The chase is over - now what?

There are times when hitters should not be good with a bat. Described by former teammates as “a pretty calm, mild-mannered kind of guy”, Jose Offerman was playing for the independent Long Island Ducks against the Bridgeport Bluefish. At age 38, Offerman was hoping to return to the majors where he had played for seven Major League teams in fifteen seasons including six years for the Dodgers and four with the Red Sox. He was hitting .335 for the Ducks, when he slammed the first pitch of Tuesday night's game over the left field fence for a home run. In his next at –bat, Offerman was hit by an inside slider. 

At this point, Offerman charged the mound, bat still in his hand. He swung the bat several times, hitting pitcher Matt Beech in the glove hand breaking Beech’s finger and accidentally hitting catcher John Nathans in the head on a backswing. Nathans had a concussion that likely will keep him out of baseball for the balance of his season. The result to Offerman is two charges of second degree assault that should end any hope of a return to the Majors. Offerman last played in the majors in 2005 with the New York Mets. Minnesota Twins outfielder Torii Hunter had been friends when Offerman was in the majors. He believed it was totally out of character that Offerman would snap like that. Hunter said, “Did you see that? There's demons in everybody.” Offerman was an All–Star infielder in 1995 with the Dodgers and in 1999 with Boston. He actually was a good “points” league player because of his versatility and overall numbers produced points without dominance in any category. He will go to court August 23.

Now on to examining who will make a difference in a “points” league:

Top Players

Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants – Perhaps you have heard of him? Bonds has steroid demons of his own and he has been treated like a pariah by many sports fans and writers. The home run record has been set, so what will Bonds give you for the balance of the season? Remember he is a 15-year veteran who has been the Most Valuable Player in seven of those years. In his last ten games, only once did he fail to reach first base and that was a game he pinched hit. Bonds gets on base and that is what you look for in a “points” league player. And he still has a bit of power.

David Wright, New York Mets – Wright has five multiple hit games in his last seven starts. He has brought his average up to .309 and has 22 homeruns now, well on his way to matching his past two years of .306 with 27 home runs and .311 with 26 home runs. This is remarkable since his home run total on May 1 was zero.  Slow start notwithstanding, Wright is one of the best third basemen in baseball. 

Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins – As good as Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell have been for the Boston Red Sox, I bet they wish they had Hanley Ramirez back. Ramirez has followed up his rookie year of .292 average, .480 slugging, 17 home runs and 51 stolen bases with so far a year of .313 average, .521 slugging, 22 home runs and 38 stolen bases with about six weeks left in the season. Statistically, Ramirez may be the best shortstop in baseball and he is a “points” god.

Garrett Atkins, Colorado Rockies – Atkins is finally back to being the hitting machine he can be. For the past two weeks, he has hit .438 with 17 RBI. Last year he hit .329 and he will have to work to bring his current .282 to that level. Expect him to end around .300 but if you need a hot third baseman, Atkins might slip under the radar in a trade.

Brad Penny, Los Angeles Dodgers – Penny has taken his 2006 season of 16-9 with a 4.33 ERA and raised himself to a higher level. Currently 14-3 with a 2.61 ERA and a strikeout to walk ratio of 116 to 51, Penny has mastered consistency. Penny has given up four or more earned runs in only three outings all year and they include an eight earned run effort against the Angels back in May. 

Surprise Upturn

Raul Ibanez, Seattle Mariners – Ibanez has six home runs in his last nine games as he seems to have found his grove of 2006. This ended a 116 at bat homerless streak. I doubt he can approach his 33 homeruns from last year but 20 to 22 is still possible. Perhaps he is finally healthy after a chronic hamstring problem all summer.

Aubrey Huff, Baltimore Orioles – Quietly Huff has regained some of his prior ability. He is not outstanding yet. In 111 games, he has scored 44 runs, hit nine homers and driven in 55 runs. Nothing approaches his 2003 season where he hit 32 homeruns while batting .311. Huff is not a great player and will not overwhelm you but he could finish strong. How is that for a ringing endorsement?

Doug Davis, Arizona Diamondbacks – Bouncing back from a bad start, Doug Davis has been 5-0 in his last eight starts to even his record at 10-10 and lower his ERA by a half a run. His won–loss record has been 12-12, 11-11, and 11-11 in the last three prior years, so I am seeing a bit of a trend. Still, until you see a regression, ride Davis but be aware the wave can come crashing back to mediocrity. Davis requires pinpoint accuracy to survive but you can see where he goes when he is on.

Over Their Head

Noah Lowry, San Francisco Giants – Lost in the Barry Bonds hype on a team going nowhere is the good season of Noah Lowry. After a horrible 2006 where Lowry was 7-10 with an ERA of 4.74, Lowry has bounced back with a 13-7 mark and an ERA of 3.28. However, this success may fade like a house of cards. Most notably is a horrendous 79 –77 strikeout to walk ratio. He has kept hits down but given the team he plays for, the fact that they may start mailing in their performances and the inability to take care of hitters without the help of his defense spells disaster. 

Joey Gathright, Kansas City Royals – For the past two weeks, Gathright has been hitting .400 with 14-for-35 hitting. However, he offers very little beyond singles ability with a few stolen bases thrown in. Since he came back up from Omaha on August 1, he has hit in nine of twelve but has only two doubles, no triples and no homeruns in that span. He also has but two stolen bases and both were in the same game. Gathright should shrink back into oblivion in short order.

Chuck James, Atlanta Braves – James is 1-2 in his last seven starts but that does not tell his fall to mediocrity on a team fighting for the division. Coming off his worst outing of the year with six earned runs allowed in 3.2 innings, James seems to have lost something from his 2006 skills. James was 11-4 last year with 91 strikeouts in 119 innings and big things were hoped for by the Braves organization. Currently he is 9-9 with a 4.22 ERA, 91 strikeouts and 55 walks in 136 innings. Those numbers are not bad, but they are heading in the wrong direction.

Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers – After giving up 11 earned runs in 2.2 innings against the Rockies last week, Gallardo followed with seven earned runs in 5.2 innings against the Cardinals. While we all get enamored with young prospects, most times they are not ready to be consistently successful on the major league stage. Gallardo is someone who you should stash on your bench in multi-year leagues because he could be a dominant starter someday soon.

Questions and comments may be sent to David at davidkopacz@sportsgrumblings.com