Of all the over-the-hill stars still around this season, who do you see making the biggest impact the rest of the way?
- Kevin
Unfortunately it won’t be part-timer Julio Franco, who is sticking it to Father Time at 47-years-young. But aside from the obvious Roger Clemens answer (he’ll be 44 this season), I’m going to have to go with the Mets’ Tom Glavine.
At 40 years old, Glavine is tied for the MLB lead in wins at seven and owns a very respectable 2.48 ERA to go along with 51 strikeouts. With the much improved New York bullpen and lineup, there’s no reason why Glavine couldn’t close on in the 18 games he won his last year with the Atlanta Braves in 2002.
Not only that, but there is a strange pattern to Glavine’s career numbers. If you take a look at all of his 20 seasons, Glavine always performs better during even years. Going back 10 seasons, it’s easy to see just why Glavine will be valuable to your team the rest of the way:
1996: 15-10, 181 Ks, 2.98 ERA
1997: 14-7, 152 Ks, 2.96 ERA
1998: 20-6, 157 Ks, 2.47 ERA
1999: 14-11, 138 Ks, 4.18 ERA
2000: 21-9, 152 Ks, 3.40 ERA
2001: 16-7, 116 Ks, 3.57 ERA
2002: 18-11, 127 Ks, 2.96 ERA
2003: 9-14, 82 Ks, 4.52 ERA
2004: 11-14, 109 Ks, 3.60 ERA
2005: 13-13, 105Ks, 3.53 ERA
2006 (through 10 starts): 7-2, 51 Ks, 2.48 ERA
Those are pretty good numbers for the future Hall of Fame pitcher. Just don’t bother with him next year!
With so much going on in bullpens in Cincinnati, Atlanta and Los Angeles (Dodgers), who do you see ending up as the closers for those teams?
- Alan
Right now all three closers in Cincinnati (David Weathers), Atlanta (Chris Reitsma) and LA (Danys Baez) are all on thin ice. Honestly, by this time next month I don’t think any of them will still be finishing games.
In Atlanta, Reitsma has been giving Bobby Cox fits, as he’s already blown three saves and has given up runs in his last two outings. Add that to his 6.75 ERA and his 9/6 K:BB ratio and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Now as to who will be filling the void, the coconscious favorite has been Oscar Villarreal, who’s been the steadiest among the Atlanta bullpen, picking up six wins. But, he’s got a 13/12 K:BB ratio which isn’t very becoming of any closer.
If I had to pick a favorite, I’d go with the classic “closer by committee” approach since I don’t think anyone will separate themselves from the pack. One name to watch for is Lance Cormier, who the Braves just activated and has previous closing experience with Arizona.
With Los Angeles, it appears that Baez has just been keeping the seat warm for the return of Eric Gagne. But, if/when Gagne comes back there’s no guarantee he’ll be any good. Obviously, you know who’s going to save games for the Dodgers, but if things don’t work out with Gagne and Baez continues to struggle, look for rookie Jonathan Broxton to be given a shot. He’s pitched well in relief so far and worked as a closer last year for the Southern League champions Jacksonville Suns.
The one situation which didn’t make a lot of sense until the last 10 days is with Weathers, who blew three save opportunities in that span. Todd Coffey picked up his first save of the season over the weekend and hasn’t given up a run since May 10, which was when Weathers’ troubles really started. Coffey should be the closer by the end of June.
Is now the time to trade Albert Pujols before pitchers start walking him all the time?
- Craig
If you’re in a league that counts OBP, slugging or OPS, it’s definitely worth it to hang on to Pujols as his numbers in those categories will certainly be among the best in the majors.
While I do think that pitchers and managers will begin to wise-up sooner rather than later and walk him at a Bonds-like rate, Pujols will still hit at least another 20 home runs this year and has a great chance at leading the league in runs scored. Ultimately, there’s just too much going for you with Pujols in your lineup than without. Unless you have a real solid first baseman and you’re getting killed in another category, hold onto him.
With the Angels bats slumping, is now the time to jump on Vlad?
- Mike
If his owner is having serious doubts about what he can do this season, any time is a good time to pry Vlad Guerreo away from another owner. We’re talking about a top-10 player, after all.
It seems that everyone in the Angels lineup is having trouble at the plate except for Vlad, who is chugging along with a pace for his usual numbers of a batting average easily over .300, 30-40 home runs and maybe 100 RBI. The only reason I’m hesitant for that last category is because I don’t know if people will be on the bases enough for him to eclipse the century mark.
Nonetheless, if you can find someone who’s convinced that the current batting slump of the entire Angels team will turn into an epidemic, see if you can help ease their pain.
I’ve got three third basemen on my roster:
Melvin Mora
Morgan Ensberg
Scott Rolen
Who do I trade?
- Chuck
If you want to get rid of just one, I’d find the highest bidder for Mora. He’s always been a tremendous first half player, but never very good in the second half. Ensberg is arguably the top third baseman in fantasy baseball and with Rolen hitting behind Albert Pujols, he’s going to have lots of RBI opportunities.
If you’re looking to keep only one, stick with Ensberg. I really like Rolen, but he’s still an injury risk and I’d rather have Ensberg and be happy instead of worrying about finding a replacement if necessary. I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone in your league who will make at least one deal with you.
