Henry Owens/Jorge Julio: Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said that he envisions Jorge Julio back in the closers role. Now I know the Marlins traded specifically for him before the season started, but this should be nowhere close to happening. Owens has blown one save, and even then those runs scored based on someone else's throwing error. Owens has done nothing to lose the job, posting 2 relief victories and 3 saves since taking over the closer's role. This is something to keep in mind, and perhaps trading Owens along with another player to upgrade your closer position might be the best bet since Gonzalez obviously doesn't know what's best for his team, and that's to have Julio only pitch in 8-0 games.
Eric Gagne/Akinori Otsuka: Gagne has returned from his latest injury, which was some sort of hip ailment. He'll presumably return straight to the closer's role as that's why the Rangers risked millions of dollars on him. At this point it's safe to assume he'll get hurt again before too long, so Otsuka owners should definitely hang onto him. Even if he's only pitching the 8th innings, he'll help your ratios and add some Ks and a vulture win here and there while Gagne pitches towards his next injury.
Jason Frasor/Jeremy Accardo: Toronto manager John Gibbons wasn't commital to Frasor in the closer's role, and given his recent performance that should be no shock. I would pick up Jeremy Accardo as I think he'll get the next save opportunity. Accardo has yet to allow a run, and has posted 13 Ks in 14 2/3 IP. When I first posted about BJ Ryan's injury, I forgot that a few years ago Frasor was given a chance to close, and he didn't perform all that well. I usually keep these instances in mind because either a pitcher has a closer's mentality, or he doesn't, and I generally avoid those who have failed before. LaTroy Hawkins, Jason Frasor, and David Riske are examples of solid relievers that just can't handle closing. Octavio Dotel is actually another one, but he's been at least mildly successful in the role. He was nowhere near as dominant as a closer as he's been as a setup man, however.
Josh Beckett: Yup, I took Felipe Lopez over him. Good times. 7 starts later, he's 7-0 with a sub 3.00 ERA and 40 Ks in 46 2/3 IP. He has the talent to keep this up (I'd imagine an ERA closer to 3.5 than 2.5 when all is said and done), so he's not a sell high candidate unless you believe an injury is around the corner. He battled countless blister issues in Florida, but didn't have a single problem with them last year, so perhaps Boston's team doctors know something that Florida's don't.
Hank Blalock: The .295 average (.344 against LHP!) and .352 OBP are very nice, but where's the power? He's only hit 2 HRs, but he does have 10 doubles. He's bouncing back fairly well so far, but some additional HRs should be nice for someone who definitely has 30 HR power. He's providing reason for optimism, though. His R and RBI production should rise as the Texas offense gets going.
Andy Pettitte: His 2.72 ERA does not match up to his 1.43 WHIP and 27:19 K:BB ratios, but he's having success so far and pitched well last night. He's rather unlucky to only have 2 wins. His ERA will go up, but he should start winning more ballgames as he's pitching fairly well overall.
Horatio Ramirez: 7.62 ERA, including last night's performance of 5 2/3 IP, 11 Hs, 7 ERs, and 0 Ks. To think Seattle traded Rafael Soriano for him is laughable. In fact, I'd say Rafael Soriano on the DL is more effective than Horatio Ramirez in the starting rotation.
David Ortiz: Mini rant time! Boston scores 9 runs, hits 4 HRs, and I look to see Ortiz have an 0-3 night. I hate seeing a team one of your studs is on score a ton of runs, but then you check the boxscore and he's rewarded you with an 0 fer. Ugh.
Dan Wheeler: STOP GIVING UP GOPHERBALLS.
Mike Cameron: Stole a base 2 nights ago, homered last night. I think it's about time to get him back in your lineup, or pick him back up. He's streaky, but he hit 22 HRs and stole 25 bases last year. He's a bit like Torii Hunter, and he's well worth owning. In fact, I just added him in both my leagues.
Chad Gaudin: I spot started him last night against the Royals in a league where I don't really have a 5th starter, and boy did that pay off with 8 IP, 1 ER, and 8 Ks. He's put together a very impressive 2-1/2.40/1.14/34 Ks in 41 1/3 IP. He's not this good, but he's apparently worth using against weaker offenses.
Justin Morneau: He's someone I overlooked in my slow start portion of a post days ago. He's only at .274 right now after his 2/4 with 2 HR game last night, but he's up to 8 HRs total now and I expect that average to keep climbing towards the .300 area.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment