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AL Report
Jump on growing Konerko bandwagon; stay away from Moss
Posted: Tuesday August 05, 2003 5:05 PM
Damian Moss' 9-8 record and 4.51 ERA are average, but his 1.60 ratio is unacceptable. |
By Jason Grey, Special to SI.com
No witty opening or pithy words to live your fantasy baseball life today, just some team reports that could prove useful.
Anaheim: Yes, he doesn’t take a walk, but he doesn’t strike out a lot, either. Bengie Molina plays nearly every day, gets his bat on the ball and is one of the more quietly productive catchers in baseball. I’m amazed at how many mixed leagues still have him in their free-agent pool. That said, his backup brother, Jose, hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show anything in just 71 at-bats, but the scuttlebutt is that he has greatly improved and would be able to flash a little wood in an extended opportunity. He could be an intriguing pick next year if he gets a little more time as the backup.
Baltimore: Eric DuBose has not been scored upon in his relief outings since his callup. It is hard to fathom that the Orioles won’t let him get a few starts before it is all said and done. Then again, this is the organization that has not really given Jack Cust an opportunity because, well, these B.J. Surhoff and David Segui kids are the future, right? Cust did finally get a callup, and may actually get to swing a bat this time. Even the Orioles couldn’t justify starting Jose Morban ahead of Cust for long.
Oh, and two words about Damian Moss: ratio killer. I don’t care who you are. You keep allowing baserunners at the rate he does, you are going to have the rest of your stats blowup eventually. I don’t go near Moss.
Boston: You know, if something happens to Kevin Millar or David Ortiz, I still wouldn’t give up on Jeremy Giambi being a worthwhile roster addition. Yes, he is hitting just .197, but I am also of the opinion that he has been used so sparingly because he has never really had a chance to get it going. The strike zone judgment is still there; he has drawn enough walks to post an OBP of .342, which is higher than Johnny Damon’s last time I checked.
Chicago: For those who are now jumping on the Paul Konerko bandwagon, saying he is getting hot: You are way late. We mentioned this back at the end of May, and all Konerko did was hit .342 in July with a 1.043 OPS. It didn’t show up as much in the overall numbers because of his .181 May and .098 June. However he has hit .286 in his few at-bats this month, so he remains hot. Grab him while you still can. He isn’t just getting hot, he has been for a while. By the way, Jon Garland doesn’t get a lot of pub, but he has been a quietly effective starter in AL leagues this year. Does someone not know what they have?
Cleveland: It looks as if the Indians might go to a six-man rotation of sorts, which means Cliff Lee might finally be released from baseball limbo. Lee and Billy Traber are right at the top of my list for keeper starters to acquire for next year in AL leagues. Why the Indians didn’t try harder to move Brian Anderson is puzzling. Perhaps it’s because former first-rounder Jeremy Guthrie has been beaten like a rug at Class AAA Buffalo.
Detroit: I like Chris Mears’ chances as a closer. Though he doesn’t throw as hard as Franklyn German, he has great control and funky enough movement on his pitches to make him just tough enough to hit that he can be effective. He hasn’t blown a chance yet, so the Tigers and fantasy players can continue to ride it out with him.
Kansas City: The Royals look as if they will sign Kevin Appier. It is possible that a pennant race might rejuvenate his pitching. Teams in deep AL leagues that can afford a high-risk proposition may want to take a look, but the contents may still be highly flammable so the rest of us should probably avoid.
Minnesota: I don’t think anyone has questioned that Michael Restovich could be a decent major league hitter. The question is, with all of the hitting talent in the Twins’ system, whether he would get a decent opportunity. With injuries, Restovich looks like he’s getting a chance, and he could be worth the short-term pickup while it all sorts out.
New York: I’m not buying the speculation Alfonso Soriano will get moved to right field, so Ruben Sierra and Karim Garcia’s platoon production should be safe enough for AL fantasy teams. Soriano is slumping, but they’ll move him back to the top of the lineup, and I wouldn’t worry about the last two months of the season.
Oakland: Propsect alert: Well, not really an alert, because we’ve mentioned him before, but Justin Duchscherer won again last night at AAA and is 8-0 since the beginning of June (thanks to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball America for the information.) With all the talk about Billy Beane’s baseball philosophies, why does Terrence Long still get to play when his OBP is under .300? It would seem that Eric Byrnes, Chris Singleton and Jose Guillen (or you could substitute McMillon for Singleton, I wouldn’t argue), should be the guys who play in the outfield.
Seattle: Rey Sanchez? No wonder Jeff Nelson was upset. Mark McLemore might have one last, two-month burst of production left in his career. I’m not necessarily concerned at this point with what he has done, but what I think he can do over the last couple of months. With the M’s lack of deal-making, McLemore and Willie Bloomquist have to play important roles.
Tampa Bay: I’m not a believer in Victor Zambrano. Here’s why. Let’s look at his numbers for this year (before Monday night's start) versus his numbers for 2002:
2003: 119 IP, 97 hits, 15 homers, 67 walks, 76 strikeouts, 4.39 ERA
2002: 114 IP, 120 hits, 15 homers, 68 walks, 73 strikeouts, 5.53 ERA
He still has a terrible walk/strikeout ratio, and still has the same homer rate. The only difference this year is the number of hits allowed, which seems more a fluke than anything else. Keeping his ERA more than a full run lower might be a fluke as well.
Texas: Ramon Nivar may get an extended chance in center field. Nivar hit .347 at AA and .337 at AAA to get a shot. He has great speed but not great stealing ability, and he doesn’t hit for much power right now. He might hit for a decent average, but that’s about it.
Toronto: Cliff Politte has regained the closer’s role for the foreseeable future because that is what the manager is comfortable with right now. Simple as that. Corey Thurman will get a look in the rotation, but even though he throws hard, he wasn’t particularly dominant at AAA. I think he’ll struggle after some initial success. He’s not quite ready yet.
Jason Grey is the publisher of The Masters of Fantasy Baseball at www.mastersball.com, a free daily source for news, analysis, insight, and opinion.
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