Fantasy Baseball Cafe Forums

by **kab21** » Sat May 05, 2012 2:49 am

We're one month into the season and we've already seen 7 AL closers lose their job to injury or ineffectiveness. Which of the remaining 7 hold their job for the rest of the season? YOU HAVE TO PICK 4 or you can pick none of them.

Jamey Carroll singled to left and broke MN's 17 inning hitless streak. My sources tell me that the record (since the stat was tracked in 1973) is 19 innings. Way to avoid history this season.

A bright spot for Twins fans is Miguel Sano. Yesterday he merely homered in both games of a doubleheader.

Heath Bell's awful season continued yesterday. It's very puzzling since his FB is only 1mph slower than last year and the movement on his pitches is identical to last year. He still throws a 70/30 mix of fastballs/curveballs but for whatever reason hitters are not fooled at all. He even has low LD and HR rates. BAPIP is a problem but he can't strike anyone out and he can't get hitters to chase pitches outside of the zone.

Tim Lincecum was also awful yesterday continue his season long struggles. His velocity is down 2.5mph but all of his rate stats look good. It's difficult to know what to make of this. One thing is for certain: Super Timmy is gone.

The Nationals and Dodgers have the 2nd best record in the majors. The Nationals were expected to be decent but I don't think anybody liked the Dodgers this year.

Bryce Harper was held hitless for the 2nd time in his first six games. He has had a very nice first week in the majors going .316/.417/.526/.943. 0 HR's but 4 2B's.

This week's photo is from a waterfall hike I did last weekend. It is the Chinese Peacock Swallowtail if my brief internet research is correct. The World Is Not That Big

PHI: V. Worley (2-1, 1.97)
@WAS: G. Gonzalez (2-1, 1.82)

LAD: C. Capuano (3-0, 2.73)
@CHC: C. Volstad (0-3, 6.11)

MIL: R. Wolf (2-2, 6.84)
@SF: M. Bumgarner (4-1, 2.53)

ARI: P. Corbin (1-0, 4.76)
@NYM: J. Santana (0-2, 2.25)

CIN: M. Leake (0-3, 6.65)
@PIT: J. McDonald (1-1, 2.97)

STL: J. Garcia (2-1, 2.78)
@HOU: B. Norris (1-1, 5.46)

ATL: M. Minor (2-2, 4.68)
@COL: J. Moyer (1-2, 3.14)

MIA: M. Buehrle (1-4, 3.34)
@SD: C. Richard (1-3, 5.12)

BAL: J. Hammel (3-1, 1.97)
@BOS: A. Cook (0-0, -.--)

CWS: G. Floyd (2-3, 3.13)
@DET: M. Scherzer (1-3, 7.77)

TEX: D. Holland (2-2, 5.13)
@CLE: D. Lowe (4-1, 2.27)

NYY: H. Kuroda (2-3, 3.69)
@KC: F. Paulino (0-0, -.--)

OAK: B. Colon (3-2, 2.53)
@TB: J. Hellickson (3-0, 2.51)

TOR: K. Drabek (2-2, 2.40)
@LAA: C. Wilson (3-2, 2.70)

MIN: J. Marquis (2-0, 6.23)
@SEA: F. Hernandez (2-1, 2.23)

by **Izenhart** » Sat May 05, 2012 2:57 am

If Matt Capps is the closer all season it will be due to Minnesota never having a lead to blow.

by **Fantasy GM** » Sat May 05, 2012 2:57 am

Wasn't sure if I could only pick 1 or 2, but I would have done that.

Valverde won't lose the job. He has a funky delivery but he's been durable the past few years so he is vote #1. Only a killer stomachache will get in his way. League is #2; his velocity is very high and I'm not sure the Mariners have any other legit closer candidates on the roster. Jim Johnson is #3, though the flu he had last week - one that landed him in the hospital - might be some sort of warning shot. Balfour is #4, but I can see him giving way to the job if the A's are out of contention by the deadline if he's not traded.

Capps is awful, Nathan and Perez are both injury-prone.

by **kab21** » Sat May 05, 2012 3:09 am

The reason that you must pick 4 is that there are a couple of easy choices and I want to see which of the scrubs people think have a chance to make it thru the season as a closer.

by **kab21** » Sat May 05, 2012 3:29 am

Joe Nathan is having a sneaky good season imo.

by **wazzeus** » Sat May 05, 2012 3:41 am

Huston Street strained his shoulder tonight; more tests coming. Is Andrew Cashner the potentially elite successor ESPN suggests?

by **juliown1028** » Sat May 05, 2012 4:02 am

Thanks to the Cafe's closer thread, I'm having trouble finding spots on my rosters for all these closers. Drafted like 2 closers per league, but somehow am 1st in Saves in all 3 of them thanks to the stellar cafe advice.

by **Skin Blues** » Sat May 05, 2012 8:27 am

kab21 wrote:Joe Nathan is having a sneaky good season imo.

I don't know why there was (is?) so much concern about him. He's been pretty much the Joe Nathan of old since May 2011. I'm surprised people think Jim Johnson is the most secure closer in the AL.

by **Grounded Polo** » Sat May 05, 2012 8:46 am

wazzeus wrote:Huston Street strained his shoulder tonight; more tests coming. Is Andrew Cashner the potentially elite successor ESPN suggests?

Considering this is Huston Street, I'm already counting him out for the rest of May, regardless of no legitimate info being available yet on his time frame. Cashner has every chance to be elite, throws ridiculously hard and pitches in Petco. I managed to grab him in my league where I have Street.

by **Skin Blues** » Sat May 05, 2012 9:08 am

Woke up this morning and Cashner and Gregerson have been picked up. This is the last year I ever play in a league that allows a race to the internet to pick up players. It'll either be permawaivers or FAAB. The issue is exacerbated by the saves category thrusting huge value to and from bad players in the blink of an eye, on a regular basis.