Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Edwin Jackson has impressed catcher Miguel Montero early in spring training, according to the Arizona Republic.
Jackson, at least according to his new catcher, is no one-year wonder. He was traded to Detroit from Tampa Bay last season for little more than a bucket of baseballs (Matt Joyce) and went 13-9 with a 3.62 ERA, to the surprise of most. Read more »
We will be rolling out plenty of 2010 fantasy baseball coverage in the coming days, weeks and months, but let’s start right here with player-by-player profiles of our rough top 100 preseason rankings. Stay tuned to the site for more player profiles, draft kit information, rankings, sleepers, busts, etc. as Spring Training approaches.
Heath Bell, RP, San Diego Padres
Overview: Was a revelation for the Padres after taking over for legendary closer Trevor Hoffman … led the National League with 42 saves to go along with solid ratios … was among fantasy’s most valuable closers, even on one of baseball’s worst teams … is a good bet to repeat that success, maybe even improve if the Padres take a step in the right direction.
2009 numbers: 6-4, 2.71 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 42 SVs, 79 Ks in 69.2 IP
Key splits and trends: Began the season with a 17-inning scoreless streak … took the loss in relief in the All-Star game and proceeded to have a so-so second half with a 3.90 ERA and 19 saves … 3 of his 6 blown saves came in September, when his ERA ballooned from 1.98 to 2.90.
Strengths: Is a workhorse in the 9th inning and records ‘prototype’ numbers across the board for a closer … calls pitcher-friendly Petco Park home and is efficient in converting save chances.
Weaknesses: Has a tendency to start strong then stumble in the second half of the season … has few viable starters and relievers on the Padres’ pitching staff, little run support, and few leads to protect.
Bold prediction for 2010: More of the same; solid numbers and mediocre 2nd half, but with fewer than 40 saves.
The San Diego Padres traded third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff in a four-player trade to the Oakland A’s, in part because of the way he performed at spacious Petco Park, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Says Bill Center of the Union-Tribune:
“Upon becoming the general manager of the Padres 3½ months ago, Jed Hoyer said he wanted to build a team to fit Petco Park. The spaciousness of the Padres home puts a premium on speed, defense and pitching. But it also favors right-handed pull hitters — especially those who enjoy Petco Park. Which partially explains why outfielder Scott Hairston is returning.”
To most who play fantasy baseball, Kouzmanoff seemed like the obvious headliner in this deal, but maybe we should reconsider. Hairston is likely still a platoon player, albeit an explosive one, but take notice of two other big-name youngsters who get new opportunities in the fallout of Kouzmanoff’s departure. Read more »
Fake Teams previews the Washington Nationals and names third baseman Ryan Zimmerman the club’s top fantasy player for the 2010 season.
“One can make an argument that he is the second best fantasy third baseman in baseball behind Alex Rodriguez, after seeing David Wright’s power all but disappear in 2009.”
Ray Guilfoyle is on to something here. The third base pool is evolving quickly, and Zimmerman and Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria are leading the next wave. A healthy Rodriguez still has to be penciled in as the second-best player at the position, and Wright deserves another season with a healthier supporting cast before we remove him from our top 3. But, the gap from the Big 3 to everyone else has narrowed in a hurry. Read more »
We touched on this in our “All-Overachiever Team” piece, but it’s too remarkable of a statistic to not go a little deeper.
San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is finding it a little harder to abuse opposing pitchers these days. The 27-year-old slugger has next to no lineup protection, so hurlers are blatantly working around him and taking their chances with Kevin Kouzmanoff. Read more »
Don’t assume that last season is going to repeat itself, especially in the case of a Khalil Greene. He’s in a new place, with a new team, in a new lineup, and most importantly, in a new ballpark far, far away form Petco Park. Greene has fallen through the cracks in fantasy drafts, simply of 2008 numbers that were, granted, truly horrific. But, don’t let him slip any longer.
Greene is finishing off a monster spring and earning the respect of a manager in Tony LaRussa, who seems to always get the best out of his players. The comfort level he will find at Busch Stadium is nothing like Greene has experienced before, so that, too, will be a positive.
Power is obviously the big perk when talking about Greene, but what could, and should, happen is a natural spike in batting average. A .270 career hitter on the road, Greene could reasonably post that mark in ‘09, which would place him among fantasy’s top 10 shortstops. Given all of the variables now working in his favor, that’s a very worthwhile risk to take, especially with 30-homer production as a potential prize.
Little, if any, apparent fantasy relevance in today’s news surrounding pitchers Jon Garland and Aaron Heilman.
Garland and the Arizona Diamondbacks came to terms on a one-year deal worth between $6 million and $8 million, according to the Arizona Republic.
Heilman was traded for the second time this offseason, leaving the Seattle Mariners in a three-player deal with the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Read more »
One has sure-fire Hall of Fame credentials. The other is a strong candidate for enshrinement. Both John Smoltz and Trevor Hoffman are capping their careers in new cities, inking one-year deals with the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively, on Thursday.
While Smoltz, recovering from shoulder surgery, is in better position to chase a championship in Boston, Hoffman was simply in pursuit of a job and found one that paid $6 million for the 2009 season. Both, in our estimation, did well for themselves. Read more »
Contrary to popular belief, Los Angeles Dodgers GM Ned Coletti has yet to make any formal offers to unrestricted free agent left fielder Manny Ramirez. Ramirez, who played for the Dodgers for the last two months of the 2008 regular season and playoffs, has been declared the number one priority for the Dodgers this offseason by Coletti.
Amazingly enough, on the other hand, Mark Teixeira, another big name free agent, has not been mentioned at all by either the press or the Los Angeles Angels; the team he finished the season with after being traded by the Atlanta Braves. Read more »
The Chicago Tribune has speculated this week that the Cubs would be interested in making a deal for San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. The Tribune reported that a potential deal involving Derrek Lee could be offered in a blockbuster that also involves Padres ace Jake Peavy.
This entire line of thinking seems like a longshot, but you never know. What the Cubs gain is apparent — a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter and a young left-handed power bat — but what they send back to San Diego is a mystery. Lee is a nice start, but may not be enough to lure Gonzalez, a franchise building block, away from the Padres. Read more »
