They are who we thought they were…or were they? – Part 2 - jmik58's Blog

jmik58's Blog

They are who we thought they were…or were they? – Part 2

Posted on May 5, 2009 at 04:50 PM.

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Written for PhilliesDigest.com
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For the second half of our look back on the first month of fantasy baseball we shift our focus from the ones who weren’t, to the saviors of our fantasy teams.

For every Jason Giambi there is an Albert Pujols, and for every Chien-Ming Wang there is a … well, let’s not give it away just yet.

So here we go, the band-aids to our fantasy baseball ouchies.

Starting Pitchers

KC, Zack Grienke
The Line: 45 IP, 6 Wins, 0 Losses, 54 K, 0.450 ERA, 0.84 WHIP

That’s forty five (45) innings pitched over six games. Not quite comprehending? Try on an innings per start average of 7.5. That’s right, save your bullpen folks – Zack’s on the mound. This selfish twenty-five year old righty needs to learn a thing or two about sharing. Three complete-game shutouts. Who does he think he is? Well, for now a Kansas City Royals pitcher; but we all know how long that will last, or won’t. The Yankees already have a check filled out with his name on it.

Honorable Mention: ARI, Dan Haren; LAD, Chad Billingsley; SEA, Felix Hernandez; FLA, Josh Johnson

Relief Pitchers

LAD, Jonathan Broxton
The Line: 13 IP, 3 Wins, 0 Losses, 23 K, 0.69 ERA, 0.46 WHIP, 7 Saves

The Dodgers have it goin’ on. Youth is abundant and it’s experienced and skilled. The NL West has never been much of a threat come playoff time but there’s no reason to think that the Los Angeles Dodgers can’t be a force to rep the NL in the World Series. Behind every good team is a consistent closer that takes a lead and keeps it. Broxton is so good; his one blown save resulted in him taking the win. Ok, so maybe that means the Dodgers are that good all-around, but JB is the face of their success.

Honorable Mention: TEX, Frank Francisco; STL, Ryan Franklin; TOR, Scott Downs; SD, Heath Bell

Catcher

CLE, Victor Martinez
The Line: .383 AVG, 18 R, 5 HR, 15 RBI, .617 SLG, 1.073 OPS

Where to start? The versatile catcher/first baseman ranks in the top five in the AL in batting average, on-base percentage, and on-base plus slugging. He’s also ninth in walks and slugging. It shouldn’t come as so much of a surprise except that it’s been five years since Martinez won the AL Silver Slugger Award. Oh and did we mention he’s a catcher?

Honorable Mention: NYY, Jorge Posada; LAA, Mike Napoli; OAK, Kurt Suzuki; STL, Yadier Molina

Corner Infield

TB, Evan Longoria
The Line: .360 AVG, 21 R, 8 HR, 31 RBI

AND

STL, Albert Pujols
The Line: .344 AVG, 25 R, 9 HR, 29 RBI, 4 SB

Both Longoria and Pujols have been on a tear this year. Each has a legitimate argument for being the MVP of their respective league at this point in the season. Each is in the top 10 in the league in several offensive categories. It’s hard to say who would be more valuable to their team at this point, but St. Louis has definitely struggled to put runs on the board without Pujols. However, Longoria has continued to put up monstrous numbers in spite of the Rays’ inability to get wins.

Honorable Mention: BOS, Kevin Youkilis; FLA, Jorge Cantu; WASH, Ryan Zimmerman; BOS, Mike Lowell

Middle Infield

TEX, Ian Kinsler
The Line: .321 AVG, 23 R, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 7 SB

As much as Aaron Hill deserves to be at the top of this list, Kinsler has put up ridiculous numbers for a second baseman. Not only is he in the top five in the league in each major offensive category, but he also ranks fifth in steals. My only hope is that he remains healthy so we can see what he is capable of over the long haul (unlike ’08).

Honorable Mention: TOR, Aaron Hill; PHI, Chase Utley; LAD, Orlando Hudson; NYY, Robinson Cano

Outfield

PHI, Raul Ibanez
The Line: .344 AVG, 21 R, 8 HR, 21 RBI, .700 SLG, 1.108 OPS

Can someone tell Raul he’s almost forty years old and not supposed to be doing these types of things? Thanks. Ibanez has found his youth and turned it into a league leading slugging percentage of .700. Yeah, not too shabby. The Phillies are looking to prove that last season’s championship was no fluke. With production from guys like Ibanez it appears their spot atop the league is safe for now.

Honorable Mention: BAL, Nick Markakis; BAL, Adam Jones; LAA, Torii Hunter; NYM, Carlos Beltran