Most
Added - A.J.
Pierzynski has gotten off to a terrific start posting a .529 BA while depositing
2 HR and 7 RBI in less than a week of action. A.J. is a lock for mid
teens HR's, but is really only a low-end option for mixed leagues. He
should be a welcome addition, however, in AL only or leagues requiring 2
catchers (he would be your #2). Kurt
Suzuki has also been sizzling
while delivering a .333 BA and awarded owners with a valuable solo SB. This
is a player to target for deeper mixed leagues and especially AL only because
he has upside and might be worth the gamble. There is no question
that Mike Napoli can hit bombs; the question has been playing time as injuries
and the lurking nemesis that is Jeff Mathis have sapped his potential value. He
could legitimately yank 20 homers, but the playing time will always be an
albatross. Napoli is a must in AL only and is a nice value play for
mixed leagues.
Most Dropped - Jarrod Saltalamacchia has
to be one of the most disappointing stories of the year thus far for fantasy
owners. Salty was dealt to the Rangers in the Mark Teixeira trade
at the deadline last season. He looked primed to be a breakout candidate
based upon his obvious offensive skills. The Rangers decided to let
Salty get additional seasoning at Triple A Oklahoma and candy wrapped Gerald
Laird the full time gig. He is still a great threat for keeper
leagues, but if your bench says "no vacancy" then you might have to cut bait. Laird
becomes a nice pick-up in AL only leagues.
FIRST BASE
Most
Added - Nick
Johnson is back and is as fragile as ever. Johnson reminds me of a
glass Tiffany lamp that will crack if the wind blows too strongly. In
his offensive peak season of 2006 he only smacked 23 HR with 77 RBI. That
is not what I am looking for at either 1B or CI. The injury risk makes
him even worse and he is closing in on age 30. You can do a lot better
unless you are in an extremely deep league and are desperate for a player
that will eventually occupy one of your DL slots. Casey
Kotchman is
a much better option than the aforementioned Johnson. Kotchman is
still only 25 and hits for a solid average. He is never going to lead
the league in HR's, but don't be surprised if his power continues to improve. Kotchman
is very solid young talent with big potential in keeper leagues.
Most Dropped - The
Reds are in the tough NL Central and have to deal with the likes of the Cubs
and Brewers. That
alone would make a smart manager look at his team and allow young players to
shine and develop on the highest level. This would pay dividends both
now and in the future. Dusty Baker is making a colossal
blunder by splitting time between a solid youngster with a fairly high ceiling
in Joey Votto and the 38 year-old veteran, Scott
Hatteberg. Shame on you Dusty.
SECOND BASE
Most
Added - Jose
Lopez is an intriguing player to watch in Seattle this season. My
main problem is that he does not flash great speed and I personally expect
to get a good chunk of SB's from my 2B or MI. Lopez has been hitting
second in the Mariner's line-up and looks primed for a career year. Expect
him to hit double digit HR, 75 RBI, 80 R, .275 BA, but only 7-10 SB's. If
you have ample speed elsewhere then you have a nice pick-up with Lopez.
Most Dropped - Felipe Lopez is
in a tough position as he rides the pine in favor of Ronnie Belliard. I
feel like switching the word "playoffs" with Belliard's name in this Jim
Mora commercial. If
he gets traded, Lopez would become a nice pick-up for your MI slot as he has
great speed potential. Life is not good when you are backing up the
immortal Ronnie Belliard.
SHORTSTOP
Most
Added - Cristian
Guzman is one of the most added SS in fantasy baseball. The last sentence
seems almost surreal to write - Cristian Guzman???? I have a hard
time advising picking him up under any circumstances. He used to swipe
a few bags, but even that has evaporated. You can do much better than
this. Bobby Crosby is a much better player to roll the dice on because
he has solid 20 HR power. Yes Crosby is an annual DL legend, but today
he is active and can deliver for you. Reserve a place on your DL,
but start him in AL only or deep mixed leagues ASAP.
Most Dropped - Erick Aybar lost his battle
with Maicer Izturis to become the starting SS in LA. If
he had won the job he would have been a fine addition for his steals prowess,
but starting a game or two a week does not warrant a roster spot. Mike
Scioscia might have consulted with Dusty Baker when making this decision.
THIRD BASE
Most
Added - Kevin
Kouzmanoff could be a nice player to target for your CI slot if you have
one. He is not likely to crack the Top 15 3 rd baseman, but he could
be a useful corner infielder depending on the depth of your league. Expect
the Kouz to finally crack 20 HR, but his BA and RBI totals will limit his
overall punch. Joe Crede was mentioned in just about every trade discussion
during the offseason, but the White Sox could not get the value they felt
was appropriate. This forced them to send Josh
Fields back to the
minors to showcase Crede in hopes of moving him whenever the price is right.
Crede has very good pop in his bat and should see plenty of RBI chances in
the potent Chicago lineup. He will also severely drag down your BA,
so make sure your roster can handle the .250 he will get you. He should
be an AL only or CI candidate only.
Most Dropped - Josh Fields took
a big hit in ownership due to his recent demotion. Make sure to keep an eye out
for the trade of Crede because Fields would then become a very attractive pick
up. I would venture to guess that Scott Rolen has
burned all of us at some point over the last few years. He will be out
until the end of April or early May with a sore finger (this same affliction
could be headed Nick Johnson's way), so you had better have bought insurance. Rolen
is still a talented hitter, but his power seems to have left from the multiple
injuries that have altered his once fierce bat.
OUTFIELD
Icon SMI
Most
Added - Nate
McLouth possesses all of the things one would look for in a late OF
pick. He
is very capable of chipping in at all 5 categories. His minor league
numbers indicate his BA should hopefully improve. McLouth has the
tools to press a 20/20 effort this year making him a nice value for any squad. I
like him enough to hand over this week's DOUBLE
DOWN . Add him in
all formats as a 4 th or 5 th OF and get Corey
Hart -lite. Xavier
Nady was once a coveted prospect on the rise to stardom and then he
sort of became mediocre. The Pirates don't seem overly interested
in keeping Nady around for the long haul as indicated by trade rumors during
the off-season. He
is very streaky and is not one of my favorites: I will admit. You
can pencil him in for 20 jacks, but everything else will be just a little
boring. Franklin Gutierrez was a very close second for my prestigious
award. This is a solid young player in an improving line-up that has
20 HR power with some lingering speed. With Trot
Nixon out of his
hair he should get close to that 20 HR mark and get low double digit steals. Carlos
Gomez is wicked fast - we get it. The problem for me is that
he looks a heck of a lot like several other one trick ponies that are out
there - Taveras,
Bourn, et al. He might steal 50, but you would be better suited to
field a balanced attack of multiple category studs than using too many specialized
players such as this. Many will disagree, but that is just my two
cents.
Most
Dropped - Jeremy
Hermida missed a portion of the first week due to a DL stint. He is
a serious rebound candidate that will provide nice power and has shown good
speed in the past. Stash him and hope he stays healthy as he will
be a great value. Juan Pierre is one expensive 4 th outfielder for
the Dodgers. He is a man without a spot as Andruw
Jones , Andre Ethier , and Matt
Kemp have a stranglehold on the OF. Something has to give,
so monitor this situation closely. Pierre is an injury or trade away
from being one of the elite one trick ponies from our close-knit group. David
DeJesus is dealing with some ankle issues that have kept him out of action. DeJesus
is a better baseball player than fantasy producer as he has consistently
delivered below average returns in all categories for an OF. Curtis
Granderson is on the shelf for a while with a broken finger. He is
likely going to disappoint many owners as 2007 was a career effort and this
injury will compound his impending dip in roto-productivity.
***LIGHTNING
ROUND***
This week all comments on SP's and RP's must be 10 words
or less.
STARTING PITCHERS
Most Added: Joe Saunders - Good team, average stuff,
low K's, 5 th fantasy starter Brian Bannister - Bad team, decent stuff,
low K's, 5 th fantasy starter Carlos Silva - Overpaid ratio assassin - stay
away Johnny Cueto - High
ceiling, high K's, pick him up Edinson Volquez - Good K/9, nice sleeper & keeper
Most Dropped: Pedro Martinez - Theo
was right - he is
done Kelvim Escobar - Your tour ends here John Lackey - Still a great pitcher injury
scares me though
RELIEF PITCHERS
Most Added: Mark Lowe - New sheriff, good heater, 2
weeks = many saves Jon Rauch - This Giant has better stuff
than a healthy Cordero David Riske - Tick
Tock Tick Tock - Gagne
implosion imminent
Most Dropped: J.J. Putz - Never ever draft a closer early
- EVER B.J. Ryan - He is not ready and Accardo
is solid
FLIP THAT TWO-START
PITCHER
The rules are simple: Find SP's with
two starts in the upcoming scoring period that are generally available in
50% or more leagues. Our
goal is to maximize value for the coming week and then dump him for next week's
choice. Flips can be a risky proposition and should only be completed
with the assistance of Double Down or under close supervision of another Fantasy
Baseball Geek.
I am coming out swinging in 2008 with
a real beauty for our first FT2SP. Please read all of my thoughts
after digesting this questionable selection, as there are some facts to back
up this high-risk choice. Wandy
Rodriguez first start of the year was a disaster as he gave up 8
hits, a walk, and 4 ER earning a no decision in his 5 innings of work. This
loss came on the road at the hands of the San Diego Padres. Now here
comes my research. In 2007 Rodriguez posted a road ERA of 6.37 with
a 3-10 record. Maybe the comforts of home cooking keep Wandy in check
as he had a 6-3 record with a sparkling 2.94 ERA in Houston. Start #1
this week will be on 4/7 at home against Todd Wellemeyer and
the St. Louis Cardinals. To add fuel to my case Rodriguez posted a 2.40
ERA vs. the Cards over 15 innings pitched in 2007. The last piece of
evidence to complete the first part of my case is the fact that Albert
Pujols is 0-9 in his career against the magic Wandy. Start
#2 will be on 4/13 at home against Ricky Nolasco and the
Florida Marlins. The Marlins are 13 th out of 16 NL teams in runs scored
thus far in our young season. In his lone start against the Marlins
in 2007 Wandy got a no decision, but only gave up 1 run in 6 innings of work
while recording 5 K's. All of the evidence presented to you should give
you a great deal of confidence to pick up Rodriguez and Flip That Two-Start
Pitcher.
