Archive for April, 2012

Bryce Harper will make his major league debut Saturday at Dodger Stadium and fantasy owners that have Harper are running to their computer to get Harper in their lineup. Harper is expected to play left field and bat seventh. The phenom has arrived! The phenom has arrived! I get the excitement for Harper’s arrival, but I don’t think Harper is going to tear up major league pitching and could be back in Triple-A Syracuse in two weeks when Ryan Zimmerman returns from the disabled list. Harper was not tearing it up at Triple-A at the plate. In 72 at-bats, Harper was hitting .250 through 20 games.

In other fantasy news…..

• Ryan Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder. The Nationals and Zimmerman originally hoped to avoid the disabled list, but it was a necessarily move after he received a second cortisone shot Friday in Los Angeles. There’s a chance he will ready when he’s eligible on May 6.
• Brad Lidge will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with an abdominal strain. With Lidge going on the shelf, the Nationals will give all of their save chances to Henry Rodriguez. There’s no timetable for Lidge’s return.
• Mike Trout was recalled by the Angels on Friday night in a effort to shake things up with the team. Trout will play left field and bat leadoff on Saturday. Unlike Bryce Harper, the Angels are not rushing Trout to the major leagues. He is ready to play and should have broke spring training with the Angels. Trout hit .403 from the leadoff spot with Triple-A Salt Lake, so the Angels hope he will be able to provide a similar spark since Albert Pujols is not providing that spark or anything else for that $250 million dollar contract.
• Brian McCann left Friday’s game with an intercostal strain. McCann struggled in the second half last season due to an oblique injury to his left side, so this is something to watch closely.
• Kenley Jason got the save for the Dodgers on Friday night. It was not a smooth inning for Jansen, but he got the job done. Even thought manager Don Mattingly said Javy Guerra was resting a minor foot injury, this situation warrants monitoring.

Since the start of spring training, the Texas Rangers hope was that Yu Darvish would improve a little bit each start. On Tuesday night, Darvish was so dominating against the New York Yankees that the question now is can he pitch any better? Darvish (3-0) was so effective with his array of pitches and he was able to work out of some early jams. Darvish surrendered no runs and struck out a career-high 10 batters over 8 1/3 innings as the Rangers continue their hot start. Darvish has struggled with his command at times this season, but an ERA that sat at 7.94 after his debut on April 9 against the Mariners is now down to 2.42. Darvish sits 3-0 with 24 strikeouts in just 26 innings.

In other fantasy news…..

• Ryan Zimmerman was left out of the lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against the Padres as he continues to deal with a shoulder injury. He had an MRI and could be headed for the disabled list.
• Mat Latos had his best outing as a member of the Reds on Tuesday, holding the Giants scoreless over seven innings. Latos held the Giants to four hits and two walks while striking out three.
• A’s outfielder Coco Crisp is day-to-day due to a recurrence of inner ear issues.
• Albert Pujols is hitless in four straight starts for the Angels, which matches a career-worst hitless streak for him.
• The Orioles Tsuyoshi Wada had an MRI taken Tuesday that revealed ligament damage in his throwing elbow.
• Chris Narveson’s season is over. The Brewers lefty needs season-ending shoulder surgery.
• Jeff Samardzija threw 6 2/3 strong innings as the Cubs defeated the Cardinals in thrilling fashion for the second straight day. The problem is that Carlos Marmol blew another save opportunity and cost Samardzija a win. Despite his good start, Samardzija and any other Cubs pitcher is tough to own this year because the Cubs lack consistent offensive and Marmol is the closer. Getting wins from this pitching staff will be tough all year.
• The Braves optioned Jair Jurrjens to Triple-A Gwinnett and Tim Hudson appears to be heading back to the Braves rotation. Simply, Jurrjens has been terrible all season and the Braves have so much starting pitching depth within the organization. Jurrjens owns a 9.37 ERA, which is the worst in the major leagues. Hudson is scheduled to start for the Braves on Sunday against the Pirates.

Its safe to say that Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse may just be one of the best first half pitchers in baseball after he improved to 3-0 after Sunday’s 5-1 win over the Pirates. Lohse is off to another fast start this year, giving up a run or fewer and lasting at least six innings in each of his first four trips to the mound.  On Sunday, Lohse controlled the Pirates on six hits through seven innings. Last year, Lohse started just as strong and posted similar numbers out of the gate, going 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA through his first 11 starts. Loshe is a strong “sell-high” candidate if he is on your roster.

In other fantasy news:

• Daniel Hudson (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Diamondbacks over the weekend. The removal of Hudson from the Arizona rotation is of particular interest to Fantasy owners, since it could mean the arrival of top prospect Trevor Bauer.
• Staying with the Diamondbacks theme – Justin Upton (thumb) returned to the Diamondbacks lineup against the Braves on Saturday night. Upton went 1-for-4 with a double and a pair of strikeouts. Team doctors have said Upton cannot further damage his thumb by playing, but on Sunday he was hit by a pitch on the hand with the injured thumb, so I’ll politely disagree with the D’Backs doctors on this one.
• Top A’s prospect Jarrod Parker will replace Graham Godfrey in the A’s rotation and get the start on Wednesday.
• Freddy Sanchez (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A San Jose Monday and could be ready for activation in early May.
• Sergio Santos (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Francisco Cordero will pitch the ninth inning for the Blue Jays while Santos is on the disabled list.
• Carl Crawford will have his left elbow checked and could be cleared to start a throwing program soon. Crawford went on the disabled list after surgery on his wrist, but the elbow has been more of an issue lately.
• Francisco Liriano was blasted again Sunday, pushing his ERA to 11.02 and WHIP to 2.33 for the year. He is not an option for fantasy owners in any format.
• The Red Sox are desperate for bullpen help so Daniel Bard is moving back to the bullpen starting today. That’s fine, but who will the Red Sox replace Bard with in the rotation? The Red Sox pitching staff is a total disaster right now.
• Marlon Byrd was traded to the Red Sox over the weekend from the Cubs. In addition to the pitching staff being a disaster right now, the Red Sox were desperate for centerfield help after Jacob Ellsbury landed on the disabled list. They must be desperate to take Byrd and his .070 batting average.

Matt Kemp has picked up right where he left off last year and is the early front runner for National League MVP award – which he should have won last year. Kemp slugged his seventh home run — most in the big leagues —- in the fifth inning against starter Randy Wolf. Kemp’s home run gave him 18 runs batted in, which ties him for the big league lead with Andre Ethier, who collected his 18th RBI with a single that scored Kemp in the third inning. Over his last seven games, Kemp has gone on an unreal 16-for-29 with nine runs scored, three doubles, five homers and nine RBIs. Fantasy owners who didn’t take Kemp with the No. 1 overall pick have to be kicking themselves right now.

In other fantasy news……

• Michael Cuddyer (toe) expects to be back in the Rockies’ lineup Friday. He left Wednesday’s game with a toe injury, but it appears to be a non-issue
• Justin Upton (thumb) was not in Thursday’s lineup for the third straight day. But, the D’Backs outfielder thinks he’ll be ready to return to action soon.
• BJ Upton (back) will rejoin the Rays lineup on Friday against the Twins.
• Curtis Granderson went 5-for-5 with three home runs. He now has six home runs on the season and remains so dangerous with his pull swing at Yankee Stadium.
• Adam Wainwright struggled again Thursday, giving up four runs over five innings against the Reds. He’s now 0-3 over his first three starts and has a 9.88 ERA.
• Lance Berkman is headed to the disabled list. It’s not clear at this point how long Berkman will be out, but even if it’s the minimum amount of time, he’ll be out until May 4 and will have missed 19 games by then. Berkman’s replacement – Matt Carpenter- is off to a strong start with a homer and 11 RBI in the early going. And, despite his lack of big league experience, he’s also a career .300 hitter in the minors, so the Cardinals can probably get by without Berkman for a couple weeks.
• Brandon League clearly did not have his best stuff on Tuesday, and as a result he wound up blowing a phenomenal start from Felix Hernandez and the game for the Mariners
• Chris Young is expected to miss two-to-three weeks due to slightly torn AC joint in his right shoulder.

Barely a week into the season, the Giants and Fantasy Owners have to deal with an injury that could keep Brian Wilson out for the season. An MRI on Wilson’s elbow showed structural damage and he is in the process of getting a second opinion, but the outlook is bleak.  If he undergoes Tommy John surgery, the likely outcome, he’ll miss the remainder of the 2012 season.  Who will take over closing duties in San Francisco? When Wilson went on the disabled list in mid-August, Manager Bruce Bochy employed a closer-by-committee approach. For the short term, it sounds as if Bochy will use his bullpen the same way. Santiago Casilla went 6-for-6 in save opportunities last year and could emerge as the main guy.

In other fantasy news:

• Devin Mesoraco may be the Reds’ catcher of the future, but veteran-loving manager Dusty Baker seems to prefer a weak hitting Ryan Hanigan in the present. That’s not necessarily a surprise to Fantasy owners, but Hanigan’s four starts in the team’s first seven games confirms it. Mesoraco is just a low-end No. 2 catcher in mixed leagues, despite his upside.
• The Red Sox received the worst possible news regarding Jacoby Ellsbury and he was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday. Ellsbury is expect to miss 6-to-8 weeks.
• It was a tough night for a couple top tier closers on Saturday in the National League. Heath Bell and J.J. Putz blew a saves. For Bell, it was his second blown save.
• David Freese was a last minute scratch on Saturday and is going to miss a couple days with a finger injury. Its a wait and see situation.
• Yu Darvish much better on Saturday in his second outing at Minnesota, but walked away with a no-decision. Darvish still threw too many pitches as he threw 102 pitches over just 5 2/3 innings. Still, he allowed just one earned run on nine hits and four walks, striking out four.
• Henderson Alvarez, one of my favorite sleepers, made his second start of the season on Saturday against the Orioles. He allowed three runs on six hits over seven innings of work. Alvarez also struck out two and walked one in the no-decision.

What are the San Francisco Giants doing with Brandon Belt? At 23-years old, Belt is rated among the elite prospects in baseball, however the Giants are not giving him the opportunity to play everyday. Through the first six games, he has just 11 at-bats and is the owner of a .091 batting average. I’m not going to point fingers at any one person, but the Giants organizational philosophy is failing Belt. If he is not going to play everyday, he should be at Triple-A to get playing time. Keeping him on the bench in San Francisco is not helping his development. I just don’t get it – the Giants are offensively challenged and Belt can hit. In 2010, Belt hit 23 home runs, 112 RBI, and finished the minor league season with a .352 BA. I have heard a few “experts” say that Nate Schierholtz is off to a hot start. Really? Schierholtz had one great game this year going 2-4 with 2 HR. Those are his only two hits of the season and his batting average is well below .200. Aubrey Huff has just three hits as well this year and he is receiving more playing time than Belt. The only thing that makes sense to me is there must be something about Belt that the organization does not feel comfortable with at this time. If the Giants keep Belt at the major league level, he must play and have the opportunity to get comfortable at the major league level.

In other fantasy news…..

• In 6 games, Josh Willingham has 4 HR’s, is batting .409 and has a hit in every game. The best part about his early season home run binge is that three of his HR’s have all been at Target Field.
• Matt Garza was dominant on Thursday. He struck out nine and gave up three hits over 8 2/3 shutout innings against the Brewers on Thursday.
• Brad Lidge blew a save opportunity on Thursday as he gave up two runs on two hits and he also issued a pair of walks. Fortunately for Lidge, the Nationals came back to win the game. With Drew Storen on the DL for at least the next six weeks, don’t be surprised if Henry Rodriguez emerges as the main guy.
• Tim Hudson continues to rehab from spinal fusion surgery and is encouraged with the rehab starts. Hudson is still a few weeks away from returning to the Braves rotation.
• Drew Stubbs is off to a horrendous start to the season at the plate. Stubbs was 0-5 on Thursday in the leadoff spot for the Reds and has just 4 hits in 25 AB. Following a disaster of a second half last year, I am really beginning to worry about Stubbs. I have him in my NL-Only league and was hoping to see him start quick, but nothing looks different to me. So for now, Stubbs is on my bench until he figures things out.
• Jacob Ellsbury left the game today with a shoulder injury. This is the worst news the Red Sox could have received. Lets hope Ellsbury is back sooner than later.

The Mets are off to a strong start at  4-1, but not everyone is smiling after Tuesday’s game. X-rays taken Tuesday evening on the right pinkie finger of Mets third baseman David Wright revealed a small fracture. Wright was off  to a 7-for-12 start and appeared poised to re-emerge as a major power threat this season courtesy of the reconfigured walls at Citi Field. Maybe he’ll only miss a couple of weeks and be able pick up right where he left off. If Wright is out for an extended period of time, the Mets could move Daniel Murphy to third base and hand the starting second base duties over to either Jordany Valdespin or Justin Turner.

In other fantasy news:

• Justin Upton missed Tuesday’s game with a jammed thumb. Fantasy Owners should consider Upton day-to-day.
• Danny Duffy threw six shutout innings to defeat the A’s on Tuesday. He gave up just one hit while striking out eight. Fantasy owners that own Duffy should feel good after last night, but by no means is he a definite start each time he walks to the mound. He’ll face the potent Tigers lineup in his next start and that is one that I would keep Duffy on the bench.
• Chipper Jones returned from the DL on Tuesday night and hit his first home run of 2012 to lead the Braves to a victory. Jones If Jones (39 years old) can remain healthy, his is still a  productive player.
• Carl Crawford was sent to the doctor with a sore elbow. He is already on the DL after having surgery on his left wrist. Since signing that mega deal with the Red Sox last year, it has been one disappointment after the other for Crawford and fantasy owners. I want no part of him in 2012.
• Vernon Wells is off to a slow start this season. The Angels think he could be pressing, but the reality is that he is just not any good. If he can’t produce in this lineup, where can he be successful? Avoid Wells in all formats.
• Jeremy Hellickson was taken to the hospital today after getting hit in the head with a baseball during the Tigers batting practice. We should hear more later today.

Congrats to Johan Santana on his successful return to the mound at Citi Field. Santana, making his first appearance in more than 19 months, delivered five shutout innings. He set down a dozen straight Braves early in the game. His only rough spot came in the fifth. Loading the bases on a double and two walks, including one to the pitcher, Santana was able to get Michael Bourn to ground out which ended up being his final pitch of the day. Its safe to assume that Santana will be on a strict pitch count most of the season and its too early to say that he is back to being the Johan Santana that received the mega deal with the Mets. But, if you had him in your lineup yesterday, he rewarded your “buy low” strategy at the draft.

In other fantasy news….

• Clayton Kershaw lasted just three innings Thursday at San Diego before leaving with the stomach flu. Kershaw allowed no runs and two hits, with a walk and three strikeouts. He’ll be fine for his next start.
• Javy Guerra racked up his first save of the season with ease. Everyone expects Kenley Jansen to take over as the closer, but it appears that Guerra intends on keeping it.
• Jonathan Broxton was named the Royals closer on Thursday. Excuse me if I’m not all giddy about this announcement.
• It didn’t take long for Andres Torres to officially fit in with the hobbling Mets. Torres (calf) will be placed on the 15-day disabled. Many thought Torres would be a good bounce back candidate, but this is not the start we had in mind for him.

Finally, the games are here. Supposedly, there were a few games last week in the middle of the night somewhere in the world, but in my mind the Cardinals/Marlins game tonight is the true Opening Day. For all the good things that Major League Baseball has done to improve the game, they completely have their heads in their ass when it comes to promoting Opening Day. Opening Day should be highlighted by a full slate of games with great rivalries. It should not be two games in Japan between two of the worst teams and then one game on a Wednesday night. As painful as it is for me to do, I tip my hat to the NFL. The opening week to their season is full of excitement and great match-ups and they do it the way it should be done. I’ll jump off this soapbox – back to the important stuff.

• In my AL-Only Head to Head League, I drafted Mark Melancon with the thought that Andrew Bailey would find his way back to the DL this season. Well, Bailey did not even make it through Spring Training before landing on the disabled list, but Bobby Valentine named Alfredo Aceves the closer today. Melancon remains worthy of a roster spot in deep mixed leagues and AL-Only Leagues because Aceves is anything but a sure thing. Bailey is expected to miss 4 to 5 months per a source, according to Mike Silverman of the Boston Herald.
• Troy Tulowitzki(elbow) could be ready to go for Opening Day after making it through Tuesday’s batting practice session without any issue.
• X-rays that were taken on Nelson Cruz’s left elbow were negative. He is considered day-to-day.
• Its appears Brandon Belt is going to open the season as the Giants starting first baseman. Belt could be the steal of most drafts based on draft position in most leagues if he produces like the Giants hope he will in 2012.
• Michael Pineda says that his shoulder is feeling better. He’s still going to start the year on the DL, and he’s still likely to miss all of April.
• Chipper Jones is optimistic that he can return from the DL in mid-April. Jones should have retired at the beginning of this year instead of at the end. Jones is a risk in most formats.
• Kyle Farnsworth had an MRI on his injured elbow revealed only a strain. He feels confident he will be back with rest. The two likely candidates to replace Farnsworth are Joel Peralta or Fernando Rodney.