Is it too early to hit the panic button?
After all, most teams have only played between 32 and 35 games. The level of insecurity and fear is different in each major league city and certainly varies between fantasy owners. To put things in perspective, Josh Hamilton won the American League MVP Award in 2010 despite appearing in only 133 games.
Ozzie Guillen of the heretofore disgusting White Sox squad offered the perfect line as Chicago prepared for the dreaded trip to the West Coast. Guillen remarked that the benefit of playing so late (with games ending at 2am CT) is that White Sox fans won’t have to watch it. Gallows humor has already set in on the South Side.
Let’s find a quick injection of life for your squad on the wire. You may not ignite the power categories in your lineup or rotation, but there are some one-category fixes to be found.
Closer Carousel
Frank Francisco, Toronto
Francisco finally notched his first save of the season in his sixth appearance on Wednesday night. He had successfully completed four consecutive scoreless innings in his past four appearances prior to Wednesday. Though Francisco struggled to earn the save (two walks, a hit and an earned run allowed in his inning of work), he’s at least back in the mix. He’s struck out eight batters in 6 1/3 innings.
Sergio Santos, Chicago White Sox
The White Sox will actually need to start scoring runs to allow Santos to work, but he’s been effective when given an opportunity. He appeared on the radar as the setup man with a huge strikeout rate, but early struggles from Matt Thornton elevated Santos to closer status. Santos has saved three games in his past four appearances, and has struck out 16 batters in his 13 innings of work. He’s yet to allow an earned run in 11 appearances.
Drew Storen, Washington
Storen dropped out of the closer role following a terrible spring. He allowed a solo home run in his season debut against the Braves out of the setup role. Sean Burnett came in to close out that victory.
Storen has allowed one run (unearned) in his past 15 1/3 innings, a run that spans 14 appearances. On April 17, Storen received and converted his first save opportunity against the Brewers. He’s now earned saves in six of his past seven appearances, yet fantasy owners continue to watch from afar. Forget about his cap.
Hong-Chih Kuo, Los Angeles Dodgers
Regular closer Jonathan Broxton has been shut down indefinitely after experiencing elbow pain during his blown save against the Cubs on Tuesday night. Don Mattingly now has a decision to make regarding the closing role between Vicente Padilla and Kuo.
Kuo saved 12 games last season and has regained his velocity (mid-90s) following an early-season stint on the disabled list. As such, I suspect that he gets the call. Forget the bloated ERA and WHIP numbers. He was obliterated by the Padres in his return from the disabled list. Kuo surrendered four earned runs on two hits and a walk in that brief appearance. He fared much better on Wednesday against the Cubs, pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a walk.
Ryan Madson, Philadelphia
Why hasn’t Madson flown off the waiver wire? Perhaps owners are still affected by Charlie Manuel’s early decision to hand the role to Jose Contreras. Madson has allowed a single earned run in his 11 appearances this season. He’s struck out 13 batters (0.82 ERA) against seven hits and five walks (1.09 WHIP) in 11 innings. Brad Lidge isn’t emerging from the bullpen anytime soon. Go check the wire.
If Madson is gone, you can still find some gold in the Philadelphia pen with Antonio Bastardo. Bastardo has struck out 18 batters while pitching to a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings to match Madson.
Mark Melancon, Houston
Brandon Lyon blew his fourth save in eight chances on Wednesday night and is reportedly having his shoulder checked. Lyon surrendered three earned runs on four hits and a walk against the Reds. He failed to record an out.
Melancon slides into the closer role, perhaps for good. The rubber-armed reliever has already appeared in 15 games this season, pitching to a 1.72 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings. I’ll be curious to watch him operate out of the closer role given the inconsistency in his strikeout punch. Melancon has struck out only three batters in his past eight innings pitched. However, he induces 1.9 groundballs per flyball allowed.
Plug-In Energizers
Scott Sizemore, 2B, Detroit
Sizemore recently received a call-up by the Tigers to replace Will Rhymes, who was shipped to the minor leagues. Sizemore immediately got active in the batter’s box and on the basepaths. He’s logged four hits in his first eight at-bats with a double, one RBI and a stolen base against the Yankees.
Sizemore was a five-tool hero in the minor leagues in 2009 before getting injured in the fall. He ripped 61 extra-base hits with 66 RBI and 21 stolen bases between Double-A and Triple-A. Stake a claim to fortify your middle infield.
Rajai Davis, OF, Toronto
Davis offers nothing in the power department, though he does produce decent gap power (55 doubles in the past two seasons). He’s purely a 2-to-3 category performer. Davis owns a .278 career batting average (.305 in 2009) and scores 60-70 runs.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Davis is all about speed. In the past two seasons, Davis has registered 91 stolen bases in 114 attempts. His batting average will eventually return to form as he beats out a few infield grounders. If he reaches base, Davis is running. He’s swiped six bases in the past five games.
Jason Bourgeois, OF, Houston
Bourgeois is starting to look a lot like Davis. He’s recorded four multi-hit games in his past six starts to boost his batting average to .386 (17-for-44). Bourgeois has also swiped four bases in the past four games to raise his season total to nine. The 29-year-old outfielder offers zero power, launching one home run in 207 at-bats between Milwaukee and Houston.
Nyjer Morgan, OF, Milwaukee
Morgan returned from the disabled list and immediately claimed a slot in the starting lineup over the struggling Carlos Gomez. He went 0-for-4 with an RBI in his return. He’s batting .385 (10-for-26) with a stolen base. If Morgan continues to receive regular at-bats in place of Gomez, he’ll offer value as a fifth outfielder. Morgan recorded a total of 58 stolen bases in 82 attempts (a weak conversion rate, of course) for the Nationals in 2009 and 2010.
Coco Crisp, OF, Oakland
Crisp’s injury history (124 games played in the past two seasons) forced fantasy owners to leave him dangling on the waiver wire during draft season. He’s performed well out of the gate for the A’s this season, essentially matching his career batting average at .279 (.277 career) with eight stolen bases in 10 attempts. His on-base percentage of .286 is pathetic, as Crisp just won’t take a walk. Seriously, Crisp has taken a single walk in 105 plate appearances.
Take advantage of the speed element while he’s healthy. Crisp stole 32 bases in 75 games last season to establish a new career mark. He’s stolen 20 or more bases in five of the past seven seasons.
