Indians Fantasy View
Obviously fantasy baseball owners in the Cleveland area tend to favor Indians players. Of course everyone knows about V-Mart, Pronk, C.C., Cliff, Westbrook, Grady and Peralta. But don't overlook some of the "I can't believe they're starting that guy" players.
Casey Blake took quite a bit of heat from residents of the Lake Erie shoreline because of his "awful" 2005 season. Fantasy owners, for the most part, tried to avoid the outfielder. But was that a wise move? While he may not have lived up to everyone's expectations last year, that could have been the result of those expectations being unrealistic. He .241 with 23 home runs and finished with 58 RBI and 72 runs. These numbers were down from the year before, but he also had 64 less AB. Getting to the plate more may have added a couple more bombs and he would have been close to the 28 he hit in '04. Another 10-12 RBI and suddenly those numbers don't look so bad. Make no mistake, it was not a fairy tale season when Casey was at the bat, but too many people made a big deal out of a down year.
So, why bring this up now? Because Blake may still be sitting on some free agent lists and would make an excellent claim. He won't continue hitting in the .370 range, but he'll probably finish the year around .275-.280 (so you'll have to live through a slump at some point), 25 home runs and 70 RBI.
What other Indians could be available?
I just plucked Paul Byrd from the waiver wire in one league. Fans were upset about losing Kevin Millwood after his impressive 2004, only to have him replaced by Byrd, a former Cleveland castoff. However, many may not have realized the consistency the veteran pitcher has brought to the mound the last couple years. Unfortunately his slow start gave ammuntion to those who criticized the signing. However, he is a control pitcher and often times those guys don't really hit a groove until the temperature rises. Byrd looks like he's starting to find his comfort zone so, if he's available in your league, don't be afraid to take a chance on him.
Another player to consider, especially if you have reserve/keeper spots, is Jeremy Sowers. Yes, Carmona was the guy who got the call-up to replace Sabathia when he went on the DL, but Sowers is the guy the Cleveland front office loves. He has plus stuff and throws with relative ease. He didn't get the call so far this year, but might make an appearance by season's end. If not, he'll at least be in line to grab a starting spot in '07.
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By the way, within days of the posts on Francisco Cordero's struggles, the Rangers replaced him as the closer. The new man at the end: Akinori Otsuka. So far Otsuka has done the job, although it hasn't been as easy as 1-2-3. However, he seems to be settling into the role and should keep it for a little while. The team is using Cordero in middle relief and so far he seems to be responding to the reduced pressure. If he can straighten out his game there's a possibility Buck Showalter will stick him back on the bump to close again. Personally, I wouldn't do that unless Otsuka shows he can't handle the responsibility, but I also am not a huge fan of Showalter and don't always agree with his decisions. (FYI - the year after Buck left the Yankees they won the World Series; the year after the D-backs and Showalter parted ways, Arizona won the World Series. Just some food for thought.)
Casey Blake took quite a bit of heat from residents of the Lake Erie shoreline because of his "awful" 2005 season. Fantasy owners, for the most part, tried to avoid the outfielder. But was that a wise move? While he may not have lived up to everyone's expectations last year, that could have been the result of those expectations being unrealistic. He .241 with 23 home runs and finished with 58 RBI and 72 runs. These numbers were down from the year before, but he also had 64 less AB. Getting to the plate more may have added a couple more bombs and he would have been close to the 28 he hit in '04. Another 10-12 RBI and suddenly those numbers don't look so bad. Make no mistake, it was not a fairy tale season when Casey was at the bat, but too many people made a big deal out of a down year.
So, why bring this up now? Because Blake may still be sitting on some free agent lists and would make an excellent claim. He won't continue hitting in the .370 range, but he'll probably finish the year around .275-.280 (so you'll have to live through a slump at some point), 25 home runs and 70 RBI.
What other Indians could be available?
I just plucked Paul Byrd from the waiver wire in one league. Fans were upset about losing Kevin Millwood after his impressive 2004, only to have him replaced by Byrd, a former Cleveland castoff. However, many may not have realized the consistency the veteran pitcher has brought to the mound the last couple years. Unfortunately his slow start gave ammuntion to those who criticized the signing. However, he is a control pitcher and often times those guys don't really hit a groove until the temperature rises. Byrd looks like he's starting to find his comfort zone so, if he's available in your league, don't be afraid to take a chance on him.
Another player to consider, especially if you have reserve/keeper spots, is Jeremy Sowers. Yes, Carmona was the guy who got the call-up to replace Sabathia when he went on the DL, but Sowers is the guy the Cleveland front office loves. He has plus stuff and throws with relative ease. He didn't get the call so far this year, but might make an appearance by season's end. If not, he'll at least be in line to grab a starting spot in '07.
---------------
By the way, within days of the posts on Francisco Cordero's struggles, the Rangers replaced him as the closer. The new man at the end: Akinori Otsuka. So far Otsuka has done the job, although it hasn't been as easy as 1-2-3. However, he seems to be settling into the role and should keep it for a little while. The team is using Cordero in middle relief and so far he seems to be responding to the reduced pressure. If he can straighten out his game there's a possibility Buck Showalter will stick him back on the bump to close again. Personally, I wouldn't do that unless Otsuka shows he can't handle the responsibility, but I also am not a huge fan of Showalter and don't always agree with his decisions. (FYI - the year after Buck left the Yankees they won the World Series; the year after the D-backs and Showalter parted ways, Arizona won the World Series. Just some food for thought.)
posted by Russ Simeone at
9:47 PM
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