On The Shelf
Opening Day and Beyond…
By: Dan King
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Well, Opening Day has come and gone, and my worst fear has come true… Moises Alou is on the DL. Anyone shocked?
But seriously, the 2008 season has begun and we’ve already seen some injuries through a grand total of two games. We’
ve also seen some key players start the season on the disabled list, so without further ado, let’s take a peek.
Perhaps the four most notable injuries involve Victor Martinez, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Zambrano and J.J. Putz. On
Monday, V-Mart stumbled when running toward second base and slightly pulled his hamstring. He is listed as day-to-day
and no roster moves have been made in Cleveland, though Kelly Shoppach may be a nice short fix for Victor Martinez
owners. Speaking of Martinez’ hamstrings, Pedro was roughed up on Tuesday and left the game in the fourth inning. He
had an MRI scheduled for Wednesday and it has been reported that Pedro will be on the DL for 4 to 6 weeks. Zambrano
left his start early on Monday with a cramp in his pitching hand. This has supposedly happened to Zambrano before, but of
course will bear watching in the future. He pitched very well in his 2008 debut going 6 and 2/3 innings giving up only 3 hits
and one walk, no runs and 5 K’s. On a pitch to Michael Young in the ninth on Tuesday night, Putz strained his ribcage and
a MRI revealed inflammation in the cartilage that attaches to a rib on his right side. Putz was placed on the 15-day DL, so a
decent fantasy pick-up for some early season saves will be Mark Lowe, though there may be the possibility of a closer-by-
committee situation in Seattle.
On to the noteworthy fantasy pitching studs and sleepers who are starting the 2008 season on the disabled list or still in
minor league camp. So here are more than a bakers dozen of starters and relievers have yet to join their respective big
league club:
Scot Shields: has had some forearm tightness, but a minor league stint will be in his future soon.
Andy Pettitte: Pettitte is scheduled to come off the DL to start against the Rays on Saturday. Monitor him closely at the
beginning of the season, but look for him to remain consistent as he has been throughout his career.
Mark Mulder: Mulder is recovering from his second rotator cuff surgery and threw live batting practice to minor leaguers
this past week. While Mulder has been limited in the past, he is not expected back until mid-May. Still the risk with Mulder
is more than likely not worth the reward, though perhaps a September waiver wire pick-up may just boost your team with a
win or two.
Yovani Gallardo: The Brewer second year starter will be making his first rehab start at the Triple-A level on Friday and
has a mid-April return projected. Keep Gallardo stashed away in your DL spot and wait a start to see how his knee reacts
to Major League pitching situations.
Chris Capuano: Capuano visited Dr. James Andrews (read “we’re thinking about Tommy John surgery”) recently but it
was determined that four to six weeks of rehab will strengthen the tear in his pitching elbow.
B.J. Ryan: Ryan is expected to join the Blue Jays by the end of April, beginning of May. If you haven’t picked up Jeremy
Accardo yet, do it – don’t ask questions, just do it.
Brad Lidge: In keeping with the closer theme, Lidge is slated to pitch two more minor league games, and if all goes well,
he could return as early as Saturday. It’s a good thing too, as Tom Gordon stunk up the joint in his first outing of the
season.
John Lackey: Lackey will be evaluated, again, by Dr. Lewis Yocum (read “we’ve thought about Tommy John surgery) and
if all goes well, may be able to pitch from a mound in a week.
Chad Gaudin: The A’s hurler pitched on Wednesday in a minor league stint and will be eligible to come off the disabled
list as of April 12th.
Orlando Hernandez: El Duque is still on the 15-day DL with a foot injury, but is scheduled to make a single-A start on
Thursday. Be patient with Hernandez and pick him up off your waiver wire if his first few big league starts in 2008 are
decent.
Boof Bonser: Hold up a minute, Bonser’s not hurt. It’s a little more like “Buff” Bonser now as Bonser lost over 35 pounds
in the off season in the hopes of making himself more effective. I just wanted to call him “Buff” Bonser, no other reason to
put him in here.
Josh Beckett: Beckett didn’t travel to Japan with the Red Sox and it looks like it may have paid off. Beckett, and his
creaky back, is scheduled to come off the DL on Sunday and may pitch as early as Sunday against Toronto.
Chad Cordero: The Washington closer received a cortisone shot in his shoulder on Sunday and is listed currently as day-
to-day. If you haven’t already picked up Jon Rauch (see my “late round ERA/WHIP contingency plan”), grab him up as
Cordero’s injury may be more than it seems.
John Smoltz: Smoltz pitched in a minor league game on Sunday and was reported on the Braves official website to be
ready to go next weekend.
Jason Schmidt: The oft-injured Dodger pitcher is still a few weeks off from game-time use after recovering from a torn
labrum. Give him a few Major League starts before either picking him up or activating him if you drafted him
Scott Kazmir: The Rays pitcher (not Devil Rays – get it right folks) felt “really good” after throwing 35 pitches at minor
league camp. He’s still a few weeks off, so don’t go activating him quite yet.
Randy Johnson: The Big Unit was placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to March 22, which makes him eligible to come off
on the 6th of April. If Johnson’s back is good to go, activate him at your own risk.
Francisco Liriano: The Twins phenom, more than a year removed from Tommy John surgery, is making at least two
minor league starts before being cleared for his return to the majors – keep him stashed away and activate him as soon as
he’s available.
And finally, here’s our FB101 league update: our “late round ERA/WHIP contingency plan” paid off the day before
“Opening Day” with Jon Rauch picking up an easy one inning win, at the expense of a supposed blown save, courtesy of a
Paul LoDuca passed ball. Opening Day, however proved less fruitful in the late round set up reliever contingency policy
front as Kazuo Fukumori only got through 1/3 of an inning with a ghastly 81.00 ERA and a 12.00 WHIP, UGH!!! Pat
Neshek, helped us out with a nice inning of work and 3 K’s to boot. Matt Capps, in a non-save situation (as an aside to all
Major League managers out there – do NOT put your closers into games that are non-save situations, it’s a certainty that
they will not be light’s out. Just stop putting them in unless the game is on the line, got it?), got through 2/3 of an inning
with a less than stellar 40.50 ERA and a 6.00 WHIP. Otherwise, the FB101 team is doing very well in the all the offensive
categories. We’re in the top three in all offensive categories (R, HR, RBI, and AVG), but struggling a bit in the SB category
with a big goose-egg at this point, but with Jose Reyes and Ichiro not stealing anything yet, I’m sure we’ll pick things up
there too. Not much happening on the waiver wire front either, just the standard early season pick-ups and drops, with the
exception of picking up the aforementioned Mark Lowe to grab a few saves. No trades or trade proposals of any
consequence, though there was a semi-ludicrous proposal for Jose Reyes submitted almost immediately after the draft that
was rejected quicker than quick.
That’s it for this week, until next time…
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