Brad Lidge was just placed on the Prior List (the 15 day variety) because of a knee sprain. One has to immediately wonder how much of this is his knee, and how much of it is getting him a mental break. His knee has been a problem in the past, so it seems pretty legit to me.
Look for Ryan Madson to get the bulk of the 9th inning work while Lidge is on the shelf. Go ahead and see if he is available in your league, and if he is, find a more competitive one to join. With Lidge already having six blown saves on the year and an ERA of 7.27 it was pretty clear that something is wrong with Lidge. Hopefully he has not done too much damage to his psyche as well (see the end of his tenure in Houston).
This also increases the value of roider J.C. Romero, who should take over the 8th inning duties and be in line for some spot saves or cheap wins.
A lot of fantasy players are wondering if they should pick up Antonio Bastardo, a left-handed starter for the Phillies. In his two starts after being called up at the start of the month, Bastardo has gone 11 innings and only allowed three total runs. He also got the win in both of those starts, while striking out nine batters. He is boasting a 2.45 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, and he has done so against mixed competition beating both the hapless Padres and world beating Dodgers. So what’s the skinny on Bastardo?
Coming into the season he was ranked as the 11th best prospect in the Phillies system. The 24 year old Dominican stands a meager 5′11″ and weighed in at 168 pounds when Baseball America profiled him. Funny thing about that weight, as MLB has him listed at 195. Anywho, Bastardo touts a mid-90’s fastball, which he likes to throw on the inside portion on the plate. He likes his slider too, which is labeled as “below average”. The kicker with Bastardo, however, is that he is tagged as a “fly ball” pitcher, which may not sit well when he pitches in Citizens Bank Park (both of his starts so far have been on the road).
So why is he in the Majors right now? Dude was tearing up the minors with a 1.89 ERA and a 51:10 K:BB ratio, while only giving up two round trippers in his 47.2 innings of work. He definitely deserved the promotion. He has good enough stuff to perform well on the road, but he has had durabiility issues in the past that have caused him to miss time in three of his four years in the Phillies system, the last injury being a “tired arm” that caused him to miss two months in 2008.
My advice? He is worth a look in deep leagues, but only spot start him on the road and do not be surprised if he lands on the Prior List in the next month or so, as until Bastardo shows he can stay healthy we should not assume that he can.
Tommy Hanson made his debut in the Bigs, and it while it was not a stellar one, it did give us a glimpse of the type of pitcher he can become. Hanson sat down the first 10 batters he faced, but then went on to give up six earned runs en route to a no-decision. Most of the damage was done on the three homers he gave up, as the BrewCrew made him pay when they got runners on base. In the end, Hanson gave up six hits, walked one, and struck out five.
Hanson was not shy on the mound, going right after hitters by throwing strikes on the first pitch to 17 of the 26 batters he faced. Of the 91 pitches he threw, 61 were for strikes, 21 of which were of the called variety. His next start should come on Friday in Baltimore. If the owner who nabbed him in your league drops him based on this start, grab him immediately.
With last night’s game between the Cubs and Braves getting washed out until June 22nd, Tommy Hanson’s arrival has been delayed a day. So instead of going Saturday, he takes the hill on Sunday. Let us hope the extra day of rest does not throw off his mojo.
With the Braves adding Nate McLouth to their outfield, one has to wonder what it means for the future of Jordan Schafer. McLouth, the defending Gold Glove winner in center, is signed on the cheap through 2011. With a club option for 2012, the Braves have nailed down the middle of the outfield for the foreseeable future.
So what does this mean for Schafer? I’m really not sure at this point. Dude is a solid defensive player, making zero errors in 131 chances in his 50 games for Atlanta this year. All of his defensive numbers are above average, and the kid is only 22 years old. Even if he can not turn his bat around, there will be a place for him somewhere for his defensive efforts. That being said, he just saw Atlanta throw McLouth ahead of him on the depth chart, and McLouth knows how to swing the bat as well as work the leather.
It all leads me to believe that maybe the Braves have seen enough of Jordan Schafer. His PED suspension and previous diva issues make him a little hard to swallow at times. Granted, he has supposedly turned his attitude problems around, but we have yet to hear his reaction to the McLouth trade and being sent down. Could the Braves package both him and Jeff Francouer for a right fielder? Color me skeptical, but also color me skeptical about Schafer’s chances of roaming center for the Braves again, an injury to McLouth notwithstanding.
Friend of the Idiot, Todd, has made no secrets about his man-crush on NC State staring QB Russell Wilson. Now he is going overboard, just a bit. Hit the jump to see Todd’s Ode to RW, and you will not be sorry that you did. Continue reading ‘Todd’s Ode to Russell Wilson’
Tommy Hanson is being penciled in as the starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves on Saturday against the BrewCrew. Hanson is a must add in all formats, but he is probably not available anymore.
Hanson, the Braves #1 prospect according to Baseball America (and the #10 overall prospect heading into the season), first made news here on The Sports Idiot when he threw a no-no last season. I proved my intelligence by calling him a “decent prospect” at the time. Since then, dude’s stock has skyrocketed and you can rest assured that he will have a Cole Hamels like impact on the Braves rotation.
The 6′6″ Hanson utilizes four pitches to send batters back to the bench with their heads hanging low. His mid-90’s fastball eats up righties, which he complements with an upper 80’s slider, confusing curve, and steadily improving changeup.
To make room in the rotation, Kris Medlen has been sent to the bully.
Just one day after I called for the Braves to pull a trade to improve their outfield, they pull the trigger on a deal to acquire Nate McLouth from the Pirates. In exchange, the Braves are sending Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke (rated as the 7th best prospect in Atlanta’s system by Baseball America) and Gorkys Hernandez (4th best prospect, BA). That is quite a price to pay, but we will certainly take it. McLouth is the defending Gold Glove winner in Center, and is a flat out stud.
This increases McLouth’s value in the fantasy world, and gives the Braves a huge boon in the real one. Kudos to Wren on this one.
The Atlanta Braves have cut ties with Tom Glavine. This move deserves more attention and thought than I can give it at the moment, but here are some links:
Smoltz is pissed.
Bowman’s write up.
Mark Bradley agrees with the move.
Talking Chop reacts.
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