| NL Grumblings - May 3, 2007 |
| By Jesse Draper |
Published
05/2/2007
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NL Grumblings
| Unrated
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NL Central Grumblings
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Ben Sheets is excited about rediscovering his curveball, and the Brewers suddenly have the best record in baseball.
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National League Central
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers continue to lead the NL Central thanks to the clutch hitting of… Geoff Jenkins and Tony Graffanino? Both hit better than .375 last week and combined for four homeruns and ten RBIs during a 5-2 stretch for the Brew Crew. Ride them while they’re hot, because neither are likely to keep this up for long. One guy that you should be taking note of is catcher Johnny Estrada who hit .400 over 20 at bats last week. Estrada has proven to be a solid hitting backstop in the past, both with the Braves and the Diamondbacks, and while he will certainly see a correction in that batting average, he’s a good bet to provide solid positive value out of the typically thin catcher position.
Now is the time to get Ben Sheets. No, he likely won’t come cheap, but this is probably the last chance you’ll have at getting him at all. When he’s on, there may only be one pitcher (Johan Santana) in either league that is better. The word from Brewers pitching coach Mike Maddux is that Sheets has rediscovered his curveball after making a slight mechanical adjustment. At the beginning of the year I had this to say about Sheets in the NL Starting Pitchers Preview:
“Ben Sheets is the only pitcher in the history of the game (50 innings minimum) to average more than a strikeout per inning and less than one walk per nine innings. He AVERAGED 9 Ks and less than 1 BB per game in 2006. Gamble on this one.”
Go get him.
Cincinnati Reds
Josh Hamilton’s bat has cooled significantly after lighting up the league at the start of the season. Conveniently for him, Ryan Freel has been worse, so he should still see plenty of at bats for the time being. Freel was replaced by Ken Griffey Jr., who returned from the DL with authority Tuesday, going 3 for 3 with a homerun and a walk. For the time being, Freel looks to be the odd man out.
Matt Belise bounced back from two rough starts with a nine inning, one run gem against the Pirates. There’s good reason to believe that Belise’s success is legitimate, and it can be attributed to the development of a cutter that is proving very effective.
Homer Bailey is walking entirely too many batters to warrant a call up just yet. That’s not to say that he won’t get called up by July, but his value lies primarily in his future once he learns to harness his stuff.
Chicago Cubs
Alfonso Soriano is heating up after struggling through what was arguably the
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The offcial boxscore will show Soriano had two homers on May 2, but in truth one was hit in a suspended game on May 1.
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worst month of his career. He’s hit homeruns in back to back games, and has hit .368 over the last seven days. Ryan Theriot has been an intriguing player early on, displaying great speed and a solid approach at the plate. He played all over the field in April, seeing time at 2nd and in an already crowded outfield thanks to his hot bat. Lou Pinella has seen enough and has decided to start him everyday at shortstop, hoping that the spark on offense will compensate for a slight downgrade on defense. As an everyday player Theriot should produce enough to justify a roster spot in the MI slot.
The outfield starters are still up in the air, as only Soriano can be expected to play everyday. From a fantasy perspective it means that Matt Murton, Felix Pie, Cliff Floyd and Jacque Jones are all too hit and miss to start everyday. On the other hand, the rotation appears to be working as they’re all hitting well when they do get in.
Angel Guzman will get the call from AAA when the Cubs need a fifth starter at home next week. Guzman has long been considered a solid prospect with nice upside. He could provide nice value in NL Only formats.
Houston Astros
The big news in Houston this week is the arrival of Hunter Pence. Pence tore up spring training, and after a brief early slump, kept killing the ball for the Astros AAA affiliate. Pence has gone 3-11 with four strikeouts since getting the call. He is a must add in NL Only formats, and worth a reserve spot in Mixed leagues. With Pence’s arrival, Chris Burke is likely without a starting job until Craig Biggio reaches 3000 hits.
Wandy Rodriguez is quietly getting it done, despite an 0-3 record. Outside of a game at Miller Park where he got hammered, giving up six runs including two homeruns, he’s given up just seven runs in three other starts. His has a 24/8 K/BB ratio in 26 innings pitched, including three quality starts. If he can get some run support, he could turn out to be a decent sleeper pick going forward.
Chris Sampson had a nice six inning, eight strikeout performance against the Brewers improving his record to 3-1 while lowering his ERA to 3.55. He wont perform like that regularly, but he’s worth a look in NL Only leagues.
The Rocket Watch is officially in the home stretch. We’ll know by the end of the month if and where Clemens is going to pitch for the remainder of the season. Carlos Lee better start earning that fat contract if Houston hopes to be in the running.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Ronny Paulino's bat is coming alive to the tune of a .353 batting average over the last seven days. He doesn't offer much in the way of power, but at a thin position like catcher, you want a guy that won't hurt you, and Paulino fits the bill.
Solomon Torres is being given a long leash in the closer role, but it would be a shock if Matt Capps (2-0, 0.63 ERA) didn't replace the struggling Torres by the break. Caps has allowed only one run and two walks over 14 innings of relief.
Tom Gorzelanny and Ian Snell were both hit hard in the last week, but don't overreact by dropping either of them. Both are excellent strikeout pitchers with phenomenal stuff that will help the Pirates suprise many this season.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals were crushed by the Josh Hancock tradgedy this week, and it definitely showed up in the box scores. Take subpar performances this week with a grain of salt. It could take the team a while to get focused again.
One bit of good news that the team did receive this week was that Chris Carpenter's elbow felt good after a bullpen session and three simulated innings. The teams ace could return to the rotation as early as next Tuesday.
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