Answers to fantasy baseball questions (and much more) since 1996
Rotoman I’m not sure what to make of this Atlanta-Florida tilt. Smoltz pitched okay, but in the end his ERA is 8+.
Chuck Smith, also coming back (fron a much less serious) injury, now has 3 wins and an era of 2.93.
I’m not betting against Smoltz completely, he struck out 5 and didn’t walk any in 5+ innings, but it is a serious injury for a man in his mid-thirties who has had a series of injuries.
I guess I’m saying if I had him I’d stick with him, but I’m glad I dont’ have him.
This is just about how I feel. The Metropolitan Museum of Art – The Collection: Modern Art
I’m putting out the football magazine, which I don’t write but do edit and compile, and I came across this picture because of a dumb joke I’m putting into this week’s MLB column about cubism.
I am answering your mail, and hope you don’t get discouraged if there are fewer posts on the Blog. It seems to be working again, but my attention is distracted a bit.
But please, feel free to write.
Since I had mentally closed down the message board, without closing it down, I hadn’t been back. But I went home again tonight and found this post about overachieving pitchers.
Some answers, some opinions:
Sabathia–Obviously he has great stuff. Obviously he isn’t going to get by on that alone. Nobody does. I won’t say the good times end this week, but the Indians have to be hoping Jaret Wright works out.
Telemaco–I’m rooting for him big time. He was once Sabathia. If he can recapture just a small part of that all the years of anonymous work will have been worth it (if I’m accurately reading his mind). Can he keep it up? As well as anyone, I say. Maybe better than most, except for all those guys who actually can.
I think I wrote here (but maybe it was MLB) that Millwood’s problems had to by physical. They were. That doesn’t mean they’re intractable, but the only reason I would dream that he was going to contribute this year is if I spent real money on him this year.
Burkett has an excellent split pitching on short rest. Since the Braves need him I suppose they might continue that , until he breaks down. Which he will. If I paid for him ($1) I’d be looking for a way to convert him into something else, pronto.
Valdez is like Telemaco, with more accomplishment and without the long hiatus. If you have him keep him. If you don’t, and you’re desperate, go get him. He isn’t safe, but his potential is substantial.
My thoughts…
If you had told me that someday Bob Abreu would be hitting .235 in late May, I would have had to kill you. The idea is practically impossible.
Obviously, it’s not, which means progressive thinking minds have to search for an answer. Is it the strike zone? If so, it’s hard to fathom a reason why without giving credence to only the most abstract and stupid of ways.
But after two years of walking as much as he struck out, Abreu is back to his 1998 ratio. The good news for Abreu owners is that he hit .312 that year with a .906 OPBs.
I’ve long been a proponent of the idea that good K/BB ratio is an indication that a hitter is doing a good job, not a harbinger (necessarily) of future success. Abreu is screwed up right now. He’s swinging when he shouldn’t be, and the big strike zone certainly isn’t helping. But he’ll get it together at some point.
Don’t sell him short.
The question here is Will Oswalt continue to vulture wins?
ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Houston vs. Chicago Cubs
The best antecedant I could come up with, Scott Elarton in 1999, won 5 games in the first half of the year, when he pitched in relief (I don’t have the breakdown, so it’s possible only 4 of those wins came as a reliever–he made his first start July 3).
In both of Oswalt’s wins this week he came into a close game in the middle innings and threw 2 or 3 shutout innings, during which time the Astros’ potent offense put him ahead.
He’s gone in all but the wackiest of NL only leagues, but if you need a safe (and possibly productive) haven in your mixed league, you could do a lot worse than Oswalt.
It should be noted that the 23 year old Elarton partially tore his rotator cuff in 1999 after being made a starter. Oswalt is a similar age, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Well, after I updated the site today by reposting the previous few days’ posts I’d been able to save, the whole thing got very messy. Maybe it isn’t Microsoft. Maybe it’s me.
When I saw today that Jimmy Haynes’ ERA had dropped below 5.00 I was sure that this was the first time since, um, high school. As you may know, his five-year scan is -$15, -$1, -$8, -$9, -$9. But, in fact, as the 2000 game by game log shows (http://espn.go.com/mlb/profiles/gamelogs/2000/pitching/5531.html) Jimmy spent most of the 2000 season with an ERA better than 5.00. In case you’re having any thoughts.
I guess Blogger has been down. I kept writing and it kept not posting it. You probably didn’t miss much. I did manage to save this gem about Castilla going to Chicago. Not.
How many times does a guy go to a new team and hit a homer in his first game? It has to be random, right? But it sure feels like it happens more often than randomness would suggest.
Random notes (written on the 14th, posted on the 16th):
Bill Mueller’s injury (out 8 weeks) could prove to be a blessing for Vinny Castilla, who was reportedly the subject of a Don Baylor plea last last week. Give me Vinny, he said. In trying to remember why I drafted Vinny this spring, I remembered that he had an awesome winter in Mexico. And I wasn’t expecting much, which I suppose you could say he delivered.
The Red Sox demoted Pax Crawford (who admittedly had two bad games recently) and Tomo Ohka (who had one). David Cone and Tim Wakefield are their replacements. I suppose that when veterans a team has commited to are available there might be good reasons to give them another shot at the expense of youngsters. I think it makes more sense, however, to keep the youngsters in the majors, let them work out of the bullpen. But options make the kids expendable. My prediction: The tenure of Cone and Wakefield in the rotation will be quite short. My verdict: I still wish I had Ohka. Crawford I’m not so sure about.
Jason Marquis is a good young pitcher who made a nice start on Saturday. He doesn’t have a role as a starter, as yet, with John Smoltz returning this week. Want to know my take on Smoltz? He’s trying to take his time, but ultimately he’s rushing back. He may well have a handful of good starts, but the odds are good he isn’t going to be pitching in August.
Did you notice that Jeffrey Hammonds is hurt?
Alex Escobar is one hot streak away from solving the Mets outfield problems, at least partly. My skepticism isn’t that he can’t do it, but that the odds are against him (or any other rookie whose name isn’t Pujols). And if he struggles a little he’ll end up back in Norfolk faster than a NY minute.
MLB Latest News
Rotoman’s Blog
[5/13/2001 10:14:36 PM | Peter Kreutzer]
[5/13/2001 10:07:31 PM | Peter Kreutzer]
Random notes:
Bill Mueller’s injury (out 8 weeks) could prove to be a blessing for Vinny Castilla, who was reportedly the subject of a Don Baylor plea last last week. Give me Vinny, he said. In trying to remember why I drafted Vinny this spring, I remembered that he had an awesome winter in Mexico. And I wasn’t expecting much, which I suppose you could say he delivered.
The Red Sox demoted Pax Crawford (who admittedly had two bad games recently) and Tomo Ohka (who had one). David Cone and Tim Wakefield are their replacements. I suppose that when veterans a team has commited to are available there might be good reasons to give them another shot at the expense of youngsters. I think it makes more sense, however, to keep the youngsters in the majors, let them work out of the bullpen. But options make the kids expendable. My prediction: The tenure of Cone and Wakefield in the rotation will be quite short. My verdict: I still wish I had Ohka. Crawford I’m not so sure about.
Jason Marquis is a good young pitcher who made a nice start on Saturday. He doesn’t have a role as a starter, as yet, with John Smoltz returning this week. Want to know my take on Smoltz? He’s trying to take his time, but ultimately he’s rushing back. He may well have a handful of good starts, but the odds are good he isn’t going to be pitching in August.
Did you notice that Jeffrey Hammonds is hurt?
Alex Escobar is one hot streak away from solving the Mets outfield problems, at least partly. My skepticism isn’t that he can’t do it, but that the odds are against him (or any other rookie whose name isn’t Pujols). And if he struggles a little he’ll end up back in Norfolk faster than a NY minute.
MLB Latest News
[edit]
[5/12/2001 3:35:16 PM | Peter Kreutzer]
So much for Blogger. Friday it was down whenever I tried to comment on such crazinesses as Greg Myers DHing again! And there was something else.
Today, I’m lifted by a tie game in the sixth between the Yankees and Baltimore, and the two relievers, who are doing very well, are my guys. Towers and Boehringer.
Who do I root for?
ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Baltimore vs. NY Yankees
[5/13/2001 10:07:31 PM | Peter Kreutzer]
Random notes:
Bill Mueller’s injury (out 8 weeks) could prove to be a blessing for Vinny Castilla, who was reportedly the subject of a Don Baylor plea last last week. Give me Vinny, he said. In trying to remember why I drafted Vinny this spring, I remembered that he had an awesome winter in Mexico. And I wasn’t expecting much, which I suppose you could say he delivered.
The Red Sox demoted Pax Crawford (who admittedly had two bad games recently) and Tomo Ohka (who had one). David Cone and Tim Wakefield are their replacements. I suppose that when veterans a team has commited to are available there might be good reasons to give them another shot at the expense of youngsters. I think it makes more sense, however, to keep the youngsters in the majors, let them work out of the bullpen. But options make the kids expendable. My prediction: The tenure of Cone and Wakefield in the rotation will be quite short. My verdict: I still wish I had Ohka. Crawford I’m not so sure about.
Jason Marquis is a good young pitcher who made a nice start on Saturday. He doesn’t have a role as a starter, as yet, with John Smoltz returning this week. Want to know my take on Smoltz? He’s trying to take his time, but ultimately he’s rushing back. He may well have a handful of good starts, but the odds are good he isn’t going to be pitching in August.
Did you notice that Jeffrey Hammonds is hurt?
Alex Escobar is one hot streak away from solving the Mets outfield problems, at least partly. My skepticism isn’t that he can’t do it, but that the odds are against him (or any other rookie whose name isn’t Pujols). And if he struggles a little he’ll end up back in Norfolk faster than a NY minute.
MLB Latest News
[edit]
[5/12/2001 3:35:16 PM | Peter Kreutzer]
So much for Blogger. Friday it was down whenever I tried to comment on such crazinesses as Greg Myers DHing again! And there was something else.
Today, I’m lifted by a tie game in the sixth between the Yankees and Baltimore, and the two relievers, who are doing very well, are my guys. Towers and Boehringer.
Who do I root for?
ESPN.com: MLB Boxscore: Baltimore vs. NY Yankees