The Baseball Chick

Unless your world only encapsulates incessant Yankees-Red Sox coverage, the 2010 World Series has actually amounted into quite an interesting little affair.  After all, the Giants have not won it all since 1954 (when the team was still in New York), and the American League is represented by the perennially mediocre Texas Rangers, who have never even appeared in a World Series, whether residing in Washington, D.C. or Arlington.  Usually these franchises are masters of futility.  So while this is clearly exciting for both teams’ loyal fans, it can also be an intriguing World Series for anyone else tuning in.  After all, America is guaranteed to not witness another Yankees’ champagne bath, video montage to George Steinbrenner, or cascade of projectile vomit coming out of the mouths of Phillies fans and landing directly on little children for the remainder of this season.

Moving on.  We have quite a cute little pitching battle to look forward to.  Game 1 is the marquee matchup between pitching superstars Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee.  Cliff Lee’s 2010 postseason numbers have been off the chain.  Lee is 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA the past two years in the postseason, and has struck out 34 and walked 1. Lee also threw a complete game in Game 5 of the ALDS. He has a 0.75 ERA this postseason, while pitching a total of 24 innings in 3 games, and an impressive 3.18 ERA cumulative for the entire 2010 season.  Pitching for the Giants on Wednesday night, Tim Lincecum has a career 3.04 ERA and a 2010 postseason ERA of 1.93.  However, Lee’s stuff this postseason has been pretty nasty in the best way.  He made an impressive and powerful Phillies’ lineup look like the Pittsburgh Pirates.  All pitching well this postseason, Matt Cain has had a 0.00 ERA this postseason, Colby Lewis a 1.45, Jonathan Sanchez a 2.93 and C.J. Wilson a 3.93.  Needless to say, tough pitching is going to be on exhibition from both sides during the 2010 World Series.

The Giants seem to have the better bullpen, and certainly some of these games will be tight in the later innings.  In terms of closers, Neftali Feliz has been pretty damn good, but is virtually untested in postseason play.  However, Brian Wilson, freaky beard and all, has done the job in sticky situations this postseason, and has gotten the big out when absolutely necessary.  Unfortunately, he’s caused some ulcers in his 9^th inning appearances this postseason.  Wilson needs to have better command of his stuff, and cannot fall behind as often as he did against Philadelphia.  Ultimately, his backdoor cutter is going to have to be on-point against the powerful Texas Rangers, who are often looking to demolish a fastball mistake.

But ultimately, this World Series will come down to offense and the big bats of the Rangers.  There is no doubt in my mind that this will become a battle between San Francisco’s ace pitching staff and the Rangers’ stacked lineup.  And quite frankly, once Cody Ross cools down (history and his career dictate that he most certainly will), what potency do the San Francisco Giants really have offensively? They have offensive talent sprinkled throughout their lineup, including the phenomenal Buster Posey, but the Giants lineup top to bottom is simply not intimidating… at all.  Cumulative, the Giants had a .257 batting average this season.  Meanwhile, the Rangers have big-time bats like Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero, David Murphy, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and Elvis Andrus.  And these threats come from both sides of the plate.  And let us not forget that Josh Hamilton is currently showcasing why he is becoming one of the preeminent ballplayers in the league.  The Giants pitching staff will need to bring their best off-speed stuff to each and every game if they hope to keep Hamilton off the bases.

The Giants will not be able to keep Elvis Andrus off of the bases, at least not entirely, and their defense will need to be spectacular.  And unfortunately for the Giants, Chase Utley isn’t playing second base for the Rangers this time around.

The Texas Rangers win the World Series in an exciting 7-game series.

Not only did Albert Pujols go 3-5 tonight in the Cardinals’ 6-4 victory over the Pirates, but then in the 7th inning he saved an old man’s life just for kicks.

He then wiped the sweat from his brow, touched the kid in the first row and he magically didn’t have downs syndrome anymore.  After the game, he turned the clubhouse Gatorade into wine.  His will be done.  Amen.

The Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone and quite a few moves have been made in the last few days that will impact fantasy baseball teams everywhere. I will cover the trades with the greatest fantasy impact, starting with:

• The San Diego Padres traded pitcher Jack Peavy to the Chicago White Sox for lefty starter, Clayton Richard, and 3 other pitching prospects. Jake Peavy is due back sometime in September and could help the White Sox make a playoff push. Clayton Richard becomes an intriguing fantasy starter in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues with this move to the spacious Petco Park.
• The Cleveland Indians traded slugging catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez to the Boston Red Sox for major league ready pitcher Justin Masterson, promising lefty Nick Hagadone, and one other prospect. The move should not impact Martinez’s fantasy value and Masterson could find his way into the Cleveland rotation very soon. Mike Lowell will probably be the biggest loser in this deal as he stands to lose some playing time.
• The Red Sox made another move, sending recently acquired first baseman Adam LaRoche to the Atlanta Braves for first baseman Casey Kotchman. LaRoche’s fantasy value should increase as he will be the Braves’ everyday first baseman. Kotchman’s value will remain largely unchanged, but Boston seems like the winner here as Kotchman is 3 years younger and has slightly better career averages.
• The Cincinatti Reds sent 3 players, including third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, to the Toronto Blue Jays for veteran third baseman Scott Rolen. Encarnacion has the potential to deliver decent offensive numbers, but the Blue Jays will suffer a large drop in defense. If Rolen’s recent power surge is not a fluke, then he will love playing at Great American Ballpark and becomes a must-add in all NL-only leagues.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers picked up lefty reliever George Sherrill from the Baltimore Orioles for prospects. This move greatly improves the Dodgers’ tired bullpen, but greatly reduces any fantasy value Sherrill had as a closer, unless your league counts holds. Early reports are saying that Jim Johnson will get first shot at closing duties in Baltimore, as was predicted by The Baseball Chick a few days ago in the Fantasy Sports Corner.
• The Detroit Tigers traded prospects to the Seattle Mariners for left-handed starter Jarrod Washburn. Washburn may see an increase in his ERA and WHIP since he was aided by a superior Mariners outfield, but he should still be a reliable fantasy starter. The Detroit Tigers now have 3 of the top 7 starting ERAs in baseball in their rotation.
• The Oakland A’s, always active at the trade deadline, dealt second baseman Orlando Cabrera to the Minnesota Twins for a prospect.  Cabrera will immediately bat second and should prove to be a nice upgrade over Nick Punto and Brendan Harriss.  The veteran should get a nice boost in runs scored batting in front of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.
• Surprising buyers at the deadline, with a pair of moves, the San Francisco Giants picked up former batting champ and second baseman Freddy Sanchez from the Pittsburgh Pirates for promising pitching prospect Timothy Alderson.  The Giants also added Ryan Garko, courtesy the Cleveland Indians, to replace struggling first baseman Travis Ishikawa.  Garko should see a little more playing time in San Fran and Ishikawa could lose all of his fantasy value.  Sanchez’s value should remain about the same.
• The Chicago Cubs picked up lefty set-up man John Grabow and starter Tom Gorzelanny from the Pittsburgh Pirates for starting pitcher Kevin Hart and 2 other prospects.  Grabow will help to set-up Kevin Gregg in Chicago, leaving his fantasy value largely unchanged.  It appears Matt Capps will stay the Pirates closer for the remainder of this season.
• Finally, the Florida Marlins picked up first baseman Nick Johnson from the Washington Nationals for a prospect.  Johnson’s value may take a hit in Florida unless they decide to bench Emilio Bonafacio and move Jorge Cantu to third base, opening up regular playing time for Johnson at first.

Well, I give it 4 weeks until he’s dealt to a real team.  I mean, let’s face it, the Pirates have turned themselves into simply another farm team for major league baseball teams.

Well besides the fact that he likes ponies and long walks on the beach, he was drafted in the 14th round by the Atlanta Braves all the way back in 1999.  After being released by the Braves, he spent the last 3 years with the Twins’ AAA affiliate.  Jones was signed by the Pirates after last season, didn’t make the opening day roster and was called up on June 30th.  He batted .307 at AAA Indianapolis with 12 HRs and 49 RBIs in 72 games.

Since then?  He’s already hit 10 homeruns, his OBP is .402, his average is .350, his OPS is 1.227 and he is slugging .825.  Additionally, he has 3 stolen bases.

The major question is whether this guy is the real deal.  After all, he’s already 28, which is a bit old for the typical promising major leaguer to make it up to the show.  It’s also a shame that he’s so freaking ugly.

The Major League Baseball season is more than halfway over which means time is running out to make a run in your fantasy baseball league.  With the trade deadline approaching, now is the time to start looking at those set-up men that will inherit the closer position when teams decide to make a change.  The Fantasy Sports Corner has a list of ten potential closers for those in need of saves for the stretch run:

1.  Leo Nunez (Marlins) – 3.56 era, 1.19 whip, 13 holds, 7 saves

If Nunez is still available in your league and you are in need of saves, stop reading and go pick him up.  When closer Matt Lindstrom first went down with an injury, the Florida Marlins went to a committee of lefty Dan Meyer and righty Leo Nunez.  Nunez has emerged as the favorite by getting the last 3 save chances and converting them all.  The plan is to ease Lindstrom back into closing duties, so Nunez will have a chance for a few more saves.  If Nunez continues to pitch well and Lindstrom does not improve on his miserable first half, then the closer’s job could be handed to Nunez permanently.

2.  C.J. Wilson (Rangers) – 2.86 era, 1.27 whip, 8 holds, 10 saves

Texas Rangers closer Frank Francisco got off to a stellar start in 2009.  However, injuries and a current case of pneumonia have limited him.  When Francisco has not be available, C.J. Wilson has filled in admirably.  Wilson won’t be handed the full-time job anytime soon, but Francisco has not shown that he has trouble staying healthy.  So if you are in need of saves, C.J. Wilson is a set-up man to own.

3.  Jon Rauch (Diamondbacks) – 4.25 era, 1.35 whip, 6 holds, 2 saves

The numbers don’t look great, but Jon Rauch has really turned things around lately.  He has only allowed 3 earned runs in his last 10 innings and with the Arizona Diamondbacks looking like sellers at the trade deadline, he may get another shot to close.  There are trade rumors around current Diamondbacks closer Chad Qualls, so Rauch could be in line for some second-half saves.

4.  Ramon Troncoso (Dodgers) – 1.95 era, 1.25 whip, 10 holds, 5 saves

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton is dealing with a nagging toe injury that manager Joe Torre feels could be a problem for the rest of the season.  When Broxton has been unable to pitch, set-up man Ramon Troncoso has filled in and has proven very dependable.  Broxton has done well since the All-Star break, but with a chance of missed days and a D.L. stint, Ramon Troncoso makes a nice second-half sleeper.

5.  Jim Johnson (Orioles) – 3.05 era, 1.26 whip, 14 holds, 1 save

Trade rumors are swirling around Baltimore Orioles closer George Sherrill.  The Orioles are definitely sellers and with quite a few teams showing interest there is a good chance Sherrill will be moved.  Jim Johnson would get the first crack at the closer’s job and should do just fine.  Johnson’s strikeout rate leaves a lot to be desired, but the 25-year-old can be relied on to get outs.

6.  John Grabow (Pirates) – 3.65 era, 1.50 whip, 16 holds, 0 saves

Current Pittsburgh Pirates closer Matt Capps has a lot of job security and isn’t a free agent until 2012.  However, there have been some trade rumors (with the Marlins showing interest), and if he were to be moved then John Grabow would step into the closer’s role.  The Pirates have been winning some games this year, so with a Capps trade Grabow would become a solid fantasy closer.

7.  Matt Thornton (White Sox) – 2.85 era, 1.20 whip, 15 holds, 1 save

Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks has given up six runs in his last four appearances.  Ozzie Guillen has been quoted as saying that Jenks will remain the closer.  His actual quote was, “He’s my closer and if people don’t want him to be my closer, don’t come to the God damn games.”  With a strong bullpen, the White Sox could look to trade Jenks or he could just pitch himself out of a job.  If either of these things happen, Matt Thornton should get first shot at the closer’s role.

8.  Joe Beimel (Nationals) – 3.35 era, 1.33 whip, 10 holds, 1 save

Mike MacDougal is surprisingly doing a fine job closing games for a struggling (to say the least) Washington Nationals baseball team.  However, Manager Jim Riggleman has said that he wants to use the dreaded closer-by-committee approach.  MacDougal will be the favorite in the committee, but his peripherals suggest he is due for a big fall.  Next in line would be Joe Beimel.  Beimel is only 1 for 5 in save opportunities this year, so he is a risky option as well and probably best left for NL-only fantasy leagues.  Sean Burnett is a sleeper here and has pitched extremely well in his short time with the Nationals.

9.  LaTroy Hawkins (Astros) – 2.36 era, 1.24 whip, 11 holds, 10 saves

Houston Astros closer Jose Valverde has been great so far in the second half.  LaTroy Hawkins filled in quite well for Valverde while he was on the D.L. and would do so again if Valverde were to succumb to injury (which is always a possibility).  If the Astros were to fall out of the race there is the potential for Valverde to be traded as he is a free agent.  Hawkins is also a free agent which is why he is toward the bottom of the list.

10.  Ryan Madson (Phillies) – 3.10 era, 1.20 whip, 16 holds, 4 saves

Ryan Madson was one of the best set-up men in baseball for the Philladelphia Phillies in the first half.  When current closer Brad Lidge went on the D.L., Madson got a chance to see if his 8th inning skills would translate to the 9th inning.  Madson learned quickly that closing games is not easy and he struggled mightily in the role.  Brad Lidge is back closing games for the Phillies and Madson is settling back into his set-up role here in the second half.  However, Lidge is still proving to be awfully hittable and although he says his knee is 100% there is always the possibility of another trip to the D.L.  All of this makes Ryan Madson a sleeper closer and his numbers will not hurt you if you’re looking for help in ERA, WHIP, and K/9.