Rummaging Through the Trash

“Rummaging Through the Trash” is the first of many features freely bestowed on our readers to help them get a leg up (or arm up in this instance) on the pitching competition. Here we will list the top pickups for the day, and a daily recommendation. Since not all of us had the foresight to draft Roy Halladay, Brandon Webb and Tim Lincecum; paying attention here should help you get by with a flawed rotation. Remember the classic fantasy motto: “Never trade hitting for pitching.”

Without further adieu, here are todays pickups and the risk involved:

Jonathan Sanchez – San Francisco Giants: By this time now Sanchez should be a surprise to no one. Despite his seemingly mediocre stats, he has managed to strikeout over a batter an inning. In addition, over his last four starts, he has not given up more than two runs. He does play on a horrible Giants team, and he does give up more walks than I would like, but facing the Nationals should remedy both of these issues. Pick this guy up and watch him make Nats hitters look foolish. Value: W, K, ERA

Andy Pettitte – New York Yankees: Andy was a popular drop a few weeks ago. Watching his recent struggles is nothing short of frustrating, however I think he can shut down the Royals quite easily. He may not strike out much anymore, but with the state of KC’s offense, you never know. Value: W, ERA

Please remember that the analysis written today is merely one man’s opinion and to not bet the farm. Hope this all helps, and feel free to email me with any questions at info@defineconsistent.com

Hero for a Day

This column focuses on the most successful outings of the day before. These guys are most likely available in your league and worth a hard look before they throw their next pitch.

Todd Wellemeyer – St. Louis Cardinals: Admittedly not sold on Welley. However, he has won his fifth straight decision, putting all Washington hitters to shame. With his six solid innings of five hit ball, Wellemeyer won his seventh game of the season. His 7.75 K/9 is really nothing to sneeze at either. An excellent combination of strikeout potential and control (1.13 WHIP) make Wellemeyer a solid pickup. I must have added/dropped him at least five times now, so if your Head-to-Head league needs a boost, take a chance. Value: Back end starter

Jon Lester – Boston Red Sox: You have to love this guy. Heck, I hate the Sawx and I can’t get enough of this guy. His start against the Rays showed nothing but poise and his ability to pitch to the scoreboard. Despite giving up eight hits, he was able to not walk any runners and escape trouble. His K’s won’t give you any boost, but they won’t kill you either. I can’t think of a better spot starter, since no hitter or not, most are not bullish. Value: Spot start/Back end starter

RTtT 4/4/08 – Josh Banks, Garrett Olsen, Jose Contreras, Homer Bailey, Scott Baker: Any of the guys I recommended would have helped you out yesterday. Value: Priceless

Pompous I know, but you don’t go 5/5 everyday.

Anyways, Check back tomorrow for more Heroes for a Day!

Rummaging Through the Trash

“Rummaging Through the Trash” is the first of many features freely bestowed on our readers to help them get a leg up (or arm up in this instance) on the pitching competition. Here we will list the top 5 pickups for the day, and a daily recommendation. Since not all of us had the foresight to draft Roy Halladay, Brandon Webb and Tim Lincecum; paying attention here should help you get by with a flawed rotation. Remember the classic fantasy motto: “Never trade hitting for pitching.”

Without further adieu, here are todays pickups and the risk involved:

Jason Bergmann – Washington Nationals: Bergmann has been a bright spot on a team that has had to live and die by its pitching. Despite his one win, he has struck out over a batter an inning while keeping a low WHIP. His ERA should not be much of an issue against an even worse San Francisco lineup, although Tim Lincecum is his likely opponent. Expect a pitching heavy game. Value: K, ERA, WHIP

Darrell Rasner – New York Yankees: Rasner, like Bergmann is a bright spot for a injury-riddled and ineffective Yankee rotation. Four of his first five starts to 2008 have been deemed as “quality starts,” with his last outing falling short. After watching his last (non-quality) start, he was not fully at fault. His offense let him down, his defense let him down, not to mention he was pitching against a hot team on the road. I am willing to forgive him, guessing he still has enough in him to dominate Kansas City. Value: W, ERA, WHIP

Bartolo Colon – Boston Red Sox: A very popular pickup as of late, and by all means he should be. The man used to be a fantasy force and now he is on a hot streak with the defending World Champions. I, however, am not in the least sold. Only one of his three starts has been quality, and considering he faced Seattle, Baltimore and Kansas City, I don’t see success in his future. Pair that with the fact that he is giving up a hit per inning and soon to face more potent offenses. Sell Sell Sell after he wipes the floor with Seattle’s jerseys. Value: W, K, ERA.

Sean Gallagher – Chicago Cubs: Another cubbie starter who looks better than Rich Hill. Although he may give up a few more hits than I would like, the kid throws strikes and gets hitters out. I like how he lines up against Los Angeles, he threw a good seven against them last week. If the stars align, I could see him getting an elusive road win. Value: W, K, WHIP.

Don’t Bother – The Rest: Really don’t bother, there will be another day. Randy Wolf, Ian Snell and Andrew Miller are way too risky to use here. Everyday springs a new crop of probables, and the rest of these guys are simply not worth it. Value: None.

Please remember that the analysis written today is merely one man’s opinion and to not bet the farm. Hope this all helps, and feel free to email me with any questions at info@defineconsistent.com

!Closer Alert!

As much as it pains me to say this, Rafael Soriano is still widely available in most leagues. With the injury to Smoltz and Moylan and the poor control of Manny Acosta, I suppose Sori can help you when the Braves have a save opp.

There was talks he would be replaced before he got injured, and he has not been particularly effective since returning, however he seems like the consensus pickup.

As other analysts have said before me, keep an eye on Mike González.

Bolster Your Bench

This feature focuses on your contingency plan in case a stud goes down. If you were blessed with injury recently and yet to catch up in the standings, this is the right place to read. These guys should be widely available and should at least be bench worthy to block a rival from bolstering their bench.

J.D. Drew – Boston Red Sox: In 13 June at-bats Drew has hit a whopping .538/.588/1.742. Small sample size I know, but with the injury to David Ortiz, the often injured Drew will be asked to step up even more as a run producer. In May he hit near .300, he seems to be an extremely safe pick up. Value: Buy NOW

David Murphy – Texas Rangers: Despite his recent 4/4 performance, I am still not sold on David Murphy in mixed leagues. All of his statistics are well above average, I just don’t see him helping out his team as much once Hank Blalock returns, not to mention he has been streaky all year. Value: Try to sell

Randy Winn – San Francisco Giants: What else can I say about WInn. Throughout his fantasy career he has been on the border of usefulness. However, when he is on the top of his game, his combination of power and steals is near elite. In his last ten he has two steals, three homers, 12 hits and seven runs. Value: Get now! Sell later

Span your free agent pool for these guys, they may help you with a platoon situation or a recently fallen warrior.

Hero for a Day

This column focuses on the top three successful outings of the day before. These guys are most likely available in your league and worth a hard look before they throw their next pitch.

Mike Mussina – New York Yankees: Moose recently gave up five hits, one walk and one earned run over six innings, striking out six notching his ninth win of the season. The strikeouts are certainly a characteristic of a younger Moose, however his control was spot on last night. Not only was he getting ahead of batters but he also did not hit the panic button with runners on base. The nine wins should ensure Moose may not be available too much longer. He is consistently winning now, but expect a few stinkers to raise his ERA to about 4.5 at the very least. Value: Buy and Sell higher

Ted Lilly – Chicago Cubs: Lilly is overshadowed this year by the success of Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster, however he has pitched adequately enough to gain fantasy merit. His near strikeout per inning pace has helped owners forget the stinkers he has thrown against Colorado and Pittsburgh. In addition, his team for the most part ensures him a chance at a win. Even though he lost last nights start against the Padres, sporting a line of 7.1 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 8 K, he deserves a spot as a fifth starter on any team. Value: Spot-start or Back-of-the-rotation guy.

Manny Parra – Milwaukee Brewers: If there is anyone who can make the Brew Crew’s season seem optimistic, it would be a healthy and successful Parra. Like Lilly, Parra is a strikeout pitcher, or at least has tried to do so at the big league level. His start against the healthy Arizona offense yielded four hits and two walks, striking out eight and giving up one earned run. There is nothing more the Brewers would like than to slot him as their number two starter, and with the injuries of Yovani Gallardo and Chris Capuano, he seems more than up to the task. Like Lilly, slot him in as your fifth starter, strikeout potential on the waiver wire is hard to come by. Value: Back-of-the-rotation guy

Check back tomorrow for more Heroes for a Day!

Rummaging Through the Trash

“Rummaging Through the Trash” is the first of many features freely bestowed on our readers to help them get a leg up (or arm up in this instance) on the pitching competition. Here we will list the top 5 pickups for the day, and a daily recommendation. Since not all of us had the foresight to draft Roy Halladay, Brandon Webb and Tim Lincecum; paying attention here should help you get by with a flawed or hobbled pitching rotation. Remember the classic fantasy motto: “Never trade hitting for pitching.”

Without further adieu, here are todays pickups and the risk involved:

Josh Banks – San Diego Padres: Banks, a pitcher known mainly for his control, was claimed off waivers earlier in the year from Toronto. Although he has yet to give up a run in his 17 innings in 2008, I cannot say I am sold on him yet. His 2:1 K/BB is a good start, so he should help in at least WHIP. However, his strong outings came against the Giants and the (at Petco) meaning tomorrow’s outing against the offense heavy Mets should be the true test. Value: WHIP, league average K/9

Garrett Olsen – Baltimore Orioles: Olsen came out the gate this year winning three of his first four, landing him on everyone’s fantasy radar. Although he has 4 wins and a modest ERA slightly over 4, his start against the Twins is not exactly slam dunk. He has only pitched into the 7th inning three times this year, and only once has he completed it. In addition, he gives up over a hit per inning and has been maddeningly inconsistent after a successful outing. Value: W, K

Jose Contreras – Chicago White Sox: Contreras throughout his career has been incredibly inconsistent. At times he appeared to be an elite pitcher, other times you wondered what was eating him. In 2008, however, he has almost been a poster boy for consistency, giving up less than 3 runs in all but 3 of his starts. There is a catch for his newfound effectiveness: low strikeout totals (aside from his recent 10K outing). With his next start against the anemic KC lineup I would have no problem starting him in all formats. Value: W, ERA, WHIP

Homer Bailey – Cincinnati Reds: As other analysts have said, “Reds prospects this year are can’t miss.” Once deemed to be a top three pitching prospect in baseball, Bailey’s stock has plummeted since his average showing in 2007. His numbers this year in AAA seem to have regressed since last years as well. On the other hand, if he strings together a few meaningful outings his household name may be overvalued by others in your league, making him valuable trade fodder. If you have an extra slot, he is worth a shot, but I would wait it out before starting him against the Phillies. Value: Trade bait

Scott Baker – Minnesota Twins: Before being injured, Baker appeared to be an Ace in the making. His 7.9 K/9 is an improvement on his MLB numbers, but he showed strikeout potential in the minors. His age is an asset as it is not out of the question to write off his improving numbers as legitimate. Aside from one rough outing at Texas, Baker’s numbers really have been impressive, boasting a 29/5 K:BB ratio. He won’t win much unless the Twins put together a run, but his other numbers won’t kill you. Value: K, WHIP, ERA

Please remember that the analysis written today is merely one man’s opinion and to not bet the farm. Hope this all helps, and feel free to email me with any questions at info@defineconsistent.com