DIAMONDBACKS: Trade For Adam Dunn
August 13, 2008
Former Cincinnati Reds first basemen Adam Dunn was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP Dallas Buck and two players to be named later.
BOTTOM LINE: It’s believed that one of the players to be named is Micah Owings, but he won’t be named until after the season is over. Dunn will provide power on a team that previously had Steven Drew and his 14 homers as its leading lefty power source.
DIAMONDBACKS: Webb Wins No. 16
August 6, 2008
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Webb won his 16th game and pitched a complete game to beat the Pirates on Tuesday. He allowed one run on nine hits and struck out four.
BOTTOM LINE: Webb had hit a mid season hump, but overall he has been one of the game’s best pitchers this season. He is a must start in fantasy and may be the most likely candidate to take home the CY Young award this season for the NL.
DIAMONDBACKS: Young Ends Skid
August 5, 2008
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Chris Young went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to snap an 0-for-18 skid in Monday’s win over the Pirates.
BOTTOM LINE: Young has been a pretty big dissapointment in fantasy this season. His inconsistency has killed owners. If he gets hot, give him another chance.
DIAMONDBACKS: Young Having a Bad Year
July 29, 2008
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Chris Young struck out two more times on Monday, bringing his season total to 107, which is a major contributor to his .239 average. His lack of steals (eight) might be even more disappointing.
BOTTOM LINE:Those that were encouraged by the youngster have probably fled to other options at this point, and I can’t say that I blame you. Young is no longer a viable fantasy option, especially the way his average stands.
DIAMONDBACKS: Johnson Back to Old Form
July 25, 2008
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Randy Johnson said that he feels like he’s found his mechanics, while he’s 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA over his last 19.2 innings.
BOTTOM LINE: During that span, he has a 17:2 K:BB ratio (just 10 hits allowed) over his last 19.1, according to the East Valley Tribune, and the Diamondbacks may emerge as the team to beat in the NL West if he keeps this up.
DIAMONDBACKS: Byrnes Returns
June 24, 2008
Diamondbacks outfielder Eric Byrnes made his return to the lineup on Monday and went 0-5 and left six men on base.
BOTTOM LINE: Byrnes is probably rusty after sitting out with injury. Keep him active in all fantasy leagues.
DIAMONDBACKS: Haren Shuts Down A’s
June 19, 2008
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Dan Haren allowed just one run in seven innings to earn the victory against his former team on Wednesday night.
BOTTOM LINE: Haren also had eight strikeouts, one walk, and only allowed four hits. His ERA stands at 3.26 and he has an 84-166 K/BB ratio thus far this season.
DIAMONDBACKS: Byrnes to Return Monday
June 19, 2008
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Eric Byrnes is scheduled to begin a three-game rehab assignment, which would line him up to return on Monday.
BOTTOM LINE: Arizona has been missing Byrnes’ bat, and they would like to have him back sooner rather than later, but there is no reason to rush him. They are in first place, and nobody else seems to be stepping up.
DIAMONDBACKS: Upton Struggles
June 9, 2008
BOTTOM LINE: Upton has really been struggling as of late, and he was given a day off on Sunday to clear his mind. He will return to the lineup today, but you may want to consider other options until he gets out of this major rut. He has really been hurting fantasy teams lately.
April Shakeout
May 2, 2008
By: Chris Starbonell
Update! Writer
It’s rather amusing how stead-fast some people are in letting you know that, since it is only April, the first month of fantasy baseball is rather insignificant. Last I checked, if you miss the playoffs by one game, that loss you suffered in the first week of the season matters just as much as the one in Sept. Sure some hot / cold starts can become straightened out and injuries, tough schedules and poor weather certainly have an impact on the early goings of the baseball season, but let’s not act as if the month of April should be tossed out the window. This first month has shown us a lot about the landscape of the sport in 2008 and Update! selected some of the more lasting impressions from the first few weeks of the season:
Comment: The D-backs have such a great balance of offense and pitching, that it’s hard to imagine them not running away with National League crown. They have a nasty one-two starting pitching punch in Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, a lineup filled with emerging young superstars (Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, Chris Young), solid veteran leadership (Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson) and a stable bullpen (Brandon Lyon and Chad Qualls). Add a healthy Randy Johnson to mix, along with the development of pitchers Micah Owings and super-prospect Max Scherzer, and you have a recipe for success. The NL West division is theirs for the taking. The only concern with this team is seeing if their young lineup (average age of team is 26.6) can sustain consistent production over an entire season.
Comment: Yes, they have a loaded offense, but manager Jim Leyland’s team has some major problems too glaring to ignore. Dontrelle Willis has been a major bust and Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson and Kenny Rogers all have ERAs over 6.00. Entering Tuesday, the team defense had 15 errors, five of which have come from prized slugger Miguel Cabrera, whose play in the field has been so bad, the team moved him over to first base. Their bullpen, surprisingly, has held up well, but do you really expect Todd Jones (1.80 ERA) and Aquilino Lopez (0.49 ERA) to pitch this well all season? The Tigers don’t have the starting pitching to match up against AL Central teams like Cleveland, Chicago or even Kansas City and that’s going to cost them a playoff berth in 2008.
Comment: Fantasy owners that took a chance on him after his sub-par 2007 must be patting themselves on the back. If the Dodgers make the post-season, expect Furcal to be a serious candidate for an NL MVP award. Los Angeles has been underwhelming this season, but you can’t blame any of it on their starting shortstop, who has a .363 batting average through 25 games to complement his six stolen bases and 22 runs. The most impressive aspect of his game is the fact that he’s been so hot so early despite having a long history of atrociously poor starts.
Comment: He came into 2008 with a career .241 April batting average, so a slow start was to be anticipated. What was not expected, however, is his appalling line through 27 games: .153 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R. Cano has looked like a rookie at the plate thus far this season, being far too aggressive at the plate as pitchers abuse him virtually every at-bat. He makes a pretty good buy-low candidate for fantasy owners because of this awful start, but just hope that this funk isn’t so bad that he can’t recover in 2008.
Comment: Once touted as the second coming of Pedro Martinez, Volquez had been plagued by control issues his whole career. After putting together some strong performances late last season for Texas, Cincinnati took a chance on him by trading for his services in the off-season. So far it has paid off big time as Volquez has been stellar, going 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. He’s looked like the real deal on the mound and should continue to dominate in 2008.
Detroit Tigers, SP
Comment: Despite good, not great, ratios in 2007 (3.66 ERA, 1.23 WHIP), fantasy owners were enamored with Verlander heading into 2008 based on his potential to win 20-plus games on a potent Tigers offense. Well, he’s been a terrible option thus far for fantasy owners and while his high WHIP and ERA will surely come down, it has become quite obvious that he is not going to be the elite pitcher many thought he would this season.
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