With just over a month remaining in the season and the prospect of September call-ups staring us in the face later this week, there’s not much time left to do battle in our leagues. Spikes Up is here to help you bring it on home for the stretch run. Let’s get it going.
Baby Tiger Takes a Beating
Let’s not simply hand the American League Rookie of the Year trophy to Justin Verlander quite yet. The 23-year-old Tiger’s inexperience may be showing as Detroit tries to seal the deal on the AL Central.
On Saturday, Verlander was tagged for 10 hits and season-high eight runs in just 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing since way back in mid-April. Even manager Jim Leyland admitted that his rookie “may have tried to do too much” as the Tigers were dumped by Cleveland, 8-5. Detroit has suddenly lost four straight and witnessed its once double-digit Central lead dwindle to under five games.
Still, the Tigers have been an amazing story this year, and Verlander has been at the heart of it all. He’s been a consistent winner all year long, and his August to date (2-3, 6.83) represents the first time he’s had a losing record or an ERA over 4.17 in any month. And on the plus side, Verlander managed six strikeouts on Saturday, his highest total in a month.
We’re talking about a kid with good command who ranks fifth in wins (15) and ERA and is ninth in winning percentage. Verlander has limited opponents to a .254 batting average, .316 OBP and an amazing .386 SLG. And considering he still has an ERA under 3.50 despite Saturday’s beat-down, it’s hard to imagine Detroit’s 2006 season turning out this well without the young ace.
Missing in Action: Ben Grieve
Here’s a question for you. Where the hell is Ben Grieve? The former AL ROY hit .125 in five spring training games for the Chisox before being reassigned to minor league camp. Assumedly Grieve was ticketed for Triple-A Charlotte, but according to sources with the Knights, he was released by the Chisox in spring training. Anyone have a clue where or if Grieve is playing ball this year? Did he retire?
Position Battles
Trying to figure out the White Sox outfield situation right now? Yeah, me too. Other than Jermaine Dye (who’s having a career year, by the way) as a fixture in right field, it looks like Ozzie Guillen is consulting his Magic Eight Ball to determine the rest of his outfield alignment on a nightly basis.
This much is clear: Scott Podsednik now sits against lefties, while Pablo Ozuna only plays against southpaws. But in center field, it’s a mix and match situation with Brian Anderson, who seems to play against lefties, although not always, and sometimes plays against righties, although rarely. And you’ve got Rob Mackowiak, who’s been brutal in center, but plays against righties, most of the time, and sits against lefties, but not always. And Mackowiak also spends plenty of time in left field. Are we straight here? Yeah, thought so.
Podsednik is batting under .215 with just three steals in August, lowering him to .260 for the year. Combine that with his declining base-stealing skills and lacklustre defense, and you start to see why his fantasy value is fading fast. Podsednik is even winding up on the waiver wire of very shallow mixed leagues.
Ozuna seems an ideal platoon partner for Podsednik as he can also take the lead-off spot. He’s batting .336 with a .370 OBP for 146 at-bats this season and is making a decent pickup lately in deeper AL-only leagues.
Mackowiak has slipped a bit since the break (.309 vs. .276), but he murders righties (over .320 for the year). Why Guillen allows him to hit against lefties, however, is beyond me given Mackowiak’s dismal .511 OPS versus southpaws. Mackowiak is one of those team players that managers love and always try to work into the lineup however possible, which makes him a good play in AL-only leagues. But center field? Not a good idea. You’ve got to believe the Chisox are missing Aaron Rowand now.
Anderson was supposed to be the man who made Rowand expendable, and while he can pick it in center, he’s been woeful at the plate for most of the year. He’s only marginally better against lefties than Mackowiak is, but in fairness, Anderson has shown improvement as the season has progressed, and at the age of 24, obviously has plenty of room to grow. Since the break, he’s batting .290 and slugging .450, so if he can keep up that pace, he should be a lock for a breakout 2007.
And then there’s Dye. Where would the White Sox be without him? While Jim Thome and Paul Konerko get the press, Dye has been the true leader for Chicago’s offensive machine this season. The American League’s leading slugger this year? Travis Hafner? Nope. Manny? No. Big Papi? Negative. Jason Giambi? Wrong again. Dye’s .651 SLG paces all junior circuit sluggers. Throw in the third-most homers, third-best OPS, fifth-highest BA (.326), sixth-most RBI (101) and 10th-highest OBP (.391) and you’ve got an excellent argument for an MVP nod to Dye. Of course, Chicago will most likely need to see post-season play for him to be recognized.
Can Anderson Drive Angels Again?
Back in June, there were rumblings that Garret Anderson would be dropped to seventh in the batting order, a bitter pill for the one-time slugger who although just 34, was playing like he was 44.
But in the past few weeks, the Anderson of old has emerged and he is once again giving the Angels a chance for late-season drama. Last year, you’ll recall, he drove in 21 September runs to pace a comeback as the Angels made a late push for the playoffs.
His August so far -- .313 with five homers and 20 RBI – seems reminiscent. Since the All-Star break, all he’s done is bat .309 with an OPS 109 points higher. While given the pounding his body has taken the last couple of years, Anderson is better suited to DH (.350 this month when he starts at DH, vs .304 when he’s the starting left fielder), he’s still playing like a difference-maker of late.
Those in mid-sized mixed leagues need to take a look at him right now.
Missing in Action Part II: Brad Fullmer
Brad Fullmer was supposed to be spending 2005 rehabbing his knee with the goal of returning full-time to play this year. Well, what happened? I know the White Sox signed him to a minor-league contract last July, and he was immediately put on the DL to continue his recovery and hopefully get an invite to spring training. Obviously that invite never transpired and that’s the last we’ve heard. Anyone with more current information?
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. On this week’s Podcast, we discussed the John Gibbons situation and in my Fantasy Report component of the broadcast, I recommended taking a pitcher with an ERA over 6.00. In addition to our standard baseball and basketball material, our expert hockey and football writers are posting content. Recent posts include articles about how the Indians’ bullpen has been their undoing in what was supposed to be a banner year; the RotoWidow weighing in on where women can get their fantasy fix; and fantasy notes on some Yankee farmhands.
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: Who knows? In the event that the powers that be don’t slip hemlock into my morning coffee, I shall return on September 4.
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. Position Battles, a column he writes for www.rotoworld.com, also appears on usatoday.com and foxsports.com. He posts fantasy baseball news on Rotoworld, and his baseball work has also appeared on BaseballNotebook.com and the Fantasy Baseball Guide magazine. Rob’s latest venture, www.rotorob.com, features daily fantasy sports analysis with an edge.