Saul Rivera, who is surprisingly not related to Eli Whiteside, was acquired by the Diamondbacks. Big shakes, huh? Yeah, Rivera could get into the mix for saves. Another potential candidate for saves is… Wait for it… Here it comes… It’s here somewhere… Where are my notes… Oh, here they are… That’s my freakin’ shopping list, and I didn’t even spell minestrone right… Oh, here… Aaron Heilman! Not sure how the D-Backs are going to have a bullpen of Saul and Heilman. Sounds like the outtakes for Schlinder’s List. Saul walks 3 batters and turns the game over to Heilman. Heilman enters and says, “I pardon you, Saul.” Heilman will probably get exploited for being, well, not so good and having small fingers, but Qualls is close to getting removed from the closer role. Right now, Heilman’s the setup man and he gave up a run yesterday. The Diamondbacks also dropped Bob Howry. Why? Because. Oh, and there’s Juan Gutierrez. That’s not a closerousel, THIS IS A CLOSEROUSEL! I’d own Qualls and Heilman. Gutierrez and I, we’re like Kramer vs.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Hank Blalock
In September, Nick Markakis hit a wall like Super Dave Osbourne. For the month, he’s currently ranked behind Grady Sizemore (who hasn’t played since September 3rd), Cory Sullivan and Justin Maxwell for value amongst outfielders. If those names don’t sound familiar to you, they shouldn’t. They suck. Hold up, Albright. You’re telling people to grab Edwin Encarnacion and drop Markakis?
Please, blog, may I have some more?Hank Blalock was called Mr. September by his manager. I think he meant it as a compliment. Last year, he hit eight homers in 95 ABs in September. This year, batting .360. In the last seven games, it’s up to .400 with 2 homers. Luckily, he’s also playing every game, because he’s the only one hitting for the Rangers, which means he’ll continue to play. If you’re currently rocking an underperforming corner guy try out Blalock. Instead of chewing gum, chew bacon! (BTW, I have a theory why Blalock hits well in September. The Texas summer tires the Rangers hitters out. By September, they’re done, except for Blalock because he never plays a full season. So this theory would make even more sense if Blalock’s other good month is April. Yup, checks out. In the last three years, April’s his 2nd best month. Check. Mate.) Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Bronson Arroyo – 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners. Guitar Arroyo continues to roll in the 2nd half. Hopefully, I don’t have to field too many questions in March from people asking if they should draft Arroyo in 2010. You should not. I’m all for grabbing him next July though.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Eric Young, Jr. was in the September call up post, but it turns out he’s a preemie by a week. Young has so many steals in the minors he’s worth a pickup in every league. How many steals, you ask. Well, I was getting there if you give me a second. In the last four years of the minors, he has 87, 73, 46 and 58 steals, respectively. Or disrespectfully, holy effin hey, are you kidding me? In my never-ending rotation of schmohawks (thanks Beltran!), I dropped Alcides Escobar for Young in one league and chucked Drew Stubbs for him in another. Will Young play every day? Seems doubtful. He has been playing in the outfield for at least a few days and will occasionally spell Barmes — B-A-R-M-E-S. I think he’ll see four to five days a week, but for those needing steals, you know the drill. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Johan Santana – Done for the season. This, and his lackluster (for him) season, might actually help Johan come at a discount in 2010 drafts. I wouldn’t reach for him because I don’t believe in drafting pitchers early, but I could see him falling into the 5th or 6th rounds of early drafts. The reason why I specify early is because once Johan looks good in spring training, he’ll bump up a round or two. Then if Johan looks terrible in March, you’ll want to trade him for Nick Markakis. Oh, and your fly’s open. Don’t ask me how I know.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Stop the press. Who is that? Vicki Vale? Nope. Ricky Romero, Ricky Romero. Yesterday, Romero went 8 IP, 0 ER, 7 Ks with 8 baserunners. Let’s go in the Wayback Machine… Cue dream sequence music, activate wavy screen… Here we are back on April 20th, “(Romero’s) walks are very low (for him), and he’s left a lot of guys on base, so he will see a correction in his future (SMACK!), but his FIP is only 3.86 (now at 4.20). …Might want to try a little R & R.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Royals prospect Luke Hochevar was called up yesterday to replace Sidney Ponson in the rotation. But he’s Aruba’s favorite son! You know who I feel bad for? The Royals caterer. With Ponson out of the rotation, who’s going to eat that side of cow he ordered? Hochevar has been lights out so far in the minors with a .90 ERA, .95 WHIP and 5-0. His 30 Ks in 40 innings is solid, not quite crazysexycool. He doesn’t seem like the kind of pitcher that is going to dominate like, say, a Volquez last year. Fortunately, he’s cut his walks this year. As I said with Cecil two weeks ago, you pickup Hochevar to see if dominates. Cause if he does dominate, people will start going gaga goo-goo for him and then you can flip him. Or you take the rookie pitcher’s thunder, slide it next to your lightning and make it rain. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Joakim Soria – Went to the DL. Juan Cruz will fill-in mostly, with Jamey Wright maybe seeing the occasional chance. You’re thinking, I’m not bothering with Cruz, Soria will come back and be fine. Who cares if he comes back and he’s fine? Cruz may take the job and hold it for the next two months while accumulating 15 saves. Or maybe Soria returns fine in a week. All I know is Soria has said his sore shoulder dates back to WBC (Nice, Selig!) so maybe he doesn’t recover that quickly. Add Cruz, ask questions later.
Please, blog, may I have some more?With these top 20 3rd basemen for 2009 fantasy baseball, we finish off the twenty lists for the infield. From weakest to strongest, the top 20s go top 20 catchers, top 20 shortstops, top 20 2nd basemen, top 20 third basemen then top 20 1st basemen. The outfielders will be coming up next, and I’m sure they’ll be deeper than all of these lists, but that’s just by virtue of the sheer number of them. If you want some overall perspective, look at our 2009 Fantasy Baseball Player Rater. In addition, there’s a list of every player who has multiple position eligibility. Anyway, here’s the top 20 3rd basemen for 2009 fantasy baseball:
1.
Please, blog, may I have some more?