N.L. Daily Insights for Sunday, 4/15/2007
By David Wysocky
Chris Young, OF,
Diamondbacks
Not exactly the start that Young owners
had hoped for. Sure, the 9 RBIs (ranked
tied for 10 in the N.L.), a dinger and SB are adding value, but the .156/.200.281
line with a 5K:1BB aren’t exactly inspiring confidence
in consistent playing time. Relax and
hold onto Young, even in mixed leagues where he’s stashed on your bench at this
point. Even with a mental day off on
Sunday, we’re still expecting good things from Young and have issued a “Hold” recommendation in all formats… give him some time.
Stephen Drew, SS,
Diamondbacks
We’re not sold on Drew as the leadoff hitter, but his 4K:9BB ratio and .350 OBP make him among the best candidates
to hold the job. The .209 AVG. will rise
significantly and he should rack up runs scored (at the expense of RBIs) at the
top of the lineup. We’re still waiting
to see some XBHs from Drew who is not driving the
ball yet.
Ben Sheets, P,
Brewers
Sheets took his second spanking of the young season from the
House of Cards who are really struggling
to find their offense given a shaken-not-stirred Jim Edmonds, a struggling Pujols, an achy Rolen and a cast
of Miles’, Kennedy’s and Taguchi’s. That
being said, Sheets struggled royally today, and except for the Pujols 1st inning bomb, which can be forgiven,
it’s concerning that Sheets has been beaten badly in two straight starts after
his complete game outing on opening day.
8Ks in 20 innings is also not what we would expect with a healthy
Sheets… sigh. Again, let’s wait another
3-5 starts before pushing the panic button.
Lance Berkman, 1B, Astros
How many players could post a .349 OBP with a .188 batting
average? 1 HR, 3 RBIs, and a .281 SLG in
his first 10 games have a lot of Berkman owners
waiting for an upswing, particularly those that made him either a late first
round or early second round selection.
Batting in front of Lee, we should expect a better week ahead against Florida, Milwaukee
and Cincy.
Carlos Zambrano, P, Cubs
You ever experience one of those days where you have
absolutely picture perfect weather and within 15 minutes you’re facing a
mini-hurricane? Zambrano
reminds me of the weather in Florida
– beautiful one minute, devastating the next.
He took a one-hit shutout into the 5th inning of Friday’s
game against the Reds only to completely lose his control, and more often the
case with Zambrano, his composure. With an 10K:11BB
ratio in 16 INN. we’re
getting another lesson why Zambrano is less capable
of winning 20 games than 15.
Corey Hart, OF, Brewers
Hart is losing some playing time to the glut of Brewers OFs, with Gabe Gross now pushing
for some ABs alongside Hall, Mench
and Jenkins. He’ll need to quickly turn
on the ability and improve upon his .179/.200/.321 line in order to earn the cred needed to garner more ABs. We’re a little less hopeful of Hart’s ability
to ward off the contenders as compared to say Chris Young, but the power/speed
DNA is still too powerful to ignore. Look
for a buy low on Hart especially if he continues to struggle from a performance
and playing time perspective. Hart went
1-for-3 on Sunday with a walk.
Hanley Ramirez, SS,
Marlins
Ramirez owners can rest comfortably with 3 hits, 3BBs, 4R
and a SB in two games since his return.
Keep an eye on Amezaga who will take some ABs in CF as De Aza makes it back
from a minor ankle injury.
Marlins Bullpen
Lindstrom struck out the side in a perfect INN.
while Jorge Julio issued 4 BBs
in his INN. of
work. Lindstrom could be good for 5-7
saves throughout the year. Grab him in
N.L. only leagues.
Braden Looper, P, Cardinals
Another nice outing for Looper
(6INN, 2ER, 2BB, 3Ks) who bested Ben Sheets earlier today (didn’t see that one
coming!). We’re close to issuing a sell
high on Looper who has a 9K:6BB
ratio in 19INN. and has given up more hits than
innings pitched over the past four years.
To sum it up, we see the tides changing for Looper,
but given the challenges of some higher profile pitchers (Zambrano,
Myers, Sheets), we’ll let this one ride for a few
weeks.
Ryan Theriot, Super-Utility, Cubs
3 more hits for Theriot today and
even in mixed leagues, he has significant SB upside should he gain more ABs at 2B or even SS.
Grab him if he’s still available.
Questions, comments? Ask away at GM@baseballinsights.com or go to www.baseballinsights.com.
