Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
For the Texas Rangers, 2009 was a rousing success of a transition year. The team who used to simply try to outscore you altered their mindset. They put more of an emphasis on pitching and defense, and it paid off. They dropped down from first to seventh in runs scored in the AL, but the team ERA climbed from last (14th) to eighth. Their defense went from one of the worst in baseball to being considered one of the best.
The result was a huge step forward in the one stat that really matters for Ron Washington and his troops: they won 87 games, which was the most for the Rangers since 2004. Expect the growth to continue as the Rangers are loaded with young talent. The only problems could be money (more on that later) and the fact that their division is going to be really strong for the foreseeable future. But, hey, to be the best, you gotta beat the best.
In a letter to his mailbag on Thursday morning, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegramfielded a question from a reader who hoped the Rangers would sit Kevin Millwood down for the rest of the regular season to save $12 million. The question came from Bob from Plano, Texas, who is either not a Rangers fan or a pseudonym for team owner Tom Hicks.
There's not much other explanation for why you'd want Millwood to finish short of the 180-inning mark that triggers his option for the 2010 season. The team is two games behind the Red Sox for the wild card and Millwood is one of their five best starters. You don't play games in that situation, and the Rangers said Thursday that they weren't considering turfing Millwood.
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
The ugly pitching line from Monday night shouldn't have been a huge shock to Jarrod Washburn fantasy owners. He went 5 2/3 innings, giving up 9 hits, 8 earned runs, 3 walks and 2 home runs. He struck out just 2. While it was his worst outing for the Tigers, he's been flat-out awful in Motown since he was acquired at the trade deadline. Sure, there was an 8-inning gem where he didn't allow a run. He also mixed in a quality start last time out for his first win in Detroit. Other than that, it's been horrifying.
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.
Barry Zito went out there and showed us how it's done. The Giants lefty threw eight innings of shutout ball before giving up a solo HR to Brad Hawpe in the ninth inning. He exited with a line of 8 1/3 IP, seven Ks, one run allowed and a 1.08 WHIP. After some bullpen hijinx, Brian Wilson stepped in to record a one-out save and give Zito a win, the Stream Team's first in over a week.
We're at the point in most fantasy baseball leagues where the trade deadline has passed, so to make any kind of roster moves you need to rely solely on the waiver wire. But, that's not a bad thing. There's still lots of talent to be had.
In Tuesday night's version of the Fantasy Baseball Cram Session, Tom Herrera and I talked about finding different categories in rotisserie-style scoring where you can gain ground on the teams ahead of you. We focus on saves, stolen bases, wins and home runs and give you a number of players on the waiver wire who could help your team make up some of the difference between you and the guy(s) ahead of you in the standings. Listen to the podcast after the jump.
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.
After another terrible outing, this time from Clay Buchholz, it seems it's time to alter our strategy. Buchholz wasn't able to get through five innings yesterday, which would have likely secured us another win, even with the bad ratios. From now on, we should stress selecting pitchers that are playing the worst offenses in the league, as opposed to those who have boom-or-bust potential like Buchholz. Will Ryan Rowland-Smith be the first step back in the right direction?
Aaron Cook left Friday night's game early with soreness in his shoulder. He had given up four earned runs and walked two in just three innings before being pulled. The extent of the injury is unknown at this time.
He'll be re-evaluated Saturday but at the minimum will miss his next start, manager Jim Tracy said.
He [Cook] said the team doctor was cautiously optimistic he wasn't seriously injured but that he wouldn't know for sure until the swelling subsides.
"Hopefully it's just one of those things that came on real quick and we can get rid of it real quick," said Cook.
Even though Cook had won ten games this season, his 4.47 ERA has kept his fantasy baseball ownership at low level. But, 42% of fantasy GM's did have Cook on their roster. Let's talk about what to do now.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
It must be nice being a Phillies pitcher.
The Philly sluggers put 12 runs on the board in yesterday's game against the Diamond- backs, giving them a total of 25 runs scored in the three-game sweep. Joe Blanton went eight innings and allowed three runs, which is going to be enough to earn a W on most nights when you're on the same team as these hitters. The team has now won eight of their last nine games and look to be the favorites to repeat as NL champions.
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.
Manny Parra was able to put up a quality start on Tuesday, but the win and the strikeouts didn't come, so we'll chalk that up as an unsuccessful pick. Tonight, we went with Jeff Niemann against the Orioles. Surprisingly, the 4-11 Jose Contreras would have been a great spot start today, as he struck out eight, walked one, and allowed only one run against the Royals in an afternoon game in Chicago.
Remember Chris Shelton's nine home runs in the first 13 games for the Detroit Tigers in 2006? Stud or Shelton examines whether currently hot players are displaying a similar mirage or will continue to play at a high level.
In 2009, a Texas rookie pitcher by the name of Derek Holland has a 5.04 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 91 innings. Sounds like more of the same from the Rangers, right? So why is Holland appearing in Stud or Shelton?
On July 30th, Holland held the Mariners to one run on two hits in 8.2 innings, striking out 10 batters, an impressive feat. That put him on the radar. He then had a forgettable start at Oakland before squaring off against the Angels in Anaheim yesterday. In that one, Holland threw a complete-game shutout, picking up another win while striking out another eight batters.
Can he keep it up, or will he become just another rookie to fall by the wayside?
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
In a letter to his mailbag on Thursday morning, Jeff Wilson of the 
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the 
We're at the point in most 
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the 
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