Justin Duchscherer, Oakland A's

Injury is like prison rape. 

 

Sure it doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world and inevitability seems to loom over each one, but no amount of preparation cushion the blow when it finally hits you hard. 

 

Unlike prison rape, no one wants to hear about the injury woes of your fantasy team, so you are often left to suck it up without getting to complain about your evaporating luck to anyone that listens.  You just have to go on living your life and picking up poor substitutes for key contributors while worrying about being able to sit down. 

 

This past week saw the name Jake Peavy join the list of injured stars killing fantasy owners.  With talks of Diasuke Matsuzaka possibly being DL-bound to get healthy and make room for John Smoltz and worries from fantasy owners that Roy Halladay’s groin injury could be more serious than a hindrance that would only delay his next start by a couple days, fantasy owners are finding themselves in dire straits.  Since Mark Knopfler can only ease their minds with his guitar, here are some names that could come in handy for owners looking to add some talent.

 

 

Justin Duchscherer – SP – Oakland Athletics (48% Y! Plus, 50.6% ESPN)

In a look to the not-too-distant future, Justin Duchscherer—one of the biggest surprises of the 2008 season—is expected to start throwing from the mound in the next couple of weeks.  In his first season as a starter, “The Duke” sported an ERA of 2.54 and a WHIP of 1.00.  Granted, this was due in large part to a BABIP of .240, which factored heavily into his FIP of 3.69.  Of pitchers with at least 100 IP, he had the second largest negative disparity between ERA and FIP.  The first name on that list was Armando Galarraga, so expectations for Duchscherer’s continued success should be tempered.

 

That being said, there is talk of bringing him back sooner and easing him into action by starting him out in relief.  Duchscherer was an exceptionally effective middle reliever from 2003 to 2006, peaking in 2005 with an ERA+ of 198 and earning a spot on the All-Star team as a middle reliever.  With current closer Andrew Bailey having struggled blowing two saves and coughed up the lead in a tie game since recording the first of his five saves on May 8^th, it would not be unreasonable to expect an effective Duchscherer to unseat Bailey if he were to fail to make his way into the rotation in the near future.   

 

 

Kelvim Escobar – SP – Los Angeles Angels (43% Y! Plus, 6.0% ESPN)

Yes, it was announced that Escobar will be moved to the bullpen in an effort to build up strength in his throwing shoulder.  Yes, it was also after only one start.  The move to the bullpen does not mean there is no value to Escobar for fantasy owners. 

 

In his last four seasons as a starter (he missed all of 2008 to injury), Escobar maintained an ERA under 4.00.  His lowest K/BB over that span was 2.42, so control has never been too much of an issue either.  His last season as a reliever, he had 38 saves in 46 chances and struck out 85 in 78.0 innings with a 4.27 ERA.  One might reasonably expect a K/9 in the 9.00 range with an ERA below 4.00 (as a reliever who now knows how to pitch that could even be below 3.00).  There is certainly use for that even if he doesn’t make it back to the rotation this season.  Now, maybe he goes back on the DL as a result of the shoulder fatigue, but with the Angels bullpen in a shambles with Jose Arrendondo getting sent down, Brian Fuentes being largely ineffective thus far, and Scot Shields out for the year, a healthy Escobar could be especially valuable.

 

 

Phil Hughes – SP – New York Yankees (37% Y! Plus, 8.6% ESPN)

I’ve done it once, but apparently it needs to be done again.  This is especially painful because this writer does not particularly enjoy writing about the Evil Empire.  The last month has seen Hughes pitch 23.2 innings with 2 wins, 29 Ks, and a hold while putting up a 3.42 ERA and a WHIP of 0.97.  You would think he was playing in Cincinnati or Texas.  Well, maybe Yankee Stadium II is like playing in either one of those places, but the fact remains that Hughes has been effective for a month now and is still out there to be had.  Was he not a highly touted prospect in the largest media market in the country? 

 

 

Adam LaRoche – 1B – Pittsburgh Pirates (36% Y! Plus, 28% Y!, 79.3% ESPN)

At various times in his career, Adam LaRoche has caught fire and carried fantasy teams.  Over the last 76 games of the 2006 season, the then-Brave hits 21 home runs, drove in 52, and scored 56 runs while putting up a line of .321/.377/.638/1.016.  When projected out over 162 games, that translated to a 45 HR, 119 R, 111 RBI campaign.  Obviously, there is a fair amount of cherry-picking going on here, but the fact remains that LaRoche can go off on insanely valuable runs.

 

Since May 27^th, the elder LaRoche brother has been on quite the tear.  Over his past 15 games, LaRoche has hit at a .360/.485/.540/1.025 clip.  He seems to be seeing the ball very well, coaxing 14 walks from opposing pitchers while only striking out eight times over this stretch.  He does only have one home run during this time, but he has recorded six doubles.  Despite his relatively low long ball output thus far this season (only eight home runs), his ISO on the season is still .214.  As summer sets in, some of those doubles are going to turn into home runs.  Sitting at eight now, it would not be a stretch of the imagination to see him hit 15 more from here on out. 

 

 

Miguel Olivo – C – Kansas City (7% Y! Plus, 3% Y!, 3.6% ESPN)

A recommendation like this does not come without a qualifier or two.  Let’s get those out of the way first.  For starters, his K/BB is 50/2 after action on Sunday.  Of players with at least 100 plate appearances, that is the worst in baseball.  Moreover, there are only six players in baseball with 100 PAs who have a higher K% than Olivo’s 35.0%.  With virtually no strike zone judgment at all, you may be wondering why you should pick him up.  If you are looking for a player with the potential for long-term success, you probably shouldn’t. 

 

All that being said, here is why you may want to give him a look (with a short leash).  Since co-starting catcher John Buck went down on May 30^th, Olivo has gotten the lion’s share of the playing time at catcher in Kansas City.  On May 29^th, his line was .225/.255/.373/.628.  On June 14^th, it sits at .257/.287/.493/.780.  In the past 14 games, Olivo has hit six home runs, 11 RBI, 10 runs, and a stolen base for good measure to go with his .333/.363/.786/1.149 split.  Having attributed his success to getting to play everyday, Olivo’s production certainly supports such an assertion.  Regardless, he is one of the hottest catchers in the game right now and is absolutely playable in any league in the short term.  A plug-and-play this hot at the catcher position has to be enticing to those owners trotting out a flavor-of-the-week catcher to begin with. 

 

Josh Duggan welcomes your comments at mister.josh.duggan@gmail.com.  If you are going to heave insults in his direction, at least be funny and creative.  He is also the author of a Kansas City Royals blog, Royalscentricity, and a pop culture blog, Inconsiderate Prick.