Fantasy Baseball Advice

Tim Stauffer – Way back when, Tim Stauffer was a stand-out hurler for the Richmond Spiders, sort of in my backyard. He was so good, the Padres made him the fourth pick of the 2003 draft.

Stauffer started out well, dominating A+, AA and AAA (168 IPs, 2.89 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9 and 6.1 K/9). While the strikeout totals were a bit low, there was definitely promise there.

Sure enough, next year, entirely at AAA, the Ks came back in a big way. He posted a 7.6 K/9 rate to match a darn impressive walk rate (2 BB/9). Unfortunately, that sterling performance didn’t translate well to the “important” columns as Stauffer posted a 5.14 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Still, he got the call in the summer of 2005, though he pitched poorly in 81 MLB innings.

The next season (2006) Stauffer was stationed mostly in AAA, where he saw his strikeouts dwindle and his walks increase. He battled injuries and ineffectiveness throughout most of the season and get just one start in the majors.

Then he lost the entire 2008 season to injury.

He returned to AAA in 2009 and fared pretty well in a small amount of innings (42). His walk rate was below two and he posted a 3.5 K:BB rate, which would play anywhere. The Padres recognized this and recalled him to San Diego, giving him his first real taste of the big leagues since 2005. Unfortunately, he was unable to replicate his AAA success over 14 starts for the parent club. While the ERA was shiny (3.58), his 1.44 WHIP, 4.2 BB/9 rate and 1.56 K:BB rate were horrid.

Still, he got another opportunity in 2010, albeit mostly in relief. He excelled, tempting the Padres to make him a full-time starter, which they did in 2011.

So far, he is making management look good, posting a 2.97 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 7.15 K/9 rate and 2.09 BB/9 rate. There isn’t a ton of flukiness in his numbers either. The strand rate is a little on the high side and the home run rate is a little below 10% (just the benefits of playing in Petco). He is giving up a lot more line drives than last year, but he’s also pitching more and getting more swinging strikes.

There’s no real mirage here. Stauffer is a solid pitcher, capable of maintaining his K-rate and most of his peripherals. I don’t see him finishing with a sub-3.00 ERA, but it won’t be above 3.40. If you scooped him up when your leaguemate dropped him after initial struggles, feel free to send a taunting email, text Facebook poke, tweet, or DM.

Melky Cabrera – I can’t find the link, so I might be wrong, but the great (and I’m not being sarcastic) Rob Neyer once included Melky as one of the best building blocks in all of the majors. It wasn’t without reason.

Melk Man or Leche got off to a strong start in his career. He was signed at 17 and debuted in A- ball at 18. He went .283/.345/.355. While his power was lacking, there was no ignoring his ability to get on base.

While he didn’t raise his walk rate the following season at A+ and A-, he did post an impressive .304/.355/.446 line at only 19 – numbers that would play for most centerfielders.

Just three years after signing, and only 20 years old, Melky got his first taste of AAA. He didn’t fare so well (.248/.309/.366) but that didn’t dissuade the Yankees from bringing him up. Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well in his initial MLB experience (.211/.211/.211).

So, he was returned to AAA in 2006, though for only a short stay (31 games). After torching the ball (.385/.430/.566), the 21-year-old got the call and it looked like he’d never ride a bus in the minors again. In the majors, Melky posted a .280/.360/.391 line in 524 plate appearances.

In 2007, he hit a lot of ground balls, and his numbers dipped accordingly (.273/.327/.391).  Still though, there was plenty of promise surrounding this 22-year-old centerfielder.

Unfortunately, Melky hit even more ground balls in 2007 and his numbers dipped considerably: .249/.301/.341.

Melky was briefly demoted to the minors that year, where he performed incredibly well. But there was no doubt about it, the Leche was tainted.

Still, he bounced back to play pretty well in 2009 (.274/.336/.416), but Brett Gardner made him expendable and the Yankees shipped him to Atlanta for that Javy Vazquez guy. Talk about everyone losing a trade.

He performed poorly for the Braves and was released. But since he was once a Brave and once good (hello Jeff Francoeur), the Royals decided to sign him. It made no sense at the time. Of course we forgot that you can be crazy like a fox instead of just plain ol’ crazy. The Melk Man has been fantastic this year (.286/.323/.451) with 2.7 WAR (that’s astounding). He is already in double digits for both homers and steals. The only real bizarre thing he is doing is hitting the ball with authority. He’s posting a 10.7% HR/FB rate, which is somewhat out of whack with his career (although he did post a similar rate in 2009).

Melky should wind up with at least 17 homers and steals, with an easy outside shot at 20+ in each category. I’m more inclined to bet on the 20+ steals, but who knows if the power will continue. He’s a better real life value, but if you’re rolling him out there, no reason his current pace can’t continue. I’m shocked.

By the way, Melky is the 38^th ranked player in 5×5 roto. Wowsers.

Asdrubal Cabrera – What a whackadoodle career Cabrera has had so far. He is the first person named Asdrubal to appear in the ALCS and was the 14^th player to turn an unassisted triple play.

In 2002, at 17, Cabrera was signed by the Mariners. About two years later, he debuted and played pretty well in low ball. In 2005, he played quite well at A and A+ ball, though he didn’t thrive in 25 PAs in AAA.

He struggled the following season for Tacoma (the Mariners’ AAA affiliate) and was traded to the Indians for Eduardo Perez. He didn’t play much better at Buffalo, but there was promise in the .263/.295/.337 line.

Still, the Indians decided to start the 21-year-old at AA the following year. He played exceptional: .310/.383/.454 and earned a promotion to AAA. This time he maintained his pace and earned a quick call to the majors. He looked like a star in the making in his initial major league stint, going .283/.354/.421 in 186 plate appearances.

However, he stumbled the following season, going just .259/.346/.366 – still impressive numbers from a 22-year-old middle infielder.

Finally, in 2009, at just 23, it looked like he put it all together: spinning a .308/.361/.438 masterpiece.

2010 appeared to be a breakout season for Cabrera; unfortunately, he was unhealthy throughout the season and not as effective as 2009. Going into 2011, Cabrera was largely an afterthought, yet he is by far the best healthy shortstop out there. At the break, he has 14 bombs, 12 steals and a .293/.347/.489 line.

He isn’t much different from the 2008-2009 versions. The line drive, fly ball and ground ball rates are right in line. Of course, his HR/FB rate is 13.7%, almost double his previous career high (6.7% in 2008). A 20/20 season is a foregone conclusion at this point. I do think we’ve seen the best half of his career for maybe a year or so. However, 7-9 more HRs and 10 more SBs seem certainly possible.

Unless Tulo gets hot, Cabrera could end up the #1 SS in all of the land.

Michael Morse – If you weren’t diligently following baseball around Y2K, Michael Morse is a name you probably weren’t aware of until the end of last year. However, had fantasy baseball and the internet been as big as it is now five or so years ago, Morse would have been just another Dallas McPherson.

Morse was a third round selection by the Chicago White Sox in 2000. He wouldn’t do anything overly impressive (unless you count getting slapped on the wrist with a 10-game suspension for using PEDs) until 2004, when he was 22 years old and split time between Seattle’s and Chicago’s AA affiliate.

Combined, he hit .281/.332/.505 with 17 HRs in just under 400 plate appearances. He had done so well for the White Sox that he was a somewhat major part of the Ben Davis/Freddy Garcia trade, which saw the White Sox part with Morse, Miguel Olivo and Jeremy Reed. Poor Jeremy Reed…

Morse began 2005 with the Mariners in AAA playing shortstop but his numbers fell off a cliff (.253/.317/.407). However, he made his major league debut and impressed (sort of), going .278/.347/.370 in 258 plate appearances (he did have a .341 BABIP).

The following year, he was again unsuccessful at AAA but surprisingly successful in the majors (.372/.396/.488), albeit in just 48 plate appearances. Unfortunately, his breakout was cut short by knee surgery on July 6.

He saw limited action in 2007 but tore the cover off the ball in spring training in 2008. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, as five games into the season, Morse tore his labrum. He wouldn’t play in the majors for the Mariners again, as they traded him for Ryan Langerhans in 2009.

For his new team, the Nationals, he flashed a little power promise in a small sample at the major league level after mashing AAA for the first time in his career. Then, he took off at the end of 2010 and has continued mashing in 2011.  Over the last two seasons, in 552 plate appearances, Morse has gone .297/.353/.538 with a 162-game average of 29 homers. Right now, ZiPS (U) has him pegged for just eight more bombs, however I don’t see why he can’t double his total and come close to 30. The only thing holding Morse back is health. I don’t see him as much different than David Ortiz from here on out.

Ryan Vogelsong – The Giants made Vogelsong a fifth round draft pick in 1998. Yes, way back then.  He would show some promise in low ball as a 20- and 21-year-old; however would find times difficult in AA.

In his first stint at Shreveport, in just 28.1 IPs, he had a 1.94 WHIP and allowed 12.7 hits per nine innings and 4.8 BB/9. The following year in 155 IPs, he wasn’t much better (1.43 WHIP, 8.9 H/9 and 4 BB/9). However, throughout his early career, he did show the ability to strike batters out.

That didn’t stop the Giants from promoting him in 2001 to AAA, as a seasoned 23-year-old. It looked like the move paid off, as Vogelsong pitched some darn good innings (0.91 WHIP, 5.4 H/9 and 2.8 BB/9). He performed so well that he was part of the Jason Schmidt trade – along with Armando Rios, he was sent to Pittsburgh for Schmidt and John Vander Wal.

He didn’t pitch quit as well in AAA for the Pirates, but still did good things. He would start two games in the majors for the Pirates and perform horribly, but it was just six innings and then he needed Tommy John surgery.  Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get that taste of Pittsburgh for another year as he spent all of 2002 in the minors, not pitching particularly well while he was recovering.  Finally, all the way back from surgery, Vogelsong spent all of 2004 in the majors. He appeared in 31 games, 26 as a starter, and allowed 10 hits per nine IPs, 4.5 BB/9 and only struck out 6.2 batters per nine.

That was it for him as a starter for the Pirates. He’d appear in 64 games over the next two seasons and not exhibit much promise.  After 2006, he played in Japan for three years and came back stateside in 2010 to pitch poorly for the Angels and Phillies in AAA.  Then the Giants signed him in 2011. He pitched incredibly well in just 11.1 AAA innings, and with a little luck, got the call. Since then he has done nothing but be exceptional: 2.67 BB/9, 7.3 K/9, i.e. a 2.74 K:BB rate. He has allowed only 66 hits in 77.2 IPs.  Sure, he’s been the benefit of some good bounces (83.1% strand rate and .262 BABIP), but he has allowed only a 17.8% line drive rate and is racking up the ground balls (45.2%).

You can flip a coin between his performance and Chris Carpenter rest of the way. I’ll take Vogelsong, as a final line will look a lot like: 3.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 7.30 K/9. What a story.

Jacoby Ellsbury – Remember way back to 2010 when some fantasy baseball writers thought Ellsbury was easily a top 10 performer? You don’t? Was your memory erased by his putrid .192/.241/.244 line with just seven steals?

While a lot of that had to do with a crippling early injury, Ellsbury was a bit of a black sheep heading into 2011. I wanted to like him, I just didn’t want to be ridiculed again.  Well, I do own him everywhere – I really thought his sixth round price tag was a steal. He now sits with a .296/.357/.450 line with nine homers and 25 steals. Carl Crawford, eat your heart out.

Realistically, what I saw in Ellsbury pre-2010 was the ability to put up prolific SB numbers while profiling to add high teens HRs. I see virtually nothing to suggest his career year will not continue for years to come. He could push 20 HRs and 50 SBs, he’ll likely fall short of both, but when we think about “this year’s Carlos Gonzalez” it has to be Jacoby Ellsbury.

Ian Kennedy – Unlike most ball players, things started out rosy for Kennedy, the 21st overall pick in 2006. He acquitted himself quite well in his first season in the minors in 2007: 1.91 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 5.6 H/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 10 K/9 across A, AA and AAA ball. In 34.2 innings at AAA, he struck out 34 batters and walked just 11.  He earned the call to the major league squad and pitched a darn impressive 19 innings, including winning his major league debut.

Unfortunately, baseball is never that kind. His beginning to 2008 in the majors went horrible. After his start on May 27, he had a 7.41 ERA and was placed on the DL. After coming off the DL, he was dispatched to the minor leagues, where he again dominated.

Then, at the beginning of the 2009 season, Kennedy was diagnosed with an aneurysm under his right armpit (gross) and had surgery in May. Between the majors and minors, he’d get just 23 innings in. Then, in December, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In his 310.2 IPs for the DBacks, Kennedy has a 3.51 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 7.5 H/9, 2.9 BB/9 and 7.7 K/9 rates. After allowing a .256 average on balls in play last year, Kennedy is at it again with a .264 mark this year.

While his line drive rate is slightly elevated this year, his ground ball rate has gone up with it and his walk rate has gone down. I don’t think he’ll flirt with a sub-3.00 ERA all year, but he should sit comfortable around 3.25 with a very palatable WHIP and at least 70 more Ks.

I usually like to wait a couple of months into the season to look at some of the catchers that couldn’t throw out your grandma even if she loses the tennis balls off her walker.  (What is the deal with those tennis balls?  I feel like that’s the kinda nonsense thing that would have a Facebook Fan Page.  Everyone who likes tennis balls on walkers!  Yay!  BTW, what did people do before Facebook?  Oh, yeah, Myspace.  BTW II, The Return of BTW, is there anything sadder than getting an email from Friendster.  Hey, come check out the new Friendster!  Sure, as soon as I get on the internet with this dial-up modem.)  Or some of the catchers that are quite agile — hey, it’s Italian!  I wait a few months because new catchers come into the league and I like to see a decent sample size — that’s what she said!  Anyway, here’s some of the best and worst catchers for fantasy baseball:

The Bad

Jonathan Lucroy – Has only thrown out 6 baserunners out of 33.  And he doesn’t even get to try and throw out Prince Fielder.  “Pretend 2nd base is a vegan muffin…Now run!”

John Jaso – 7 caught out of 35.  And John Jaso Jingleheimer Schmidt doesn’t have to try and throw out Upton.

Rod Barajas – He’s pretty tizzerrible, but Dioner, his backup, is less so.  And less Jaso, for that matter.

A.J. Pierzynski – The most runners have tried to go on A.J. outside of McCann.  From my two years in Kenya, I can tell you runners are total gossipers and they probably talk about how you can run on A.J.

Josh Thole – This post is an asset for short schedule days when you pick up a guy for one day to try and score a steal.  Thole, like Barajas, makes that hard because his backup is good at throwing out runners.

Jason Varitek/Jarrod Saltymochachino – The above comment for Thole doesn’t hold weight with this dynamic duo.  You, eating the Cheetos and scratching your underarm?  You could steal on these two.

Eli Whiteside – Eli doesn’t like to catch people stealing.  He likes to guilt them into not doing it.

The Good

Lou Marson – 13 caught, 14 allowed.  While Carlos Santana isn’t smooth at throwing out runners, you do not run on Lou Marson.  His last name anagrams to No Arms, but that shizz is a misnomer.

Ivan Rodriguez – 9 caught, 10 allowed.  Hey, maybe Boras can get him another $5 million now.

Wilson Ramos – Though Boras will have to try with another team, because Ramos is just as nasty — 12 caught, only 16 allowed.

Matt Wieters – 18-for-46.  Too bad that’s never his batting line over a week.

Adam Lind – I meant to write about Lind a few weeks ago, but then he got hurt. Still, I’d be remiss if I went through this series without discussing the topsy-turvy career of the Blue Jays’ 2004 3^rd round draft pick.

Lind has destroyed pitching throughout his minor league career (he batted under .300 once (.299 in just 190 plate appearances in 2007). His career minor league line is .320/.382/.512. His career AAA numbers are even better (.333/.406/.525). It is not hard, therefore, to understand why he was always a highly touted prospect.

After dominating AAA in his first promotion, the Jays gave him a cup of coffee at the end of 2006. He didn’t disappoint (.367/.415/.600) in 65 plate appearances. He did have 12 Ks to just five walks, but there was significant cause for optimism.

Of course progression in baseball is rarely linear. What goes up often comes down. In his first extended taste of major league pitching in 2007, Lind hit just .238/.278/.400, struggling mightily against lefties (.194/.243/.299). Lind was demoted back to Syracuse in July, where he proceeded to destroy minor league pitching.

The following season, Lind flashed a little promise by hitting .282/.316/.439. That OBP, however, simply does not play for a DH masquerading as a corner outfielder/first baseman. Lind was, it seemed, destined to be a AAAA player – a guy with tremendous AAA ability who just can’t handle the Bigs.

And then 2009 happened. Over the course of the season, Lind hit .305/.370/.562 and he smacked the ball around the yard prodigiously (35 HRs and 46 doubles). He also showed tremendous improvement against lefties (.275/.318/.461). From a fantasy perspective, these numbers appeared trustworthy. While his HR/FB rate was a tad unsustainable, that merely meant he was more of a 28-30 HR guy than 35 HR guy.

Then, as the rock stars say, the bottom fell out. Lind’s 2010 season was, without a doubt, the worst of his career: .237/.287/.425 as he again struggled against lefties (.117/.159/.182). Still, he suffered some bad luck as his BABIP was somewhat in the dumps and his HR/FB rate went way back to pre-2009 rates.

However, the real culprit was a regression in his approach. After getting his swinging and missing under control in 2009, Lind was back to posting a 10+% swinging strike percentage. Obviously, his contact rate went down the tubes (tying a career low in a much bigger sample). It made Lind appear to be a platoon player who should never face lefties and who might hit just 20-25 HRs with a modest average at best. He wasn’t as bad as he was going, but the rates he had posted in 2009 seemed like the high watermark for his career.

Remember: what goes up must go down and vice versa. Lind’s 2011 season has, so far, seen a return to his 2009 potential: he is crushing lefties (.304/.340/.500) and posting a .337/.382/.614 slash line. Sure his BABIP is a bit high (.341), but he is sporting a career high 25.2% line drive rate. Even more important, his HR/FB rate has skyrocketed past 2009’s number to 23.2%. He is back to swinging and missing less and making more contact (and boy what contact!). While this is probably the best stretch of Lind’s career, I don’t think it’s a mirage. When the Astroturf settles, Lind will hit 30 HRs, and bat .300/.355/.540. He’s a great 1b option.

Brandon Morrow – Just five years ago, Morrow was the 5^th overall selection by the Seattle Mariners. He started in the minors in 2006 and pitched pretty well, albeit in 32 innings. He did walk a ton of guys, but his K-rate was tantalizing.

He actually broke spring training with the club in 2007 and pitched well in relief (as well as someone can with a 7.11 BB/9 rate). He started five games in 2008, but was used mostly as a reliever. Over his 45 appearances (5 starts/40 relief), he cut the walks down and posted a 10.44 K/9 rate. Still, his massive potential (who spends a top 10 pick on a reliever) suggested he would eventually be given a real shot at the rotation. The Mariners gave him ten more starts in 2009, though they also used him in relief for another 16 other games. He was then traded to the Blue Jays for a decent relief pitcher. Whoops.

In 2010, the Blue Jays used Morrow exclusively as a starter, trotting him out to the mound 26 times throughout the season. The early returns weren’t great. In 18 first half starts, he had a 2.36 K/BB rate, 1.46 WHIP and 4.86 ERA. There was potential though.  Specifically, he had 111 Ks in just 100 IPs.

In the second half, Morrow’s numbers got better.  Much better. In 46.1 IPs, Morrow had a 3.53 K/BB rate, 1.21 WHIP and 3.69 ERA. He posted an incredible 13 K/9 rate. On the one hand, Morrow was doing this primarily against the AL East – the most competitive division in baseball. On the other, talent tends to be a bit diluted in the second half, with teams inflating their rosters with prospects in the hopes of separating the AAAA players from the potential future cornerstones.

In 2011, Morrow appears to be doing his best first half 2010 impression: 2.64 K/BB, 1.49 WHIP and 5.63 ERA in 54.1 IPs.

Still, his BABIP is .358 (a decent amount over his .342 number last year). He isn’t striking out fewer batters or walking more. He is struggling with a poor strand rate (60.3%) without the corresponding high HR/FB rate. Color me a Morrow believer. Now is the time to acquire him. We’ve seen him capable of putting together top 20 SP stretches. The Ks will be there regardless, his BABIP will be similar to last year and he should end with an ERA similar to last year as well. It’ll be a fun ride as he gets there.

Justin Masterson – The Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing that Masterson has going on has always made him something of a fantasy conundrum.  I speak, of course, about his split personalities when it comes to batters on opposite sides of the plate. To date, Masterson has allowed a .294/.376/.430 line against lefties and has a meager 1.38 K/BB rate. Against righties, he has allowed a .224/.304/.307 line with a 2.70 K/BB rate.

For him to be anything other than a reliever, he would have to figure out lefties, right? Well, sort of, it appears.

In limited samples this year (229 plate appearances versus a lefty batter, 164 with a righty), Masterson has a 2.21 K/BB rate and allowed a .308/.357/.418 line against lefties. Somewhat shockingly, he has a 1.89 K/BB rate against righties but a .204/.305/.232 slash line allowed. This is extremely odd.

So how is Masterson being so successful (3.16 ERA, 3.20 FIP and 3.71 xFIP) relative to past years? He has a slightly better strand rate than he is used to (but it isn’t crazy out of whack). His BABIP is in line with his career numbers, even though his line drive and contact rates are up and his ground ball and swinging strike rates are down. He has been walking fewer batters than typical, but he’s also not striking out as many guys.

All of that is mostly a wash. The real advantage has been Masterson’s ability to keep the ball in play to date. He has a miniscule 3.9% HR/FB rate compared to double digits for his career. That will change and it will hurt Masterson. He’s not Matt Cain (and even Cain, who really keeps the ball in play, has never had a HR/FB rate under 5.5).

I’m not overly optimistic on Masterson going forward. I don’t think he’ll be useless, but his final line will look like a 3.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 150 Ks. Unless Masterson can get lefties out, he’ll continue to face stacked lineups (which is why he’s faced roughly 200 more lefties than righties in his career).

The other day I looked at the pitchers that were getting lucky for fantasy baseball.  Today, we hold that up to the mirror and see how the other half lives.  Last time I looked at the starters that were being unlucky the list included:  Dempster, Garza, Wood, Liriano, Narveson, Ervin, Gallardo, Daniel Hudson, Bumgarner and Edwin Jackson.  Bumgarner’s ERA went from 4.25 to 3.23; Edwin’s ERA went from 4.53 to 4.39; Hudson’s 4.41 to 3.82; Gallardo’s 5.11 to 3.96; 4.85 to 4.37 for Ervin; Narveson went 4.38 to 4.32; Wood went 5.28 to 5.38; Garza went 4.17 to 3.84 and Dempster went 7.20 to 5.48, i.e., there was only one pitcher who gained in ERA — Travis Wood.   I.E. II, The Return of I.E.:  Everyone did better except one guy.  Anyway, here’s a list of pitchers with the biggest difference between their xFIP and their ERA. (If your guy is on the list, it’s a good sign.  Some would even say you could go out and trade for some of these guys, you educated fantasy baseball owner you!)

Ryan Dempster – 2.17.  Will continue to get better.  Oh, and the two of the three unluckiest pitchers are Cubs.  Blame Bartman!  (BTW, there were some pitchers I left off of here that came with xFIPs that were better than their ERAs, but still terrible.  Javier Vazquez come to mind.)

Chris Volstad – 1.96.  Harumph, where did that name come from, huh?  His K-rate is 6.72, which isn’t terrible, and his K to BB ratio recently has been solid.  Worth a shot in deeper leagues to see if he can right the ship and leave a few more men on base and stop having balls go through.

Matt Garza – 1.54.  He has the 4th best xFIP in the league.  Right after Halladay, Hamels and Cliff Lee.  Maybe the Phils will trade for him.

Chris Carpenter – 1.05.  I’ve spent a lot of energy on Razzball talking about how I don’t like Carpenter, so I won’t bore myself by rehashing.  Instead, I’ll bore myself by talking about how I won’t rehash it.  If you can get Carp on the cheap, it’s worth considering, he’s not a mid-4 ERA pitcher.

Chris Narveson – 0.98.  Has a real nice K-rate and his xFIP is below 3.50.  The walks kinda drive me crazy though.  If he’s on waivers, it’s worth a shot.

Derek Holland – 0.89.  I really don’t like messing with Texas pitchers.  I wouldn’t like to sit in the stands in 100 degree heat, let alone play in it.  Now get off my lawn!

Ubaldo Jimenez – 0.80.  Jackie Chiles thinks his walks have been egregious, and his K-rate has been down.  On the more positive side, he’s not a mid-4 ERA pitcher, but closer to a mid-3 guy.