Each week three of our resident Fantasy writers will answer three pertinent questions that all owners should be asking themselves. Feel free to submit your own questions for this feature and we'll tackle them in this space.
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| When do you think Evan Longoria will get the call? | Who will end up with a better Fantasy season: John Maine or Pedro Martinez? | Todd Jones or Joe Borowski? | |
Eric Mack |
June 1 is annually the time to move prospects up the chain. Not only is it right before the amateur draft -- when organizations add loads of prospects to the system -- but it is two months into the season. That is enough time for an elite talent to establish himself in the minors and enough time for the big league starter to prove unworthy of full-time at-bats. Yeah, you, Mr. I missed all of last season amid person problems Aybar. Ryan J. Braun was called up right before June 1 last year, so take the flier on Longoria at least a few weeks before that. | After seeing Maine pitch Monday against the Orioles, this one isn't even close. Maine has 20-win stuff, perhaps as early as this year. Maine won 15 games in his first full season, something even the most dominate pitcher of our generation (Pedro) failed to do until his third full season. If you need more of a case – you shouldn't: Pedro is 36, coming off major shoulder surgery, well past his prime and topping out at 89 mph so far this spring; Maine is 26 going on 27, completely healthy, just now entering his prime and hitting mid-90s consistently deep into spring games. Maine can win you a Fantasy title out of the middle rounds. | You should try to avoid both if you can. But if you have to choose between these injury-risk veteran stopgap closers, go with the one with the better offense and the one with less of a challenge for his job out of the gate. That is Jones. The Tigers are arguably the most impressive team in baseball with Miguel Cabrera hitting fifth and Dontrelle Willis slotting as the No. 5 starter! Also, JoeBo will have to contend with younger Rafael Betancourt tantalizing manager Eric Wedge in a setup role. Jones' primary competition for saves opens the year in the trainer's room: Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney. Jones is slightly more intriguing on Draft Day. |
Scott White |
I'm thinking it's a matter of weeks rather than months. Despite the uproar they created (and their own claims to the contrary), I think the Rays made a smart financial decision here, sending Longoria to the minors for only a few weeks, supposedly to "work on his game," but more to delay his free agency another full season. They don't have a serious chance of competing this year, so why not save his service time for 2014, when they very well might? That said, they probably still want him to go through his rookie slumps this year -- again, when they're not competing -- and he clearly showed he could hit major-league pitching this spring. Look for him to come up around May and make an immediate Fantasy impact -- possibly one as big as Hunter Pence's last year. | I'll take Maine, and I'll do so without the slightest hesitation. Look, Martinez's shoulder has taken enough knives to it that he no longer throws 90-plus mph. This spring, he looks like he's reinvented himself enough to succeed -- and good for him -- but I don't trust his strikeouts to return to their old rates, and I certainly don't trust him to go more than six innings per start, costing him opportunities to win games. Maine, meanwhile, for sure has the strikeouts, has upside and worked seven innings or more in 12 of his 32 starts last year. Take him. | Ugh. If I have to take one, I'll take Borowski, but I wouldn't trust either of these guys to keep his job through the end of the season. I know Borowski has a more apparent successor in Rafael Betancourt, but to me, Jones looks on the verge of pitching himself out of baseball. His stats have trended sharply in the wrong direction over the last two years, and if he starts blowing a game or two per week, the Tigers will have to test other options -- maybe even an Aquilino Lopez type. Borowski at least has an OK strikeout rate, showing me he has some ability to deceive hitters. |
Michael Hurcomb |
Longoria's demotion to Triple A was strictly a business move. As long as the Rays keep Longoria in the minors until mid-April, they can hold off on his free agency season until 2014. Longoria should feast on Triple-A hitters during the first few weeks of April, and I expect to see the slugging third baseman in the majors before May 1. I mean, how long can the Rays put up with Willy Aybar at third base? | Pedro will beat Maine to the old age home, but not in the stats column in 2008. Pedro is going to come down with some ailment in 2008 (maybe even a few DL stints), and pitching for one more contract will not be enough to get him over the fact he is still an aging pitcher. Maine, on the other hand, continues to improve under the guidance of pitching coach Rick Peterson. This season will be Maine's third under the heralded instructor that molded Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder in Oakland, and it could very well be his career best campaign. | Borowski might be one of the worst closers in baseball, but it's hard to overlook the fact he closed out 45 games in 2007. He blew eight saves and posted a 5.07 ERA, but his ERA is inflated because he was flat out awful in non-save chances. I'm a little worried about Jones because he hasn't been focused this spring and it seems Father Time is catching up with the soon-to-be 40-year-old closer. Tigers manager Jim Leyland is in love with Jones, but when Joel Zumaya (shoulder) returns in the second half will he change his tune? Also, Fernando Rodney might emerge as a possible candidate to close games, if he ever proves healthy. The Indians do have Masahide Kobayashi and Rafael Betancourt nipping at Borowski's heels, but I still like his chances of finishing out the season a lot better. |
You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball questions to dmfantasybaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Triple Play in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.
