Making a lot of noise in April...May should be even better!
Sure it’s Cinco de Mayo right now, but I’m not done talking about what we saw in the first month of baseball just yet. In Part 1, I went through the hitters and the starting pitchers — who’s been standing out and who’s been hiding in the shadows. This time around, I’d like to discuss certain things like the starting jobs that still seem to be up for grabs, the atrocities that are some team’s closing situations, and what key injuries we saw that may have opened the doors for some hidden fantasy gems. There’s still plenty going on that you’re going to need to know moving forward. There’s still plenty of baseball to go…
Key Injuries
The annual trip to the DL came early for Cardinals 3B Troy Glaus this year. He started the season on the DL and hoped to make it back by mid to late May. However, between the supposed steroids admission and a setback in rehab, it looks like he won’t be back until late June. Joe Thruston is getting the majority of starts at third right now with Brian Barden picking up time as well. Barden seems to be hitting a little better, but Thurston still seems to be getting the nod.
Continuing that steady decline we fantasy owners have seen lately, Vladimir Guerrero has been sitting on the DL with a torn pectoral muscle. He probably won’t be back until late May, so if you’re despearate, Gary Matthews, Jr. is filling in most of the way.
And speaking of the Angels, what a disaster their rotation seems to be. It’s like a M*A*S*H unit. Kelvim Escobar, John Lackey and Ervin Santana are all out and probably won’t be ready to go until the end of this month. Shane Loux and Anthony Ortega have been filling in, but I don’t trust either of them.
Justin Duchscherer’s injury allowed the A’s to audition three young guns, but one of them is going to have to go away, or atleast to the pen, when he returns. Look for Josh Outman to hit the bullpen while Brett Anderson heads to Triple-A. I think Trevor Cahill should, and will, remain in the rotation.
The Braves are hoping that Brian McCann is fully healed and that the Lasik surgery fixes the hitting soon. For now, David Ross has been filling in behind the plate, but don’t expect him to get much regular time if McCann is ready to go when he returns this week.
With Derrek Lee slumping and Milton Bradley being…well, Milton Bradley, look for the possibility of Micah Hoffpauir to get more at bats. Nothing set yet and this is just speculation for now, but we all know Bradley will end up on the DL again soon.
If you wasted a high pick on Brandon Webb, my apologies. After a setback in rehab, he could be out much longer than anticipated. There’s no one in the D-Backs rotation that looks appealing as a replacement, so you better look elsewhere.
While Royals 3B Alex Gordon continues to heal, Mark Teahen has filled in adequately. I should hope so since the hot corner is his natural position. Gordon will be out after hip surgery atleast until mid June, so Teahen looks to be locked in atleast until then.
It was just a matter of time before Travis Hafner made it to the DL. And I can’t think of many people who were too upset about it. His injury allowed the Indians to bring up rookie sensation Matt LaPorta who hit a 2 run shot in his second game. LaPorta should be picked up in all leagues if he hasn’t been already.
Closer Situations
There’s been plenty of bullpen movement all over the league this year. We’ve had injuries to guys like Jose Valverde (LaTroy Hawkins filling in…yuck!!), Joey Devine (Brad Ziegler), Trevor Hoffman (he’s back so don’t sweat it) and Brandon Morrow (Dave Aardsma) and we’ve also had a few switches here and there. You’ve got these above to monitor — except Devine who is done for the year — and here’s a few more to keep tabs on.
Toronto Blue Jays — In: Scott Downs Out: B.J. Ryan
St. Louis Cardinals — In: Ryan Franklin Out: Jason Motte, Chris Perez
Washington Nationals — In: Joe Beimel (when he’s off the DL) Out: Joel Hanrahan, Garrett Mock, Julian Tavarez
Baltimore Orioles — In: Committe Style Out: George Sherrill and/or Chris Ray doing it solo
Colorado Rockies — In: Huston Street (again) Out: Manny Corpas (again)
Detroit Tigers — In: Fernando Rodney Out: Brandon Lyon
Just remember….just because a guy is listed as “out”, doesn’t mean it’s for good. Keep watching!!
Positions Up For Grabs
Usually Spring Training gives us all the solutions to all the position battles. But sometimes, the manager’s just don’t have a one-guy answer. There are players that start off cold and enter platoons, guys that lose their jobs, guys that play into jobs, and situations where neither player really steps it up. Here’s a look at some spots you’ll want to keep an eye on when looking for guys that have/could have full time jobs…
The Yankees centerfield job was handed to Brett Gardner after the Spring and he was playing decently to start. He was hitting in the 9 hole and still had 5 stolen bases to spark the team. But the guy he replaced, Melky Cabrera, started crushing the ball with every opportunity he got and ended up taking over the job….for now. Cabrera is the guy today, but when he comes back to earth, look for Gardner to step back in.
The Angels are going with a straight platoon at shortstop these days. Both Maicier Izturis and Erick Aybar are known for their defense, and so far this year, their bats have been the same. I think Aybar could be the guy, but with Mike Scioscia making the call, we’ll never know.
The Cards are still giving ample time to both Chris Duncan and Colby Rasmus in the outfield and neither is doing anything to relinquish the job. They’re both playing well, so figure unless Duncan goes into a slump, they’ll be in a full platoon this year.
Not so much a platoon anymore, but to let you all know, Kosuke Fukudome has responded very well to his splitting time with Reed Johnson. So much so, that Fukudome has taken over the spot. Johnson will get his occasional start, but the Japanese import looks much more comfortable in his second year.
Dexter Fowler is doing the same thing in Colorado as his fantastic play and speed has made it very difficult for Clint Hurdle to sit him. Moving Ryan Spilborghs over to left seems like the smart play, much to the chagrin of Seth Smith and Ian Stewart.
The White Sox centerfield job is just a disaster. DeWayne Wise started there but got hurt. The came Brian Anderson and he got hurt. Jerry Owens had been released and nothing came of the rumors of moving Alexei Ramirez out there. The Sox have brought back Scott Podsednick, but we’ll see how long that lasts.
So there’s the quick recap. Still plenty of action going on, so if your fantasy team isn’t what you want it to be just yet, you’ve got a good number of options.
If you’ve got any questions, thoughts or comments, please don’t hesitate to put themn here or email me at Howard.Rotobuzz@yahoo.com
Good luck and I’ll see you all in the money this year!
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