I’ve Got a Sinking Feeling…
April 08, 2009
Category: Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes
What are two things that Edinson Volquez, Chien-Mien Wang, Fausto Carmona, and Mike Pelfrey have in common?
One is they all throw 90+ MPH sinkers.
The second is that none got an out in the 6th inning nor gave up less than 4 runs or 9 baserunners.
Blech.
It’s way too early to change pre-season opinions on pitchers so here’s my POV on this quartert. Volquez is the only one of the four that has shown the ability to K batters. A sinkerball pitcher who can K is a great combination. See Kevin Brown or Brandon Webb. A healthy Alex Gonzalez will definitely help him this year. His lack of control will keep his WHIP a bit inflated but I think he’ll be a solid #2 pitcher. As for the other three, they are all okay as back of the rotation starters in mixed leagues but I wouldn’t be afraid to sit them if they have a bad matchup (sat Carmona today in Texas – whew). And you’re going to see an ugly box score now and then when those sinkers aren’t working….
In other news….
Brandon Webb – Set to miss one start with a stiff shoulder. I’ll tell you what wasn’t stiff upon hearing that news…..
Brandon Inge – 3 days. 3 HRs. More like Brandon Binge! Part of me wants to suggest to purge him once the binging is done but, honestly, he’s a catcher with 25 HR potential and maybe 7 SBs (got one today). Suck up the average and enjoy the bargain price.
Geovany Soto – Set to miss a couple games with a sore shoulder. I’ll tell you what was also sore upon hearing that news….
Raul Ibanez – Broke out in his 3rd game as a Phillie with 2-3 with a HR, 3 R, and 3 RBI. He’s been underrated for a while but I think he may finally be a bit overrated. Always beware the hitter who changes leagues. It might not be a coincidence his HR came off AL transplant Javier Vazquez.
Chipper Jones – Missed today’s game with a bruised thumb. I’ll tell you what wasn’t surprising in any way whatsoever….
Dexter Fowler – Led off the game with his first career home run. Take that Jordan Schafer! I still wouldn’t touch him in anything short of a 15 team mixed league. They’ve got too many solid OFs in Colorado. They’ll let Fowler start against lefties but he’ll have to beat out Spilby or hope for injuries if he’s to get enough ABs (450+) to justify owning in a 10 or 12 team mixed league. I’m expecting them to trade an outfielder by the All-Star Break. My vote is for Brad Hawpe (there’s too much OF in Coors for his crappy defense to cover).
Jordan Schafer – Hit his 2nd HR. Take that Dexter Fowler! I don’t see him sustaining this power but, unlike Fowler, he’s slotted for 500+ ABs. If he’s available in your league, I’d take a flier on him.
Freddy Sanchez – My favorite late draft pick MI is on fire. 8 for 14 with 2 doubles and a HR. Big difference from the 1st half of last year when he was nursing a bad shoulder and people were calling him ‘Dirty’ or Freddy Sanchez-Vicario. I can see him staying hot all first half and then getting traded to a contender like Xavier Nady did last year.
Zack Greinke – 6 innings, 0 ER, 6 baserunners, 7 Ks. Nothing would surprise me with this guy. I could just as easily see a Cy Young Award as I could a regression. This article on him does nothing to sway me in either direction.
Elvis Andrus - Elvis has left the building. Before the season, I was tempted to start a HR-less suicide pool where you see whose pick can go longest without a HR. I didn’t get through all the logistics on how to make sure people only picked starters. Anyway, Cesar Izturis and Elvis Andrus would’ve definitely been in my top 10 and they’ve both gone yard in the first 3 days. Go figure. Enough with the power flaunting, Elvis. Get running!
Nelson Cruz – 2 HRs and a SB. If Grey didn’t have the night off, I’m sure he’d link to one of his gazillion pre-season sleeper posts.
Brian Moehler – 1.2 IP, 7 ER. You, sir, are the MVP so far in Fantasy Razzball! Congratulations. The Astros staff is Roy then Wandy then abstain like Ghandi.
Tags: Brandon Inge, Brandon Webb, Brian Moehler, Chien-Mien Wang, Chipper Jones, Dexter Fowler, Edinson Volquez, Elvis Andrus, fantasy baseball, Fausto Carmona, Freddy Sanchez, Geovany Soto, Jordan Schafer, Mike Pelfrey, Nelson Cruz, Raul Ibanez, Zack Greinke
April 9th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Wang was a free agent in my league and I was gonna plug him in for a start against the harmless Orioles. I was bored last night & did a bit of reasearch and realized that just about every one of Baltimores players hit about .350 off good old Ching.
Jurrjens pitched well against Phillies yesterday. Do you think he will be worh a damn from here on out or was it just a mirage?
April 9th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Gaa… I had Cruz on the bench today.
How do you guys think I should approach my OF/UTIL situation?
I have Holliday, Abreu, Hart, and Cruz for OF, and Delgado for UTIL (Votto’s at 1B). Of those five first guys, who should I start on most days?
April 9th, 2009 at 1:01 am
3 OF spots, sorry didnt clarify
April 9th, 2009 at 1:53 am
I pulled the chute on Wang after the game, and gots me sum Guthrie.He virtually has to win almost 20 games to have any value.He might be worth a booty call from time to time though
April 9th, 2009 at 4:36 am
here’s hoping schafer’s not just pulling a burriss/izturis. I need a very Nadylike performance from him at this point
great writeup on wang et al, Rudy. I always like to hear about the things behind the numbers.
and…. does anyone else have a negative score in FRL? Salty, Rowand, Span et al seem to have forgotten the team motto
@Emporers Monkey: I think Jurrjens is solid. I doubt he gets in more than 25 starts this year b/w injuries (he had a big pitch spike last year) and competition (the Braves have like 8 potential starters) but I think he’s a startable pitcher in any format.
@Doug Ault: I don’t blame you. I do think Wang will find his rhythm at some point this year but his value is highly win dependent. I’ve never been 100% comfortable with Guthrie in 10/12 team mixed – prefer an NL starter for the back of the rotation. But he’s generally been solid. Just sit him during the ‘no brainer’ matchups (@TEX, @BOS, @NYY).
@cockyphoenix: I just got out of the negative yesterday in FRL based on the Razztastic performances of Doug Davis and Todd Wellemeyer. Brandon Inge is killing me this week….
April 9th, 2009 at 5:25 am
My Razz staff last night: Blanton and Moehler combine for 14 ER in 5.2 IP. Huzzah!
Plus, 3 Ws from my real staff (C-Bills, Gallardo, Slowey) even if Slowey was a bit razztastic…
April 9th, 2009 at 5:35 am
@Emporers Monkey: frickin wang and lyon this week have effffff’ed me! Wish I knew the Orioles have ROCKED wang inthe past, guess i didn’t do enough research…
and I dont throw Jurjjens because he’s vs. Philly in Philly and he throws a great game… This is not my week pitching wise. On the other hand the offense is stroking the ball. Damn you pitching!
April 9th, 2009 at 5:37 am
I was trying to get Cruz from his owner on the cheap early. So much for that. Now he’s officially overrated. Might as well not even bother asking for him.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:44 am
victorino batted in the 2 hole last night, love that dude
cano 2-4? He might actually hit in april this year? WhAt?!
April 9th, 2009 at 5:47 am
@Rudy Gamble: perez tough on lefties,but pitching in cinncy,would you trust him today,going against bronsonitis
@Baron Von Vulturewins: Awesome.
@Tony: Those two have gotten me in a league each…WAGNOF and SAGNOF…
@Frank Rizzo: Yup.
@AL KOHOLIC: How can one ever trust Oliver Perez? Might as well flip a coin on this one. I guess I’d take a shot but would rather have someone else on waivers…
April 9th, 2009 at 6:00 am
@Rudy Gamble: WORD: whats up with the white sox? Especially Quentin and Alexie? I man crushed on both, couldn’t manage to draft either, and now i’m thinking attempt to buy low?
I still see Quentin as a beast, he’ll hit. And alexie batting in the 8 hole? Thats just stoopid ozzie!
@Tony: I like both of them. Any owner dumb enough to trade them at a discount should be your trading partner.
April 9th, 2009 at 6:21 am
@anyone: Should I stroll Parra out there today against SF or keep him reserved and monitor? He has stellar numbers versus them…
2-0 18 innings 22 K’s 4 Walks 15 Hits
April 9th, 2009 at 6:25 am
@dg: I think you need to rotate between Abreu, Hart, and Delgado depending on what you are looking for. Hart and Abreu should be used if you need to bone up on some steals, Delgado if you are looking for more in the power variety and don’t care about average. Holliday is an everyday player.
April 9th, 2009 at 6:29 am
20-man league… I followed Grey’s advice and punted the catcher position, getting Gerald Laird with my very last pick. Brandon Inge is sitting on the waiver wire as of now. In a normal situation, I would have picked him up the moment he hit his first HR. However, I’m limited to only 20 pickups for the year.
What should I do?
April 9th, 2009 at 6:31 am
How did you get my pitching staff to all pose together like that for the picture above? Volquez, Verlander, Myers, Wang, Bedard going down with the ship!
April 9th, 2009 at 6:31 am
@Tony B.: I’m starting him. Although that attitude has gotten me CC’d and Wanged thus far.
April 9th, 2009 at 6:32 am
@NoonTime: Bedard is going to be good this year. Mark p0rk’s words. The rest of the guys . . . blech. I can see how you justify Volquez, Myers, and Wang but what was going on with Verlander?
April 9th, 2009 at 6:43 am
@pork burn: So far I’ve started Wainwright, Nolasco, Lincecum, Billingsley, and Lohse. Who would have thought Lohse’s numbers would be helping me this week????
April 9th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Thoughts on spot-starting Shawn Hill in petco?
April 9th, 2009 at 6:58 am
If you think Pelfrey is just another low-K, wingobbler from NYC you’d be Wang. He pitched fantastic after the first. Dominated, yes dominated, in the second half last year. And his next three starts are shaping up to be SD, Milwaukee and the Nats. If people in your league bail on him, I suggest taking the proverbial flier.
FWIW, I picked up Parra for a spot start against the Giants today. Should get the lesser lineup in the night/day back to backer.
April 9th, 2009 at 6:59 am
@Tony B.: I’m going to chalk it up to the usual early season jitters. The good players haven’t hit their stride and the bad players haven’t remembered they suck yet.
Seems like a common refrain has been “my team is 0/32 this week!” Give it some time and things will come around. I hope. Otherwise my teams are screwed.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:13 am
Is there a razzball term for what happened to me last night? I started Gallardo and the Unit, only to watch in horror as Gallardo took Unit deep for three runs. It would sure be nice if you got your pitcher’s stats when they do something like that…
April 9th, 2009 at 7:16 am
@willclarkismyhero: hoisted by your own Bedard.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:20 am
yeah the unit got ga-yard-oed
April 9th, 2009 at 7:26 am
@ willclark
It’s called getting “pitchslapped”
RTG
April 9th, 2009 at 7:29 am
@nmdunkel: pitchslapped, NICE
@willclarkismyhero: Matter o’ fact we do:
Pitchslapped – When the opposing pitcher hits a home run off your pitcher. “Damn! Carlos Zambrano pitchslapped another one of my starters!” “I can’t believe Brett Myers gave up a homer to the other pitcher. Though, if anyone deserved to be pitchslapped, it’s him.
”@cubbies299: It’s a bit early to be spot starting. I think Shawn Hill might post one of those 3.60 ERA / 1.80 WHIP lines….if you want it, go ahead…
@PhillyYorker: Not sold on Pelfrey but would definitely start him against SD and the Nats….
April 9th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Projection systems can’t account for Greinke going through the issues he did. I’m willing to just throw 2005 out the window, for better or worse.
Imagine if he had Tommy John in 2005/2006, maybe he’d be an injury risk, but wouldn’t his projections be outstanding?
April 9th, 2009 at 7:41 am
@ will/dunkel
I’ve thought it might be fun to have SP offensive bonus points or like when a Molina hits a triple.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:41 am
@phillyyorker: pelfrey is a gobbler alright, but no one said anything ’bout wins
April 9th, 2009 at 7:42 am
BTW, Unit was pitchslapped for the first time in his career last night.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:46 am
Not sure about spot-starting Hill (i’m spotting with Parra) but I respectfully disagree with the notion that it’s too early to spot start. Pitchers typically have an advantage early in the season, so I reason that spot starts are best at the beginning of the season. I typically hit the innings limit before the end of the season, and it is rough helplessly watching people catch up to you but a stat is a stat is a stat. If you think you can get better stats now rather than in June or August, why not do it?
Off topic: Caught the Sox-Rays game on ESPN2 last night. Ellsbury looks lost at the plate. Not good for my keeper team since I kept him over Ichiro. Hopefully, my late round addition of CocoCrisps will pick up the slack.
@PhillyYorker: Well, I suppose it depends on who you’re spot starting. I think Parra is roster-worthy so I don’t consider that a spot start. Hill, on the other hand, isn’t worth owning in 10-12 team mixed leagues yet. I have no idea how he’s going to pitch. I don’t like doing spot starts blindly like that. Later in the year, you have some data/performance to make decisions on….
April 9th, 2009 at 7:51 am
@Probable Party Starter: Someone should start an Improbable Occurrences League. If one of your guys turns an unassisted triple play, you win for the year.
@Rudy Gamble: Pitchslapped. Brilliant.
@AL KOHOLIC: Ga-yard-oed. Also very good. The Razzboard is rising to the occasion.
@Greywhereeveryouare: My stupid plan to sit Prince and start GoodFace paid off. Votto went yard — very nice. I hope Bonifacio keeps this up because I need to flip him quick and rid myself of these daily lineup dilemmas.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:52 am
Start Inge or Shoppach today?
Inge: against a LHP from Toronto
Shoppach: catching Pavano, against RHP from Tex.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:52 am
Gotcha Rudy. Yeah, I’m surprised Parra is available in my 13 team 6×6 league.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:57 am
Should I start Brett Anderson and Rick Porcello today?
April 9th, 2009 at 8:03 am
@ichirosan
I do not think that punting catchers really works in the league with Max moves only because of the situation like yours. Punting a position during draft automatically puts u in a position to shuffle players in and out and that gets difficult with a limit on roster moves.
I am in the same situation right now, but I did not draft my team (autodraft). I am now stuck with Ramon Hernandez as my C
April 9th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Sad news. TMZ is reporting that last night’s Angels’ starter Nick Adenhart was killed in a hit and run after last night’s game. He had the potential to be good. Very day.
R.I.P.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Pardon me. Very sad day.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:12 am
want to take a flier on cameron.
out of the following, which do i dump – Maybin, Delmon Young, Travis Snider, Adam Lind?
April 9th, 2009 at 8:16 am
@PhillyYorker:
Wow. Just read the article. Unreal.
@PhillyYorker: Wow. That’s horrible about Nick Adenhart. Awful.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:25 am
@Denys: Don’t drop Maybin for a flyer on Cameron unless you are looking for the 15-20 HRs Cameron might give you. Maybin has better upside as far as steals and Cameron’s average is, as the kids say, the suck. If you really want to drop someone for Mike C out of that group I’d go with Delmon Young or Snider, but I’m not really encouraging you to pick him up.
@Denys: I like Maybin best. The other three are all crapshoots…I like Delmon Young least of the three…but not sure on Lind’s playing time…
April 9th, 2009 at 8:31 am
As an Angels fan, but more importantly, as a human being, I am crushed by this news.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:33 am
No bosses, mind-numbing project, work is killing me today. Will the 12:30 games never start?!?!?!
April 9th, 2009 at 8:41 am
pick up scot shields, drop Burriss? I have Fontenot at 2B.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:44 am
@Baron Von Vulturewins: slowey has been the gem of my razzteam thus far, representing the sole reason my negative score isn’t triple digits.
@Rudy Gamble: hahaha hadn’t seen pitchslapped yet. nice
@AL KOHOLIC: haha
April 9th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Just heard about Adenhart on ESPN. 30 years after Lyman Bostok’s senseless killing. Adenhart was their top prospect and won his first game last night. Sad news.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Cruz, you sonovabench! Oh well, Moehler and Scott Olsen on my razzball team have me feeling all warm inside.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:00 am
@Willie_Canate: Sadly, the Angels bullpen choked away the lead he left, so he actually did not get the win.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Wow. That’s horrible news about Adenhart. Poor kid. That’s really sad.
I wonder if they cancel tonight’s game in light of these circumstances.
Awful.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:03 am
@ Willie, I had him on my radar and was secretly pulling for him to bring some stability to the Halo staff this April. Heavy hearts in Angel-land today.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:04 am
@cockyphoenix: You have Slowey on your Razzteam! You are now my sworn enemy. We are at cross-purposes, sir!
Speaking of people I hope will Razz while others hope they will dazzle, both Kearns and Weeks are hurting me this week. Plus, I left O-Cab and his 1-for-13 week on my bench! I will get the hang of this game yet.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:07 am
@Baron Von Vulturewins: O.Cab is such a bastard that even when you need him to suck he finds a way to screw you.
Razzball is the only place O.Cab belongs. Why would you ever bench him?
April 9th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Wheeler or Balfour? I’m going to a rock a middle reliever which one should I go with?
April 9th, 2009 at 9:17 am
@p0rk burn: I am only now realizing that ABs mean a lot. So you want bad guys who play rather than really bad guys who sit.
And you don’t want really, really bad guys who get sent down to AAA before the season starts, which describes half my draft.
I’m still hoping that Chavez gets hurt in Oakland so we can witness the return of Jack “The Mad Hacker” Hannahan. I’ve got him stashed on my bench waiting for the call-up, like a Bizarro World Matt Weiters.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:20 am
@p0rk burn: I also have never played in a weekly transactions league before. I like how, in Razzball, if one of your starters gets hot — like Bonifacio — you just have to sit and watch all week. And squirm.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:24 am
@Baron Von Vulturewins: Ouch, you really have him going this week? Right about the time he gets useful for you is when I’m looking to flip him for a middle of the rotation pitcher.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Brutal news about Adenhart.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:29 am
@Baron Von Vulturewins: i wouldn’t play in anything other than a daily league! I have one weekly league (just because it happened that way) its nice if you’re lazy and like setting it on sundy, but if you’re a real “fantasy baseballer” daily leagues are where its at…. its supposed to be about competition right?
April 9th, 2009 at 9:31 am
@Tony: Agreed — my regular money league is daily. Daily, baby!
@p0rk burn: No, I don’t have Bonifacio in Razz. My Razzheadaches this week are Nyjer Morgan, Kearns and Weeks, to an extent. I also have a bunch of dumb-asses who aren’t getting any ABs, like John McDonald. Come on, Toronto! Don’t you know how bad he is!
April 9th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Rudy,Uehara looked great last night minus the k`s,and Porcello going tonight,u like either of them ?
@Tony: I’ve found having a mix of daily and weekly leagues is best. Takes a little less pressure off knowing you don’t have to change rosters each day. For Fantasy Razzball, there would be just so much day-to-day churn of rosters that it rewards the active too much. But for deep leagues, daily changes is fine as there’s less day-to-day roster churn b/c the free agent pool is weak…
April 9th, 2009 at 9:42 am
@Rudy Gamble: THats true, i kinda like my one weekly league because i’m in two other daily leagues! Its a 162 game grind for the players and us!
April 9th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Apparently Gallardo was the first pitcher to ever hit a HR off the Big Unit. Ever! Wild.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Absolutely stunning news about Adenhart. Takes a while to sink in the tragedy of it all.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Odalis is mowing down the reds so far
April 9th, 2009 at 10:20 am
@Tony: wanted to start him,but couldnt pull the trigger,damn
April 9th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Church just doubled in 2 more…. is he worth owning? I know he’s on the wire in my league. He was pretty solid last year except he got a concussion right?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:26 am
“The Astros staff is Roy then Wandy then abstain like Ghandi.”
That’s one of the reasons that I read you with my morning coffee. Great stuff, Rudy.
On the other hand, I am very saddened about Adenbart.
As i have Volk and Pelfrey on a number of rosters, (and Fausto on one as well,) my ERA and WHIP are not in very good shape. But Mike only got Pelfted in the 1st inning. He seemed nervous, and had control issues. After the first, he battled like a warrior. Volquez also had control issues. I believe that both of them will be fine. As another blogger stated, Pelfrey had great stats in the second half last year. And Volquez but sucuumbed to tired hard endemic to all pitchers on Dusty’s staff. He is the next Pedro. Count on it.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:32 am
RE: Wheeler or Balfour? I’m going to a rock a middle reliever which one should I go with?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Rasmus gets another start today, this time in CF as Ankiel rides the pine…
Am I the only one who thinks this kid could turn into a Sizemore???
April 9th, 2009 at 10:36 am
votto just changed my tune on perez,reds up 4-3
April 9th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Anyone watching Porcello? Seems to me he could have a Fausto ‘07 type year.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:58 am
@Rudy: What are your thoughts on Mr. Billy Butler?
April 9th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Burnett looks dope. Let’s trade CC to MIL for My-vani. Yanks could use the pop.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:22 am
@AL KOHOLIC: Votto!
That’s 2 donks and 7 ribbies in two games, and counting. I feel like I just won the Votto Lotto.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:24 am
@Baron Von Vulturewins: VOTTO LOTTO baby! I love it…. I am only hoping this is a sign of good things to come.
And yeah ODALIS just got whomped on…..
April 9th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Bittersweet watching Votto destroy my Mets but help 5 of my teams.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:28 am
@Tony: Good things to come? They’re happening right now, baby! Gotta love the good Toronto boy.
@jsp2014: That’s the blessing/curse of fantasy baseball. Thankfully, years ago I decided to get the baseball-fan part of my heart surgically removed, so now I am a cold mercenary with a tiny black hole where my heart should be, who only roots for my current fantasy employees.
Now hopefully Phillips and Bruce will get in on the Mets-whomping fun.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:30 am
@Baron Von Vulturewins: p.s. am I the only one who thinks Dusty should have pinch-hit for Bronson there?
Two on, two outs, up four, Bronson’s given you a shaky five IP. Go for the jugular, Dusty!
I guess Dusty figured Bronson hadn’t thrown the obligatory 135 pitches yet.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:37 am
wow someone just dropped joe mauer in my 12team h2h league. i have the number 2 waiver and my C is ramon hernandez ugh. im not sure if i should use it now b/c of the questionable owners in the league and dont want to miss out on another star being dropped. what do u think?
April 9th, 2009 at 11:57 am
@Ross: You can’t bet on a player like that being dropped again. Who do you really think is next, A-Rod because he might take a few more weeks? As much as I hate Mauer (and am pissed he ended up on 2 out of 3 teams this year) I think your waiver claim won’t be better used down the road.
Pick him up, he’s coming back soon, and he’ll give you that sweet, sweet average with nothing else along with it.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I’m thinking of swapping backup OF, Young exiting for Lind. Is Lind that good, or are Le Tigres arms that bad? Is Young that mercurial, or are the Rocks that good?
April 9th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I watched Adenhart pitch last night, 22, life is fleeting.I’m not so pissed at Webb anymore, we all need perspective sometimes.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Carl Pavano had a razztastic inning of work, 6 hits, 9 ER, 2HR, 3BB, and 1K! Wow – i’m speechless…
April 9th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
on the day I start Inge and bench Shoppach. What do they do? Inge goes 0 fer, Shoppach hits solo home run.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
anyone watching r. ohlendorf today? how does his stuff look?
April 9th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
@Ross: A waiver claim not used is wasted. Use it and use it often. While the rest of the league is fretting over whether they should pick Mauer with their waiver over and over again, you pick up solid guys who can help your team.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
@Zebo:I had a roster spot open and decided to scoop Shoppach as insurance for Soto last night,……….oh happy day
April 9th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
@BKK: Agreed!
April 9th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
@Tony: Haha, come on. Just because you prefer daily leagues doesn’t make me less of a “real” fantasy player because I prefer weekly leagues. I like to make my decisions to the best of my ability and squirm all week long as I see my bench guys do well and my starters struggle. There’s a joy in that to me.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Great first outing for Chris carpenter 7in 7k 1h. Be more impressive if it wasn’t against the Pirates.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
@RT: Carpenter was the real stud, no-hitter broken up in the 7th, 7 k’s.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
No Motte in a save situation. Hmmmm..
April 9th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Been preaching closer by committee all offseason, don’t all go out and pick up Reyes now. It means nothin!
April 9th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
@BigFatHippo: Picking up Dennys Reyes wouldn’t be to good for your back either.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Dotel with another three K inning.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
At what point can we panic about Chris Davis? Or set fire to the homes of bloggers who hyped him?
April 9th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Reyes is a lefty. Maybe TLR was just playing matchups?
Anyone riding the Kyle Davies post hype train?
April 9th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
I have a better chance of closing for the O’s than Ray. Even with holds in my league, he’s not worth the slow drag on my WHIP and ERA. Dropped him for Corey Wade.
Chris Davis, where have you gone?
April 9th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Chris Davis is positively brutal right now. 3 K’s today alone, 5 total so far in 3 games, and 1 hit on the year. Just awful. Meet my bench Davis.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
….and Jay Bruce isn’t a whole hell of a lot better.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
@PhillyYorker: @Frank Rizzo: This is what Davis does. He’s going to whiff a whole lot and bat .250 or slightly better, but when he does connect it has a good shot of going out. You can’t really bench him until he heats up because its going to be flashes of power scattered around days like today.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
@p0rk burn: I am regretting dropping Dotel now in the RCL – Latin 9, but I had to move him for some more scrubs in my pathetic outfield.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I have Alexei Ramirez and Chris Davis in a league and Im wondering if I should sell them b/c it looks like there numbers are suffering b/c they are batting 7th. Should I wait it out and see if lineups change or trade them before people realize they wont have a good year?
please help
April 9th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
@G: if you want to get any value during the first couple weeks of the season, your guy pretty much has to have a huge name or big early stats. I wouldn’t move either of those guys until they heat up or at least show a flash of their potential.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
So do you think there is any chance of them either putting up solid stats at the 7th or moving to a better lineup spot? I hate when this happens I wasnt expecting either to be 7th in the order when i drafted them
April 9th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
@G I can see Alexei moving up in that order, the top of the white sox lineup isn’t too hot, just wait it out like I am. It’s only day 5, if he’s still struggling in a few weeks, then we both will have some problems.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
@G: Alexei should be fine, hes a young player playing for a crazy manager, but he has the talent and skills needed to produce. Davis shouldnt be surprising you with what he’s doing, he’ll hit his numbers but you can’t expect him to be mashing out of the gates.
Making any trade overtures now will just show your leaguemates you are panicked. If they are smart they’d remember that and any chance of getting value for either player down the road will be shot.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Triple A Opening Day
Uber Prospect Tommy Hanson
10K/2BB in 4.1 IP
Get on dat train man.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
@p0rk burn: Panic, who me. I am just swirling here in the cesspool of the RCL fishing for a hit.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Is there any fanatsy difference between Luke Scott and Chase Headley?
April 9th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Do you think Alexei’s knee is bothering at the plate him from that gash he got a couple weeks back, he is something like 0/10?
Do think Ozzie’s mind games are negatively affecting his confidence at the plate?
Certainly, Ozzie’s pissing around with the lineup has back-fire huge. AJ and Getz – 0/8 combined today. Wise is 0/infinity. Not sure he has received an hit out of his top two spots in their first three games.
Meanwhile Alexei is lanquishing in the 8 spot. What a mess!
April 9th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
%BKK – i am the guy who picked up Dotel in the Latin 9. I noticed his strikeout ratio last year while looking up MR for a league of mine which counts holds. I now own him in several leagues. If anything happens to Jenks, he da man.
A final word about Sinker Pitchers. A Alog called No Doubt About it did a rather comprehensive study of sinker pitchers, and especially focused on Wang, as he has a rather strange set of statistical anomalies which, according to the authors, have not been duplicated successfully in the entire history of baseball. Observing 90 pitchers in the majors who have enough innings to qualify, Wang is 90th in strikeout rate, 25th in walk rate, 1st in home run rate, and 3rd in groundball percentage. And he won 20 games that year. He has a low BABIT, but that could be explained in that he throws almost nothing but sinkers, and gets a great deal of ground balls and double plays. For fantasy purposes he is ranked low, and should be, as his K and WHIP will always be high, due to his method of pitching. But whether or not his success can last a long time is doubtful, for the authors found no comparable long term success stories in the history of baseball who had a similar cluster of stats.
April 9th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
@Paulie Allnuts: You’re welcome…enjoy.
re: Davis — It’s still early, but remember this guy K’d more than Dunn in the minors. (Without the walks.)
April 9th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Hey, who you taking a flier on, Asdrubal Cabrera, Chris Duncan, Inge, Ohlendorf or Davies in the wake of his gem. I read somewhere that Inge has way better stats when he’s not behind the plate… dunno if that’s true. Asdrubal’s looking good cuz I have tulo and could use a backup. Plus, a 15/15’s possible I think??
April 9th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Freese/Josh Fields is also an option… sry (but freese isn’t really getting pt)
April 9th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Chris Davis may be letting me down but not my Razztastic pitching. Matt Cain looked really, really good.
@cubbies299: Wow, there’s so many different types of players there. Davies if you need potential upside on pitching. Asdrubal if you need a backup at MI. Fields if you need a backup at Utility or 3rd.
@Frank Rizzo: Did you have Pavano? Wow, what a start.