News
AL season continues stateside with Thursday openers.
Apr 4 2012 11:01pm
Apr 4 2012 11:01pm
Kyle Farnsworth (RHP, TAM) was scheduled to see a doctor about his ailing elbow April 4, which obviously puts his availability for Opening Day very much in doubt. While nothing is official yet, all reports and signs are suggesting that the Rays will be looking for someone else to handle ninth inning duties to begin the year. Joel Peralta (RHP, TAM), who saved six games last season, including four in September while Farnsworth was sidelined, appears to be the most logical candidate.
Apr 3 2012 11:05pm
Apr 3 2012 11:05pm
This NL Series Matchups column previews nine different NL series. The Marlins and Cardinals kick things off Wednesday night for a one-game opening series. Nine teams open their seasons on Thursday, five on Friday, followed by a full set of games on Saturday and Sunday.
Apr 3 2012 11:01pm
Apr 3 2012 11:01pm
Frank Francisco (RHP, NYM) has been his team's favorite to close for the past two seasons, only to lose the job early due to health and / or performance issues. Is it happening again?
Apr 3 2012 12:11am
Apr 3 2012 12:11am
The Red Sox have finally determined who will open the season as the fourth and fifth members of their rotation. But fear not for the fantasy value of one of the runners-up, who may become the source of some early season saves.
Apr 1 2012 11:14pm
Apr 1 2012 11:14pm
The Orioles placed Alfredo Simon (RHP, BAL) on waivers Saturday, clearing up some questionmarks about the team's starting rotation, while also freeing up space on BAL's 40-man roster for additional offense. Simon compiled pedestrian stats in 16 starts for the Orioles in 2011 with a 6.6 Dom and 3.1 Ctl. However, his xERA (4.18) and slight uptick in Cmd from 2010 to 2011 (1.7 to 2.1) provides hints of usefulness.
Apr 1 2012 11:11am
Apr 1 2012 11:11am
While building a starting pitching staff isn’t nearly as frustrating as finding a healthy closer, it still can be a challenge. Remember a little over one-third of the pitchers who will pitch in the majors this season will spend time on the DL, which doesn’t help. As hard as it is to build an effective staff, we need to reduce our risk on draft day. Here is a look at American League starters who might be at risk this season.
Mar 31 2012 11:01pm
Mar 31 2012 11:01pm
Manager Joe Girardi's recent remarks that the loser in the starting rotation competition is not guaranteed a bullpen spot merely added fuel to recent media speculation that off-season acquisition Michael Pineda (RHP, NYY) might begin the season in Triple-A. While Pineda's 2011 skills clearly rank him as one of NYY's top rotation options, he reported to spring training camp overweight and has shown less velocity than during his rookie season with SEA.
Mar 30 2012 11:04pm
Mar 30 2012 11:04pm
Along with the regular season's first real game comes the regular season's first injury. Mike Carp (OF/1B, SEA) sprained his shoulder in Wednesday's opener in Japan. It was enough to send Carp to the DL. Carp 's surprising 2011 MLB production in his first extended look (290 AB) was due in part to high hit and hr/f rates (35%, 18%). Still, he had won the LF job in spring training and at 25 and with some pop (12 HR, 136 PX in 2011) he held, and still holds, some promise.
Mar 29 2012 11:05pm
Mar 29 2012 11:05pm
Adam Lind (1B, TOR) has been shut down for at least three days with stiffness in his lower back. He is scheduled to take batting practice on Friday, March 30. The Blue Jays are treating this as a potentially serious issue, since Lind spent 27 days on the DL last season with the same problem. As we know, back problems tend to linger and recur. Manager John Farrell acknowledged that Lind's back would need to be monitored throughout the season. What are the Blue Jays options?
Mar 28 2012 11:05pm
Mar 28 2012 11:05pm
As expected, Mike Aviles was named the starting shortstop in Boston to begin the season. His main assets are his contact rate (86 percent career) and his speed. Aviles has stolen 14 bases each of the past two years, and did so in just 286 at-bats last year. A consistently low walk rate makes getting on base a struggle, though, which could eventually cut into his playing time somewhat. At this point, though, that doesn't seem to be a major concern, as manager Bobby Valentine is thinking of using Aviles in the leadoff spot.
Mar 27 2012 11:05pm
Mar 27 2012 11:05pm
AL season continues stateside with Thursday openers.
Apr 4 2012 11:01pm
Apr 4 2012 11:01pm
Kyle Farnsworth (RHP, TAM) was scheduled to see a doctor about his ailing elbow April 4, which obviously puts his availability for Opening Day very much in doubt. While nothing is official yet, all reports and signs are suggesting that the Rays will be looking for someone else to handle ninth inning duties to begin the year. Joel Peralta (RHP, TAM), who saved six games last season, including four in September while Farnsworth was sidelined, appears to be the most logical candidate.
Apr 3 2012 11:05pm
Apr 3 2012 11:05pm
This NL Series Matchups column previews nine different NL series. The Marlins and Cardinals kick things off Wednesday night for a one-game opening series. Nine teams open their seasons on Thursday, five on Friday, followed by a full set of games on Saturday and Sunday.
Apr 3 2012 11:01pm
Apr 3 2012 11:01pm
Frank Francisco (RHP, NYM) has been his team's favorite to close for the past two seasons, only to lose the job early due to health and / or performance issues. Is it happening again?
Apr 3 2012 12:11am
Apr 3 2012 12:11am
The Red Sox have finally determined who will open the season as the fourth and fifth members of their rotation. But fear not for the fantasy value of one of the runners-up, who may become the source of some early season saves.
Apr 1 2012 11:14pm
Apr 1 2012 11:14pm
The Orioles placed Alfredo Simon (RHP, BAL) on waivers Saturday, clearing up some questionmarks about the team's starting rotation, while also freeing up space on BAL's 40-man roster for additional offense. Simon compiled pedestrian stats in 16 starts for the Orioles in 2011 with a 6.6 Dom and 3.1 Ctl. However, his xERA (4.18) and slight uptick in Cmd from 2010 to 2011 (1.7 to 2.1) provides hints of usefulness.
Apr 1 2012 11:11am
Apr 1 2012 11:11am
While building a starting pitching staff isn’t nearly as frustrating as finding a healthy closer, it still can be a challenge. Remember a little over one-third of the pitchers who will pitch in the majors this season will spend time on the DL, which doesn’t help. As hard as it is to build an effective staff, we need to reduce our risk on draft day. Here is a look at American League starters who might be at risk this season.
Mar 31 2012 11:01pm
Mar 31 2012 11:01pm
Manager Joe Girardi's recent remarks that the loser in the starting rotation competition is not guaranteed a bullpen spot merely added fuel to recent media speculation that off-season acquisition Michael Pineda (RHP, NYY) might begin the season in Triple-A. While Pineda's 2011 skills clearly rank him as one of NYY's top rotation options, he reported to spring training camp overweight and has shown less velocity than during his rookie season with SEA.
Mar 30 2012 11:04pm
Mar 30 2012 11:04pm
Along with the regular season's first real game comes the regular season's first injury. Mike Carp (OF/1B, SEA) sprained his shoulder in Wednesday's opener in Japan. It was enough to send Carp to the DL. Carp 's surprising 2011 MLB production in his first extended look (290 AB) was due in part to high hit and hr/f rates (35%, 18%). Still, he had won the LF job in spring training and at 25 and with some pop (12 HR, 136 PX in 2011) he held, and still holds, some promise.
Mar 29 2012 11:05pm
Mar 29 2012 11:05pm
Adam Lind (1B, TOR) has been shut down for at least three days with stiffness in his lower back. He is scheduled to take batting practice on Friday, March 30. The Blue Jays are treating this as a potentially serious issue, since Lind spent 27 days on the DL last season with the same problem. As we know, back problems tend to linger and recur. Manager John Farrell acknowledged that Lind's back would need to be monitored throughout the season. What are the Blue Jays options?
Mar 28 2012 11:05pm
Mar 28 2012 11:05pm
As expected, Mike Aviles was named the starting shortstop in Boston to begin the season. His main assets are his contact rate (86 percent career) and his speed. Aviles has stolen 14 bases each of the past two years, and did so in just 286 at-bats last year. A consistently low walk rate makes getting on base a struggle, though, which could eventually cut into his playing time somewhat. At this point, though, that doesn't seem to be a major concern, as manager Bobby Valentine is thinking of using Aviles in the leadoff spot.
Mar 27 2012 11:05pm
Mar 27 2012 11:05pm
