Mitchell report Changes Baseball as we once knew it

Contributed from the writer at Fantasy Baseball Starters


Mitchell report Changes Baseball as we once knew it

Today I am going to throw my hat in the ring just once about the Mitchell Report and how it has changed baseball.

I hope I am not telling you something you didn't already know by mentioning that there were more than just those who named in the report using banned substances. There were the players who were making sure there wasn't a trail leading back to them. So how does this all relate to baseball today; simply but, besides pitching being down, a staggering stat I heard on ESPN shows that MLB is in line to fall some 1000 (one THOUSAND) homers short of the total of the 06 season. Coincidence, I think not.

We all love to see one jacked out of the park and fantasy owners are relying on their studs to do just that. What the report has done is scared those not named and using, straight. Now, it is for the good of the human being not to use. Although ball players do not use to the same extent as professional wrestlers, 64 wrestlers have died in the last 10 years before the age of 50 for many different reasons. Of those 45 who wrestled in WrestleMania VI (1990) 12 have past on. Substances being banned from sport does lessen some numbers (such as homers), but the health of the athlete has to be taken into the forefront, and with everyone on a level playing field the true gifted athletes who have not been using in the past will still get their numbers and once again reign supreme.

I don't want to get into name calling, but let’s just say that the homer title set by Roger Maris (61) will be tough to reach for even anyone in the coming future.

So, in fantasy today I think we all need to re-direct our focus on the RBI's and other stats and stop trying to find the next great HOMER KING. As of Tuesday May 15th and after the first quarter of the season Carlos Quenten is the home run leader in the American League with 10 Homers; while 5 others have 8. In the National league you have Lance Berkman and Chase Utley with 14 Homers and 4 others with 10 or more. A lot of teams are trying to blame the weather, but with the number of warm weather cities and domes you would think that you would have more than 4 players with more than 7 homers after 40 games.

So, when it comes to free agency, look for players that are hitting consistently and driving in runs. As for pitchers, there have been a lot of surprises and this is where you really have to watch who is getting pulled up from the triple A teams and who have been finding the strike zone with regularity.

I do realize that I might have stepped on a few toes and not everyone will agree with me here, but I must bring these staggering stats of this year’s lack of productivity to everyone’s attention so that we can hit the free agent market looking for what will best serve us to win week after week.

Paul AJ Pelletier