The Pirates have taken nice strides forward this year, especially offensively, as they continue to hang around within striking distance of .500.

After winning the final two games in Cincy, Pittsburgh has carved out sole possession of fourth place in the NL Central, but despite holding their own lately, the Bucs are losing ground on the hot Brewers and need to watch out for the recently resurgent Astros below them.

At 40-44, Pittsburgh sits ten and a half games behind the division leading Cubs and eight back of the Wild Card leading Cardinals, so it’s going to take a miracle to pull this one out of the fire. On the plus side, the Pirates get a chance to go right after the third-place Brewers next, a series that should give us an indication whether Pittsburgh will make any noise in the Central or not.

Kudos to the Bucco offense, third in the NL in runs after finishing 12th a year ago.

Pitching and team speed, however, remain works in progress. Pittsburgh is dead last in the NL in steals, team ERA, BAA, OPS against (814), WHIP and quality starts.

Nate McLouth has been absolutely money this year, emerging as a must-own fantasy outfielder. A slump last week and a sore knee led to a day off on Monday, but he’s roared back with three hits, including two doubles, in nine at bats in the two games since, drawing a pair of walks to boot. McLouth has been slipping since a torrid start to the season, so perhaps July is the beginning of good things for him again.

Luis Rivas, however, has scuffled badly this year. He enjoyed a rare big game Wednesday, with two hits, including a double, a run and an RBI, but after a big May, Rivas was just awful in June, batting only .190 and managing just 21 at bats. If he could learn to get on base a bit more often and carve out some more PT, Rivas might be someone worth watching in NL-only leagues – especially with that multi-positional eligibility – but for now, he is a non-factor in any format.

Then you have Jason Bay, and the Canadian boy is clearly back after a sub par 2007. He snapped a mini-slump with two hits, a run and an RBI on Wednesday, so hopefully July will be a better month for Bay than June. But in looking at his overall results, Bay is enjoying a fine season at the plate, and has almost reached his entire 2007 total for doubles already.

Another must-own Pirate and perhaps the biggest fantasy surprise on the team this year is catcher Ryan Doumit. He snapped a brief slump Wednesday with two hits and three runs, and is hoping to build on a big June during which he smacked five dingers and drove in ten despite spending a chunk of the month on the DL. Doumit is enjoying the classic age 27 power spike, having already set a new career high in dingers as he finally is getting his chance as the Pirates’ No. 1 catcher.

Xavier Nady is yet another must-have Buc in the midst of a career year. Wednesday, he decided to set off some early fireworks, smacking two homers among a three-hit, three-RBI game, to run his current his streak to five games. Nady was relatively cool in June (just one homer and four RBI), but clearly, July will be a better power month for the 29-year-old right fielder. He’s well on his way to career highs in many offensive categories, including runs and hits. Enjoy the ride if you own Nady.

First baseman Adam LaRoche has been a particularly more frustrating player to own this season, but he looks to be getting hot right now, so astute owners in need of an infusion of offense will consider him. After singling and tripling in two runs Wednesday, LaRoche has now recorded three straight multi-hit efforts and has at least one hit in five straight games. June wasn’t an overly successful month for LaRoche, but he’s blazing now and could be poised for a big second half. While his power is way down this year, recall what he’s capable of doing in just a half-season: In 2006, he launched 19 home runs while batting almost .325 after the All-Star break. I’m not saying that’s going to happen again, but anytime this dude starts to heat up, like he is now, you’d be wise to pay attention.

Over at the other corner of the infield, I’d suggest it’s time for second look at third baseman Jose Bautista. He delivered an RBI groundout and solo homer Wednesday, the second straight game he’s produced an extra-base hit and at least one RBI. While April was a total writeoff for Bautista, he’s actually been a very solid player since: .292 BA with nine homers and 30 RBI. Yet another 27-year-old experiencing a power spike, Bautista is headed for his first 20-homer season and is helping out in BA. I’d definitely say he’s flying under the radar right now, especially in NL-only leagues.

I sort of had John Van Benschoten on my sleeper list (if for no other reason than Pittsburgh is currently a land of opportunity for pitchers), but he took a serious beating Wednesday, giving up five hits – including three home runs – and five runs in just 2 1/3 IP. I keep waiting for this now 28-year-old righty to come close to living up to his prospect status, but it’s getting frustrating doing so. I can’t recommend him in any format at this time, and in fact, won’t be shocked if he is sent back to Triple-A despite the Pirates’ pitching woes. Because of his pedigree, JVB is always someone to at least watch, but we can’t consider him a viable option until he actually shows us something.

The biggest fantasy news out of Steel City right now is, of course, the injury to closer Matt Capps. His shoulder won’t require surgery – that’s the good news – but will keep him out for eight weeks – ugh. Considering how money Capps has been this season, it was pretty clear something was awry after he blew back-to-back save chances earlier this week, giving him five blown saves since June 10. In Capps’ absence, you better jump all over Damaso Marte while you can. Before he came to Pittsburgh, Marte served as a co-closer for the White Sox, so he will likely get the first crack at the job.

July 3rd, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, RotoRob, Team report . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 2 Comments

After scuffling in Houston and dropping the first game of a three-game set in Tampa, Boston has dropped to 50-35 and has fallen a game and a half behind the upstart Rays in the AL East race. Luckily, the Sox get two more cracks at the Rays before heading off to Yankee Stadium for a four-game series.

The offense continues to flourish for Boston, with the team ranking first in the AL in BA (.280), OBP (.354) and OPS (805). However, the pitching remains middling, with the BoSox currently sitting in sixth place in team ERA, WHIP (1.34) and quality starts (45).

J.D. Drew finished off a dream June with another home run Monday – his 12th of the month and 16th of the year. To put that in perspective, he launched more dingers last month than he did during his entire first season in Boston. Having said that, he’s not exactly scorching like he did at the beginning of the month. In fact, Drew was mired in an 0-for-14 funk before smacking a dinger in the first game of the Houston series and he hasn’t had more than one hit in a game since June 18. But oh baby, does he ever love interleague play. He’s hit 27 home runs as a Red Sox and nine of those came in the first 30 games against NL opponents. Finally, Drew’s major resurgence this year has included smacking the big bombs – the three-run dinger he launched against Houston was his fourth long ball this year of either the three- or four-run variety – tops on the club.

Speaking of the Houston series, a few Red Sox alumni showed up at the ballpark, including Pat Rapp, there to watch BP with some kids; Tim Naehring was there, scouting the game for the Yanks, and was later joined for dinner by Kevin Jarvis, another former BoSox, albeit very briefly.

The Red Sox have been busy signing some of their minor league draft choices recently. Former Rice star RHP Bryan Price, the 45th overall selection in the draft, was penned last week. He’s been assigned to the Lowell Spinners of the NYPL. The 21-year-old doesn’t have too much wear and tear on his arm, a rarity among college hurlers. Price was plucked with the compensation pick the Sox received when free agent Eric Gagne signed with the Brewers.

The Sox pen had been on a roll lately, but David Aardsma has been taking a beating. After cruising along with seven straight scoreless outings, Aardsma has been touched up for at least one run in each of his past two appearances, sending his ERA up almost half a run and close to the 3.00 mark. Notwithstanding this recent hiccup, Aardsma is enjoying a breakout year, averaging over a K per inning and keeping the ball in the park. He’s carved out a nice place for himself as a set-up man in the Boston bullpen, and is definitely someone worth watching in deeper AL-only leagues.

Boston also signed RHP Pete Ruiz, the club’s tenth rounder. He’s a large (6’3”, 205) 20-year-old who features a smooth delivery. His fastball has late life to it and he mixes in a 12-to-6 curveball.

Finally, the Sox signed their 41st round pick, Dustin Mercadante, a 19-year-old righty who throws an 86 to 88 mph fastball with good sink. He’s off to an excellent start with the GCL Red Sox, recording a 1.93 ERA through his first three appearances.

Jon Lester was slapped around badly in his last start in Houston, but he’d been on a serious roll. Prior to that start, Lester had gone 3-0, 1.62 over his previous four appearances, walking just three in 27 2/3 IP without a dinger allowed. Boston had gone 11-6 through Lester’s first 17 starts. While his last start has scared off some owners, Lester has matured greatly this season, so if he’s on your waiver wire, I’d definitely look into adding him.

Although he’s cooled in the past week, Julio Lugo has gained waiver wire momentum based on a June that was his finest month of the season (one homers, five RBI, five steals, .274 BA). He’s still striking out more than I’d like, has already set a career high by grounding into 11 double plays, and is just three errors shy of matching his entire total from 2007. After approaching his career high in ribbies in 2007, Lugo’s RBI production has plummeted this year thanks to a .229 BA with runners on and a butt-ugly .154 mark when runners are in scoring position. Having said that, after the win in Game One in Houston, the Sox were 44-25 when Lugo manned short and 6-7 when anyone else was there. That’s got to count for something, so consider Lugo if you need middle infield help. He’s trending in the right direction.

Daisuke Matsuzaka’s fine season continued with five shutout innings Friday for his ninth win of the season. While his injury last month has limited his overall innings count and his K rate has slipped, Dice-K has done a much better job of limiting the gopher ball and avoiding the big inning that plagued him so in his first North American campaign.

If Boston can get back to the Series, the pitching staff better take some serious BP. So far, Sox hurlers are proving to be automatic outs, going 0-for-25 with 18 strikeouts this season.

The Sox bullpen had been rolling with 12 straight shutout innings until Hideki Okajimi served up a dinger in the eighth inning Friday. The Japanese southpaw righted the ship somewhat Sunday, tossing two-thirds of a shutout frame, but June was definitely a month worth forgetting about for him. In 9 1/3 IP, he was torched for 19 hits and five walks, recording a 9.64 ERA. During the first two months of the season, Okajima was virtually flawless, so don’t give up on him. But for now, he needs to be benched until he gets on another roll.

By the way, it was remiss of me not to aknowledge the second anniversary of RotoRob, which happened on Saturday. Thanks to all our readers and our great staff of writers for making us such a success!

July 1st, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, RotoRob, Team report . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 1 Comment

Can you believe it was just three years ago that Houston was the NL Champions, representing the Senior Circuit in the 2005 World Series?

Man, have things ever spiraled out of control since then.

The team barely finished over .500 in 2006, and then plummeted even further last year. While they’ve shown modest improvements this season, in looking at the big picture, things appear bleak.

Even with the retirements of long-time franchise faces Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, the average age of the roster is still close to 31 years of age – the oldest of all major league clubs.

On the horizon, there isn’t much help coming in the near future. Baseball America ranks the Astro minor league system as the thinnest in all of baseball besides the White Sox. (Of course, surrendering their second round pick last year for a clearly done Woody Williams and failing to sign three of their top six picks didn’t help breath life into the system.)

Now, the drama begins.

Shawn Chacon, signed for $2 million in the offseason (when a few extra bucks would have landed Livan Hernandez or Kyle Lohse), finally imploded this week, hurling his own GM to the ground and landing on waivers Thursday afternoon.

He’ll likely never pitch again in the majors after this stunt.

Even though the ‘Stros are scuffling a bit lately, they are just five games under .500, and still somewhat close to the Wild Card leading Cardinals (7.5 games back).

But if this Chacon situation is the start of a major unraveling in Houston, it’s time to consider blowing it up and attempting a major rebuilding program – clearly a bitter pill to swallow for an organization that made the postseason six times in nine years, culminating in the 2005 World Series club.

So should Houston part with its stars and bring back in some much-needed minor league depth in the process? Let’s examine who might be the likeliest of candidates to go should the team opt to empty the cupboards.

Miguel Tejada is signed through the end of next year and owed another $13 million for 2009. His bat has slipped somewhat this year, but he’s slumping badly right now, so it’s not the best time to consider trading him. Tejada is a good team leader, but a declining bat on a 34-year-old shortstop not known for his defensive prowess is not a luxury a rebuilding team should be carrying.

Then you’ve got Lance Berkman, in the midst of a career year at the age of 32. Although he’s cooled somewhat this month, Berkman is still mashing, and he’s under contract until the end of the 2010 season, with a $15 million club option for 2011. He’d bring in a king’s ransom from a team needing an injection of offense, but would it would be horribly demoralizing to see this Texas boy and former Rice star leave Houston. Complicating matters further is his full no-trade clause.

Roy Oswalt is signed through the end of the 2011 with a 2012 club option, but he’s struggling through his worst season yet, so his value isn’t exactly through the roof right now. On the plus side, Oswalt is trending in the right direction, with June being his finest month of the season to date, and more along the lines of what we’ve come to expect from him. Imagine how much he’d bring in return, although, again, there’s a no-trade clause in play here.

Carlos Lee is under contract until 2012, and has been in slow decline for the last three years. Getting anything near market value for him would be huge, but Lee can veto any deal until 2010, so would need to waive his no-trade clause first. It would likely take a team offering him an extension to do so, and I’m not sure anyone would be interested in going there, so Lee is unlikely to be shed.

It will be interesting to see how the Astros decide to handle this situation. But unless by some bizarre happenstance this Chacon episode galvanizes the team and starts a roll, I think owner Drayton McLane, and GM Ed Wade (once he picks his ass off the ground, that is) really need to take a hard look at the long-term future of this club and make some tough decisions as we near the trading deadline.

June 27th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, RotoRob, Team report, Transactional analysis . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 2 Comments

What Went Right

It was one if by land, two if by land for Tennessee last season. The passing game managed to be one of the league’s worst; while the Titans ranked fifth in the league by averaging 131 yards per game on the ground. LenDale White led the charge on the ground with 1,110 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. Rob Bironas proved to be one of the most dangerous Titans. Unfortunately, he’s the kicker, which doesn’t speak highly of the Titan offense. Bironas drained 35 of 39 field goals including a record-breaking eight in one game against the Texans.

What Went Wrong

If the Titans have aspirations of going deep into the playoffs they must throw the football effectively. In 15 games, Vince Young threw just nine touchdown passes while sprinkling in 17 interceptions. That’s not acceptable regardless of the receivers. Speaking of the wideouts, no receiver topped 1,000 yards or 60 receptions. After jettisoning Drew Bennett during the previous offseason, no receiver filled his shoes in 2007.

Off-season Outlook

The Titans needed to address an offense that looked anemic at times. While the defense proved to be one of the league’s best units, the offense nearly kept the Titans out of the postseason. However, they made minimal additions on offense. Their most notable acquisition came with the arrival of former Pro Bowl tight end Alge Crumpler. Keep an eye on receiver Justin McCareins, who returns to the Titans and has experience working with offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger.

Draft Recap

Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards discussed their need for speed in Top Gun. Well, the Titans fulfilled their own need for speed by drafting running back Chris Johnson. He has a chance to make some big plays when in the open field. The Titans went on the defensive for much of the draft, however, receiver Lavelle Hawkins has a chance to contribute to a less than stellar receiving corps. Meanwhile, tight end Craig Stephens is primarily seen as a blocking threat.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks – Young’s second year did not show rapid improvement, but he can’t shoulder all of the blame. For the second consecutive offseason, he saw Tennessee’s front office shun the offense in some regard and not bring in multiple difference makers on offense. A sidebar if I may. Tennessee reminds me a great deal of the late ’80s to early’90s Philadelphia Eagles, led by quarterback Randall Cunningham (ironically, head coach Jeff Fisher served as defensive coordinator for those teams from ’88 to ’90). The Eagles leadership neglected to get Cunningham enough help to win playoff games. Whether it was receiver, offensive line or running backs, the skill positions were mostly ignored throughout the Cunningham regime; only bringing in players that were troubled at the time (Cris Carter) or past their prime (Herschel Walker). Regardless, the Birds always had that bruising defense to lean on — much like the Titans. In the end, the Eagles failed to make it to a Super Bowl due to a lack of offense. It’s a fate that will find Young unless the Titans brass wakes up, but I digress. Young is not a weekly starter because of the passing game’s ineptitude, but he remains a threat because of his legs. The arrival of Heimerdinger should help, but ultimately Young needs better skill players. Kerry Collins returns as his backup and can succeed in small doses if given the chance.

Running Backs – Tennessee’s rush game isn’t about one guy; instead a group of talented rushers attacked the defense last season. White returns and the team is hoping he continues to mature into a solid runner. Johnson should help in his first year, while Chris Henry has a ways to go before he will be looked at as a force. Also, Young is an obvious threat on the move. Tennessee is another team that will rely on more than one guy to carry the mail on Sundays.

Wide Receivers – The power does not lie here. Justin Gage and Roydell Williams are respectable receivers, but only combined for six touchdown catches in ’07. For Young to sink or swim, he has to receive a chance to swim. His career will sink to the ocean’s floor unless he gets some help. McCareins returns and may provide some relief, but stay away from this mediocre bunch.

Tight Ends – Alge Crumpler arrives and should help Young, especially in the red zone. While Crumpler isn’t quite the same player as his peak days in Atlanta, he is still better than what the Titans offered a season ago. Expect Bo Scaife to be a factor again which should also aid Tennessee’s third year quarterback.

Defense/Special Teams – Tennessee is among the best defenses in the NFL. Led by defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, it is are arguably the most physical group in the league. However, that doesn’t necessarily equate to fantasy success. The Titan defense will be formidable again slowing down foes. The key figure on special teams will be free agent pickup, defensive back Chris Carr, who may be a prime threat returning kicks and punts.

June 25th, 2008
Categories: Derek Jones, FOOTBALL, Team report . Author: Derek Jones . Comments: 10 Comments

What Went Right

The Steelers had plenty of mystery with Mike Tomlin taking over for longtime head coach Bill Cowher. Early on, Tomlin stayed conservative and threatened to run Willie Parker every play. That probably wouldn’t have worked out, and Ben Roethlisberger used Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, and Heath Miller equally well to finish in the top eight of any scoring system. Parker, meanwhile, did account for 1,300 rushing yards, which is great for yardage-heavy leagues.

What Went Wrong

While Parker’s yardage totals were spot on, the touchdowns weren’t. He managed just two trips into the endzone, which is really quite an astonishing feat. Najeh Davenport stole five touchdowns, but Parker might have been dealing with an injury as well. Ward was definitely dealing with nagging injuries, but his production decline was still troubling. His yards per reception of 10.3 was the lowest of his career and almost a full three yards behind his 2006 number.

Off-season Outlook

The Steelers didn’t make too much of a splash in free agency, as signing running back Mewelde Moore was the biggest offensive acquisition. In other words, there’s nothing to see here.

Draft Recap

Fantasy owners have plenty to applaud or decry (depending on your situation) with the Steeler draft. In the first round, they took arguably the best back not named Darren in Rashard Mendenhall. For those of us that have Parker in dynasty leagues, we’re less than thrilled. Mendenhall, at the least, will be a more talented touchdown hawk than Davenport was last year. If he gets a shot at double-digit carries per game, he could steal the starting gig. In redraft leagues, he’s one of the most important handcuffs. Pittsburgh also took a top college producer at wide out. Limas Sweed flashed great talent at Texas when he was healthy. Unfortunately, he didn’t spend a lot of time being healthy. If he did, he probably would have been a first round selection. In this offense, he’ll have time to grow as a professional.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks - Some of us had Roethlisberger pegged as a fantasy starter quite a while ago. Ahem. If the Steeler defense just let opposing teams score some points, Roethlisberger could probably be a top performer. Unfortunately, he will have only one half to throw the ball consistently in some games.

Running Backs - Your guess is as good as ours. Parker spent the offseason recovering from his injuries and even if he does maintain the starting gig, Mendenhall will cut into his carries. Right now, you have to draft both just in case one emerges as the clear cut starter. If you could only take one, you still have to lean to Parker. That being said, dynasty leaguers shouldn’t wait long to scoop up Mendenhall. In fact, he is probably second on our rookie board right now. His long-term value in the running heaven that is Pittsburgh is off the charts.

Wide Receivers - Despite only playing 13 games, Holmes managed almost 950 yards on a measly 52 receptions. He is undoubtedly one of the best deep threats the NFL has right now. If he plays 16 games, he’s a lock for over 1,100 yards and should approach ten scores. That being said, because he’s a home run hitter, he will have some worthless games for you. In fact, five of his 13 games fell into the worthless category (under 60 yards and no scores) for us. On the other side of the field, the second spot is something of a question mark. Ward is still there and will certainly retain the “starter” moniker. That being said, his production dipped alarmingly, and others will have a chance to get more looks. Sweed might get there eventually, but Nate Washington played well in stretches last season and might repeat some of that success early in 2008.

Tight Ends - Heath Miller should always do a little better than he does. His 566 yards and seven scores last year were pretty good, but he had seven games with two or fewer receptions. That shouldn’t happen.

Defense/Special Teams - We’re really not experts on defense. In fact, we can’t even name more than a few Steeler defenders without checking the web. That being said, we’re confident this group will be one of the top fantasy performers this season. They always are. And we hate them for it, unless we happen to have a Pittsburgh back running well. Other than that, fantasy football would be better off without the Steeler defense.

June 23rd, 2008
Categories: Andy Goldstein, FOOTBALL, Team report . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: 3 Comments