We had been bullish on Pedro Martinez’s chances of helping his owners down the stretch, and in fact, he capped a pretty solid August with a fine outing his last time out. But now reports suggest that he may not be able to make his scheduled start this weekend as he’s had difficulties getting his shoulder loose. He’s back in New York now, working on his flexibility, so it may be wise to think about slotting in someone else to start for you this weekend. I’m not recommending dumping him yet, pending an update, but proceed with caution here.

Aaron Boone has flashed a bit of pop since coming off the DL, with a homer and two doubles in 22 at bats, but he’s not playing enough nor hitting at a high enough clip to be worthy of attention. Given his lack of PT and lack of productivity, once again I’m left to wonder what future opportunities Boone will have as a major leaguer.

Tim Wakefield was in a bit of a nice groove early last month, but he was not overly impressive in either of his last two starts, so I can’t recommend him right now, either. Once among the most durable pitchers in the game (hey, it’s kind of hard to hurt your arm when you are barely throwing 65 mph), Father Time may be finally catching up to recently-turned-42-year-old, as he’s endured a couple of DL stints in the past few years. Still, here’s one I bet will surprise you: Wakefield ranks eighth in the AL in WHIP.

When we lasted checked in on Jon Lester, he was still available in some leagues. Given his brilliant July, that changed quickly enough. Some long ball troubles skewed his otherwise good August, and in his first start of September on Tuesday, Lester earned his 13th win with another solid outing, albeit with more control issues than normal. I’m just so impressed with how this young man has come into his own this season, especially given everything he’s had to endure in the last couple of years. Where would the BoSox be without Lester? Or conversely, where would the Yankees be even if one of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy or Kei Igawa had delivered in a remotely similar manner?

Although he was touched up more than normal, Mike Mussina impressed the hell out of me once again on Tuesday, limiting the Rays to a pair of runs in six innings, walking just one and fanning eight to earn win number 17 on the season, second in the AL behind only Cliff Lee. We’ve discussed Moose’s renaissance quite a bit lately, but here’s another reason for his success: one home run allowed in his last seven starts. With an assumed four starts remaining, Mussina has an outside chance of racking up the first 20-win season of his impressive career.

Have you noticed that Jason Giambi has driven in at least one run in eight straight games? I can’t see him ever regaining his pre-‘roid era power, but he’s made a nice recovery this year and probably deserves some consideration as a possible AL Comeback Player of the Year candidate. Hey, if for nothing else, how about some kudos for having the balls to regrow his porn ‘stache?

While it’s pretty tough to top what Mariano Rivera and Francisco Rodriguez have managed this season, we weren’t too far off base in ranking Jonathan Papelbon as the top fantasy reliever heading into 2008, were we? Thanks to his mind-blowing command, Papelbon has turned in another brilliant season, reaching 35 saves for the third straight year and likely headed for his first ever 40-save campaign. Toss in a career-high five wins and the fact he has not surrendered an earned run since July 13, and you’re looking at someone who has definitely justified his mid fourth-round selection in most drafts this year.

September 4th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Fantasy Notes, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: No Comments

In some recent news coming out of Japan, it seems the Boston Red Sox are seriously pursuing amateur free agent Junichi Tazawa, currently pitching in the Japanese Industrial Leagues. Also rumoured to be interested are the Mets, Braves and, of course, most NPB teams. The 22-year-old righthander is enjoying a solid year for Eneos Oil and is most worthy of the attention. In 54 IP, Tazawa has allowed 46 hits, a scant four — yes four – free passes and has struck out 56 with an ERA of 1.00. 

A probable early round choice heading into this year’s NPB draft, Tazawa throws a low 90s fastball, a curve and a shuuto, which is a pitch common to NPB hurlers that breaks down and in to right-handers when thrown by a righty (it’s essentially a reverse slider). It looks like the Red Sox are being very serious in their efforts to both scout and recruit from the Asian market and it is going to be very interesting to see the reaction from the NPB should Boston or any other MLB team sign Tazawa prior to the draft. 

This is definitely a name and a situation that merits monitoring over the next several months.

September 3rd, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Japanese baseball, Rumours, Tim McLeod . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 3 Comments

A lot of RotoRob readers are still shaking off the effects of their football drafts, but don’t look now — hockey’s right around the corner! For the next few weeks, RotoRob will be rolling out its 2008-09 NHL Draft Kit to help you prepare for your pool/fantasy league. Let’s start with everyone’s favourite — cheat sheets, today focusing on the centre position, where a couple of flightless waterfowl from the Steel City are the obvious top choices.

Please note that while different fantasy leagues may shift players around from wing to centre and vice versa, all players on this list were listed at centre as per Yahoo!

1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins: Duh. After Crosby’s stellar playoff performance, there’s not too much more to say about him. Can his magical passing revive Miroslav Satan’s goal-scoring ability? I’m guessing so, as Satan has more natural talent than Crosby’s non-Marian Hossa linemates from last season. Don’t forget that Sid the Kid also shares power play time with Evgeni Malkin.

2. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins: Malkin’s Crosby-less trial-by-fire last season was a resounding success. What to do for an encore? Ryan Malone is replaced with Ruslan Fedotenko, but Malkin’s chemistry with Petr Sykora should remain strong. Like Crosby, Malkin still has years before he gets to his physical peak.

3. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks: Consider this — Thornton’s usual linemate Jonathan Cheechoo was recovering from double-sports hernia surgery for two-thirds of the season and Big Joe still led the league in assists. A healthy Cheechoo, a more offensive blueline, and a new coach with an offensive mindset should mean that Thornton eclipses 100 points again — and very likely the 30-goal barrier (he had 29 last year) for the first time as a Shark.

4. Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning: Lecavalier’s season was short-circuited by the Lightning’s total collapse. The Bolts are much stronger up front, meaning that Lecavalier can focus on producing with linemates Martin St. Louis and Vaclav Prospal (along with creating shorthanded situations with St. Louis) without worrying about being the only offensive threat on the team.

5. Jason Spezza, Ottawa Senators: Poor Spezza. Even though he consistently has 90-point seasons, he’s constantly criticized for not being better. After coaching him at the World Championships, Ken Hitchcock noted that Spezza has maxxed out his natural skills and needs structure to be better. New Coach Craig Hartsburg might be the right person to take Spezza to the next level.

6. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings: Is it a bad thing to have too many quality players? The Red Wings not only kept their team together, they added Marian Hossa to the mix. Early lines show that Coach Mike Babcock is sticking with the Datsyuk/Henrik Zetterberg/Tomas Holmstrom combination while Hossa will flank Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula. Will that mark a decrease in special teams time for Datsyuk? With so many options, look for his point totals to stay around where they were last year — a stellar 97 — but not increase too much.

7. Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes: For a long time, Staal has had Erik Cole riding shotgun. With Cole shipped out to Edmonton, that tandem is no more. However, Staal was a force after team captain Rod Brind’Amour went down last season, almost single-handedly willing the Hurricanes into a playoff spot. Look for Staal to push back towards elite status rather than the 70-80 point area he’s been in for the past couple of seasons.

8. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks: The torch has officially been passed to Getzlaf and teammate Corey Perry; even if Teemu Selanne comes back, it’s really now the Getzlaf/Perry era in Anaheim. There’s no telling how much second-line support Getzlaf will have, but he still put up strong numbers even during the Scott Niedermayer-Selanne-less part of last season. Getzlaf should eclipse the 30-goal mark for the first time in his young career.

9. Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers: Say hello to the new face of the Flyers — or as many Philly fans like to think, the second coming of Bobby Clarke. Richards definitely has a long ways to go in order to live up to that, but he’s still trending upwards. And, unlike teammate Daniel Briere, Richards is more adept at producing points in all situations.

10. Marc Savard, Boston Bruins: Savard just keeps quietly putting up the points. While he’d certainly have more if he still had Ilya Kovalchuk on his wing, Savard’s second season in Beantown was still successful. If Phil Kessel and Milan Lucic have breakout seasons, look for Savard’s passing to be the catalyst for that.

11. Olli Jokinen, Phoenix Coyotes: For years, Olli Jokinen kept producing points despite revolving linemates and the frustratingly slow development of Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton. Now Jokinen has proven scorer Shane Doan on his wing; at the same time, the young Coyotes are developing enough that they’ve got the secondary scoring to alleviate some pressure from the top unit. Look for Jokinen to eclipse his point totals from Florida.

12. Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche: Regardless of Joe Sakic’s return, Stastny is now the main man in Colorado. While the team was ravaged by injuries, Stastny continued to put up points — that is, until he was hit by his own injuries. With a refreshed Avalanche lineup, look for Stastny to continue to get better. And with Sakic officially back, Stastny should have an even better year and the Avs should have two solid lines as they look to rebound. Somewhere, Peter Forsberg’s foot is hurting in jealousy.

13. Mike Ribeiro, Dallas Stars: Left for dead in Montreal, Ribeiro found new life in Dallas by meshing with captain Brenden Morrow. Morrow’s bull-in-a-China-shop work on the boards and in front of the net are the perfect fit for Ribeiro’s slick puck control and deft passing skills.

14. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals: Is Backstrom ready to be a 90-point guy yet? The up-and-coming Capitals have enough talent to mix-and-match Backstrom’s wing slot. There’s always the fear of a sophomore slump, but don’t expect Backstrom to disappear from the map; expect a slight improvement over his 69 points and hope for an 80-point campaign.

15. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings: Kopitar skates with the puck on a string and little help from a frustrating Kings’ team. If Kopitar played for the Rangers or Leafs, he’d be getting a ton of press but he skates with little fanfare in L.A. other than from the Kings’ die-hard fanbase. Still, the young King forwards will continue to develop as a team, meaning that they should all progressively get better, Kopitar included.

Others to Consider

Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
Derek Roy, Buffalo Sabres
Scott Gomez, New York Rangers

September 3rd, 2008
Categories: 2008-09 NHL Draft Kit, Cheat sheets, HOCKEY, Mike Chen . Author: Mike Chen . Comments: 1 Comment

Derek Jeter helped the Yankees snap a two-game losing skid with a huge game Monday, going 2-for-3 with three walks, three runs and his first two RBI since August 20. He is still without an extra-base hit since August 20, but after batting .345 in August and getting off to such a fine start in September, his owners have to be pleased with recent developments. Overall, as we’ve discussed, it’s been a tough year on Jeter owners. He’s headed for his lowest hits total since 2003, when injuries cost him 43 games. Worse still, his power numbers have completely evaporated and so have his steals. — RR

Mariano Rivera, meanwhile, hasn’t appeared in a game since he saved Friday’s win over the Jays. He was worked pretty hard in August, so a few days off might not be such a bad idea. Having him fresh for the Tampa Bay series will be important – especially considering how effective he’s been against the Rays in recent years. Between 2005 and 2007, Mo recorded a 1.35 ERA against Tampa Bay, giving up just 16 hits and six walks in 26 2/3 IP, while fanning 37. This year, he’s been even more effective, going 4-for-4 in save chances while putting up a 1.23 ERA and surrendering just four hits and one walk against 11 strikeouts in 7 1/3 IP. That’ll do. — RR

Monday night marked the return of Adam Jones and he responded in fine fashion, hitting one deep for the Orioles. For those of you who might be remiss, Jones was on his way to a great start to the second half before the broken bone in his foot derailed him at the beginning of August. I really like the potential heading into 2009 for this 23-year-old and, in keeper formats, would find a home for him right smartly. — TM
 
Other than the purveyors of Asian talent (that would be me, and RotoRob, although he tends to focus more on lovely Asian ladies), and the few Indian fans still admitting it, has anyone noticed the numbers currently being produced by Shin-Soo Choo? Choo has been on fire and is doing everything in his power to convince the Indians that he should be penciled in every day heading into ‘09. In his past five games, he’s smacked three homers, produced seven RBI and is hitting to the tune of a .579 BA. This would be one case where I think you have to agree with Mary Murphy and get on the train, the Choo Choo train, before it leaves the station. — TM
 
The stars must have been aligned just about perfectly Monday as we got to witness not one, but two players hitting for the cycle. Stephen Drew and Adrian Beltre both accomplished this feat, the first time two players did it on the same day since September 17, 1920 when George Burns (I wonder if Gracie was in attendance) and Bobby Veach each turned the trick. Beltre also managed to chip in with five runs scored, and looks to be heading for a strong finish for the Mariners. — TM
 
For a player that most had written off heading into ‘08, Carlos Delgado has had a truly outstanding season. Monday, he mashed his 31st long ball in leading the Mets to a come-from-behind victory over the Brew Crew. Having already surpassed both his home run and RBI totals from 2007, isn’t it just about time to give the big guy some justifiable recognition as an NL MVP candidate? The return to form for Delgado has certainly been a big factor in the Mets holding off the Phillies for first in the NL East thus far. — TM

September 2nd, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Fantasy Notes, RotoRob, Tim McLeod . Author: RotoRob . Comments: No Comments

After taking the final two games of their three-game set in Yankee Stadium, the Toronto Blue Jays have moved to 70-66, a pace that should allow them to match or pass their 83-win total in 2007.

Clearly, however, the team needs an upgrade offensively and probably more pitching (pending off-season developments) before it truly has hope of battling for one of the top two spots in the American League East.

The return of Manager Cito Gaston has definitely helped. Five games under .500 when they finally tied a can to John Gibbons on June 20, the Jays have gone 35-26 under Gaston, spurring them to commit to the two-time World Series Champion manager for 2009.

A.J. Burnett has been a much-improved pitcher in the second half, and while he avoided being dealt as had been expected, he’s clearly nearing the end of his tenure in Toronto. Although he hasn’t been as dominating as he was in 2007, Burnett has stayed healthy, shattering his career high in wins along the way. Replacing him in 2009 won’t be easy…or cheap.

Shaun Marcum looked like he was an integral part of the rotation in the first half, enjoying a major breakthrough until hurting his elbow and absolutely sucking since. A week and a half ago, the Jays decided they had seen enough and dispatched him to Triple-A to work on his delivery. Well, in his first start at Triple-A Syracuse last week, Marcum scattered five hits and three earned runs in seven innings, striking out nine and walking just two, so I’d suggest keeping an eye on him. If he turns in another outing like that for Syracuse, he’ll be back with the Jays as a September callup and since he’s been dropped in plenty of leagues, he’s definitely someone to consider. Remember, this dude was a top 75 pitcher heading into 2008.

Dustin McGowan started the season like gangbusters, but he deteriorated as the year progressed, finally succumbing to season-ending shoulder surgery in late July. He’s expected to be ready to begin 2009 on schedule, so will likely fly under the radar on draft day next season.

Despite some serious inconsistency, I still don’t get why Jesse Litsch is largely being shunned in most fantasy leagues. Sure, July was butt ugly, but look what he did in August – 1-1 with a 1.37 ERA. I know he doesn’t fan very many (even with an increase of half a strikeout per nine innings this season), but he can definitely be a help in 4×4 leagues.

Meanwhile, Roy Halladay just keeps doing his thing. He’s won his last four starts and even though he wasn’t dominating – by his standards – in the last three, Doc still put up a 4-1, 1.96 August. That’ll do. Clearly, he’s right in the mix for a second Cy Young award.

Assuming Jeremy Accardo can return healthy in 2009, the Jays look set in the bullpen, already a major strength (the team’s collective bullpen ERA of 2.92 is head and shoulders better than any other AL club).

Vernon Wells returned from his hamstring-induced DL stint like a man possessed, smashing five homers and batting .313 over the final three weeks of August. Staying healthy has proved to be a challenge for Wells this season, but his power and batting average have both made tremendous recoveries after he suffered through the worst season of his career in 2007.

Alex Rios looked like he was really hitting his stride last month before slumping somewhat over the past week. Still, since the All-Star break, he’s stepped up his game, batting .295 and finally rediscovering his power stroke. Rios has proved extremely durable the past couple of seasons, but far too many of his career-high 24 homers in 2007 have turned back into doubles this year, and that’s obviously hurt his overall productivity. From a fantasy perspective, this has been mitigated to a large extent by a breakthrough in the stolen base department, as he shattered his previous best in this category. My biggest disappointment as far as Rios goes is the regression in his on-base skills. Imagine how many steals he’d have if he were still getting on base over 35 per cent of the time. He needs to improve this area before I consider him an elite outfielder.

A recent skid by Adam Lind has caused quite a few fantasy owners to set him adrift, but he’s still been a very different player since the All-Star break, batting almost .300 with more power. I think Lind is going to surprise a hell of a lot of people in 2009, assuming he gets his 500 at bats. Think a .300 BA with upwards of 25 homers and around 85 to 90 RBI (depending on where he’s hitting in the batting order). I’m naming him an early sleeper for 2009.

One player Toronto management will be watching very closely down the stretch is young Travis Snider. Just 20 years old, Snider was brought up after Matt Stairs got dispatched to Philly last week, and he is an integral part of the Jays’ future. If he proves he can handle a big league job this month, look for this top prospect to be heavily in the LF/DH mix for 2009.

On Sunday, Scott Rolen showed some signs of life in his second game back from his latest DL stint, going yard for the first time since August 1, shortly before he got hurt. Obviously, his shoulder has been a serious issue in the second half, but September should tell us much about whether he’s capable of being a factor going forward. If you’re still holding on to him, wait and see before considering activating him; if he’s out there in your league (which is very likely), keep an eye on Rolen – he could be an asset in September if that shoulder is finally sound (which is doubtful).

September 1st, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, RotoRob, Team report . Author: RotoRob . Comments: No Comments