Wandy Rodriguez, 2009 Fantasy Sleeper
February 04, 2009
Category: 2009 Fantasy Baseball Draft, 2009 Sleepers
If you do like moi (That’s French. Face it, I’m cultured like yogurt.), you’ll avoid top level starters at your 2009 fantasy baseball draft and you’ll try to find value later on. Hey, I really like Roy Oswalt! And I like Wandy Rodriguez, what’s it to ya, random italicized voice? Last season, Wandy Rodriguez finally put together a season that hinted at his respectable minor league numbers and suggested he might be someone to look at late. To stick with the French theme, let’s take out a scalpel and dissect this frog. So could Wandy Rodriguez be a 2009 fantasy sleeper?
Last year, Wandy Rodriguez put up a very solid ERA of 3.54. But, as some of us may know, you can put the value of ERA by itself as a predictor of future performance in one hand and crap in the other hand and tell me which one is heavier. Better still Wandy’s FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) was 3.62, which was actually better than Oswalt’s. Without sabering you to death as you try to understand what FIP means, it’s basically pitchers’ stats minus fielders. Another great sign, Wandy’s K/9 ratios keep going up every year. Last year, those rates were 8.58. Also, he finally got his BB/9 below 3. Then there’s the hitter’s park he plays his home games in that he’s completely neutralized with some serious home schooling. The one drawback on Wandy Rodriguez and why he may be falling in some drafts, he showed himself to be a bit injury prone last year as he battled a groin injury (ouch!) and an oblique injury (vague!). But, really, that shouldn’t matter. Wandy’s being drafted around some schmohawks as Armando Galarraga (blech!), Joe Blanton (blah!) and Jamie Moyer (barf!). At that price, Wandy Rodriguez is a 2009 fantasy sleeper.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:49 am
I like any pitcher whose name is a euphemism for “magic penis.” Shake that Wandy!
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February 4th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Last name “Rodriguez” makes him interesting, yet the first name might indicate otherwise.
As long as vous are sticking with a French theme – what about Frenchy? Super ball bounce back season ahead?
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@Fman99: Hey, I like that!
@BSA: I’m letting someone else take a chance on Frenchy this year. See Braves 2009 fantasy preview for reason (http://razzball.com/category/2009-team-preview/)
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February 4th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
@Grey: SI.com just did a piece on Frenchy that was all, he’s got a Bible verse in his glove. And he’s skinnier!
You know what it says in my glove? DON’T DRAFT FRENCHY.
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@Baron Von Vulturewins: Isotoners, I presume. I own the same gloves.
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February 4th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
@Grey: your hands don’t happen to be slightly smaller than OJ’s, do they?
Wandy has been incredible at home for the last couple years, and I’ve been starting him accordingly. Is there a name for players like that?
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@youngid: Click on the words “home schooling” in the above post.
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February 4th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
@Baron Von Vulturewins: Did he get drafted in the RCL08?
Scanned the draft and couldn’t see him.
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February 4th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
@Grey: Need one more SP in my auction. Think Wandy fits the bill as a late $3-5 bid?
@BSA: Where you been man? Some of us bored guys actually miss ya!
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@BigFatHippo: I’d say more like $2-3, but I do really like him in that role. Especially in NL-Only leagues.
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February 4th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
@BigFatHippo: Busy with my last class toward the masters, school/work, three kids kicking my ass, and trying to raise capital to switch from a job to entrepreneur.
Oh yeah and shoveling loads o’snow.
Football is over – Celtics are kickin’ tail – and the Red Sox truck leaves Fenway tomorrow night.
Let me crack a Sam Winter to mark the occasion – be right back.
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February 4th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
@BSA: Welcome back but you gots to get your priorities in order son.
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February 4th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
@BigFatHippo: And what would that order be:
1. Manage Dogs of Summer
2. Manage Dogs of Summer
3. Manage Dogs of Summer
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February 4th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
@Grey: Just checked the list (not unlike Santa).
Wandy went undrafted in our mixed last year, gonna target him as a late night intoxicated sleeper pick, 1 dollar baby.
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February 4th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
@BSA: Exactly………..so you can finish behind me.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
@BigFatHippo: This year I am considering a theme draft – no pitcher older than X years old, team Rodriguez, players with too many letters in their name, batters coming off a bad 2008, etc.
No matter what I do – I cannot finish behind you again –
The weight killed me last season
Are we planning to have an RCL season two?
With the teams that dropped out last season that should bring it down to around 13-14.
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@BSA: There will be a RCL II with potentially more leagues. Stay tuned… Muahahahahaha
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Glad to see the first sentence of this post about not drafting top tier starters. I just included my best SP (and RP) in a package for Hanley (hi, Brandon) and I’m so loaded with hitters that I’ll be piloting the good ship “valuelateron” in my auction this year.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
@BSA: Grey’s gonna have more leagues this year, starting soon from what I gather.
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@sickmangarner: Valuetron — nice! Might have to use that one.
@BigFatHippo: @BSA: or @anyone that is lurking — I’m trying to figure out how to work this so everyone who wants to be in a league will have room, while still trying to figure out how to get people in the leagues they want to be in. Open to suggestions.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
@Grey: I would like to keep the first RCL together if possible. It was fun getting to know (as good as we can) each team.
Going with CBS this year rather than Yahoo?
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@BSA: CBS charges. So prolly go with Yahoo.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
@Grey: One suggestion from me, the original RCL stays put minus the drop outs and plus Steve, who wants in.
Where ya at Steve, I know you’re lurking.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
@Grey: One idea for last years RCL is to pull the emails and privately invite that one back together.
Another idea is to try and break it down by # of comments and offer a blog entry with a breakdown of the leagues, offer check ins with a password associated with each league, and a cut off date so others can get filled in.
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@BigFatHippo: Yeah, that’s what I figured in regards to the original RCL. Then I might just ask four other people to be organizers so there’s five leagues altogether. Rudy thinks he’s figured out a way we can have 5 leagues, 5 champions, but one supreme champion of the 5 leagues.
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@BSA: IowaCubs also suggested we have people cough up $10 and the winner’s charity gets the money. I liked that idea at first, but I’m not sure how I feel about making people give money.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
@Grey: @BigFatHippo:
Obviously I agree with Hippo!
I agree with inputting Steve for one of the dropouts – Crikey! Will the time difference give an advantage to our Kiwi friend?
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
@Y’all: Half a dozen spots left in a fast draft over at Couchmanagers if anyone fancies it. starts in about 5 mins:
http://www.couchmanagers.com/mock_drafts/?draftnum=17813
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
@Grey: That is a major MUHAHAHAHA!
Do we offer the honor system and ask that each team list their charity of choice?
Basically, these are the requirements, yaddy, yaddy, yaddy, including that each team pledge ten dollars in the name of Razzball to charity X, Y or Z.
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@BSA: I don’t remember Crikey so he’s gone for Steve. That’s fine. You guys can figure out your league, but I need to figure out how to make it fair for the other leagues. I probably need four captains to step up and take charge of the other leagues like how P0rk stepped up last year.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
@Grey: How would a supreme champion* be determined?
*I like that term, in a perfect world, we would be the Loyal Order of Water Buffalo, complete with a secret handshake and the password Ackkakk-adakk-dakkdakk-a-aakk.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
@BigFatHippo: Here, bro.@BSA: Time difference sucks if you need to grab streamers as the clock ticks over right when I’m putting the kids in bed.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
@Steve: We would be cool as far as the draft though, right?
You’d still be at work with plenty of time on your hands, till that Crocodile Dundee guy needs another cup of java that is.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
@BigFatHippo: Yeah – 8pm EST is 2pm the next day here.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Plus, you’re almost an entire day ahead of us. You’ll know when Heilman takes over the gig before Heilman does.
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@BigFatHippo: Rudy’s figuring out how a supreme champion would be determined, but I believe he will weigh the difficulty of each league then determine who was the best overall.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
@Steve: Hey Steve – Looks like your coming in for the RCL.
As to putting the kids to bed, try Hippo’s advice – priorities!
(Don’t listen to me I do not get to say, “The kids can go to bed in a minute honey Wandy is still available and I am on the board next. – SHIT!! Hippo got him!” She just doesn’t understand it is a Razzball thing.
I still think the Dogs might retire to The News. -HA!
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
@Grey: I’m confident Rudy will have a formula to figger it out. My head’s still spinning from the Risky Pitchers. Glad none of my guys were on that list.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
@BSA: As in Newport News?
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
If there’s another spot in the original RCL, I wouldn’t mind taking it.
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
@BigFatHippo: Huey Lewis and the….
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February 4th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
@Freak: We’ll need to figure out how many drop out. Personally I prefer not to play a 16 teamer again, that shizz is just nuts.
Pork should have a say in it anyway, he did originate it.
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February 4th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
@BSA: Oh, well there’s that. I just thought it was a reference to Vick/pitbulls/Newport News being his hometown. Never mind, I make no sense sometimes, even to me!
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February 4th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
@BigFatHippo: Agreed on BaconBits being the Commish.
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February 4th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
@BigFatHippo: Nah – just kidding on becoming Baby Huey. I’ll be sticking with Dogs.
Doesn’t it suck when you read something you wrote or hear something come out of your mouth and go, “What was that?”
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February 4th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
@BSA: Like when I say “I wanna have Ryan Lovewick’s ludchild.”
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February 4th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
ouch, “What was that?”
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February 4th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
@BigFatHippo: that may be a time to say, “Eeewww!”
Well I need to sign off, NESN is covering the truck leaving Fenway for Ft. Myers and I want to make sure I am well stocked with Popcorn, Beer, and my Wally The Green Monster.
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February 4th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
@BSA: Ha, you have to watch the truck leave? Don’t know what’s lamer, that you watch it on TV or that they actually show it on TV.
Cards leave for Jupiter in the morning, me and Fredbird can’t be there, damm.
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February 4th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
@BigFatHippo: Nah but check this out – bostondirtdogs.com – a time ticker
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February 4th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Grey, off topic…who is closing in St.-Louis? Is it Carpernter? Franklin? Perez? Motte? All of the above?
Thanks.
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@Carl: Perez right now. Motte might see some opps.
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February 5th, 2009 at 7:14 am
Grey on the Cards website it says Larussa is not sure of handing over closing duties to Perez or Motte, I guess because of inexperience. I have a choice to keep Perez or Motte ($1 each) as one of my 8 keepers in our NL-only league. Either that or Molina at $4. Considering C is such a weak position, a .300 catcher on a good team is not bad plus I am keeping Doumit as well, so I’ll have a decent tandem at the most scarce position. I’ve noticed that closers have been extremely unstable the last couple years and to keep a very young reliever whom hasn’t even been named the closer is a bit iffy. This is why I am leaning towards keeping Molina instead. We’re in a 7 team league with 4 RP slots and we count holds, so I might as well draft my closers, as people will theoretically draft setup men as well . What do you think?
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February 5th, 2009 at 7:14 am
*that’s Yadier Molina btw.
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@Carl: If you have to decide before the end of spring training, I think you may as well go with Molina. You can probably get Perez or Motte back for not much more than you’re paying now.
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April 24th, 2009 at 5:51 am
Would you cut Slowey for Wandy in a 10 team HTH weekly league below?
10 Team $$ HTH Points League (Weekly)
Hit: 1B(1), 2B(2), 3B(3), HR(4), RBI(1), RUN(1), SB(2), CS(-1), BB/HBP(1), K(-0.5)
Pitch: W(7), L(-5), S(5), BS(-2), SHO(5), IP(3), K(1), BBI(-1), ER(-2), HA(-1)
C: Iannetta
1B: Miggy
2B: Utley
3B: A-Ram
SS: Furcal (S.Drew)
OF: Quentin/Ca.Lee/Dunn
UT: Konerko (Werth)
(5)SP: Felix/Shields/Danks/Gallardo/Bedard (Cain/C.Young/Slowey)
(2)RP: Joba/Masterson
Potential WW Moves:
• (UT) Cut Werth/Furcal for: J.Bruce/Choo/Ad.Jones
• (SP) Cut Slowey for: Wandy/Baker/Big Unit/Ubaldo/Zimmermann
• (RP) Cut Masterson for: A.Reyes/Uehara/Morrow/Franklin/Corpas/Lindstrom
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