Matt Holliday finally connected on his first home run of the season. Holliday has been one of the most debated players in all of fantasy baseball this year after his move from friendly Coors Field to cavernous Oakland. He has just 12 RBI, and is hitting only .240. I have seen projections anywhere from Holliday being barely a starting player with the move, all the way to him repeating his MVP-like numbers of a few years ago. I highly doubt either one will come true. I can see him being a quality player, but not an All-Star. I expect him to hit near .300 with 23 homers and 95 RBI.
Michael Wuertz got the save today for the A's, but it was only because regular closer Brad Ziegler is apparently sick. It doesn't sound like anything serious and should be pitching again over the weekend. Not worth picking up Wuertz, who gave up a home run to Andruw Jones in his one inning, and not worth worrying about Ziegler.
While I am not a fan of his, Dallas Braden has been pitching pretty good for the A's to start the season. Braden kept the Rangers in check today, throwing five shutout innings and striking out six, although he did walk four. He hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his starts this season, but he just isn't a guy that I am buying in to. He doesn't have a history of success, walks too many guys, and doesn't strike out enough.
Do you have Brian McCann or Geovany Soto? Looking for a fill in until they return? John Buck from the Royals is hitting .300 with 15 RBI. Buck drove in five of those runs today, as he went 3-3 with two triples. Now before you get too excited, these were the first hits for Buck in five days. He also has been around the league for a while, and his average in the last two seasons were both in the .220s. He was a fairly decent prospect though, so the talent could be there.
Mitchell Boggs continues to pitch like he wants to be in the Cardinals rotation while Chris Carpenter is out. He wasn't great tonight, but more than good enough. Boggs gave up four runs over six innings, but he was able to strikeout nine. He wasn't a big prospect, or a big strikeout pitcher, but he could fill a hole for you in the short term.
Matt Garza has owned the Boston Red Sox this year, and he took a perfect game into the seventh inning tonight. It was broken up by an infield single by Jacoby Ellsbury. For the game Garza lasted 7.2 innings, just the one hit, and struck out ten. In two starts against the Sawks this year, Garza has allowed just one run over 14.2 innings. He won't be an upper echelon option, but Garza is a great fourth starter to have on your team.
Although the bats and bullpen let him down, Max Scherzer had his finest outing of the season. Scherzer threw six shutout innings, walked just one, and struck out seven. He is one of the best young players the Diamondbacks have produced, so it just a matter of time before he is a star. He is still very young, so it might not be this year, but definitely keep an eye on him. One more good start and I would be on him like white on rice.
Chris Volstad didn't get the win today, but he had another great start. I've been telling you about him all year long. He is an up and coming you guy. Volstad allowed just two runs over seven innings and struck out five guys. He still hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start this year, and has been getting more strikeouts this year than before. In fact, Volstad has only allowed more than three runs in two of his 20 career games. I see him being consistently good all year long, definitely not a sell-high guy.
Injury News
Aramis Ramirez had an MRI on Thursday, and it showed just inflammation. It is now looking like Aramis will be back in the next few days, and won't have to go on the 15 day DL after all. There's a good chance he still misses the whole weekend, so I wouldn't put him in until you see him play a game.
Joe Mauer will be back in the lineup tomorrow (Friday), so be ready to finally get your starting catcher back.
Hanley Ramirez had a batting practice session, and according to Hanley it went "not good." Apparently his hand is still swollen, and he will likely miss a few more games. Again, the X-ray was negative, so he should be ok within a few more days.......I think.
I had my first softball game of the year tonight, and there is only one word to describe my play in the field. TRAINWRECK! I had three or four balls that I misplayed badly and rolled all the way to the wall. We lost 12-7, but that was mostly because a lot of other people also played less than stellar in the field. At the plate, I was 2-3 with two singles, two runs scored, and I'm embarrassed to say, a strikeout.
Finally, I would like to take this time to post a link to one of the newest baseball blogs, The Fantasy Windup. Steve Gardner, who has been with USA Today for over 15 years, has recently started his own blog about everything baseball that is updated multiple times a day. I especially liked the post from early yesterday in which he was good enough to mention my site and link to my article from 4/26. Thanks Steve! I invite all of you to check out the Fantasy Windup and to get involved in the comments and forums with some of his great readers.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss “The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show” every Wednesday night at 10pm EST on Blog Talk Radio. The show is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report is also back! Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the news, free agent pickups, minor leaguers, and injuries. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league. I also just met the people over at Baseball Trade Rumors and I invite you to visit their site. They have a page for rumors for every major league team, constant updates on the latest rumors, interactive polls, and overall some great content.
Yovani Gallardo continued his ascension to fantasy "stud" status both on the mound and at the plate. Gallardo was MASTERFUL over eight innings, allowing just two hits, walking one and striking out ELEVEN! His ERA now sits at 2.86, and that is mostly because he allowed seven runs in one of his starts. The other four? He has allowed two runs or less in all of them. He also hit his second home run of the season, accounting for the game's only run. Look out Babe Ruth!
Ian Snell was the hard luck loser today against the Brewers, as he allowed just the Gallardo homer. The great pitching from the Pirates continues, as Snell struck out five, but he did walk four. Since his Opening Day bomb, Snell hasn't allowed more than three runs. I don't know exactly what it will take for me to change my mind on the Pirates and their pitching staff, but I'm not buying in on any of them still.
Chris Iannetta, a guy that I promised people would put up big numbers as a catcher, hopefully got on that track tonight. Iannetta had two hits, including his third homer, and drove in four runs. The bad news? He's still only hitting .174. He does have five hits in his last four games, so there is a glimmer of hope for him.
Troy Tulowitzki was back in the lineup tonight after being benched for one game for, well...sucking. Tulowitzki had two hits and even stole a base, so feel free to get him back into your lineup. The kid has a lot of talent and should be able to turn it around from this AWFUL start he's gotten off to.
I continue to question whether Ryan Dempster can repeat his 2008 stats. He didn't do anything to install anymore confidence, as he gave up five runs in just six innings, walked three, and struck out four. His ERA for the season is now 5.40. It was his worst start of the season, but was also the first time he had given up more than four earned runs in a game.
Adrian Gonzalez continues to mash. After stealing his first base of the year (probably his last) yesterday, Gonzalez connected on dingers numbers eight and nine on the year. He is also hitting .329. I don't understand how he is doing it. He is on a bad team, in a pitcher's ball park, with no protection whatsoever. Somehow, opposing pitchers can't figure him out. I'm also not sure why he doesn't get more love in fantasy circles. Despite his constant increase in stats, it seems like more and more people question his abilities.
Julian Tavarez came in tonight and got the save for the Nationals on their first day of "closer by committee." This is a situation that I would stay away from for two reasons. One, Tavarez isn't very good. Two, the Nationals are worse. Unreliable reliever closing games for a bad team? Not the kind of situation I want to worry about.
Joba Chamberlain pitched great today, further stirring up the debate of where on the pitching staff he belongs. Is he a starter, is he a reliever? Who knows? Well, against the Tigers he looked fantastic, as he allowed only one run over seven innings, and struck out six. Joba has had control troubles, but tonight he walked only three. He has been disappointing so far, but there is still a ton of talent here.
Now this is what we expected from Edinson Volquez! He was spotless over eight innings, allowing no runs and striking out six. The most encouraging part of the start for Volquez is that he only walked one guy. His control has haunted him this season, as he had walked 20 guys in his first 20 innings. Too soon to say he's back, but this was a good sign.
Huston Street came in and got a save for the Rockies tonight, but I don't want you to go make a move on him. Manny Corpas had pitched in four of the last five games, so he wasn't available tonight. I can't say it is out of the realm of possibility for Street to get the job back, but I don't think this was a sign.
Quick Hitters
Ryan Franklin recorded his seventh consecutive save for the Cardinals, and still has not allowed a run. At this point, I think he is hot enough that you have to make a move on him and think this could be for real.
Billy Butler had a huge game, going 4-5 with two homers, a double, and four RBI. Let's just say he more than doubled his season RBI total in one game. Too soon to get excited.
Alexei Ramirez stole his fifth base of the season on Wednesday, and all have come since April 22nd. Congratulations those of you who were patient, it appears you should be ready for Alexei to start hitting.
Rick Porcello had a tough outing, allowing six runs over 3.2 innings, walking three, and whiffing just one. He is just 20 years old folks, remember that. He is going to have growing pains. If you have him in a seasonal league, you might think about letting him go. In a keeper league, GET OVER IT!
Justin Upton had two hits, drove in three runs, and even stole his first base. He is on a nice hot streak, let's see how long it lasts.
Finally, I would like to take this time to post a link to one of the newest baseball blogs, The Fantasy Windup. Steve Gardner, who has been with USA Today for over 15 years, has recently started his own blog about everything baseball that is updated multiple times a day. I especially liked the post from early yesterday in which he was good enough to mention my site and link to my article from 4/26. Thanks Steve! I invite all of you to check out the Fantasy Windup and to get involved in the comments and forums with some of his great readers.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss “The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show” every Wednesday night at 10pm EST on Blog Talk Radio. The show is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report is also back! Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the news, free agent pickups, minor leaguers, and injuries. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league. I also just met the people over at Baseball Trade Rumors and I invite you to visit their site. They have a page for rumors for every major league team, constant updates on the latest rumors, interactive polls, and overall some great content.
For those of you who were with me last year, my baby Morgan turns 11 months today.
Remember the little storm cloud that used to follow Charlie Brown around? Well, it has now officially left Mr. Brown and has parked itself directly over Cole Hamels. After winning the World Series MVP, everything has gone downhill. In the Spring he was dealing with elbow problems. Then he got back on the mound and big ol' Prince Fielder hit him with a batted ball, miraculously he was ok. Now tonight he leaves this start early after spraining his ankle fielding a bunt. It is too soon to know if he will make his next start, but we will pass it along as soon as possible.
After his latest implosion, Joel Hanrahan has been removed as the closer of the Nationals. Hanrahan gave up three runs in just one third of an inning on Monday, and that was apparently the final straw. For now, the Nationals are reported to go to the dreaded committee approach, but I have also read reports that Joe Beimel will get a shot at the job when he returns from the DL, probably next week.
Phil Hughes made his first start of the year for Chien-Ming Wang and was great. Hughes threw six shutout innings against the Tigers, halting the Yankees four game losing streak. Hughes allowed only two hits and two walks, and struck out six in his return to the major leagues. If Hughes can continue to be successful it could have big ramificiations in the Yankee rotation and in the bullpen, especially if Joba Chamberlain continues to be average, and if Chien-Ming Wang is able to return to form. Keep an eye on this situation.
Jimmy Rollins stole his first base of the season tonight. That's right, that is not a typo. The former MVP got his average UP to .195 with another 1-4, and he still only has one home run. There has to start to be some concern about Rollins this season. His power took a nose dive last season, and now this year he starts out going three weeks before he steals a base. Now would be a horrible time to try to trade him, but if you can get his preseason value still I would try to make something happen.
His teammate, Chase Utley, continues to prove why he is one of the ten best players in fantasy. Utley connected on two dingers tonight, bringing his season total to seven, and his batting average up to .357 with 20 RBI. For those of you who passed on Utley early.....shame on you!
The first kink in the armor for Paul Maholm came tonight. After a brilliant start to the season, Maholm allowed five runs over 5.1 innings, walked five and struck out just two. For those of you who haven't emailed me about Maholm, let me say this. I would try to sell as high as I can as fast as I can. Sure he had a much better year last season, but his career numbers are awful, his team is awful (they will be, just wait), and his strikeout numbers are embarrassing. Don't believe the hype on Maholm.
Francisco Liriano finally had a reasonably good start on Tuesday. Joe Nathan blew the win for him, but Liriano lasted 6.2 innings, allowed just two runs, walked two, and struck out three. Like I have said before, I don't see those rookie numbers coming back, but I still think Liriano can be an effective pitcher in the majors and win 12-14 games. This was an encouraging sign for him.
B.J. Upton continues to struggle with the bat as he took another Ofer, and brought his average down to .151. At least Upton is stealing some bases, as he now has five after swiping two tonight. I know it is tough, but you have to keep running him out there until he straightens himself out.
Paul Konerko is having a nice bounceback season. He played both games of the doubleheader and drove in three runs. The .329 batting average can't last, but he already is near 20 RBI, and this was a guy who was a definite 30 homer, 100 RBI guy every year. I think he will end up batting around .265-.270, but could be a nice UTIL option for you.
Finally, I would like to take this time to post a link to one of the newest baseball blogs, The Fantasy Windup. Steve Gardner, who has been with USA Today for over 15 years, has recently started his own blog about everything baseball that is updated multiple times a day. I especially liked the post from early yesterday in which he was good enough to mention my site and link to my article from 4/26. Thanks Steve! I invite all of you to check out the Fantasy Windup and to get involved in the comments and forums with some of his great readers.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss “The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show” every Wednesday night at 10pm EST on Blog Talk Radio. The show is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report is also back! Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the news, free agent pickups, minor leaguers, and injuries. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league. I also just met the people over at Baseball Trade Rumors and I invite you to visit their site. They have a page for rumors for every major league team, constant updates on the latest rumors, interactive polls, and overall some great content.
Wade P. owner of "Don't Tread on me" is still #1 in the standings, but myself the Silent Expert made a big move up in the standings knocking out The True Guru beating 8-1-1. Even Dickson is the only experts that is not in the bottom of the standing, he is currently #2. This week we will do Hot/Cold players with my predictions.
Junkyard Jake-6 vs. Mudville Nine-4
Junkyard Jake: Hot-Armando Galarraga Cold-Kelly Johnson
Mudville Nine: Hot-JairJurrjens Cold-Geovany Soto
Spankees II-3 vs. Old School Stingers-7
Spankees II: Hot-Jarrod Saltalamacchia Cold-Chien-Ming Wang
Old School Stringers: Hot-Johnan Santana Cold-Manuel Corpas
Los Vatos' Whappo-4 vs. Cobra Kai-6
Los Vatos' Whappo: Hot-Ichiro Suzuki Cold-Jimmy Rollins
Cobra Kai: Hot-Carlos Pena Cold-Rafael Furcal
Can O Corn-4 vs. Fighting Chance-6
Can O corn: Hot-AlfonsonSoriano Cold-JhonnyPeralta
Fighting Chance: Hot- Robinson Cano' Cold-Josh Hamilton
The True Guru-7 vs. Prusaw-3
The True Guru: Hot-Mike Lowell Cold- Emilio Bonifacio
Justin Verlander got into a time machine tonight and went back to 2007 when he was a quality major league pitcher. He has been frustrating his fantasy owners for just over a full season now with his flashes of brilliance before falling apart and taking a loss. Bringing a 9.00 ERA into this game against the Yankees, I can't say I felt much confidence in him. Oh, but ye of little faith, Verlander was back to his masterful self, shutting the Yankees out over seven innings, walking nobody, and striking out nine. It would be nice if you could feel good that he can do this again, but this is a nice sign for a guy who has struggled for quite a while.
After a rough start to the season, this was a third straight great outing for Cliff Lee. The 2008 AL Cy Young Award Winner was the center of many a preseason fantasy debate after his 22 win season. Those on the side against Lee were calling to the rooftops about him being a fluke. Well, Kerry Wood might have blown the save, but Lee was masterful over eight innings against the Red Sox. Lee allowed just five hits, no walks, and struck out five. He has now allowed only three runs over his last three starts. Now, I don't think he will be as dominating as he was last season, but it appears he will be at worst a top 20 pitcher.
Is this the breakout season of Johnny Cueto? Another pitcher who won't get the win, Cueto was tough to hit as he allowed only one run and struck out five. After allowing four runs in his first start, Cueto has been scorching hot since. He has allowed one run or less in his last three, and is now sporting a 2.19 ERA. He also has 20 Ks in 24 innings, which was the one category we knew that he would help you in. He won't keep this pace up, but if he can keep his ERA under 3.50 Cueto will be a big time pitcher.
How in the world does Tim Wakefield keep doing this? The Boston knuckleballer had one of his signature games on Monday, allowing one hit over seven innings, walked four, and struck out five. Unfortunately, Wakefield on some days just doesn't have it. There usually isn't a lot of middle ground with him, either he has a game like tonight, or he is in the shower by the third inning. But so far, Wakefield has an ERA of 1.86 and hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his first four starts. He isn't someone that I have ever really owned in all of my years of fantasy except over short periods of time. He is just so unpredictable. But against weaker opponents, Wakefield is a guy that you can pick up for a spot start.
The New York Mets have a reason to feel a little better about their situation tonight. So far this year it has been Johan Santana and pray for four days of rain. But Mike Pelfrey was able to return from injury, and now John Maine had an very solid outing. Maine allowed just one hit over his six innings, no earned runs, walked three and struck out four. If he is healthy from his offseason surgery, Maine could win you 12-13 games if the Mets ever start hitting with runners in scoring position.
Phil Hughes will step in tomorrow for Chien-Ming Wang, and if you have anyone who is floundering on your team, I would certainly consider picking him up if he is available. Hughes has all the potential in the world, but it hasn't manifested itself at the major league level yet, as he won exactly ZERO games last year. However, most prospects who are as highly touted as Hughes don't miss, and it seems that it is just a matter of time before he is successful. Is it now? Tough to say, but I wouldn't mind taking the chance on him.
Ryan Franklin saved his sixth game fo the season tonight for the Cardinals, and since being installed as the closer he has not allowed a run. I had a conversation with a friend tonight about Franklin, and whether or not he has turned a corner and will be an effective closer. As a Cards fan, I certainly hope so. As a fantasy player, I'm not ready to make that statement just yet. Franklin still seems to be a ideal sell high candidate, but the way St. Louis is playing, it COULD come back to bite you.
Jair Jurrjens is the definition of a hard luck loser. In five starts, Jurrjens has a sparkling 1.72 ERA, but is only 2-2 to show for it. The Braves did score eight runs in one of his starts, but in the other four they have scored a grand total of seven runs. He isn't a huge strikeout pitcher, but he isn't Chien-Ming Wang either. If the Braves could ever get straightened out, Jurrjens could have some real fantasy value.
I forgot to mention the spectacular pitching of Red Sox prospect Michael Bowden. In his first appearance in the big leagues, Bowden was on ESPN against the hated rival Yankees. So how did the kid do? Ah, not bad. Two no hit innings, and struck out two. Now don't get excited, he was immediately sent back down to the minors to make room for Julio Lugo, but Bowden is certainly a name to remember for later in the season. Clay Buchholz will probably get the next turn if there is a long term hole in the rotation, but it is certainly possible that Bowden spends some time inn Bean Town in 2009.
Raul Ibanez continues his absolutely ridiculous start. In a game that included seven home runs, including two grand slams (one by Ibanez, other by Ryan Howard), Ibanez had three more hits, and brought his season home run total to six and RBI to 16. While I am on the fence about the rest of the season for Ryan Franklin, I feel quite secure in advising to sell high on Ibanez and here's why. We are about 1/10 of the way through the season. If you can tell me with a straight face that he is going to stay anywhere near this pace, then I have some beachfront property in Alaska to sell you. Get a more established star for Ibanez now.
In that same game Ryan Zimmerman connected twice on his third and fourth homers of the year. He's hitting .295 and having the kind of season that we had hoped for. Zimmerman will never be an elite power option, or be a real high average guy, but at a position that has grown increasingly thin, he is a nice consistent guy to count on.
Has Jason Bay joined the elite outfielders? Ever since coming over to the Red Sox, Bay seems to have found another gear, and he is off to a very strong start in 2009. Bay connected on his fifth homer of the season, a game winner off of Kerry Wood. He is now hitting .344, and has 19 RBI. It is hard to believe, but he is making it much easier for Red Sox fans to cope with the loss of Manny Ramirez bat in the Boston lineup.
Don't look now, but Andy LaRoche has a hit in 11 straight games and is looking like he might be worth owning in NL-only or very deep mixed leagues. He was once a highly touted prospect in the Dodgers' organization, but he has fallen far off the prospect radar. Over this streak he has brought his average from .000 all the way up to .262. He is still yet to hit a home run, so he is merely a role player on even the deepest leagues. But he is worth keeping an eye on.
Since starting the season like a house of fire, Nick Swisher has come back to earth. Over the last nine games, Swisher has just six hits and 13 strikeouts. He hasn't hit a home run since April 14th, and he has only driven in three runs over that stretch. I don't think I would send him packing just yet (unless you are in an eight team league or something similar), but I would certainly be scrutinizing his play over the next week.
Rockies rookie outfielder Dexter Fowler had one of the more incredible games. Fowler had just two hits, both singles. That wasn't the incredible part. Fowler stole a whopping FIVE bases in the game. After being deemed the fourth outfielder to start the season, Fowler has played himself into starting nearly everyday at this point. He won't bring you a ton of power (probably top out at about 15 homers), but he has great speed at the top of Colorado's order. He stole at least 20 bases in each of his minor league seasons, and is nearly halfway there already after tonight's remarkable speed display.
Troy Tulowitzki rode the pine tonight, and it might not be the last time he does so. After having a good first week, Tulowitzki went six straight games without a hit. For the season he has nine hits and 17 strikeouts. He had three home runs in his first five games, and hasn't even driven in a run since. He is currently leading the team in Ks, and his average is all the way down to .167. Tulo struggled to start the season last year too, so he could just be a slow starter. He is going to take some extra batting practice to see if they can find out what is wrong with him, and there has been no determination how many games he might sit. He could be in there tomorrow, or might miss a few, there has been no clear indication of the plan.
Injury News
Hanley Ramirez was hit on the hand/wrist by a John Maine pitch tonight and was forced to leave the game. X-rays were thankfully reported to be negative. Ramirez said that it was just bruised and hurt a lot. Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez said it would be a day-to-day thing. He also noted that if he felt better tomorrow he would play Hanley. With the Marlins on a seven game slide, I'd be surprised if Hanley was out too long.
The swelling in Jose Valverde's injured calf has not gone down and he will miss at least a few more games, and might be headed to the Disabled List. It is likely to late to sit him for those of you in leagues with weekly roster moves, but in daily move leagues, get him out of your lineup until further notice. Hopefully he can avoid the DL.
Finally, I would like to take this time to post a link to one of the newest baseball blogs, The Fantasy Windup. Steve Gardner, who has been with USA Today for over 15 years, has recently started his own blog about everything baseball that is updated multiple times a day. I especially liked the post from early this morning in which he was good enough to mention my site and link to my article from 4/26. Thanks Steve! I invite all of you to check out the Fantasy Windup and to get involved in the comments and forums with some of his great readers.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss “The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show” every Wednesday night at 10pm EST on Blog Talk Radio. The show is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report is also back! Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the news, free agent pickups, minor leaguers, and injuries. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league. I also just met the people over at Baseball Trade Rumors and I invite you to visit their site. They have a page for rumors for every major league team, constant updates on the latest rumors, interactive polls, and overall some great content.
Welcome back my friends to the most in depth free agent and waiver pickup blog anywhere, The Hot 8! As we close out the first month of the MLB season, I am happy to have recommended free agents such as Dexter Fowler, Nelson Cruz, Colby Rasmus, Scott Downs, Nyjer Morgan, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner well in advance of their most productive games so far. This week is no exception as I've got another batch of players poised to breakout in the near future. As always, I have been digging through the minor leagues, watching video and sorting through stats so that you guys don't have to. Just keep visiting these pages and I will keep giving you the top free agent and waiver advice week after week.
1) Justin Upton (Outfield) -- Diamondbacks -- Yes this is a self indulgent choice to sit atop The Hot 8 but it is also not without merit. As my loyal readers and listeners to Fantasy Baseball Tonight know I was very high on Upton going into this season. I took a lot of grief from people about how highly I was recommending him and even more after his horrible start to the season. Don't look now (actually do!) but Upton is hitting .333 with a .473 OBP in his last 6 games and has also homered in the previous two. He is a very streaky hitter who seems to be in the middle of quite a upswing right now and that could pay off big for your fantasy team right now. I am stunned at how many leagues in which Upton was dropped to free agency probably due to fears that he was going to be demoted soon. But alas, Justin Upton is here to stay my friends and he is an absolute must have if still on your waiver wire.
2) Phil Hughes (RHP - Starter) -- Yankees -- Hughes has gotten the call to replace the struggling Chien Ming-Wang in the Yankees rotation. Hughes had been lights out as had most of his AAA Scranton team this season. He will start Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers and could possibly get a second start this week against the Angels on Sunday if all goes well. Unlike most experts I believe that Hughes has a very good chance of staying in the rotation for the long haul even when Wang rejoins the team. Wang could be used out of the bullpen as has been done before due to his ability to induce double plays. If Hughes can provide a spark to the Yankees then he's worth a permanent spot in both their rotation and your fantasy team.
3) Matt LaPorta (Outfield) -- Indians -- As mentioned on last Tuesdays edition of Fantasy Baseball Tonight, LaPorta is on a tear for AAA Columbus right now. He is hitting .400/.478/.767 with 5 HR's and 13 RBI. Even more impressive is that he's struck out just 5 times in nearly 70 plate appearances. The Indians are struggling but are lucky enough to play in a wide open division. They are in need of another offensive bruiser and run producer. If things continue at their current pace I expect to see LaPorta's bat in the Cleveland lineup by May 15th.
4) Alberto Callaspo (2b/SS) -- Royals -- With Mark Teahen moving over to 3B for the injured Alex Gordon, Callaspo has stepped in to become the Roayals everyday 2B. He is hitting a whopping .377 so far this season and is outproducing some much bigger named players at his position. Better yet he is qualified at both 2B and SS for those of you needing some MI help after banking on Mike Aviles or Jed Lowrie in your draft. The downside of Callaspo is that he isn't much of a stolen base threat anymore although he should swipe between 10-15 this season. He is a very productive hitter who has hit for a high average in every single minor league stop along the way. The Royals are hanging tough and Callaspo will get a chance to score plenty of runs and hit hit his way into your starting MI spot very soon.
5) Jason Grilli (RHP - Reliever) -- Rockies -- It has become obvious to me that Grilli is now the most trusted man in the Rockies bullpen. He is being brought in to put out the fires that Huston Street and Manny Corpas light every other night it seems. With Corpas and Street passing back and forth the closer duties like a male eyeliner at a Fall Out Boy concert it appears likely that Grilli has officially become a closer in waiting candidate. He has the experience and a lively running fastball that managers like to see in their late inning specialists. While fantasy players keep trying to figure out whether Corpas or Street will get the saves in Colorado, my bet is that Grilli eventually becomes the closer while the other two settle into the less pressure situations of the seventh and eighth innings.
6) Micah Hoffpauir (Outfield/1B) -- Cubs -- This guy can flat out hit. In Chicago right now they are officially calling for the heads of Derek Lee and/or Milton Bradley and are demanding as Christopher Walken would say..."more Hoffpauir!!" The problem for Hoffpauir is that the Cubs don't have many available spots for him unless they indeed do put Bradley on the DL. They will never platoon Derek Lee so get that out of your heads right now. So, Hoffpauir waits bat in hand for somebody to go down so that he can give the Cubs exactly what they have needed for so long, a left handed power hitter. Either way, Hoffpauir will see plenty of AB's subbing for Lee, Bradley and Soriano as well pinch hitting duties. His upside is so great though that he should be a bench player right now especially for teams that own either Derek Lee or Milton Bradley as one of those insurance policies that are worth more than the actual asset it is protecting.
7) Josh Anderson (Outfield) -- Tigers -- Anderson is getting regular playing time for the Tigers since the injury to Marcus Thames and he has not disappointed. Acquired in a minor trade with the Braves just before the start of the regular season, Anderson has flashed tremendous speed as well as patience at the plate. Already on his third organization in three years perhaps this is the opportunity that Anderson needed to climb out from under the thumb of other top prospects. This is the perfect free agent acquisition for fantasy teams looking to improve their stolen base numbers. Anderson will get on base more often than guys like Coco Crisp, Brett Gardner and Carlos Gomez and is thus more worthy of a roster spot.
8) Jake Fox (Outfield) -- Cubs -- Wait a minute, I thought that I just said there will barely be enough playing time for Micah Hoffpauir in the Cubs lineup let alone another outfielder especially one who is still in the minor leagues? That is right I did. While it is a ridiculous long shot to presume Jake Fox ever sees playing time in Wrigley Field this summer I would not be doing my job if I didn't bring his recent performance for the Iowa Cubs to your attention. Fox is hitting an unbelievable .433/.494/.970 with 9 HR's 7 2B's and 27 RBI's. He has a huge lead in all three triple crown categories and is starting to draw some nationwide attention for his slugging. Assuming the Cubs don't develop a spot for him it is a no doubter that he will be traded to a team in exchange for some bullpen help at some point. Keep Fox on your radar. If he lands a regular gig somewhere in 2009 I will again have him in The Hot 8 and at that point he is worth taking a flier on.
That is the Hot 8 for this week. What do you guys think? Post your comments below or email me at jeff@fantasybaseballsearch.com
It was the second consecutive rough start for Clayton Kershaw. After allowing six runs in under five innings last time out, Kershaw allowed nine earned runs in just 4.2 innings. In two starts, his ERA has gone from 1.50 all the way up to 7.29. The future is still very bright for Mr. Kershaw, but I am thinking that 2009 will be an inconsistent year for him. Even if he is only able to win 10-12 games, Kershaw should at least be able to help you in the strikeout category.
Another young pitcher, Jordan Zimmerman, has been great through his first two starts at the major league level. Zimmerman was able to help the Nats avoid the sweep at the hands of the Mets, as he allowed only one run over 5.1 innings, walked just two, and struck out five. Being on the Nationals will limit his win total, but he is 2-0 so far, and he looks like he belongs here. You have to figure that he will have some nights like Kershaw did today, but he appears to be a guy you want in keeper leagues, and could be a nice option as your fourth or fifth starter in yearly leagues.
Shane Victorino had quite a weekend. Victorino collected five hits over the three games, with a homer, a triple, and EIGHT runs batted in. He is off to a terribly slow start, but hopefully this will get him back on track.
Oliver Perez was awful again for the Mets, and I have gone from advising dropping him to URGING you to cut ties with him. He's not lasting deep into games, he is giving up ridiculous numbers of runs, and walking a ton of batters. He is on a team that can give him some run support, but it is to the point where you can't count on Perez even against a weak opponent. It seems that Perez is only good in pressure packed situations. There has to be a better option in your league.
The unraveling of the great start by Jarrod Washburn started on Sunday. He allowed six runs over 5.1 innings, walked three, and struck out nobody. We have been telling you not to put any stock in Washburn, and this is why. Expect many more of his outings to be like this, as opposed to his first three starts of the year. If it is still possible, sell high on him right away. Perhaps there is someone in your league who still believes in him.
Pablo Sandoval finally connected on his first homer of the season, finally snapping his power outage. Sandoval was a hugely popular sleeper heading into the season, especially in those leagues where he it catcher eligible. He has been still hitting pretty good (hitting .292 after today with four doubles), but his owners were counting on a bit more power than this. It is still far too early to lose hope on Sandoval, you have to hope that this is the start of something big.
Another popular sleeper, Ryan Spilborghs has finally started to hit. He has nine hits over his last four games, and has raised his average from .229 to .295. He had two hits on Sunday, including his first home run of the season and he drove in three runs. He never showed any real power or speed while in the minors, but he could at least give you a solid average. A fourth outfielder or a good bench option is the best you can hope for from Spilborghs.
Jay Bruce looks like he is over his previous injury, as he has caught fire. Bruce was 3-3 on Sunday with a pair of two run homers. Bruce has ten hits over his last six games, including four home runs. There will still be some cold streaks along the way, but Bruce has a world of potential and could be a star as early as now.
Aaron Laffey had his third straight solid start, although I would not be making a move on him right now. Laffey allowed two runs over 6.1 innings, walked four, and struck out only one. Laffey has yet to prove that he can be a consistent major league pitcher, and his strikeout numbers are borderline on embarrassing. As of right now, he isn't helping you out in any pitching category, and I would need to see him put together a long string of quality starts before I would put him on my roster.
I have to say that I like Micah Owings, but so far he hasn't shown an ability to be a consistent major league pitcher. He always has the ability to throw a great game like he did today (7 IP, 1 ER, 6 Ks), but the rest of the time he is usually unable to get through five innings, and ends up walking too many hitters. If he would ever be able to put together a string of good starts I would want to add him, but right now he is nothing more than someone to monitor.
The homers keep coming for Chris Davis. He hit his fifth of the season, including his third in four games. For those of you who remained patient, I hope you have had him in your lineup. Davis has a ton of power in his swing, but he will most likely have hot and cold streaks throughout the season. He could easily hit 30 homers, but he could also easily hit .245.
Hank Blalock continued his good power to begin the year, as he connected on his fifth home run of the season on Sunday, but I urge you not to put too much stock in him. Blalock has been unable to stay on the field due to injuries over the past few seasons, and when he has been in there, he hasn't been that impressive. He is hitting .242 on the year, and you can expect him to hover around that average. IF he is able to stay healthy he would probably top out at around 21 homers, and his batting average shouldn't get over .253.
Jered Weaver continued his hot start to the year with seven shutout innings against the Mariners. In three of his four starts he allowed three runs or less, and his strikeouts are at a higher level than they had been in recent years. Weaver did have that tremendous rookie year, so the talent is there. It is just a matter of him keeping focus and staying consistent. The Angels should offer him a good deal of run support, and if he continues this play he could win 15 games.
Armando Galarraga ran his record to 3-0 with another six solid innings. He allowed only one run and struck out seven. Galarraga did walk five guys, which is a bit of a concern, but he is off to an incredible start. I still think that you should be trying to trade Galarraga for a more talented pitcher, but he is looking pretty good right now.
Kosuke Fukudome can't stop hitting the ball. He had another three hits today, including his fourth home run of the season. Fukudome is still hitting .375 on the year and has driven in 15 runs. Considering last year he only hit ten homers and drove in 58 runs, I would say that this is the time to sell on him. Fukudome doesn't have the power to support the numbers he is putting up right now. Offer him all over your league until you find someone who will give you an established player for him.
Justin Upton homered for the second consecutive day, and this one was a game tying two run homer off of Giants' closer Brian Wilson. We've talked a lot about Upton on this site and what to expect. I will stick by what I have been saying. I still expect this year to be a disappointment for Upton, but if he was to break out this year, I don't think anyone would be shocked. He can be no more than a fourth or fifth outfielder for you, but I would be more comfortable with him being on your bench at this point.
Injury News
Derrek Lee left the game after an RBI double with neck spasms. I have to admit that I think this is a new injury for Lee, and he has had most of them. Initial reports are that Lee will most likely not have to go on the DL, but given his history I would not be shocked if he did. The good news out of this is that rookie Micah Hoffpauir should be getting playing time in his absence. He has been effective when he has gotten in the game, including Sunday when he connected on his second homer of the year. If you are able to play him while Lee is out, you can do worse than Hoffpauir.
Nate McLouth will miss a few games as he continues to suffer from an oblique injury. He likely won't play at all in the upcoming Brewers series, but he has just been deemed "day-to-day." These kinds of injuries are very tough to gauge on how long they will linger, but it seems that the Pirates are not concerned at all about their star outfielder.
Joe Mauer experienced some soreness after catching back to back games, and now it appears his return to the Twins might be pushed back a few days. It is now looking like he will return on Friday, but keep a watch here and I will report on any update that I find. But it looks like you will have your catcher back sometime next week.
Stephen Drew was placed on the DL with his hamstring strain, and the D'Backs are hoping that this two week rest will have him ready to come back 100% when it is over. They are hoping that he will be able to swing and stay in baseball shape while he is out, and that he will be able to come back better than ever when this DL stint is over.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss “The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show” every Wednesday night at 10pm EST on Blog Talk Radio. The show is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report is also back! Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the news, free agent pickups, minor leaguers, and injuries. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league. I also just met the people over at Baseball Trade Rumors and I invite you to visit their site. They have a page for rumors for every major league team, constant updates on the latest rumors, interactive polls, and overall some great content.
Chris Duncan, St. Louis Cardinals, OF,1B While it's true that Tony LaRussa's somewhat capricious lineup strategy defies any reasonable explanation on most days, Chris Duncan has most frequently been penciled in as the left-fielder batting from the #4 spot, so it's surprising to see that he is available in a fair amount of leagues. Granted, Duncan does have a history of fickle performance. Probably a good example of his unpredictable range of batting competence can be observed by comparing his August 2006 output, when he hit .361 with 9 HRs, with his calamitous month of August 2007, when he hit .191 with one HR. However, until Duncan gets benched, goes into a slump, starts smoking hemp and hanging out with jazz musicians or you see a Tony LaRussa lineup that has Fred Bird in left field, and Adam Wainwright at 2nd base, he is certainly useful for fantasy purposes. Available in 38% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
Ross Ohlendorf, Pittsburgh Pirates, SP Yes, you have been burned before by various members of the Pittsburgh Pirates suspect pitching staff in the recent past, in some cases (i.e. Zach Duke for the past three years), you've not only been proverbially burned, but scornfully mocked, ostracized and scoffed at by friends, strangers and town folk alike. So why would you want to subject yourself to more abuse by considering Ross Ohlendorf for your fantasy roster? Well, good point, but there are some encouraging signs that new pitching coach Joe Kerrigan has helped to return the Pirates staff back to respectability. Believe it or not, after getting swatted around like a pinata last year (5.08 ERA, .286 BAA), Pirate pitchers actually boast the best ERA in the league (3.07 ERA, .242 BAA) over the first couple weeks of 2009. Ohlendorf was considered a top prospect in the Yankees system, and seems to have responded well to Kerrigan's mentoring so far. As seen in his last 7 shutout innings outing versus Florida, when he can throw his sinking 90-92 fastball for strikes, he can be very effective. Available in 83% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays, SS Last October with America in the throes of a cataclysmic economic crisis, paralyzed with political uncertainty and struggling to endure the untimely release of yet another Queen Latifah movie, not to mention 'High School Musical 3: Senior Year', our nation sorely needed a hero, and Jason Bartlett stepped up to the challenge. That's right, Bartlett succeeded in stealing the first base of the 2008 World Series, and according to the terms of Taco Bell's most dim-witted promotion yet, 'Steal a Base, Steal a Taco', won a free taco for the entire country. While this accomplishment alone should make you want to check your waiver wire for Bartlett, also note that he is off to a torrid start in the new 2009 season, with 5 SBs in 15 games a .352 BA, and even 2 uncharacteristic HRs. If we enter the realm of 'complete silliness with extrapolated numbers' for a second, assuming that Bartlett can make it through a 162 game season, he is on pace to steal about 40 bases and hit 21 HRs (his career high is 5 HRs, so that ain't going to happen, but fun to imagine anyway). Available in 37% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
Glen Perkins, Minnesota Twins, SP Pitching in front of the powder-puff Minnesota Twins offense, with a fastball that typically sits around 89 MPH, you could say that Glen Perkins is not the most exciting waiver wire alternative. In fact, you can almost picture the native Minnesotan riding around in a Toyota Prius, drinking a vitamin water and listening to the Dave Matthews Band. Nonetheless, sometimes bland is useful when it comes to fantasy pitchers, and if Perkins can keep on pitching exactly 8 innings a game, with an average 4 Ks, 1.50 ERA and 0.83 Whip like he has over his first three starts, who cares if his methodical fastball/slider/changeup repertoire causes drowsiness. Speaking of Perkins pitch selection, it's interesting to note that he has almost completely abandoned his curveball, and now throws his slider about 3 times as often as he did last year. It seems like this adjustment has helped him entice hitters into a swinging at bad pitches more often in 2009. Compared to a 23% rate last year, hitters have been swinging at pitches outside the strikezone about 38% time for Perkins this year. Available in 40% of all CBSSportsline leagues. Other Players To Consider:
Jason Kubel,Minnesota Twins,OF Available in 37% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
John Baker,Florida Marlins,C Available in 42% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
Jordan Zimmermann,Washington Nationals,SP Available in 36% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
Ian Stewart,Colorado Rockies,3B,OF Available in 39% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
Phil Hughes,NY Yankees,SP Available in 75% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
One of the most common emails that I get on a daily basis is when is it time to stop waiting on (insert player here) to start hitting/pitching well? And my answer is usually to continue to stay patient unless there is a player of equal talent available on the waiver wire.
Kevin Slowey was a popular sleeper heading into the season, but hadn't really put up the kind of numbers some were hoping for. He made up for it all tonight. Slowey threw eight innings, allowed just one run, walked nobody (vintage Slowey), and struck out seven. I still stand by my prediction that he will win 15+ games this year and be a top 20-25 pitcher.
For you patient Alexei Ramirez owners, he is finally starting to make you happy. After his two hit game today, Alexei now has six hits in his last five games, and finally connected on his first homer of the season. Hopefully, this is the start of something big, and he can get his average over the Mendoza Line. But seriously, I still expect big things from him in 2009.
Prince Fielder just needed to almost take a pitcher's arm off with a hit to get him back on track. After crushing Cole Hamels' shoulder blade, Fielder has seven hits in the last four games, and had a two dinger evening on Saturday. Many, many people were ready to write him off a week ago, but it appears that he is on his way to another All-Star caliber season at the plate.
After it took him eight days to connect on his first home run, Chris Davis hit his fourth in the last ten days on Saturday. Davis is finally rewarding those of you who were patient with the young slugger, although he is still striking out at an Adam Dunn-like rate (28 times in 16 games, wow!). That seems to be the way that young power hitters are being groomed nowadays though. Davis should have a great 2009, after taking the AL by storm in the second half of 2008.
Mike Pelfrey was back on the mound for the Mets, and he was rather effective. Pelfrey was able to last 5.2 innings, allowed just two runs and picked up the win in his first start since dealing with tendonitis in his forearm. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, Pelfrey walked three and only struck out one, but he did get the win and was able to stay healthy. I like Pelfrey to have a pretty solid season, just don't expect an ERA under 3.00 or a ton of strikeouts.
Ryan Church continues to hit which he needs to do to continue getting regular playing time. Church had two more singles today and drove in three more runs, bringing his season total to seven. I like Church as a bench option for your team, and I'm not sure why the Mets don't seem to want him to play every day. He isn't a guy who will make a big impact, but he is nice insurance against injury.
Yunel Escobar continues to be a good option for those of you who require a middle infield spot on your roster. Escobar had three hits on Saturday, including his second home run, and raised his RBI total to nine. He isn't going to excel for you in any category, but he won't kill you in any either. Plus, there aren't a ton of great shortstops available.
Robinson Cano continues his bounceback season after disappointing his fantasy owners badly in 2008. He is now hitting .366 and he is hitting for more power than he has in the past. Cano connected on two jacks on Saturday, giving him five on the young season. He had only 14 all of last season. I don't think this power surge will continue, but he isn't a guy that I would be trying to "sell high" on. I think Cano will have a really good season the whole way through.
As I sit here and write this tonight, I ask myself "Am I really watching the Pirates/Padres game?" The answer: Sadly, yes. Gotta love the baseball package!
Now while I wouldn't be selling Cano, I would definitely be trying to find a sucker.....I mean trade partner for Mike Lowell. Not only is he a notorious first half hitter, but I think he spends his offseasons in Florida, because isn't that where all the senior citizens spend their time? Lowell has had just about every kind of injury in his career, and these good times can't last. After connecting on his fourth homer tonight, and running his RBI total to an eye popping 22, his value will never be higher. Do yourself a favor, make a move. These are the kinds of moves that win you a league. Selling high on a player who is at his peak value.
Mitchell Boggs pitched a pretty solid game for the Cardinals, and could have solidified himself a spot in the rotation while Chris Carpenter is out. Boggs didn't allow an earned run over 5.2 innings and struck out three. He isn't a great strikeout pitcher, won't have an outstanding ERA or WHIP, but he could get you some wins, and is a decent spot starter against some of the weaker NL teams (Padres, Pirates, Nats).
Jason Kubel has been able to stay healthy, and he continues to hit up a storm. Batting clean up for the Twins, Kubel is hitting .350, and is now up to four homers after connecting twice on Saturday. His 15 RBI lead the team, and barring injury he should be the second best hitter the Twinkies have. He brings absolutely no speed, but this guy knows how to put the bat on the ball and is a good third or fourth outfielder or perhaps in your UTIL spot.
Like I said before the season started, Mark Buehrle will never get you excited, in fact he might get you laughed at. But the guy is a professional pitcher and ran his record to 3-0 today, with another good start. If you are familiar with the Tortoise and the Hare, Buehrle is the tortoise. He is just slow and steady, never exciting, never flashy, but generally gets the job done. A lot of fantasy players, including myself sometimes, would rather have that flashy up and comer who generally disappoints you. But you can pretty much figure what you will get from Buehrle every year.
Man that Pujols guy is good. Another grand slam today against the Cubbies. Did you see that home run? What a freakin' SHOT!
Bill Hall had three hits tonight, stole a base, and drove in four runs, but don't get fooled by the one good game. Hall has been a wildly inconsistent and streaky player throughout his career. Unfortunately for him, most of those streaks have been long and cold. Don't get sucked in by a guy you have heard of having one good night.
Chris Volstad had another great start for the Marlins, and I wonder how much more he will have to do to get more love in the fantasy community. Volstad allowed just two runs over seven innings, walked just one and struck out six. This guy was a very highly touted prospect, so the numbers he put up last year weren't a fluke. He has an ERA under 3.00 after four starts, and you should be jumping on the bandwagon ASAP.
Traded after losing the starting job to Jordan Schafer, Josh Anderson is doing pretty good for the Tigers and could be a good source of steals. Anderson stole his fifth base of the season on Saturday, and all have come in the last nine games. Anderson had some big stolen base numbers in the minors (40+ in four straight seasons), and if he keeps hitting he should have regular playing time in Detroit.
Justin Upton finally hit his first home run of the season tonight, and has gotten his average near .200. I know that sounds horrible, but he didn't have a hit until April 14th. He appears to have staved off a possible demotion to the minors, but I still think it will be another wildly inconsistent season for Upton. His big breakout will come sometime in the near future, but I'm not banking on this season.
Injury News
Josh Hamiton left Saturday's start after having an inflammed left rib cage. After beating out an infield hit, Hamilton appeared to injure himself sliding after a double steal. According to Hamilton, he expects to be in the lineup on Sunday. Don't be surprised if the Rangers decide to sit him, but it doesn't appear to be anything serious.
Joel Zumaya returned to the mound for the Tigers on Saturday, and didn't give up a run. Zumaya did not strike out a batter and allowed two hits, but it was just great to see him back out there. You have to wonder if the intimidating fireballer will ever be back, but given the Tigers bullpen you never know what kind of role he might end up with.
Aramis Ramirez will miss the next four to five games and might not return before next weekend thanks to the strained calf he suffered yesterday. This is the kind of thing you have to expect when you draft a guy like Ramirez, but the encouraging news is that he appears to have avoided the DL.
Brian McCann was finally placed on the 15 day DL with that blurry vision, and he will most likely be having the Lasik surgery again sometime in the next few days. It is good for the Braves to finally put this issue to rest and just sit their star catcher down for a couple of weeks now, instead of letting this linger any further.
The news on Brandon Webb is not good. The Diamondbacks have announced that Webb will be shut down for the next three weeks, and it is likely that he won't be back on the mound for Arizona for about six weeks. It is not clear exactly how serious this injury might be, but it doesn't sound good when a guy feels some tightness in his shoulder before a bullpen session, and the next thing you know he is out six weeks. I am very worried about Webb.
Reader Interaction
What do you guys expect from Justin Upton this season? Do you think he is just off to a slow start or is he still a year or two away?
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss “The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show” every Wednesday night at 10pm EST on Blog Talk Radio. The show is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report is also back! Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the news, free agent pickups, minor leaguers, and injuries. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league. I also just met the people over at Baseball Trade Rumors and I invite you to visit their site. They have a page for rumors for every major league team, constant updates on the latest rumors, interactive polls, and overall some great content.
Live Fantasy Baseball Mock Drafts, Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings, Player Trade Calculator, Fantasy Forums and more ! at FantasyBaseballXtreme.Com
OF Matt Holliday,A's, It had been stated many times going into the 2009 season - Matt Holliday might have a difficult time adapting to his new Oakland address after being traded from Colorado. With only one week remaining in April, some fantasy owners are surely wishing that they had heeded this seemingly prescient prognostication. Holliday does currently lead the A's in RBIs with 10, but the fact that he is batting just .254 with zero HRs and zero stolen bases can only be described as a serious performance malaise. So what might be the worst case scenario for Holliday this season? On one hand, there is no denying Holliday's rare talent, not many players possess the quick bat and consistent, powerful swing of the A's leftfielder. However, based on Holliday's historical performance away from his former Corrs homefield before 2009, it might be best to temper expectations down to about a .285 BA, with 20 HRs, 80 RBI and hopefully 15-20 SBs.
OF Carlos Quentin,White Sox, - After joining the White Sox in 2008, Carlos Quentin wasted no time impressing his new team, winning the left field spot in April, and going on to lead the team in homeruns, RBIs, and slugging percentage. As if his 36 homeruns and 100 RBI were not convincing enough, consider that Quentin did his damage in only 130 games, as he missed significant time after a September wrist injury. At the plate, he shows good discipline and a quick and powerful swing. He can typically crush inside fastballs, and adjusts swiftly to breaking balls. In the new 2009 season, Quentin has stormed out of the gates with 7 homeruns over the first 16 games, helping to rebuke any discussion that last season's 36 homerun explosion was a fluke. This 26 year-old emerging star will likely challenge for the league lead in HRs again this season, and has rapidly become a fantasy force.
Before the news of the night I want to invite you all to check out an interview that I did recently with Toby Mergler of mlb.com. I am part of the Fantasy Baseball Search expert league with Toby and he is interviewing all of us during the season. And hey, I would really appreciate it if you would leave a comment afterwards too. Here is the link: http://welcometotheshow.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/04/fantasy_baseball_expert_interv_2.html
I want to start tonight talking about a bunch of young pitchers who look like they are about to take the next step into elite status.
Yesterday, Chad Billingsley went to 4-0 after throwing 7.1 shutout innings. His ERA is 2.06, while his WHIP is under one. He is right at a strikeout an inning, and in my opinion he will be an elite pitching option this year.
Tonight, Zack Greinke took his next step towards a possible Cy Young award as he went the distance again. Greinke's scoreless inning streak was snapped on an unearned run, but he had another incredible start. He allowed just three hits, walked only one, while striking out ten. I don't care what team he pitches for, Greinke will be one of the top starting pitchers in 2009.
Yovani Gallardo hasn't been quite as impressive as the other guys listed above, but he is far surpassing expectations to this point of the season. He also went the distance tonight, allowing two runs, walking nobody, and striking out seven. Outside of that one bad start, Gallardo has been mostly brilliant this season, getting nearly a strikeout an inning, and keeping his walks under control. He might not be in line for any awards this year, but 15-17 wins could be in the picture for this season.
Outside of his last start, Josh Johnson has been one of the best starters in the National League. Although Matt Lindstrom blew the win for him tonight (in an ugly, ugly fashion; 7 runs in 2/3 of an inning), Johnson was dealing again. He allowed just three hits and whiffed eight over seven shutout innings. In three of his four starts, Johnson has allowed one run or less and has recorded just over a strikeout an inning. The Marlins should be in the NL East race all year long, and Johnson should be a big part of their playoff push.
A guy that I thought would also enter this group in 2009 is Edinson Volquez. However, Volquez has had incredible control problems. It bit him again on Friday, as he was only able to last five innings because he walked SEVEN Brave hitters. That is now three of his four starts that he has walked the same number of guys as he has struck out. The talent is still there, and the strikeouts will still be good, but if he can't stop walking people it will seriously hinder his ability to be successful. I wouldn't try to actively deal him, but I am slightly concerned about Volquez.
For those of you who have had catching trouble or catching injuries, take a look at the Nationals' Jesus Flores. He hit his first home run of the season tonight, has driven in seven runs on the year, and is hitting .289. Flores was a quality player last year at catcher when he drove in 56 runs in just 90 games. Flores is looking like he could be a short term stopgap that might turn into a good catching option.
Michael Young has seen his power numbers bottoming out over the past couple of years, and even his batting average isn't what it once was. But this season he seems to be having a resurgence. He hit his fifth home run of the season, after hitting only twelve in 2008, and just nine in 2007. His batting average is also back over .300. The average could stay where it is, but the power has to be a mirage. If you drafted Young, I would be looking to sell high.
Rick Porcello had another one of his inconsistent starts on Friday, as he gave up four earned runs over six innings, walking two, and striking out four. It wasn't horrible, but it was far from great as well. With a 20 year old pitcher in the majors, you are going to have many more games like this than Cy Young-like gems. Keeper leagues you have to hold him, keeper leagues, i'm starting to worry.
A pitcher who definitely could be available in your league is Nick Blackburn from Minnesota. He allowed only one run over seven innings tonight, while striking out four. Blackburn was an effective starter last year, with a .500 record and an ERA hovering around 4.00. Now I'm not saying that he is going to win you a league, but if you are in a deeper league, he is definitely a pitcher that you can have at the end of your rotation. Blackburn doesn't get you too many strikeouts, but he throws a good game every other start or so. Against weak hitting teams, Blackburn could be a nice guy to throw and then let go of.
Koji Uehara continues to be a pretty effective pitcher for the Orioles. On Friday, he allowed just two runs over 6.2 innings, while striking out six. Outside of one start where he allowed seven runs, he has given up two runs or less in his other three. He is 34 years old, so don't think this is some young hot shot. But Uehara had a great career in Japan, and was a pretty decent strikeout pitcher. He could continue down this road for the O's.
Joba Chamberlain wasn't bad, but wasn't great again on Friday. Joba has had trouble with control for the second consecutive start, and has also been able to last deep into games. Like I say almost every night, you are going to deal with inconsistencies with most young pitchers. Chamberlain is a great young star in the making though, and although he isn't ready for prime time yet he should have his fair share of good outings.
With the injury to Alex Gordon, Alberto Callaspo has been given an opportunity to get some playing time and is making the most of his chance. Over the lsat seven games, Callaspo has 11 hits, and connected on his first homer on Friday. He could hit for a good average, but Callaspo isn't a guy who is going to bring you any power or much speed. If you want to play him while he is hot, that is ok, but I wouldn't plan on keeping him on your roster long term.
Injury News
Carlos Quentin was back in the White Sox lineup on Friday, one night after being hit in the hand by a pitch. His owners (including myself) were freaking after Quentin missed the last month of the season with a broken wrist. I don't know about you, but I was having flashbacks. I had only just traded for him three days ago. Whew!
Brandon Webb suffered a setback on his rehab, and now the next step is undecided. Webb felt tightness in his shoulder while playing catch shortly before his second bullpen session was supposed to take place. Webb is now supposed to see the team doctors before he throws any more pitches.
Aramis Ramirez strained his left calf running the bases Friday was was removed from the game. He has been deemed questionable for the rest of this weekend's series against the Cardinals. This is exactly the kind of injury that Aramis is famous for, and the kind that I was warning you about before the year started. This is pure speculation, but don't be surprised if he ends up on the DL.
After being back in the lineup, Brian McCann took himself out of the lineup before Friday's game when he was dealing with blurry vision again. Apparently, he is now considering Lasik surgery for the second time on his left eye. From reports I've read, it seems that he would end up on the DL. I will keep an eye out for further news on this situation.
Joakim Soria will not be used in this weekend's series for the Royals with some tightness in his shoulder. According to his manager this is not a situation that will land him on the Disabled List. Right now he is scheduled to miss three to five days with this condition. Juan Cruz or even Kyle Farnsworth could fill in for him.
Cole Hamels reported no soreness the day after being hit on the shoulder with a batted ball. As of now, he is still on track to make his next start.
Reader Interaction
Of the great crop of young pitchers (other than Tim Lincecum who has already won a Cy Young), who will be the next to break through to the elite level: Chad Billingsley, Zack Greinke, Felix Hernandez, or Clayton Kershaw? You can leave a comment below or email me at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss “The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show” every Wednesday night at 10pm EST on Blog Talk Radio. The show is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report is also back! Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the news, free agent pickups, minor leaguers, and injuries. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league. I also just met the people over at Baseball Trade Rumors and I invite you to visit their site. They have a page for rumors for every major league team, constant updates on the latest rumors, interactive polls, and overall some great content.
Through three innings, Cole Hamels looked like his old self again. He struck out six of the first nine batters he faced. Then in the fourth he gave up a two run homer to Ryan Braun, and then was struck on the shoulder with a batted ball by big ol' Prince Fielder. Fantasy owners around the country held their breath. Thankfully, tonight I am reading that it is just a bruise, and Hamels says he will be out there for his next start. It appears as of now that it is safe to put him back in your lineup the next time he takes the mound. The first three innings must give you hope.
Speaking of Prince Fielder, he had two more hits today and drove in three runs. He is still off to a dreadful start, but perhaps this game gets him going. He is still batting under .200 and is striking out more than he usually does. Fielder is still a young guy, and I just have a hard time believing that he has "lost it". I know it is hard, but stay patient with Prince, or else I'll tell him to sit on you!
Jeff Samardzija was called up yesterday by the Cubs to have another power arm in their bullpen. He was impressive in his time with the Cubs in 2008, and even recorded a save. He has been starting a couple of games while in the minors, but he has been pretty average. In three appearances (two starts), Samardzija has a 3.75 ERA with 11 Ks in 12 innings. He only allowed seven earned runs in 27 innings last season with the Cubs, but has already allowed five in just those 12 innings at AAA. For deep leagues he could offer you some value, but don't think he is going to get any chances to lock down saves with Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg ahead of him. Personally, I don't wish bad things on him, but I hope he doesn't have much of an impact because I don't like typing out Samardzija.
Here comes Rick Ankiel. The Cardinals' power hitting outfielder has finally started to kick it into gear. After three hits on Friday, Ankiel had another three on Thursday including his first home run of the season. Even with his two RBI today, he still only has five on the season. Ankiel hit 25 homers in only 120 games last year, and look to him to be able to match those numbers again in 2009.
Dave Bush took a no hitter into the 8th inning and allowed only one run and two hits. However, unless you are in a deep league, I would probably stay away from Bush. He has always been a .500 pitcher and has never been much of a strikeout pitcher. Don't think because he had this one great start that he is going to go out and win 15 games.
Has Aaron Harang officially turned the page from his subpar season in 2008? It appears he is on the way to that. For the third time in his four starts, Harang has allowed one run or less, and today against the Cubs he also only walked one batter. The Reds are scuffling badly on offense or Harang would be 3-1. His strikeouts are not QUITE at the level they were when he was at his best, but they are still above average. At this point, if Harang is available in your league, make sure you don't leave him out there anymore. Once the Reds bats come alive, he should be even more valuable.
Joey Votto continues his ascension to elite fantasy status with a four hit game on Thursday. Votto is now hitting .373 on the season with three homers and 15 runs batted in. He doesn't have elite power, but he is going to give you a really good batting average, and he should surpass 100 RBI.
Adam Eaton had a tremendous game tonight for the Orioles as he allowed just two runs over 7.1 innings and struck out nine. PLEASE don't fall into the trap of wanting this guy. If you are interested, go and look at his career numbers and tell me what gets you excited. Hell, look at his first two starts from this year. You know what they say about the sun shining on a dog's ass? The definition of that was Adam Eaton's start tonight.
Injury News
B.J. Ryan was placed on the Disabled List today because of "soreness in his back and shoulder." The reason for the " "s is I am just not believing the injury. I think this is just a reaction to his inability to get players out and his drop in velocity. My guess is he is on the DL to give them time to get him straight. I assume he will be ok when he comes back, but who knows. Scott Downs will be the closer in his absence and if you have Ryan, I would go get Downs right now.
Another Blue Jays' pitcher, Ricky Romero, was also placed on the DL with a strained muscle on his right side. Although there is no set timetable for his return, these kinds of injuries tend to linger. The way a pitcher needs to torque his body to deliver a pitch, I would think that he would be out for more than the required two weeks.
Joel Zumaya is finally set to rejoin the Tigers most likely this coming Monday. Zumaya has had a laundry list of injuries over the past couple of years, and has gone from a "can't miss" closer prospect to an afterthought in fantasy baseball. He won't be closing right away, if at all for the Tigers so I'm not sure he is worth adding. If you are one of those people who don't draft closers and have to play the "carousel" then Zumaya is worth having on your team for his strikeout potential, and the fact that the Tigers don't have an established guy that you can count on to close. But given his string of injuries and some loss in velocity, I'm not predicting big things.
Reader Interaction
I have a question for all of you. As you all know I live in upstate New York and the big Yankee/Red Sox rivalry ramps back up on Friday. Of course, it is all over the papers and radio around here, and ESPN seems to always give it great coverage. Please leave me some feedback to this. Does the rest of the United States even give a crap about this rivalry? Or are you all sick of hearing about the Yankees and Red Sox? I am not a fan of either, but living here I can't help watching it and following it. But does it really matter to anyone else? Just wondering.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss “The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show” every Wednesday night at 10pm EST on Blog Talk Radio. The show is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report is also back! Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the news, free agent pickups, minor leaguers, and injuries. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league. I also just met the people over at Baseball Trade Rumors and I invite you to visit their site. They have a page for rumors for every major league team, constant updates on the latest rumors, interactive polls, and overall some great content.
Just want to get my predictions out for week 3. I am working on an article also going over everyone team. I am planning on doing 2 teams at a time. I will try to get every ones team done before the weeks end.
Cobra Kai-6 over Prusaw-4
Don't tread on me-7 over Can O corn-3
Los Vatos' Whappo-6 over Old School Stingers-4
Spankees II-6 over Mudville Nine-4
Junkyard Jake-7 over Fight Chance-3
Silent Expert-10 over The True Guru-0 (This is my bye week)
Big Joel Hanrahan finally got his first save of the season tonight against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched a nice 9th inning with only a walk and one strikeout.
This should dispel any rumors of Hanrahan losing his job. He is one of the better closers in the National League and once Washington starts winning more, he will close out plenty of games. Washington as a whole is in a funk, and hopefully this win pulled them out of that funk.
Hold on to Joel. If you traded for him, great move.
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