OK, I'm back. I'm sure you were all going through withdrawal as the posts are starting to slow down for the 2009 season. Plenty went on in the last few days, so let's get right to it!
Elijah Dukes is back in the majors, and his manager has said that he is going to see plenty of playing time in the outfield. You all know that I am not the biggest Dukes fan, but if you have an injury or a player who is really disappointing he might be able to help you in the short term. Dukes had three hits, including a home run, and drove in four runs. He could give you a little speed and a little pop in a Washington lineup that could badly use a shot in the arm.
Rick Porcello threw his second straight good start and won his tenth game of the year. Even though he picked up the win, his numbers weren't incredibly impressive. Porcello allowed two runs over 5.2 innings, but he walked three and only struck out one. I know a lot of you have considered letting him go, but I just don't think you should do that. In keeper leagues you should have your head checked for letting him go, but seasonal leagues I still think he has plenty of value. Just don't expect a thousand strikeouts.
Fausto Carmona had his second consecutive positive start, but I am not buying into him being a reasonable starting pitcher in the majors again. Three reasons. First he walks way too many and doesn't strike nearly enough out. Second, the Indians got rid of a lot of their talent at the deadline. Third, their closer, Kerry Wood is terrible, meaning sometimes even if he pitches well the lead might be blown for him. I would stay away from Carmona.
Cliff Lee was awesome again for the Phillies and is further proving how much the American League and the Cleveland Indians were holding him back. Lee allowed only one run for the second consecutive start and struck out nine over seven innings. If any of you had any concerns over Lee's transition (and I'm not sure who would) they have been answered resoundingly in his first two outings.
Brad Lidge had a fairly uneventful save for once tonight against Colorado as he allowed only one hit and struck out two in his appearance on Thursday. Perhaps this is the start of a solid finish to the season for Lidge. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!
Tommy Hunter bounced back from his worst start since coming to the majors by beating the A's and improved his record to 4-2. His ERA is well under 3.00, but Hunter isn't a big strikeout guy at all. He only allowed more than three earned runs in one of his eight starts, and his WHIP is just 1.19. Hunter had been impressive in previous years in the minors, but had struggled this season at both AA and AAA. The Rangers know how to hit though, so he should always get run support. I wouldn't put a ton of stock in Hunter, but picking him up while he is hot isn't the worst idea.
Justin Upton landed on the DL with a strained oblique and is likely out for around a month. Oblique injuries take time to heal, so you are probably looking at early September before he is eligible to return. Hopefully you have some sort of reasonable option on your bench to plug in his place. If you need to pick up a free agent and need some advice, don't hesitate to email me.
Trent Oeltjen was called up to the majors when Justin Upton went on the Disabled List. He is not one of the Diamondbacks best prospects, but he could bring you some speed if you are in need, and perhaps even a little bit of power. This year was his best in the minors as he was hitting .300 in 106 games at AAA with 10 homers, 61 RBI with 19 steals. With Upton out he could earn good playing time in the outfield for the D'Backs. They have nothing going for them this year, so it makes sense for them to give a young guy a shot. Oeltjen got off to a good start with two hits (including a homer) and two steals. If he keeps this up you can bet he will see plenty of at-bats.
Geovany Soto is due to return from the Disabled List from his own oblique injury. He hasn't played since July 7th, so that gives you some indication on how long to expect Upton to be out. Soto was doing horrible even when he was healthy, so it is hard to know what to expect. However, if you have been stashing him, chances are you haven't found a better option while he ws hurt.
Jason Bay could miss the entire Yankee series this weekend according to his manager Terry Francona. He almost definitely will miss Friday's game and they will re-evaluate him from there. Bay reaggravated a hamstring injury on Wednesday against the Rays. Francona also said that Bay would avoid the DL, so hopefully he will be back before the weekend is over. Kevin Youkilis takes over in left field, so if you are in a league that only requires a game or two to gain eligibility Youk could gain even more value.
Chad Gaudin was traded from the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later. This is the equivalent of one of those third world children you see on the commercials that can be helped for just 25 cents a day being adopted by Angelina Jolie. He hadn't been pitching well, but he is pretty good at getting strikeouts. He will get a ton more run support in New York, but the change in ballparks won't be good for him though. His value obviously goes up in New York, but don't all of a sudden think that he is going to be some incredible pitcher.
Don't forget to send me an email about the football email list. Much like in baseball if I find breaking news I will shoot out a quick email to you so you can hopefully make a move before your competition. Put football mailing list in the subject line to 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 Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday 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. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.
With the demotion of Lastings Milledge (I still believe in the guy - but I'm feeling wrong), Elijah Dukes looks to be the person who will gain the most. He is off to a good start, has all the talent in the world, and hasn't been in trouble lately.
So far his line is .375 Avg, 3 RBI, 2 Runs. This is in limited duty, as he has been riding the bench with too many outfielders. Now there is space for him.
He is still high risk/reward. Don't overpay, but give him a chance.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love The Wire and those who have never seen it. If you’ve seen The Wire, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, find the closest mirror, look in it, and hang your head in shame. David Simon's and Ed Burns' masterpiece about the decay of an American city is, in this writer’s opinion, the single greatest series ever to grace the small screen... or any screen for that matter.
Now that I got that out of my system, let’s talk about a different wire. The wire that will make or break your fantasy season. The waiver wire. Let’s take a look at a few players that may still be available in your league and may be worth adding.
Scott Rolen, 3B, Toronto
Scott Rolen hasn’t been a very exciting player to own since his St. Louis days, however he is off to a fantastic start in the 2009 season. Through 10 games Rolen is hitting .389 and getting on base at a .425 clip. He also has 2 HR, 5 RBI, and has scored 8 runs. Rolen is available in 77% of ESPN leagues and 80% of Yahoo leagues.
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Elijah Dukes, OF, Washington A week ago, the Nationals outfield was crowded. Austin Kearns secured the RF job right out of Spring Training and Lastings Milledge was slated to play Center. But with Milledge having been demoted to the Minors this week, the door is wide open for Dukes. Dukes has always had the talent, but off-the-field antics and injuries have kept him from succeeding. So far this season Dukes has put up a .381/.435 line with a homer and 5 RBI. He swiped 13 bags in just 81 games last year and is still available in 56% of Yahoo leagues and 76% of ESPN leagues.
Endy Chavez, OF, Seattle Endy showed flashes of talent in his Mets days but never really locked down a secure job. This year he’s pretty well locked in to the Mariners outfield and is off to a red hot start. Chavez is hitting .405 with a homer and 6 RBI and has already stolen 3 bags. Expect the batting average to come down and the steals to plateau a bit, but .300 and 30 steals is not out of the question. Chavez can be had in 90% of both ESPN and Yahoo leagues.
Kyle Lohse, SP, St. Louis
I’ll be honest. I’m not a huge Lohse fan. He did, however, have a great 2008 and is off to a nice start once again in 2009. Even though Lohse’s K/9 rate is troubling, making him less valuable for fantasy purposes, he might be able to help you if your rotations are getting destroyed like mine, or if you’ve taken some injury hits. Lohse has a 1.13 ERA and a teeny-tiny .56 WHIP to boot in 2 starts and 2 wins. He’s also available in 48% of ESPN leagues and only 34% of Yahoo leagues.
Jason Marquis, SP, Colorado Marquis is another guy who has never been particularly exciting to own. That’s mostly because he rarely strikes batters out. The plus side to Marquis is that he has been pretty solid thus far in his 2009 campaign. He has a couple of wins against quality teams and is boasting a 1.93 ERA and a WHIP of exactly 1. Another encouraging fact is that he has gone seven innings in both his starts, meaning he's been efficient and has minimized the risk of his questionable bullpen losing the game for him. Marquis is still a spot starter at best at this point, but could be worth an add if you’re hurting. He is available in 99% of ESPN leagues and 96% of Yahoo leagues.
Remember, this doesn’t mean that if you run out and get these guys you’ll be all set. But take a look at your roster. Decide if you want to make some changes and if you do, consider these guys as possible options. Believe me, you could do a lot worse.
By this time of the year everyone is watching free agency trying to plug that injury hole, or that guy we thought was going to be a star that didn’t pan out.These are a few guys that could help your roster and keep you on track toward the title.
Hitters
Mike Aviles, KC.The Royals Minor League Player of the Year in 2007, Aviles has been just what the doctor ordered in Kansas City since his call up.In 18 games, Aviles is hitting .336 with three homers and 13 RBI.At AAA last season, Aviles hit .296 with 17 homers and 77 ribbies, which means this production isn’t necessarily a fluke.Given his age and the fact he plays a middle infield position, I see no reason not to take a flier on the young shortstop, he has the everyday job for now.
Elijah Dukes, WAS.In his last six games, Dukes has nine hits, two homers and three ribeyes.He is currently hitting .264, and although he looks like someone worth owning, you have to be aware of his off the field problems.Dukes is always just a day away from a possible suspension or act that could cause him to be looked upon unfavorably in the organization.Take into account the time just a couple of weeks ago where he refused to slap his manager five, after Manny Acta took exception to Dukes and Milledge dancing.It doesn’t appear to have cost him this time, but the potential is always there.
Adam Lind, TOR.When Blue Jays Shawn Marcum got hurt, it came with the recall of one of their better hitting prospects, Adam Lind. Lind has been up with the big club before, but it has seemed on each one of his tours of duty that he was completely overmatched and might not be able to hit major league pitching. So far in his first time with the big club he has been hitting this time (although it is only three games). Lind connected on his second homer in three games, and he has the talent to be a great hitter, perhaps he will start to put it together.
Jorge Cantu, FLA.It might be too late for Cantu already, but he is certainly setting the fantasy world on watch in recent weeks.Bring back memories from 2005 when Cantu was a big hitting 2B, he is hitting .280 with 14 homers and 43 driven in.Even though he is now at third and not the shallow second base position, Cantu is proving to be someone who belongs on someone’s roster, if not their starting lineups.
Just coming to the majors:Chris Davis, 3B, TEX
Pitchers
Mike Pelfrey, NYM.Is this time that he starts living up to all the potential we have been hearing about?Take it easy, it is too soon to make that statement yet.Pelfrey has been pitching better as of late, in four of his last five starts he allowed two runs or less.If I had a spot at the end of my rotation, or an injury to someone like Carlos Zambrano, I would carry Pelfrey on my roster until I got healthy.Just temper your expectations and don’t expect an ace and you won’t be disappointed by Pelfrey.
Charlie Morton, ATL.The latest rookie to try to keep the Braves’ ship afloat, Morton was called up after he was posting some pretty impressive numbers at AAA.In three starts he has yet to allow more than three runs and his record is 1-1.He pitched pretty well his last time out despite battling the flu, and in the short term Morton isn’t a bad option.He was 5-2 with a 2.05 ERA (72 Ks in 79 IP also) at AAA Richmond, but those were by far his best numbers as a minor leaguer.I am not on the Morton bandwagon as of now, but as a band-aid, he looks to be a decent option.
Darryl Thompson, CIN.He is about to make his second start of the season, and if it is like the first, you might think about picking him up.Even though he walked four batters, Thompson threw five shutout innings in Yankee Stadium in his major league debut, and immediately got the attention of some fantasy owners.He had pretty good minor league numbers, as he was 3-2 with a 1.76 ERA and nearly a strikeout an inning.It is tough to make the transition from AA to the majors, but it has been done before and the Reds seem to have the knack with young pitching all of a sudden.
Luke Hochevar, KC.Hochevar has had a very up and down rookie season, and it is looking more like he is going to be a pretty good pitcher.In three of his last four starts he has allowed only two runs, but he is still walking too many batters and striking out too few.Hochevar was a former number one overall pick, so he has a world of potential, the Royals and fantasy players are just waiting for him to become a little more consistent.
Just Coming to the Majors:John Parrish, SP, TOR
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