Bleacher Report - Articles by Matt Strachman

Fantasy Baseball Injury News and Impacts: American League

Matt Strachman — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:52:16 -0400

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Throughout the fantasy season, you will have to work your way through a handful of DL stints. Unfortunately, losing your first- or second-round pick could be the beginning of the end, but there is always hope. Starting a guy on the DL is deadly, especially in leagues where you update the roster weekly. Staying on top of things, and keeping track of injuries, can and will keep you on top of the leaderboard.

Here is a list of some players on the DL, and players who have recently been activated from the DL, and their respective fantasy impact:

Paid Vacation—DL

Travis Hafner (Cle, 1B) - right shoulder strain - Hafner went 2-for-3 in his first rehab assignment yesterday. Hopefully, Hafner will be a viable option come late August. He could prove vital for your team in the playoffs.

Victor Martinez (Cle, C) - right elbow surgery and vaginal itchiness - Martinez was a huge bust this year, and is currently rehabbing in Buffalo. He hit a homer on Sunday and is scheduled to catch six innings today. Unfortunately, he will split time with Kelly Shoppach, so Martinez’s return won’t be a huge help.

Adam Jones (Bal, OF) - sore left foot - Jones broke his foot a while back, but may be able to resume baseball activities by the end of the week.

Bartolo Colon (Bos, SP) - back stiffness - Colon should be back for September, basically after the fantasy season is over. Unless you have a very weak rotation and need Colon in the finals, it is safe to drop him at this point.

Mike Lowell (Bos, 3B) - right oblique strain - Lowell should rejoin the team when they face the Yankees or Blue Jays, but won’t be ready to be activated off the DL just yet. He still feels tenderness in his oblique, and won’t be startable for a bit longer.

Jose Contreras (CWS, SP) - ruptured achilles tendon - Out for at least nine months. Drop Contreras if you haven’t done so already.

Joe Crede (CWS, 3B) - back lumbar inflammation - Yahoo! Sports writes: “...when asked about an updated timetable, manager Ozzie Guillen simply shook his head. ”I forgot about Joe Crede,” Guillen said. ”Wow, it has been so long. Is Crede still around? Right now, I don’t expect to have him anytime soon. We have to be prepared for that. I think (Juan) Uribe has been doing a good job playing third base. We just are focused on what we have here.” Uribe has made that easier, entering Monday hitting .343 in his last 35 at-bats.” Ha, you gotta love Guillen…he is crazy, but you heard the man. Drop Crede also.

Joba Chamberlain (NYY, SP/RP) - rotator cuff tendinitis - Joba just started throwing again, but it's difficult to judge when he will make his next start. The Yankees, who don’t look like they will make the playoffs, aren’t going to rush Joba back, but he should return somewhat soon.

Chein Ming Wang (NYY, SP) - torn tendon and sprained right foot - Wang is still on crutches, and it doesn’t look like he is any use to fantasy teams. Drop this professional baserunner.

Erik Bedard (Sea, SP) - left shoulder stiffness - Bedard was slightly disappointing before the injury, but many fantasy managers have had him stashed away on the bench for weeks (including myself). I wouldn’t rush to start him, but he may return sometime after Seattle returns home on Aug. 21. Bedard might be a solid start in the playoffs, but monitor how he feels/looks when he returns.

Carl Crawford (TB, OF) - sublaxation right middle finger tendon - Crawford is done for the rest of this fantasy season. Drop him in all leagues except keepers.

Evan Longoria (TB, 3B) - fractured right wrist - Longoria has been out since Aug. 7, but is hoping to return early September. That is playoff time, baby. He says he is OK to play now, but is afraid of injuring himself worse. You can interpret that a few different ways, but I think he will be OK to start once he is activated.

Ian Kinsler (Tex, 2B) - sports hernia - OUCH! Kinsler is probably done for the season. You can’t be too mad at the guy, since he probably is a major reason your team is doing well this season. Don’t forget the name for next year.

David Murphy (Tex, OF) - sprained right knee - Murphy is another guy who is supposed to return in early September. It's another tough call, but if he is 100 percent healthy it would be hard not to start a guy hitting in the middle of the Texas lineup. On the other hand, Kinsler is out now, so you may want to see if you have safer options.

CJ Wilson (Tex, RP) - left elbow bone spurs - Done for the season, so drop this dude ASAP.

Iffy Injuries

J.D. Drew (Bos, OF) - lower back stiffness - Drew left Sunday’s game early, but the organization seems to think they took him out before he really hurt himself. Drew has had back issues in the past, so you may want to keep your eye on his status.

Hideki Matsui (NYY, OF) - swollen left knee - Godzilla is supposed to DH tonight, and hasn’t suffered any setbacks in his rehab starts. Matsui should be fine, but he is an older guy, so I would be cautious.

Troy Percival (TB, RP) - right knee cartilage damage - Percival won’t undergo surgery, and may return in a few weeks. He will be pitching through pain, so it's difficult to tell you what to do with him. If you don’t have any other closers, then hold on to him and roll the dice.

Welcome Back To Work—Recently Activated From The DL/Back In The Lineup

Jacoby Ellsbury (Bos, OF) - bruised tailbone - Ellsbury returned to action on Saturday after bruising his tailbone last Monday. He hasn’t gotten any solid hits in since returning, but he should pop back soon.

Derek Jeter (NYY, SS) - bruised left foot - Jeter returned to the lineup on Friday after fouling a ball off of his foot Tuesday. Jeter missed a few games, but he is healthy as can be, so don’t hesitate to start him.

Quick Fantasy Baseball Notes - 8/7/08

Matt Strachman — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:51:08 -0400

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Just a few things going on in the baseball world that you should know about:

Big Papi has been struggling lately and he says its because he isn’t getting any protection with Manny Ramirez in LA. Picture Papi laying in bed holding a framed picture of him and Manny, with used tissues all over the room (crying not jerking off you sicko). *Look to trade Ortiz to someone who hasn’t noticed his mediocre Manny-less production before his value drops even more*
The Rays with another crazy win, proving once again they won’t fall off the face of the earth. Six run ninth topped off by a Carlos Pena three run walk-off against the Indians.
Kyle Kendrick blanked the Marlins and Howard hit another bomb. If you were actually able to trade for Ryan Howard (like I said you should) than do an Irish jig and watch his average rise.
Joba Chamberlain’s shoulder is definitely hurt. The Yankees haven’t let anyone know how bad of an injury it is, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Joba was sent back to the bullpen next year if the diagnosis is serious. Just a guess, but his shoulder was molded by God himself for a relief pitcher, not a starter.
I mentioned it in a previous post, but Jeff Karstens means business, and has pitched 15 straight scoreless innings for the Pirates. Arghh!
David Wright’s error lost the Mets the game, but that doesn’t matter to you fantasy addicts unless you are a Mets fan so hooray!
Jhonny Peralta- 5 for 5 with a homer 2 ribbies and 2 runnies. Peralta is putting together a solid season and is hitting .315 with 8 homers and 45 RBI’s since June 1.
Albert Pujols- 4 for 4 with a homer 4 ribbies 2 runnies and a walkie (I’m done I promise). Pujols had just busted out of an 0-13 slump the day before, so fear the big man once again.
Shaun Marcum won for the first time since returning from the DL… against the A’s. Everyone seems to think it isn’t a big deal since Oakland sucks, but I think its safe to start him ASAP.
Timmy Lincecum and Ervin Santana are still chugging along after winning yesterday.
The Cardinals are switching to a closer by committee plan, and Chris Perez earned his first save of the season.

Successfully Demoralizing Your Adversaries

Matt Strachman — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:54:30 -0400

Generally speaking, you can always push it to the limit in different aspects of life through gradual progression. If you throw a frog in boiling water, it will jump out, but if you put that same frog in a pot of room temperature water and put it on the stove, it will get cooked to death without even reacting.

The same can be said for chasing women; you’re not going to get a blumpkin the first day you meet a girl, but if you make your way across the sexual spectrum without too many fouls, it’s possible. Unfortunately (if you are on the receiving end), making a fellow fantasy baseball manager break down mentally can only be achieved through dramatic and drastic circumstances.

World War II erupted only after the global powers first attempted to solve their issues through diplomacy. A fantasy baseball war is initiated through persistent public trash talking. Once one of the parties crosses “the line,” bloodshed will ensue.

Similar to America’s decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima to save lives in the end, you must, for your own good, lower your morals as much as humanly possible and whip out the most disturbing thing you can think of. Yes, you must teabag your adversary, but not before dodging the shower to the point where your own health is in danger.

Follow this one simple truth and I promise nobody will ever mess with you again. People in your league will be afraid to decline any trade you propose, and fellow mangers will never talk trash no matter how bad your team is. Immediately propose a trade, offering Christian Guzman (strong sell) and Mark Reynolds for Miguel Cabrera (strong buy). If you feel bad intimidating someone this way, just remember these two undeniable truths:

1. Iron Man created the Jericho Missile, which would lead to an astronomical death toll. A simple equation proves that teabaggin’ is not a serious offense:

Anyone who bangs Gwenyth Paltrow (Iron Man) = God.

God can do no evil.

Therefore, creating the Jericho Missile = Good.

Creating a death machine (Jericho Missile) > gently placing your testicles in or around another person’s mouth.

Anything < creating a Jericho Missile = Good.

Therefore, teabagging = Good.

2. All is fair in love and war.

Now go scar one of your friends for the rest of his life and establish yourself as the alpha male of your fantasy baseball league!

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TRADE ALERT: Mark Teixeira The Holy One

Matt Strachman — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:45:13 -0400

For the second year in a row, Teixeira has been traded right before the deadline, but this season he actually has a chance to get some bling on his ring finger.

The Anaheim Angels traded first baseman Casey Kotchman (solid contract that doesn’t come due until 2011) and prospect pitcher Stephen Marek (mediocre right-hander) to the Atlanta Braves in return for this powerful switch-hitter. This move establishes the already first place Halos as the most likely candidate to win the World Series, and is a white flag for the struggling Braves. Although the trade will certainly help the Angels’ mediocre offense, how does it affect Tex’s fantasy value?

Keep reading to find out…

Essentially, Teixeira is replacing his supporting crew of Chipper Jones and Brian McCann with Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter. Nowadays, Chipper is seeing more time on the DL, McCann just suffered a minor concussion, and Jeff Francoeur still can’t seem to get into a groove. On the other hand, Howie Kendrick and Chone Figgins are finally both 100% healthy and rolling right along, and Vladimir Guerrero has bounced back from his early season struggles.

The National League Braves (17th-most runs in the MLB) have scored a minuscule two more runs than the American League Angels this season. This trade will augment the Halos’ (19th-most runs in the MLB) offense, and ultimately increases the fantasy value of Tex, Vlad, Chone, Howie, Torii, etc.

We can’t forget about Casey Kotchman though, can we? Kotchman is a solid ballplayer. He won’t hit for power like Teixeira, but he will put up a solid average (.290+) and will be a moderate contributor in all categories except steals. Since Tex’s value goes up, that can only mean Kotchman’s value drops. Casey K is already owned in around 90% of leagues, partly because you know exactly what to expect from him. If you need a decent first baseman and he is still available, scoop him up, since he is currently on a mini-tear (three homers in the past four games).

Remember, Tex always performs better in the second half of the season, and he put up monster numbers after he was traded last year. A Vlad/Tex combo may prove to be even more deadly than we expect. Sit back and enjoy!

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