AROD
What do we do with him??? I spoke to Rick Wilton the noted injury expert over the weekend and he is very optomistic on AROD. His information is that Arod will be back May 1, if not sooner and should be healthy for the entire season. If that is the case then Arod is at about 85% for games to be played so value him here. The sky is not falling. Don’t pass on him just because of the perceived serious injury he has, there is a risk involved but how great is that risk. Take his projected number and then I figure 75% of that just to be on the safe side and you come up with 28 Hr’s and 90 RBI and I would figure about 10 SB’s because he probably wont run as mush and then value him with those stats with potential upside (and downside).
LOWRIE / LUGO
With Julio Lugo having Knee Surgery this
week it opens the door for Lowrie to start the season at SS
for the RedSox. Lugo and his huge contract will be tough to
put on the bench but if Lowrie excels as he did last year it
will be tough to bench him when Lugo returns in about 6
weeks. Francona usually plays the better guys so Lowrie
should get some playing time and with Lowell coming back from
injury Lowrie should get some PT at 3B also. So I would get
Lowrie at MI in an AL only and stay away from Lugo who hasn’t
been dependable the last 2 years. In a mixed format Lowrie
probably doesn’t cut it but keep your eye on him, is he
another Pedroia in the making???
Brett Cecil
For those of you who don’t know who he is,
he is a pitching prospect for the BlueJays. He is one of
their top rated prospects and had pitched very well during
Spring Training and many thought he had a shot at a rotation
spot due to the injuries to Marcum and McGowan, but he was
sent back to the minors over the weekend in somewhat of a
surprising move. Keep your eye on him because if the 4th or
5th starter struggles to start the year he should be the
first to get the call and he could put up good numbers. If
you have a deep bench in an AL only leage grab and stash
him.
Mark DeRosa
Moving to the Indians, DeRosa will play everyday at 3B and be draft eligible at 2B, 3B, and OF. This is the type of player that every team needs. Position flexibility at the draft and even during the season is a plus for every team. Besides all that he puts up decent numbers. Last year he had 21 HR’s, 87 RBI’s, 103 R’s with a .285 AVG. There aren’t many other 3 position players that put up better numbers. Going from Wrigley to Cleveland may hurt a little but Clevelands line-up is still damn good.
Fantasy Impact: Get him, I plan to especially in AL ONLY leagues. As your middle infielder he will be cheap enough and put up solid numbers
TB Rays OF Fernando Perez
This prospect had a good chance of making the opening day roster even with the signing of Gabe Kapler and definetly has more upside than Kapler and was a nice $1 OF in AL only leagues but he severly dislocated his wrist yesterday and will miss 3 months.
Fantasy Impact: Avoid him as he will miss most of the season. In keepers leagues maybe pick him up in the 2nd half and stash him til next year, you never know
Seattle Closer Situation
What a mess!!!
Miguel Batista makes so much money they don’t want him in middle relief but if you suck then you suck.
Roy Corcoran – when was the last time a contact pitcher who couldn’t strike anyone out was an effective closer…..never
Tyler Walker – Yes he has done it before, briefly in SF but has been injured since then so I would not bet on him.
Brandon Morrow – “he will start in 2009″ well how is that goint, when the team says “shut down indefinetly” thats not good, maybe he can’t start and they will move him back to the Bullpen
Mark Lowe – He is the best of a bad bunch and that is not saying much
Best Choice – JJ Putz hows that trade lookin now Seattle
Fantasy Impact: AVOID AT ALL COSTS, if you want to take a last round $1 flyer on one of these guys then go ahead but don’t expect any more than a 20% chance you get it right.
Ervin Santana – BIG ERV!!
For those who don’t know Ervin has a slight tear in the UCL Nerve in his pitching elbow. The Angels have not released the extent of the tear but some doctors would recommend Tommy John Surgery with atleast a 20% tear while others would wait until the tear is 50%. But this is NOT good. TJ surgery sounds inevitable some time down the line (months or years). The Angels for the time being are going with rest but re-evaluation will be soon.
Fantasy Impact – With the price in an auction in the $20+ range or a high pick necessary my recommendation is to pass on him. Why take the chance? He would be a #1 or #2 on most teams and to lose that in the first month would hurt a team for the entire season. Just erase him from your cheat sheets and take the next huy on the list.
Intro
Well after 20+ years of playing Roto-Baseball and winning many leagues I have decided to weigh in with my thoughts and opinions, as well as helping anyone out there that may have a question or two. My main leagues I play in are AL only but I also do some NFBC Satellite leagues as well as a 20 team mixed Dynasty, so I can comment on most situations and questions.
I want this to be interactive so please let me know what you want to see here.
If you want numbers and projections then this isn’t the place for you – you can find those anywhere else on the Web. But lets talk about the issues of the moment as much as possible. Who is on a hot streak, who is getting called up soon, position battles etc.
Please check out my short opinions on many subjects as they happen.
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Questions / Comments
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will publish them along with my opinions.