Every week Update! will be putting together a list of noteworthy performances, events and going-ons in the baseball world. We'll get you up to speed on what to get excited (or nervous) about while providing useful fantasy insight:
Comment: The 27-year old reliever should be making his return this week after making one final minor league appearance (he has thrown two shutout innings thus far in his rehab stint). Fantasy owners may remember that Casilla was the most dominant pitcher in Oakland's bullpen prior to getting hurt, pitching to the tune of a 0.93 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. Should incumbent A's closer Huston Street fall prey to injury or become traded, Casilla would be the most tantalizing option to close games for Oakland.
Comment: When Doumit first returned to action on June 6, he looked rather lousy in his first series against Arizona, going 1-for-12. However, once the D-backs left town, Doumit's bat caught fire as he has hit .476 with 4 homers, 7 RBI and 8 runs in his last 6 games. He's already matched his career-high mark of 9 home runs and has looked like a terrific option at the catcher position for fantasy teams. Considering how sparse back-stop production has been this season, Doumit seems destined to finish the season as one of the top fantasy players at his position.
Comment: Chase Headley is expected to be officially added to the Padres roster on Tuesday as the next highly touted prospect to make it to the big leagues in 2008. Headley, who sported a .305 batting average with 13 HR, 40 RBI and 49 runs in 259 minor league at-bats this season, is expected to see plenty of playing time in the outfield, especially with Scott Hairston seemingly headed towards the disabled list. The switch-hitting 24-year old is also expected to see time at third base. While fantasy owners will no doubt be excited about a rookie talent being able to make an immediate impact, it is important to keep in mind that Petco Park is a tough place to hit and with San Diego sporting a weak offense, Headley's numbers may have little use for your team in 2008.
Comment: Isringhausen returned to the Cardinals on Saturday following a DL stint for a lacerated hand. St. Louis plans on using Izzy in middle relief for the time being, but Isringhausen himself has publicly stated that he expects to return to ninth inning duties in due time. Ryan Franklin has been handling closing duties in the mean time, converting 8-of-11 save chances. Franklin has not been overpowering in the bullpen, so if Isringhausen can have himself a string of strong outings you have to imagine that manager Tony LaRussa is going to put him back in the closer’s role. Fantasy owners with the available roster space should add Isringhausen if they are in need of a closer.
Comment: After going 5-1 with a 3.60 ERA in his first 12 starts, Daniel Cabrera has started to play like the Cabrera we all know and loathe. The gifted right-hander has sported an ugly 8.47 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in his last three starts, raising his season ERA to a 4.45 mark. While hitters were batting just .236 against him in April and May, they are hitting at an astounding .328 clip in June. It is too early to deem his 2008 a waste like all his other seasons, but fantasy owners should definitely exercise caution when deciding whether or not to start Cabrera.
Comment: Dealing with right hamstring soreness that has been bothering him for weeks, Ramirez missed both Saturday and Sunday's games. Since the Red Sox play in Philadelphia to star the week, he is likely to miss the Phillies series since there will be no designated hitter. Ramirez, who has enjoyed a fine 2008 thus far, appears to be fine to resume playing when inter-league play wraps up this week, but fantasy owners should certainly be cautious of his health going forward. Hamstring ailments have proven to be troublesome injuries and one legged out double (yes he actually runs hard on the basepaths from time-to-time) could result in a DL stint for Ramirez.
Comment: Billy Wagner endured the week from hell, blowing three straight saves (something he had not done since 2000) while giving up 6 earned runs in 2.1 innings of work between June 8th and June 12th. While Mets fans rolled their eyes at the continued failures of their team, fantasy owners should not worry too much about Wagner's implosions. He bounced back for a perfect inning to earn the save on Sunday in the second game of a double-header and has been a dominant reliever in the second half for his career (2.12 ERA, 166 saves in 331.1 innings pitched). Don't feel like you need to start thinking about replacements for your bullpen, Wagner should be fine.
Comment: Fantasy owners may be feeling at a loss this week as Chien-Ming Wang came up lame running the bases on Sunday and may have a Lisfranc fracture of his right foot, which could effectively end his season. Wang, who was 8-2 with a 4.07 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 15 starts this season, will have an MRI on his foot today to determine the extent of his injury. While he was never a fantasy ace, Wang provides steady production and is a nice source of wins. Should he miss extended time, make sure you have some starting pitching replacements in mind. Some names of note that may be available in your league include Scott Olsen, Charlie Morton and Jeremy Guthrie.
Comment: His return from the disabled list this week lasted all of 6 innings and it has become quite clear that Alou's body just cannot sustain extended playing time any longer. He has not sniffed 100 games played since 2005 and has had just 49 at-bats in 2008. While his bat can still produce, his legs simply cannot hold up at 41 years of age (42 on July 3rd). Mets fans and fantasy owners alike should not count on Alou to do much of anything this season.
Comment:Once an emerging young talent with the San Diego Padres, Barfield's fantasy stock has dropped faster than a Brandon Webb sinker. It looked like his career might have been resuscitated this past week when Asdrubal Cabrera was demoted to Triple-A, but he made it all of 6 at-bats (0 hits) before hitting the disabled list with a strained left middle finger. He is expected to be out until July and who knows if the Indians will welcome him back to the major league club when he returns. Continue to ignore Barfield in all fantasy formats.
Comment: Once featuring a premiere bat to go along with his Hall-of-Fame defense, Pudge has seen his offensive contributions decline dramatically in 2008 and manager Jim Leyland has seen enough. Rodriguez is now embroiled in a platoon at catcher with Brandon Inge and while his overall numbers do not look that horrible (.262 AVG, 1 HR, 22 RBI, 23 R, 5 SB in 55 games) a catcher playing only half the games has very little use in fantasy leagues.
Comment: Heading into this season, Soriano seemed like the next great closer to emerge in baseball. But injuries have derailed his season thus far as he was placed on the DL again this Saturday with continued elbow soreness. He's pitched in just 9 innings in 2008 and while he has looked effective when he's been on the field, fantasy owners are nonetheless frustrated at his fragility. With Mike Gonzalez rehabbing, the closer's role may not automatically be Soriano's once he returns from injury, which severely limits his fantasy value.
BULLISH
SANTIAGO CASILLA
Oakland Athletics, RP
Comment: The 27-year old reliever should be making his return this week after making one final minor league appearance (he has thrown two shutout innings thus far in his rehab stint). Fantasy owners may remember that Casilla was the most dominant pitcher in Oakland's bullpen prior to getting hurt, pitching to the tune of a 0.93 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. Should incumbent A's closer Huston Street fall prey to injury or become traded, Casilla would be the most tantalizing option to close games for Oakland.
RYAN DOUMIT
Pittsburgh Pirates, C
Comment: When Doumit first returned to action on June 6, he looked rather lousy in his first series against Arizona, going 1-for-12. However, once the D-backs left town, Doumit's bat caught fire as he has hit .476 with 4 homers, 7 RBI and 8 runs in his last 6 games. He's already matched his career-high mark of 9 home runs and has looked like a terrific option at the catcher position for fantasy teams. Considering how sparse back-stop production has been this season, Doumit seems destined to finish the season as one of the top fantasy players at his position.
CHASE HEADLEY
San Diego Padres, OF
Comment: Chase Headley is expected to be officially added to the Padres roster on Tuesday as the next highly touted prospect to make it to the big leagues in 2008. Headley, who sported a .305 batting average with 13 HR, 40 RBI and 49 runs in 259 minor league at-bats this season, is expected to see plenty of playing time in the outfield, especially with Scott Hairston seemingly headed towards the disabled list. The switch-hitting 24-year old is also expected to see time at third base. While fantasy owners will no doubt be excited about a rookie talent being able to make an immediate impact, it is important to keep in mind that Petco Park is a tough place to hit and with San Diego sporting a weak offense, Headley's numbers may have little use for your team in 2008.
JASON ISRINGHAUSEN
St. Louis Cardinals, RP
Comment: Isringhausen returned to the Cardinals on Saturday following a DL stint for a lacerated hand. St. Louis plans on using Izzy in middle relief for the time being, but Isringhausen himself has publicly stated that he expects to return to ninth inning duties in due time. Ryan Franklin has been handling closing duties in the mean time, converting 8-of-11 save chances. Franklin has not been overpowering in the bullpen, so if Isringhausen can have himself a string of strong outings you have to imagine that manager Tony LaRussa is going to put him back in the closer’s role. Fantasy owners with the available roster space should add Isringhausen if they are in need of a closer.
BEARISH
DANIEL CABRERA
Baltimore Orioles, SP
Comment: After going 5-1 with a 3.60 ERA in his first 12 starts, Daniel Cabrera has started to play like the Cabrera we all know and loathe. The gifted right-hander has sported an ugly 8.47 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in his last three starts, raising his season ERA to a 4.45 mark. While hitters were batting just .236 against him in April and May, they are hitting at an astounding .328 clip in June. It is too early to deem his 2008 a waste like all his other seasons, but fantasy owners should definitely exercise caution when deciding whether or not to start Cabrera.
MANNY RAMIREZ
Boston Red Sox, OFComment: Dealing with right hamstring soreness that has been bothering him for weeks, Ramirez missed both Saturday and Sunday's games. Since the Red Sox play in Philadelphia to star the week, he is likely to miss the Phillies series since there will be no designated hitter. Ramirez, who has enjoyed a fine 2008 thus far, appears to be fine to resume playing when inter-league play wraps up this week, but fantasy owners should certainly be cautious of his health going forward. Hamstring ailments have proven to be troublesome injuries and one legged out double (yes he actually runs hard on the basepaths from time-to-time) could result in a DL stint for Ramirez.
BILLY WAGNER
New York Mets, RPComment: Billy Wagner endured the week from hell, blowing three straight saves (something he had not done since 2000) while giving up 6 earned runs in 2.1 innings of work between June 8th and June 12th. While Mets fans rolled their eyes at the continued failures of their team, fantasy owners should not worry too much about Wagner's implosions. He bounced back for a perfect inning to earn the save on Sunday in the second game of a double-header and has been a dominant reliever in the second half for his career (2.12 ERA, 166 saves in 331.1 innings pitched). Don't feel like you need to start thinking about replacements for your bullpen, Wagner should be fine.
CHIEN-MING WANG
New York Yankees, SPComment: Fantasy owners may be feeling at a loss this week as Chien-Ming Wang came up lame running the bases on Sunday and may have a Lisfranc fracture of his right foot, which could effectively end his season. Wang, who was 8-2 with a 4.07 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 15 starts this season, will have an MRI on his foot today to determine the extent of his injury. While he was never a fantasy ace, Wang provides steady production and is a nice source of wins. Should he miss extended time, make sure you have some starting pitching replacements in mind. Some names of note that may be available in your league include Scott Olsen, Charlie Morton and Jeremy Guthrie.
BUST
MOISES ALOU
New York Mets, OF
Comment: His return from the disabled list this week lasted all of 6 innings and it has become quite clear that Alou's body just cannot sustain extended playing time any longer. He has not sniffed 100 games played since 2005 and has had just 49 at-bats in 2008. While his bat can still produce, his legs simply cannot hold up at 41 years of age (42 on July 3rd). Mets fans and fantasy owners alike should not count on Alou to do much of anything this season.
JOSH BARFIELD
Cleveland Indians, 2BComment:Once an emerging young talent with the San Diego Padres, Barfield's fantasy stock has dropped faster than a Brandon Webb sinker. It looked like his career might have been resuscitated this past week when Asdrubal Cabrera was demoted to Triple-A, but he made it all of 6 at-bats (0 hits) before hitting the disabled list with a strained left middle finger. He is expected to be out until July and who knows if the Indians will welcome him back to the major league club when he returns. Continue to ignore Barfield in all fantasy formats.
IVAN RODRIGUEZ
Detroit Tigers, CComment: Once featuring a premiere bat to go along with his Hall-of-Fame defense, Pudge has seen his offensive contributions decline dramatically in 2008 and manager Jim Leyland has seen enough. Rodriguez is now embroiled in a platoon at catcher with Brandon Inge and while his overall numbers do not look that horrible (.262 AVG, 1 HR, 22 RBI, 23 R, 5 SB in 55 games) a catcher playing only half the games has very little use in fantasy leagues.
RAFAEL SORIANO
Atlanta Braves, RPComment: Heading into this season, Soriano seemed like the next great closer to emerge in baseball. But injuries have derailed his season thus far as he was placed on the DL again this Saturday with continued elbow soreness. He's pitched in just 9 innings in 2008 and while he has looked effective when he's been on the field, fantasy owners are nonetheless frustrated at his fragility. With Mike Gonzalez rehabbing, the closer's role may not automatically be Soriano's once he returns from injury, which severely limits his fantasy value.
