The Wire Troll: Another Ankiel Setback

By Tim McLeod

Here’s the latest article from RotoRob.

It’s been a hell of a week for some Fantasy owners (especially you Manny Ramirez owners), so without further ado, let’s take a look at this weekís waiver wire opportunities.

Josh Whitesell, Arizona Diamondbacks, 1B: It appears that A.J. Hinch is going to have his hands full in the desert replacing Bob Melvin. The D-Backs made the first of what could potentially be many moves when they called up Whitesell to replace the struggling Chad Tracy at first base. Down on the farm, Whitesell managed three homers, 20 RBI and an outstanding .356 BA. Arizona will be giving him plenty of at bats, at least initially, so grab him quick in NL-only leagues and monitor his progress closely in mixed formats.

Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals, OF: The injury to Rick Ankiel has created an opportunity for Rasmus to display that five-tool prowess that has had many a Fantasy owner drooling for the past several years. He should already be owned in keeper formats, but is a decent gamble in mixed formats as a replacement for the next several weeks until the return of Ankiel. It’s hard not to feel for Ankiel. Isnít it a shame that every time he seemingly turns a corner he bumps into another figurative and sometimes even literal wall?

Chris Coghlan, Florida Marlins, 2B/3B/OF: The Marlins have turned to one of their top prospects in Coghlan in an attempt to bolster their struggling offense. In his past 10 games at Triple-A New Orleans, he hit to the tune of a .514 BA with three homers, 14 RBI, five stolen bases and 13 runs scored. Very, very impressive. Emilio Bonifacio and Cameron Maybin are both currently struggling and the Marlins arenít bringing up a top prospect to have him sit. Coghlan should be rostered in NL-only formats and mixed leagues.

Kris Medlen, Atlanta Braves, SP: The Atlanta Braves have a very interesting conundrum facing them. Jo-Jo Reyes has been getting beat up on a regular basis and his days in the rotation are numbered. Down on the farm, the Braves have a phenom named Tommy Hanson that many thought would break camp in the rotation. Atlanta also has a 23-year-old named Kris Medlen that is currently producing better numbers for the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves. Currently Medlin is 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA and, in 30 2/3 IP, has stuck out 38 while only allowing 17 hits and seven walks. It is fairly obvious that he is poised to make that next step, as is Hanson. Both should be rostered in keeper formats, but in the event that the Braves turn to Medlen first, which is a possibility, grab him quick in all formats.

Julio Lugo, Boston Red Sox, SS: Lugo is finally back in the lineup for the Sox and is currently swinging a hot bat. Over his past three games, he is 6-for-13 with five runs scored. The name of the game for Lugo is speed, and because of the knee injury it is going to take a while to allow him to fully return to that aspect of his arsenal, but in the powerful Red Sox lineup he is a solid start in all formats.

Manny Burriss, San Francisco Giants, SS: Burriss has quietly been swinging a very hot bat over the past several weeks for the Giants. He has managed to go 15-for-32 with three steals over his past 10 games. Burriss’ hot streak has caused the Giants to move him up in the order, thus affording him more chances to score runs. He also has both shortstop and second base eligibility, a very nice bonus. If your middle-infield is struggling and you need a boost in your stolen base numbers, Burris makes for a fine addition.

Matt Palmer, Los Angeles Angels, SP: The 30-year-old rookie has now pitched back-to-back great efforts for the Halos. They sure have needed the boost with most of their rotation currently on the DL. The Angels are hoping to see both John Lackey and Ervin Santana return shortly, but will still need the services of a solid number five man at the back of their rotation. Palmer is a solid addition in AL-only leagues and his progress should be monitored very closely over his next several starts for mixed formats.

Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants, SP: After his first two starts, most of us were ready to write Zito off as simply having another typical disappointing year. In what must be considered a surprise of biblical proportions, his past four starts have been very steady. Zito has managed to allow only four runs over that span, three of which came during his April 27th start against the Dodgers. Itís the middle of May and he has a very serviceable 3.57 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Zito is undoubtedly risky and potentially very dangerous, but worthy of a roster spot in NL-only leagues and, with one more quality start, should begin disappearing off the waiver wire in mixed leagues.

Juan Pierre, Los Angeles Dodgers, OF: The PED-related suspension of Ramirez has, for the next 50 games, opened a window of opportunity for Pierre. It looks like the Dodgers have moved Pierre into the lead-off slot and heís batting 6-for-11 with three RBI and a stolen base over his past three games. If your fantasy team is in need of runs scored and stolen bases and heís still out there on waivers, grab him quick before heís gone.

Jorge De La Rosa, Colorado Rockies, SP: Those of us that had high hopes for De La Rosa after his great stretch run last year are very happy. Saturday, he pitched a gem, allowing only four hits over eight innings while contributing 12 strikeouts. De La Rosa has to keep the walks down, a problem he’s had in the past, but with four of his past five starts being of the quality variety he should be owned in all formats at this time.

John Grabow/Taylor Yates, Pittsburgh Pirates, RP: Matt Capps is currently going through what has been termed ìminor discomfortî in his right elbow. This would be the same Capps that missed two months last year with shoulder problems. A trend is starting to rear its ugly head here. He is slotted to return at the beginning of the week after taking most of the past week off. Grabow and Yates have both struggled this past week, pitching very poorly. In the event Capps’ elbow woes continue, one of the two by default will most likely end up with the closer gig. Iím betting on Grabow as he at least has the history when he replaced Capps last summer. Keep this one filed under the wait-until-we-get-more-information category, but be ready to move quick should Capps end up on the DL.

Steel City Blues

RotoRob checks in today with some fantasy baseball observations.

Well, that didnít take long. After dropping the final two games of their three-game set against the Astros, the Pittsburgh Pirates have returned to a place they know oh so well ñ sub-.500 land. The Buccos still have six games remaining on this nine-game homestand, so letís not punch their passport to a record setting 17th straight losing season quite yet, but with the revitalized Braves and smoking hot Marlins heading into town over the next week, even the ìfriendly confinesî of PNC Park may not be able to stop Pittsburgh from sinking further under the even water mark. But hey, on Sunday they turned their first triple play in 16 years ñ which was the same season that the losing all started. I canít figure out if thatís a good omen or not. Any suggestions?

Itís only fitting that it was on this day in 2001 that the star of the last good Pirates team ñ Barry Bonds ñ hit his 500th career home run. Of course, by that time, he had long since departed Steel City and had headed west to The City.

Pirate starter Jeff Karstens suffered from a major lack of control in his season debut on Thursday, walking five in just four innings. Manager John Russell blamed Karstensí lackluster effort on his lack of game action, saying ìitís just a matter of competition.î Karstens hadnít thrown to major league hitters since March 31, so he was clearly rusty. He had his moments last season, but at this point, Iíd watch a couple more starts before given him any fantasy consideration, even in a deeper NL-only league.

Nate McLouth struck out once and stranded three runners ñ included one in scoring position with two outs ñ but he continues to show signs of life after his sluggish start. He singled and scored, making him 4-for-11 in the past three games. Itís definite progress after McLouth managed just three hits in the first six games.

So far, one of the best stories out of Pittsburgh has been the superb start by Paul Maholm, who looks like heís taken his game to a new level. After earning his first win of the season Saturday in very impressive fashion (seven innings, three hits, one run, two walks, three strikeouts), Maholm has gained nice traction on the wire this week. Heís been hard to hit so far, with a .200 BAA through two starts, and better yet, heís failed to yield a home run ñ an area he showed progress in last season as well. I have my doubts about Maholmís ability to maintain the low homer rates, however, as heís giving up more fly balls in the early going, so he may just be a bit lucky so far. Letís see how he does Friday night against a dramatically improved Atlanta offense before we completely jump on Maholmís bandwagon as a breakout candidate.

On Wednesday, Pirate GM Neal Huntington made a move to improve the teamís bench, acquiring Delwyn Young from the Dodgers for either two PTBNL or cash. Heís a switch-hitting corner outfielder who can also supply back up at second base if needed. Young also has some upside, so this could be a decent, albeit minor move.

How the hell are the Padres (7-3) tied for first in the NL West when their No. 3 hitter is Brian Giles? Giles took a second straight 0-for-4 Thursday, leaving him at 5-for-39 with one extra-base hit through the first 10 games of the season. If youíre in a deep NL-only league, go ahead and see if Giles can get his act together; otherwise, terminate him with extreme prejudice.

Jason Kendall, another ex-Pirate star who looks ready for pasture, doubled, scored and drove in two runs Wednesday ñ a veritable offensive bonanza considering he was 2-for-21 before that. Kendallís up to a robust .120 now, leaving him just 70 odd points away from hitting his weight. He experienced a slight rebound offensively last season, showing some gap power, but again, this is very deep NL-only league material at this point.

Astro fans arenít impressed that the team gave up Drew Sutton as the PTBNL in the Jeff Keppinger trade. Sutton, 25, had a huge performance at the AFL in 2008 and could have helped Houston with its third base situation, but instead he brings his upside to the improving Reds.

The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies have another future star on their hands. Dominic Brown went 1-for-6 in a double header on Thursday to slip to .231 (6-for-26) in the early going at High-A Clearwater, but prospect watchers need to add this name to their list. This 21-year-old outfielder is the Philliesí top prospect. And at 6í5î with great tools across the board, Brown is an imposing figure. Because it looked like he was headed for college football, he slipped to the 20th round in 2006. Can you say bargain?

York Revolution, an Atlantic League team, has invited a man less than half Brownís height — 3í2î Dave Flood ñ to its training camp. You gotta love Indy ball. Or not.

Anyone remember Otis Nixonís amazing catch to rob Pirate Andy Van Slyke of a sure home run in 1992 (which, by the way, was the last winning season by the Pirates)? I came across the video, and itís worth a second look.

C.C. Sabathiaís control problems returned Thursday, as he issued five walks in 5 2/3 IP. Only this time ñ unlike his Opening Day debacle ñ he only gave up five hits and one run and actually managed to strike someone out. In fact, he whiffed four. Sabathiaís command is awful so far, but heís already way better than he was last April.

Here is RotoRob’s latest column.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, resting most of their regulars, failed to tie the NBA record with their 40th home win on Wednesday night. But make no mistake: Quicken Loans Arena has become the hardest place for a road team to come away with an NBA win. And get this: apparently, images designed to whip the home town fans into a booing frenzy are put up on the video screen when opponents go the free throw line. Among the hate-inducing shots: Michigan, Boston Red Sox and John Elway pics seem to do the trick best.

Speaking of Elway, did you hear that his son Jack left the Arizona State football program last week? Apparently, ìheís just tired of football and wants do something else with his life,î according to ASU coach Dennis Erickson. Something else? Like what? Be a trust fund baby? Hey! Actually, thatís my goal as well.

While weíre talking Sun Devils football, theyíve got this young new quarterback this year named Brock Osweiler. Heís 6í8î! And that is one serious rarity for a QB. The only signal caller that tall to ever play in the NFL was failed first rounder Dan McGwire, brother of Mark. Gonzaga tried to recruit Osweiler to play basketball, but he ultimately decided heíd rather play football.

With the NFL draft less than two weeks away, weíre heavily into mock draft season. Iíve seen a couple where the Oakland Raiders are projected to take Missouri WR Jeremy Maclin with the seventh overall pick. This guyís speed with JaMarcus Russellís arm could be a great combination down the road.

The 2009 NFL schedule is out now, by the way. Just over 150 days to go before the start of the season. Are you ready for some football?

With Nate Washington gone, Martin Nance could be a player to watch on the Steelers. Ben Roethlisbergerís former college teammate is looking to stick as a third receiver for Pittsburgh.

Now that Mark Sanchez has decided to enter the draft, there will actually be a competition for the QB job at USC for the first time in over half a decade.

How the hell do the Steelers win the Super Bowl and wind up getting an easier schedule the next season? What a crock of shit.

The New Orleans Saints, who got back to .500 last year, should vault over that this season, as they too have an easier schedule in 2009.

On Thursday, the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame will induct four new members, the first new entrants since 2002. Among the inductees: Bob Horner and Darren Woodson. Horner burst onto the scene, going directly to the majors after the draft. He enjoyed a great rookie year, taking home NL ROY honours right after winning the Golden Spikes as college baseball’s top player. Injuries cut Horner’s career short, but he still wound up driving in 685 runs in 1,020 career games.

The Arizona Cardinals are listening to offers for Anquan Boldin. If he winds up in Dallas, as rumoured, RotoRob football writer Andy Goldstein ñ a long-time Boldin man-crush victim who relocated in Dallas a couple of years ago ñ might die from sheer pleasure.

How about the season debut of MNF this year? Terrell Owensí debut as a Bill and Tom Bradyís comeback game, not to mention the old AFC East rivalry juices that be flowing — now that’s a recipe for a classic.

Hey there sports fans. A happy, sunny Wednesday afternoon to you all. So, as you may know the good folks at rotorob and TSM have an arrangement wherein we exchange content. They write some stuff that they host and vise versa. Well, they took a liking to our post about Chipper Jones anti Toronto rant and it received a few remarks from some braves fans. Today however, it received a real gem. Get this:

“Sounds like you have a little unchecked agression with this Chipper deal. I am a braves fan, and I like Chipper. But guess what?

Chipper probably has a different idea of a good time compared to someone from Toronto. I doubt you guys have a Hooters that would rival any from his home state of Florida. The fact that he uses Las Vegas as an example of a place where he WOULD have fun should throw up a red flag or two. So give us a break from your pity party : ( and get over the fact that Chipper didn’t have fun in Toronto.

And even though I have no issues or opinions concerning your city, and I am sure I would enjoy visiting, I would rather get shot in Atlanta than live in Toronto.

But hey, that’s just my opinion. And I’m going to guess that you prolly haven’t been to Atlanta for any amount of time, because of your downtown/buckhead references, because the only people who go to buckhead now are douchebags and tourists. And downtown is fun but gangsta, so I doubt you have really hung out there either.”

God bless the good folks in Atlanta….

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