Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Two Weeks In/Angels Get Their Wings
7-up, 7-down
We're just two weeks into the fantasy (and the actual) season, and the Halos after a hot start are just .500. This is mainly due to a sweltering 1-4 start against the Rangers, who have the Angels to thank for being anywhere remotely near .500 as well. I know it's April, and I know the Rangers are expected to finish last, but I'll say right now that they provide the least favorable matchup of any team in the AL West for the Halos (yes, even worse than the Elephant Men). I realize I'm starting from a 4-1 advantage, but I'd be willing to venture that the Angels may not have a winning record against the boys from Arlington for the season. Good thing for Angels' fans is that after this week's series, they don't meet again until July 21. Time to make some adjustments.
I hate to say I told ya so…no I don't
Can someone please read back to me my remarks on the disaster I said it would be to have Ramon Ortiz in the rotation? Didn't I say something about a significantly decreased k/9 rate and a declining groundball/flyball ratio with a history of giving up long balls to begin with? Yes, I'm certain I mentioned something about all that. I recall saying in my last column that "Meat Machine" Ortiz would most likely get rocked by Texas. What was his line that day? 2.2 IP, 7 ER. What was his line against them yesterday? 2.1 IP, 4 ER. Current ERA: 12.66. Can't Scioscia and Black see that his success was due to finishing 4th in AL run support last year (on a team that finished 11th in AL runs scored no less). Ramon Ortiz won the lottery getting 16 Ws in '03. It won't happen again.
Donnelly's nose on the mend
Scioscia said in the LA Daily News that Donnelly's back doing cardio exercises and pitcher's fielding practice. While Donnelly could come back and find himself 3rd in the bullpen hierarchy behind Percival and Rodriguez, he's still a good add to your fantasy team if you're looking for a low ERA and WHIP. He's also struck out more than a batter an inning for the last 2 years. Keep an eye on this and if he comes back soon, grab him if you're troubled in those areas.
What the Eck?
Don't look now, but David Eckstein, who was drafted on average 25th among ML SSs in this year's ESPN drafts, is currently the 13th best SS in the bigs, according to the Player Rater. He's hit just under .300, swiped a couple of bags, and scored 5 runs. Will he continue to be helpful at, say, the 2B/SS slot? Here's some signs that point to 'yes': only 1 K in 54 ABs (historically he strikes out in less than 10% of his ABs), Scioscia's running philosophy could net him 25+ SBs, and oh yeah, he's hitting in front of guys named Guerrero, Anderson, Glaus, Guillen, and Salmon. Not only that, but he's currently out performing much higher drafted SSs like Berroa, Cintron, Furcal, and two guys named Jeter and Rodriguez.
Guillen/Salmon watch
Something else that I contended in the preseason was that Tim Salmon's line at the end of the year would look conspicuously like the much more-hyped Jose Guillen's. So far, let's take a look: Guillen--.264, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R. Salmon--.188, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R. While it's close except for the AVG, keep in mind that Guillen has already whiffed 14 times compared to Salmon's 7, while only walking once more. This will not bode well for his AVG in the future, although the one advantage he may have over Salmon in the long run could be AVG. Overall, though, Salmon can be had much easier and is likely to provide almost the same stats, assuming he stays healthy. Currently his knee is sore, but he's day-to-day. As long as he's regular, deal Guillen for an upgrade and grab Salmon.
Every time I write a column…
. . . an Angels gets his wings. I'll take a look at the hottest Angel--fantasy wise--in the last seven days and tell you if he can help your team and where. We might also clip a few wings for those who are performing like Ramon Ortiz, but for now I'm going to leave him and his gopherballs alone. This week, we're pinning some wings on Darin Erstad. Yeah, I know I asked all of you nicely to shy away from DE, saying he could be the least productive full-time 1B in MLB this year. Well, actually I still stand by that, but his line this week looks like this: 6-for-23 (.261), 3 R, 3 SB. It's mainly the swipes which have made him so valuable to fantasy owners this week, but it will continue to be his only strength, and even then only to the tune of 20 or so. You can find those elsewhere.
On Deck
After muddling through two more with Texas, the Halos head away from home for their longest roadie of the year at 9 games. There'll be stops in OAK, DET, and MIN along the way, marking the first games the Angels play outside the AL West. I'm thinking that Anaheim could feast on some Tiger pitching, and although the Twins are hot, they're beat up and they've got guys who are playing above their talent level, which won't last forever. Hopefully they'll be off the hot horse by April 30. The A's series will be fun to watch. The Elephant men will most likely throw Redman and Harden over the weekend, where the Halos will have Escobar and the Meat Machine. As for Game 1 on Friday? Washburn vs. Zito. Should be real fun. Reporting for the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
We're just two weeks into the fantasy (and the actual) season, and the Halos after a hot start are just .500. This is mainly due to a sweltering 1-4 start against the Rangers, who have the Angels to thank for being anywhere remotely near .500 as well. I know it's April, and I know the Rangers are expected to finish last, but I'll say right now that they provide the least favorable matchup of any team in the AL West for the Halos (yes, even worse than the Elephant Men). I realize I'm starting from a 4-1 advantage, but I'd be willing to venture that the Angels may not have a winning record against the boys from Arlington for the season. Good thing for Angels' fans is that after this week's series, they don't meet again until July 21. Time to make some adjustments.
I hate to say I told ya so…no I don't
Can someone please read back to me my remarks on the disaster I said it would be to have Ramon Ortiz in the rotation? Didn't I say something about a significantly decreased k/9 rate and a declining groundball/flyball ratio with a history of giving up long balls to begin with? Yes, I'm certain I mentioned something about all that. I recall saying in my last column that "Meat Machine" Ortiz would most likely get rocked by Texas. What was his line that day? 2.2 IP, 7 ER. What was his line against them yesterday? 2.1 IP, 4 ER. Current ERA: 12.66. Can't Scioscia and Black see that his success was due to finishing 4th in AL run support last year (on a team that finished 11th in AL runs scored no less). Ramon Ortiz won the lottery getting 16 Ws in '03. It won't happen again.
Donnelly's nose on the mend
Scioscia said in the LA Daily News that Donnelly's back doing cardio exercises and pitcher's fielding practice. While Donnelly could come back and find himself 3rd in the bullpen hierarchy behind Percival and Rodriguez, he's still a good add to your fantasy team if you're looking for a low ERA and WHIP. He's also struck out more than a batter an inning for the last 2 years. Keep an eye on this and if he comes back soon, grab him if you're troubled in those areas.
What the Eck?
Don't look now, but David Eckstein, who was drafted on average 25th among ML SSs in this year's ESPN drafts, is currently the 13th best SS in the bigs, according to the Player Rater. He's hit just under .300, swiped a couple of bags, and scored 5 runs. Will he continue to be helpful at, say, the 2B/SS slot? Here's some signs that point to 'yes': only 1 K in 54 ABs (historically he strikes out in less than 10% of his ABs), Scioscia's running philosophy could net him 25+ SBs, and oh yeah, he's hitting in front of guys named Guerrero, Anderson, Glaus, Guillen, and Salmon. Not only that, but he's currently out performing much higher drafted SSs like Berroa, Cintron, Furcal, and two guys named Jeter and Rodriguez.
Guillen/Salmon watch
Something else that I contended in the preseason was that Tim Salmon's line at the end of the year would look conspicuously like the much more-hyped Jose Guillen's. So far, let's take a look: Guillen--.264, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R. Salmon--.188, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R. While it's close except for the AVG, keep in mind that Guillen has already whiffed 14 times compared to Salmon's 7, while only walking once more. This will not bode well for his AVG in the future, although the one advantage he may have over Salmon in the long run could be AVG. Overall, though, Salmon can be had much easier and is likely to provide almost the same stats, assuming he stays healthy. Currently his knee is sore, but he's day-to-day. As long as he's regular, deal Guillen for an upgrade and grab Salmon.
Every time I write a column…
. . . an Angels gets his wings. I'll take a look at the hottest Angel--fantasy wise--in the last seven days and tell you if he can help your team and where. We might also clip a few wings for those who are performing like Ramon Ortiz, but for now I'm going to leave him and his gopherballs alone. This week, we're pinning some wings on Darin Erstad. Yeah, I know I asked all of you nicely to shy away from DE, saying he could be the least productive full-time 1B in MLB this year. Well, actually I still stand by that, but his line this week looks like this: 6-for-23 (.261), 3 R, 3 SB. It's mainly the swipes which have made him so valuable to fantasy owners this week, but it will continue to be his only strength, and even then only to the tune of 20 or so. You can find those elsewhere.
On Deck
After muddling through two more with Texas, the Halos head away from home for their longest roadie of the year at 9 games. There'll be stops in OAK, DET, and MIN along the way, marking the first games the Angels play outside the AL West. I'm thinking that Anaheim could feast on some Tiger pitching, and although the Twins are hot, they're beat up and they've got guys who are playing above their talent level, which won't last forever. Hopefully they'll be off the hot horse by April 30. The A's series will be fun to watch. The Elephant men will most likely throw Redman and Harden over the weekend, where the Halos will have Escobar and the Meat Machine. As for Game 1 on Friday? Washburn vs. Zito. Should be real fun. Reporting for the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
