3 Up, 3 Down

     Well, all right, all right, all right.  I’m back from a little mini-vacation and now it’s time to get back to baseball.  Not that I was without baseball while away, but where I was usually up to my eyeballs was now only up to my chin.  There’s a lot going on these days and the player movement on rosters is as heavy as ever.  We’re seeing a lot of rotation shuffling, plenty of injuries, and some hot young rooks trying to make a name for themselves.  All of which is exciting to watch and seriously important for your fantasy heads out there.  We’re nearing the All Star Break and it’s time to make sure your roster is beefed up enough for a solid second half run.  Here’s a few player notes that I’ve recently noticed and could really help you in your quest for the title…

3 Up

Ryan Madson, RP  PHI –  The righty reliever who has been stellar as a set-up man now gets the opportunity to close for the Phillies with Brad Lidge on the DL.  So far, this season, Madson is 2-1 with a 2.22 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and 31 K’s in just over 28 innings.  If you’re a Lidge owner, then hopefully you saw this coming and picked up the handcuff in time.  A word of caution, however.  Before acquiring Lidge, Madson was given a similar opportunity when Phil’s closer Tom Gordon went down and the experiment was not a successful one.  Expect Madson to get the save opps right now, but consider him only a stopgap as Lidge is sure to return to the closer’s role after he fixes his knee….and his head.

Vin Mazzaro, SP  OAK –  Time for me to toot my own horn again, as I was touting Mazzaro back in March as a pitcher to keep on your radar.  Since his call up, in two starts, he’s gone 13 2/3 innings, is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and has a 0.88 WHIP.  And those starts were against the White Sox and the Orioles, two solid offensive clubs.  The thing to watch is his steady improvement.  After walking 4 batters in his first outing with only 1 K, Mazarro came back in his next start to strike out 4 and walk none.  Keep tracking his progress, but after watching this last start, I could see him outlasting and even outperforming both Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson.

Yunel Escobar, SS  ATL –  I can’t believe I still see this guy on the waiver wire.  He’s got a batting line of .298-31-5-31-2 and is outperforming such heralded shortstops as Jimmy Rollins, Troy Tulowitzki, and even the injured Jose Reyes before the injury.  He’s definitely not flashy and certainly not a household name, but if you need someone to plug into the position, you can do a whole lot worse than Escobar.  He plays every day, has moderate power and moderate speed, doesn’t strike out very much and should continue to hit for a high average.  If you’re still waiting for a guy like Tulowitzki to heat up, trust me…you’d be happier with Escobar.

3 Down

Austin Kearns, OF  WAS –  The Nationals outfield has been so up and down all season, that it’s hard to really tout a guy knowing that Manny Acta could wake up tomorrow morning and change his mind.  But for now, you have to go with what he’s saying and assume that Keanrs at bats are going to take a major hit in the not so distant future.  As if his .213 average with minimal power wasn’t enough of a deterrant from keeping him on your roster, Acta came out yesterday and said that when Josh Willingham comes back (in a day or so), he will be receiving the majority of at bats in right field.  That means Kearns is headed for bench duty, barring another injury to the Hammer or someone else.  Time to cut him loose and pick up someone with better potential. 

Brandon Morrow, RP/SP  SEA –  He’s a closer, no a starter, no a closer, no a starter.  Well which is it???  Is your peanut butter in my chocolate or is my chocolate in your peanut butter?  The debate continues inside the Seattle brain trust, and it looks like the starters have it.  Morrow has been shipped down to Triple-A where he will join the rotation and begin working his way back to the Mariners as a starter.  He’s definitely got potential, but this up and down, in and out thing is killing his value this year.  If you have the room to spare, then he may be worth holding onto for the second half, but for now, I’m looking in every direction but his for pitching help.

Juan Pierre, OF LAD — That ticking sound you hear is not the crocodile from Peter Pan, it’s the lifeline of Pierre as a starting outfielder.  According to Joe Torre, Pierre will head back to the bench as soon as Manny Ramirez returns, despite him being the teams hottest hitter right now.  His owners are hoping for a trade to a team looking for a leadoff guy, but with how he’s performed, I don’t necessarily see the Dodgers giving him up.  He’s definitely on e of the better bench players out there and his 13 SBs show that he still has some good life in his legs.  Don’t cut him just yet, but keep in mind that he will likely need to be replaced soon.