I've written about some teams with position battles at second and third base.
This installment includes a look at some teams with options, or should I say problems, at first base -- and how they're solving those.
The White Sox and Mariners seem willing to go the route of weakening their defense in exchange for the possibility of increased offense. The Pirate no doubt will have their eyes on the waiver wire or trade possibilities.
Chicago signed Cuban 1B Jose Abreu, possibly expecting 1B Paul Konerko to retire. His decision to return for a farewell season created a logjam at first base/DH, with Adam Dunn already there. The proposed solution is to have Dunn play left field. Sox pitchers no doubt are overjoyed.
Seattle's taking a similar tack. 1B Justin Smoak might have saved his position with a strong second half in 2013. But then they traded for 1B/OF Corey Hart, whose outfield days are numbered at best. The Mariners also are working failed C Jesus Montero at first base. So there could be something like Smoak at first, Montero as a shaky DH and Hart as a shaky outfielder in a big outfield. Sure, Seattle has added 2B Robinson Cano to RHP Felix Hernandez and 3B Kyle Seager, but what else is there?
Pirates 1B Gaby Sanchez is making noise about being a full-time player this year. The right-handed batter wasn't very effective in just a platoon role against lefties last season, so how can he really be expected to produce every day. The alternatives or possible platoon players are left-handed batters Travis Ishikawa, who has been found wanting elsewhere, and the unproven Andrew Lambo and Chris McGuiness.
-- Reports say the Red Sox are close to signing LHP Chris Capuano to fill the rotation spot that would have gone to RHP Ryan Dempster except that he decided not to pitch this year. They're interchangeable fifth starter at this stage of their careers, and probably average of below-average among fifth starters.
-- For starters: No surprise, RHP Adam Wainwright will start the opening game for the National League-champion Cardinals.
New Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said he hasn't decided among his wealth of right-handed talent: Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez. I'd rank them in that order. If Scherzer couldn't get the Opening Day start after the season he had in 2013, when would he? Verlander is 31, so logic tells us he isn't likely to have another year as good as his glory days. Sanchez can be unhittable; the inconsistent one can also be hittable.
Detroit has decided on a starter for its opening exhibition game Tuesday against Florida Southern College, and its Ver ... no, not Verlander, but rookie RHP Drew VerHagen, who finished last season at Double-A Erie. I saw VerHagen on a few occasions when he was at Rockwall-Heath High School in Texas. He was drafted in the fourth round out of Vanderbilt in 2012.
* * *
Basketball. Team Fresh Prints maintained its 7-1 lead for this week. Friday's games could be the key to protecting that lead or even going ahead in free throw percentage for an 8-0 sweep. It appears that I'll have nine players to my opponent's two. If my starting nine can shoot well at the foul line, they could put a big dent in the .050 by which they trail in free throw percentage. The downside is that a bad shooting night could all but eliminate the chance of leading in free throws and could also drop the field goal percentage behind. The six other counting categories should be all but wrapped up Friday night.
Showing posts with label Andrew Lambo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew Lambo. Show all posts
Friday, February 21, 2014
Monday, November 25, 2013
Minor moves, but at least it's moving
As baseball leads up to the winter meetings Dec. 9-12 in Orlando, teams have begun to make some trades and other moves.
The latest free-agent signings were RHP Dan Haren to a 1-year contract with the Dodgers and the Cardinals' confirmation that their signing of SS Jhonny Peralta is official.
The Padres made two trades that might not amount to more than rearranging the furniture.
They sent RHP Brad Brach from the middle of their bullpen to the Orioles for RHP Devin Jones, who was 5-7 with a 5.64 ERA mostly in Double-A this year. Brach has appeared in 109 major league games over the last three seasons.
San Diego also traded OF Jaff Decker and RHP Miles Mikolas to the Pirates for Double-A OF Alex Dickerson. I've seen Decker and Mikolas play in Double-A. A former first-round draft pick, Decker has totaled just 71 home runs and a .268 average in the minors. Mikolas, who appears to throw fairly hard, spent some time in the majors in 2012 and recorded 26 saves for Triple-A Tucson this season. Dickerson was the Double-A Eastern League's rookie of the year with a .288 average, 17 homers and 68 RBI at Altoona.
As part of adding two players to its 40-man roster, Pittsburgh designated 1B/OF Garrett Jones for assignment. Another player battling Decker for playing time will be OF Andrew Lambo, who slammed 32 homers between Double-A and Triple-A and also will be tried at first base in 2014.
The Nationals traded LHP Fernando Abad to the Athletics for OF John Wooten. Abad has a 1-14 major league career record, with a 4.56 ERA. Wooten batted .257 with 20 homers at low Class A Beloit.
* * *
Both of my fantasy football teams won by more than doubling my opponents' score. In the scoring plus yardage league, I'm just 5-7 and in a three-way tie for sixth lace two games out of fourth. That league's regular season ends after next week, so I can only move down. In the scoring-only league, I'm 7-5 and tied for third, two games out of first with five to play. Our playoffs coincide with the final three weeks of NFL playoffs.
In the Pittsburgh office pool, I was 7-8, still 16 games off the lead and seven games out of the money. I might need two unbelievable weeks to qualify for one of the top three spots in a year when my performance has been very believable.
* * *
My fantasy hockey team gave up most of the goaltending points I'd picked up over the weekend. I had two goalies playing Monday, but not especially well. Neither James Reimer nor Steve Mason won. My skaters came out plus-1 but didn't do much except for playing enough to build up my ATOI to take over second place in the category. I'm still about 10 points out of second in the 10-team league.
Oh, I also turned down a trade that would have sent Corey Perry from my team to the one in second place for an inferior forward and a goalie not as good as the ones on my current roster.
* * *
In basketball, I did sweep all eight categories last week, which ended Sunday, to move up to eighth in another 10-team league. If I win this week by at least a 5-3 margin, I would improve to seventh. That's where I stand after the first day. Carmelo Anthony had a big scoring day, and George Hill was good in just about everything. One of my centers, Dallas' Samuel Dalembert, is nursing bruised ribs. He didn't start, played just 18 minutes and manged 2 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. I had to watch him and the Mavericks lose to Denver.
The latest free-agent signings were RHP Dan Haren to a 1-year contract with the Dodgers and the Cardinals' confirmation that their signing of SS Jhonny Peralta is official.
The Padres made two trades that might not amount to more than rearranging the furniture.
They sent RHP Brad Brach from the middle of their bullpen to the Orioles for RHP Devin Jones, who was 5-7 with a 5.64 ERA mostly in Double-A this year. Brach has appeared in 109 major league games over the last three seasons.
San Diego also traded OF Jaff Decker and RHP Miles Mikolas to the Pirates for Double-A OF Alex Dickerson. I've seen Decker and Mikolas play in Double-A. A former first-round draft pick, Decker has totaled just 71 home runs and a .268 average in the minors. Mikolas, who appears to throw fairly hard, spent some time in the majors in 2012 and recorded 26 saves for Triple-A Tucson this season. Dickerson was the Double-A Eastern League's rookie of the year with a .288 average, 17 homers and 68 RBI at Altoona.
As part of adding two players to its 40-man roster, Pittsburgh designated 1B/OF Garrett Jones for assignment. Another player battling Decker for playing time will be OF Andrew Lambo, who slammed 32 homers between Double-A and Triple-A and also will be tried at first base in 2014.
The Nationals traded LHP Fernando Abad to the Athletics for OF John Wooten. Abad has a 1-14 major league career record, with a 4.56 ERA. Wooten batted .257 with 20 homers at low Class A Beloit.
* * *
Both of my fantasy football teams won by more than doubling my opponents' score. In the scoring plus yardage league, I'm just 5-7 and in a three-way tie for sixth lace two games out of fourth. That league's regular season ends after next week, so I can only move down. In the scoring-only league, I'm 7-5 and tied for third, two games out of first with five to play. Our playoffs coincide with the final three weeks of NFL playoffs.
In the Pittsburgh office pool, I was 7-8, still 16 games off the lead and seven games out of the money. I might need two unbelievable weeks to qualify for one of the top three spots in a year when my performance has been very believable.
* * *
My fantasy hockey team gave up most of the goaltending points I'd picked up over the weekend. I had two goalies playing Monday, but not especially well. Neither James Reimer nor Steve Mason won. My skaters came out plus-1 but didn't do much except for playing enough to build up my ATOI to take over second place in the category. I'm still about 10 points out of second in the 10-team league.
Oh, I also turned down a trade that would have sent Corey Perry from my team to the one in second place for an inferior forward and a goalie not as good as the ones on my current roster.
* * *
In basketball, I did sweep all eight categories last week, which ended Sunday, to move up to eighth in another 10-team league. If I win this week by at least a 5-3 margin, I would improve to seventh. That's where I stand after the first day. Carmelo Anthony had a big scoring day, and George Hill was good in just about everything. One of my centers, Dallas' Samuel Dalembert, is nursing bruised ribs. He didn't start, played just 18 minutes and manged 2 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. I had to watch him and the Mavericks lose to Denver.
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