WAR SHEET
WAR SHEET |
It is official now. The home run and RBI records will stay intact for this year at least. And not just because Barry Bonds has a bad hammy that will cost him some time at some point. Pitchers have begun to take back their part of the game, as offense appears down markedly from recent seasons. Case in point was this past Tuesday when only 115 runs were scored in the 15 games played (or 3.83 runs per team). Included were the later starting AL games that night which went 3-0 (DET/KC), 2-1 (TOR/TX), 2-1 (NYY/OAK) and 1-0 (SEA/ANH). Talk about going to a ball game and having the Stanley Cup Playoffs break out, who invited Brent Johnson and Patrick Roy to this anyways??? Games at Colorado�s Coors Field are even getting civilized. The opening ten-game homestand there saw the Rockies score 46 runs while their opposition tallied 58. And throw out one game where the Rox managed to hit the ten run mark, and you will find that no team managed to score more than even eight runs. It should be mentioned that the likes of Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, and Roy Oswalt provided some of the opposition pitching in Denver. This Tuesday also saw a lot of quality throwing with Matt Morris, Schilling, Tim Hudson, and emerging star Josh Beckett. Still, it is clear that pendulum is heading back towards the pitching side of the ball, which should lead to quicker games, more competitive games, and more run manufacturing/stolen bases. Neither of this is necessarily bad from a fantasy realm.
Now this weeks look at fantasy balls� movers and shakers�
ON FIRE
Alfonso Soriano (NYY) � If you don�t have him in Diamond Challenge, you may already be dead to rights. Every one of the top 250 teams is playing him this week, and for good reason. Soriano went into this week with a .395 BA (through 20 games), with 17 runs, 4 HR, 12 RBI, and six stolen bases. In other words, a five-category monster, especially among second baseman. With 83 AB�s is also on pace to flirt with 700 for the season, and one gets the feeling that he will be a fixture every day until New York nails down the AL East.
Torii Hunter (MN) � TORII, TORII, TORII, is divebombing at AL pitching and reaching 5-cat stud status (at a salary of 830) with a .383/18/7/17/5 start. Not to mention he plays a mean center field. Kirby would be proud.
Kenny Lofton (CWS) � Somebody had killed Kenny�s speed the last three seasons, but suddenly it is back as Lofton leads the bigs with 11 stolen bags. This after only 16 SB�s in over 500 at-bats last season. In addition, Lofton began the week hitting a cool .403 for the season.
Paul Konerko (CWS) � Not huge with the HR�s (3) so far, but has busted out with a .360 BA and a league-leading 26 RBI in 21 games. Also has only K�d eight times in 86 AB�s, so he�s one of the better contact hitters among first basemen. Wonder if you can guess how old he is this year?? 26 of course.
Pedro Martinez (BOS) � He is officially back after allowing only one hit and no walks in an eight inning outing at Kansas City. Strikeouts are a little down but is still averaging one an inning.
Jay Gibbons (BAL) � Great pickup if looking for cheap (420) power, Jay has seven bombs in his first 70 AB�s to go along with a .300 BA. Gibbons knocked out 15 in a 225 AB trial in �01, but only hit .236.
Melvin Mora (BAL) � Seven stolen bases after only swiping 11 all of last year (436 AB�s). In case you didn�t hear, Melvin had to leave the country for a few days as his brother unfortunately passed away, but should be back by this weekend.
Brett Tomko (SD) � Flavor of the day with over 19,000 pickups in Yahoo after whiffing 13 in seven shutout innings. A more realistic forecast with Brett has him striking out 6-7 per nine innings.
Mike DeJean (MIL) � From the outhouse to the penthouse in one week. A managerial change can do wonders, as was proven as Mustard Boy nailed down three saves in a four-game sweep at home over the Cards. Guess he is a bargain.
Eric Gagne (LA) � Know I talked about him last week, but he�s now 8-8 and hasn�t given up an earnie yet.
Jorge Julio (BAL) � Appears to have surplanted Willis Roberts as the O�s closer, a nice waiver wire pickup if you act now.
Randy Johnson (AZ) � Strikes out 17 and now has 51 in 39 innings, that�s not news. The real news was unit was again throwing at 101 MPH in the ninth inning, wow.
Ben Grieve (TB) � The not-so Splendid Splinter last year, Grieve is sitting at five HR�s in 72 AB�s � almost half of last years total. Is also hitting over .300 and also keep in mind that he�s 26 (of course) and hit 27 bombs as recently as 2000.
Mark Prior � A report from the minors. Prior is 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA along with 26 K�s v. 5 walks in 17 innings. Best guess has him in Chicago by June 1 at the latest.
Robert Fick (DET) � Not doing much in way of home runs (one) or RBI (five) so far, but is hitting .370 playing every day in the outfield � and qualifies at catcher. As expected, has become a nice, cheap player to plug in.
Derek Jeter (NYY) � Off to his best SB start ever with seven. His career high in steals is 30.
Danys Baez (CLE) � Listed as a reliever, some CDM owners took a flier for his two starts this week and were reward in the first leg with 5 1/3 shutout innings and a win. However, Danys is not more than a 5-6 inning pitcher at this point.
ICE COLD
Bartolo Colon (CLE) � Only one K in over 110 pitches over six innings???? You can try to spin that �he�s now a ground ball pitcher� all you want, I think his annual bout with elbow soreness is just around the corner.
Kaz Ishii (LA) � Finally crapped out with 6 earnies in 5 IP v. the red hot Pirates. Still like his prospects long-term though.
Luis Gonzalez (AZ) � After a torrid spring, was expecting a little more early. Call me spoiled, but five bombs and 16 RBI seems a little ordinary.
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This is not one of the better months of Vaughnnie's career... |
Sean Burroughs (SD) - .311 BA, but only one homer and two RBI in his first 61 AB�s.
Aramis Ramirez (PIT) � Not only did he get himself into trouble for the charge-the-mound/throw-the-helmet act, but also sprained his ankle in the process. Since the ankle is not hurting, Aram is of course not appealing his seven game suspension. Make sure that the ankle is ready to go and is actually playing next week before putting him back in the lineup.
The catcher ranks are getting depleted early with the absences of both Ivan Rodriguez (back, 4-6 weeks) and Mike Piazza (hamstring, d-t-d). Other members of the walking wounded include Gary Sheffield (inflamed wrist d-t-d), Gabe Kapler (oblique, possible DL stint), and Andy Petitte (elbow, DL).
WEEK 5 PREVIEW
Another incredibly straightforward week. BAL, TB, KC, and MN play seven games while everyone else in MLB plays six. Probable two start pitchers (not as impressive a list as last week) include Barry Zito (both on the road, including one at NYY), Pedro Martinez, Eric Milton, Darryl Kile, Roy Oswalt (both at home), and Javier Vazquez (both on the road, including one at HOU). Both Houston and Arizona have homestands v. MON/NYM. Colorado is at home to PIT but then travels to PHL. In the AL, both the Yankees and White Sox are at home, but Seattle and Oakland will be providing the opposition. All three NL west coast teams (SD, LA, SF) will also be at home, along with Cleveland, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Minnesota. The Twins week in particular looks appetizing with Tampa Bay and Detroit coming to town. Besides NYM/MTL, other road teams this week include all three AL west coast teams (ANH/OAK/SEA), along with KC, TX, FLA, ATL, PIT, CHI, and CHC.
The second week of CDM Free Agent pick-ups is not much better than the first and is as follows�
OTHER INTERESTING NOTES
Baseball�s oldest player, Dodger reliever Jesse Orosco, turned 45 this past week. That puts him more than two years past the next oldest players, Tim Raines (born 9/10/59) and D-Back reliever Mike Morgan (born 10/8/59). Morgan made his MLB debut as an 18 year-old phenom with Oakland in 1978 and has now pitched for an amazing twelve different teams, compiling a 140-185 record along the way. Orosco made his debut with the Mets in �79 and is now with his eight team. His best statistical season was 1983 when Jesse managed to win 13 games as well as save 17 in 110 innings of work, to go along with a sparkling 1.47 ERA and 1.04 ratio. Raines has by far the highest profile of the three, with 2590 career hits, to go along with a career .295 BA and 806 steals. Tim began his possible hall-of-fame career in September of '79 with the Expos, appearing in six games as a pinch runner/defensive replacement. The Marlins are Tim�s seventh team, his sixth since 1995.
Best pitcher without a win in the month of April by far has to be Montreal�s Javier Vazquez. In his most recent outing Vazquez managed to get through nine innings throwing only 96 pitches, 73 of them for strikes. While striking out only two, Vazquez surrendered only nine hits and an intentional walk while giving up two earned runs. The nine innings Vazquez pitched went just over 2:15 and the entire 15 inning affair only lasted four hours and four minutes. JV now stands at a 3.34 ERA and 1.06 ratio for the month, but not a win on a team actually playing quite well.
And here's a name I bet you haven't heard in a while (unless you watch SportsCentury). Albert Belle is technically still active in MLB, being listed on the Oriole's 60-day DL. Albert hasn't bothered to 'officially' retire (since it would cost him a significant paycheck) and the team won't release him (for they would be on the hook financially for sure), so there he rots with what might end up going down as the longest DL stint in history. They tell me Albert's life now consists of a lot of internet chess and golf. I'm sure he will make the blotter with a great golf rage story at some point.
LATROY F HAWKINS AWARD
Anaheim�s Troy Percival comes into the ninth inning of a nationally televised game in Oakland to protect a 5-3 lead when the A�s go single, single, home run off him for the win. That was nice, quick, and easy.