Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Clipped Wings/An Angel of My Very Own
[Programming note: From here on, I will simultaneously post my current article at ESPN here as well. This makes it easier to just come directly here for the update if you like. So, for the lucky few of you who have this site bookmarked, now you can get all the articles here the minute they're published. Enjoy. Have a wonderful day. Happy baseball.]
Clipped Wings
Sadly, possibly the biggest story around the Halo is not that the good guys had their 9-game winning streak snapped last night in a thriller at the Stadium, but that with all the injuries, Angel fans might think that the lineup featured names like J.D. Drew, Ken Griffey Jr., and Darin Erstad. Oh, wait we do have Erstad--and word is that there is "no timetable" for his return. Two bad words. Of course, if you read my piece on DE at ITH (http://insidethehalo.blogspot.com), then you knew he wasn't likely to continue performing anyway--bad hammy or no. Garret Anderson still doesn't know when he'll return, although his prognosis (what little there is) is more positive for the time being than Erstad's. Angel doctors did rule out rheumatoid arthritis, which I mentioned last time.
So what's wrong with his back? Who knows? But until they have a clue, you mark GA down under "no timetable" also. On the positive side, Tim Salmon will do the minor league rehab thing this weekend and be back Tuesday. Jose Guillen may not see the DL at all after being carted off the field after what appeared to be a very severe right knee sprain on Sunday. Great news, if it pans out. He's what they call "sizzling" right now. Troy Glaus can expect to DH a few more days to further mend his ailing shoulder. He's playing, though (and drillin' the ball), so keep him under a yellow flag and you'll be fine.
Super-Subs
I don't know if they're with the Justice League of America, but the Angels are 15-3 without GA and 7-1 without Salmon, so the subs are doing somethin' right. We've talked Figgy and he'll continue to play. I've gotten plenty of mail on him and if you need speed, he's your guy. Only problem? Five triples! That leads the majors, and not that we don't like that, but he can't steal second and third when he gets there immediately. Expect .280 or so from his AVG and good helpin' of Rs and you won't be disappointed. He'll hit 2nd now that Erstad's out. DaVanon is getting some PT too now. Acquire? AL-only, sure (he is hitting 5th). He's not going to jettison you to the top, but he'll help like marginal players do. ML league? Unless it's 12 teams or more, you can do better, I'm sure.
Plus, remember as soon as Guillen's back (which could be this series--he took BP yesterday), DaVanon will be back to his role of knitting more Rally Monkeys on the bench. Hey, what about Casey Kotchman? The buzz is he's good, right? Well, yeah, but there's no way I'd take him on 7 MLB ABs. He hit .179 in 28 AA ABs this year, so this was an interesting call up to be sure. He's only 21 (read: plenty of maturing to do), so I'd wait until he proves himself against MLB pitching before I jumped on this rookie bandwagon. Anyway, if you're in that bad of shape at 1B, your most serious problem may not be fantasy baseball.
The Invisible Guys on the Mound
I was looking at the Angels starter's stats over the last couple of weeks, just to give you an overview of what I see and what you should look for. Surprisingly, I discovered they're incredibly bland. The Angels are 15-3 in their last 18 but you couldn't tell it by the starter's numbers (other than the Ws), which could be a bad sign. The lowest ERA is Colon at 4.09. The only WHIP under 1.30 is Lackey at 1.15. Let's look at one stat that is very promising, though. K/BB ratio. 2.32, which goes for best in the AL. That, of course is helped by the bullpen, but the starters still have a 2.15, which is very good considering those numbers include both Ortiz and Sele. For the millionth time, why isn't Scot Shields starting? The starter's K/BB ratio would be 2.36 if he were.
Odds and Ends
I got some great advice from you on my Correspondents league team (which has since moved back into first). Who said Angel fans weren't FLB savvy? I'm currently plotting what moves I may (or may not) make. Feel free to check the roster out at ITH and give me your feedback. I'll give you monthly updates there on the status of my Louisville Angels. Also, if you don't watch the next two between the Halos and Yanks, you're only robbing yourself. They're on tonight on ESPN2. Sele v. Vazquez. Then Lackey v. Lieber tomorrow. I'll be back this weekend with more Halo talk and another set of wings to bestow for this week's play. E-mail insidethehalo@insightbb.com and let me know who you think should get the 4th set. So far Erstad, Figgins, and Guillen each have one.
An Angel of My Very Own
Finally, on a personal note, my girlfriend became an Angels fan last weekend when I gave her a halo for her finger--with a diamond attached, of course. God really loves Anaheim fans. Reporting for the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
Clipped Wings
Sadly, possibly the biggest story around the Halo is not that the good guys had their 9-game winning streak snapped last night in a thriller at the Stadium, but that with all the injuries, Angel fans might think that the lineup featured names like J.D. Drew, Ken Griffey Jr., and Darin Erstad. Oh, wait we do have Erstad--and word is that there is "no timetable" for his return. Two bad words. Of course, if you read my piece on DE at ITH (http://insidethehalo.blogspot.com), then you knew he wasn't likely to continue performing anyway--bad hammy or no. Garret Anderson still doesn't know when he'll return, although his prognosis (what little there is) is more positive for the time being than Erstad's. Angel doctors did rule out rheumatoid arthritis, which I mentioned last time.
So what's wrong with his back? Who knows? But until they have a clue, you mark GA down under "no timetable" also. On the positive side, Tim Salmon will do the minor league rehab thing this weekend and be back Tuesday. Jose Guillen may not see the DL at all after being carted off the field after what appeared to be a very severe right knee sprain on Sunday. Great news, if it pans out. He's what they call "sizzling" right now. Troy Glaus can expect to DH a few more days to further mend his ailing shoulder. He's playing, though (and drillin' the ball), so keep him under a yellow flag and you'll be fine.
Super-Subs
I don't know if they're with the Justice League of America, but the Angels are 15-3 without GA and 7-1 without Salmon, so the subs are doing somethin' right. We've talked Figgy and he'll continue to play. I've gotten plenty of mail on him and if you need speed, he's your guy. Only problem? Five triples! That leads the majors, and not that we don't like that, but he can't steal second and third when he gets there immediately. Expect .280 or so from his AVG and good helpin' of Rs and you won't be disappointed. He'll hit 2nd now that Erstad's out. DaVanon is getting some PT too now. Acquire? AL-only, sure (he is hitting 5th). He's not going to jettison you to the top, but he'll help like marginal players do. ML league? Unless it's 12 teams or more, you can do better, I'm sure.
Plus, remember as soon as Guillen's back (which could be this series--he took BP yesterday), DaVanon will be back to his role of knitting more Rally Monkeys on the bench. Hey, what about Casey Kotchman? The buzz is he's good, right? Well, yeah, but there's no way I'd take him on 7 MLB ABs. He hit .179 in 28 AA ABs this year, so this was an interesting call up to be sure. He's only 21 (read: plenty of maturing to do), so I'd wait until he proves himself against MLB pitching before I jumped on this rookie bandwagon. Anyway, if you're in that bad of shape at 1B, your most serious problem may not be fantasy baseball.
The Invisible Guys on the Mound
I was looking at the Angels starter's stats over the last couple of weeks, just to give you an overview of what I see and what you should look for. Surprisingly, I discovered they're incredibly bland. The Angels are 15-3 in their last 18 but you couldn't tell it by the starter's numbers (other than the Ws), which could be a bad sign. The lowest ERA is Colon at 4.09. The only WHIP under 1.30 is Lackey at 1.15. Let's look at one stat that is very promising, though. K/BB ratio. 2.32, which goes for best in the AL. That, of course is helped by the bullpen, but the starters still have a 2.15, which is very good considering those numbers include both Ortiz and Sele. For the millionth time, why isn't Scot Shields starting? The starter's K/BB ratio would be 2.36 if he were.
Odds and Ends
I got some great advice from you on my Correspondents league team (which has since moved back into first). Who said Angel fans weren't FLB savvy? I'm currently plotting what moves I may (or may not) make. Feel free to check the roster out at ITH and give me your feedback. I'll give you monthly updates there on the status of my Louisville Angels. Also, if you don't watch the next two between the Halos and Yanks, you're only robbing yourself. They're on tonight on ESPN2. Sele v. Vazquez. Then Lackey v. Lieber tomorrow. I'll be back this weekend with more Halo talk and another set of wings to bestow for this week's play. E-mail insidethehalo@insightbb.com and let me know who you think should get the 4th set. So far Erstad, Figgins, and Guillen each have one.
An Angel of My Very Own
Finally, on a personal note, my girlfriend became an Angels fan last weekend when I gave her a halo for her finger--with a diamond attached, of course. God really loves Anaheim fans. Reporting for the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
