Fantasy news from Spring Training (Sun 3/7/10)
Hi everyone,
Although much of what gets reported as “news” during Spring Training is little more than drivel designed to meet space requirements, there are several nuggets re: specific players that are worth mentioning as you prepare for your fantasy draft or auction:
- Russell Martin (LAD, C) is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a groin pull - that timetable would keep him out for the first week or two of the season. Brad Ausmus and A.J. Ellis are likely to split catching duties in Martin’s absence. Ausmus is a known quantity to fantasy owners - known for his ability to wreak havoc on your team’s batting average without providing any power. Pass. Ellis may hit for a passable average (.260-.270), but like Ausmus, he must have stepped out of line when the baseball gods handed out power. Unless you’re in a very deep NL-only league and count yourself among the truly desperate, you should pass on him too.
- Alex Gordon (KC, 3B) will be out 4-5 weeks with a broken thumb, which means it’s likely he’ll miss the beginning of the season. Josh Field may gain a few early April ABs, but Gordon’s injury doesn’t have much of an effect on either’s fantasy value: you still don’t want either one anywhere near your fantasy team.
- Brandon Webb (Ari, SP) is complaining that his surgically repaired shoulder feels “sluggish”. I’d lump him together with Ben Shields and Rich Harden - tremendously talented guys who will be lucky to start more than 25 games in 2010. Based on Webb’s reports on his arm and the possibility his shoulder problems may linger, he should just barely be ranked among the Top 50 starting pitchers heading into your draft. While he’s still likely to be fairly effective when he’s healthy enough to start, don’t make the mistake of assuming he’ll be able to make 33 starts and be effective as he was prior to the shoulder injury.
- Over/under for the number of starts super rookie Stephen Strasburg (Was, SP) will make this season: 23. No matter how effective Strasburg is during Spring Training, since the Nationals aren’t expecting to contend for the playofs this season, they’ll almost certainly keep him in the minors until at least early June. This will be done under the guise of “getting the kid some minor league experience before we throw him into the fryer”, but you can rest assured that it will be done in order to delay the start of Strasburg’s arbitration clock by a year.
- Unfortunately, the snakebitten Angel Guzman (ChC, RP) has a shoulder injury that sounds serious. He’ll either strengthen the damaged area for 1-2 months before trying to throw again, or he’ll opt for what will probably be season-ending surgery. Many were viewing Guzman as a potential closer for the Cubs if Carlos Marmol hit a rough patch, but that appears highly unlikely now, even if Guzman is able to pitch again in a month or two. If you’ve already drafted and play in a league that has DL spots, he’s certainly worth stashing just in case the news is better than expected. If your league doesn’t have DL spots, feel free to cut Guzman now and look in another direction for a “closer in waiting” (e.g. - Matt Thornton, Jason Motte, Chris Perez).
Until next time,
The Sherpa
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