Friday, May 18
“I said where’d you get your information from huh?
You think that you can form a revelation cause?”
Back on the bus and heading to Philly for tonight’s game at Citizens Park between the Blue Jays and the Phils. An extra treat last night, because due to a postponement on Wednesday, the Bravos decided to make up the game by having a doubleheader comprised of two seven-inning games (no clue how they arrived at that, but it’s free baseball, so no complaints). The home team swept both games, bringing the home record on the trip to 4-0 (good karma going into Mets vs. Yanks at Shea). Rochester (Twins affiliate) went with Matt Garza in the second game, which was actually nice because he is one of the highest rated prospects in the Twins organization, and we haven’t really gotten a chance to see anyone who was major league ready, so that was a welcomed sight. Garza pitched all six innings, settling down after giving up two quick runs in the first. The Diamond…I dunno…sucks? I guess that about the only thing to describe it. I mean, the first two parks on the road trip were home to class A teams, and they beat the holy hell out of this place. You have to wonder where does the money go? It was like Doc Brown took us in the Delorean back to 1978. I would be kind of embarrassed to play there if I was in AAA. Maybe that’s me, but when you look at a stadium like McCoy, there’s not even any kind of comparison that can be made. So we’re leaving
The Sox swept their own doubleheader, and now, have jumped out in front of the Yankees by 9 ½ games, which I would think is probably the largest margin out front since ’95? In any case, yes, it’s early, I know…but still, when your team is almost ten games out front of the most despised team to ever live, there’s some definite cause to be excited. However, a bit of bad news from yesterday was the announcement that Josh Beckett would land on the DL with that irritation problem he suffered in his last start against the Orioles over the weekend. This is definitely something to be concerned about. Beckett has been arguably the best pitcher in the major leagues this year, so when you lose a guy like that for an extended period of time (someone was telling me two-to-three weeks), there is definitely going to be some adjusting going on. Again, in what remains easily the dumbest move Theo has made so far while he’s been on the job, the Arroyo trade continues to haunt the Sox, when it appeared they had “too much starting pitching” last year. I love
The Bulls put up a hell of a fight against the Pistons, but in the end,
Hope all of your fantasy baseball teams are doing well out there. We’re almost two months into the season, and now, it becomes time to really hawk the waiver wire and look for who’s adding/dropping certain players. I know I was able to strike gold (at least in my opinion) with some of the players who landed on the waiver wire. Also, selling high is definitely where it’s at. It’s basically the stock market, where you look for an investment that has had a good history in terms of performance, to drop in price, then snatch it up just in time for its rebound. Here are five guys you can sell high on, and another five that should be “on the cheap” right now:
Sell High:
B.J. Upton (2B/TB)- Upton has long been heralded as one of the best prospects in the Tampa organization, and so far this year, he has lived up to his billing, with a short stint at the top of the AL’s batting average category. However, from what I have noted in the past,
Joe Borowski (RP/CLE)- Although his ERA is pretty high, Borowski is amongst the league leaders in saves, and has been very effective in his last few outings. However, he seemingly has a knack for imploding every so often, and I believe that one of these times, it will lead to the meltdown of Borowski. Try and get (the guy from the Cubs) or (the guy from the Blue Jays) to get you some saves for now. Borowski is going to be trouble in the coming months.
Al Reyes (RP/TB)- This is almost in the same mold as Borowski, in that you have a guy, who right now looks fairly sharp, but you know inevitably he will revert back to his prior history, and wander into the world of mediocrity. Reyes is a journeyman, much like Borowski, meaning that he definitely has some wear, which is going to start hurting him around July. For now, Reyes has done a very good job in the limited time he gets (being the closer for
J.J. Hardy (SS/MIL)- Ok, this is a tough call, because Hardy could very well be one of the better shortstops in the league, and those are hard to come by, so it really depends on how flexible you are in terms of filling that hole. Hardy has gotten off to a torrid start, leading the National League in homers. However, for a guy who hasn’t shown a tremendous amount of power at any level, it almost brings me back to two years ago, when Brian Roberts (Gamecock!) was setting the world on fire in his first couple of months, but cooled off significantly after the All-Star break. I expect the same thing to happen to Hardy. You can’t honestly expect a middle infielder to continue this kind of pace and hit 40 home runs. It’s just not logical. Sure, guys have done it in the past, but when you’re talking about guys like A-Rod and Soriano, you knew they had a tremendous amount of pop, and that they were capable of getting to those levels. I don’t recall anyone saying at the beginning of the year that Hardy would even hit 20. I think he’s a great player and all, but I think his numbers will start to even out, and he’ll return from the stratosphere much like
Jason Marquis (SP/CHC)- Marquis is a good #3-#4 pitcher, but has looked very good so far this season, posting a 2.22 ERA through the first two months. Marquis is another kind of guy whose past will reflect how he will do for the remainder of the year. I find that this is true when you talk about pitchers. It is incredibly rare to find a guy who will have a breakout season after having a bunch of years with average stats. Marquis also plays for the Cubs, and their offense is up and down, so Marquis’ wins will start to diminish as time wears on.
Buy Low:
Chone Figgins (3B/ANA)- To say Figgins has been off to a rough start does not even begin to describe it. He’s hitting right around the
Nick Markakis (OF/BAL)- Markakis is one of the best young players in the
Erik Bedard (SP/BAL)- This guy may be a little more harder to get than Markakis, but this Oriole shouldn’t be too tricky to obtain. The key to Bedard is that he thrives on making people swing and miss, and although he is close to the lead in the AL in strikeouts, Bedard’s record and ERA have not reflected how potentially dominant he could be. Never underestimate the power of a power left-handed pitcher.
Bronson Arroyo (SP/CIN)- Yes, this guy again. Arroyo has a minuscule 2.87 ERA on the season, and is easily good for 15 wins this year. His wiry frame is cause for concern in terms of health, but he has done it before, and I believe health will not be an issue for Bronson. His record doesn’t look to hot right now, so if possible, try and take advantage of a more inexperienced fantasy player, or one that is quick to drop players who don’t have eye-popping stats. Arroyo is the real deal. He has one of the best sliders in all the majors.
Kyle Davies (SP/ATL)- He’s off to a rough start, but hang in there, because this guy showed a lot of promise last year, and I think the sky is the limit in terms of what he can accomplish in the Braves’ system. Although Leo Mazzone is no longer the pitching coach there, I see Davies really settling in and making a name for himself in the NL East.
That’s all for now. I’ll be giving you a wrap from Philly tomorrow, and then, big day on Saturday, as I will be first touring Madison Square Garden, then going on over to Queens and Shea Stadium to watch the Subway Series with the Mets and Yankees, and after that, taking in a bit of the NY nightlife. Thanks for reading as always. Take care. Peace.
~Mell-o
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