My Thoughts on a Man Called Dice-K

Despite my love of the Yankees, there is one positive thing about all the attention given to Boston’s 100 million dollar, Daisuke Matsuzaka. That’s because even though I am a Yankee fan first, I am a baseball fan second. Being a baseball fan, I’m like most (except fans out west and others) because I am sick of hearing about Barry Bonds and the steroid issue. During the preseason, I want to hear about pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training. However, the words I usually hear are ones like Bonds, steroids, and what Bud Selig did and didn’t do, not to mention the home run record.

However, this year has been a little different. Bonds has been mentioned, as well as where Hank Aaron won’t be when Barry breaks the prestigious record. But some of the attention has been shifted to the outbursts of some managers, and most of all to Matsuzaka Mania. It’s about time baseball talk should be positive not negative. “Dice-K” is a mystery with several pitches, namely the Gyro ball. From what I have read, the pitch is like a four seam grip, but thrown like a screwball causing movement like a slider.

Figuring this is a fantasy baseball column; I have to stay true to its name and talk about the fantasy side. As a Matsuzaka owner, you must love the hype surrounding him, or should I say Matsuzaka Mania. Because of this hype and potential, his value is a bit inflated. The fact that no one knows how good he is going to be in America, makes him fantasy gold because people are willing to take a risk and trade for him because of a possibility for a big reward. Translation: He is a great sell high candidate. Some advice I learned from the Fantasy Man is to know your league mates. How cool would it be for a Boston fan to have Dice-K on his fantasy team if he has a great year? But after Sheffield started off slow and Kendrick missed months, you were glad to get Bobby Abreu and B.J. Upton in the trade. You think you’ll get much from the team named Bronx Bombers? The fan from Boston is going to get him at almost any cost and will overpay.

Last year, I made a great move. Only a few scoreless ninths and some strikeout potential made this closer convince me. He impressed me enough that by the 2nd week I had to have the guy… Jonathon Papelbon that is. After awhile, the Boston fan in my league realized him. He wanted Papelbon and begged for him and I used his liking of Boston as leverage. I’m not saying to trade Matsuzaka because that could make me look bad, but see what kind of offers you get. Like I said, the Boston fan will probably overpay, which could help fill a hole from an injury. It looks like Dice-K’s next five starts will be against the Yanks, Mariners, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Braves. (All can score and hit home runs) And if runners are on base, Matsuzaka’s era is 8.71; proof that he has trouble from the stretch. His next start is in New York, where hitters can draw several walks and cause a shaky start. Now may be the time to get full value.

Some of My Thoughts

Last night, I watched Dice-K and the Red Sox play the Yankees. Matsuzaka did end up getting the win, but he looked a little shaky. He gave up six runs in 7+ innings, but was lucky enough to have the Boston bats hit well behind him. I hate to break it to owners of him, but I think he is a little overrated. Lack of run support can be used as an excuse to his record, but he did not pitch well last night and got a win. His other win was against Kansas City, which just doesn’t do much for me. He can strike out a good amount, but his era is at four. I hate to be an early judge, but he is not making me buy into all of the hype and the fact that he has trouble from the stretch also concerns me.

Onto another note, J.D. Drew looked very good last night. Drew has shown early on that he can generate some power numbers and have some pop, while maintaining consistency. Just look at his average. Translation: J.D. Drew is a great pickup if he is available. He can be a five tool player and it looks like the Green Monster will develop him into a hitter to all fields. May not have the best numbers, but he will be better in the long run than some hot start outfielders like Moises Alou or Luis Gonzalez. Keep in mind that a guy like J.D. is very valuable because more often than not it is hard to find a decent option to fill that last outfield spot. Here you go!

Last but not least, Jason Giambi is back. After a slow start, he looks like he is getting back in a groove. He came up with some big RBIs that kept the Yankees in the game. Giambi could be a good guy to get right now, but ride him while he’s hot. The first baseman, like last year, is traditionally better in the first half. I still think he is a good buy low that could boost power numbers.

Tomorrow I will post more about Dice-K.

Pitching Woes

Well, well, well. What a start it has been to the season in fantasy baseball. For many of you, there was a complete mindset during the draft and you a whole other mindset right now. You were content with your team after the draft, but now 6^th place isn’t your ideal location. You’re sleeper hasn’t panned out well and you have holes in the infield already. So what that you drafted Pujols first, then took Manny and Chris Carpenter with the rap around picks. You’ve came to the right site. Now I can’t solve every problem, but I’ll try and help you get to at least 4^th.

Today, I’m going to target the article on pitching. There has been a lot of inconsistency with starting pitching. Zambrano has had a few rough starts, Webb has not started like last year, and Kazmir finally looked like himself against the Twins. The big disappointment so far this year has been Carpenter, although most of that is because of injury. The word on him is he will not need surgery, but the Cardinal ace will be at least a few weeks with the elbow problem. As of now, I don’t know if I would trade him because the injury may only be a few weeks in a long season and getting equal value is not likely. So my suggestion would be to keep him on your DL spot if your league has one or just keep him on the bench.

Anyway, this article is to try and give you guys some advice and say a couple guys I think you could get off the waiver wire or for a good price that could help you out pitching wise. (Basically buy low guys)

Brandon Webb: Not the typical guy you would think is on a list like this, but this year he is. I think the ranks, especially Yahoo’s, is undervaluing him. On Wednesday, Webb had a great outing (8 in, 7 hits, 1 ER, and 13 strikeouts) Even though he got a no decision he looks like he is coming back. Webb’s era is only 4.00 and he is leading the lead in strikeouts. Not to say Arizona is taking it all, but they are improved and his 14 win total will go up.

Tim Wakefield: Here is a guy that may be available in your league. Not to say to name him your ace, but the veteran right ace has thrown well. He has a couple of wins and an era of 1.35. May not get a ton of strikeouts, but is a pretty good temporary option. Currently he has a whip under 1 so if you need pitching you might want to grab Wakefield for a spot start.

Scott Kazmir: If you are going to take one of these pitchers, I think Kazmir is the best. If healthy, Kazmir could make your staff solid by himself. Kazmir gets a ton of strikeouts and might get to 15 wins this year. His era might scare you off, but he will rebound and his whip can help out also. He is especially good for any of you that are in points leagues.

There are some others I like that may be available on the Waiver Wire along with Wakefield. A couple of them are Claudio Vargas, Kyle Lohse, and Ian Snell, who are all decent pickups that can get a lot of strikeouts.

A Lesson the Hard Way

Last season, I have to admit I was not as good or smart of a fantasy owner as I could have been. I think most of us can come out and confess to that. Maybe someone writing about fantasy baseball shouldn’t say something like that, but I can. After all, none of us are perfect. You will look back in early September when you know you aren’t winning it all and say, “If he was still on my team,” I would be much better than these other guys. You say to yourself, “What was I thinking,” when you look at a trade or drop, even though at the time it seemed logical to do the move.

Well if that was you out there than we have something in common. Last year, I did my research and listened to all the video clips of advice. I looked at stats to form my own opinions. I picked out a couple guys I considered sleepers, three really come to mind. They weren’t the best ranked guys or the best known. I offer a trade to someone and they would give me a hard time about the guy even being on my team. That was when I was stupid and made their opinions be my opinions. I ended up dropping all three of them thinking they were right. No big loss. Months later I learned my lesson that sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. Last May, those three no-names would not have made you say they were bad losses, but now you would. Those three no-names are Ervin Santana, Scott Kazmir, and MVP Justin Morneau.

It’s no surprise that I’m taking this year a tad more conservative. After some big moves, I ended up barely making second place and thankful for it. So this column is designed to help you guys not make my mistake, not complain. I want to tell you a couple of players you have to hold on to.

Josh Barfield: Yeah, yeah, I know the guy isn’t batting a thousand, but you got to wait it out a least a little while. Barfield started the first three months going .257, but raised that average to .280 by season’s end. He also had 3 more homers and 6 more RBIs in the second half despite playing in 12 fewer games.

Nick Markakis: Ah yes, Markakis. You bought into the hype, but you haven’t been impressed. Here is another guy who really was a second half player. He had 2 dingers and a poor average at the break last year. If you keep him, you will probably get a nice late season run. Just bench him for a few weeks if you want.

Mike Mussina: A sleeper last year and I believe one this year, too. He is a solid option that will bolster your team’s era. May not get many strikeouts, but is a good source for a secondary pitcher. Expect Mussina to bounce back and win about 14 games thanks to the potent Yankee lineup. Keep your eye on the injury status. He is also a guy that you can buy low now and stash.

Adam Laroche: Laroche is a guy who I think is highly underrated this year. He has had a slow start, but will bounce back like last year. He has showed signs recently of getting his swing back. Laroche is a very streaky hitter so I expect a very hot streak coming up. Note that he has Jason Bay to drive in, with a hot Xavier Nady to bring Laroche’s run total up.