I’m trying to become a more positive person. I’m working to find the light in a sea of negativity and reports about wars, natural disasters, crime and, here in Los Angeles, celebrity scuttlebutt. As we work toward Opening Day, winners are being declared in positional battles, back-end slots in pitching rotations are being filled and, well, the closer carousel is already up and running.
My search for positive stories and breakthrough candidates extends to the baseball diamond. Unfortunately, injury notes and the aforementioned managerial decisions tend to shift my tenor. In this entry to the Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide, I’m logging my disappointments and concerns from this spring. Think of it as a whining letter from summer camp.
Before I get into the full-on list, I need to make mention of Neftali Feliz’s decision to remain the closer in Texas. I know that those owners who snagged him as a top-7 closer this spring are breathing a huge sigh of relief. Call me selfish for wanting to see him work out of the rotation.
I’ve already spilled enough ink about Adam Wainwright and Chase Utley. My laundry list begins with a Toronto trio.
Brandon Morrow, SP, TOR: The Toronto Star advises that Morrow will begin the season on the disabled list because of elbow inflammation. Morrow was surprised by the move. “My elbow feels all right. I’ve got full extension. It doesn’t bother me at all. It’s fine.”
The move was made retroactive to March 22, meaning that Morrow may miss only one or two starts. However, he had been one of this year’s draft-day darlings as owners reconsidered his strikeout rate and 2010 game log. That momentum stops abruptly despite the positive MRI results. Did the huge innings jump for this former reliever cause the issue?
Frank Francisco, RP, TOR: Francisco will open the season on the disabled list because of a right pectoral muscle injury. He did receive the vote of confidence from manager John Ferrell, who acknowledged that Francisco will return to the closer role once ready. In the interim, veteran Jon Rauch steps into the role.
J.P. Arencibia, C, TOR: I’ve probably banged the drum as loudly for Arencibia as anyone in this fantasy realm. Unfortunately, Arencibia has yet to break out his big bat this spring. He entered Wednesday’s play with a measly .156 batting average (7-for-45) and had struck out 15 times with a single RBI.
Atlanta Management: The Braves opened spring training in search of a replacement for retired closer Billy Wagner. Early reports had Craig Kimbrel as the front-runner with Jonny Venters working as his set-up man. Both pitched brilliantly in their 2010 rookie seasons, demonstrating fantastic strikeout punch and a closer mentality. Manager Fredi Gonzalez muddied the waters by declaring that the youngsters would share the role to start the spring. We address injuries and demotions/implosions as they occur. I’m just taking this opportunity to shake my fist and scream “Khan!” for this (in)decision. Venters appears to be more of a matchup play against lefties, but his type of talk is moderately discouraging. Kimbrel owns a 3.86 ERA this spring. Venters has not allowed an earned run in his nine innings of work.
Drew Storen, RP, WAS: Fantasy owners began draft season with expectations that Storen would assume the regular closing duties for Washington this spring. Instead, he’s pitched to a 10.38 ERA and has allowed 16 hits in 8 2/3 innings of work. Those numbers prompted some speculation that Storen was not only in danger of losing that coveted role, but that he might not even break camp with the team.
Storen told The Washington Post that he’d been instructed to throw primarily fastballs, thereby offering some explanation for the hit parade against him. He’s also adjusted his throwing motion, moving to the slide-step from the leg kick. Storen shouldn’t be counted out altogether, but it appears that Tyler Clippard will hold at least a share of the closer role to start the year.
Kendrys Morales, 1B, LAA: Morales contributed one of the most memorable moments of the 2010 season when he sustained a season-ending ankle injury after hitting a game-winning home run. Morales is now sidelined indefinitely because of soreness in his left foot. The injury prohibits Morales from running, thereby grinding his rehabilitation efforts to a halt. The only positive news to come out of this scenario is that Morales’ MRI came back clean. That’s little comfort to fantasy owners who spied him as a potential value pick and Los Angeles fans who had hoped to see a power game return to the Angels’ lineup.
Jesus Montero, C, NYY: Montero was expected to open the season as the backup Russell Martin, but terrible work behind the plate and a dismal .222 batting average (8-for-36) will likely result in his return to the minor leagues. Montero entered Thursday’s games with two doubles and two RBI.
Mat Gamel, 3B, MIL: I’ve been anxiously awaiting Gamel’s arrival for several seasons, and every year he’s beset by a new injury. This season, Gamel appeared in only five games because of a strained oblique muscle before getting returned to Triple-A.
Zach Greinke, SP, MIL: The fantasy world was excited to watch Greinke pitch in the National League behind a much better lineup. Instead, it was revealed that Greinke sustained bruised ribs and one fractured rib in an off-season basketball game. As of this writing, he has been exercising but has yet to be cleared for throwing. Therefore, Greinke’s first trip to the mound for Milwaukee is drifting to the back-end of April. Enthusiasm in fantasyland is waning.
Nyjer Morgan, OF, WAS: Morgan obviously wasn’t a fantasy hero, but he represented a solid cheap speed option late in drafts (34 last season). He has reportedly lost the starting center field job to Rick Ankiel, who is hitting a nice, even .200, and may be relegated to late-inning substitution work or a stint in the minor leagues. Everyone has that list of specialists, like “The Wolf” out of “Pulp Fiction,” and Morgan has been bumped down the list of thieves. I’ll end things with a couple of quick nods to veteran players.
Garrett Atkins, 3B, FA: Atkins precipitous decline made my head spin. I didn’t expect Atkins to rediscover his stroke and approach his Colorado numbers this spring. Still, I didn’t expect to see him unceremoniously dumped to the curb by the Pirates.
Jay Gibbons, OF, LAD: This entry isn’t about Gibbons. He is slated to be the starting left fielder for the Dodgers this season. I applaud his return to the diamond following the Mitchell Report and his admission of taking steroids. There’s certainly something to the notion of a storybook ending to his story occurring so close to Hollywood.
However, I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief. Ned Colletti couldn’t unearth a starter with fewer question marks? Gibbons turned 34 years old at the beginning of March and has played in only 37 games in the past three years.
