Rotoman

For the last two years I’ve pointed out that Dave Mlicki has pitched much better after a midseason trade twice than he has at any other time in his career. Nonetheless I’ve owned him for the last two years in the American Dreams League and been killed by him pretty consistently.

Now, following a deal, he’s throwing his best game of the year. I can’t in good conscience recommend him if you value your ERA and Ratio, but I think I’m going to make a FAAB bid on him in Tout Wars this week. Something about standing behind what I write.

I wish I’d done that in the ADL.

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Houston vs. Arizona

Rob Neyer wonders about the Rocker-Karsay deal. Like, Why?

The answer, of course, is contract status. Neither Karsay, Wickman nor Reed is signed past the end of this year.

Rocker is arbitration eligible, but under the current agreement is tied to the Indians for four more years.

Wow. Last week I wrote to someone, not a member I don’t think, that the odds of Rocker getting dealt were short. It could happen, I said, but there is no profit to be taken by acting as if it will.

MLB Player News

Well, now that it’s happened, NL Only players have to figure out what’s going to happen.

My take: Karsay is the Braves’ closer now. He probably won’t work much on successive days, so Kerry Ligtenberg, Mike Remlinger and Jose Cabrera might get some save chances. But Karsay has done it before, has been having a fine season and should equal or better Rockers’ numbers from here on out.

Cleveland is the more difficult situation to assess. John Hart says that Rocker is the closer and Bob Wickman, who has done a very good job, will be the setup man and get a few chances to save games.

Charlie Manuel says, “I’ve got a right-handed closer and a left-handed closer. They’ll both get plenty of opportunities.”

For those on the FAAB front, both Rocker and Karsay become all-in plays this week.

I know this is a little obvious, but who does Miceli blame for his pitching now that Boles has been shown the door?

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Florida vs. Pittsburgh

Every time Marquis Grissom hits a homer I recall the guff I took about my Grissom prediction. And I recall how I backed off my original call but just kept kicking and screaming about Marquis being a sleeper.

He’s got nine homers now. I thought it might be a good time to compare the prediction with the reality.

I predicted:

MARQUIS GRISSOM LA N 270 75 38 7 30 8 .278 $5

So far:

MARQUIS GRISSOM LA N 102 28 21 8 16 3 .275 $15

Ugh, I hate when that happens. At the last moment I revised Grissom downwards. Hunch or not I couldn’t rationally see where the AB were going to come. So I busted him down from $13 to $5.

The thing of it is that $5 was probably enough to get him. He went for $2 in Tout Wars. Nice buy Rob Leibowitz.

Never again am I reconsidering anything.

Thank you.

Re: Grissom trade

Whoops. I forgot to mention Kerry Wood, for whom a 2 BB performance is better than some guys walking none.

Two Cubs pitchers combining to allow 3 base hits over two games? Are we living in a Golden Age?

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Milwaukee vs. Chicago Cubs

There have been a spate of recent games like this. Lieber’s yesterday, but in a different way Robert Person’s, too. A much different way.

It isn’t that Person didn’t get bombed, but that he struck out 9 and walked none. Here Nomo, who many thought would benefit from the high strike, whiffs 14 and walks… none.

As soon as I close this blasted football magazine I’m going to track down the umpire ERAs, even if I have to joing a betting service to get them. There are definitely some guys calling the New Strike Zone, others’ calling the Old Strike Zone, and yet other calling both at once.

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Toronto vs. Boston

Isn’t Buford exactly the sort of player the Rockies seem to go for?

Maybe I’m just thinking that way because I have him already. The only avowed interest comes from his dad’s alma mater, the Orioles.

MLB Player News

Clearly tonight I’m logorrheac.

The Cubs have been very good to me so far. Not that I drafted any of them.

But on a whim, because I thought someone would pay for Von Poppel, I picked up Jeff Fassero. And because I thought Fassero might fail I picked up Courtney Duncan. And, in another league, I picked up Tom Gordon because he was only $2.

And I picked up Miguel Cairo last week and then Eric Young scratched his cornea. And Cairo is proving he could help Tampa Bay, at least.

And when Fernando Tatis went down my reserve was Ron Coomer, who has been very productive.

None of this will last I fear. But right now I’m a Cubs fan.

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Cincinnati vs. Chicago Cubs

There is something truly chilling about watching Jimmy Haynes get guys out. For a moment, when Brian Meadows was also mowing them down (in a manner of speaking) I thought sure all of hell would freeze over.

Right now it’s getting a little nippy.

ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: St. Louis vs. Milwaukee