Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Armas Cleared, LF Situation, Livan
First Spring Cuts
Tonight's game against the Mets marks the midway point of Spring Training for the Expos (or the "first phase", as Robinson recently referred to it) and the first cuts have been made. I have optioned the old archive site to the trash can (lack of performance) and named the new HQ site (http://exposflb.blogspot.com) the Opening Day starter barring injury. You can go there now for the updated Draft Quick Hits. The only move the big league team has made is to assign catcher Brad Cresse to Arizona, whom they acquired from them last year for a player to be named later. The deal was he had to make the Opening Day roster for it to go through. So much for that. Frank has said that there will, however, be some cuts by the end of the week. I'll keep you posted.
Armas is cleared for takeoff
He only started 3 games last year, teasing us with great numbers. This spring, he's been battling bicep pain, but as of Monday, Tony Armas has been cleared for game action. He completed a three-inning simulated game and threw all his pitches. All looked good except the slider, said pitching coach Randy St. Claire. This could be attributed to his lack of throwing it in his first few sessions, laying off it due to the concern over his bicep. He is scheduled to start March 23rd in one of the split squad games and gather two more starts before Opening Day. The 'Spos are quickly running out of games to do that with the proper rest between starts, but all indications are that he'll be ready. Draft him? Not at this point. He'll be there later, so there's no reason to jump the gun yet.
PB, J, & a Sledgehammer
Despite how it sounds, this is not a Gallagher comedy bit. It's the three front-runners to be the Supreme Head for the Montreal six-headed monster in LF. PB would Peter Bergeron, who is playing for his major league life, out of options and set for waivers if he doesn't make the team. Frank has said previously that he only makes it if he's the starter. No pressure there. Despite PB hitting a mind-numbing .464 so far this spring (13-28), Robinson is not conceding he'll even make the team yet. "He could go 0-for-the next 20 games. Then what will we say?" How about bye-bye? Will PB keep goin' nutty or will he be outta the lineup in a jif (sorry)? I vote the latter. His past numbers aren't creamy (career .226 AVG, .305 OBP in 1000+ ABs).
Not what the Expos need in the leadoff spot, which is most likely where he'd hit in a perfect world. As for the J, Juan Rivera is definitely "jammed" up (sorry again) this spring, going 3 for 16 (.188). It's looking like he could start the season as #4 in the OF. As for the Hammer, Termel Sledge is living up to the hype thus far (7-17, .412). Now, that's only four hits difference when you compare him to Rivera, so don't weigh all this too heavily yet. So what's happenin' with Chavez, Calloway, and Vaspucci? Calloway's 6 for 17 and Vaspucci's 5 for 15, so neither of them are eliminating themselves from contention. As for Endy Chavez? That'd be 2 for 22 (.091). Frank said he could get hot any day now, but for Endy's sake, it'd better be yesterday or he's in trouble.
For Your Consideration
Now, Frank and GM Omar Minaya haven't exactly asked me for insight on the closer issue yet (something tells me I'd better not hold my breath), but I'd like to throw another name into the mix. I mentioned in my last column about Biddle and his downside. Ayala and Cordero each have their own question marks, so while the Expos have all these potential closers with issues, what's one more? I offer up Jeremy Fikac. He's relatively young and can strike guys out (7.6 K per 9 in 111 MLB IP). He has a tendency to give up the long ball--which won't help in Olympic/Bithorn--but his career OBA is lower than both Biddle and Ayala. His spring line is 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 2 BB. However--all 4 hits and 3 runs came in one outing. Take that away--6 IP, 9 K, 2 BB, 0 hits. Somethin' to think about.
The Underestimation of Livan Hernandez
No, this isn't an independent foreign film. I've had 2 drafts now, and I've got him in the 19th and the 22nd round. This is unbelievable to me. He's currently going anywhere from rounds 15-22. If you've read the Quick Hits, you know I'm big on him. This is a guy who had a 2.42 ERA after the break last year. He's durable (he's pitched 200 innings or more 5 of the last 6 years), he doesn't throw a lot of meat, and his BBs have gone down while his Ks have gone up. On a team with a better bullpen, I'd be repeating "20 wins" over and over again. On the 'Spos, 15 is definitely safe and I really think there'll be more. If he avoids burnout (and his stats say that's not as much of a risk as it once was), I have stolen a great starting pitcher in both of my drafts.
Odds and Ends
One spring stat that I find positive and worth being excited about is Brad Wilkerson's 3 K's in 17 ABs. BW whiffed in a ridiculous 31% of his ABs last year and 32% in 2002. So while it's only 17 ABs, and the bad news is he only has 2 hits so far (.118), at least he's putting it in play. That's something to build on for him. Also, I've maligned Tony Batista's hitting skills all over the place so far this spring. But the man's got chicken pox, and at his age, that's no picnic. Get well soon, TB. Finally, according to the team website, Rocky Biddle's wife is pregnant. The name plan? A boy=Rocky. A girl=Charlie. Here's hoping that Rocky spends this season not only improving his pitching but reading one of those baby naming books. Reporting for the Expos, this is Matt Allen--ESPN.
Tonight's game against the Mets marks the midway point of Spring Training for the Expos (or the "first phase", as Robinson recently referred to it) and the first cuts have been made. I have optioned the old archive site to the trash can (lack of performance) and named the new HQ site (http://exposflb.blogspot.com) the Opening Day starter barring injury. You can go there now for the updated Draft Quick Hits. The only move the big league team has made is to assign catcher Brad Cresse to Arizona, whom they acquired from them last year for a player to be named later. The deal was he had to make the Opening Day roster for it to go through. So much for that. Frank has said that there will, however, be some cuts by the end of the week. I'll keep you posted.
Armas is cleared for takeoff
He only started 3 games last year, teasing us with great numbers. This spring, he's been battling bicep pain, but as of Monday, Tony Armas has been cleared for game action. He completed a three-inning simulated game and threw all his pitches. All looked good except the slider, said pitching coach Randy St. Claire. This could be attributed to his lack of throwing it in his first few sessions, laying off it due to the concern over his bicep. He is scheduled to start March 23rd in one of the split squad games and gather two more starts before Opening Day. The 'Spos are quickly running out of games to do that with the proper rest between starts, but all indications are that he'll be ready. Draft him? Not at this point. He'll be there later, so there's no reason to jump the gun yet.
PB, J, & a Sledgehammer
Despite how it sounds, this is not a Gallagher comedy bit. It's the three front-runners to be the Supreme Head for the Montreal six-headed monster in LF. PB would Peter Bergeron, who is playing for his major league life, out of options and set for waivers if he doesn't make the team. Frank has said previously that he only makes it if he's the starter. No pressure there. Despite PB hitting a mind-numbing .464 so far this spring (13-28), Robinson is not conceding he'll even make the team yet. "He could go 0-for-the next 20 games. Then what will we say?" How about bye-bye? Will PB keep goin' nutty or will he be outta the lineup in a jif (sorry)? I vote the latter. His past numbers aren't creamy (career .226 AVG, .305 OBP in 1000+ ABs).
Not what the Expos need in the leadoff spot, which is most likely where he'd hit in a perfect world. As for the J, Juan Rivera is definitely "jammed" up (sorry again) this spring, going 3 for 16 (.188). It's looking like he could start the season as #4 in the OF. As for the Hammer, Termel Sledge is living up to the hype thus far (7-17, .412). Now, that's only four hits difference when you compare him to Rivera, so don't weigh all this too heavily yet. So what's happenin' with Chavez, Calloway, and Vaspucci? Calloway's 6 for 17 and Vaspucci's 5 for 15, so neither of them are eliminating themselves from contention. As for Endy Chavez? That'd be 2 for 22 (.091). Frank said he could get hot any day now, but for Endy's sake, it'd better be yesterday or he's in trouble.
For Your Consideration
Now, Frank and GM Omar Minaya haven't exactly asked me for insight on the closer issue yet (something tells me I'd better not hold my breath), but I'd like to throw another name into the mix. I mentioned in my last column about Biddle and his downside. Ayala and Cordero each have their own question marks, so while the Expos have all these potential closers with issues, what's one more? I offer up Jeremy Fikac. He's relatively young and can strike guys out (7.6 K per 9 in 111 MLB IP). He has a tendency to give up the long ball--which won't help in Olympic/Bithorn--but his career OBA is lower than both Biddle and Ayala. His spring line is 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 2 BB. However--all 4 hits and 3 runs came in one outing. Take that away--6 IP, 9 K, 2 BB, 0 hits. Somethin' to think about.
The Underestimation of Livan Hernandez
No, this isn't an independent foreign film. I've had 2 drafts now, and I've got him in the 19th and the 22nd round. This is unbelievable to me. He's currently going anywhere from rounds 15-22. If you've read the Quick Hits, you know I'm big on him. This is a guy who had a 2.42 ERA after the break last year. He's durable (he's pitched 200 innings or more 5 of the last 6 years), he doesn't throw a lot of meat, and his BBs have gone down while his Ks have gone up. On a team with a better bullpen, I'd be repeating "20 wins" over and over again. On the 'Spos, 15 is definitely safe and I really think there'll be more. If he avoids burnout (and his stats say that's not as much of a risk as it once was), I have stolen a great starting pitcher in both of my drafts.
Odds and Ends
One spring stat that I find positive and worth being excited about is Brad Wilkerson's 3 K's in 17 ABs. BW whiffed in a ridiculous 31% of his ABs last year and 32% in 2002. So while it's only 17 ABs, and the bad news is he only has 2 hits so far (.118), at least he's putting it in play. That's something to build on for him. Also, I've maligned Tony Batista's hitting skills all over the place so far this spring. But the man's got chicken pox, and at his age, that's no picnic. Get well soon, TB. Finally, according to the team website, Rocky Biddle's wife is pregnant. The name plan? A boy=Rocky. A girl=Charlie. Here's hoping that Rocky spends this season not only improving his pitching but reading one of those baby naming books. Reporting for the Expos, this is Matt Allen--ESPN.
