2008 MLB Fantasy News and Notes–3/24/08–Injury News, Liriano, Cueto, Longoria, and more
Injury News
Bad Break in Detroit—Budding superstud Curtis Granderson broke a finger on his right hand when he was hit by a pitch by Phillies pitcher Travis Blackley. I love when a pitcher you will never hear from again has such a major impact on someone’s season. The initial diagnosis is that Granderson will miss 3-6 weeks. The Tigers (and fantasy owners) will struggle to replace his production. Figure it will be mid to late April before you see Granderson patrolling centerfield for Detroit.
Same old story in Toronto—Scott Rolen has a broken bone and a ripped fingernail after taking ground balls in Sunday. Rolen suffered the injury during routine drills before a game, and he is expected to miss six weeks. Rolen broke the bone above the top knuckle of the middle finger on his right hand, and also reportedly ripped the entire fingernail off of the finger. I doubt too many fantasy teams have Rolen starting at third base, but he could be a useful utility or bench replacement after he returns from this injury.
Father Time Catching Up in Atlanta?—Although it is not official, it appears that John Smoltz will begin the year on the disabled list. Smoltz is experiencing discomfort in his right shoulder, and it is likely the Braves will be conservative and start him on the DL. John will try to play catch (I wish my job involved playing catch!) on either Monday or Tuesday, and if that goes well, an appearance in a minor league game would be the next step. Guys in their 40s with shoulder trouble make me want to find other options, even those with careers as brilliant as Smoltz.
Pinstripe Pain—Andy Pettitte is still bothered by the back spasms that cost him his scheduled appearance over the weekend. Pettitte is still hoping to make his season debut on April 2 against Toronto, but he needs to get on the road to recovery here in the next couple of days to keep that as a reality. It is more likely that his start will be pushed back a few days and this injury is not a big deal, but definitely monitor this situation. After this inury and the offseason he has had, it would be a minor miracle for Pettitte to pitch effectively this season, he has to be bumped down some on your rankings considering the baggage that now comes with him.
Some Good News!—Injured Red Sox ace Josh Beckett threw two innings in a minor league game as he tries to return from back spasms. Beckett was impressive giving up just one hit, one walk, and struck out three. Beckett already has missed the Red Sox opening series against the A’s in Japan, but this is an encouraging step toward him making his season debut when the Sox return to the United States.
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Not So Fast—Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto has been the talk of Reds camp, and apparently has secured himself the number three spot in Cincinnati’s rotation coming out of camp. This has prompted many players and experts to proclaim Cueto the “next big thing.” After Sunday’s performance it is important to remind everyone that young pitchers generally don’t fly scot free through their rookie season. There are almost always bumps in the road along the way. Cueto hit one of those bumps today, a BIG bump. Cueto only went 2/3 of an inning, and gave up five runs, walked five guys, and didn’t strike anyone out. I still believe Cueto will be a good source of strikeouts, and a great pitcher to have at the back end of your rotation, but you have to expect that he will have games like this every so often.
Closer to Closing?—The Cubs are dying to hand the closer’s job to Kerry Wood, and after Sunday, he might just have taken it. Wood pitched one inning, giving up one hit and striking out two. That was Wood’s third appearance in four days, and if he can wake up healthy on Monday, it is all but decided that Manager Lou Pinella will name him the closer. Don’t know how long you can expect Wood to stay healthy, but it looks as if he will get the ball first in the 9th inning.
On the Way Back—Francisco Liriano took a big step on Sunday toward his return from Tommy John surgery. Liriano pitched four HITLESS innings, while walking two and striking out five. The Twins have been of the opinion that Liriano has been reluctant to throw all of his pitches, and has been holding back this spring. Well, the pitch that puts the most strain on that elbow is the slider, and he threw sliders on 12 of his 68 pitches. This is just one more step for Liriano on his road back to being a dominant pitcher. He may have a rocky April, but within the first six weeks or so of the season, expect him to regain his pre-surgery form.
What to do with Longoria—The most likely scenario with Evan Longoria is that he will be sent to the minors to start the season. This has nothing to do with the kind of player he is, or the quality of spring training he is having (.289/3/10). This has everything to do with money, and free agency. If Longoria spends just three weeks in the minors he won’t be eligible to be a free agent until 2014, instead of 2013 if he opens the season in Tampa. Knowing the Rays, expect him to open the season in Durham. So, for those of you who have already drafted Longoria, don’t freak out and drop him when you see he has been demoted. By the middle of May, he will be back, and then his run of domination will begin.
Who Wants This Job?—The job as the New York Mets’ 5th starter heated up on Sunday between Orlando Hernandez and Mike Pelfrey. Or you can say it cooled down, because both guys stunk. El Duque started the game and went three innings giving up five earned runs, while Pelfrey took over and went 4 1/3 and gave up EIGHT runs! It appears no one wants this job. This is a situation worth monitoring, however. The Mets have the chance to win 100 games, so whoever wins that fifth starter’s position has a chance to win a decent number of games.
Spring Stars—Albert Pujols continues to rip it up, and give Cardinal fans hope that he will be able to play through his elbow injury. He is now hitting .415 with five homers and 15 RBI. OK, so he isn’t a spring star, but Rickie Weeks hit a 3-run home run in his first game back from a hand injury. Weeks is a real wild card going into this season, a real high-risk, high reward kind of guy. Jorge Cantu has been named the starting 3B for the Florida Marlins. You might remember him as the guy who hit 28 HRs and drove in 117 as the 2B for Tampa Bay in 2005. He has been bitten by the injury (and unproductive) bug the last couple of years and fell off the fantasy map. Well, he is getting a second chance in Florida and he is taking advantage of it. As of Sunday, Cantu is hitting .407 with two homers and 11 ribeyes. He could be a big sleeper this season. Two teams have named their Opening Day Starters, and not that they are lighting up the fantasy news wire, but in Florida, Mark Hendrickson will get the ball to start the season, and after the release of John Patterson, the man who will throw the first pitch in the Nationals’ new stadium will be Odalis Perez. Finally, Eugenio Velez is turning heads in San Francisco. He has already earned a spot on the roster (although his role hasn’t been defined), and he is making a push to be a starter. This spring he is hitting .309 with three doubles, two triples, and is leading all players with 13 steals. If you are in need of speed, he could be a good pickup. God knows the Giants don’t exactly have superstars at every position.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades, etc) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours.
