“How many managers can win a game for their team? I tell my team, ‘You want to win? Don’t give me a chance to [bleep] it up. Go throw a shutout and then I’ll just sit here and look smart. Don’t give me a chance to [bleep] it up.”
–White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen on why his team is winning (New York Daily News).
Sorry about the delay in articles. I had to leave town for an emergency and then had a vacation. This point of the season is when the rumor mill moves into overdrive. Most players mentioned will not move, but some will. Don’t dismantle your team based of a rumor (unless you need to take a chance).
The Rumors
The A’s offered first baseman Scott Hatteburg to the Red Sox to clear out a position for prospect Dan Johnson and a little money; the Red Sox declined due to John Olerud working his way back to the majors…Octavio Dotel could be traded for offensive help in Oakland…Eric Byrnes has re-entered the rumor mill; he is currently getting more starts since Nick Swisher is on the shelf, but this could be an audition for another team…Juan Gonzalez’s days are numbered since he still hasn’t played a game yet for the Indians…Todd Helton is expected to hit the market in the next month; Colorado wants to clear his salary…The Rockies are apparently willing to talk about trading Jason Jennings…Preston Wilson’s name is still being brought up in trade talks; Baltimore (for Jorge Julio) and Washington (for Zach Day) are interested…The Mets have killed rumors that they were trading Mike Cameron for Jorge Julio; they don’t feel comfortable with Victor Diaz as the everyday OF for the full season…The Angels have appeared to be interested in Cameron, as have the Yankees, Padres, and Astros…The Phillies are taking there time before dealing Placido Polanco; they want to package him with Ryan Howard for a big name player/prospects…Many are now saying the Phillies should be shopping Jim Thome rather than Howard; the main hitch is Thome’s back and large contract…Jimmy Rollins has told the Phillies he will not talk contract extension until after the season; don’t be surprised if his name starts to pop up in rumors…Phillies are also willing to listed to offers on Pat Burrell, Randy Wolf, Mike Lieberthal, or Billy Wagner…Johnny Damon is still lobbying for a contract from the Red Sox; don’t be surprised if they let him walk after the season…If Jason Giambi were to become available, look for Oakland or Toronto to be interested; both teams GMs have ties to him…The Yankees have no interest in Ken Griffey Jr… The Royals may try to move more veterans this year; Mike Sweeney and Jeremy Affeldt are the names being mentioned…Matt Lawton, who is in the last year of his contract, is going to be offered up by the Pirates to any team that needs outfield help…The Brewers are getting calls on catcher Pat Borders, who is with their Triple A team…Among the teams interested in Borders is the Mariners; they are also talking to Benito Satiago…Mike Lowell’s name keeps popping up in trade rumors; the Dodgers are the most logical destination.
Manager Hot Seats: Dusty Baker’s name has come up this week; special assistant to the GM Grady Little would be one of the first considered…There are numerous name floating around for the Royals manager position; Gene Lamont is the leading candidate while Larry Bowa, Frank White, Jerry Narron, Jimy Williams, Jim Fregosi, Art Howe, and Grady Little are being considered…Charlie Manual may be safe with the Phillies, but GM Ed Wade may not make it through the season…Many are saying Ken Macha will not end the season with the A’s…The Rockies aren’t looking to make changes in regards to the manager and GM; they came into the season expecting to struggle (since the youth movement has started).
The week that was:
The Good
Mark Buehrle – A lot has been made of Buehrle in the last week. He is the real deal. Most of the hoopla has been in regards to his quick games. His average game time for this season is under 2 ½ hours. He finds his groove very quickly and throw each pitch a few seconds after he gets the ball. This season he is 7-1, with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He is worth going after in all leagues.
Bobby Abreu – Talk about the hottest player in baseball that no one knows (except to fantasy gamers). He had homered in 5 consecutive days, took a day off from the long ball, and then 4 consecutive days with a homer. This month he has 11 homers and 26 RBIs in 18 games. The man is one of the best options in all leagues (he has as many stolen bases as home runs for Roto players).
Johan Santana had a rough start this past week; he is still worth starting and will really turn it on as the season goes (look for a future column on 1st half players vs 2nd half players)…Craig Biggio and Chipper Jones move back to there dominate position has done wonders for there careers; both are worth starting while they keep this up…David Wright is starting to hit for the Mets; he is one of the better, younger options at third.
The Bad
Jason Giambi – The Yankees are still contemplating releasing Giambi. In the last few weeks, the Yankees have asked Giambi if he would be willing to take a demotion to the minors to get his head and game together. Giambi was very upset by the idea and how it was handled. “I was pissed” he was quoted as saying. “That’s a situation where [going to the minors] was something they wanted to talk about, then okay, let’s talk about it. But then they can come to [reporters] and say this is out there. It wasn’t right. [The minors] might have been a viable option if I hit .190 in spring training and then I was hitting .190 now. But I mean, that’s not what happened. I was hitting really well in the spring and everything was great. Then I went through a tough stretch, but give me five more hits and I’m back where it’s not a problem. No one would be making a big deal of it then.” The Yankees believe they have a similar out clause that Colorado used with Denny Neagle; a morality clause. The Yankees can claim that Giambi potentially harmed his career using steroids. They would then be able to release him for a portion of what he is still owed. If this were to happen, expect a stink from the Players Association.
Kevin Brown – I bet the Braves are happy to not have made a deal with the Yankees for Brown. Brown won his last 2 starts (2-4 for the season), lowered his ERA by 2.2 points, and lowered his WHIP from 1.88 to 1.59. He is still a risky start in most formats. Part of his good starts was due to him visiting his back specialist. His back is still a concern, and, if he can’t make constant visits to the good doctor, he may revert back to his April form (the doctor is in Georgia, which is not near many of the teams the Yanks play).
Alex Sanchez still has a job while the Devil Rays have one of the deepest systems for outfielders…Tom Glavine is getting to that point where he just needs to hang it up; he is almost a liability for fantasy owners.
The Ugly
Jeff Bagwell – “To be honest, my career could be over” was the statement Bagwell posted on the Astros’ website. Bagwell has undergone shoulder surgery that will keep him out of action for 3 months. He has a genetic degenerative condition that has plagued him for the last 4 seasons (his father and grandfather had the same problem). This has been the reason for his smaller body frame. According to Peter Gammons “…in Boston, one sportswriter went on television and used used Jeff Bagwell as an example of someone whose size has decreased after drug testing. Of course, the person didn’t know that Bagwell hasn’t been able to lift a weight for nearly four years.” Bagwell has been one of the best first basemen many of us fans have seen. Gammons argues his case for the hall; “If this is it for Bagwell, he will move on to Cooperstown in 2011. He is one of 17 players with 1,500 runs scored, 1,500 RBI and a career .900 OPS; with the research of the esteemed Rob Tracy of the Elias Sports Bureau, I can note that of those 17 players, Bagwell is ninth in OPS. Also thanks to Tracy and Elias, if one uses the accepted complex OPS (three parts on base to two parts slugging, according to the bartenders’ manual), Bagwell is 12th all-time behind Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Barry Bonds, Jimmie Foxx, Rogers Hornsby, Frank Thomas, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Ty Cobb and Mel Ott. (Albert Pujols doesn’t quality, but if he did he would sit in front of Thomas).”
Carlos Pena – Pena’s slow start has people in Detroit are starting to think he isn’t the right guy for the first base job. The fans are calling for Chris Shelton to be called up to take over the position. GM Dave Dombrowski has said that he is a slow starter and that he is in no danger of losing his job. Pena was dealt from Oakland after a slow start there, so take Dombrowski’s comment for what it’s worth.
David Williams has won 3 straight for the Pirates; he is 4-3 with a 3.79 ERA…AJ Pierzynski has 5 homers in the last 6 games; he is a solid option at a thin position…Who kidnapped Tino Martinez and replaced him with a baseball player.
Rookie Watch:
Tim Stauffer, the Padres top pitching prospect, has been lights out; he is 1-0, with a 3.46 ERA, giving up 11 hits and 4 walks while striking out 11 in 13 innings…Ian Snell, starter for the Pirates Triple A team, threw a no-hitter this past weekend; expect him to be called up before next season…Dan Meyer, the main player in the Tim Hudson trade, has been shut down by the A’s Triple A team; he has dead shoulder and there is no time table for his return…Robinson Cano has been hot recently; the Yankee second sacker was 13 for 22 last week…Grady Sizemore is showing signs of life; he has bought is batting up to .279/.318/.426…Ervin Santana, the Angel’s top pitching prospect, was shelled in his first outing; this was his first outing above Double A and should bounce back…Kyle Davies is expected to make his major league debut this weekend; he is one of there top pitching prospects and worth keeping an eye on…Now is the time to go after Huston Street; he will get some save opportunities soon.
Injury Watch:
Carlos Zambrano got an MRI on his throwing elbow after feeling pain in his last start, showing that he has tennis elbow, less serious than the Cubs thought; manager Dusty Baker has been know to leave young pitchers in games too long (Zambrano pitched 136 pitches 2 starts ago)…Guillermo Mota is on schedule to return to the Marlins early next week…Luis Castillo will most likely be out until next weekend with an injured quad; don’t be surprised by a retro-DL move…Frank Thomas (foot) has started his rehab assignment; his target date to return is June 13…Ben Sheets (inner ear infection) is in extended spring training to get back into shape; there is still no time table for his return…Jim Thome and Kenny Lofton should be back in the next week…Rich Harden may be out longer than expected; his strained oblique is not as bad as former teammate Tim Hudson’s was last year, but it is worse than expected…Jason Schmidt should be back next week; he may need a start or 2 before he looks like his old self…Octavio Dotel is having arm problems; he is seeing an arm specialist, a bad sign…Jeremy Affeldt will start his rehab next week; he is worth having as a back up closer…Corey Koskie has landed on the DL with a broker thumb.
Upcoming 2 start pitchers: (DISCLAIMER: All of these should be checked on Sunday to make sure they are 2 start pitchers. Go to 2 start pitchers link on RotoChamps to check
I was lazy this week, so check Rotochamps on Sunday.
League Leaders
Rank, Player, Team, AVG
1, Clint Barmes, Rockies, .377
2, Brian Roberts, Orioles, .372
3, Carlos Guillen, Tigers, .371
4, Miguel Cabrera, Marlins, .370
5, Derek Lee, Cubs, .362
Rank, Player, Team, Home Runs
1, Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 14
2, Troy Glaus, Diamondbacks, 12
2, Derrek Lee, Cubs, 12
2, Tino Martinez, Yankees, 12
2, Bobby Abreu, Phillies, 12
Rank, Player, Team, RBIs
1, Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 41
2, Miguel Tejada, Orioles, 38
3, Derrek Lee, Cubs, 37
4, Albert Pujols, Cardinals, 35
5, Manny Ramirez, Red Sox, 34
5, Jeff Kent, Dodgers, 34
Rank, Player, Team, Runs
1, Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 36
2, Brian Roberts, Orioles, 34
3, Johnny Damon, Red Sox, 33
4, Clint Barmes, Rockies, 32
4, Brady Clark, Brewers, 32
Rank, Player, Team, SB
1, Scott Podsednik, White Sox, 24
2, Willy Taveraz, Astros, 14
2, ICHIRO, Mariners, 14
4, Brian Roberts, Orioles, 13
5, Chone Figgins, Angels, 12
5, Bobby Abreu, Phillies, 12
5, Carl Crawford, Devil Rays, 12
Rank, Player, Team, Wins
1, Jon Garland, White Sox, 8
2, Dontrelle Willis, Marlins, 7
2, Mark Buerhle, White Sox, 7
2, Livan Hernandez, Nationals, 7
5, Josh Beckett, Marlins, 6
5, Chris Carpenter, Cardinals, 6
5, Adam Eaton, Padres, 6
5, Roy Halladay, Blue Jays, 6
Rank, Player, Team, ERA
1, Roger Clemens, Astros, 1.29
2, Dontrelle Willis, Marlins, 1.45
3, Kenny Rogers, Rangers, 1.49
4, Brett Myers, Phillies, 1.88
5, Mike Hampton, Braves, 1.96
Rank, Player, Team, Saves
1, Brandon Lyon, Diamondbacks, 13
1, Jose Mesa, Pirates, 13
1, Trevor Hoffman, Padres, 13
1, Francisco Cordero, Rangers, 13
5, BJ Ryan, Orioles, 12
5, Joe Nathan, Twins, 12
Rank, Player, Team, Ks
1, Johan Santana, Twins, 72
2, Brett Myers, Phillies, 71
3, Pedro Martinez, Mets, 67
4, Roger Clemens, Astros, 63
5, Jake Peavy, Padres, 61
Rank, Player, Team, WHIP
1, Pedro Martinez, Mets, 0.73
2, Roger Clemens, Astros, 0.91
3, Dontrelle Willis, Marlins, 0.93
3, Brett Myers, Phillies, 0.93
5, Jon Garland, White Sox, 0.96
Links
RotoChamps can take care of all your fantasy needs.
Aaron’s HOF 100 finale.
Where’s Tal?
Patrick gets with Uma.
Steve is the go-to guy for NASCAR.
Todd mentions basketball this week.
Nick continues his draft recap, and gives some Star Wars insite.
The Forums
That’s it for this week. I am working on doing articles on ball park effects on fantasy baseball and statistically who is better in the first half and the second half of the season. Any insight would be appreciated. E-mail or post questions, trade scenarios, and comments. Thanks.
