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by bigh0rt » Mon Jul 09, 2012 12:15 am The Dread Pirate McCutchen has been chosen by NL Team Captain Matt Kemp to replace former Cafe favorite Giancarlo Stanton. Here is an article by The Bleacher Report, Home Run Derby 2012 Time: Predicting Each Participant's Performance.
Updated Odds:
Jose Bautista (TOR) -- 13/4
Mark Trumbo (LAA) -- 5/1
Matt Kemp (LAD) -- 5/1
Robinson Cano (NYY) -- 5/1
Carlos Beltran (STL) -- 11/2
Prince Fielder (DET) -- 11/2
Carlos Gonzalez (COL) -- 13/2
Andrew McCutchen (PIT) -- 7/1
Author's Prediction: Jose Bautista
Trevor Bauer threw 6 shutout innings against the hapless Dodgers last night. He allowed only 2 Hits, issued 1 lone free pass, and struck out 6. This was a far cry from his first two starts against the Braves and Padres, and certainly encouraging for his owners; many of which had relegated him to the bench after his meltdown earlier in the week. Some noted a completely different looking Bauer this outing, while others looked at the Dodger lineup and just chuckled that he even allowed two hits. Bauer is a guy who many will be paying very close attention to out of the break. His ceiling is limitless, but many speculate a tumultuous and rocky rookie campaign due to control issues. Stay tuned.
So it was Scott Downs, and not Ernesto Frieri, who picked up the final two saves of the first half of the season. Weird. It had already been decided that Frieri was 'the' guy, and that Downs was waiver wire fodder not worth owning in any respectable league... wasn't it? Here's the part where I pull quotes and put people on blast... these were all replies to SpecialFNK's point that, hey, maybe Downs is still in the closer mix for some Saves in Anaheim, and even if not, he's still been awesome this year and is probably worth owning in some leagues...In reverse chronological order...
Maris09 wrote:My god are you still talking? Nobody asked for any Frieri trading advice. Again, you're just grasping at straws here, trying to say something relevant, after being completely incorrect for 3 weeks. Shut it down bro.
Maris09 wrote:Ya you said that, over and over. But as we've seen from the Craig/Adams talks, and the Frieri/Downs talks, you're usually wrong. We get it though, you've taken your stance (once again). No need to keep reiterating it over and over and over.
Zhangman1 wrote:Stop replying. Please.
Maris09 wrote:Do you have Scott Downs’ Syndrome or something? Damn.
Crippler wrote:He's deperately grasping at straws at this point. He's been so incredibly wrong up until this point that he's holding onto a strawman argument so that when a single earned run crosses the plate, he can somehow salvage some dignity by saying "I TOLD YOU HE WASN'T PERFECT!!1!"
It's sad, really. Entertaining but sad.
garf112 wrote:Stop it, dude. You are embarrassing yourself.
Maris09 wrote:Sarcasm is the recourse of a weak mind.
Judging by your past and current Angels bullpen talk, yours seems weaker than most.
Thanks for comin.
Crippler wrote:You're definitely the guy I want to listen to when it comes to closer opinions. Downs will get half the saves and Chapman sucks...got it.
Maris09 wrote:But it did matter what we were all trying to tell you WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. You just didn't want to see it. Now drop it.
wazzeus wrote:Dude. Let it go. Your boy Downs is but a lefty specialist now (as he had been his entire career except for a month or so this year). He's spending more time in the seventh inning than in the ninth. If you follow trends, you're following one that's going in the wrong direction.
bayside wrote:ahahaaaaaahahahaaaaaaaahahaa are you serious?
youre totally trying to say something completely different now that you FINALLY realize you wrong all along.
classic!
Maris09 wrote:Let's just drop this, most of us saw where this was going weeks ago, it's been a done deal for days and days. Nothing to be gained by driving home the point anymore. He's not going to admit that he held out hope way too long, just reiterate that it was "what they were doing" and that he figured they weren't going to change that process. Was very obvious to most of us what was occurring, but nothing really to be gained by rehashing over and over.
Maris09 wrote:This was over and done with days ago.
This was over a 10 page section of the Closer Thread, and while the quotes were easy as can be to find, they were littered in between by people asking, no begging, the quoted individuals above to let it go, to move on, to take it to PMs... all while SpecialFNK handled himself like an adult, despite being one of the only ones to do so. If I was a mod you'd all have cards, especially those who have literally done this exact thing in previous years, and you'd be banned the next time it even came close to happening. I only hope those who do have the power view it the same way. And if you're butt hurt about being quoted there, you should have probably taken that into consideration while you were posting it in the first place. Way to represent the Cafe. That's definitely what newly registered members are looking for when they're entering one of our most important, unique, and otherwise useful threads here on our Forums...
Back to baseball...
First Half Pleasant Surprises:
You've got your serious first-half breakout stars such as NL All-Stars Jose Altuve and R.A. Dickey, even guys like James McDonald, but here's a few less celebrated, less impacting first-half surprises worth keeping an eye on after the break...
Michael Fiers, SP, MIL -- 3 - 3, 46.2 IP, 9.64 K/9, 2.31 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 3.01 SIERA
- Fiers has pitched strong all year. With serious K potential, I'm expecting him to continue where he left off over the latter portion of the season. You may see his HR rate stabilize some, but thus far Fiers is what he is; somebody who can help cement the back end of your fantasy rotation.
Chris Archer, SP, TB -- 0 - 2, 11.2 IP, 10.80 K/9, 3.86 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 2.50 SIERA
- It's only been a few brief innings, but Archer has parlayed a productive beginning in AAA and rolled it into his Major League debut. He had some walk issues in AAA but those haven't followed him to the big show quite yet. If he's available in your league, he's certainly worth a look despite pitching in a tough division.
Garrett Jones, 1B/OF, PIT -- .269/.292/.514, 12 HR, 31 R, 37 RBI, 2 SB, .297 BABIP, 219 PA
- Jones has been an absolute monster since the beginning of June, and barring Pittsburgh trading for Justin Upton, as has been rumored, should see full-time at bats going forward. He's had his struggles with LHP, but he should at least be an excellent platoon vs RHP for power and RBI potential -- Jones notched 15 R and RBI apiece in June and has 8 and 7, respectively, in July thus far.
Andrelton Simmons, SS, ATL -- .292/.333/.442, 3 HR, 13 R, 15 RBI, 1 SB, .306 BABIP, 123 PA
- Simmons' biggest drawback right now is that he's seemingly stuck in the 8th slot of the Atlanta lineup, with no signs of Bourn or Prado forfeiting either of their spots atop the order. Still, in spite of that, Simmons has filled in admirably, and should continue to be the everyday SS in Hotlanta. Expect him to keep on keepin' on, with potential for his counting stats to take a trip north if his lineup position improves. As somebody who traded for this young fella' this morning in my weekly lineup 14-teamer, I certainly hope so.
Chris Tillman, SP, BAL -- 1 - 0, 8.1 IP, 7.56 K/9, 0.00 ERA, 0.48 WHIP, 3.47 SIERA
- Could we use a smaller sample size than 1 start? Survey says? Nope! But that's all that Tillman's made this season, so that's what we're rolling with. Tillman has been long lauded as the next big thing in the Baltimore rotation, and maybe 2012 is the year he finally makes his splash. He certainly looked excellent coming just 2 outs from a CGSO, albeit, in Seattle. Here's an article about Tillman from FanGraphs that's certainly worth a read.
Justin Ruggiano, OF, MIA -- .410/.478/.795, 6 HR, 14 R, 17 RBI, 3 SB, .456 BABIP, 92 PA
- That BABIP is pretty glaring, eh? I know, I know. But nobody is expecting Justin to bat .410 all year, or slug nearly .800. However, with news that Giancarlo Stanton will miss a month or more (I've read as many as six weeks) of action, and Ruggiano has full-time at bats coming his way, maybe he takes it and runs with it, continuing the early success he's found. He's hit 4 homers in July already, which is certainly encouraging.
A.J. Griffin, SP, OAK -- 0 - 0, 18.0 IP, 5.50 K/9, 1.50 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 4.40 SIERA
- Oakland is the absolute factory for starting pitching. They just churn and churn and churn it out. Not Cy Young contenders (anymore, at least), but solid, serviceable starters, every year it seems like. Yeah he's had just a .120 BABIP thus far, so there's a fair amount of adjustment to be expected, but this kid can pitch. He saw a major spike in K/9 from 2011 to 2012 in the minors that we've yet to really see translate to the big show, but with the likelihood of Oakland shipping starters Bartolo Colon and soon to return from the DL Brandon McCarthy, Griffin should see his turn in the rotation continue in Oakland. Monitor his progress, and you may have a cheap useful arm on your hands.
I hate you all.
Love,
bigh0rt
