working

ADVERTISERS

Sports Outside the Beltway

4/25 MLB News and Notes

Today was a big day for strike outs! A lot of good pitchers and some good hitters had a ton of strikeouts today. There was also another historic homer and a bunch of multi-hit games from players in a Rockies uniform.

-The Texas Rangers struck out 19 times, albeit in 11 innings. The Rangers 6-8 hitters looked like this: Hank Blalock went 0-4 with 4 K, Nelson Cruz was 0-4 with 3 K, and Brad Wilkerson went 0-5 with 4 K. In the same game Kenny Lofton stole 2 bases giving him 8 for the season and Ian Kinsler hit his 8th homer of the season.

-The Braves-Marlins game turned out to be a fine pitchers duel. Scott Olsen went 8 innings while giving up 3 runs (all solo shots in the 1st and 2nd) and striking out 10 while walking only 1. Tim Hudson was on the other side putting up 8 innings allowing 3 runs and walking none while striking out 12! Neither pitcher got the win. Chipper Jones hit his 7th homer of the season and Kelly Johnson lead the game off with a homer for his 5th. Johnson has raised his average from .150 to .306 in his last 8 games (14-28).

-Chad Durbin proved he could pitch tonight going 8 innings allowing 3 hits and zero runs and striking out 9 while walking zero. Marcus Thames got the start at 1B against the lefty and went 0-3 with 3 K.

-Notable hits: Barry Bonds belted homer #741. He now has 7 homers and 15 RBI with a .346 AVG on the season. Chase Utley went 5-5 with 2 doubles, giving him 13, and 3 RBI. Jimmy Rollins hit his 8th homer, retaining the NL lead in homers.Josh Hamilton hit his 6th homer of the season. David DeJesus keeps on raking. He went 3-4 raising his AVG to .337 and hit his 4th homer. He’s finally becoming a better fantasy option than Mark Kotsay. Craig Biggio went 3-5 and he is now only 49 hits away from 3,000.

-The Mariners took advantage of an A’s team that didn’t have Nick Swisher, Milton Bradley, or Mark Kotsay in the lineup. The Mariners won 2-0 in a great pitchers duel. Jarrod Washburn got the shutout allowing 3 hits and 2 BB while striking out 2 in 9 innings. Joe Blanton also went the distance allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 BB while striking out 6. Both runs were solo shots by Jose Guillen (2) and Kenji Johjima (1). Raul Ibanez was 0-4 with 3 K.

-More Notable hits: The Rockies hit outside of Coors. Willy Taveras went 5-6, Todd Helton went 4-5 with 3 RBI, Matt Holliday went 2-4 with 3 RBI, and John Mabry homered and drove in 4 runs. The Rox had 7 guys with atleast 2 hits. Jose Reyes went 4-5 in the loss and Shawn Green continued to hit driving in 3 runs and raising his AVG to .351. Derek Lee and Cliff Floyd each went 4-5. The Cubs finally hit and scored 9 runs on 16 hits, all without Alfonso Soriano.

-Notable misses: Wily Mo Pena got the start in CF and supplied an 0-4 game with 3 K, dropping his average to .120. Mike Pelfrey got pounded and looked awful on the mound. He gave up 6 runs on 8 hits and one walk in 3 innings, ouch! This is so awful it’s hard for me to write, Morgan Ensberg went 0-7 and left 10 men on base! That’s right, 10 men! The Astros lost in 16 innings. B.J. Upton made his 6th error of the season. John Patterson dropped to 0-4 on the season and raised his ERA to 7.71. He allowed 6 runs on 8 hits and 3 BB in 5.1 innings. His velocity is down and he has only 11 SO against 17 BB in 23.1 IP.

-The Diamondbacks couldn’t hit Jake Peavy. Peavy struck out 16 in 7 innings on only 2 hits and 3 walks and no runs. Chris Young was 0-4 with 3 K, Carlos Quentin was 0-3 with 3 K, and the team had 18 K in 9 innings. The D-Backs still won the game when Stephen Drew delivered big off of Trevor Hoffman in the 9th for the win, it was his first homer of the season.

-Some news from the minors: Brewers 20 year old righty Will Inman is dominating High-A ball with a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 IP with 29/5 BB/K rate. Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit is hitting .415/.493/.717 with 4 homers and 20 RBI in 16 games in AAA. Billy Butler, the guy who will eventually replace Mike Sweeney in KC, is tearing AAA pitching up to the tune of .342/.437/.644 with 6 homers, 21 RBI and a 12/10 BB/K rate in 20 games. Did I mention he turned 21 a week ago? Braves catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is showing a ton of promise. He is .377/.472/.754 with 6 homers in 61 at-bats in AA. Last year, in the same league, he hit .230 with 9 homers in 313 at-bats. How much longer will the Brewers go with the Counsell/Graffanino platoon at 3B? Ryan Braun is raking in AAA. He has 7 homers and is hitting .338/.423/.765 and a 10/7 BB/K rate. Once he gets his defense going…

-I told you there were a lot of strike outs…

 

4/23 MLB News and Notes

-Alex Rodriguez destroyed some pitching again tonight! 4-5, 4 runs, 3 RBI, and 2 bombs giving him a record tying 14 for the month of April with 6 games to go. It wasn’t enough though as the Rays won 10-8 dropping the Yanks 2 games below .500 (8-10) and giving them 4 losses in a row. He is now hitting .400-14-34 with a league leading 26 runs.

-Akinori Iwamura faced fellow countryman Kei Igawa for the first time in the Majors. Aki went 2-2 with a double, single, and a walk againt Igawa. He drove in the run that knocked Igawa out of the game. Great publicity for the Rays.

-Jose Reyes stole 2 more bases giving him 12 for the season, only 7 teams have more stolen bases than Reyes. By comparison, the Seattle Mariners have 1 stolen base. Reyes also has 5 triples already.

-J.J. Hardy (for those who’ve never heard of him, he is the slick fielding SS for the Brewers) is tied for second in the NL in homers with 6. Jimmy Rollins leads by hitting his 7th tonight. Chipper Jones connected for his 6th tonight as well.

-Matt Holliday has 3 consecutive 3-hit games, raisnig his season average to .400.

-The Red Sox have made it clear they want CF of the future Jacob Ellsbury to spend this year in the minors developing. Well, Coco Crisp might be forcing him onto the Major League roster. Crisp is hitting .214-0-6 with 6 runs and 2 stolen bases and 3 BB against 11 SO. The most shocking number is his Slugging percentage – .304. Not to mention Ellsbury is hitting .438/.491/.688 in 11 games. He has 9 runs, 9 RBI, 4 SB, 8 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 BB against 5 SO in 48 at-bats. If the Red sox can get a good prospect or two for Crisp I would pull the trigger on that deal in a heartbeat. Ellsbury also plays great defense.

-Rich Harden, Felix Hernandez, Eric Gagne, and Milton Bradley all landed on the 15-day DL today. Randy Johnson and Chien-Ming Wang both come off of the DL tomorrow. The Yanks need this help a ton! Uber prospect Phil Hughes is set to make his Major League debut this Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

-Shane Victorino has multi-hit games in 5 of his last 6 games.

-Noteable firsts: First homers of the season for Carlos Delgado (breaking a drought of 118 at-bats) and Hank Blalock. J.J. Putz got his first save. First Big League game for Oakland outfileder Danny Putnam, he went 1-4 in his debut and Brandon Morrow got his first Major League win for the Seattle Mariners.

-Andruw Jones has 3 straight multi-hit games taking his average from .179 to .242 in 3 games.

-Jim Thome dropped his OBP to .553 by going 2-5 tonight! Unbelieveable! He leads the Majors with 25 BB. Another note on walks, Todd Helton has 16 BB and only 3 SO. Now that is truly unbelievable!

-John McDonald went 3-4 for the Blue Jays raising his average to .500 (12-24).

-Here’s a split stat for ya. Rocco Baldelli as a CF: .214-0-3 with 2 BB against 11 SO and 3 runs with 1 stolen base. As a DH: .355-3-6 with 4 BB against 5 SO and 7 runs with 3 stolen bases. This couls mean his legs still need some rest from injuries. Don;t be fooled though, he’s a Gold-Glove caliber centerfielder and his future is in the outfield, but until he is fully healthy look for him to produce as a DH.

-Cleveland DH Travis Hafner keeps on being the best player nobody talks about. He went 4-4 with 2 walks (going 6-6 getting on base) tonight and is hitting .390. He has mulit-hit games in 5 of his last 7. Also, did anyone see the bomb he hit in Tampa the other night? An estimated 442 feet (I tell you, the ball hit the back wall of the dome and had to have gone 475+). Go to the Indians homepage and it’s the 2nd featured video.

 

Here it goes: “With the first selection in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders select…

1. Oakland(2-14)
JaMarcus Russell- QB, LSU

2. Detroit (3-13)
Gaines Adams- DE, Clemson

3. Cleveland (4-12)
Adrian Peterson- RB, Oklahoma

4. Tampa Bay (4-12)
Calvin Johnson- WR, Georgia Tech

5. Arizona (5-11)
Joe Thomas- OT, Wisconsin

6. Washington(5-11)
Amobi Okoye- DT, Louisville

7. Minnesota (6-10)
Brady Quinn- QB, Notre Dame

8. Atlanta (7-9)
(from Houston)
Levi Brown- OT, Penn State

9. Miami (6-10)
Leon Hall- CB, Michigan

10. Houston (6-10)
(from Atlanta)
LaRon Landry- S, LSU

11. San Francisco (7-9)
Alan Branch- DT, Michigan

12. Buffalo (7-9)
Marshawn Lynch- RB, Cal

13. St. Louis (8-8)
Jamaal Anderson- DE, Arkansas

14. Carolina (8-8)
Patrick Willis- ILB, Mississippi

15. Pittsburgh (8-8)
Jarvis Moss- DE/OLB, Florida

16. Green Bay (8-8)
Reggie Nelson- S, Florida

17. Jacksonville (8-8)
Michael Griffin- S, Texas

18. Cincinnati (8-8)
Paul Posluszny- LB, Penn State

19. Tennessee (8-8)
Robert Meachem- WR, Tennessee

20. N.Y. Giants (8-8)
Darrelle Revis- CB, Pittsburgh

21. Denver (9-7)
Adam Carriker- DE, Nebraska

22. Dallas (9-7)
Aaron Ross- CB/RS, Texas

23. Kansas City (9-7)
Ted Ginn Jr.- WR, Ohio State

24. New England (12-4) (from Seattle)
Chris Houston- CB, Arkansas

25. N.Y. Jets (10-6)
Greg Olsen- TE, Miami

26. Philadelphia (10-6)
Lawrence Timmons- OLB, Florida State

27. New Orleans (10-6)
Dwayne Jarrett- WR, USC

28. New England (12-4)
Joe Staley- OT, Central Michigan

29. Baltimore (13-3)
Tony Ugoh- OT, Arkansas

30. San Diego (14-2)
Dwayne Bowe- WR, LSU

31. Chicago (13-3)
John Beason- OLB, Miami

32. Indianapolis (12-4)
Justin Harrell- DT, Tennessee

Round 2

33. Oakland: Ben Grubbs- G, Auburn
34. Detroit: Drew Stanton- QB, Michigan State
35. Tampa Bay: Anthony Spencer- DE, Purdue
36. Cleveland: Anthony Gonzalez- WR, Ohio State
37. Chicago (from Washington via N.Y. Jets): Steve Smith- WR, USC
38. Arizona: Marcus McCauley- CB, Fresno State
39. Atlanta (from Houston): Justin Blalock- G, Texas
40. Miami: Trent Edwards- QB, Stanford
41. Minnesota: Tim Crowder- DE, Texas
42. San Francisco: LaMarr Woodley- DE/OLB, Michigan
43. Buffalo: Arron Sears- G, Tennessee
44. Atlanta: Brandon Meriweather- S, Miami
45. Carolina: Zach Miller- TE, Arizona State
46. Pittsburgh: Ryan Kalil- C, USC
47. Green Bay: Antonio Pittman- RB, Ohio State
48. Jacksonville: Sidney Rice- WR, South Carolina
49. Cincinnati: Eric Wright- CB- UNLV
50. Tennessee: Charles Johnson- DE, Georgia
51. N.Y. Giants: Tony Ugoh- OT, Arkansas
52. St. Louis: David Harris- ILB, Michigan
53. Dallas: Craig Davis- WR, LSU
54. Kansas City: Tanard Jackson- CB, Syracuse
55. Seattle: Tank Tyler- DT, NC State
56. Denver: Stewart Bradley- OLB, Nebraska
57. Philadelphia: Eric Weddle- S, Utah
58. New Orleans: Turk McBride- DT, Tennessee
59. N.Y. Jets: Josh Wilson- CB, Maryland
60. Miami (from New England): Ray McDonald- DE, Florida
61. Baltimore: Brian Leonard- FB/RB, Rutgers
62. San Diego: Justin Durant- LB, Hampton
63. N.Y. Jets (from Chicago): Jason Hill- WR, Washington State
64. Tampa Bay (from Indianapolis): Josh Gattis- S, Wake Forest

 

Manuel puts Myers in Pen

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s been a quick trip from staff ace to the bullpen for Brett Myers.

In a surprising decision that manager Charlie Manuel hopes will bolster his relief corps, the Philadelphia Phillies moved Myers from the rotation to a setup role in the bullpen Wednesday and put Jon Lieber in the rotation.

Myers, 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA in three starts this season, will mostly be used in the seventh or eighth innings. The right-hander also could see work as a closer when Tom Gordon isn’t available, Manuel said.

“Myers gives us a bigger arm at the back end of our bullpen,” Manuel said.

Myers led the Phillies in wins (12), ERA (3.91), starts (31) innings (198) and strikeouts (189) in 2006, then signed a $25.75 million, three-year contract during the offseason

Lieber expressed disappointment when, late in spring training, the Phillies said he’d begin the season as a reliever instead of a starter. He’s allowed three runs in 2 1-3 innings this season out of the bullpen.

This is a serious move, not just desperation, of panic by Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. Brett Myers is the Phillies stud ace. He, as the article above reads, led the Phillies in wins, ERA, strikeouts, starts, and innings pitched. He also signed a 3 year contract for $25.75M in the offseason, not to be a middle reliever (he pitched 1 inning last night and gave up 2 hits while striking out 1), but to be the ace of this staff. Myers has not faired well so far as a starter (9.39 ERA) but he has struck out 19 in 15.1 innings pitched. He pitched much better than his ERA suggested and should still be in the starting rotation.

The Phillies sit at the bottom of the National League and have the worst record in the majors (3-10), even lower than the Washington Nationals. Charlie Manuel blew up on a radio host and challenged him to a fight, and is about to blow it as the manager of the Phillies.

The Phillies have dynamic offesnse that hasn’t shown us anything yet, Pat Burrell is hitting .341 while Howard is at .213 and Utley at .222. Ryan Howard also left the game last night in the 10th with left knee injury but it’s said to be nothing serious.

The Phillies are struggling and Charlie Manuel is feeling the pressure all around. Things better turn around soon or he and the Phillies will be in serious trouble.

********

-Mark Buehrle threw the season’s first no-hitter. He did it without throwing a single pitch over 90 and faced the minimum 27 hitters with only 26 official at-bats (he walked Sammy Sosa and quickly picked him off). Incredible feat, this should help his resume seeing as how he is in a walk year.

-Rich Harden and Felix Hernandez are both battling injuries and Howie Kendrick just landed on the DL and is going to be out 4-6 weeks. Sad news for those of us (me included) who drafted him in fantasy leagues.

-Alex Rodriguez continued his tear last night, belting his 9th homer of the year and raising his RBI total to 23.

-Carlos Zambrano has not pitched well in his walk year. He is 1-2 so far and has an ERA of 7.77 with a 1.86 WHIP, opponents are hitting .357 off of him when they put the ball in play, and he has walked 16 batters in 22 innings. Not the way you want to pitch when you are in a walk year.

-On the other side of the green Matt Cain is nearly unhittable. He has only allowed 8 hits in 20 innings while striking out 17. Sadly though he is 0-1 with an ERA of 1.80.

-Brewers starter Claudio Vargas has 22 strikeouts against only 2 walks in only 13 innings!

-Since when did Orlando Hudson become a stud #3 hitter? He is hitting .387 with 2 homers, 9/9 BB/SO ratio, with 13 runs and 12 RBI. Who woulda thunk it!

-Josh Hamilton is tied for 3rd in the NL in homers with 4 in only 26 at-bats. Not bad for a guy who has missed over 3 years. What a story he has been!

-Speaking of people having bad seasons in walk years, Andruw Jones is hitting .180 with 16 stikeouts in 14 games. Mike Cameron is hitting .155 with one extra base hit (a double) and 15 strikeouts in 14 games. Jermaine Dye has 3 homers but no other XBH and is hitting only .214 with 12 strikeouts in 12 games.

-If you haven’t noticed yet, Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler is tearing the cover off the ball. He has 7 homers and is hitting .333 (including 12-28 after starting out 2-14). He has also knocked in 13 and scored 12.

 

NL East Stat Projections (I know, they’re late)

I know these are late. I had these donw before the season the started but didn’t have the time to transfer them from paper to the CPU before the season started. But due to popular demand I will post the NL stat predictions I made prior to the season starting. To make it easier on myself I will just post the most notable players and not do it by team and lineup spot.

Here are the NL East hitters:

Moises Alou .293-17-68-2-60
Alfredo Amezaga .254-3-20-23-49
Willy Aybar .282-6-33-3-37
Rod Barajas .249-15-47-0-41
Carlos Beltran .282-36-114-21-129
Aaron Boone .253-8-40-6-37
Joe Borchard .238-9-26-2-31
Pat Burrell .262-30-98-0-84
Miguel Cabrera .319-35-114-6-108
Ryan Church .279-14-62-12-67
Matt Diaz .287-8-36-4-41
Carlos Delgado .278-34-118-0-92
Damion Easly .248-7-33-2-33
Rob Fick .271-7-33-1-29
Jeff Francoeur .276-32-106-4-88
Shawn Green .280-19-71-6-73
Christian Guzman .244-3-38-14-51
Wes Helms .280-21-72-0-60
Ryan Howard .307-49-131-0-108
Mike Jacobs .271-28-86-1-67
Andruw Jones .276-45-126-6-109
Chipper Jones .310-28-93-6-95
Kelly Johnson .273-14-59-8-79
Nick Johnson .288-13-45-3-51 (DL)
Austin Kearns .273-23-83-8-78
Paul LoDuca .297-7-56-3-78
Felipe Lopez .279-12-58-43-92
Brian McCann .291-25-86-2-63
Lastings Milledge .256-6-29-5-33
David Newhan .266-4-26-5-29
Miguel Olivo .256-14-50-3-47
Hanley Ramirez .284-16-56-54-105
Edgar Renteria .289-15-67-16-98
Jose Reyes .304-16-79-60-124
Jimmy Rollins .279-20-72-41-124
Aaron Rowand .278-16-71-18-92
Scott Thorman .269-19-71-1-60
Dan Uggla .272-20-78-5-86
Chase Utley .306-34-109-13-120
Jose Valentin .247-15-52-4-59
Shane Victorino .282-11-59-17-77
Jayson Werth .265-12-39-8-44
Josh Willingham .279-28-81-1-70
Craig Wilson .259-14-46-1-45
David Wright .308-27-114-19-108
Dimitri Young .248-8-38-2-32
Ryan Zimmerman .296-22-98-10-83

*Key players in bold

 

Nothing Beats a Home Opener

Home openers are a something to awe at. Especially if you are at Fenway, Yankee Stadium, Shea, a new ballpark like PNC or PETCO, or your team has a shot at going all the way this season (i.e. Cleveland, Philadelphia, Los Angeles…).

But what about Tampa Bay? In the words of a good friend of mine “You’d better believe it”! If you were there last night you would agree with me.

Last night the Rays unveiled the “new” Tropicana Field, or as we like to call it here at 3Guys “the house that Stewy re-furbished”. It was beautiful! New scoreboard (one of the biggest in all the majors), new brick and fence facade, very modern advertisements, and a new atmosphere. It looked like a modern ballpark enclosed in an old dome.

Enough about the Trop.

The fans were ignited! It’s the first time since the Rays “Hit Show” that featured Jose Canseco, Fred McGriff, and Vinny Castilla that this type of excitement surrounded the Rays. The announced crowd of 38,437 was a sell out, with close to 38,400 of those cheering for the hometown Rays.

After Ty Wigginton, B.J. Upton, and new 3B Akinori Iwamura each homered the “house that Stewy re-furbished” almost lost its top. It was great to see Rays fans standing when Shields had 2 strikes on a hitter. It was awesome to hear the crowd chanting an elongated version of “Dukes” (sounded like Doooooooks) when rookie CF Elijah Dukes came to bat. It sound like Fenway Park when Kevin Youkilis steps up to the plate.

The Rays eventually lost the lead when Shawn Camp gave up a 2-run homer to Troy Glaus in the top of the 8th. Did it stop the fans from cheering on their favorite team? Heck no! The Rays went down pretty quickly in the 8th though.

Bottom of the 9th comes, the Rays 3-4-5 hitters are due up against one of the best closers in the game in B.J. Ryan. Rocco Baldelli battles and gets teh count to 3-2. Ryan finally wins the battle, on the 10th pitch (I believe) but that at-bat is what seemed to wear Ryan down. Ty Wigginton then singled. Delmon Young homered to right on a beautiful opposite field swing. Akinori got a bunt single which made him 4-4 on the night. Gomes pinch hit and flew out to Wells in center, almost hitting the ceiling with the ball. Dukes singled hard to left, Akinori advanced to third. Upton came up. B.J. vs B. J. Mr. Upton hits a high, soft bouncer past the pitcher to John McDonald at short and McDonald only had one chance to get Upton and couldn’t make the play cleanly. Rays win!! Rays win!!

The fans in Tampa Bay played a huge role in this game. “[The] fans were fantastic,” Maddon said. “I’d like to see that on a more consistent basis. It does make a difference.”

B.J. Upton had this to say: “Great crowd tonight made it special. Hope they continue to come out.”

It was shear pandemonium in the house that Stewy re-furbished that night.

So you ask me, “are home openers the best, even in Tampa Bay?” And I tell you “Yes, you’d better believe it!”

 

2007 Predictions: Award and Standings

AL EAST
1. BOS (93-69)
2. NYY (92-70)
3. TOR (88-74)
4. BAL (73-69)
4. TB (73-89)

AL Central
1. CLE (89-73)
2. MIN (86-76)
3. DET (85-77)
4. CHW (83-79)
5. KC (66-96)

AL West
1. OAK (87-75)
2. LAA (86-76)
3. TEX (78-84)
4. SEA (74-88)

NL East
1. PHI (90-72)
2. NYM (88-74)
3. ATL (86-76)
4. FLA (71-91)
5. WAS (54-108)

NL Central
1. HOU (86-76)
2. MIL (85-77)
3. STL (83-79)
4. CHC (82-80)
5. CIN (75-87)
6. PIT (72-90)

NL West
1. SD (88-74)
2. LAD (86-76)
3. ARI (85-77)
4. SF (73-89)
5. COL (73-89)

ALDS
BOS def. OAK (5 Games)
CLE def. NYY (4 Games)

NLDS
HOU def. PHI (5 Games)
SD def. NYM (4 Games)

ALCS
CLE def. BOS (6 Games)

NLCS
SD def. HOU (7 Games)

World Series
CLE def. SD (7 Games) CLEVELAND INDIANS 2007 World Series Champs

NL Cy Young – 1. Roy Oswlat (HOU) 2. Jake Peavy (SD) 3. Ben Sheets (MIL)
AL CY Young – 1. Roy Halladay 2. Johan Santana 3. Rich Harden

NL MVP – 1. Lance Berkman (HOU) 2. Albert Pujols (STL) 3. Chase Utley (PHI)
AL MVP - 1. Grady Sizemore (CLE) 2. Nixk Swisher (A’s) 3. Travis Hafner (CLE)

NL ROY – 1. Chris Young (ARI) 2. Chris Iannetta (COL) 3. Josh Hamilton (CIN)
AL ROY – 1. Delmon Young (TB) 2. Alex Gordon (KC) 3. Diasuke Matsuzaka (BOS)

NL Comeback Player – Ben Sheets (MIL)
AL Comeback Player – Bobby Crosby (A’s)

NL MOY – Phil Garner (HOU)
AL MOY – Bob Geren (A’s)

NL Breakout – Conor Jackson (ARI), Brad Hawpe (COL)
AL Breakout – Rocco Baldelli (TB), Dan Haren (A’s)

 

2007 AL Central Stat Projections

AL Central Predictions

1. Cleveland Indians
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Kansas City Royals

Indians

Projected Stats
Projected Lineup AVG HR RBI SB R
1. Grady Sizemore CF .303 – 31 – 91 – 23 – 136
2. Casey Blake RF .273 – 24 – 71 – 6 – 76
3. Travis Hafner DH .316 – 44 – 128 – 0 – 108
4. Victor Martinez C .308 – 19 – 98 – 0 – 86
5. Ryan Garko 1B .285 – 13 – 58 – 0 – 41
6. David Delluci LF .265 – 14 – 57 – 3 – 65
7. Jhonny Peralta SS .277 – 18 – 72 – 0 – 79
8. Andy Marte 3B .254 – 14 – 55 – 1 – 46
9. Josh Barfield 2B .286 – 15 – 64 – 20 – 82

Bench
Trot Nixon COF .274 – 9 – 53 – 1 – 57
Hector Luna INF .272 – 5 – 35 – 8 – 39

Rotation W- L ERA SO
1. C.C. Sabathia 16-10 3.40 170
2. Jake Westbrook 14-10 3.90 117
3. Cliff Lee 11- 8 3.61 149 (DL)
4. Jeremy Sowers 14- 9 3.51 93
5. Paul Byrd 11-10 4.48 96
6. Fausto Carmona 3- 5 4.60 55
7. Adam Miller 4- 3 3.61 43

Bullpen W- L ERA SO SV-SVO
CL Scott Borowski 3-4 3.62 65 31-35
RP Ro. Hernandez 2-2 3.44 47 1-
RP Matt Miller 2-1 3.06 33 -
RP Rafael Betancourt 3-3 3.29 51 -

Prospect who can impact the 2007 season
1. Adam Miller SP
2. Sin Soo Choo OF

Twins

Projected Stats
Projected Lineup AVG HR RBI SB R
1. Luis Castillo 2B .301 – 4 – 46 – 24 – 90
2. Nick Punto 3B .278 – 3 – 48 – 16 – 69
3. Joe Mauer C .329 – 16 – 97 – 10 – 98
4. Mike Cuddyer RF .290 – 26 – 112 – 7 – 100
5. Justin Morneau 1B .294 – 36 – 119 – 1 – 94
6. Torri Hunter CF .272 – 28 – 96 – 15 – 86
7. Rondell White LF .261 – 10 – 54 – 1 – 47
8. Jason Kubel DH .278 – 9 – 52 – 3 – 48
9. Jason Bartlett SS .287 – 7 – 56 – 18 – 76

Bench
Lew Ford OF .268 – 9 – 40 – 9 – 56 (DL)
Matt LeCroy 1B/DH .270 – 9 – 34 – 0 – 29
Jeff Cirillo INF .296 – 3 – 31 – 2 – 36
Mike Redmond C/DH .297 – 1 – 22 – 0 – 18

Rotation W- L ERA SO
1. Johna Santana 18- 8 2.81 247
2. Boof Bonser 13-11 4.28 160
3. Carlos Silva 10-11 4.48 74
4. Ramon Ortiz 4- 9 4.86 82
5. Sidney Ponson 5- 8 5.10 59
6. Matt Garza 11- 7 3.56 124
7. Glen Perkins 4- 3 3.93 53

Bullpen W- L ERA SO SV-SVO
CL Joe Nathan 5-2 2.19 92 40-43
RP Jesse Crain 5-3 3.09 57 2-
RP Juan Rincon 4-3 3.06 68 -
RP Pat Nesheck 4-2 2.26 73 2-
RP Jesse Crain 2-3 3.80 46 –

Prospect who can impact the 2007 season
1. Matt Garza SP
2. Glen Perkins SP
3. Kevin Slowley SP

Tigers

Projected Stats
Projected Lineup AVG HR RBI SB R
1. Curtis Granderson CF .280 – 22 – 74 – 14 – 98
2. Placido Polanco 2B .292 – 8 – 59 – 3 – 84
3. Gary Sheffield DH .288 – 29 – 107 – 9 – 101
4. Magglio Ordonez RF .302 – 23 – 99 – 2 – 83
5. Carlos Guillen SS .300 – 17 – 80 – 14 – 91
6. Sean Casey 1B .287 – 11 – 66 – 1 – 69
7. Ivan Rodriguez C .289 – 15 – 67 – 7 – 72
8. Craig Monroe LF .261 – 24 – 81 – 3 – 73
9. Brandon Inge 3B .257 – 25 – 78 – 6 – 80

Bench
Marcus Thames 1B/OF .246 – 19 – 56 – 0 – 52
Omar Infante Util .267 – 6 – 32 – 5 – 39

Rotation W- L ERA SO
1. Jeremy Bonderman 13- 9 4.32 188
2. Kenny Rogers 13-10 3.98 91 (DL)
3. Justin Verlander 14-10 3.72 141
4. Nate Robertson 12-13 4.42 132
5. Mike Maroth 9-13 4.48 89
6. J.D. Durbin 2-3 4.64 29

Bullpen W- L ERA SO SV-SVO
CL Todd Jones 3-4 3.77 37 34-39
RP Joel Zumya 5-3 2.62 93 4-
RP Fernando Rodney 4-3 3.65 61 5-
RP Jose Mesa 2-4 4.08 34 -
RP Jason Grilli 3-4 4.28 38 -

Prospect who can impact the 2007 season
1. Jordan Tata RP

White Sox
Projected Stats
Projected Lineup AVG HR RBI SB R
1. Scott Podsednik LF .278 – 4 – 35 – 36 – 69 (DL)
2. Tadahito Iguchi 2B .284 – 17 – 73 – 12 – 93
3. Jim Thome DH .286 – 39 – 104 – 0 – 98
4. Paul Konerko 1B .296 – 37 – 113 – 0 – 94
5. Jermaine Dye RF .281 – 32 – 101 – 6 – 89
6. A.J. Pierzynski C .290 – 16 – 69 – 0 – 63
7. Joe Crede 3B .275 – 26 – 81 – 1 – 73
8. Juan Uribe SS .249 – 16 – 67 – 2 – 59
9. Darin Erstad CF .277 – 5 – 31 – 8 – 46

Bench
Pablo Ozuna Util .301 – 1 – 19 – 10 – 33
Toby Hall C .281 – 4 – 29 – 0 – 24
Brian Anderson OF .252 – 5 – 26 – 6 – 35
Josh Fields 3B/COF .276 – 13 – 56 – 14 – 61

Rotation W- L ERA SO
1. Jose Contreras 12-13 4.46 148
2. Mark Buehrle 13-12 3.90 123
3. Jon Garland 15-11 4.22 110
4. Javier Vazquez 12-13 4.46 186
5. Jon Danks 8-10 4.54 103
6. Charlie Haeger 4- 5 4.26 48

Bullpen W- L ERA SO SV-SVO
CL Bobby Jenks 3-5 4.25 78 32-38
RP Mike MacDougal 3-2 3.12 54 8-
RP Matt Thornton 3-4 3.83 51 2-
RP David Aardsma 2-2 4.30 46 1-
RP Andrew Sisco 2-3 4.28 47 -

Prospect who can impact the 2007 season
1. Jon Danks SP
2. Jerry Owens OF

Royals

Projected Stats
Projected Lineup AVG HR RBI SB R
1. David DeJesus CF .307 – 13 – 67 – 10 – 89
2. M. Grudzielanek 2B .287 – 7 – 50 – 4 – 76 (DL)
3. Mark Teahen RF .293 – 24 – 91 – 12 – 94
4. Mike Sweeney DH .296 – 12 – 52 – 0 – 44
5. Ryan Shealy 1B .282 – 19 – 83 – 2 – 76
6. Emil Brown LF .276 – 14 – 76 – 9 – 72
7. Alex Gordon 3B .289 – 18 – 77 – 14 – 71
8. John Buck 2B .250 – 13 – 46 – 1 – 42
9. Tony Pena Jr. SS .249 – 4 – 38 – 16 – 56

Bench
Joey Gathright OF .277 – 1 – 36 – 28 – 51
Esteban German Util .302 – 5 – 38 – 12 – 59
Reggie Sanders COF .256 – 14 – 52 – 6 – 46
Ross Gload 1B/COF .289 – 8 – 46 – 3 – 33

Rotation W- L ERA SO
1. Gil Meche 12-11 4.31 153
2. Odalis Perez 8-12 4.49 110
3. Zack Grienke 8- 9 4.24 91
4. Jorge dela Rosa 7- 9 4.65 101
5. Brandon Duckworth 4- 7 4.68 69
6. Luke Hudson 8-10 4.46 77 (DL)
7. Brian Bannister 4- 6 4.44 44

Bullpen W- L ERA SO SV-SVO
CL Octavio Dotel 2-4 3.61 69 22-31
RP David Riske 4-2 3.26 51 6-
RP Joe Nelson 1-2 4.20 39 4-
RP T. Wellemeyer 2-3 4.12 52 -
RP Joe Peralta 2-3 4.16 54

Prospect who can impact the 2007 season
1. Alex Gordon 3B
2. Billy Butler DH/OF
3. Justin Huber 1B

 

2007 AL East Stat Projections

AL East Predictions
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

Red Sox
Projected Stats
Projected Lineup AVG HR RBI SB R
1. Julio Lugo SS .288 – 14 – 62 – 26 – 97
2. Kevin Youkilis 1B .285 – 18 – 79 – 3 – 103
3. David Ortiz DH .289 – 47 – 132 – 0 – 118
4. Manny Ramirez LF .309 – 37 – 114 – 0 – 96
5. J.D. Drew RF .290 – 24 – 96 – 2 – 98
6. Mike Lowell 3B .275 – 19 – 84 – 2 – 75
7. Jason Varitek C .260 – 15 – 68 – 2 – 59
8. Coco Crisp CF .285 – 14 – 67 – 21 – 78
9. Dustin Pedroia 2B .291 – 6 – 62 – 5 – 76

Bench
Willy Mo Pena COF .278 – 16 – 53 – 1 – 45
Erik Hinske COF/1B .279 – 10 – 42 – 5 – 44
Alex Cora INF .241 – 1 – 15 – 5 – 26

Rotation W- L ERA SO
1. Curt Schilling 14- 9 3.67 181
2. Josh Beckett 15-10 4.14 162
3. D. Matsuzaka 14- 9 3.88 179
4. Tim Wakefield 11-12 4.38 128
5. Julian Tavarez 6- 6 4.36 173
6. Jon Lester 7- 6 4.45 79

Bullpen W- L ERA SO SV-SVO
CL Jon Papelbon 4-3 2.36 69 36-41
RP Joel Piniero 3-5 4.66 59 –
RP J.C. Romero 2-3 4.33 42 -
RP Mike Timlin 4-3 3.70 46 4-
RP M. Delcarmen 3-2 3.36 56 1-

Prospect who can impact the 2007 season
1. Dustin Pedroia 2B
2. Jon Lester SP
3. Craig Hansen RP

Yankees

Projected Stats
Projected Lineup AVG HR RBI SB R
1. Johnny Damon CF .291 – 22 – 77 – 24 – 119
2. Derek Jeter SS .320 – 16 – 93 – 27 – 115
3. Bobby Abreu RF .295 – 21 – 105 – 26 – 108
4. Alex Rodriguez 3B .296 – 39 – 128 – 14 – 108
5. Jason Giambi DH .261 – 32 – 98 – 0 – 81
6. Hideki Matsui LF .297 – 26 – 104 – 2 – 93
7. Jorge Posada C .272 – 19 – 72 – 1 – 60
8. Robinson Cano 2B .309 – 18 – 81 – 4 – 85
9. D. Mientkiewicz 1B .279 – 7 – 49 – 2 – 47

Bench
Andy Phillips 1B/DH .246 – 9 – 38 – 2 – 33
Migeul Cario INF .254 – 2 – 31 – 11 – 36
Melky Cabrera OF .274 – 8 – 47 – 11 – 68

Rotation W- L ERA SO
1. Andy Pettitte 13-10 4.08 167
2. Mike Mussina 14- 8 3.69 163
3. Kei Igawa 12-10 4.28 148
4. Carl Povano 8-11 4.56 96
5. Phil Hughes 7- 5 3.48 88
6. ChienMing Wang 14- 9 3.87 73 (DL)

Bullpen W- L ERA SO SV-SVO
CL Mariano Rivera 4-3 2.16 60 35-39
RP Kyle Farnsworth 4-5 4.18 81 5-
RP Scott Proctor 5-4 3.89 73 2-
RP Luis Vizcaino 3-4 3.93 59 2-
RP Brian Bruney 1-2 4.12 42 -

Prospect who can impact the 2007 season
1. Phil Highes SP
2. Humberto Sanchez SP

Blue Jays

Projected Stats
Projected Lineup AVG HR RBI SB R
1. Reed Johnson LF .282 – 10 – 48 – 8 – 64
2. Lyle Overbay 1B .309 – 25 – 98 – 3 – 96
3. Vernon Wells CF .290 – 30 – 104 – 11 – 106
4. Frank Thomas DH .278 – 35 – 106 – 0 – 79
5. Troy Glaus 3B .257 – 36 – 106 – 4 – 105
6. Alex Rios RF .296 – 19 – 87 – 17 – 90
7. Greg Zaun C .264 – 12 – 53 – 0 – 47
8. Aaron Hill 2B .287 – 7 – 56 – 6 – 75
9. Royce Clayton SS .260 – 4 – 48 – 13 – 68

Bench
Matt Stairs 1B/COF .250 – 11 – 42 – 0 – 33
Adam Lind COF/DH .297 – 14 – 60 – 1 – 49
Russ Adams MIF .262 – 5 – 31 – 6 – 37

Rotation W- L ERA SO
1. Roy Halladay 18- 6 2.59 192
2. A.J. Burnett 14-10 3.55 190
3. Gustavo Chacin 11-11 4.30 129
4. Tomo Ohka 6- 8 4.51 77
5. John Thomson 7- 9 4.54 98
6. Shawn Marcum 4- 6 4.65 46

Bullpen W- L ERA SO SV-SVO
CL B.J. Ryan 2-3 2.06 95 37-42
RP Jason Frasor 3-3 4.02 56 –
RP Brandon League 3-2 3.32 42 2 -
RP Josh Towers 5-7 4.77 49 -

Prospect who can impact the 2007 season
1. Adam Lind COF/DH
2. Dustin McGowan SP

Devil Rays

Projected Stats
Projected Lineup AVG HR RBI SB R
1. Carl Crawford LF .311 – 22 – 86 – 52 – 111
2. Ben Zobrist SS .284 – 7 – 68 – 12 – 79
3. Rocco Baldelli CF .306 – 25 – 102 – 23 – 102
4. Ty Wiggington 1B .259 – 19 – 82 – 5 – 65
5. Greg Norton DH .268 – 10 – 41 – 0 – 38
6. Jorge Cantu 2B .276 – 23 – 84 – 1 – 67
7. Delmon Young RF .283 – 18 – 82 – 29 – 88
8. Aki Iwamaru 3B .279 – 14 – 65 – 6 – 68
9. Dioner Navarro C .271 – 10 – 47 – 2 – 53

Bench
Jonny Gomes COF/DH .266 – 26 – 67 – 5 – 62
B.J. Upton OF/INF .274 – 8 – 48 – 27 – 61
Elijah Dukes OF .277 – 7 – 30 – 9 – 38

Rotation W- L ERA SO
1. Scott Kazmir 15- 8 3.37 217
2. Casey Fossum 7- 9 4.56 110
3. James Shields 13-10 4.18 147
4. Jae Seo 7-10 4.36 93
5. Edwin Jackson , 5- 7 4.76 74
6. J.P. Howell 6- 9 4.12 61

Bullpen W- L ERA SO SV-SVO
CL Seth McClung 3-5 3.80 56 12-17
RP Shawn Camp 4-4 4.32 50 -
RP Ruddy Lugo 2-3 4.09 46 -
RP Dan Miceli 2-3 4.28 39 11-16
RP Brian Stokes 3-4 3.93 58 10-14

Prospect who can impact the 2007 season
1. Delmon Young RF
2. B.J. Upton SS
3. Edwin Jackson/J.P. Howell SP

Orioles

Projected Stats
Projected Lineup AVG HR RBI SB R
1. Brian Roberts 2B .293 – 13 – 60 – 37 – 97
2. Melvin Mora 3B .281 – 17 – 85 – 8 – 98
3. Nick Markakis RF .305 – 21 – 84 – 5 – 92
4. Miguel Tejada SS .324 – 29 – 107 – 8 – 101
5. Aubrey Huff LF .277 – 25 – 91 – 3 – 79
6. Ramon Hernandez C .276 – 20 – 79 – 0 – 60
7. Jay Gibbons DH .269 – 19 – 72 – 0 – 58
8. Kevin Millar 1B .276 – 12 – 56 – 1 – 54
9. Corey Patterson CF .278 – 18 – 67 – 43 – 82

Bench
Jay Payton OF .270 – 16 – 59 – 1 – 56
Brandon Fahey Util .272 – 2 – 32 – 21 – 44

Rotation W- L ERA SO
1. Erik Bedard 15-10 3.59 178
2. Jaret Wright 10-11 4.40 118
3. Daniel Cabrera 11-13 4.58 163
4. Adam Loewen 9-11 4.59 146
5. Steve Trachsel 10-14 4.64 89

Bullpen W- L ERA SO SV-SVO
CL Chris Ray 3-5 3.02 59 33-39
RP Danys Baez 3-4 3.56 55 3-
RP Chad Bradford 3-2 3.89 41 -
RP Scott Williamson 3-2 3.86 56 -

Prospect who can impact the 2007 season
1. Hayden Penn SP
2. Val Majewski OF

 

2007 Fantasy Busts!

This isn’t so much about “all out” busts but more about players that may be getting drafted too high and too early. Again, when you see the name Joe Mauer, don’t freak out. I’m not saying I wouldn’t draft him, I’m just saying that he is going too early and that way too many people are overrating him. Here is a list of some of the “overvalued” players in fantasy right now along with some that you should just stay away from. Again, this is not a list of people I wouldn’t draft, I actually own a couple in some leagues, this is a list of people that I wouldn’t reach too early for.

CatcherJoe Mauer, Jorge Posada: You heard a little about why I believe Mauer is overrated above. Sure the guy won a batting title, but 12 other catchers hit 16 or more homers to Mauer’s 13. Four other catchers had more RBI, and 2 others had more stolen bases. This is not to say that he won’t top his power numbers from last year, I just believe he is beong overvalued and that I wouldn’t take him any earlier than the mid-late 3rd round. Jorge Posada is kinda in the same boat. He gets drafted for three reason: his homers, the fact he plays for the Yankees, and his lineup protection. Not bad reasons. But he gets drafted before guys like Ramon Hernandez, Mike Piazza, and Russ Martin. Posada is turning 36 this year and his career .270 AVG is probably in decline and is gonna be a killer and walks don’t help in most fantasy leagues. He’s good but I have him ranked around 8-12 for catchers.

First BaseSean Casey: I love Casey. Nice guy, everybody on his team and the opposing team, loves him. But on fantasy teams… Yes he has topped .300 5 times in his career and hit 20 or more homers 3 times. But those days seem long gone. He should never be drafted above guys like Overbay, Conor Jackson, or even Ty Wigginton. Stay away from him at all costs.

Second BaseRickie Weeks, Ray Durham: I’m not gonna mention Dan Uggla here. He is actually being avoided by everyone and he seems to be getting drafted in a perfect spot. But Weeks is an intiguing player. He has 20-30 potential every year. But he seems to get injured every year. He currently is fighting wrist problem, and his wrists are what generate his bat speed, and he could kill your team AVG (he is a career .257 hitter). You can look like a genius if you get him and he performs, but I wouldn’t draft him any sooner than the 10th round. And if anyone thinks Durham is going to repeat his numbers, let’s please make a bet!

ShortstopCarlos Guillen: Guillen is a guy I could be dead wrong about. He has .300-20-90-20-100 potential but I’ve seen him go in round 3 before. He isn’t getting younger and he is also getting slower (both at SS and in actual speed). I would love to have him on my team but I wouldn’t take his 2006 stats to the bank. I would rest on .300-15-80-10-90.

Third BaseJoe Crede: Two sets of two words for you: Back Problems, and Josh Fields. Crede continues to have back problems and the young Josh Fields is waiting to snag the 3B job. The White Sox need to trade Crede while his value is at it’s highest. If traded, his stats should diminish because he’s most likely headed to a ballpark that is not Chicago’s.

OutfieldWilly Taveras, Dave Roberts, Moises Alou, Gary Matthews Jr.: I’ll start with the speedsters. Taveras is not going to hit for power because he’s in Colorado. He is going to put up numbers around the same as last year’s. Don’t draft him expecting Coors Field to magically bring him power, it didn’t do it for Juan Pierre. Roberts is on a team with aging vets and he himself fits perfectly on that platform. He could easily swipe 40 bags but that’s all you should draft him for. I hear from people that Alou is going to perform miracles because he’s in the Mets lineup. Don’t buy it. He hits lefties like no one else but he probably won’t see more than 400 at-bats. Draft him as your 4th or 5th OF, not one of your starting 3. Lastly we come to Matthews Jr. Do I have to explain here? I’ll keep it simple: No Way he duplicates last year’s stats which were overrated in themselves!

Starting PitchersJered Weaver, Chien Ming-Wang, Orlando Hernandez: Weaver is having some problems with nagging injuries and his season last year was a season in which hitters never saw him before and he took advantage of it. Hitters are wise and they will catch on. Weaver should still have a good year but he’s going earlier than Kazmir, Hamels, and Cain and I think that’s ridiculous. Wang will give you 15+ wins, no doubt. But can he win 19 again? I wouldn’t bet on it. 76 strikeouts in 218 innings is not a sign for good things to happen. Some of those balls in play will drop for hits this year and his ERA won’t be duplicated from last year. Wang, in my opinion, is a one-dimensional fantasy starter. He’s a good #3, maybe #2, but don’t make him your #1. And Orlando Hernandez is just not going to have a stikeout per inning again. His ERA will kill you and you will regret taking him ahead of young guys like Garza, Sowers, and even James Shields of the Rays.

Relief PitchersBob Wickman, Takashi Saito, Armando Benitez: All three of these guys are on this list because they all have a history of injuries. They all also have people behind them (Wickman has Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano, Saito has Jonathan Broxton, and Benitez has Brian Wilson) that will step in and may not give the job back if given the opportunity. Don’t be scared to take Wickman though, but monitor the other two closely. Closers are one-dimensional players (saves) and saves can be had in the waiver wire every year (2006: Putz, Saito, Francisco Cordero anyone?!)

 
 


Visitors Since Feb. 4, 2003

All original content copyright 2003-2008 by OTB Media. All rights reserved.