Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 6/27/08
In the first game of what might go down as one of the strangest doubleheaders in MLB history, Carlos Delgado set the Mets’ franchise record for RBI in a game with nine. This was quite a feat since he had only 35 the entire rest of the season. Delgado had a two-run double in the fifth, a grand slam in the sixth, and a three-run bomb in the eighth. Does this mean you should run out and grab Delgado? Ummm, no. I think his best fantasy days are far behind him, and he can still be counted on for 20-25 homers and 75-80 RBI, a far cry from where he used to be.
Future AL ROY Evan Longoria is now just starting to make a mockery out of AL pitching. Longoria went
4-5 with his 15th homer of the season on Friday, and recently his numbers are mighty impressive. That is three straight games with a homer, three straight games with at least three hits, and has driven in at least one run in five straight. I really don’t know what else to say to illustrate how great he is. Get him if you can.
In his first start since his horrendous one inning start, Daisuke Matsuzaka took the mound against the Astros. He did well in that he didn’t allow a run, and only two hits but he only threw 87 pitches over five innings. Is his injured shoulder still bothering him? I have read nothing that reported that, but his short outing today is a concern.
Brewers SS J.J. Hardy is starting to heat up some. During this modest nine game httting streak he is on he has 13 hits, two homers and eight RBI. Hardy had 26 HRs and 80 RBI in 2007 and much was expected of him. He has struggled mightily in 2008, but perhaps this is the start of him getting his groove back. If you are weak at middle infield, keep an eye on Hardy in the next week.
Quietly in St. Louis, Troy Glaus is having a pretty good season for the Cardinals. Glaus connected on his 11th homer and drove in his 49th run of the season after having not hit a homer until April 27th. Glaus is hitting just .264, but he has never pretended to be Tony Gwynn. As an injury replacement or utility player, Glaus is a decent option.
Jair Jurrjens continued his amazing rookie season with eight shutout innings against the Blue Jays. Jurrjens allowed just three hits and struck out three batters. After a patch where he allowed 11 runs in two starts, Jurrjens hasn’t allowed a run in his last three starts, which encompasses 21.2 innings. He doesn’t get the strikeouts of some pitchers that would put him in a much higher ranking of pitchers, but at 8-3 he has been a great surprise for his owners and the Braves.
Tigers starter Eddie Bonine made his third start of his major league career, and he is now 2-0. But don’t let that tell the whole story. Bonine still owns an ERA near 4.00, and doesn’t record a lot of strikeouts. His minor league numbers are nothing to write home to mom about. He was 9-2 this season, but his ERA was 4.48 and he struck out just 46 in 74.1 innings. I would stay away from Bonine until he shows five or six starts of consistency, and not react to his eight shutout innings of Friday night.
The New York Yankees placed OF Hideki Matsui on the 15-day DL with a sore left knee. It doesn’t look like it is a significant injury, and he should be able to return when the 15 days are up. The move was made retroactive to Monday, so he already has served a few days.
OK, so about that major announcement I promised the other day. Starting this Tuesday, July 1st I will be hosting a show on Blog Talk Radio with Eric Stashin from rotoprofessor.com. We will be talking about a mix of free agent pickups, minor league prospects, and other fantasy news. The show is yet to be named, so if any of you have suggestions, I am open to any ideas. I expect all of you guys and girls to be listening!!!!
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog, and listen to The True Gurus Show every Wednesday night at 9 pm. I am a frequent guest on that show.
Ry, “future AL ROY Evan Longoria,”don’t forget about Jacoby Ellsbury. Even though he played some last year, he is still classified as a rookie. He could very well finish the year with .280 BA, 10 HR, 50 RBI and most impressively 70 SB. That would be tough to beat.
You know I love Jacoby and should have gotten more when I traded him to you, but you know what they say “Chicks Dig The Long Ball.” Well so do award voters. If Longoria finishes with over 30 which is looking very possible, I think it would be tough for Ellsbury to win, even with 70 SBs.