| AL Hitter and Pitcher Grumblings -- Week 2 |
| By Daniel Heyder |
Published
04/7/2007
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AL Hitter and Pitcher Grumblings - (2007)
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Daniel Heyder
Dan Heyder has been involved in fantasy sports since 2001 with baseball
being his "bread and butter" sport. He’s written many articles for
web sites such as fantasybaseball.com and SI.com. He’ll also be
featured in the upcoming 2007 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide.
Posada leads from behind the mask and at the plate
 | Yankee backstop Jorge Posada has carried over his stong offense of 2006 producing a home run and three RBI through the teams first four games.
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NEW YORK YANKEES
Hitters: 35-year old catcher Jorge Posada is once again off to a hot start to the season. He’s batting .438 with one homer and three RBIs. Posada has also hit safely in each game and continues to be one of the most productive backstops in the majors -- regardless of age. Posada's offense speaks for itself -- his 23 homers and 93 RBIs last season were his most since 2003.
Pitchers: LHP Kei Igawa was supposed to be the Yankee’s response to the Red Sox landing Daisuke Matsuzaka….umm..no. Unlike the “Dice-Man”, Igawa had an unimpressive spring and followed that up with a stinker of a first start against the Orioles. He offered up seven runs, eight hits, three walks, a hit batter and two home runs, a performance that left him with a 12.60 ERA and a shower of boos from the home crowd. He's bought himself at least another week in AL-only waiver wires, however mixed leaguers should be sharpening the hatchet.
OAKLAND ATHELTICS
Hitters: This player is currently owned on average in 57% of the leagues and also had an ADP (average draft position) of 244.82. Did you guess it was OF Milton Bradley? Injured for most of the first half in 2006, Bradley lived up to his potential down the stretch, batting .300 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs after the All-Star break. Bradley does hit lefties well, but more of his power comes against righthanders. He’s currently hitting .375 with a homer and three RBIs. At 29, he’s entering his prime and is begging to be plucked from the waiver wire.
Pitchers: RHP Dan Haren’s first start this season had mixed reviews. He  | Haren (0-2) was a tough luck loser in his second start of the season ending up on the short end of a 2-1 loss to the Angels. Haren threw seven strong innings giving up one run on six hits.
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allowed four runs and four hits in six innings in a 4-0 loss to the Mariners earlier in the week. He walked one and struck out two but left the game when his left foot slipped after a pitch to Kenji Johjima. Haren said he felt a pain in his right hip flexor, a reminder of a "tweak" he sustained while "lifting or running or something" during an offseason workout during the offseason. In his second start of the season he was a tough luck loser coming up on the short end of a 2-1 loss to the Angels. Haren, who was 14-13 last season, remains a solid start on a weekly basis. Don't let his first-start and hip-hiccup deter you from using him in Fantasy Week 2 (April 9-15)
SEATTLE MARINERS
Hitters: Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson is making owners happy with his two homers and five RBIs in the first three games. However it's his .222 batting average in those three games that’s making those same owners rip their hair out and repeatedly kick the family dog. As long as you can – gulp – deal with his ineptness to hit for average, what he provides in the power department should save the dog from constant abuse.
Pitchers: Hmmm, wasn’t it me who wrote about Miguel Batista last week and commented on how he “…will give you innings and should pick up double-digit wins..”? Ok, so I guess its time I eat a little crow now. The A's lit up Batista like a Griswold Christmas tree Wednesday night tagging him for eight runs on 10 hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. He did strike out five in the festivities though. Batista, in my revamped opinion, is a borderline option and best suited in AL-only formats.
TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS
Hitters: 3B Akinori Iwamura has followed his horrible spring with an impressive start. He went 4-for-4 with a homer Friday night against the Blue Jays and has seven hits in his first 11 at-bats this year. Those 11 at-bats is far from a complete sample, but so far so good -- as many probably did during spring training. AL-only owners already have Iwanmura in their starting lineups and the same could be the case in mixed formats with another productive week from the Japanese import.
Pitchers: The cloudy closer situation might be starting to clear as RHP Al Reyes picked up the team’s only save earlier this week. Manager Joe Maddon told the St. Petersburg Times that Reyes would have been the closer Monday had there been a save situation available. Reyes appears to be the leader in the closer battle, but this situation is like the weather (subject to change at a moment's notice).
TEXAS RANGERS
Hitters: SS Michael Young is off to a slow start this season (3 hits in 22  | | Young has four straight seasons of at least 200-plus hits. His slow start means a run of hits is eminent.
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ABs, 2 RBIs and a .136 average). A player doesn't have four straight seasons of at least 200 hits and forget how to make contact. Patience is a virtue when it comes to slow starts, especially with proven hitters. Young will produce and when it does, the Fantasy Nation will be right again. Next week’s schedule against Tampa Bay and Seattle may be what the doctor ordered for Young.
Pitchers: Closer Eric Gagne followed up his 15 pitches thrown on Friday with 17 more in a minor league game Saturday, making it the first time in nearly two years that he has pitched on back-to-back days. He allowed a solo home run and a single. Assuming all goes well, Gagne is set to come off the DL next Friday…the 13th. If you’re superstitious, do yourself a favor and keep Akinori Otsuka on your roster.
TORONTO BLUEJAYS
Hitters: Manager John Gibbons has given OF Vernon Wells the green light to steal more bases this season. If Wells can successfully swipe second, it will force the opposing pitcher to make a tough decision. With first base open, the pitcher could intentionally walk slugger Frank Thomas which in turn brings power threat Troy Glaus to the plate --Toronto's leader in home runs last season. Wells is hitting in middle of a Toronto sweet-spot -- and in a lineup that is explosive. More steals would only add to his Wells' current stature.
Pitchers: RHP Casey Janssen relieved Roy Halladay and retired seven Tigers in a row Monday He has faired well thus far pitching 3.2 innings while surrendering zero runs on only one hit. If Janssen can keep this up, he may become a more important member of the Jays' bullpen and start helping fantasy owners in deep formats. Don't be surprised to see Janssen work his way back into the starting rotation.
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