Since I got very few questions this week, I decided to steal Mike's title. One note - I've included links in many of these blurbs; those links are for prior Roto Think Tank columns. Feel free to go back into our archives and take a look at these prior write-ups.
Situations Worth Watching:
Teheran burst on the scene last year, putting up a 2.59 ERA with a 159/40 K/BB in 143 innings at Low-A, High A and AA. This year, at the ripe old age of 20, Teheran is putting up a 1.80 ERA (2.53 FIP) with 35 strikeouts in 30 innings. He has not been dominant at AAA, but has certainly held his own for his age.
Teheran is expected to be up for one start only, and likely will be back in AAA by the time most free agent bids are run on Sunday and Monday. If, however, you have the opportunity to grab him and reserve him (he should be owned in most NL-only leagues with a reserve list or minor league system), you should do so and stash him away from later (or as a dump chip in keeper leagues).
I will be at the game tomorrow night, and I will report back with my observations.
This seems like a good time to talk about third base in the National League. It is a mess. Here is what we know right now. Rolen is still another week or two away from coming back. Miguel Cairo has a gimpy knee, so Paul Janish has been playing third base. Sandoval is out for a solid six weeks. Right now, Miguel Tejada and his .196 average is playing third base; Mike Fontenot is at shortstop and Emmanuel Burriss is at second base. Things will change a bit when Mark DeRosa comes back, though DeRosa was not really hitting the cover off the ball. Freese will be out about three months. Allen Craig, David Descalso and Nick Punto will likely see the bulk of time at the hot corner in the meantime: Descalso is your defensive guy; Craig has more offensive potential. Zimmerman is likely out until the All-Star break. It appears that Alex Cora has a hold on the job for now; given the number of injuries at third base, he should likely be “owned in case of emergency.” Brian Bixler is also seeing starts at the corner spot. Blake is likely out another month. Aaron Miles and Juan Uribe are holding down the fort there.
Davis appears primed to take over the 5th spot in the Cubs’ rotation on May 14 against the San Francisco Giants. When healthy, Davis provides a league average or slightly worse than league average ERA, with a tough WHIP to swallow. He is certainly someone, however, that deserves a FAAB bid when he is up.
Worley has been very good in his time in the National League so far. It appeared he would be headed back down to the minors; instead, it looks like Roy Oswalt will be headed to the disabled list, and Worley will stay up a bit longer. He is certainly worth picking up in NL-only leagues, even with a tougher schedule upcoming for the Phillies.
I feel like I have written about Morgan and Gomez four times already this year - feels that way anyway. Simply put: Morgan back on the disabled list; Gomez back in the starting lineup.
Barry Enright/Josh Collmenter.
Enright is back where he belongs: the minors. Collmenter will start for now, until the Diamondbacks find someone better. Collmenter posted some nice strikeout rates in the minor leagues, but those rates have not translated so far in the major leagues. He is worth a look see.
Another situation already much written about: Lyon to the disabled list and Melancon is the closer. I suspect that this will not be a Tony LaRussa situation; Melancon should hold the job for awhile. His peripherals are a little weak, but he has pitched well so far this year. He should be owned in all NL-only formats, and all mixed leagues that value saves. Wilton Lopez will likely move back into a set-up role now that he is healthy.
Franklin should be waived; Boggs is still worth owning; Sanchez appears to the be closer…today, anyway. To be honest, any of Sanchez, Boggs, Miguel Batista and Trevor Miller could grab a save, depending on the day and the match-up. I did find it telling that Sanchez got the call to pitch three days in a row, despite blowing a save on day 2.
Nick Hundley/Rob Johnson.
Hundley is in a pretty big slump, and now he has a strained oblique. All signs indicate a disabled list trip, so Johnson is your newest National League starting catcher. The only good news here is that he cannot hit worse than Hundley did in his last 36 at-bats (5/36).
Nick Hundley/Rob Johnson.
Hundley is in a pretty big slump, and now he has a strained oblique. All signs indicate a disabled list trip, so Johnson is your newest National League starting catcher. The only good news here is that he cannot hit worse than Hundley did in his last 36 at-bats (5/36).
Potential Free Agent Pickups:
Rodriguez had a relatively successful first outing. Because of some days off in the schedule next week, his next appearance is up in the air. He is probably worth a bid in NL-only leagues, though his stuff is relatively non-descript.
See above.
Logan Forsythe.
See Mike’s post yesterday.
He gets the Dodgers this week. Given their struggles on offense as of late, perhaps this is the week to pick him up?
No comments:
Post a Comment