Say It Aint So, Joe

Senior Beisbol (@HoffyBeisbol) Seniorbeisbol@gmail.com www.profantasybaseball.com It looks like 2010 will be a lost season for Joe Nathan. An MRI has revealed a torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his throwing elbow. He will rest the arm for two weeks before trying to throw through the pain. It is more likely that he will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire season. With Nathan gone, the closer role in Minnesota goes from being crystal clear, to very cloudy. As I said on Sunday, Jon Rauch is the only pitcher in the bullpen that has any extended closing experience. Of course that experience was a half season with Washington two years ago. Standing nearly seven feet tall, he certainly has the look of an intimidating closer, but does he have the stuff? If not Rauch, then maybe Matt Guerrier. Guerrier had an outstanding 2009 as a set-up man, his ratios mirrored the now injured Nathan. He walked only 16 hitters in over 70 innings, had an ERA of 2.36 and a WHIP under 1.00. Those numbers may scream 'closer material,' but does Twins manager want to weaken two positions at once by moving his best set-up guy to closer? The other option that the Twins have is to look outside the organization for a closer. There are a few closers out there that could be had, but the price might be a bit high for the thrifty Twins. While they have bulked up their payroll dramatically this year to ensure a good on-field product as they open up their new stadium, I do not see them going out to get Kerry Wood and his $11 million salary from Cleveland. If the Blue Jays were willing to part ways with Scott Downs or Jason Frasor, I am sure the Twins could nab one of them. As a strong believer in not paying for saves, this is a situation that I will be monitoring closely. A lot of times all it takes to become a solid fantasy closer is a manager that gives him the ball in the ninth, and one lucky Twin will be given an opportunity soon.

Spring Injury News

Senior Beisbol (@HoffyBeisbol) seniorbeisbol@gmail.com www.profantasybaseball.com Spring Training baseball is finally here. Unfortunately, so are Spring Training injuries. I never understand why people would draft a month before the season starts, too many things can happen over the six weeks spent leading up to the moment when games start to count. Players win and lose position battles and rotation spots, the last few free-agents finally find teams, and most importantly, players get hurt. In the first week of games there have already been a few notable injuries. None of these guys are fantasy superstars, but all three find themselves on fantasy rosters. Now they find themselves in the infirmary. Alex Gordon - 3B/Kansas City Royals Gordon missed most of 2009 after having hip surgery, but looked fully recovered when camp opened last week. He was looking forward to regaining his job as the everyday 3rd baseman when broke his thumb sliding head first into 2nd base on Saturday and will now be out 3-4 weeks. His status for opening day is in doubt, but he should be back sometime in April. So far in his baseball career, Gordon has been mostly hype and potential. He has not yet displayed on the field what made him the number two overall pick in the 2005 Amateur Draft. A lot of experts were calling him a 'post-hype sleeper,' and were looking for him to post a 15/15 season this year. His thumb injury does not seem to be serious, but any kind of hand injury usually has a lingering effect on power numbers. I would guess the best thing we see out of Gordon is a .250/10/70/15 line. Joe Nathan - CL/Minnesota Twins Nathan has not been diagnosed with anything yet, but when a pitcher leaves camp to have his elbow examined, doctors rarely seem to give positive news. He had surgery last October to remove bone spurs and recently complained of elbow soreness after a throwing session. As a closer, Joe Nathan is one of the best in the game. A model of consistency since joining the Twins six years ago, he has averaged over 40 saves with an ERA of under 2.00 and a WHIP of under 1.00. We should hear more on his elbow in the next few days, but if he is out for any period of time Jon Rauch would make a good speculative add as he is the only guy in the bullpen with any closing experience. Russel Martin - C/Los Angeles Dodgers Martin will miss up to six weeks after an MRI revealed a pulled groin. Martin posted his worst numbers as a pro in 2009, sporting career lows in HR, RBI, R, AVG, and was one above his career low in stolen bases. He was primed for a bounce-back year, coming into camp after gaining nearly 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason. Groin injuries are tricky things. The only way to get better is to rest, and even then they are prone to reoccur. I would guess that this might limit Martin on the basepaths when he returns. This injury should drop him a few slots on the draft board at an already very thin catching position. His backups are Brad Ausmus and AJ Ellis, neither of whom are rosterable even if Martin misses any extended time. With less than four weeks to Opening Day there will assuredly be more Spring Training news. Keep checking back here for more updates.