ABC and General Hospital ‘ain’t got nothing’ on MLB when it comes to drama, and Week 11 had a little bit of everything.
Temper tantrums, no-hitters, milestones, streaky hitters, unusually cold bats, and MLB trade rumors are just some of the exciting events that went down this past week adding a little bit of flair to baseball, and providing fantasy managers a couple of things to think about as we head into Week 12.
And you thought Football was the only drama sport?
Let's take a look at who's going where, who's hot, and who's not.
Week 11 Round Up:
Carlos Zambrano had another “moment” yesterday in the dugout as he vehemently yelled at random at the air, his teammates (specifically Derek Lee at one point), took some aggression out on an innocent Gatorade cooler before being ushered away by Lou Piniella (oh, the irony) and catcher Geovany Soto.
Fantasy Take: At times, the Cubs show that they do in fact have some fantasy value. Marlon Byrd has been a good source of fantasy fodder with his team leading .319 avg and 35 RBI, which is tied with Alfonso Soriano who is tied with Derek Lee in homers (10).
The pitching on the other hand has been too up and down to consider worthwhile. Carlos Silva is the true staff ace this year sporting an 8-2 record with a 3.01 ERA, but only garners a 6.2 K/9 rate. Tom Gorzelanny on the other hand is riding a 9.3 K/9 rate, but can’t seem to get a win to save his life.
Randy Wells is struggling in his sophomore year as a starter, Ted Lilly is still trying to find his mojo, and Ryan Dempster is still doing that stupid thing with his glove while sporting a dismal 5-6 record…what could you possibly be hiding Ryan?
Outside of Marlon Byrd and Alphonso Soriano and Carlos Marmol’s 16.6 K/9 rate and 81% SV percentage (13 of 16) there isn’t much else to get excited about.
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Move over Randy Jonhson, Edwin Jackson is now only the second Arizona Diamondback to ever throw a no hitter—the fourth pitcher to do it this year—as the D-Backs won 1-0 last night. Jackson threw 149 pitches with 6 strikes to get the job done.
Fantasy Take: That’s a nice story isn’t it? The problem here is that Jackson isn’t going to offer much else, and this performance was a fluke at best. Yes, his slider is pretty dirty and yes, his fastball—when he’s on—is deadly, but he brought with him a 4-6 record with a 5.05 ERA into last night’s game which is more along the lines of what to expect from him.
Jackson has promise down the road, but he is still very wild and walks a ton of batters. if you are toying around with the idea of trying to grab him (58% ownership in most leagues) just make sure there isn’t any better options available first.
Jackson will face St. Louis, Chicago (NL) and Florida next. He has a 1-1 record with a 7.23 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and a 6.1 K/9 rate against all three combined.
Let’s Go Streaking?
Josh Hamilton – OF – Rangers extended his hitting streak to 19 games yesterday with a first inning single against the Astros, who ironically enough, wound up winning the game and ending the Rangers win streak. Hamilton is batting .495 with 27 RBI and should be active in all leagues right now.
John Buck – C – Blue Jays is one of the lesser known catchers in the league right now, but what is really surprising is the fact that the 29 year old ex-Royal leads all catchers in the homerun department with 12. If you missed last week’s Fire and Ice column—where we first made mention of Buck—it’s ok, since he is a guy that isn’t that popular. I like him as a solid option at catcher right now, and so should you.
Carlos Santana – C – Indians is another member of the wild rookie class that seems to be pleasantly invading fantasy this year, and he hasn’t cooled off since being brought up. Currently, Santana is hitting .317, 3 HR, 12 RBI in just under 51 plate appearances. He has a 43% ownership rate which means in some leagues, he could still be available and if he is, he should be owned.
For those of you in keeper leagues that have a chance to grab him, make sure you do as Santana will be playing for a long time and could be the next big name catcher.
Orlando Cabrera – SS – Reds has become king of the ice hitters going 8 for his last 80 and is now hitting just .133 causing many owners of Cabrera to go off the deep end. The only interesting news about all of this is that he was dropped to second in the lineup which always is a plus for a slumping hitter, but at this rate it would be wise to keep him on your bench or try to trade him out for a hotter shortstop like Jamey Carroll of the Dodgers who is hitting .294, is a multi-position qualifier (2B, 3B, SS, OF) and has a 2% ownership in most leagues.
A.J.Burnett – SP – Yankees gets the nod today against the Dodgers; something he hasn’t done since 2004. The problem is, though, Burnett is 0-4 with a 10.35 ERA in the month of June and isn’t showing any signs of getting better. He is still a high commodity in most leagues, so you could get away with trading him for something a bit more reliable.
Carl Crawford – OF – Rays isn’t exactly a guy we normally see on the cold list, but he is currently dealing with a nagging shoulder strain that has prevented him from hitting like the star he is. As it stands, there isn’t anything more to the issue, but until it works itself out you would be wise to bench him. Give it a couple of days and keep a close eye on him.
MLB Trade Rumors Heating Up.
The Seattle Mariners are ready to deal starting pitcher Cliff Lee says Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com which could go one of two ways for fantasy owners. Texas has now entered the mix of possible teams (oddly enough) which could work against Lee since Rangers Ballpark is a hitter friendly place known for easy dingers. The Mets and Dodgers are two other teams also interested. Lee is 6-3 with a 2.39 ERA, 76 strikeouts and amazingly only 4 walks.
Interestingly enough, the Phillies could join in on the offerings…don’t ya just love rumors???
Ty Wigginton – 1B, 2B, 3B – O’s is still a possible trade commodity on the market right now which is astonishing since he is basically the entire Orioles’ offense. The O’s has made mention to the fact that they are looking for a young SS in return which isn’t gonna happen since they are an even higher commodity; one that most teams aren’t willing to part with in return for a much older journeyman.
“Wiggy” is currently hitting .270/.354/.480 with 13 HR and 40 RBI in only 281 PA which tops his entire 2009 season totals, and the only team showing true interest right now is Colorado, but wherever he goes, it probably won’t be a full time gig, making his value suffer.
Check out our extended coverage of 2010 MLB Trade Rumor News.
