| AL Hitter and Pitcher Grumblings -- Week 4 |
| By Daniel Heyder |
Published
04/22/2007
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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.
Lions and Tigers and A-Rod Oh-my!
 | Do the Bronx groupies realize that Rodrguez could not only have one of the greatest seasons ever by a player in pinstipes, A-Rod could rub salt in the wound by leaving for Boston this winter.
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NEW YORK YANKEES
Hitters: Its hard not to talk about the hottest hitter in the game in 3B Alex Rodriguez, but we’re going to try to go in another direction this week. There is one guy in that potent lineup that is extremely important to A-Rod’s continued success, and that’s 1B Jason Giambi who bats right after Rodriguez in the lineup. Giambi, who was mired in a slump early on, said he has identified and corrected a hitch in his swing, and is now keeping his cuts more level. The results are showing, as Giambi slugged a home run Wednesday and is seven for his last 16 with two walks, two homers and five RBIs over the last four games. He remains a must-start Fantasy option despite his propensity to go hot-and-cold on many occasions.
Pitchers: Stop the presses! The game’s best closer has blown back to back saves and looks extremely mortal at the moment. Closer Mariano Rivera got his second save opportunity Friday against the Red Sox, but it went much like his first save opportunity Sunday against the A's. Rivera entered the game with a lead, but gave up three hits and two runs. He took the loss and saw his ERA rise to 8.44. There probably won't be a better time to try to deal for Rivera than right now. He's still a top fantasy closer, but his current owner might be frustrated beyond the point of reason.
OAKLAND ATHELTICS
| Dan "The Man" Haren has had dominating stuff this April despite his declining K/BB rate
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Hitters: After starting the year hitting .424 (14-for-33), DH Mike Piazza has watched his average drop to .242 and has just one hit in his last five games (22 at-bats). With the exception of the Orioles' Erik Bedard, the A's will face a string of unimpressive pitchers next week, so Piazza will get plenty of chances to get in gear. Stick with him and expect a slight bounce back.
Pitchers: Despite just picking up his first win Wednesday, RHP Dan Haren has been pitching like the A's ace with a 1.44 ERA through four starts. His K/9 thus far of 4.3 is considerably lower than his 3-year average of 6.8 and his K/BB ratio of 12:8 is nothing to get excited about either. That aside, he is a solid pitcher in all AL-only leagues and most mixed leagues as well. His next start is scheduled for Monday against the Orioles and Haren is lining up for two starts in Fantasy Week 4 (April 23-29).
SEATTLE MARINERS
Hitters: Mariner’s 3B Adrian Beltre started the season miserably hitting a very pedestrian .136 with no homers and only three RBI in the first six games. Since then though, he has raised his average 131 percentage points with two homers and seven RBIs. With the current up trend in Beltre’s numbers, he now remains a solid play in all Fantasy leagues, as it appears he is starting to heat up.
Pitchers: RHP Felix Hernandez gave all Fantasy owners a real scare this past week when he left Wednesday night's start against Minnesota in the first inning with tightness in his pitching elbow. The “King” will likely will miss two to three starts with a muscle strain inside his right elbow and forearm. The Mariners medical director said Thursday that Hernandez will not throw for five days, then will play catch. RHP Jarrod Washburn has allowed two, three and four earned runs in his three starts this season, yet does not have a win to show for it still. Washburn is pitching like he belongs on mixed league rosters thus far. But until the Mariners start scoring some runs for him, wins will be tough to come by.
TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS
Hitters: OF Carl Crawford is not only heating up; six hits in his last 12 at-bats, but he’s starting to reward owners who selected him as their first round draft pick. Crawford has moved down the Devil Rays lineup to third and now has five doubles and nine RBIs on the season. The only stat category to be effected by the change has been his stolen bases; he only has three on six attempts. Crawford remains a solid Fantasy option in all formats and could possibly have his best season as a pro this year.
Pitchers: Believe it or not, Al Reyes has jumped 13 spots in the closer rankings. Reyes is only the third Devil Ray to have as many as five saves in the month of April; the other two being Roberto Hernandez (eight in 1999) and Lance Carter (five in 2003). As long as the Devil Rays continue to score runs like they have (they surprisingly are second in the majors in that category), Reyes is worth adding in all AL-only Fantasy leagues and he might be worth a look in deeper mixed formats if he stays red hot.
TEXAS RANGERS  | The April performance of A-Rod has overshawdowed that of Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler
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Hitters: Despite the fact he is 2-for-9 over the past three games after going 12-for-25 in the previous seven games, 2B Ian Kinsler is still maintaining his #2 overall ranking at second base. In 48 at-bats this season, Kinsler has a staggering seven homers and 14 RBIs to go along with 14 runs scored and two stolen bases. That’s just incredible production from a second baseman so kudos to all who took a chance on him in the middle to late rounds of your draft.
Pitchers: RHP Eric Gagne made his second appearance of the season on Thursday since being activated on April 13. Gagne, has one save in that time and has yielded two hits, one walk while striking out one. Gagne is a sleeper at the closer position in all leagues. If he can prove he can stay healthy, he could be one of the better closers in Fantasy. Monitor him closely, but run him out there without hesitation until he proves otherwise.
TORONTO BLUEJAYS
Hitters: DH Frank Thomas is hitting no where near the expectations the Blue Jays or Fantasy owners for that matter envisioned this year so far. His 39 homers and 114 RBI from 2006 seems like a distant memory when you look at his numbers to this point in 2007. In 59 at-bats, Thomas is batting just above the Mendoza line (.207) with only two homers and five RBIs, of which four came on a grand slam back on April 7th. He’s worth sitting for a while if there is someone else on your bench who’s producing better.
Pitchers: RHP A.J. Burnett went seven innings, allowing three hits, five walks and two runs during a no-decision Friday against the Orioles. He got two strikeouts in the game, but has now been dealt a no-decision in his last two starts. Burnett was able to work his ERA down from 7.07 to 5.57 despite failing to pick up the win. He has had some seasons where his ERA is above 4.00, but is a fairly consistent pitcher for the most part. He is too good to bench in Fantasy leagues, so just hope he goes on a nice run of starts. His next scheduled start is for Wednesday against the best lineup in baseball in the New York Yankees. This may be one start you may want to avoid.
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