Did anyone notice current starter Phil Coke picked up the loss in relief today against the Yankees?
Looks like a panic move early on for Jim Leland.
Move over, Dusty Baker. There’s another clueless manager in the Mid-West.
by Brian Dorsey
1. What do we make of the Chase Utley situation?
In case you missed it, ESPN has been updating Utley’s status all March with headlines like “ESPN REPORT: Chase Utley might start the season on the DL” or “We’re really not sure why we’re telling you this, but there is no news regarding Phil’s Utley.” Thank you, ESPN. You’ve succeeded again at being CNN: Sports Edition. In their defense though, there really wasn’t much to report because Utley and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. (side note: if you’re named after your father, and he isn’t famous, the “Junior” moniker is completely unnecessary) have been tight-lipped. Utley’s goal seems to be a first half return, but there are people (i.e. Brandon Inge) who think it would be a miracle for Utley to play at all this season. I won’t begin to speculate, but I will say this: The Phillies just released Luis Castillo, Utley’s supposed replacement. Read into that however you will, but to me that seems like a good sign for Utley owners.
Friday, March 25
4:04 PM PST: We hit the road, driving East from San Diego on the Interstate 8. We lucked out big time: no traffic.
7:15 PM PST: Pit stop in Yuma, AZ. Ate at Applebee’s. Not much to report except Yuma is a vacuum. Hard to believe the Padres used to call this place “home” before Peoria.
9:42 PM PST: Arrive in Goodyear, AZ, where we’ll be staying for the weekend. After the long drive, I break out the Belvenie scotch and throw ‘em back like Miguel Cabrera.
Just a quick little update. I’m going to be heading out to Peoria, Arizona this weekend for some sun and baseball. Early next week I’ll have a blog up of my experience and hopefully something interesting to report that is fantasy related. One week away!
by Ryan Butler
With Opening Day on the horizon, it’s time to take a look at the goings-on in Spring Training 2011.
My personal feelings about the exhibition season can be summed up in five words: wake me when it’s April. Over the years I have learned that what a player does in the spring usually doesn’t have too much bearing on what he will do once the season starts. One guy I will never forget is John Roskos. In the spring of 2000, Roskos, a castoff from the Marlins, was in camp with the Padres. I think he hit like .875 with 78 homers and 240 RBI that March. Nobody could get the guy out. I was young and naive, and took his outrageous exhibition hitting extravaganza for much more than it was worth. I was not alone, as this previously unknown player became a huge topic of discussion in the local papers and sports talk radio. Even (then) GM Kevin Towers got caught up in RoskosMania, going so far as to call him a “Greek God.”
Roskos was ultimately left off the Opening Day roster, but received a call-up before the end of April. His arrival in San Diego was met with great anticipation by fans who were eager to see him tear the National League a new one. But it was not meant to be. After starting 0-for-18, Roskos managed a total of one hit (a double) in 27 at-bats, and essentially earned himself a permanent minor league vacation.
Rotobrian for Ryan HowardOver the past five seasons, when you talk about upper echelon first basemen, you’ll always hear Ryan Howard and Mark Teixeira in that conversation. Both of these guys are superb hitters.
Teixeira has been known for his fantastic second half play. His numbers will always be 100 R, 30 HR, and 100 RBI. Every year. Without fail. It doesn’t matter how slow he starts, his numbers will be there in the end. And some will argue that since a large portion of his stats will come in August and September, when fantasy seasons are being determined, that he’s one of the most valuable first basemen. “Who cares about April?” Teixeira backers will say. And it’s true, if you told me I had to choose one month for my players to stink it up, I would absolutely take April over September.
But here’s the thing: last year Big Tex didn’t just take April off, he also took September off (partially due to an injury). His second half numbers in 2010 (50 R, 16 HR, 48 RBI) are actually worse than the first half (63 R, 17 HR, 60 RBI). In 2009, his first year with the Yankees, he also had similar splits, and lo and behold, the first half numbers were better. So it’s quite possible what people perceive to be true about Teixeira is different from what is actually true.
by Luke Kelley
This is a love-hate thing. Teammate combinations can bring pain, joy, and even mediocrity. But I love them anyway. I have had duos that have carried my whole team some weeks, and screwed my roster on others. I’ve made in season trades to set up a duo down the stretch to try to carry my team to the playoffs, and have had to break some up because the production wasn’t there. Some notable combos I’ve had in the past include Pujols and Holliday (’10), Longoria and Upton (‘09), Han Ram and Uggla, and a few years back I had the tough-when-healthy pair of Wright and Reyes.
An ideal twosome would have both power and speed, so you can cover all 5 categories. But you don’t have to be picky to find solid partners. The elite teams have multiple possibilities in this category: Yankees (Cano, Arod, Tex, and Jeter), Phillies (Howard, Utley, Rollins, and the Flyin’ Hawaiian), and even the Brew Crew (Braun, Fielder, and now Hart and Weeks).
These are my Top 5 Combos in new places for 2011 (that are reasonably draft-able):
1. Gonzalez/Crawford, BOS 2010 Stat Line: .303, 50 HR, 191 RBI, 197 R, 47 SB
Wow, this combo could be extremely dangerous. If they are within a couple lineup spots of each other just imagine: Crawford singles, steals 2nd, and Gonzalez lines a double off the Monster! However, this might be hard to pull off. I feel that the 9 or 10 slots would have to get lucky to do this, but I had to include this dynamic duo because of the potential (maybe substitute one for Youk who will be at 3B).
Ladles and Jellyspoons, I give you the AL Central:
Minnesota Twins. Who thought anybody would miss the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome? Certainly the home team didn’t think they would. With its’ Hefty Cinch Sak right field wall covering and inflatable roof, the Twins definitely needed a new place to play. They got what they wanted in 2010, with the opening of Target Field. It’s a beautiful edifice, wisely designed, forsaking the power-hitter and custom-tailored to meet the needs of the pitcher. It’s the Petco Park of the American League. What it means to the fantasy owner is a fairly steep decline in production from heretofore-excellent fantasy hitters.
Last season, I made the mistake of taking Joe Mauer with my first pick. Unaware of the spacious dimensions of his new digs, I figured a 20-homer season was well within his reach, along with good RBI and run totals, not to mention a .330 batting average. I came to rue the day I made that decision, as Handsome Joe fell far short of his anticipated production. The new park was much to blame, as Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel met similar dubious fates at the hands of Target Field. Cuddyer was hit the hardest, seeing his home run total drop from a career-high 32 in 2009, down to 14 last season. Kubel managed to hit 21 homers, and will hit 20 again this year; he always does. One Twins hitter who met (or in his case, greatly exceeded) expectations was Delmon Young, of the famous Hitting Young Brothers. But even he only hit 6 of his 21 home runs at Target Field. Same goes for Justin Morneau, who hit the vast majority of his home runs on the road. As for Jim Thome, the corny Yellowstone Park joke applies: even at 41, no park can hold him. He’s a Hall of Fame power hitter. Danny Valencia is a good-looking young player, but I’d hold off until he shows more power.
by Brian Dorsey
Every year, fantasy baseball grows in size, exposing more of the population to the sad, masochistic, stat-filled addiction that the strange few of us already know like the back of our hands. Usually, the first decision new managers have to face is which format they want to play under: rotisserie (roto) or head-to-head. My recommendation to new owners: join one of each and decide for yourselves which format you like best, because even though both are amazingly addicting, they’re remarkably different. I like head-to-head formats better than rotisserie because I like the week-to-week thrill. I like the rivalry aspect of it.
Before we delve into the differences, let’s make sure we don’t leave any stone unturned and quickly discuss the history of the “sport.”
