Ike Davis(1B-NYM) – Reports this week have the Mets promoting Davis from Triple-A sometime in the next week. According to one report, should the Mets wait until after April 19,they would delay Davis’ free agent eligibility by a full year. Davis, batting .364/.500/.636 in Buffalo with a 5:9 K:BB,isn’t being brought up to sit on the bench. He’ll be the everyday first baseman, though one wonders whether he’ll sit some against tough left-handers. Davis batted .298/.381/.524 last year, so his start is no fluke. He’s a former #18 overall pick (2008) and should be a huge upgrade for the Mets over Mike Jacobs, though as we’ve seen with guys like Alex Gordon and to some extent Matt Wieters, not all top hitting prospects take to big league pitching right away. Still, he’s worth a pickup in most formats due to his upside.
Franklin Morales (RP-COL) – Morales blew his second consecutive save Sunday, allowing a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth in a 4-3 Colorado defeat in Atlanta. Morales’ ERA jumps from 2.25 to 5.79 as a result, and in 4.2 innings, Morales has just one strikeout and a pair of walks. Morales really got the closer job by default when Huston Street opened the year on the DL, as the Rockies clearly prefer their best reliever, Rafael Betancourt in higher-leverage (though does Jim Tracy really understand the concept of leverage?) situations. Corpas meanwhile has a 2.25 ERA in eight innings (though his 5:4 K:BB is subpar), making him a candidate to close the next time the Rockies need a save.
Jason Marquis (SP-WAS) – One thing I learned today is that when a pitcher allows seven runs without retiring a batter, his ERA goes up. That happened to Marquis Sunday, and the way Marquis pitched in his first two games (12.96 ERA), pitching so poor as to actually increase that ERA seemed like a challenge. Unfortunately for the Nats, he was up to the challenge. Sure, Marquis has faced tough offenses in each of his first three starts (Phillies 2X, Brewers Sunday), but a 20.25 ERA though three starts is rather poor. Marquis of course parlayed 15 wins and a 4.04 ERA last year into a two-year deal, but savvy fantasy owners saw through those numbers, choosing instead to focus on Marquis’ 4.8 K/9. Pitching to contact against high-powered offenses can lead to disaster, but for Marquis, you simply can’t use him right now until he proves he can be semi-effective. It won’t get any easier this week against the NL’s second-ranked offense in terms of OPS, the Dodgers.
Nate Robertson (SP-FLA) – Robertson impressed again Sunday, blanking the powerful Phillies over 6.1 innings. Robertson had four each of walks, hits, and strikeouts. No Jimmy Rollins or Raul Ibanez Sunday, but impressive nonetheless. Through 16.1 innings, Robertson has a 2.20 ERA and 11:6 K:BB. Nothing earth-shattering, but probably more than the Marlins expected when they acquired him from Detroit. He’s an every week starter in deeper leagues right now, but keep in mind the career 4.91 ERA and 6.1 K/9. Of course the majority of that was in the AL, so Robertson has a chance to be an asset all year long.
Paul Maholm (SP-PIT) – Impressive start from Maholm Sunday against the Reds. The lefty held them to just two runs on four hits over six solid innings, posting a 5:1 K:BB in the process. Maholm entered Sunday’s game with just a 6:5 K:BB in 11 innings, so the 5:1 was a big improvement. A guy with a 5.7 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 career isn’t an every week fantasy starter in shallower leagues, but as a streamer, sure. Maholm’s FB velocity is down from it’s usual 89.5ish range to 87.6 mph this year, but it may be the case he’s still building strength this early. Either way, it’s actually been a more effective pitch so far this year than in years past, and at 27, Maholm is just coming into his prime.
By the way, I'm now on Twitter, focusing primarily on real-time closer/bullpen situation updates. Follow me here: @vtadave.
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