| AL Hitter and Pitcher Grumblings -- Week 4 |
| By Daniel Heyder |
Published
04/22/2007
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AL Hitter and Pitcher Grumblings - (2007)
| Unrated
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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.
American League Hitter and Pitcher Report: Week 4
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Don't look now but Leo Mazzone is working his magic again. This time it's with the O's lanky right-hander Daniel Cabrera who has suddenly discovered where the strike zone is.
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AL Hitter and Pitcher Report: Week 4
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Hitters: Although he was more easily obtainable in fantasy leagues a year ago, OF Nick Markakis remains at the threshold of a star career. His .311 batting average with 14 homers after the All-Star break in 2006 (after batting .268 with two homers in the first half) indicates he has the potential for a .300-plus season with 30 homers. And to boot, Markakis is only 23. On the catching front, The Baltimore Sun reports C Ramon Hernandez (oblique) likely will return Friday -- at the earliest.
Pitchers: RHP Daniel Cabrera has racked up 26 strikeouts through four starts and has looked good for the most part. Friday's four earned runs were the most he allowed this season. Cabrera finally looks as though he is turning into a major league pitcher. His K/BB ratio seems to have turned a sharp corner. His current 26/7 ratio is a vast improvement over last year’s 22/22 through his first four starts. He remains a solid AL-only option and decent No. 3 SP in mixed leagues. His next scheduled start is for Wednesday against the Red Sox.
BOSTON RED SOX
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Lugo will help fantasy owners this summer. His skills are a perfect fit at the top of the Red Sox lineup
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Hitters: Even though he’s hitless in his last 12 at-bats, SS Julio Lugo has hit safely in eight of the 14 games he’s started in, is 3-for-3 in steal attempts and has scored 10 runs. His .259 average is a bit troubling but as long as Lugo gets on base, he'll continue to shine in the leadoff role. And it's already clear that he enjoys hitting at Fenway (three doubles, .348 average in six games).
Pitchers: Help is on the way as RHP Jon Lester (Lymphoma) made another rehab start Friday for Class A Greenville. He worked five innings, allowing six hits, two homers and three earned runs. He also had five strikeouts while getting a no-decision. Lester's next step will be a side session Sunday with the Red Sox before heading to Triple-A for a rehab start. Barring any setbacks, it appears Lester will likely join Boston's rotation at some point in May. He's capable of posting nice win totals with his talent backed by Boston's offense.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Hitters: After hitting a career-high 30 home runs last year, it took 3B Joe Crede 49 at-bats before collecting his first extra-base hit. But aside from one very cold game in Cleveland, Crede has not taken his offensive woes onto the field as he continues to make slick fielding plays at third base. Crede's slow start is a little puzzling, especially considering he did not report any back problems this spring. His three hits in the last 12 at-bats is a little encouraging but he needs to continue this trend to be considered a mixed league option.
Pitchers: You don’t need overpowering stuff to throw a no-no against a very good lineup in the Texas Rangers. LHP Mark Buehrle proved that this past week. His stuff is vastly improved from last season evidenced by the lefty’s velocity being back up in the low 90s, which is a big jump from the mid-80s we all witnessed from last year. This provides a more effective gap between his changeup and fastball. Being able to throw at two distinctly different speeds means so much to “crafty” pitchers. If Buehrle is able to keep his velocity up, he will be much better this season than last.
CLEVELAND INDIANS
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Few are as 'country strong' as Pronk
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Hitters: DH Travis Hafner, affectionately known as “Pronk”, is hitting right now at an unconscious level. He has 11 hits in his last 15 at-bats and has raised his average to .375. Aside from Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez, Hafner is one of the hottest hitters in the majors at this time. Hafner now has three homers and 10 RBI on the season. Hopefully at some point he starts getting some play at 1B, which would really boost his value. Continue to start Pronk in all Fantasy formats.
Pitchers: Thursday’s appearance against the Yankees was not Joe Browoski's finest. The Indians closer allowed six runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Yankees, taking the loss. Borowski gave up two homers, one being the game-winning three-run home run to Alex Rodriguez. Prior to that, Borowski saved five in a row but accomplished them in cardiac arrest fashion. Over that span, he owned a 5.60 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP, not great numbers for a closer. Borowski isn't a lights-out option, but he's still going to get his chances.
DETROIT TIGERS
Hitters: Tigers 3B Brandon Inge hit a solo home run during Friday's game against the White Sox. His third homer of the season was his lone hit in three at-bats. Inge has hit all of his homers in the last seven games, but is still hitting a paltry .125. Inge is off to a terrible start this season and it’s appearing his 27-homer campaign from 2006 was nothing more than a fluke. There is some pop in his bat and he plays regularly, but he is too inconsistent to trust in most mixed Fantasy leagues and should not be considered anything more than an AL-only Fantasy 3B at this point.
Pitchers: According to MLB.com, Tigers SP Mike Maroth is not happy despite having a 2-0 record. He has allowed 22 hits and racked up a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings, while opponents have hit a hearty .328 off him. The good news is that the Tigers are giving Maroth enough run support that even through some nasty outings, he is picking up wins. Maroth will next take to the mound Monday against the Angels. He is setting up to be a two-start pitcher for Fantasy Week 4 (April 23-29) facing the Angels and Twins and should be considered a decent pickup in AL-only leagues.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Hitters: As little as four years ago, 1B Mike Sweeney was considered one of the elite hitters in the league providing ample production in four of the five hitting categories in standard 5x5 league setups. He now only has DH eligibility and isn’t even a starting consideration in the deepest of league formats. Scouts have told the Kansas City Star that Sweeney's bat speed looks slow and that he isn't the same hitter he was a few years ago. Sweeney, off to a slow start this season, agrees with both claims and so should you.
Pitchers: RHP Zack Greinke, who had been 6-0 in his prior eight starts against the Tigers, lasted just two-thirds of an inning in Monday's game, the shortest of his 60 major league starts. Greinke gave up four runs, three hits and three walks. Greinke entered the game with a 1.38 ERA, and just when Fantasy Nation was starting to believe, he experiences a slipup. His start in Fantasy Week 4 (April 23-29) is against Seattle and he is worth a flier for this one in all league formats.
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
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Kendirck is on the 15-day DL but will miss extended PT
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Hitters: The Los Angeles Angels recalled infielder Kendry Morales from Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday. Morales is the roster replacement for second baseman Howie Kendrick who went on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday with a fractured middle finger on his left hand. The 23-year-old Morales hit .291 with a home run and eight RBIs in 13 games for Salt Lake. He batted .234 with five homers and 22 RBIs in 57 games for the Angels last year after making his major league debut on May 23. This certainly comes as a bit of a shock seeing how everyone was anticipating SS Brandon Wood as the roster replacement for Kendrick. Morales could eventually find himself back in the minors, but for now is more of a low-end AL-only option.
Pitchers: Through his first four starts, RHP John Lackey owns a 2.55 ERA with a K/BB ratio of 21/7 but his 2-2 record doesn’t reflect it. The Angels have scored a total of three runs in Lackey's past three starts by bad luck, often goes up against the opposing teams ace. His next scheduled start is for Tuesday against the Tigers. Lackey could also make two starts during Fantasy Week 4 (April 23-29) if no games are postponed.
MINNESOTA TWINS
Hitters: The defending AL batting champion was 3-for-5 with two RBIs for the Twins to lift his average to .377. C Joe Mauer is hitting .500 (8-16) over his last five games and is providing nice production in the runs, batting average and steals categories. He has yet to contribute anything worthwhile in homers (0) and RBIs (7) but those will come. Mauer is the best catcher in Fantasy Baseball and should obviously be active in all leagues.
Pitchers: RHP Sidney Ponson went 5.1 innings Friday night against the Royals and allowed six runs, raising his ERA to 9.39. It was surprising that Ponson actually made a major league rotation when the season started. Its even more puzzling that Ponson is owned in some fantasy leagues (5.8% owned). He has been awful in three starts and if the Royals hit him this hard, imagine what the rest of the AL will do to him. He gets a rematch against the Royals in his next scheduled start for Wednesday and is too much of a risk at this time to be used outside of the largest AL-only leagues -- and I mean large!
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