Spring Training Updates: Pitchers

Gio Gonzalez - A's
Stats: 1-2 - 2.96 ERA - 25 K's - 24.1 IP.
Outlook: The big prospect didn't do much in 2009, but he did post 109 K's with 98.2 IP.  He has the makings of a very good fantasy starting pitcher, but is still young and still pitches for the A's.

Francisco Liriano - Twins
Stats: 2-0 - 2.70 - 30 K's - 20 IP.
Outlook: He has been brilliant as a starter and talk still swirls about him closing.  Either Liriano may be back to his stud-self and you may want to try and swing a trade for him before the season starts.

Chris Young - Padres
Stats: 2-2 - 3.32 - 21.2 K's - 22 IP.
Outlook: He is a forgotten pitcher by many, but could be a nice veteran fantasy starter.  Plays in a pitchers park, gets K's and he looks healthy.

Dana Eveland - Blue Jays
Stats: 0-1 - 1.80 ERA - 21 K's - 25 IP.
Outlook: He struggled in 2009 after a solid rookie 2008 debut. He was one of the players acquired in the Dan Haren trade, so he has talent.  He is one to keep an eye on in deep leagues or AL-only for now.

Fausto Carmona - Indians
Stats: 3-0 - 1.38 - 12 K's - 26 IP.
Outlook: He has been a bum since winning 19 in 2007, but he looked sharp in Spring Training and is worth a shot if you need to fill in your last SP slot.  FYI: He is not much of a K-pitcher.

Ian Kennedy - Diamondbacks
Stats: 3-1 - 2.88 ERA - 17 K's - 25 IP.
Outlook: The one-time Yankee prospect is looking good for the D'backs and will be in the rotation.

Wade LeBlanc - Padres
Stats: 4-0 - 1.96 ERA - 17 K's - 23 IP.
Outlook: He played well after his call-up in 2009 and has kept it up in Spring Training. Padre pitchers are worth picking up and taken a shot at to improve you ERA and WHIP if he can get into the rotation at some point in 2010. 

Mat Latos - Padres
Stats: 3-0 - 1.59 ERA - 14 K's - 17 IP.
Outlook: Unlike LeBlanc, he is in the Padre starting rotation.  He played solid as a rookie in 2009 and maintains a solid K/9-ratio and that is enough to make as a low-end fantasy starter.

Radar Watch: Kelvim Escobar

A very good pitcher on a good team that is owned in less then 15% of leagues? Weird huh? Not really, since he is on the DL. Kelvim Escobar is pitching well in rehab and should be back on the Angels in June. Yes, he will be useless to your fantasy team for a month, but after that, he will be gold. In his last full season, he sported a nice 3.40 ERA, a good strike out rate and kept the walks down. Oh yea, he had 18 wins. Simply put, he is a very good pitcher who is probably available to be picked up in most leagues right now. Keep him on your radar and be ready to grab. - Scout Monkey (scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Take a Chance: Ricky Romero

Ricky Romero, left handed starting pitcher for the Blue Jays, is having a brilliant start to the year. In 3 starts, he is 2-0, 21 IP, 4 Runs, 4 Walks, 13 Ks, and an ERA of 1.71. Not bad for a 24 year old. Romero was a top draft pick, and has been average until this year. If he keeps this up, wow! He will be the unknown pitcher to 'come out of nowhere' to be a difference maker. Wouldn't it be nice to be the 'genius' to pick up this guy and gloat in October? Yea it would! Back to reality, there is a good amount of pitching out there in the fantasy world, but if you are in a deep league, grab Romero. If you are in an average or shallow league, keep a close eye on him. - Scout Monkey (scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Dont Fall Off a Cliff Lee!

What is up with Cliff Lee? Has he reverted back to his old pitching self? Definitely off to a rough start, but he is still a good guy to have on your team. I'm not a huge Cliff Lee guy, but last year was no fluke. However, he does not have overpowering stuff which means he needs to be 'on' in order to have a good game. He will be 'on' a lot more then he is 'off.' Now Texas tee'd off on him. Maybe Lee wasn't 'on' or maybe Texas did what Texas can do - mash like no one else. First game of the year, weather on the cool side, not too much to worry about with him yet. Texas has the potential to make ANY pitcher look bad. RELAX. Last year Lee came out of nowhere to win the Cy Young which to me means that if he can rise that fast that maybe he could fall that fast. I don't think that will happen. Maybe someone is panicking in your league - buy low. Lee is going to be alright. He figured it out last year and he hasn't forgotten how to pitch over the winter. Probably not going to repeat at Cy Young, but 15+ wins is a very reasonable expectation. So no Cliff jumping yet. Be patient and hope others are not. - Scout Monkey (scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Fantasy Noir: Brett Anderson

The room was dark, difficult to see, but I had no problems finding the bottle. The two of us have spent a lot of time together and the night's plan's weren't any different. Then walked in Trouble with a capital T. Why her parents called her Trouble, I'll never know. She had a problem, she was a women after all. The slap from that remark didn't surprise me, the roughness of her hands did - Hmmm, Trouble. With her flowing blonde hair partially covering her face she sat on the corner of my desk and crossed her long legs. She asked if I could help with a little issue she was having. I gave her my standard answer, a cold "Maybe." It doesn't inspire many clients but it does lower their expectations to a level that is closer to mine. With narrowed eyes, she asked, "I need you to do a little snooping on someone. I need to know what he is up to." Her eye's were turning red, a tear fell down her cheek. Perhaps she was sad, perhaps it was the fact I hadn't showered in a few days. Either way, I felt bad for her. I'm a sucker for tears, especially if they belonged to a blonde. With a raspy voice I said, "Two hundred big ones plus expenses and I'll take the case." She agreed, I knew she would. Hey, if she is at my door, that means a lot of other ones already closed on her, she was desperate, my clients always were. I asked her the name of the guy I would be investigating, she said, "His name is Brett Anderson. He is a minor league pitcher, but he's telling me he's in the bigs now. I don't' know what to believe. I need to know if I'm wasting my time on this fella." I knew right then and there that a heart was going to be broken - If this Anderson guy doesn't check out, it would be hers, if Anderson is on the up and up, then it would be mine. I hate my job, but I hate my bookie even more so I told her I would take the case and her money. With my hat pulled low and my trench coat tied tight, I headed out to my informants. It's amazing what you can get for a little green. The dirt I got was fairly clean. Anderson wasn't a liar, he had made the bigs and is the A's fourth starter. They have several young guns, but he seems to be the most refined. He works fast between pitches and really goes after hitters. Scares me a little that this guy comes into the strike zone so much without having anything overpowering. But, who am I to argue, he's on the team, I'm not. There is also a concern that his stay in the bigs may only be temporary, as this Duchscherer character might come back and take his place, sending Bretty-boy back to the minors. His left arm may say different. Satisfied with my info, I returned to the office, not without a stop at the watering hole of course - 'expenses.' Trouble found me later the next day, usually trouble finds me a lot faster. I told her that Anderson was a guy she may want to hold onto for the long haul. He definitely has potential. He may not give her a lot this year, but the next years could be very profitable. He could end up being the next Tom Glavine, or a nobody - it's not my place to say, but a guy with decent stuff and great control is usually a solid guy to be around. That's why I'm usually alone. On hearing my report, she smiled for the first time since I met her. Happy that her man is a stand up guy and probably happier that she wouldn't be seeing me again. She paid me for the expenses and was out of the office and out of my life before you could light a cigarette. The job was done. I reached again for my favorite friend and we spent a quiet night making up for lost time. I might check back on this Anderson kid in a month or two to see where he's at. More importantly to see if Trouble is at his side. After all, I'm a P.I. - it's what I do. -Scout Monkey (scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Prospect Watch: Starting Pitchers

One of our top writers and our starting pitcher specialist Evan Dickens was tasked to come up with his top 10 starting pitcher prospects. Boy did he! Check out our featured article on pitchers you should consider scooping up and taking a flier on for later use in the season. 2009 Prospect Watch – Starting Pitchers

Oakland has a new Big three!

Oakland's original big three of Hudson, Zito and Mulder was one of the best rotations in baseball. Is it possible that Oakland has another trio down on the farm? Yes! and you might see them this year. Oakland's new big three consists of three prospects all under 22 years of age. Cahill(21), Mazzaro(22), and Anderson(21). It is starting to look like two if not all three of these young studs could break camp with the A's starting rotation. Team ace Justin Duchsherer and fifth starter candidate Gio Gonzalez look like they could both start the year on the DL. That will leave Dana Eveland (named opening day starter today) Sean Gallagher (the prize of the Harden deal) and Dallas Braden (having a really good spring) as the top three starters for opening day. That means two spots are open in the rotation for these prospects to claim. Anderson is having the best spring(1.54 era, 11.2 ip, but only 2 K's), Cahill is also having a great spring(3.94 era, 16 ip, 10 K's) and Cahill has logged the most innings this spring so far. Right now it looks like Mazzaro would be the odd man out with his poor spring(7.30 era, 12 ip, 12 K's) but Anderson is dealing with a stiff forearm which could allow Mazzaro to sneak in. My personal feeling is that Cahill is a lock to open the year in the bigs as the fourth starter and he should be drafted in the late rounds of your draft. As for the fifth spot in this rotation, your guess is as good as mine. Both Anderson and Mazzaro are elite prospects and should be monitored for the rest of spring training. Is there a chance all three start the year in the majors? Simple answer is YES! they could. Check out this blog from MLB.com's Mychael Urban on the subject, http://bigurb.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/03/interesting_comments_from_mr_g.html

The Bay State Scout

The Amazin' Intangible Mets!

The word 'intangible' gets thrown around a lot in sports. You hear that word in connection with Derek Jeter constantly, and rightly so. His numbers do not say hall of fame, but his intangibles do. Would the New York Yankees have won like they had without him? Not likely. But it wasn't his numbers that made them win, it was his leadership, his persona, his clutch ability. These are not conscious decisions, they just happen because that is who he is. (I say all this as a non-Yankee fan) His intangibles are what make him great, however, his intangibles do not help your fantasy team - There is no 'Leadership' Category in any fantasy leagues that I know. What about intangibles and an entire team? They exist. If you ask any player for any game if they played their best to win, the answer will be 'Yes!' However, if that same team plays their hated rival, will that same player (or any player) tell you that he 'gets up' a little more for a game like that? Again, yes. So how can a player who gives 100% give more for a rivalry game? Intangibles. The players' minds and bodies become more focused, more ready for the game - it's not a conscious decision, it just happens. This is very good news for the Mets. The intangibles are going to allow them to be every bit as good as the Philies in the East, and every chance to be better! How so? K-Rod and Putz. They now have dominating players to hand the game over to - nothing intangible about that! But now the starters will have confidence, an underrated intangible, that they did not have last year. Imagine starting a game as a pitcher for the Mets knowing that no matter how well you pitch there is a good chance that the game will be lost in the late innings. The starters will still give 100% (as all players should) but the intangible of confidence will not be there, there is nothing special in their performance. Again, not a conscious decision, it just happens. Now with a way to slam the door in late innings, their starting pitchers will go in with the confidence that will make them that much better - they now have a reason to be special. I'm not trying to say that Mets pitching was bad, they have some very talented starters (Santana is the best in the biz), but now they will be even better. So what does this mean for you? This means that Mets pitching should be very visible on your radar. Now, unless you have a unique scoring system (make sure you know your league settings!!!) you should not be drafting Johan Santana. He will go in the first or second rounds and that is just too high for a pitcher (especially with the elbow issue that has creaped up - maybe nothing, maybe not), let someone else pay that price. However, the Mets have more then one starting pitcher. Look long and hard at John Maine, Oliver Perez, and Mike Pelfrey. You should be able to grab these guys late in the draft (ADP 200+ for all of them) and they offer some very good upside even without a good bullpen, but with a good bullpen, lookout! Unlike Jeter, their intangibles will translate into value for your fantasy team. -Scout Monkey

Rangers' Harrison Dominating Again

Texas Ranger rookie starting pitcher, Matt Harrison, tossed a complete game shutout over the A's and has now won 6 of 7 and as seen his ERA drop from 7.40 to 5.05. He makes a solid pick-up to help for the stretch and playoffs.