I've been called on to pinch hit for Dr. Hurcomb for this week's Dear Mr. Fantasy and I can't help but feel nervous. Actually, it's more like the backup catcher getting a start in a day game after a night game. I have to make the most of it in order to keep getting some playing time. Adjust your expectations accordingly.
With that said, I feel I should address the many e-mails we've received about Roger Clemens this week ever since he made The Announcement at The Stadium.
Overbearing theatrics and over-the-top radio calls aside, the return of The Rocket had most of you out there scrambling to the waiver wire to put in a claim or spending your FAAB money like it was Christmas with the Hiltons. Over the past few seasons, Roger's retirement from retirement has become like an annual offering by the Fantasy gods -- just in time to help make up for injuries or Draft Day mistakes.
We've gotten a ton of e-mails from Fantasy GMs wondering if they spent too much on The Rocket. One in particular from a guy named 'BCashmanGM' from The Bronx, NY particularly caught my eye:
Dear Mr. Fantasy,
I recently added Roger Clemens to my Fantasy squad and I'm wondering if it was the right move. I'm in a 30-team keeper league and I haven't won a championship since 2000. That's made me make a few questionable moves over the last few seasons.
I've added the likes of Jose Contreras, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, Randy Johnson and Kei Igawa each of the last few seasons and none of them panned out as I'd hoped. My hitters are stocked, but I can't seem to figure out this whole pitching thing.
I decided to bid 28 million FAAB dollars on Clemens last week, you know, just in case. It's OK, though, I have a cheat code that allows my FAAB dollars to re-generate after each transaction, so there really is no limit to what I can spend. Money isn't the issue here.
The problem I have is that my team has been waffling in the standings and young know-it-all punk kid from New England is running away with the division. I can't have that. He's really, really annoying.
Our hitters are just about even, but he's got Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield and all I have is Chien-Ming Wang, a couple of over-the-hill ex-Fantasy studs and a whole bunch of rookies.
Please tell me that The Rocket will be the answer to my prayers. I've kind of made a really big deal about getting him to everyone.
Thanks,
BCashmanGM
Bronx, NY
Well. Someone's gotten themselves into a little bit of a pickle I see. No need to fear, Brian ... I mean, BCashmanGM. It's only May and there's plenty of time to make up whatever ground you've lost in the first month-plus of the season.
A soon to be 45-year-old pitcher might not be the answer to your prayers, though. In fact, it seems to me that you run the risk of repeating some of the mistakes that have spurned you in the past.
Especially when you consider that his ERA in his last season in the American League back in 2003 (3.91) was a full run and a half higher than his combined ERA in the National League his last three seasons (2.38). If you expect NL Roger, you could be in for a rude awakening. He's not going to get to pitch to weak pitchers and utility infielders that hit in the No. 8 hole while he's in the American League and he's a year older.
The good news is that the AL hasn't seen him on a regular basis since 2003 and he'll be facing enough young players out there that have never seen him. He'll be a six-inning pitcher who will average about five or six strikeouts per outing with plenty of run support and a solid WHIP.
He's going to help and it sure sounds like you need it, but you're going to need some help from elsewhere in order to catch up to that punk kid from New England. And there is still plenty of time for him to make a few mistakes too. Josh Beckett isn't going to go 30-0 and Tim Wakefield wasn't this good when he was young. Dice-K hasn't been overly impressive and Curt Schilling is up there in age in his own right.
Now, on to actual e-mails that I didn't dream about after some bad tacos the other day:
Do you think the Oakland A's are hiding a serious injury with Rich Harden? -- George Scarlett, USA
SG: It's not out of the question, especially considering what recently happened in Toronto with Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi basically lying to everyone about what was wrong with closer B.J. Ryan. We don't have any reason to think that with Harden, though. As far as we know, he's been told not to throw until the middle of the month and is still dealing with shoulder irritation. He's been recommended a lot of rest and Fantasy GMs will just have to be patient. When healthy, Harden is a top of the line option.
I need to drop either Ian Snell or Tim Lincecum in a H2H, non-keeper league because I have Eric Gagne coming off the DL and Chad Cordero is giving me fits. (I suppose I could also drop Cordero.) While Snell has been pretty effective for a bad team, I'm intrigued by Lincecum's potential over the course of this season. -- Joe Wodarski, Scarsdale, NY
SG: Lincecum has been hailed as the next big thing in Fantasy Baseball, but don't forget that he has just one major league start under his belt and is still only 22 years old. In keeper leagues, he's a must-own obviously. In seasonal leagues, it's not so cut and dry. He's going to go through some growing pains and should still be thought of as a low-end option outside of NL-only leagues. Ian Snell was a solid prospect in his own right and is further along in his development, pitching his second full season in the majors. Fantasy owners can start to consider the Pirates a mediocre team rather than a bottom feeder and you can stop thinking as Pittsburgh pitchers as players to avoid solely because of the team they play on. Lincecum is a Fantasy monster in the making, but look to make room for him by dropping a low-end reserve hitter if possible rather than a pitcher that you can squeeze plenty of juice from.
What is going on with Ryan Howard? -- Carlos Guzman, Harrisburg, Pa.
SG: You mean you weren't expecting him to be hitting .204 in the middle of May? He's off to a slow start and that happens. Usually, that only means he'll hit .400 somewhere down the line to make up for it. The concern with him now, though, is that he's been dealing with a sore left quadriceps muscle and is scheduled to have his leg examined Friday night. He could be headed for a trip to the disabled list, but that could actually be a good thing in the long run. If the muscle is affecting his swing, then a two-week recovery period could have a big payoff for both the Phillies and Fantasy owners the rest of the way.
I have people offering me Chris Carpenter and Kenny Rogers in trades but I just don't know what to expect from a return from each of these guys. What can I expect for performances for the second half of the season? I know Rogers had a blood clot, but he's also getting up there in age. Is he going to recover from this? And of course what about Carpenter? How serious is his injury and what can we expect from a comeback standpoint from him later this season? -- Chris Wernick, Chicago, Ill.
SG: Two completely different stories here. Carpenter is a Fantasy ace that has Cy Young potential when healthy. Unfortunately, he is not expected back until about mid-August at the earliest. Trading anything useful for him in a seasonal league isn't recommended until more is known about a possible return date. His return this season isn't even guaranteed. It's far too risky to trade for him now unless you can get him for a player you weren't relying on much anyway. Expecting anything more than 10 starts from Carpenter is a reach at this point. As far as Rogers, he's a middle-of-the road Fantasy option when healthy despite his great season in 2006 to coincide with the great run by the Tigers. He's expected back possibly by the All-Star break and could still make about 15 starts this season. He'll post an ERA just under 4.00 with about 50 strikeouts. You can find that kind of production off the waiver wire if you pay attention to rotation changes and minor league call ups along the way, so trading anything valuable for him isn't recommended either.
How long can the Twins go with their current rotation with Matt Garza and Kevin Slowey ripping up the minors? Both Garza and Slowey are available in my league. Who is going to make a bigger impact this year? -- Kip Storey Ellensburg,Wa.
SG: It is only a matter of time until Sidney Ponson gets booted out of the Twins rotation, but who will get his spot? With both pitchers doing well in Triple-A Rochester, the tiebreaker has to go to Garza, who rated higher among the team's prospects and is further along in his development. Garza has 50 innings of experience at the big-league level and is the better stashee at this stage. Slowey is worth owning in keeper leagues and in deeper AL-only leagues, but we don't expect him to skip in front of Garza unless multiple injuries create a rotation slot for him.
You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Dear Mr. Fantasy in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we do not guarantee personal responses or answers to all questions.
