Three Days, Three Games, in Three Stadiums: Day Three
June 21, 2009
This is the third in a three part series focusing on three days spent touring the Chicago area’s ballparks. Stop three of the trifecta of midwestern parks was Miller Park in Milwaukee.
Miller Park - Open Dome
Day Three. Chicago White Sox vs. Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park (Jose Contreras vs. Manny Parra)
Short Porches and Imposing Outfield Stands
Highlights of the Game-
It certainly wasn’t the command and composure of the uber-talented southpaw Manny Parra, who was wilder than Charles Manson and more hittable than a tee ball. The actual highlight of the game was seeing future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman pitch. Hoffman is a guy I remember as as a fresh-faced Padre prospect just starting out; now he stands the quintessential closer and all-time saves leader. Hoffman epitomizes what it means to be a stopper, even at age 42.
The game itself was a sort of unexciting display of AL prowess over NL incompetence. But seeing Hoffman brought in, even though no save was on the line, was special to see – and the crowd certainly was in agreement.
The Shadows of Miller
The Stadium (Miller Park)– Miller Park is a bowl of a stadium. Its bounding walls and steep stands enclose the onlooker, and focus all fans’ attention on the shadowed field. Shadowed because of the Frank Lloyd Wright-esque, spiked dome that casts a band of darkness along the shallow outfield grass. Miller Park is among the new class of rebuilt ball fields but does what US Cellular Field and such McMansion Parks do not - it inspires.
The Brewers -
There is something moving about the Brew Crew from a fantasy baseball perspective. It is as if you are witnessing the amalgamation of a great, historical team of fantasy ball stars. Think of the modern day Brewers’ lineup. There’s Rickie Weeks, who seemed to finally be putting it together (again) earlier this season before (again) falling victim to injury. Then it’s JJ Hardy at shortstop, whose past two seasons rank him among the most wanted shortstops in NL-inclusive fantasy leagues. After Hardy comes Ryan Braun, cornerman-turned-left-fielder and heir to the franchise player title. Batting cleaning up is the oddly-vegetarian Prince Fielder, an almost too-perfect replica of his girthy father - famed basher Cecil Fielder, who unlike Big Daddy Fielder, can steal a base and hit for some average too. Then, follows Corey Hart, multi-tool fantasy favorite and top tier outfield option for the last few years. Sixth comes Mike Cameron, who belted 25 homers in a Performance Enhancing Drug-use-suspension-shortened 2008 season, and remains one of the best defensive centerfielders in modern baseball. Seventh, follows Mat Gamel, whose best Ted Williams impression to open the 2009 minor league season sent him rocketing to the Bigs. In fact, the only weak spot in the whole cast of characters would be the backstop…Jason Kendall (that statement is in full consideration of the pitcher, as well).
The Brewers have an interesting conundrum by virtue of their depth at the minor league level. Alcides Escobar deserves a look in the Bigs this season, and though a natural shortstop, would notch neatly into 2B. Yet, Brewers’ brass seems content going with a platoon of Craig Counsell and Casey McGehee. It is fair to say that someone will have to go and something will have to give – because Weeks seems unable to notch even one healthy season and JJ Hardy has been lost at the plate all season. Perhaps this is another in a myriad of cases of me playing armchair GM, but I would have brought Alcides Escobar up the moment Weeks went down and slotted him in to second base. In any case, the Brewers have little offensively behind Escobar and Brett Lawrie (2B) from an offensive standpoint – but their achilles heal will always be pitching until the problem is addressed.
With a rotation that features Yovani Gallardo as its undisputed ace, followed by the uninspiring triad of Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush, and Braden Looper – Brewers’ games will always threaten to descend into nothing more than a slugfest. Though their bullpen has been better in 2009 than last season, Hoffman is in a one-year, spite-his-former-team deal at the ripe old age of 42, and the combination of Carlos Villanueva, Todd Coffey, and Mitch Stetter provide serviceable middle relief but no heir to the closer role.
Overall: Day Three was superb! The Brewers are a fun team to watch, even when blown out by a more synergistic, functional opponent like the Chicago White Sox. This game was an indictment of Milwaukee’s subpar starting pitching, and another in an endless series of examples that teams devoid of quality arms cannot succeed over the long haul. Keep looking over your shoulder, Brewers’ fans – and write strongly-worded letters to your GM – Doug Melvin.
Disabled Difference-Makers
June 21, 2009
We’re rapidly approaching the midpoint of the season, and no doubt fantasy managers are taking stock of what they have and determining whether they have what it takes to stay in contention and make a run in the second half. Team owners are scanning the waiver wire, mulling trade offers and praying for The Next Big Thing to get a call-up from AAA.
But owners might have just the panacea they need right on their roster, riding the pine: players on the disabled list who are nearing a return.
There are a handful of players who can have a real impact in the second half of the season, so either clear some space on the bench for them or make sure you don’t drop them for a quick fix like John Mayberry Jr.:
- John Smoltz (BOS – SP) – Once more around the block for the future Hall of Famer, albeit in a different uniform for the first time in his career. I don’t think that’ll matter much to a guy who’s made the transition from staff ace to top-flight closer back to star starting pitcher in his 20-plus years in the majors. He was 14-8 with a 3.11 ERA in 2007 and 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA and 1.18 WHIP last year before getting injured, so I think he’s got plenty left in the tank. He’s slated to make his first start on Thursday against Washington.
- Xavier Nady (NYY – OF) – Nady has some legitimate pop (20 HRs in 2007, 25 in 2008 between the Pirates and Yankees), and he drove in 97 runs in 148 games last season. He’s beginning a minor league rehab assignment soon, so it’s possible he could rejoin the team in time for Independence Day weekend. If that happens and he plays in a good 75 games, he could put up some decent numbers, especially playing in that bandbox in the Bronx.
- Aramis Ramirez (CHC – 3B) – Ramirez got out of the gate in a hurry (.364, 4, 16), and landed on the DL before the ivy could even start filling in on the outfield wall. It looks like he’ll be ready to go right after the All-Star break, so be ready to insert him back into your lineup. This is as much of a no-brainer as you’ll get, and most people know that, evidenced by the 92% owned stat for Yahoo!
- Joey Votto (CIN – 1B) – Another player who got off to a hot start, Votto is on a rehab assignment right now and could be up before the end of the month. He should easily supplant Ramon Hernandez at first base, as the Reds desperately need one of their starters to get back to a decimated infield. With 24 HRs and a .297 BA last year and an impressive line (.357 BA, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 23 R, 2 SB) to start this season, look for some big things when he returns.
- Tim Hudson (ATL – SP) – Given that he’s owned in just 6% of Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball leagues, it’s easy to surmise that most managers have given up on him in 2009 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. I might be in the minority here, but if he’s still available after the All-Star break and progressing toward a mid-August return (as the current timetable indicates), I’d snatch him up. You might only get 7-8 starts out of him, but if he’s anywhere near his form the last two seasons, you might nab 4-5 wins with an ERA hovering around 3.20 and a WHIP below 1.20.
- Ryan Doumit (PIT – C) – He’s on this list mainly because of his position. His 2008 line (.318 BA, 15 HR, 69 RBI, 71 R, 2 SB) isn’t huge in a mixed league on its own, but in NL-only leagues and mixed leagues in which you need two catchers, he’s a must-have. There’s obviously some concern about whether he’ll recover from his wrist injury with his power intact, and he might not return until a while after the All-Star break, but if you can get two months of .300-plus batting average out of your backstop, that’s pretty good.
Do I even need to mention: Roy Halladay (TOR – SP), Raul Ibanez (PHI – OF) and Brad Lidge (PHI – RP). All three of these guys went down this month and should be back in action before the All-Star break. All three could have profound impact on a fantasy baseball season. All three probably are still on the same fantasy team they were on in your league before they went down with an injury, so they’re probably not available.
Special Mention:
- Manny Ramirez (LAD – OF) – I know he’s not on the disabled list, but it scares me to think that he’s still available in 4% of Yahoo! leagues with less than two weeks to go before his return to the active roster. Love him or hate him, Manny can put up the numbers (.348 BA, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 22 R in 27 games this year), and he’ll be ready to deliver some fireworks for the weekend of the Fourth. If you’ve got room on your roster, grab him NOW.
Don’t Count On…
Brandon Webb (ARI – SP), Jason Schmidt (LAD – SP), Jake Peavy (SD – SP) and Brett Myers (PHI – SP). There are just too many questions marks surrounding these guys that I wouldn’t expect any big contributions from them. Hudson seems a more likely bet in my eyes, but then again, I’ve always viewed Atlanta pitchers differently than others.
Special Mentions:
- Jose Reyes (NYM – SS) – You might want to rethink your strategy if you’re counting on a player to make an impact when that guy’s main fantasy value is his speed and he’s on the disabled list for tendonitis and a torn hamstring tendon. I understand Reyes’ appeal (he was my shortstop in an NL-only league for a season and put me way out in front with steals), but if you factor in an expected drop-off in stolen bases and runs scored because of his legs not being 100%, you’d be better served to go with Jason Bartlett, Ryan Theriot or Ben Zobrist (if he qualifies in your league).
- Dontrelle Willis (DET – SP) – The D-Train has only had one truly good season (2005’s 22-10 mark with a 2.63 ERA). Since then, he’s gone 23-33 and his WHIP is almost as high as his career batting average – OK, I lied. (It’s 1.57 while his career BA is .233.) But until he gets himself right and strings together a few solid starts, I refuse to believe that he can be the ace that he was shaping up to be years ago in Miami.
h2h Corner ~ Back to the Future, Next Week’s h2h Preview
June 21, 2009
This column will predict how awesome/bad your team can be during next week’s contest. It will prove invaluable for those of you about to set your lineups in weekly leagues. Read more
Did You Know…?
Troy Tulowitzki hit the most HRs (32) by a shortstop by eight?
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