A History Lesson
October 5th, 2011 | by Ray Flowers |
Johnny Damon is a free agent, and though he hit just .261 with a .326 OBP he still has value as a player. The soon to be 38 year old had 16 homers, 73 RBI, 79 runs scored and 19 steals. Thanks to the 19 steals this year he’s now stolen at least 11 bases each of the past 16 seasons. That’s tied for the 5th longest streak ever (Rickey Henderson did it 23-straight years). Damon also appeared in 150 games, the 16th straight season he has been on the field at least 141 times, an all-time major league record. Three others have previously accomplished that feat – Hank Aaron, Brooks Robinson and Pete Rose. Damon also finished the year with 2,723 hits leaving him 277 away from the magical total of 3,000, a total only 27 men have ever reached. Could he possibly, one day, find himself enshrined in Cooperstown?
How good is CC Sabathia? Over the past five seasons he’s averaged 19 victories, 217 Ks, a 3.09 ERA, a 1,16 WHIP and 240 innings pitched a season. Moreover, that inning pitched total leads baseball, it’s 4.1 more innings than Roy Halladay, and his 1,084 strikeouts leave him behind only Tim Lincecum who has 1,127 (Justin Verlander also had 1,084).
I was listening to AC/DC’s Back in Black today. That’s still one hell of an album.
The White Sox drafted Chris Sale to be a starting pitcher. However, as many teams do anymore, they rushed him to the big leagues because of his arm. Knowing full well he wasn’t ready to start, they asked him to pitch out the bullpen, and through 79 appearances covering 94.1 innings he has been a dynamic option with a K/9 of 10.59, an ERA of 2.58 and a WHIP of 1.10. The decision for the team at this point is what do they do for 2012 – do they leave him in the pen where has dominated or move him to the rotation? To me, 200 innings as a strong starter is more valuable than 75 innings as a dominant reliever, but that’s just me. For more on the decision making process see No Decisions on White Sox Sale’s Role Just Yet.
Am I the only one that’s feeling a tinge of depression with the regular season over? The playoffs are great, but nothing beats following “your“ team, and if they aren’t still playing it rings a bit hollow doesn’t it? I mean, even if “your” team stinks during the year you’ve still got your fantasy baseball squad to follow.
David Wright had scored at least 87 runs in each of the last six seasons. He scored 60 in 2011. Wright had hit at least 26 homers in five of the past six years. He hit 14 this season. Wright had driven in at least 102 runs in five of the past six years. He drove in 61 in 2011. He simply didn’t square the ball up enough on the year as he had a line drive rate of 18.0 percent. Not only was that a career worst mark, it was also 4.5 percent below his 22.5 percent career mark. That’s a massive dip. As a result of fewer line drives he also saw his BABIP dip. Wright had never posted a mark under .321 in a season of 300 at-bats, and this season his mark was .302, some .038 points below his career mark. I’d expect him to rebound in 2011, especially if he gets out of New York, but you have to be worried about his inability to adjust this season and the mounting injuries.
By Ray Flowers
Tags: CC Sabathia, Chris Sale, David Wright, Johnny Damon, Justin Verlander, Roy Halladay, Tm Lincecum
By Chad on Oct 6, 2011
Ray- I’m struggling with a TE decision. I have Hernandez out and have been playing Winslow who has not produced. Should I dump him this week and grab Shiancoe who seems to be getting more involved or Chandler against a swiss cheese Phi Def?
By Ray Flowers on Oct 6, 2011
Chad – Shiancoe is nothing more than a bye week fill in. I would much prefer Winslow ROTW. Don’t make a move there.
For more on my thoughts on Chandler, see – http://www.rotoinfo.com/blog/coffin-corner-week-5-afc-2.html
By walter on Oct 7, 2011
Ray – I’m in a good situation based on large part to your FF Guide. I have the following:
QB – Rivers
RB – Forte, Foster, Beanie Wells, Greene, Tate, Ridley
WR – Steve Smith (Car), Welker, Megatron, Lloyd, Moore, Floyd
TE – Graham
It’s a PPR league. I’m considering trading Wells for Romo and Hernandez so I have a quality backup at QB and TE. Smart move or just hang tight with my team?
By Ray Flowers on Oct 7, 2011
Walter – Glad I could help you roster a solid squad.
I’m not a huge believer in backing up your QB. Of course you want to have a backup, but there is really no reason to have two top-10 options. Rivers is gonna play every week unless he is hurt or on a bye. That’s why you drafted him, and that’s what he will do. Also, if you deal Wells here, you RB3 is Greene.Tate.Ridley. At this point, none of them deserves that title. With Foster back and Tate hurt, Tate is pretty much only a handcuff further limiting your depth. Add in the fact that you have Graham, who has been one of the top-2 tight ends in the game, and I’m fairly certain the proposed deal doesn’t do you much good.