Kelvim Escobar was sent to the bullpen. His value goes from potentially good to potentially nothing. Scioscia said Escobar will be pitching out of the bullpen for the rest of the season. Scioscia also said Brandon Wood would start at shortstop two years ago and said Arredondo, the guy now in the minors, would be the closer and he said Rex Hudler’s got the best herb, when he wants to get wiggy with Figgy. Escobar will probably start games again in a month or two. But even if that is the case, he’s about as good to you now as those X-ray glasses you bought out of the back of a comic book when you were twelve. Matt Palmer gets a boost in value, which is to say he actually has value now.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Nomar Garciaparra
Matt Wieters was finally called up by the Orioles. We know what you’re all thinking – how could they give up on Gregg Zaun so quickly? Don’t the Orioles brass have the intestinal fortitude to withstand the hype surrounding this ‘phenom’ when they’ve got the ultimate journeyman? Evidently not. So how has Wieters been spending his near two months in AAA detention? He’s been awesome…ly average. .285 average. 5 HRs. 30 Ks in 137 ABs. There’s little doubt that Wieters will be an excellent hitter for years to come (see his .350+ average b/w A and AA last year) but those AAA numbers are more likely what you’ll get from him in 2009. Think .285 with 12 HRs. He could prove us wrong and you can do worse than bet on hitting upside at Catcher. Just don’t overpay for it. Anyway, here’s what else we saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Jason Bartlett – Another day, another injury to a Rays middle infielder. Yesterday, it was Iwamura. Now Bartlett goes on the DL with a sprained ankle that he hurt while practicing his dismount from the statistical stratosphere (.373 AVG!). Reid Brignac, who has been hyped for a while, will replace him.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Hmm… Let’s see, where does the news that Josh Hamilton is headed to the DL go on the Hype Cycle? Oh, wait! I know! “Falls Back to Earth, Hits the DL.” Call me, Greyvoyant! Hamilton may be headed to the DL this Thursday if he’s still in pain. This is obviously bad news for Hamilton owners. As we learned from Dylan McKay’s battle with drugs on 90210, addicts can’t take pain killers. So Hamilton is in “extreme pain” and needs to let it subside on its own. I don’t think he’ll be out much longer than two weeks, but I’m no doctor (I am psychic though). If Hamilton’s rib becomes a nagging type injury that bothers him for a few months, this could turn into a Def-Con 4 situation and his owners may have to jump into an Andromeda Strain decontamination shower. For those out there with alligator blood, this may be your only opportunity to Buy Low on Hamilton. Just remember his owners were crying in their soup last night, don’t blow on it for them. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Edwin Encarnacion – Looks like his chip on his shoulder has moved to his wrist as he heads to the DL. I liked Edwin going into the year, and was bummed to see him do nada, nada, not a damn thing this season. At least the wrist injury explains what was going on with him.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Already sporting 2 of the top 3 NL windmills in Krispie Young and Mark Reynolds, the D-Backs traded for #5 Adam Dunn. Dunn will give you HR. Dunn will give you OBP. Everything else is ugly and it looks like the Reds just couldn’t take looking at it anymore.
Please, blog, may I have some more?