Panzram
06-23-2004, 04:10 PM
Saving Your Season
by John Tuvey - Senior Editor, Fanball.com
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
As fantasy teams settle comfortably into their positions for the dog days of summer, you might be wondering how you can pick up that oh-so-important point or two on the pitching side of your ledger.
It's not easy, you know. Nobody wants to part with their strikeout kings, wins are as flaky as Courtney Love (good luck gauging a stat where Twins reliever Juan Rincon is twice as valuable as Barry Zito, Josh Beckett, or Bartolo Colon), and computing how a new acquisition will impact your WHIP and ERA gives you a worse headache than inhaling an entire freeze pop.
That leaves saves—which, if you think back to draft day, were as precious as a Roger Clemens rookie card then and haven't exactly been growing on trees since that time, either.
However, there are at least a few save situations which have changed since Opening Day, and you may be able to take advantage—if not through the waiver wire, then through a low-voltage trade that still yields the stats you need.
Jason Frasor, Blue Jays The Jays entered the season with one of those ugly closer-by-committee situations that rarely, if ever, works out. True to form, none of the leading contenders did anything to warrant getting the job full-time. Aquilino Lopez was in the minors before April ended, Justin Speiers landed on the DL by mid-May, and Kerry Ligtenberg picked up a couple saves before hitting the injured list himself. Terry Adams was anointed the club's closer in late April, but lost the job within a month.
Enter Frasor, who had become the team's top set-up man by allowing just two runs in April, then following that up with a scoreless month of May. He collected saves in three straight appearances at the end of that stretch, then got roughed up by the Diamondbacks two weeks ago. He's been solid since then, posting a pair of saves with an ERA of 2.01 and a WHIP of 1.18.
Perhaps more importantly, the Blue Jays will be getting healthy soon, with Carlos Delgado's return from the DL imminent and Vernon Wells a bit further away from the lineup. More bats should translate into more leads, which in turn means more save situations. Frasor's six saves won't wow anyone—but know that five of them have come in the last month, and he's in line to get whatever save opps the Jays provide for the foreseeable future.
LaTroy Hawkins, Cubs Joe Borowski's injury was a blessing for the Cubs, as it allowed them to replace their struggling closer without shattering his confidence. Borowski had been horrible over the first two months of the year, yet he somehow managed to collect nine saves despite an ERA of 8.02 and a WHIP of 1.97.
Borowski is on the shelf until at least the All-Star break, and more likely until the end of July, meaning Hawkins will have the closer's job all to himself for the next week—longer, if he keeps pitching well.
Hawkins has saves in five of his last seven outings, even though he's allowed five runs in eight innings over that span. When Hawk is on, he can be dominant; when he's not, he'll throw the ball either out of the strike zone or right in a hitter's wheelhouse. How Hawkins handles the pressure of being a closer is the key; he posted 14 saves with a 3.39 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in half a season as Minnesota's closer, then struggled to a 5.96 ERA and 1.91 WHIP despite notching 28 saves the following year—at which point he was converted to set-up man.
The Cubbies are used to a closer who makes things interesting, so don't expect Hawkins to lose his gig despite the occasional blown save. And there's every possibility he'll keep his job even after Borowski gets healthy. Don't assume, however, his ERA will remain at 2.20 and his WHIP will stay below 1.00. Caveat emptor. Jose Jimenez, Indians To the surprise of virtually no one (outside of the Indians' organization, that is), the Tribe's scheduled closer, Bob Wickman, wasn't ready to go at the start of the season. Wickman, who missed all of 2003 after arm surgery, was shut down in spring training and isn't expected back until after the All-Star break.
That left David Riske as the club's closer, and given the competence he demonstrated in that role at the end of last season it was assumed he would hold down the fort until Wickman returned. However, the entire Cleveland bullpen—from the set-up men on down to Riske—imploded early on, sending the Indians running for cover. Rafael Betancourt filled in, but he wasn't the solution.
Enter Jimenez, who was lights out in winter ball but slowed during the early going by an arm injury. The former Rockies closer was shaky on his return from the disabled list in mid-May, giving up 10 runs in his first nine-and-a-third innings. Once he started throwing better, however, the Tribe turned over closer duties to him. It helped that they were desperate, but Jimenez has rewarded their faith by recording saves in seven of his last 12 appearances. His ERA over that span (7.96) has been awful, but he's only allowed 15 baserunners in 11.1 innings.
It's not like the Indians have a plethora of alternatives, at least not until Wickman returns—and given his recent rehab outing, in which he gave up four runs on three hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning, that isn't going to be any time soon. It's unlikely the league is beating a path to Jimenez's door, so if you're looking for a quick fix in saves Jose may be the way to go.
Chad Cordero, Expos Earlier this month, Montreal manager Frank Robinson said Cordero, the club's avowed closer of the future, wasn't ready to assume that role just yet. It's amazing how having to watch Rocky Biddle on a regular basis will change one's mind, because two days later Cordero was officially given the job.
In deeper leagues, the owner who loves rookies (every league has one) has probably been sitting on Cordero given his talent and the promise of future saves. If, however, roster limitations forced him to drop Chad into the free agent pool, now is the time to make them pay for that mistake.
The ‘Spos first-round pick last year, Cordero teased us with 11 sparkling innings late last season. This year he hasn't been quite as dominant, struggling especially with his control (22 walks in 40 innings). However, that hasn't prevented him from posting a 2.68 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP while picking up three saves—two of which have come in his last three outings.
Are the Expos going to win a ton of games? No. But Cordero is in line to get what save opportunities they do provide, and last year that was enough to boost Rocky Biddle to 34 saves. Plus, it's a job Cordero will hold long enough to see the Expos become a winning franchise again—or at least long enough to warrant getting traded to a contender before he becomes a free agent.
Jeremy Affeldt, Royals If it weren't for those pesky blister problems, Affeldt would be a member of the Royals' rotation; maybe he needs to consult Josh Beckett's doctor about that miracle ointment which cured Beckett of a similar affliction.
Meantime, the Royals can't afford to let a talented arm like Affeldt's sit idle, so with few other options (unless you consider Nate Field and Justin Huisman legitimate options) on the roster, Jeremy is getting KC's save opps. Those haven't exactly been falling out of the trees, as Affeldt hasn't recorded a save since June 11. That save, however, was his sixth in six appearances, and though he blew a save the following night the Royals picked him up for the win.
It's only a matter of time until the fire sale starts in Kansas City, so teams may be shying away from Affeldt as they don't see many wins in the Royals' future. That may be the opening you need to swoop in and steal Affeldt via trade. If he figures out the blister problems, you've got a great starter. If not, there's no reason the Royals can't keep him in a one-inning-per-outing role—which, given his talent, should provide decent results.
Shingo Takatsu, White Sox It wasn't difficult to predict the demise of Billy Koch, who somehow parlayed one okay season as a closer and a landing-strip goatee/soul patch gone horribly wrong into two years of the White Sox inexplicably believing he was the next Bobby Thigpen. However, I thought Damaso Marte would be the guy in line to take Koch's place, based on Marte's success last season and Takatsu's spring struggles.
What a difference a couple months make. Koch was dealt to Florida, and while Marte is pitching well (a 2.90 ERA and 1.03 WHIP), Shingo has been nothing short of magnificent. Mr. Zero retired 29 consecutive batters over an eight-game stretch that saw him pick up a win and two saves, and he hasn't allowed an earned run since April 20—a string of 22 appearances spanning 24 innings.
Moreover, ChiSox skipper Ozzie Guillen has officially turned all closing duties over to Takatsu. That means the vast majority of future White Sox wins will be (with apologies to seminal 80's band The Fixx) saved by Zero. Sorry, had to do it.
With only a pair of saves on his stat sheet, Shingo might still be flying under the radar in your league—but you'll have to move quickly, because Chicago's secret won't be kept under wraps much longer.
by John Tuvey - Senior Editor, Fanball.com
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
As fantasy teams settle comfortably into their positions for the dog days of summer, you might be wondering how you can pick up that oh-so-important point or two on the pitching side of your ledger.
It's not easy, you know. Nobody wants to part with their strikeout kings, wins are as flaky as Courtney Love (good luck gauging a stat where Twins reliever Juan Rincon is twice as valuable as Barry Zito, Josh Beckett, or Bartolo Colon), and computing how a new acquisition will impact your WHIP and ERA gives you a worse headache than inhaling an entire freeze pop.
That leaves saves—which, if you think back to draft day, were as precious as a Roger Clemens rookie card then and haven't exactly been growing on trees since that time, either.
However, there are at least a few save situations which have changed since Opening Day, and you may be able to take advantage—if not through the waiver wire, then through a low-voltage trade that still yields the stats you need.
Jason Frasor, Blue Jays The Jays entered the season with one of those ugly closer-by-committee situations that rarely, if ever, works out. True to form, none of the leading contenders did anything to warrant getting the job full-time. Aquilino Lopez was in the minors before April ended, Justin Speiers landed on the DL by mid-May, and Kerry Ligtenberg picked up a couple saves before hitting the injured list himself. Terry Adams was anointed the club's closer in late April, but lost the job within a month.
Enter Frasor, who had become the team's top set-up man by allowing just two runs in April, then following that up with a scoreless month of May. He collected saves in three straight appearances at the end of that stretch, then got roughed up by the Diamondbacks two weeks ago. He's been solid since then, posting a pair of saves with an ERA of 2.01 and a WHIP of 1.18.
Perhaps more importantly, the Blue Jays will be getting healthy soon, with Carlos Delgado's return from the DL imminent and Vernon Wells a bit further away from the lineup. More bats should translate into more leads, which in turn means more save situations. Frasor's six saves won't wow anyone—but know that five of them have come in the last month, and he's in line to get whatever save opps the Jays provide for the foreseeable future.
LaTroy Hawkins, Cubs Joe Borowski's injury was a blessing for the Cubs, as it allowed them to replace their struggling closer without shattering his confidence. Borowski had been horrible over the first two months of the year, yet he somehow managed to collect nine saves despite an ERA of 8.02 and a WHIP of 1.97.
Borowski is on the shelf until at least the All-Star break, and more likely until the end of July, meaning Hawkins will have the closer's job all to himself for the next week—longer, if he keeps pitching well.
Hawkins has saves in five of his last seven outings, even though he's allowed five runs in eight innings over that span. When Hawk is on, he can be dominant; when he's not, he'll throw the ball either out of the strike zone or right in a hitter's wheelhouse. How Hawkins handles the pressure of being a closer is the key; he posted 14 saves with a 3.39 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in half a season as Minnesota's closer, then struggled to a 5.96 ERA and 1.91 WHIP despite notching 28 saves the following year—at which point he was converted to set-up man.
The Cubbies are used to a closer who makes things interesting, so don't expect Hawkins to lose his gig despite the occasional blown save. And there's every possibility he'll keep his job even after Borowski gets healthy. Don't assume, however, his ERA will remain at 2.20 and his WHIP will stay below 1.00. Caveat emptor. Jose Jimenez, Indians To the surprise of virtually no one (outside of the Indians' organization, that is), the Tribe's scheduled closer, Bob Wickman, wasn't ready to go at the start of the season. Wickman, who missed all of 2003 after arm surgery, was shut down in spring training and isn't expected back until after the All-Star break.
That left David Riske as the club's closer, and given the competence he demonstrated in that role at the end of last season it was assumed he would hold down the fort until Wickman returned. However, the entire Cleveland bullpen—from the set-up men on down to Riske—imploded early on, sending the Indians running for cover. Rafael Betancourt filled in, but he wasn't the solution.
Enter Jimenez, who was lights out in winter ball but slowed during the early going by an arm injury. The former Rockies closer was shaky on his return from the disabled list in mid-May, giving up 10 runs in his first nine-and-a-third innings. Once he started throwing better, however, the Tribe turned over closer duties to him. It helped that they were desperate, but Jimenez has rewarded their faith by recording saves in seven of his last 12 appearances. His ERA over that span (7.96) has been awful, but he's only allowed 15 baserunners in 11.1 innings.
It's not like the Indians have a plethora of alternatives, at least not until Wickman returns—and given his recent rehab outing, in which he gave up four runs on three hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning, that isn't going to be any time soon. It's unlikely the league is beating a path to Jimenez's door, so if you're looking for a quick fix in saves Jose may be the way to go.
Chad Cordero, Expos Earlier this month, Montreal manager Frank Robinson said Cordero, the club's avowed closer of the future, wasn't ready to assume that role just yet. It's amazing how having to watch Rocky Biddle on a regular basis will change one's mind, because two days later Cordero was officially given the job.
In deeper leagues, the owner who loves rookies (every league has one) has probably been sitting on Cordero given his talent and the promise of future saves. If, however, roster limitations forced him to drop Chad into the free agent pool, now is the time to make them pay for that mistake.
The ‘Spos first-round pick last year, Cordero teased us with 11 sparkling innings late last season. This year he hasn't been quite as dominant, struggling especially with his control (22 walks in 40 innings). However, that hasn't prevented him from posting a 2.68 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP while picking up three saves—two of which have come in his last three outings.
Are the Expos going to win a ton of games? No. But Cordero is in line to get what save opportunities they do provide, and last year that was enough to boost Rocky Biddle to 34 saves. Plus, it's a job Cordero will hold long enough to see the Expos become a winning franchise again—or at least long enough to warrant getting traded to a contender before he becomes a free agent.
Jeremy Affeldt, Royals If it weren't for those pesky blister problems, Affeldt would be a member of the Royals' rotation; maybe he needs to consult Josh Beckett's doctor about that miracle ointment which cured Beckett of a similar affliction.
Meantime, the Royals can't afford to let a talented arm like Affeldt's sit idle, so with few other options (unless you consider Nate Field and Justin Huisman legitimate options) on the roster, Jeremy is getting KC's save opps. Those haven't exactly been falling out of the trees, as Affeldt hasn't recorded a save since June 11. That save, however, was his sixth in six appearances, and though he blew a save the following night the Royals picked him up for the win.
It's only a matter of time until the fire sale starts in Kansas City, so teams may be shying away from Affeldt as they don't see many wins in the Royals' future. That may be the opening you need to swoop in and steal Affeldt via trade. If he figures out the blister problems, you've got a great starter. If not, there's no reason the Royals can't keep him in a one-inning-per-outing role—which, given his talent, should provide decent results.
Shingo Takatsu, White Sox It wasn't difficult to predict the demise of Billy Koch, who somehow parlayed one okay season as a closer and a landing-strip goatee/soul patch gone horribly wrong into two years of the White Sox inexplicably believing he was the next Bobby Thigpen. However, I thought Damaso Marte would be the guy in line to take Koch's place, based on Marte's success last season and Takatsu's spring struggles.
What a difference a couple months make. Koch was dealt to Florida, and while Marte is pitching well (a 2.90 ERA and 1.03 WHIP), Shingo has been nothing short of magnificent. Mr. Zero retired 29 consecutive batters over an eight-game stretch that saw him pick up a win and two saves, and he hasn't allowed an earned run since April 20—a string of 22 appearances spanning 24 innings.
Moreover, ChiSox skipper Ozzie Guillen has officially turned all closing duties over to Takatsu. That means the vast majority of future White Sox wins will be (with apologies to seminal 80's band The Fixx) saved by Zero. Sorry, had to do it.
With only a pair of saves on his stat sheet, Shingo might still be flying under the radar in your league—but you'll have to move quickly, because Chicago's secret won't be kept under wraps much longer.