N.L. Insights for
5/20/2007
By David Wysocky
Hopefully I’m writing what you’re thinking… Here’s a quick
run down of things you need to know in the N.L.:
Braves: With Craig Wilson looking for AAA work
and Scott Thorman underwhelming (or overstaying) his welcome, what’s on the
horizon at 1B? Is it too early to give
Salty some time at 1B? Will Chipper ever
agree to make the switch to open up 3B for a er…. um…. a better fielding
corner? Thorman will continue to man 1B
until the Braves realize they need a more permanent fixture and perhaps a trade
in the next two months, particularly if they’re pushing the Mets or at least a
wild card berth. Smoltzie is looking
strong despite the pinky injury and maintains his value in all formats.
Reds: What’s going on with Josh Hamilton? We’ll take the high road and expect a 3-5
game absence based on the latest intel.
If you’re a Hamilton
owner and haven’t thought to sell high at this point, it may be too late. Harang was shelled again on Sunday, leaving
you with a small window to buy low… he’ll turn it around. Encarnacion smacked his 2nd HR in Louisville and is hitting
.359 during his banishment. Although Louisville is not the
worst place to be, expect EE to be reactivated by 6/1 (at least that’s my over
under… I’ll take the under, thank you) as we watch a rag-tag bunch of players
including the high powered law firm of Castro, Hopper and Conine. What’s with Conine? He’ll continue to hit for a decent average
and add little else, particularly in 5X5 leagues. Unfortunately, his strong play will leave
more talented players on the bench, while Narron continues to play the hot
hand….. and speaking of hot hands….
Astros: Mike Lamb and Mark Loretta will continue
to see playing time as long as their averages sit north of .300. Ensberg owners, such as myself, will continue
to feel frustrated as the Astros can’t possibly expect to trade him unless they
showcase his wares (assuming you believe he has any wares left to
showcase). He made a cameo start
yesterday going 1-for-3, but unless he can string together some games of
Ruthian proportions (y’know, 2 or 3 HRs for a few games straight), it might be
some time before Ensberg takes the field for more than a game at a time. You’ll know that if he doesn’t DH during the
interleague games played in A.L. parks that he’s REALLY in Garner’s
doghouse. Sell high on Chris
Sampson? Patience, patience, patience…
Mets: The All-star back of the rotation (Perez,
Sosa, and Maine)
has been truly “All-Star” in every way imaginable. Perez threw another gem on Friday and if you
think it’s too early to conjure images of his ’04 season, you’re very
right. Perez is like a fine instrument
that can get out of tune in a hurry and although we’re encouraged, we’re still
seeing an ERA well over 4 at the end of the season… yes, you should think about
selling high. Endy is playing through a
hot streak and expect Randolph, who prefers veterans in the first place, to
ride it out well past the point of maximum benefit (that is when the other OFs
are ready to return). Despite the
second HR that Damon sacrificed to the roto gods, David Wright appears to be
back on track. Those who sold low (raise
your hands if you committed such a heinous act) will be sorry.
Diamondbacks: I’m laughing on the outside, crying on
the inside. Chris Young is out for a few
days with another groin strain (Ouch!) and with Chad Tracy hurting and no one
else really hitting (I mean REALLY hitting), the Snakes look like a toothless
viper. Montero will step in for more ABs,
Drew is slugging a slug like .325, Quentin has a line of .185/.286/.283 and Conor
Jackson, despite an incredible .367 OBP with a .231 AVG., has not his
stride. There’s hope, but the bottomline
is that the babybacks need to start playing up to potential, Young needs to get
healthy and Webb, Johnson and Hernandez need to pitch exceedingly well in the
absence of solid hitting. Sell high on
Valverde? Tempting, but he’s been rock
solid so far – hold ‘em, unless you have a surplus of saves.
Cardinals: Jim Edmonds does really look finished and
I now remember some of Peter Gammons’ pre-season comments regarding Edmonds continued
dizziness from last year’s concussion.
As an Edmonds owner, I’m desperately looking for a glimmer of hope so I
can sell high or at least realize some gain on my lofty $18 draft day
investment (yes, way overbid but he was one of the last “good” ones
left….sigh…). LaRussa has continued to
slot Edmonds fourth or fifth against RHPs but even Tony’s loyalty/patience will
run out given his .224/.295/.284 line and only 4 XBHs in 116 ABs…. have to
admit it’s looking really bad right now, and I’m expecting the shoe to drop
with a “Edmonds will be out for an indefinite period right now” press release
over the next week. Lineups now contain
Taguchi, Kennedy, Speizio, Eckstein, Molina and with Wainwright on the shelf,
how far has this team fallen? If you
haven’t sold high on Looper, you’re either running out of time or have to hope
he can stabilize over his next 2-3 starts.
Pirates: And it would be sacrilege to not conclude
with the Buccos. Yes, that’s a dig, but
when a team starving for top of the lineup OBP bats Jason Bay 5th
(.362 OBP) and has a “more holes than a piece of swiss cheese outfield” with Nady
in CF and Doumit in RF, we can’t help take a few cheap shots. The good news is that Gorzelanny is for real,
as far as we can predict his consistency… er… which we can’t. He’s a bonafide sell high candidate particularly
given his need for some offense to earn some wins and those of us holding
Maholm and Dukey will feel more ups and downs than a ride on the Tower of Terror.
LaRoche has hit the Mendoza line and will relax enough to approach his
career norms, not last year’s performance and we’ll all hope that with a
painful first half of the season, we’ll see a promotion for Andrew McCutchen,
who’s struggling, but won’t perform any less than the tandem of Duffy/McLouth
and is clearly the team’s future.
Thoughts, questions, comments? Throw me a freakin’ bone, people. I want to know at gm@baseballinsights.com or go to www.baseballinsights.com.
