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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| Who would you pin your hopes on at the hot corner for the remainder of 2008: Alex Gordon, Blake Dewitt or Evan Longoria? | How many saves will George Sherrill finish the year with? | What are your expectations for Bartolo Colon in 2008 now that he's back in the majors? | |
Eric Mack |
You shouldn't pin your hopes on any of these three at this point, because they are so raw. They are future stars, but not instant Fantasy gems like Ryan Braun was a year ago. Longoria looks like he has the highest ceiling for this season, but Gordon is the safer bet to not completely disappoint you. If you need a player to start, Gordon is the pick. If you have a reserve spot to stash an elite talent for a potential monster hot streak, Longoria is the choice. DeWitt may be hotter than both, but he is not in their class as a talent. | The new O's closer is on pace for 64 saves right now. He will not set the single-season saves record. Also, the Orioles will not win 81 games this season. Since they are 24-20, expect the Orioles and Sherrill to slow down. A total of 35 sounds reasonable. Now, a closer on a bad team can save 40 games, but you will not win Fantasy leagues consistently counting on something like that happening. Sub-.500 teams tend to offer save chances in bunches. Sherrill has gotten about half of his saves total for the season already. Sell high. | The only real expectation you should have is a DL stint at some point. Colon is an outstanding sleeper in all Fantasy leagues. Every Red Sox starter is. He has been reaching the mid-90s at times during his minor league starts, but the question is how long can he sustain it? His history of arm issues suggests not all the rest of the way. In spurts, Colon can be a dominant Fantasy starter, but don't count on him as a must-start every week ace. |
Michael Hurcomb |
I stick by Gordon through thick and thin. Longoria will be an elite talent and DeWitt continues to defy expectations, but Gordon has a leg up on experience. Gordon went through his rookie troubles last season, and I expect Longoria and DeWitt to hit a rookie wall at some point. Also, the pressure is now off Gordon in K.C. with the emergence of Jose Guillen. The team signed Guillen in the offseason to be a run producer and he is finally doing so in May (.323 avg., two HRs, 15 RBI). | One shy of 40. Sherrill is currently on pace for 64 saves, but that isn't going to happen. The O's are going to stop winning at their current pace, however, I do believe over the next few months that Sherrill could put another 20-22 saves on the board. | Disappointment. Colon won his first start Wednesday against the Royals, but we have seen this before. Don't forget -- he won five of his first six starts in 2007 with the Angels before falling apart and spending months on the DL with an elbow injury. He has already been injured once this season down in the minors and he hasn't pitched a full season since 2005. Colon is not getting any younger, and if he struggles at some point, Boston has plenty of alternatives waiting in the wings. |
David Gonos |
While DeWitt is certainly playing well, I still think he has two many obstacles to overcome to remain the starter for the season. Gordon is hitting around .300 finally and his below-average '07 appears to be behind him, but Longoria is my pick to finish with the best numbers of the three. His supporting cast is much better, and he's shown flashes of greatness already. | The left-hander has 17 saves now, with seven coming in May. The Orioles are above .500 right now, but that's not going to be the case by season's end. The fact that the O's have a sub-par offense means most of the wins they do rack up will be low-margin ones in large part, which turns into save opportunities. Closers are a fickle bunch, and this being his first year in the role means speed-bumps could be ahead. I'll mark him down for a total of 37 saves on the year -- still a solid total. | This much we know about Colon: When he's healthy, more often than not, he's able to pitch well. The Red Sox have a stellar lineup to get him leads, and their bullpen is still considered above-average to help keep those leads in tact. But with four months ahead, you'd be happy to get three months (half a season) of action from the 34-year-old (35 on Saturday). I think an 7-4 record with an ERA around 4.50 in 14 starts (80 IP) is reasonable. |
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.
