The Kids Can Play
I wanted to write about Clayton Kershaw’s debut, but what can I write that hasn’t already been said? Not much. He looked great. It will be very interesting to see what Joe Torre, a manager known for his love of veteran talent, does with a line-up that now includes Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Blake Dewitt, James Loney, and Ching-lung Hu (at least temporarily at SS). Add in Kershaw and even “rookie” Kuroda, and Torre has his hands full with MLB youngsters. I actually think he will be great for the kids and the Dodgers v.2008. To me, this is team to watch for the remainder of the season and these are all players to monitor, acquire and play every day.
Mad Max
I usually strive to see select minor league pitchers in action if and when they roll through town, however there’s one bat I hope to see live sometime soon. That bat belongs to Max Ramirez. Everyone says he can rake, and it makes me want to see for myself. Of course the big question with him is will stick at catcher? But if he continues producing like he has or if he gets even better as he matures, he will make one heck of a DH for the Texas Rangers, which still makes me want him in a keeper league.
Rockie Opportunity
It's funny how things like this work out. This past week, the Colorado Rockies were immersed in trade rumors with certain teams regarding some of their high-priced talent (Garrett Atkins, Matt Holliday, Brian Fuentes). Then, quite suddenly, Holliday and Brad Hawpe joined Troy Tulowitzki and Clint Barmes on the DL, in turn, giving Ryan Spilborghs and Seth Smith opportunities for some playing time. Perfect timing. I'm thinking this occurrence will be nice for all. It'll allow the Rockies time to see who can play everyday (my money is on Spilborghs, who I have mentioned in previous columns). It will also let other teams get a look-see at some of the minor league talent the Rockies might be including in a package deal. And finally, it will allow us fantasy owners to see who is worth owning once the trade dust settles in Colorado.
It’s The Trendy Thing To Do
With the news of Joba Chamberlain being stretched out for the Yankee rotation, it seems other team are following suit. I just heard that the Seattle Mariners will be stretching out Brandon Morrow and inserting him in their rotation ASAP. Interesting. In leagues where teams are starved for pitching, it might be a nice gamble to take and one that will certainly cost you much less that that price of Joba.
Two Thumbs Up Review
Let's just bring on instant replay already. This is getting ridiculous. I saw at least three blatant missed calls in last week’s games and I have not encountered one person who thinks instant replay is a bad idea. I balk at the idea that it should be used for HRs only, however I obviously do not want to see the game experience delays every inning. The smart solution is to treat it like the NFL does. Give managers one opportunity at replay per game, while allowing umpires to use when they admit they cannot make the call from what they saw in real time.
Francisco Treat
One player robbed of a home run last week because of a bad call by the umpires was Ben Francisco. Regardless of this stolen stat, wow, what a few weeks he has enjoyed in the majors. Pundits everywhere will tell you why Ben Francisco should not succeed in the bigs and why he will not be factor in fantasy. Well, guess what? He is succeeding and he is a factor. I’ve watched him a lot since his call up, wanting to find fault in his game, however I see little to criticize. I’ll add that word out of Cleveland is some changes are on the horizon, possibly through trade. Whether Francisco’s playing time will be affected by these rumored changes is yet to be seen.
Harang Man
Just when I start to question Aaron Harang’s season, after he looked awful against the punchless Padres, he goes and pitches 4.0 stellar innings in relief, striking out 9 in that 18-inning game against the Reds on Sunday. It looked to me like he got his mojo back. If he doesn’t have a strong outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates this week, it will leave me scratching my head.
How Things Have Changed
I saw something on Thursday that, to my surprise, I have seen occur about three times this year. While arguing a check swing with the third base umpire, Josh Hamilton was thrown out by the home umpire, much to Josh’s surprise. When Josh began arguing with the home plate umpire, the first one to get in between the two and pull Josh away was Milton Bradley. Yes, that Milton Bradley. Third time this year I have seen him do this. Say what you will about Bradley and his persistent injuries, but it's actions like this that makes me content to have him and his production in any fantasy line-up.
Pet Peeve
I heard an announcer say this the other day: “Pitching two-run ball for seven innings against the Yankees is good any day of the week.” Can we please just let this archaic thinking go? Can we all just admit that the Yankees are pretty ordinary and that doing anything against them is not a benchmark any more, especially this year? Sure, this notion is a product of the Networks and their East Coat biased, but I have also heard it so many times in fantasy, from owners that also believe a player is worth more if he’s wearing the pin stripes. Ugh. Sounds so dumb to voice this opinion of mine, but it’s even dumber to hear what fosters this peeve of mine from my peers.
Who You Should Be Watching This Week:
Chase Headley, Shin-Soo Choo, Matt Antonelli
Seth Smith, Ryan Spilborghs, Scott Podsednik
Adam Loewen, Curt Schilling, Kevim Escobar
Dodgers at Cubs, White Sox at Rays, Marlins at Phillies
Major League Words of Wisdom: “Rays…what we do in life...echoes in eternity.”
Phil Brody resides in Los Angeles, California. He works as a freelance writer and director. In his spare time, he devours everything baseball. He can be reached at philbrody@earthlink.net.