Saturday, May 26, 2007

Belated Thursday Action: Cubs Closer Update and Bonderman's Return

Jeremy Bonderman - Bonderman made a successful return to the rotation with 8 IP, 9 baserunners, 0 ER, and 6 K's. He was a bit wild early, as to be expected by someone who hadn't pitched in 2 weeks, but he settled down nicely and turned in an excellent outing. Obviously he's safe to return to your active lineup.

Orlando Cabrera - Cabrera has been a surprise this year, hitting .312 so far with 3 HR, 6 SB, and a good amount of Rs/RBIs. He's provided solid value to those who took him as a starting SS towards the end of the draft.

Carlos Guillen - Another great draft day value. Guillen hit his 5th and 6th HRs of the season, and is now hitting .327. Despite his strong year last season, he was again very underrated in drafts this year and is continuing to be a top 5 option at SS. His health is the only concern, but he's avoided a major injury the last two seasons and might be shaking that reputation.

Tom Gorzelanny - Gorzelanny allowed 10 hits in 5 1/3 IP, but managed to avoid major damage by only surrendering 2 ER. He left his start a bit early with a thumb contusion suffered by a comebacker, but he appears to be fine and will only miss one start at most.

Braden Looper - Looper continues his improbable run as a converted started by limiting the Pirates to 1 ER over 6 IP. His K rate is low (36 Ks in 61 IP), but his ratios are very solid. I imagine he'll start getting hit harder as more teams get a better look at him, so he remains a sell high candidate if someone believes he'll keep this up all year.

Delmon Young - He remains an excellent buy-low candidate. He's quietly raised his average 15 points over the past 10 days, but still hasn't gotten truly hot yet. Pitchers have adjusted to him after his call-up last year, so he's currently re-adjusting and will continue to improve.

Jeremy Accardo - Accardo continued his improbably run as a reliver this year as he still has not been scored upon. He's 5/5 in save chances, so barring a terrible cold streak, he should remain Toronto's closer all year long.

Alex Gonzalez - He hit his 8th HR of the season and has probably been a popular pickup in mixed leagues at SS, but he'll never hit for a high average, he doesn't steal bases, and his runs scored will remain low hitting towards the bottom of Cincy's lineup. 25 HRs is a reasonable assumption given he's hitting in one of the best HR parks in the majors, but he won't contribute enough to other catagories to warrant starting him.

John Smoltz - 7 IP, 7 Hs, 0 ERs, 5 Ks against the powerful Mets lineup. He's pitching as well as any pitcher in baseball right now, and continues to provide solid draft day value behind the elite starters. He doesn't have the upside some of them do, but he's as reliable as any.

Bob Wickman - Picked up his first save since returning from the DL. With Mike Gonzalez done for the year with Tommy John surgery, Rafael Soriano is a must-add as Wickman remains probably to have an additional injury this season due to his age. Wickman's owners would be wise to work a small trade to add Soriano for insurance.

Casey Blake - He's been on absolute fire over the past month, but avoid picking him up as it's likely just a hot streak and not an indication of anything better unless you're stuck at 3B. He's 33 years old and only has one quality season, back in 2004. He's never combined for .250 and 20+ HRs in any other season.

Micah Owens - A complete game, 9 H, 1 ER, 8 K performance. I don't know too much about his minor league track record, but he's posted solid numbers so far this season. He's emerging as a potential spot starter against weak offenses, if not more if he keeps improving.

Eric Byrnes - One of the most underrated OFs on draft day, he's hitting .299 with 6 HRs, 9 SBs, and 26 Rs/RBIs. He's likely going to have big hot/cold streaks, but he'll probably hit .280 with 25 HRs and 30 SBs. Can't complain about that as your 3rd OF!

Ryan Dempster - Pitched a clean 9th inning for his 10th save in 11 chances. I'm not sure what Pinella plans on doing now, but that's 2 straight perfect inning saves from Dempster since his 9th inning meltdown last week. I just don't understand why they'd remove him from the roll, and like I posted in my analysis of the Cubs closing situation, Dempster is well worth using until the switch becomes official.

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