MLB Power Rankings:Where we care what you've done for us lately when we break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world each week.
It's been a while since a week of baseball was this sad -- we saw the tragic passings of Nick Adenhart, Harry Kalas and Mark Fidrych. And without waxing too sentimentally, it's the loss of these men that remind us exactly just how little sports matter in the grand scheme of things. RIP, gentlemen. Power rankings (that feel just a tad inconsequential, to be honest) after the jump.
Typically, this would be where I insert some super-awesome quote written by Oliver Stone, just in order to make up for my totally lame title.. One problem: I couldn't find anything that was "family friendly" enough to slot into this post. Instead, how about we break down five different platoon situations that are emerging/have emerged in the early fantasy baseball season. If you've got a particular situation you want examined, hit us on the hip here.
Taylor Teagarden vs. Jarrod Saltalamacchia Thus far, Teagarden has gotten one start and managed the same number of hits in five at-bats. He's walked once and struck out once, and well, it's pretty obviously Salty's gig ... or is it???
FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Colorado Rockies.
The Colorado Rockies have long been one of the strangest paradigms of Major League Baseball. They seem to thrive on their home park of Coors Field, which provides Rockies hitters with seemingly supernatural power abilities. Of course, as always, that power comes with a price -- it's extremely rare to see a Colorado pitcher provide the team with any sort of successful season.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.
Meet the ... Humidor!Seriously, didn't you hear that Colorado now stores their baseballs in a humidor and Coors Field is no longer a hitter's park? If someone in your league really believes that, just let them. You'll know the truth -- which is that Coors Field bore witness to the third most runs scored and third most home runs in baseball last year. In 2007? Third in runs, fifth in home runs. You can't just negate thin air with a cigar-housing device. It's a hitter's park, and it's consistently one of the most hitter-friendly.
Just a few short hours after I mentioned that Ian Stewart was getting no love from fantasy circles -- or real world circles -- he might suddenly be getting a lot more value in both worlds. With the return of Garrett Atkins, and the continued absence of Clint Barmes, Troy Tulowitzki and about eight other middle infielders, Stewart is getting starts at second base.
Stewart field five ground balls, including a pair of impressive plays in the sixth inning, in Colorado's 7-4 loss to Philadelphia, and finished 1-for-3 with a double. It was Stewart's first career start at second base.
'Is he going to be as athletic as Jonny [Herrera] or Q [Omar Quintanilla]? Probably not," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "They're just a little more nimble. As far as athleticism, he did some nice things in Spring Training. We'll see how it works out. He made plays that were there for him.'
If Stewart can step in and play second, and one would think he could, he would instantly become a tremendous asset to the Rockies on the offensive end. He would also instantly have everyone saying "It took you this long to figure this out?"
Stewart has been -- pun intended -- pining on the bench behind Atkins for some time now and despite no real power option at second, the Rockies decided to develop him in the outfield.
Fantasy Spin: If Stewart is going to start and stick at second for the Rockies, he is a must add. Unless you have Chase Utley and Brandon Phillips or something. He has a ton of power and positional eligibility there would give him the upside of being a pretty stout option for fantasy owners.
As always, the hype machine owns everyone. Two youngsters -- one in Los Angeles and one in a somehow bigger circus scene that is Cincinnati.
Clayton Kershaw, SP, LAD (18,458 Adds) -- Hey, I'm just as guilty as everyone else. A keeper league team I own is sinking quickly, and instead of grabbing someone to shore up this season, I've got a death grip on Kershaw. Joe Torre called him Sandy Koufax. Basically. And if the bullpen doesn't cough up his start, we'd be even hotter on the guy right now. Seasonal leagues should use their first waiver claim to grab him and then sell high. Keeper leagues want to hold if the price is right.
Jay Bruce, OF, CIN (13,017 Adds) -- It seems inevitable that he will stick, right? Well, because Dusty Baker is a fool, there is actually a question. Bruce is a legitimate threat to dominate this season, so he is a moderate buy. He's probably already too hyped (and owned) in your league, so it is tough to get a reasonable price. But if he begins to struggle, pounce on him in a trade offer.
Doug Davis, SP, ARI (3,840 Adds) -- Obviously, Davis returning from cancer was at best a risky proposition for fantasy owners. A great story, sure, but a risky bet. Sadly, he is still a sell high. The return is great, but history tells us he is not going to maintain a decent ERA. I'd use him in matchups for a back of the rotation guy, but don't be fooled by the fascinating nature of his cancer battle. (Heartless, I know.)
They have had issues with their closer situation, the middle infield is stripped nearly bare, and now the best hitter on their team is going to miss some significant time. It does not exactly help that Colorado is already 10 games under .500 and the same number back of Arizona for the NL West lead.
The injuries give the Rockies a much different team than the one they had on opening day. Five of their top six players are on the DL, including shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who is out until the All-Star break with a torn left quadriceps.
Hurdle said he is not using injury as an excuse for Colorado's 19-30 record.
"We're not backing off any concept of winning or what we need to do," he said. "We weren't blowing up the ball with all these guys in the lineup, truth be told. We'll find a way to see what kind of identity our offense can take and give these guys an opportunity and freedom to get some at-bats.
Hurdle can say that all he wants, but the fact of the matter is that without the best hitters in their lineup and an already suspect pitching staff, the Rockies are not going to make up any ground on the Diamondbacks.
That's not to say that the defending National League champs should just pack it in and call it a season; it is still early. But it does seem like a legitimate stretch for them to actually make a move with such a depleted lineup. Don't be shocked to see Holliday on the move once he's healthy is all I am saying.
The Colorado Rockies are currently second in their division, so one would think that they're reasonably pleased, considering some members of the team are starting slow. Of course, the caveat to being second in the NL West is that, at 9-10, they're staring six games up at an Arizona Diamondbacks team that does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Still, it was a bit surprising to see Clint Hurdle make the decision to bench Troy Tulowitzki this early in the season. Tulowitzki is hitting a pretty abysmal .165 on the season, without any home runs and a 2+ K/BB ratio. So, the benching isn't entirely unwarranted. Still, Tulo did sign a monster contract in the off season and even though he is a very good hitter, his is primarily beneficial to the Rockies because of his elite defense. But there he was, Tuesday night, on the bench, and apparently he was cool with it.
'It's not a work day, I am being benched,' Tulowitzki told The Denver Post. 'It's up to me to get better.'
Clint Barmes, the team's hottest hitter this season, is starting at shortstop with Jeff Baker getting the nod at second base.
[...]'This is not the worst thing that's going to happen to him,' said Hurdle, explaining that it's fine line between trying to ignite a player and serving the best interests of a 25-man roster. 'It's not a slap in the face. Players know when they aren't playing well.'
Certainly, Clint. One could even argue that his torrid second half last year actually created nearly impossible to meet expectations for this season. Like, to the point where everyone forgot that his 2007 first half was offensively respectable at best, in comparison with what people are looking for now. And, you'll never believe this either, but his BABIP is right at .200. Yup, there's some bad luck at play here as well. Which makes benching him reek even more of desperation. And desperation is a stinky cologne, Clint.
Bonus Fantasy Spin: Tulo is a great buy low at this point, as long as you're not expecting 30 homers on the year. Barmes on the other hand, well, if he's got SS and 2B eligibility, he's going to have some value and is worth a pickup while he's playing in deeper mixed leagues.
Remember, everyone, first pitch Monday is at 11:00 am because of Patriot Day. So make sure to get your lineups set and thank the Red Sox for actually contributing something as nice as early morning baseball.
Snyds will probably kill me for including him, and I'm not a fan of the guy either, but David Eckstein has been pretty consistently mediocre this year (in the sense that he is not great, but he is not horrible). He's worth a start if you're desperate or have, say, Jimmy Rollins, who just went on the Disabled List. (Besides, it's not often you get an excuse to use a Eck photo. And just look how g-darn scrappy he is!)
Derek Jeter appears to be back and be just fine, so make sure you have him active in all leagues.
Rafael Furcal continues to be the only Dodger with a bat that is worthwhile, and if the team wasn't playing so horribly, he might have a legit shot at MVP this year. Actually, he doesn't hit enough home runs, but he's going to end up with monster numbers this season.
Craig Counsell and Clint Barmes are two unlisted options that are nice for deeper league MI's -- they could both continue to see pretty decent run this week as their coaches try and spark the lineups.
The Rockies made a big splash in 2007, and despite their rocky (get it? Good god I'm hilarious) showing in the World Series several Rockies' performances piqued the interest of needy teams. Kaz Matsui has been squired away by the Astros and two other players, pitcher Brian Fuentes and shortstop Clint Barmes are now conjuring up trade dreams in the hearts of a couple other teams.
Both the O's and the Angels have been looking at Rock shortstop Clint "Just Call Me 'Deer Meat Lover!'" Barmes, who is a lifetime .216 hitter with a cringe-worthy OBP of .237. What's more, his fielding percentage at shortstop is .965. Granted, not one of those five was a full season -- the most games he played in a season was 131 in 2006 -- but I'm having trouble seeing how he is garnering interest from not one but two teams. Insight, O's and Angel fans?
Typically, this would be where I insert some super-awesome quote written by Oliver Stone, just in order to make up for my totally lame title.. One problem: I couldn't find anything that was "family friendly" enough to slot into this post. Instead, how about we break down five different platoon situations that are emerging/have emerged in the early fantasy baseball season. If you've got a particular situation you want examined, 
FanHouse continues its 
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through 
Just a few short hours 
As always, the hype machine owns everyone. Two youngsters -- one in Los Angeles and one in a somehow bigger circus scene that is Cincinnati. 
The Colorado Rockies are currently second in their division, so one would think that they're reasonably pleased, considering some members of the team are starting slow. Of course, the caveat to being second in the NL West is that, at 9-10, they're staring six games up at an Arizona Diamondbacks team that does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. 
Remember, everyone, first pitch Monday is at 11:00 am because of Patriot Day. So make sure to get your lineups set and thank the Red Sox for actually contributing something as nice as early morning baseball.
The Rockies made a big splash in 2007, and despite their rocky (get it? Good god I'm hilarious) showing in the World Series several Rockies' performances piqued the interest of needy teams. Kaz Matsui has been squired away by the Astros and two other players, pitcher 
