It's rather amusing how stead-fast some people are in letting you know that, since it is only April, the first month of fantasy baseball is rather insignificant. Last I checked, if you miss the playoffs by one game, that loss you suffered in the first week of the season matters just as much as the one in Sept. Sure some hot / cold starts can become straightened out and injuries, tough schedules and poor weather certainly have an impact on the early goings of the baseball season, but let's not act as if the month of April should be tossed out the window. This first month has shown us a lot about the landscape of the sport in 2008 and Update! selected some of the more lasting impressions from the first few weeks of the season:
Comment: Fantasy owners that took a chance on him after his sub-par 2007 must be patting themselves on the back. If the Dodgers make the post-season, expect Furcal to be a serious candidate for an NL MVP award. Los Angeles has been underwhelming this season, but you can't blame any of it on their starting shortstop, who has a .363 batting average through 25 games to complement his six stolen bases and 22 runs. The most impressive aspect of his game is the fact that he's been so hot so early despite having a long history of atrociously poor starts.
Comment: He came into 2008 with a career .241 April batting average, so a slow start was to be anticipated. What was not expected, however, is his appalling line through 27 games: .153 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R. Cano has looked like a rookie at the plate thus far this season, being far too aggressive at the plate as pitchers abuse him virtually every at-bat. He makes a pretty good buy-low candidate for fantasy owners because of this awful start, but just hope that this funk isn't so bad that he can't recover in 2008.
Comment: Once touted as the second coming of Pedro Martinez, Volquez had been plagued by control issues his whole career. After putting together some strong performances late last season for Texas, Cincinnati took a chance on him by trading for his services in the off-season. So far it has paid off big time as Volquez has been stellar, going 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. He's looked like the real deal on the mound and should continue to dominate in 2008.
Comment: Despite good, not great, ratios in 2007 (3.66 ERA, 1.23 WHIP), fantasy owners were enamored with Verlander heading into 2008 based on his potential to win 20-plus games on a potent Tigers offense. Well, he's been a terrible option thus far for fantasy owners and while his high WHIP and ERA will surely come down, it has become quite obvious that he is not going to be the elite pitcher many thought he would this season.
MOST IMPRESSIVE TEAM
Arizona Diamondbacks
Comment: The D-backs have such a great balance of offense and pitching, that it's hard to imagine them not running away with National League crown. They have a nasty one-two starting pitching punch in Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, a lineup filled with emerging young superstars (Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, Chris Young), solid veteran leadership (Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson) and a stable bullpen (Brandon Lyon and Chad Qualls). Add a healthy Randy Johnson to mix, along with the development of pitchers Micah Owings and super-prospect Max Scherzer, and you have a recipe for success. The NL West division is theirs for the taking. The only concern with this team is seeing if their young lineup (average age of team is 26.6) can sustain consistent production over an entire season.
MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM
Detroit Tigers
Comment: Yes, they have a loaded offense, but manager Jim Leyland's team has some major problems too glaring to ignore. Dontrelle Willis has been a major bust and Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson and Kenny Rogers all have ERAs over 6.00. Entering Tuesday, the team defense had 15 errors, five of which have come from prized slugger Miguel Cabrera, whose play in the field has been so bad, the team moved him over to first base. Their bullpen, surprisingly, has held up well, but do you really expect Todd Jones (1.80 ERA) and Aquilino Lopez (0.49 ERA) to pitch this well all season? The Tigers don't have the starting pitching to match up against AL Central teams like Cleveland, Chicago or even Kansas City and that's going to cost them a playoff berth in 2008.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Rafael Furcal
Los Angeles Dodgers, SSComment: Fantasy owners that took a chance on him after his sub-par 2007 must be patting themselves on the back. If the Dodgers make the post-season, expect Furcal to be a serious candidate for an NL MVP award. Los Angeles has been underwhelming this season, but you can't blame any of it on their starting shortstop, who has a .363 batting average through 25 games to complement his six stolen bases and 22 runs. The most impressive aspect of his game is the fact that he's been so hot so early despite having a long history of atrociously poor starts.
BIGGEST BUST
Robinson Cano
New York Yankees, 2BComment: He came into 2008 with a career .241 April batting average, so a slow start was to be anticipated. What was not expected, however, is his appalling line through 27 games: .153 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R. Cano has looked like a rookie at the plate thus far this season, being far too aggressive at the plate as pitchers abuse him virtually every at-bat. He makes a pretty good buy-low candidate for fantasy owners because of this awful start, but just hope that this funk isn't so bad that he can't recover in 2008.
MOST SURPRISING ARM
Edinson Volquez
Cincinnati Reds, SPComment: Once touted as the second coming of Pedro Martinez, Volquez had been plagued by control issues his whole career. After putting together some strong performances late last season for Texas, Cincinnati took a chance on him by trading for his services in the off-season. So far it has paid off big time as Volquez has been stellar, going 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. He's looked like the real deal on the mound and should continue to dominate in 2008.
MOST DISAPPOINTING ARM
Justin Verlander
Detroit Tigers, SPComment: Despite good, not great, ratios in 2007 (3.66 ERA, 1.23 WHIP), fantasy owners were enamored with Verlander heading into 2008 based on his potential to win 20-plus games on a potent Tigers offense. Well, he's been a terrible option thus far for fantasy owners and while his high WHIP and ERA will surely come down, it has become quite obvious that he is not going to be the elite pitcher many thought he would this season.
