As we documented very recently, the Texas Rangers have done a superb job rebuilding their offense in 2008, but the pitching remains a blight on the system.

On the plus side, the team has shown a true commitment to young pitching, with 13 hurlers on its current roster under the age of 30 – five of whom are 25 or younger. This tender-aged staff, while taking its beatings, has helped lower the overall age on the Ranger roster to 27.5 years of age – tied for the second-youngest in all of baseball.

Now Ranger legend Nolan Ryan will be taking a much more active role in shaping the club’s future, and some of the changes he has planned may have a significant impact on the fantasy values of Texas pitchers over the next few years.

The number one priority Ryan hopes to achieve is to develop a stronger, more durable pitching staff. Counter to the approach of the majority of major league clubs to baby their young pitchers in recent seasons, Texas will look to create a staff of stronger arms capable of working harder and throwing more innings.

Hey, if anyone knows about what it takes to create rubber arms, it’s got to be the Ryan Express, right? Sure, you can expect a few casualties along the way, but his old school approach may just work where everything else Texas has tried to do to build a pitching staff has failed since it moved into the Ballpark in Arlington.

Some scary factoids to chew on:

• Since 2003, the White Sox lead the majors in innings pitched by their starters with 5,963, about 6 1/3 per game. Over this period, the Rangers are dead last with 5,059 innings pitched from the rotation – about a full inning less than the Pale Hose. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the strain that puts on the bullpen, year after year.
• Since 1994, there has been 92 times that an American League pitcher has thrown at least 220 innings in a season. Just two of those seasons have been recorded by Rangers – Ken Hill and Kenny Rogers, both in 2000.

The closest current thing the Rangers have to an innings eater is Kevin Millwood, who twice pitched at least 220 innings in a season with the Braves and hurled 215 in his first season with Texas. Injuries have slowed the normally durable Millwood over the last two seasons, but he’s looking strong now, with back-to-back complete game wins since coming off the DL for a second time this season. I recommended him last week, and it looks like some people are following that advice with good results.

The Rangers spent $4 million last offseason on Jason Jennings, gambling that he could bounce back from an awful, injury-riddled 2007 and rediscover his near-workhorse tendencies from 2006 when he was with the Rockies. Uh, wrong. A torn flexor tendon limited him to six ugly starts this year and necessitated season-ending surgery.

There are enough promising young arms in this system to stop taking crap shoots like the one the Rangers did with Jennings. There are plenty of starters worth discussing (such as Neftali Feliz, Derek Holland, Erik Hurley, Matt Harrison, Tommy Hunter, etc.), but today let’s look at some of the possible bullpen help that’s either already arrived or is currently at Triple-A and should be coming down the pike soon.

Although he’s not exactly a spring chicken, Bill White is still a veritable babe in the woods compared to the recently dealt Eddie Guardado. With Everyday Eddie dealt to the Twins this week, the Rangers have brought up White to fill the bullpen spot. Recently promoted to closing for Triple-A Oklahoma, the 29-year-old lefty has enjoyed a fine season, going 4-1, 3.54 with just 45 hits allowed in 53 1/3 IP. His control isn’t exactly a strong point, but with well over a K per inning, he’s been able to compensate for the walks.

A younger reliever we still believe could help the Rangers is Wes Littleton. In the offseason, we talked about the fact he has some upside, and although he was awful in his limited action with the big league club, I like what he’s done at Triple-A this year (7-1, six saves with decent ERA and basically a strikeout per inning). He could still factor into Texas’ plans down the road.

Japanese veteran Yukinga Maeda has pitched well enough in his first season in North America to deserve a look in The Show. The control specialist has been particularly brilliant this month. He just turned 38 on Tuesday, so doesn’t have much of a future, but I’d like to see what he can do in the majors. I’m sure NPB junkie Tim McLeod can tell you more about this dude, but he’s currently driving from the northlands to civilization, and for all I know, he’s being mauled by a bear who caught a whiff of Kathy’s famous chocolate chip cookies. Hey, Yogi, back off! Those cookies are supposed to be for me!

A more familiar name that the Rangers recently picked up is Kiko Calero. He’s trying to work his way back from a torn rotator cuff (which he did not actually have surgery for), and while his results have not been strong, he’s averaging over a strikeout per inning, so it’s not as if he can’t bring it anymore.

Another Japanese arm in the Ranger system is Kazuo Fukumori, but other than his decent control, he’s been a huge disappointment. He was rocked in his brief trials with Texas, and has been awful at Triple-A. He just came back from a shoulder injury and took a serious beating in his first outing, then bounced back the next time out with two shutout innings Monday to earn his first win of the season.

Finally, I’d like to see Brian Gordon get a chance in the majors. The former outfielder was drafted way back in 1997 in the seventh round by the D-Backs, and floundered in Triple-A for several years until being converted into a pitcher last year. He turned 30 a couple of weeks ago, so I wouldn’t exactly say there’s much upside here, but it would be a great story if this dude could somehow make it to the majors. Recently shifted into the RedHawk rotation, Gordon took his share of beatings, but has looked better his last two times out, so perhaps he’s at least earning himself at a Spring Training invite in 2009.

August 27th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, RotoRob, Team report . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 1 Comment

Scott Boras is doing his thang again.

The latest pawn in uber agent and asshole supreme Scott Boras’ ongoing power play with Major League Baseball is Pedro Alvarez, the Pirates’ first round pick in June.

The two sides agreed to a $6 million signing bonus (the largest in Pirate history) about a week and a half ago, but because of some apparent travel complications (how do travel complications set you back 11 days? Where are they traveling from? The Gobi desert? On a 58-year-old camel with dementia?), the actual contract hasn’t been signed. So Alvarez has yet to report for either a physical or to be formally introduced to the Pittsburgh media.

And now the Pirates are getting a bit frustrated by the latest Boras drama. The team still has no idea when Alvarez will actually show up, and at this point, there’s not enough time for him to make his pro debut with a minor league affiliate. So, as usual, Boras’ bullshit is hurting his client.

In fact, Bucco GM Neil Huntington intimated as much, saying “The longer the delay, the less likely it is we will send him to either Arizona or Hawaii” (for fall or winter ball).

As for as the legal rights Pittsburgh has to force him to report, while the contract hasn’t physically been signed, there is a verbal agreement and half the bonus has been paid, so for all intents and purposes, Alvarez is now an employee of the Pirates.

Ah yes…nothing like ingratiating yourself to your new boss before your first day of work. Imagine getting hired and taking a dump in your new supervisor’s car before you ever step foot in the office? That would go over well, don’t you think?

Just how many players will Boras transform into fuckfaces before he’s done?

For more on Alvarez’s on field ability, see our MLB Draft Recap.

August 26th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Contract negotiations, Prospects, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 2 Comments

When Scott Rolen was dealt from the Cards to the Jays in the offseason, we were bullish on this trade from Toronto’s perspective, assuming that if Rolen could overcome his shoulder problems, the potential for him to bounce back was greater than that of Troy Glaus. While Rolen has made a modest recovery, the shoulder has again been an issue, rendering him a virtual non-factor from a fantasy perspective. He’s eligible to come off the DL Tuesday, but it’s unlikely he’ll be back immediately. Glaus, on the other hand, has stayed healthy, and he’s been a must-own fantasy third baseman as a result. Not only has he enjoyed a very productive season, sparked by the best plate discipline of his career, but he’s also never fielded better at the hot corner. Glaus got off to a weak start, but has been superb since a sluggish few weeks to open the campaign.

The Cards, meanwhile, have been one of the surprise stories of the year, turning things around after bottoming out in 2007. Sunday, the team took the rubber match of its series against the Braves, 6-3, to move to a season-high tying 14 games over .500, the fourth time they’ve reach this height. For the year, St. Louis won five of seven against the Braves, helping to turn Atlanta’s season into an ongoing nightmare. The Cards have been pecking away at Wild Card leading Brewers, and with a crucial three-game series starting against them Tuesday night, all eyes will be on these teams as Manager Tony La Russa tries to orchestrate one of the most remarkable miracles of his career to date.

Need some pitching help? Try Todd Wellemeyer, still underappreciated despite his superb performance lately. Wednesday, he earned his 11th win of the season (not bad for a guy with nine career wins heading into the season), pitching decently, although only lasting five innings with a high pitch count. Check out Wellemeyer’s last six starts: his ERA is under 2.50 thanks to a .230 BAA. He lost a lot of believers after a rough June and even worse July, but in August, Wellemeyer has been all that, and you need to reconsider him right now. No, he won’t be a big help in strikeout leagues, but in a 4×4 league, Wellemeyer is gold.

Wellemeyer’s opposing starter Monday is the formidable Ben Sheets, but perhaps he’s catching the Milwaukee ace at the right time, as Sheets has shown some cracks in his armour of late. The strange thing is, since the Brew Crew brought in C.C. Sabathia, Sheets hasn’t seemed himself. He looked like a serious horse, going at least seven innings in eight of his first 16 starts this year; since then, he’s done so just twice in nine tries. In his eight starts since Sabathia arrived, Sheets has earned just one win, and Milwaukee has gone 3-5 in those games. It’s not as if he’s getting slapped around (just ten hits allowed in 12 2/3 IP in his last two starts, both losses), but considering the wonderful start he had to the season (10-3, 2.85 prior to the break), Sheets’ 1-4 record with an ERA of 4.00 since the All-Star break looks awful. He’s not exactly living up to our mid-season Cy Young talk, is he?

Speaking of Sabathia, uh, can I just say ‘wow?’ He somehow was denied a win Sunday despite a solid six-inning effort in which he gave up just one run. With an 8-0 record and 1.59 ERA, plus 74 strikeouts and just 15 walks in 79 IP and ten starts since joining Milwaukee, it no longer seems ridiculous to put him into the Cy Young picture despite him pitching just a partial season in the NL. Remember that April he had? Man, does that ever seem like a lifetime ago. In the meantime, if the Yanks are serious about taking a run at C.C. this offseason, that price tag just keeps going up. How’d you like to be Sabathia’s agent this winter?

Those of you who gambled that Chris Carpenter would provide a nice second-half addition to your rotation must be getting frustrated – and with good reason. He said his throwing session on Sunday went well, and that he felt stronger than during his last session, but he still isn’t exactly airing it out. So if you’re thinking that the shoulder soreness won’t keep him out long, think again. Carpenter is scheduled for another throwing session Wednesday, but I don’t expect to see him back on the mound until the middle of September, so if you’ve got your eye on another hurler (say, Wellemeyer), go ahead and dump this Carp back in the water.

August 25th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Fantasy Notes, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 2 Comments

Tim Wakefield, Boston, SP: Wakefield is scheduled to come off the DL this coming Tuesday, starting in place of the injured Josh Beckett. For those playing in H2H formats, Wakefield is a potential two-start pitcher heading into this week. Sidelined since early August with tightness behind his shoulder, he is currently sporting a very solid 3.67 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. The Sox are in tight in both the division and wild card races, and that should provide opportunities for Wakefield to win down the stretch. He’s currently owned by only 37 per cent of all teams playing in CBS leagues, so get that 65 mph floater active in AL-only, H2H, and deeper keeper formats for this coming week.

Jim Johnson, Baltimore, RP: The injury to George Sherrill has created the opportunity for the 25-year-old Jim Johnson to be annointed the new closer for the Orioles. Johnson is enjoying a very fine 2008 season, sporting a sweet 2.33 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He has also yet to yield a big fly, a major reason for his success. If one is looking for potential cheap saves heading down the stretch, Johnson is a solid addition in all formats.

Ronnie Belliard, Washington, 1B/2B/3B: The former Cardinal is currently in the midst of a very, very hot streak. In his past ten games, how does a 19-for-38 line work for you? He’s also managed to hit one long ball and produce seven RBI. This is another situation where going with the hot hand could pay dividends. Belliard is eligible to be slotted in all the infield positions excepting shortstop, making him a solid acquisition in NL-only and deeper mixed formats that require both middle and corner infield slots.

Ryan Garko, Cleveland, 1B: In his past ten games, Garko has put together a very nifty .342 BA, with two homers and 11 RBI. He is currently owned in a scant 38 per cent of CBS leagues so he’s most certainly available. He’s out there and he’s hot; what more could one be looking for heading into those last several weeks of the season? Grab him in all formats and ride the streak.

Manny Burriss, San Francisco, 2B/SS: Burriss is another of those no power, all speed middle infielders that is probably currently sitting on your league waiver wire. In 27 at bats since August 13, he is batting .370 with three stolen bases. If your fantasy squad is in the market for a push in the stolen base category, Burriss is worth a flier.

Jose Bautista, Toronto, 3B/OF: What a difference a week or so can make. Bautista went from riding the pine in Pittsburgh, to being demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis, to finally being the leading home run hitter on his new team, the Jays. Bautista has never been a threat to claim a batting title, but has demonstrated he can hit the long ball, with 31 homers over the past two seasons. The 27-year-old is currently in the midst of an 0-for-August slump, but Manager Cito Gaston has indicated that he is going to see some significant playing time down the stretch, making him a worthwhile addition in AL-only leagues.

Barry Zito, San Francisco, SP: I hate this one already and I haven’t even started discussing the many pros and cons regarding Zito. In his past two starts, both of which resulted in victories, he has pitched rather well. Treat this one with kid gloves, but if you need aggravation and the potential for wins and… (well, let’s leave it at wins), Zito is at least worth a look in very deep and NL-only formats. If the phrase, “desperate times require desperate measures” relates to your current fantasy pitching rotation, Zito is certainly an option.

Dana Eveland, Oakland, SP: Eveland, who was just recently demoted to Triple-A Sacramento, was recalled by Oakland August 21. In his first game since the recall, he went seven strong innings Saturday, and even though it was against the anemic Mariner offense, he held them to just one run over seven innings in picking up the victory. The 24-year-old southpaw allowed only five hits, striking out seven with only one free pass. The injuries to both Sean Gallagher and Justin Duchscherer should guarantee playing time down the stretch for Eveland, making home a solid acquisition in all deep keeper formats and AL-only leagues.

Carl Pavano, New York Yankees, SP: Whew. After being activated off the three-year DL, Pavano actually made it through five innings Saturday and is at least rumoured to be still healthy and capable of starting next week. Added to this amazing accomplishment, he actually got the win and other than an ugly second inning where he allowed three hits and a walk, which contributed to all three runs scored against him, he actually didn’t look all that bad. The Yankees will certainly supply the offense necessary to generate wins, so rolling the dice in AL-only leagues would be a legitimate option.

Chris Lambert, Detroit, SP: Lambert, acquired from the Cardinals last August for Mike Maroth, will make his major league debut for the Tigers this coming Tuesday. Lambert has enjoyed a very solid 2008 for the Triple-A Mud Hens — a 12-8 record, with a 3.50 ERA, and 124 strikeouts in 149.1 IP certainly makes him a decent option for AL-only leagues.

Chris Ray, Baltimore, RP: Okay he’s probably not going to see any action this year, but he is the Orioles closer of both the past and the future. The Orioles have repeatedly said they have no interest in rushing Ray back into the Baltimore lineup, and are working towards a healthy return for Spring Training next year. For those of us in deeper dynasty keeper formats that are now planning ahead to 2009, it would be getting to the time to add him to your roster.

Luis Ayala, New York Mets, RP: Since the injury to Billy Wagner, the Met bullpen has been a mess. Aaron Heilman, given the first opportunity, has certainly not stepped up his game with any level of consistency. The Mets, looking to bolster their bullpen, acquired Ayala from the Nationals for the PTBNL (player to be named later) this past week. Ayala does have some history as way, way back in 2003 he managed five saves in a great season for the Montreal Expos. He has now pitched three scoreless innings for the Mets and picked up his first save this past Friday. When Manager Jerry Manuel comments “if the opportunity comes up, I wouldn’t hesitate to go with him again,” that should be a good indicator that future save opportunities are going to be there. If he’s still out there in your league, get him rostered quick.

August 24th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, The Wire Troll, Tim McLeod . Author: Tim McLeod . Comments: 4 Comments

On Thursday afternoon, Cliff Lee will look to strengthen his Cy Young hopes with his 18th win of the season against the KC Royals. Although the Royals have done slightly better lately, they remain among the weakest hitting teams in the AL, so Lee winning his seventh straight decision is a very good bet. Since taking a bitch slapping at the hands of the Tigers on July 30, Lee has gotten right back into a sweet groove, going 3-0, 1.50 so far in August. He’s headed for a career high in innings pitched, but is showing no signs of wearing down, and remains tough to hit. It looks like one of our mid-season picks for Cy Young remains on track for the hardware.

Mike Pelfrey’s had a few hiccups lately, but after tossing his first career complete game Wednesday – his second straight strong outing – I’m left scratching my head as to why he’s actually being dumped in plenty of fantasy leagues. Granted, the beginning of the month was ugly for Pelfrey – especially considering how he was rolling in July, but those couple of rough outings appear to be a blip now. Finally healthy, he’s enjoyed a tremendous breakout season, and if he’s not owned – like he is in almost half the leagues out there – I’d definitely consider him as a solid option down the stretch.

Last month, we mentioned that there was a sliver of a chance that A.J. Pierzynski was still out there on the wire in some leagues. That possibility looks even more remote given his current tear. After homering, driving in three runs and recording his second straight three-hit game, Pierzynski has now hit in five straight, turning around a somewhat bland July and beginning of August. Pierzynski had probably his worst full season as a major leaguer in 2007, but he’s recovered nicely this year. He remains among the most durable catchers in the game, with solid gap power, decent productivity and strong batting averages. Nothing wrong with that in my books.

One other name that could potentially be available in those more shallow leagues is J.J. Hardy. What a roll he’s been on. After going 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs and two RBI Wednesday, he’s now hit in seven straight games, leaving an August slump in the dust. While he’s endured more health woes this season, Hardy’s power continues to develop and he’s also become more patient. Next season, if he can avoid major injury, I think he’s poised for a major power breakout, possibly topping 30 homers and hitting close to .300.

How about taking another look at Brett Myers? Hello? If this dude is available in your league, you need to jump now. Have you seen what he’s done since the Phillies brought him back last month? After Wednesday’s nine-hit shutout, he’s now 3-1 through six starts and 41 2/3 IP with just 30 hits and ten runs – nine earned – allowed. He’s walked only ten and fanned 30. A .171 BAA in July and a .189 mark in August? Uh, why is this guy out there in any league now?

What’s gotten into Derek Jeter lately? We questioned whether he was done earlier this month, but man, has he kicked it up a notch in the past week. On Wednesday, he had three hits, homering and driving in a pair to run his hit streak to six games – a stretch that includes five multi-hit games, four games of at least three hits and one four-hit effort. This 16-for-28 run suddenly has Jeter knocking on the door of yet another .300 season. For the month, he’s batting almost .400 and has started running again, swiping three bases in August. As bad a year as everyone has said it’s been for Jeter, he’s still on pace to drive in more runs than he did in 2007.

Kevin Millwood, who has slipped almost entirely off the map from a fantasy perspective, turned in a vintage effort Wednesday, tossing a complete game six-hitter, This snapped a streak of five straight bad outings, and it came against the inconsistent Tigers, so I wouldn’t get excited yet. Still, after getting shelled for four homers in his last start, Millwood was able to keep the ball in the park, and that’s going to be a key for him if he hopes to salvage this season. My call: take a chance on him down the stretch. September has been Millwood’s best month of the season over the last three years, and if Wednesday’s effort was any indication, he’s going to finish strong again.

Back at the beginning of August, we told you it was time to throw some love Garret Anderson’s way. Well, he hasn’t been nearly as hot as he was in July, but he continues to scratch out the hits, Wednesday waiting until the ninth inning but smacking an infield hit to run his hitting streak to 23 games and deliver the game-winning hit for the Angels. He’s no longer an extremely productive fantasy outfielder, but he definitely has proved he still deserves a place on most teams.

How about some love for Francisco Rodriguez? He got burned by the Mariners last week, suffering a rare blown save, but has bounced right back with a pair of clean saves, Wednesday adding to his major league lead with save No. 48, a new record for the Angels, breaking the mark he set in 2006. August hasn’t been the prettiest of months for K-Rod, with a pair of blown saves, but overall he’s been excellent this season despite the lowest strikeout rate of his career. Oh, and perhaps you’ve heard that the MLB saves record is squarely in his sights, as he remains on pace to shatter Bobby Thigpen’s mark by five saves.

Can you believe it’s been nine years to the day since Sammy Sosa reached 50 homers for the second straight season, making him just the fourth player ever to do that (joining Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr. and Babe Ruth). Remember when Sosa and McGwire “saved” baseball a decade ago? My, how times change.

August 21st, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Fantasy Notes, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 1 Comment