The bullpen is a strange place.

Isolated at least 350 feet from home plate, seven or eight pitchers sit through the first half of the game until their services are necessary. They carry snacks around in a backpack more appropriate for a seven-year old girl.
It’s a fairly anonymous group, except for the closer. It’s the closer that’s getting the big pay check and usually the only one relevant to any fantasy discussion. But what about the other guys? Those eighth inning setup men that are lights out, do they have any value?

This year’s best setup men are Minnesota’s Matt Guerrier, the Yankee’s Phil Hughes and the White Sox’s Matt Thornton. There are others having fine seasons, but the real question is whether any of these pitchers is worth owning, knowing they probably won’t get a win or a save.

Most leagues have two reliever spots on the roster, meaning that at least 20 closers are owned in any given league, but there’s always one owner that seems to find a way to hold the six best closers on their team.

So those owners left holding Brad Lidge and the recently traded George Sherrill may find it worthwhile to take a flier on Guerrier or Hughes. According to baseballmonster.com, Guerrier is the 15th best reliever even though he has no saves. Now that Hughes is pitching out of the ‘pen he probably has approximately equal value to Guerrier.

Five non-closers rank higher than All-Star Francisco Rodriguez, who recently has struggled. These pitchers can help a team with strikeouts and their low ERAs and WHIPs.

It doesn’t hurt to take a look at these guys even if you don’t intend to add them to your team because it’s never too early to start preparing for next year’s draft. A year before becoming the Twins’ closer and saving 44 games, Joe Nathan went 12-4 with a 2.96 ERA in a setup role in San Francisco. Smart fantasy players took note and stole him the next year.

Old man out: Jamie Moyer’s revival may be over in Philadelphia with Pedro Martinez set to join the World Champions’ rotation. Most people speculated Moyer wouldn’t be able to duplicate his 16-7 performance from last year.

So far most people haven’t been wrong, as the 46-year old’s ERA has grown by two runs. Moyer has somehow found a way to win 10 games, but with Cliff Lee now on the team and rookie J.A. Happ pitching phenomenally, someone has to make way for Martinez.

It’s possible that Lidge could be replaced by Martinez, who curiously has relief incentives in his contract, but unlikely.

I would say that for fantasy owners Martinez has more value as a closer, but if he’s in the starting rotation he could still be worth a look. The former Cy Young award winner has pitched well in the minors and will have plenty of offense behind him. But I’d still advise waiting until after his debut to decide if there’s a spot on your team for Martinez.

Pitcher Pickup of the Week: Aaron Laffey, Indians

It’s really no secret that I absolutely love Aaron Laffey. He’s a great person and sinker-ball pitchers tend to get a lot of love from me anyhow, but I really believe in Laffey’s stuff. This week he draws a home start Tuesday against Texas and then faces Minnesota on the road Sunday.

Since the All-Star break Laffey is 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA and is basically the team’s ace right now. He’s even striking people out, whiffing 17 in 25 innings. As an added bonus, he threw his best game of the year against Minnesota last week, going eight innings without allowing an earned run. He struck out five and walked one. In his career, Laffey is 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA against the Twins.

He has faced Texas only once and pitched terribly in the Ballpark at Arlington, but then so does everyone else. Lifetime at home, Laffey is 8-4 with a 2.57 ERA and that is where he gets to face the Rangers this time.

Ay Aybar¡
Thu, 6 Aug 2009 12:00

by Steven Iñiguez Ruiz

Aybar available after huge July
After picking up 36 H in 87 AB in the month of July, Angels Shortstop Erick Aybar batted .414 with 17 R while driving in 18 RBI and is still available in 80% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues. Aybar’s July numbers not only caught the attention of Angels fans but were acknowledged by MLB’s Clutch Performer of the Month officials making him a nominee for July’s award. Aybar’s subpar June in which he batted, .256 picking up 20 H in 78 AB, and his ability to bounce back to the a .300 Avg highlights this kid’s maturity and mental toughness which is going to be important for him and the Angels as the season winds down when division winners are decided in late August until the end of September. Aybar is ranked 15th in RBI amongst SS in the MLB and 14th in H and deserves a closer look from fantasy owners looking for some depth off the bench or even a starting SS.
Erick Aybar (Laa – SS)
Avg HR RBI R SB
.305 3 39 45 8
——————-

By Steve Nitz

The Major League Baseball trading deadline has come and gone, and at lot went on all the way up to the 4 p.m. deadline on July 31.

Two former Cy Young winners were moved, as well as former All-Stars Victor Martinez, Scott Rolen, and Matt Holliday (a trade that I already addressed). Here is a rundown of the major deals and their fantasy impact.

Jake Peavy to the White Sox for Clayton Richard and two minor leaguers-Peavy’s value will obviously suffer somewhat after going from Petco Park to hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field, but at the same time he will get more run support. The White Sox are also more likely to have him pitch in September while competing for the A.L. Central title.

Richard struggled for most of the year with Chicago but was great in his last two starts with the team. He threw 5 2/3 innings giving up one earned run in his debut with San Diego. He’s not a bad option in NL-only leagues.

Cliff Lee to the Phillies-Lee’s trade to Philadelphia was nothing but good news for his fantasy owners. He’ll get a ton of run support and he’s going to the National League. None of the prospects that went to Cleveland should have much of a fantasy impact his season.

Scott Rolen to the Reds for Edwin Encarnacion and two minor leaguers-This was probably the most puzzling deal of the trading deadline. The 34-year-old Rolen who has an injury history gets traded for the 26-year-old Encarnacion and two pitching prospects that have some promise.

Rolen is hitting .320 but hasn’t shown that much power, but that could change somewhat at Great American Ballpark. Encarnacion is only hitting .204, but has hit .278 with four homers and 10 RBI since being activated from the DL on July 3. He’s a good option in AL-only leagues.

Adam LaRoche to the Braves for Casey Kotchman-LaRoche’s value increases as he’ll get more playing time while Kotchman is now worthless sitting on the bench in Boston. Not that Kotchman and his six homers were ever a great assett at first base.

Victor Martinez to Boston for Justin Masterson and two minor leaguers-Martinez should see some improvement in the Boston lineup, although he could see a little less playing time. The intriguing guy in this deal is Masterson.

Masterson was 6-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 36 games with the Red Sox, and the Indians could end up using him in their rotation. If that happens he should be used in AL-only leagues.

Jarrod Washburn to the Tigers for Luke French and a minor leaguer-Washburn, who is having a good season (8-6, 2.64, 79 strikeouts), goes from one pitcher’s park to another. He also goes to another team that doesn’t score many runs, so his value shouldn’t really change.

French was 1-2 with a 3.88 ERA in seven appearances (five starts) with Detroit. He’s probably not worth using in fantasy leagues.

Orlando Cabrera to the Twins-Cabrera was awful the first three months of the season, but hit .373 in July and had nine stolen bases. His value only goes up by going from Oakland to Minnesota, where he’ll be in a better hitter’s park and have a better offense around him.

Nick Johnson to the Marlins-Johnson has hit .295 this year but hasn’t shown much power. His value isn’t really changed by going from Washington to Florida.

Jack Wilson and Ian Snell to the Mariners-Wilson has no fantasy value, but Snell is intriguing. He was awful this year in Pittsburgh (2-8, 5.36 ERA), but dominated when he was sent to AAA Indianapolis (0.96 ERA in six starts). He’s a guy to keep an eye on.

Ryan Garko and Freddy Sanchez to the Giants-The Giants ugraded their offense that the deadline with two separate deals. Neither player’s value should change too much with the trades. Both players are solid hitters, although the Giants had to give up Tim Alderson, one of the better pitching prospects in baseball, to get Sanchez.

George Sherrill to the Giants-Sherrill owners were hurt big time after this deal, as Sherrill goes from being Baltimore’s closer to a setup man in LA. If you owned Sherrill, hopefully you picked up Jim Johnson, the new closer in Baltimore.

Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow to the Cubs for Kevin Hart, Jose Ascanio, and a minor leaguer-After a strong 2007, Gorzelanny was dreadful in 2008. But like Snell, he had success in the minors this year and will go into Chicago’s rotation. He’s not worth using in fantasy leagues.

Hart put together four decent starts before being traded, but he’s on a bad team and won’t have a lot of strikeouts. You’re better off staying away from him. Grabow and Ascanio have no value.

By Ted Cahill

The American League and National League traded former Cy Young Award winners last week in what turned out to be a busy deadline for starting pitchers, even though Roy Halladay remained in Toronto.

Philadelphia acquired Cliff Lee from Cleveland and Jake Peavy finally accepted a trade to the South Side of Chicago, after nixing such a deal in May. Lee paid immediate dividends for the Phillies, defeating San Francisco in his Phillies’ debut. The White Sox will have to wait a little longer for Peavy, who remains on the DL with an ankle injury.

Left-hander Jarrod Washburn joined Detroit, where he should fit comfortably behind All-Stars Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson in the rotation. Luke French and Ian Snell headed to Seattle and Tom Gorzelanny got his pass out of Pittsburgh, who shipped him to the Cubs.

For fantasy owners, the trade of most interest is the Washburn deal. Lee and Peavy are owned in almost every league and highly valued by their owners. But despite Washburn’s hot streak he remained available in 40 percent of ESPN and Yahoo! Leagues.

He joins a Tigers’ team in the heart of a division race and won’t be expected to put the team on his shoulders for the final two months. He gets to pitch in front of the league’s top fielding percentage team and do it in a pitcher’s park. Washburn was already worth picking up in many leagues, now he’s an even better choice.

Lee and Peavy will both have more of an opportunity to pick up wins, now that they are also involved in playoff races. But they will have to do it in hitter friendly parks. It shouldn’t bother either pitcher too much, but I would expect Peavy to have a greater adjustment to his ERA than Lee. Petco Park is much more of a pitcher’s park than Progressive Field and Peavy throws more fly balls than Lee.

On top of that, the left-handed bats that Peavy will have to contend with in the AL Central are better than the right-handers Lee will see in the NL East. As a pitcher I’d rather face David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman and Hanley Ramirez than Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, Grady Sizemore and Curtis Granderson.

Close the door:
The lone big name reliever to switch teams was George Sherrill, who got sent to the Dodgers. For Sherrill owners this is a huge setback since he will not supplant Jonathan Broxton as closer.

Sherrill will likely be used as either a setup man or a left-handed specialist for Los Angeles, but he’s likely too valuable to just pitch to lefties. Either way, without saves he’s not of much use to any fantasy owners. As I warned two weeks ago, Sherrill owners should have had a backup plan for when he was traded.

The other reliever of note to be traded was Justin Masterson, who was part of the package Boston sent to Cleveland for Victor Martinez. Masterson pitched three scoreless innings in his Indians’ debut and will be transitioning into a starting role, probably by the end of the month. Masterson could be an intriguing option for fantasy owners, but until he makes a couple successful starts, I would caution against plucking him off the waiver wire.

Pitcher Pickup of the Week: Brett Cecil, Blue Jays

Since the rookie got a chance to face Baltimore July 10, Cecil has taken off. Now his number will once again be called against the Orioles on Friday. He threw six shutout innings in Baltimore in his last start against the cellar dwellers, in each of his next three starts, Cecil threw seven innings.

In his last four starts, Cecil is 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 24 strikeouts. Cecil easily could be 4-0 as he pitched seven shutout innings against Cleveland, only to see the Indians score two runs in the top of the ninth and saddle him with a no decision.

He also gets to make this start in the Rogers Centre, where he is 2-0 with a 3.03 ERA this year. Combined with Baltimore’s sluggish offense, Cecil should be a great pickup this week.

By Ted Cahill

It took a little bit of time, but Luke Hochevar has finally caught the attention of baseball.

The former no. one overall pick has been a quality pitcher for Kansas City this season, but struggled to gain notoriety in the black hole of last place. That started to change Saturday when, Hochevar beat Texas, striking out 13 and walking none in seven innings.

The Royals have been criticized for taking him at the top of the 2006 draft, passing on Tim Lincecum and Evan Longoria. But if his past six starts are any indication, Hochevar may just make Kansas City proud.

In that run, Hochevar is 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA. He has struck out 36 batters, walking only eight. Hochevar has thrown at least six innings in all of the starts and opponents are hitting only .238 off him.

The biggest problem for right-hander has been the long ball. Hochevar has allowed six home runs in 39 1/3 innings. But overall, he has been one of the better, under-the-radar pitchers during July.

This season, Hochevar is 6-3 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. But if you eliminate his first two starts of the year, his numbers improve to 6-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, numbers very similar to his past six starts.

Making Hochevar’s numbers even more impressive is his very high BABIP of .379 in the last month. When that stat reaches a more typical level in the .270s, Hochevar should see an even greater level of success.

Hochevar is on track to become a good pitcher in years to come. He certainly isn’t going to be getting dropped from Kansas City’s rotation anytime soon. This 25-year old definitely has the talent to be included on fantasy rosters and should receive consideration as the season continues.

Just Perfect:
It’s a pitcher’s dream to retire 27 straight batters, never allowing a batter to reach base. Mark Buehrle became just the 18th pitcher in Major League history to perform this feat, beating Tampa Bay last Thursday.

For fantasy owners Buehrle’s gem was especially sweet, after all who wouldn’t want nine innings of no runs, no hits, no walks and a win? But Buehrle was started in only 75 percent of Yahoo! Leagues that day, meaning that quite a few fantasy owners were kicking themselves. It’s a pretty good bet that when he takes the hill Tuesday in Minnesota, many more fantasy owners will have him in their starting lineups.

But how do pitchers typically fare after their perfect game?

Of the last 10 pitchers that pitched again in the same season after the best performance of their life, only four have won. Overall the 10 pitchers, including Jim Bunning, Sandy Koufax, Catfish Hunter and Randy Johnson, are 4-3 with a 5.18 ERA and 49 strikeouts. Some have responded quite well to their perfect game, but others have bombed out in the next start.

Buehrle seems to have the mentality necessary to respond well to his success, but we’ll see how he performs Tuesday in Minnesota. Even still, you have to start him.

As the Mill Turns:
With the trading deadline Friday rumors are flying about which ace will get traded this season. Roy Halladay remains the favorite to get dealt, but Cliff Lee and Jarrod Washburn are increasingly being mentioned as alternatives.

The Phillies seem determined to land one of those three starters, somewhat bad news for their owners. All three are good enough to not be seriously affected by pitching in more of a hitter’s park, but there will likely be some ill effects. The Dodgers are also rumored to be interested in acquiring another starter, but may have to give up Clayton Kershaw to get Lee or Halladay.

No matter which ace finds themselves suiting up in a new clubhouse by the end of the week, you can expect fantasy analysis right here at Not Just a Game.

Pitcher Pickup of the Week: Jeff Niemann, Rays

Niemann wasn’t supposed to be Tampa Bay’s rotation this year. That spot was reserved for left-hander David Price, who has been something of a disappointment so far. However, Niemann, a former first-round selection himself, has finally arrived on the big stage.

Niemann is 9-5 with a 3.81 ERA this year and has thrown two shutouts. In his past three starts, Niemann is pitching even better, sporting a 2.86 ERA.

This week, the right-hander gets to face Kansas City at home. The last time Niemann got the good fortune of facing the Royals on June 3, he threw a two-hit shutout. That game was also at Tropicana Field, where Niemann is 3-2 with a 3.26 ERA this year.

By Steve Nitz

It’s been a rough week for Bobby Jenks owners. Jenks suffered his second blown save of the week Saturday in Chicago’s loss to the Tigers. Saturday’s outing marked the fifth time in his last six appearances that he has given up an earned run. His ERA is now at 4.33

In a span of two days the Sox have gone from being in first place to possibly being four games out should they lose tomorrow. The question is, how long will Ozzie Guillen stick with Jenks as his closer?

Should Guillen decide to go a different route, Matt Thornton would probably be the choice to get saves on the south side. Thornton has been Chicago’s best reliever all season and currently has a 2.85 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. He also has 49 strikeouts in 41 innings. If he’s available in your league, it would be a good idea to go ahead and grab him.

Here are some other closer situations around the majors worth keeping an eye on.

Baltimore-There is still a good chance that George Sherrill could be traded before the deadline, which is bad news for his owners, as he would probably be moved to a team that has a set closer, such as the Yankees, Cubs, Angels, or Brewers. Jim Johnson would be the favorite for saves if Sherrill is traded.

Los Angeles Dodgers-Jonathan Broxton has been great, but his toe injury could be an issue. Plus, you know how Joe Torre likes to overuse his relievers. Keep an eye on Broxton.

Philadelphia-Brad Lidge has still been shaky since coming of the DL, sporting a 5.87 ERA in July. But Charlie Manuel has shown he has faith in him, so his closer spot should be safe for the time being.

Texas-Frank Francisco has been great for the Rangers this season-when he’s been on the mound. Francisco currently has 15 saves and a 2.28 ERA, but went on the DL for the third time this season on July 20 with pneumonia. C.J. Wilson has picked up saves in his absence.