Wire pickups for the week.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 11)

June 13, 2008
A look at the American League Waiver Wire pickups for week 11.

Fantasy Baseball Roundtable Radio Show: Recap

June 12, 2008
A recap of the Fantasy Baseball Roundtable Radio Show that I was a guest on last night. Topics include: Edinson Volquez vs. Josh Hamilton, Victor Martinez, Aaron Harange, and sell high candidates, among several spur of the moment discussions.

Luck leaders: Week 10

June 10, 2008
The luckiest and unluckiest pitchers of 2008

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 10)

June 08, 2008
American League Waiver Wire pickups for week 10.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 10)

June 07, 2008
American League Waiver Wire pickups for week 10.

Economics of trading: Buy early, sell late

June 07, 2008
Why it can be good strategy to buy players now and sell them later.

Player spotlight: Cliff Lee (Part 2)

June 04, 2008
THT Fantasy Focus turns the spotlight on Cliff Lee, utilizing Pitch f/x to see if his early successes are sustainable. Part 2 of a 2 part series.

Player spotlight: Cliff Lee (Part 1)

June 04, 2008
THT Fantasy Focus turns the spotlight on Cliff Lee, utilizing Pitch f/x to see if his early successes are sustainable. Part 1 of a 2 part series.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 9)

June 01, 2008
A look at the American League Waiver Wire pickups for week nine.

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 9)

May 31, 2008
National League Waiver Wire pickups for Week 9

The myth of the ‘law of averages’

May 28, 2008
Why relying on the "law of averages" is a bad idea in fantasy baseball and how it can be used to fool your opponents.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 8)

May 25, 2008
American League Waiver Wire pickups for Week 8.

Player spotlight: Johnny Cueto

May 25, 2008
THT Fantasy Focus looks at Johnny Cueto, using PITCHf/x data to illuminate his success thus far.

My first big trade of the year

May 19, 2008
A look at Derek's first big trade of the year, including some notes about Johnny Cueto and Kerry Wood.

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 7)

May 18, 2008
A look at the National League Waiver Wire pickups for week seven with an addendum to the American League side.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 7)

May 17, 2008
American League Waiver Wire pickups for Week 7.

Fantasy roundtable: Future of John Smoltz

May 15, 2008
This week's fantasy roundtable asks the participants what the Braves should do with John Smoltz.

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 6)

May 11, 2008
The National League Waiver Wire pickups for the week.

The save speculator: Milwaukee Brewers revisited

May 10, 2008
With another blown save, Eric Gagne again is on the hot seat. This time, it looks even more likely he'll be removed.

The save speculator: St. Louis Cardinals

May 10, 2008
Why Jason Isringhausen could lose his job and who would take over.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 6)

May 10, 2008
The American League Waiver Wire pickups for Week 6.

Exploiting your league’s rules

May 08, 2008
Knowing your league's rules and using them to gain an advantage over the competition

The save speculator: Milwaukee Brewers

May 05, 2008
Why Eric Gagne might not last as the Brewers' closer and who might replace him.

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 5)

May 04, 2008
A look at the National League players worthy of a pickup in week five.

Player spotlight: Jeff Clement

May 03, 2008
THT Fantasy Focus looks at recent Mariners call-up and potential fantasy darling catcher Jeff Clement.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 5)

May 03, 2008
Week Five's Waiver Wire pickups for the American League.

The save speculator: Arizona Diamondbacks

May 01, 2008
Why Brandon Lyon might not last, and who might replace him as closer.

Player spotlight: Ryan Theriot

April 29, 2008
THT Fantasy Focus turns the spotlight on Cubs middle infielder Ryan Theriot.

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 4)

April 27, 2008
National League pickups for the week.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 4)

April 27, 2008
This week's Waiver Wire additions for the American League.

Trade strategy: Feigning weakness

April 25, 2008
Examining the merits of pretending to be a weak player.

A hidden dent in Frank Thomas’s value?

April 23, 2008
Why Frank Thomas' current situation may take an additional, indirect toll on his value.

Interview: Matthew Berry of ESPN

April 22, 2008
Advice from ESPN's fantasy expert

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 3)

April 20, 2008
A look at the National League pickups for Week 3.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 3)

April 20, 2008
American League players worth a pickup this week.

When do stats become meaningful?

April 19, 2008
A link to a couple of great articles from MVN regarding when different statistics start to become meaningful.

The myth of avoiding “pitcher risk”

April 16, 2008
A discussion of why the conventional wisdom of drafting pitchers later because of "risk" isn't really a sound decision.

Waiver Wire: National League (Week 2)

April 13, 2008
National League players worth a look this week as waiver wire pickups.

Waiver Wire: American League (Week 2)

April 13, 2008
American League players worth a look this week as waiver wire pickups.

Fantasy roundtable: When to push the panic button

April 11, 2008
The link to this week's fantasy roundtable, which deals with the point in time a fantasy owner needs to start making drastic moves.

Fun with batting average

April 11, 2008
Introducing a useful tool for calculating expected batting averages and a quick rundown of the components of batting average.

Player spotlight: Mark Reynolds

April 10, 2008
A look at the skills of Mark Reynolds and what we can reasonably expect from him

Waiver Wire: National League

April 06, 2008
The Waiver Wire: Which National League players are worth picking up this week.

Waiver Wire: American League

April 05, 2008
The first installment of the Waiver Wire: Which American League players are worth picking up this week.

Hype machine: Johnny Cueto

April 05, 2008
A look at top Reds prospect Johnny Cueto and why he might be overrated.

Fantasy roundtable: Most valuable undrafted player

April 04, 2008
THe link to this week's fantasy roundtable, which wonders which player undrafted in standard mixed leagues will have the most value in 2008.

Hype machine: Evan Longoria

April 01, 2008
A look at recently demoted hot-prospect Evan Longoria.

Fantasy roundtable: Hart, Markakis, or Pence

March 30, 2008
The link to this week's fantasy roundtable, which deals with three young outfielders: Corey Hart, Nick Markakis, and Hunter Pence.

Trade strategy: Getting to know your opponent

March 29, 2008
An in-depth discussion of 'knowing your opponent' when it comes to trading. A list of some of the exact things we should be looking for.

Head-to-Head: Unorthodox strategies

March 20, 2008
Forget the boppers and try a strategy based on arms and feet.



Young pitchers to watch: Part 1

March 15, 2008
The first in a two-part series, a look at some talented young pitchers to watch in 2008.

Introducing: Fantasy roundtable

March 15, 2008
The first topic: Which to draft first: Ryan Howard or Prince Fielder.

Recap: First Pitch New York

March 11, 2008
Insights from the First Pitch seminar in New York.

Sleeper alert: Hank Blalock

March 08, 2008
Why Rangers third baseman Blalock could provide a major return on investment in 2008.

Draft strategy: Taking high risk players late

March 05, 2008
A look at the strategy of taking on high risk players late in your draft and why this is such an important strategy.

Using emotion to gain information

March 03, 2008
A look at how playing on our opponents' emotions can help us extract valuable information regarding their strategies and feelings toward particular players.

Catchers: Overrated or underrated?

February 29, 2008
A discussion of the true value of catchers for fantasy baseball purposes and where to begin taking them in your draft.

Standings Gain Points project

February 27, 2008
An brief discussion of Standings Gain Points and a request to the readers.

THT Fantasy Focus reader competition at Rotohog

February 27, 2008
An invitation to readers to compete in a fantasy baseball competition through Rotohog.

2008 TQS targets

February 24, 2008
Four pitchers who look good for 2008 in "True Quality Starts"

Draft Strategy: Closers are overrated

February 21, 2008
A look at why closers are overrated and why the phrase "don't chase saves" is a stroke of genius.

My approach to player valuation

February 21, 2008
A look at Standings Gain Points and Replacement Level Theory in the context of valuing players for fantasy baseball purposes.

Flashes of brilliance: Introducing True Quality Starts

February 20, 2008
Introducing a new statistic for pitcher evaluations: True Quality Starts.

Are saves predictable?

February 16, 2008
Don't be so sure

K/BB revisited: Switch to Run Impact

February 14, 2008
A look at the major flaw of K/BB ratio and the introduction of THT Fantasy Focus's new favorite way of looking at strikeouts and walks.

Closer watch: National League

February 10, 2008
Derek Carty looks at the bullpen situations for each National League team as he discusses possible 'saves' targets for 2008 fantasy baseball teams.

Closer watch: American League

February 09, 2008
Derek Carty looks at the bullpen situations for each American League team as he discusses possible 'saves' targets for 2008 fantasy baseball teams.

Fantasy fallout: Erik Bedard to Seattle

February 08, 2008
A look at the fantasy baseball ramifications of the Erik Bedard trade to Seattle.

Using Leverage Index to identify closer candidates

February 06, 2008
A look at how Leverage Index can help you find saves in potentially unexpected places.

Draft strategy: Bottom-filling your roster

February 05, 2008
Derek Carty discusses the merit in bottom-filling your roster in a fantasy baseball draft or auction.

Fantasy fallout: Johan Santana to the Mets

January 31, 2008
A look at the fantasy ramifications of the Johan Santana trade, including all players involved and all players (Mets, Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees) indirectly affected.

K/BB ratios: Does it matter how a pitcher does it?

January 22, 2008
A look at K/BB ratios and the differences between pitchers who put up good ones in different ways: exceptional walk rates, exceptional strikeout rates, or moderate rates in both categories.

Closer watch: National League

January 17, 2008
Derek Carty looks at the bullpen situations for each National League team as he discusses possible 'saves' targets for 2008 fantasy baseball teams.

Closer watch: American League

January 16, 2008
Derek Carty looks at the bullpen situations for each American League team as he discusses possible 'saves' targets for 2008 fantasy baseball teams.

MDC Expert Mock Draft Rundown

January 15, 2008
Derek Carty discusses a recent expert mock draft he participated in, hosted by Mock Draft Central.

FBE Expert Mock Auction Rundown

January 13, 2008
Derek Carty discusses his first mock auction of the year, hosted by Fantasy Baseball Express and Fantasy Auctioneer.

The probabilistic concept of value

January 09, 2008
Derek Carty discusses his views on the concept of "value" in fantasy baseball, specifically discussing the probabilistic concept of value.

Mitchell Report fallout: Fantasy ramificiations (Part 2)

January 07, 2008
Derek Carty looks at how the Mitchell Report affects the fantasy baseball value of the players implicated, in the second of a two-part series.

Mitchell Report fallout: Fantasy ramificiations (Part 1)

January 05, 2008
Derek Carty looks at how the Mitchell Report affects the fantasy baseball value of the players implicated in the first of a two-part series.

Player highlight: John Smoltz

January 02, 2008
Derek Carty examines the fantasy value of John Smoltz for the 2008 fantasy baseball season.

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