By Dalton Del Don
After Carlos Quentin hit just two homers over 79 at-bats this spring, it was safe to question whether his wrist injury would cost him some power in 2009. After all, he may have played a bit over his head last season even discounting the injury. However, with seven long balls over his past 10 games, it looks like Quentin’s power is back, and here to stay. With a 7:8 K:BB ratio and a terrific hitter’s park working in his favor, nothing screams fluke here. Quentin could finish as a top-10 fantasy hitter this season.
Speaking of shaky spring performances, Zack Greinke gave up 29 runs over 28.1 innings in March. Of course, 27 strikeouts suggested there wasn’t much to worry about, but few could have predicted 20 scoreless innings to start the year. With an incredible 26:5 K:BB ratio, Greinke could factor into the Cy Young mix with the way he’s throwing. It doesn’t get any more impressive than a complete game shutout (with a 10:0 K:BB ratio) coming in Texas.
Brandon Wood needs to be picked up in all but shallow leagues, although manager Mike Scoscia has made it less of a no-brainer by naming him a bench player as of now. For all of his positive qualities, Scoscia can make some head-scratching decisions at times, as he goes too much “by the book” and plays favorites to veterans far too often. He had Maicer Izturis, who has a career .712 OPS, not only DHing Monday but also hitting third in the lineup. Mike Napoli, who has the team’s second highest OPS, consistently hits seventh in the order, because, well, because he is a catcher I guess. Wood, who had posted a 1.356 OPS in Triple-A this year, needs to get at-bats, and hopefully Scoscia comes to his senses eventually.
Sticking with the Angels, normally Howie Kendrick is good but always hurt. He’s decided to throw us a curveball this season and stay healthy yet suck at the plate, where he’s batting .196 with a 12:1 K:BB ratio early on. Remain patient, as Kendrick couldn’t bat under .300 if he tried.
After allowing five more runs over six innings Wednesday, Ricky Nolasco now sports a 6.86 ERA over his first four starts of the season. This after a dominant spring in which he posted a 2.00 ERA with a 17:2 K:BB ratio over 18.0 innings. Discouragingly, Nolasco’s poor start has come against an extremely easy schedule, with three of his four outings coming against Washington (twice) and Pittsburgh. Still, he has posted a 17:6 K:BB ratio over 21.0 innings, so he’s not pitching all that poorly. He remains at risk of injury after a big innings increase last season and the heavy usage of breaking balls, but expect a dramatic improvement in results shortly. He’s a good buy-low target if possible.
Jordan Zimmermann impressed during his first start of his career Tuesday, with the only blemish – a two-run Matt Diaz homer – coming on an 0-2 pitch. He wasn’t overpowering, but Zimmermann pounded the strike zone, throwing 51 of his 72 pitches for strikes. His fastball reached 95-96 mph, and his slider was highly impressive. Like most rookies, expect inconsistency this season, but Zimmermann’s future most certainly looks bright.
By now I’m sure you’ve all read about this feat, but it’s pretty ridiculous nevertheless.
Remember Pat Venditte, the switch-pitcher? Well, he’s quietly becoming a legitimate prospect for the Yankees. This is someone I’m definitely rooting for to make it to the big leagues.
For those who like to stream starting pitchers, Ian Snell gets the Padres in Petco Park on Friday, making him a viable option in the short-term.
During his career, Ryan Howard is 4-for-5 with two walks and four homers against Jeff Suppan – good for a 4.057 OPS. Of course, I probably just jinxed him for his matchup with Suppan on Wednesday night.
Kosuke Fukudome isn’t going to finish the year with his current 1.205 OPS, but his hot start is definitely encouraging. He’s been caught on two of his three stolen base attempts, but his plate discipline remains strong (8:11 K:BB ratio), and he’s quickly proving last year’s bad second half wasn’t a reflection of the type of hitter he truly is. Fukudome’s early power surge isn’t here to stay, but don’t be surprised if he finishes with a strong OPB and batting average, which should lead to solid counting stats hitting atop a potent Cubs’ lineup. He should go down as one of the bigger steals in NL-only leagues by season’s end.
With a .184 batting average and a 16:1 K:BB ratio, Jarrod Saltalamacchia continues to look like a Quad-A player. There’s not much, if any, statistical evidence in his performance so far to back me up, but I remain a believer. Don’t go dropping him just yet.
Off to a .361 start at the plate, I’m not sure what’s hotter, Felipe Lopez’s bat or his wife.
I’ve been a Manny Parra apologist from the beginning, and while his latest start can be forgiven since it came in Philadelphia, nine walks over 14.1 innings is simply unacceptable. At some point, the kid needs to trust his stuff and quit messing around. His command remains a big obstacle, and I’m becoming less optimistic about that big breakthrough ever coming to fruition.
I fully underestimated what the move to Anaheim would do to Bobby Abreu’s fantasy value. With seven steals already, it’s safe to say he’s in store for his most bags since 2004, as the Angels’ aggressiveness on the base paths is a team philosophy. He’s still yet to homer, but Abreu’s contact skills remain intact, and at age 35, he’s hardly in store for a complete collapse in the power department. However, the loss of Vladimir Guerrero certainly doesn’t help, and it sounds like the slugger could be out for quite some time. Still, Abreu is running wild, giving him a nice boost in value.
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