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 Fantasy Insider Sizing up baseball’s first-half studs and duds
Posted: Friday July 09, 1999 08:48 PM
By Dan George, CNN/SI Fernando Tatis bashes two grand slams in the same inning. Pedro Martinez makes a bid to become baseball's first 30-game winner in 31 years, while Manny Ramirez takes aim at Hack Wilson's major league record of 191 RBIs in one season. Unheralded Jose Jimenez outduels Randy Johnson in spectacular no-hit fashion. We're only halfway through, but it's already been a quirky and entertaining season, thanks to those above, as well as Benny Agbayani, Derek Jeter, Tony Fernandez, Sammy Sosa and the entire Cincinnati Reds team. Now, as we head into the All-Star break, it's time to hand out a few midseason awards. Here are the first-half hits and misses, according to the Fantasy Insider, as well as a little peek into the future: Best Player -- Manny Ramirez, OF, Indians. You can make strong cases for Larry Walker and Derek Jeter, but nobody has hit in the clutch this season like Ramirez. His 91 RBIs easily leads both leagues, and he's become a pretty good outfielder, too. Best Pitcher -- Pedro Martinez, RHP, Red Sox. Where do you start? Without his 15-3 mark, the Sox are below .500. And the wins are accompanied by a 2.10 ERA, 184 strikeouts and an amazing 0.96 WHIP in 132 2/3 innings. Simply untouchable. Best Rookie -- Joe McEwing, 2B, Cardinals. A year ago, McEwing was in his fourth season at Class AA Arkansas. This season, at 26, he's played every position except pitcher and catcher while batting a nifty .312. In the AL, the Rangers' Jeff Zimmerman could become the first Rookie of the Year setup man. Best Team -- Cleveland Indians. They lack a true ace, Travis Fryman is out for two months with an injury and just about every starter has been banged up at one time or another. Still, they just keep winning. The addition of Robbie Alomar has made a powerful lineup just that much more deadly. Surprisingly, they're even tougher on the road (27-12) than at friendly Jacobs Field (28-17).
Biggest Surprise (Player) -- Hideo Nomo, P, Brewers. Admit it- when the Mets and Cubs both gave him the gate, you thought he was through, too. Instead, the former Japanese phenom has gone 6-2 with a 4.06 ERA (tops among Milwaukee starters) for a very mediocre team. Biggest Surprise (Team) -- Cincinnati Reds. OK, nobody thought they'd be horrible. But nobody thought they'd be leading the NL Central with the league's second-best record, either. A good mix of vets and youngsters, not to mention a tough bullpen, have overcome shaky starting pitching. Biggest Flop (Player) -- J.D. Drew, OF, Cardinals. Drew may go on to have a fine career, but his contract flap with the Phillies and a rookie campaign so miserable he was exiled to Class AAA Memphis have combined to put him in a pretty deep hole. Biggest Flop (Team) -- Tie, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers. Dishonorable Mention: Chicago Cubs. Lots of money, lots of losses. The Anaheim Angels would be here, too, except that underachieving has become a tradition in Orange County. Most Likely to Have a Big Second Half (Player) -- Alex Rodriguez, SS, Mariners. Well, given that he spent the first six weeks on the DL, he's already had a pretty good first half (.330, 18 homers, 48 RBIs). But the All-Star snub could inspire some monster numbers down the stretch. Albert Belle, Jim Thome and Greg Maddux are some other guys to watch out for. Most Likely to Have a Big Second Half (Team) -- Los Angeles Dodgers. You gotta think Davey Johnson will figure out a way to shake them up. Most Likely to Fade (Player) -- Jay Bell, 2B, Diamondbacks. If this guy isn't the creation of Dr. Selig's great let's-give-'em-home-runs experiment, who is? Where's Ford Frick and his asterisk when you need them? Most Likely to Fade (Team) -- Cincinnati Reds. It may be a major accomplishment just to get through the season with the bullpen's arms intact. Dishonorable Mention: Arizona Diamondbacks. Biggest Free-Agent Dud-- Albert Belle, OF, Orioles. He's always a threat to turn it around (see 1998), but beyond B.J. Surhoff and Mike Mussina there are not many encouraging signs in Baltimore. It's a bad team, and Belle's attitude (despite making $11.9 million this season) isn't likely to improve things. Dishonorable Mention: Gregg Jefferies, DH, Tigers. Most Overpaid-- Kevin Brown, P, Dodgers. Perfectly respectable numbers (9-6, 3.68 ERA), especially for a 36-47 team. But right now he's on pace to earn over $500,000 per victory. And to paraphrase an old quote, the Dodgers could finish last without him. Most Underpaid-- Kent Bottenfield, Cardinals. While everyone keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop, the 30-year-old journeyman is 13-3 and 3.82. And all for $800,000. Next Big Superstar-- Sean Casey, 1B, Reds. He may already have arrived. While Dave Burba is a solid pitcher, it's beginning to look like the Indians really underestimated Casey's power potential. His average (.376) isn't far off his minor league numbers, but the 17 homers are already a professional best. Now, a couple of special categories, courtesy the readers. Baseball's Biggest Jerk--- Juan Gonzalez, OF, Rangers. "His hissy fit over a scorer's ruling that deprived him of two RBIs last year serves as a reminder of what he's all about," says Bradley Visokey, suggesting the honor be named the Dave Kingman Humanitarian Award. "Now this year he's boycotting the All-Star Game if he's not starting. ... Upset about voting, Juan? Well, here's an award that I think you would be a shoo-in to win." Baseball's Biggest Problem-- Financing. "I know, I know, it's an old story," writes Josh Chapman. "Besides the fact that small-market teams have no chance of competing against the Yankees, Braves and Indians, what happened in San Diego and Florida is unfair to the fans and is an embarrassment to the sport. And before anyone says, 'Well, Kansas City (insert Detroit, Oakland, Montreal, etc.) has some young players developing nicely,' keep in mind that these guys will probably reach their potential and become All-Stars. Unfortunately, they will be playing for the Yankees, Braves or Indians." Dan George, a senior producer at CNNSI.com, has played fantasy baseball since 1985. He finds it a disturbing revelation that Sean Casey was just 11 years old at the time. You can reach him via e-mail at dan.george@turner.com.
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