Fantasy Baseball Tonight: Apr. 5, '09

Is there anything better than baseball? Opening Night 2009 has come and gone and there’s already a lot to talk about so let’s not waste any time with the small talk.

Jordan Schafer, are you on this kid’s bandwagon yet?  For any of you who have been talking to me over email, you know I have been talking about him for a while.  Well, what a debut! How about homering in your first major league at-bat, how does that grab you? 

He also singled and was intentionally walked before striking out in his last time up.  This kid has some potential and could be a 25/25 player if it all falls right. Don’t get too crazy and drop and established veteran for him after one game, but if you have a lower level guy you are just carrying like dead weight, Schafer is worth a look.

Expect him to find himself climbing up the batting order throughout the season.  He won’t be hitting 8th for long

Jeff Francouer, on the other hand, is someone that I am not all excited about after his opening night dinger. This guy has never met a pitch he didn’t like, and his batting average and power have suffered substantially over the past couple of years.

So much so that you might remember he was shipped back to the minors for a stretch last year. He’s still only 25 so there might be some room for improvement, but I would need a much longer string of success than one night. And let’s face it, the home run was his only hit of the evening.

Derek Lowe was masterful. Eight strong innings of two hit ball.  Here’s another guy I’m not selling the farm for after one good start. Don’t get me wrong, I think he will do fine in the National League, but don’t expect this kind of performance all the time. Lowe will probably win 15 games with a 3.50-3.75 ERA. 

He also doesn’t get many strikeouts so he doesn’t help you there either. If you have him, I wouldn’t hesitate to try to cash in on his great performance, but if you can’t find any takers he still should be a solid performer for you.

Brett Myers was Brett Myers tonight.  Six innings, four runs, three homers, six strikeouts.  Even though he got taken yard three times I am somewhat encouraged that he only walked one guy. 

He will never live up to the hype he entered the league with, but he is still a pitcher worth a roster spot. His ERA will most likely finish over 4.00 and he will get you a good number of strikeouts. Just don’t expect too many gems.

Quick Hits

Brian McCann is the best catcher in fantasy, and he started out the season strong with his first home run. He did uncharacteristically strike out twice. He only fanned 64 times in 145 games last year.

Shockingly, Chipper Jones, Garrett Anderson, and Mike Gonzalez all played and were not injured. Jones actually had two hits to get off to a nice start, and Gonzalez pitched an eventful inning in which he gave up two hits a walk and struck out two, but didn’t allow a run.

Should be a roller-coaster ride with mostly positive results for Gonzalez owners.

Jayson Werth batted second for the Phils.  He had just one single, but hitting in that part of the batting order is great for those of you who are hoping he is able to repeat his 20/20 campaign from 2008.

Other baseball news

This is huge. Read tonight that there is a possibility that Alex Rodriguez could rejoin the Yankees by the end of April. He apparently has begun to hit, and although there’s still a long way to go, it appears that he might be back sooner rather than later.

The Royals/White Sox opener that is set for Monday has already been postponed due to weather. Heavy winds and snow are in the forecast. Don’t worry for those of you who own players on those teams. Tuesday was a scheduled off day so they are set to begin the season then. No games will be missed for fantasy Week One.

Ichiro Suzuki has been placed on the DL with a bleeding ulcer. Put this in another of a long line of players who were in the World Baseball Classic who have suffered injuries.  Not saying it is a direct correlation, but the condition was found after he complained of fatigue.

Fatigue in April?  Something stinks here. Is it my feet? Nope, nope it is the format of the WBC. C’mon Mr. Selig, it is time for a change.

David Freese will be starting at third base for the Cardinals in place of injured Troy Glaus. Glaus suffered a setback in his rehab so he is supposed to be out at least two months now.  Freese isn’t the big time prospect Brett Wallace is, but he has some pretty impressive numbers too. 

If you are looking for a backup 3B, Freese hit 26 homers at AAA last year and might be worth a flier.

James McDonald, the second best prospect in the Dodgers’ organization according to Baseball America was officially named the team’s fifth starter. He has been over a strikeout an inning kind of pitcher, and being on a good offensive team like the Dodgers he could be OK.

I feel the need to put the disclaimer out that most young pitchers struggle.  So if he is horrible early, don’t be surprised.

Austin Kearns has been named the starting right fielder for the Nationals instead of Elijah Dukes. I’m not sure how long this will last or if Kearns can stay healthy.  If you have a deep bench and can afford it, I would try to hold Dukes.  At least until he ends up on the police blotter.

Arizona’s phenom pitcher Max Scherzer will start the year on the DL, but it is because he started spring training late. Scherzer has been doing better throughout the Spring and will make his first start on Apr. 14 versus St. Louis.

If he can stay healthy, Scherzer could make huge strides in his second year. He is a strikeout master and is a must have in keeper leagues.

Clay Buchholz was optioned to the minors to start the season, but the first time that there is an injury in Boston he will be back. This could be his breakout year if he gets the chance to start more than 20 times. Buchholz threw a no hitter in his rookie season and the sky is the limit for this kid as soon as he figures it out.

I appreciate all of you who have emailed about me and my family over the offseason. I promise I will be updating my girls more throughout this season. Avery turned three years old just four days ago and Morgan is now 10 months unbelievably.

The whole family is great, and my time that is not filled with fantasy baseball is filled with my wonderful, beautiful girls. Pictures to follow one of these days.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at [e-mail]. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss “The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show” every Wednesday night at 10pm EST on Blog Talk Radio. The show is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com.  To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. 

The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report is also back!  Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10 PM EST for all the news, free agent pickups, minor leaguers, and injuries.  A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.