LestersLegends.com

 
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By Jordan Hall
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The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best rotations in baseball. Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Worley; the Phils have it put together when it comes to their starting five. Nobody questions the process that they went through to get themselves into such a dominating position in the NL East.
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The process did cost them however. While it has taken some time, the jewels of trades that brought them Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt, have started to figure things out. Far out of the spotlight, two young pitchers have worked themselves into a spot where they can start paying dividends for the clubs who believed in them enough to pull the trigger on such noteworthy deals.
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After being sent north of the boarder to complete the Doc Halladay trade, Kyle Drabek’s career looked in doubt at many points over the past two seasons. Bouts of inconsistency, immaturity, and lack of command tarnished his prospect to the point where he had almost been written off.
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Three starts into 2012 though, he has all of the cynics eating their words as he appears on the cusp of a breakthrough.
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J.A. Happ took less time to make a name for himself after being traded; unfortunately it was not for good reasons as he struggled to live up to the Astros trading of Roy Oswalt for him. Parts of two disappointing seasons of left him as nothing more than a reminder of what the Astros once had. Suffering through a season with an ERA over 5 left him completely off the fantasy radar.
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That is until now. While his start has not been world beating, it certainly points towards growth; something both the Astros and your fantasy team should take note of.
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Kyle Drabek has always had the stuff. He can dial it up and buckle a hitter. It was always the poise in question. Things seem to be working themselves out nicely in this regard. He seems to have dialed back on his fastball, trading velocity for command; the mark of a maturing pitcher.
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Through his first three starts, he has posted more than useful fantasy numbers. His ERA of 2 and a WHIP of 1.28 are certainly usable. He’s striking out nearly a batter per inning at this point. He has walked an alarming 10 batters in his first 18 innings but he’s missing bats so regularly that it’s fairly easy to overlook.
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J.A. Happ has not posted as gaudy numbers this season as Drabek but he is proving to be a useful commodity in his own right. His peripherals are useful, he’s striking out a healthy amount of batters, and seems to be improving with each start. 7 walks over 16 innings is also a good sign.
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The biggest obstacle to Happ’s immediate value is his team. The Astros are obviously not providing him with a lot of run support. The offense is sad as all get out and it doesn’t appear that help is on the way. Couple that with the terrible bullpen giving away victories and Happ seems to be a fish out of water.
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Drabek and Happ share many characteristics, the least of which is not their minor league pedigree. Both came up as highly touted prospects, oozing tools and promise. That kind of talent doesn’t just bail on a player. It can be forgotten on misused, but it never leaves. Both of these players still harbor the talent that made teams give up their centerpieces for them. This is something that they have obviously never forgotten and neither should you.
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Is it safe to say that Kyle Drabek and J.A. Happ have turned the corner and are on their way to superstardom? Absolutely not. What is safe to say however, is that they are off to hot starts and have given reason to believe that they, at their best, are quality pitchers.
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Sooner or later, somebody in your league is going to pick these guys up and ride their breakouts to success. I firmly believe that these two players are on their way to greatness. These are guys that can easily round out your rotation for this year and quite possibly could anchor your staffs in coming years. They have risen from the ashes to reclaim their stars, you may want to give them a chance to do it for you.
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I would be happy to answer your fantasy questions or give advice. Drop me a line at www.twitter.com/lefthandsmoke23
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Also check out:

• Is Todd Helton Done?
• Is Denard Span Back?
• Should You Bail on Adam Wainwright?
• Is Jake Peavy Back?
• Should You Be Concerned With Kevin Youkilis?

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Vance Worley owners in Yahoo! leagues may have received a little shock when they saw a red NA next to his name. That was due to the fact that he was sent down to Triple-A. No it wasn’t a demotion, but a strategic move to keep the 23-year on his schedule. He is expected to start for the Phillies coming out of the break on Friday against the Mets.
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Worley ended the first half 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Of his eight starts, five were quality one and another saw him yield just one run over five innings. He took the hill twice last year for the Phillies, allowing two runs in ten innings as a starter. Impressive numbers for any rookie, but the fact that he has been able to hold his own with the quartet of Phillies’ aces is equally as impressive.
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The fact that Worley has been so dominant should come somewhat as a surprise. He was 1-3 with a 3.77 ERA for Triple-A Lehigh Valley last year. In Double-A he was 9-4 with a 3.20 ERA. Solid numbers, but in no way an indication of a player that would have a 2.03 ERA in the big leagues after 62 innings.
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Some of it is luck. He has faced weaker lineups the majority of his starts. The exception being Boston and Cincinnati, who he managed to have a combined 3.00 ERA against. He also has a relatively low BABIP at .259.
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So should you keep trotting Worley out there? Why not? Until he gives you a reason to bench him, I wouldn’t do so. I wouldn’t fault you for shying away from starting him against the tough offenses, but he has pitched to well to not use him in most situations.
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Also check out:

• Should Ted Lilly Owners Jump Ship?
• Can Garrett Jones Continue to Produce?
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 RBI Guys Vol. 6
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Strikeout Kings Vol. 6
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Run Scorers Vol. 6

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Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge is hurt again. This time it’s his shoulder. The severity of the injury is not known now, but he will start the season on the disabled list. If you are hungry for saves, snag Ryan Madson. He had five saves last year to go along with a 2.55 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 64 strikeouts in 53 innings. Jose Contreras can also be useful while Lidge is out. He had four saves, a 3.34 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts in 56-2/3 innings last year.

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After averaging 46.7 home runs and 141 runs batted from 2007-2009, not factoring his ridiculous 58 HR, 149 RBI 2006 season, Howard hit just 31 HRs last year with 108 RBI. While those are still solid numbers, they clearly aren’t the type of numbers that made him a star.
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I know he was limited to 143 games and 550 at bats because of a sprained ankle, but his slugging percentage (.505) and OPS (.858) were career lows. He hit a home run every 17.7 at bats, which is a far cry from his career 12.8 mark. Could this be the beginning of a downward trend?
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I say “not so fast”. He’s only 31 years old. If he were a few years older, I would be very concerned with his power drop, but he’s still plenty young to mash with the best of him. Plus, it’s not like his HR total was in the high thirties and low forties. He hit between 45 and 58 HRs the four previous seasons. He had between 136 and 149 RBI. Those are ridiculous numbers.
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While Jayson Werth is gone,  Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins have a chance to be in the lineup a ton more this year. J-Roll was limited to 88 games and Utley was limited to 115. Losing two dynamic players like them will have an adverse effect on your RBI total.
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If you look at the monthly breakdown of Howard’s numbers, you’ll see he had just one bad month, which came in August. He was limited to just one HR and four RBI. Every other month, Howard had at least 16 RBI, including three with 20+.
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If you want Howard, it’s going to cost you. His average draft position, according to Mock Draft Central, is 16. That’s a decent risk considering how deep the first base position is. That said, there aren’t many players with legitimate 50  HR, 140 RBI potential.
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I don’t think Howard is on the decline yet. I think he rebounds this year and hits 40+ HR with 120+ RBI. What’s your take?
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Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Profiles
• 2011 Fantasy First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Closer Rankings

Image from Sports Illustrated

While the NFL is dealing with Lawrence Taylor’s legal issues and Minnesota courts ruling that the Williams wall will have to serve four games in the StarCaps fiasco, Major League Baseball lost another Hall of Famer. At 83 Robin Roberts was a far cry from a Whiz Kid, but still owned the hearts of Phillies fans.

Roberts was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. He was named to seven consecutive All-Star games and won the 1952 Major League Player of the Year, the 1952 & 1955 TSN NL Pitcher of the Year, and the 1962 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.

He ranked 28th on the all-time wins list with 286. The workhorse pitcher ranked 21st on the all-time innings pitched list with 4688-2/3 innings, including leading the league five consecutive years (’51-’56). He also ranked 40th in strikeouts (2357), 20th in starts (609), 38th in complete games (305), 29th in shutouts (45), and the dubious distinction of allowing more HRs (505) than any other pitcher.

Even after his retirement he remained one of the most beloved sports figures in Philadelphia. My condolences go out to his family and friends, the Phillies, and all of his fans.

Stats from baseball-reference.com.

Like two ships passing in the night closer Brad Lidge returned from the DL as his fill-in Ryan Madson lands on the DL with a broken toe. Any questions as to whether they would ease Lidge back into the closer role or work as a closer by committee were put to rest thanks to Madson’s injury.

If you drafted Lidge, feel free to get him back in your lineup. If you grabbed Madson for the short-term saves, there are a couple of options out there.

Evan Meek, Pittsburgh Pirates – Picked up his first save last night. He sports a 0.60 ERA (compared to closer Octavio Dotel’s 10.61). Dotel got the vote of confidence, but I can imagine his leash only goes so far. Even if Meek doesn’t win over the gig anytime soon, he can help you with Ks, ERA, WHIP, and the occasional surprise save or win.

Carlos Villanueva, Milwaukee Brewers – Trevor Hoffman is an institution, but the foundation is giving way as evidenced by his  13.00 ERA. Villanueva has yet to pick up a save, but has not allowed a run yet either. He also has 15 Ks in 12 innings. LaTroy Hawkins could get the call if Hoffman is replaced, but he’s not much better with a 7.71 ERA.

By Dave Marshall, PokerJunkie.com

The Philadelphia Phillies earlier in the week signed first baseman Ryan Howard to five-year contract extension that will keep him in a Phillies uniform until 2016 with a club option for 2017. The deal will net Howard a hefty $125 Million payday.

Scott Van Pelt talked to Rob Neyer on Wednesday about the players that they would take and sign to a long term deal over Howard. The obvious names such as Albert Pujols were being thrown around, but the two ended up with a list of over 25 names that they would sign over Howard.

I don’t know if these guys are paying close attention but they are talking about a player that has hit at least 45 home runs and drove in at least 136 runs the last four years in a row. There are only three other players in history that have done that in Babe Ruth, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey, Jr.

Naturally, the big knock on him is his defense and his high strikeout totals. While they are cause for concern, Howard is a player that every manager in the NL has to coach around whenever they face the Phillies. In addition, the Phillies have been to back-to-back World Series’. They won it all in 2008 and Howard is a big part of that team. Baseball isn’t like a free poker game where you have a new winner every time. It takes strong teams to win and when you have something that works, don’t mess with it. Howard fits in the Phillies puzzle and they hope to have him as a big piece of that puzzle for a long time to come.

For those that thing the contract is too big, or too much money, think about your favorite player that after a few years got traded or left during free agency and wound up with a new club. Ryan Howard is now poised to potentially play his entire career with the Phillies. That is good for not only the Phillies franchise, but good for Major League Baseball as a whole.