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3 Up, 3 Down :: 6/22
by Tenacious D-Store
Published: June 23, 2008, 8:41 am
3 Up Seth McClung - Seth McClung isn't someone I thought would ever be worthy of fantasy consideration, but it would appear that he has turned a corner. Five of McClungs last six starts have been of quality caliber. He was especially impressive in his last start against Baltimore. Things started to get a little sloppy in the sixth inning, but McClung held on for the win. McClung has also been putting up some formidable strike out numbers. McClung now becomes somebody to watch in mixed leagues of 12 or more teams and an immediate option in NL only leagues.
 Mike Aviles - In only three short weeks, rookie Royals shortstop Mike Aviles has become the Royals best hitter. He is batting .340 so far and has locked down the starting job for the foreseeable future. He had three of the Royals seven hits against the Giants on Saturday and now has three multi hit games in his last eight contests. Aviles has also displayed a decent power stroke as he has already smacked a trio of long balls since his call up, now he just needs to start displaying some of his speed potential and we'll have a poor man's Jimmy Rollins on our hands. Pick him up if you are struggling at the shortstop or middle infield position. You are probably a little too late as far as AL only leagues go.
 Toronto Blue Jays - Jay fans were dancing in the streets upon hearing that Manager John Gibbons had been dishonorably discharged from the payroll, but the truely shocking news was the return of Cito Gaston. Gaston led the Blue Jays to back to back World Series championships and was the winningest Manager in Blue Jays history. Cito knows what it takes to put together a winning team and will not be as willing to blindly follow orders from the incompetent JP Riccardi, meaning that JP will likely be shown the door in the very near future as well. With a manager that the players can respect back behind the bench, the Jays finally have a reason to go all out with 100% effort again. The teams turn around will not happen over night, but inevitably will happen. Fantasy owners with Jays on the roster can breath a sigh of relief knowing that at some point in the near future, we'll at least have some batters hitting above .300 in the line up.
3 Down Pedro Martinez - Pedro Martinez has been a shell of his former self showing an inability to K batters and pitch deep in to games. With the Mets lack of offense as of late the thought of a sudden resurrection of his value to either a real baseball team or your fantasy team seems nil. If you own him in a league with 12 teams or less you are only clinging to a name.
 C.J. Wilson - It seems that every week C.J Wilson is performing poorly enough to be on the verge of losing his job, then puts up a lights out effort to silence his critics. If everyday someone kicks you in the balls but then apologizes, how long does it take before the apology becomes worthless? C.J. is simply just kicking you in the nuts and smiling about it. The Rangers are playing some great ball, but I would be looking at dealing him for a closer like Salomon Torres and possibly upgrading another position at the same time. If you manage to find an owner who simply isn't paying attention, you'll find yourself with a double upgrade.
 Nick Johnson - If anyone is still clinging to Nick Johnson you must have one helluva deep league. However for those who are, you can forget about him. Johnson's wrist simply is not healing, it has been reported that he feels no decrease in discomfort since the injury originally occurred. He is now being sent to a specialist at the Mayo Clinic. It seems inevitable that this injury will soon lead to his retirement. Usually a slugger like Johnson can continue well in to his 40's. but with the lengthy list of season ending injury's Nick Johnson has seen, he probably feels that old already.
Not So Fast Troy Tulowitzki - Now, I'm not about to rip just anyone for picking up Troy Tulowitzki, especially those who were forced to find an free agent replacement when they lost him. However, let's not forget that he was batting a pathetic .160 and performing far worse than just about any free agent in your league was before the injury anyway. In the past few days, I have seen some pretty bizarre add/drops in the mad rush to add the struggling short stop including, Dustin McGowan, James Loney, Chase Headley, Ryan Dempster, and even Chipper Jones! WTF! We all need to be willing accept the fact that last season may have just been a fluke. Some of y'all are just freaking crazy!
 Ryan Theriot - You are all a rather unforgiving bunch aren't you? Ryan Theriot's batting average drops about 20 points but still remains well above .300 and you guys toss him a side like trash. In the past few days his ownership has plummeted by about 20%, and now he's responded with a four game hitting streak. Your studs are gonna slump too, have any of you dropped Prince Fielder? Ryan Theriot may not have stud status, but he should have been shown more patience during his mini slump. Theriot is an exceptional middle infielder for leagues that use them.
Tenacious D-Store's Big Ol' Male SackTenacious D-Store, Please help me with my 10 team AL only roto fantasy team. Right now I am in second place and there is a sizable gap between my team and the first place team. I have to start two catchers in this league too and just lost Laird to an injury. You can imagine what the catcher FA's would be like in this league. Should I drop Garret Olson for whatever I can find? Jeff Mathis is available. Also should I drop Akinori Iwamura for Marco Scutaro or Jamey Carroll? One more thing too, I know you just cover baseball, but do you have any fantasy football sleepers for this season? Thanks, here's my team.
- Ryan, Cranston, Rhode Island
First off Ryan, let me congratulate you on having the common sense to provide me with ample info on your league allowing me to provide a better response to your question. As reward, I'd be more than happy to touch on some of my late round NFL sleepers. Let's work on the AL only team first. I can spot a CBS roto league anywhere, and I have competed in my fair share of them as well. Let's focus on your catcher situation first. Gerald Laird is only out for a couple of weeks or so, so why drop anyone when your replacement won't be playing much during that time anyway? Leave Laird active in your line up for now, he's not hurting anything and Mathis isn't going to help you over take that first place team all by himself. Garret Olsen is struggling and allowing too many hits, but I do see potential there. He'll pull it together, just keep him on your bench for now, there probably isn't much for pitching in your FA pool either. As for your second baseman Akinori Iwamura, I really think he needs to drop his appeal and just take his three day suspension like a man. He has been playing horribly since the brawl he was involved in and perhaps this looming suspension has become a distraction for him. The Rays are really playing well and becoming a fun team to watch so I think you should hang on to him given your top two replacement options. You can't seriously think Jamey Carroll is a suitable replacement. He's nothing but a replacement player for the Indians, and will be back to warming the bench and handing out towels soon. Marco Scutaro however, is probably one of the most under-rated hitters in the MLB, but doesn't really do much for a fantasy team. He gets on base in key situations, but still hits for a low average and has no power. He's more valuable to the Jays then he'll ever be to a fantasy team. Iwamura is still the better option, he should pick it up in the second half. I think patience will be the key to over taking that team you're trailing, there's still lots of season left.
So let's talk some football. Personally, I like to attack RB's and WR with my first five or six picks, which usually leaves me reaching for anyone not named Jon Kitna at Quarterback. In the mocks and real draft that I have done this year, David Garrard has fallen to me around rounds 8-10 in a 12 team league. Gerrard could have a huge season especially now that he has some improved receivers to toss too. He should be able to improve on his break out 2007 season. I recently did a draft where I also picked up Matt Schaub in the second last round. He'll be an injury risk and may not be ready for the start of training camp, but if he can stay healthy this season he could be an absolute steal as a number two QB. I don't believe in sleeper RB's much. Get them early and get proven studs, then you have nothing to worry about (until they get injured anyway). If you're looking for a late round reserve WR, consider the Titan's Justin Gage. He is coming off the best season of his NFL career and will now be the #1 WR in Tennessee. He will be counted on a lot this season and I believe he will excel with the added pressure. He also has pretty good chemistry with Vince Young and should be one of his primary targets. I couldn't really care less who my Tight Ends are and I refuse to draft one before the last two rounds. Tony Scheffler has been my main target thus far, but I have resorted to rookie John Carlson when I have missed out on him. He has a good set of hands and the Seahawks have some pretty pathetic receivers. He could put up some monster numbers for a TE. Thanks for taking the time to read my column Ryan. Hope I was able to help you out a bit.
Keep the questions and comments coming. You can contact me by e-mail at tenaciousdstore@fantasyplaymakers.com .
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