Enter the Matrix with Big Papi

Sporting my favorite nick name in baseball, David 'Big Papi' Ortiz is a bit of a mystery for this fantasy season. Are we going to get the injury bug version, the slump version, or the clutch hitting monster? Let's listen in on this conversation:

Me: I think Big Papi has some real sleeper potential this year.

Friend: Wait. Isn't he that kid from the Keanu Reeves little league movie, 'Hard Ball'? Boy, that Keanu Reeves can act!

Me: Um... Uh... Wow! No, I'm talking about David Ortiz, DH for the Boston Red Sox. He has the nickname 'Big Papi'.

Friend: Oh. My mistake. Do you think Keanu Reeves has the nickname 'Big Matrix'? Or how about 'Big Excellent Adventure'?

Me: I'm about to be 'Big Vomit' if you don't stop. Look, David Ortiz was one of the most clutch hitter I've ever seen. He hit for high average and great power. But the last time he did that was two years ago.

Friend: How do you know this? Did Rufus come visit you with a time travelling phone booth?

Me: No, I have a memory. The point I'm trying to make is that he has had two bad years since he last was a dominant player. Although he still had 99 RBIs last year, his AVG has gone way down (.238 in 2009) and his power numbers have lowered (28 HR in 2009). But injury has played a big part of that. I think we just may see a healthy David Ortiz this year and he will be a nice surprise for fantasy teams.

Friend: Talk about a nice surprise. How about Keanu Reeves in 'A Walk in the Clouds'? So sensitive. Or what about Keanu doing Shakespeare? He was brilliant in 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Is there anything this guy can't do?

Me: I'm pretty sure he can't hit a curveball *cough* or act *cough*. Anyway, Ortiz is not going to be picked very high in any draft (unless someone is really biased). His value drops a little more as he only qualifies as a DH.

Friend: 'What do you do?' 'What do you do?'

Me: You draft him late. You accept that he is not going to hit .300, probably more like .260, and you accept that he will not be hitting 45 HRs, probably more like 30 (with a reasonable chance of 35+). View him as a classic slugger, low AVG, good HR, and good RBIs. He will never be a top pick again, but I'm not ready to write him off to obscurity.

Friend: Strange things are afoot at Fenway Park. You know, Keanu helped 'Big Papi' on that little league team, imagine what he could do as a coach for 'Big Papi' on the Red Sox. Also imagine what valuable life lessons we could all learn in the process.

Me: You make me sad. I'm leaving now.

Friend: Alright. Party on dude!

-Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

PAPI does it

Big Papi Finally goes yard!

Today against the Blue Jays in Ortiz's second game back from a "mental break" he went 2-5 with a 2 run bomb to dead center and a double off the monster.

This HR was Ortiz's first of the year and first in 149 at bats the longest power outage of his career.

Does this mean he is about to go on a hot streak?

Big Papi has struggled mightily this season and I would say he has at least one hot streak left in him.

So for those of you that own Ortiz hope this is that streak and then trade him to some poor owner that thinks the Boston slugger is back.

Bay State Scout

(Bay_state_scout@comcast.net)

Be The Turtle!

There is a classic story of a long distance race between a tortoise and a hair (or as I call them, a turtle and a rabbit). With the rabbit being so fast and the turtle being so slow, it wouldn't seem like much of a race. However, as we know, the turtle won. The rabbit started out good and then took it easy along the way since it was so far ahead. The turtle just kept going and won the race while the rabbit was taking a nap. What am I getting at? Fast and slow don't always matter. Endurance and persistence is where it's at. We are just over two weeks into the season and we are seeing some fast starts and some slow starts. However, the baseball season is a marathon. There are really good players that are not doing so well right now, there are some unknown or downright below average players who are looking like all-stars. Fast and slow don't always matter. Your approach to all this should be as follows: 1) Be patient. Heard this before? Me too. All the time. It's good advice. In fact, it's great advice. However, it is soooo hard to actually apply it. Seeing a guy on your team that is not hitting or not pitching is difficult to take. It eats away at you. Now, you may think, "There are so many players that are doing better. I'll just drop him and pick up a new guy off the waiver wire." I know I have thought that. Or a trade may be offered that could get you someone who is producing now. Don't do it! It's way too early to give up on your players. Josh Hamilton (.229, 1 HR) is going to be fine. Jimmy Rollins (.152 ERA, 1 HR, 4 RBI) is going to be fine. 2) Leave room for opportunities. Unknown/young players are going to be the next superstars. Pujols, Santana, Wright, Manny, etc. were all unknown/young players at some point. It's not a bad idea to grab a young guy who is doing good. Scout Rob had a recent article that made the point that we really have no idea who is going to be the next Cliff Lee (and for that matter, Pujols, Wright, etc.). Who is going to end the year as the rookie of the year? Don't know, but I sure hope he is on my team. I really, really hope he is on my team in my keeper league (keeper leagues make you think a little different - you look to win now and later). Take a chance on some of these young, quick starters, because they may be a star by the end of the year. With all that said, do not drop a Cole Hamels (0-1, 11.17 ERA, 5 SO) to get one of these unknowns. Be reasonable. The season is long. Star players will have star numbers (with very few exceptions *cough* Ortiz *cough*). Some fast start players will end the year on the bench or in the minors (and a few might just end up as 1st round picks in fantasy baseball next year). Slow and steady wins the race. Be the turtle, stick with your guns, and keep a prospect in your back pocket. - Scout Monkey (scout_monkey@gmx.com)