Achievers/Bums - 7/25/08

ACHIEVERS

Joba Chamberlain - SP - New York Yankees - Win, 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 9 K - In his 10th start since moving to the rotation, Joba showed why Hank Steinbrenner called him the Yankees' answer to Beckett. It was nice to see him get a little deeper into the ballgame and cut down on the walks.

Carlos Delgado - 1B - New York Mets - 1/4, HR, 2 RBI - Don't look now, but Carlos Delgado is kind of awesome again. Last month: .355, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 20 R & only 16 K to 16 BB. I don't expect it to last all season, but there are worse options at first base.

Brian McCann - C - Atlanta Braves - 2/3, 2 HR, 5 RBI, SB, 2 BB - Huge night for the Braves' backstop. Is there any doubt that he's the number one fantasy catcher in all the realm? I submit that there is not.

BUMS

Edinson Volquez - SP - Cincinnati Reds - Loss, 4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K - Uh oh, he's blaming mechanics. And I really, really hate to say I told you so...but I told you so.

Aramis Ramirez - 3B - Chicago Cubs - 0/4, 2 K - A-Ram is only hitting .168 over the last month, which is bad news for Cubs and fantasy owners. He's a streaky hitter, and I believe he'll bounce back. Try to buy him low if you can.

Jonathan Sanchez - SP - San Francisco Giants - Loss, 2.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K - Rough night for Sanchez against the D-backs. But don't panic, and for the love of Pete, don't drop him. He's been a better fantasy pitcher this year than Scott Kazmir, Rich Harden, John Maine or Matt Garza. You know you lucked into him and you should be happy for what you get. Greedy bastards.

Top Five Projected Second Half Bums - Donny Edition

I must admit that I was ready for the All-Star break this year. In my oldest and favorite league I was relying on Erik Bedard and Aaron Harang to be my top two starting pitchers. Instead, they both just pitched like number two, and I am looking way up at first place. Here are some guys I predict will be number two in the second half.

Carl Crawford - OF - Tampa Bay Beelzebub Rays - I don't believe in the Rays and I don't believe in Crawford. Forget his name is Carl Crawford for a minute and consider the fact that he has never hit more than 18 home runs or 81 RBI's in a season. I compare Crawford to a guy like Corey Hart, who gets way less hype, but has similar numbers. Sure, Hart will only give you about 25 SB's, which is half of what you get from Crawford, but you'll end up with a similar BA, more RBI's and twice the HR's. Crawford will end up with another 20 SB's in the second half, but he shouldn't be confused with actual elite power/speed guys like Grady Sizemore, Hanley Ramirez, Brandon Phillips or David Wright. If you desperately need steals and can get him really cheap, go for it, but don't overpay as I don't see a big second half for Carl.

Pat Burrell - OF - Philadelphia Phillies - At some point he's gotta remember he's Pat Burrell, right? Look, Pat the Bat had a surprisingly wonderful first half (.275 AVG, 23 HR, 57 RBI) and his eye at the plate seems to have improved, as he is tied for the Major League lead in walks with Adam Dunn, but unlike Dunn, he has trimmed his K's significantly. I still like Burrell okay for the second half, but I don't think he keeps this pace. He usually ends the year with about 30 HR's and 95 RBI, and I expect him to end this year about the same. Chances are he will hit a prolonged slump at some point, so I would probably try to shop him based on his first-half numbers to see if you can get a nice return. You're not going to be able to get Grady Sizemore or Matt Holliday, but you might be able to snag Nick Markakis.

Evan Longoria - 3B - Tampa Bay Prince-of-Darkness Rays - Rookies aren't supposed to get called up and have huge offensive numbers right away. Ryan Braun was the exception; Alex Gordon is the rule. I expect Longoria to come back down to earth in the second half. Opposing pitchers are too smart and they will find his weak spot. Right now the hype machine is in overdrive for Longoria, and if it wasn't for Josh Hamilton, Longoria would be the big story of the All-Star break. His stock is soaring right now, and I would move him quickly. The only possible exception is if you are in a keeper league because I do think he will be a very good player in the league for years to come.

Kerry Wood - RP - Chicago Cubs - Kerry Wood has two big things working against him, 1 - He is a Cub, 2 - His name is Kerry Wood. I gambled on Wood in a couple of leagues this year and have been pleasantly surprised, but I don't expect a big second half. He's got a blister right now, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him spend some time on the DL. I always think it's a good idea to try to move a closer around this time and see what you can get anyway. Unless it's one of the elite such as: Joe Nathan, K-Rod or Papelbon, I would rather move a guy with a bunch of saves for a no-name closer and try to get something else in the deal. For example, if I could move Kerry Wood for C.J. Wilson and an A.J. Burnett, I'd do it.

Edinson Volquez - SP - Cincinnati Reds - This one hurts, and I almost didn't include him, but I have to be honest: I don't believe Volquez is going to have a great second half. As a Reds' fan, I hope I am terribly wrong, but hear my reasoning. First of all, he has never pitched more than 34 innings in the big leagues before this year and he is already at 117 IP. Having Dusty Baker as the man who decides how long to keep him on the mound doesn't exactly give me a warm fuzzy about this scenario either (although I was pleased to read that Dusty petitioned to Clint Hurdle to try to keep Volquez from pitching more than an inning in the All-Star game). Another concern is his 56 walks issued in the first half. He has managed to use his mid-nineties fastball and filthy, low-eighties circle-changeup to work out of jams, but I'm worried that the walks are going to catch up with him at some point. The most signficant stat of all for Volquez is that he has only allowed five home runs all year (that's a Bronson Arroyo inning) and only one at Great American Ballpark. To think that this trend will hold up in the second half just seems way too optimistic. Volquez doesn't have a body of work to compare to, and his last few starts have been shaky, so while I wouldn't be super-eager to move him, I'd listen to offers at this point.

Others to watch:

Joe Saunders - SP - Los Angeles Angels, Ryan Dempster - SP - Chicago Cubs, Milton Bradley - OF - Texas Rangers, J.D. Drew - OF - Boston Red Sox

10 First Half Surprise Achievers (Pitchers)

"...and proud we are of all of them."

Edinson Volquez – SP – Cincinnati Reds – 11 W, 2.36 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 116 K – It's really amazing that this kid has been so good that most Reds fans don't really miss Josh Hamilton. Having said that, he's going to hit a cold streak so if you can get proven, top-tier talent in return, you should probably consider doing the deal. I traded Volquez and Carlos Guillen for A-Rod in a keeper league and have had private moments of wailing and gnashing of teeth, but that's the type of player you'd have to get if you move Voltron.

Cliff Lee – SP – Cleveland Indians – 11 W, 2.43 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 99 K – Cliff Lee has been a revelation this year. His stuff looks fantastic, and from a roto standpoint, he's had one of those first halves that can carry an entire fantasy pitching staff in ERA and WHIP. My instinct says there is no way he can have a similar second half, but I'd probably hold on to him and ride him out as long as possible.

Ervin Santana – SP – Los Angeles Angels – 10 W, 3.53 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 112 K– This guy was written off by everyone as a home spot starter, and understandably so, but he seems to have gotten things straightened out after a stint in triple-A last year. He's always had the stuff, but it seems he's finally put it all together.

Joe Saunders – SP – Los Angeles Angels – 12 W, 3.07 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 63 K – The guy who was fighting out E. Santana for the 5th starter job in spring training leads the majors in W's. The bad news: only 58 K's does not portend good things for the 2nd half.

Ryan Dempster – SP – Chicago Cubs – 10 W, 3.13 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 98 K – Moving from reliever to starter is hard. Just ask Danny Graves. Or Joba Chamberlain for that matter. But Dempster is making his organization look brilliant for making the move.

George Sherrill – RP – Baltimore Orioles – 2 W, 27 SV, 3.72 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 27 K – At least Bedard was worth it, eh Mariners?

Joakim Soria – RP – Kansas City Royals – 1 W, 23 SV, 1.58 ERA, .75 WHIP, 44 K – In addition to the 23 saves, he gives you a great ERA and wonderful WHIP with solid strikeouts. And as a bonus you don't need antacid when watching him close out games. He's the anti-Todd Jones.

Brad Lidge – RP – Philadelphia Phillies – 2 W, 19 SV, .97 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 49 K – Of course the one year I don't gamble by drafting him as my first closer he turns into Goose Gossage. Thanks for nothing, a-hole.

Justin Duchscherer – SP – Oakland Athletics – 10 W, 1.78 ERA, .86 WHIP, 63 K – See: Dempster, Ryan. But add more awesomeness.

Aaron Cook – SP – Colorado Rockies – 11 W, 3.66 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 64 K – Gentleman: I give you...an ownable Rockies pitcher. Shhhh! Don't tap on the glass, you'll spook him.