Fantasy Baseball Tonight 4/21

I have to start tonight with a little additional information to the Elijah Dukes benching the other day.  If you remember Dukes was benched after being late to the ballpark, and was not only fined $500, but was also threatened with a demotion to the minors. 

Truth be told now, Dukes was at a Little League appearance where he not only remained there for all of the festivities, but also spoke a few words. 

After hearing that, doesn’t it sound horrible of the Nationals to punish him in that way?

But it just goes to show when you build yourself the kind of reputation that Dukes has, the team will cut you no slack.  But this time you have to give Dukes a big “Attaboy” as he was trying to do something to give back to children. 

Hopefully, this is a sign of him changing his life.  The guy has a mountain of talent and could be a future star if he can stay out of trouble.

Alexei Ramirez

Had two hits tonight to get his batting average up to .159.  He also stole his first base of the season, giving his fantasy owners hope that this is the start of something big.  Ramirez was most likely drafted somewhere between the fifth and seventh round, and you can’t give up on someone that you drafted that high this quickly.  Even if this isn’t the end of his slump, ride it out a while longer.

Clayton Kershaw

Had his first bump in the road in 2009.  He was unable to finish the fifth inning and allowed six runs, while striking out just three.  When you have a pitcher this young, there are sure to be bumps in the road. 

Does he have the talent to have a big fantasy impact this season?  Absolutely. 

Would it shock me if he had a 15 win year?  Not at all. 

Do I think he will?  Not really. 

So few pitchers make that kind of impact in their first full season that the odds are against him.  The great thing about Kershaw is even if he is bad, he still usually gets a bunch of strikeouts.

Cameron Maybin

Hit his first homer of the season, but I am just not expecting a big season out of him in 2009.  The sky is the limit for Maybin someday, but he is still very young, as he just turned 22, but there are plenty of holes in his swing, and it appears that major league pitchers are able to get him out fairly easily.  On the season, Maybin has 15 strikeouts against just seven hits.

Anibal Sanchez

Might have taken the loss for the Marlins today, but he has been spectacular to start the season.  Against the Pirates, he allowed only three runs over seven innings and whiffed six.  He has yet to give up more than three runs in any start, and has 13 strikeouts in 18 innings.  If you have an injury or a deep league, I would consider adding Anibal.

Shairon Martis

The Nationals’ rookie pitcher won his second game of the season tonight, but statistically he has been kind of a mess.  In six innings against the Braves he allowed two earned runs, walked four, and struck out only two.  His ERA is now 4.11 on the year, and he now has seven walks and only four strikeouts.  There would be almost no scenario where I own this guy right now unless you are in a deep NL-only league.

Brandon McCarthy

He is off to a pretty good start to 2009.  Could the once highly touted White Sox prospect have finally figured it out? 

Now pitching for the Rangers, McCarthy allowed three runs over six innings, and struck out two.  He hasn’t had that big game that makes you say “Wow” but he has been solid in all three starts.  He has been getting pretty decent strikeout numbers, as he has 14 Ks in 17 innings.  In the right situation I would consider adding him, but for now, he is just someone that I will monitor.

Micah Hoffpauir

Cubs’ rookie  has been filling in admirably for the injured/suspended Milton Bradley.  He only had one at-bat today, but he made it count with his first major league home run. 

He probably won’t continue to get regular starts, so he isn’t someone I go running out to grab, but if you hear an injury to a corner outfield or at first base in Chicago, Hoffpauir will be a guy who could help you sometime in the future.

Mark Reynolds is starting to heat up for the Diamondbacks.  He homered for the second consecutive game, giving him four on the season, plus, his average is better than expected at .279.  His manager is showing confidence in him, as he is batting cleanup tonight.  If he can continue this streak, Reynolds could be a fantasy factor in the power department in the near future.

Injury News

Pirates’ catcher Ryan Doumit will require surgery on his injured right wrist and will miss 8-10 weeks.  Doumit will have pins inserted to help with his bone fracture in a procedure on Thursday.  Jason Jaramillo will take over, but there is most likely no fantasy value there.  It stinks to lose your catcher because it is almost guaranteed that you don’t have a competent backup.  See if Jesus Flores or John Baker are available in your league.

It looks like Joe Mauer will be ready to return on May 1 from his latest back woes.  He actually played in a minor league game today and did get a hit.  He will remain down there for a while, but it is good news for a major fantasy player.

Trevor Hoffman

He is most likely less than a week away from returning to action, as he has begun his minor league assignment.  If he has no setbacks, look for him to be back with the Brew Crew sometime this weekend, most likely Sunday. 

This couldn’t come soon enough for the Beer Makers, as their bullpen has been in total disarray without Hoffman.

Joey Devine

He ended up having Tommy John surgery, ending his season.  For those of you who own Brad Ziegler, congratulations, you have yourself a closer.  If you are in a seasonal league, it is OK to drop Devine.

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 10pm EST for all the news, free agent pickups, minor leaguers, and injuries.  A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.  I also just met the people over at Baseball Trade Rumors and I invite you to visit their site.   They have a page for rumors for every major league team, constant updates on the latest rumors, interactive polls, and overall some great content.