No Bull(pen): J.A. Happ

J.A. Happ owners can breathe a sigh of relief. Happ will be staying in the rotation. With the addition of Pedro Martinez, it looked like Philly might move Happ back to the bullpen (and into fantasy obscurity). But today, the Phillies announced that Happ is staying right where he is. I guess this isn't a surprise with the way Happ has been pitching. How does 6 wins, 2 losses in 14 starts sound? Oh yea, ERA of 2.80. On top of that, he just pitched a complete game shutout. Don't forget, he pitches for the Phillies - an offensive juggernaut that can make any pitcher look a little better (not that Happ needs it). Still, something must change to accommodate Pedro. If not Happ, then what? Latest thoughts are a 6 man rotation, Pedro to the pen, perhaps even Moyer to the Pen. Whatever the case, Happ is safe. Happ is owned in less then half of fantasy leagues. He may not be a top tier pitcher yet, but he's up there. All formats need to consider him (except AL only of course). -Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Happ-y Days?

A situation that I have been watching since spring training has yielded some interesting news. During spring, Chan Ho Park and J.A. Happ of the Phillies were both vying for the 5th starting spot in the rotation. Park edged out Happ, but not by much as both had pretty good springs. Once the season started, things looked a bit different. Park has been all over the place with his starts. He's had some good ones, but he's also had some really bad ones (like on Sunday, 5 runs in 1.1 innings). Manager Charlie Manuel has opened the door for Happ by saying, 'We're concerned about our pitching. And we're going to do what we think is the best way to go, any way we can improve it. We just want to do what's best for our pitching staff. We want to put the best pitchers out there that we possibly can get.' NOT a vote of confidence for Park. So far Happ has put up a line of 2.49 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 17 Ks, in 21.2 innings pitched. Not a huge sample, but solid numbers for the 26 year old. Should you own him? I imagine he will be very average for awhile (room for improvement as the season goes on), which means his numbers won't really help you in a roto league - so just keep an eye on him. However, average numbers on the Phillies should translate to many wins (what a lineup!). In a points leagues, wins are often where the big points are, so you should probably be a little more eager to grab him. -Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)