Happy Halloween, everyone. Here’s something scary to chew on: After two and a half years, this is the final Spikes Up column on CREATiVESPORTS. While this may be a joyous development for some, for those of you who are heavy hearted at this moment, I console you with the fact that Spikes Up won’t disappear. It will simply shift over to www.RotoRob.com and join the rest of my daily fantasy sports content over there. So think of it as a new beginning. But enough babble…let’s talk shop.

End of the Line for Tsao?

Last week, we wrote about how well the Rockies’ bullpen seems to be coming together, but one name you can probably cross off the list of candidates is Chin-Hui Tsao.

It looks like it’s just about time to stick a fork in Tsao, once the most promising Taiwanese pitcher ever, and the Rockies’ closer at the start of 2005. Signed for $2.2 million by the Rox in 1999, he’s endured injury after injury and seems to be having his toughest time yet coming back from this latest woe.

It’s been almost a year and a half since Tsao underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum and biceps tendon and he’s still not back to full strength. Last month, he was able to throw some simulated games, but he had to shut it down because of biceps soreness.

Now Colorado is considering removing its former top pitching prospect from the 40-man roster. The Rockies will take another look at Tsao next week before making their final decision, but it doesn’t look good. In fact, Rox GM Dan O’Dowd suggested that there’s a chance Tsao may not pitch again.

If Tsao is indeed done, the 25-year-old finishes with a 4-3 record and four saves in 29 games with a 5.80 ERA. Not exactly the return on investment Colorado was hoping for.

Royal Turnaround

Life as a Royals’ fan must be tough. Three straight 100-loss seasons and four in the past five years? Ugh. Pass the poison tablets.

But there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

Kansas City is slowly but surely building a cadre of prospects that it hopes will lead it to the promised land, or at least double-digit loss seasons.

Nowhere is there a better example of this future than at the Royals’ Double-A affiliate, the Wichita Wranglers. Led by manager and former Royal star Frank White, the team went 77-62 on their way to an appearance in the Texas league finals, scored 79 runs more than any other TL team, and were led by the top player in the minor leagues. The Wranglers had a dominant lineup, but middling pitching (they led the league in walks), doomed the club from being a real powerhouse.

Names to watch on this club include:

• Outfielder Billy Butler hit .331 in 119 games with 15 homers, 96 RBI and 41 walks. Oh, and he’s 20 years old. According to Royals’ expert Craig Brown, Butler’s bat is major-league ready and it’s just his D that’s holding him back at the moment. Brown says Butler will probably spent the entire 2007 season at Triple-A.
• Mitch Maier, a 24-year-old outfielder, earned a September call-up for his .306, 95-run, 166-hit, 35-double, 14-homer, 41-walk season. He’s playing well in the AFL, batting leadoff for Grand Canyon and hitting over .300.
• Angel Sanchez, a player recently profiled on RotoRob.com, showed lead-off type skills with 105 runs and a developing plate discipline. He doesn’t have much pop (24 doubles, one triple, four homers) and needs work on his base-stealing skills (eight steals, nine times caught), but with just Angel Berroa and Andres Blanco in the way, Sanchez has a chance to take over the job soon. He also got a look on the Royals last month.
• Alex Gordon was named by Baseball America as its Minor League Player of the Year. The third baseman was as good as advertised, batting .325 in 130 games and 486 at-bats, with 111 runs, 39 doubles, a triple, 29 homers, 101 RBI, 1016 OPS and 22 steals. Gordon, hit by a pitch a Craig Biggio-like 16 times, will make his major league debut next year. Brown says if Gordon doesn’t make the team out of spring training, it’s possible he’ll spend all of 2007 at Triple-A, but a late-May, early-June call-up is a possibility.
• Another outfielder, Chris Lubanski, is ready to be moved up. He was 148-for-524, hitting 34 doubles, 11 triples and 15 homers for 70 RBI. Lubanski has some speed (11 steals) and knows how to get on base (.369 OBP).
• Second baseman Donnie Murphy has backslid, but is only 23 and still has intriguing power potential with 25 doubles and 14 homers in only 94 games and 366 at-bats.
• Catcher Matt Tupman turns 27 next month, but he has a chance to make it as a backup. He hit .305 in 220 at-bats with 35 runs, 31 RBI, showing a superb batting eye (48 walks, 27 Ks, .425 OBP). The Royals promoted Tupman to Triple-A, where he was unable to generate any power.

As mentioned earlier, starting pitching was the Wranglers’ undoing this season. The club was unable to settle on a steady five-man rotation, burning its way through myriad arms, both up and coming and on the way down.

• One-time Padre prospect Junior Herndon is now 28 and struggled to a 5.29 ERA through 26 starts and one relief appearance. Somehow, he went 12-6, even though he was pounded for 21 homers in 160 IP with nine hit batsmen and nine wild pitches.
• Seung Song, 26, the former Bosox prospect, looks pretty far away from the majors after a 5-10, 5.37 showing over 22 starts and five relief appearances covering 130 2/3 innings. He was shelled for 16 homers and his command (70 BB/99 K) was horrible. On the plus side, Song may have a future as a reliever. Converted to the bullpen late in the season, he surrendered just two earned runs over his last 18 innings.
• Zack Greinke has a long road back, and it showed at Double-A despite a decent 8-3, 4.34 mark. He gave up 96 hits and struck out 94 in 105 2/3 innings. Greinke showed some promise as a reliever in a late-season trial with the parent club, and he just turned 23 a week and change ago, so don’t you dare give up on him. Brown suggests spring training will play a big factor here. He could either start in Triple-A or break camp with the big club.
• Juan Cedeno has a ways to go, but he showed some improvement, ultimately forcing his way into the rotation. All told, the 23-year-old went 2-9, 5.78 in 11 starts and 26 relief appearances. He struck out 65 in 90 1/3 innings, limiting opponents to a .271 mark.
• Ryan Snare, who made one relief appearance for the Rangers in 2004, looks just about done, on the other hand. He struggled to a 2-2, 6.62 mark in seven starts, walking 20 and striking out 26 in 35 1/3 innings. The Wranglers cut him free and the 27-year-old never found work.
• Three other names to watch from the Wranglers rotation are Kyle Middleton (five wins in 16 games, 15 starts, with one save, just 29 walks in 86 1/3 innings, but .309 BAA), Billy Buckner (five wins, 4.64, 39 walks in 75 2/3 innings with .265 BAA) and Tyler Lumsden (who looked very good after joining the organization from the White Sox in a trade). Brown says Lumsden in particular looks very promising, but suggests keeping an eye on Buckner.
• The Wranglers also added Luke Hochevar for the postseason. He was the Royals’ top pick in June and is a serious up and comer. However, Hochevar had to be yanked from the AFL last week after experiencing shoulder pain. He’s scheduled to have the shoulder looked at, so hold your breath on this one. If he’s healthy, he’ll start back at Double-A but will be on the fast track, Brown says.
• Among relievers, Gabe DeHoyas is 26 already, but he looked very good, going 2-1, 1.64 with seven saves. He yielded just 20 hits and one homer in 33 innings, but it looks like control (19 walks) is an issue. Still, holding opponents to a .175 mark merits notice.
• Cody Smith, a 24-year-old righty who went undrafted out of Fresno State, has impressed as a long reliever, going 9-0, 2.71 in 46 games (44 in relief) and 86 1/3 innings. He saved four, gave up just five homers and struck out 59 while holding opponents to a .264 average.
• Ryan Braun is 26, but has progressed, as evidenced by a 1-6, 2.21, 10-save performance at Double-A. He only gave up 30 hits in 40 2/3 innings, but walked 16. Braun was even more impressive at Triple-A, earning a nine-game trial with the Royals for his major league debut.

 

Blog Update: If you haven’t yet visited www.RotoRob.com, our new fantasy sports analysis blog, you’ve been missing out on all the fun. In addition to our standard baseball material, our expert hockey and football writers are posting regular content. Fantasy football and hockey coverage has really picked up now that those seasons are underway, and there’s been plenty of pre-season NBA content as well. Recent baseball posts include an article about Jeremy Reed and what the future may hold for him; a look at the recently revitalized Hawaiian Winter League and who’s looking good on the Island; and an examination of the Rangers’ managerial search.
 
If you like my columns at CREATiVESPORTS.com, you’ll get more of the same, except with more of an edge and often in more bite-size form. Check it out! www.rotorob.com.

NEXT: Spikes Up is now done at creativesports, but continues to provide analysis behind the numbers over at www.RotoRob.com.

Comments? Questions? Criticisms or witticisms? You can reach me at rob@creativesports.com if you’d like further information or have a question you’d like me to answer in an upcoming column. Have a suggestion for a column or want to hear analysis about a particular player? Feel free to write. I might even answer!

Rob Blackstien is a freelance writer and the principal of Pen-Ultimate (www.pen-ultimate.ca), a Toronto-based writing and editorial services firm. On Thursdays, writes Offseason Lowdown at Rotoworld.com and he is very involved in that site’s basketball coverage as well, posting news weekdays and writing two weekly hoops columns. Rob’s baseball work has also appeared on BaseballNotebook.com and in the Fantasy Baseball Guide magazine. He has also written baseball and basketball columns for usatoday.com and foxsports.com.