By Dalton Del Don
Other than players who rack up steals, is there anyone with a bigger disconnect between real life value and fantasy value than Carlos Lee? Don’t get me wrong, he’s an asset to the Astros, but when you combine his poor defense with his career .840 OPS, his real life value falls well short of his status in the fantasy community. The guy has never had even a .370 OBP or a .550 slugging percentage in any season during his career.
Jack Cust is about the streakiest hitter in major league baseball, so hopefully his recent two-homer game is a sign of big things to come. And speaking of discrepancies, his .254 batting average and .426 on-base percentage is pretty remarkable. He’s produced one of the game’s three true outcomes in a ridiculous 53 percent of his plate appearances in 2008.
You know how everyone refers to the National League as the “minors” and so inferior to the AL? Well, an interesting thing is happening. The top-9 leaders in OPS this season all play in the Senior Circuit. Additionally, the Cubs lead all of baseball in runs scored.
Josh Hamilton is on pace to finish the season with 40 homers and 175 RBI. Only health can stop him from being a clear-cut first round pick in fantasy leagues next year. The Edinson Volquez for Hamilton trade has turned out to be an absolute blockbuster.
I don’t understand the apparent confusion among the media regarding Joba Chamberlain this season. The plan was crystal clear from the very beginning – pitch in relief the first two months, get stretched out and move into the starting rotation for the second half of the season. Obviously, he’s most valuable as a starter, and limiting him to 150-160 innings this season was the right way to go after throwing around 120 last year. That way, it won’t be such an extreme jump to 200-220 when he starts the season in that role in 2009. And I don’t care how poor the rest of New York’s bullpen is; they’ll have a much easier time trading for a setup man than a dominant starter.
If you haven’t seen the TV show “Strangers With Candy,” go rent the DVDs. There isn’t a more underrated comedy.
Anyone who just turned 22 years old last month can’t be expected to be an immediate star, but Billy Butler’s utter lack of power is a little disappointing. He’s shown improved plate discipline, but a .348 slugging percentage isn’t going to cut it. He now sports a .594 OPS during 119 career at-bats versus right-handers. Still, he’s going to be a good one. Eventually.
Pretty scary play when Albert Pujols’ liner hit Chris Young right on the beak Wednesday night, changing his jersey color to red in the process. If he’s not 6-10, the ball is in center field.
Anyone still holding out hope Joe Mauer starts developing more power hasn’t watched his approach at the plate this season. I’d be shocked if he hit more than 10 homers. Such a shame.
I don’t get why everyone views Willie Parker as a better fantasy property than Rashard Mendenhall in 2008. Parker averaged 4.1 YPC last year, doesn’t catch the ball and is coming off a fractured fibula. Mendenhall, meanwhile, is already both the superior blocker and option at the goal line. Parker may very well still see the majority of carries between the 20s, but Pittsburgh had more than 500 rushing attempts last year, so there’s plenty to go around. Mendenhall seems like a no-brainer to me.
Have you ever met anyone who was actually against instant replay in baseball? I certainly haven’t.
For Austin Kearns’ sake, let’s hope his elbow has been bothering him all season and has been a big contributor to his pathetic .267 slugging percentage. Hopefully, he can return in a month and resemble an average player, but I’m not holding my breath. The Nationals outfielders are batting a combined .200 with six homers on the year, putting them on pace to finish as the worst unit in the history of major league baseball.
It’s ironic that the two players who have played in the second most games this year are Bobby Crosby and Troy Glaus.
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