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2010 Two Start Pitchers – Week 11

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 12th, 2010

Here is a complete look at the fantasy baseball two-start pitchers for week 11. Obviously the top tier pitchers are going to be left in your line up, but here is a look at some of the more border line pitchers for mixed league starts and who they face in those starts.

Two-start pitchers week 11: remember again that the list below is more focused on mixed leagues since in AL or NL only leagues in most cases you do not have the option to rotate too many starting pitchers with the smaller player pool. The pitchers below are listed in alphabetical order by team name per category.

American League:

Start them:

Clay Buchholz (BOS) ~ ARI (Kennedy), LAD (Billingsley)
CC Sabathia (NYY) ~ PHI (Halladay), NYM (Santana)
Trevor Cahill (OAK) ~ @CHC (Zambrano), @STL (Garcia)
David Price (TB) ~ @ATL (Kawakami), @FLA (Johnson)
C.J. Wilson (TEX) ~ @FLA (Johnson), @HOU (Paulino)
Shaun Marcum (TOR) ~ @SD (Latos), SF (Sanchez)

Cahill becomes a two-start starter with Dallas Braden pushed back to Thursday.

Roll the Dice:

Freddy Garcia (CHW) ~ @PIT (Lincoln), @WAS (Lannan)
Joe Saunders (LAA) ~ MIL (Wolf), @CHC (Zambrano)
Carl Pavano (MIN) ~ COL (Cook), @PHI (Halladay)

Pavano has put up pretty similar stats through 12 starts as he did after coming over to Minnesota last season. What is amazing about this season, besides the 1.17 WHIP is that he has gotten a decision in every single one of his starts so far this season, so if you are looking for wins for your team, that is a good thing, although he will have two tough tests against Colorado and at Philadelphia. Garcia has been on a good run, winning six of his last seven starts, allowing three runs or less all but one time.

Sit Them:

Chris Tillman (BAL) ~ @SF (Sanchez), @SD (Latos)
Justin Masterson (CLE) ~ NYM (Santana), @PIT (Lincoln)
Rick Porcello (DET) ~ WAS (Lannan), ARI (Kennedy)
Kyle Davies (KC) ~ HOU (Paulino), @ATL (Kawakami)
Luke French (SEA) ~ @STL (Wainwright), CIN (Harang)

Luke French became a two-start pitcher in week 11 when he replaced Ian Snell in the rotation. French was 6-2 in Triple-A with a 1.93 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP with 41 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings. Nothing has changed in my opinion regarding Tillman this time around in the majors. He has not shown the ability to strike out hitters on a consistent basis and his control takes a nosedive upon reaching the major leagues.

National League:

Start them:

Ian Kennedy (AZ) ~ @BOS (Buchholz), @DET (Porcello)
Josh Johnson (FLO) ~ TEX (Wilson), TB (Price)
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) ~ @CIN (Harang), @BOS (Buchholz)
Johan Santana (NYM) ~ @CLE (Masterson), @NYY (Sabathia)
Roy Halladay (PHI) ~ @NYY (Sabathia), MIN (Pavano)
Jon Garland (SD) ~ TOR (Marcum), BAL (Tillman)
Jonathan Sanchez (SF) ~ BAL (Tillman), @TOR (Marcum)
Adam Wainwright (STL) ~ SEA (French), OAK (Cahill)

Roll the Dice:

Kenshin Kawakami (ATL) ~ TB (Price), KC (Davies)
Aaron Harang (CIN) ~ LAD (Kershaw), @SEA (French)
Felipe Paulino (HOU) ~ @KC (Davies), TEX (Wilson)

Kawakami’s 0-8 record does not inspire much confidence, but has thrown better at home where he has two starts next week, with an ERA a full run lower. He has also allowed three runs or less in five of his last six starts. Harang is 3-0 in his last five starts and has allowed five runs in his last 19 innings of work. Paulino has been on a roll with a 1.75 ERA over his last five starts. After allowing 20 home runs in 97 2/3 innings last season, Paulino has allowed only two in 75 1/3 innings in 2010 so I would expect to see a small correction coming soon.

Sit Them:

Carlos Zambrano (CHC) ~ OAK (Cahill), LAA (Saunders)
Aaron Cook (COL) ~ @MIN (Pavano), MIL (Wolf)
Randy Wolf (MIL) ~ @LAA (Saunders), @COL (Cook)
Brad Lincoln (PIT) ~ CHW (Garcia), CLE (Masterson)
John Lannan (WAS) ~ @DET (Porcello), CWS (Garcia)

Zambrano has only had two starts since moving back into the rotation and struggled in both, walking 8 in 9 1/3 innings with only five strikeouts. His batting average against on the year is also 50 points higher than it was in 2009. It has been a dismal year for Wolf with a jump in home runs allowed, a decrease in strikeouts per nine and an increase in walks. He has really been too inconsistent to start on a weekly basis and faces a tough road test in his second start at Colorado.

The Minor League Report – Week 10

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 9th, 2010

For fantasy baseball owners that have been holding onto minor league players on their reserve in order to get a mid-season boost to their teams, their patience is about to pay off. This week marked the debut of Stephen Strasburg and Mike Stanton on Tuesday with Brad Lincoln and Jose Tabata getting called up today by Pittsburgh and pitcher Jake Arrieta expected to arrive tomorrow to start against the New York Yankees.

Lincoln was 6-2 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 68 1/3 innings with 55 strikeouts. It has been a long journey to the major leagues for Lincoln who was the fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft and then missed the entire 2007 season following Tommy John surgery in April of that year. Lincoln got the start against Cincinnati on Wednesday night and allowed five runs on six innings with three strikeouts.

Jose Tabata was also promoted today and started in left field and hit lead off for Pittsburgh, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Tabata was hitting .308 in 224 at bats with three home runs, 19 RBI and 25 stolen bases. He has already stolen more bases so far this year than in any other season in the minor leagues with a high of 22 occurring back in 2005. He show far has not shown the ability to hit for power, but if your team is in need of stolen bases, he could be a good addition to your fantasy baseball team.

The one name missing from the list of Pittsburgh promotions was third basemen Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez started off slow in April and has been working to improve his plate discipline and performance against left-handed pitching. He was much better in May with a .294 batting average and six home runs and 30 RBI in 102 at bats. He is hitting .417 over his last 10 games and I would expect to see him promoted by the end of the month.

It looks like the Minnesota Twins might have a Denard Span clone in Double-A in the form of Ben Revere. Revere is hitting .303 with one home run, 16 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 208 at bats. A first round pick in 2007, Revere has hit over .300 at four different levels while stealing over 40 bases in both 2008 and 2009.

Outfielder Ryan Kalish was promoted to Triple-A by the Boston Red Sox after hitting .293 with eight home runs, 29 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 150 at bats. Even more impressive was his plate discipline with 28 walks against only 21 strikeouts at the age of 22.

Pitcher Michael Pineda of the Seattle Mariners is off to a great start in Double-A with a 2.10 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 64 1/3 innings with 70 strikeouts. He still has some work to do against left-handed hitters who are hitting .286 against him compared to right-handed batters hitting only .161 before he moves up to the next level.

Second basemen Reese Havens has New York Met fans dreaming about about an infield of David Wright, Jose Reyes, Havens and Ike Davis around the diamond in 2011. Havens, a first-round pick in the 2008 draft is hitting .344 since being promoted to Double-A with six home runs and 12 RBI in 61 at bats.

The Minor League Report – Pittsburgh Pirates Triple-A Roster

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 13th, 2010

Here is the minor league report for the 2010 Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The key name to note on the roster is third basemen Pedro Alvarez. The second overall pick of the 2008 draft, Alvarez flashed some serious power in his first season in the minor leagues in 2009, hitting 27 home runs between two levels in 465 at bats with a .288 batting average. He has gotten off to a quick start in 2010 with three home runs the first week of the season and should be ready to join the Pittsburgh line up after June 1.

Another name to keep an eye on is outfielder Jose Tabata, although he has several questions about him in regards to if his age (21) is legit and whether his swing is ever going to develop into generating power. Tabata has a .295 minor league average with just 26 home runs in 1600+ at bats. He has shown a little bit of speed, but that was early on in the minor leagues. Last year he was 11-for-19 in stolen base attempts.

Brad Lincoln was the 4th overall pick of the 2006 draft and is close to realizing his dream of pitching in the major leagues. He missed all of 2007 following Tommy John surgery and pitched at two levels in both 2008 and 2009. Last season, Lincoln had a 3.37 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

How they rank:

Baseball America: Alvarez (1), Tabata (2), Lincoln (4)
Keith Law: Alvarez (1), Tabata (2), Lincoln (4)
John Sickels: Alvarez (1), Tabata (2), Lincoln (6)

Here is a look at 2010 Indianapolis Indians roster by position:

Catchers:

Luke Carlin
Erik Kratz

Infielders:

1B Steve Pearce
2B Brian Friday
SS Argenis Diaz
3B Pedro Alvarez
Neil Walker
Doug Bernier

Outfielders:

LF Brandon Moss
CF Jose Tabata
RF Brandon Jones
Brian Myrow
Jonathan Van Every

Starting Pitchers:

Kevin Hart
Donnie Veal
Brad Lincoln
Brian Bass
Chris Jakubauskas

Relief Pitchers:

Vinnie Chulk
Anthony Claggett
Corey Hamman
Steven Jackson
Jeff Karstens
Jean Machi
Jeremy Powell

Minor League Report – week 11

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 21st, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Here is a review of the top pitchers in Triple-A that could potentially have an impact in major league baseball the second half of the season, but more importantly impact your fantasy baseball league standings.

Franklin Morales (Rockies) has strung together two good starts after an eight-run shellacking on June 11th. Morales has allowed two runs in his last 12 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts as he continues to rehab from a strained shoulder that sidelined him back in April.

Bud Norris (Astros) has a 2.11 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 81 innings. He is holding hitters to a .222 average with only five home runs surrendered on the season. The Astros are only 5.5 games out of first place despite running Brian Moehler, Russ Ortiz and Brandon Backe out every fifth day. If the Astros don’t call him up after the All-Star break once they are able to reset their pitching rotation, he would most likely be in Triple-A until after September first when rosters expand.

The Baltimore Orioles have a plethora of starters to choose from in Triple-A if they need any help. Chris Tillman currently has a 2.55 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 60 innings, while holding hitters to a .229 batting average. In his last three starts, he has a 4.24 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 17 innings.

Jake Arrieta was promoted to Triple-A and had an excellent first start with one run allowed in six innings and six strikeouts, but struggled in his second start. In start number two, Arrieta allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts. On the season, Arrieta has a 2.97 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings.

Troy Patton allowed one run in six innings with one strikeout in his second start since being promoted to Triple-A. On the season, Patton has a 2.39 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings.

David Hernandez is back in Triple-A after a cup of coffee in the big leagues. He has not fared as well in his two starts back in the minor leagues, with a 6.30 ERA, despite fanning 15 in 10 innings.

Carlos Torres (White Sox) is a bit older for Triple-A at 26, but he is putting up numbers worthy of a call up. Torres has a 2.38 ERA in 72 innings with 78 strikeouts.

Wade Davis (Rays) has a 3.00 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 78 innings. It does not look like the Rays will have an opening in their rotation unless one of their current starters goes down with an injury. The Rays also have Scott Kazmir on the disabled list, so at this point Davis is their seventh best starter.

Brad Lincoln has been promoted to Triple-A by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lincoln had a 2.28 ERA in Double-A with 65 strikeouts in 75 innings. With the Pirates not in the playoff race, he will most likely be called up September 1st when rosters expand.

Homer Baily (Reds) still has not been able to prove he is more than a Quadruple-A player; someone that is stuck between Triple-A and the major league level. He has turned it up a notch in his last four starts in Triple-A, allowing one run in 33 1/3 innings with 30 strikeouts. There doesn’t seem to be a spot in the Reds rotation for him with the way the other starters are pitching and Edison Volquez on the disabled list.

There is really nothing left for Clay Buchholz to do in Triple-A. Unfortunately for him, the Boston Red Sox rotation is stacked with the return of John Smoltz. The only way he appears before September 1st is if the Red Sox trade Brad Penny or one of the current starters get injured. Buchholz has a 1.90 ERA and is holding hitters to a .165 batting average. In 71 innings, he has struck out 65 hitters, while walking only 17. The one difference in regard to Buchholz compared to some of the other prospect pitchers in Triple-A is that Buchholz will turn 25 in August.

Michael Bowden (see Buchholz). Bowden is behind Buchholz in the Red Sox pecking order. He has gotten hit hard in two of his last four starts, allowing six runs twice. On the season, he has a 3.26 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings.

J.D. Martin in 2002 was the #5 prospect in the Cleveland Indians farm system. Several years later, now at age 26, he is in Triple-A pitching for the Washington Nationals. Martin has a 2.35 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 65 innings while allowing only six walks! With Scott Olsen due to return from the disabled list, the Nationals will be sending one of their current starters to the bullpen or to Triple-A so Martin seems to be looking at a September call up in a best case scenario.

Trevor Bell (Angels) was recently promoted to Triple-A after going 4-3 with a 2.23 ERA in Double-A. Bell has not been scored upon in two starts in Triple-A while striking out eight. With the iffy health statuses of John Lackey and Ervin Santana, Bell might be an option the second half of the season.

Kevin Pucetas (Giants) has a 3.59 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings. He should be first in line if any of the current starters suffer an injury or Jonathan Sanchez gets traded.