Simply amazing. (Awful Announcing)

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So apparently Gerald Laird signs all autographs “Gerald Laird, 1 Man, 5 Tools.” (The Big Lead)

Here are some great ones others thought of in the comments thread:

Clown: “Lance Armstrong: 1 Man, 1 nut”
Magglio Merkin: “Brett Myers: 1 Man, 1 Restraining Order,” “Mark Prior: 1 Man, 1 Full Season”
pkiguy22: “Elijah Dukes: 1 Picture Phone, Unlimited Texting”
rs27: “O.J. Simpson: One Man, Where the white bitches at?”

I thought of:
Curt Schiling: 1 Man, 0 Filter
Barry Bonds: 1 Man, 0 Job
Brian Sabean: 1 Man, 1 too many chances
Neifi Perez: 1 Man, 64 Career OPS+, 1 PED violation away from life-time ban

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Following yesterday’s piece on Yu Darvish, I got the this comment from Sox Addict writer Michael Christopher, regarding the possibility of the Red Sox pursuing another Japanese pitcher through posting, a la Daisuke Matsuzaka:

In a way, I would love to see that happen [Darvish being posted] but to watch the Red Sox throw another 50 mil away just to speak to someone would make me sick to my stomach. That is a LOT of money.

Those are sentiments I understand, that spending $51 million just to speak with Dice-K was a lot of money, but at the time, I was completely blown away by Theo Epstein and the Red Sox throughout the whole process and I will explain why:

The Posting: $51.1111… Million

The posting fee was the first bit of genuis, albeit a subtle one. The Red Sox bid $51,111,111.11 just in case any teams went as high as $50 million, which is a minor point and the Sox wound up out-bidding the next highest team, the New York Mets and the New York Yankees by a wide margin as the Mets bid $39 million and the Yankees $33 million.

At the time, many fans were shocked that the team would spend that much money just to get the chance to speak with Matsukaza, but remember: posting rules state that if a deal cannot be made with the pitcher, he cannot negotiate with any other team and Dice-K would have had to return to Japan for another season and the Red Sox would have gotten their money back. All the pressure was on Matsuzaka to complete a deal because the Red Sox had nothing to lose.

In addition to that, from an organizational stand-point, the $51 million really was a one-time only cost that the ownership group may simply have seen as an investment in the international market of baseball. The fee does not count towards payroll and thus, does not count against the Red Sox luxury tax, where they have maintained a payroll just past the threshold.

The Contract

Once the bid was made and the Red Sox won their exclusive negotiating rights, the talks out of the Matsuzaka camp, led by Scott Boras, were that Matsuzaka would seek a contract in the $100 million range, comparable to what leading free agent Barry Zito was expected to receive that same off-season. Matsukaza was 26 at the time, Zito 28.

However, Theo Epstein refused to offer that much and the gap was said to have been very wide, the Red Sox pointing to a lack of precedent for a Japanese player to receive that much money. In the zero hour, as the negotiating window was winding down, the Red Sox offered Matsuzaka the richest contract ever for a Japanese player, a six-year $52 million deal with incentives that could raise the total value to $60 million. Matsuzaka, in his strong desire to pitch in the United States, wasn’t going to hold the hard line over money only to return to Japan for another year.

In the end, the Red Sox guaranteed less than $1 million more than the posting fee (it only makes sense that the player should receive more than his parent club), while signing a pitcher who was clearly better than Barry Zito (and I’m not just saying that now, it was painfully obvious even then) with one fewer guaranteed year and $23 million less total contract, even when the posting fee is considered, though it really shouldn’t be.

Pure genuis from an organizational standpoint.

Applying this to Yu Darvish

The situation is a little different as it stands now, as Darvish is only 21 years old and has yet to be posted. Depending on how and if he continues to develop this season and when he is posted, Darvish’s parent club, the Nippon Ham Fighters, would probably receive more than $51 million. Consider this: if a big market club could sign a ready-now pitching prospect on par with Clay Buchholz, Joba Chamberlain or David Price without needing to draft or develop them, they wouldn’t hesitate to do so. Is Darvish that good? I don’t know, but Jim Callis seems to think so and he’s a better player evaluator than I and he seems to think so.

The big question will be if Darvish is posted in the 2009 off-season or beyond. We may see some ridiculous numbers thrown around by teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs and Mets among others.

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Daisuke “Dice-K” Matsuzaka had better watch out. There is a new Japanese phenom on the horizon. Yu Darvish, the 6′ 5″ half-Japanese, half-Iranian fire-baller has already won the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young award as well as the equivalent of the World Series MVP and he’s only 21.

Darvish pitched a no-hitter in the Koshien national high school tournament, an event comparable in popularity to March Madness, but because of his mixed racial makeup, only one team drafted him, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Bobby Valentine said of the discrimination: “My scouting director here didn’t think he was what our fans really would like to root for…That scouting director is no longer with us.” Now, Darvish’s race isn’t even an issue as he is one of the country’s most popular figures.

Japanese career:

Darvish debuted in 2005, pitching 94.1 innings with 52/48 K/BB and a 3.53 ERA, finishing with a 5-5 record. In 2006 Darvish pitched 149.2 innings with 115/64 K/BB and a 2.89 ERA, finishing with a 12-5 record. In 2007, Darvish pitched 207.2 innings with a 1.89 ERA, striking out 210 and walking 49, finishing with a 15-5 record.

Scouting Report:

Baseball America reports Darvish throws a fastball that sits in the low 90’s but can reach 95-96 mph. He also throws a curveball, slider, splitter and changeup. One international scout says:

“He has plus stuff, and plus command and control to go with plus makeup. If I had a big game, I would be comfortable with him on the mound. He’s a No. 1 starter for me. Absolutely filthy last year, and he played most of the year at 20. We’ll see what happens as the innings pile on his arm, but he would be 1-1 in the draft. . .We’re not talking a ‘blow them away with a fastball and knee-wobbling stuff’ kind of guy. We’re talking a kid with a projectable body who knows how to pitch and is still developing physically—and is really good right now. He still might end up with jaw-dropping stuff. He’s still very young.”

Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman, who managed Darvish and the Nippon Ham Fighters before coming to the Royals add:

“In my opinion, he’s one of the best in the world at 21. . .He’s got an array of every pitch you’d want to see with the exception of a knuckleball. He throws a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, movement that is natural and really unfair. He has velocity, 92-95, to go with it. He’s a tremendous competitor, a great worker, a great teammate, handles fame very well.”

Jim Callis of BA says that had Darvish been a prospect in the MLB prior to the 2008 season, he would have ranked Darvish as the #3 prospect, behind Jay Bruce and Evan Longoria, but ahead of Joba Chamberlain and Clay Buchholz.

Will Yu Darvish be posted like Dice-K?

The issue is that Darvish is still under control by his club and wouldn’t be a free agent for another five seasons. Like Daisuke Matsukaza, Darvish could come to the states sooner if he is posted, in which case the Nippon Ham Fighters could conceivably receive more than the $51 million the Red Sox spent to secure the rights to sign Dice-K. The ball is in the Nippon Ham Fighters’ court. Nippon Ham general manager Masao Yamada said he would consider posting Darvish and would not hold him against his will: “We will admit a transfer, if it is allowed by the system. . .We won’t chain our players. Actually, we want to train players like the majors are looking for and [see them] perform well over there. That’s kind of our goal.”

Darvish could be posted as soon as the 2008-09 off-season and all of the big market teams will be in the mix to sign him.

Here is some footage of Darvish from a Japanese show, so the commentary is in Japanese, but you get a good look at his stuff. That curveball really seems to baffle his opposition and he seems to be able to bury it in the dirt.

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Technorati Tags: baseball, Baseball America, Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Dice-K, ESPN, Evan Longoria, Free Agent, Japanese baseball, Jay Bruce, Joba Chamberlain, Kansas City Royals, March Madness, MLB, off-season, prospects, scouting, scouting report, SEC, V, World Series, Yu Darvish

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Greg Maddux wins his 350th career game. Congrats to “Mad Dog.” Here is a scouting report on Maddux today. But what’s more interesting is a scouting report of Maddux from his prep days here and here. (Sports Illustrated)

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Big Papi has pushed Terry Francona one too many times. (Babes Love Baseball)

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Jon Papelbon teaches Hideki Okajima how to play craps in the warning track dirt. (Deadspin)

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Paul Depodesta’s take on PETCO Park. (It Might Be Dangerous)

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Top-10 high school hitters in the 2008 Draft. (Minor League Ball)

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Eric Gagne and Jason Isringhausen are bad at saving things. (The Dugout)

“SmokeSomeGagne: I’m so bad at saving, I tried to use a coupon and it made my groceries more expensive.”

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Technorati Tags: baseball, Big Papi, Eric Gagne, Greg Maddux, Jon Papelbon, Minor League Ball, MLB, Paul Depodesta, scouting, scouting report

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Traveling The Same Path

Max Sherzer’s first career start (4 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) reminded a lot of Tim Lincecum’s last year (4.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 5 K). Oddly enough, both came against the Phillies. Sure, the lines look similar, but that’s not what I found reminiscent. Watching Max on May 5, 2008, I saw a guy a bit overwhelmed, a guy carry some unnecessary pressure and a guy simply pressing too much, trying to impress us all a little too much. That was Tim on May 6, 2007. Lincecum, in his second start settled down and pitched 7 innings and gave up 2 ER, while walking 1 and striking out 6 for his first career win. In his second go-around, Max pitched 6 innings, gave up 1 ER, while walking 1 and striking out 6. Unfortunately, he was denied the win by a faulty bullpen. I point out all these comparisons only to say Max will be fine. He was well worth all those waiver wire grabs and will be a factor this fantasy season, albeit possibly from the bullpen (at least for the time being) as it has been reported that Doug Davis is one more rehab start from regaining his spot in the Diamondback’s rotation.

Deep Keep

I’ve been hearing whispers about a sixteen-year old pitching prospect by the name of Michael Inoa (aka: Micheal and Michel). He is a Dominican right-hander and supposedly has MLB teams intrigued and lining up to sign him. Why? Word has it he’s 6-foot-7, 200-pounds and is already throwing a 94 mph fastball, again, at the age of sixteen. Add in a breaking ball and a splitter and it’ll be fun to see the news on him around July 2nd. That’s when the international signing period begins and when we’re sure to hear more about this kid.

Missed It By That Much

How good was James Shields’ outing (9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB 8 K) against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night? You might have heard he only faced 28 hitters, however, there’s more. Tori Hunter, in three at bats, saw a total of 13 pitches from Shields, yet he managed to make contact with only one, which resulted in a groundout to the shortstop. That’s, well, almost perfect.

That Was Fast

A few weeks ago, when I said Blake Dewitt’s bat would eventually catch up with his stellar defense, I’ll be honest, I did not expect it so soon. However, it’s happening now, in Dewitt’s second stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Check out the numbers yourself, but he is seeing the ball, hitting the ball and having a ball in the process. The kid plays with poise and vigor, something that is a lot of fun to watch.

Call Webster’s Dictionary

kei-igawa — verb:
1. to play with no ability and no enthusiasm — “Hey, Dorn, what was with you keiigawaing it today in the ninth?”
2. to throw a pitch and have it hit to perfection, as if the batter knew what was coming — “Charlie, here comes the keiigawa. And when you speak of me, speak well.”
3. spending an exorbitant amount of money in a flashy manner, yet yielding no results — “That professional dancer in Las Vegas had me keiigawaed all night.”

Byrd In The Hand

Aaron Laffey needs to stay in the Cleveland Indians rotation. A Byrd-less rotation of CC Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, Cliff Lee, Jake Westbrook and Aaron Laffey is just plain better, smarter and more formidable. And that’s a knee-jerk reaction on my part after his 7 innings of 2 hit ball against Toronto on Saturday. If you’ve been reading this column the last few weeks, you know I’ve been watching the kid and he could/should very well be 3-0, in turn, making Cleveland a better team. It’ll be interesting to see what the Indians do when Westbrook returns.

Thanks For Stopping By

A day after going 3-4, with a HR, the Red Sox sent Jed Lowrie back to Triple-A Pawtucket in order to make room for Alex Cora. Ugh.

Keep Walking, Nothing to See Here

Watched Nick Adenhart’s second start with the Los Angeles Angels and, well, it was nothing special. I had concerns about his walk rate when he was in the minors and he’s now walked 10 in 6.1 major league innings.

Bold-Stupid-Absurd Prediction

While watching Fausto Carmona pitch in an attempt to decipher what’s been wrong with him this season, I was reminded of something. When I was a kid, my dad woke me up one night to watch the last 3 innings of Lenny Barker’s perfect game as a Cleveland Indian. It was May 15, 1981. The game was against the Toronto Blue Jays and Lenny’s pitches were falling off a table that night. It was a moment in time I’ll never forget, a moment I recalled while watching Fausto. I saw nothing wrong with him, which got me believing he’s going to figure it out really quick, which, in turn, got me reminiscing about Lenny. Call it a gut feeling, call it a premonition, but I think when Fausto does figure it out, that night just might be perfect for him and the Indians. Crazy, I know. So absurd, you should consider never bother to read me again. However, you also heard it here first.

What You Should Be Watching This Week:
Fausto Carmona, Kevin Slowey, Clayton Kershaw
Kenji Johjima, Jarrod Saltamacchia, Jeff Clement
Jody Gerut, Chase Headley, Matt LaPorta
Yankees at Rays, Tigers at Diamondbacks, Mets at Yankees

Major League Words of Wisdom: You Padres. You lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Lollygaggers.

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

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April baseball is a lot of fun, the new season is still exciting and fans get wrapped up in emerging story-lines. Among these, Florida Marlins sit atop the National League East, beating out the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies; the Chicago Cubs, on the brink of their 100th seasons without a World Series, are looking poised to make a run; and the Colorado Rockies are looking lost despite winning the NL pennant in 2007.

Having said that, there are still a lot of fluky occurrences that have yet to expose themselves and as May plays itself out, a lot of these problems will correct themselves.

Here are ten things to look for in May.

10. Has Joe Torre Saved the Los Angeles Dodgers? Is Andruw Jones’ Career Over? The Los Angeles Dodgers have gone on quite a run, winning 10 of their last 12 games to come within three games of the division leading, Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers have averaged 5.24 runs per game this season, good for third in the NL, while last season, the Dodgers run production was a source of trouble for the team, which ranked 10th in the league in scoring. What’s changed? For one, new manager Joe Torre has taken AB away from light-hitting Juan Pierre, giving more them to Andre Ethier and the results have been good as both players have excelled so far in their shared duties. Pierre is hitting .304/.382/.354 and Ethier is hitting .291/.376/.447. The biggest question is undoubtably is whether or not the Dodgers will get the production they had hoped for from new centerfielder Andruw Jones, who has looked abysmal at the plate, hitting .170/.279/.264 with 36 strikeouts in 106 AB. Torre has committed to allowing Jones to work through his problems but Jones was supposed to be a source of power on a team that otherwise lacked power.

9. Unlikely Leaders: Florida Marlins: As of today, the Florida Marlins are leading the National League East with a 20-14 record, beating out a field of strong teams like the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. Can they sustain this success? It is unlikely as their rotation has gotten strong performances from Mark Hendrickson (3.56 ERA) and Scott Olsen (2.22 ERA) who are pitching well beyond their peripherals. This team can hit, but with their rotation and defense as weak as it is, they’re going to start giving up games in a hurry. May will be unkind to the Marlins.

9. The Philadelphia Phillies are a Tale of Two Sluggers: Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Well, that’s not entirely true, Pat “The Bat” Burrell has hit better than he has ever before, thus far in his walk-year, to the tune of a .305/.432/.627 with 9 homeruns. He might be primed to have a big year not unlike his 2002 season when he hit 37 homeruns. Meanwhile, Chase Utley is leading the MLB in homeruns hitting 13 (!!!) and is second in MLB in VORP 30.4, just behind Lance Berkman’s 30.9. Ryan Howard, meanwhile, has looked real bad hitting .165/.285/.331, striking out 51 times in 127 AB. Howard has always been a guy who strikes out a lot, but will this be a season where he drops a .230/.350/.490-type season like Adam Dunn in 2006? Howard is going to have to get hot to get back to where he needs to be as the Phillies are a team that needs to slug, not pitch it’s way to contention. Jimmy Rollins (ankle) is just returning to action and his condition will be one to monitor closely as well as his speed is instrumental to his speed game and defense at short.

8. Barry Zito has the Weight of the World on His Left Shoulder. After being demoted to the bullpen recently and under all the scrutiny of signing the richest free agent contract for a pitcher in MLB history, Barry Zito is in a hell of a tough place right now. He made his return to the rotation against the Pirates and had a reasonably good start. If he can’t get on track a bit in May, he may never mentally be able to do so again. There are already talks that his deal will be the worst signing of all time–I am of the opinion that it will be close–if nothing else, he should be an innings-eater in the short-term and Zito needs to be that, at least.

7. The St. Louis Cardinals Can Beat the Cubs. I’m saying it’s possible, but definitely not likely. For one, the Cards are going to need to keep Albert Pujols on the field and as long as he can play through pain, there will be hope. Rick Ankiel will need to keep hitting and avoiding the strikeout at a reasonable level, something he has done so far. It won’t hurt if Ankiel keeps doing this either. The slew of corner outfielders who have hit well will need to keep doing that. Yadier Molina and Adam Kennedy need to keep hitting .300. After that, their pitching staff, which is shaky (very shaky) needs to keep up their smoke and mirrors, vastly outpitching their peripherals (I’m looking at you: Kyle Lohse, Joel Pineiro, Braden Looper). While we’re at it, top prospect Colby Rasmus needs to break out in AAA, where he is hitting only .198, then win the Rookie of the Year award in the majors. Yeah, I don’t think it’ll happen either.

6. One Man Army: Brandon Webb, Tim Lincecum. I don’t know what’s more impressive, that Brandon Webb is 8-0 on the Arizona Diamondbacks, the best team in baseball, or that Tim Lincecum is 4-1 on the San Francisco Giants. These are two of the best starters in the National League. On one hand, it will be interesting to see how long Webb can keep winning every decision and on the other, Lincecum will be one of the few bright spots on an otherwise bleak Giants season.

5. What’s going on with the New York Mets? I picked the New York Mets to win the World Series in 2008. Some things have changed since that prediction, most notably Pedro Martinez and Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez have been injured. This is still a very good team and some key players who are struggling such as Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes will eventually get hot. I’m not saying Delgado will be a major offensive source for them, but expecting about what he did in 2007 isn’t too much either. Johan Santana has been every bit as good as advertised, the rest of the rotation needs to do their best to keep up.

4. The Colorado Rockies, Last Season’s Pennant Winners, Were Overrated. Don’t get me wrong, winning 21 of 22 games down the stretch and in the playoffs is nothing to poo-poo, but recent developments have placed their chances at contention in danger. 1) Troy Tulowitzki, out with a torn tendon in his quad, may be out until the All-Star game, 2) closer Manny Corpas has flamed out, being replaced by Brian Fuentes, 3) The rotation has been very poor as Jeff Francis, Ublado Jimenez and Franklin Morales have failed to pitch at even an acceptable level. This was a fairly shallow team coming into the season and the rest of the players are going to have to step up to keep them in the hunt with the Diamondbacks and Dodgers who are gelling.

3. Jay Bruce Watch 2008: Where is Jay Bruce? He’s close, as he is hitting .325/.353/.548 with 5 homeruns in 126 AB for AAA Louisville. If Cincinnati Reds CF Corey Patterson hitting just .200/.260/.421, falls below the Mendoza-line, the slugging prospect may get the call in May.

2. Can the Cubs win the World Series? Yes, they can. Just stop jerking your second best starter around and let him settle in. After that, let Felix Pie play. Just do it, stop asking questions and let him play. He’s younger, better than Reed Johnson who might, at best, be a nice platoon partner for Pie, who has out-hit Johnson so far this season. The rest will come if you let it. Has Carlos Zambrano turned a corner and finally stopped walking so many batters? May will give us a better indication.

1. The Arizona Diamondbacks are the Best Team in Baseball. I have a hard time believing this team will continue hitting this well. I like Justin Upton (probably more than most and that’s saying a lot), but his start may be just that–too much too soon–and Connor Jackson isn’t a .339 hitter. I don’t think. This team is running on all cyliners right now, hitting and pitching in the rotation and bullpen and something has to give. Still, this team may be the best in the National League with the way the Mets have played and they may even be the team to beat in the MLB.

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Some good reading for your Monday morning pleasure.

Mark Teixeira, having rejected an eight-year $140 million contract extension, will be looking for a free agent deal worth as much as $200 million. (Sports Illustrated)

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Hanley Ramirez may sign a six-year $70 million contract extension with the Florida Marlins. (Larry Brown Sports)

I don’t understand why someone would want to play in Florida. The team has no future and you get to play in front of 5,000 fans per game. Where’s Scott Boras when you need him.

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A break-down of Brandon Wood’s hitting mechanics. (Baseball-Intellect)

Long swing + bad pitch recognition + gonzo power = confounding prospect who is unlikely to ever reach expectations. I think a change of scenery would be good.

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NBA Draft #1 pick odds. (Vegas Watch)

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O.J. Simpson admits to murder while high on marijuana, sleeping pills. (Deadspin)

Not that there really was any doubt he did it.

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UCLA sports roundup. (Obscure Sports Quarterly)

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Technorati Tags: baseball, Brandon Wood, contract extension, Florida Marlins, Free Agent, Hanley Ramirez, Larry Brown Sports, Mark Teixeira, Scott Boras, UCLA, V

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Rotogod here. It’s been a while, rotofans. I trust your fantasy baseball teams are all in first place and have suffered no injuries. Mine too. I jest.

Today, I will be taking more questions, following up on my last Ask Rotogod post.

George S. writes:

I’m desperately needing a starting pitcher. I belong to a NL only league where we bid on each player. All the good and even mediocre pitchers are gone….What is left that I think is worth looking at are the following:

Matt Belisle - CIN
Chris Sampson - HOU
Nelson Figueroa - NYM
Adam Eaton - PHL
Mark Hendrickson - FLO

Who would you recommend? Also, do you know of any other sleepers in the bullpen what could become a starter?
Thanks for you help in advance.

You’re in a hell of a bind there, aren’t you?

Out of those guys, I don’t like Sampson at all. Adam Eaton pitches in a bad ballpark and so does Belisle, but of those two, Belisle has better upside because he’s the youngest of the guys you mentioned and had solid numbers last season, at least in terms of K/BB ratio, probably the stat I look at most along with K/9. He’s one to consider.

I think Figueroa is flash in a pan to some extent with the solid starts he’s had so far (remember: he did not pitch in the majors in either 2005 or 2007), but he might hold his own and win some games with the Mets’ defense behind him.

Hendrickson won’t be terrible at anything but he won’t be good at anything either and should have the lowest ERA of this group.

In summary, I’d take Belisle on age and upside. He’ll get the most K’s and probably pitch the most innings. After that, I’d take Hendrickson if you’re looking long-term fix and Figueroa if you’re looking for a short-term fix.

As for a sleeper, I’ve always been a fan of Anthony Reyes of the St. Louis Cardinals as a guy who could be promoted from the bullpen. If he’s not available, keep track of Sean Gallagher of the Cubs who was recently promoted. I think he’ll be a solid option if he gets a shot at the rotation.

Thanks for the question.

#2 Question from Jeff D.:

I was lucky enough to win the Cliff Lee waiver-wire lottery. Now, I’m dancing. Is he back to where he once was as an 18-game winner? Or should I sell high?

I’ve gotten a few questions about Cliff Lee and I can understand that given his 5-0 record and 0.96 ERA. What’s more Lee has struck out 32 batters and walked only 2 in 37.2 IP. I’ll say this: Lee is a good pitcher and he will probably have a good year as he is on a strong team in Cleveland and is only 29 years old, still within the age-range where he could have as strong a season as 2005 season when he went 18-5 with a 3.79 ERA and 143 K’s. Will he be better than that season? I can’t really say that he will. He doesn’t have great velocity on his fastball, but his control is good and has been superb so far this season. If you can trade him and get more than back than a 3.50 - 4.00 ERA-type pitcher is worth, by all means, sell high. At the same time, even when he regresses, he will probably be a good #3-4 starter in most leagues and may set career highs in every category except wins and probably strikeouts.

Thanks for the question.

Next question comes from Frank D.:

Hi, I play in a National League-only keeper league. I was lucky enough to draft Justin Upton, who I know you’re high on, but I was offered a deal to trade him, Jason Marquis and Rafael Soriano for Carlos Lee and Micah Owings, Ryan Church and Randy Johnson. Since Soriano has apparently lost his closer job to John Smoltz, this trade will definitely help my team in the short-term and I do need pitching. What do you think of Justin Upton in the short and long-term as a keeper?

When evaluating trades, Frank, the most important thing is to identify the best player in the deal, and in this case, that is Upton, BY FAR, especially because you said you play in a keeper league and Upton probably has the longest career ahead of him, given that he is only 20 this season (barring injury). As I read somewhere, one scout said, Upton is a player without upside. The sky is the limit. I was going to say that you should look at your league’s parameters and rules and determine if getting those pitchers will help you win the league, but it’s only May. Don’t do it! Don’t trade Upton for anything short of a top ten player in a keeper league, maybe top five. Hell, if you’re in first or second at the trade deadline and dealing Upton will ensure that you will win your league, then and only then, would I consider trading him. And you would regret it, even if you won the title.

Thanks for the question. PS. Don’t do it.

And finally, to leave you with some words of roto-wisdom:

Sell High:

-Gavin Floyd, RHP, CHW: Flamed-out prospect who failed because of 1) command, 2) lack of a third pitch. What about a 19/18 K to BB ratio should make me think anything has changed?

-Greg Smith, LHP, OAK: Nothing about this guy’s minor league track record makes me believe his major league performance is for real. Dana Eveland looked real good too until he got bombed recently. These guys are mediocre at best.

Buy Low:

-Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, WAS: Started out low in 2007 and wound up just fine and he’s in a better ballpark.

-Philip Hughes, RHP, NYY: Sometimes the best time to trade for a player is when they’re hurt as long as they’ll be back.

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No Laffey Matter

Aaron Laffey’s debut on Monday against the New York Yankees was impressive. You might look at his line of 5.2 IP, 3 H,4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K and think otherwise, but he was the victim of some bad luck and lethargic defense. It should be noted he had a no-hitter for five innings (on a mere 63 pitchers), as he attacked the strike zone, threw inside and seemed fearless while facing the Yankee hitters. Against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, it was more of the same (7 IP, 4H, 0 ER, 2BB, 5 K). He lost to Gil Meche on an unearned run, a product of more bad defense. However, Laffey didn’tallow a hit until Miguel Olivo singled with two outs in the fifth and he threw 70 of his 103 pitches for strikes. He looked fantastic in both outings and, if by chance his bad-luck record makes him available in your league as a free agent or via trade, I’d pull the trigger. He’s filling in for Jake Westbrook, who is out for a few more weeks, but also recall that Francisco Carmona was yanked back and forth for a while last year before the Indians realized his value in their rotation.

Deep Keep

It’s hard for most to get excited about a sixteen-year old pitching prospect, but a Dominican right-handed pitcher by the name of Michael Inoa (aka: Micheal and Michel) might be the exception. Dubbed the next Francisco Liriano, Inoa reportedly has more than twelve MLB teams vying to sign him. When you get past the bravado you’ll discover he’s 6-foot-7, 200-pounds and is already throwing a 94 mph fastball, again, at the age of sixteen. Scouts say he “creates easy velocity through relatively sound mechanics. He possesses a 91-94 mph fastball, a breaking ball and a splitter.” I also uncovered this intriguing scouting report: “For as big as he is, you’d expect him not to be able to repeat as well as he does. But he stays within himself and once he grows more into that frame, you’ll see that velocity start to climb…and that’s a scary thing.”

Game Within The Game

As fantasy owners, we all love when the hot prospect gets called up to the bigs. However, as a baseball fan, how great is it to see the crafty veteran school a rookie? Last week, in his second game after his callup, Wladimir Balentien faced Paul Byrd. The old man struck out the kid all three times he faced him, getting him swinging twice and making him look silly in each at bat.

Game Within The Game II

On the other side of the coin, Jeff Clement, also in his second game, fouled out and grounded out in his first two at bats. However, in his third appearance at the plate, he battled Byrd for eight pitches, ultimately getting the walk. Why is that significant? It was Byrd’s first walk issued in 109 batters faced.

Everyday J.J.

J.J. Putz was one of the best stories during the 2006 season, in reality and fantasy. Prior to that season, he was always effective reliever, relying on a stellar fastball to get hitters out. What made him The Man though, that season and beyond, was his splitter. Prior to 2006, it was a serviceable pitch, until Everyday Eddie Guardado suggested J.J. alter his grip. Putz listened and according to him, “The first throw I made with the new grip fell off the table and just knew we had something.” I love that story. Wish I had heard it about a week prior to Putz’s breakout instead of two-and-a-half years later, but a great story none-the-less.

Vision Statement

It’s been reported Phil Hughes will be wearing glasses when he returns to the mound to help dull the glare of the lights during night games. Hughes said he had trouble seeing the catcher’s signs and is “slightly nearsighted.” He commented, “When I looked through the prescription, it made a pretty big difference.” Wonder if that eye chart read: T I N S T A A P P

Some Things Never Change

Watched Chris Shelton in his second game after getting called up by the Texas Rangers. Shelton homered in the game, but that’s also his only hit after 13 at bats. It’s a tiny sample size, but in 48 AB at AAA Oklahoma, Shelton was hitting .354 with 3 HRs, 18 RBI, a .429 OBP and .625 SLG, so I guess I expected more. Truth be told, I still do and will continue watching.

Three Days, Two Innings

Also watched Nick Adenhart’s debut on Thursday, which lasted only two innings, and was of course not impressed. Granted, he was pitching on three days rest, which definitely makes this week’s start against the Royals worth watching.

Say It Ain’t So

I reside in Los Angeles, but I do not root for any of the local teams. However, I always go out of my way to watch the Dodgers because of Vin Scully, announcer extraordinaire. Last week, Vin hinted about retiring and whenever that occurs, it will be one very sad day. If you’ve enjoyed the Vin Scully experience, you know what I’m rambling on about. If not, do yourself a favor and experience it ASAP. If you have a friend in the LA area, ask them to tape a Dodger game this season, maybe when they are playing your favorite team. Hell, tell them to just tape any game. Trust me, it will be something you cherish long after Vin has hung it up.

In Every League There’s That One Guy

I am certain if Monday’s Arizona Diamondback’s game was on National TV, 99% of Fantasy Nation would be watching. The other 1%, when asked why they were not watching, would probably respond, “Who is this Max Scherzer?”

What You Should Be Watching This Week:
Aaron Laffey, Nick Adenhart, Kei Igawa
Nick Johnson, Chris Shelton, Dallas McPherson
Franklin Gutierrez, Ben Francisco, Fernando Perez
Phillies at Diamondbacks, Yankees at Tigers, Diamondbacks at Cubs

Major League Words of Wisdom: What the Braves got here is a failure to communicate.

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

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